Exploring #Bourne Farm for Inspiration #amwriting #Ghosts #CapeCod #Falmouth #Travel

Bourne Farm, or Crowell-Bourne Farm, circa 1775

You wouldn't think a ghost mystery would require much research--part of the fun of writing paranormal elements is using your imagination.  But I've had to do research for every one of my books...some more than others.  Haunted Souls, in particular, took a huge amount of research.  The initial inspiration for that story came from a visit to the Old Jail here on Cape Cod--the oldest wooden jailhouse in the country, built circa 1690 and reputedly haunted.  For this particular plot, historical research was necessary, and also a great deal of research into the military background of one of the characters, who was an EOD tech (Explosive Ordinance Disposal).  You can read more details about the Old Jail in Barnstable Village and researching EOD in this post.

For my recent ghost mystery/romance, The Haunting of Hillwood Farm, I needed more information on historic farms located on Cape Cod.  The farm in my novel has been in the Turner family for generations, and Luke Turner is determined to save the property from development, despite financial struggles.  So I visited a few farms in person in addition to doing online research.

Crocker Pond on Bourne Farm

Crowell-Bourne Farm (in West Falmouth on Cape Cod in MA) probably served as the biggest inspiration, at least in terms of my vision for the landscape of Hillwood Farm.  The house was built in 1775 by Joseph Crowell, as you can see from the plaque on the building in the top photo.  Although there is no documentation to prove it, local lore says the structure on Bourne Farm was one of the first seven houses in West Falmouth.  This property is now owned by a private land trust, and consists of 49 acres of fields and woodlands.  It's listed on the National Registration of Historic Places, and visitors enjoy walking the miles of trails through the woods and appreciating the views.  We picked some apples from the orchards during our walk, and I'm sharing a few more pics below.

The cattle run...this used to be a passage for the
cattle to cross beneath the railroad tracks.  The
tracks above are now a bike path.

My hubby walking the trails (Otis the dog
must be further up ahead)

Otis posing in the cattle run

    

One other farm we visited was Taylor-Bray Farm in Yarmouth Port.  This farm was originally settled in 1639 when the area was still part of the Plymouth Colony.  I used some of the history of this farm as inspiration--specifically, Taylor-Bray was a working farm until 1941, harvesting hay and selling fruit.  The existing farm house there now was built in the late 1800s, and visitors are allowed to walk through when it's open.  The decor has been preserved, but in my mind's eye, my fictional farm house has had quite a lot of renovations throughout the years.

Sheep at Taylor-Bray Farm.  My fictional farm has horses.

While these two farms are now historic landmarks open to the public, there are a number of working farms on the Cape that still house families.  Those I researched online, or visited their produce stands to enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies!

All in all, this research was a fascinating look at some Cape Cod history, as well as inspiration for the setting.  But then my imagination took over.  Who is haunting Hillwood Farm?  And why?  You'll have to read the book to find out!  It's available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon, just follow the link below to read the blurb.  

THE HAUNTING OF HILLWOOD FARM on Amazon

Winner of Best Romantic Suspense 
at N.N. Light's Book Heaven Reviews!

And for more posts on historic sites on Cape Cod, check out a few of my other posts:  Historic Falmouth, Exploring Washburn Island (abandoned military base from WWII), Haunted Barnstable Village (deserted prisons anyone?), and Visiting Cuttyhunk Island (which is literally like time-traveling to a different decade!).  Thanks for stopping by!

Haunted History of #theDakota ~ #NYC #NewYork #Travel #paranormal #ghosts

View of the Dakota from Central Park

Because I have a strong fascination with all things spooky, I tend to seek out haunted places to visit when we go on trips.  When we spent a day in Paris during a London trip, I insisted on exploring the Catacombs.  We also spent a day at the Tower of London, which is surely home to some restless spirits.  In Maryland, I've explored the abandoned Glenn Dale TB Hospital.  Closer to home, I've taken tours of the Old Jail (oldest wooden jail in the entire country), and haunted locations around Barnstable Village. 

More recently, between Christmas and New Year's this winter, we went to New York City to spend some time with our best friends again...with our family in MA, and theirs in VA, NYC is an excellent--albeit expensive--half-way point.  And there's so much to see packed into such a small area!

Looking up from the street...I can believe this building is haunted

When I looked up a list of haunted places in NYC to see what would come up, I was intrigued by The Dakota.  This is an exclusive apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, built in 1884 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The list of celebrities who have lived--or currently live--here is very long, but one of the most well-known residents was John Lennon of the Beatles, who was murdered at the entrance of the building in 1980.  Some claim to see Lennon's ghost, but John Lennon himself apparently spoke of some supernatural encounters in the building before his assassination.  He mentioned an encounter with an apparition in the hallway, who he dubbed "the Crying Lady Ghost".

Site of John Lennon's assassination

Another frequently seen spirit is a little blonde girl dressed in early 1900s clothing, sometimes bouncing a ball.  There have been reports of other apparitions, including a figure resembling Edward Clark, head of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, who built the Dakota but died before the building's completion.

Residents and employees have reported seeing objects move on their own, including things too heavy for a person to lift.

The exterior of the building is a Gothic blend of gables and dormers, arches and balustrades, with ornate iron details.  It is imposing and intimidating enough to have been chosen to represent The Bramford in the horror movie Rosemary's Baby, in which a Satanic cult in the building try to impregnate a new resident with the Devil's baby.  Thankfully, that is a fictitious tale created by Ira Levin in his book of the same name.

This intricate & somewhat sinister ironwork goes all the way around the building

I would have loved to explore the interior of the building, but as I mentioned, it's the home of many famous and affluent residents, and there is security at the entrances.  But I took plenty of photos of from outside, and while I don't think I caught any ghosts on camera, it did give off a spooky vibe that sent a few shivers down my spine.

This was as close as I could get...at one time,
these arched entrances allowed carriages inside.
A Christmas tree was still on display in the courtyard.

Signing #Books in #Mashpee! Holiday Fair - Open House #CapeCod #Fitness Co.

As promised earlier in the week in my post on my local events, I'm doing a quick update on the Holiday Vendor Fair and Open House we're doing tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. the 9th, at the gym where I work (my day job, lol) - Fitness Company for Women on Rt. 130 in Mashpee.  While it's a women's gym, this event is open to ALL, men shopping for gifts, non-members, etc., so come on by if you're in the area!

I'll have my book table set up, and I can sign and personalize copies of any of my novels--a great and thoughtful gift, for yourself (we all deserve to de-stress during the holidays, and what better way that shutting the outside world down, putting your feet up, and getting lost in a page-turning story?) or for the readers on your list.  In particular, two of my romance/ghost stories are set on Cape Cod (GULL HARBOR is set in the Wellfleet area, HAUNTED SOULS in Barnstable Village), which is a nice local tie-in.  A little steamy and a little spooky...there's something for everyone!

Ahhh....bliss!  The best thing about reading is that you can't
think about anything else while you're doing it!  The only
multi-tasking needed is putting up your feet and sipping a beverage!

And if you're shopping for a younger reader, I do have one Young Adult book, DIVINE FALL...a traditional paranormal romance filled with forbidden love and supernatural secrets, appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Oak Blush

Another one of our gym employees also has another business (Cape Cod Nail Company) and she'll be setting up a table as well, raffling off packages and offering specials.  Her company is unique in that she will travel to YOU for group events (bridal parties, ladies night out, etc.).  And she recently started her own line of nail polish, which makes a perfect stocking stuffer!  The logo on the bottle features the familiar outline of the Cape, and the names are plays on our local spots and sayings ("Oak Blush" instead of Oak Bluffs, "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat", a nod to Jaws being filmed here on Martha's Vineyard as well as the recent influx of great white sharks in our waters!) 

We'll have other vendors as well, food and drink, membership specials, salon and massage specials, gift certificates, and raffles, with proceeds going to Toy for Tots.  

11:00 - 3:00 at The Fitness Company!

True #Ghost Story ~ #paranormal #haunting #StephenKing #SalemsLot

It's my favorite time of year, and I'm dedicating my blog this month to Halloween-related posts!  I am fascinated by all things spooky, and stories about actual hauntings are particularly eerie.  While I write about ghosts, I’ve never actually seen one, much to my dismay.  But our good friends have had quite a history with a ghost they've dubbed "Granny Griffin".  Granny Griffin happens to reside on the very farm Stephen King depicts in his novel ‘Salem’s Lot, although he changed the name in the book to Griffen farm.  The farm is located in the Maine town of Durham, where King grew up.  His best friend, Randy, lived on the 200-acre dairy farm, which dates back to the 1860s.

This isn't the actual farm, 
but it gives off that spooky vibe

In the early 1970s, Carlene Griffin was unable to care for the farm and had to walk away from it.  Our friends' parents, Mr. and Mrs. W., bought it, with all its furniture, treasures, and apparent ghosts.  As a child, our friend found photos from the Civil War while exploring the attic!  The first news of the ghost came when Mrs. W. was approached by a medium in town, who insisted she had a message from the other side that needed to be delivered.  The medium wrote a note from Granny Griffin to her daughter Carlene, telling her not to worry about the fight they’d had before she died.  Mrs. W. was charged with delivering the note to Carlene, who was still living on the property in a renovated hen house.

My friend saw the ghost of Granny Griffin on several occasions, the first being one night when he was about 13.  A figure appeared in the doorway of his bedroom, wearing a long house coat.  He assumed it was his mother, but when he asked what she wanted, she did not answer.  As she turned away, her gray bun was clearly visible.  In the morning, Mrs. W. denied checking up on her son during the night—and he realized he had never, ever seen her wear her hair in a bun.

The father, Mr. W., remained skeptical.  Until the night he heard footsteps and rose to check the house.  He saw someone descending the stairs and followed the figure down the steps and into the kitchen, where she disappeared.  When he returned to the bedroom, Mrs. W awoke to ask what was wrong.  Mr. W. replied, “We’ll talk about it in the morning.  But let’s just say I believe you now.” 

This fascinates me as both a fan of all things spooky and an author of ghost stories mixed with romance (my two favorite genres, combined).  The ghost in SILVER LAKE has a message to share as well…and despite their painful past, Rain and Jason are forced to reunite to help the desperate spirit.  The ghost in GULL HARBOR is a bit angrier…but she has her reasons, and Claire is determined to figure them out—and Max is determined to keep Claire safe.  My latest release, HAUNTED SOULS, involves a mystery surrounding a child ghost who follows an unsuspecting mother and her toddler home from a haunted colonial jail.  October is a great month to celebrate the paranormal, so if you enjoy some spooky suspense that will send a shiver down your spine, along with some steamy romance to heat things back up, click on one of the above links!  

This is a photo I took of the Old Jail in Barnstable Village
on Cape Cod, which inspired the ghost story in
Haunted Souls.  It's the oldest wooden jail house in
the country, and reputedly haunted.
Anyone else see something in the upper window?

How Small Promo Efforts Lead to Big Things! #writingtips #amwriting

Making time for promotion, and then actually finding effective ways to get your name out there, can be a real challenge for authors—especially when we’re deeply involved in a story and we’d prefer to stay in our fictional world and write.  But putting yourself out there can really pay off as well, and I’m sharing today how doing local events and getting my name in the paper led to a dream-come-true opportunity—signing books beside the “Queen of Suspense”, Mary Higgins Clark, as well as many other very well-known authors whose books I have enjoyed.  This post originally appeared as an "Authors Boosting Authors" (ABA) installment in an ongoing series organized by an author friend who also writes for my publisher--check out other posts for more insights and ideas on writing and promo here!

Last spring, I received an email asking if I would be interested in participating in an author panel and book signing event at the end of the summer, with no details other than the proceeds would benefit Dream Day on Cape Cod, an organization bringing children with life-threatening illnesses to Cape Cod for relaxation and vacation time with family.  I had no idea who the other authors on the panel would be, but I immediately said yes—a chance to help children and gain visibility for my novels in a win/win.  I didn’t learn the identity of the author panel until a few weeks prior to the event, and you should have seen my expression when I opened the promotional flier and saw “Mary Higgins Clark” next to my name.  Then I saw other very well-known names such as Hank Phillipi Ryan, Sally Cabot Gunning, and Jacquelyn Mitchard and nearly fell off my stool at the kitchen island.

A dream come true!  Signing books alongside Mary Higgins Clark

A little background into what this meant to me.  I’ve always been a voracious reader, and throughout my childhood, my father would bring home stacks of library books each week, selected with the help of the local librarian.  That’s how I discovered a ghost story/sweet romance entitled Jane-Emily, a novel which inspired my own books many years later.  But when I would inevitably finish all the library books in a few days, I’d turn to raiding my mother’s bookcase.  And that’s how I first found Mary Higgins Clark’s debut novel, Where Are The Children?

I can still remember my pulse racing as I tore through the pages.  I quickly hunted down the two other paperbacks we owned, A Stranger is Watching and The Cradle Will Fall.  Over the years, I read all three again many times in between waiting for new releases.  And before I began writing my debut novel, Silver Lake, I re-read Where Are The Children? as a lesson on building tension and suspense.  I was surprised to discover the book was set on Cape Cod, a place which meant little to me as a child, but has now become my home for the last 18 years. 

What a great night the event was!  It was held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and it was entitled Art, Word, and Wine, organized by and benefiting Dream Day on Cape Cod.  There were nine authors in total, each with a large table displaying our books, bios, and cards, and while we signed books there, Brewster Book Store employees took care of the sales.  Local shops offered wine tasting and appetizers, and there was a large raffle table as well.  We had a 45 minute author panel with a quick Q&A session; for the most part, we signed books at our tables and chatted with attendees.

My table at Art, Word, and Wine

I was able to chat quite a bit with Mary Higgins Clark and Hank Phillipi Ryan, whose tables were near mine.  What an honor!  Mary Higgins Clark signed my author panel name card on request, and was so very gracious about it, and Hank Phillipi Ryan suggested I Facebook friend her.  Done!  Quite a few of my friends came to the event, as well as a number of members of the gym where I work.  I met a lot of new people as well, including the County Administrator of Barnstable, who works right near the Old Haunted Jail from my novel Haunted Souls (which he purchased and said he enjoyed very much in follow-up emails!).  Since the building in that area (Barnstable Village) are so old and filled with history—and possibly ghosts, per our local paranormal society—he offered to give me a tour of some areas “off limits” to the general public, which was a fabulous experience.  The pictures and notes can be found in this post; and for a taste of some Cape Cod spooky suspense mixed with steamy romance, give my latest release, Haunted Souls, a try!

Haunted Souls was one of the Top 3 Books of 2016 at Read Free.ly!
A damaged soldier, a secret baby, and a haunting mystery...
Coming to Audible Dec. 2017!

**If you're in the Cape Cod area, I'll be participating in another author panel this Friday--this one is comprised specifically of Authors of Young Adult fiction, and again, I'm thrilled to be participating with some very famous authors!  More info on that event can be found here.

In the ABA series, posts end with a specific writing tip and a specific promo tip, so here are mine...please share yours in the comments below! 

Writing Tip:  This goes along with trying to balance time between writing, promo, and life in general, and it speaks to me because I’m not a speedy writer.  It’s advice from Chris Bohjalian, an author I enjoy, who writes in several genres.  “Write one terrific sentence. Don’t worry about anything else – not where the story is going, not where it should end. Don’t pressure yourself to write 500 or 1,000 words this morning. Just write 10 or 15 ones that are very, very sound.” – Chris Bohjalian, from his Goodreads author page Q & A.

Promo Tip:  Again, relating to this post…get your name out there!  Every time I do an event, whether it’s a book signing, a reading, a class, etc., I make sure the event is listed on the online events calendars of all the local publications.  It’s something you can easily do yourself, and it’s free promotion, and it also leads to bigger things.  Aside from the book signing I discussed above, I’ve been contacted and asked to display my books at a local bank, appear at a salon open house, talk to a high school creative writing class…so many opportunities pop up just from letting people in the community know that I write novels!

Happy Writing!

Price Drop on #Kindle! #Romance + #Ghosts #FridayReads

Exciting news!  HAUNTED SOULS is now a year old this summer--hard to believe--and that makes it eligible for a price drop by my publisher!  The Kindle price is now $3.99, down from $5.99, a bargain for hours of entertainment.  This is a steamy romance with a ghost mystery subplot, set on Cape Cod and inspired by the (haunted) Old Jail in Barnstable Village.  Reviews have been fantastic, and this title came in second last year in Read Free.ly's Top Reads of 2016...out of 100 entries!

So grab a copy at the new lower price, put your feet up, and get pulled into a page-turning story, "packed with angst, turmoil, danger, and romance" (Splashes Into Books Reviews).  Happy Reading!

A damaged soldier, a secret baby, and a haunting mystery collide in Haunted Souls

HAUNTED SOULS on Kindle

#Haunted Barnstable ~ Cape Cod History + Hauntings #CapeCod

I love old, spooky places, especially when there's some fascinating history involved.  My latest ghost story/romance, Haunted Souls, was inspired by a visit to the Old Jail, the country's oldest wooden jailhouse, built circa 1690 and considered actively haunted.  This historic gem is located in Barnstable Village, on Cape Cod, not far from where I live.

Over the summer, I was honored to be part of an author panel at a charity event which also included very big names in the industry: Mary Higgins Clark, Hank Phillipi Ryan, Sally Gunning, and Jacquelyn Mitchard to name a few!  It was an exciting night, and as you can imagine, these famous authors helped draw a large crowd.

During our panel discussion, I mentioned how the Old Jail House inspired my latest novel, and one of the audience members later came up and introduced himself as the County Administrator.  We discussed some of the other very old--and reputedly haunted--buildings in Barnstable, and he offered to arrange a private tour for me.  Needless to say, I was thrilled, and a few weeks later, I went on the tour, and, as an added bonus, I receive a copy of a paranormal report done on the buildings by the Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society.  According to the report, some incidents reported by employees included: hearing voices with no person present; objects being moved with no explanation; sightings of human figures that vanish; gray clouds moving up stairwells.  During the investigation, according to the report, an unseen woman was recorded coughing, and the scent of cherry tobacco was detected by several team members.  Temperature changes were also noted.

I'm sharing some of the photos I took, along with the stories, below.

The catacombs beneath the
BarnstableSuperior Court House

Copies of old records line one
shelf in the catacombs-
this is 1882-1886

Our first stop was the Barnstable Superior Court House, which was built in 1831.  A plaque inside notes that the building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the US Dept. of the Interior.  I've been here in the past for jury duty, but I had never known about the catacombs located beneath the building (for my visit to the famous Catacombs of Paris, see this post).  These catacombs were not filled with bones, thankfully, but the space did contain many old records and files, along with a very creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere.  
Many employees refuse to enter the space after experiencing or hearing about paranormal incidents here.

Many of the historical details of the old jail are
being preserved in the remodel - these bars near
the entrance are an example

From the Court House, we climbed the hill leading to the old Barnstable County Jail and House of Corrections - much more modern than the tiny 1690 Old Jail, but still an old, somewhat decrepit building full of history.  This jail was built in 1935 and abandoned in 2004 when the last of the prisoners were moved to a new facility.  Now, thirteen years later, the building is being renovated into office space, so I was very lucky to get to see this site before its destruction.




A central hallway is pictured below, with cells lining both sides.  Metal tables were once bolted in the middle of the hallway for prisoners to use for socializing.

Another area many people try to avoid is the former isolation cells, located on the right in the photo below.  These will be offices eventually.

The doors on the right open to isolation cells

Many of the cells are currently being used for storage, and someone clearly has a sense of humor.  I'm not sure what the skeleton was actually being used for, but it did make me jump!

Below is a photo of one of the two-person cells in another wing.

As I mentioned earlier, this old building is situated at the top of a hill, and many of the cells (which will now be offices) had the amazing view pictured below.  Apparently, when the building was new, the view and shelter made it a somewhat desirable location.  Fisherman who lived on their boats would often attempt to make it their winter home by purposefully getting incarcerated.  In exchange for their freedom, they received warm beds and free meals during the coldest months of the year, and their days were spent in work detail.  Not a bad trade-off!

The view of Barnstable Harbor from the hill top

I hope you enjoyed my summary of my personal haunted, historical tour!  For haunting fiction set on Cape Cod, try Gull Harbor or Haunted Souls ~ Steamy Romance + Spooky Suspense.

link HS and catacombs and MHC event

The #Haunted Jail ~ Cape Cod #haunting #ghosts #Barnstable #CapeCod

In 2014, after three books in three years, I decided I would take a little break from writing.  I figured it would be a good opportunity to spend more time in the real world – but then a story idea hit me, and the idea for my new release, Haunted Souls, kept growing in my head.  The initial inspiration came for a ghost tour I went on with my sister in Cape Cod’s Barnstable Village.  It’s probably somewhat obvious that I am a fan of ghosts and other spooky subjects, and my sister is the same way.  Every time we get together, we have scary movie marathons since no one else will watch them with us.  So when she came for a visit that summer, we decided to check out a “Haunted Tour” put on by the Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society.  It offered a guided walk to haunted places and historical sites, and it started and ended at the Old Jail.

The Old Jail at night

I’d never even heard of the Old Jail, and it’s truly a historic gem.  It’s the oldest wooden jail house in the entire country, actually, and is thought to have been built in 1690, on orders from the Plymouth and MA Bay Colony Courts.  It was in use until the 1800s, and was moved around a bit, eventually attached to a barn.  It was rediscovered in 1968, detached from the barn, and moved next to the Coast Guard museum on 6A.

The structure itself is quite small, containing three cells which held large numbers of people sometimes.  According to our guide, conditions were rough and people had to take turns lying down to sleep when cells were crowded.  As you can imagine, many people died, and the site is considered actively haunted. 

Goody Hallett, the lover of the infamous pirate Samuel Bellamy, was imprisoned there in 1716, and is said to be one of the ghosts in residence.  If you’re so inclined, you can even pay to spend the night at the Jail.  On our tour, we were shown photographs with shadowy figures taken by volunteers who work in the jail house.  A few of the volunteers shared their stories as well, and one claimed that a ghost had followed them home and engaged in some poltergeist-like activities.  Well, that got my attention right way, and my imagination started churning.  My sister had her little daughter with her, and I started to wonder what would happen if a young child with sensitive abilities took pity on a lost soul, and actually invited a ghost to come home with them.  The initial idea was born.

Of course, my stories also have a romantic element, and that aspect turned out perfectly suited for Cape Cod as well, since it soon became clear to me that the male main character in my story was in the military—and Joint Base Cape Cod hosts a number of branches.  I met with neighbor, who is a Colonel in the Air National Guard and was deployed for a year in Afghanistan and another year in Iraq.  We discussed different occupations that would cause a person to be sent overseas often and for long periods of time, since that’s what I needed to make the story work.  We came up with EOD tech, which stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal.  This is the elite bomb squad made up of members from four branches of military who pass the rigorous schooling requirements.  It’s an important and dangerous job, and I would have to say that between this aspect and the historical facts, this latest book required the most research on my part.

Two lonely souls...and one lost spirit.  From the author of #1 Kindle
Bestsellers Silver Lake and Gull Harbor.

So far, it’s getting great reviews, so I hope you’ll give this military romance and ghost mystery a try…a new steamy beach read with a chilling twist!

HAUNTED SOULS on Kindle

Other links click here