jamiedaviswrites

On My Bookshelf: A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay

Okay, so if Stephen King says “scared the living hell out of me,” I’m pretty much in.

This is the story of a New England family. Mom, out of work Dad, fourteen-year-old Marjorie, and little sister, Merry, who is eight. Marjorie begins exhibiting some troubling behavior (acute schizophrenia), and eventually the parents turn to their priest when the doctors are unable to help. Soon, a reality show is on the scene and The Possession is brought to television from filming the family’s struggle with Marjorie. The last episode of the show is of course, the exorcism.

What drew me in was Tremblay’s use of beginning the book with an interview, and making it a book within a book, sort of. The author is interviewing grown-up Merry (now 23), and piecing back the events for us. Tremblay uses blogs and reality television to tell the story. What a ride! I still don’t know if it is a possession story or a tale of a fourteen-year old who was mentally ill and exploited by Hollywood. It is left open for interpretation.

My first take was that Marjorie was schizophrenic, but there were elements in the story that had me guessing that conclusion. Things like, Marjorie was going down the stairs in the dark basement, and no one else is down there, but her sister hears more than two feet. Whatever your conclusion is, it will make you think about possession v. mental illness, and how do you know?!

Tremblay uses many horror references throughout the book that make it fun for the reader because you feel like you are on the inside — you “get it.” I won’t spoil the ending, but it will leave you reeling! Fans of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle will know exactly what I am talking about.

And now, having said that, my second take is that the demon was possibly exorcised out of Marjorie, and jumped into Merry, resulting in causing the final act that sealed the family’s fate. Wow. How about that.

June 13, 2016 0

Kennebunkport, Maine – America’s Most Haunted Hotels?

Well, no one told Maine that it was summer, because I just left and it was about 60 degrees up there. Refreshing, though! And it smells sweet. You can use your pretty words to trick the tourists into seeing Savannah in the summer, but we all know what it is if we are being honest with ourselves: stinky, sweltering, and buggy. Yeah, I said it. But I digress.

Also, even though Tybee Island and Savannah are obviously right on THE WATER, our seafood has never tasted as good as the lobster roll that came out of this shack here.

Kennebunkport is a touristy little spot with plenty of shops/restaurants/galleries, and I imagine it gets very crowded, very fast. We killed a few hours there when the beach got too cold. Check out the locks of love bridge. I guess you two crazy kids are supposed to write your names on the lock, and then throw the key into the ocean. What a bunch of assholes.

Locks of Love Bridge – Kennebunkport, Maine

Luckily, if you like to hunt ghosts at night in historic properties, and lounge on blue blood beaches by day, Kennebunkport may be just the spot to spend a long weekend. Don’t tell them I sent you, because some of these places are straight up lips sealed about their ghosties. Pictured below is the Tides by the Sea, which sits on Goose Rocks Beach. The cat is officially out of the bag on this one, since Frances Kermeen wrote about her stay in 2002’s “Ghostly Encounters.” At the time, the building was known/operated as the Tides Inn-by-the-Sea.

The Tides Beach Club — Tides by the Sea – Kennebunkport, Maine

Emma, the former owner of the 1899 hotel (known back then as The New Belvidere), is said to haunt the building, particularly Room 25. In her time, she hosted such guests as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Theodore Roosevelt. According to Kermeen’s interview with the former owners, Emma notoriously had a habit of causing trouble for ill-tempered men who checked into “her” Room (No. 25).

Goose Rocks Beach – Kennebunkport, Maine

Colony Hotel's Beach — Colony Hotel’s Beach – Kennebunkport, Maine

The Captain Lord Mansion has claims associated with it that involve a female apparition walking through the Lincoln bedroom.

Captain Lord Mansion 2 — Captain Lord Mansion – Kennebunkport, Maine

The Breakwater Inn is situated right off the river (flowing from the ocean) into the port. The hotel is in an interesting position to watch for ghost ships.

The Captain Fairfield Inn is one that may have a spirit or two, but as of 2013, the owners were NOT open to exploring or encouraging that line of questioning. Still, reports persist. I have several books in my library that cover this house. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

As always, our travels are kept in an analog version as well. We use “Play,” by Stealth Journals. Play is an indexed book journal that should be used to record all of your good times!

June 7, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins

Hail the Amazon Gods for recommending this book about American Gods while I was shopping the other day! I am sad that I didn’t know about it when it was released last year, but am oh so thankful to have had this experience now. Fans of Neil Gaiman are in for a treat.

In his debut novel, Scott Hawkins has created a darkly weird world of adult librarians, who were essentially kidnapped by Father when they were eight years old and brought into the infinite Library at Mount Char to study and work. The librarians have been trained in twelve catalogues – one category per child, with strict instructions on not discussing/sharing your catalogue with another.

David (master of the war catalogue) and Margaret (master of the dead catalogue) have story lines that are the most violent and brutal, and some of the scenes concerning David, frankly, I could have lived without, but what do you expect from a character who is the master of the war catalogue? His story line is not going to be about eating cupcakes in the park with his girlfriend. The violence is necessary for the subject matter. After all, one does not get to be a God without being burned alive a time or two. As examples of other catalogue subjects, Rachel’s catalogue involves the prediction and manipulation of possible futures. Carolyn is the master of all languages.

So. Back to the plot. Father is dead, and maybe one of his librarians killed him (I don’t want to spoil it for you) and maybe another one of his many enemies killed him. All of the librarians are completely out of touch with humanity and arguably insane now that they are in their 30s. It made me think of our world leaders, and how out of touch they must all be with their respective citizens. (Oh, do you not have the sun anymore? Food is a problem for you now? And I am to understand that you don’t like that?)

I was also quite amused by the zombies in the suburbs. Hey, I know these people! Wait a minute, am I one of these people?! Just kidding. I am pretty sure I am not one of the reanimated dead. But, you never know who your neighbors are…

I think what I enjoyed the most about this read is how Hawkins brought the story full-circle towards the end of the book. We learn more about Father and his relationships with his librarians, specifically, with his protege that he has been grooming all this time to take over his position. Many times, after I am finished with a book, I am still left with a lot of questions that I wish were tied up by the author. Challenging your readers is great, and Hawkins does this in the beginning and the middle. The end is tied up quite nicely for you, and I appreciate that. I want to know what the author thinks he’s written! Tell me a story. Don’t tell me a set of circumstances and then leave me sitting over here pissed off contemplating like a jerk for days on end – “Well, what did it all mean?”

I think that is a skill that is quite rare, and I hate it when the author doesn’t address the big “Why” questions.

Great job, Hawkins! This is one of the best books I have read in many years. I am so glad I purchased this one, because I marked the copy up quite a bit, and will no doubt be returning for a second read next summer. This is one that I am betting will read different to me after knowing how it ends.

June 1, 2016 1

Scenes From Swamp Rabbit Trail

The Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, SC, is a multi-use trail that is about 21 miles long. Bob and I saw it via bicycle. Our preference was to start at Travelers Rest, pass Furman University, and end at Falls Reedy Park and the Clemson campus. Then, pedal uphill to Main Street and find a cup of coffee before turning back around.

For the paranormally inclined, you may want to stay at the Westin Poinsett, which has been written about in Jason Profit’s “Haunted Greenville,” and just also happens to be centrally located, with easy trail access so you can park onsite and ride to the trail.

As always, we log our adventures inside our “Play” Journal, by Stealth Journals. “Play,” is an indexed book journal by Stealth Journals that should be used to record all of your good times.

Additional Reading:

GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail

http://www.traillink.com/trail/greenville-health-system-swamp-rabbit-trail.aspx

http://greenvilleghost.com/tag/westin-poinsett/

http://southernspiritguide.blogspot.com/2012/01/carolina-cornucopia-haunt-brief.html

April 17, 2016 0

America’s Most Haunted Hotels

Hotels1

Mock-up for the cover of our first book together! Amazon is taking pre-orders:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738748005?keywords=america’s%20most%20haunted%20hotels&qid=1458083424&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

March 15, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: The Dead Are Watching, by Debra Robinson

I devoured this book over the course of about 1.5 days. Debra Robinson gives a candid and highly personal account of “ghost stories from a reluctant psychic(as subtitled).” Still dealing with the death of a child, her perspective reads inspiring and uplifting while obviously still feeling and living with the pain from her loss. I would recommend this book to anyone who has recently lost a loved one. I would bet that you will find some peace and consolation from Debra’s book.

I was able to reach Debra from her website, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Chapter 7 (“Never Say Goodbye”) was one of the most touching, powerful chapters in the book for me. You shared some of your personal experiences with your son, James, returning to communicate with you, your husband, and James’s old friend, Tazz. The experience of Gerald and Dwayne in the hospital is quite a tale, but one that I completely believe in based on my own personal experiences and upbringing! Many, many, people of faith will relate to these events, and the one where Maura’s husband left a message on the answering machine. How do you think our loved ones are able to come back and communicate – I almost wonder if it is out of sheer love and determination?!

Yes, I honestly believe it is sheer determination on their parts. In A Haunted Life, I tell the story of finding my dad after his suicide, shortly after James was killed. And how later that day, as I sat with my husband on the couch crying about Dad and blaming myself, “someone” snapped their fingers twice, a foot in front of our faces. We knew it was him, saying “snap out of it, it wasn’t your fault” etc. I think it takes quite some time to gather the energy needed, and also learning to direct it-so anytime we hear these types of things from our loved ones immediately after their deaths, I believe it is from their very strong determination and strength of will that somehow allows them to focus their ability to make themselves known.

Some of the most captivating stories for me are those where EVPs are captured of unknown spirits having conversations about the ghost hunters! Any theories on the prevalence of this phenomenon? Do you think it is going on around us much more often than we realize, or do you think this is actually quite rare?

It is definitely not rare! This has happened many times to investigators I’ve accompanied. Some spirits seem to recognize their changed “conditions” and some do not. But apparently, our humanity itself attracts them to us. And I have always believed that spirits notice us, our “light” if you will, and those who have a bit more natural psychic abilities show up brighter to them that those who don’t.

While your book contains many uplifting stories, there was one in particular that totally creeped me out! In Chapter 3 (“School for Ghosts”), we hear the story of what was experienced in the basement of an old infirmary/nursing home/poor house from the mid-1800s. Any theories on what the source of the mysterious heavy breathing could have been?

They finally tore that building down and I assume plan to eventually put another in its place. I am curious to see if the new building will carry the same haunting, as many others have done throughout history. No one knows who the spirit was in the basement. We have all conjectured about it, but the fact is, until the spirit speaks to someone about its origins, we may never know. So far, it has been silent.

“The Children of Death” (Chapter 13) discusses a phenomenon occurring in nursing homes, where the spirits of children have been seen/heard visiting patients just a few days before they die. (I would love to see a book from you about this, by the way! That nursing home log sounds fascinating!) Do you think this is a peaceful story, or a sinister story? I can’t decide! There is something about the idea of child spirits that just doesn’t sit well with me, for some reason. I am always suspicious that it is something masquerading as a child.

Yes I totally get the “masquerading as a child” thing–I am also of the same mind and wary of this usually. However, in this case, it literally seems to be a phenomenon seen all over the world in nursing homes. I believe they are true spirit children, and although the nurses were creeped out by it, they too believed it was simply the children’s job to “take them home” when it was the elderly residents time. Some others have even mentioned to me that they thought it could be other elders who passed over, but allowed to come back as they were as children. Interesting thought.

Do you think that paranormal investigators or ghost hunters are putting themselves in danger when they go out seeking to engage with something? Is there such a thing as “safe” if you are doing the spiritual work to keep your armor up? On Page 32, you touch on setting ground rules, and that you’ve had to do this in your own house over the years. Do you think it is one of those things where, if you believe the rules work, they stick? (Just as a caveat, that’s my line of thinking – it is the belief and the confidence when giving them, I feel).

I do believe people put themselves at risk whenever attempting to contact the other side. Some spirits are totally benign as you know, some are not. So, yes, I think it is important to have a spiritual basis for dealing with these things. I am of the school of good and evil–I simply believe we are in a war between the two and our choices matter, and will put us in danger if we’re careless or flippant about it. A Haunted Life tells the deeper story in my case, how too many “coincidences” led me to believe there ARE no coincidences…I believe in the Light and the Dark-and you don’t want to attract the attention of the Dark.

Chapter 18’s “House-Ghosts” gave me pause when I was reading the story of Teri and “Old MacDonald.” Teri found her daughter having a conversation with someone that she couldn’t see, but whose voice was coming through over the baby monitor! It really makes you wonder how many children are actually having conversations with actual spirits, while the adults around them label it as playing with “an imaginary friend,” doesn’t it?! Do you think there is any danger or anything that a parent should be concerned about if they find a child engaged in one of these conversations?

I want to think most of these childhood ghost friends are harmless, but then again, knowing what I know, it worries me. If I was a parent with an imaginary friend problem, I would investigate it further and then do whatever necessary to send the spirit away from my child. It’s just unnatural, and I don’t believe it is good for either child, or spirit!

I know the psychic sense is not something that you can turn on and off at command, but I am wondering if you have any advice for people that are looking to develop their own psychic abilities? (My Dad used to always tell me, basically get in tune with nature, and meditate sort of while hiking/walking).

Some families are simply accepting of the abilities (mine was) and I think that makes them natural from a young age. Also, those who suffered abuse or trauma at a young age seem to have abilities stronger-to keep them safe, I believe. If you want them, and practice, they will increase.

What can you tell us about how you work as a writer and your writing process? (Are you a pen and notebook person, or strictly a typist? Morning or night person? Write on a schedule, or as the mood strikes? How long does a book take you to complete?)

I use a laptop so no pen and paper for me! I started writing my first book A Haunted Life in 2012-and will have my 8th book out this year. I have several publishers both fiction and nonfiction, and I do about two books per year so far. I have a bestselling post apocalyptic series right now titled “Red Death: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller” written under pen name D.L Robinson, about surviving an Ebola pandemic that wipes out most of the world. I am starting on book 3 right now, and it will bring natural disasters and other problems into the mix. I found writing to be a wonderful release, after losing my son and father so tragically, and I really love it.

Tell us how to keep up with you/where to find you and a bit about your upcoming release dates for new books.

Below are my sites:
Goodreads: https: //www.goodreads.com/author/show/6981130.Debra_Robinson

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Debra-Robinson/e/B00BMHA032/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Website: http://www.debrarobinson.net

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/debra-robinson/11/71a/336/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debrarobinsonauthor?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reb_robinson

Red Death http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZHRS86

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/ly6dgor The Dead are Watching

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/ctrljjg Haunted Life

March 7, 2016 0

Can You Spot the Stealth Journal?

It was a trick question! There are two secret diary Stealth Journals. “Large Plans” and “Adventures of Chuckleberry Chinn.” For when your notes need to blend in to the background. Head on over to Stealth Journals and buy a few!

February 22, 2016 0

On My Radar: Lava Hot Springs Inn -Lava Hot Springs, ID

Just musing and adding this location to my wish list of future haunted hotels to investigate/visit.

Why am I so intrigued? I have an idea that a possible sequel to “America’s Most Haunted Hotels: Checking in with Uninvited Guests,” would feature locations that are either in mining towns; built around natural springs; or are former hospitals. The Lava Hot Springs Inn hits 2 out of 3 wish list categories! After everything I’ve seen, I believe that geology plays a huge part in what we refer to as “hauntings” (for lack of a better term), or at least plays a bigger role than I could understand five years ago when I first started traveling and investigating haunted locations.

The hospital theory is based on what I have experienced in connection with traveling and writing my first two books. I felt that the hospitals were more active, even, than the abandoned prisons! One of the theories that you might entertain as to cause is to consider the theory that the people in prisons had probably already given up and resigned themselves to death, while people who died in hospitals went in with the belief that they were going there to be saved. It’s obvious, but I think there is some real truth to the whole trauma/unexpected death theory causing what we refer to as a haunting. This isn’t all there is to it, but it is enough to have captured my attention over the years.

Spec sheet for Lava Hot Springs:

Built in the 1920s as the Lava Hot Springs Hospital. (Some original objects from the hospital, including a surgical bed are held at the South Bannock Historical Museum);
The curative healing springs remind me of the energy I felt in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (and the 1886 Crescent Hotel);
Sacred Native American springs;
High levels of “magic” minerals in the water. Manganese has been associated with shape shifting (could be why people see “shadow figures”). Copper is a conductor for electricity and is used in healing. Iron is used for out of body travel.

Aberrant Art from Barry Kite

New year. New art.

It began with an innocent trip to find pizza on Ponce Inlet. A random conversation with Barry Kite on a sidewalk outside his gallery makes up the middle. The end is a wall in my home office.

He said the shark is eating Ophelia.

Desert Dance - Barry Kite — Desert Dance – Barry Kite

I bought because he entertained me – both as a person, and with his art. I bought because I have been looking for something that means more than a colored circle with a squiggle. I see a lot of lines and squiggles (coupled by vacation art here in Savannah), and this decorative sort of art just doesn’t do anything for me.

I have not forgotten the irritating “conversations” that we have had with gallery owners on Royal Street in New Orleans and in the River North Gallery District in Chicago either. For those of you who have never had the pleasure, those experiences both began by a visual sizing us up head to toe, followed by a pitch of why we should spend $30-$45k on a lithograph. Er, no way in hell. Ever. No, I don’t care that Chagall signed the print. Thanks for trying. Going to have coffee now!

I understand Kite’s style to be “re-positioning” or “re-contextualizing” select masterpieces that are in the public domain. The works have historically been done by hand, but I’ve read that he may be moving into digital.

If you look closely at my purchases, you can make out a great cast of characters:

The Girl with the Pearl Earring;
Vincent van Gogh;
One of Francis Bacon’s screaming popes;
Napoleon;
Mona Lisa; and
The Absinthe Drinker.

Some art snots might criticize and throw some shade, but I would just throw back a “Well, what is art for?” I buy to please myself, not to put on airs for guests.

Barry: I left space on my wall. If you start mixing Dali’s clocks and Magritte’s trains, you’ve got yourself another sale. I also like the bowler hat man in the sky with an umbrella sprinkled in for good measure.

I. AM. NOT. EVEN. KIDDING.

Jamie Davis Writes

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