Thursday, September 23, 2010

There Was A Little Bird

There Was A Little Bird

If you’ve ever lived in the country, I’m pretty sure you can relate to this. Now that I live in the city it’s rare to see a yellow finch or even a humming bird. And I love those rare moments. Most of the time.


There was a little bird,
Sitting in a tree,
A beautiful yellow finch,
Singing just to me,

I quietly crept inside,
Then back outside to see,
The tiny bird was still right there,
Singing still to me,

I held my handy videocam,
And snuck beneath the tree,
And with a wonderful burst of song,
The birdie pooped on me.

Of course he then flew away, and not only did I not get the video I wanted, I had to take a shower.

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Dean Koontz - One Door Away From Heaven

Being a Dean Koontz fan since his Odd Thomas series, I have to admit that I’ve been trying to read this book for years now. I normally get so far in, and then stop. This is truly an unusual characteristic for me, as I love stories and books and especially page turners. I’ve tried to decipher my problem with this book, and it’s difficult as it truly is a masterpiece of beautiful artistic flowing words, and leads you down the path of three individual and yet titillating stories. If asked to rate the book I would have to give it five stars across the board for character development, story development and as I said, beautiful artistic flowing words.

I found myself following three distinct stories, each captivating in their own right and yet each time I was caught up in the story line I was immediately transferred to another captivating story with another character. I would at times have to go back and read the end of the chapter on the first story prior to going forward on that story as my mind was caught up in the story I’d just read.

Are the stories good? Yes. I found myself totally immersed in the problems of Michelina Bellsong and Leilani. And then totally immersed in young Curtis Hammond and his flight from killers, as well as his tagalong partner, Old Yeller. Anyone who knows me knows that the story of Old Yeller has always been my favorite, and the fact that young Curtis named his dog Old Yeller only endeared that story to me more. And then there’s Noah Farrell, a burned out former police officer now turned detective with his own deep, dark burdens of guilt. All three fascinating stories that up through Chapter 28 have absolutely nothing to tie them together. I know that’s coming, but I’m on page 214 of 606, and truthfully tired of trying to follow three distinct stories that I love individually and keep the pages turning and the story line flowing.

Can a book be too eloquent? Possibly. As I’m reading it’s almost as if each paragraph was written individually. Not that they don’t tie together in the individual stories, they do. But each paragraph offers its own descriptive eloquence that sometimes leaves you thinking too much about the words you’re reading, and then losing the story line. Once again, there have been many times I’ve had to back up and reread. And miss a day reading a chapter, well I’m totally lost on which story I’m following and where the character has been and where they’re going.

As I stated in the beginning, I’ve been a Dean Koontz fan for years, and I loved “False Memory”, “Fear Nothing”, “Hideaway”, “Midnight”, “Watchers”, “The Key to Midnight” and the “Odd Thomas” series. His style is truly unique, and his characters always masterpieces of literary genius. I did something today, though, that I rarely if ever do with a book. I went to the end and read the last page. Why? I guess I wanted to know if the stories ever truly came together. They do, and perhaps someday I’ll finish this book. I hope so, because I learn so much from Mr. Koontz’s writing. But life is simply too short, and I have so little time to read, that I feel I must once again move on to something else. I will miss my travels with Micky and Leilani and with Curtis and Old Yeller, and I’ll even miss Noah Farrell, but with almost 400 pages in front of me to finish, I think I’ll leave it for another time period in my life when I can snuggle up with a good cup of hot chocolate and hopefully make my way through to the very end.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sacred Secrets

Chapter Two




“Please . . .,” she whispered.

Gavin McAllister rolled over and flipped on the bedside lamp. Sitting up he ran a hand through his thick black hair and sighed heavily. He hated the nightmares. For the past three years he’d been forced to live with the Mother’s Day killer haunting his dreams. Now, if the dreams were right--and they were always right--evil had claimed another victim.

It was only four a.m., but the night was over for him. Rising he walked to the window, parted the drapes and stood looking out over the silent streets of Richmond. It was quiet now, but soon traffic would be moving. A cacophony of horns, voices mumbling platitudes or shouting curses would rise from the streets as thousands of people rushed frantically to get to the very last place they really wanted to be. Jobs they hated. Or perhaps returning to bleak, empty structures of houses that were no longer homes.

The girl was already dead. He knew that in his heart. Still, there was something she wanted. Something she needed from him. He closed his eyes, seeing her, hearing the whispered plea for life. The sound of prayer in the dark still night.
Unanswered.

His fingers curled inward, tightening into fists. What good were his dreams if he couldn’t save her? Couldn’t save any of them. Occasionally he could find and put an end to the evil. But it never ended. For each one brought to justice something more vile took its place. Something bolder. Stronger.
Kahil Gibran had said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

Gavin’s mirthless laugh broke the silence of the early morning hour. If that quote were true then Jacody Ives must be one of the most massive characters ever created.
Gavin turned to gaze at the finished manuscript, “Pool of Tears”. Not his best work, but the character, Jacody Ives, bore fresh scars. Constant reminders that justice came with a price.

Letting the drapes fall back into place Gavin turned on the light and headed for the kitchen. The thing he needed most was thick black coffee. The one thing he didn’t need was to dwell on Jacody Ives. That would only pull him into the shadows of his own fractured psyche. His own evil.

His readers believed that Jacody Ives was merely a fictional character. But Gavin and those closest to him knew that wasn’t true. Jacody was always close, vigilant for a sign of weakness. A moment when the darkness overcame Gavin. The pain cut to the core.

Rob had told him the differences were subtle. Evil was like that. It wasn’t something you could see. It was soulless. The greatest magician. True master of disguise. Lying hidden in the murky depths of secrets buried in the cavernous trenches of the psyche.

Silence. Secrets. Wasn’t that what had created Jacody in the first place? His silence. His secret.

“Please . . .,” she whispered.

Wounds opened. Gavin gripped the sink, struggling to control the memories as his body trembled with rage.

Miranda.

A ragged sound escaped his lips as his body jerked in spasms of emotional pain. He’d kept the memories buried. Caged. But now his tormentor stood outside that cage, laughing as Gavin twisted away from the jagged spears--only to find there was nowhere to go. No place he could escape the memories. The soft delicate sound of her laughter. The flashing beauty of her smile. The limpid pools of her deep green eyes, darkened in passion. The way light played on her auburn curls.

Her still lifeless body. Bloody, battered and broken.

The keening wail of a dying animal filled the room as the darkness won, pulling Gavin beneath the surface to the very pits of his own hell.

Jacody Ives smiled, flexed the fingers still gripping the sink. Evil attracts evil. He’d heard its call in the nightmare. He would answer. There’d never been any other choice for him. Evil knew his name.

Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

An Original Idea - Writing Your Novel

An Original Idea – Writing Your Novel

Every author wants to write from the angle of an Original Idea. A new book. Something that hasn’t been done before. In today’s world, with hundreds of thousands of new books coming out each year that is virtually impossible. If you took the time to read every book that had ever been written, you would probably find that someone, somewhere had the same idea as you.

Over time authors settled for a compromise. An original character. An original
setting. Perhaps even an original scene within the novel.

Develop your idea and write it down in one sentence. This is the basis for your novel. Everything else can change, but your original idea needs to be the foundation, and you must remember it as you write. Repeat it to yourself prior to beginning writing each day. The idea will keep you on track.

Still looking for that idea? Ask yourself what if? Ah, see the possibilities? What if you’re sitting on a plane and you notice the man across the aisle has a gun inside his jacket? What if you’re sitting in a restaurant and someone you’ve known all your life comes in but appears not to know who you are? What if you’re in a school room and suddenly a child disappears into thin air? What if you wake up one morning to find yourself in a strange bed, married to someone you don’t remember meeting?

What if opens the door for thoughts and ideas to roll across your imagination. And eventually you will find that one of those ideas is original. It may not be an original thought, and perhaps may have been written from one angle, but your way of seeing it is original, and your way of writing it will be original.

Before beginning you need to research your idea to see if is plausible. Let’s take the guy on the plane with a gun. With today’s security it would be almost impossible for that to happen unless the guy was security on the plane. Notice I said almost impossible. Perhaps one of the crew members placed the gun somewhere for this guy to pick up. Is that possible? Is a complete scan of the plane or search done prior to allowing passengers to board? I’m not sure, because I’ve never researched that particular scenario, but if you’re going to write from that angle you need to know if it’s possible. Once you’ve determined that your idea is plausible, you need to scope out your idea. Examine your thoughts and feelings about the idea. Does it excite you? Do main characters immediately start to develop in your mind? Can you see them? Feel them? Know what happens to them physically, mentally and emotionally? Are your characters someone you care about?

Readers want to care about what they read and especially the characters. Does your idea have a moral or emotional theme? You may not write the theme, but the theme should be present in your mind while you’re writing.

As an example, let’s take a look at my first book, The Gifts. What was my idea? Someone who hates secrets. From there I developed Gavin McAllister, a mystery writer who hates secrets and uses uncovered secrets to write his novels. So why does he hate secrets, and how does he have the authority to uncover these secrets?

From there I developed Jacody Ives, his alter ego and private investigator working with the FBI. Working on what? From there I developed the Mother’s Day killer, and Jacody/Gavin’s dreams of the murders. From the FBI I developed Carl and Rob. From the relationship between Rob and Gavin I developed Corrine, Gavin’s twin sister and her subsequent murder. From there I developed Glades Springs and Sarah McKnight, a small town Sheriff with a huge secret, and psychic abilities much like Jacody’s with dreams.

The remaining characters seemed to spring from a well that I had no thoughts about in my original idea. Gavin McAllister hated secrets. And each character had their own secrets to hide. And each character had their own “gifts” to deal with. This wasn’t a part of my original idea, but developed as I wrote. Realizing that my characters had psychic abilities a portion of my theme changed. I wanted to show that having psychic abilities didn’t necessarily make you a super hero. In fact, in most cases it left you feeling frustrated and confused. Never quite knowing when it’s real. And even if you know it’s real, not knowing how to stop it or change it.

Your idea is not your story. Your story will develop around your idea, one step at a time. And your original story, theme, characters may all change before you reach that final page, but the one thing that should remain constant is your idea. My second book actually came from reader requests related to my first book. They wanted to know Gavin’s secret. What created his alter ego, Jacody Ives. So my idea was already there. The story itself, the theme all developed from that one idea. What secret created Jacody Ives?

Ready to get started? Ask yourself what if?

Spoken Words

I shall speak softly
For my words may lie heavy
On the hearts of those
Who hear.

I shall speak truthfully
For my words may be chronicled
Through all eternity

I shall speak lovingly
For my words have no meaning
If spoken without heart

If I speak not softly
If I speak not truthfully
If I speak not lovingly
Let me not speak at all.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Today's Featured Book - "Not What She Seems" by Victorine E. Lieske


Victorine E. Lieske
“Not What She Seems”
Available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback

About the Author:

Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska where they manufacture rubber stamps for the craft industry. They own and operate Victorine Originals Rubber Stamps from their home, where they raise their four children. Victorine has a degree in Art from BYU Idaho, and designs many of the rubber stamps they sell. She has always loved to read and in her spare time she writes.

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/victorinelieske
Blog:
http://www.victorinewrites.blogspot.com


Since becoming an Indie author myself, I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to meet and develop on-line friendships with several other Indie authors. Does that mean I’ll read their book? For some, yes, and for others – well, if it’s not my type of book, but the writing is good, I will recommend them to other readers in their genre. I recently did this with David Dalglish and my son, Steven. Steven downloaded the samples and loved David’s work so much he bought all four of his books.

I recently had the pleasure, and yes, I will emphasize pleasure, of reading “Not What She Seems” by Victorine E. Lieske. I loved the cover, which immediately caught my eye. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but the cover is the first thing a buyer sees, and if it’s uninteresting I’m probably going to pass over the book no matter how good it is.

My major problem was—the book was romantic suspense. Anyone who knows me and knows my writing, knows that although there may be a little romance in my novels, I’m definitely not a romance reader. Haven’t been for years. And especially after all the graphic sex seemed to permeate every page.

Being a book addict, and not having read one for several months, I was becoming a little unglued at the seams. I needed a book a to read. Quickly. Still a little skeptical I downloaded the sample of Victorine’s book. Surprise upon surprise, I found myself enjoying it. Actually relishing it, and quickly turning pages on my Kindle PC to see what happens next. And of course, I soon came to the end of my free sample. Thank you Amazon for the Buy Now button. I quickly bought the book waiting impatiently the couple of seconds it took for it to download to my computer. I can’t wait until I get my new Kindle and can actually take it with me wherever I go.

“Not What She Seems” could easily be classified a mystery, as it is one of the few books that I’ve read that kept me guessing all the way to the end. And with all the hype I’d heard about how horribly written and formatted Indie books were, I found myself in for another surprise. With the exception of perhaps “flash backs” and “memories” not being set out from the other text, Victorine’s book was beautifully formatted and as a proofreader by profession, I didn’t find a typo in it. So if they’re there, they’re totally overshadowed by the complexity of a well written plot, fast paced story, and engrossing novel. I found myself watching that little percentage read at the bottom of my screen, and saying “oh, no” as I saw it quickly speeding toward 99 percent. I wanted more.

THE REVIEW:

Plot – 5 Stars
As a debut novel, Victorine gives the reader everything they could possibly want in a complex plot with sufficient twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way to the end. Mix this with sub-plots, family secrets and an end of the book surprise, and you have a novel that will keep you engrossed to the very end. Plenty of suspects, all with motive and opportunity.

Characterization – 3 Stars
If there is a weakness in Victorine’s book, it is that I felt I needed more from her characters. Things seemed to take off a little unrealistic in their relationship, although having lived in a small community growing up, this is possible. Still, I felt that Steven and Emily needed more time, more interaction and more background information.

I found myself immediately drawn to Emily, a single mother on the run from her past, and the prime suspect in her husband’s murder. It was the time span here that truly created a problem for me, as I had problems believing that no one had looked for her in five years, and that she had never tried to get free of Richard in that amount of mine.

Steven was also hard for me to believe totally in his character. He’s very likable and truly fills the Prince Charming role in a masterful way, however, there just isn’t enough information or interaction to let me “feel” his character.

Connor is adorable, and every mother’s heart will go out to him.

Richard too, left me somewhat wanting as to his basic personality and what makes him tick, as well as what makes him stick with Emily. What created his obsession? It doesn’t appear to be love, or at least not the love a man has for a woman.

The great thing about this book is it’s a debut novel, and as you read you’ll find that Victorine’s style gets better and better with every chapter. What this means to me is that in the future we can expect great things from Victorine. Every first book is a learning experience and she definitely has what every author needs to succeed—A GREAT STORY.

This was my first romantic suspense. I realize now that I’ve been a genre snob for years. As a mystery author I tend to gravitate to mystery books. However, if all romantic suspense books are as good as this one, then I will definitely add romantic suspense books to my future TBR files. For $2.99 I spent one of the most enjoyable afternoons I’ve had in months. And I will definitely be on the lookout for her next book.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Guest Blogger - Paranormal Research - Rick Hart with RCPSKC

Good morning. My guest today is Rick Hart from RCPSKC. I had the pleasure of meeting Rick, his lovely wife, Melissa, and several members of his team at a breast cancer fund raiser in Kentucky earlier this year. I then had the opportunity and honor of participating in a joint investigation with both RCPSKC and RCPSKY at the historic Lemp Mansion in St. Louis. A truly fascinating and educational experience.

LP: Good morning, Rick.

RH: Good morning, Linda.

LP: Tell us a little bit about your group, and your team members.

RH: RCPSKC is an RCPS Family member. Now, all that means is we collaborate with other RCPS Teams throughout the country on ideas, techniques, theories and we even do some evidence review for each other. We have skype meetings and talk about training, etcetera.
My own team is made up of a group of four core members. These are the members who go on every investigation, and they are the backbone of the RCPSKC organization.

Brian, my Co-Founder is IT educated and currently is employed in that field. He handles all important communications within the group. He is the go to person for our monthly radio show on a local FM station and he takes care of all aspects of that relationship. He handles any complaints from clients and has even handled a few internal problems between members. We spend a great deal of time together and personalities do clash from time to time. Brian is the mediator.

I am the other Co-Founder and I am educated in Computers, Sociology and have 17 years experience in the construction field. I work on the team as the tech manager, which basically means I’m responsible in making sure everything works, everything is charged and everything is packed up after an investigation. I also look at new technology and decide if it is something we can use. My knowledge of home construction lends some help in debunking activity as normal house sounds from mechanical sources.

Michelle is our Lead Investigator and works for a lab. She is our resident skeptic. She is scientifically minded and is well versed in the procedures for experiments and keeping tight control on our investigations and our environment. She also takes the reins in the absence of Brian or myself if we cannot attend an investigation.

Stacey is our case manager at present. She is a loan officer and is college educated in business. Stacey keeps us organized and running like a well oiled machine. Stacey’s husband is also a commercial licensed electrician and answers any questions we might have regarding EMF and electricity.

Melissa is our team treasurer and also my wife. She is very grounded in reality and helps everyone on the team keep our experiments and our evidence real. Melissa has a background in retail management and has an uncanny ability to read people. She can spot BS from a mile away.

The newest member of our team is actually an old member. Christina left due to a pregnancy and has now returned. Christina is the youngest member of our team at 21 and offers up new and young ideas on how to approach this field. Christina’s fearless nature, having grown up in a very active home allows her to immediately track down activity and determine its source. Christina is also very knowledgeable in computers and is my assistant in the tech department if I am not able to attend an investigation.

LP: Having participated in an investigation I’ve seen the benefits of these varied backgrounds, and how they work together to form a group dedicated to the field of paranormal research. For those of you who haven’t participated in an investigation, or even if you have, you might want to jump on over to MyPara - register and wait for the next streaming of a live investigation. It’s a lot more fun than watching TV as you can actually participate through the chat box allowing you to talk to the investigators as well as other members of the paranormal research community.
So, Rick, what was the motivation for you in forming a paranormal research team?

RH: Brian and I were on another team together and that team basically faded away. It was then that I had a talk with Brian and along with Jon’s invite to join the RCPS Family, it was decided to start a new team with Brian and I as the Co-Founders. We based the team on the scientific side, in as much as we will not introduce the metaphysical into our investigations, except, on an experimentation basis. I.e. recently we involved the use of a psychic in an investigation where we knew the complete history of the home. We plan to experiment with this psychic in an ongoing basis to gather evidence that there is something to the claim of psychic abilities. We only use her as we feel the situation is warranted and she is not privy to the location of the investigation prior to her arrival to the home. She is only told the date and time the investigation will take place. Once the day of the investigation arrives, she is either driven to the home, or she is met and led to the home by Brian or myself. Once inside the home, all members of the team are removed and either Brian or I give her a tour of the home and record any impressions she may have. We then match up her impressions with what we already know of the history, or research what she has told us afterward.

LP: Cool! I really look forward to your research in this area. You, of course, know that I have participated in some psychic experiments, and although my belief in that area is much different than your own, I do believe psychics can be beneficial on investigations under the circumstances you’ve set out above.
I spoke earlier a little about MyPara. Tell us your motivation in starting the MyPara community network.

RH: MyPara was created out of Jon’s banning from another paranormal social network for the simple act of expression another opinion, based on logic and science. In the early years of this recent paranormal fad, much of what was presented was of a metaphysical nature. Jon decided to open his own social network and go against the norm and make it as scientifically based as humanly possible in a metaphysical world. We restrict MyPara to the scientific endeavor, but we will not ban you for mentioning or debating the metaphysical. IF you debate it with evidence and not just feelings, assumptions and speculations. These are also the same criteria we require for any scientific debates, so it’s not one-sided. In our social network we require strict protocols for the presentation of evidence, whether it be photography, video or audio. I.e. you can’t just throw up one blurry photo of a mist and expect that we will validate it as paranormal. You would be required to also submit control shots and photos before and after the anomaly as well as a statement of weather conditions inside and outside of the location. Putting up a single pic and asking for a conclusion is the same as giving someone one sentence of a book and asking what the story is about. It can’t be done.

LP: (Laughing). Yeah, I’ve seen some of those blurry pictures with the little circles and arrows telling me exactly what I’m supposed to see and where, as well as the EVP’s which tell me exactly what the voice is allegedly saying. I hate that.
What’s your most “haunting experience”?

RH: I’ve experienced many things in the time before and since I started investigating. My own home is full of unexplainable activity and the reason why I entered the field, but the one experience that sticks out for me is the recent disembodied voice that Brian and myself heard and we were fortunate enough to record that voice. We went over the evidence with a fine tooth comb, reviewing video and audio from several sources and we can account for everyone present in the home and what they were doing and saying at that very moment. There is no way it was a member of the team or the homeowners. Outside contamination would be our next concern, but the audio in question was heard and recorded during the very early hours of the morning in a very small town. Also, if outside contamination were present other recorders, both audio and video would have captured a real time normal conversation occurring outside and this was not the case. Only Brian and I heard the voice and only one recorder recorded it.

LP: Wow. I love those moments too. Unfortunately, for me at least, they have been few and far between.
What advice would you give novices wanting to enter the field of paranormal research?

RH: That one is simple. LEARN YOUR EQUIPMENT! Research its limitations, what it was meant to do, and how it can aid in investigations. Knowing your equipment will greatly decrease the false positives presently making the rounds in the field because investigators did not take the time to, for example, learn basic photography. I’m not talking about reading the instructions that came with your camera. I’m talking about teaching yourself photography. Photography is the evidence. The camera is just the tool we use to gather the evidence. We can point and shoot our cameras all night long, but that doesn’t make it good photography or evidence.

Next, research what things are. Example: Ectoplasm has not ever, nor will it ever be, a mist. Ecto was a liquid, semi solid, gauze like substance exuded from the orifices of mediums and oddly enough disappeared when exposed to light. This very fact negates any possibility of capturing it with a flash camera or IR light. Ecto has also been debunked many years ago as nothing more than a parlor trick. You can’t change the definition of something to make it something else.

LP: Thank you, Rick, for being with me today and sharing your knowledge and experience with my readers.

RH: My pleasure.

The field of paranormal research and investigation has become, as Rick said, a fad for many. But for some, like RCPSKC and the RCPS Families it is not just a fad, but a legitimate field of research, and a passion for truth. Want to learn more? Hop on over to http://www.mypara.net and join the conversations, review evidence, and learn from those who believe this is a professional field that should be taken seriously by the investigators presenting evidence to the public.

Blog Talk Radio

It's my pleasure to be the guest blogger on The Funky Writer blogtalk radio show this Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. For more information you can visit: The Funky Writer Blog

Join me Thursday night to talk about writing, my books, the difficulty in writing a prequel, and my decision to become a self-published author, and the pros and cons of doing so at: Blog Talk Radio
We will be taking calls at 347-843-4784

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Paranormal Research - My most "haunting" experience.

Since the inception of the popularity of Ghost Hunters, paranormal teams have sprung up around the country seeking answers, proof, and for some thrills and excitement. For those serious about the field of paranormal research it’s anything but exciting nine-five percent of the time.

I entered the field as research for a novel I was working on. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in the existence of spirits and/or residual ghosts, it was simply that I had no knowledge of how investigations were conducted and the equipment used. I was fortunate in teaming up with several great teams that had both the experience and knowledge to teach me the fundamentals of conducting an investigation as well as equipment and most important of all, at least to me, debunking methods. For the next year I traipsed around graveyards, private residences and businesses seeking that elusive proof that something was there. Something beyond our normal senses that we could not see or hear but felt.

As an author, and in particular an author of paranormal murder mysteries I have a vivid and wild imagination. And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also participated in psychic experiments that at times amazed even me with their accuracy, and I’ve worked once as a medium. Only once. So feelings for me, impressions and things I hear or see have to be analyzed very carefully. Psychic imprint? Voice from beyond? Or merely just my overactive imagination? For those reasons I took the role of debunker in my paranormal investigations. And in all my traipsing around to alleged haunted sites only one still “haunts” me.

I received an email from the mother of a young man who was experiencing weird things within his home. He and his wife were seeing things and hearing things. Several times the noted seeing the dark shape of a man standing at the top of the landing to the second floor. And the wife was becoming ill, both physically and emotionally. Their 9 month old little girl was also experiencing severe illnesses. The couple had become so afraid of their own residence they no longer wanted to live there.

The area was interesting as it’s in a small community that reported has a lot of paranormal activity. There are also a lot of Indian mounds in this area. And tales of spirits and ghosts abound. One of the more interesting is the bride. A woman walking to the church that has since burned in her wedding dress. The groom was killed in a car wreck on the way to the wedding. Supposedly once a year she walks from her home to the church. Many people have reported seeing this, but unfortunately as is the case 99 percent of the time no one had any real proof. There was a huge pasture across the road from the house, and we learned that it had been an old graveyard. When the owner purchased the land he had bulldozed all the headstones into one area and cleared it for pasture. Of course, this is illegal, but since no one complained he was allowed to do it, and even if someone complained now the statute of limitations has passed, and headstones are gone and no one would ever be able to match them even to a gravesite.

The house and farm were also interesting as my history research showed the last three adult males that had lived in this house had committed suicide. Two within the home, and one shortly after leaving the home. And the young man and his wife were experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Myself and several team members of a paranormal group make a preliminary investigation, meeting the home owners, touring the property and gathering additional history. We spent a couple of hours taking notes and talking to the homeowners and their friends. We toured outbuildings and last, but not least the barn. We all hated the barn. None of us felt good there. We felt unwelcome to say the least, and all experienced cold chills and a feeling of trepidation. Not a good place, and not one we wanted to be in for a long period of time.

Several things happened during our initial walk through of the home. First, the majority of our battery operated equipment died. Now, all good paranormal investigators know that isn’t a sign of paranormal activity, however, it was rather unusual. Fortunately, we had electricity. We proceeded to set up our equipment, and continued our walk through of the downstairs and upstairs. The young man pointed out several pieces of antique furniture, one from Africa that his parents had brought back from a trip. He stated the activity increased after that particular piece of furniture was placed in the home.

The second weird thing occurred in the nursery. I was walking through with another investigator when we both reached the same spot near the crib. We both experienced the same thing, and our reactions were similar which was to start rubbing our arms and body as we both felt as if we had walked through a huge spider web and had webbing all over us. Neither of us had ever experienced that before, nor have I experienced it since that time.

We spent the night in the house, and I hate to admit it, but none of us were brave enough to go the barn after dark. We didn’t like it in the daylight, and we were pretty sure we weren’t going to like it after dark. The young couple left, preferring to spend the night at a friend’s house.
We checked our audio in the early morning hours and found we did indeed have a couple of suspicious whispers. One that said “go upstairs” and one that said “help me”. We had nothing on film, and decided to explore the upstairs a little more. We found two small doors that lead to sort of an attic storage space, and what we found there we concluded was probably the cause of many of their health and psychological problems. Toxic mold.
We finished the stay, and reported our results to the homeowner the next morning. They called in a team of mold experts and sure enough that mold was toxic and was most likely the cause of most of their physical illnesses as well as part of their psychological problems.

However, there was still the EVP’s, and what several of us had experienced which left of us wondering if the mold was the only problem there.

A month or so later I received another call from the young man. The mold problem had been corrected, but they were still experiencing things in the home. I went back, this time with just Coby as most of the team I worked with lived four to five hours way. Once again, all battery equipment failed. No problem, we still had electricity. I set up a camera in the bedroom that would also video into the nursery, as those seemed to be the areas were most of the activity was present. I checked the film later, listening to the audio as I watched. This time I got chills because they words were plain, and they were directed at me. A woman starts to speak and a man says “hush, the blonde is back. She can hear you.” Of course, I couldn’t. The camera evidently could, but I couldn’t. Nothing else occurred while we were there.

This was my last trip to this house, as the young couple had moved out, preferring to live somewhere else and the farm was being sold. I often think about this place, and the fact that the entities there could actually see, hear and talk about me. So I’m left wondering, could I have done more? If I’d found a way to reach them could I have learned who they were, and why they were there? I understand that the barn, outbuildings and perhaps even the house have now been bulldozed. And if this was their home also, where did they go?