E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 33

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.  This week's stop is Dublin, Ireland and our special guide is Ruth Frances Long, author of A Crack in Everything.

A Crack in Everything is set in Dublin so it seems fitting that our guide for this week's Paranormal Road Trip be author Ruth Frances Long.  Let's see what terrifying places Ruth has planned for our tour.

Dublin's Top 5 Spooky Places
Dublin is a city rich in history and spooky stories. When writing "A Crack in Everything" I wanted to link in to that. The city dates from the 9th century, when the Viking settlement at Woodquay was founded. Throughout its long history, Dublin has been a turbulent place. Witchcraft, murder, secret societies, even whispering mummies, this city has seen it all. The atmosphere makes for an amazing addition to an urban fantasy. Here are some of my favourites.

Hellfire Club & Killakee House
Founded in 1737, the Hell Fire Club quickly became notorious for its evil antics. The former meeting ground is said to be haunted by some of these dark deeds.

The lone building known today as the Hellfire Club, perched on top of Mont Pelier hill, was built as a Hunting Lodge by one William Connolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in 1725. He was one of the richest men in Ireland. When the lodge was built, however, the builders used stones from the stone cairn, which would have been known locally as a fairy fort. Disturbing one is considered very unfortunate and bad luck always follows their destruction. The slate roof blew off the building in a storm and a massive arched roof of stones was built to replace it, the flat stones from the cairn incorporated into this, further compounding the sin. Connolly didn’t get much use from the lodge. He died in 1729.

The lodge was let to the Hell Fire Club, headed by Richard Parsons, the Earl of Rosse, and became the haunt for a number of Dublin rakes, notorious for drunkenness, debauchery, orgies and occult activities. Parsons was known as The King of Hell, and presided over the meetings. Perhaps it attracted some occult attention of its own. Stories began to grow about the club. Like the story of Loftus Hall, the devil is said to have arrived one night to play cards with the members, beating all there until someone discovered his cloven hooves, whereupon he vanished. A large black cat was also associated with the area, an evil creature which appeared to be at the centre of the occult activities. Stories vary as to whether this cat was part of a ritual gone wrong or a demon in feline form, but the cat has been seen there and in nearby Kilakee Stewards house. A young man who went to investigate the revels was found the following morning wandering the hillside in shock, unable to speak or hear for the rest of his life.

According to legend, the building burnt down when an unfortunately footman spilled brandy on "Burn-Chapel" Whaley's coat, who retaliated by dousing the man in brandy and setting him alight. The resulting fire killed many members of the club and left the lodge a ruin. That didn’t stop the members of the Hellfire Club, who relocated to Kilakee Stewards House, where they reportedly kidnapped, murdered and ate a local farmer’s daughter.  A number of apparitions still linger around the Stewards House, the spectoral black cat, and a pair of nuns who were said to have taken part in black masses at the lodge. The sound of bells, and poltergeist activity has also been reported, and a small, misshapen figure has been seen sometimes with the cat. A skeleton was found in 1971 by workmen, described as being that of a child or a dwarf murdered by the Hellfire Club.

Darkey Kelly
The notorious Darkey Kelly was burnt as a witch in 1746 after she accused the Sherriff of Dublin, Simon Luttrell, of fathering her child. Dorcas Kelly was keeper of the Maiden Tower brothel in Copper Alley, off Fishamble Street and that she tried to blackmail Luttrell by threatening to reveal not just his illegitimate child, but also his membership of the Hellfire Club. The story says he took the child from her, killed it in a Satanic ritual and accused her of witchcraft. However, new evidence found in the newspapers of the time in the National Archives,  has suggested that she was accused of murdering a shoemaker John Dowling and on investigation, the bodies of five other men were found in the vaults under the brothel.  Following her trial and execution the prostitutes rioted for days in Copper Alley.

The Green Lady, a famous Dublin ghost frequenly seen near St Audeons Church and in the streets near Christchurch Cathedral (streets once known as Hell), is said to be Darkey Kelly.

St. Michan’s Church
On the site of a Viking chapel, dating from 1095, the current church dates from 1686. Handel is reputed to have composed The Messiah on the organ here. But the church is best known for the vaults beneath it. The vaults are famous for their mummies, the limestone in the building drying the air and helping to preserve the bodies. Among those preserved are the 400 year old body of a nun, a man thought to have been a crusader and the Sheares brothers who took part in the rebellion of 1798. The warm, dry air which preserves their bodies makes the reports of icy fingers touching the backs of visitors’ necks even stranger. Others say they have heard disembodied voices whispering from the shadows or feel a cold, clammy presence as they look upon the dead.

Marsh’s Library
The ghost of Narcissus Marsh , Archbishop of Dublin, is said to haunt the library he founded, next to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  By night, he wanders the shelves, browsing through the books, searching for something. Marsh founded the library in 1707 as the first public library in Dublin and it is still in use today, unchanged for three centuries, many of the books on the same beautiful dark oak shelves allocated to them by March and Elias Bouhéreau, the first librarian.

The popular story of the ghost concerns Marsh’s niece Grace, who acted as his housekeeper and who, at 19, eloped with Charles Proby, the vicar of Castleknock. It is said that Grace left a note for her uncle in one of the books before they eloped, but he did not find it in time and is still looking for it (Although they must have made up as Grace returned to nurse her uncle in his old age) . The ghost is said to haunt the inner gallery, which was his private collection, moving in and out of the shelves, taking down books and sometimes throwing them on the desks in anger or frustration, although he always leaves the library in perfect order when he’s done.

Boyd’s Dog
On the 8th February, 1861, the worst storm ever recorded in the Irish Sea sank 135 vessels, 13 in the area around Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The crew of the coastguard ship, the Ajax, were among those searching the wreckage, under Captain John McNeill Boyd, trying to rescue the men of the stricken ship the Nepture, which had hit the rocks off the East Pier. Heavily dressed for cold weather, the men found ropes, lashed themselves together and hurried out onto the rocks off the East Pier when a large wave, said to be as high as a mountain, crashed over the, sweeping them all into the sea.  Boyd and five of his men were lost. Their bodies were not found for several days and Boyd himself was not found for several weeks. In the meantime the lifeboat from the Ajax continued to patrol, searching for them, with Boyd’s faithful black dog in the prow of the boat.

The crew were buried in the graveyard at Carrickbrennan in Monkstown, near Dun Laoghaire. Boyd was buried in the grounds of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with a memorial to him erected inside the Cathedral itself.  It was reported to be one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Dublin and the Captain’s dog walked behind the hearse. It guarded his body while it lay in state in the Cathedral and lay on top of the grave, refusing to move in spite of attempts to entice it away or feed it, until it died.

The ghostly form of a large black dog is still frequently reported at Boyd’s grave, at the foot of the memorial in the Cathedral  and crossing the road to the now closed Carrickbrennan graveyard in Monkstown where the rest of the crew lie.

Thank you Ruth for giving us such a haunting tour of Dublin!  
To learn more about Ruth Frances Long and her books, please visit her website, and don't miss our Q+A with Ruth Frances Long here at From the Shadows.  You can add A Crack in Everything here on Goodreads.



Have you visited Dublin, Ireland?  Ever experience anything of the supernatural kind in and around Dublin?
What did you think of Ruth's picks for spooky places?
Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Sydney, Australia with Yolanda Sfetsos.  Next week we'll be traveling to Boston, Massachusetts with Skylar Dorset, author of the Otherworld series.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Please welcome today's guest author Vanessa Barneveld!  Vanessa is the author of This Is Your Afterlife, a young adult paranormal romance about a girl who can see ghosts...including the ghost of the guy she's been crushing on.

Q+A with Vanessa Barneveld
EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Vanessa:  I first started writing short stories in my early teens. I had a healthy addiction to series fiction, and when I ran out of books to read, I’d try to write my own. Writing is incredibly hard work, but also incredibly fun. What could be better than making up stories for a living?

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Vanessa:  When I wasn’t reading all kinds of fiction as a teenager, I was virtually gobbling up a collection of magazines called The Unexplained. They were chock-full of eyewitness accounts to nightmarish stuff like spontaneous human combustion, UFO abductions and, my favorite, hauntings. These apparently true stories not only prevented me from having a good night’s sleep, they gave me a story idea or two.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Vanessa:  I’m about to become a godmother, so I would love to be a fairy godmother, one who can make other people’s wishes come true. I’d do my best to be responsible about it, though. One person’s wish cannot have a hurtful impact on another or cause the stock market to crash or whatever. Hmm, fairy godmothering could actually be a troublesome talent. Maybe it’s safer to choose the ability to fly like Superman instead...

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Vanessa:  This Is Your Afterlife is a fun, quick read that brings new meaning to “teen spirit.” Sixteen-year-old Keira has finally got what she’s always wanted – the popular, hunky captain of the football team in her bedroom. Problem is he’s not in the flesh. He’s a ghost. Being a practical sort of girl, Keira takes on the job of finding out who killed Jimmy so he can move on to the next world. Readers tell me they love the book’s blend of humor, mystery and romance.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Vanessa:  During the making of my book trailer, I spent days trawling a stock image site for models who resembled Afterlife’s three pivotal characters. Tough job, but somebody had to do it. You can see my cast here. I think they look perfect, but if I had a Hollywood-sized budget, these are my top picks:




This Is Your Afterlife by Vanessa Barneveld.

When the one boy you crushed on in life can't seem to stay away in death, it's hard to be a normal teen when you're a teen paranormal.

Sixteen-year-old Keira Nolan has finally got what she wanted—the captain of the football team in her bedroom. Problem is he’s not in the flesh. He’s a ghost and she’s the only one who can see him.

Keira's determined to do anything to find Jimmy's killer. Even it if means teaming up with his prickly-yet-dangerously-attractive brother, Dan, also Keira's ex-best-friend. Keira finds that her childish crush is fading, but her feelings for Dan are just starting to heat up, and as the story of Jimmy’s murder unfolds, anyone could be a suspect.

This thrilling debut from Vanessa Barneveld crosses over from our world to the next, and brings a whole delightful new meaning to "teen spirit".

Release Date: October 21, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.

Thank you Vanessa for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Vanessa Barneveld and her books, please visit her website.

Have a question for Vanessa? Ask away in the comments below!

I have SO many exciting things to share with you this week.  Today I'm sharing updates to my 2015 tour schedule.

E.J. Stevens at Magnolias + Mausoleums
I will be a featured author at Magnolias and Mausoleums, a paranormal/urban fantasy convention, at the Bourbon Orleans in New Orleans, LA.

Magnolias and Mausoleums is a mini-convention bringing together writers and readers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and straight romance.
 
July 22 - 26, 2015
I will have more scheduling details for the book signing and author panels in the future. 

E.J. Stevens at Author + Reader Con
I will also be attending ARC (Author and Reader Convention), a book convention for authors and readers, in New Orleans, LA.

“Our goal is to bring book lovers and writers together for a fun and educational event,” says Myra Nour, CEO of BTS eMag. “This convention promises to be even bigger and better than the 2014 Author & Reader Convention in Phoenix. We have a wonderful line-up of talented authors and a growing number of readers attending the 2015 convention.”


July 30 - August 1, 2015
I will have more details for the book signing and author events in the future.

Keep watching here on the blog, and follow my newsletter and Twitter, for updates.

Will you be attending Magnolias and Mausoleumsor Author Reader Con this year?
I hope to see you there!

Urban fantasy fans!  There's a disturbance in the force, or rather a great debate over the book title for Ivy Granger #5.  We'd love to hear your opinion, and we have a nifty poll where you can weigh in on this debate below.

In this novel, our favorite psychic detective may have accidentally allowed the Wild Hunt to leave Faerie...and enter the human realm.  The working title has shifted back and forth between WILD HUNT'S FLIGHT and HOUND'S BITE.  Now it's decision time.

Let us know what you think!
Which Urban Fantasy title do you like best?
Previous titles in this series:

SHADOW SIGHT (Ivy Granger #1)
GHOST LIGHT (Ivy Granger #2)
BURNING BRIGHT (Ivy Granger #3)
BIRTHRIGHT (Ivy Granger #4)

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.  This week's stop is San Diego, California and our special guide is Yolanda Sfetsos, author of the Sierra Fox urban fantasy series.

The Sierra Fox series is set in Sydney, Australia so it seems fitting that our guide for this week's Paranormal Road Trip be author Yolanda Sfetsos.  Let's see what terrifying places Yolanda has planned for our tour.

Sydney's Top 5 Spooky Places
Hi! It’s great to be here today. Although I set my Sierra Fox series in my city of Sydney, because it actually takes place in an alternate history where ghosts have rights, I decided to set it in a fictional suburb called Serene Hills. Serene Hills is a combination of the many suburbs I’ve lived in.

So, here are the spookiest places:

5. Bayview Cemetery is the local cemetery. As a spook catcher, it’s also a place that Sierra tries not to visit too often. There are always too many wandering spirits trying to get her attention.

4. The Hocking House is situated in Serene Hills East, the more expensive part of town. It’s where a whole lot of demonic trouble starts after an amateur who had no business conjuring any kind of demonic entity raises one that wreaks havoc inside this lovely house. Serious trouble that ripples throughout the entire series.

3. The Haunted House is only a five minute drive from Sierra’s home and is a ‘hotspot for chaotic spook activity’. It’s also a place from Sierra’s childhood—where she spent a horrifying night trapped with a girl called Jackie and the horrors trapped inside. The results changed her young life. After that night, Jackie spread hurtful rumors about Sierra and made her school life miserable.

Later in life it becomes an address she visits constantly to remove one spook after another. Ultimately, this house becomes a place where something devastating happens to someone she cares about.

2. Spook Catcher Council Tower is located on Sussex Street in the CBD. Sussex Street is the name of an actual street in Sydney. And the building I imagined actually stands exactly where I situated this Tower, near an overpass that leads to the motorway. But it’s not called SCCT, and it’s certainly not the chaotic hub that I created in Sierra’s world.

The Spook Catcher Council is a terrible place that always makes Sierra feel physically ill. That’s because misbehaving/dangerous spooks are deposited here before sentencing. But as she eventually finds out…there is something a LOT worse hidden beneath.

1. The abandoned part of town is located in North Serene Hills, and there are many reasons why this is the spookiest, most haunted place in Sierra’s world. Not only because it’s been abandoned for decades, with imprints of people from long ago still caught in a cycle. There’s also a magical power grid situated here, as well as a three-pronged crossroads fit for a Goddess. It’s where the hunters meet with the mysterious Tailor from the Patch Watchdog once a month.

Yet, as creepy and filled with paranormal activity as this location is, it’s deeply connected to Sierra. For many otherworldly reasons.

Thank you Yolanda for giving us such a haunting tour of Sydney!  
To learn more about Yolanda Sfetsos and her books, please visit her website, and don't miss our Q+A with Yolanda Sfetsos here at From the Shadows.  You can add the Sierra Fox urban fantasy series here on Goodreads.



Have you visited Sydney, Australia?  Ever experience anything of the supernatural kind in and around Sydney?
What did you think of Yolanda's picks for spooky places?
Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited San Diego with Jennifer Harlow.  Next week we'll be traveling to Dublin with Ruth Frances Long.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Congratulations Vanessa V. the winner of the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway at From the Shadows.  Vanessa will receive a trade paperback copy of BURNING BRIGHT, an action-packed Ivy Granger urban fantasy novel by E.J. Stevens.  In addition to the novel, which will ship directly from Amazon or The Book Depository, the winner will receive a signed postcard from the author.


Thank you to all who entered!

*Giveaway winner randomly selected using Rafflecopter*

Congratulations Stephanie the winner of our Heart of Stone Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Stephanie will receive a trade paperback copy of HEART OF STONE by Debra Mullins.


Thank you to all who entered!

*Giveaway winner randomly selected using Random.org*

Happy New Year!
I am looking forward to the upcoming new year, and all of the amazing books coming out in 2015, but there is something about the closing of a year that makes me reflect on past reads.  I love hearing about what books other readers loved from 2014, but there's something else I'm also curious about.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Okay, I admit.  That's a difficult question to answer.  Perhaps a better question would be, "What book or series do you reread the most often?"  I know I have old faithfuls that I've read over...and over...and over...  Well, you get the idea.  There are some books that I just can't get enough of.



For me, these books are like old friends.  I never tire of them, no matter how many times we meet within the pages.

Do you have a book or series that you've read more than once? 
I started going through my most well-thumbed books and was surprised to realize that the books I still read the most often are from my childhood and early teen years.  I also noticed that although I currently read mostly urban fantasy, the books I've read the most often run the gamut from Shakespeare to Gibson to Poe and Conan Doyle.  I also realized that I have over fifteen copies of Hamlet, most of them falling apart from overuse.  
You can never have too many copies of your favorite books, right?

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.  This week's stop is San Diego, California and our special guide is Jennifer Harlow, author of the F.R.E.A.K.S Squad Investigation urban fantasy series.

Death Takes a Holiday is set in San Diego so it seems fitting that our guide for this week's Paranormal Road Trip be author Jennifer Harlow.  Let's see what terrifying places Jennifer has planned for our tour.

San Diego's Top 5 Spooky Places
Though the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad travels the country investigating and capturing preternatural perps, only one town holds telekinetic Special Agent Beatrice Alexander’s heart: her home town of San Diego.  Let's see what terrifying places Jennifer has planned for our tour.

San Diego. Known for it’s year-round sunshine, sandy beaches with clear blue water, and being the home of Geek Mecca aka Comic Con. But like every town under the glossy veneer lies a past with more than a few skeletons in its closet, ones who just won’t stay dead. Here are the five such closets:

Whaley House: Both Life magazine and The Travel Channel’s America’s Most Haunted have called this house “the most haunted house in America.” Built over a cemetery near a gallows site, several people have died (and seemingly come back) inside its wall, including the owners Thomas, Anna and the suicide of sister Violet. Cold spots, objects, including a cleaver, moving on their own, and sightings of hanged gambler Yankee Jim Robinson and a child’s apparitions moving around the house.

Horton’s Grand Hotel: In 1986, a psychic detected the ghost of Roger Whitaker, a gambler who was gunned down and left to die in an armoire in Room 309 after claims of lights turning on and off, the sounds of a paranormal poker game, cold spots and even playing cards suddenly appearing. You can rent the room. If you dare.

Star of India Sailing Ship: This floating museum was built in 1863 and eventually made its way to the San Diego Harbor where it became a museum in the 1970s. After sailing around the world as a cargo vessel it picked up some permanent inhabitants—an officer who committed suicide, a young boy who fell from the mast, and a Chinese fisherman crushed by the anchor chain.

Hotel Del Coronado: Ask for Room 3502. In 1892, a young woman checked into the Hotel Del Coronado to meet her estranged husband for Thanksgiving. He never arrived, and a few days later, she was found dead on the hotel steps near the ocean. Since then, guests and staff of the Hotel Del Coronado have noticed strange breezes, ghostly noises and the pale figure of a young lady walking in a black lace dress. Within room 3502, more than 37 abnormal readings were taken by parapsychologists in a single day. Say hi to Kate Morgan for me.

Pioneer Park: In 1870, this ten acre plot of land became the final resting place for 1,650 souls. Then in 1968, since it was in such disrepair, the tombstones that were illegible were recycled while others were placed in a corner as a memorial. Trees were planted, playground equipment installed and an elementary school was built next door. The graves themselves were never moved. Ghostly lights are reported here. Didn’t we learn anything from the movie Poltergeist?

Thank you Jennifer for giving us such a haunting tour of San Diego!  
To learn more about Jennifer Harlow and her books, please visit her website, and don't miss our Q+A with Jennifer Harlow here at From the Shadows.  You can add the F.R.E.A.K.S Squad Investigation series here on Goodreads.



Have you visited San Diego?  Ever experience anything of the supernatural kind in and around San Diego?
What did you think of Jennifer's picks for spooky places?
Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Eden, Kentucky with Sharon Buchbinder.  Next week we'll be traveling to Sydney, Australia with Yolanda Sfetsos, author of the Sierra Fox series.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Congratulations Linda R. the winner of our Eternal Neverland Ebook Giveaway here at From the Shadows!  Linda will receive one ebook copy of Eternal Neverland: Steps Before The Fall by Natasha Rogue.



Thank you to all who entered!

*Giveaway winner randomly selected using Random.org*