R.L. Geer-Robbins's Blog, page 15

Day 4 of 365 days. 361 days left to go.

As a ‘newbie’ author, one of the most important things I have learned in the last year is how to build a solid brand. This is second only to writing a book.

And I have learned that it is harder than just designing a cool logo and posting it as your Facebook profile picture.

Now, before you say to yourself, ‘Well, shouldn’t the book build the brand for you?’ No, it doesn’t, not in a world of a million small business owners sharing four major social media outlets.

The nasty truth….

There have been times in the last year when I have been beaten down by the hype behind building a brand and interacting on social media. But as an author who wants to be traditionally published, I have no choice. My brand has to appear on my list of ‘to-do’s,’ and I need to create goals and actionable plans to achieve said goals.

Here is my shot gun blast of the behind the scenes:

Research: Every 30 days or so, I research key phrases and hashtags to see what the latest trends are. I mold my content (if I can) to fit into those trends. Fair warning: it will change, and you have to try to keep up with the ever-changing tide not only in your country but worldwide if you want to expand internationally.

Alternate content type: Some people say you can post the same content to multiple outlets. I don’t think you should. What works on Facebook, which is traditional for your more middle-aged audience who loves engagement, will not work on TikTok, where the audience wants sensational, eye-catching, and original content packed into 60 seconds or less. Twitter is a two-sentence blurb with gifs. Instagram is primarily used for reels and interest-not to purchase clickbait.

So, each product you create for your ‘brand’ needs to be tailored to fit different audiences. This means one post on all four platforms may take up to 2 hours to create and schedule. My recommendation, which I do not do, is to stay focused on 1 or 2 platforms and excel at engagement on those.

Why am I not listening to my own advice? Because I haven’t figured out what platform works for my brand yet, and I apparently don’t like sleeping.

Be consistent: Consistency is the key to being successful when owning a small business or being a writer. Yes, I know that between the day job, the family, the chores, and writing, there is hardly any room for planning and engaging. Here’s my advice. Get over it. I know it sucks. But unfortunately, you don’t have a million-dollar-a-year contract, so you’ll have to hustle. And hustling means you may need Botox and do things you don’t want to do.

And that leads me to my final point….

There are things that your not going to want to do- do it anyways.

Too often, I have found too many creators who get discouraged, bored, or assume that because they put in one or two weeks of hard work, all of a sudden, the world should adore them. That’s not how it works.

Look at all the big businesses. You may not ‘personally’ like their methods- but they have been consistent in researching how to appeal to a broader population. And they work hard behind the scenes to make it happen.

Owning your own business or creating your own brand means you will be working when others are playing video games, going to parties, or out to dinner with friends. Building your brand means that you might have to wake up at 3:30 in the morning because that is the only time you can get uninterrupted.

It’s a sacrifice, to be sure. But if you have already put in half the work and you want to make your dream a reality, that means there will always be something else to do.

This is not to say that you can’t take a mental break occasionally. That’s healthy, and I encourage it.

The uncomfortable truth is something the world avoids saying. Hustling is not for the fainthearted. You have to find inner motivation even on hard days and grind.

So here’s to you, my fellow hustler. I wish you the utmost success. And I encourage you not to give up. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Until tomorrow my friends…. keep reading and stay caffeinated!

Hustle until you no longer need to introduce yourself.

Unknown author.

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited addition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 6

The post appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Day 3 of 365 days. 362 days left to go.

I admit that attention to detail is not one of my strong points. Am I creative? Yes. Can I catch plot holes or minor mistakes in timelines? From a mile away.

Can I remember something my husband said he would do a year ago and hold that small nugget of information away until I can use it against him? You better believe it.

But small details? Those escape my notice daily.

Let me explain. I packed an order today and signed the books with my customary ‘Stay Caffeainted.”

Notice the issue?

Caffeainted? It’s spelled C-A-F-F-I-N-A-T-E-D.

And when did I figure this out? When I looked at yesterday’s blog, and spell check highlighted it! Are you kidding me? Writing that blog took me an hour, and I never saw the red squiggly line. Do you know how many books I have sent out with misspelled personalized notes? Too many to count! Readers will take one look at it and put the book in their To Be NOT Read pile because, obviously, the writer lacks one of the critical components of writing- knowing how to spell.

This could not come at a worse time. I am knee-deep in edits and at the point of no return regarding timelines. And in my mind, if I misspelled my own catchphrase, how the hell do I feel confident that I spelled A and That correctly?

Needless to say, this will be a short blog because I need to quit my job and go back to school to learn how to spell.

“Lest we forget that Shakespeare spelled his surname in five different ways. None of them was S H A K E S P E A R E.” – Ghil’ad Zuckermann, Revivalistics: From the Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond

Until tomorrow my friends…. keep reading and stay caffeinated!

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Limited addition copies are now available on my website (Shop – R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author (rlgeerrobbins.com) or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store websites!

Current sales as of today= 6

The post Embrassing Moments of a Writer appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Day 2 of 365 days. 363 days left to go.

When does something become a habit? Is it 21 days or 3 months? Other than work, have I ever done anything enough for it to become a habit? Or is our life full of habits that we don’t acknowledge? Like taking out the trash everything Thursday. Or doing the dishes.

I was asked what my dream job is. And of course, I said to become a New York Best Selling Author. Because that is one of my goals. Are goals the same as dreams? No. I don’t think so. Goals are easily achievable (for me). I want to sell 1,500 books this year. I’ve formulated a plan. I created a check list. I’ve researched and watched YouTube videos. I have invested my money and time. It is trackable.

Dreams? Dreams are different. I want to dance in the ballroom of a castle with a prince in a long flowing yellow dress and spend my days reading. I want to fight in a war between good and evil and save humanity using only my speed, quick-thinking, and unworldly skills with a sword. I would like to be invited to all the great libraries of the world and talk about the ‘whys and how’ of history, not just the who, what, and where.

But as far as dream job? Thats a toss-up between being a museum curator or a librarian who is also secretly a dragon rider. You know nothing too crazy. I might have to get a gym membership and stop eating Oreos to make it happen too.

Maybe that’s why they call it a mid-life crisis?

So until tomorrow my friends…. keep reading and stay caffeniated!

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on my website store or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

Current sales as of today= 4

The post Dream Job appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Day 1 of the next 365 days.

Seems like forever, but last year few by. What are my goals for 2024?

Not to have goals.

That’s a lie. I have goals. They are ambitious goals. Goals that I have researched and studied. Goals that will make my life easier. Goals that will increase my readers and improve my writing. Goals that will make 2024 an epic year!

Goal 1:

Post a blog at least 365 days. That seems like a lot, right? But isn’t that what writers are supposed to do? So that when we become famous, we can look back and have something to talk about. The problem is- I think I had this same goal in 2022 and 2023. Maybe this year, I will have the follow-through.

Goal 2:

Cancel all subscriptions I don’t use. As a small business owner, money is critical. But half the time, I have no idea where my money is being spent. So, I got a planner and did all the prep work to track my money down to the penny. What did I find? Over $120.00 a month is devoted to subscriptions I haven’t used in years! That’s at least 1.5 tanks of gas. Or three days of groceries! Time to say goodbye!

Goal 3:

Fold the laundry after it comes out of the dryer. Now, this might be my most ambitious goal of the year, so I will settle for the next 30 days and see how it unfolds.

Goal 4:

Clean one room a day. Saturdays are challenging when you have housework and chores taking up the whole day. So I pledge to clean one room a day a week so I never fall behind. In my mind, that includes wiping down baseboards, cleaning toothpaste off bathroom mirrors, and dusting off my bookshelves.

Goal 5:

Thursdays will be ‘Business Meeting Night.’ My husband and I own two different small businesses as well as working a ‘day job.’ Sometimes we get lost in the hurricane of our own world and forget to check in with each other.

Goal 6:

Find a way to organize my kids’ art supplies. If you didn’t know, he’s 16 and an aspiring artist. I say aspiring, but please know that his paintings outsell my books and my husband’s reptiles at every show. With that comes an insane amount of art supplies scattered all over the house. It’s crowding my books. So I need to find a way to organize it all.

And finally- Goal 7:

Try to do things after 6 p.m. I am one of those people who think heading to the grocery store after work equals social interaction. This is the year I change that! Maybe. Hopefully. We’ll see how it turns out.

So until tomorrow my friends…. keep reading and stay caffeniated!

If tales of legend, myth, and fantasy topped with a cup of coffee interest you, I suggest checking out my book, The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in the history books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on my website store or at

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Day 1 of the next 365 days. appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 11 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight, I want to talk about tombstones. We have already explored some of the best graveyards in the world- but now let’s walk into the cemetery, find the most unique monuments, and discover why we bury our loved ones the way we do.

Quick history into tombstones

Tombstones, or markers for burial sites, have been found dating all the back as far as 3,000 B.C. BUT, it didn’t gain popularity until the mid-1600s, and only then for the middle and upper class. When secular religion became more popular- headstones became all the rage.

It is important to note that there is a difference between gravestones and headstones. Gravestones mark the grave’s spot, while headstones are meant to honor the individual buried. Often, a headstone is nowhere near the body, or the body was disposed of, such as cremation, or was never found.

Another interesting fact is that vertical gravestones are not recommended to be erected until at least six months (some places say 1 year) after the burial to allow the site to settle and harden. Place a gravestone too quickly, and it will sink or fall over.

Why are graves 6 feet deep? Good question- most aren’t. The saying ‘6 feet under’ dates back to the London Plague of 1665 when the mayor ordered that all graves be at least “6 foot deep” to stop the spread of disease. BUT, it is not law. Most graves in the U.S. are only 4 feet deep, but some states only require 18 inches.

Unique Gravestones

William Shakespeare was famous. Like famous, famous. One of his biggest fears was his grave would be disturbed, so he wrote his own curse to ensure eternal peace.

“Good friend for Jesus sake forbear, / To dig the dust enclosed here. / Blessed be the man that spares these stones. And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

John Paul Jones was the father of the American Navy, best known for shouting, “I have not yet begun to fight! But did you know that the location of his body was unknown for over a century?

After the Revolutionary War, he joined the Russian Imperial Navy and retired in Paris, France. He died alone at age 45 and was initially buried in the St. Louis Cemetery, owned by the French royal family. 4 years later, the revolutionary government sold the property- and the cemetery was forgotten.

In 1905, General Horace Porter, the America Ambassador to France, took it upon himself to find the grave and bring John Paul Jones back home. Interestingly, his corpse was perfectly preserved. He had been wrapped in a winding cloth, placed in straw and alcohol, and buried in a sealed lead casket.

Jones was laid to rest at the Naval Academy Chapel on Jan. 26, 1913. The 21-ton sarcophagus is surrounded by columns of black and white Royal Pyrenees marble, supported by bronze dolphins, and embellished with cast garlands of bronze sea plants.

Visitors will find a tiny grave marker bearing the name Tom Thumb in the village of Tattershall, Lincolnshire countryside.

Legend says that Tom Thumb was just over 18 inches tall and lived to the ripe old age of 101, dying in 1620.

Hard to say is this true because myth and reality has become legend. Tom Thumb was an important character in English folklore for hundreds of years, making his first appearance in the 1500s.

The character of Tom Thumb was first introduced in 1621 and is depicted as a canny, cunning boy who uses his size to trick foolish people. In these stories, it was common for Tom to be swallowed by humans and animals, including a cow, salmon, beggar, giant, and even the King of England. But he always manages to escape in some very crude and disgusting ways.

When Ellen Ford’s daughter, Florence, passed away at 10 from yellow fever, she asked that the grave be built with a small window and stairs leading down to the casket.

Florence had been afraid of thunderstorms, and her mother wanted to ensure she could comfort her even in death. So, she had the grave built with metal trap doors above the stairs so she could visit.

Today, the grave remains virtually unchanged, although a concrete wall was added to block the view of the casket through the window to ward off any vandals.

This is the grave of Fernand Abelot, and this has to be one of the creepiest gravestones I’ve ever seen.

Located in Père Lachaise Cemetery, this marker is a reflection of his dying wish… to stare at his wife’s face for eternity.

The epitaph reads: “They marveled at the beauty of the journey that brought them to the end of life.”

I can’t help but wonder- what did he do with the rest of the body?

So, there you go, just a few of the more amazing gravestones that I have found in my research. I would show you some more- but I have a gravestone to plan. The bar has been set high!

I joyfully await the exit- and I hope to never return.

Frida Kahlo

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Tombstones can tell a lot about the person. appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 10 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight, lets celebrate the season with some of the best and worst Halloween humor that I could find.

Why did the ghost quit his job?

Because they kept making him work the graveyard shift!

Where do spiders do their Halloween shopping?

On the inter web.

Why do cemeteries have waiting lists?

Because everyone is dying to get in

Why don’t ghost lie?

Because you can see right through them.

What did the Skelton bring to the cookout?

Spare ribs

How do pumpkins quit smoking?

They use a pumpkin patch.

What’s like to be friends with a vampire?

It’s a pain in the neck!

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Halloween Humor for your Monday appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 9 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight, we will be diving in the topic of graveyards.

Now, I will start the conversation by saying that some of my fondest childhood memories are ones where my mother would take me to random graveyards. We would walk through the different rows, paying attention to who had been married to whom. Noting the dates and paying our respects to those whose lives were lost too early. We would connect dots and talk about wars, diseases, and any of the other hundred moments in history represented by the gravestones.

Graveyards are the best way to remember and honor history and those who have pass on.

I learned at an early age that there was beauty in death.

Ironically, I don’t want to be buried.

But in my years of research and travel, I have come across some beautiful graveyards, and some that have a strange uniqueness to them.

Okunoin Cemetery, Japan

Okunoin is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism and considered one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan. Kobo Daishi is believed to be in eternal meditation as he awaits Miroku Nyorai (Maihreya), the Buddha of the Future, and provides relief to those who ask for salvation. Okunoin is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage spot.

While there, take a moment to stop by Torodo Hall (Hall of Lamps) and be amazed by the more than 10,000 lanterns donated by worshipers and lit eternally. In the basement are 50,000 statues donated to commemorate the 1150 anniversary of Kobo Daishi’s eternal meditation.

Neptune Memorial Reef, Key Biscayne, Florida

Coloums guarded by carved lions welcome the dead to their final resting place. The kicker? It’s 40 feet underwater, with stone roads, soaring gates, and crumbling ruins. Originally named the Atlantis Memorial Reef, the lost city is part of an underwater cemetery that also acts as an artificial reef, sponsored by the Neptune Society, a cremation company. Located about 3 miles off the coast of Key Biscayne in Miami, the undersea cemetery was designed by Florida artist Kim Brandell and opened in 2007.

If your worried about being able to visit- don’t! There are plenty of companies that offer scuba-diving excursions and it’s a popular area for boaters.

The Merry Cemetery, Romania

In the town of Săpânţa, Romania, the Merry Cemetery houses over 800 wooden crosses that bear the life stories, dirty details, and final moments of the bodies they mark. Displayed in bright, cheery pictures and annotated with limericks are the stories of almost everyone who citizen who has died.

How did this come to be? Interestingly, it was one man. Stan Ioan Pătraş was born in Săpânţa in 1908; by the age of 14, he had already begun carving crosses for the local cemetery. By 1935, Pătraş had begun carving clever or ironic poems about the deceased in a rough local dialect, including a portrait and how the individual died.

Underneath this heavy cross
Lies my mother-in-law poor
Had she lived three days more
I would be here and she would read / You that are passing by / Try not to wake her up
For if she comes back home
She’ll bite my head off / But I will act in the way
That she will not return
Stay here my dear
Mother-in-law.

Epitaph in the Merry Cemetary

The Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, The Czech Republic

The Old Jewish Cemetery is not the first Jewish cemetery in Prague – its predecessor was the ‘Jewish Garden’ located in the present New Town of Prague. This cemetery was closed by order of King Vladislaus II in 1478 because of complaints from Prague citizens. Later, it disappeared under the streets of New Town.

It is unclear when exactly the Old Jewish Cemetery was founded but the oldest gravestone is that of rabbi and poet Avigdor Kara and is dated to 1439.

Because Jewish custom doesn’t allow for the abandonment of old graves, and the community wasn’t allowed to purchase grounds to expand the cemetery, a considerable number of graves crammed into a relatively small space.

There are around 100,000 bodies buried there, many of which are marked under various gravestones, denoting that the bodies are stacked 12 deep in many places. As a result, the surface of the cemetery is raised several meters higher than the surrounding streets.

Arlington National Cemetary, U.S.

Arlington National Cemetery, the most famous cemetery in the U.S., is the final resting place for many of our nation’s greatest heroes, including more than 300,000 veterans of every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It contains the remains of more than 300,000 veterans in 70 burial sections and 38,500 remains in the eight columbariums. Section 27 contains the remains of more than 3,800 former slaves who resided in the Freedman’s Village on the cemetery grounds. Freed slaves were allowed to farm on this land from 1863 to 1883, and those who died while residing in the village were buried there.

The most visited area is the Tomb of the Unknowns- a burial vault containing the remains of three unidentified service members, one each from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. A white marble sarcophagus sits atop the vaults facing Washington and is inscribed with three Greek allegorical figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor. The Unknown Soldier of World War I was interred on Armistice Day in 1921 after lying in state beneath the Capitol dome after his remains from France arrived. The Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War were buried on May 30, 1958, after lying in state and each receiving the Medal of Honor. The Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War, interred and presented with the Medal of Honor in 1984, was subsequently identified as Air Force 1st Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie. In 1998, Lieutenant Blassie’s remains were disinterred from the Tomb of the Unknowns and reinterred near his family’s home in St. Louis. Since then, the Vietnam vault has remained vacant. The tomb is guarded continuously by the 3rd U.S. Infantry, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, also known as “The Old Guard.”

One of the biggest decisions that we have as mortals is to decide where we want to stay for eternity, and how we want to be remembered. It’s a big decision and I invite you to take a look at how other cultures are honoring their dead and make the right decision for you.

“Every life holds an epic tale, even if no one alive remembers it.”

Greg Melville, Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Cemeteries, graveyard, and shrines…oh my! appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 7 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight let’s dive into the myths of Vampires- from across the world.

Vampires are a staple of Halloween, made popular by Bram Stokers novel, Dracula, and the popular movies- Interview with a Vampire and Twilight. They are night stalkers, taking blood from the innocent, and amassing wealth and power with their alluring personalities.

I won’t lie- the idea of living forever, enterally beautiful and insanely rich doesn’t sound so bad. But are these stories based on the myths and legends that have been found for centuries around the world?

Or are they a creation of reality?

History

Myths and legends of the vampire is often believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, more accurately, Bulgaria, over a thousand years ago. The word roughly translates to ‘ghost monster.’ They were non-corporeal, able to spread diseases, but did not consume blood or bite humans.

In ancient Greek mythology, there were no ‘vampires,’ but there were gods with vampire tendencies. The daughter of Hecate, Empusa, was a demonic, bronze-footed creature who transformed into a young woman and seduced men as they slept before drinking their blood. Lamia was the secret lover of Zeus, and when Hera discovered the affair, she killed all of Lamia’s children. Lamia retaliated, killing children by drinking their blood. In the tale, Homer, the dead can’t communicate with the living without drinking their blood first.

In Homer’s tale, the undead are too insubstantial to be heard by the living and cannot communicate with them without drinking blood first. In the epic, when Odysseus journeyed into Hades, he was made to sacrifice a black ram and a black ewe so that the shades there could drink its blood and communicate.

In India, an ancient text, Betal Panchabingshati, describes the vetalas, creatures that inhabit corpses and hang upside down in trees in local cemeteries.

The Hebrew word Alukah translates to leech, synonymous with vampire. In Sefer Hasidim, it describes a creature that is believed to be living but can shapeshift into a wolf.

In Albanian mythology, they have the shtriga and dhampir. The shtriga is a vampire/witch that sucks the blood of babies at night while they sleep and then shapeshifts into a moth, fly, or bee. According to legend, only the shtriga could cure those she had infected. A dhampir creature results from a union between a vampire and a human. 

Modern Vampires in America:Sarah Tillinghast

It’s 1799, and Stuckley Tillinghast wakes up from a nightmare. In his dream, a mysterious force has destroyed half of his apple orchard. For days, Stuckley believes that his dream is a prophecy, and his fears prove to be warranted when his daughter, Sarah, becomes sick and dies.

Not long after, another daughter gets sick- Ruth. But this one is a little different. As Ruth lays in bed- she claims that Sarah has been visiting her at night. In her dreams, Sarah sits on Ruth and causes her pain. No one can help, and Ruth ends up dying not long after.

Weirdly, Stuckley’s other children get sick, too, each one claiming that Sarah was visiting them in their dreams. And they all die.

At the end of his ropes when, his wife, Honor, and another son get sick. He gets the town involved, and they visit the family’s grave site. They dig up the bodies one by one and find that they are all decomposed, as they should be.

Except for the last one- Sarah. Even though she was the first to die, her body has been perfectly preserved, her eyes open, her hair and nails grown out, and her blood still fresh.

Obviously, she is responsible for everyone’s death.

So, they take her still perfectly formed heart and burn it on a rock before reburying the bodies.

Unfortunately, Stuckley’s son didn’t survive, but his wife did.

According to legend, 7 out of 14 of Stuckley’s children died- proving that his dream WAS a prophecy of his impending doom.

Side note- A descendent of Stuckley claims that only 4 children died– Sarah (22), Ruth (19), Aunstis (17), and James (13).

Mercy Brown

93 years later and 2.5 miles away…

Edwin Brown was sick. Wasting away to nothing, and no one could seem to help him. He had already lost his sisters, Mary and Mercy, and his mother, Mary. So, when Edwin returned from a medical stay in Colorado and still wasn’t getting better- the town got involved. They were convinced that Edwin’s mother or sisters were undead and using Edwin to bring themselves back from the grave.

Edwin’s father, George, was bullied into allowing his wife and daughter’s (the Mary’s) bodies to be exhumed from the Chestnut Hill Cemetery on 17 March 1892. And surprise, surprise- all they found were bones. But the town was convinced that something sinister was occurring and focused on Mercy’s coffin.

Mercy died two months earlier. While the details of where her coffin was buried are unknown, what is known is that it was difficult to bury a coffin in the middle of winter. So, it was easy to lift the lid and take a peek.

What they found put the fear of the devil in them.

She had turned in the coffin, lying on her side. Her face was pink, and she still had blood in her heart and veins. Dr. Harold Metcalf, the town doctor, told everyone this was a natural occurrence. She had been dead for a short time, and the weather preserved her body.

But they didn’t want to hear him. They knew better.

So, what did they do? You guess it! They built a bonfire, cut Mercy’s heart and lungs out, burned them, and collected the ashes. Except this time, they take the ashes to Edwin’s home, mixed them with water, and forced him to drink his sisters remains.

Ironically, their cure didn’t work. Who would have thought? Edwin died two months later, on 2 May 1892, from tuberculosis.

There were too many stories of vampires for me to have the time to discuss them all in one blog. But I was intrigued to learn that the creature was not a modern invention, and it roots lay far beneath numerous cultures.

“None of us really changes over time; we only become more fully what we are.”

Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Vampire- Myths, Legends, and Truths appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 7 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight, we will dive deep into the mystery of the Legend of Sleepy Hallow.

Before we dive into the myth, I want to mention that one of my bucket list places to go is Sleepy Hallow Cemetery. It is the final resting place of some fantastic people:

Francis P. Church- who penned ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.’

Andrew Carnegie- one of the wealthiest Americans in history and founder of Carnegie Steel.

Angelica Hamilton- the eldest daughter of Alexander Hamilton who suffered a mental break after her brother Philip died of injuries resulting from a duel with George I. Eacker. According to reports, she experienced a disintegration of the mind so profound that it was described as ‘eternal childhood.’ She is mentioned twice in the world-famous musical- Hamilton.

And of course-

Washington Irving- author of Sleepy Hallow and many other books, historian, 1st Chairman to what would become the New York Public Library, and American Ambassador to Spain.

Sleepy Hallow, New York.

Most people don’t know that Sleepy Hallow does exist. However, I would not be a good historian if I failed to mention that its name was not officially ‘Sleepy Hallow’ until 1996. But it is still the same area that Washington Irving explored in the 1790s, and the story Legend of Sleepy Hallow is based on the location.

Recap of the story

Trying to recap an Irving story is unnerving, but I will give it a go.

The story opens with a note that the following incident was found written among the papers of a deceased man named Diedrich Knickerbocker.

Ichabod Crane has just arrived in town as a schoolmaster. He is exceptionally tall, thin, and lanky, with a flat head and a long beak-like nose, giving him the appearance of a scarecrow. He is fascinated by books, food, and wealth and has ambitions to court the wealthy heiress Katrina van Tassel despite her being sought after by a local- Brom Bones.

Crane feels like he has won over Katrina and plans to ask for her hand in marriage at a party that her family is throwing. When he arrives, he ignores poor Katrina and spends all his time at the food table, then later on the dance floor, trying to impress her with his moves. The group huddles together and shares ghost stories when the party eventually starts winding down.

This is when the tale of the headless horseman emerges. A figure shrouded in mystery can be seen galloping across Sleepy Hallow at night, yet unable to cross the church bridge. Brom Bones boasts of having raced and won against this strange creature, probably to impress the young Katrina. Crane goes on to share his own ghost stories, but it doesn’t compare to coming face-to-face with a real ghost.

At the end of the party, Crane pulls Katrina aside, and it appears that he proposed marriage but got turned down. Unfortunately, we can only guess what was said between them since the text does not mention it. A defeated Ichabod heads home and finds himself chased by a headless horseman. The horseman throws a pumpkin at Ichabod, which causes him to tumble off his horse and vanish without a trace.

The townspeople set out to find Ichabod and eventually arrived at the church bridge. They stumbled upon his hat and a broken pumpkin, but no sign of the Ichabod. His disappearance became a local legend: some thought he had been taken by the Headless Horseman; others maintained that Brom had tricked him. Years later, an outsider visiting the area swore that Ichabod was alive and well in Manhattan, having made a fortune as a lawyer, politician, writer, and judge. Meanwhile, Brom, who had married Katrina, always laughed when someone mentioned the smashed pumpkin.

The story is concluded with an afterthought from Diedrich Knickerbocker, who says he has written down the tale as it was told to him. He portrays the story’s narrator as an older rural man with a hearty humor. Most of those listening responded with laughter, except for another elderly man, tall and with a stern face. The mysterious man asked the storyteller to explain the moral of his story. The answer included three lessons: take a joke in stride, don’t compete against someone you’re sure to lose against, and some losses open up better possibilities down the road. The postscript implies the storyteller might be Brom or Ichabod but is left open to speculation.

The legend behind the story.

Now, when it comes to understanding inspiration for writers- the truth is in the eyes of the reader. Historian Elizabeth Bradley (Historic Hudson Society) believes that the story may be based on Sir Walter Scott’s poem, The Chase, which is based on a translation of a German poem, The Wild Huntsman, by Gottfried Bürger. According to Bradley, “The poem is about a wicked hunter who is doomed to be hunted forever by the devil and the ‘dogs of hell’ as punishment for his crimes.”

Now, I see some similarities, so Sir Walter Scott may have been inspired by it.

The folk tale narrates the tale of Earl Walter and his unyielding ambition to hunt. He is depicted as an unfeeling and careless character who, despite warnings, sets out on a hunt during “God’s own hallowed day.” In addition, two otherworldly entities join him – one heavenly and another devilish.

The two entities attempt to convince Walter to either quit the pursuit or to keep going no matter what anyone else says. The song mainly focuses on how the affluent mistreat the underprivileged. This is seen in three parts of the ballad: the angelic figure repeatedly asking Walter to abort his mission, Walter disregarding the warning, and ultimately being divinely punished.

But then again, the New York Historical Society believes that the story was based on a Hessian soldier who was decapitated during the Battle of White Plains in Oct 1776. In 1798, Major General William Heath released an autobiography that detailed his time during the Revolutionary War. In it, he mentioned a famous tale of a headless Hessian soldier. On November 1, 1776, Heath wrote in his journal, “A shot from the American cannon at this place [White Plains] took off the head of a Hessian artillery man.” White Plains is located less than ten miles from Sleepy Hallow.

Conclusion

I have no idea where Washington Irving got his inspiration, and it doesn’t matter. It’s a great story to tell this time of year. It has been made into countless movies, and the headless horseman is an iconic figure for Halloween, so it deserves its own spotlight in my 31 Days of Halloween.

“Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that [the horseman] was headless! but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him…”

The Legend of Sleepy Hallow

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Legend of Sleepy Hallow. Fact or Fiction? appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.

Friends,

Day 5 of the 31 Days of Myths, Magic, Mayhem, and more…

I will be your host for the evening, and tonight, we will dive deep into the mystery of Ouija Boards. Now I know there are far left and right feelings about summoning the dead to ask questions or say your final goodbyes. It’s a hot topic between the religious and the spiritualist.

It also screams Halloween.

But does anyone know how Ouija boards even became a thing? The history might surprise you.

The origins.

April 9th, 1865- the Civil War has ended. The bloody war that saw father against son, mother against daughter, and families torn apart by invisible borders and competing morals has ravished the U.S.

By 1891 the pieces were still laying scattered across the bloody battle grounds.

26 years is a short time for most people. Memories last far longer than that. Most families hadn’t recovered financially, physically, or mentally. The economy was still in ruins, and the government still hadn’t figured out our new normal.

What the country needed was a distraction from life. Something to give them hope that there was a better future.

And what better way than to ask the dead. They know everything.

Right?

And Spiritualism was born. In the last post, we talked about the history of the Spiritualism movement and how it played a role in the U.S. and across the pond. But now we will see how that one tiny moment in history had a far broader impact than you first imagined.

It started out as a board game.

Yes. A board game. Not just any board game. A board game that has easily surpassed Monopoly as best seller for years.

It all started with a Spiritualism camp in Ohio. In 1886, the Associated Press wrote a story about a ‘talking board’ used to communicate with the spirits. The board had letters, numbers, and a device that could be used to channel the spirits from the afterlife.

Sound familiar?

Yup to me too. The original Ouija board before it became a ‘thing.’

And that’s where the American spirit of making a buck off people’s pain and suffering comes into play.

Mr. Charles Kennard of Baltimore read about the ‘talking board’ and had a sneaky feeling that if he could mass produce a similar product, it would be an instant money maker.

There was one small problem.

He didn’t have a ‘talking board.’

But where there is a will, there is a way. Kennard partnered with E.C. Reich, a local furniture maker turned undertaker, to create one. But as most people know, you can create something, but it doesn’t mean it will become a bestseller. Kennard and Reich needed help. They needed money, a brand, and a way to mass produce their new product.

So, in 1890, Kennard enlisted the help of Elijah Bond and Col. Washinton Bowie and started the Kennard Novelty Company.

A name that would sell.

As you can guess, ‘Talking Board’ doesn’t inspire the imagination or lead to sales. The group needed to come up with a name that would lure the unsuspecting population in. Something that would draw the eye and instill a sense of confidence in the game.

And that honor is given to Elijah Bons’s sister- Helen Peters. But of course, there are two sides of the story.

Helen claimed to be a ‘strong medium’ and had been invited to a meeting where board members used the newly created board to decide what it should be called. According to the members- the spirits replied- O U I J A. No one had seen or heard that word before, and when they asked for its meaning- the spirits replied, ‘Good Luck.’

The other story is that Helen wore a locket at the meeting of a women’s rights activist and author, Ouida. According to documents, the name Ouija was just a misspelling of her name.

But the spirits having a hand in it sounds better, so that was what was pushed to the public.

But did it work?

In order for anything to be viable in this world- it has to have a patent.

But how to get one for a game that can talk to the sprits? It’s not like they can sign off on it.

Again, Helen comes to the rescue. On February 10, 1891, she goes with her brother to the Washington patent office when he fills out the application. The chief patent officer was skeptical and would only sign off on the approval once he saw a demonstration.

The question he wanted the spritis to answer?

His name.

If the board could accurately spell his name, which Bond and his sister didn’t know, he would allow the patent application to proceed. I’m sure Helen was nervous, but they all sat around a table and reached out to the spirits.

A little bit later- a visibly shaken patent officer signed off on the new ‘toy or game.’

Advertising

Ironically, the game didn’t initially evoke the devil or evil spirits. It was advertised as a fun way to ‘liven’ up a party (no pun intended). Families would spend a Saturday evening gathered around the table and have a good time asking the spirits for guidance and direction.

I’m sure that there quite a few females who used it to discover the name of their future husband.

Or men who used it to figure out if they should go into one field of study or another.

A few authors even used it to write their books. The original A.I.

So, when and why did it become so feared?

That would be thanks to Hollywood. Or, more notably- the movie The Exorcist. Since then, the Ouija board has been the focal point of numerous films, Netflix specials, and books. So much so that religious communities have petitioned for its removal.

But does it work?

Now, that is the real question. As with most faith-based religions, believing in the unseen brings comfort, solace, and closure to many people facing troubling times.

Can we honestly say that belief in the Ouija board is misguided?

Well, a study from the University of British Columbia says it may not be. This was a long study with many moving parts, so I will simplify it to the best of my understanding.

Sidney Fels, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University, brought an Ouija board to a Halloween party. Many of the guests (graduate students) were foreigners and had never heard of it before. Fels gave a generalized explanation, and they all tried it together.

To everyone’s surprise- the students believed that the planchette moved on its own.

Now, scientifically, there is an explanation called the ‘ideomotor effect,’ first introduced in 1852 by Dr. William Benjamin Carpenter, long before Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind. Carpenter believed that the unconscious mind directly correlates to motor activity.

Fels shared the experience with a colleague, Ron Rensink who was a psychology and computer science professor and Rensink developed an experiment to expand on the theory.

Group A- participants were asked to answer complex questions using the Ouija board. 50 percent of the time, they were right.

Group B- participants were using the board with a robot Ouija partner via teleconference. 65 percent of the time, they were right. The difference? The computer program used the participant’s tiny, unconscious movements to move the planchette.

Outcome? The unconscious mind is smarter than you know. When not competing with another person, participants could remember bits of stored information that are not accessible to the conscious mind.

Side note: Results in a follow-up study replicated the findings, which they reported in the academic journal, Consciousness and Cognition.

Conclusion

The Ouija Board is a hot topic. Especially this time of year. It did not start off as an evil demon-summoning tool. It was a game that helped people come to terms with a devastating period, offered a little hope, and maybe some fun in an already bleak world.

And yes, a money-making scheme too.

But who’s to say that with enough faith- it can’t work.

I leave that up to you to decide.

What do you get when you divide the circumference of your jack-o-lantern by its diameter?

Pumpkin Pi

If tales of legend, myth and fantasy topped with a nice cup of coffee interest you, I suggest taking a look at my book The Writer and the Librarian. It’s a historical fantasy about a middle-aged woman faced with a decision: accept what is written in books or find out for herself the truth behind the stories. Now available on

Amazon: https://a.co/d/flQhakX

Barnes and Noble: The Writer and the Librarian by Rose Geer-Robbins, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Target: The Writer And The Librarian – (the Raven Society) By R L Geer-robbins (paperback) : Target

And on any of your favorite Indie Book Store website!

The post Ouija boards. Just a game? Or a way to summon the spirits? appeared first on R.L. Geer-Robbins / Author.