Tag Archives: ghost stories

Day 4 of the 2023 Back to School Blog Tour-Book Review: Devin Drake and The Family Secret

Standard

Welcome back to day 4 of the 2023 Back to School Blog Tour. I have a fabulous book review today of a paranormal/spooky genre book. Check out the book review below. Please come back tomorrow for the last installment of this year’s blog tour.

Book Review: Devin Drake and The Family Secret

By R. M. Clark

School has started, but that means Halloween is just around the corner. This is a great time to introduce your child or students to the spooky genre before October hits. I’ve found a marvelous spooky mystery novel that is sure to be a great addition to your classroom or home library.

Devin Drake and the Family Secret is a not so average spooky mystery. It likes to tantalize the senses with Greek food clues and paranormal intrigue. Devin is your average sixth grader that loves magic card tricks and is excited about his new drone for his birthday. But when it ends up in a cemetery, he has to retrieve it which leads him to discover he has the ability to see and hear ghosts. He soon finds this ability runs in the family, and starts to try to get the hang of his new skills. Then, his classmate, Eva, asks for help. Her grandfather seems to be contacting her beyond the grave and she needs help understanding why. Can Devin solve the reason for this mysterious communication? Or are the clues distractions to the real problem at hand?

I enjoyed the real sense of voice in this story. Mr. Clark really puts you into the head of a twelve-year old boy dealing with real problems along with paranormal twists. This is a great read for kids that love a good mystery along with a ghost story. I used to love this kind of book when I was a kid, and that wasn’t just around Halloween time either. This would be a great middle grade book to introduce your preteen to the spooky/paranormal genre and get them interested in reading paranormal fiction all year long.

Devin Drake and The Family Secret is available at: Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

For more information on Devin Drake and his other books, please visit his website at:

www.rmclarkauthor.com.

Author of Middle Grade Mystery Series: Interview with Stacy Bourns

Standard

If you want a good mystery series to give for Christmas this year, I’ve found one. As Cold As Charity is the new installment in the Ghost Club Mystery series. This weekend, Dec. 15 & 16 only, it will be free on Amazon! I was lucky to be able to interview the author, Stacy Bourns on her childhood memories, her favorite author, and what she plans for future projects.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Stacy Bourns: My love of books started early in life, so I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand. I can still recall the night I began reading The Hobbit, though. I was in bed in my bedroom, which thanks to the slanted ceiling, was particularly cozy. As I read about Bilbo’s adventures, I listened to the Commodore’s Greatest Hits on my cassette player – this tells you how long ago it was! So now, whenever I hear one of the Commodore’s songs, I always think of The Hobbit and that carefree time in my life.

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Stacy Bourns: One of my favorite authors is Maud Hart Lovelace who wrote about her own early 19th century childhood and coming of age in her Besty-Tacy series. My aunt, writer Barbara Bartholomew, gave me the first book of the series, and from that moment on, I was smitten. These books are dear to me, because I grew up alongside Lovelace’s protagonist Betsy. Because her writing is so vivid and nostalgic, it almost felt like I was part of Lovelace’s family. Books have so much to offer to a growing child—companionship, adventure, and guidance—and as I wrote my middle elementary Ghost Club series, I hoped to provide many of the same experiences for my own readers. In my most recent Ghost Club book, As Cold As Charity, the young protagonist is struggling with her parent’s possible divorce.

3) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Stacy Bourns: I have one more Ghost Club book in mind, but I am also working on a YA Book about a young woman who travels to Great Britain to learn more about her English roots. Since I adore paranormal fantasy, my protagonist will of course find herself encountering the paranormal. To me, there’s no better way to represent the challenge of growing up than with monsters. In a way, the imaginative act of slaying a monster is psychologically easier than say, dealing with family dysfunction, bullies, or any number of problems that children and teens experience. Ultimately, a monster is just a symbol of a problem that feels insurmountable. And, the most satisfying thing about fiction is that most of the time, the hero defeats the monster and saves the day.

ascoldascharityAs Cold As Charity is the third book in the Ghost Club series. The Ghost Club girls are investigating another case. This time at a luxury inn where sinister laughter is heard, a self-playing piano, and ghostly cries of a child are scaring customers away. They soon discover that they may have taken on more than they can handle and will have to rely on their strength, sleuthing power, and paranormal experience to save themselves.

As Cold As Charity will be free Dec. 15-16 at Amazon.com. It is a Kindle Unlimited title.

The Season for Good Ghost Stories

Standard

Halloween is the season for a good ghost story. I’ve been remembering the days of sitting around a campfire telling tales of ghost hitchhikers and mysterious experiences. How many of you have heard about the guy that picks up a hitchhiker near a cemetery, only to have them disappear from the back seat when reaching the destination? Or the girl with the red ribbon around her neck that doesn’t reveal why it can’t be removed until her husband finally pushes for an answer?

If you’re looking for a good story or two to tell your friends, here are some of the ones I remember best to share. They are some of the good classic ghost stories I remember from back in my day as a kid. Maybe you can share them with your family.

I think one of the spookiest ghost stories is an interactive story that has to be experienced. There are many a slumber party where this was tried. Often, my friends and I scared ourselves in the process. It begins with the legend that if you look in a mirror in complete darkness and say the words “Bloody Mary” three times, the ghost of some murdered girl with a bloody face is suppose to appear.

Did her face ever appear when my friends, giggling wildly, gazed into the bathroom mirror? Um, no. But just the legend and trying it seems to be a good spook, especially at this time of year. Who can say? Maybe it’s actually worked for others, but never me.

Another good story I’ve heard a few times is the hitchhiking ghost. Mostly it’s told around camp fires or in the dark at a slumber party by flashlight. If you want to make it extra spooky, make the setting be more near your current location. Somewhere nearby locations are great for the pick-up point of the ghost.

The legendary story goes like this: A lone driver goes past a spooky location in the middle of the night. They see a hitchhiker, and feel sorry for them. A description of the hiker like dripping wet in dry weather or looking especially white on a warm night could be a good addition to build suspense.

The driver picks up the mysterious hitchhiker. A lot of the time as they talk, it is revealed that some clue, their name or what they were doing is revealed. Next, upon arrival, the hitchhiker has disappeared. The driver, thinking they got out without seeing, goes to the door to check on them. The people in the house are shocked to hear the name of the hitchhiker. The mysterious rider usually has the name of someone who died earlier. Boo.

Lastly, here’s a great spooky story that has so many variations, you could add your own twist to it. A young girl marries a man. She always wears a red ribbon around her neck. Her husband is always curious about the ribbon, and continuously asks her to take it off. She tells him no. There can be several times through their life that he tries. Sometimes they are newly weds where he asks all week. Sometimes he asks her whole life and asks when she’s an old lady. You can always add your own twist. In the end, she gives in and takes off the ribbon. When she does, her head rolls off her shoulders onto the floor. Boo.

Hopefully, this will be a great way to get your ghost stories going during this time of year. Always if someone has heard the story before, let them know it’s a new version or your own version. You could surprise them, or maybe they can add to the story. Enjoy yourself, and have a fantastic, spooky Halloween! Happy Halloween to all my readers and boo!

Link to the Tiffany Turner Website to try out your own Spooky Writing Project.