When I was seven, my family moved into an old farmhouse. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was quite haunted. The tomb situated in a small copse of trees behind the house should have given us something of a warning. The eleven people buried there had all died on the property, some of them in our house. Disturbingly enough, there were others who had died either in the house or on the property whose bodies were not buried in the tomb. The old house had history. Lots of it. And we were about to learn how bizarre the world can be, how mysterious and spooky.
For seven years we lived there and experienced some interesting phenomena (see previous posts about some of my experiences!). My exposure to the paranormal led me to an interest in such matters and an eagerness to learn all I could. Having a very active imagination and a compelling desire to write, it was only natural that my books would reflect my growing fascination with “the unknown”. I’ve been scribbling stories since I was old enough to string words together. My first story was penned on a stool (we had to make do with what we had and an extra desk was not one of them!) behind a big old piano. My second grade teacher had pulled it away from the wall to give us some private space for our creative moments. I couldn’t wait to get behind that piano and write. It was the beginning of my writing career. It became something of an obsession. I couldn’t stand to see a blank notebook page. I HAD to scrawl out a story. I told myself stories constantly: while doing mundane chores, traveling, waiting for sleep to come…every idle moment was filled with stories.
As I entered my teenage years, I became determined to “grow up and be a writer”. And I continued to learn about all sorts of things: reincarnation, past lives, spirit contact, life after death (it’s all quite connected). It was only natural for my imagination to embrace these concepts and come up with stories including them.
Although I dreamed of being a writer, I was realistic enough to understand that an endeavor like that was not going to be easy. And I needed to experience life. So, a year after graduating high school, I joined the Air Force. Suddenly I am learning all about explosives and bomb components and the like. A total departure from my career choice for sure. Who would have thought I’d become a Munitions Technician? I have to say, my new career led to some very interesting experiences. Not all of them good. Most of them, in fact, not good. But that’s another story. I continued to write stories and dream of being an author but my focus was now on my Air Force commitments and my growing family.
After serving twenty long years in the military, I finally retired and was looking forward to life in the civilian world. My husband (whose stellar career in the military lasted 28 years) and I bought ourselves a small family campground and we settled down to the demands of owning a business. We did that for five interesting years and then called it quits. Now, I thought, I can do what I’ve always wanted to do. I had written some books by this point and they sat idle on my computer. Now, finally, it was time to fire up the computer and the stories held within it! It was around this time that I was once again exploring my spiritual interests and had recently joined a Spiritualist church. The mediums there had me interested in their ability. How awesome to talk to loved ones lost to us in death! Oh, I’d done as much with the Ouija board, automatic writing and channeling but I hadn’t had much interaction with mediums. Then, of course, the shows Medium and Ghost Whisperer were very popular and I was also following another medium’s reality show starring the talented Lisa Williams. My interest in mediumship (I even took a class in it!) made my creative brain kick into gear and “Be Still, My Love” began to formulate. A sucker for love stories, I wondered how a medium very much in love with her husband would feel if she lost him to a senseless death. And because people grieve over the loss of their pets, I decided this poor medium would lose a beloved dog as well. How would she respond? Would her faith be affected? Would she love again? Would her ability be affected? What would happen if she stayed somewhere haunted by the tragic demise of two young lovers? Would she be able to help them? What if more were going on than a haunting? Would she figure it out? All these questions created the story that came to be and led to my very first publication!!
The circumstances that led to my first published book seem unrelated and yet, each one built on the other and led to that very thing! I moved into a house haunted by several ghosts, I started to write stories, I experienced things in life that led to my drive for understanding, I attended a Spiritualist church and then I wrote a book! A long held dream, one that began around the age of eight, took forty years to come true but come true it did!!
That book is now FREE on Amazon for the dates of 25 and 26 March! After that, it’s still going to be affordable because I really want to share this story with you! I’d love to know what you all think of it! And I’d love to hear how your dreams came to be!!
And to show my appreciation for you taking the time to stop by my blog…I’m offering a FREE Numerology Analysis OR a palm reading (need the capability of taking a digital photo of your hand) to TWO lucky commenters who take the time to share their thoughts with me!!
Thank you so much for your support and for your valuable time! Until next time, many blessings to you and Peace Out!
Related articles
- Ghosts Exist and I Love Writing About Them! (deborahjhughes.com)
- A Supernatural Mystery? (deborahjhughes.com)
- Death, Spirits and Surviving Tragedy: An Interview with Medium Tess Schafer (deborahjhughes.com)
Hi Deborah, first of all I loved your book and I cannot wait for the second one. I loved how positive and peaceful you are as a writer, thats the vibes I was getting through the book even though there was creepy/dangerous situations in your story. I loved hearing your opinion of the paranormal through your character Tess with that said, do you believe demons exist too? Theres an app on the iphone thats called Real ghost stories from around the world, that has scare me up with paranoia since I started reading the stories and its funny how many times people share stories about demons. its very frightening to think such evil exists in the world, other than human beings of course but paranormal too? Whats your take on this?
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Hi, Jasmine! I’m so glad you liked my book! I’m getting so many varied responses to it…first I’m up and then I’m down and then I’m up again! (smile) I KNOW not everyone will like it…it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I still get a little bummed when someone responds negatively. But then I expected it would happen. I’m a person of contradictions I guess! So anyway, it’s always a thrill to hear from someone who liked it! And I love that you found it peaceful and positive!!!
So as to your question, I do believe that evil things exist. Since I believe that God creates all things and then gives us free will do with ourselves as we wish, then I guess God even made demons. Why “he” (I’ve said many times in my blog that I’m not fond of referring to God as a “he” but it sure makes things easier to do so when it comes to writing about “him”!) would create something so opposite of love, I just don’t know. I think we are here on Earth to learn things…to learn to conquer fear more than anything else. How to do that if we’ve nothing to fear? If fear didn’t exist, we’d be happy for sure but we wouldn’t understand what that meant! Earth, I think, is a school of experience, you come here and experience it all! Nothing is more powerful than God. So, with that being said…demons can do you no harm so long as you believe that God will protect you (for God WILL do that if you believe it!!). If you WANT to believe it but that niggling little doubt is there in the back of your mind telling you … what if he WON’T, though…just tell that niggling little voice to shut up because God DOES protect you, he protects you if you ask him to and then trust it will happen. When doubt sets in (it’s an emotion that our Egos love dearly), then firmly tell yourself that you KNOW the truth. Eventually, you’ll start feeling that way and the doubts will fade. It’s a process I’ve gone through a thousand times. I doubt…my beliefs kick in and tell doubt to take a hike, I feel better and then doubt returns, I tell doubt to take a hike…it’s endless and tiring! But eventually the doubts fade as KNOWING sets in. To BELIEVE something is not to KNOW it. All the things that you KNOW…there are no doubts associated with them. By continuously telling yourself that you BELIEVE in your heart that it is true…eventually you come to KNOW it and you’ve conquered that particular fear! Hope that helps! That’s my take on it anyway and it’s got me this far coming through some pretty horrendous things!! I am exploring my beliefs and the things I know through my character Tess. It’s an awesome journey of discovery for me!
I can’t wait to get Hidden Voices the sequel out! Tess is up against a lot of paranormal activity…some of it SEEMINGLY scary but she works through it all quite well using her faith to get her through. Thanks for stopping by my blog and chatting with me! And thanks for reading my story and liking it!! (smile)
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Hi Jasmine! You are one of the winners for the free palm reading or numerology analysis! Please contact me if you are interested or not. If you’d rather not have either done, I’ll pick another winner. Thanks again for giving me some of your valuable time!!
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Wow thank you! Yes I’m interested what do I need to do?
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I’m the same when it comes to blank pages – they have to be filled with words! 🙂
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I used to have an obsession with putting stories on every blank page in front of me! I hated seeing a piece of paper with nothing on it…a story just HAD to be told! I’m better about it now since I type everything! Thanks for stopping by!
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How very cool you lived in a haunted house! I’ve had a few experiences in my parents – more so when I was younger, with one terrifying exception. My best friend’s house has a lot of paranormal activity, and she refuses to let me set up a digital camera or recorder. Buzz kill.
Anyway, your book sounds fascinating and original, but like Karen, I’m willing to pay for it:)
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I can understand your friend’s concern…I’m sure she doesn’t want to encourage anything and sometimes it’s nice to be “in the dark” about such things! Thank so much for stopping by! Appreciate the support!
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I love the fact that you have lived in haunted places. So intriguing! I, too, have had both amazing and horrifying experience in my lifetime…. I look forward to buying and reading your book!
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My experiences were more horrifying when I was young and that was because I felt helpless and vulnerable. Although I get “spooked” every now and then, I’m not quite so scared!
My daughter and my mother both told me that some weird stuff happened to them while they were reading my book! I sure hope it won’t have that affect on everyone! Just what I need…a book that inspires paranormal activity! (smile)
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I think the idea of a book inspiring paranormal activity would be pretty exciting!
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Your book sounds cool as did your inspiration. I’ve always been fascinated by people who have had paranormal experiences. I’ve never seen a ghost, angel, alien or anything cool like that:`( Trust me, I tried everything Ouja boards, tarot cards and even ruin stones when I was a teen. I guess the spirit world wasn’t interested in communicating with a kid.
Good luck with your novel, I hope to see you on the bestsellers list soon!
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Maybe you need to be around people who are more open to it…just to get in the groove of it…and then things will happen! Matter of fact, I’ve had two reports of weird things happening while reading my book! Not to mention the weird stuff happening to me while writing it! The paranormal world is pretty cool…most intriguing. I love writing about it. Thanks for stopping by!!
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Hi Rachel! You are one of the winners for the palm reading or numerology analysis! Please contact me to let me know if you are interested or not. If you aren’t, then I’ll pick another winner. Thanks again for stopping by and giving me some of your valuable time!
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Aww, Karen! I’m just glad you want to read it! Go ahead and grab a free copy, why not? (smile) I do appreciate your thought, though. Blessings to you!
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I’m going to get your book, but I will wait until it is not free.
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