I am the author of the Tess Schafer-Medium series and several other books in the paranormal and romance genre. My stories often include spirit communication and ghostly specters, with the exception of Tangled Up Hearts, which is a romance more in line with those published by Harlequin Romance. Although I thoroughly enjoy a good spooky read, I also enjoy the trials and tribulations of a budding romance (with happy endings of course!).
My interests are quite varied. For one, I’ve been a palm reader since I was sixteen years old. At first I dabbled with it for fun and then I realized it was much, much more than a form of amusement for friends and family. I came to respect this age-old art of “fortune telling” and have found it to be accurate, helpful and very insightful. Eventually my interests led me to numerology (which I also dabble in), astrology (which I love but can’t do myself) and then many years later I became involved with Tarot cards.
I have participated in and practice different forms of spirit communication to include the Ouija board (yes, it CAN be bad but when handled PROPERLY it’s a very easy form of spirit communication … and I am happy to report that I have never encountered anything bad in any of my communications), channeling (through a spirit guide), table tipping (a fun, non-threatening form of spirit communication that still must be done properly) and automatic writing (takes more preparation but the information coming through is similar to channeling). I have a deep respect for all forms of communicating with the spirit world. Our loved ones, when they cross over, truly continue to care and love us and they really do visit us often! Their biggest challenge is in getting us (loved ones here in the physical world) to realize they are “alive”, well and thriving. There are so many who are eager to come through and show their love, give a message of support and encouragement, and there just are too few with the means to do it. Yes, I am saying we need more mediums in the world! Ideally, however, it would be better if people learned how to communicate with their loved ones themselves!
As for how this interest was formed … well it began at the age of seven when our family (my parents, three brothers and a sister) moved into a haunted old farmhouse. What took place during the seven years we lived in that house has influenced the things I believe about God, religion and all matters spiritual. Seriously, one cannot live for seven years with very active dead people (ghosts!) and not see life from a whole different perspective. Experience forms our views and opinions and beliefs and though I lived in fear for most of those years, I am grateful for the experience.
Young as I was and having no understanding about the workings of the paranormal world, I was often terrified, sometimes curious and never dismissive about such things. It helped having a mother who was not afraid of ghosts and actually rather enjoyed sharing our home with them. Her fearlessness did help lesson some of my own fears, especially as I grew older. An avid reader, I was forever checking books out of the library that helped to explain paranormal phenomenon and I even got to a point of trying to make contact with our spectral residents.
The more I read, the more I learned and the more eager I was to learn more! Thus began my neverending interest in all things spiritual. Such reading exposed me to all manner of subjects involving the paranormal and spiritual aspects of existence. Later, when I began channeling and automatic writing, I learned even more.
Reading, however, wasn’t my only passion. I started writing about the same time I started reading and it was hard to divide my time between the two. I felt driven to write and it was almost an obsession. I couldn’t stand having a blank piece of paper in front of me, I just HAD to write a story. To this day I still have most of those notebooks and pages of partially written stories. As I got older, I knew what I wanted to do with my life … I wanted to be a published author. To my way of thinking, there was nothing better to do in life than write stories.
After graduating high school, the reality of the “real” world kicked in. I had to figure out a way to support myself. All that reading had exposed me to the world at large and I wanted to see it. So I went to travel school in Pittsburg, PA, thinking the best way to see the world was to work in the industry that helped to take us there. But after graduation, I ended up back home, jobless because I was carless and seeing few prospects open to me, I decided to join the United States military.
So at the age of 20, I raised my hand and pledged four years of my life to the United States Air Force. Although my plan was to serve those four years and separate, I ended up staying for 20 years, five months and seventeen days (yes, folks, every day counts!). Those years led me through the experiences of so many things. The days were challenging, amazing, exciting, boring and oftentimes darn right frustrating but wow what a ride! I went through family separations, the first one happening just after serving a little over a year. I was sent to Korea six months after my son was born and I didn’t see him again until he was eighteen months old! Oh my was that hard. But the challenges continued. I endured considerable strife with difficult bosses (I was often a lone female in the company of many men), the horrors of war, marital messes, financial hardships, family stresses, life messes … the list goes on! But, to be fair, I also got to meet many people (good and not so good), see a lot of places (good and not so good), experience other cultures (mostly good!) and be exposed to many interesting situations and circumstances. My career ended well, with a great husband, great kids, great friends and a great last assignment.
And all that mentioned above? A good deal of it has ended up (or will eventually end up) in a blog post and some of it has, or will, find ways into my stories.
As for my beliefs now, as I write this, well there’s a lot to influence the things I believe. The bible is full of supernatural elements: angels, demons, prophetic dreams, omens, etc. I was always most fascinated with the story of Jesus and his teachings. The one utterance of Jesus’s teachings that most captured my attention? (paraphrasing here) “These things I do, you can do AND MORE!” Wow, what a thought!! Religion is a very broad, fascinating study on its own. Sadly, there is not enough time in my life to study all the subjects that interest me…at least not to the fullest extent that I might wish. So I focus on a little of everything and as a result have mastered none! All that seeking and learning spurs stories, though, so there is that. Sometimes I am so motivated to get a story written that it drives me crazy. I find no peace until it’s written. This, I believe, is a good sign that writing is my calling.
My stories come to me so fast sometimes that I barely can keep up. I often feel as if my brain is dictating (or something is dictating to my brain) and my only role is to record it! When I am in the throes of story creation, there’s a thought in the back of my head that wonders where its coming from. As I don’t outline or plan the plot, I can’t wait to get it written! I’m the first reader of my story and I find that to be quite a privilege.
So, that’s “About” me!
Here I’ve included links to a few posts that further explain a little about my experiences!
I grew up in Maine so it goes without saying that I’m a Stephen King fan. But he’s actually had a pretty strong impact on my life in ways I never would have guessed and would sure surprise him if he ever found out! Stephen King’s Impact
As I said earlier, I was the US Air Force for twenty years and it taught me that I can do anything…as can you! Military Lessons: Yes I can and so Can You!
What’s So Fascinating About the Paranormal? In this post, I explain why I am interested in the paranormal. Life leads us down many roads, and I’ve traveled a few doozies!
My “Living With Ghosts” Series explains in detail some of the fascinating paranormal experiences that I’ve encountered!
In my blog posts The Mysteries of Death and Living Through Death, I explain my thoughts on the one thing we must all face someday…death.
And here is yet another post that explains my fascination with the paranormal, Ghosts Exist and I Love Writing About Them.
As I mentioned earlier, I started reading palms when I was sixteen and I think it has to be one of the most fascinating things I do! Truly, your life really is in the palm of your hand and the following two posts explain why I believe that! Palmistry -your life is in your hands! and What’s Written in Your Palms? Only Everything!
Being interested in the paranormal, it goes without saying that contacting the spirit world interests me! I wrote “5 Steps to Spirit Contact” to explain how I go about the process and you can too if you feel so inclined! This post might interest you as well “The Care and Handling of Spirit Contact”
Who can believe in the paranormal and not do a little ghost hunting? Not me! Ghost Hunting 101
It isn’t just ghosts that are unexplainable phenomena! I’ve experienced dark periods in my life that brought about the brightest light! God truly is good to us and the universe truly is here for us…we have only to believe. Here I share a few profound experiences that really have changed my life! God, Money, Faith
Please feel free to contact me with questions or to share a story or just to say hi! Connecting with REAL people is as important to me as connecting with “dead” ones! (smile)
Blessings to all of you.
Hello Debra and congrats on your novels. You talk about living in a haunted house for 7 years. Did you ever find out who was there and why? Did you help them cross over? I am very curious about how your story ended in that house.
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Hello! Thank you, I’m excited to be living my dream of being a novelist…finally! As for the haunted house, well that is a long story. To summon it up, we did find out who some of them were. My mother conducted some research on the house to discover who lived there and what happened to them. A Ouija board session brought some of the names forward that we later found out about while conducting the research! We didn’t understand anything about how to “help” them back at that time. The bad spirit bothered us so much that we finally had to leave. So I guess the answer is no…it wasn’t resolved. The house is gone now, torn down, the cellar filled in and a lawn growing over that spot! Even so, I get chills whenever I go past it. I seriously feel “them” watching me when I’m in the area. We did experience a few things in our new house and I believe it was a spirit or two from the farmhouse letting us know they are still around. In any case, nothing bad has happened since then so I don’t feel like any of them are hanging out with us anymore. What that whole experience DID do was get me interested in the paranormal and the spirit world. Thanks for asking! Blessings!
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I just discovered you books and I love them!! My question is do you have any college background in English and book writing?? If not how did you know where to start? Also, is there a certain novel writing program you use?
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Oh yay, I am so glad you enjoy my books! I have an associates degree and took several English classes in college. I have been writing all my life…since I first learned how to spell! I think I learned about writing more from other books than through my college studies. I read constantly, or I used to. Now I am writing so much I don’t get as much time to read! As far as where to start…I just sat down with an idea and started writing. I had no plan, no outline and only a vague idea how I HOPED it would end. The stories just pretty much tell themselves and I am like a first time reader, as eager as anyone to find out what happens next! Sometimes when I sat down to write, I’d have this idea what I wanted to have happen in a scene but most often it turned out completely different than I though it would! The process fascinates me. It really does. Sometimes I think I have to try and control the story…ensure it has all the elements that workshops and classes and advice books tell you must be involved but those things just confuse the story. When I try to keep my writing within the “rules” of book writing, I actually stifle the writing process. So I don’t worry about whether I am starting out with a description or an action or a conversation. I write what comes into my head and trust the process. I don’t use any novel writing programs. I know there are some out there that many authors use but I don’t use any of them. I wish I was more helpful, sorry! Thanks for writing to me!
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I just finished reading the 1st in the medium series. WOW. I enjoyed not only the story but also the general concept of God is in control. I also spent 20 years in the AF and retired in ’89. I am looking forward to reading more.
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Thank you so much, Rose, for writing to me and letting me know that you enjoyed my book!! I honestly do love getting some feedback from readers! (smile) Thank you for your service to our country!! And how awesome is it that we both served in the same awesome branch!! (smile) I hope you are enjoying retirement!! Blessings!
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I love your books. They really hit home with me. I can’t wait for your next one.
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Thank you so much, Connie!! I am working on two books right now. I’ve never tried writing two books at the same time before but it’s actually going well. I started out reading romances when I was about 12 or 13 (the early Harlequin books were quite safe reads even for that tender age! At least BACK THEN they were!). So I always thought that is the kind of books I’d write…romances. BUT, I am so intrigued with the spirit world that I totally love including them in my stories too. So anyway, I wrote a contemporary romance several years ago (has NOTHING to do with the paranormal) and now I am writing another one to release with it (always publish two so if a reader likes one, they’ll have another to enjoy as well!). Only this second one does include a ghost (smile). I couldn’t resist. BUT, it is a romance first and foremost and the ghost stuff is actually just a fun background story. However, along with the romance, I am actually working on another Tess book! I haven’t officially announced that yet because then people tend to rush me to get it done and when I feel pressured, I just don’t do as well because I’m hurrying! I’m on chapter 5 and it’s developing quite well so I think it’s safe to let the “cat out of the bag”. (smile) I am in hopes of having three books out before Christmas. If you are following my blog, I will be posting their release dates in a future post and so you’ll be notified when that is going to happen. I also announce release dates and book progress on my Facebook page. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and let me know that you are enjoying my books! Thank you, thank you!! Blessings to you!
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Your post is really interesting–especially about how you write. I write the same way, I never know where it’s coming from and my fingers can barely keep up! I’m really enjoying your blog (:
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Thank you so much, Clarissa! I’ve actually tried plotting stories and guess what? They never get written. I just can’t work that way. I have to let the story unfold as it happens. It might mean a lot of editing afterwards to make sure everything fits together properly but so be it. At least I have a story that requires editing! Thanks for stopping by! Blessings to you!
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So I just nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award. Just go to my post and I’ll show you what to do to accept this award. Congrats! http://bigseance.com/2012/04/26/the-liebster-blog-award-thank-you-brandie/
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Wow, Patrick! Thanks so much. I will certainly go check it out.
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Hey there Deborah, I’m glad I found your blog just now (Phantoms and Monsters) its truly awesome to hear someone (YOU) voice a lot of exactly what I’m thinking too! I do believe in the supernatural but I have to say I’ve never really had a specific experience. Never seen a ghost. Yes, I have felt a lot of times as if I’m being watched or I hear a noise and can’t figure out where it came from. I would love to be able to validate that the supernatural is real to my husband. He is a huge skeptic and it drives me crazy! I just ordered your book on my Kindle “Be Still, My Love” and I can’t wait to start it! Looking forward to reading your blogs and learning some new things from you.
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Hi, Ashley! I’m glad you found me too! (smile) I love how the internet is making it possible to friend people from all over the world! It sounds to me that you are definitely experiencing the supernatural forces that exist around us! We share the same space as “the other side” and can do this because we operate on a different dimension or level of awareness than them. Sometimes, when our mind is idle or our thoughts occupied (doing a mundane task that doesn’t require our focused attention), we pick up on that other dimension of existence. We get a feeling, goosebumps, we think we hear something, we think we see something…all fleeting moments but very significant! For that brief moment, you are connected to the “other” worldly existence. To experience more of it, you have to make that your intention…something you intend to have happen to you…either by joining a paranormal group or reading books or just focusing on it (among other things)! You don’t have to go anywhere to experience “the other side”. They are here already, sharing (as I said) the same space as you! Fear and our ego (the part of our self that controls our personality and rationalizes way too much!) make it very hard to be open to it. But, it’s not impossible! I’m still working on it too. I should probably post more of my own journey to experience things! Thanks for getting my book! I sure hope you like it. Would love to hear from you after you’ve finished it. Blessings!!
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Hello, I love your page here…..Very interesting story! You seem like a sweet lady, your energy is Great!
~Hugs,
Tara
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Thank you so much, Tara!! I do want to have good energy. I have to struggle for it sometimes!! (smile) I’m glad you find my blog interesting, that’s what I’m aiming for when I post something…I want it to be interesting to those who take time out of their busy day to read it! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your kind message. Blessings!!
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Hello, thank you for liking the post Heaven and Hell on my blog…
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Glad you are okay that I linked to it! (smile) It fit quite well with my subject matter. Blessings!
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Thank you for your visit to my blog in AUGUST. I’m terribly embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that I had any comments until just now. Thank you for your thoughts on validation. 🙂
I love what you wrote above and I can’t wait to dive in and see what else is here!
I’m sure you don’t remember, so to refresh your memory I’m at PsychicRealtor.
Okay, off I go to have some fun here! ———>
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Glad to have you visit my blog! Thanks. I gave your blog site out to others who are interested in that sort of stuff, hope you don’t mind! Hopefully you’ll have another post up for our reading pleasure in the near future? You had me hooked from the get-go.
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Hi There! I just noticed that you subscribed to my blog and I just wanted to drop by and tell you “thank you” and how much I appreciate your interest. Please come back anytime to read my humorous stories about the absurdities of life that affect us all. I write about any and everything and usually post on Thursdays before midnight. All the best.
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I was so thankful to discover your blog. I’m pretty comfortable with the reality of all the paranormal stuff around me. As I’m sure you know, it’s very real when that ghost is in your face. 🙂 But I guess I always heard this little murmur ‘you know, this is all in your head.’ It’s so reassuring to find someone else who has had parallel experiences, and writes about them. 🙂 I really enjoy reading your postings, I especially enjoyed the one about dream interpretation and your boss’ reaction. You tell so clearly what you’ve experienced. Looking forward to reading your book.
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Likewise, Serena, I am glad to have found you! Maybe you found me first, but I came looking!! (smile) Thanks for the nice comments! And thanks for the Versatile Blogger award!! Blessings to you!!
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Wow,I really got into what you were sayig. Sounds a little bit like what I am going through right now.I am just now going through some of your postings, I am not very computer smart , but am enjoying your stuff.I to am a great believer in the supernatural,I think a lot of that comes from my Mom, God rest her soul.I will be looking forward to more of your postings. Thank You, you just gave me a little pick me up.
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