So I just got back from a weekend with my friend. We both have kids about the same age, and we love getting them together to play. And of course I was camera happy. So I was uploading the pics onto my computer, when one of them struck me as odd. My daughter and her son were riding bikes in her garage. And above both of their heads, there are these perfectly round, translucent orbs.
Now most people would look at this and think, hmm, must be the flash. A reflection. Dust on the lense. And they probably are. Easy to write off. But for me, not so much. I like to believe there’s a story behind it. I love the whole ghost stuff. I love reading books that have ghost threads in them. So here’s a ’supposed’ picture of an orb in a cemetary. And here’s the two orbs in my pic. Funny, and now I’ve creeped my friend out. She called to tell me her son’s door shut all by itself when he was asleep 
My book Silk Hauntings was my first attempt at writing paranormal. It’s essentially a ghost story, well, one with a kinky side. But this book was a lot of fun for me. The research was incredibly fun (and actually I’ve been researching ghosts as a hobby for years!), the writing was a ticket to let my imagination and knowledge go wild. Because the idea of ghosts, of catching them on film, of running equipment to find evidence of them, all kinds of crazy stuff… well it’s totally exciting me! I love it!
So am I just crazy to believe in this stuff? To want to believe in it? There are times it scares the snot out of me. Where I know I’d freak out if I ever encountered a ghost or some kind of haunting. But yet I’m massively curious. And I think they make great backdrops for a book. Because essentially you have two stories. Your hero/heroine and your ghost’s story.
The word paranormal covers all branches of books. Shifters, vampires, witches… gosh the list is too long. And even though I write a lot of contemporaries, if I’m going to do a paranormal, ghosts are my favorite. They’re my thing. If you write paranormal, what’s your preference? Everyone has that one type of book that you just get all excited to write. You think ‘Great! I get to do another of these…’ Or even if it’s not paranormal. What type of book gets your juices flowing?
August 29th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Just cuz we can’t see stuff doens’t mean it doesn’t exist. My digital does this sometimes (the orbs) but then my kids can’t keep their hands off it so it could be smudges LOL
August 30th, 2006 at 1:38 am
My thing is witches and werewolves. There’s just something about the fantastic against an everyday background.
August 30th, 2006 at 4:08 am
Nah, you’re not weird. I know I like to freak myself out (well, when I’m with other people, not when I’m alone. Ok, that’s not true. I freak myself out when I’m alone too).
August 30th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
I have ghost story upon ghost story. I know that stuff is true. Vampires and werewolves and such I’ve never seen, but I’m willing to believe it might be out there, somewhere.
Personally, I like weres. Wolves, bears, cats, it’s all good. I like faerie, too. And gargoyles. And. Heck. I like it all.