Paranormal Fridays: Will a Good Ghost Scare You?

Many people have thought that their house or place of work is haunted. You can turn on the television and watch a myriad of shows with paranormal investigators trying to either validate or debunk claims of hauntings using methods such as EVP (electronic voice phenomena) or thermal imaging. I personally am of the belief that hauntings are not a scientific phenomena, or at least not of a type of science we really understand. For many who view hauntings in a "scientific" light, they are of the opinion that ghosts are not good nor bad, but that they just are.

Try telling that to someone who has experienced what many call demonic activity.

This is my blog with my opinions, so that is exactly what you are about to read. I personally believe that there are indeed both good and bad ghosts, just like there are good and bad people. A subject that has come up in my mind periodically, and one that people bring up with me on a fairly regular basis, is whether or not a good ghost will try to frighten someone.

I don't think a good ghost will intentionally try to scare anyone. I have met people who at the slightest sign of paranormal activity become deathly frightened, like a small child who is afraid of a puppy the size of a grapefruit simply because it is a live animal. If you are such a person (be honest with yourself) then whether of not you are frightened is probably not a good gauge of a ghost's intent.

I have lived in multiple places I believe were haunted. From my own experience I have come to the conclusion that most good ghosts are curious but are cautious to not intrude too much. However, there are some rude ghosts (just like there are some rude humans) who are not malicious and just need to be told firmly to be respectful of the living.

And then there are the bad ghosts. I have had the misfortune of being around a few, and I can tell you that anyone who directly experiences their activity will be shaken sooner or later. If you are a tough person who does not scare easily (like me) then they will up the ante to frighten you. They get a kick out of making people uncomfortable. I personally believe they feed fear, heartache, fighting, violence and anger almost as if it were a drug. They engage in activities to stir up these emotions in the living who have the misfortune of living in "their" house. I can also tell you that such ghosts are not to be toyed with. If you feed them enough with negative feelings or behavior, or if you become aggressive with them, you can risk putting yourself in a very dangerous situation. I also highly advise against trying to communicate with these ghosts since they are manipulative and dangerous. Would you go have a nice talk with Charles Manson? I didn't think so.

So will a good ghost scare you? I don't see why one would do so intentionally. I have experienced and read up on many hauntings where evil ghosts (usually of the worst kind) will masquerade at first as something good, such as a spirit of a small child. But any good ghost, no matter who it claims to be, will not try to severely frighten the living or give poor advice (such as killing other people). Such ghosts need to be treated the same way you would a rude and manipulative person.

A Bit of a Car Nut

 
I have a confession to make, something that won't surprise people who know me very well: I am a bit of a car nut. Okay, to say a bit is really an understatement. This may be a surprise to some, but my affinity for things automotive has created a good writing niche for me. So you see, my hobby has turned into a source of income.

I regularly hear from readers who remark at how I describe Scott's (the main character in Shadow House) BMW. They tell me the way I describe how his car looks and drives is compelling. I am sure my love of cars (including of BMWs) shines through there.

Perhaps there is a way to marry my automotive passion with the paranormal, such as a story about a murderous, possessed car--wait, that's been done. Well, I will have to see what kind of an automotive-paranormal story I come up with.

I don't want to bore you all with a bunch of automotive shop talk, but I will say I know the difference between a flat six and a straight six. This blog is more about my writing in general, as well as my interest in the paranormal, and not about cars or the automotive industry. I just want to show that I have several different sides as a person. In other words, my interests are both broad and deep.

Paranormal Fridays: Aokigahara, the Haunted Forest of Japan

At the base of Mount Fuji in Japan sits a forest named Aokigahara. It is the second most common place for suicides in the entire world, and many think the souls of those who have died there continue to dwell in the forest. Japanese mythology teaches that demons populate the forest, and it has the looks to back such a claim up.

Aokigahara features large trees and dense foliage that nearly block out any sound, including the wind. You could say the forest is deathly quiet, giving it an ominous and eerie feeling. The trees' gnarled roots snake through volcanic rock left over from when Mount Fuji was an active volcano, adding to the strange ambiance of the forest.

Like in other areas near dormant volcanoes, under Aokigahara are numerous old lava tubes. These tunnels were formed by the lava from Mount Fuji eating its way through the forest's floor. Some of the tunnels are covered in ice, making them very popular tourist magnets.

Countless people have taken their lives in Aokigahara over the centuries. In modern times, Japanese officials claim several dozen suicides are successfully carried out in the forest each year. In fact in 2010 there were 247 attempted suicides in Aokigahara, with only 54 leading to deaths. Most of the suicides happen at the ned of the Japanese fiscal calendar, and are theorized to be caused by people's financial shortcomings. To curb the suicides, the Japanese government has put up signs discouraging people from taking their own life. Some legends also claim that in feudal times people would take the elderly to the forest and abandon them there to die of exposure, rather than waste resources on them.

Aokigahara is not a particularly large forest, measuring only fourteen square miles. The thick vegetation in the area, the numerous caves and the fact that compasses do not work inside the forest combine to make it a foreboding place to visit. An abnormally high level of iron in the forest's soil is what causes compasses to not work properly.

Working With ADHD

Until recently I wondered why I worked so differently than many other people. As some of you who read my blog regularly have seen, I work on several different creative projects at a time. I have many different intense interests. Many times I cannot concentrate while I work unless I listen to music (often fast music).

Like so many other people I had been lead to believe that ADHD meant that a person could not sit still. While researching for an article I was writing, though, I was shocked by the information I uncovered about ADHD. What I am about to type I am sure will stir up some controversy, but I am no stranger to controversy so here it goes.

From what I have been able to ascertain, there are many forms or types of ADHD patients. I believe I am one of them. I can sit still for long periods of time and concentrate on a task, which actually is one of the symptoms of the condition. In fact, I could probably keep working while a bomb blew up the house around me, just as long as I could keep typing. Once I concentrate on a task I almost have tunnel vision until it is completed to my satisfaction. Just the other day I realized I typed about 2,000 words in about an hour.

This is why I have so many different projects going at once, because that is how my brain works. I literally cannot function correctly by spending all day every day on the same thing, which is why being a writer works for me. I am always working on new projects, and can switch tasks several times during the day to keep my mind focused and engaged.

My big frustration comes from when I interact with people who think I just have to work like they do, or follow some gimmicky work system or that ADHD is just a huge myth. I tried the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People method and several others before, and they had a very negative impact on my work life. Nobody can know the frustration of not knowing why you cannot do things like other people. I bought into the whole BS that ADHD was a myth, an over-diagnosed condition until I ran across the symptoms that I immediately recognized in me.

Since realizing that I suffer from the blessing and the curse of ADHD, I have been able to proactively manage the situation. Instead of trying to work as everyone else does, shoving the square peg in the round hole, I now have flexed my work style around the condition. I often have at least 7 or 8 tabs open in my web browser while I am working, and often have two or more browsers open. I also have several documents open at a time. This, of course, sounds like insanity to people who do not have ADHD. Unlike them, this is how I stay focused and actually accomplish more in the day. In fact, since I have changed my work style I have seen my productivity increase tremendously. If you have ADHD, do not buy into the bull that you have to conform to how everyone else functions. Do what works for you and ignore the know-it-all critics who know nothing of how your brain works.

Eating well, keeping a tight schedule and exercising outside all help me manage ADHD. I don't think I have a as bad a case of it as some, and I am definitely not interested in medicating myself. Lest people think those with ADHD are bound to fail in the world, plenty of other people have learned how to manage the condition and be successful, such as David Neeleman (CEO of Jetblue), Michael Phelps and Charles Schwab to name just a few. In some ways, I believe having ADHD gives you abilities others don't have and just don't understand.

 

For those of you who don't know, this is Charles Schwab, a personal hero of mine.

Projects Report: Halfway Through April and a Manuscript

For this week's Tuesday post I thought I would give you all an update on the progress I am making on my various projects. I will start with the biggest piece of information: I am halfway through the manuscript for my paranormal middle grade novel (aimed at kids about 9 to 11 years old). The title of the book is being held back still, but I will say the people I have told it to (as well as a short snippet of what the book is about) comment on how original it is. Trust me, this one is worth the wait. I fully expect to have a finished product in front of readers at least by early fall, just in time for Halloween.

As part of the middle grade book, and at the encouragement of some people close to me, I will be brushing off my artist's sketch book and drawing the cover myself. Bold, I know, but I used to draw quite a bit. Here are some samples of things I drew a long time ago (hopefully I am still this good):

I am still working on my movie script adaptation of Wounded Fox, but I am not entirely sure when that will be done. The middle grade book has most definitely won out in the priority pool, and I am bound and determined to make sure it sees the light of day as soon as possible.

The Devil's Nightmare is currently on hold as it sits in my mind. As I stated before, something just doesn't seem right with the story, and so it sits with a completed rough draft but nothing more. Perhaps I will figure things out in the not too-distant future.

I am also hoping to have at least one more Shades of Night ready to go no later than Halloween time this year. I actually have a whole pipeline of stories set up for the Shades of Night series--I just need the time to write them all. I also have several more ideas for books, both for adults and middle grade, that I will begin work on in the not too horribly distant future.

Literacy Awareness with Cheerios and First Book

I was at the store the other day when I headed down the cereal isle. I immediately noticed that General Mills was selling some Cheerios boxes with books in them. This concept was intriguing since I am used to seeing crummy little toys in cereal boxes (you know, the kind that break after just a few days?) but not something that actually enriches a child's mind. I will just say that my opinion of General Mills was greatly improved just by this simple program.

For those of you not familiar with First Book, you should become acquainted with them. I have worked with First Book on multiple occasions, helping raise money for books to be distributed to kids who live in lower income areas. It is my personal belief that giving a child the ability as well as the passion for reading unlocks a world of possibilities, enabling that child to transform his life for the better.

If you have the chance to support the program and buy some Cheerios boxes with the books in them, I encourage you to do so. Even if you don't like Cheerios or have kids, you can donate the cereal to a food pantry or homeless shelter, and then donate the book to a local school (or even give it to a child you know).

Paranormal Fridays: Curse of the Poltergeist Movies

Curses and the entertainment industry is nothing new. Any serious student of Shakespeare knows the Macbeth is considered a cursed play, with some actors even refusing to say the name of the play out of fear they will have a mysterious accident. It has been documented that actors have been seriously hurt or even killed while preparing for or acting in a production of Macbeth.

Up until recently, I had never heard of the curse phenomena crossing into the movie industry. I read this article on Fear Net about the Poltergeist movies and their supposed curse. It appears that the Poltergeist movies were not only scary to watch, but were also scary for the actors and production crew during filming.

Not convinced? Well, the article details how the scene in the first Poltergeist with the skeletons in the pool might have been where all the trouble started. Apparently those skeletons in the pool were real and not fake plastic reproductions. Using real bones was cheaper, and so to save on production costs they were used. Will Sampson, who played the shaman in the movie, was actually not really acting since he was a real-life shaman. Things on the set got so bad that Sampson actually at one point performed an exorcism on the set. Apparently the exorcism did not stop the strange occurrences. In the clown attack scene the actor who played the son was actually choked by a malfunctioning clown robot, and the production crew had to wrestle him free after her started turning blue.

Death is also a part of the Poltergeist curse, just like the curse of Macbeth. Sampson died after a kidney infection caused complications. Two of the three children died mysterious deaths. Richard Lawson escaped death by a narrow margin several times, including him surviving a plane crash through pure luck.

Perhaps the use of human skeletons in the production of the Poltergeist did lead to a curse hovering over the franchise. Many believe that Macbeth is cursed because the incantation the witches use at the beginning of the play was lifted by Shakespeare directly out of a book of magic, meaning the witches are actually performing black magic. 

So what do you all think? Are some plays and movies cursed?

Writing and Having Fun

I am charging ahead on my top secret middle grade novel, and so far I am absolutely loving the work. Perhaps I am a little burnt out on writing for adults, because I am having a blast writing for a younger audience. It might also be that the story I am writing I think is one of my most original and most creative ever. The story incorporates quite a lot of fantasy, and in many ways it is nice to leap into another world with reckless abandon.

I started with this story by telling my kids installments each night. They love stories, but they absolutely begged me each night to tell them more about what happened. When the story was over they were quite upset, and I knew I had to write down what I told them. Now I am going back and fleshing out the story to the length of a middle grade novel.

Admittedly, partially why this is so much fun is that I am imagining what will be going through my readers' minds when they pick up this book and start turning the pages. I was about the age of the readers this book will be targeted at when I decided I wanted to be a writer. To think that I might be inspiring kids to read more, and maybe even a few to take up the craft of writing, is something that makes me quite happy.

I wish I could tell you all what the book is about, but I really don't want to ruin the surprise. I already am plotting on a creative way to unveil the book prior to its release. Until then, I kind of feel like I am playing Santa Clause, which I have learned as a parent is a wonderfully fun thing to do.

Paranormal Fridays: Vacationing for the End of the World

I thought I had heard of everything, and then I ran into this blog post on ABC News' website about people flocking to a small French town in anticipation of the end of the world (aka Doomsday or Justin Bieber's next live performance).

Someone, somewhere, has decided that not only did the Mayans predict the end of the world this December, but that the aliens who are going to bring about the end of the world are going to show up in this little French town. It sounds like some of these people (whom I suspect wear stylish hats made of tinfoil, live in their mom's basement and collect toys as "investments") claim that the mountain next to the town houses numerous alien spacecraft.

One of the big questions I must ask is if the diner in the town validates for alien-inside-the-mountain-parking? The nut-job conspiracy theorists (I know, what do I really think?) are overrunning the town so much that the French army has been called in to deal with the situation, especially once December rolls around and the amount of visitors is expected to increase dramatically.

On the plus side, there are some people who are smart enough to benefit financially off the end-of-the-world vacationers. Some travel agencies are selling one-way travel packages to the town. Won't that be embarrassing when these people have to buy that return plane ticket and show back up at home without an alien at their side? Also, a nearby town is producing a special wine for the alien invasion (after all, it is France).

So, my question now is where are you vacationing to for the end of the world on December 21st, 2012? Better book your one-way plane tickets today!

Book Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I just finished the children's horror book The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. For those of you who are not familiar with the book, it is about an orphaned toddler boy who is raised in a graveyard by a bunch of ghosts. Below is my official (i.e. posted on Goodreads and Amazon) review of the book.

I will just say upfront that I started this book by almost stopping after the first chapter. The target readership is kids between ten and twelve, and the first chapter starts off with a fairly graphic description of a triple murder and the toddler (later called Bod for "nobody") escaping the aggressor. Gaiman even goes so far as to describe how the man wipes the blood off his knife--kind of heavy for a middle reader book if you ask me.

Fortunately I pushed on and continued reading. The rest of Gaiman's book is rewarding. At first I was skeptical that Gaiman could pull off a compelling story about a boy who is raised by a group of ghosts in a graveyard. I was afraid the story would be too off-the-wall for readers to relate to it, and fortunately I was wrong. Gaiman's ghosts have diverse personalities (as they should) and the boy does grapple with some unique challenges brought about by his unique upbringing. At the same time, though, the whole book does not center of the uniqueness of the boy's upbringing, with many normal challenges of growing up thrown in.

I absolutely loved the level of imagination in Gaiman's world of ghosts and other paranormal creatures. Kids should be fascinated by the level of intrigue with ghoul gates and alternate worlds, the Sleer that lives deep below the graveyard and the mystery that surrounds the boy's guardian, Silas. The mystery of the man who killed the boy's family and what he is all about is compelling as well, and it kept me turning the pages rapidly to pursue the ending and a sense of resolution.

Gaiman does deliver a degree of resolution, but like any good author he does not spoon-feed all the answers and tie up all the loose ends. He does leave things tidier at the end than with a book that is written for adults, but kids probably will finish the book with some unanswered questions. Gaiman definitely leaves the option of a future book open, and as a reader I would be open to reading more about Bod and his future adventures.