Happy Halloween my spooky supporters, or for my pagan
friends, merry times for All Hallows' Eve! I have always loved this time of the
year, when the weather is crisp and fresh, we start to snuggle up in our big
jumpers and winter boots, and our tastes turn toward hot chocolate and toffee
apples. Here in the UK we have never really been encouraged to celebrate
Halloween, although the pubs and nightclubs usually host fabulous fancy dress
parties. One popular pastime of recent years is ghost hunting. For those of you
unfamiliar with this hobby, it is basically a group of people who spend the
night in a reputedly haunted building, and they participate in séances in order to
communicate with any ghosts or spirits that might want to speak with them.
I am a ghost hunter. In fact, I have had the pleasure and
excitement of participating in ghost hunts on All Hallow’s Eve. The traditional
belief here is that the veil between the world of the living and the world of
the dead is at its thinnest on this night. Therefore we can more easily
communicate with our departed loved ones. Now, I know there are sceptics out
there. But I also know what I have experienced so far in my lifetime, and what
I continue to experience in daily life. I know that ghosts and spirits exist. I
have seen them, I have spoken to them, and I have even chased them! If you are
interested to read my Ghost Hunter Diaries, take a look at my personal blog,
SpookyMrsGreen.
My last Halloween ghost hunt was actually at Carnfield Hall
in Alfreton, Derbyshire, UK on 29th October 2011. I attended with my
younger sister and fellow ghost hunter, and in the spirit of the season, all
guests were invited to dress up. We chose our favourite ‘goddess gowns’ and
teamed them with fairy wings and wands for the occasion. At the time we were
enjoying a spiritual connection with our faery kin, and while we still feel it
now, we do find ourselves distracted by other pursuits. The ghost hunt was
great fun, and you can read a full account over on my SpookyMrsGreen blog.
Back to the Haunted Open House giveaway blog hop. I am here
today sharing news of my recently published Victorian vampire romance novel The Darkness of Love. Here are the details:
Lord Gregory Stockton is a powerful and
respected businessman embracing the modern era of the Victorian industrial
revolution. He has a grand and beautiful manor house complete with a repertoire
of servants, and his young wife is charming, attractive, and the perfect lady
to his gentleman. The only thing they lack is an heir to the family estate.
Lord Gregory knows he can never produce a child, for he is a vampire, although
his wife and servants know nothing of his secrets. There are other ways to
provide heirs for his estate, however, and Lord Gregory has noticed the romantic
attraction between his wife and the young stable hand Marcus Scott. He hatches
a plan to bring the would-be lovers together, and then cruelly tear them apart
as he continues to build his empire and secure his power base in the south of
England. The humans are pawns in the vampire’s game of lust, love and control.
You can find
the novel for sale in all the usual places online, and links are on the
dedicated page accessed at the top of this blog. If you would like to win a
free eBook copy of The Darkness of Love, enter my competition. My question is
this: What was your most exciting Halloween experience to date, and why? I will
choose a winner during the first week of November and will contact you via
email. Please leave your contact email address at the bottom of your comment.
