It's always a treat to feel like one has discovered something new all by one's self. I rely on the OOTB for many "heads-up" on new books coming out, but recently, I found the cutest paranormal romance story. Great summer reading for anyone who likes their vampires stories alight with romance and humor.
I speak of The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein by Minda Webber. The title alone grabbed my eye. Although, to be honest, MY book doesn't have the cute little bat guy on it. That would have caught my eye too.
The short of the story is that Claire Frankenstein (YES, Those Frankensteins!) has an obession with obtaining a prestigious Scientist of the Decade Award. To do that, she must prove her theory - that Vampires and Werewolves DO exist. That is when the fun begins! One of her competitors for the prize is none other than Dr. Jekyll! Guess what HE is working on...*grin* AND you get to find out what truly became of the original Frankenstein's monster. Up for the challenge? Read the story and let me know what you think!!!
I was visiting a really nice blog last night that belonged to Annalee Blysse. She had a really cool story regarding the paranormal and it got me to thinking......oooh, bad I know LOL.
I ask YOU, the reader:
Have you ever, even for 2 minutes, somewhere, some time in your life, experienced a paranormal moment????????
It might be Deja Vu, ghost-like phenomenon, or knowing what someone was going to say before they said it, BUT it had to freak you out! I mean, paranormal shouldn't make you feel complacent, it should put goose bumps on your arms, raise the hairs on the back of your neck, shake you out of your comfort zone.....that type of experience.
I will share my story, but PLEASE bear with me. At this point I wish I was a bonified author so I could write the words to turn your bones to frozen jello as mine were when it happened.
Specifics are hard to remember from when I was 9 yrs old. My memory has narrowed the focus down to "the moment when IT happened", but I'll try.
There used to be an old neighborhood school that, due to children being bussed to larger schools in the city, was shut down, boarded and abandoned to the elements and teenaged vandals. It became a place where the older kids challenged the younger by daring them to enter through the broken ground level windows in the basement of the building. The glass had all been knocked out years before. It was always blackest black down there with an eerie, shiveringly cold breeze that seemed to "puff" out at you when you walked by the sill.
Eventually, as I knew it must, it was my day to be "challenged". I had walked by the black holes of the basement numerous times on my way to the swing sets. The windows were easy to ignore. You just didn't look as you went by and on a hot summer's day, the chilled air actually felt good. On that day however, the air seemed to change; still cold but nowhere near the word "refreshing". As I walked toward the rectangle of black, those "puffs" I'd mentioned seemed to pause. It could be said that the building had held its' breath; for what, I couldn't fathom.
With a group of 4 other kids around me, urging me on, I slowly walked towards the chosen window. To say I was feeling nervous was an understatement. I was so petrified, I should have been a fossil. Soon, much too soon, I was standing at the window, looking down into the complete blackness that was inside. The kids behind me were getting antsy, seemed my progress was too slow for them... like that was a surprise? Geez!
Gulping for breath, I squatted down and leaned into the sill. Yup, the cold air was there but seemed a tad colder. Sure was black. Does black have depth? It felt like it. I leaned forward, further, scanning but seeing nothing . At that point, I couldn't see the window frame around me, as I was leaning too far in. Shifting my eyes back up towards the ceiling it happened. Air, super chilled air puffed out at me and there, suspended in mid- air, surrounded by dark nothingness was one single, bloodshot emerald green eye. It was looking directly at me.
A 9 yr old girls' screech is a high pitched and grating affront on ears and it scared the crap out of the kids behind me, including the "older challengers". I pushed myself away forcefully from the window and was incapable of nothing but gibberish and gasping breaths. Of course, after the initial fright, the kids rushed to the window expecting to see something ultra-cool.
Nothing. Nothing was there for them to see. The kids all turned to look at me. What did I see? "A green eye?" I said. Their reaction; " Oh, yeah, riiight, sure you did." What a disappointment it was for them. And I have to say, maybe for me too. Why? Because after all these years, I sometimes wonder, what did I REALLY see? What could something like that have been? If someone, even one kid, had seen it for a split second, a nano-second even, what decisions or paths would I have made and/or chosen different in my life because of that event?
A year later, the wrecking crews came. Within one day, with old alumni and neighborhood families watching high upon the hill, a school that had been standing for more that 50 years was gone in a grey cloud of dust and rubble.
Such is progress and the story of my possible encounter with the paranormal.
Please reader, what do you think??? Did I qualify for a paranormal moment?????
18 comments:
Oh I'd say that qulaifies as a paranormal moment :) You know, Michele, this recollection has the makings of a good story.
OOhhh, Thank You!!
Honestly....I was wondering about that. Thanks!!!! *cheshire grin*
Excellent story...if you write it, you'll have to tell us readers what the green eye was.
What I am really wondering is the history of the school, if it had any strange deaths or other such things, any other stories of paranormal happenings...that's always easier to hang a story on.
Robin
My Dad, who went there, doesn't remember anything along those lines. The only thing or event that he remembers was that the neighborhood Halloween parties were always held there. I remember vaguely going to the last one ever held. Hmmmmm., I wonder.....
I got chills while reading your story! I agree with Robin. When you write it, you must solve the mystery of the green eye. You asked if we've ever had paranormal moments. I've had a few, all of which when we lived in Wilmington, NC. I'll share one.
We were living in an older apartment building at the time, and I was a new mother dealing with a 2-month-old colicky baby. Not exactly an ideal situation. Especially since at the time, I was suffering from post-partum depression. I didn't realize this until years later. Anyway, my daughter was screaming non-stop, and I was at the end of my rope. In order to take a break, I laid her down her in her crib and left the room. She continued screaming, and in our small apartment, it was impossible to get away from the noise. I'd read somewhere that sometimes white noise soothes babies, so I dragged my boom box into her room, turned it on, and set it to receive static between stations.
That helped a little, she quieted down a hair. But moments later, she got louder again. I went in to look in on her, and realized there was no noise coming from the boom box. When I checked, the volume was all the way down. I could've sworn I'd turned the volume up, but chalked it up to me losing my sanity. I turned the volume back up and left the room.
She quieted, then got loud again. I went back into the room, and realized that, once again, there was no sound coming from the radio. I checked the volume. It was still where I had left it. Upon further investigation, I discovered the power had been switched off on the boom box--the power switch had literally been moved to the "off" position. Since my daughter and I were the only ones in the apartment, I didn't even want to consider how the boom box had been shut off. I left it off, grabbed my daughter from the crib, and we sat on the living room sofa, her screaming and me shivering, until my husband came home from work.
Wow, Lynn!
What a thing to have happen, especially with a new little one in the house! Criminy, how long did you stay there after THAT happened? What did your husband say?? Good thing your daughter was too young for something like that to make a lasting impact on her. Yup, that sure does qualify for a "Paranormal Moment".
Thanks for sharing.
That was written with a lot of suspense! I got chills reading the story too. That qualifies.
And that cover, the little bat, it's one of my favorite covers this last year! I haven't read the book yet though.
(Hmmm.... looks like its going to say I deleted a comment. I was just trying to add the bit about the cover in the same post. I'm still learning about Blogger still.)
Thanks for your encouraging comments, Annalee! Glad you stopped by. Don't feel too pressured about an "oops" with Blogger...that's half the fun. I've done a few too...still do. You have the book with the little bat guy??? Lucky you! I hope you do get a chance to read the book. I'm kind of wondering what you would consider the funniest line...there's quite a few to chose from!
Again,Thanks for visiting!
Hi M!
Cousin here! I remember that school! In fact, I remember going to a Halloween party there, or to be actual, I remember you standing on the top step with your costume on. You never told me that story before! But I could be exercising that love of old age, the brain fart.
YUP it qualifies!
I have a few stories, all very long. So I will relate them in another medium.
LOVED the Renn Pics!!
We will definetly have to go to one together soon!!
Those pics down below are a riot! I loved the playing card the most!!
Hope to be back more often now that I am online at home!!
Hey J!
I'm tickled you stopped by!
You went to one of the partys?? Gads, you might have had a "brain fart" but I must have "brain Diarrhea"!!!! I don't remember that at all.
I already know one paranormal story of yours with the hotel ghost and all...you mean there is more?? Wow.
I'm glad to hear you'll visit.
Ah, the pressure is on to stay interesting...*grin*
Hugs!
M
I didn't buy the bat cover book, but it's on my wishlist. June was banner month in releases from series I'd been reading already. I'm still reading June purchases. I'm bad when it comes to buying too many books.
Michele - We didn't stay in that apartment long, only about 6 months before my husband was transferred to Charlotte. But like I said, that was only one of the things. I didn't mention the strange shadows that floated near the tops of the walls, or the "ghostly" figures that would race from my front door, through my kitchen, and into the hallway. I also didn't mention the club next door my husband was manager of, and the night the assistant manager and I heard female laughter after closing time when nobody else was in the club.
Oh, Lynn, that is so Cool!!!! What a smorgasboard of paranormal happenings...! You get an A+!!LOL
Hi again, Annalee,
*sigh* yup, reading is my addiction. I just finished"Do You Believe" that was recommended here and Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Great reads! I'll probably blog about them soon. I also have to read the next book in the "Brotherhood of the Sword" saga. Plus I heard another book has just come out that I have to get, I think its one by MaryJanice Davidson....so yeah, I understand about buying too many books, plus, with all your answers to me about ebooks, I'm thinking of adding that too...I am SO Baaad....*grin*!
Michele,
That was way creepy. Lynn so was your story. Right now I can't think of anything off the top of my head, personally. But I do remember something that happened to my late father.
Years ago, my mother bought a book on witchcraft. No, she never dabbled in witchcraft, but I think she was doing some research for a class she was taking in college (she went back to school)
Anyway, back then, every year she used to go with her girlfriends to the Bahamas for a week, so I would stay at my Aunt's house around the corner because my dad owned a successful bar restaurant and he would work late.
One night I was at my aunt's (I think my mom was due back from Jamaica the next day), my dad comes banging on my aunt's door at two o'clock in the morning to pick me up.
I wasn't supposed to go home. I was spending the night there, and was set to catch the school bus with my aunt's daughter, but my dad insisted I come home.
As soon as we walk through the door he asks me to sleep in his room. I'm serious. My dad NEVER asked me to sleep in his room before. When I asked why, he wouldn't say. But I could tell something was really really wrong.
Annnnyway, I told him no. I was already pissed that he not only woke me up out of a sound sleep, but dragged me back home, so I went in my room and slammed the door. I was about eight or nine years old I think.
Weeks go by and my mom is back from the bahamas. I overhear her talking to my aunt about her trip, then my aunt brings up the thing with my dad coming to get me. My mom tells her my dad came home from work, tired and collasped into bed. He sleeps very soundly. But he was jarred awake. THE BED WAS SHAKING! It wasn't a dream because he got up and stood at the foot, staring at it while it shook and LEAPT off the floor for a good minute or so before he grabbed his keys and ran out of there.
Come to find out, my mom had left the witchcraft book under the bed. Needless to say, she threw it away as soon as daddy told her about what happened.
I will **never** forget this.
Tanya
That was incredible, Tanya!
Thanks for sharing. Your poor Dad. Back then, guys didn't open up about things like that easily. How hard it must have been for him to drag you back, then feel unable to share with you at that moment what had shaken him up so thoroughly. He just needed you and got you. Incredible about how inanimate objects can project spooky happenings. Whoa! That's the premise of that book I mentioned.."Do You Believe?"..Good Gravy....I wonder if that book was based on a real event? Just think, your Dad's situation was surmised to have occurred because of a book..on witchcraft no less. Many believe witches to be practitioners of evil...(disclaimer, I know that is an erroneous blanket statement) and that said objects can project that evilness and affect the environment outside of itself. Your story illustrates that.
That is so thought provoking!!
Yes indeed, you qualify by proxy for a paranormal moment... A+ Too!
Yes, Hun. That's a paranormal event. I've had more than a few of those experiences myself. I won't go into all that here, but if you're interest, I'll email some of my experiences to you.
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