M.M. Hudson's Blog, page 4
November 18, 2024
The Cat's Museum by Viviana Maria Falleti #Review #childrensbooks #cats #animals #museums
MY REVIEW:I am an animal lover and to read a semi-true story about them is so fun. Why do I say "semi?" Well, the story here begins in a museum,which I also love, where a bunch of cats are taken in to eradicate a at problem within a real museum. The cats who live in the museum to this day, still guard the museums property and are taken care of by the curators of the museum. How cool is that! The cat now roam within the museum for all to adore.
This is what is true. What was not true within the book, was a secondary story that tells of the cats enjoying a yearly romp that included the cats dressing up to party and have a dance. This was fun and made the cats seem more "human" with their gratitude of the yearly feast (which is true).
I enjoyed everything about this book including the descriptive personalities of certain cats and the fact they still live within the museum. Oh would it be great to visit and see them!The illustrations were large, bold, and colorful. Most of the pages were in different shades of blue and I feel that might have been intentional to describe the museum's colors.
Side note: As I was so enamored with this idea, I did further investigation of the museum. If you would want to read about the cats too, go HERE.
I give this book 5 cats meows.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book from the author. The review here is 100% my own and opinions and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Viviana Maria Falleti is a woman of faith, an insightful children’s storyteller, a lover of all things cats, and an aficionado of splendidly-illustrated books. She aims to produce only the highest quality books, containing wholesome and engaging stories every child is sure to love. The talented world-famous artists she employs bring her wondrous books to life even more. Viviana created Little Feather Press for the parent who is ‘hungry for wholesome’. Every book ordered from Little Feather Press can be presented to a child with the assurance that the child’s innocence and the beauty of childhood are respected. The stories entertain in the magical world of a child’s mind, without any corrupting influences.In her childhood in Germany, Viviana would never tire of listening to storybooks that her mother lovingly read to her. She draws inspiration from those memories.
Viviana was born in Germany but has lived most of her adult life in America. She has a lovely daughter Ashley and son-in-law Brent, two wonderful nieces Maria and Maria Luisa, and a suave Italian husband Gino. Her current residence is in Southwest Florida.
Contact Links
Website: https://littlefeatherpress.com/
Purchase Link
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SWEXjg
How to Dream: A Motivational Guide to a Life of Hope Success and Freedom by Deedee Cummings #giveaway #spotlight #selfhelp
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/4f1JR7I
Author Website:
https://deedeecummings.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19796127.Deedee_CummingsGIVEAWAY:HOW TO DREAM Book Tour Giveaway
November 13, 2024
The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio #Review #MiddlegradeMysteries #bookseries
SYNOPSIS:
When Hayley gets the lead role in a new TV show called Sadie Solves It, she's so excited...even if there are rumors of hauntings surrounding the Silver Screen Studios. It's LA, she thinks―there are ghost stories everywhere!
But to her surprise, strange things actually start happening as production ramps up. Lights flicker, cold blasts of air come out of nowhere, and one day the electricity is cut to the studio entirely with no clear cause. Can Hayley and her two best friends solve the mystery of the haunted studio...before it means curtains for their show?
MY REVIEW:
I love a good mystery book. This is kind of one of those that has a mystery within a mystery because of the characters that are involved. How cool to have kids that are actors turn sleuths. The story line runs along their "lines" as Haley and her team "solve" the clues in the TV series, real-life clues are revealed.
This book kept me going with each page turn. I wanted to know who done it and just when I think I had it figured out...Twist! I loved the suspense, the fun, all the surprises that went with this book.
Included in this book were some great illustrations. They were all in black in white but they added to what was already a good book.
I give this book 4 starts.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As it turns out, Haley LeBlanc is actually an actress, artist, and social media star. She has performed in two hit TV series. This is her first in a series of books and at the writing of this book was 13 years old!
Haley lives in LA where in her spare time she hangs out with friends, listens to music, read books, watches mystery and horror films and TV shows and adores her dogs. PURCHASE
November 11, 2024
The Power of Three by Teri Polen #YAHorror
Yesterday, a curse. Today, an inheritance.Tomorrow...maynever come.
The Power ofThree
by Teri Polen
Genre: YA Horror
Yesterday, a curse. Today, an inheritance.Tomorrow...maynever come.
Beck Teller's family bounced from onerental to another hisentire life. When his father inherits an ancestral home, he and his siblingsare thrilled to finally settle down, especially somewhere his family has roots.And those roots run deep—right to the on-site family cemetery where tombstonedates prove too many members met untimely fates.
When Beck and his two brothers begin experiencinginexplicable things, they grasp for practical explanations. Then their littlesister gets a warning from beyond the grave, and the time for rationalizing isover. They pledge to protect their family and set out to identify the source ofthe danger and a means to defeat it.
They neverexpected to discover their house is haunted by avengeful spirit who has vowed to destroy every descendant in the Teller line.
Centuries earlier, three Teller brothers battled the evilentity. Since then, her wrath has caused generations of suffering and untimelydeaths. Now, three more Teller brothers will stand against this wicked being.But this time, the curse must be broken. If they win the final fight, they'llbanish the malevolent force forever. But if they lose, their family lineends...and they unleash hell on Earth.
Teri Polen is the author of young adult horror, sciencefiction, and fantasy novels. Sarah, her debut novel, was a horror finalist inthe 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. ReadFREE.ly named Subject A36 oneof the 50 Best Indie Books of 2020. An avid reader, movie watcher, andchocolate lover, Teri lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband and FelineOverlord, Bond.
November 9, 2024
A Room for Murder by Michele Pariza Wacek #giveaway #Cozymysteries #guestpost #bookseries
Already into mid-November and all is well in the cool crisp air, that is in Arizona? Ah well. Today I welcome to my blog the author of "A Room for Murder". She is taking over my room (blog) to discuss her book that we are spotlighting today. Welcome one Michele from another Michelle...take it away!
~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
Setting - Wisconsin - In the 1990s
Publisher : Love-Based Publishing (November 2, 2024)
Number of Pages ~100 pages
Digital ASIN : B0CMN7TXGY
ABOUT THE BOOK: Charlie' very first case! Normally Darla, the ghost that haunts the Redemption Inn, behaves herself. Relatively speaking.
Nancy, the owner of the Redemption Inn, swears that Darla is harmless. At least, mostly harmless. Maybe she plays a few pranks on some unsuspecting guests, but it's all in good fun. Until one of the hotel guests is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, and Darla is the one who's blamed. With the threat of guests cancelling and her business on the line, Nancy turns to Charlie to help find the real culprit so Darla can rest in peace. Meet Charlie. Better known as "Aunt Charlie" from the award-winning Secrets of Redemption series. She's back, making teas and solving cases in this funny, twisty, cozy mystery series set in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin.
Website Purchase Links
Author post
Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at A Room For Murder
A few years ago, one of my author friends reached out to ask me if I’d like to be in an
anthology that was geared around female sleuths.
At the time, I was writing a standalone psychological thriller (The Third Nanny), and I
wasn’t sure where I was going to with my Secrets of Redemption psychological thriller
series (I had just completed Book 5 of what would end up being a 9-book series, but at
the time, I didn’t know I still had four more books to write).
But regardless, neither of those books or projects fit the “female sleuth” theme.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from saying yes. I had six months to figure it out. Surely I
could come up with a female sleuth story that somehow tied into my published books by
then.
And sure enough, about a week later, Charlie Kingsley whispered into my ear, and just
like that, two stories fell into my lap. A Grave Error, which was the first Charlie Kingsley
story and the one that ended up in the anthology, and The Murder Before Christmas,
which ended up being Book 1 of the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries.
When I wrote A Grave Error, I knew that wasn’t Charlie’s first case. The first person who
called Charlie for help was Nancy, who owned The Redemption Inn, as the resident
ghost had been blamed for a murder.
I knew I wanted to write it at some point, I just wasn’t sure when. The series arc that had
been slowly building out would be disrupted, and I was unclear on how it would all fit
together. Could I go back in time even as the series moved forward? How would the
readers react?
But, as these things go, it all fell easily into place when the time was right. Darla made
an appearance in A Cornucopia of Murder, and I knew then that Charlie’s first case had
to be the next book. And I also knew it would be the perfect fit for my Charlie Kingsley
Cozy Novella series, a side series of standalone novellas that cover shorter cases.
And thus, A Room For Murder, is now finally available. Readers will get a peek at how it
all began, from first meeting Wyle to Pat becoming her sidekick.
Giveaway: HERE
November 8, 2024
Hannah's Pony Twist by Susan Count #Giveaway #Middlegrade #bookseries #horses
Hardcover : 190 pagesISBN-10 : 1952371201ISBN-13 : 978-1952371202Digital ASIN : B0DGS287C7Will what the pony needs break Hannah’s heart?Freckles can’t be convinced to trot sometimes, and even though that’s fine with Hannah, shesuspects something must be wrong with the pony. The barn manager thinks it’s time to retirehim, so the vet is called and tests are run.But Hannah enjoys being with Freckles even if they only walk down the trails.She ignores the facts. When all her efforts to help him fail, she tries desperately to write a happyending to her pony story.Will she have to put on her big girl breeches and let Freckles take his own trail, or is she the realproblem?About Susan Count
Susan Count writes for the joy and entertainment of young readers. She is an Amazon best-selling, award-winning author of the Dream Horse Adventures Series, Dream Pony RidersSeries, and Texas Boys Adventures.She prefers to create stories in a quiet zone. Out her window, her mind wanders through theforest and keeps her in a grateful, contented state of being. Susan writes at a fabulous antiquedesk that has secret compartments filled with memories, mysteries, and story ideas. As a memberof the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writersand Alliance for Independent Authors, she takes studying the craft of writing seriously.Susan confesses to being overly fond of brownies, and horseback riding on forest trails. She is alifelong equestrian and is owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse.You are invited to saddle up and ride along. www. susancount.comE-mail a comment: susancountauthor@yahoo.com Hearing from readers is a great delight andencouragesme to keep writing.I’m also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susancounta... Links - Amazon Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 1, 2024
Interview with author, Sherry Ellis #Interview/GuestPost #giveaway #bookseries #middlegrade
Hi everyone, after a whirlwind of an October, I am welcoming a guest poster from Silver Dagger today to my blog.
This is a interview with author, Sherry Ellis, who is speaking about their latest book, The Legend of the Lost Pearls.
Welcome to my blog. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
What inspired you to write this book? Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the Lost Pearls is
the final book of the Bubba and Squirt Adventure series. The first book, Bubba and Squirt’s Big
Dig to China was inspired when I was a kid trying to dig a hole to China from Florida. I wondered
what could happen if I succeeded. The rest of the books in the series were either set in places
I’ve visited or places that interest me. Legend of the Lost Pearls is the latter.
What can we expect from you in the future? Good question. I wrote another picture book
manuscript called Happy Birthday to US! I sent it to an agent and entered it into a writing
contest. We’ll see what happens with that. I am playing with the idea of writing an adult or YA
novel—historical fiction, set during the time of the Civil War. The working title is Return to
Sapelo. I’m still in the research stage.
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters? Bubba and Squirt are roughly based
on my two kids who are now adults. I started writing these Bubba and Squirt stories when they
were about 7 years old.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the
Lost Pearls? Bubba is a precocious fourth-grader, and his sister Squirt is a responsible sixth-
grader. Throughout the Bubba and Squirt series, both characters grow. Squirt gains confidence
and Bubba learns to be more responsible and not so impetuous. Other characters are people
Bubba and Squirt meet on their journey and some creatures from Japanese mythology.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book? I thought it would be
fitting to end the Bubba and Squirt series in Japan, since that’s where the father had been doing
his magic show during the second book, Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure. It was also
another Asian country, and I thought it might be fun to compare and contrast China and Japan.
Where did you come up with the names in the story? Bubba and Squirt were nicknames for
my kids when they were little. I got the names of the Japanese characters by Googling
Japanese names and picked a few that sounded good.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Learning about Japanese mythology.
Most of us know a lot about Greek mythology, because that’s what we learn in school. (I covered
that in my last book, Bubba and Squirt’s Shield of Athena.) But we don’t learn much about
Japanese mythology. In my opinion, it’s just as colorful.
Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick? Bubba is always up for an
adventure. He loves joking around and often gets himself into sticky situations because he has
trouble controlling himself. Squirt is the cautious one, and she feels great responsibility in
looking after her younger brother.
How did you come up with the title of your first novel? When I was an eight-year-old kid
living in Florida, I tried digging a hole to China. Of course it didn’t work. The hole quickly filled
with water. But this was the inspiration for my first novel, which is called Bubba and Squirt’s Big
Dig to China.
Who designed your book covers? Dancing Lemur Press’s in-house illustrator designed all the
Bubba and Squirt book covers.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? At this
point, no. But inevitably as time goes on, I may reread it and say, “Darn, I wish I would’ve have
done this differently.”
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book? Every time I write a book
that requires research, I learn something. The writing of Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the
Lost Pearls was no exception. I learned more about Japanese culture and customs, as well as
some interesting stories about Japanese mythology. And of course, I learned some Japanese
words and how to make a recipe called mugitoro which you can find in the book.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead? Maxim Swinton
might be a good choice to play Bubba. He’s a funny kid.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers? Even though the intended audience for the
Bubba and Squirt books is for middle-grade readers, many adults have told me they enjoyed the
stories and learned a lot by reading them. They also enjoyed trying the recipes included in the
books. I’d like to add that teacher guides can be found on my websites. If you don’t see one for
my recently-released books, come back. I’m still working on them and will have them up soon.
How did you come up with name of this book? The Legend of the Lost Pearls is taken from
Japanese mythology. Two demigod brothers got in a fight related to tide jewels—pearls with the
power to raise and lower the tides. After the pearls were lost, tsunamis and other horrible natural
disasters began to happen. The story I created in Bubba and Squirt’s Legend of the Lost Pearls
is very much based on that story with my own Bubba and Squirt twists.
What is your favorite part of this book and why? I like when the frogs come to life. It’s
completely unexpected and turns the story into an underwater fantasy. I also had fun with some
of the humorous dialog between the frogs and Squirt.
If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what
would you do during that day? Well, I kinda did spend time with characters in my book:
Bubba and Squirt. If I could turn back time and have my kids be Bubba and Squirt’s age again,
I’d probably take them on one of our adventures. We used to pick places we’d never seen and
visit them. Places like gardens, museums, farms, Indian settlements, historical sites, etc. Then
we’d have to stop for ice cream. It’s the best treat after an adventure.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your
imagination? Bubba and Squirt are based off of my children who are now all grown up.
Grandpa Joe is based off of my dad. Great-great grandpa Jacob was a great-grandfather of
Bubba and Squirt’s dad. I’m the mom. The rest of the characters are completely fictitious.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the
story? For The Legend of the Lost Pearls, I felt I had the reins of the story. It wasn’t the case for
the third and fourth books of the series. They were doing whatever, and I was along for the ride.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read. All of the books in the Bubba and
Squirt series are educational. Even adults reading them learn something. I think Japan is a
fascinating country and a pretty cool destination for the last book of the series. This one is the
most action-packed of all. There’s no shortage of monsters and terrifying situations! Of course,
if you’ve read the previous books in the series, you absolutely must read this one to find out
what happens to Bubba and Squirt’s dad and see how it all ends.
Have you written any other books that are not published? Yes. I have two picture books that
are not published: Happy Birthday to US, a patriotic book, and Chickens Sleep on Sunday, a
days-of-the-week book. I’ve written a bunch of other stories, but they are probably not worthy of
publication. LOL!
If your book had a candle, what scent would it be? Cherry blossom. When I think of Japan, I
always think of Japanese cherry blossom trees. So picturesque!
What did you edit out of this book? I don’t think there were any scenes edited out of the
book, but there were plenty of overused words. “That,” was one of them.
Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and
why? I’d say Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Tree House series. I’d love to know how
her books became wildly successful, learn her marketing tips, and find out how she managed to
come up with so many stories without getting tired of it.
Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits about the author, the book or
the writing process of the book. I write all my stories by hand in a notebook before I type
them into a Word document. It’s a long process but doing it this way allows for an additional
editing round. I also enjoy putting a pencil to paper. Another interesting thing about this book, is
that it is the only one of the series that I had not written any part of the story before the first
book, Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China was published. All the rest had been partially written.
October 28, 2024
Magic Unleashed The Grimm Files Book One by Delta James #giveaway #Paranormal Romance, #Urban Fantasy #CountdowntoHalloween2024 #bookseries
Date of Publication: 9/20/24
Number of pages: 131
Book Description:
Mysterious deaths. Impossible magic. And the sexy
dragon who might drive her to murder.
In the shadowy heart of modern-day New Orleans,
where the supernatural simmers just beneath the
surface, Phoenix Duvall is a force to be reckoned
with. As a formidable fairy enforcer, she stands as
the city’s last line of defense against the demonic
threats that prowl the night. She’s trained from childhood and is armed with lightning-fast
reflexes, mastery over fire, and deadly weapons, Phoenix knows she’ll only come into her full
power when she finds and bonds with her fated mate. But Phoenix has never been one to wait for
fate—until it throws her into the path of Griff Broussard, a hard-nosed dragon shifter detective
with secrets of his own.
Griff has been investigating a series of gruesome deaths that defy all logical explanation. As their
paths intertwine, Phoenix is forced to confront the truth: Griff is her fated mate. Together, they
form an uneasy alliance to combat a rising demonic cult. But as their chemistry ignites, so too
does the danger surrounding them.
Griff becomes possessed by the very demon lord they’ve been hunting. Phoenix faces an
impossible choice: uphold her duty as a fairy enforcer, or risk everything—including her life and
the fragile balance between worlds—for the man she’s come to love.
As the battle for New Orleans intensifies, Phoenix must confront her deepest fears and make a
heart-wrenching decision in a final showdown that will determine the fate of both worlds.
Magic Unleashed, the first book in The Grimm Files, is a gripping paranormal romance where
love is a double-edged sword, and the price of power could be everything.
Excerpt:
With no warning whatsoever, Phoenix bolted after it—whatever it was. She might be some
badass faery enforcer, but he wasn’t about to let her go alone. Griff flung a handful of bills at Finn
and bolted out the door behind her.
The muggy night smacked him in the face like a slap as he emerged, keeping one eye on the
retreating figure and the other on Phoenix. Whoever or whatever it was, was fast, but Phoenix was
faster. She seemed to levitate just above the ground—even without her wings—as she closed the
distance.
“Phoenix!” Griff called, but to no avail. Phoenix didn’t break stride, turn around, or even
slow down. The figure ducked into an alley, and Phoenix followed, the darkness swallowing her up.
Griff raced to catch up with her, rounding the corner just in time to see the figure disappear
through a door at the end of the alley. Griff saw Phoenix skid to a halt. He could feel the presence of
magic in the alley. Many parts of the city felt as if magic had been mixed into the mortar that held the
buildings together.
Griff caught up to her, breathing heavily as he glanced at the door. “Looks like we found our
lead.”
Phoenix nodded, her grip tightening on her knives. “And it’s not going to wait for us.”
With one last glance at Griff, she pushed the door open, stepping into the unknown.
Griff Broussard wasn’t a stranger to darkness. It lingered at the edges of his life, always
threatening to swallow him whole. But tonight, as he stood at the threshold of the old door, staring at
the door Phoenix had just disappeared through, that familiar darkness felt different. It was alive,
pulsating with magic and danger, pulling him into its depths like a predator sizing up its prey.
The metallic tang of the night air filled his lungs as he pushed through the door behind
Phoenix, muscles tense and instincts flaring. His senses sharpened. Even in human form, his dragon
nature simmered beneath his skin, the beast pacing impatiently, ready to be unleashed at the first hint
of a threat. He couldn’t help it—not here, not now, not with the echoes of his father’s unsolved
murder still whispering at the edges of his mind.
Phoenix was already a few steps ahead, her movements fluid and silent as she navigated the
narrow hallway beyond the door. Griff’s gaze swept the space, noting every detail—the cracked tiles
on the floor, the flickering overhead light, and the faint trace of something old, something ancient
lingering in the air. Magic. He could smell it, thick and oppressive, curling around him like smoke.
“Phoenix, wait,” he hissed, his voice low but urgent.
She glanced back at him, her eyes sharp and alert, but there was a flicker of impatience in her
expression. Phoenix always charged headfirst into danger, relying on her instincts and speed.
Griff had always been the opposite—calculated, methodical. He needed to understand what
they were walking into before they stepped too deep. But there was no time for planning now. The
person they’d been chasing—their only lead—was somewhere ahead, and they couldn’t afford to
lose it.
Without another word, Phoenix continued forward, her hand brushing the wall as she moved.
Griff followed, the tension between them thickening with each step. He knew she could handle
herself—hell, she was probably better suited for this than he was—but that didn’t stop the protective
instinct that flared in his chest whenever they were in a situation like this. He hated that about
himself. Hated how being around her always made him feel more… vulnerable. More aware of the
fact that she was a storm he could never quite tame. Murder, magic, and a fated mate. Fairy enforcer Phoenix must stop a demon cult—and save the dragon shifter she loves. Can she risk everything?
About the Author:
Delta James is a USA Today bestselling paranormal
and contemporary romantic suspense author, whose
goal is to captivate readers with stories about
complex, curvy heroines and the dominant alpha
males who adore them. For Delta, romance is more
than just a love story; it’s a journey with challenges
and thrills along the way.
After creating a second chapter for herself that was dramatically different than the
first, Delta now resides in Florida where she relaxes on warm summer evenings
with her loveable pack of basset hounds as they watch the birds, squirrels and
lizards. When not crafting fast-paced tales, she enjoys horseback riding, walks on
the beach, and white-water rafting.
Her readers mean the world to her, and Delta tries to interact personally to as many
messages as she can.
Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon GC
October 24, 2024
A Woggle of Witches by Adrienne Adams #Halloween #CountdowntoHallowen2024 #picturebooks
My Review
This not-too-spooky book is about a group of witches who live in the forest and sleep on hammocks in the trees. They take off one night after eating dinner and have a ton of fun.
The story is cute and follows along for a quick read. The story is not that impressive but this is a Halloween picture book and can be overlooked.
The illustrations, although dark in nature, are adorable and create great movement that actually tells the story better than the words. Each turn of the page made me grin to see what the witches were going to do next.
4 stars.
Disclosure: I picked up a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
October 22, 2024
Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow: Haunts of the Headless Horseman Haunted America by Sam Baltrusis #giveaway #countdowntohalloween2024
Book Description:
Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown are
steeped in history and ghost lore. Famous for Washington Irving’s “The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow,” the storied Westchester region also has a dark history of witches,
spies, and pirates.
Rumors of Headless Horseman sightings surge during spooky season while visitors
flock to the Valley’s haunted hot spots like the Old Dutch Church and the famed
writer’s Sunnyside home.
Join author and journalist Sam Baltrusis on a bone-chilling journey through the
streets of Sleepy Hollow as he breathes new life into the legendary village’s long-
departed souls.
Amazon
Excerpt:
Sleepy Hollow, New York is brimming with ghostly legends that have somehow taken on
a life of their own.
Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, the fabled region —which includes the
adjoining Tarrytown— has become the go-to place during spooky season thanks to the
popularity of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Late-night lantern tours in search of a decapitated soldier's galloping ghost? Yes, please.
If one spends enough time walking through the labyrinthine paths of the village's historic
cemeteries, however, there's something sinister oozing beneath Sleepy Hollow's rustic, story-
book facade.
It's as if the entire hamlet is under some sort of enchantment. Or, as Irving penned in
1820, it oddly feels like the locals are somehow bewitched and "are subject to trances and
visions."
The revered writer referred to the area as the "spell-bound region," and rightfully so.
According to several first-hand accounts, creepy music and disembodied voices emerge out of
thin air
Based on Irving's mythical take on his later-in-life hometown, it should be no surprise
that the Headless Horseman isn't the Valley’s only fearsome phantom seeking postmortem
revenge.
The entire region seems to be teeming with paranormal activity. Several publications
sensationally claim that both Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown together make the "most haunted
places in the world."
But, is it?
After digging beneath the surface, it's difficult to pinpoint what's actually paranormal
activity versus a made-up ghost story that has been collectively conjured over a 200-year period.
Alex Matsuo, a Maryland-based author and paranormal investigator who has written
about the area’s alleged paranormal activity in her Spooky Stuff blog, believes that the line
between fact and fiction is somehow blurred in Sleepy Hollow.
“After Washington Irving's infamous tale plunged the area into fame, I would
hypothesize that perhaps some of the paranormal activity could be attributed to thought-forms,”
Matsuo told me. “There's also the case of self-fulfilling prophecies that people can accomplish
without realizing it.”
Matsuo cited the replica of the bridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery as a potential hotspot
for ghostly encounters that are freakishly fueled by the expectations of thrill-seeking visitors.
“Just by knowing the tale and the true story behind it, they would already get a case of
the creeps,” she explained. “Then, with tensions rising, they hear a branch break or footsteps, and
they get really spooked. They go home and tell their friends and family about the creepy
experience, unknowing that there was an animal nearby causing the ruckus.”
Also, there are what paranormal researchers call thought-forms or an outward
manifestation of the heightened emotions of those who visit Sleepy Hollow during spooky
season. Matsuo believes that based on this concept, extreme fear can somehow take a physical
form within the spirit world.
“When you have a massive amount of people invested in a story, even a fictional story based on
real people, that energy has to go somewhere,” she said. “In the case of Sleepy Hollow, it may
have manifested into paranormal occurrences. I would guess that most of that energy is more
organized, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of that energy was displaced, which could explain
some of the random paranormal events that have happened over the years.”
SLEEPY HOLLOW’S HEADLESS HORSEMAN
By Sam Baltrusis
For more than two centuries after Washington Irving unleashed “The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow,” the Headless Horseman is still very much alive in pop culture.
Elizabeth Bradley, a historian and author of Knickerbocker: The Myth Behind
New York, rattled off a few of the various adaptations of the great American ghost
story on the October 26, 2022 edition of WNYC News.
“It has such legs and you can see that in all of the different interpretations,“
Bradley said during the radio interview. “There truly is a version of ‘Sleepy
Hollow’ for every generation.” It’s an impressive list that includes Disney’s
animated classic from 1949 and Tim Burton’s supernatural horror flick starring
Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
Of course, no one can eclipse the original which was initially published with a
collection of essays and stories for The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent in
1820.
“Irving's version of the Headless Horseman is set in the Hudson Valley region,
and it pits an outsider, a Yankee, named Ichabod Crane against a very insular
Dutch community,” Bradley said. “Throughout the course of the story, Ichabod
pursues a local Dutch heiress in an effort to integrate himself into this community
and is ultimately run out of town by the apparition of the Headless Horseman.”
Bradley told WNYC that she believes the famed short-story writer created the
headless Hessian in an attempt to populate a young nation with its own ghosts and
mythologies. “You have to remember that Irving was born the year after the
American Revolution ended,” she said. “The war was in the rear-view mirror of the
people of Sleepy Hollow and a very new United States. It was an opportunity to
create a whole regional culture. He really seized the moment and had a lot of fun
with it."
How did “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” become associated with All Hallows’
Eve? Bradley explained that the holiday wasn’t even on Irving’s radar when he
fleshed out America’s first monster. “He doesn't mention Halloween once in the
story,” she said. “[The Headless Horseman] is often associated with having a
pumpkin for a head,” she said, adding that the character’s jack-o’-lantern prop was
added in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and, over the years,
the haunting imagery then seared itself into pop culture. “Most people only knew
the Disney version and that’s where the Halloween association really started to
come into play,” Bradley added.
J.W. Ocker, author of The New York Grimpendium and creator of the OTIS: Odd
Things I’ve Seen blog, is on board with the idea that the Headless Horseman has
somehow become the unofficial ambassador of spooky season. “The Headless
Horseman is the spirit of fall,” Ocker told me during a sit-down interview at the
Sleepy Hollow Hotel. “Every monster wants to be associated with autumn, but
there’s something about him running through a forest with the leaves changing
colors that makes him the patron monster of Halloween. The bigger Halloween
gets, the bigger he gets. Everytime you feed Halloween, you feed him.”
Ocker agreed with Bradley that the animated version from the Disney movie has
ingrained itself into the American psyche. “Our generation grew up with the
Disney cartoon,” he said. “You can’t think of the Headless Horseman without
thinking of the purple-cloaked, cackling creature from the animated version. The
imagery has almost become a part of the monster’s brand.”
The United States of Cryptids author said he always thought the Headless
Horseman had a jack-o’-lantern in one hand and a battle sword in another, but was
shocked to learn that Irving didn’t include the macabre accessories in the short
story. He was also convinced that the Headless Horseman eventually caught up
with Ichabod Crane on a covered bridge. Not true.
“People who visit Sleepy Hollow always want to see the covered bridge, but it
doesn’t exist,” Ocker said. “If I could change one thing to the original story, I
would make it a covered bridge. It just seems fitting.”
Despite being tweaked a bit in the modern adaptations of Irving’s story, Ocker
said the Headless Horseman is still his all-time favorite galloping ghoul. “Irving
gave us the first real American monster,” he told me. “I’m not a very patriotic guy,
but as an American there’s something that speaks to me about the horseman. It’s
our monster. Frankenstein is from Germany and Dracula is from Transylvania.
Thanks to Irving, we have our own.”.
The secret to the short story’s success? Ocker believes the ambiguity of Irving’s
fearless phantom somehow amplifies its mystique. “All we know is he was a
Hessian soldier who lost his head during the American Revolution,” he told me.
“There’s not much of a backstory to him. He’s this vague creature that pops up in
the graveyard and runs around on his horse. He’s not jumping out of your closet.
He has no face, He’s in essence an invisible man and there’s something unnerving
about him as a monster.”
In Brian Haughton’s Lore of the Ghost, he mentioned that Irving was living in
Birmingham, England when he wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and
surmised that the celebrated American author “probably picked up on some of the
elements he used in the story” overseas. “The headless ghost motif was known in
German folklore at least as early as 1505 when it was recorded in a sermon written
by Geiler von Kaysersberg, who mentions headless spirits being part of the Wild
Hunt,” he noted.
While Haughton wrote that Irving was strongly influenced by the stories told by
Dutch immigrants during his childhood in New York, he suggested that it’s also
likely that the writer was inspired by the recurring headless ghost motifs from
northern European folklore. “The tradition of the headless ghost is found
worldwide in many diverse cultures, and exhibits broadly the same characteristics
connected with death and death warnings,” Haughton reported. “Popular tradition
attributes such hauntings to the wandering spirits of those who died by beheading,
either by execution or accident.”
Haughton is in agreement that Irving’s story continues to leave a profound mark
on popular culture. “Irving’s dark story of the headless Hessian soldier who rides
forth every night through the dark lanes of Sleepy Hollow, and the dénouement of
the tale involving a supernatural wild chase through the woods, has had a
significant effect on the nature of American hauntings,” Haughton wrote in Lore of
the Ghost. “The influence of Irving’s tale on popular culture is evident.”
Alex Matsuo, author of Women of the Paranormal, told me that there may be an
underlying reason why “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” continues to strike a chord
with American readers. “We don't think about it often, but there are countless
legends that were created to dehumanize a group,” Matsuo explained. “Instead of
perceiving the Hessian as a real person, granted a terrifying figure during the time
of the Revolutionary War, he turned it into this story that is meant to remind
people that the Hessians were not meant to be trusted, even after the war was
over.”
Even though Matsuo sees a deeper meaning to what could be viewed as a
cautionary tale, she said the Headless Horseman keeps luring her back to the
Hudson Valley area, “Between the story of the Hessian soldier who lost his head
around Halloween in 1776, and Ichabod Crane encountering him while trying to
avoid him at all cost, there is a lesson to be learned there,” Matsuo said. “But I
think the way that Disney commercialized ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ plus
the Tim Burton film, there is a romanticization of the spell-bound region that has
cemented it into Halloween traditions.
SALEM VS. SLEEPY HOLLOW
By Sam Baltrusis
It’s a tale of two extremely different, yet oddly similar, Halloween destinations:
Salem vs. Sleepy Hollow. Will the witches overthrow the Headless Horseman —or
will heads roll— in the ultimate Samhain showdown?
According to J.W. Ocker, author of The New England Grimpendium & The New
York Grimpendium, both locations have their “woes” and cons during spooky
season.
“I love this topic because depending on how you twist the narrative, you can say
these two towns are nothing alike or you can say they are so similar that it’s scary,”
Ocker told me during an in-person interview at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel.
“The number one similarity is that they are both extremely popular Halloween
destinations,” he said. “You get those click-bait articles every year. Both Salem
and Sleepy Hollow are always at the top of every list.”
Because they are known for their October attractions, both locations rely heavily
on tourism to feed their local economy. “While Salem is changing and becoming
more of a suburb of Boston, the bottom line is if they lose their tourism, they will
lose their existence.”
The author of A Season with the Witch added that both cities successfully brand
themselves. “No other town can be Salem even though there are tons of other
locations that had witch trials especially in the Northeast. But no one can say
they’re the Witch City,” Ocker said, “only Salem, Massachusetts can do that.”
In comparison, Sleepy Hollow is known for the Headless Horseman. “There are
other towns in the country that call themselves Sleepy Hollow, but this area is the
only place that can theme themselves around Irving because he actually lived here
and was inspired by the region when he wrote the story. It’s basically Washington
Irving land.”
According to Ocker, both Salem and Sleepy Hollow are successful at embracing
their respective themes. “There’s something about these two Halloween
destinations that’s authentically spooky,” he said. “They’re also great fall
destinations. The Hudson Valley and New England are top-tier places known for
their foliage.“
Other similarities include their proximity to major metropolitan areas. “Salem is
close to Boston and Sleepy Hollow is a short drive from New York City,” he said.
“They have this small-town, big-city atmosphere to them. They also have traffic.
Who would live in Salem or Sleepy Hollow unless they’re spooky, right?”
Another similarity shared by the Witch City and the Hudson Valley seems to be
their eerily picturesque cemeteries. “There’s the Old Burying Point on Charter
Street that almost serves as the hub of Salem in many ways,” he told me. “It’s even
more true in Sleepy Hollow. The cemetery is extremely important. The Old Dutch
Church is on the hill and Washington Irving is buried in the cemetery. The location
fits right into Irving’s story and you can almost map out Ichabod Crane’s journey.”
Speaking of the famous chase from Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,”
Ocker uses the tale as a metaphor to describe the differences between the two
tourism-driven destinations. “In my mind, Salem is Ichabod Crane and Sleepy
Hollow is the Headless Horseman,” he explained. “Salem is so far ahead in regards
to marketing themselves, but I feel like the Headless Horseman is slowly creeping
up from behind. In most people’s minds, Sleepy Hollow is a less evolved version
of Salem, but one day it will catch up.”
Ocker pointed out that Salem had a huge head start. “The very first Haunted
Happenings was in 1982,” he explained. “North Tarrytown didn’t even become
Sleepy Hollow until 1996, so they’re almost fifteen years behind Salem.”
There’s also the obvious geographical hurdles holding back the village. “Sleepy
Hollow isn’t set up to be a Salem because it simply isn’t walkable,” he told me. ”In
Sleepy Hollow, you definitely need a car. In the past, they tried turning the area
near the chase statue into a plaza, but the problem is that the street is the same
Broadway that’s in Manhattan. It’s a busy road and it’s potentially dangerous to
put outside seating or a cafe near the statue. The infrastructure isn’t there yet.”
For Ocker, Sleepy Hollow’s greatest weakness is also what makes it so special.
The OTIS: Odd Things I’ve Seen blogger said he prefers celebrating spooky season
with his all-time favorite monster, the Headless Horseman. Why? After spending
an October in Salem while writing his book, A Season with the Witch, the New
Hampshire-based writer prefers the smaller crowds and the old-school charm of the
Hudson Valley.
“In Salem, there’s the witch-trials tragedy of 1692,” he said. “The inciting
incident in Sleepy Hollow is just American letters. It’s art. So there’s no
underlying guilt, which is nice. But without that guilt you don’t have the friction,
the narrative, and the interesting public relations angles. The appeal of Salem is a
tragedy and in Sleepy Hollow it’s just a story.”
The lack of an underlying cautionary tale, Ocker told me, also complicates things
when it comes to creating paranormal-themed tourism. “Now that Sleepy Hollow
is a spooky town, they’re trying their best to pull as much haunted content as they
can to make it more interesting,” he said. “It’s really hard to find great ghost stories
in Sleepy Hollow, but it was like that in Salem too.”
Thanks to all of the lantern tours in the Witch City, one can’t walk down Essex
Street without hitting an allegedly haunted location. In Sleepy Hollow, however,
the haunts are definitely spread out.
“There’s a passage in ‘Legend’ where he talks about this Hudson Valley being so
haunted,” Ocker said. “There are tons of stories and the Headless Horseman is just
one example out of all of those tales. In the story, he sets the area up as an
interesting place with a lot of legend and lore.”
Ocker’s recommendations for tourists visiting Sleepy Hollow? “Follow the chase
route,” he said. “Start at the John André monument and walk to the cemetery. Of
course, it’s not a very pleasant walk because there are cars whizzing by you. But in
October, there’s a lot more to do in Sleepy Hollow. It’s not every day like it is in
Salem, but they have something going on every weekend.”
Another telltale sign that Salem is currently in the lead as a Halloween
destination? Ocker pointed out that the Witch City’s annual Haunted Happenings
parade happens at the beginning of October while Sleepy Hollow holds its
celebration during the last weekend of the month. “It’s very telling who is better at
promoting the holiday,” he said.
Ocker insisted, however, that New Yorkers are slowly learning to capitalize on
the power of the Headless Horseman. “In Sleepy Hollow, you’re starting to see
recycling bins that are branded. Their fire engines and police cars now have
themed logos,” he said. “Even the fire plugs are black and orange. If you look
around Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman is everywhere.”
About the Author:
Sam Baltrusis, author of Ghosts of Salem: Haunts of the Witch City and featured in
The Curse of Lizzie Borden shock doc, has penned eighteen paranormal-themed
books including Haunted Boston Harbor and Ghosts of the American Revolution.
He has been featured on several national TV shows including the Travel Channel's
A Haunting, Most Terrifying Places, Haunted Towns, and Fright Club (1 & 2). He
also made a cameo in the documentary The House in Between 2 and on several
additional television programs including The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd,
History’s Most Haunted, Paranormal Nightshift, and Forbidden History. Baltrusis
is a sought-after lecturer who speaks at libraries and paranormal-related events
across the country. Visit SamBaltrusis.com for more information.
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