Beth Trissel's Blog, page 22

YA Fantasy Curse of the Moon Up For Book of the Month at LASR!

YA contemporary fantasy/paranormal romance Curse of the Moon (Book 2, The Secret Warrior Series) got a super review from Long and Short Reviews and is up for book of the month! Voting is easy and runs through Dec. 2nd at: http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com/book-reviews/november-book-of-the-month-poll/

Snippet from the review: “The story weaves between modern day and myths and legends, providing an exciting and compelling read.” ~by Orchid for LASR

To read the full review visit: http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com/book-reviews/curse-of-the-moon-by-beth-trissel/

YA Fantasy Romance-Book 2

Curse of the Moon and the other stories in The Secret Warrior Series are available in kindle and print at Amazon and in eBook from all other online booksellers.

Filed under: young adult fantasy, Young Adult Fiction Tagged: Contemporary, Native American, Paranormal, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, shapeshifters, wolves, YA fantasy romance, Young adult

Thankfulness

On this fine Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my precious husband, family, and friends, including the furry ones. I’d add ‘feathered’ friends but the geese don’t actually like me. I should get some ducks. I’m grateful to live on a farm in the beautiful, richly historic, Shenandoah Valley where my ancestors were among the earliest settlers. I’m surrounded by fields, meadows, wooded hills, mountains, and my slumbering gardens which will awake this spring and burst forth. Though I may need to toss more seed around and put in new plantings if the winter is too cold. Such is gardening. Still, I’m always delighted by what does survive–except for the weeds. For all its challenges, I love country life. (Image above taken by daughter Elise behind our farm)

(The farm pond with wooded hills behind taken by me earlier this fall)

Being a prolific author, I must include how grateful I am for a lively imagination, writing skills, an excellent editor, and publishing company. I am grateful for The Wild Rose Press. I recently finished a ghostly time travel romance entitled Somewhere My Lady, for my Somewhere in Time series, that will come out in the new year. As of yesterday, I am at work on a new paranormal/time travel for this series. With writing, and reading, you can travel all over the place and not leave your couch, chair, bed…Inspiration is all around me.

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” ~Meister Eckhart

What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~Erma Bombeck, “No One Diets on Thanksgiving,” 26 November 1981

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Am Writing, country life, thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Shenandoah Valley, Time travel romance, Virginia

Rosemary and Remembering

“There’s rosemary that’s for remembrance. Pray, you love, remember.” ~ Hamlet

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs, mostly just because. I rarely cook with it, but I love its scent and the wealth of history behind it. The scent is said to stimulate memory so I sniff it frequently and carry little sprigs with me. I have a large potted plant growing in my sun space now that I’ve kept going for several years. In summer, it stays outdoors, but our Shenandoah Valley winters are too cold for the plants to survive. I brought it back in this week.

Known as the herb of remembrance from the time of ancient Greece, rosemary appears in that immoral verse by Shakespeare. My fascination with herbs plays a significant role in my ghostly murder mystery romance novel Somewhere My Love, as does Hamlet, for that matter. I always wanted to write a murder mystery with a focus on herbs and parallels to a Shakespearean play, and so I did. I just completed a paranormal time travel romance, Somewhere My Lady, with flavors of Somewhere My Love, but different. The new addition to my Somewhere in Time series will release in the new year.

A Modern Herbal by Maud Grieve, a wonderful source of herbal lore as well as practical information on the medicinal uses and growing requirements for a myriad of plants, is an invaluable guide. I have volumes one and two of Ms. Grieve’s work and can easily lose myself in their pages. She refers to her herbal as modern, and in comparison to the ancient herbalists it is, but A Modern Herbal is charmingly quaint and published in the early 20th century.

Regarding Rosemary, she says,

The Ancients were well acquainted with the shrub, which had a reputation for strengthening the memory. On this account it became the emblem of fidelity for lovers. It holds a special position among herbs from the symbolism attached to it. Not only was it used at weddings, but also at funerals, for decking churches and banqueting halls at festivals, as incense in religious ceremonies, and in magical spells.

At weddings, it was entwined in the wreath worn by the bride, being first dipped into scented water. Anne of Cleves, we are told, wore such a wreath at her wedding. A Rosemary branch, richly gilded and tied with silken ribands of all colours, was also presented to wedding guests, as a symbol of love and loyalty. Together with an orange stuck with cloves it was given as a New Year‘s gift…

In early times, Rosemary was freely cultivated in kitchen gardens and came to represent the dominant influence of the house mistress ‘Where Rosemary flourished, the woman ruled.’

The Treasury of Botany says:

‘There is a vulgar belief in Gloucestershire and other counties, that Rosemary will not grow well unless where the mistress is “master”; and so touchy are some of the lords of creation upon this point, that we have more than once had reason to suspect them of privately injuring a growing rosemary in order to destroy this evidence of their want of authority.’ (Meanie heads.)

Rosemary was one of the cordial herbs used to flavour ale and wine. It was also used in Christmas decoration.

“Down with the rosemary and so,

Down with the baies and mistletoe,

Down with the holly, ivie all

Wherewith ye deck the Christmas Hall.”—HERRICK.

Rosemary Christmas Trees

Although an herb, rosemary is often shaped into lovely miniature Christmas trees. The plant is well suited for this purpose as its essential oils produce a scent similar to pine trees and it has a natural evergreen shape and needle-like leaves.

If you purchase a rosemary plant whether as a Christmas tree or for your indoor herb garden, remember it needs good light and moderate watering. Allow the soil to dry before re-watering to avoid root rot. The most common cause of death for potted rosemary is over watering. In spring transfer your rosemary to a clay pot. The clay will help wick excess water out of the soil. Fertilize monthly to maintain health. To this advice I add that you can also kill them by allowing the plant to dry out, so don’t do that either.

Because rosemary is native to the hot, dry hills of the Mediterranean, growing it indoors can be a problem. You may find you get more dense vigorous growth if it is kept outside during most of the year. Trim the plant periodically to preserve the Christmas tree shape.

And God bless us everyone.

***Rosemary Christmas Trees are available from Jackson & Perkins.

Filed under: Christmas, herbal lore Tagged: Christmas decorating, ghostly romance novel, Herb, herbal lore, Kitchen garden, old fashioned Christmas, Rosemary, rosemary Christmas tree, time travel

Armistice Day–Now Veterans Day–and My Grandfather

In the United States, November 11 was Armistice Day, observed in commemoration of the signing of the armistice ending World War I in 1918. Since 1954, it has been incorporated into the observances of Veterans Day. My grandfather was a WWI veteran who fought in some of the worst battles in France. He was Charles J Churchman (Senior), a Lieutenant and a Captain of the Marines in the “Fighting 6th Marines”. My brother, John Churchman, did some research into him for specifics. Our grandfather’s commendation for the French Croix de Guerre is framed and hangs on the wall, as does the image of him in uniform. He also received the Silver Star Citation and was wounded 3 times. At least once, severely. He fought in the battles of Verdun, Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, Aisne-Marne Offensive, St. Mihiel and the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge.

Apart from his war service, he was an amazingly talented and good man who died far too young. We will never know and can only guess why he collapsed in his early forties, leaving an adored wife and four small children behind. My father was only three at the time of his death. I have often wondered if an overlooked fragment of shrapnel eventually found its way to his heart. Others have different theories. Even though I never knew him, his loss has affected me deeply. Like ripples on a pond, his untimely death circled out to encompass my generation. He is loved and admired even now.

More of him my brother gleaned: “Second Lieutenant Charles J Churchman of Staunton Va former football and basketball star at the University of Virginia was cited for bravery shown while commanding a trench mortar platoon in the operations in the Bois de Belleau on June 6 and 8, 1918, The citation reads, Commanding the Trench Mortar Platoon in the operations in the Bois De Balleau on June 6 and 8, 1918, contributing in a large measure to the success of an attack *** and from the testimony of prisoners their fire had a demoralizing effect upon the enemy machine guns. He placed his guns in position on the night of June 6 upon an emergency order and remained with his guns without relief until June 15. The professional ability, the operation of the mortars within a stone’s throw of positions, the untiring efforts of this officer have been highly commendable at all times.”

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Armistice Day, Charles J Churchman Senior, honoring veterans, remembering those who have gone before us, Staunton VA, The Fighting 6th Marines, Veterans Day, World War 1

The True Story Behind NA Para-Historical Romance Novel The Bearwalker’s Daughter

Historical romance novel, The Bearwalker’s Daughter, is a blend of carefully researched historical fiction interwoven with an intriguing paranormal thread and set among the clannish Scots in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies. The story is similar to others of mine with a western colonial frontier, Native American theme, and features a powerful warrior or two. My passion for the past and some of the accounts I uncovered while exploring my early American Scots-Irish ancestors and the Shawnee Indians is at the heart of my inspiration.

A particularly tragic account is the driving force behind the story, the ill-fated romance of  a young captive woman who fell in love with the son of a chief. As the result of a treaty, she was taken from her warrior husband and forced back to her white family where she gave birth to a girl. Then the young woman’s husband did the unthinkable and left the tribe to go live among the whites, but such was their hatred of Indians that before he reached his beloved her brothers killed him. Inconsolable and weak from the birth, she grieved herself to death.

Heart-wrenching, that tale haunts me to this day. And I wondered, was there some way those young lovers could have been spared such anguish, and what happened to their infant daughter when she grew up? I know she was raised by her white family–not what they told her about her mother and warrior father.

Not only did The Bearwalker’s Daughter spring from that sad account, but it also had a profound influence on my historical romance novel Red Bird’s Song.  Now that I’ve threaded it through two novels, perhaps I can let go…perhaps….

The history my novels draw from is raw and real, a passionate era where only the strong survive. Superstition ran high among both the Scots and Native Americans, and far more, a vision that transcends what is, to reach what can be. We think we’ve gained much in our modern era, and so we have.  But we’ve also lost. In my writing, I try to recapture what should not be forgotten.  Read and judge for yourself. And hearken back.  Remember those who’ve gone before you.

As to bearwalking, this belief/practice predates modern Native Americans to the more ancient people. In essence,  a warrior transforms himself into a bear and goes where he wills in that form, a kind of shapeshifting.

 Blurb: A Handsome Frontiersman, Mysterious Scots-Irish Woman, Shapeshifting Warrior, Dark Secret, Pulsing Romance…The Bearwalker’s Daughter~

Karin McNeal hasn’t grasped who she really is or her fierce birthright. A tragic secret from the past haunts the young Scots-Irish woman who longs to learn more of her mother’s death and the mysterious father no one will name. The elusive voices she hears in the wind hint at the dramatic changes soon to unfold in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies in Autumn, 1784.

Jack McCray, the wounded stranger who staggers through the door on the eve of her twentieth birthday and anniversary of her mother’s death, holds the key to unlock the past. Will Karin let this handsome frontiersman lead her to the truth and into his arms, or seek the shelter of her fiercely possessive kinsmen? Is it only her imagination or does someone, or something, wait beyond the brooding ridges–for her?~

The Bearwalker’s Daughter is available at: Amazon Kindle.

*Cover by my daughter Elise Trissel

*Image of old family musket, powder horn, and shot pouch by my mom Pat Churchman

***The Bearwalker’s Daughter is a revised version of romance novel Daughter of the Wind Publisher’s Weekly BHB Reader’s Choice Best Books of 2009 

“Ms. Trissel’s alluring style of writing invites the reader into a world of fantasy and makes it so believable it is spellbinding.” –Long and Short Reviews

Filed under: Historical/light paranormal romance, Uncategorized Tagged: Bearwalker, Historical Romance, Native American, Paranormal, Scotch-Irish American, shapeshifter, Shawnee, The Colonial American frontier, Warrior, western

Paranormal Accounts from The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

These excerpts are taken from Supernatural Tales,The Virginia and West Virginia Mountain and Valley Folklife Series by late Shenandoah Valley author and historian John Heatwole. Mr. Heatwole interviewed many inhabitants of Brock’s Gap and wrote up a wonderful collection of stories included in his series. He said, “The Brocks Gap section of Rockingham County is rich in folklore of all kinds. It is an area in the northwest part of the county isolated by the North Mountain range.” And not far from where we live, I should add. This post is one I did several years ago and thought deserved reposting.

The following spooky stories are a great source of entertainment while snug inside next to a warm hearth, but not so much fun if you find yourself out on your own in the woods and hollows after dark.~

“Frank Caplinger lived across the road from the old Caplinger Chapel near the Criders Post Office in western Brocks Gap. In the evening Frank would sometimes hear pews scraping on the floor of the church on the other side of the road. Each time he walked over to check on things he would find the building empty with no signs that anyone had been there.

Once Frank was crossing the German River on the old suspension foot bridge; he was going to the post office on the opposite bank. As he entered the bridge he looked up and saw a strange man sitting on top of the cable frame, still and quiet. When Frank neared the other end of the bridge he looked back and the figure had vanished. It was impossible for the man to have scrambled down and run out of sight that quickly.” 

****

“Other folks remember strange lights on the mountains or in the cemeteries.  Harrison May recalled: ‘We’d see lights up in the Caplinger Cemetery every so often. When we got there to check there’d be no lights anywhere. Guess they were just spooks.’”

“When Nelson Whetzel was a young man he had an interesting experience while walking home from work one evening. In Brocks Gap in earlier times the only things to light ones way were the stars or the glow from a lamp in a neighbor’s window. 

As he walked Nelson heard a horse coming up the road behind him.  Nelson stopped for a moment, thinking, ‘Good! I’ll have someone to talk to.’ But the sound of the horse’s hooves stopped when he did. He called out, asking who was there in the pitch-black.

No answer came and Nelson began uneasily walking again, this time a little faster. The sound of the horse picked up pace to match Nelson’s. He stopped a second time and the sound of the horse ceased to be heard. Nelson started trotting and the sound horse’s hooves were heard at a trot behind him, close on his heels. He grew very frightened and began to run as fast as he could.  The galloping horse seemed to be so close, Nelson thought he felt the breath on the back of his neck.

Up ahead Nelson saw the lighted windows of the cabin belonging to George and Mat Smith. He was so terrified that he hit the Smith’s front door at full force. He knocked it down and went right through the structure, knocking down the back door as he exited. The Smiths blinked at each other in wonder and amazement. They saw no phantom horse follow Nelson through their home.

Immediately after his encounter with the doors Nelson noticed the sound of the pursuing horse was gone, however, he ran on home as fast as his feet would carry him.”

*That tale reminds me of the headless horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Scary!

“The Roadcaps lived in a two-story log cabin just down the road from Gospel Hill Mennonite Church. All of the girls of the family shared a room upstairs.  One night one of the sisters, Peggy by name, went to the bedroom alone.  There she saw a woman sitting up on the iron headboard of one of the beds.

The woman didn’t say anything or move toward the frightened child, just sat there and looked at her. Peggy was rooted to the spot in fear but able to find her voice and call to her father to come to her aid.  There was something in her voice that demanded immediate attention and she heard his heavy footfall as he hurried up the stairs. As her father neared the room, the woman vanished into thin air.  Peggy never entered that room alone again.

****

The children of the Roadcap family loved to play on the banks of the little Shoemaker River near their home. Once they came running home and told their father they’d seen a woman all dressed in white walking along the opposite bank of the river from where they played. They’d never seen her before and being shy had not spoken to her but only observed her progress.

Their father listened thoughtfully and then told them they had seen the spirit of a young woman who had died years before of a broken heart. They were told they would probably see her again and that she would do them no harm. They were to behave as they had before and refrain from calling out to the spirit.

They believed their father. There were not that many people living in those parts and the children knew them all. They promised not to disturb the apparition if they encountered her again. During their childhoods they witnessed her strolling along the river on several more occasions.~

That story reminds me of the novel, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, which is also a very intriguing BBC mystery/thriller starring Tara Fitzgerald. I saw the film on Netflix and highly recommend it.

***If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy other related ones.

***John Heatwole’s books are at Amazon, but may only be available as used copies.

Filed under: paramormal, Paranormal activities Tagged: Brock’s Gap, ghost stories, paranormal activity, Shenandoah Valley, Supernatural Tales, The Allegheny Mountains, The headless horseman, The legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Woman in White, Virginia

Ghosts and Old Barns

Behind our farm is a large field that lies fallow in the winter and is planted with corn and hay in the growing season. The edges of it are grown up in weeds and wild flowers. The land slants uphill and meets tree-covered hills at the top of this wide swathe of land. Nearer to the base of the field, just on the other side of our property, is a derelict 19th century barn where stray cats, possums, raccoons, birds, foxes, and sometimes coyotes hangout.  A red-tailed hawk patrols overhead and it’s a good place to see birds. Tall, seemingly random trees enclose the site where the house once stood. It’s a fairly benign place to be in the spring. Not so much on an eerie fall evening.

The farmhouse burned down in the 1970’s and nearly consumed the elderly drunk man who lived there with it, but he was rescued and stayed with my husband’s family for a time. The foundation of the house, an old cellar, and outbuilding remain. Everything’s overgrown and covered in vines. The place has an abandoned look and a decidedly creepy feeling about it. To the point where several autumn’s ago my artist daughter, Elise, and (at that time) 14-year- old niece Elizabeth, and I (at my suggestion) decided to venture across our side of the land to the old barn and take some pictures at dusk. Why not, we thought, feeling adventurous.

We brought a flashlight, our intent being to stay until dark and have Elise take more pics with her camera of–we weren’t sure what–orbs maybe, before venturing home.  Some people believe sites with strong paranormal activity produce orbs that show up in photographs while not necessarily visible to the naked eye. There was just one problem with this plan. We are chicken hearts.

Apparently the old man who lived at that farm until his death  (several decades ago) stored newspapers in the barn. We chanced upon a small fragment of newspaper lying in the grass with the words The Devil printed on it. That rather took us aback. We looked more closely and discovered this snippet came from an ancient review of the horror movie, The Exorcist. But why did only that eerie snippet remain? Is that all it was, a coincidence, or a warning? Who knows, we didn’t hang around to discover. Later, the coyotes came out and we were doubly glad to have headed on home before the chilling howls rose in the darkness. 

Do I think there’s something strange about that place? Yes, but I’m not bold enough to do any ghost hunting. The mystery remains. For now. I might set a story there someday. A paranormal.

***Barn images by Elise Trissel

Filed under: paramormal, Paranormal activities Tagged: 19th century Barn, Coyote, Exorcist, Ghost hunting, paranormal activity, Red-tailed Hawk, ruins, the Devil

Snarkology Halloween Hop (Oct. 26-31st)–Beth Trissel

Welcome to my corner of the Hop. As Curse of the Moon (Book 2, The Secret Warrior Series) takes place over Halloween, I’m giving away the kindle or eBook. For a shot at the super prize: (2) $100 Gift Card (Amazon, B&N, or iBooks), (2) $50 Gift Card (Amazon, B&N, or iBooks visit hop central at:  http://www.thesnarkology.com/snarkology-halloween-hop-oct-26-31st/

YA Shifter Fantasy Romance Curse of the Moon is an urban paranormal set in our Virginia Mountains. From the blurb: ‘The bad news? Morgan Daniel’s wolf is out of control. The good news? There’s a treatment. She just has to get a potion from a lizard shifter witch—without looking into the witch’s eyes. Easy, right?’

The lizard shifting witch in the story is drawn from mountain people lore about an old woman who basks in the moonlight as a large lizard. They call her the Lizard Lady. According to the tale, she’s been spotted not that far from where we live on a farm in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. I first heard about the Lizard Lady from late valley historian and author, John Heatwole, who interviewed valley/mountain people and recorded their accounts in his book, Shenandoah Voices. He also had a radio show, and that’s the first time I heard about The Lizard Lady. She caught my imagination, but it’s taken me about twenty years to bring her to life.

In Curse of the Moon, her name is Lilith Dubois, and she lives in a ramshackle house back in the mountains. Not only is she a lizard shifter in the moonlight, she’s a witch with memorizing eyes. If you gaze into their green depths, she’ll put a spell on you that only she can break—for a price. This sort of enchantress is called a gorgon. Bad things happen if you look into their eyes. The legendary Medusa turned people to stone. Lilith just gets what she wants from them. She has two teenage daughters, Eve and Dilly, who are important in the story/series. The girls have powers of their own.

The house I based Lilith’s rustic home on is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Many locals know this place because they drive past it. In Curse of the Moon, you have to hike back to Lilith’s hollow or drive as near as you can in a pickup or four wheeler—rough road.

YA Fantasy Romance-Book 2

The Mountain people and Native American lore, plus my love of shifters, herbs, colonial America, and wild imagination are all part of the inspiration behind my new fantasy/paranormal series, The Secret Warrior.

***Winner (or winners) for the kindle/eBook of Curse of the Moon will be chosen from among those who leave me kind comments. If I’m feeling particularly generous I may include the other two books in the series. Yes, you do need to read them in order.

Filed under: YA fantasy romance series, young adult fantasy Tagged: fantasy, Halloween, Paranormal, romance, Teen & Young Adult, urban, wolves

The McChesney’s Ghost

One of the scariest ghost stories ever–and it’s true.

Late Shenandoah Valley Historian and Author John Heatwole, much missed and a family friend, recorded a number of strange occurrences recounted by valley and mountain people in his fascinating book, Shenandoah Voices.  He says, “The beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is fertile and healthy ground for the sustenance of folktales…when they (the early settlers) filtered into the Valley from Pennsylvania and Maryland, they brought with them age-old traditions and superstitions. While the German-Swiss were considered to be greatly influenced by folk beliefs and superstitions, the Scot-Irish were not far behind.” Amen to that, but what if not all of these accounts are just stories? Some of them sound chillingly true and the valley and surrounding mountains are a hotspot of paranormal activity. Not every tale is imaginary, as I can attest.

The creepiest story is The McChesney’s Ghost, which I will relate from the book:

“In 1852, when Dr. John McChesney, his wife, family and their servants lived in pastoral tranquility near the village of Newport in southwestern Augusta County (***where my Scots-Irish ancestors settled–the McChesney’s among them.)

Dr. McChesney was esteemed and respected in the upper valley, and his reputation for honesty was beyond question. While deep in the winter months, the McChesneys were having supper one night, when a young slave girl named Maria burst into the house from the direction of the detached kitchen (our Augusta family home place, circa 1816, also had a detached kitchen). She was frightened and said an old woman had chased her in a threatening manner. The woman was described as having “her head tied up” which must have meant that she had her head bound with a scarf or cloth. The description did not fit anyone on the place, and the family passed off the incident as fancy.

In the next few days, however, Maria was seen to be fearful and easily startled. Dr. McChesney and the rest of the family began to take an intense interest in matters concerning the girl when stones started to fall from the roof from out of nowhere. This happened both day and night, and at times the stones were observed to be hot, as they scorched the dry grass when they fell from above.

The story of the strange happenings at the McChesneys’ became common knowledge in the surrounding countryside. It was said that hundreds of people would surround the house in the hope of witnessing a stone fall. It is not clear if they saw anything, for on some days nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Maria continued to be frightened and said that she was being chased by the old woman who remained unseen to others.

Dr. McChesney thought the girl might be tied to everything that was happening, so one day he sent her over to the home of his brother-in-law, Thomas Steele. Mrs. Steele and her children, a young white woman and a black washer woman were out in the yard doing chores that day, and Mr. Steele was away from home. Suddenly loud noises were heard from the house. It sounded like frightened horses were loose in the structure. The young woman ran to the door and called for Mrs. Steele to come look—all of the furniture was piled in a jumble in the center of the room. As if they weren’t startled enough already, stones then began to fall on the roof of the dwelling.

At that moment Maria was spotted coming toward them from over the hills. They ran to meet her and found the girl in terror of being pursued, although no one was to be seen behind her. Mrs. Steele immediately sent Maria back to the McChesneys.

Even after the girl was sent away, stones continued to fall at the Steele home. Some even entered the house and broke glass in the doors of a cupboard. Many plates and other dishes were broken, and some shards saved for many years as relics of the terrible incident.

Back at the McChesneys, strange things continued to occur as the weeks passed into early spring. One of the most singular episodes took place on a cool day as Dr. and Mrs. McChesney. Mrs. Mary Steele, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Steele and their young son, William, were sitting around a fireplace. All of the doors and windows were securely shut, when suddenly a stone seemed to fly from the upper corner of the room, hitting Mrs. Thomas Steele on the head. She was the only person struck. The wound was deep and bled profusely, and a lock of hair was cut cleanly off as if someone had used scissors. Her husband was enraged and took the invisible assailant to task by shouting that its spite should have been directed at him instead of a defenseless woman. He then sat in a chair near the door and was showered with missiles of sod and earth from within the room. His mother, Mary Steele, shouted that he would be killed and urged him to leave the room. He did so and was not followed by ‘the thing.’

It was decided to send the children of both families out of harm’s way, and they went with their grandmother to her home near the hamlet of Midway. Their error was in also sending Maria.

Soon Mary Steele’s home was in turmoil with stones flying about and the furniture in the kitchen being moved by unseen hands. One day a bench in the kitchen bucked like a playful colt. Only the children were present, and they were at first amused. Young John Steele decided to ride the bench, but the effort was more than he bargained for. He fainted and was taken from the room by the rest of the children who had become scared of the out-of-control object.

During the time the children were with their grandmother, her farmhands complained that tools and food they had taken with them to the fields were stolen—but the missing goods turned up later back at the house.

The little slave girl, Maria, complained to Mrs. Steele that she was being beaten. The kind old lady drew the child toward her and wrapped her skirts around her while she struck out at the air with her cane. Marie still cried that she was being hit and stabbed with pins. Young William Steele remembered when he was an old man that the slaps could be heard by all who were present. The child was tormented for many weeks.

Dr. McChesney, at his wit’s end, finally sold Maria south. When the child left, everything returned to normal, and Maria was not tormented in her new home. William Steele related in later years that an old black woman who lived in their neighborhood was rumored to be a witch. He described her by saying that, “She walked with a stick and chewed tobacco,” and whenever he met her on the road, he always yielded to her the right of way. William said that Maria had once spoken to the old woman in an insulting manner and was told that she would be punished for her disrespectful tongue.”

I add, apparently this punishment went on without ceasing and encompassed all those associated with Maria and any who tried to protect her. Now this is an example of a very bad witch. Exorcist, anybody?

***Royalty free images

Filed under: ghost story, ghost story from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Uncategorized Tagged: curse, ghost story, Haunted Virginia, historian/author John Heatwole, McChesney, paranormal activity, Scot-Irish, Scotch-Irish American, Shenandoah Valley, witch

#YA #Fantasy #Shifter #Romance The Hunter’s Moon #Free at The Wild Rose Press 10-21–10-23

Normally 3.99, The Hunter’s Moon (Book #1 The Secret Warrior Series) is free at The Wild Rose Press this weekend.  Book #3 The Panther Moon, is out so it’s a good time to snap up the first in The Secret Warrior Series.

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets…

The Wild Rose Press has the story in various eBook formats: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4150-the-hunter-s-moon.html

Filed under: Uncategorized, young adult fantasy Tagged: #ParaRomance, #YAFantasy, coming of age, FREE ebook, shapeshifter, teen and young adult, wolves