Michelle M. Pillow's Blog, page 44
March 4, 2015
Share the Michelle Love
I’m always trying to come up with fun, easy things for reader interactions.
Did you know you can help spread the love on my website? I even try to come up with creative tweets for you to use. You can find them on the book pages on my website under the “share the love” tab. The tweets are simple ways you can share your favorite books.
Here’s a list of all my books: http://michellepillow.com/title/
Let me know if you have requests or ideas for features you’d like to see. But, for now, I’m back to the MacGregors.
The post Share the Michelle Love appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
March 3, 2015
Who wants to be Captured by a Dragon-Shifter? Rebellious Prince releases today!
Learn More: http://michellepillow.com/title/rebellious-prince/
Amazon: Kindle US
B&N: Ebook
KOBO: Ebook
Apple iBooks: Ebook
Createspace: Print
Foreign: IN UK DE FR ES IT NL JP BR CA MX AU
What Readers are already saying!
5 Stars! “This book was written by one of the most unique and creative minds of this century!!! I’m recommending that you get this book and series for your own personal enjoyment… Happy Reading to all of you who are smart enough to get this book and series for your own!!!” Lena deLeon, Amazon.com
5 Stars! “I loved this book and I love Rafe–oh the sweet charming and clueless Rafe.” Dawn Dohey, Amazon.com
5 Stars! “I love this series. It is another amazing addition to the Dragon Lord’s world.” Melissa, Amazon.com
5 Stars! “Ms Pillow has a wonderful imagination, creating a whole world, races and a unique view point of those people. What makes sense to us, just doesn’t come automatically to others. Her sense of humor keeps us in smiles, tension from enemies, jealousy and family loyalty are honest emotions that glue this fun read together and make us come back for the next one.” Cheri, Amazon.com
5 Stars! “I was not disappointed at all this book was a page turner from beginning to end, I could not put it down.” Deja, Amazon.com
The post Who wants to be Captured by a Dragon-Shifter? Rebellious Prince releases today! appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
March 2, 2015
Countdown to Rebellious Prince
DONT MISS OUT! Still time to preorder and be one of the first to get it!
Captured by a Dragon-Shifter: Rebellious Prince
A Dragon Lords Romance
Catshifter Prince Rafe knows that technically he’s supposed to be going to Earth to find a bride, but he doesn’t see the need to rush things. While his dragon-shifter neighbors appear all too eager to claim their mates and settle down, he’s all for putting that final moment off and enjoying his little trips through the portal. Yeah, yeah, eventually he’ll have to marry and set a good example for his people because on his planet females are rare and they need to have children and blah blah blah. But honestly, catshifters are known to embrace their feral side and it would take a very impressive female to tame his.
Then he sees Jenna Kearney and all bets are off.
This Book features a Var (Cat-Shifter)
Kindle US
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMXXFUG/ref=as_li_tl…
Other Amazon Search ASIN: B00RNDCND4
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940151747059
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/Search/Query…
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/…/b…/rebellious-prince/id950134054…
MORE LINKS/INFO: http://michellepillow.com/title/rebellious-prince/
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February 27, 2015
February 26, 2015
Persephone Jones, Author Interview
Persephone Jones, Interview
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Persephone Jones is the pen name for a writer living in the piney woods of east Texas with her computer geek husband, two dogs and one cat. She is a multi-published author of paranormal erotic romance. She loves horror movies, Tex-Mex and 80’s music. Her paranormal release Kilting Me Softly is now in ebook from Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
Q: In your book, Kilting Me Softly, you delve into the world of werewolves. What inspired you to write about this?
Jones: I’ve always loved werewolves. That sounds kind of strange doesn’t it? To love a bloodthirsty ravenous wolf-man creature that howls at the full moon. But there it is. I’m wearing my werewolf love on my sleeve for the world to see. I wanted to write a werewolf romance but not the typical werewolf romance. I decided to set my story in Scotland. Then, I decided my heroine would have a dark backstory and after that, the story kind of developed before my eyes like one of those Polaroid photographs. OR In your book, Kilting Me Softly, your heroine is a woman determined to get revenge for her sister’s murder. What inspired you to create such a character? I think my first instinct when developing the story was that I wanted a different sort of heroine. I didn’t want to write a passive, girly heroine. Morgan Keevy, the heroine of Kilting Me Softly is smart, determined and strong. That’s my kind of heroine.
Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
Jones: Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I had done quite a bit of research on werewolves in the past. But I discovered there was a werewolf myth associated with Scotland. Loch Langavat, Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, there’s an island that supposedly was once home to a colony of werewolves. I thought that’s where I will set my story.
Q: What myths or legends inspired you?
Jones: I grew up on Greek myth. All the epic battles, monsters and tragic romance really fueled my imagination. Then I was exposed to a diverse sampling of short stories my mother read in college. After that, I discovered Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was lucky enough that when I was a kid that the horror film genre was enjoying a resurgence. Movies like The Exorcist, The Changeling, Ghost Story were coming out. Those things helped season my palate for horror and all things supernatural.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Jones: I think as a species, we are fascinated by anything that is different from us. We want to know what it’s like to be these supernatural creatures and have these life-changing supernatural/paranormal experiences. Plus, I think we crave a greater understanding of ourselves. Think about it. Ghosts, vampires, zombies and even werewolves all retain some element of humanness. Not to be confused with humanity. I think when we see ourselves in others, we learn things about ourselves.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Jones: I was/am a huge fan of Unsolved Mysteries hosted by Robert Stack. I adore horror movies, the most recent being The Conjuring. Old favorites include The Changeling. I think it remains the best ghost story on film ever. No gore. No blood. No sex. Just an old-fashioned haunted house ghost story. I also loved The Others for the same reasons. I grew up reading Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Emily Dickinson who while not a horror writer exactly, frequently wrote about death. More currently, Anne Rice, Richard Laymon, Joe R Lansdale and of course Stephen King. We need more female horror writers!
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural?
Jones: While I have never experienced anything blatantly supernatural, I keep an open mind. I do believe in a force more powerful than that of man.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Jones: I have one interesting story to tell on that subject. A dear friend of mine and my mother had passed away without contacting us. We visited briefly with his surviving friends and went home. As my mother and I were seated at the dining room table, we kept the lights low as our eyes were tender and sensitive from crying. While sipping hot chocolate, we consoled each other, speaking intensely about our dearly departed friend. Suddenly, the light above the stove in the kitchen, mere feet from where we were sitting, came on, went off and came back on again. Not a flicker. Not a quick sort of on and off like you might experience if hadn’t turned the light on all the way but a very distinct, on, off, on transition with a slight pause between. Needless to say, it got our attention. Both my mother and I believe it is possible that our friend may have been trying to announce his presence that night or that our collective energy caused an electrical disturbance. Both my mother and father shared a very interesting paranormal experience when they were teenagers.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Jones: I would love to meet any and all paranormal creatures provided I didn’t have to die to see or meet them. I have a special place in my heart for werewolves. Just as long as they don’t put me on the menu! And of course, I would keep a stake handy around a vampire.
Q: If given the chance, would you become a supernatural creature?
Jones: I would in a heartbeat. I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider. I relate well to people. I am generally well-liked. But I think I’ve always had a feeling of kinship when it comes to monsters. Not that I would ever want to harm anyone. At least, not nice innocent well-read folk.
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a supernatural being?
Jones: I would try to communicate and reason with it. If that was not possible, I would do my best to defend myself and get away. Last resort, kill it.
Q: What does the future hold for your books?
Jones: Kilting Me Softly is the first book in the Sexy Scots trilogy. At this time, I’m not sure if the characters from Kilting Me Softly will reappear in the second or third but they are all linked. My next book features a couple who survive a zombie apocalypse.
Q: Have you ever been to a psychic and/or a past life regression? What did they predict for you?
Jones: I’ve had tarot card readings before. I am a big fan of tarot and have purchased many decks. I do occasional readings for my mother, husband and myself. And when I do one, they are usually fairly accurate.
Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Jones: No. At least not that I know of. If they did abduct me and for some reason, I can’t remember, I hope they don’t take offence to my amnesia.
Thanks for joining us!
You can learn more about Persephone and her books at her website,www.persephonejones.me.
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February 19, 2015
Nancy du Tertre, Author Interview
Nancy du Tertre, Author Spotlight
Psychic Intuition
Michelle M. Pillow, www.MichellePillow.com
New Science/New Age writer Nancy du Tertre’s latest book Psychic Intuition: Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask But Were Afraid to Know released August 22, 2012 and is currently being sold in ebook and print.
What inspired you to write your book, Psychic Intuition?
du Tertre: I was not “psychic” growing up. I had no real interest in psychic phenomena or the paranormal. I was a business woman who became an attorney specialized in securities litigation. I had a full blown mediumship experience at the age of about 35 but even that was no enough to peak my interest in the field. It wasn’t until I offered to help my mentor, Dr. Ron DeAngelo, write his book about a new type of psychology called Intuitive Gestalt Psychotherapy, and he declined to write the book, that I decided I would write a book about the psychology of intuition. I thought it would be a book about psychology but I quickly discovered that psychologists have chosen, in general, to ignore this human capacity or call it other names. I studied neuroscience, but found neuroscientists were even less interested in the field. So I began to interview people I would never have otherwise known – world famous psychics, mediums, medical intuitive, plant emotion specialists, CIA remote viewers, NASA consultants, and so on. I then decided I would have to train in order to learn what it felt like “from the inside” to be psychic – and was apprenticed to a famous psychic detective for nearly a decade and learned I actually seem to have a knack for doing this stuff!
How does an attorney go about becoming a psychic medium, and was the legal background helpful or a hindrance?
du Tertre: The legal background is both a hindrance and a help. It is a hindrance because it keeps you rooted in a left brained type of thinking which is exclusively focused on sequential, logical, rational thinking using only acceptable forms of “evidence” in order to produce a conclusion or an argument in favor of a theory. This type of thinking, as I have learned and explain in my book, actually blocks psychic ability and causes certain pieces of “reality” to become completely invisible or disappear. On the positive side, I don’t know any other psychic lawyers. It has helped me write a book that explains – for the first time ever – how psychic ability actually functions in the brain. This has permitted me to describe psychic functioning (things like clairvoyance, ESP, telepathy, ghosts) in terms that are not at all “woo-woo” or so over the top that they immediately get dismissed by skeptics.
Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
du Tertre: People are fascinated with the paranormal because it addresses the piece of reality against which most people have brushed up, touched, felt, known or experienced but couldn’t fully explain or understand. It speaks to our greatest fears – death, consciousness beyond awareness, and interconnectedness of matter, dimensions and time. That is why the subtitle of my book is “Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask But Were Afraid to Know.”
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
du Tertre: Yes, of course, that is what formed the basis, after continuous testing and feedback, for my own theories and positions on the importance of “the paranormal” within our existence. Over decades of testing, I have been able to accurately “guess” or “intuit” a person’s thoughts, medical condition, state of mind, future, and connect with the spirits of the dead. I am not always correct in my information or interpretations – but the truth is that no one is. But I learned over time that I was accurate enough, based on little to no information, that I could no longer chalk it up to coincidence, lucky guessing or probability. I have seen the spirits of the dead with my own eyes, I have smelled ghosts, interacted with ghosts, accurately delivered truly bizarre information from the spirit world to the living, I have seen heavy tables fly up in the air and land as if on clouds, I have predicted future events, and I have been able to work with law enforcement and victims’ families on missing persons and homicide cases and contribute valuable information.
How does one train in psychic intuition and to what extent does it work?
du Tertre: I believe that “training” in the art of psychic intuition is primarily a matter of training oneself to “unlearn” certain processes of the mind that we have acquired over a lifetime. I explain this in great detail in my book and I include training exercises with every chapter. In a nutshell, you have to learn how to think without the benefit of words and how to remember things that seem like nonsense or jibberish. Once you start doing this, you must then learn to distinguish psychic data from mind chatter. Then you must learn how to properly develop and interpret your own individual sensory code of meanings. This sounds easy but it takes a tremendous amount of discipline and practice to get it right. But I am living proof that psychic ability can be trained.
How does a person know they have psychic ability? Are there certain kinds of experiences that are indicative of this?
du Tertre: There are many different types of psychic abilities – telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, prophecy, healing, reading auras, experiencing ghosts, medical intuition, mediumship and so on. Then there are many different ways in which a person experiences and gathers their psychic information – through the various psychic senses such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and so on,.
Can anyone become a trained psychic or is it a gift with which you must be born?
du Tertre: Most people are of the opinion that psychic ability cannot be trained. Obviously, I disagree. I am living proof. No one in my family is psychic. We never discussed it and it did not exist for anyone in my family. I come from a very academic family full of lawyers and doctors. However, I believe that everyone is probably born with innate psychic abilities. Most of these abilities are lost somewhere between the ages of 3-6 years old – which happens to coincide with the window of time when it is believed we can best learn a second language and lose our natural inborn perfect musical pitch.
Are women more psychic or intuitive than men, and if so, why?
du Tertre: Since I explain in my book that psychic ability can be explained, first and foremost, by understanding our senses – that we have as many as 40 and probably will learn that we have hundreds in the near future; that we can’t really define medically what constitutes a sense; that perception occurs at the hybrid intersection of thinking and sensing; and that our mind and thoughts can dramatically alter what we think we are “sensing” – I also explain that women, as a group, are more intuitive than men because, as a group, every single one of the five senses is heightened more than men. With a broader spectrum of sensory information, women have access to data that is simply invisible to men. This invisible data is chalked up to something mysterious like “intuition” or “psychic ability.”
What are the implications of your book?
du Tertre: Huge, I hope! I’ve never seen anyone else attempt to explain how psychic ability works. Most people try to teach you how to become psychic in twelve easy steps or talk about their amazing lives as psychics by talking exclusively about anecdotal stories. But my book explains why and how it works.
Can you tell us how you’ve made a career out of psychic intuition?
du Tertre: I am an author, of course. I also give readings to private clients, work with law enforcement as a psychic detective, teach workshops in the New York City area, lecture to university psychology students and paranormal groups, and host a CBS radio show called “Hot Leads Cold Cases” on Friday nights, 8-9PM ET. I am affiliated with several paranormal groups including New Jersey Ghost Investigations, and founded the New York and New Jersey Skeptical Psychic Societies. I am a frequent media guest on internet, radio and television.
Do you have any paranormal pet projects?
du Tertre: My website contains lots of information – about my radio show, my media events and appearances, a psychic blog, a bulletin board for psychic predictions (and verifications), ghost photography, collaborative work on Reverse Speech, collaborative work with a retired New Jersey detective, my workshop schedule, and other events.
To read more about Nancy du Tertre and her work, visit her online at www.TheSkepticalPsychic.com
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February 12, 2015
Nick Redfern, Author Interview
The World’s Weirdest Places / The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern
Michelle M. Pillow, www.MichellePillow.com
Author, journalist, and paranormal expert Nick Redfern’s work focuses on a variety of subjects, such as UFOs, Bigfoot, Roswell, Area 51, Cryptozoology, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Werewolves, Sea Serpents and Penthouse magazine features…well, that last one is true but maybe not so paranormal.
In your book, The World’s Weirdest Places, you list your top 25 paranormal-themed locales from all over the world. What inspired you to write about this?
Nick: Over the years, I’ve come to learn that there are certain places on the planet that seem to attract far more paranormal activity than others. Such as where you might have a small, old English village where people have seen UFOs, werewolves, ghostly manifestations and much more, all in the same place. Sometimes it’s not just the phenomena that are weird; it’s the location too. So, that’s the theme of the book: it looks at 25 places around the world that seem to be saturated in paranormal phenomena. The book addresses the theories as to why this might be the case. Such as worm-holes, portals and what have become termed window-areas. These are places on the planet that might act as gateways to other dimensions, which may explain why certain places seem to be hotspots.
Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Nick: I do accept that the world of the supernatural is real, yes. However, I try not to get tied up with belief systems. For example, I fully conclude that something very strange happened at Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. I am firmly of the opinion that people see Bigfoot and lake monsters. And I do accept that alien abductions are real. But, as you’ll note from my words, I haven’t used that term “believe.” There is a reason for that: For example, I know Bigfoot exists. But I don’t know what it is, because we don’t have the hard, physical evidence. Therefore, to say “I believe Bigfoot is a giant ape,” would be reckless of me, until we have proof that is a giant ape, or is something supernatural-based instead. So, I know the supernatural is real, but I don’t get caught up in belief systems of wanting it to be this or that, without hard evidence.
Which location is your number one must see?
Nick: I would say Loch Ness, Scotland. Everyone has heard of the Loch Ness Monster. But, there’s so much other weirdness there too. The famous and legendary occultist, Aleister Crowley, had a home on the shores of the Loch – called Boleskine House – and tried to conjure up demons from within the loch. There have been UFO encounters sightings at Loch Ness and even a Man in Black case from the early 1970s. There have been reports of encounters with large black cats – “panther”-like animals – in the woods around the loch, and a tale of a ghostly airman from the Second World War having been seen near the water’s edge. So, Loch Ness is definitely my number one!
Have you been at all of the locations listed in the book?
Nick: No. Of the 25 places, I’ve been to about 15 or 16. However, of the remaining 9 or 10, I ensured that I only used places where friends and colleagues had visited and investigated. I always feel it’s important to do firsthand research, as simply rewriting something off the Internet is lazy and pointless. So, I always use my own data and photos, or those of colleagues who have carefully studied the relevant people and places firsthand too.
Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Nick: I think the idea that there might be much more to the world than what we see around us captures imaginations. The idea that there could be hairy, giant creatures roaming the woods, long-necked monsters in our lakes, and UFOs soaring overhead, excites and intrigues people, for one very good reason: everyone likes a mystery of one sort of another! But, I don’t think people imagine things because they want to believe. The paranormal is absolutely genuine, and I think people who have had paranormal experiences want to know what happened to them, so they become fascinated by the phenomena and the search for answers.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Nick: I have had a lot of what are termed synchronicities. These are basically what you could call “meaningful coincidences.” That’s to say, meeting someone at the right place at the right time. Or a book falling on the floor and the pages opening at the very ones you’re looking for. Or, finding information on a subject in the most obscure way, but when it’s information you’re actually searching for at that very moment. I never ignore synchronicities, as I believe there is some guiding force behind them. We should follow where they take us.
What is your book The Real Men in Black about?
Nick: The Real Men in Black is a full-length study of the phenomena of the MIB who threaten into silence those people who have seen UFOs, had alien encounters, and even people who research and investigate the phenomenon. The book begins with the late 1940s – when the modern era of the MIB began, although there are some earlier reports – and goes right up to the present day. The MIB are still out there!
What prompted you to write the book?
Nick: Many people assume that the MIB are simply Hollywood creations, the characters “J” and “K” played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the movies. The films are good fun, but many people don’t realize they got their inspiration from real-life reports of people being silenced by dark-suited MIB, after undergoing a significant UFO encounter. So, I decided to write the book to demonstrate that the MIB phenomenon is very real, not just a Hollywood creation.
The Men in Black first appeared in the early 1950s, to a UFO investigator named Albert Bender. Can you tell us about his encounters with the MIB?
Nick: Albert Bender was the man whose experiences really brought the MIB to the attention of people in the 1950s. He lived in Connecticut and established a research group called the International Flying Saucer Bureau. Not long after it was created, Bender began to get threats from three shadowy MIB. It disturbed Bender to an extreme amount and he quickly shut the group down and left the UFO subject. He briefly resurfaced in the early 1960s to write a book on his experiences – Flying Saucers and the Three Men – then vanished again. The MIB clearly scared Bender right out of the subject.
Some people have suggested the MIB are government agents. Does evidence exist to support this theory?
Nick: Well, I do believe that a few MIB encounters can be traced back to government agencies, particularly so from the 1950s, when the typical governmental “uniform” was a dark suit and tie, and a Fedora-style hat. But, many of the MIB reports seem to fall into paranormal categories, rather than something to do with the Pentagon or the CIA.
Another scenario suggests the Men in Black are aliens themselves. What do you think about that?
Nick: Whether we term them aliens, paranormal entities, or supernatural creatures, my own opinion – based on years of research – is that the MIB are not, for the most part, government agents. That is the imagery portrayed in the movies. The real MIB are very creepy, ghoulish even. They are very pale-faced, skinny, emotionless, not very tall, and seem to give off this atmosphere of dread and a sense of deep hatred of us. Some researchers suggest they might be responsible for some of our vampire legends, as they often surface at night, and have a corpse-like appearance.
Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Nick: LOL, no!! But, seriously, I would like to have an alien encounter, in the hope that it might provide some answers as to what “they” are and what they want.
What is your personal opinion on who the Men in Black are?
Nick: My own theory is that they are something supernatural. I think they may be the inhabitants of a co-existing realm – a dimension beyond ours, in other words. I also think that they seem to be like a sophisticated “computer program” which is used to silence witnesses to UFO activity. The MIB may not actually be living beings, as we understand the term. In that sense, they may not be unlike the MIB in the Matrix movies.
What does the future hold for your work?
Nick: I’ll just keep on doing what I do! I’m not qualified to do anything else! As long as I feel I can offer something new and refreshing – in terms of data, news and theories – to people interested in the supernatural, I’ll keep doing it. Plus, you have to have a passion and enthusiasm for it, which I do. So, as long as I want to do it, I’ll keep writing, whether it’s alien conspiracies or monsters in the woods.
You can learn more about Nick and his newest book Monster Files (May 2013) by visiting http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com
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February 11, 2015
Valentines Day Ebook Sale
Valentines Day Ebook Sale
Several authors have gotten together again to give you a huge holiday sale. Scroll down for detail on how you can get free and 99 cent ebooks!
Super Hot Deals and Steals!
February 9-13!!
*Some titles sale dates vary. Some are Amazon US only. Be sure to check the vendor pricing before you buy. Vendor price is final. Some titles are part of Kindle Unlimited!
Michelle M. Pillow
Everlastingly
Price: FREE
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Amazon DE
Michelle M. Pillow
The Mighty Hunter
Price: $0.99 USD
Amazon US
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Amazon CA
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So many deals to be had! Be sure you scroll through them all!
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February 5, 2015
Melissa Martin Ellis, Author Interview
Melissa Martin Ellis, Author Spotlight
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Paranormal Nonfiction Author Melissa Martin Ellis has authored six nonfiction books including 101 Ways to Find a Ghost and The Everything Ghost Hunting Book. As a professional artist/photographer, designer, and author, she is a self-proclaimed “Jill of All Trades and a master of some” and has an interest in all things paranormal and supernatural. She currently live in New England with her husband, bestselling author Mark Ellis.
Her book The Everything Ghost Hunting Book, Second Edition: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Exploring the Supernatural World, published July 18, 2014, has been number one in the Amazon Parapsychology category many times. It is available in ebook and print at most major bookstores.
Q: In your book, The Everything Ghost Hunting Book: Tips, tools & techniques for exploring the supernatural world, you bring ghost hunting concepts to the mainstream public. What inspired you to do this?
Melissa: I’ve been a paranormal investigator/enthusiast for many years, so when the television show Ghost Hunters became a huge hit, I saw the excitement it generated and pitched the idea of writing a book about ghost hunting to my agent, Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch Literary Agency. She loved the idea and sold it to Adams Media, the publishers of the Everything book series.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Melissa: I believe what I can see, feel, hear and smell. And I’ve seen, heard, and smelled some things that I have absolutely no explanation for. I’d say I approach paranormal investigating with an open mind and a healthy skepticism.
Q: What is the most interesting location you’ve investigated?
Melissa: I live in Newport, a very old New England seaside town with many buildings that are centuries old. I loved to investigate in the old mansions, like Belcourt Castle. Even if nothing paranormal was going on, it was fantastic to be surrounded by so many ancient and atmospheric things.
Q: Where do you want to investigate that you haven’t had a chance to yet?
Melissa: I’m Irish American and have many friends in the Irish ghost hunting community. I’d love to investigate in some of the old, purportedly haunted Irish castles. Shanes Castle in County Antrim looks to be a fantastic spot. It’s where Game of Thrones is filmed.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Melissa: All cultures throughout the history of mankind have speculated about an afterlife and the survival of consciousness after death. I believe there is something hard wired into our brains that pushes us to investigate the unknown.
Q: What is your best advice for beginning paranormal enthusiasts?
Melissa: Educate yourself. That does not mean binge-watching Ghost Hunters or any other paranormal TV show. They are primarily entertainment and what you need is a grounding in the fundamentals of investigative techniques and the history of paranormal and psychic research. Read as much as you can on these topics—may I humbly recommend Everything Ghost Hunting? Books by British author Colin Wilson are also very thorough and insightful. Mysteries, The Occult, and Poltergeist are particularly recommended. D. Scott Rogo’s The Welcoming Silence: A Study of Psychical Phenomena and Survival of Death and The Haunted House Handbook and Loyd Auerbach’s ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists are all excellent
Q: What investigative tools are invaluable to a ghost hunter?
Melissa: An open mind is a prerequisite, as is a calm approach. I would not recommend investing in a lot of ghost hunting gear until you’re sure you’ll stick with it…many beginners get by with a digital camera, a voice recorder and a K-2 meter. Save the high ticket items for later.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Melissa: I have had quite a few. I’ve experienced poltergeists, shadow people, elementals, apports and precognitive dreams, as well as a spooky phenomena known as sleep paralysis. I’m pretty level headed, so I didn’t freak out about any of this stuff, but I don’t know what I’d do if I saw a full body apparition.
When I was a child of twelve, I kept seeing a figure walk by out of the corner of my eye. Always in the same place, it walked down the hall and since I didn’t glance up the first few times it happened it took me a while to realize the figure wasn’t a real person. Eventually it became apparent it was something quite odd…probably a poltergeist since it set fires.
Q: Do you have any paranormal pet projects?
Melissa: I’d really love to write a book about the proper way to do paranormal photography—a quick reference guide for people who are interested in gathering evidence that can’t be dismissed later, because the image was captured properly and stored in a way that could avoid any accusations of tampering.
Q: What kind of paranormal creature do you wish you could meet
Melissa: This is going to sound clichéd, because I’m Irish but I’d like to meet one of the Fae folk of legend, sometimes called the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Q: If given the chance, would you become a ghost?
Melissa: Naw, as tempting as it might be to jump out and scare people, I think being trapped must be an awful thing. Why else would most legendary ghosts seem so miserable?
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a ghost for the first time?
Melissa: I’d be incredibly stunned yet very excited—after all, isn’t this the purpose of ghost hunting? I recently spoke with an investigator who is very skeptical but who saw a full body apparition (FBA). He said it was an experience he was having difficulty processing—and I get that.
Q: What does the future hold for your writing?
Melissa: I plan to keep writing about the paranormal in one way or another for years to come. It is all so exciting to me and I know that although we may never actually get clear, irrefutable proof, it is a goal worth pursuing.
My new area of fascination is the phenomena called the Old Hag Syndrome, also called Sleep Paralysis. In this syndrome, a person awakens and can’t move. They sense a presence nearby—often an evil one. The presence climbs onto the bed, then onto their chest and tries to suffocate them. Nocturnal demons fill the world’s folklore. From Brazilian rainforests to the fjords of Norway, from the 2400 B.C.E. until modern times, terrified victims of sleep paralysis and night terrors have described these horrific encounters. Detailed accounts of them worldwide have all been surprisingly similar…so obviously some consistent underlying factor is at work, and whether or not it is biological or supernatural is what I am trying to discern. I have experienced a variant of Sleep Paralysis twice myself, it was totally terrifying.
Thank you for joining us, Melissa!
You can learn more about Melissa Martin Ellis at www.Mellissart.com
The post Melissa Martin Ellis, Author Interview appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
January 29, 2015
Mhairi Simpson , Author Interview
Mhairi Simpson , Author Spotlight
Michelle M. Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Mhairi Simpson is a fantasy writer (mostly blood and inner demons) and inveterate traveler (mostly Europe and South America). An only child who grew up in boarding schools and with a background in modern languages and paper pushing, Mhairi has spent most of her life with words on a page, leading her to realize her best shot at faking sanity is to be a full time author/editor.
Mhairi’s newest paranormal fantasy, The Scent of Freedom (October 2012) is currently in e-book, available at most online retailers.
Q: In your book, The Scent of Freedom your heroine is a demon hunter who can see smells. What inspired you to create such a character?
Mhairi: Sir Terry Pratchett created a character in Guards, Guards, I believe it was – a werewolf. When in wolf form, she could see smells, but I remember one line, which said at some point, the communication between wolf and human broke down, and she couldn’t fully explain part of the experience. And I thought, what would it be like for a human, or something that looked (mostly) human to have that ability? How would they put it into words? And The Hunter was born.
Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
Mhairi: Not in this case, unless you count where the smell part came from. She doesn’t shape-shift, she can’t fly and she doesn’t suck blood. She does have to eat a lot more than humans (much faster metabolism), and she has long blades growing out of her spine, between her shoulders, which she can use in a fight (an idea I borrowed from Galaxy Quest’s interpretation of Sarris). She comes from a culture I invented, drawing I suppose, on some (possibly wrong) ideas I have about wolves. Excellent hunters and happier in the cold than the heat. The Hunter series (there will be more coming in 2013) is based on Earth, but an Earth with demons. And possibly other things too… *looks mysterious*
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Mhairi: I think we all like the idea of the unknown, and many, if not all, of us would love some ability or other which lifted us above the rest and made us “special”, but in a way that made us stronger and, dare I say it, cooler, rather than just being ostracized, which so many people have to deal with these days.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Mhairi: I love paranormal romance, which is kind of strange because I don’t write it. Not yet, anyway! I adore Supernatural and the Black Dagger Brotherhood and Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series. I also love Kait Nolan and Susan Bischoff’s paranormal romances. All of these have super-hot male and all round wonderful female characters in common. Just perfect 
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Mhairi: I definitely believe.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Mhairi: I already believed before this, but spending the night at a friend’s house where a pair of (ghostly) children ran up and down the stairs all night, giggling to each other, would have convinced me if I didn’t already believe.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Mhairi: I would love to meet a unicorn, although not like in Supernatural! A werewolf could be pretty cool, too…
Q: If given the chance, would you become a paranormal creature?
Mhairi: I reckon I could handle becoming a shapeshifting unicorn. I have one of those in one of my as of yet unpublished stories (she meets a werewolf, as it happens) and she is pretty cool. I’d be able to run at 40mph! What more reason does a girl need?
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a ghost?
Mhairi: Probably scream and run away. I’m a big wuss. The friend whose house I stayed at (see above) put down salt and sage to stop the kids coming into the room where I was sleeping, but it took me a while to accept that it was working and to go to sleep!
Q: What does the future hold for your writing?
Mhairi: Oh man, so much! I have stories in the pipeline in about half a dozen worlds right now, and more ideas come to me every day. This year I hope to publish more in the Blowe and Hunter worlds, as well as the Wychride world (I had a short story published in this world last year in an anthology, Tales of the Nun and Dragon – my print debut, as it happens ☺) as well as finish the novel I’m currently editing (and hopefully write another book in that series too). I also have several short stories and novellas planned for the same world as that unicorn/werewolf one I mentioned above, more novellas and stories in various other worlds, and a couple of screenplays I’d like to write (different worlds again). I certainly have plenty to be getting on with!
Q: Have you ever been to a psychic and/or a past life regression?
Mhairi: I’ve been to a few, but I can’t remember them predicting anything major.
Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Mhairi: No, and I’m glad. I doubt I’d handle it too well if it did happen!
To learn more about Mhairi Simpson and her books visit mhairisimpson.com
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