Sylvia Shults's Blog, page 51

Today I Learned …

Global warming could result in the softening of an estimated 66 tons of human poop on Alaska’s Denali National Park. There’s been frozen poop on the mountain for decades, and due to climate change, it could start thawing as early as this summer. You know, like right now.

More Lovely News Bits!

If you’ve noticed (and it’s perfectly okay if you haven’t), there’s a new heading at the top of this page. It’s called Multimedia Links for Books, and boy is it ever cool!

See, if you’ve gotten Fractured Souls or Fractured Spirits, and you’re sitting there reading it, you may notice that there are little cartoon ghosties sprinkled throughout the text, in both the ebook and print versions. Those wee ghosties are there for a reason. Whenever you see one of these little dudes, that’s your signal that fun stuff awaits you on the Interwebs.

If you are reading along, and you say to yourself, “Boy, that video (or sound file) sure sounds interesting! I’d love to watch it (or listen to it),” well, guess what? You can! Just pop on up to the Multimedia Links for Books tab, or if you’re on Facebook, go to the Fractured Spirits page and click on Notes to find a page of links. You can browse through all that evidence to your heart’s content. Enjoy!

Today I Learned …

Okay, guys, this may just be the nuttiest TIL yet. Here goes: You know how animators usually draw four fingers on the hands of cartoon characters, because if you draw five, it just looks … kind of weird? The Simpsons is incredibly popular all over the world — except in Japan. That’s because to swear loyalty to the mob, Yakuza members amputate their pinkie finger. So, having only four fingers implies that you’re in the Japanese Mafia. (From Springfield Confidential, by Mike Reiss)

The Latest News …

Okay, you guys all know me. You know that when one of my friends has something to celebrate, I’m up there cheering right along with them. Well, I have some fabulous news, of the “rising tide lifts all boats” kind.

In January, Ron Hood, of Ron’s Amazing Stories, asked me to be a regular guest on his show once a month, with the segment “Ghost Stories With Sylvia”. (I’d been a yearly guest before that, appearing on “Ron’s Month of Spooky” five years running.) We have been having a dandy time, sitting around talking about things that go bump in the night.

I recently found out that Ron has been successful at getting “Ron’s Amazing Stories” onto Pandora! You read that right — my friend’s podcast now appears as part of the lineup on freakin’ Pandora. Which means that, once a month, I get to be on Pandora too! I am so very stoked!

So, congratulations, Ron, and I am SO looking forward to many, many more months of Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your show. 

Today I Learned …

Octopuses are scary-smart, and they love exploring and manipulating things. In captivity, octopuses enjoy playing with toys, like Mr. Potato Head and Legos. If given a lidded jar with a crab inside it, they’ll unscrew the jar to get at the treat — then screw the lid back on, because they enjoy manipulating objects so much.

Fractured Souls

Hi there! Hey, you look great! Did you do something new with your hair?

. . .

So guess what? The wait for the new asylum book is (nearly) over! I’m jazzed to be able to tell you that the ebook version of Fractured Souls is now available, and now … drum roll please … I can show you this magnificent cover, courtesy of Christina Morris and volunteers at the Pollak Hospital. The building in the background of the photo, by the way, is not the Pollak — it’s one of the B Row cottages, the building that will become the new and permanent home of the Peoria State Hospital Museum.

“Sylvia, how do I get the ebook?” I hear you cry. Fractured Souls is available in Kindle , mobi, and epub formats. The Kindle version is up on Amazon right freakin’ now, and here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Souls-Hauntings-Peoria-Hospital-ebook/dp/B07TY8R9ZH/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sylvia+shults&qid=1562984175&s=gateway&sr=8-5

As it’s a new book, it’s priced at $4.99. For the price of a Starbucks iced latte (which, admittedly, is really quite appealing this time of year), you can immerse yourself in the history and hauntings of the Peoria State Hospital. And unlike the iced latte, you can enjoy the book more than once! (Unless it turns out that you’re deathly allergic to coffee, and it comes back up, and … okay, you can still only enjoy the latte once, my bad.)

And to those who preordered the print version: you guys rock. Seriously. That means a whole lot — it lets the publisher know that people out there are eager to read the book, even plunking down cash (or PayPal) on the table for a book that doesn’t even have turnable pages yet. And it gives me a huge confidence boost too — thank you so much for placing your trust in me, to give you a good read. It’s coming. I promise. And when it does come out, I’ll announce it here, so you can get a heads-up that your copy will soon be in your mailbox. Thank you all for your patience.

(PS, you guys can see the cover too! Here it is:)

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Today I Learned …

The Joanina Library at the University of Coimbra in Portugal has a number of bats living there  … on purpose. The bats eat insects that could damage books. Library staff simply drape tables with covers overnight and clean up the guano in the morning. (From Mental Floss)

Lights Out: St. Louis Canyon

Here’s another episode of Lights Out, for your listening pleasure! The area around Starved Rock State Park in Illinois is breathtakingly gorgeous. But the park itself has a dark history. Join us as we visit St. Louis Canyon, where three women were brutally murdered in March 1960. We’ll also visit Moon Point Cemetery outside Streator in search of the Hatchet Lady. https://youtu.be/j0N-Igp8298

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Today I Learned …

Since they live in the hot, dry environment of the African savannah, giraffes are so good at conserving water that their pee is concentrated. It comes out as a gel, about the consistency of honey. (From Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide, by Peter Allison.)

Oh Say Can You Hear …

I’ve got some very cool news to share! First of all, I found out from my good friend and colleague Ron Hood that his show, Ron’s Amazing Stories (which includes the monthly installment of Ghost Stories With Sylvia) is now sponsored by Audible. That’s really great news, because now, when you listen to Ron’s show and click on the Audible link to get a free trial, the show gets a bit of coin, and you get to keep listening to this fabulous show for FREE. (You can listen to this podcast on Thursdays at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? They are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM.)

And the second part of the very cool news is that one of my books, 44 Years in Darkness, is now available on … Audible! So if you wanted to do the whole “two birds, one stone” thing, you could listen to Ron’s show, get yourself a free trial, and — ta-dah! — listen to the incredible story of Rhoda Derry, one of the patients at the Peoria State Hospital. (The publisher told me that the narrator was in tears several times as she was reading it. It’s that good.)

So go! Check out Ron’s show — the next Ghost Stories With Sylvia will air on July 4, BTW — and while you’re there, support the show by giving Audible a try. And while you’re at Audible, check out 44 Years in Darkness. See? Circle of life, baby.

And Ron says that since he’s such a stand-up guy, he’s giving you guys a free link! Here it is: https://www.audible.com/ep/podcast?source_code=%20PDTGBPD060314004R&fbclid=IwAR1N6smqE7RP0joTLfP1sXDoX9QWff5oskPvjJAvARKs4yWYVEp9yEIxn-0