Sylvia Shults's Blog, page 83

Woo-hoo, We Made It!

Thank you, thank you, thank you ever so much for giving my baby book the best chance at a productive start in life. The Indiegogo campaign was a success. With your help, we blasted past my goal of $500. We ended up at $745! This will pay for advance copies to be sent out to the media, and it will be a massive help with postage costs.

I am so grateful to those of you who took the time out of your busy day to go look at the campaign and read a bit about Rhoda. And for those of you who opened your wallets and back ed the campaign, a thousand times thank you! You guys are the best, and I couldn’t do this without you! 

A Taste of Darkness

[In 1860, when Rhoda’s mother died, Rhoda and her parents were boarding with the Jacobs family.]

We don’t know if Elizabeth Jacobs required Rhoda to help with any chores around the house. But one thing is certain – even if she’d been asked, Rhoda was not capable of even the simplest household work. She didn’t have the patience to bend scrubbing over a washtub on laundry day. She didn’t have the patience to stand outside at the clothesline, snapping the dresses to get the wrinkles out, smoothing the pants, lining up the towels before pegging them to the line. She didn’t have the patience to stand at a kitchen table kneading bread until it was as smooth and plump as a baby’s bottom, then tuck it into a loaf pan ready for the oven.

            Rhoda wasn’t capable of doing any of the boring, repetitive tasks that were required of a farm woman on the Illinois frontier. Eggs would go ungathered if left to Rhoda’s care, or get smashed against the henhouse wall if she succumbed to one of her fits of rage. A nervous cow wouldn’t stand still to be milked. And Rhoda certainly wasn’t up to the more perilous chores, like baking with a wood-fired stove, dipping candles into hot wax for hours at a time, or stirring a pot full of boiling lye to make soap.

            We don’t know if Rhoda had the ability, or even the desire, to help in her own recovery. That first blow, losing Charles in such a dramatic way, plus being held in Jacksonville for two years, may have simply broken her spirit beyond all hope of repair.

            Was Rhoda still mourning the loss of Charles after all that time? Or had her personality warped into something darker, more savage? Did the shock of that early loss shatter her psyche, letting other pathologies – paranoia, anxiety, violence – slither through the cracks?

This is just a tiny taste of what’s to come in October. If you liked it, why not reserve your own copy? It’ll be sent right to your door. Order at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/44-years-in-darkness-history/x/545695#/ . Hurry — the campaign ends August 2!

Bunny Rescue!

Our outside cat, Squeaky, is very fond of us, and shows her affection by bringing us presents, as we obviously are incapable of hunting for ourselves, and need furry nourishment.

So the other day, I was out on the porch, with Jinxsie the Dog. Husband came home from work, and Squeaky trotted over from wherever she had been hiding, and Jinxsie came over and danced around for a bit, happy that the whole pack was together.

That’s when Husband asked, “Um … what’s the dog sniffing at?”

Squeaky had brought us a teeny-tiny bunny. Not a scratch on him, but he was cowering on the porch, traumatized. I scooped him up and petted him for a bit. Then we stuck him in a cat carrier in the house to chill out for a while.

Everyone went their ways, and I went back out to the porch swing. Squeaky was on the porch, and opened her mouth to meow at me. The second bunny she was carrying was quite a bit more lively than the first one. This one ran straight off the edge of the porch — into an empty garbage can right under the edge. He raced around the bottom of the can, panicked, until I scooped him up, calmed him down, and put him in the cat carrier too.

I went back out onto the porch. This time, Squeaky dropped the third bunny at my feet. This one just hunkered down. I was glad — the second one wasn’t hurt after its dive into the garbage can, but … it’s a garbage can. That’s no place for a bunny. So I scooped THIS one up too, and popped him into the cat carrier with the others.

The next morning, we took the carrier out to the back alley, and opened the door. Three little pink noses appeared at the door. Then three streaks of brown shot off in three different directions. So glad the bunnies were okay after their adventure!

What? Another Secret Perk?

That’s right! I love you guys so much, that I’ve put together another Secret Perk for the 44 Years in Darkness campaign. And it’s a good one, especially if you’ve got lots of history or ghost hunting buffs on your friends list. I won’t say any more — just follow this link https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1829002/x/545695?secret_perk_token=3d17684e to unlock the secret goodies.

In other news, YES, I know I said the book was (just about) done. And it is! I spoke with the second editor Thursday night, and she loves the book too. She had a few tweaks — nothing major, no huge rewrites or anything — but everything she suggested is going to make the book stronger, punchier, BETTER. You guys are going to LOVE it. After this weekend, it’s going off to the publisher.

So go! Click the link! Reserve your very own copy of the book! And thank you so much for all you do, for all your kind words, and for all your encouragement. I couldn’t do it without you. (And don’t forget … when we get to $500, I’ve got an excerpt of the book ready and waiting to post here just for you!)

And She’s Not Even Old Enough To Vote!

I got home from work Wednesday evening, knowing the my dog would be delighted to see me. She had been cooped up in her kennel all day. I had left the radio on for her, for company.

When I walked in the door, I was greeted with a piteous round of howly singing  from my Husky girl. She doesn’t usually do that in greeting, even when I’ve been gone all day, so I wondered for a brief moment what was wrong.

Then I realized — I had left the radio turned to NPR, and Jinxsie had spent the last however-many hours listening to the Republican National Convention. No wonder the poor baby was howling!

Thank You!

Thank you so much to the folks who have already contributed to the Indiegogo campaign to fund the promotion of 44 Years in Darkness. (Psst — here’s the link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/44-years-in-darkness/x/545695#/ ) I really appreciate you all kicking in, and I’m delighted to say that we’re already at 20% of our new goal.

Most people have been getting a book, either reserving their copy for October, or requesting an advance copy for August. But one person has sprung for the history package, reserving two advance copies, and bringing a friend to the asylum for a tour!

We’ve raised $295 so far, and we’ve got twelve days left on the campaign. To encourage you, I’ve got a surprise for each and every one of you — when we hit $500, I will post an excerpt from the book. That’s just ten people ordering their copy for October … or seven people ordering advance copies for August. Seven people! That’s all we need to hit $500 raised! That’s exciting!

I would dearly love to share a snippet of this wonderful book with you all, just to give you a taste of what’s in store. So please, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/44-years-in-darkness/x/545695#/ , and reserve your very own copy of 44 Years in Darkness. Thank you for your support.

 

 

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts!

I’m sure some of you on here have seen my posts about the Lights Out episode in which I had the great pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Holzer. What I didn’t know is that Alexandra had a hand in creating the new Ghostbusters movie. She acted as a consultant for the film — how cool is that?

So to celebrate Ghostbusters and all things paranormal, we’re running a contest.

I invite anyone who has an interest in the paranormal, and who has been on an investigation, to submit any ghost photograph you’ve taken. Post it on the Ghosts of the Illinois River Facebook page. The top three photos will win copies of Exploration of the Unknown: The Best of Hans Holzer. I’ll run the contest from now until this time next month — August 20th.

So get those ghost photos posted! And for those who just can’t wait for the hard copy, Exploration of the Unknown is also available as an ebook from Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Exploration+of+the+Unknown%3A+The+Best+of+Hans+Holzer

Good News! And More Good News!

Holy cats, guys, guess what?

After over … I dunno, two years? … of working on 44 Years in Darkness, it’s finally actually done. All the polishing done, all the end notes matched up to pages, it’s all done. I do have to meet with one of the editors on Thursday, but barring any rewrites she wants me to make … it’s DONE! I had my celebratory cherry Coke by the campfire last night, to mark the finish of another book.

And here’s the other good news — you can still preorder it. I’ve extended the fundraising campaign ’til the end of the month, so you, yes you, can still help me bring this book to many, many people in the media and in magazines and newspapers all over the country. Just go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/44-years-in-darkness/x/545695#/ , and pick out your favorite from all the wonderful perks I have to offer you, in exchange for your deeply appreciated help.

Thank you so much for your support — I hope to be able to pop a book in the mail to you soon!

Pssst! Hey Bud!

Hey — hey you. With the hair. C’mere.

I got somethin’ I wanna share with you.

Did you know there’s extra stuff in Sylvia Shults’ new Indiegogo campaign? The one for her new book?

I’m tellin’ ya, there is. And it’s nifty.

Just follow this link: https://www.indiegogo.com:443/projects/1829002/x/545695?secret_perk_token=33eb49d0  It will take you to a secret perk — check it out!

And thanks for contributing. You’re made of awesome. With cool sauce.

 

Anybody besides me remember this?

Too Good Not To Share

Our neighbors hate us. Well, “hate” isn’t the right word. “Loathe” is more accurate.

The strange thing is, I honestly have no idea why. Sure, we’re weird — my husband and I both ride motorcycles, and my yard is more tomatoes than flowers. Maybe that’s it. Anyhoo, these folks really, REALLY do not care for us. Bedelia in particular — she wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire and she had a mouthful of gasoline.

So today, I was sitting on the porch swing, writing. My dog, a sweet Husky furbaby, was with me, just chilling on the porch. She was wearing her lead, because hey, she’s a Husky and I don’t want her running away.

Two of the neighbor’s grandkids wandered by, playing Pokemon Go. I stepped on Jinxsie’s lead to keep her on the porch. She’s super friendly, doesn’t even bark, but I know it would annoy the neighbor if she caught the kids petting my dog. So I kept her with me.

Bedelia was out on HER porch watching. She screamed at the kids, “Next time, you go out into the STREET! You do NOT walk past that DOG!” Then she darted back into the house before I could say, “Seriously, bitch, WTF? Did you really just tell your grandson to run out into the street — with his head down over his phone — rather than walk on the sidewalk past my house???”

She is certifably insane.

What about you guys? Any psycho neighbor stories out there in Electronland to share? Lay ’em on me in the Comments!