Ghosts as paranormal heroes Guest blog by Juli D. Revezzo

Ghosts as paranormal heroes
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the last decade, you know that paranormal romance and urban fantasy is hotter than hot. Oh, the industry might be yawning over these tales of otherkin interacting with humans, but it seems every article and blog one can read on the subject, at least those written by the fans, proves otherwise. Vast majorities of these fantasies star vampires and werewolves.But there are other creatures in the supernatural world to pick from. The most enduring critters, if we step back and look at the whole history of paranormal fiction, is ghosts. Right off the top of my head I can name a few popular ghosts stories from the beginning of popular fiction to today:
            The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëTurn of the Screw by Henry JamesThe Ghost and Mrs. MuirThe Time of their Lives (yes, the Abbott and Costello movie)The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
So why is it this creature, who veritably definesthe field of paranormal research, is so neglected in modern fiction? When we can populate our tales with heroes of the otherkin, vampire, and even those of the angel and demon persuasion, (and even zombies, for God sake) why notghosts? Why are such stories relegated to some catch-all horror shelf? Just because they float rather than walk, and might be a little on the transparent side? Why can’t they fit into the tried and true happy ending requirement? For the most part, that’s what I asked when the ghosts in my debut novel, The Artist’s Inheritance (and its series Antique Magic) began taking serious shape. Who better defines ever after than those in the ever after? Those who wait for their beloveds on the other side, or those stuck here, pining for their beloveds? When I did, my heroine, Caitlin, made contact with an ancestral ghost, who lends a helping hand to save his descendents from a curse and an evil imp bent on the family’s destruction: forces he couldn’t stop when he was alive.  What’s more romantic—or heroic, for that matter? I hope you will take a look at my novel, The Artist’s Inheritance and see if you agree!            So, what do you think? Would you turn down a ghostly helper? Writers, have you ever tried to write a ghostly hero? How’d it work out for you? Would you try it again? I would. J
The Artist’s Inheritance
Trouble only a witch can solve...Settling into their new home in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Caitlin finds strange changes coming over her husband Trevor. He seems obsessed with a beautiful chair he’s carving.

When the nightmares deepen and ghosts begin lurking—she knows something’s not right, and not just her newfound precognitive abilities. It’s the damned chair, she’s sure. Could it be just what it seems: a mundane piece of furniture? If so, why is it attracting dark forces—the forces she suspects drove Trevor’s siblings to insanity and suicide?

Before the same happens to Trevor, Caitlin must convince him to sell his art. But armed with only a handful of allies, and little experience of the supernatural, she must proceed with caution against the hellish forces besieging her family. If she succeeds, she will break the ancestral curse. If she fails, she may lose forever the one thing she cares about most: her beloved Trevor.
The Artist’s Inheritance is available at:
Amazon: http://bitly.com/RDkat0Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/ORLQyFSmashwords: http://bit.ly/RH0GCIAnd in paperback at Createspace:  http://bit.ly/RkOdr0
And Caitlin’s story continues in Caitlin’s Book of Shadows, also available on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Juli-D.-Revezzo/e/B008AHVTLO
Pieces that influenced The Artist Inheritance:
The classic ghost tales:
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by ColeridgeCristobelle by ColeridgeThe Turn of the Screw. By Henry JamesLe Belle Dame Sans Merci by KeatsSir Dominick by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (What’s the title?)
More recent texts:
Lucid by Debra GlassHaunted by Debra GlassYour Magic Touch by Kathy CarmichaelCold Mountain, to some extentThe Brenda Strange Mysteries by Patty G. HendersonThe Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Movies:
The Ghost and Mrs. MuirThe Time of their LivesSixth Sense (though I warn you, if you are easily creeped out, avoid this one)Fight ClubFiddler on the RoofAnd of course Ghost Hunters on the History Channel, if you have cable is a popular title.

About Juli D. Revezzo:
Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. The Artist’s Inheritance is her first novel.
Your readers can find me at:  http://julidrevezzo.comAmazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Juli-D.-Revezzo/e/B008AHVTLO/
On Author's Den: http://www.authorsden.com/julidrevezzo
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Revezzo/233193150037011
On Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111476709039805267272/posts
On Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo
On LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/profile/julidrevezzo
On Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1514830030
And on Twitter: http://twitter.com/julidrevezzo

Thanks, Roxanne, for inviting me here today.