The Inishowen Peninsula rests at the northwestern corner of
Ireland, a wild, untamed landscape with craggy rocks upon which the Atlantic
Ocean whips and the winds pummel. It lies within County Donegal, one of the
nine counties of the ancient Irish province known as Ulster and the location of
my historical book, Clans and Castles,
the first of the Checkmate series.
Two royal proclamations—one in 1606 and the other in 1611—sought
to abolish the Catholic Church of which most native Irish belonged, and ordered
that all Mass priests be banished from Ireland. The priests went underground,
living in caves or harbored by parishioners; discovery could mean imprisonment
or death.
One brave Catholic Friar, Friar Hegarty, remained on the
Inishowen Peninsula, tending to parishioners from Fahan—near the site of one of
Cahir O’Doherty’s castles at Inch Island—to Desertegney, a combined area of
more than 32,000 acres. At one point, he lived in a hut secluded in the heavily
wooded area of Lisnakelly on the River Foyle; at other times, he found isolated
caves in which to live. His congregation and his family provided him with food
and necessities until 1632, when his own brother-in-law is said to have
betrayed him to the Protestant authorities, English and Scotsmen that
immigrated to Ulster during The Plantation Era of King James I.
As word traveled to Friar Hegarty that arrest was imminent,
he was given a white horse to make his escape. If he could make it to
Rathmullen by traveling the southern edge of Drongawn Lough before turning
northward, a boat was awaiting him there that would take him to safety—perhaps to
Scotland or to another Irish province where he could hide. But as he galloped
away, the British soldiers spotted him and gave pursuit along the footpath
above the craggy rocks. As he was passing over a hill, he was struck down from
his horse, where he was quickly captured.
The soldiers dragged him to a nearby rock, forced him to the
ground and beheaded him.
On the footpath where his white horse traveled, there lies
the image of a horse’s hoof embedded in the rock, and on the rock where Friar
Hegarty was beheaded, the sign of the cross formed. It was said that his head
bounced nine times after his beheading, and each spot in which it landed
remains bare to this day, unable to grow any vegetation, wild or planted. The
rock itself is known as Friar Hegarty’s Rock.
Over the centuries, a white horse has been spotted galloping
over the footpath, sometimes alone and other times with the ghost of Friar
Hegarty atop it. The color of the horse is said to be otherworldly, illuminated
even on the darkest of nights.
In the early 1990’s, some 360 years after Friar Hegarty’s
murder, four teenage boys were quad biking dangerously close to the cliff’s
40-foot drop to the sea below. As they rounded the wild coastal route in the
dark of night, a white horse suddenly appeared in front of them as if out of nowhere,
rising high on its hind legs, its forelegs pawing the skies as its ethereal
white coat illuminated the path in front of them. It so startled the lads that
they pulled their four-wheeled motorcycle to an abrupt stop. And there, as they
watched, the white horse leapt off the cliff’s edge but as they rushed to see
whether it had landed on the craggy, deadly rocks below, the horse simply
vanished into thin air.
Had the boys not stopped, they most certainly would have
careened off the cliffs themselves to become impaled on the rocks below as they
jutted upward from the sea.
And so it is that the white horse sent to save Friar Hegarty
continues its mission today in saving others from certain death; unable to save
the Friar, it is forever connected to him on his final day.
An Irish friend once told me that any self-respecting castle
must have at least one ghost and in Ireland where the veil is thin, ghosts
abound. So when I came across a castle that is purported to be the most haunted
castle in all of Ireland, I knew I had to explore and Leap Castle does not
disappoint.
Leap Castle is located in County Offaly in the Midlands
Region of Ireland, almost exactly midway between Dublin to the east and Galway
to the west. The main castle—a simple square—was built around 1250 by the O’Bannon
Clan, who was a secondary clan under the O’Carroll Clan. It is rumored to have
been built on an ancient pagan ceremonial site and the land had been occupied
continuously since Neolithic times.
The castle was added onto in subsequent generations, adding
wings, a gatehouse and other structures until the castle became a labyrinth. In
the chapel there exists a narrow, hidden door with a sudden drop and as the
castle owners captured warring clan members, they were tossed several feet into
that abyss where a spike awaited them. If they did not land in such a way to perish
immediately, they were left to die an agonizing, slow death from their wounds
as they starved and were left exposed to the cold and damp and the castle rats.
In the late 1900’s when workers discovered the hidden doorway, they found
enough skeletons to fill several cart loads.
The chapel itself is known as The Bloody Chapel for it was
there in the mid-1500s that one O’Carroll brother warred against another for
control of the castle. As one brother, a priest, conducted a service in the
chapel, the other rose up and ran him through with a sword, killing him in
front of the entire family.
In 1659, the castle passed from Irish hands to the English,
who had colonized the island. Several generations of the Darby family lived
there, including an arrogant, humorless man by the name of Jonathan Charles
Darby. He married Mildred Dill (1867-1932) and fathered five children.
In 1909, she reported to the Occult Review, “I was standing in the Gallery looking down at
the main floor, when I felt somebody put a hand on my shoulder. The thing was
about the size of a sheep. Thin, gaunt, shadowy... its face was human, to be
more accurate, inhuman. Its lust in its eyes, which seemed half decomposed in
black cavities, stared into mine. The horrible smell one hundred times
intensified came up into my face, giving me a deadly nausea. It was the smell
of a decomposing corpse.”
They called this
creature The Elemental and she and a number of her guests saw it several times
during the decades she lived there. In 1910, her book The Hunger was
published (now sadly out of print), the gothic horror inspired by the ghosts
that inhabited her home and no doubt her dreams. As was the custom at the time,
her writings were published under male pseudonyms, including Andrew Merry.
In 1922, the castle
burned, the cause unknown, though Irish insurgents were suspected as the Darbys
had continued elaborate expansions to the castle and raised the rents of
tenants in order to pay for them—and in 1922, the Irish Civil War was in full
swing. The Darbys left Leap Castle and Jonathan Charles Darby forbade
his wife from writing any more novels. It was reported at the time that Mildred
Darby had lost several manuscripts in the fire. The castle sat in morbid
disrepair for decades as Ireland gained her independence from Great Britain and
scores of Irish left for America and other countries around the world.
In 1991, musician Sean Ryan and his wife purchased the
castle and since then, they have lived there while they have worked on
restoring the castle to its former glory. They often hear voices, doors closing
and footsteps when no one else is about, and many a guest has reported the
presence of a woman that touches them on the shoulder as if to get their
attention.
Leap Castle and other haunted castles inspired the writing
of A Thin Slice of Heaven. In the book, Charleigh has arranged to meet her
husband during one of his business trips at the castle for a second honeymoon,
but when she arrives she finds the castle deserted except for the couple that
maintain it. Stranded by an unusual snowstorm, the castle comes alive with
spirits from the past until she is trapped between two worlds. Watch the
trailer below or visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7QYLfXSQeo.
What are you looking for when you visit an author's website? Do you even remember the last time you visited an author's website, versus looking up their book on amazon or in a store?
This past year, I returned to college. Being a Type-A personality, I have a double major: Cyber Security (IT) and eCommerce (Marketing). Turns out, they go hand-in-hand. And during my last course, the focus was on the changing face of websites.
Amazon really defined how websites interact with their customers. By recording every keystroke you make, their software records which items you look for, how long you remained on each page, and whether you purchased. When you logon to amazon later, you'll see recommendations of other products based on those you've already looked at. Or you might receive emails with recommendations in all the various categories. I, for example, love amazon. I buy books, cosmetics, clothing, household items, vitamins, and even food from them. And I love the way their software customizes my experience so I see screens that are unique to me.
But some people find this intrusive - or even creepy. Do you?
Do you want an author's website to respond uniquely to your visit with the ability to logon for recommendations, or would you prefer to flip through the web pages in stealth mode?
Are you looking for videos, book excerpts, the author's blog, ways to connect with the author through social media, ways or places to purchase the books, or are you interested in the author personally - where they're from, how they got into writing, how their personal lives impact their themes (if at all)? Are you interested in behind-the-scenes information?
As a result of my college courses, I redesigned my author website. To be honest, it had been needing a redesign for quite some time - it was first designed in 2000 and was patterned after some of the biggest suspense authors at the time, with a black background and white letters. But times have changed, and my new website reflects more of who I am as an individual, with shades of blue (my favorite color because I love skies and water).
There are more videos on the home page, links to books depending on your interests, integrated blogs, and a new menu with subsets to social media and special links. If you haven't seen it in awhile, check it out (www.pmterrell.com) and let me know what you think.
If you're an author, please leave a comment below with your website and why you designed it the way it is.
If you're a reader but you like a particular author's website, please leave the link below with why you like it. Or if you want to see something specific about your favorite authors, tell me what you'd like to see and what would make the experience more enjoyable for you.
p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books in several genres. Visit www.pmterrell.com for more information.
I've had this blog for several years and have always written my thoughts. This time, I'm trying something different. I am considering a series of video blogs in 2016, and I'd like to know what you think of this one, whether you like seeing me speak about my books and my writing, and whether you'd like for me to read excerpts from my books in future posts.
So enjoy the video and let me know what you think!
This is the fifth in a series of blogs for book clubs and discussion groups who are reading my book, A Thin Slice of Heaven. Weigh in below, or send me an email through my website letting me know the results of your book club or group discussion.
If you had the opportunity to start over, where would you choose to live? This is a dilemma that Charleigh faces in A Thin Slice of Heaven. Born and raised near Boston, she knows nothing else. But with few family, few friends and a husband who has just informed her - in a text, no less - that he's leaving her for another woman, she finds herself with the opportunity to start over.
How would each of these factor into your decision to move someplace else?
1. Language - The ability to communicate with others should not be overlooked. Yet I am fascinated by HGTV's series, House Hunters International, and how many people move to countries where they do not speak the language. How would this influence your decision?
2. Culture - Every country has it's own unique culture. How would that persuade you for or against a particular locale? For example, I am an animal lover and I would never want to move to a country where bull-fighting or cock-fighting or similar sports are legal. I also could never live in a country that raises dogs and cats for human consumption.
3. Food - This may seem like a given, but religious and cultural influences often dictate what can or cannot be eaten. Consider, for example, that in some cultures eating beef is considered barbaric. Others subsist on meats, seafood and vegetables that cause Americans to recoil. How much emphasis would you place on this?
4. Money - In some areas of the world, it's customary to spend $5,000 US per month for a one-bedroom apartment or studio. In other areas, $5,000 would get you a palace. And in still others, $5,000 would support you for an entire year. How would you consider the monetary factors? There is also the matter of employment, unless you are independently wealthy or can live comfortably on a nest egg. What type of employment would you need to receive to make the move worth your while?
5. Acceptance - Some countries may welcome tourists but inwardly dislike outsiders. Others welcome newcomers with open arms. How important is it for you to make friends and fit in? I had a friend years ago who volunteered her time and money to help build houses in a third-world country. When she arrived there, however, she found the people to be extremely judgmental. They disliked the very people who had come to help them. She never returned - would you?
6. Housing - I have to admit, I have grown quite fond of large rooms. Extra bedrooms have been turned into a study, a guest room and a massive closet. What if the place you wanted to live had one or two bedrooms and 1,000 square feet was spacious? Would that satisfy your needs? What if glass windows and locking doors were unheard of? I've heard of people who moved into homes in the middle of jungles or in remote areas. How would that impact your decision? Would you prefer city living, suburbs or country? Apartment, adjoining home or detached home? Yard or no yard?
There are also areas of the world in which gated, armed communities and barred windows and doors are the norm. Could you adjust to such an environment?
7. Amenities - I lived in the Washington, DC area for most of my life. I was accustomed to museums, festivals, a variety of shopping, restaurants of every cuisine, national parks and monuments, and much more. What do you have where you currently live? Could you live without them?
8. Climate - I would love to think my snow-shoveling days are over. I once lived in central Virginia where ice storms knocked out my electricity for several years in a row, and always at Christmas when I had a houseful of guests. For others, a mountain scenery is valued high enough that snow and ice are the norm and completely acceptable. Others prefer the heat and humidity of the tropics, while still others prefer a climate of moderate temperatures year 'round. How much would climate factor into your plans?
9. Government - Some governments are quite liberal, others conservative and still others can change rapidly with coups. How much emphasis would you place on a stable government or its policies?
10. Crime - I knew a gentleman from Europe who made America his second home, and his European friends could not understand why he wanted to live in a country that was so accepting of crime, particularly murders. Some cultures have grown accustomed to high crime and consider it the norm, while others find any crime to be socially unacceptable and often barbaric. Cultural influences often go hand-in-hand with high or low crime rates. How would this factor into your decision?
What other considerations would you give to moving to a different country or culture? What would cause you to remain where you were, or influence your decision to relocate?
This is the third in a series of blogs for book clubs and discussion groups who are reading my book, A Thin Slice of Heaven. Weigh in below, or send me an email through my website letting me know the results of your book club or group discussion.
In A Thin Slice of Heaven, Charleigh finds herself straddling two worlds. On one side, she experiences the present: her room at the castle, for example, with all the modern conveniences. On the other side, she is pulled through the veil to witness spirits of people who passed away decades - or centuries - earlier. In Chapter 19, she finds herself descending into the dungeons of the castle, where she encounters malevolent spirits. It is only Sean's sudden appearance that rescues her from their confines.
Afterward, they are atop the castle parapet. In this scene, Charleigh asks why the people remain in the dungeon long after they are dead. The text in bold has been bolded for the purpose of this discussion (and does not appear in bold in the book):
“What’s happening, Sean?” she asked,
resting one hand against his forearm. Her voice was quiet, subdued by her
experience. “I’ve never seen ghosts before—never even come close to seeing one.
And then I come here and I—I just don’t understand this warped sense of
reality.”
He leaned his head close to her ear. “I
will try my best to explain it to you.”
She turned in his embrace and wrapped
her arms about his neck. Between Ultana, the bizarre spiritual reenactment of a
massacre and counter assault, the men assigned to guard her room, and now the
dungeons, she wanted desperately to escape the castle. The only thing that held
her there, that made her feel as if all the experiences were somehow, in some
inexplicable way, worth it, was looking into Sean’s eyes. “Please do explain,
Sean. Make me understand.”
He gazed at her for a long moment, his
eyes a beautiful shade of green in the light of the moon. He no longer appeared
angry or frustrated but calmness had returned; a serenity she wished she felt
as well.
He smoothed her hair, his eyes following
the silky, short strands. “In the most ideal of circumstances,” he began, “a
soul knows when they are departing this world, even if the human psyche does not.
Take old age, for example, or a long, debilitating illness. The soul begins to
prepare for the afterlife and as the time draws near, the person begins to slip
in and out of the two realms…”
“You mean in and out of consciousness?”
“Not quite. You see, the soul begins to
see through to the other side. Perhaps they see people they loved who had
passed on before them. They waver back and forth betweenst the living humans
here and the spirits there. It is the natural progression of things so when
they pass, their soul is not in shock.”
His hands had moved to her upper arms
and he stroked them lightly as he spoke. The air should have been cold and her
sweater inadequate but she found herself completely warmed by his energy, as
she had from the very beginning. Her throat, which had dangerously constricted
in the dungeons, was now open and her breathing had returned to normal,
unrestricted by any of the mucus that had developed so quickly. Though she
hadn’t taken her allergy medicine, it was as if she had and now she breathed in
the Irish air as though it was an antidote to her ailments.
“Then there are other times,” he said,
his words slowing as he kept his eyes locked on hers, “when mortal death
happens quickly—too quickly for the soul to be fully prepared. So what happens
is the soul enters three stages before emerging on the other side.”
“I’ve never heard this before.” She
cocked her head and though she truly didn’t want to seem doubtful, she knew
from the way he tilted his head back to look at her under veiled lashes that he
had picked up on her skepticism.
Despite the tense air between them, he
continued softly, “In the first stage, the person does not know he or she is no
longer here in physical form. They continue to go through the motions of living.
Some of the souls in the dungeon remain in that stage, though it has been
centuries for some of them.”
“So the men asking for water or food—”
She shook her head as if to rid herself of the memory, though she knew it would
never go away. Sean was right; she should never have wandered into that dungeon
but, regrettably, it was too late now to take back the experience.
“I am sorry, darlin’, but their souls
have not yet processed that they are no longer trapped.”
The image of him after the Christmas
counter assault loomed in front of her; the soot, the grime, the odor of
battle. Then she thought of the man with pustules covering his skin and of the
others, emaciated and starving. “Are the conditions of their souls keeping them
the way they appeared to me? I mean—”
“Aye,” he said. “When their souls
finally shake off their mortal stress, they will become whole once again.”
“The light that I saw—it wasn’t a white
light, but was it—could it have been—spirits beckoning—?”
He appeared to be in anguish over her
question. “No, m’ Leah. The light was attempting to trap you in the dungeons.”
“What? Why?”
“Because there is evil on all planes and
the dungeons are no exception.”
“Then can’t we free the prisoners—the
good ones?”
One hand found her cheek and he cupped
it against his palm. She leaned into it, closing her eyes. As the silence
continued, she opened them to find him watching her. There was sadness in his
eyes. “It is not for us to do.” He took a deep breath. “There are others, far
stronger than either of us, who will venture into the dungeons and help each
soul move on. It will happen one soul at a time, when each of their times has
come.”
“Angels?”
“Aye,” he said, a gentle smile creeping
across his face. He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “Angels.”
“Then that’s the second stage?”
He gazed above her head for a moment as
if looking at the landscape and the skies beyond the castle. “The second
stage,” he said after a deep, cleansing breath, “is moving back and forth
between the realms. A prisoner in the dungeon, for example, will begin to see
family members—people they love—in the cell with them. At first, they will not
believe their eyes. They will not accept them. But their loved ones will continue
to return until they are ready to let go.”
He pulled her slightly away to kiss her
on the tip of her nose. “It cannot be you or I trying to convince them to move
on,” he said tenderly. “It must be someone they trust, someone they loved in
that lifetime—or another.”
“Don’t tell me we’ve lived multiple
lifetimes.”
“I daresay that is a conversation for
another time.”
She drew a hand to his cheek and softly
brushed the skin. Her eyes followed his jaw line, the soft curve of his lips as
he smiled, the faint crinkle along the side of his nose, and his eyes. She
hoped she would never forget his face.
“And then the third stage,” he added,
“is acceptance.”
His words brought her back to the
subject. “Realizing they’re dead.”
“There is no death,” he admonished
kindly. “Just transitions.”
“But, what you’re saying…” She stopped.
She had been about to say that she’d been taught about Heaven and Hell but
looking into the eyes of a spirit, she knew that everything she’d believed
about the afterlife had been turned on its head.
“Every soul is different,” Sean continued. “Some
may see angels; some may sense God. Some may be greeted by mothers, fathers,
sisters, brothers… Others by someone they loved; someone who loved them. No
matter what a person’s life was like, there is always someone they loved and
someone who loved them.”
More than a decade ago, I was with a dear friend as she suffered the final stages of a fatal illness. She was in a hospice facility and as I sat by her side, I noticed when she awakened, she often looked beyond my shoulder. Many a time I turned around, only to find no one there. Yet she continued to look in that direction as if she was watching someone.
When I asked her about it, she said her sister was right there. She was amazed that I couldn't see her. Her sister, however, had passed away several years earlier.
When I spoke to the hospice staff about it, they said it often happens with people who are nearing death. They begin to see people they knew, loved and trusted from their lifetime - people who were no longer alive. Each of the hospice workers had come to the conclusion that these spirits were there to help the person transition to the other side of the veil.
It made perfect sense to me. After all, who better to help a person to the other side than someone who had gone on before them - someone they loved, someone they knew, and someone they trusted?
Spoiler Alert: If you have not yet read A Thin Slice of Heaven, stop here.
As Charleigh is speaking with Sean, she does not yet realize that she is already dead. She is, in fact, suffering the same fate as those in the dungeon. Her death happened quickly within hours of arriving at the castle. It is because she died and went through the veil that she is able to see and experience Sean and the other spirits. She is in the first stage - not knowing she is dead.
Sean knows this and he also knows that she must progress through the second and third stages before she fully understands and accepts her own fate. You can purchase the Kindle version of A Thin Slice of Heaven here from amazon, or the paperback version here. It is also available in all fine book stores and in all eBook formats, in the iBooks store and on Nook.
If you could have one paranormal ability, what would you choose?
That's one of the questions Storm Goddess asked me in their unique interview. Another was what type of pet I would have if I could have any kind of paranormal pet. Makes you think, doesn't it?
Check out my answers at Storm Goddess Book Reviews and then let me know what paranormal ability you would choose, and what type of paranormal pet you'd like to have!
What types of men or women are you romantically attracted to?
When I developed the Black Swamp Mysteries series, I needed the Perfect Man for Vicki Boyd's love interested, because that role featured prominently in the book. I visited websites for Redbook, Vogue, Cosmo (which is an experience in itself) and many others to find out what their research said about our romantic preferences.
Find out how I chose Dylan Maguire, the Irishman Vicki falls in love with, by visiting Paranormal Romantic Suspense today. Then let me know what characters you enjoy falling in love with!
I could never be one of those authors who writes by a formula. My fans deserve better. And I have the kind of mind that fast-forwards a hundred steps and needs a lot to keep me engaged and interested. So I am constantly on the lookout for new ideas, different characters, detailed, engaging plots with twists and turns at every angle...
So when I decided to write a series, it was a huge step for me. Write about the same characters? In the same town? Me?
So, what makes Vicki's Key different from all my other books? And why was I confident this IS the series to write?
Vicki's Key is a cross-over genre. It's the mystery and suspense my fans have come to love. But unlike my other books, it starts off more slowly. Then like a ball rolling downhill, it gathers momentum until it has you by the throat, hurling you along at roller coaster speeds. Everything means something. EVERYTHING. Every piece of information comes together as you head toward the climactic scene.
It is also a ghost story. And Vicki Boyd, one of the main characters, is a psychic spy for the CIA. This crosses into the paranormal realm, but it's done so seamlessly that you'll feel like you are traveling from Lumberton, North Carolina to Afghanistan and back as Vicki unravels a plot against the United States Government.
Vicki saw her parents' deaths before it occurred. She was only 12 years old at the time and the adults around her either ignored her, chalked it up to an overactive imagination, or thought she might be losing her mind. But within weeks, her parents were dead and Vicki, along with her sister and two brothers, were placed into foster homes, scattered and separated for the rest of their childhoods. The incident attracted the CIA's attention and Vicki became the ward of the U.S.Government and trained as a psychic spy.
But when a mission known as the Amazon Incident goes horribly wrong, she decides to leave the CIA and start over in a small town, working for an elderly woman. It's only a summer job but it takes her out of Washington to a small town in southeastern North Carolina, where she can emotionally recover and decide what she wants to do for the rest of her life.
But when she arrives, she finds that Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and remains isolated on the third floor of a rambling mansion. And her nephew Dylan has arrived from Ireland to care for her.
The house comes alive with ghostly sightings - ice cold spots, icy hands at her back, visions of blood in the bathtub, a woman screaming at her to run... And Vicki begins to wonder whether she is losing her mind.
But she is also falling in love with the handsome and charming Dylan Maguire. He seems to be everything she is not: outgoing, unafraid, eager to experience life... seductive, protective... and mysterious. Vicki's Key is also a romance, filling requests from my fans to show more..
Vicki soon begins to realize that all is not what it seems at Aunt Laurel's home. And when the CIA comes calling with one more mission for her, she soon finds the haunted house with its deep, foreboding secrets is about to collide with her CIA assignment... in murder.
In coming weeks, find out who inspired the characters of Vicki Boyd, Dylan Maguire, and others...
What are you reading these days? What genre is it, and how it is attracting and keeping your attention?
Vicki's Key debuts as an eBook on February 1, 2012 and in trade paperback in March 2012. Advance orders for the printed edition are now being taken at www.pmterrell.com.
