Visiting Ireland’s Croaghgorms

The winds whistled and swirled in the frosty night like a chorus of apparitions dancing and bobbing, leaving soft whispers against Dylan’s ear, enticing, cajoling, flirtatious and deadly. Ah, but they could drive a man insane on a night like this, he thought, pulling his collar tighter about his ears. He wore an Irish tweed cap and still the winds licked at his hair like fingers running through it, soothing, insistent and treacherous.

So begins the chapter in which Dylan Maguire traverses the Croaghgorms, the Irish word for “The Blue Stacks” and perhaps better known to visitors as The Blue Stack Mountains. It is one of Ireland’s major mountain ranges and is situated in County Donegal. One road cuts through, called the Barnesmore Gap, an isolated road that one wouldn’t want to travel alone. Stories of apparitions abound in The Blue Stacks and particularly along Barnesmore Gap, including one of a woman who hitchhikes in the dead of night, only to disappear while in the unsuspecting driver’s car.

If you’ve ever been to Ireland, you know how mystical and magical it can be. The mists dance like phantoms, weaving in amongst the trees and the rocks until you aren’t quite sure whether otherworldly creatures are watching you, following you as you make your way. The winds can be cruel, especially when coming off the North Sea in the winter; as Dylan recalls later in the book, it’s the lazy winds that are the worst of all—called that because they’re too lazy to go around a man, they simply cut straight through him…

Donegal is situated in the Republic of Ireland but it is considered part of Ulster, the region that was divided from the Republic in 1921, making it part of the Border Region. It was after the Easter Rising of 1916 that Ireland won her independence from Great Britain, but six of the nine counties of Ulster were separated from the Republic, named Northern Ireland and is today considered one of four countries of Great Britain (along with England, Scotland and Wales).

There was once a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland manned with guards but those disappeared after the European Union was formed, making it possible to travel between the two countries as easily as Americans travel between states. This also made it possible for Dylan, along with a Russian defector and a fellow Irishman, to travel through the Blue Stacks on horseback in Cloak and Mirrors, weaving between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The mountains range from grassy slopes on which sheep graze to steep and rocky climbs. Occasionally, one will see an abandoned cottage with a thatched roof, most likely the home of a tenant farmer a century or more ago. The ground here, with little exception, cannot support crops so the tenant farmer and his family might have eked out barely enough to keep them alive, along with the more ample lamb they raised. In a region isolated and rugged, every bit of the lamb would have gone to good use, including the organs, the bones and the wool.

It is interesting to surmise what might have happened to the family; perhaps they starved during one of the Famines that struck Ireland with a savage vengeance. Or perhaps they were fortunate enough to migrate elsewhere; a costly, long and grueling journey across the Atlantic to America or to other countries around the world. They left behind a stone cottage that will stand for centuries longer, the thatched roof likely caving in, the area around the home overgrown as if the land is determined to claim it once more. All that is left in the haunted remains are the memories of what once was.

It is to one of these cottages that Dylan Maguire and his fellow travelers are heading en route to a rendezvous with a helicopter that is expected to receive the Russian defector and take him to America… If they survive.

I love writing about Ireland; the memories I have there are always warm even when the lazy North Sea winds cut straight through me. If you would like to read a chapter from my newest release, Cloak and Mirrors, that takes place in the Blue Stack Mountains and the cottage mentioned above, follow this link.

The book is due to be released on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2017. Vicki and Dylan discover the CIA can even hijack a honeymoon… While staying in a remote Irish manor house along the Wild Atlantic Way, they are directed to retrieve stolen documents on Russia’s newest stealth technology. But when the CIA asset decides to defect, their mission becomes much more complicated. And when they discover the Kremlin wants them captured, they’re in a fight for their lives.

Watch the book trailer below!

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books, including the award-winning series Black Swamp Mysteries. Cloak and Mirrors is the 6^th book in the series. Right now the first book that introduces Vicki and Dylan, Vicki’s Key, is on sale for just $2.99 on Kindle. It’s a great opportunity to be introduced to these two. After Cloak andMirrors is released, Vicki’s Key will return to the original price of $6.99. Visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com for lots more information.

Cloak and Mirrors

I'm very excited to announce that the 6th book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series will be released on St Patrick's Day, March 17.

The release date is appropriate for Cloak and Mirrors because Vicki marries Irishman Dylan Maguire in the Irish village where he grew up. They then depart for a manor house in the north part of the island near Donegal for their honeymoon.

It's Christmas and the manor house is deserted except for Vicki and Dylan and their hosts. But they've barely arrived when their CIA boss, Sam, sends them to retrieve a microchip containing Russian stealth technology. It's a simple assignment - to retrieve the microchip from one operative and pass it off to another - but things take a more complicated direction when their asset decides to defect. As Vicki and Dylan try to move the defector to a rendezvous point, they discover the Kremlin has blown their cover - and the Russians want Vicki and Dylan captured and brought to Moscow.

This was an exciting book for me to write because it takes place against the backdrop of Ireland at a time when the sun sets early and rises late, bringing with it the Northern Lights and all those things that go bump in the night.

Over the upcoming months, I'll be writing about the inside stories: Siberia, Northern Ireland, stealth technology, the CIA psychic spy program and all the other research I've done while writing this book.

So mark your calendars now for March 17, and check back for more exciting news!

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than 20 books in several genres, including her award-winning Black Swamp Mysteries series. Her first book was published in 1984 and she became a full-time writer in 2002. She has mentored authors for more than 15 years and is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation and the founder of the Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair. She has also launched The Novel Business to pass along her extensive knowledge of the publishing industry. For more information, visit www.pmterrell.com.

Old-Fashioned Christmas Cards

The contents of my snail mail box has changed a lot over the years. Gone are the mountains of junk mail I used to receive as they've all morphed into online spam, and thankfully it means that most of my mail consists of things I actually look forward to receiving. And at this time of year, I especially look forward to the holiday cards.


I used to wonder what to do with all the cards; I wanted them displayed through the season but wasn't quite sure of the best way to do it. Then I came across an old cork board. I wrapped the board in Christmas paper and picked up a box of push-pins.

As the cards are received, I begin at the bottom and work my way up until the board is filled.

I can easily move it to any location. I enjoy having it in the great room where I can enjoy them throughout the season.


The first year I tried this, I assumed that at the end of the season when the cards are removed, I would have to discard the holiday paper and wrap it again the following year. But to my surprise, the holes created by the push pins are so small that I have now used the same wrapping paper for 10 years and it stills looks good as new when I retrieve it each year.

In my latest book (to be released next year) Dylan Maguire and Vicki Boyd are married in Ireland at Christmastime. It has been a wonderful experience to incorporate the beauty of Ireland during the holidays. (Shown above: Belfast City Hall, about 45 miles from the village where my ancestral home is located in Ballygalley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.)

What holiday traditions do you have?


p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books in a variety of genres, including two award-winning series, Black Swamp Mysteries and Ryan O'Clery Mysteries, the award-winning saga about her ancestors' journey at the height of the Chickamauga Indian Wars in River Passage, and her bestselling book, Songbirds are Free, the true story of her ancestor, Mary Neely, and her capture by Shawnee warriors in 1780. Visit www.pmterrell.com for the book trailers, read free excerpts from her books, and much more.

Are You Highly Sensitive?

Have you ever been told that you're too sensitive? Perhaps as a child, you were told you cried too much or overreacted to situations? Or as an adult, you realized that others did not react as strongly as you in some situations?


Then you might just be a highly sensitive person.


The highly sensitive person doesn't just hear words; they feel them. They don't just listen to someone speaking; they feel their expressions and the deeper meaning behind what they're saying. The key word here is feel - and they feel it very deeply, very strongly, very acutely.


In today's societies, highly sensitive people have often been taught that their reactions or responses are not acceptable. Boys, in particular, are taught that they need to be tougher; men are told to "man up". Girls or women are often written off as hysterical or overreacting.


In an attempt to funnel what they are feeling into something accepted by society, they will often turn to the arts. These are the people who can make you feel the emotions behind their guitar playing; the people who can bring tears to your eyes by their heartfelt lyrics; the singer who can pull at your heartstrings when they sing.


These are the painters who paint portraits with eyes that are haunting in their depth; photographers who see the sunsets or beaches or mountain peaks as living, breathing waves of color and energy; artists who bring objects to vibrant life.


These are the sculptures, the inventors, the creators of things that change our life or our perception of life.


These are the novelists who funnel their pain, their ecstasy, their agony, their triumphs and their defeats into the characters they create, who cause those characters to jump off the pages at us and who remain with us long after we've finished the book.


These are actors who can get inside another person's skin and portray them as multi-dimensional human beings with positive and negative attributes. They are those actors who can convey a feeling to us simply through their eyes or their expressions.


Without a place to funnel this sensitivity, HSP's may turn to alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, gambling or sex in an attempt to stifle their emotions or dull their senses.


They often end up with self-centered people or narcissists. The narcissist needs others to recognize them and the highly sensitive person easily picks up on their emotions and needs. They are often the spouse who tolerates emotional or physical abuse and when they object, they are told they are "too sensitive".


They might retreat from the world for various reasons: they might gravitate toward jobs that require them to be alone for much of the time, or they might shrink from society as a way to protect themselves.


Often they are right under our noses and they have become so adept at hiding their sensitivity that others don't realize how deeply they feel. They may be in all walks of life, though they are less likely to be extroverts or in positions surrounded by people. When they are in positions in which they are surrounded by others, it might be in the form of a priest, clergy, rabbi or in a position in which they are called to help others.

Vicki Boyd, the character I introduced in Vicki's Key, is one such person. As a child, she was told that she was too sensitive, her feelings often overlooked or downplayed by parents, teachers and other adults. But as an adult, she was trained to use those sensitivities.


When highly sensitive people are taught how to use their skills instead of seeking to destroy their feelings, they often become clairvoyant (one who sees something happening beyond their physical presence), clairaudient (one who hears sounds or words beyond that which is within hearing range), clairsentient (one who feels something happening), clairscent (one who smells something not in their physical range), clairtangency (one who perceives history by touching objects), clairgustant (one who tastes without the food or object being in their mouth), or clairempathic (those who can feel the emotions of another).


All of us have these capabilities at one time or another. We might watch a movie in which someone is hurt and for that instant, feel their pain. A mother might be so tuned into her children that she senses when something is not right with them. A widow might smell her dead husband's cologne in an area he had never been in.


In Vicki's Key, Vicki is trained as a remote viewer, or psychic spy. She is clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairscent, which means she can see things happening in her mind's eye, she can hear what is happening, and she can often smell something associated with that scene in her mind.


How does she know - and how does the CIA know - that she is not off her rocker? Why would they employ such a person?


In the real psychic spy programs - operated now in several dozen countries, including the United States, Russia, China and India - individuals are tested. Those with psychic tendencies - any of the "clairs" mentioned above - go on to more stringent testing and training. They advance over a period of years.


In an age in which superpowers can easily program satellites to hone in on a specific GPS so Intelligence and military can see what is happening anywhere in the world, there are still blind spots: inside buildings or structures. If terrorists planned their attacks outside, satellites could view them - but not yet hear them. If terrorists are planning their attacks inside an apartment building, a cave, a house, an office, they are often in a blind spot. It is then that psychic spies - or remote viewers, as the government prefers to call them - are instrumental in Intelligence gathering. What they see, hear and experience is then provided to analysts who use their data as a piece of the puzzle. Their information is verified on the ground whenever possible.


So how do you know if you are a highly sensitive person?


You can take this test: Are You Highly Sensitive?


You can read this article on 20 Signs You're a Highly Sensitive Person.


Read this article on 16 Habits of Highly Sensitive People.


Read this article on 15 Signs You are a Highly Sensitive Person.


Or simply search "highly sensitive person" to come up with a long list of articles and quizzes.


p.m.terrell is the author of more than 20 books including the award-winning Black Swamp Mysteries series featuring remote viewer/ psychic spy Vicki Boyd. For more information on her books and to purchase them through amazon, visit www.pmterrell.com.



Read an excerpt from Vicki's Key here.

The Dream that Changed a Life

What if a dream had the power to change the course of your life? It seems incredible but that’s what happened to me when I was twelve years old.

 

Before the age of twelve, I remember hurting every time I ate. It became a running joke in the family; every time I got up from the table, I complained that I had a stomachache. It became so commonplace that Pepto-Bismol was kept in the house so I could take a spoonful after every meal. I was often doubled over in pain, and at the age of eleven, my father took me to a doctor for a medical exam.

 

I'm the blond standing in front of Dad

The doctor asked me a lot of questions about my mother and why she wasn’t there with me; I explained—as best I could at the age of eleven—that she was at home taking care of my two brothers and two sisters. Then the doctor ordered an x-ray of my heart and told my father that there was nothing wrong with me, and I was complaining because I wanted attention.

 

So after that, everyone was told to ignore me when I complained.

 

Fast forward to my Aunt Louise’s visit. She was my mother’s twin sister and she refused to ignore me. She gathered me up and took me to the local clinic, where I waited for hours to be seen. I remember the look on the doctor’s face as he prodded my stomach. I was ordered to the hospital immediately. I remember the nurse wheeling me across the street to the hospital, and I remember vaguely going through painful tests before being wheeled into surgery a short time later.

 

I had Meckel’s Diverticulum and the intestines were blocked, a condition known as Intussusception. The part of my intestines that were blocked was removed.

 

What happened next changed my life.

 

As the anesthesiologist placed the mask over my face and directed me to count, I remember looking at the bright light above the operating table and counting backwards… And then I dreamed that I was above the table, looking down. I saw the doctor looking over instruments as the nurse arranged them, his gloved hands in the air. I saw the anesthesiologist sitting at the head of the table, monitoring a machine. I saw nurses gathering around me and the doctor bending over to slice open my abdomen.

 

Then I dreamed I was turning away from the operating table. I could suddenly see the hospital as though I was floating somewhere above it. I could see the parking lot of the clinic where I had been hours earlier; I watched as the nurse who wheeled me across the street left the clinic and walked to her car. I could see the streets laid out with a bit of traffic here and there.

 

And then I turned around.

 

Everything that I had seen was gone in a flash. I was staring instead at the most beautiful white city I had ever seen. To say it was white is an understatement; there is no white on earth that equaled its brilliance, its purity, its feeling. It literally vibrated.

 

I found myself inside the tallest building, whose spires were high above the city. Although there were no other humans, I sensed the presence of a number of beings who faded in and out. I knew instinctively that the room I was in was a library, and I was there for research and for study. At times I found myself in a classroom with other souls that pulsed with white energy; at other times, I sat at a table in the library with two souls that were obvious teachers.

 

By the end of my dream, I did not want to return to earth. It felt dirty to me after being in such a pristine place. But I was told in my dream that I had to go back; it was a terribly imperfect place but I was needed there. I was told that I would be a teacher; for years, I thought that meant a schoolteacher, as that was the only profession I could relate to at that age.

 

But as time passed, I found myself opening a computer company in Washington, DC. I started by teaching others how to use computers; in the early 1980’s, there were few personal computers in the workplace. Eventually, I would hire a number of others that I would personally train so they could teach simultaneous classes. And when I turned to computer programming and applications development, I taught others how to do what I did. For a time, I collaborated with Microsoft engineers in India on figuring out ways to make things happen in HTML that no one thought possible—and which today seems primitive by comparison.

 

When I retired from the computer industry, I turned to a different type of teaching: teaching through fiction. Each of my books teaches something in its plot, from how an election could be rigged through electronic voting… to how terrorists could walk into America through our porous borders… to the history of our country and the founding of Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, Tennessee) … to psychic spies and astral travel.

 

It was while writing Vicki’s Key, which is based on the true psychic spy program used by our government and others that I discovered that many others had experienced the same dream as I had, usually on an operating table, in an accident or a sudden trauma. I wrote the scenes in minute detail, depicting what psychic spies (often referred to as remote viewers) experienced when they left their bodies and traveled to specific points. Vicki Boyd, the psychic spy, has been a recurring character and her missions recurring themes in my Black Swamp Mysteries series. (Vicki's Key was a Finalist in both the 2012 International Book Awards and the 2012 USA Best Book Awards.)

 

I have taught others how to write; I have taught others how to get things accomplished in volunteer activities, ranging from book events and writers’ conferences to teaching inmates how to train dogs without punishment, to automating Crime Solvers and Crime Stoppers. And much more.

 

And I am not finished teaching yet. Until my last breath, I am certain I will be teaching someone, somewhere, something.

 

After all, it was in my dream.

 

The Black Swamp Mysteries series is available at all fine book stores and online. Visit www.pmterrell.com to view book trailers, read excerpts and click through to order the books on amazon in paperback and Kindle. The books are also available through the iBooks store, Nook, and all other eBook formats.

 

If you find any of my books available online for free, please be aware that they are counterfeit, usually come from Eastern Europe (Ukraine) or China, and contain malicious software.

 

Why CIA Operatives are Fish Breeders

In the Black Swamp Mysteries Series, CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd and CIA operative Dylan Maguire have a front as tropical angelfish breeders. But why are they pretending to be fish breeders? Why not be office staff, financial advisors, website designers, book editors, or a host of other career options?

The idea came to me because I breed freshwater angelfish as a hobby. If you haven't checked out my other blog, Vicki's Angelfish, you'll find videos, pictures and information including some adorable pics of baby angels swimming with their parents - or hanging by their wee heads on leaves.

But whenever I began talking about my angelfish - or any fish for that matter - people's eyes glazed over. (At left: Lindsay Buckingfish, who is a flamboyant ten inches tall.) I discovered that I could actually bore a person in ten seconds flat. That's when I realized it was the perfect front for a CIA operative.

Neighbors would think they were the most boring couple in the world, and they'd likely leave Vicki and Dylan alone.

They could work out of their home, so no one from an office setting would miss them when they disappeared for a few hours - or a few days.

They would have no storefront and no one would ever have a reason to meet with them. They would sell their baby angels wholesale to pet stores - all done online.

There are a few challenges, however.

They have to feed the angels and keep those tanks clean. Fish don't breed in dirty water, and angels are particularly finicky. They want the conditions perfect for their fry.

They also need to feed the fish on a regular basis. I feed mine daily; however, breeders will often stop feeding the fish three days prior to shipping them so their water will remain clear during transit. Luckily, Sam (their CIA boss) has filled in for them when they've been out of town on assignment.

If you were an undercover CIA operative, what business would you choose as your front?

New York Times Bestseller List

I still meet first-time authors who are convinced that their self-published book is going to rocket to the New York Times bestseller list. It's true that miracles happen and it would be awesome to know authors who have defied the odds and become overnight sensations. But the facts from the first quarter of 2016 show that the NYT bestseller list is dominated by the largest New York publishers.

Random House tops the list with 2,548 books on the list, garnering 30.2%

Penguin is next with 1,682 books or 19.9%

Hachette rounds out the Top Three with 1,213 books or 14.4%

HarperCollins comes in 4th with 945 books or 11.2%

Simon & Schuster is close behind with 923 books or 10.9%

And Macmillan trails with 653 books or 7.7%

The remainder - 486 books or 5.8% is all other publishers combined.

Why is this?

First, although the NYT closely guards how a book appears on their bestseller list, insiders point to book stores across the nation who submit their sales to the newspaper on a weekly basis. If a town has 1,000 residents and they sold 2 copies of a book in a given week, it could make that book a bestseller in that town. Once the information is obtained from all the book stores, statistics are drawn, conclusions made and the list goes to print.

If a book is not carried in these stores (and the list is highly confidential) there is no chance they'll be sold. And the largest publishers dominate the physical brick-and-mortar book stores.

Second, it costs a lot of money to get books into those stores. It requires a sales team pushing certain titles; insiders say that the publishers know exactly which books they will push to the bestseller lists. The publishers also have to be prepared to take back the books that don't sell, should their marketing and sales strategy fail. We've all seen books that have even reached the bestseller lists selling for a fraction of the cover price just to get rid of the excess inventory; only the largest publishers can afford those losses.

But there are other ways to measure success. Smaller publishers don't need to sell millions of copies to make a profit. Ebook and audio book sales can be effective revenue streams. Critical acclaim is one sign of success, even if large numbers of books are selling.

If you're an author, how do you measure your success?

And if you're a reader, how much emphasis do you place on a bestselling status before you'll buy it?

The Making of a Psychic Spy - Part 19

When I decided to write the Black Swamp Mysteries series featuring CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd, I decided I would make her role and the missions she worked as close to reality as possible. I immersed myself in reading true stories of psychic spy missions, much of which is available through the Freedom of Information Act or has been declassified.

One name that popped up over and over again was Russell Targ. You might remember him as a pioneer who helped to engineer lasers and laser technology that we often now take for granted. He is a physicist and an author, and during the 1970's and 1980's, he worked at Stanford Research Institute. His mission there was to explore psychic abilities and what became known as remote viewing. The funding for the project came from the CIA. Yes, that CIA.

As a scientist, Targ looked for proof. The results were often astounding, and led to more than 100 papers he published on ESP research as well as plasma physics and laser technology. One of his more recent books is The Reality of ESP: A Physicist's Proof of Psychic Abilities. He is known for pushing the boundaries of science and exploring the relatively new frontier of parapsychology, of psychic research, of spirituality, and of those things we can not explain in a three-dimensional world.

The Making of a Psychic - Part 18

Remote viewer or psychic spy?

This is a question our government asked themselves when they established the psychic spy program.

Concerned that the general public would not understand the use of the word "psychic" in an official government program, they came up with the term "remote viewer" - someone who views what is happening from a remote location.

In 1994, The Washington Post broke the story that the United States government was using psychics. They seemed to focus only on the negative aspects of the program and not on its successes, and because of that, many thought the program would die. However, the media storm only lasted a few days - a blink of an eye in media terms - and the program resumed just as it had before.

Although some government backers of the program initially distanced themselves out of fear of what their constituents would think of them, others rallied behind the cause. Officially, some of the programs were disbanded but in reality, other groups with more cover resumed the work.

It's important to note that psychic spies are used under strict scientific conditions, and each fact is checked by analysts and by boots on the ground. The more accurate a spy tends to be, the more assignments they receive. They also land larger and more important assignments. Those who have a rate of accuracy more in line with guessing soon find themselves out of the program.

The Making of a Psychic - Part 17

One of the toughest parts of a psychic spy's journey is learning how and when to stop the outside influences from permeating their psyches. It is similar to opening a door in which all manner of thoughts, actions, people and events will pour through. Without knowing when to close the door and how to get rid of all that excess clutter, a psychic can easily get burned out, become less effective or even resort to destructive behavior.

In some instances, psychic spies have turned to drugs or alcohol to mute the voices and turn off the images. There were even officially sanctioned experiments with drugs to determine their effectiveness. The end result, however, is the more drug-free and alcohol-free a psychic spy is, the more efficient and the more reliable they are in their missions.

For this reason, psychic spies undergo extensive testing - not only of their abilities but of their own hold on reality and their own sense of self.

Meditation has been proven extremely effective at keeping the psychics centered and for clearing their minds after a mission.

Physical activity has also proven effective, though the psychics must be careful because their sense of psychic "footing" and stability will be off-center following a mission. Something that would not be harmful, such as walking, is effective until they begin to feel more of a sense of reality. Something such as tennis would not be recommended because their reflexes don't match the level of their psychic activity.

Some psychics listen to classical music, watch movies or participate in a hobby - from stamp-collecting to sewing, from painting to bird-watching.

In Vicki's Key, Vicki is often very tired after a mission and requires sleep. This works well as long as the psychic "turns off" the psychic activity before sleeping; otherwise, they may continue to dream about the mission, its location and events. This occurs often with Vicki throughout the series, and she's begun to realize that her dreams should be taken as seriously as the mission during wakefulness.

The Making of a Psychic - Part 16

In Vicki's Key, I mention some of the side effects of working psychic missions. Vicki witnessed a fellow psychic spy walking out of a building at Fort Bragg after a session, and he almost seems to be sleep-walking. She finds, also, that she requires sleep afterward, as the effort drains her energy.

The side effects were straight from real psychic spies' recollection of what it felt like to perform these missions or witness others doing them. Sleep-walking through the day seems to be a very common thread, as spies feel like they have one foot in one dimension and other foot barely in the physical present.

Here is an excerpt from Vicki's Key after her CIA boss, Sam, and a coworker drop her off a few blocks from her house after a mission to Afghanistan:

The van stopped at the corner of 13^th and Walnut Streets as Sam slid the door open.

“You okay?” he asked as he stared at her intently.

“Of course I am,” Vicki replied, though she felt far from okay. As she climbed out of the van, she was almost angry with them for leaving her on the street like this. She knew, and they knew, that it was a common side effect for remote viewers to feel drugged after a session. Today was no exception. It felt intensified, she thought foggily, and she wondered if she was so out of practice that her sessions were throwing her body into a major turmoil. It was similar to awakening in the middle of a particularly vivid dream and feeling as if the dream was reality and her physical world was not. But when awakening, there was still the realization that she had been dreaming, whereas at the moment she felt as though she was still in the Hindu Kush. The little girl’s image was emblazoned in her mind, making her more tangible than Sam, who continued to stare at her or Julia, who, with a push of a button, was rolling down the passenger side window.

Regardless of Sam’s opinion, Vicki knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the little girl had seen her. It didn’t make sense; even as dazed as she felt, she knew it was completely illogical. And yet she knew it was real.

Julia reached across the front seat and handed her a package through the open window. “You got this at Johnny’s hot dog stand,” she said. “The band playing in the Plaza at lunchtime was Black Pearl. They played Love Will Keep Us Alive and Blues is My Business and Business is Good. You sat next to the fountain on a brick wall and listened to them.”

Vicki nodded silently. The information was emblazoned on her mind as if she’d truly spent the afternoon next to the fountain’s mist. She could even hear the songs as they might have been played.

“Elm Street is two blocks over,” Julia continued. “That way.” She pointed to the west.

“Got it,” Vicki answered.

After what felt like a long pause but in reality might have been mere seconds, Sam slid the back door closed. She heard it latch as Julia returned to the driver’s side and the window was rolled up as if she was being dismissed. Vicki stood with her arms hanging limply by her side, watching in a stupor while the van pulled away from the curb and turned north on Walnut Street.

She remained there for a moment longer like a sleepwalker awakening, trying to get her bearings. Her lungs felt strained with the thick, humid air. As she struggled to return to the present, she wondered if the tightness in her chest was due to the coastal humidity of North Carolina or the rapid change from the thin air of the Hindu Kush. Then she shook her head in disbelief. She hadn’t really been there, she reminded herself. It was a dream. It was all a dream.

She strolled down Walnut Street. Her eyes began to focus on her surroundings and yet, even as she faced her reality, she knew it hadn’t really been a dream. It was as real as the beautiful yellow house with the hanging ferns on the front porch. In contrast to the starkness of the Hindu Kush, Lumberton was alive in a medley of colors. She felt like Dorothy closing her eyes in the black and white imagery of Kansas only to open them to the kaleidoscope of Oz. And yet, it didn’t mean that Kansas—or Afghanistan—had been a dream.

Other side effects that psychics have reported include: 

the inability to focus on a conversation afterward; 

not realizing that they've "zoned out"; 

not remembering where they were or what they did directly after a mission;

missing an important appointment or commitment, such as a school event for a child or a commitment with a spouse;

bumping into things, tripping over sidewalk curbs, stumbling or seeming to move as if drunk;

absent-mindedly putting something in the wrong place--one instance reported a psychic tossing his car keys into a dumpster (fortunately for him, coworkers witnessed it and fished them out), or putting something in the freezer that didn't belong there;

exhibiting physical ailments that are related to the body's struggle to reunite with the psyche, such as headaches, stomach upsets, muscle aches and pains;

or overlooking serious symptoms because the psychic self-diagnoses that the symptoms are part of their psychic mission.

  Because of these side effects, each psychic mission also involves a handler; someone who not only witnesses the mission and makes certain it is audio-recorded, visually taped, or notes are taken, but someone who can keep an eye on the psychic until they have their bearings once again.

The Making of a Psychic - Part 15

Well, color me psychic.

An intriguing exercise I came across while researching psychic spies and how they train included visualizing color. An integral part of a psychic spy's abilities comes in the level of detail they are able to see in their mind's eye. The most successful spies are those that can see and memorize blueprints, buildings and landscapes, and even paperwork on a desk or items on a computer screen.

One of the exercises that enables psychics to hone their skills is in seeing colors.

For example, close your eyes and visualize yourself at the beach. White-hot sands, ocean waves, sea breeze, cloudless skies... Focus on that image for a few seconds, and then imagine yourself leaving the beach and walking through a wooded area followed by a field of flowers before reaching a bungalow.

Open your eyes and try to remember what you just experienced. How much detail was there?

Now try this exercise:

Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the beach. The sand is a combination of white and dark, as shadows begin to reach across it. You glance upward at the sky and find it a beautiful blue with fluffy white clouds. But in the distance, there are darker clouds forming, heralding the onset of a storm. The sea is a darker blue, almost indigo, but as the waves gather, you notice whitecaps so large that surfers have come out in droves.

You gather your belongings, which included a bright red beach towel and a yellow visor. You turn away from the sea and begin walking toward a grove of trees. A path winds its way through the trees, which effectively cuts off the sun and plunges you into shadows of deep green and brown.

Just ahead, you see the opening onto a vast field. As you get closer, you find the field is filled with brilliant flowers of deep purple, red, orange and yellow. There is a sea of color as far as the eye can see.

As you make your way across the field to a white bungalow with flamingo-pink shutters, you are amazed at the level of detail you can see in each of the flowers, from those that are cone-shaped to others that are wide and large, and still others that flow like beads on the growing breeze.

Now open your eyes.

How many of the colors were you able to see? The more color you can envision in this exercise, the more you're likely to retain - and see additional details.

In the Black Swamp Mysteries series, Vicki Boyd is one of the best psychic spies the CIA employs. She is able to see vividly the colors of each landscape she encounters. The colors often are clues to where she is and are often used by analysts to verify that she is in the correct position.

The Black Swamp Mysteries series consists of Exit 22, Vicki's Key (the first to introduce the psychic spy), Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan's Song and The Pendulum Files. Check out my website at www.pmterrell.com for information on each of the books, along with chapters you can download.

The Making of a Psychic - Part 14

While researching declassified missions conducted by psychic spies, some fascinating facts were revealed about impediments psychics can encounter. I used one of these in Vicki's Key, one of the books in my Black Swamp Mysteries series featuring CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd.

Vicki is tasked with discovering why there is so much interest in a remote village in Afghanistan - a village that would be impossible to visit in the flesh, because foreigners would be discovered immediately. Yet she is repeatedly repelled by massive heat and unable to continue because of it.

The phenomenon has been reported in several instances. Psychic spies who were interviewed after these missions have reported that they believed they were in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, something so powerful that even when they were not there physically but only through their psyches, it threatened to destroy them. Just as a person can be frightened to death or their minds can lead to physical damage, the same is true during psychic missions.

There is another instance in which massive amounts of heat were felt during psychic missions, causing real-life psychics to turn back. I used this in a scene out of Vicki's Key:

Soon the blackness gave way to the feeling that she was inside a tunnel, moving forward cautiously as a blast of heat began to rise up in front of her. In the distance were the sounds of cries, of panicked children and men barking orders. Vicki touched the wall of the tunnel and peered into the darkness, realizing she had gone in after the children and she was searching for them now.

“Shaista!” she called. “Shaista!”

She tried to move forward but the tunnel walls became as hot as flames, burning her hands and causing her to recoil. Why was it so hot? She thought in alarm. She had to move forward, she had to find the children, but this heat was holding her back. It was as if she’d stepped through the gates of Hell.

She recalled the house built against the mountain and how the heat had risen from the door to block her entry. She had gone through it, she reminded herself, and she can go through it again.

She stepped back and tried to take a deep breath but the air was thick and stale. Dust seemed to be everywhere and it invaded and scorched her lungs. Her chest felt constricted and she knew with a rising panic that if she didn’t go back, she would perish there.

But the children, she thought. She had to save the children.

She tried to move forward again and again but each time, the fiery heat pushed her back.  What is in here? She thought. Her mind raced like a computer searching a database, looking for clues, needing answers.

The Ark of the Covenant, Sam had said. It wasn’t that. She knew it, she could feel it. The Holy Grail? No. It was nothing religious.

She touched the walls gingerly, trying not to pull back when her fingertips felt scorched. It wasn’t emeralds. It wasn’t gems. They were mining something, something so dangerous that her spirit was warning her away from it—

When the answer came to her, it appeared in a rush so forceful that it nearly swept her off her feet, sucking her out of the tunnel. Uranium. They were mining uranium.

For whatever reason, uranium does have the composition to create massive amounts of heat during psychic missions. It has become so documented that when psychic spies encounter it, they know almost instinctively that they are nearing uranium. 

And what of the Ark of the Covenant? Perhaps some day we'll discover it and we'll know when why it's properties are so valuable that it has successfully repelled psychics for millenia. 

Until then, it will no doubt be the stuff of legends, movies and books.

Vicki's Key is available in print in all fine book stores and retailers and online. You can find the trade paperback on amazon by following this link, and in Kindle format here. For all other eBook formats, follow this link or look for it in the iBooks store or on Nook. Vicki's Key was a finalist in both the 2012 International Book Awards and the 2012 USA Best Book Awards.