Author Ben Ireland is a murderer.
He says so himself. “I have a bad habit of killing people in my writing.” Indeed, becoming a character in a Ben Ireland story could be a death sentence. After all, this writer invented a fairyland where humans often died (Moments in Millenia, Xchyler Publishing). “My mother doesn’t approve,” he admits. But other than that, more »
My house is haunted
gingercmann : October 15, 2015 12:31 pm : Aunt Betty, Characters, Prose, Water Cooler Blog
They stalk me, they surround me. I am not alone.
My house belongs to “them.”
They are everywhere. I put something away, it jumps back out. I walk down the hallway, something walks behind me. The television turns itself on, the lights flicker, a dish falls to the floor. Sometimes, a piano plays. In the thick veil of early morning, I hear them and feel them. They stalk me, they surround me, I am not alone. more »
Storytelling is important, right? Yes for fiction, yes for history, and a third yes for current events. Why just report the news when you can tell about it? That’s what the Georgetown View Magazine does. Where I live, the View is a small window into the people, places, and things that share our neighborhoods. Not a local paper, but local tales. True ones.
I was honored to receive my first assignment from them last year, which went into print this past January. I took a second one for February, and I like them enough to keep on writing stories. It turns out that Georgetown is an interesting place with lots of local history.
My next Georgetown View? Ghosts! I will keep you posted. Keep an eye on the magazine site, and look for October.
A Monster and a Gentleman
gingercmann : October 22, 2015 2:00 pm : Beyond the Wail, Characters, XchylerA Walk with Thomas Murphy
And Author Julie Barnson
Thomas Murphy said the ghost was harmless
But I knew the truth, and I was out to prove it.
I am fond of my little Walks, you know . . . it’s not every author who gets to act out a scene with someone else’s character. So far, I have been a set of twins, a steampunked tourist, a girl who rides a flying horse, and a medical student. With that understanding, it should come as no surprise to see me play a smarmy, scum-of-the-earth gossip columnist. Anything for you.
Why? Well, to meet this fascinating young man, Thomas Murphy. He’s barely alive at the end of Julie Barnson’s story “Go Gentle.” His granddaughter talks with him in his sickbed. But I, or rather my character, met him way back in the year 1969. Thomas Murphy just bought a farm outside of the tiny little town where I live. I am playing the journalist grand-daughter of an established local family. As a member of the media, I know that the town has a dark history. In fact, I know everything about this town; but I love to dig up scandalous new stories and put them into print.
Today’s walk happened on Mr. Murphy’s property. I traveled there to investigate a popular ghost story, but I had good reason to suspect that the ghost was no rumor. Watch what happened when I tried to tease him out of Thomas Murphy’s barn.