Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Collecting Ghost Stories

Collecting Ghost Stories

Everyone who knows me, knows I collect ghost stories. I don't just watch the programs on cable, I actually clip news articles about haunted places (the month of October always sees a whole slew of these in the newspaper). And when I do a school visit or a signing, I invariably ask people to share a true ghost story with me. Some of the tales they have me told still make my hair stand on end.
Last week, my husband and I were vacationing up in Door County, Wisconsin for the Memorial Day weekend. We stopped in at Grandma Tommy's Country Store just out of curiosity and were greeted with the customary and wonderful display of cherries (dried, frozen, chocolate covered), cheese, jams, honey, fudge, gift baskets, tee shirts, and the usual sundry items that make tourist shopping so much fun. I wandered back to the book rack that held the cookbooks, local guides, and gift books, and was pleasantly startled to find a copy of my own Ghosts of Lake Michigan sitting on the top of the rack.
Jim, my husband, who is well aware of how much publicizing I need to do and how much I actually don't, literally grabbed the book in one hand, my arm in the other, and propelled me up to the cash register to ask if she wanted me to sign the copy they had. The young girl behind the register introduced us to her mother, the store owner, and that very nice lady, my husband, and I had a terrific conversation about the store, about her choice of books (she's going to order more of mine! Yay!), and best of all, about ghosts.
While we were standing there, she proceeded to tell us two ghost stories, one of them involving Grandma Tommy's Country Store itself. She confided that she doesn't normally talk so openly about this sort of thing so that people won't think she's crazy, but given the subject matter of my book, she had no problem sharing her stories with me.
I not only collect ghost stories, I remember who told me the stories, and where we were at the time. Against the backdrop of all the true experiences I've heard, this one will always be a standout.
www.grandmatommy's.com

5 comments:

  1. When I was a volunteer at the Dahlonega Book Festival (that's in Georgia in case you didn't know for sure), one of the local authors had done a book on "Haunted Dahlonega" and they had her doing a story telling session about the book in the old theater. As she was telling about the people she interviewed around the area and the different ghost stories, pointing out that a jokster supposedly haunted the theater and that a prominent gentleman had been murdered in the theater (funny thing is I almost sat in the seat that was "his" but moved two seats in to partake in the story session), while she was talking I'm pretty sure I saw the jokster ghost behind her mimicking her and dancing around trying to get her attention.

    If you are ever down south, especially the Carolinas and Georgia, there are tons of haunted places to visit and get first hand experience with the real ghosts of the different places.

    I've had one ghost visit me when I was about 12 years of age (yeah long time ago because I just turned 50 yesterday - lol) but she could have bee more like an angel/apparition than a ghost. I don't really know what she was other than she had a message to give me, gave it and left and I've not seen her again.

    The house we are living in is probably haunted because the man who built it or owned prior to us apparently was killed in a car wreck and when we first moved in and I'd be here by myself, knowing full well the kids were at friends' houses and my husband was working (he works third shift), I would hear someone walking around upstairs, the TV would get louder in sound and then go low again and similar things but nothing like a poltergeist or a mean ghost. I think the dogs know he's there because every once in a while they will do some weird barking/growling and no one will be here.

    I invite you to visit some of the south's haunted places when you get a chance. Rewrite some of the stories from this part of the country - lol. E :)

    Elysabeth Eldering
    Author of Finally Home, a middle grade/YA paranormal mystery
    http;//elysabethsstories.blogspot.com
    http://eeldering.weebly.com
    (Day 2 of the 50-day giveaway blitz has been here and almost gone; stop by for chances to win all kinds of giveaways in honor of my 50th birthday; today's giveaway is a signed copy of my paranormal mystery)

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    1. Hey Elysabeth (love the spelling of your name, by the way) I am so sorry I took so long to get back to you. Actually, I'm a HUGE fan of ghost and paranormal stories from the south. I hear there's actually a ghost tour that starts in Savannah and ends in Charleston, or something like that. My husband and I have talked about getting there, we're just trying to figure out when (we're raising our 4-year old and don't get away as often as we would like). Thanks for sharing your tales. I have never seen a ghost, despite all the haunted places I've been, but I'm okay with that! I've heard and felt plenty, that's for sure. I hope to meet you someday. We could have a really fun conversation face to face!

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    2. Thank you for liking the spelling of my name. I'm a bit jealous in that you've been to New Orleans which is somewhere I've not been, at least in this lifetime - lol. I've not heard of the Savannah to Charleston tour but do know each has their own tours (they are about an hour from each other so not sure how they would do two different states/towns tour being a good distance from each other, but I guess anything is possible). Savannah is a very haunted town as is Charleston. I did one of the Charleston tours (there are probably as many tours as their are ghosts in the area) with a friend I met online; it was pretty cool. Especially right around Halloween when all the ghosts really come out.

      Hearing and feeling the ghosts is just as good as seeing them. I've only seen a few but I know they exist. Mostly have heard them or felt them. I think a person has to be extra sensitive to the spirit world to know they are there.

      I'd love to hear about your explorations when you get to the point of traveling and can explore other places. You probably could write a hundred books on all the haunted places you visit - lol. Good luck with everything. See you all in the postings and don't let the ghosties scare you too much - E :)

      Elysabeth Eldering
      Author of Finally Home, a middle grade/YA paranormal mystery (written similar to a Nancy Drew mystery)
      http://elysabethsstories.blogspot.com
      http://eeldering.weebly.com

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  2. Oooo! I like ghost stories too. A few years ago we were visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Charleston, SC, and decided to take a twilight tour of the historic district where beautiful old houses dating back to the Civil War era are located. The guide was fantastic. Nearly every house we stopped at had a resident ghost. So, of course, I had to go to the bookstore and went home with some great books about legends and ghosts. This is where my idea for my YA paranormal story, Listen to the Ghost, came from.

    I know you'll remember those stories for always. I also attended a convention of ghost hunters where they showed videos and tapes where we could hear the ghost and see the images. Very interesting.

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    1. Hey Bev, I've been kind of away for days at a time so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I'm amazed at how many writers on this blog are into the paranormal. Are you from the south? I want to get down there to experience some of what I've heard. Got to New Orleans for a much-to-short trip and would love to go back. But the Savannah to Charleston ghost trip (I read somewhere there is one) would be icing on the cake!

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