Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Out of the corner of your eye have you ever caught a glimpse of something, and then when you turn it’s gone?
Have you heard creaks and bangs that can’t be explained?
Has the temperature around you suddenly become chilled?
Do you believe in ghosts?
I do!

Since ghosts play a significant part in my first book, The Silver Crescent, I thought I would share some of my ghostly encounters with you.
Ghost and witches have to be the most fun and versatile creatures to write about. Your ghost can be solid or transparent, look perfectly normal or hideous, be nasty or nice, helpful or mischievous.

I’ve personally experienced a few incidents that can’t be explained. The one that stands out the most is the time I was zapped by the voodoo queen Marie Laveau. Due to the low elevation of the city, most of the cemeteries in New Orleans are above ground, and, because of the rows of tombs, are known as cities of the dead. The tombs, or mausoleums, can be plain or ornate. Weeping angels may hover over them. Some are still kept up by family members, and some have crumbled as a result of neglect. I find them to be both fascinating and creepy.

A few years ago my husband and I were in New Orleans touring St. Louis Cemetery #1. We were with a group, and when we stopped in front of Marie’s tomb the strangest sensation came over me. I became dizzy and had to sit down. I felt so bad we had to leave the tour. The further we got from the cemetery the better I felt. Now, my husband will tell you it was heat exhaustion, but it wasn’t that hot and I felt fine until we stopped in front of the tomb.

The second was when I was having afternoon tea at an old house with three of my friends. The house had been converted into a combination B&B/tea room. The house is listed as one of the most haunted houses in Ohio and has had numerous ghostly sightings. I told the owner I was an author and was planning on using a haunted historic home in my next book. She was gracious enough to let us tour the bedrooms upstairs. I felt absolutely nothing until we stopped in the doorway of one bedroom. What happened next was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced. I was standing next to my girlfriend, and suddenly I was hit with a force so hard I grabbed her arm for support. I began to tremble uncontrollably and a sensation of extreme sadness came over me. All I could say was “Get me out of here.” My one friend, who believes in ghosts about as much as my husband does, said I turned white and that the look of fear on my face made a believer out of her.

My uncle’s house in Michigan is located in the Irish Hills. The house, which sits on a hill overlooking Sand Lake, was built in the late nineteenth century. As old houses do, it has its creaks and groans. But in this case it hasn’t only been me who’s heard the footsteps when there’s no one there, doors banging shut when nobody is coming in or going out, and seeing the hair on the back of the Labrador retriever stand on end as he stares into an empty corner and growls.
One night while we were visiting and everyone had gone to bed, my husband was reading on the couch when he began to hear bumps and bangs coming from the kitchen. The skeptic that he is, he couldn’t resist getting up to take a look. He figured it was as good a time as ever to meet his first ghost. He didn’t see anything, but he had to admit he heard something.
If you’ve ever had any ghostly experiences, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment.