Ghost Encounters

Smoke Tinged Halloween Moon

Everyone has experienced some sort of paranormal ... something. A dream that seems to foretell the future, a feeling that something is about to happen. We may laugh at it, after the fact, but a great many of us do pause and reflect int he moment when it happens. So it is with ghosts.

Ninety-percent of the religions on this planet subscribe to the notion that every being has a spirit - a soul, if you will - that leaves the body upon death to journey to whatever afterlife it believes in. Perhaps that spirit lingers a bit so that it can take one last look around before making the journey. And if you happen to be in the vicinity, you just might be lucky enough to experience the energy of that spirit.

Okay, start laughing at me if you like, and tell me that it's all smoke and mirrors put out there by people who want to make a dollar off the saps who believe in the supernatural. Sure, there are reality TV shows, haunted castles and homes all around the world where you can spend your vacation, and even midnight cemetery tours. How can an educated person believe in them?

What I do believe is the overwhelming push to do something I had no intention of doing, or the calming presence that wraps itself around me in moments of sorrow. Do I believe in ghosts? The question should be, why do you not believe in them?

My Playlist for the One I Love

Music is the window of the soul. What you listen to tells others your mood, how you feel about things around you, and how you feel about them. Although we are often playful and enjoy all types of music, this playlist says it all when it comes to the relationship that my husband and I have - even after all the years we've been together.

the story of my life by neil diamond

Need I say more

always and forever by heatwave

pirates and poets by Bertie Higgins

New Orleans Lovers

Excerpt from "Before the Applause", a novel by me (Judith McGuinness) due out this holiday season. Enjoy!

Turning on the barstool, Leticia parted her knees so that Johnny could move closer. To her delight, he did so without a moment of hesitation.

“Hey yourself,” she purred as she leaned back on her elbows against the bar.

The move thrust her curvaceous breasts upward. Johnny’s attention immediately fixated on the rise and fall of the creamy flesh above the neckline of her dress. He gave a gentle tug on her waist, pulling her core against his hips, and leaned forward to bring his face close to hers.

As she ran her tongue over her lips to moisten them in anticipation of a kiss, Johnny closed his eyes. He breathed in the scent of her perfume before pressing his mouth to those plump, oh so inviting lips. The taste of whiskey and of Leticia made his heart beat faster and his body immediately began to harden.

He worked his tongue between her lips so that he could explore her mouth. The sensation of his tongue gliding sensually over and around hers sent her head spinning. She would never get tired of his insanely good kisses.

Ignoring the fact that they were in a public place, Leticia reached down so that she could touch what she wanted most. She found him nearly fully erect and straining against the confines of his trousers.

He chuckled against her mouth. “This may be New Orleans, bebe, but we need a more private venue if we’re going to continue down this path.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Then what are we still doing here?” she cooed.

A Children's Book Every Child Should Read

The author reminds us of friendship, hardship, and to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things. What better lesson is there for a child to learn?

In this story, an affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved.

This Book = Too Much of a Good Thing?

Once in a great while you come across an author who writes a fantastic book. The plot is full of twists you didn't expect and the characters are, well, WOW. But then something really bad happens. The author decides to make a series out of that one terrific story.

Ms. Kenyon's first few books in her Dark series had a unique take on vampires and vampire hunters. Although they were well written, they were predictable, and I kept reading them. By the time Book 5 rolled out, I hoped that something would happen to recapture my waning attention. Not a chance, bucko.

Then came Book 6, and ditto. Which brings me to Seize the Night, Book 7 in the series. After the build up from the author's website and the anticipation of meeting a different kind of hero, I went to the bookstore and flipped through the pages.

Oh no, it was from the same cookie-cutter. Again. It was the same storyline ... set in the same city as all the others ... with the same tragic hero and feisty heroine ... same villians ... and the same rescue the hero so they can live happily ever after ending. I nearly gagged.

Needless to say, I did not buy Book 7, nor any book she has written since then.

I'm sure Ms. Kenyon's loyal fans are at this moment taking up arms in preparation to storm my door, but I ask them to take a moment and think. The storyline might be great once, maybe twice, but enough is enough. What ever happened to a writer's imagination?

As an author myself, I wrack my brain trying to come up with unique plots in order to keep things fresh. Even the characters in my three-book miniseries evolve from book to book. My publisher tells me not to try so hard, to find a "formula" and stick to it. That if I did, I could be on the NYT Bestseller List like Ms. Kenyon and all the other writers who stick to a theme ad infinitum.

No thank you. I will continue to write my own stories, each of them its own little gem (even if it's only in my mind) so that in years to come someone will not be blogging about how my Book 7 was a disappointment.

The Best Advice I Ever Received

It's a Great Big World Out There

Sunset on Huntington Beach, California, Pacific Ocean

A lot of people give you advice on monumental occasions, such as graduation and getting a new job. Some of the wisdom comes straight out of the "Giving Advice on a Monumental Occasion" manual and is repeated many times throughout your life because people feel they need to give advice. Once in a while, however, someone tells you something that makes an impact upon you.

A very wise person once told me to follow my own path, no matter where it leads. At the time, I was more than content to be just like all my friends, to do the things they did, and to surround myself with people who were of the same cookie-cutter design.

Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to belong, to be surrounded by people and things with which you are comfortable, but it often leaves you in a rut. You do the same kind of work, go to the same places every night, like the same people. You start to wonder what's out there in the great big world beyond your small circle of familiars. You start to hear those words of advice given to you long ago.

In a daring move, I listened to my heart and began to follow my own path. To my surprise, it led me far, far away from everything I had known. I found new friends, more interesting friends. I changed jobs and found an entirely new career that left me feeling as if I actually accomplished something each day and made a difference in other lives. I grew as a person and liked what I saw in the mirror. I discovered that I wasn't the person I had been so comfortable being.

I found the man I love who will love me forever.

Now, when I am in a position to pass on a pearl of wisdom to another person, I tell them the same sage words that were told to me: Be yourself.
Break away from the mold you are in and see what's out there. You might come back to familiar territory, but you might also find a world that is truly spectacular.

My Dream Vacation

[St. Stephen's Green Park, Dublin. County Dublin, Ireland] (LOC)

My dream vacation is actually a dream that came true, and I relive it every day. That's because I met my husband while I was on vacation.

I wasn't supposed to go to Ireland; I had planned on spending a week in Spain. I had paid for the tickets and everything. But then, one night I saw one of those commercials for Irish Spring soap on TV and I had an overwhelming desire to go to the land of jigs and brogues and cabled sweaters.

Needless to say, it was a chore to change all my travel arrangements, but it was worth it. The country was beautiful, the culture was charming, and the pubs were ... fantastic.

On my last night of what had been the best vacation I had ever taken, a man walked into the pub where I was feeding my new addiction to Guinness Stout. I caught a glimpse of him standing at the door where he was staring at me. All of a sudden, he pushed his way through the crowd to my table and asked if he could buy me a drink (even though my glass was still full). I hate being hit on in bars, and had turned away several other young men that night, but I looked up at him and said "I'd like that." It was like a scene from a movie and I knew in that moment he was the love of my life.

Twenty-five years later, he is still the most romantic man in the world who can sweep me off my feet with a smile. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a vacation I was not supposed to take turned from a dream into reality.