EVPs, Spectre Detectors & some really bad ghost crafts.

Okay, I was kidding about the ghost crafts...maybe. Stop by and say hello June 8th!

Field Day and Loser Ribbons

My kids love field day. I think it's an experiment in who comes out on top and who gets a swirly from the Young Republicans club. It's supposed to be fun: games, Popsicles, bruises, blisters and possible heat exhaustion. Wait. Field day sucks.

My worst memories of the day are wrapped up in a collection of gold loser ribbons. Now kids are patted on the back and told they're awesome when they get dragged across the field during Tug-of-War because their parents were handed fake satin ribbons at the end of their field days and they know the feeling of being told you're a complete doofus with the rest of the class. I'd trudge home, soaking wet from water games that made my nose run and my hair look like rat tails around my face. I'd squeeze out my sneakers, watching the muddy water pool on the cement sidewalk next to the house in suburban California and compare lacerations with my best friend who also sported a gold ribbon. The athletic children who tossed cabers in their backyards would ride by, their red ribbons flashing from the handlebars of their bikes like a winking Devil's eye. I'd plot revenge then give my ribbon to my hamster to tear up for bedding.

The swings were removed from the playground at one of my daughters' schools last week, yesterday kickball was banned yet field day continues. Pretty soon they'll call that one day a year "recess." Maybe a little flag football wasn't so bad after all.

Rough beauty: Abandoned houses in northern Virginia

After years of being a history buff, degrees in history and archaeology, and spending countless hours roaming around places that should have been condemned in the US and Europe, I discovered there's an actual job that goes along with it: architectural historian. It's fancy way of saying I love old buildings but it doesn't quite encapsulate the lure of what secrets are tucked away within their walls so I'm going to explore and see what I find in my tiny corner of Virginia.

I especially love decrepit buildings though maturity and a healthy fear of tetanus shots have stopped me from scrambling around dangerous places -- for the most part. Photographs only tell part of the story -- I want it all. There has to be a good ghost story in there somewhere, eh?

Have a building near you that is falling apart? Is it an eyesore or a rough beauty?

Want to see more? Follow my Rough Beauty board on Pinterest!

When author photos (mine) go goofy

I woke up to a wee surprise this morning, photos from a shoot in 2010 taken by my friend, LaMishia Allen, were tagged on my Facebook profile. She's a genius but not even she could make me look less goofy so to all those authors out there trying to keep your chin up, eyes bright & suck in that gut -- we're all doomed.

I'm seriously not sure what I was going for in this picture. Bond villainess?
Kissing my grandmother? Golf clap?

Why yes, I'll be happy to take your mortgage application.

The best part of the day was hanging out with my daughter (#2 for those playing the home game). I can't wait to post this one on her Facebook page. heheheheh

In other news, reviews are staggering in for the Zombie Tarot (releases June 5th) and I couldn't be happier!  Thank you to everyone that took a peek!

A couple of reviews:

A Tarot Deck for the Zombie Apocalypse: Esoteric Insight for Surviving the Undead Uprising

On Zombie Tarot Cards

Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom: The Zombie Tarot

 

A completely unbiased review of the Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide (video)

I love the reviews coming in for the Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide (thank you!). This one takes the prize for most awesome -- and for calling me Graham Cracker.

Love the book? Send me a video review!

Thank you, Annabelle!

Happy Book Birthday, Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide!

My life has always been a bit spooky. Yeah, big surprise. It didn't knock me over the head though until I was in my late teens. My dog, Jake, had just been put to sleep after lymphoma had ravaged his body -- but never his spirit. A week after his passing, I'd see shadows out of the corner of my eye, just close enough to get my attention but fading when I turned my head. Then I'd feel his presence as he flopped down next to me, I could almost feel the weight of his head on my lap as I sat in bed and missed my friend and companion of seven years. Jake moved on a few weeks later but it sparked my curiosity. I'd always loved ghost stories -- what if there were more to it than floating heads in gothic corridors?

A bit later I stayed at a friends house for the night. Before turning out the lights, I read a magazine only to see a woman peeking over the cover at me from the foot of the bed. Lowering the paper, I saw a middle-aged lady wearing an early 20th century styled dark-colored dress. Her hair was black and pulled back into a bun and boy, was she pissed. Her eyes bore into mine with a fury I save for political campaigns and her hands clenched at her sides. I don't get excited easily -- I resumed reading the magazine and forgot about it until the next morning. While getting into my car and saying goodbye to my friend, I felt a hand run down my back to remind me. Apparently this house has been hopping with activity for years and I'd described a woman her grandfather had often seen.

That kicked my investigative gene into action. I started chatting people up. Men in teepees who told me I was transcending and mingling with the ancestors: I think it was the giant crop of pot in back of the teepee that made my eyes wonky. Old ladies at psychic fairs who held my hand and told me I'd marry a boy named Bryan (I did, six years later). And later my own investigations into creaky old houses and digging into the history of houses and families whose names were etched on walls but not in memories. This led to twenty years of investigating the paranormal with a skeptic's eye, I'm willing to believe - but it'd better be good.

The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide releases today from Sourcebooks and I couldn't be happier if you fed me calorie-free donuts all day. It's a fun, activity-filled book for ages 9+ and great for girls and boys with step-by-step directions on how to conduct research and an investigation while being safe, responsible and still maintaining the ability to say "why not?" when faced with phenomena that may not be easily explained. Thank you to my agent, Dawn Frederick, for instantly believing in the project and her support, my crackerjack editor and publicist at Sourcebooks: Kelly Barrales-Saylor & Derry Wilkens, and my friends and family who thought every weird story and experiment kicked butt.

Now go out there and have some fun by ordering GGHG! I'm working on glow-in-the-dark Spectre Detectors for the website and a new book proposal or two. I love this gig.

Care for a peek?
Sourcebooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide website

Join me tonight on Twitter for a book launch party! Follow me at @staceyigraham and pop in between 8-9p EST with the hashtag #summerreads to chat with myself and other authors whose book birthday I share for a chance at winning fabulous prizes! See you there!