Tag Archives: stories

August 6, 2025 · 9:45 am

The Haunted Halifax Citadel )O(

Merry meet all,

Here is my first article for the Paranormal Daily News!!

Haunted Halifax Citadel – Canada’s Spookiest Ghost Tour

Brief history of the Halifax Citadel

Halifax is a charming maritime city in Nova Scotia, Canada, brimming with spooky historical legends. Ghost stories are often laced with tragedy and nowhere is that more true than at the Halifax Citadel, and Halifax itself, where the dead roam amongst the living.

The Halifax Citadel is a national historic site. Four fortifications were constructed on Citadel Hill since the British founded the city in 1749 and are often referred to as Fort George. Only the third fort which was built between 1749 and 1800 was officially named Fort George, after King George III.

While Citadel Hill was never attacked, the Citadel is significant in its defence of the Halifax Harbour and the Royal Navy dockyard.

The British founded Halifax to act as a counterbalance to the French stronghold of Louisburg, which was returned to French control the previous year by the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Edward Cornwallis, the appointed governor, arrived on June 21, 1749 to settle Halifax. He traveled to Halifax and was followed by 13 transports that carried about two thousand settlers. Halifax was a strategic city during the next decade in the ongoing Anglo-French rivalry in the region. The British had recruited Protestant settlers from Europe and built fortifications to protect them from raids by the French, colonial Acadians and allies from the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi’kmaq).

The infamous ‘Father Le Loutre’s War’ (1749-1755) began when Edward Cornwallis, the appointed governor, arrived on June 21, 1749 to settle Halifax. He was followed by 13 transports that carried about two thousand settlers.

The current star shaped Halifax Citadel fort was a massive masonry-construction designed to protect against a land or water-based attack from the United States. Completed in 1858, the star shape structure was purposely designed to give many lines of fire from the defenders. A few portions of the hill were built with tunnels, which could be provided with explosives and detonated from the forts. The British forces enhanced Fort George’s armaments by using heavier and more accurate long-range artillery. By the end of the 19th century, the role of the Halifax Citadel changed to a command center for other harbor defenses and to provide barrack accommodations.

During the Second World War, the role of Halifax Citadel was to provide temporary accommodations, signaling and a coordination point for the city’s aircraft defenses during the war. Today, Parks Canada operates the Citadel as the Halifax Citadel National Historic site of Canada. The fort has been restored to its appearance as it was in the Victorian Era.

For many years, a set of military gallows with a flogging post, stood in the centre of the CitadelHill parade grounds.

In 1935, Citadel Hill was designated a National Historic Landmark but showed signs of decay. Some Halifax downtown businesses suggested demolishing the fort and using the space for parking and development.

Restoration of the Halifax Citadel

Thankfully, the historic Halifax Citadel was recognized for its worth. The historical significance and the tourism potential led to its preservation and gradual restoration. In 1956, the site had been partially restored and opened for business as a Halifax army museum. It was home for the Nova Scotia Museum and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Parks Canada fully restored the famous fort to its full grandeur in the 1990s. It was a common practice for the restoration workers to leave dated coins in the mortar or under replaced stone walls. The coins were a marker of what areas had been worked on and when.

Today, the site is still managed by Parks Canada. The Halifax Citadel is one of the most visited National Historic Sites in Atlantic Canada. The grounds of the Citadel are open to the public year round. From the spring to fall, living history programs feature animators portraying the 78th Highland Regiment, stationed in Halifax from 1869 to 1871, the 78th Highlanders Pipe Band, the Third Brigade of the Royal Artillery, and tradespeople. Halifax Citadel sees up to 200,000 visitors and tourists annually.

The Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour

One significant attraction the Citadel offers is a year-round daily ceremonial firing of the noon gun, a reminder of the fort’s role in the city’s defenses. The best attraction for me and many other people are the ghost tours offered by the staff at Halifax Citadel.

A costumed guide leads you through a 70-minute walk, weaving stories intended to keep you awake all night. Be prepared to be spooked. You meet the guide on the drawbridge at the main gate and are led by candlelight (spooky setting!) through tunnels and prison sites, and hear true tales of many unexplained events in their real locations.

Monsters in the Modern World

Merry meet all,

Today’s post will be about monsters in the modern world. Or, rather, in our stories. We are all familiar with vampires, werewolves, and flesh-eating zombies. The most common tropes in horror movies and fiction have grown rather staid. Readers and audiences have seen everything under the pale blue moon. It is more important to reinvent horror tropes. In fact, it is not just necessary, it is absolutely vital. Creating your own monsters or breathing new life into the monsters that are too common today is the best way to get published.

I created a new monster for my novella Cult of the Spider People. One way to reinvent a horror trope is to take something very mundane and make it weird. I know many people are scared of spiders but I made spiders my own way for my novella. I gave the spider creatures- the smaller ones – human head on their shoulders. See how I did that? Then once the mortal characters are held captive in the realm of Arachnall, they encounter more spider creatures that are part human, part spider but they are one hundred percent my own creation.

Be original in your efforts and it will get noticed. We all know that Freddy Kreuger lurks in our nightmares and that other ominous serial killers lurk in shadowy alleys just waiting for an unwary prey. What if one of these monsters gave something instead of taking something away- what if someone was begging to die and was forced to be kept alive then they encounter one of those serial killers who grants them their wish? Or makes them omnipotent.

Another suggestion is the current state of the world. War, genocide and environmental degradation are rich with material to fill the pages of a novel. The idea of nature turning on us while frightening is not new but maybe you could find a way to put your own spin on it. There are reference books that can help you figure out how to reinvent the horror tropes.

One good book to refer to is The Horror Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer Hilt. Here is what Amazon had to say about this amazing book:

“Join me as we examine:

1). What is horror? What’s a trope? Some applicable definitions and examples. How to avoid stereotypes and cliches.
2). An extensive look at how the amnesia trope in horror.
3). Fifty plus trope entries with definitions and examples in current horror movies and series.
4). Practice using goal, motivation, and conflict in conjunction with tropes to create unique horror-centric characters. By analyzing tropes in various horror subgenres, you will learn how to identify tropes.

The horror genre is the study of our relationships with monsters. Personally, I can’t think of a better thing to study! Join me as we figure out what goes bump in the night.

From the USA Today Bestselling Author of The Trope Thesaurus comes a unique approach to crafting horror stories.

The Trope Thesaurus has over 200 Amazon reviews. Here is one sample review:

A Customer
Fuel for thought Jan 1, 2022
Forget everything you think you know about tropes. The author does a fantastic job of illustrating that not only do the obvious tropes exist in entertainment media, but if you dig deeper, you see a fast treasure trove of tropes bubbling beneath the surface.

She does a fantastic job of breaking down the bigger genres into their tropes, proving that, honestly, all genres share the same story beneath the trappings of the genre. It’s about characters and tropes and GMC.

With humor and a deft touch, she explains how to find tropes, twist them, wiggle them, jig them to work for you in a story, and, most importantly, that not all tropes are All Important. Many secondary tropes can do some heavy lifting, too, to create compelling stories that readers will lap up like sugar.

This book is going into my writer toolkit.” (Amazon.ca)

Here is the link to the book: https://www.amazon.ca/Horror-Trope-Thesaurus-Jennifer-Hilt/dp/B0BF336ZV8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HIFYCKOE345W&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WWmWB5-vK26z4NNpXiXxoQDFUKR2LGRi4-PC38CZCM9i3rUPhueIxaifj38nKFc6s9kj5lgosq5M99taH1n7CjIjQF1o_7ztLmWAyaCBmAtGBobl27zYrUw00p5mQd7S_SzO9j4EEEXWpLRR7j1EOtZr-dJAioaEM9cWquhUFOqXSW3mWPNZ8uNT3fjmbTqm3TWwB_6Y0aFH0STLCdwmi-lStvfGcNS4QWtdGi_tCyTgFoTFDuZctwRwKIRIjdaTZN3reD0WZZ-IMv0YJ6lf0e9P812U2_aDiPHjJWZ7sxc.ySGBNZ-N9OZgU0mEH6TCdfuhDOO-binNLJb7l-DBl8k&dib_tag=se&keywords=horror+tropes&qid=1718126727&sprefix=horror+tropes%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-1

I am sure there are other reference books to use while brainstorming a new monster into your fiction. That book is just a start. It is hugely important to create your own tales that only you can tell. That is what makes your fiction stand out from the slush pile.

The character from the movie Jurassic Park said that creation was an act of sheer will. Let your act of creation be uniquely yours! You may just see your book selling on Amazon and keeping readers awake late at night.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

#horror #horrortropes #horrormonsters #monsters #horrormovies #horrorstories #werewolves #vampires #zombies

Leave a comment

Filed under Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Tagged as creation, creature, genre, horror, media, monster, predator, prey, spider, stories, trope, werewolf, zombie

October 3, 2023 · 10:50 am

Canadian Hauntings )O(

Merry meet all,

This collection of true eerie tales is sure to put you in a spooky mood! Read on to get scared! Remember to stay spooky…

5 ghost tour guides share their favourite haunting tales from across Canada

Haunted hotels, back-alley apparitions and more terrifying local lore.

Blurry hands and body figure abstraction that looks like a ghost standing behind a glass pane with with her hands on it — (Credit: iStock/Getty Images)

Just as pumpkin spice lattes pair perfectly with leaf peeping, there’s perhaps no better way to get in the Halloween spirit than with a good old-fashioned fright night.

In fact, Canada has plenty of its own nightmare-inducing campfire tales to keep you lying awake in terror — take it from some of the nation’s top tour guides who specialize in spinning cobweb-covered yarns from the crypt.

To celebrate spooky season, we asked five of these pros to share their favourite sinister stories with us — many of which are associated with regular, real-life ghost sightings. So, read on, if you dare.

These stories have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Apparitions in Blood Alley

As told by Lydia Williams, owner and guide, Ghostly Vancouver Tours

I love all my ghosts equally, but what I love to talk about is the Woman in Black and the Man in Black of Gaoler’s Mews.

The Alhambra Hotel was completed in 1887, the year after the Great Vancouver Fire. It was an opulent hotel and it also had a reputation for being a full-service hotel — meaning, you could get any kind of room service you might desire (wink, wink). I’m sure the building has its fair share of ghosts, as do many old hotels, but its most prolific ghost makes her appearance on the back stairs in Gaoler’s Mews. She seems to have a preference for dark, rainy nights, however, that is not absolute. She materializes as a stunning woman in long black dress with long black hair, and is often seen clutching her waist. Then, she straightens, glides down Gaoler’s Mews and disappears into Blood Alley. People theorize that she is a widow walking toward the hangman’s noose that once stood in Blood Alley. But was there ever really one there? I have doubts.

But what of the ghost that follows? The Man in Black? He is a well-dressed gentleman in a long black coat and bowler hat. He usually makes his entrance via the front door of the restaurant that backs onto this alley — now known as L’Abattoir. He’s so solid that the host or hostess will try to give him a menu but he simply walks forward, through the restaurant, often disappearing in the alley behind the atrium. So what’s his story? Since he is often seen seconds after the Woman in Black, one can reason the two had a relationship, but we can only speculate on the nature of it. Is he watching out for her? Or is he a customer still hoping to visit his favourite mistress?

Back in April of this year, I had a mother and young daughter from Calgary on the tour with me. Once we got to Gaoler’s Mews, even before I began telling any ghost stories, the young teen looked up at the window above the Twisted Fork, and said, “there’s a man in an old top hat looking down at us.” I couldn’t see anyone so I asked her, could he be wearing a bowler hat? She didn’t know what that was, but it was an old-fashioned black hat. Apparently, he watched us the entire time we stood in that spot. The Man in Black often disappears into that very building, and the second floor was once a brothel.

Experience it in person: Ghostly Gastown Tour, 90 minutes, $27

The tale of the headless nun

As told by Shawn McCarthy, co-founder, Character Matters Miramichi

The legend of the ghost in French Fort Cove proceeds in this way: one night, around 1758, after having helped a woman through a difficult childbirth, Sister Marie Inconnue was returning to the settlement at the cove — at the time home to a battery of 16 cannons and a small detachment of soldiers. As she crossed the footbridge over Crow Brook, she was set upon.

Some say it was a pair of leprous sailors from L’Indienne de Morlaix, out for revenge on those who had imprisoned them. Others insist that it was a mad trapper, wild and desperate from years living in the woods. Whoever he was, he was looking to extort the location of a buried treasure from the young nun. Sister Marie adamantly refused to divulge the whereabouts of the treasure, uttering only prayers for the redemption of the poor wretch’s soul.

In a fit of rage, the maniac severed her head with a violent blow. Some say he severed the head so he could dig into her throat, thinking she had swallowed the map as she saw him approach. The head was thrown into the waters of the cove, and her body was left on the bridge.

The settlers mourned the loss of Sister Marie for months. The militia attempted to find the man who had perpetrated this terrible crime, but were unsuccessful. Sister Marie’s death could not be avenged. Her body was sent to France for burial, but her head was never recovered. Since that day, it is said that the ghost of Sister Marie still roams the cove, still diligently protecting the treasure — and searching for the head that will make her whole again.

Experience it in person: The Headless Nun Tour, 60-75 minutes, $15 Email CharacterMattersMiramichi@gmail.com to book.

Winnipeg’s ghost bride

As told by Kristen Treusch, owner and guide, SquarePeg Tours

This story takes place at the Fort Garry Hotel in Room 202. The urban legend is that the spirit of a woman haunts this room. She looks like a bride and lets people know she’s in the room in several ways. People have reported hearing footsteps in the room, feeling someone sitting on the foot of the bed, and occasionally, lying beside them when they were half asleep. She has also been known to leave wet footprints in the bathroom, turn the light on in the closet and mess with the TV and phone. If you are fortunate enough to actually see her, she’ll chat and then exit the room through the window.

It is said that this bride was either murdered by her new husband or witnessed him being struck down by a trolley car on Broadway when he went across the street to get something. When she saw this, she was torn apart with grief and guilt and [died by] suicide in the room.

I carry a K2 meter on my tours and it lights up whenever I talk about her; that’s how she lets me know she’s around.

Experience it in person: Broadway Ghost Walk, 90 minutes, $15

The ghost ships of Lake Ontario

As told by A.A., storyteller, Haunted Walk of Toronto

One of the most intriguing ghost stories I tell is honestly one of my favourites. It also happens to be tied closely to our history. While the Canadas were still colonies of the United Kingdom, we became the front line for the War of 1812. Lake Ontario was frequently populated by both American and British warships — with more than a few battles fought on the water.

One fateful day, the wind had died down. Unable to move their ships without the aid of the air, both sides were forced to wait on the peaceful water. The winds returned as a violent storm in the early hours of the morning. Two American schooners, the Scourge and the Hamilton, sank under the weight of their top-heavy guns. Over 50 sailors were sent to the bottom of the lake with them. The intense storm, filled with rain and lightning, only lasted a few minutes.

Today, the ships still lie at the bottom of the lake, their wrecks officially considered a national historic site — but that’s not where their stories end. A local legend has since emerged among some older mariners. This tale suggests the ships continue to set sail from time to time. One might see two ghostly ships emerging from the mist on dark nights with thick fog. The sailors who died that day, still on board, are forever trapped in their final moments on deck. Some even say that to see these ships may lead to a death on your own crew.

Experience it in person: Original Haunted Walk of Toronto, 75 minutes, $24.99

The haunting of Room 207

As told by Ghost Guide Daniel, overseer, Ghost Walks

I love to tell the story of Molly McGuire at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The legend talks about the house, which once stood on that land. During the War of 1812, as the American soldiers marched in, one soldier was sent into the house to check it for the British. It was dusk and there were no electric lights. Upon entering a second-floor bedroom, he mistook a shadow for a British soldier. He rushed in and ran the person through with his bayonet — only then realizing it was an innocent woman.

The woman was Molly McGuire, and the bedroom is said to be where Room 207 at the Prince of Wales Hotel exists today. Room 207 is considered the most haunted room in the hotel.

A manager told us the story of a couple who stayed in the room. In the middle of the night, they awoke as something fell in the bathroom. Getting up together to investigate — neither wanted to do it alone — the wife opened the bathroom door, flipped on the light and saw a woman with long, dark hair staring at her from inside the bathroom mirror.

One of our guides had a similarly spooky experience. While telling Molly’s story, she noticed a swing across the street in Simcoe Park. One seat was swinging violently back and forth. There was no wind. It was nighttime, so also no kids.

She ran into the park to check it. The swing continued swinging, until a guest took a photo. After the flash, it slowed, then stopped on its own. The best part: in the photo, there was a big, bright orb on the swing seat.

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch )O(

Leave a comment

Filed under Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Tagged as apparition, black, bride, color, fright, Ghost, Ghosts, Halloween, haunting, headless, hotels, nun, Samhain, stories, white

September 10, 2023 · 5:08 pm

Mabon Magick

Merry meet all,

Trees are showing off their autumn colours. Pumpkins fill the shelves outside the grocery store here, orange and ripe. I’ve bought a number of Halloween- ish items – a rat figurine, a bird skeleton, ghostly napkins, a skeleton figurine (life size), white ceramic pumpkin, 2 leafy placemats, a black plate for Samhain, and small wooden decorative items I have yet to paint and then glue onto the bookcase. I will get around to that. I recently realized that the skeleton will help me with my herbal studies. I have to learn how the whole human body works and it may just come in handy!

I am so excited! The Horror Zine that published my short story, Skin, is now released on Amazon. Here is the link:

Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHNWKN1G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=206DBELL1XB7S&keywords=B0CHNWKN1G&qid=1694280722&sprefix=b0chnwkn1g%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1

Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL7M2MX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JF6TE91DBLVS&keywords=B0CHL7M2MX&qid=1694287240&sprefix=b0chl7m2mx%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Also, I found out that the people or organization that is hosting the Paranormal Symposium offers online courses. I already saved up money for the courses. The courses are Demonology for four weeks and Parapsychology for 8 weeks. They are both offered in October. So that along with my story being published in the Horror Zine and my articles appearing in The Plant Healer Quarterly and Witches and Pagans magazine, I am so excited for fall. I also anticipate the honkin’ huge October issue of the Horror Writers Association newsletter. Lots of fun coming my way soon.

I sent a photo of me in my favourite October costume for the HWA October newsletter. I hope they like it. See photo below:

It’s spider season here. They are everywhere. My garden looks beautiful. I feel a bittersweetness now though, because I know the frost lurks in the near future. After months of caring for my garden and watching it grow and bloom, this is hard for me. I am ok with my garden growing all year round and being green. I know the climate I am in does not provide that. I guess all things need to rest. It is just the natural way of things. I will miss my garden but today it is still hot out. The fan is cranked way up. The heat helps my veggies grow, such as my beans, celery, tomatoes and peppers. I can’t wait to harvest all this goodness.

I’m not sure if I will get a squash. It may be too late in the season. But the bees enjoy the pollen rich flowers and so that’s good. We need to help the bees as much as we can. I’m planting garlic and onions this fall. I have a large wood box built by my brother to grow the onions and garlic in. I plan to protect them from any mischievous squirrels, rats, raccoons, and bluejays by leaving a large rock on top. That way, they can’t get to it and that way my garlic and onions get a good chance to grow well. I want to harvest lots of dandelion roots and elderberries. I’m waiting for the berries to ripen.

That is a lot to look forward to! If only my stove would work. Anyway, I plan to be busy this fall, whether that is making cider (I don’t know how I will do that with this stove), carving pumpkins, foraging dandelion roots or learning about demonology. Lots to keep me busy!

I wish you all a wonderful, magickal Mabon!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

Leave a comment

Filed under Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Tagged as autumn, bats, cider, decorations, demonology, foraging, Gardening, Ghosts, ghouls, harvest, harvest Sabbat, horror, leaves, orange, parapsychology, pumpkins, Samhain, season, skeletons, stories

August 19, 2022 · 10:48 am

Helen Creighton – Canada’s Lady of Folklore

Merry meet all,

As I type here, the rain’s pouring. The sky is heavy and overcast. I haven’t been out to my garden yet. It’s mid-August but the bugs are still harassing me, the weather is still warm but stores are stocking Halloween goods early. I am not ready for the spookiest time of year. That has to do with the goods in my garden growing late in the year due to the heatwave.

Here is a fascinating story about a true paranormal investigator. Read on and enjoy!

Canada’s Lady of Folklore

Helen Creighton

Helen Creighton was a celebrated folklorist, author, and pioneer researcher. She is best known for her book Bluenose Ghosts about firsthand accounts of spine-chilling tales. Creighton excelled at collecting local folk ballads, folk tales and ghost stories. She is also known for her skill at collecting local dances, games, cures and proverbs.
She was born with a caul. A person born with a caul will have a warning before danger. This proved true when Creighton explored the province in search of folk tales. One night she stayed at an inn the night before the Miramichi Folk Festival and had a dream of a child coming towards her. The next day a deer jumped in front of her car on the highway. She would have several of these portentous experiences including her own doppelganger warning her of danger. It made her the perfect person to lend an empathetic ear to those sharing their own experiences.

Because Creighton encountered their stories with a sense of empathy, people trusted her and felt comfortable opening up to her about their tales, customs and ghost stories. An elderly man once told her, “You’ve got a way with you; you’d bewitch the devil.”

The blurb for Bluenose Ghosts reads: “Haunted houses, headless ghosts, phantom ships, supernatural warnings of death – these are just some of the unexplainable and mysterious phenomena that appear in Bluenose Ghosts. Written in a personable and accessible style by celebrated folklorist Helen Creighton, Bluenose Ghosts is based on the experiences of ordinary people as told to the author over a period of thirty years. These chilling stories come from across the Maritimes – the Highlands of Cape Breton, the woods of New Brunswick, and the harbours around Halifax. First published in 1957, Bluenose Ghosts is a classic of Nova Scotia folklore presented here in a new format and with a foreword from Clary Croft.”

Her career as a folk tales and songs collector spanned forty years. Her celebrated book Bluenose Ghosts focuses on true ghost stories, superstition, witchcraft and buried treasure. She recorded first-hand accounts from the people she interviewed and did her utmost best to maintain their authenticity. She was a collector of tales, not an analyzer, and she received an unfair amount of criticism for that. Creighton collected the folk tales with no intention of analyzing them. That made her stand out from her colleagues and is what was so unique about her.

She took painstaking care to record the folk songs that she collected. She had limited means to work with as she transcribed her work. Over time, Creighton met people who would assist her in accurately transcribing and preserving her work.

It happened by chance that Creighton began collecting local ghost stories. She originally set out to gather folk tales and songs. Bluenose Ghosts is chilling because the scary accounts are from real, everyday people. That is what gives her book so much appeal. The scary experiences are shared by people who have no reason to lie and know how to tell a tale. I dare you to read it at night with the lights on.

Creighton was often found carrying a meter long melodeon in a wheelbarrow when she visited people. She used a tape recorder when it was invented ten years later. Creighton worked tirelessly to collect four thousand folk songs and tales of eerie spectral encounters. It demonstrates her immense respect for what ordinary men and women had to say. She was determined to preserve their tales to keep them from disappearing in the mists of history.

Creighton may have recorded thousands of folk tales, ghost stories and songs. Yet it was the voices of those she interviewed that shone in the books and tapes. She never got in their way or tampered with their words. She was given the nickname the Ghost Lady by those she interviewed.

Here is an unsettling excerpt from the book: “An East Chester woman said, “My uncle was a contractor, and when I was fifteen, he and I were going home to Mahone Bay from Western Shore. When we were in the woods I heard a horse and it seemed to be so close that I could almost feel its breath. I looked around and what I saw was a horse all right, but there was a man sitting on it with no head. My uncle didn’t see it, and I was too scared to speak until we got home and then all he said was, ‘That’s nothing. Lots of people have seen that horse and rider.’ Since then I have asked many people but nobody seems to know who the rider is supposed to be.”

A headless ghost and his horse, top that. That is one of many chilling tales from regular people simply sharing their stories. This is why I love the book and why it spooks me.

Here’s a second excerpt about a sea captain, the devil and a set of playing cards:

“They were his own cards anyway, so he put them in his sea chest and locked them up. “That night he was awakened from his sleep and was surprised to see a man sitting on his sea chest. He was dealing cards, and he dealt four hands. Then the stranger saw that the captain was awake and asked him to sit in and have a game with him. Before he could make up his mind he looked at the man’s feet and saw the cloven hoof. He screamed and the stranger disappeared, and that was why he would have nothing more to do with playing cards.””

The excerpts above demonstrate how spine tingling the book is. No other book compares to Bluenose Ghosts. I highly recommend the book to anyone who craves a salty maritime ghost story.

Creighton left Canadians with a trove of rich folklore. She ‘still hasn’t been matched”. Her style and approach were considered unconventional. “Horace Beck wrote (that), “Perhaps your most important achievement is that you have done something no one else has been able to do in North America. You have brought folklore to national and public attention and given it a status in Canada it has never achieved in the United States. This you have done most singlehandedly and for this all folklorists must be forever grateful.””

Helen Creighton left a legacy to those who are passionate about ghost stories and the paranormal. She was a true pioneer. When Helen Creighton began her career, she was untrained and inexperienced but that didn’t stop her.

“Over the course of her career, Creighton collected over 60,000 materials including 4,000 songs and ballads. She authored thirteen books of traditional songs, ballads and stories, of which her Bluenose Ghosts is the most widely known. She also wrote an autobiography, and a number of articles. She received many awards, including Distinguished Folklorist of 1981 (Canada); six honorary doctorates; Fellow of the American Folklore Society, Honorary Life President of the Canadian Authors’ Association; and The Order of Canada. Helen was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 by Folk Alliance International. In 2018, Parks Canada designated Helen Creighton a nationally significant person who helped define Canada’s history.” The collection of her life’s work now resides at the Nova Scotia Public Archives.

Blessings, Lady Spiderwitch

Leave a comment

Filed under Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Tagged as caul, Creighton, doppelgänger, folklore, Ghost, Ghosts, Halifax, History, lady, lore, paranormal, pioneer, stories, witch

December 16, 2021 · 11:09 am

In memory of Anne Rice

Merry meet all,

As I type here, snow flakes fall softly. I love this part of winter. New snow is so pretty. I want to honour the memory of Anne Rice. She was a unique and prolific writer. I love the tale of Interview with a Vampire. Let’s all take a moment to cherish her memory. I watched the. movie the other night!

Now that my own horror novel might be published, I hope to continue on the tradition or join the roster of dangerous dames who dare to write horror. I am elated! This is just too exciting. I am thrilled because I do have a story to tell and share with the world. I have practiced my writing a lot and I have a lot already published. The ghost in my story steals the show, in my opinion. I don’t know where something so dark came from in me but I will think of it as the dark cauldron of the Goddess giving me the inspiration. I can now share it with the world.

Now, onto other news. Today our journey takes us to this story of a clairvoyant gentleman who lives in Britain.

‘I saw dead people aged 10 – and I’ve met the Black-Eyed Child and creepy man-monkey’

I grew up near Britain’s most-haunted town and have experienced all sorts of spooky and unexplained encounters myself – starting with the haunting of my great-uncle, writes paranormal investigator and author Lee Brickley

Letting children watch movies like Ghostbusters at the age of five is a risky business. Some kids will get scared and hide behind the sofa; others will keep their bedroom light on all night for weeks.

Me? I saw a career path.

I might not have a proton pack or a catchy theme tune (yet), but over the last ten years, I’ve become one of the UK’s leading real-life Ghostbusters – at least, that’s what Eamonn Holmes called me on ITV’s This Morning during an interview about Black Eyed-Child sightings at Cannock Chase.

I can’t give Hollywood films all the credit for my interest in the paranormal though. While they definitely opened my eyes to the strange and unusual, it was a series of experiences in my childhood home that cemented the obsession at ten years old.

When sitting in the living room during the evening hours, I would often see shadows moving slowly across one of the walls behind our sofa. My father would see them too, although he’d talk about something else to draw my attention away.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Tell your story in the comments below

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley says he was haunted from the age of 10 by the ghost of his great-uncle

Lee has spotted the Black-Eyed Child and what he believes is the British Bigfoot during his investigations

There was another time when I walked into the kitchen in the middle of the night and a single cup was violently swinging from side to side under a cupboard. It was hanging from a hook alongside multiple other cups that were all motionless.

Years later I learned that my great uncle died in that house, and my father now tells me he believes our deceased relative was behind the haunting.

BuzznetThe Contentious Scene That Took MASH Off Air

Reverse Mortgage | Search AdThe Disadvantages Of A Reverse Mortgage – Might Surprise You

by Taboola

Sponsored Links

I grew up in a small mining town near Cannock Chase, a large spooky forest in Staffordshire where people have seen ghosts and all manner of supernatural creatures for many years. It therefore seemed logical for someone with my interests to investigate these sightings further, and that’s precisely what I’ve done..

So far, I have written and published four books on the subject of weird happenings in the area, and my latest title Ghosts Of Cannock Chase : Terrifying Reports Of Paranormal Activity From The UK’s Most Haunted Town is selling exceptionally well.

This image taken by psychic Christine Hamlett in 2014 appears to show a figure praying in the dense woodland of Cannock Chase – a hot-spot for sightings of the Black-Eyed Child (

Image:

Handout)

According to many locals, the woodland is home to spirits, werewolves, black-eyed children, a pigman, and allegedly, even Bigfoot.

During my investigations, I’ve interviewed lots of seemingly genuine people who claim to have seen something scary in the forest, and I’ve even had a couple of unexplainable encounters of my own.

In April 2018, I believe I saw the infamous Black-Eyed Child in an area of Cannock Chase called Birches Valley. She appeared about a hundred metres in front of me, stared right at me for about thirty seconds, then vanished without a trace.

In June 2019, I saw what can only be described as a man-monkey running through the woods when I was investigating an alleged Bigfoot footprint – I wrote another book that covers this investigation called On The Hunt For The British Bigfoot.

Lee has written a number of books about his experiences with the paranormal

Being able to spend my time writing about the paranormal is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand, I get to live my dream of investigating the unexplained and gathering evidence of the supernatural. On the other, people tend to give me a very funny look if I’m asked to explain what I do for a living at dinner parties.

I’ve never told anyone this before, but the career advisor at my high school laughed when I told her I wanted to be a ghostbuster. She said it wasn’t a real job and I could earn more money working in a factory.

But as I sit here ready to continue writing my fifth book about a frightening poltergeist case in Birmingham, I can’t help but smile and take comfort in the fact that my career advisor was definitely wrong, and she isn’t laughing any more.

76516486337

If investigating ghosts and writing about the paranormal has taught me anything, it’s that worrying about what other people think is pointless, and no matter what those naysayers might insist, NOTHING is impossible.

An old ghost-hunter once told me that reality is barely understood, and possibility is limitless.

That’s why I believe in the paranormal… and it’s also why I believe in myself.

Read More

Credit given to https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-saw-dead-people-aged-25460698

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

Leave a comment

Filed under Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Tagged as Anne Rice, black, Brtain, children, creepy, dames, dangers, eyed, Ghosts, horror, investigation, monkey, novel, paranormal, publication, queen, stories, story, vampire, visions

	ladyspiderwitch on Dos and Don’ts of Gettin…
	Sylvia J Richards on Dos and Don’ts of Gettin…
	ladyspiderwitch on Twisted Dreams Press is publis…
	trc on Twisted Dreams Press is publis…
	ladyspiderwitch on Bewitching Witch House )O(

	ladyspiderwitch on Dos and Don’ts of Gettin…
	Sylvia J Richards on Dos and Don’ts of Gettin…
	ladyspiderwitch on Twisted Dreams Press is publis…
	trc on Twisted Dreams Press is publis…
	ladyspiderwitch on Bewitching Witch House )O(

Tag Archives: stories

The Haunted Halifax Citadel )O(

Haunted Halifax Citadel – Canada’s Spookiest Ghost Tour

Brief history of the Halifax Citadel

Restoration of the Halifax Citadel

The Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour

Popular ghost stories

Like this:

Monsters in the Modern World

Like this:

Canadian Hauntings )O(

5 ghost tour guides share their favourite haunting tales from across Canada

Haunted hotels, back-alley apparitions and more terrifying local lore.

Apparitions in Blood Alley

The tale of the headless nun

Winnipeg’s ghost bride

The ghost ships of Lake Ontario

The haunting of Room 207

Like this:

Mabon Magick

Like this:

Helen Creighton – Canada’s Lady of Folklore

Like this:

In memory of Anne Rice

‘I saw dead people aged 10 – and I’ve met the Black-Eyed Child and creepy man-monkey’

I grew up near Britain’s most-haunted town and have experienced all sorts of spooky and unexplained encounters myself – starting with the haunting of my great-uncle, writes paranormal investigator and author Lee Brickley

Like this:

Follow me on Twitter

Goodreads

The Paranormal Quill

Blog Stats

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Meta

HWA

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Meta

Follow me on Twitter

Tag Archives: stories

The Haunted Halifax Citadel )O(

Haunted Halifax Citadel – Canada’s Spookiest Ghost Tour

​Brief history of the Halifax Citadel

​Restoration of the Halifax Citadel

​The Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour

Popular ghost stories

Share this:

Like this:

Monsters in the Modern World

Share this:

Like this:

Canadian Hauntings )O(

5 ghost tour guides share their favourite haunting tales from across Canada

Haunted hotels, back-alley apparitions and more terrifying local lore.

Apparitions in Blood Alley

The tale of the headless nun

Winnipeg’s ghost bride

The ghost ships of Lake Ontario

The haunting of Room 207

Share this:

Like this:

Mabon Magick

Share this:

Like this:

Helen Creighton – Canada’s Lady of Folklore

Share this:

Like this:

In memory of Anne Rice

‘I saw dead people aged 10 – and I’ve met the Black-Eyed Child and creepy man-monkey’

I grew up near Britain’s most-haunted town and have experienced all sorts of spooky and unexplained encounters myself – starting with the haunting of my great-uncle, writes paranormal investigator and author Lee Brickley

Share this:

Like this:

Follow me on Twitter

Goodreads

The Paranormal Quill

Blog Stats

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Meta

HWA

Brief history of the Halifax Citadel

Restoration of the Halifax Citadel

The Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour