Inspiration in the most peculiar way...

Some of my blogger/author friends may have noticed I've been MIA for some time. Well not entirely...but missing more than around. It's my grandma and then some. My dear grandma that I love very much was diagnosed with Mesothelioma two years ago. Yep years ago, many, many years ago, she smoked one of the cigarette brands that had asbestos in their filters. She is now in hospice and I am cherishing my time with her.

My grandmother is a wonderful woman. I love spending time with my grandparents and it is heartbreaking watching my grandma deteriorate before me. To make matters worse my cousin died unexpectedly earlier in the week.


I loved my cousin and the loss of him is hard. For those of you who know me well, you’ll know that I am a firm believer of the paranormal. I am a dedicated Ghost Hunters & Ghost Adventures fan (I blogged about them in the A to Z challenge even).


I instill religion in my life( I am after all LDS (Mormon)- yes I even have profile with the LDS church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) stating “I’m a Mormon") and became that ghost believer through my experiences with my uncle. He passed away twenty four years ago and is the father of my recently passed away cousin :0(

A few years after his passing, my mother wasn’t sure if some unusual things going on were because of my uncle checking in to say hello. You know lights, TV turning off, noises…So she said a loud to him one morning “leave me a dime every time you visit, so I know you were here and it was you. Well guess what? He did.

Every time my uncle dropped in for visit, a dime would be found. Dimes do not show up so easily as pennies and quarters do, this is why she chose that coin. Where the dimes are found and how are proof there is no mere coincidence to them.

I have a tootsie roll cardboard piggy bank that now holds all the dimes my uncle has lef my family.

Four years ago, when my son was born, he came very premature (my placenta tore). Sixteen weeks premature.
 I was very anemic and chewing even tired me out. I was also in pain and worried about my little guy. A dime was found between my covers, between my legs ( a respectable place) while I was lying in the hospital bed. No purses or change were ever near me .  I was very tired and hurting after a visit from my kids and was mustering the last of my strength to go visit my son for a few minutes before time for bed) I found the dime as I pulled the top cover aside . Lying on the sheet between my legs was the dime.

When my son came home, life was hard. Hard feedings, oxygen, very bad reflux and just unhappy baby. Dimes were  found in my son’s bed and near him (empty and found upon rolling the blanket back to lay him down- not when baby was in bed, he was a daddy once.)
I found them in my bed, a dresser drawer, in the washer (just the dime, no other change) on the floor when I just walked before and wasn’t there. Many places.

Another time returning back, walking along my path I had just taken, lost in deep thought about a big decision in my life, I found a dime waiting for me. Two years ago, doubting if I should be writing, I open my laptop and what do I find; A dime. Did I mention every time the dime is always heads up.

I can go through dry spells finding nothing and then once in a while, one will show up. It seems when things are rough (health or emotional) the dimes appear.  I believe this is my uncle letting me know he cares and I am not alone.

My ghost story is a very dear one to me. It’s not scary and won’t give you a fright, but it does touch the heart and just might make you a believer. I love my uncle very much and my cousin. I love my grandma dearly too.

The point of this share is  being a believer of the spirits, I also believe in divine intervention and inspiration.  Just six days ago, I came home and an idea clicked into my mind about a story. I had just recently finished writing The Other Vampire.- the sequel to my One of Them and wasn’t planning on writing anymore stories for at least a month. I had editing to look foward to. The Battle- the fourth book to my Anna Kippling Series was supposed to come next.

Well, so I thought. I go with this idea and sit down at my computer. I start typing and in four days produce 20,000 words(not typing every hour, spurts, really spurts!) This is a feat, at least for me. My longest book to date is shy of 48,000 words. Today I am shy of 29,000 words on this book. I have a title and I think this is an amazing story. It just poured out of me and won’t stop. I am nearing completion. I am guessing it will end at my average: fewer than 50,000 words. I guess that’s just how I write :0)

So… this story is of course a ghost story. It’s also a mystery/sleuthing kind of one as well. I loved Nancy Drew and other mystery novels. Writing one, I never thought I could. I also write in third person, I felt comfortable with that. Never thought I would write in first. Well, I am with this book. Very interesting….


As I am steadily nearing completion of this book, I am now realizing a series is in the making. I have my title and now a book cover (I am going to show it too you!).  I have also incorporated the special tokens that my uncle leaves me and my cousin’s name is a character. I started this book before my cousin died. In fact just a few days before.

I do not know why this story came to my thoughts or why I felt inspired to incorporate the dimes into it, but it did. The name Freddie (my cousin’s) just somehow worked in there too beforehand.  As a writer/author our characters are us; sometimes tiny bits and sometimes the spitting image. They have our personalities and our imperfections. They have a touch of the person we wouldn’t want to be or the person we would.

 In turn, we leave ourselves vulnerable to our readers. You are in essence peeling us in layers down to our tender core. My main character is Rebecca Daniels and I can honestly say Rebecca is me. Her thought process, her demeanor and her spirit are a mimic of my characteristics. It will be a few months before Stalking Claire Stevens is published in the Kindle Store via Amazon, but I just had to share it with you now. I had to share my thoughts as they are so very random…

Think of as many nasty labels for a human being you can think of in one second and then double it, no triple it. After that form it like clay, chisel it out like marble until perfection is formed and then call it Claire Stevens.

I was murdered and Claire Stevens had something to do with it.

All I need to do is prove it now. Easier said than done being that I'm dead.

This is why I am stalking Claire Stevens...

I shall of course dedicate this book to my uncle and my cousin.

Thank you for dropping by and reading this,