The blog for October Weeks; a paranormal/dark fantasy/horror writer and a reader with too many books and not enough shelves!
The Red Barn is available early 🙂 Right now, it’s up on Amazon and Kobo, but will also be available on iBooks and Nook. I will update links as they go live.
Note: Right now, the story is $0.99 on Amazon, but it will eventually be FREE. Amazon has rules about free books.
It’s no secret that I love horror movies 🙂 One of my favorites is The Exorcist, so when I saw they were making a tv show I was both excited and quite wary. But, I had nothing to worry about- the show is amazing. And after the twist they threw in this past Friday (in Chapter 5), I’m excited to see where they take it.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!
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*****
Geena Davis is one of my favorite actresses, and has been since I was a kid. She is stellar as Angela Rance. I expected no less from her, and I suspect after the character twist that she’s going to shine brighter in this role as the show goes on.
I’ve been a fan of Alan Ruck since I saw him in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He plays the role of Henry Rance (Angela’s husband), and his character has had a bit of rough go of it since his accident, which left him with mental issues due to a head injury. Henry is an interesting character who has some mysterious touches, and I’m interested in seeing where the show takes his character.
Kat, played by Brianne Howey, is the older Rance sister. She’s healing from a car accident that not only took someone close to her, but also her ability to dance (at least for the time being). She’s…a frustrating character for me 🙂 I feel for her, and what she’s lost, but she’s also unwilling to see what’s truly happening until it’s too late. I really wanted to slap her in the last episode. However, I am curious as to where her character will go now that the shit has officially hit the fan.
Casey Rance, played by Hannah Kasulka. Poor Casey. The younger Rance sister is…not doing so hot (understatement, I know 🙂 ). You can really feel her struggling to keep fighting, and the events of the Chapter 5 really hit me in the feels. And now that the twist has happened, her character’s importance is made much clearer. But the full picture isn’t known yet, and I can’t wait to follow her storyline further into the dark.
Ben Daniels is perfect as Father Marcus. The moment he first appeared in the show I knew he’d be a favorite. His character’s story is compelling, and he’s just…awesome. Okay? He’s wicked and awesome, and I’m not afraid to admit that I love Father Marcus. I may go to Hell for that…though, he was excommunicated, so I think I’ll be okay LOL
Father Tomas, played by Alfonso Herrera. Oh, Father Tomas. He’s…a bit off course, to say the least. He’s a compelling character. Tomas has a lot weighing on him, especially after Chapter 5, but following his journey has been one of the best parts of the show. From when Angela first comes to him in Chapter 1, to what happens in Chapter 5, his story has moved drastically. It will be interesting to see how his role will change starting in Chapter 6, and how he’ll handle what Angela confesses to him in Chapter 5.
Kurt Egyiawan plays Father Bennett, who we first meet in Chapter 1, and Marcus pulls a gun on him 🙂 While we’ve not seen too much of him as of yet, I’ve seen enough to intrigue me. I want to know his story, what his role is, even if he is a bit of a…pain 😉
One of my favorite characters outside of the main ones is Mother Bernadette (played by Deanna Dunagan). I really hope we see her again, because she is AWESOME!!!
*****
I can see how some fans of the movie and book would have a hard time liking the show. I was wary, and knew I’d have to tune out some of what I loved about the book and movie in order to truly enjoy the show. This is not a remake, and that was made clear before the first episode even aired. I would’ve continued watching even if the twist hadn’t come in Chapter 5, but with that twist, everything changed in the best way possible. I squealed- literally, I squealed, and nearly jumped off the couch in excited and shock.
Each episode is better than the last, and as the tension is notched up, I find myself wishing Friday would hurry up and get here so I can find out what happens next.
I highly recommend giving this show a try if you love horror and suspense. It’s well worth your time 🙂
Here it is- the cover of THE RED BARN. This short story is told through the POV of a malicious ghost, and will be a FREE read. It will be released October 29th 🙂
Hello and Happy Saturday!
I recently just finished reading the third book in the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series by J.L. Bryan, and decided that the series was due for an appearance on Series Saturday. I was looking for new paranormal mysteries to read and this one came up on my search through Goodreads. I love ghosts, mysteries, and paranormal investigation- the first book in the series seemed to have all of that so I decided to give it a go.
I’m glad I did 🙂
Blurb:
Ellie Jordan’s job is to identify and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia, the most haunted city in the United States.
When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the crumbling old mansion they’ve purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. Instead, she finds herself confronting an older and more powerful evil that dwells within the walls of the house, stalking the living.
Ellie must quickly unravel the secret history behind the haunting in order to remove the ghost. She is aided by her new assistant Stacey, a recent film school graduate with a gift for capturing images and video of ghosts, and Jacob, a reluctant young psychic. Together, they will try to evict the dangerous spirits of the dead, whose threats to the family grow more terrifying every night.
Sounds like a good read, right? I wasn’t disappointed, and I went ahead and read book two, which led me to read book three.
I can’t wait to get to the rest of the series and see where J.L. Bryan takes Ellie and the crew. After the first three, I have a feeling that I won’t be disappointed in rest of the series.
coming soon
If you, like me, enjoy paranormal mysteries, I recommend giving this series a try. I found that the small things that bothered me in book one were barely present in book two, and gone by book three, so the series has been getting better with each book 🙂
I hope you all have a great weekend and give this ghostly series a go!
Happy Sunday, my dear readers! Here is an excerpt of Over the River for your reading pleasure 🙂
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@copyright October Weeks 2016
In silence, they walked around the property, getting a feel of what was around them. Of who was around them. Delilah took a digital camera out of one of her pockets and took pictures of the house, the sandbox, the garden area, the woods behind the house. Milly could touch photographs and get a flash of something sometimes. In fact, on occasion, her friend had picked up on things both of them had missed on location.
The energy of the dead swirled all around her, her senses buzzing. A weight was dancing along that energy, trying to keep it hidden. The energy she was feeling was from children. The weight meant someone was keeping the children from fully reaching out to her.
To double-check that feeling, Delilah reached out with her gift. A response came a few moments later—a little tug in her mind. A sound came to her ears, almost a whisper, but she couldn’t make it out. The sound was fast, as if it were being pushed right passed her.
Someone didn’t want the children talking to her all right. Well, that was too damn bad for that someone.
Delilah turned to Milly, who was about six or seven yards to her right, and found her standing rigidly. “Milly? Are you okay?”
“They played here, the children.” Milly slowly turned and faced Delilah. “With toys only she allowed, like my mom said.”
Delilah gave a nod.
Milly’s face paled. “There was something…something in their playing. A reason…”
Milly flinched, but Delilah didn’t move closer. Milly needed a bit of space with such an open area to tap into, and Delilah didn’t want to get in her way.
Resuming her picture taking, Delilah found herself near the sandbox again. A presence stirred the air, poking around her energy like icy fingers. She took a picture, waiting patiently for the spirit to appear. It was struggling some against the pressure of the “someone.” She didn’t urge the ghost—no need to rush.
Shoveling—a shovel digging into dirt.
The impression of a small shovel dug into the snow and scooped it up. The snow traveled in the air for a moment before sliding off and disappearing. A few seconds later, the grainy echo of dirt hitting the bottom of a bucket touched her ears.
The ghost was trying to tell her something. Sometimes, a child spirit had a hard time putting a full image through, but the audio was loud and clear.
“Put that shovel down right now!”
Delilah jumped at the shrill voice. A door swung open behind her but she kept her gaze on the stilled snow in front of her, halfway to the bucket, fear gripping her mind. The poor child was frozen with it.
“But Mama, I…”
Delilah moved her head slightly. Footsteps appeared in the snow beside her, about a foot away. The sound of fabric rustling came and stopped.
“I said no playing, young man.” The woman’s voice shook with anger. The fear rose. “You know the rules.”
“I just wanted to play for a minute!” the boy pleaded, and Delilah sensed him huddled in the sandbox, making himself small. “It’s been days, Mama!”
A growl came from the woman. Ice crawled up Delilah’s arm in response. “I know the days, son.” A dangerous whisper. “Just for this, you will play by the garden tomorrow.” A sharp pang of fear came from the boy, followed by his mother’s delight in that fear. “Oh yes. That is the perfect punishment for you. Now get inside.”
Just before the last word faded, Delilah snapped a picture. She knew who the woman was, and anger formed in her gut.
“She won’t let us leave.”
The solemn voice, so sad, came from her left side. The same voice that was in the memory. She turned to see the speaker, a boy, around eight years old, his head cocked to the right.
“Your mother?” she asked, for clarification. He gave her a nod. “Why?”
“We are stuck out here, playing only when she tells us, doing what she tells us.”
Delilah knelt to his short level. “Do you know why you’re still here?”
An expression only a child could wear came to his face, as if she were crazy for even asking. “She uses our playing as part of what she and Paul are doing.”
“Paul?”
“The older boy in the house.”
Ah. Now she remembered—Paul was one of Joslyn’s eldest children. “What do you do when you’re not playing?”
His face grew ashen. “She feeds us,” he whispered.
Oh, she did not like the sound of that. Worry immediately tugged at her. “What do you mean?”
“We stand still and she feeds us energy, through fear,” he continued, still whispering. He swallowed with what looked like great difficulty, as if he were afraid to say his next words. “It’s to keep us from fading into the sunlight. You feel warm.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, brief but warm. “Why is she letting you talk to me?”
“She isn’t holding too tightly right now, but she doesn’t want me talking to you.”
Anger grew inside of her, all aimed at his mother. The fact that the woman was trying to hide the children’s energy while allowing one of them to speak to her raised very bright red flags. “Why won’t she let you play unless she allows it? Why does she have ‘play days’?”
The boy shook his head. He wanted to answer, but someone wouldn’t let him.
“It’s her. Joslyn.” Milly was suddenly beside her, making her jump again. “The poor thing is bound to the sandbox area.”
“I have to go,” the boy said. “She’s warm too…” He vanished.
Delilah sighed. Damn. She stood and faced Milly. “Did you get anything just then? Before he left, I mean.”
“Only that he’s tied somehow to the sandbox area, but I couldn’t catch why. He was gone too fast. I got here too late. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault, Mills. Joslyn didn’t want him talking to me anymore, and apparently she really didn’t want him talking to you.”
And that last could mean that Joslyn knew what their gifts were, which meant that she didn’t want Milly seeing what had happened to the children.
Milly took a breath. “What did he tell you before she took him?”
Fixing her knitted hat, then looking briefly back at the sandbox, Delilah explained what the boy had shown her, what she had heard. “He confirmed Joslyn was the woman I heard, and I think from that alone we can take a damn good guess who’s responsible for him being tied to the box.”
Anger flashed in Milly’s eyes. “Yes, we can. Now we know the answer to the ‘who and what’ question.”
Yep, they did. But had she started feeding the children energy before they’d died? That was something they needed to find out. “Did you see anything before you came over to me?”
“I saw flashes of children playing solemnly or walking in the yard. All the flashes brought fear and sadness with them, but before I could reach with my gift to see more,” she shrugged, “everything went blank and I returned to the present.”
Delilah furrowed her eyebrows. “Joslyn’s blocking you somehow. I bet she’s using the kids to help with that.”
“I agree.”
They both turned to face the back of the house. “Well,” Delilah started, “if she won’t let us play with the kids, let’s go introduce ourselves to her.”
Happy Thursday, dear readers 🙂 I hope you have a great day!
THE DUCHESS is now available in paperback~ grab your copy and start the haunting season off right!
