Come with me to explore North Devon's rural beauty,
its history...
... and its ghosts!
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| cover design: avalon graphics cover artwork: Chris Collingwood |
e-book available for pre-order
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
(Amazon Universal Link)
paperback publication date 27th February
Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile.
Actually, most of them are not.
You either believe in the existence of ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not.
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| here's a short excerpt |
Excerpt 2
Many of the encounters related in this narrative are personal in origin, not second-hand anecdotes or over-dramatised (and mostly unbelievable) tales to deliberately scare and frighten. Some of the private locations mentioned are inaccessible to public scrutiny, but there are enough public places, such as old pubs, villages and beaches, for ghost enthusiasts to explore – and maybe experience a friendly encounter or two.
Accompanied by photographs of some of the locations – and animals – featured in the text, Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history. And a few of its ghosts.
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| © Kathy Hollick |
Tawstock Court near Barnstaple
Chapter 1
WELCOME TO NORTH DEVON
Published in three volumes between 1724-1727, Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe (and a government spy as a secondary occupation), produced A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain. South Devon impressed him but North Devon he declared to be, ‘Wild, barren and poor.’ He was right about the wild landscape, for Exmoor has a natural beauty of dramatic scenery and a rugged, breath-taking coastline that, in the past, saw many a tragic shipwreck.
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| Valley of the Rocks, Exmoor © Cathy Helms |
Ghost, spirit, shade, presence, spectre, soul – whatever term you prefer to use, unless you are a sceptic the general thinking about ghosts is that these unexplained phenomena are troubled or tormented apparitions which haunt the places where they died. They are misty shapes curling beneath trees, lurking in dark shadows or eerie cellars while oozing an atmosphere of supernatural horror. Spirits allegedly remain through spite or remorse; their only intention is to frighten living people in any and every way they can.
Most of this thinking is generated by religious beliefs and enhanced by the fascination for horror novels and Hollywood movies of the paranormal. Exposing an angry poltergeist or a vengeful demon is common on the TV or cinema screen. Readers and viewers (for some unfathomable reason!) like to be scared. There are hostile spirits creating hostile environments, but outside of high drama and the movies, these are in a minority.
Movies such as Ghostbusters are not so frightening, but perpetuate the belief that unfriendly ghosts are to be extinguished as soon as possible. A few ghost movies, however, are clever – Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter spring to mind. Hamlet, of course, is a ghost story, as is Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The 1945 version of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford is delightfully amusing. UK TV had its share of entertaining concepts, and a more recent BBC sitcom series, Ghosts (2019-2023), brought further entertainment as adult comedy. The ghosts in this series remain, bored with their repetitive routine, in the house where they died. When new owners arrive, they initially resent the intrusion but then discover the joy of new company and watching television. I often complain that my husband forgets to turn the telly off when he goes out, but now I feel obliged to leave it on in case our resident ghosts were also watching.
A pity they don’t pay anything towards our electricity bill.
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
(Amazon Universal Link)
another excerpt soon!
You are more than welcome to leave a comment, thought, observation or your own encounter/s below, but please no rudeness or insults.
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Helen