I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghosts!

****WINNER UPDATE!: Congratulations to CRYSTALGB (Post #32) who's won a copy of DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, the bookmark and a cool tin of coffin mints!  Crystal, send an email with your mailing address to booksthatgobump@gmail.com to claim your prize! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your stories - I was totally creeped out by many of them!  See you around the Underground!***

That statement is a total lie. :) I am completely terrified of ghosts, which is the very reason I write about them, and why I've been fascinated by the topic ever since I was a little girl.

I grew up in the South, where belief in ghosts is as common as mosquitos (though not quite as scary...those suckers can get pretty big!). My childhood was marked by talk of a friendly uncle in New Orleans who passed away long before I was born, yet hung around to keep an eye on my aunt, and let himself be known once in a while by the smell of cigars and the occasional moving of objects.  My mother, who was a collector of old china and vintage jewelry, would occasionally pick up something in an auction or an antique store that she would initially love, then get rid of as quickly as possible once the previously owner (now presumably deceased) would start "pestering" her with bad luck or odd noises in the middle of the night.  So, needless to say, I grew up thinking that of course there was a world beyond this one, but it was a world I didn't really want to experience, thank you very much!

As an adult, I've had two very personal encounters with the restless dead, though thankfully I've yet to see a ghost.  One incident occurred when my husband and I rented a house that--after some very strange happenings--I found out had been the scene of a murder/suicide. (We moved.)  The second incident occurred while I was staying in an historic brownstone in Savannah (officially labeled the most haunted city in America).  Both incidents were enough to convince me that just because we can see something, doesn't mean it's not there.

At any rate, somewhere along the line I started wondering why we're so drawn to things that frighten us, and what would happen if the things that frighten us were actually drawn to US in return?  That's where I got the idea for the character of Nicki Styx, a young Southern woman with a decidedly Gothic bent, who after suffering heart failure and surviving a near-death experience, comes back from the other side with the ability to see and hear spirits.  Nicki is young, she's sassy, she's hip, and she thought she had the world all figured out, until she regained consciousness.  :-)  Now everything's changed, and the carefree lifestyle she once enjoyed now includes the hunky doctor who saved her life, regular visits from the restless dead, and oh, yeah... Satan himself, a/k/a Sammy Divine, who's hotter than Hell and lives there, too.

Nicki's had her work cut out for her in the past four books, doing good she doesn't necessarily want to do, putting lost souls to rest, falling in love with great guy who's all she ever dreamed of, while busily resisting temptation, which usually comes in the form of Sammy, a smokin' hot guy in tight jeans and a leather jacket.

In fact, Sammy's so hard to resist that he's got his own series coming up next year, which begins with DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE in May 2011.  (I wish I could show you the cover, but I'm not allowed to yet.)  You can, however, read a bit more about the Devil's Bargain series by visiting HERE, the "In The Works" section of my website.  While you're there, poke around a little, and learn more about the world of Nicki Styx, including a virtual visit to her vintage clothing store, Handbags and Gladrags.

But what about you?  Do YOU believe in ghosts?  Had any spooky encounters you'd like to share?  I'll give away a signed copy of Book 1 in the Nicki Styx series, DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, plus a special Limited Edition beaded bookmark and a tin of coffin mints to one lucky commenter.  Good luck!