Tag: Paranormal

Author Interview

Interview with A.R. Kaufer: weaving fairytales, fantasy, and found family into unforgettable worlds

Mandy Webster

A.R. Kaufer has been writing stories since she was thirteen, and in just a few short years, she’s built an impressive catalog of fantasy and romantasy novels that enchant readers around the world. Best known for The Courtship Saga and The Stolen Royalty Series—a collection of fairytale retellings with a paranormal twist—Kaufer blends emotion, adventure, and inclusivity into every tale.

Get your copy of Tower of the Lost Princess from my independent online bookstore today!

In this interview, Kaufer shares her journey from her early influences like Stephen King and Poe to her love of found family tropes, her approach to representation, and her newest release, Tower of the Lost Princess, a “Rapunzel meets Robin Hood” story that’s sure to captivate fans of magical worlds and heartfelt storytelling.

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Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a haunting #spooktober thriller that cuts deep

Mandy Webster

Daisy Pearce’s Something in the Walls is the kind of book that makes you glance over your shoulder while reading. Equal parts folklore horror and psychological suspense, it delivers a chilling blend of witchcraft, mob mentality, and small-town secrets that feel both timeless and terrifying. If you’re looking for a gripping #Spooktober read, this one absolutely delivers.

Get your copy of Something in the Walls from my independent online bookstore today!

The story follows Mina, a young psychologist still finding her footing, who takes on the case of Alice Webber, a troubled thirteen-year-old girl in the remote village of Banathel. Alice insists she’s haunted by a witch, and her symptoms grow more alarming as the days pass. Mina, desperate to prove herself and help the girl, joins forces with journalist Sam Hunter. But Banathel is a place steeped in superstition, and the villagers have their own brutal methods of “dealing with” witches. The deeper Mina digs, the more dangerous the truth becomes—especially as echoes of her own past begin to surface.

Continue reading “Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a haunting #spooktober thriller that cuts deep” →
Author Interview

Author interview with paranormal nonfiction writer Sylvia Shults

Mandy Webster

Today we’re featuring a local (to me) author who writes paranormal nonfiction! Fans of Ghost Hunters might recognize her from the episode, “Prescription for Fear,” which explores the Peoria State Hospital. Sylvia’s interview includes some great stories about about some of our fellow authors in the area that I know you’ll enjoy. If paranormal nonfiction is your jam, then be sure to have a pen ready to add a ton of great books to your TBR list while you read this interview!

Sylvia Shults is the author of several books of paranormal nonfiction, including Gone on Vacation: Haunted Zoos, Museums, and Amusement Parks, the award-winning Days of the Dead: A Year of True Ghost Stories, and Grave Deeds And Dead Plots. She sits in dark, spooky, haunted places so you don’t have to.

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Halloween, Writing Prompts

Writing prompt: Tell me a Halloween tale

Mandy Webster

Photograph of the headquarters building at Hic...
I worked in this building around the year 2000. It is probably the most haunted place I have ever been. | Photograph of the headquarters building at Hickam Field in 2005, still showing bullet and shrapnel damage to a wall. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Halloween is coming. Spooky tales abound as the veil between this world and the next one thins. In my mom’s family, visiting ghosts are a yearlong occurrence. Several relatives insist my late aunt still hangs around my grandmother’s house. Although she has never made her presence known to me, I have been warned not to mention the ugly bathroom tiles she picked out before departing for the other side. Apparently, that’s still a sore spot with her.

In the early days of my ex-marriage, I lived in an apartment in Hawaii that I am pretty sure is haunted. It was just the two of us, with baby #1 on the way. We slept in the master bedroom and cluttered the second bedroom with junk. For some reason, that second bedroom gave us the creeps. If I needed the vacuum cleaner while my husband was out, I would run into the spare room as fast as I could, grab the vacuum cleaner, and fly back out, slamming the door behind me. It never occurred to us to start setting the room up for the baby, because our sixth senses told us we didn’t want our baby sleeping in there. Continue reading “Writing prompt: Tell me a Halloween tale” →