I remember being entranced many years ago by an article I was reading about a dollhouse built by a loving father for his little girl. In fact, the article had such a profound effect on me I cut it out and kept it pressed between the pages of a big, thick book for safe-keeping, taking it out to reread every so often. The article remained pressed between the pages of that book for nigh unto twenty years.

After I'd bought my home in my late twenties, I eventually got around to doing what I'd always wanted to do--frame the article to hang in my office/library in my house. The picture hung on the wall from then up until 28 May 2008 when an arson fire destroyed my home along with my possessions.

Miraculously, after all the debris had been cleared away and contractors had worked on the house enough for me to move back home, I started finding some things around the house I knew had been destroyed in fire, finding them in places such as in the new upper cabinets in the kitchen, under the cushions on the new sofa, in the new bathroom medicine cabinet. I still to this day believe the ghosts tried to save things they knew held great sentimental value to me and brought them back to me, but that's a whole different story for another day.

One of the items that made its way back to me was the framed article about little Nadine Earles and her dollhouse that had hung on the wall of a room that had been completely gutted by fire. The frame and glass were somehow intact. The article itself had a few water stains on it and it's yellowed, but other than that it was in perfect condition. This is the framed article. It is doubly valuable to me because it is something from my childhood and because it somehow managed to find its way back to me after the fire.

Like Rosalia Lombardo, I also wrote a little bit about Nadine Earles in my book Angels of the Mourning Light.

The place is Lanett, Alabama. The year is 1933. Four year-old Nadine Earles has been hinting she wants a dollhouse for Christmas. In November, she was diagnosed with diphtheria. Her parents, Julian Comer Earles and Alma Earles, hoping to make her feel better, gave her early Christmas gifts of a doll and a tea set. But what Nadine really wanted was her dollhouse, which, unbeknownst to her, her father had already begun to build on the property.

Her father told her she would have to wait until Christmas, to which Nadine replied, in the true fashion of an expectant child, "Me want it now."

Unfortunately, little Nadine would never get to play in her dollhouse. Weakened from the respiratory tract infection, she contracted pneumonia and died the week before Christmas, on 18 December.

Nadine Earles was laid to rest on Christmas Eve 1933.

Her favorite wanted to fulfill his promise to his little girl. He had the partially-built dollhouse moved to the cemetery. By the Spring of 1934 little Nadine finally had her dollhouse. Nadine's dollhouse was built over her grave so she would always have it. And each year on birthdays and holidays her parents would place gifts they'd bought for their daughter inside the dollhouse. They even held Nadine's fifth birthday there, celebrating with cake and ice cream.

Inscribed on the headstone inside:
"Our Darling Little Girl, Sweetest In The World
April 3rd, 1929 – December 18th, 1933
Little Nadine Earles
In Heaven We Hope To Meet"

Along with Nadine's demand:
"Me want it now"

Visitors can still visit the cemetery and see it for themselves. Over the years different people and organizations have taken it upon themselves to see to the upkeep on Nadine's dollhouse, cleaning, painting, fixing, and even decorating for holidays and occasions. Visitors come by, some stop to talk to Nadine, others leave notes and cards in the dollhouse's mailbox.

Her mother and father are now buried in the little yard that surrounds the dollhouse, not far at all from their beloved little girl. Instead of a macabre tale, it's a demonstration of the profound love a parent possesses for their child.

I have always wanted to visit Rosalia Lombardo in Palermo, Sicily, and Nadine Earles in Lanett, Alabama. Perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to do just that.

There is nothing I enjoy more than reading a good book, unless it’s watching a good movie, and the best movies sometimes are adaptations of good books. So I decided I would compile a list of exactly that:

13 of My Favorite Horror Films Based on Novels

1) Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (1967)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Both the book and film are hauntingly stylish on a subdued grand scale. Perhaps my favorite film of all time. It’s fun to root for the bad guys when they are this fantastic. Beethoven's Für Elise being played on the piano in the background, coming from another apartment somewhere in the Bram, only ups the creep factor. The phrase "Rosemary’s baby" has become part of the lexicon to describe a certain type of child.

2) Psycho by Robert Bloch (1959)

Psycho (1960)

If you don’t know the name Norman Bates then you must have never had access to books, television, or films. This film can scare the hell out of you, even if you go into it telling yourself it’s a black comedy. Hitchcock reportedly bought the film rights for $10,000 because Bloch had no idea to whom he was selling them, and Hitch tried his best to keep the plot of the film a secret for as long as possible, including buying up copies of the book so people couldn't read it and see the ending.

3) The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (1957)

Village of the Damned (1960)

Village of the Damned (1995)

Knowing Cuckoo birds are notorious for destroying the eggs of other birds and replacing them with their own for the other birds to hatch and raise is a stunning parallel for the children in both the book and movies. The unknown origin of the children is one of the things that makes the storyline so successful.

4) Audrey Rose by Frank De Felitta (1975)

Audrey Rose (1977)

It’s a haunting story that sheds light on the possibility of previous existences. It also shows how far a parent will go in the name of love for a child.

5) Haunted by James Herbert (1988)

Haunted (1995)

Possibly my favorite haunted house book because it includes all the creepy ambiance you could ask for. The film version is a good adaptation—as a standalone film it would be very good—but it would have been much better had it not altered some extremely significant plot points from the novel. I won’t give spoilers, but they should have kept these plot points the same.

6) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971)

The Exorcist (1973)

Deeply disturbing and engrossing storyline. This, like Psycho had done, terrorized the audience in a whole new way. I still say Linda Blair was robbed of her Academy Award.

And

Legion by William Peter Blatty (1983)

The Exorcist III (1990)

This book and film are vastly underrated; both are well-done and stylishly dark, and the film contains a scene that makes me jump every time I watch it even though I know it’s coming. It's creepy in a spectacular way.

7) The Bad Seed by William March (1954)

The Bad Seed (1956)

Children can be damned creepy in horror films--Gage Creed in Pet Sematary is arguably the finest example of this—and the young actress who plays Rhoda does a bang-up job in this film. And, :Ike Rosemary's Baby, the phrase Bad Seed has become a description for a certain type of child.

8) The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker (1986)

Hellraiser (1987)

Utterly original, grossly terrifying, and you cannot tear your eyes from the page or the screen. This is the origin of the iconic horror figure the Cenobite Pinhead. Clive Barker has a way of uncovering nightmares and bringing them to life.

9) The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1983)

The Woman in Black (1989 British television film)

The Woman in Black (2012)

A dark, Gothic ghost story that captures your attention. The story unfolds in such a way you are on the edge of your seat, and the woman in black elicits both your sympathy and your terror as her secrets are revealed.

10) Ghost Story by Peter Straub (1979)

Ghost Story (1981)

It is just what it promises: a ghost story. And, man, is it well-done. The book is well-written, the film is well-acted, and it’s an experience to enjoy on a winter’s night. It just goes to show you the past can come back to haunt you because it doesn't have an expiration date...and sometimes revenge is better than Christmas.

11) Uneasy Freehold by Dorothy Macardie (1941)

The Uninvited (1944)

Not an horrific ghost story, not an especially scary one, but significantly creepy and sometimes that’s all you need to have to enjoy an evening. Settle in and allow the creepiness to unfold.

12) Thor by Wayne Smith (1992)

Bad Moon (1996)

The book is different from the film in that it tells the story from the German Shepherds point of view, a unique way to tell a story. The movie version met with unfavorable reviews, but I liked it and I’m not a werewolf type of guy.

13) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Disturbing. That’s the best way I can describe this story. Delightfully disturbing and this film version is the one I enjoy watching the most out of all the versions I’ve seen.


And maybe some time in the near future there will be a film version of my own Into the Mirror Black.

Good evening and welcome to my lair.

There are so many interesting true stories out in the world, stories which fascinate me to no end. One such story concerns Rosalia Lombardo, the Sleeping Beauty of the Capuchin Catacombs.

I incorporated a little bit about Rosalia in my novel Angels of the Mourning Light, the book I refer to as a different kind of ghost story.

Born 13 December 1813, little Rosalia died from pneumonia on 6 December 1920. She was one of the last to be entombed in the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Yes, those famous catacombs.

What makes Rosalia's story so infamous is not her life or her death but what happened after she died. Technically what didn't happen after she died. You see, little Rosalia's body was embalmed in such a way, using a formula and technique that was thought lost until only recently, that it didn't decay. So good was the embalming that x-rays of her body have shown intact organs still inside.

The photo below is very nearly the same image I first saw of Rosalia when I read about her for the first time quite a number of years ago and it has stuck with me. It hasn't haunted me, at least not in a bad way.

The nickname the Sleeping Beauty comes from the very same reason for which Rosalia is famous: for almost a century, little Rosalia looked as if she was a sleeping child instead of an embalmed corpse.

Such was the love her father had for her that he sought out the best embalmer of the time. Yes, the formula and technique used by Alfredo Salafia, a famous embalmer of of his time, preserved Rosalia in such a manner that the first signs of decomposition, mainly a discoloration, did not begin to show until about 2009.

Steps have been taken to help keep Rosalia out of the grips of decomposition. Originally, she reposed in her glass-topped coffin in a small chapel at the end of the catacombs. Now, she and her coffin have been moved and placed in an hermetically sealed glass enclosure filled with nitrogen gas to stave off decay.

I've always found myself fascinated with this story. The scientific aspect of the near-perfect embalming technique/formula aside, wouldn't it be nice to imagine the love her father had for her kept her in such life-like condition for nearly a century?

Here is an informative video about the Sleeping Beauty.

And you may enjoy this video, as well. Please be aware some words in the English subtitles are incorrect but the meaning can still be understood.

Greetings, all you sexy people out there in the dark.

Okay, it's not dark right now, but it will be eventually.

I have been away from my blog again. And after I promised I'd try harder. Naughty.

Let me give you a little update. I have been writing. The first draft manuscript for the fourth book of my Scarabae Saga, Shadows Amongst the Moonlight, has been completed for awhile, as has the collection of short fiction that will comprise the fifth book of my Scarabae Saga, Illusions of Darkness: The Forbidden. Work has also begun on the sixth and final book of my Scarabae Saga, The Lair of the Scarabae; it's only in the formative stages of writing, but I do know where I want it to go and it will answer questions and have a conclusion.

I've also been working on a shorter non-fiction book that will at first be a Kindle-exclusive of my ghostly experiences. People have asked me over the years to write something like this and I believe it will not only be a good way to share some of my experiences but it will also let people know not every experience is like those portrayed on those television shows--and we all know what I'm talking about. I call it These Ghosts of Mine, and it will feature an exclusive cover design by Laura J. Meese. Originally, I wanted to have it ready for October of this year, but I am holding off until most likely after the first of the year, 2015, because, since these are my true stories, I don't want them confused with or seen as a Hallowe'en publicity stunt. Understand? I think you will enjoy reading about some of the experiences I've had.

In other news, I broke my toe. The toes beside the little toe on my left foot. Walking by my antique red sofa in the living room, the one with the wood feet, I was watching the fish in the aquariums and not paying attention. Fishies fascinate me. Sure enough, I whacked my toe and heard it snap. More like a subtle crack. It doesn't hurt really. The swelling has subsided a bit and the purple that spread across all my toes and the top of my foot is slowly going away. I can still function and go to work even though I must take smaller, slower steps, so all is well. The last time I had a broken toe it was the toe beside my big toe on my right foot, That was a pain. Not only did it hurt, it threw off my balance completely. It's not the first broken toe I've had and I highly doubt it will be the last.

Fall is setting in. It's my second favorite season, Winter being the first. I enjoy the cool evenings where I can have the windows open. I love the colors of the changing leaves: the reds, oranges, yellows. They make the mountains look like they are ablaze. My mums are blooming--red, orange, and yellow. Those colors remind me of flames. In the Spring, I have lilies that bloom in those colors. Now if only I could find flowers for Summer.

Good evening and welcome back to my lair, all you sexy people out there in the dark.

I wanted to unveil the trailer for my first book Into the Mirror Black. I think it suits the atmosphere of the book and the Midnight Syndicate song "Mansion in the Mist" from their album The 13th Hour is so perfect I'd swear they wrote the song just for my story. Let me know what you think.

And if you haven't read my book yet, perhaps this trailer will intrigue you enough to go to Amazon.com and grab your copy. (Especially if we do get the alleged snowpocalype or snowmageddon or whatever the hell people are calling it, you'll need something to read.)

Good evening, all you sexy people out there in the dark.
(Jesyca)
And welcome back to my lair.

I haven't been away as long as I usually am, so be proud of me for that. I've been busy with projects, but unfortunately none of those projects were writing. Which is okay. I've written a little here and there and every bit is progress.

There is a project that's pretty close to completion and I want to share that with you. The unveiling will hopefully take place in the next week or so. I've been working with a friend to film a trailer for The First Book of the Scarabae Saga: Into the Mirror Black. We've finished filming--you would not believe the amount of footage you have to shoot just to get enough for a minute and twenty seconds--and the rough edit has been put together. I saw it today and I really like it. It's dark and atmospheric and that suits both me and my book.

I have to say a huge THANK YOU to Midnight Syndicate (www.midnightsyndicate.com) for granting me permission to use their song Mansion in the Mist from their eerie CD The 13th Hour. I love their music because it's almost like a soundtrack to my writing, very creepy, and I have already chosen the two tracks I want to use for my next two trailers. In fact, the entire CD could pretty much be used as the soundtrack to the film version of Into the Mirror Black, if there was a film version.

For those of you who don't know, a book trailer is basically a commercial for the book. Sometimes they are filmed like trailers to movies where there are actors and they show you part of the storyline. Mine isn't like that. I don't want to try to describe it because I want to wait for the unveiling so you can just see it.

And the goal is to intrigue more and more people so they read Into the Mirror Black. The more people who buy it and read it, the more money is raised so I can continue to help animals in need. So keep your legs crossed and help me get the word out there. Word of mouth is the best publicity and, I wish it weren't the case but it is, there are so many animals in need!

Look for that sometime in the very near future, and hopefully this summer will see the trailers for The Second Book of the Scarabae Saga: Angels of the Seventh Dawn and The Third Book of the Scarabae Saga: Angels of the Mourning Light.

Again, major thank you to Midnight Syndicate for allowing me to use your fantastic music as the score for my book trailers. I will also make sure I tag you on YouTube and send you links so you can perhaps put them on your website.

Daylight Savings Time change has kicked my butt today, and I still have to spend quality time with the birds tonight. We'll play a little, have a nice snack, and then I do believe we will settle in to watch a Disney movie. (That's the only movies they are allowed to watch since I don't want them picking up any foul language. Someone already uses a couple words here and there and then he laughs when I say, "Hey now, we don't talk like that.")

Nighty-nightmares...

Good evening, all you sexy people out there in the dark.
(Jesyca)
And welcome back to my lair.

I haven't been away as long as I usually am, so be proud of me for that. I've been busy with projects, but unfortunately none of those projects were writing. Which is okay. I've written a little here and there and every bit is progress.

There is a project that's pretty close to completion and I want to share that with you. The unveiling will hopefully take place in the next week or so. I've been working with a friend to film a trailer for The First Book of the Scarabae Saga: Into the Mirror Black. We've finished filming--you would not believe the amount of footage you have to shoot just to get enough for a minute and twenty seconds--and the rough edit has been put together. I saw it today and I really like it. It's dark and atmospheric and that suits both me and my book. In fact, the entire CD could pretty much be used as the soundtrack to the film version of Into the Mirror Black, if there was a film version.

I have to say Midnight Syndicate granted me permission to use their song Mansion in the Mist from their eerie CD The 13th Hour, and they have my undying thanks for that. I love their music because it's almost like a soundtrack to my writing, very creepy, and I have already chosen the two tracks I want to use for my next two trailers.

For those of you who don't know, a book trailer is basically a commercial for the book. Sometimes they are filmed like trailers to movies where there are actors and they show you part of the storyline. Mine isn't like that. I don't want to try to describe it because I want to wait for the unveiling so you can just see it.

Look for that sometime in the very near future, and hopefully this summer will see the trailers for The Second Book of the Scarabae Saga: Angels of the Seventh Dawn and The Third Book of the Scarabae Saga: Angels of the Mourning Light.

Again, major thank you to Midnight Syndicate for allowing me to use your fantastic music as the score for my book trailers. I will also make sure I tag you on YouTube and send you links so you can perhaps put them on your website.

Daylight Savings Time change has kicked my butt today, and I still have to spend quality time with the birds tonight. We'll play a little, have a nice snack, and then I do believe we will settle in to watch a Disney movie. (That's the only movies they are allowed to watch since I don't want them picking up any foul language. Someone already uses a couple words here and there and then he laughs when I say, "Hey now, we don't talk like that.")

Nighty-nightmares...

Good evening, all you sexy people out there in the dark.

I know, I know. It has been a month since I last wrote an entry. And after I promised I would update on a more regular basis. I could blame this thing called a Polar Vortex we got hit with. Was it on two separate occasions? Let me tell you, trying to keep a 150 year old brick house with no insulation in the outside walls warm during those days of sub-zero windchill is a feat not for the lighthearted. But I was able to accomplish so the birds and I were rather cozy. (Those fantastic gel fireplace contraptions I have in two of the old fireplaces were a Godsend during those frigid times.) So the feather- and furbabies and I stayed warm.

What else do I have to report?

I've writing my works-in-progress a bit here and there. Progress is progress and I will cherish every written word. Writing is very fun for me and I don't want to ever force myself to sit down and create when I'm not in that creative mood. I've found it is a disservice to both me and the stories I'm endeavoring to tell. So that explains why sometimes I'm a very slow writer.

And I've received some very kind words from readers regarding my first book Into the Mirror Black, and I appreciate them very much. For those of you who may not know, it is a haunted house story. Those are my favorite kind and I'm proud of the tale I've written. I've been blessed to have written this story. My friend Thom, a fantastic writer and artist in his own right, is working away on a screenplay adaptation of my tale. And perhaps I am letting the cat out of the bag too soon, but I hope to work with my friend Chris, another great writer and musician, to bring to life a theme song for Into the Mirror Black. But one must put these positive thoughts out to the Universe and postulate great creative energies coming together to bring about an even greater piece of art. Did you follow that?

I've been keeping up with my chanting. For those of you who know, you'll understand why my dedication to the chant
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha--Did I spell that correctly?--for the Hindu god Ganesh. It helps me center myself and create a peaceful environment in which I can remove those obstacles that may be standing in my way and preventing me from achieving all the great things I postulate. Try it.

And, of course, the secret project that only a select few of you know about, the one which has been really developing over the course of the last 10 months is coming closer to fruition. Hand in there with me. I promise it will come to light, and hopefully this summer. Keep those positive thoughts and good energy coming my way! I appreciate it.

Don't forget those animals in need. Even a few dollars donated to a rescue or shelter will save lives. And if you can't donate monetarily, a donation of a few hours a week to help clean or walk a dog or play with a cat will mean a world of difference to an animal who doesn't have anyone else. It also helps these animals socialized so they are friendly towards potential adopters.

Okay, that's about it for now. I had a great afternoon visiting with a good friend. We made a pizza and got caught up.

Nighty-nightmares...

Welcome back, all you sexy people out there in the dark.

Winter is allegedly half-way over. It's my favorite season. I keep hoping for that once nice snow fall.

Finally, my water has been restored after about a week and a half. That was a fun experience. Thank you, Polar Vortex. But at least I have water again. (I just wish a well-known home improvement center would have more than three or four of an item in stock. You'd think they would since they are a home improvement center.)

So for the last day I have been playing catch up on all the things around the house that require water--like doing dishes, mopping floors, scrubbing litter boxes. The small joys in life.

And I have been working on my novella for Christmas 2014. Don't throw those stones. I know it's too soon after Christmas 2013 to be mentioning the next one, but I have to think ahead on these things, you know. Tentatively titled A Christmas Curse, it's a bloody good tale so far. I think you'll enjoy it. It's different than A Christmas Canticle, which was my homage to Dickens and his classic ghost story.

I've also been working once more on my secret project. Keep your legs crossed, I'm hoping for a Spring release on that . And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. At least, I hope you will be. It has been in the works for the better part of three years, more actively in the past year, and my goal is to see it come to fruition in 2014.

A second secret project is also in the works. Can't say much more than that because it's way to early, but just keep it in mind.

That's about all for now. More cleaning is calling my name.

Nighty-nightmares...

Greetings, all you sexy people out there in the dark.

I'm having a lazy evening. The fireplace is lit and I'm watching more episodes of What's New, Scooby-Doo? I recently bought all three seasons, and I have to say I'm enjoying them quite a bit.

Did you know of my Scooby obsession?

I only like the shows and animate films that have the whole gang together, but I did just get the complete 13 episode series of the 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo because it was on sale for $3.99 and I couldn't pass that up.

My friend bought me the boxed set of the complete seasons 1 & 2 of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! But I still need to get the third season that was aired something like 8 years after the second season ended and then I'll have all of the show.

The next one I want to get is Mystery Incorporated. It officially has 2 seasons and I want them. I watched it when it was aired on television but I still need it so I can watch it again when I'm being lazy...like now.

And of the 20 direct-to-DVD animated films, I only have 7 so I need to get cracking on that collection. I have to admit, I think Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island & Scooby-Doo and the WItch's Ghost are my favorites, followed closely by Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster & Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?

Then I think I'll be done, except for when a new animated film featuring the whole gang comes out. But you never know. I might look into The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour that lasted for a season because there are 16 episodes of Scooby and the whole gang.

Anyway, that's my Scooby obsession. Can't help myself. I like nothing better than kicking back and watching Scooby help solve some mysteries.

Unless, of course, it's Duck Tales.

Nighty-nigh