Gary's Lawyer

From: GARY JONLI
Subject: Assist me Lawyer.
Date: March 15, 2011 3:57:38 AM PDT
Reply-To: garyjonli8080@gmail.com


Dear Lawyer,

I am looking for a lawyer/Law Firm that can assist me in litigating the issue of an overdue loan of $155,000.00. Please advice if this is your area of practice. Thank you.

Sincerely,
GARY JONLI
Email: garyjonli8080@gmail.com
Tel: 1-647-705-5341

Reading Allowed

Continuing the library theme, I thought I'd tell you about an evening they held at my local last week.

The idea was that you go along and read out a favourite piece of writing. It could be prose, poetry, anything you like. I went along for several reasons: It sounded interesting, I like to do anything I can to support my library, it cost only £1, wine and nibbles were provided.

I was not disappointed. There were eighteen of us which wasn't bad for a chilly winter's night and the selection of reading material covered a wide range. There were classics such as Rebecca and the poem Kubla Khan. There was a novel called Duncton Wood which is apparently a bit like Watership Down with moles. A lady read out Psalm 23 (King James version). A gentleman read an extract from Spectator In Hell which is about the experiences of British troops in Auschwitz (some of us were not aware there were British soldiers in Auschwitz).

It brought to my attention some pieces of literature which I had forgotten and others which I have never read but may look up in the future. This was a good idea to make more use of our precious library service.

Guest Blogger Lisa Shoreland Discusses Biltmore Estate's Haunted History

I am excited to welcome guest blogger, Lisa Shoreland, to my blog.  I love writers and am always happy to have new writers on my blog, but I like this guest post more than usual because I believe Lisa has to be psychic.  She has written an amazing post about Biltmore mansion in North Carolina and I am packing to leave for North Carolina tomorrow!   I'm hoping to bring back some wonderful pictures to add to this post.

The Biltmore Estate


The Biltmore Estate is a picture of beauty and opulence: Its 175,000 square feet and 250 rooms feature some of the finest art and architecture, and it rests against the gorgeous backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, N.C. It was built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt as his family’s primary residence. Many decades after its original inhabitants died, they still seem to call it home.

George Vanderbilt built the estate after becoming enamored with the local scenery and climate. Although he set out to build a summer home, he devoted much of his time and resources to the estate, building it to be self-sufficient, with its own livestock and dairy farms, a church, and a forestry school. He and his wife, Edith, welcomed a daughter, Cordelia, during their time at the estate.

Haunted Past

In 1914, George died of complications from an appendectomy. Devastated from her husband’s death, Edith took to sitting by the marble fireplace in the library each night and holding conversations with her dear departed. The servants thought the woman was going crazy.

Years later, staff at the Biltmore Estate say that they can still hear the whispered voice of Edith talking to her husband late at night. Some report seeing the two of them together, sitting and laughing by the fireplace.

Others report seeing George himself in the second floor oak sitting room or the Billiard room. He is usually seen sitting or smoking his pipe, but others say they just feel his presence.

Other Happenings

Sightings and strange happenings aren’t limited to the house or to George and Edith. Reports of haunted behavior at the Biltmore Estate have been widely varied over the years.

Some employees report hearing strange noises, such as disembodied footsteps, laughter, or screaming. Others say they have felt like they were being watched. Visitors to the Pool Room have also reported strange noises, such as splashing and swimming when no one is present. There have also been tales of a lady wearing black floating just below the water’s surface.

Finally, visitors have often reported seeing the apparition of a headless orange cat running through the estate, especially between the Gardens and the Bass Pond.

Want to see if you can catch any of these strange sightings? There are haunted tours of Biltmore Village and downtown Asheville. Or you can pay to visit the Biltmore Estate during the day and see if you get lucky!

Lisa Shoreland works for   http://www.gocollege.com/financial-aid/scholarships/types/academic-scholarships.html  .  You can learn more about her at this link.

Death's Dream Kingdom Book Trailer.

I have the day off today and I am an absolute master in the art of procrastination.  I have a deadline next month and two chapters of Haunted Chattanooga left to write.  I have another book due to my publisher and a trip next week to plan, so I spent my day working on a book trailer for Death's Dream Kingdom, which will be coming out in ebook format in May and print in November.   I'm actually going to pay someone to do a real trailer, so I'm not entirely sure why I wasted my morning doing this.  I guess I just love doing something I shouldn't.  So here is the trailer I made for my book which will have a limited ebook release in May!  Let me know if you like it.  I have no skill at these things so feedback will be used and appreciated.



 
 

The North Port Ghost

My favorite ghost stories are the ones told to me by people.  I always like to think of ghost stories as the last oral traditions.  These days there a very few stories that are told around the table or camp fire like they used to before television and the Internet.  Ghost stories and urban legends are the last stories the cling to these old traditions and sometimes ghost stories and urban legends can become almost one.  Some friends of mine shared one their favorite stories from their college days with me over dinner this way.  The story was told to me two very different ways.  This is the risk of oral traditions.  They often are told very differently by each person telling them.

The first person who shared this story with me told me that the North Port Ghost was a real story.  He said that if you drive down a lonely road in rural Alabama you will come to a spot where many people have seen The North Port Ghost.    If you slow down,  you might see her wandering the road alone.   According to legend,  the North Port Ghost is the wife of a Confederate soldier.  She wanders the night searching for her husband.   He never came home from the war and she has never stopped looking for him.  Even in death, her lonely specter can be seen all dressed in white waiting for the return of a many who is long go.   She is a classic white lady, forever looking for love that will never come.

The second story I heard was much less fun but still interesting.  She said the North Port Ghost was a snipe hunt.   She claimed upper classman sent Freshmen into the country and told them to drive slowly down a hill while flashing their blinkers.  If this is done properly, the light will catch off a lamp post giving the affect of a ghost and scaring the crap out of the Freshman. 

According to Shadowlands Haunted Place Index,  The North Port Ghost was once commonly seen.   He was the ghost of a fallen confederate soldier who used to roam the area.   The ghost is not seen anymore and has disintegrated into a tourist attraction because the area has become over developed and is no longer rural.

So,  I love my oral traditions and I love this story because it is one that is told again and again, but the true story has been lost somewhere in the telling.  It has become a prank and a joke told to scare college students, but I like to believe the first story is true and that urbanization has driven the ghost away.

Shh...

I went to another excellent night at Nottingham Writers' Club last week where we listened to novelist and psychotherapist Maxine Linnell. Maxine read extracts from her book 'Vintage' which is aimed at the young adult market and she explained where her inspirations came from. She reminded us of the time when, as a young girl, she regularly visited the library and borrowed books from the children's section. But it wasn't until the age of twelve that she was issued with an 'adult' ticket and a whole new world was opened up to her.

Nowadays there isn't such a strict divide. Booksellers are careful to market their young adult stock (can't call it 'teenage') so that it appeals to a wider range. There are also instances where the same book is given two different front covers - one that appeals to children and one for adults.

Maxine brought back memories of my own local library which had a similar arrangement. I don't think children were even allowed in the grown up's section and I remember once being told off for whistling as I entered the lobby. If you wanted any help you had to whisper. Now these institutions are open-plan and a combination of meeting place, temporary classroom and cyber-cafe. Infinitely more accessible, of course, but sometimes I still want to put a finger to my lips when someone rustles a newspaper a little too loudly.

Book Review: Ghosts and Haunts of Tennessee

Tennessee has some of the best ghost stories I have ever heard.  As an Alabama girl,  I'm often jealous of the state just North of me.  It is so rich in folklore and ghostly tales that it makes the rest of us look poor.  The Belle Witch alone could and has filled entire books with her witchly horror.This is why I was thrilled to read Christopher K. Coleman's Ghosts and Haunts of Tennessee.   There are a lot of books about the ghosts of Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley.   This book stood apart to me in the way it was laid out.  As a paranormal explorer, I love to travel to and visit the locations I read about in books.  Some collections of ghost stories make this almost impossible to do.  They don't give detailed locations so there is no way to find the haunted location and visit it yourself.  This deficit in so many books makes me sad.  Coleman gives addresses and locations for every haunted spot he describes making this a paranormal tourist's dream.

Ghosts and Haunts of Tennessee is more than a guidebook, however.  It is also a fun collection of folklore and Southern superstition.   My favorite chapter is called Mountain Witches.  It traces the origins of Tennessee's mountain witches back to Celtic lands and into the mountains of Tennessee.  It lists many old charms to be used as protections against enchantment.  These might include putting a dime in your shoe, laying a broom across the threshold of your home, and spreading salt around your home.   The book also explores the numerous mysterious monsters and beasties that wander Tennessee.   It discusses my favorite beastie, old green eyes, and many other mysterious creatures.   Ghost and Haunts of Tennessee is a fun collection of ghosts and folklore for any Southerner, especially those of us who live close enough to go find some of Coleman's haunts.