Ghosts, Spirits, and The Afterlife: A Panel Discussion and Reading

I've survived going back to work--and back to school. All of this weeks reading is done, one assignment complete and submitted and the second one well on its way. I have to admit I'm enjoying the scholarly environment--a lot more since I figured out a way for MS Word to put all my references into APA style and import them into my documents. Even the footnotes need to be footnoted.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon, but humor me. This weekend will be devoted to writing fiction. Next will be dedicated to meeting and greeting and discussing metaphysics--coincidentaly or not so coincidently, a subject in many of the research papers I've been reading.

You all know I do believe in ghosts, and write about them. And that witches are real. If you're in the Northeast, consider stopping by (or sending your friends) to this discussion at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Library.

I may not be a New England author at present, but I did my residency on the North Shore of Massachusetts, very close to Salem (and Portsmouth). Another synchronicity, I suppose. So I've lived  and worked in that very special corridor of lovely towns with interesting history, interesting places to visit, and very interesting people.

Pass the word along! 

Here's the official press release. Permission to forward granted and encouraged.

Join four New England authors for an informative and fun panel discussion of the challenges and opportunities of writing about ghosts, both real and imagined. We’ll explore a variety of approaches, beliefs, and customs ranging from the lighthearted to the downright scary, from real-life encounters to those that are completely fictitious.

The presentation will be followed by a book signing and informal reception in which audience members will have a chance to chat with the authors. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to tbruce@terribruce.net

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Presentation: 11 am – 1 pm

Reception and Book Signing: 1 pm – 3 pm

Portsmouth Public Library,

165 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH

More information:http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/library/ 

Terri Bruce (terribruce.net) has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her debut novel, Hereafter, is about a woman stuck on earth as a ghost, searching for a way to cross over to the afterlife.

Chelsea M. Cameron (leftandwrite.com) is a YA/NA writer from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is. Her latest novel, Whisper, is about a girl who can communicate with ghosts.

Renee Mallett (reneemallet.com) is the author of several non-fiction books about folklore and the paranormal. She has written a series of books about New Hampshire’s local legends and haunted history, including Strange New Hampshire and Haunted Portsmouth. She has appeared on Fearnet.com’s Streets of Fear series and on radio programs across the country to talk about ghostly phenomena and the power of myth. Much of Renee Mallett’s work is influenced by her love of nature, mythology, and history. You can visit this author on the web or in person at her workspace in Western Ave Studios in Lowell, MA the first Saturday of every month during Open Studios.

Carole Ann Moleti (caroleannmoleti.com) lives and works as a nurse-midwife in New York City, thus explaining her fascination with all things paranormal, urban fantasy, and space opera. Though she's never seen any, ghosts swirl around her all the time--and she has incorporated those experiences into her Cape Cod paranormal romance novels as well as her award winning non-fiction. Her work has appeared in a variety of speculative fiction venues including Lightspeed, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, Tangent Online, The Portal, and The Fix. Her short stories set in the world of her novels are featured in Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts and Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires and Beltane:Ten Tales of Magic.       

Connecticut Fiction Fest

Today I'm preparing for Connecticut Fiction Fest on May 12 at the

Heritage Hotel and Resort
522 Heritage Road
Southbury, Connecticut

The book sale and signing is open to the public from 4-5:30. Join me, April Gray, and Debbie Christiana all signing our latest books including Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires and Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts. There are special gifts for E-book customers.

Can't make it? Contact me and I'll send you signed bookplates for Bites and/or Haunted.

Authors, there is still time to register for this fabulous author conference and luncheon, featuring loads of great panelists and speakers as well agent and editor pitches.

It's the annual premier event sponsored by the Connecticut Romance Writers chapter of RWA.

Win Free Copies of Bites and Haunted: Two New Releases in the Ten Tales Series

Breakwater Beach

The Dhampir's Kiss

It's been a distinct pleasure to work with editor, author, teacher, and now publisher Rayne Hall on her Ten Tales series of fantasy titles. She has sought out stories from established authors in the fantasy genres. But she has been committed to giving less well-published authors like myself a chance.

The result is line up of anthologies that will be rolled out over the next year, some of which might include more of my work. Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts was published in December 2011 and Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires in February 2012. All the books in the Ten Tales Series features short stories in a myriad of styles by, well, ten authors.


My contribution to Haunted, "Breakwater Beach," focuses on the hero and heroine of my Cape Cod Paranormal Romance novel series. The first two books,Unfinished Business and The Widow's Walk are complete and in the hands of agents right now.

"Breakwater Beach" is a  pastiche introducing Liz Levine and Mike Keeny, who share a past they can't recall--because it was in another life. Liz discovers that he ghost haunting Breakwater Beach is her own, the widow of a sea captain who has returned to draw her backward so they can complete some unfinished business.


I'm thrilled to be able to engage readers who love paranormal romance in a contemporary setting with a sharp edge but a gentle hopefully ever after ending. And I'd love to connect with them so I can let them know when the full length series is available.


Rayne has put together another incredible volume for those who like to stick their necks out and tiptoe onto the darker side.  "The Dhampir's Kiss" introduces the characters in my current writing project. A gritty urban fantasy, Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams (also in the hands of an agent), is set in The Bronx, notorious for its gang violence, arson, drugs, prostitution. A beta reader compared to Sin City, and I describe it as and mix-up of the film Fort Apache, The Bronx and  Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities with an updated paranormal twist.

Why am I releasing snippets of novels to be?  Why am I jumping into writing for anthologies? Because after six years hard work, I'm proud of my babies and want to share snapshots of them with readers. So far, the response has been most gratifying. I'm sure all the authors who have contributed to the Ten Tails series have their own reasons: connecting with new readers, giving new life to previously published stories, or the thrill of finding a home for something they've worked on for a long time. 

And speaking of connections, in addition to my blog, Twitter and Facebook, readers can meet me in person (and take away a small token of my affection) at:

Fantastic Fiction readings, sponsored by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel, which are held in New York City every third Wednesday of the month at the KGB Bar. No, I'm not reading but try and claim a seat by the bar to watch the stars come out.

LunaCon, Westchester County, New York  March 16-18 2012  (Programing schedule TBA)

Fiction Fest, sponsored by the Connecticut Romance Writers Chapter of RWA, in Southbury on May 12 2012. Signings begin at 4pm and are open to all at no charge. I'll be selling all my books (and giving away book cards for my e-reader fans), no matter where and when they were purchased.

I assure you it will be worth the trip. Romance writers give out the most incredible swag!

ChiCon, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Chicago, Illinois from August 30-September 3 2012  (Programming schedule TBA)

Rumor has it that some of the authors who have also contributed to Haunted and Bites might join me at some of those venues.

If you can't make it to any of the above, ping me and I'd be happy to send you a signed book card or chat about writing on Facebook or Twitter.

So, hop on over to  and check out the author list and sample chapters of Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts and the newly released Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires. 

I'll be hanging out on The Book Boost on 2/24/12 to answer questions about my stories, my characters, writing in general, and how I get ideas. And I'd love to give away a free copy of Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts and Bites: Ten Tales of Ghosts to readers who jump into the discussion, so ask away-either here or there.

                                 

My Super Cool, Cool, and Not So Cool Experiences of 2011

Life is a journey, so they say. But this year has been an *&^(ing roller coaster ride, with more chills, thrills, and spills than the Brooklyn Cyclone experience of 2009.

Super Cool

Attending Taos Toolbox for two utterly idyllic, fantastic weeks from July 10-23, 2011.  

There I met very fine writers who I am privileged to be able to call on (and I have) to help out with emergency revisions and to keep me up do date on the all the best brands of beer and whiskey (in the greatest Western saloon tradition).

In addition, I can boast that I had several early morning chats with Nancy Kress over English muffins and coffee, and a discussion on my career goals with Walter Jon Williams in the hot tub.

Thanks to the advice I got and connections I made there, I recently published an article in Lightspeed about smart houses, robots and artificial intelligence and no longer have tachycardia when I see a message from John Joseph Adams. And Boulevard of Bad Spells of Broken Dreams is done and a partial submission is now being considered by a major West Coast agent.

Nope, doesn't get much better than that.

Cool (in no particular order):

One son graduated from high school and went away to college.

The other son is doing well in his music studies and I got to hear one of his "new music" compositions at a end of the year performance.

Published a "playbill" type article for the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association's 360 project entitled Making the Music Dance: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite. 

I'm still dancing despite the arm injury (details in the not so cool list).


I was cast as Hannah Townsend Lawrence, a Victorian socialite, for the Bayside Historical Society's annual "ghost tour" of the Lawrence Cemetery. After my reading, upon touching Hannah's gravestone, the Paranormal States EMF meter recorded exceptionally high levels  of activity.  I perceived no restless spirits, so I guess she was pleased by my performance.

Just published "Breakwater Beach," a short story set in the same time and place as my Cape Cod paranormal romance series. I would LOVE some feedback from readers if they would like to read more about Mike and Liz (and Edward and Elisabeth) so I can let the agents know there is a ready-made audience.

Check Out Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts, edited by Rayne Hall.

I completed Astrology for Writers I and II with Mary O'Gara and can now read and interpret charts (at least for fictional characters). This spring I'll be starting Tarot for Writers. 

I've long been interested in natural healing, herbal, and homeopathic remedies. As a way to make lemonade out of lemons, I've consulted both a santera and two Chinese medicine specialists.

Santeria is a fascinating, mysterious practice that appears to have somewhat alleviated the root causes of my arm pain: stress and overwork. I've also experienced two acupuncture an energy healing/meditation sessions and am looking forward to more. 

Not So Cool

My Dad died in June after a long illness. I miss him so much.

College tuition payments, which require me to do tons of overtime, leading to aforementioned stress and overwork.

Two teenagers, who tax my brain, my heart, my soul, my pocketbook, and my patience to the breaking point.

Being a health care professional in the United States--and the triple whammy of being woman, in a women's profession, taking care of women.

Hurricanes, tornados, assorted floods and other manmade and natural disasters.   

The  combination of all of the above, which resulted in calcified tendonitis of my right shoulder which has morphed into fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Typing doesn't help, but voice recognition software doesn't like my pitch or Bronx accent.




Yes, life is a journey. But I will keep Going On Pointe for as long as I can.

Happy 2012.