Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Are psychics for real? Nancy Cole Silverman's cozy paranormal with a twist of ghost

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm a disbeliever when it comes to psychics. I've read every biography I can get my hands on about Houdini, the great magician who was also a great debunker, despite his friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle who came to believe in Spiritualism. I'm a huge fan of James Randi, a modern magician who's spent his life debunking frauds and investigating paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. 

Having said that, I've had a few experiences that I have a hard time explaining. Nancy Cole Silverman had one, too... one that happened while she was writing THE HOUSE ON HALLOWED GROUND, her first mystery featuring psychic Misty Dawn.




NANCY COLE SILVERMAN: I’m one of those writers who believe that when it comes to fiction, the story picks the writer. At least that was the way it was with me when I began writing the Carol Childs Mysteries. Which didn’t come as much of a surprise, since I had spent many of my working years inside a newsroom at different talk radio stations in Los Angeles.But, when I sat down to write what I thought was going to be a sequel to the series, I was surprised when Misty Dawn showed up on the page. Misty had been a recurring character in the Carol Childs series, but never one I intended to spin off into a series of her own. 


After all, she was a psychic, and what did I really know about psychics?
But here she was, a full-blown character, reminding me a lot of Kathy Bates, and with a story that matriculated on to pages fast as my fingers could type the scene.

Okay, I have to stop here to say that as much as I enjoyed what I thought was nothing more than a writing exercise— a flirtation with my keyboard on a day when I didn’t know what else to do—the experience caused me to pause.

Are psychics real?

I was skeptical, but like any good journalist, I took my note pad out and scribbled off a bunch of questions, along with a list of possible psychics in the area I might interview. (Let me add, that in California that’s not hard. There’s a psychic on nearly every street corner.) I treated this like I might any interview. I took it seriously, and crafted my questions like I might for anyone with an unusual occupation. This was strictly research. There were no right or wrong answers, just information. 

Upon meeting with several psychics, I stressed I wasn’t interested in a psychic reading for myself. What I wanted was to better understand not only what they did, but who it was that visited with them; how often and—from the psychic’s prospective—their experiences with their readings. For instance, if a caller had asked the psychic to make contact with a spirit, did the psychic have any residual visitations from said spirit, or was it all just an open and shut case? 

I can report that no two of my interviews were the same. Some psychics liked tarot cards, others crystal balls, and some claimed to read tea leaves or jewelry. I didn’t get the idea one might be better than other, but I did come away feeling that most of these items were props, a way to get the person they wanted to read to open up. 

It made me think a good psychic is really more of an intuitive, and only as good as the person being read allows them to be. Which was something else psychics shared with me; they could only read those people that wanted to be read.

I then doubled down on my efforts and started to look for stories about psychics working with the police and the FBI. Had they ever used psychics, and, if so, what was their experience? Would law enforcement voluntarily call a psychic in to investigate or was it more the other way around, where a psychic might call them with a lead?

The response was a resounding, “No!” No surprise there, despite the stories on the web claiming otherwise.

Facts aside, people are fascinated by the idea of someone being able to read the future. I pitched the idea to my publisher, Kendel Flaum with Henery Press, and she insisted I pursue it. So, two years later, here we are with a new series, based on a psychic who, I have to admit, has opened my eyes to seeing the world beyond what I see right in front of me. Kendel calls the Misty Dawn Mysteries, “a cozy paranormal with a twist of ghost.”

For the sheer fun of it, I’ll share that I did have some rather unnerving experiences while writing several scenes for The House on Hallowed Ground. The first happened one afternoon when I was editing a particularly sensitive scene where one of the characters was saying goodbye. As I went to delete an extraneous word of dialog, my delete key took control of my computer and erased the entire scene! This happened not once, not twice, but three times! I’ve since rationalized that I had accessed my word program inappropriately and somehow short-circuited the delete key, causing it to go berserk. I’m still not a hundred percent certain.

How about you? Have you had an experience psychic or an unusual experience when starting a new series that caused you to pause?

HALLIE: Me? Definitely not. But with my biases, I probably wouldn't admit it. Anyone else have an unusual experience that was inspirational?

ABOUT The House on Hallowed Ground by Nancy Cole Silverman
FROM DUST TO DAWN When Misty Dawn, a former Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, moves into an old craftsman house she encounters the former owner, the recently deceased Hollywood set designer, Wilson Thorne. Wilson is unaware of his circumstances and when Misty explains the particulars of his limbo state—how he might help himself if he helps her—he’s is not at all happy.

That is until Zoey Chamberlain, a young actress, comes to Misty’s door for help. Zoey has recently purchased The Pink Mansion, a historic Hollywood Hills home, and believes it’s haunted. But when Misty arrives to search the house, it’s not a ghost she finds, but a dead body. The police are quick to suspect Zoey of murdering her best friend. Zoey maintains her innocence and fears her friend’s death may have been a result of the ghost...and a long-time family curse. Together Misty and Wilson must work to untangle the secrets of The Pink Mansion or submit to the powers of the family curse.

53 comments:

  1. This is fascinating, Nancy . . . and how eerie about your delete key. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting Misty Dawn.

    Nope, no otherworldly experiences that I remember. Of course, my mom would be happy to tell you that when we were very young we played with a [nameless] child ghost. Of this, I have absolutely no recollection. However, when my younger sister was a baby, we would hear her laughing and playing when she was alone in her room. If you went into the room, she’d stop playing. But as soon as everyone left . . . .
    I can’t remember anything more than that, but my mom said we all played with the little girl ghost. [Who wasn’t necessarily related to the ghost named Pearl that lived in the house . . . .]

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    1. There were TWO ghosts?! (When I was little I was convinced the dolls got up and played with each other when I was out of the room.)

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    2. that's such a cool story Joan, that belongs in a book!

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    3. That's a great story. According to the psychics I interviewed, lots of kids have imaginary ghost friends. Misty, my protagonist, would agreed and add that that's not unusual, and that the ability to see them later in life has been bred out of us.

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    4. Yes, two ghosts, Hallie. The little child that we played with when we were babies and Pearl, who was an adult. I don’t know if either of them ever lived in the house, but we could hear Pearl walking around upstairs at odd times . . . .

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  2. Wow, Nancy. Did you rewrite that scene, or hit Ctrl+z to restore it? Or take it as a sign it was the wrong scene?

    I haven't written anything paranormal or had those kind of experiences, that I remember. Best of luck with the new series!

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    1. I don't recall doing anything unusual, other than pulling the electrical cord from the wall once I saw the letters on the page start to disappear. It was pac man was eating my manuscript!

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  3. That delete key episode is...terrifying! Had it ever done that before? Since? Eek.

    Love this new series. Loved the old one too!

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    1. I see a novel, entitled What The Delete Key Knew

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    2. No. It never happened before, but now I save each day's work with a date stamp. And, if it makes a difference, I didn't end up writing the character out of the story. Something told me I better not.

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    3. Years ago I had a celestial experience that I still can't explain. I love your Carol Childs series, and I'm looking forward to this series very much.

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  4. I wish I had a delete key that could get rid of some stuff I've written. You know that stuff that looks so great until the next day when you reread it?

    I am definitely going to be getting my hands on a copy of The House on Hallowed Ground, Nancy. I believe that we don't know everything there is to know about the world--the universe--around us. Did you ever get a phone call--in the days before caller ID and cell phones--and know who was calling before you picked up the receiver? Such a small thing, but how?

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    1. I remember WISHING the caller was someone and then being disappointed... :-(

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    2. I agree that we can’t possibly know everything there is to know! And don’t worry Flora we all have those horrible words—ugly drafts and those can be fixed!

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    3. I'm always struck by coincidences like that. I don't think they're accidental. As Misty would say, we live in a three dimensional world, and there is so much more around us we don't see. Lots of energy out there.

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  5. congratulations on your new series! No ghostly experiences about writing, but I did dream I was the protagonist.

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    1. As writers, I think our characters take over and it's always that surprise of what shows up on the page that gives me pause. Where did that come from?

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    2. I was Lizzie Christopher, intrepid amateur sleuth, creeping through a dark house clutching (what else?) a wrought iron curtain rod. Curtains for the Corpse. It's only happened once.

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  6. Nancy, I just bought The House on Hallowed Ground and I can hardly wait to read it!

    I've never had any ghostly encounters (I wish I would!) but had a strong psychic connection with my dad and uncle. Even when we lived in different cities, they knew if I had a bad day and would call me.

    I've also had the experience FChurch described in the days before caller ID and cell phones: knowing who was calling before I picked up the reciever.

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    1. What's so nice is that you welcomed their call when you'd had a bad day...

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    2. I suspect we all have strong connections with family and friends when they out of earshot, it's just a matter of tuning into our feelings. But, knowing who was calling before you picked up the phone, that's one for the books. I hope you enjoy The House on Hallowed Ground, it was fun to write.

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  7. I'm curious about the difference, if any, between a psychic and a medium. I'm not sure if I have had any experiences with so=called ghosts but I don't know how else to account for certain things that have happened.

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    1. Good question. I actually did some research on this for a book... I think a psychic intuits/figures out/reads someone’s past, present, future, or all three without being explicitly told. A medium talks to your dead friends and relatives, channeling in on them where they hang out on the astral plain. I know more about mediums than psychics.

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    2. Shalom Reds and fans. When it comes to psychics and mediums, I am a skeptic. I also, when I was younger, read everything I could about Harry Houdini’s efforts to debunk such persons. However, twice in my life, things have happened to me, seemingly in answer to prayer, that defy rational explanation. These occurrences were, and continue to be, sources of great comfort and solace.

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    3. David, I totally agree with the answer to prayer, and the powers around us to guide us. I like to think of it as positive energy.

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  8. I don't think I've ever had an experience like that. A character who insisted on telling me his story, but that's about it.

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    1. That’s a wonderful event though right Liz?

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    2. Really?!? Would you send him my way, please!

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    3. Lucy, it was. I had no idea he was so deep.

      Hallie, I can see if he has some friends. :)

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    4. Sometimes character take over, like Misty Dawn did with the writing of this book. And then there are times....when, every things quiet. It's times like this that I think I'm not looking in the right direction. Given a couple of days, things usually pick up and I'm back in the thick of it. Not that means, I won't later edit a scene out, but it keeps me moving.

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  9. I had my tarot cards read once, and it was an insightful experience. I agree with Nancy that good psychics are intuitive, empathetic people with a solid understanding of the human psyche. I left the card reading feeling much the same as I felt when I was seeing a therapist: that I had been heard, that my problems and issues had been teased out so I could look at them straight on, and that I had some good, usable advice as to what I might do about them.

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    1. I think you've hit it right on. Of the psychics I interviewed, the best ones confessed to me the tarot cards and everything else was just a prop. Hence, in my books, Misty doesn't use them, but relies on the energy a person brings to a reading, and can only read someone that wants to be read.

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  10. I'm a "who knows" sort of person..There are more things on heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
    YAy, Nancy!

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    1. Hank, that quote was just running through my mind, seconds before I read your comment.

      Hmm.

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    2. You're not alone when it comes to the "Who knows" category. Which made me think Misty would make a believable character.

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  11. And sure, yeah, I've had plenty of things. And I absolutely welcome them. xx

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  12. Ages ago I went to a physic. All I remember is he said I might have two children, but to be sure that was what I really wanted.
    We ended up, years later, adopting two children.

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    1. My mother used to tell me that when she was pregnant with her children, the doctor would ask her what she wanted, write it down, and he'd guarantee that's what she'd get. Turns out he always wrote the opposite sex down. If the mother later mentioned he had guaranteed her the opposite sex of the baby born, he'd pull out his notes and say, "No. I have written here you wanted a boy or a girl." I don't think he had many disappointed parents, but it was a pretty good trick, and he was known for it.

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  13. I love paranormal mysteries, and am looking forward to reading The House on Hallowed Ground.
    Beth, my ex, who was devoted to metaphysics, insisted I was psychic. Nope. Not I. What I have is an analytic mind, and due to my hearing loss, an ability to read micro facial expressions. The mini tells help me focus and understand what someone is saying as well as feeling (sometimes). I am pretty sure a lot of psychics have similar abilities.

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    1. After interviewing a lot of psychics, I suspect we all have a lot of intuitive powers we don't give enough credit to. When i started to write this series, I would call back and verify with different psychics if I were right in my interpretation. One finally said to me, you know as much as I do. You've got this. Go with it. So I have.

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  14. Were you able to get that scene written as is or did the del key control the story? As far as strange happenings, I'm open but apparently not open enough! Ghosts go on vacation when I've toured haunted buildings. I almost got my tarot cards read at Mallory Square last December. Almost. I decided not to because I was afraid I'd be disappointed by the experience. I did get my palm read in New Orleans years ago but I don't remember that anything stuck out. She did predict that I'd have a health scare but I would be fine. A couple of months later I had my gall bladder removed but that doesn't rate as a health scare in my book! Misty Dawn sounds like a cool character and I look forward to reading her story.

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    1. I ended up rewriting the scene and I never deleted the character as was my original intent. Misty seems happy she's there, so I leave her be. As for your experience with the psychic, I'd think gall bladder surgery qualifies as a health scare. No fun. Glad you back and and on track.

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  15. I enjoy ghostly appearances in books, sometimes comical and sometimes serious, and I'm looking forward to The House on Hallowed Ground. I love that cover, and it bespeaks of a great reading adventure to come. As far as believing in the supernatural, I do believe that there is much we don't comprehend about our world, here and beyond. And, having had an intense experience that I've already talked about here on Reds, I have to believe that we would do well to pay attention to signs or messages sent our way.

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    1. Misty would agree with you. And I have to add, I also think there are signs all around us all the time and it pays to pay attention.

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  16. Sounds like you got a very good understanding of psychic mediums. Being one myself and coming from several generations of intuitives, yes, everyone works slightly differently. Great for a writer because you can have an open field to have Misty work any way works for you and the story. Look forward to reading it! (Also, adding to the explanation of the difference between a psychic and a medium--all mediums are psychic but not all psychics are mediums.)

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    1. Thanks for the clarification between psychics and mediums. When i started to write the book, I realized Misty needed a medium, a go between to pull information from those beyond. Thus, Wilson, a shade or spirit caught between the worlds showed up. He's been a hoot to write and continues to surprise me.

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  17. What a spooky experience, Nancy! I see why you just left the character alone. Which makes me wonder. So often when we write, characters take on lives of their own, and do things that surprise the heck out of the author. Maybe there's a reason for that!

    Cue the Twilight Zone theme.

    I've had so many inexplicable experiences in my life, including a firsthand encounter with a spirit, that I'm inclined to suspend disbelief. How arrogant of us, to believe we know all there is to know about the universe.

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  19. I'm glad to see you're open to the idea. So much of what we think we've created I think is only a result of pulling in from fertile ideas around us. I often think of composers and people like Ray Bradbury who said he just wrote what he heard and was thankful to the universe for allowing ideas to come through him.

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  20. I am late here. I just checked in. Happy first day of October. This is a great start to spooky October! I was reminded of movies like Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Whoopi and a Maisie Dobbs novel (? book 3) about psychics.

    Regarding unusual experiences, I notice that I have different reactions when reading a novel. I just finished a fast read yesterday and I call it my "crying" book. I found myself crying!

    Diana

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