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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

It's Almost Halloween: Do You Believe In Ghosts?


Like many of the people who write in the paranormal genre, October is my favorite month. I love the way the cooler air whisks at my face; the crunch of gold and rust-colored leaves beneath my boots; the smell of pumpkin spice; and seeing fun and scary costumes in stores. Of course, I also love Halloween. I suppose I tend to gravitate toward spooky things year round, but it somehow seems more acceptable in October.

Speaking of spooky, some of the spookiest things that have ever happened to me have happened in graveyards.

Here’s a really strange fact you probably never wanted to know: I actually visit the cemetery a fair amount, having lost my mom when I was 12. My best friend also lost her mom as a young adult, and she’s buried not too far from mine. Now, we regularly go place fresh flowers on their graves. Nothing odd in that, right? Well, except we usually go late at night.

I know. Weird.

We’re both night owls, and I work long hours during the day. It’s not uncommon for us to meet up — safety in numbers — to go to the cemetery at night.

One time we were inside my car when the headlights captured a woman and a dog standing beside a grave. There was something unnatural about them that caused me to immediately stop and turn around. I mean, they had no flashlight and they weren’t near a car. “Did you see a woman and a dog standing there?” my friend immediately asked, but when we both turned back to look seconds later, they were gone. GONE!

Another time, I took my then-teenage niece with me to my mother’s grave, and she carried a voice recorder to try to capture EVPs — electronic voice phenomena — because we’d been watching ghost hunting shows and she thought it would be a fun experiment. Yes, she’s a bit weird, too — probably my influence, sadly. Anyway, she was playing back the sound and had asked, “Is there anyone here?” when a man’s raspy voice replied, "Get out" or “Leave.” I don't remember exactly and I lost the recording a while ago. Needless to say, I drove a little faster than necessary to do just that.

Did I also mention my best friend lived in a haunted house when we were kids? Yes, I have tons of stories I could share on this topic, but I won’t, except to say that the things I experienced firsthand in that house helped convince me there are unexplained things that do go bump in the night.

After reading all of that, it should be no surprise that I believe in ghosts.

It should be even less of a surprise that I enjoy writing about them. I should probably be terrified of ghosts — lord knows my best friend is — but I’m actually quite fascinated by them. And I love Halloween. I have three older brothers who forced me to watch scary movies as a child. I kind of blame them for making me this way. I don’t scare easily anymore, which is a good thing, I suppose, since I’m weird and traipse around graveyards at night.

What about you? Do you believe in ghosts, or better yet, ever experienced one?

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You can read more about Angela Campbell and her books at her website, www.AngelaCampbellOnline.com, or connect with her on twitter @angelacampbel.

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