Short n Scary Stories (The Dog Collector)

My short story "The Dog Collector" is currently posted on the Short n Scary website. Check it out.
The Dog Collector

The creature in this short work was actually the visual inspiration for my creature the Birra Lough from the novel "At Second Sight"

Ghost Hunter Interview

Meet Brenda

Brenda Williams Archer grew up in a small community in the middle of Cajun country on Bayou Beouf.  The house she grew up in was built in the 1950’s on the site of an old plantation.  The plantation house was torn down because of all the paranormal activity associated with it.  Doors and windows being opened, objects being moved, etc.  

The house that was built on the plantation site started having similar activity, but only when she was around.  Once she moved out, all of the activity stopped in the house.  However, it never stopped for her. 

She started doing research on paranormal happenings and haunting.  The more she read, the more excited she became because she realized she was not alone and that others experienced the same things.  She began going with friends to graveyards and old houses trying to find things and “speak” to spirits.  

Over the years, she’s had different experiences. She has seen visions of things that happened in certain places.  She has had names pop into her head, only to find that someone with that name was either buried in the particular graveyard she was in or lived at the house she was investigating.

About a year ago, she learned of Louisiana Spirits Paranormal Investigators.  She contacted them and requested to join.  Now she belongs to the largest paranormal team in the South and she hasn’t looked back.

Brenda is very passionate about the paranormal and doesn’t mind sharing her experiences with those who may be interested. I asked Brenda to share her knowledge and experiences with me. To read my interview with Brenda, click here: Brenda Williams Archer Interview on Hubpages

Why I hate that I love writing ... sometimes

I usually hate my love of writing when the bills are coming due. The mortgage company doesn't want to hear that book sales are down and job prospects are low. The same is true for the mechanic when the car breaks down and the kids when they want a new gadget or trip to the mall.

I hate that I love writing when I remember what it was like to have regular bi-weekly pay checks and the ability to budget and plan because I always knew how much money was coming in even though my work did nothing to fulfill me or make me feel whole.

I used to hate it when, after a long day of work, I settled in to my bed and couldn't sleep a wink because some imaginary character was prodding me like an insistent child, demanding that I go jot down his story.

I hate the uncomfortable feeling I get when I run in to former colleagues who ask, "What are you doing now?" and look at me with credulity when I say, "I am a writer, now."

Finally, I hate that the modern writer needs to be a supreme marketer in order to survive. Writers are generally introverts by nature and the fact that they must become overt sales people is psychological trauma.

Thank goodness for the all the times that I love my love of writing. Like when someone reads my work and tells me, exuberantly, how much they related to the characters, or how my advice on a subject helped them out or made their life easier for a day. If it weren't for those times, I would go back to pretending to be someone else.