The Screamer in the Woods

The town where I live (White Bluff, TN) is home to not just one but two local supernatural legends.

I’m referring both to the “White Bluff Screamer” and “Werewolf Springs,” respectively. (A quick Google search will yield more information about these old legends than you could possibly want.)

It is with these stories in mind that I recount a recent experience of my own. A few nights ago, A. M. and I were driving down the back road which leads to the house. It was after dark, and since this is the middle of the country in a heavily wooded area, we typically drive with our headlamps on high beam. As I began to slow down in preparation of turning, a sudden shape appeared on the road.

Swerving, I narrowly avoid hitting...a raccoon. Apparently, it decided to have its fine evening dining right there on the asphalt.

The story would end rather anticlimactically right there, but for what happened a couple of minutes later. We pulled into the yard. Extracting a few sacks of groceries from the back of the Trailblazer, we walked across the pitch black yard towards the house—and that's when we heard the noise.

It sounded like a woman's scream, only it was distorted somewhat. I can't describe it any further other than saying it sounded like it was not of this world. (Yes, that sounds crazy, but if you heard it, you might be at a loss to desbrite it yourself.) We both looked at each other and whispered, "did you hear that?" Fumbling with the house keys, we ran into the house, and because we were obviously concerned with our neighbors' safety and well-being, we quickly locked the door and closed the blinds.

I posted about what we heard in a local Facebook group. We received several responses from people who have heard a similar noise before, so naturally we began to discuss the famous White Bluff Screamer of local lore. There were also other (perhaps more rational) explanations offered, such as the mating cry of foxes and other nocturnal critters. We listened to a few YouTube recordings, and while certain animal cries are certainly unsettling, it wasn’t quite what we heard.

Yes, it might have been our collective imaginations. We both really get into the spirit of Halloween, after all. Maybe it was simply a wildcat, or a coyote, or a fox. (What foxes really say, after all, is far more troubling than the song suggests.)

All I can tell you for certain is that we heard a scream coming from the forest near the house, and we aren’t likely to soon forget it.

Bumps in the...Daytime?

I have lived here for around a year and a half at this point. In that entire time, the ceiling fan in the bedroom has been completely non-functional. This is fine, because I normally use a bedside fan anyway. No worries.

Earlier, all three cats were running around the bedroom, looking intently around at nothing I could see, as cats do. We get a lot of mice out here, and the felines are proven hunters. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about this behavior.

A few minutes ago, I was cleaning out their water fountain, when I heard an odd whine from nearby, accompanied by a whoosh of air. I didn’t think much of it—that is, until I looked up. The ceiling fan, long rendered impotent, was happily whirling about with reckless abandon.

There’s been a lot of weird stuff going on in the last few weeks, such as the feeling of “being watched” (there’s a lot of wildlife, so that’s probably accurate), footsteps crunching through the leaves in the darkened yard (wildlife again?), the cats constantly seeming agitated, and the occasional smell of an old woman’s perfume (um...saucy wildlife?) Old Pagan legends speak of the thinning veil between the realms of the living and the dead during this time of year, and I’ve always been a believer in the unexplained, having experienced such oddities before.

Of course, it all could easily be nothing more than a string of coincidences and well-timed electrical happenstances. That is, in fact, the likeliest explanation. 

But you know me and my imagination. I like to picture an old resident, returned to see her old place once again, and very likely disappointed to find the likes of me and mine living there.

...I hope she likes cats.

The Learning Curve

As of today, A. M. Fields and I have not just one, but two published works to our names, with even more to come.

Yes, they are self-published titles, which technically anyone can do, but not everyone does.

The process for us included doing every aspect of the books ourselves: Writing, formatting, illustrating, designing covers, writing the synopsis, learning how to use several different types of software, and infusing love and pride into every project.

They say you never write for money. That's true. Both of us write because we love it. To have created a thing that's now available to the world is something I have personally dreamt about since I was a kid, but never had the confidence to actually attempt...until recently. (This blog helped kick-start that confidence.)

So, to those of you who have supported us, thank you.

The Journey has Just Begun!

As proud as A. and I are of our "Three Short Ghost Stories" (which incidentally is now available as a print-on-demand paperback on Amazon), the primary purpose of publishing the little volume was one of experimentation. We have had to learn many things along the way, such as:

* Formatting manuscripts ("The Smashwords Style Guide" was immensely helpful for this, as it made everything else a breeze. Utilizing your word processor's "styles" feature is absolutely essential.)
* Editing graphics and illustrations. (I've colored many sets of Elf ears recently, so yea, stay tuned for that.)
* Creating eye-catching cover photos. (I knew I would get a lot of mileage out of my Facebook cover photo!)
* The best hours to use McDonald's free Wifi. (For when you don't have home internet because you're poor, lulz.)
* My poor 'ole, out-of-date laptop really is a trooper. Hang in there, buddy. (See "current economic status," above.)

Now, we're learning about the wacky world of promotion. Ugh. This is the biggest headache, because we're both extreme introverts with high levels of social anxiety. (A huge thank you to those who are pushing our writings out there! Props to you, with a cookie or two!*)

*Cookies only available only while supplies last.

All of this is to say "thank you" for all of the support everyone has shown us recently. It is really appreciated, as we have put a lot of work into making these projects as enjoyable for you as possible. We're excited to bring you our upcoming Christmas book, and that novel I keep teasing! (If you read "The Strange Tale of Top Hat Jack," the third short story in our little collection, then you're already slightly ahead of the curve on that one.)

Stay tuned, because there is definitely more to come!

Three Short Ghost Stories: The Prelude to a Self-Publication Adventure

It all started with a gathering of magical elves. (No, I wasn’t taking any hallucinogenic substances at the time.) Last year, Amanda had the idea to make a gift for both of our families: a fully illustrated Christmas book, featuring the elves of the North Pole. We finished the project right before Christmas, and showed it to everyone in the form of a slideshow presentation.

The feedback was pretty much unanimous. “Y’all need to publish this!” We looked at each other and shrugged, and decided that maybe, just maybe, we would eventually do just that.

In the meantime, we began working on a novel. It was originally intended to be a short story, but it just kept growing and growing, much like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. It demanded to be fed, so we kept feeding it, much to our delight (and occasional dismay.)

So, it is with some humor that the first thing to actually see publication is a project that was put together in less than a month. Taking a brief respite from the novel, Amanda came up with the idea of writing a couple of short, Halloween-themed ghost stories. She pitched the first two stories, I expanded on her outlines and wrote them, then we edited and revised them as needed.

It was then that I had an idea of my own: If we wrote a third short story, we could potentially publish the collection. Since we wanted to self-publish the Christmas book and the novel anyway, this would be a good opportunity to get a “feel” for the entire process.

“I came up with the first two stories, so you can do the third one,” Amanda said. “You need to write one from a ‘guy’ perspective.”

Well, shit. Okay. I thought we were supposed to be a team, but whatevs! (I’m kidding, Amanda!) With my best friend Caffeine sitting quietly next to my laptop, I went to work.

My initial draft was titled Dave the Wizard and the Halloween of Destiny—but Dave’s adventure just didn’t seem to fit the tone of the other stories. I buried Dave back to the bottom of my idea drawer, told him to stay quiet, while I tried to think of a different idea.

Then it came to me: why not write a self-contained, short story that occurs just prior to the events of our novel? Thus was born The Strange Tale of Top Hat Jack, which introduces a magical town and a mystical creature (who, presumably, has been trained to use a celestial litter box.)

“You clever son of a so-and-so,” I said to myself while cackling maniacally, trying not to cuss around the cats. (I have to be a positive role model for my kids, after all.)

So, it is with some pride that I now present to you the first of several projects. This is a small collection of short stories which all take place around Halloween. The only thing they have in common is that they are stories about people—some of them just happen to be dead. The tales are not intended to be scary, because ghosts aren’t supposed to be scary. (There are horrors elsewhere, but they don't appear in these tales.)

The book, entitled Three Short Ghost Stories, is currently available for the Amazon Kindle e-reader and associated apps. (A print-on-demand paperback version may be available soon, but due to additional printing and shipping costs, it will be a bit more expensive.)

As for the elves? They'll be frolicking in a Kindle near you in a few weeks.

Click HERE for the Amazon listing!