Tag Archives: paranormal

Interviewing Cathy-Lee Chopping – Burying Love

Introducing you to new Author Cathy-Lee Chopping who wrote Burying Love which is in our Ghostly Writes Anthology – Love from the Other Side

-Introduce Yourself and where you’re from.

I am Cathy-Lee Chopping, and I am from Perth, Western Australia. We are located in one of the most beautiful cities in Australia, and I am lucky enough to live around 4 minutes from the beach and my local café where I love to sit and write overlooking the Indian Ocean.  My background is Hospitality and Administration, and I currently run a successful distributorship selling cosmetics and skincare. I am married with a 6-year-old son, and my hobbies include reading (of course), writing short stories, listening to music and enjoying downtime watching reality tv about cooking and renovating.

-Tell us about your writing journey?

I started writing when I was around 12 years old, as a way to cope with immigrating to Australia from New Zealand.  I had to make all new friends and that pushed me into my own little world which I expressed by writing short stories about the people in my life and the new friends I made.  It was a way of journaling for me, and one that I thought was a secret, so imagine my surprise when 20 years later my younger sisters told me that they used to sneak into my bedroom and read my latest short stories when I wasn’t home.

I started taking it seriously when I turned 21, and in the last 14 years I have amassed a huge folder of stories that have not yet seen the light of a publishers screen.  I have enough material for my own anthology of short stories, to which I am seriously considering having published.  I have also been working on a novel that I am planning to release in early 2019, and I am really looking forward to this.  Why did I decide to start publishing my secret work?  To be honest it was when a friend of mine passed away in January.  She was 34, too young to have been through a heart and two lung transplants over the last decade, and she once told me that I was crazy to not want to show my work to anyone; that life was too short.  After she passed away I submitted my first ever published piece of work to Plaisted Publishing House. 

I realised a story not written is a story not told, this has motivated me to start publishing my work.

-What is your story about?

I wrote this story as it came to me one afternoon in the middle of January 2018.  I had just received the news that my friend had passed away, and being in the UK on a family holiday I was unable to get back in time to pay my respects.  This was my way of coping and honouring her.  My character in ‘Buried Love’ is a woman who is saying goodbye to someone, and needs to get a message to the other side so that everyone can move on.

One of my favourite lines in the story is “I wonder why people wait to say nice things about people until they’re gone. Why did they not say thank you and how much they loved and appreciated her when she was right in front of them?”

Why did you choose this topic/genre?

I was invited to submit a piece of writing for the Ghostly Writes Anthologies Valentine Edition for 2018, and as I was grieving for my friend, I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to write about love and the passing of a loved one.  I wrote “Buried Love” especially for this Anthology.

-Why publish in the Ghostly Writes Anthologies?

The Ghostly Writes Anthologies offer a wonderful platform for budding authors from around the world to showcase their work.  I am very happy another author, who is also published in the Anthology, contacted me to let me know that they were taking submissions.  I look forward to working with them again.

-Share your experiences of helping each other in the Ghostly Writes Group.

As a newcomer to the publishing game, I had a lot of questions which were happily and quickly answered by the members of the group.  I would like to extend my thanks to every one of them who pointed me in the right direction so that I made the deadline.

Thank you for participating.

(You’re welcome!)

 

Interviewing Michael Lynes – Scary Love

Introducing you to Michael Lynes one of our authors who published his short story Scary Love in our latest Ghostly Writes Valentine’s Anthology called Love from The Other Side.  Don’t forget it is FREE in ebook 

Introduce yourself and where you’re from.

My name is Michael Lynes. I am an engineer by training and a serial entrepreneur. I’ve been married for almost thirty-five years with four sons and two grandchildren. I enjoy baking bread, feeding seasoned hardwood into my ancient Timberline woodstove, working on various cars, bird watching and taking amateur photographs. I live in Sussex County, New Jersey, USA – a beautiful rural area of the state.

Tell us about your writing journey?

I was inspired to write my story mainly because I personally love the short story as an art form, both as a reader (first) and now as an author. I also like the process of creation. I enjoy the technical aspects of story craft. I get a thrill when I have managed to incorporate a rhythm or a set of syncopated lyrical elements into the warp and weft of my storyline. Balance and smooth narrative flow are also key in telling an effective story. I am delighted and humbled when my writing is able to evoke an emotional response in the reader. It is a privilege to witness the transmission of emotion, felt at first by myself or by my character, into the readers’ separate emotional space. Getting feedback through a review or comment is extremely gratifying.

What is your story about?

My story is titled ‘Scary Love’ – it is a short story about the power of love, how it transcends the end of life and how through love all hurts and fears can be overcome. My main character is Himi-Ko Sarume. Her name in Japanese means ‘Daughter of the Sun’. Himi-ko is confronted both by the demons of her past and by her aching sense of loss and despair. She comes to realize that only love can provide her the answers she most desires.

Why did you choose this topic/genre?

Well, genre for this story was contemporary, with a twist of the supernatural. It seemed to fit well with the theme of the anthology. As for the topic, I’ve always been fascinated with the Shinto religion and this was an opportunity to write about it in short-story form.

Why publish in the Ghostly Writes Anthologies?

The anthology provides authors with great exposure and the opportunity to meet a terrific bunch of other writers and collaborate with them on a project.

Share your experiences of helping each other in the Ghostly Writes Group.

I am not sure if I helped anyone directly but it is fun to read all of the other stories and also to vote on the cover and title of the anthology.

Thank you for participating.

 

Haunting you this Hallow’s Eve

Ghostly Writes Anthology 2016

It is that time of year again when authors love to haunt you with our scary, horror filled books that will thrill anyone who loves Halloween.

Ghostly Writes Anthology, presented to you by Plaisted Publishing House, Ltd, New Zealand, with a selection of 26 Indie Authors from around the world.  This eBook will be available wordwide from the 31st October. (KINDLE will be late due to getting PERMA FREE established) Each story has its own focus, be it a haunting or not. There are creepy cottages, houses and creatures. Some you won’t want to read at night.

One thing you will notice is that we have left the English Grammar and Spelling in the country of origin – like it or not, it is what it is – English from around the globe.

This year our authors and their stories are:

A Dying Scream – J G Clay

Cabins – J B Taylor

Caedes – Adam Mitchell

Canvas – Sarah Mosier

Chaconne – Neil Newton

Death has a Sound – Rocky Rochford

Embers of Webber Street – Karen J Mossman

Eternally Connected – JLC Roche

Ghost in the Machine – Eve Merrick-Williams

Ghost of a Chance – Wendy Steele

Haunted House Arrest – Jennifer Deese

Hello Dear – Stewart Bint

Luella – Kyrena Lynch

Mother Called Today – Mike Elliott

Natatorium-Adele Marie Parks

Play Time – Amy Budd

Ruby Kisses – Jessica Wren

Sitting on a Cloud – C A Keith

Soul Man – Claire Plaisted

Spools of Thread – Ashley Uzzell

The Beneficiaries of Secret Cottage – Jane Risdon

The Curse of Havencrest – Cayleigh Stickler

The Ghost of Rose Cottage – Marjorie Hembroff

The House on the Hill – Jim Adams

The Thin Place – Elizabeth H Newton

Here are a few of the teasers to enjoy.  

                                   

                                      

If you wish to have more information you can find me at www.plaistedpublishinghouse.wordpress.com  

plaistedpublishinghouse@gmail.com 

Our offical book trailer will be out soon on YouTube along with two others made by authors who are participating in this years anthology.