Monday, October 27, 2014

The Haunted Hotel


The Fort Garry Hotel was built in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway as a posh stopover for train travellers. The architects took their inspiration from the Park Plaza Hotel in New York City. Over a hundred years later, this twelve story, 340-room hotel is still a symbol of opulence with its marble floors, bronze railings, panelled ceilings, and crystal chandeliers. It’s a place guests truly enjoy staying.


In fact, some guests enjoy it so much they never leave.

Ghost sightings, unexplained noises and strange flickering lights have been reported for years at the hotel. One guest room in particular is said to be haunted: room 202. The story goes that a young woman hung herself in the closet of the room upon learning her husband had been killed in a car accident. Guests have described a woman in a cloak or a robe hovering at the end of the bed, or being awakened by the sensation of someone climbing into their bed. Hotel maids claim to have seen blood seeping through the walls of the room.

But the haunting isn't limited to room 202. The same woman who haunts the guest room is said to have been seen crying in a corner of the lounge after asking an employee for a glass of water. In 1989, two staff members were cleaning the kitchen overnight. At about 4 a.m. they heard noises coming from the locked dining room. When they went to investigate they saw a man eating dinner. By the time they brought someone from the front desk, the man had disappeared, even though the dining room doors remained locked.


Other employees have had strange experiences as well. Here’s testimony from an employee who worked as a front desk clerk and night manager, courtesy of the website PSI-Can -- Paranormal Studied & Investigations Canada
One occasion I had an airline attendant check out early in the morning almost hysterical. She said she woke up and there was an elderly man dressed in old fashion style clothing with a black bowler hat and handlebar moustache, he had been standing at the foot of her bed watching her sleep. On a number of occasions I had upset women tell me they woke up to the sensation of someone stroking their cheek while they slept, other times to their bedside lamp being turned on and off.
Guests calling down with noise complaints about the room next to them…of course the room wasn't occupied. Coming back to the room after being away to find the room window left open….in Winnipeg in the winter…trust me no housekeeper would do this.
As for myself…where do I begin?? The bellman and I working one night and heard a crash of dishes…not one or two….but dozens and dozens…crash, crash crash….no broken dish to be found and us being the only two to hear it.
 For about 1 year I was the evening duty manager. Part of my job was to walk every floor of the hotel 2-3 times a night ensuring cleanliness and order.
I could walk the floors night after night day after day with no problem. Then every so often I would have the distinct sensation that A. I was being followed or B. I was being watched.
For whatever the reason I always felt it was a man….and that I wouldn't be harmed….if anything he was curious or even amused by what I was doing……..don’t ask me why I felt this way. I just did.

Do I believe the hotel is haunted? I honestly don’t know. But to paraphrase Shakespeare, there’s more things in heaven and earth then exist in the philosophy of mere mortals. So when it comes to ghosts, I'm keeping an open mind.

Thanks for reading my post! I'm offering an ecopy of my humorous paranormal novella BURNING LOVE to one lucky commenter. No ghosts, but it does have a couple of angels! Tell me if you believe in ghosts or if you've ever seen a ghost. Or just tell me your plans for Halloween. I'll make a random draw from all comments on November 1.

And don't forget about the HOP wide prize being offered. You can enter in the Rafflecopter below!

After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson's doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he's restoring. It's only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…

Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven's Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven's rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?






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Sunday, October 12, 2014

SEEING THINGS on sale at Untreed Reads!


SEEING THINGS, my paranormal contemporary romance, is a Treat of the Week at UnTreed Reads. And that means it's 50% off. Whoo-hoo! Here's a blurb to whet your appetite:

When psychic Leah McKenna “sees” the abduction of a small boy, she knows she must help find him, no matter the danger to herself. David Logan, the boy’s uncle, doesn’t believe in psychic phenomenon. He believes Leah knows who kidnapped his nephew, and plans to stick close to her to discover the truth. As they search for Jeremy they uncover truths about themselves and the way they feel about each other. Can Leah convince him her visions, and her love for him, are real before time runs out for all of them?
Hurry! SEEING THINGS is only on sale from October 12 to 18th. Click here to get your copy  from Untreed Reads.

I hope you enjoy it!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Uncial Press Books Featured at UnTreed Reads!


Throughout October, Untreed Reads is promoting some Uncial Press ebooks as part of their Treat of the Week promotion. Titles will be 50% off the normal price during the week they're featured.
A Glimmer of Guile, by Mary Patterson Thornburg, is the first Uncial title featured, from 5th October to 11th October.  
Untreed Reads is a great site for authors, readers and friends to check out and buy the latest books, and read and post reviews. Ebooks are available in various formats to suit most devices, and they also publish paper versions of some books.  Well worth adding to the avid reader’s browsing list.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

A Sneak Peek Sunday Look at ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE


Great to be back at Sneak Peek Sunday! Today I want to share a short scene from my soon to be released contemporary romance from The Wild Rose Press, set in the fictional town of Lobster Cove, Maine. ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is part of a multi-author, multi-romance genre series to take place in the quaint Maine island town. Here's my blurb:

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda —finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia Stewart, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.
Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?
In this scene, Julia and Alex meet when she rushes her five-year-old daughter Ava to the emergency room. Alex questions whether Ava's injuries are the result of a simple fall. Here's my six paragraph sneak peek:


Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. Campbell’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her… 

She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange, since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five-year-old was too much for her. 

No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. Campbell was the one who was wrong. 

Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “Do you enjoy upsetting five-year-olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”

“Look, Mrs. Stewart, I take no pleasure in bringing in the authorities. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal, and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things parents and caregivers are capable of doing to defenseless children…” 

He stopped abruptly, his chest heaving. Closing his eyes, he averted his face and took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.” 


I'll let you know when I have cover art and a release date for ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. Happy Sunday!

Check out more great sneak peeks http://sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.ca