death – Anne-Marie Ormsby

When I was fortunate enough to chat with author Jennifer Wilson about her books recently, I felt I just wanted to keep talking about what appears to be a common subject between us – ghosts!

My book is all about being dead, and her books feature some pretty famous ghosts from UK history, so I could just talk to her all day about it all! So I asked her to appear on a one off special interview on my blog about why she writes about them and how she actually feels about the afterlife.

Hi Anne-Marie, thanks for inviting me along today, to chat about a mutual topic of ours – ghosts!

You have included ghosts in several of your novels – where did your interest in ghosts come from?

It’s really odd, to be honest – I’m really not a ghost person… I’m terrified of the notion, and have even gone out of my way to avoid places known to be haunted. But when I was thinking about a ‘way in’ to write about Richard III a few years ago, I came across a competition for a poem about ghosts, and when it struck me that the ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Richard III could potentially have a fair bit in common, it seemed the perfect solution.

I suppose as well, it may not be ghosts per se, but I’ve always been interested in the spirit (pun intended!) of a place, and that connection with the people who once lived, worked or died there. I think that comes across very strongly in some buildings and sites, and so the notion of writing about ghosts came very naturally.

I’ve always been fascinated with real life ghost stories, one of my favourites is the haunting of Borley Rectory in Essex. (read about Borley here!) What’s your favourite real life ghost story?

It’s one I came across quite recently actually, set in Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban. Apparently, the ‘Ell-maid of Dunstaffnage’ wanders the ramparts, wearing green, and is supposedly linked to key events in the lives of the Campbell family, the hereditary owners of the castle. Her mood determines luck – smiling means good, crying, well, not. A related tale is that as part of their hold on the castle, the Hereditary Captain of the castle must spend three nights a year in the castle, and some have experienced ghostly goings-on during this sleepover. There’s certainly a feel to the place; for such a stunning castle, in a beautiful setting, it has a darkness about it.

Have you spent a lot of time in your book locations? Which is your favourite?

I think it has to be Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. I’ve loved Edinburgh since I was a child, and since moving back to the north-east, it’s become a bit of a bolt-hole for me, visiting pretty regularly to see friends, or even just wander around the place. When it came to another destination for a Kindred Spirits book, and the thought of Westminster Abbey terrified me, Edinburgh was the obvious choice. It also gave me the chance to write about Mary, Queen of Scots, my second favourite monarch, in Kindred Spirits: Royal Mile, having finally included Richard III in Kindred Spirits: Tower of London.

Have you ever had any paranormal experiences?

Once, I think. My parents were gardening, whilst I was pottering about inside. After a while, I went outside to ask my dad something, and saw him at the top of the back garden. When I started speaking to him however, he completely ignored me, and the next thing I knew, I heard his voice behind me, as he came around from the front garden. Looking back at the man I’d started talking to, there was nobody there. Apparently our estate is built on the site of an old market garden, so I can only assume that first man was the ghost of a former gardener…

I loved writing about the afterlife in my own book, what so you like about writing about dead people?

For me, it’s getting an idea of what people were like, how they lived, and what they thought about things. I also love having that little bit of wiggle-room, given that my ghosts, although of historical characters, are also modern people, to the extent that they are living ‘now’, as well as throughout every moment since their birth. It’s quite nice being able to write Anne Boleyn rolling her eyes and saying ‘whatever’, because actually, I think she was always quite a ‘modern’ character, and now she can be even more so.

What do you think the afterlife is like?

I would like to think it is a combination of how we both envisage it in our writing. I suppose my ghosts are in a purgatory of sorts, but some have chosen to stay there, not taking their chance to pass onto what I’ve always assumed is heaven, but never actually gone into any great length. There’s a mix of good and bad characters there, and a sense of having to work things out in this bit of the afterlife before you get the chance to move on.

Would you ever go ghost-hunting?

I just couldn’t… I’ve become a stronger believer about the afterlife in the last few years, and the only ghosts that ghost-hunters seem to encounter are those that are less than friendly! If I could just go and natter with some (nice) dead monarchs, or lords and ladies from the various historical sites I visit, then fine, but plague victims, criminals and tortured souls would be a bit too much for me.

If you could ask any dead person about the afterlife who would you choose?

Well, if we work on the assumption that they are able to visit the realm of the living, like both of our sets of characters can, then I think I’d have to go a fair way back, just because that way, the person I ask will have seen and heard a heck of a lot over the years. So, following that logic, and my own personal preferences, I’ll have to go for Richard III. It was never really going to be anyone else…

You can get Jennifer’s fabulous books here –

Jennifers Amazon Page

Jennifer’s debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London, was released by Crooked Cat Books in October 2015, with Kindred Spirits: Royal Mile following in June 2017.

Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey will be released in June 2018.

She can be found online at her website, on Twitter and Facebook, as well as at The Next Page’s website. Her timeslip historical romance, The Last Plantagenet? Is available for download from Amazon.

And you can get my book here!

Purgatory Hotel by Anne-Marie Ormsby

If you want to chat about ghosts with me shout me on Twitter !

Final Cover Soulweaver

This week I’m very excited to be talking to Australian author Heidi Catherine about her new novel The Soulweaver.

I’ve always had a fascination with the afterlife and the concept of reincarnation, and they are major themes that I have kept coming back to in my own writing. Everyone feels differently about the idea of an afterlife and everyone has a different idea of what it might be like. (If you have read Purgatory Hotel you will know my own vision is a bit unpleasant for those that deserve it.)

When I read the synopsis of Heidi’s novel I was instantly intrigued – I had found a kindred spirit! So I was quite eager to pick her brains about one of my favourite subjects and learn more about her own thoughts that had inspired the novel.

Tell us the basic premise of your novel?

The Soulweaver is a story about a girl who’s haunted by memories of having lived before. As these memories sharpen, she has to choose between the man she loved in her past life and the man she loves now. I was fortunate enough for this book to win the Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Pro award, which was a huge honour.

What or who inspired you to become a writer?

My mum has always loved to write and had a children’s book published when I was in my early twenties. This was great inspiration for me to turn my own love of writing into something more, as I could see what was possible with hard work and persistence. Mum is now my biggest fan and reads all of my first drafts. Her very unbiased opinion is that they’re all brilliant…

Are your locations based on real places?

The Soulweaver is set in Australia, Hong Kong, London and New York, which are obviously all real places. But there are also scenes that are set in ‘the Loom’, which what most people would call heaven or hell. It’s described in the book as “a place where reward and redemption are rolled into one”. If we do go somewhere after we die, I’ve always thought it would be the one place. I can’t see how it’s possible for the universe to be so black and white that one soul is considered good and another evil, when there are so many shades of grey. I really enjoyed being able to explore this concept as I wrote the novel.

Did it take a lot of research for your locations and do they hold any real life significance to you?

The story is told in parts, with each part taking place in a different city from the point of view of a different character. I’m Australian so the scenes set there didn’t require too much research and I’ve spent time in Hong Kong and London so could also draw on my experiences there. I’ve never been to New York, so those chapters required a little more research. Google is a writer’s best friend! I really liked how changing the setting gave each part of the book a distinctive feel. As for the Loom, that required a whole lot of imagination rather than research, which I always find far more enjoyable.

There’s a supernatural feel to the story, and obviously a lot of it is based around reincarnation, is this something you believe in?

The idea of reincarnation has always fascinated me and I would very much like to believe it’s real. I’ve heard some incredible (and very convincing) stories about children remembering their past lives, with these memories fading as they’ve grown older. I’ve also met people who I’ve been certain I’ve met before. In the first chapter of The Soulweaver, Hannah sees Reinier for the first time and is overwhelmed with the feeling she’s seen him a million times, yet she’s seen him never. It’s a feeling I’m sure many readers will relate to. Reincarnation makes a lot of sense to me, and although nobody can be completely certain as to what happens to us after we die, I’m positive that something happens. The Soulweaver is just one of a billion possibilities.

Tell me an ideal set up for a day of writing – where are you, is there any music etc?

I mostly write at home when my kids are at school. We moved house about a year ago and I claimed one of the living spaces as my writing room. I’ve filled it with books and have a desk in the corner near the window. Usually I’ll light a candle, put on some music and read my angel cards. Then I’ll get stuck into it. If the words don’t flow, then I’ll take my dogs for a walk and try again. My dogs are big fans of writer’s block.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on Books 2 and 3 of The Soulweaver series, which follow my characters into their next lifetimes. I also have a couple of crime novels and a middle grade novel sitting on my computer, which I’d like to revive. And I’ve recently published a prequel novelette to The Soulweaver series, which is called The Moonchild and available for free on Amazon.

The Soulweaver is out now on Amazon – Buy The Soulweaver on Amazon

Book 2 of the Soulweaver series The Truthseeker is out through Crooked Cat Books on 19^th March 2018.