Round RobinThis month’s Round Robin topic is: Do you believe in angels, spirits, ghosts, demons or other ethereal beings or locations? What do you think when they appear in stories? Have you used them in your own stories.

Absolutely. There’s too much in this world that’s unexplained to not believe. This world is a magical, mysterious place. Most likely, there are multiple dimensions we may never know about.

Have you ever read about those people who just mysteriously disappear? Or the Bermuda Triangle? I’m sure I’m not alone with the belief the Bermuda Triangle could be a portal to another dimension.

So, I’ve always believed that if you were open to the other side, they can and will contact you. This is why it’s so important to protect yourself if you’re trying to make contact. Something like the Ouiji Board can bring in anything, and it’s probably best not to mess with it at all.

I’m sure that growing up in a house where unexplained things were something of the norm helps. When I was nine–maybe younger, my mother learned how to read tarot. She had an aptitude for it. If you talk to any of my childhood friends, they’ll tell you that we could be sitting in my house alone and still feel like someone was watching us. Things would disappear for years and then show up some place I’d checked multiple times. I’d sit in the living room alone in the house, engrossed in a book, only to have someone call my name. It wasn’t loud–more like a faint echo from across a great distance. With each call, the pitch changed, until I looked up. Then it stopped completely. Stairs that only creaked if someone stepped on them would creak when no one was there; doors opened and closed of their own accord.

This wasn’t an old house. Matter of fact, my parents had built it.

To me, it seems only natural that if you believe in ghosts or spirits, you’ll believe there are angels, demons, or other ethereal beings.

As someone who does believe, I do enjoy a good paranormal. That being said, I’ve grown tired of vampires and demons. I’m more likely to pick up a paranormal book with ghosts, angels, succubi than one with vampires or demons. Mainly because it seems like they’ve been done so much that authors try too hard to make theirs different rather than letting the story speak for itself.

I most certainly do use them in my stories. Matter of fact, most of my stories include some form of supernatural/otherworldly being.

Hieroglyphs is about an archaeologist who discovers an ancient scroll that opens the doors to an equally old curse that rouses the Egyptian gods. Last Chance has well-meaning, matchmaking ghosts. My latest novel The Whispering House has some really nasty creatures in it and a protagonist with some interesting powers.

Even my short stories include paranormal elements. Trash was a short story about a woman who is possessed by a demon and kills her children to get back at her ex. I have another one with a vampire (written many, many years ago) and another with shape shifters.

My most recent story, just contracted with Decadent Publishing, is a contemporary erotic romance. This one has no ghosts, ghouls, zombies, demons, or angels. Watch for the announcement for its release over the next couple of months. (No release date yet, so I can’t say.)

How about you? Do you believe? Do you read books with angels, ghosts, spirits, demons and the like? If you write, do you include them in your stories?

If you enjoyed this blog post, please stop by to see what other authors think: