Review – Dreamland: A Ghost Story by NIck Clausen @NickClausen9

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love the cover and it is perfect for the story. I have read a lot of NIck Clausen’s books and he never ceases to amaze me with his ability to add a fresh twist to a familiar tale. Translating his books to English has not been an issue for him. They read seamlessly. The characters wormed their way into my heart, especially Louis. He gets lost in his nightmares and it is through his own ingenuity that he finds his way out. Do you believe in ghosts? Do nightmares haunt your sleep? Maybe Louie can give you some hope.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dreamland by Nick Clausen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dreams can come true. So can nightmares.

In his sleep, Louie starts visiting a magical world where he meets his father, who died when Louie was still a baby. But nothing turns out to be what it seems, and great horrors loom very close by …Welcome to Dreamland
 

A mysterious teen ghost story about fear and loss and losing yourself in dreams, Dreamland was originally published in Danish to great reviews, and is now available in English.

ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN

Born 1988 in North Jutland, where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a much more powerful pull on me.

Nick Clausen

I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book, Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at 14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should be an author.

That day I made a promise to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the publisher and came out a year later.

I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.

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‘The Mill’ Is Haunted by Cailyn Lloyd @cailynrox

The Mill

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

My first book by Cailyn Lloyd was Shepherd’s Warning and I loved it. I am excited to share my thoughts about The Mill. I love the blend of a serial killer and ghosts, Cailyn Lloyd did it very well.

Chase Riddell has OCD. When something is out of place, no matter how small a change, he will notice. He has secrets and will kill to keep them.

Lili knew spirits hung at the Mill and she wanted to speak to them. She is a psychic and owner of Revelations, a metaphysical store. She doesn’t have to physically visit a place. She can astral travel.

Emma, a spirit who resides at The Mill found out Chase Riddell’s secrets, and she felt she had to do something about it. She loves to read and really gets ‘into’ it. I thought the way she did it was so cool. She loves TV and movies. She is a great character, and they more I read, the more interesting she became.

Martin is the police detective on the case.

We know the villain and what is happening, but it doesn’t lessen the suspense. A serial killer who revels in his ‘job’, but there is so much more going on than the serial killer’s story. I am only halfway through and I cannot put it down.

I wonder about Chase, I wonder about Eamon and Frank and Emma, the ghosts.

The Mill is a riveting novel, filled with suspense, and the pacing makes me read word after word, page after page, chapter after chapter, never wanting to stop. The original concept for the ghosts had me smiling and cringing and I never would have guessed how it would be wrapped up.

I loved it so much, I hope there will be another book. We could have Martin, Lily and Emma functioning as a crime solving team. Do you have an idea lingering in the back of your mind, Cailyn? Are the characters still talking to you?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Mill by Cailyn Lloyd.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

These rooms have killer views…

As a psychic, seeing ghosts is routine for Lili. She isn’t surprised to discover spirits lurking in the renovated paper mill where she just bought an apartment. What she doesn’t expect is the dark, sinister presence under the floor and the serial killer who is prowling about the mill. When a woman is found murdered and another goes missing, Lili tries to work with one of the spirits—a young girl long dead—to expose the psychopath. But not everyone can be trusted and soon, Lili fears the killer will flee, never to be found and free to strike again.

From the bestselling author of Shepherd’s Warning and The Elders Series comes a terrifying and compelling story that will keep you reading long into the night.

ABOUT CAILYN LLOYD

Cailyn Lloyd

A lifelong writer, Cailyn Lloyd, spent three years living in a truly haunted house and experienced first hand the nuances of strange and eerie places. Shepherd’s Warning is her first book.

In addition to writing, Cailyn is an accomplished weather photographer and her work has appeared in several publications including Life Magazine and Time Magazine. She is also a composer and musician with three album releases to her credit. Cailyn lives near the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin and when she’s not writing spooky stories, loves hiking with her children and dogs.

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Horror & Ghosts – Seer by Eli Bloom @ghostsofeli

SeerbannerSeer

Seer by Eli Bloom

Fifteen-year-old Grace “Gray” Fable can speak to the dead. When her dad moves from Los Angeles to be with his mysterious girlfriend, Gray must attend notorious Willowbrook High School, the scene of a mass shooting five years earlier. When she meets the ghosts of those who died that tragic day – including the school shooter himself – she must uncover a dark secret to lay the victims to rest, and find peace for their families before it’s too late to stop another tragedy. A YA Supernatural novel.  Buy on Amazon

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Eli Bloom is a young adult author living in Los Angeles with his wife and three cats – one named Grace, of all things. He believes in ghosts.

Follow the author’s Website / Goodreads / Amazon

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Scooby Doo meets Supernatural in Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J L Bryan – Review, Giveaway & Interview

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I am happy to be able to kick off the month of October with this wonderful story about Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J L Bryan for Kiss Off Book Tours.
Add me to Goodreads now.
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Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #1) by J.L Bryan
Publication Date: August 27th, 2014
Genre: Adult Paranormal Mystery
 MY REVIEW
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Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J L Bryan is an eerie tale that had me laughing and cringing as Ellie and Stacey investigate a haunted mansion. It made me think of the movie, The Ghostbusters and the TV show, Ghost Hunters. There are plenty of screams and chills that you will not want to miss.
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Ellie had trained her whole life to be a ghost trapper. Now she is a senior investigator for Eckhart Investigations. She has a degree in psychology that comes in handy when assessing the legitimacy of her clients. Ellie felt she didn’t need any help, but her boss, Calvin, coaxed her into it. It was a good thing.
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Stacey is just learning, but I love her snarky attitude.
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All jobs start with research and the mansion has a sordid history.
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Ellie and Stacey set up all their equipment and wait.
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Imagine…sitting there, alone, in the dark, and watching the bolt locking the door slide open on its own, feeling a huge drop in temperature, knowing something is there but unable to see it. Loud voices, banging, screaming…
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l loved the tone of the writing, it had me laughing out loud.
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“Well, let’s go check out the dark basement of the abandoned insane asylum. Nothing could possibly go wrong down there.”
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They have ghost pajama parties and a mock funeral. There was much more going on than they anticipated and it was becoming very dangerous.
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Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, started out in a Scooby Doo sort of way, but turned more Supernatural as the story went on.
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“Let’s split up to save time”
“Isn’t that what they always say in a horror movie? Right before somebody gets killed?”
“Usually, yeah. So hurry.”
The characters had me yelling, don’t go in there, watch out, get out of there. I couldn’t help myself. I even felt sympathy for one of the ghosts. They are not all bad, are they?
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J L Bryan’s writing had me hooked from the beginning. I liked the humor mixed with the danger of very unhappy evil spirits.
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I loved the ending and couldn’t help but smile as I went to check out more of what J L Bryan has to offer. So if your house is haunted, be sure and call Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. She will get the job done!
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I picked up Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, a while ago, so when I saw the tour, I decided this was the perfect time to review it.
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Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars
Summary from Goodreads
Ellie Jordan’s job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest and most haunted cities in North America.
When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the old mansion they’ve recently purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. Instead, she finds herself confronting an evil older and more powerful than she’d ever expected, rooted in the house’s long and sordid history of luxury, sin, and murder. The dangerous entity seems particularly interested in her clients’ ten-year-old daughter.
Soon her own life is in danger, and Ellie must find a way to exorcise the darkness of the house before it can kill her, her clients, or their frightened young child.

INTERVIEW

  1. What inspired you to write Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper?

I was interested in writing about ghosts because, unlike pretty much any other kind of paranormal critter (vampires, werewolves, etc.) it’s not clear whether ghosts are real or not. I thought it would be fun to write a detective series about a character who deals with them all the time.

  1. Have you ever had a ghost experience before?

One time my wife and I were staying with some friends who lived in an old house in Athens, Georgia. We slept downstairs and were the only people on the floor. We were both awoken at the same time by a deep male voice saying “shoo, shoo” just a few inches above our heads, like someone was leaning over us and talking. Nobody else was in the room. We didn’t tell our friends about it until they’d moved out of that house.

  1. What made you choose to write in the paranormal genre?

I’ve always been interested in the supernatural and sort of looking into mysterious and unexplainable events. I also think that we can learn about ourselves through imagining human beings in extreme circumstances, whether that’s dealing with paranormal monsters or a dystopian future society.

  1. What was your favorite scene to write in Ellie Jordan?

Probably the ghost ones, like early on when she’s first encountering the ghost in the house, or later when they have to visit the abandoned old insane asylum to look for clues.

  1. Which character was your favorite to write?

I really enjoy writing both Ellie and Stacey and how they interact with each other. Their psychic friend Jacob is becoming more and more fun to write with each book.

  1. Do you have a dream cast for any of the characters?

I don’t because I don’t keep up with newer actors very well. This would be a really interesting blog post if someone else wanted to do it, though (hint, hint!).

  1. What is your writing process like?

I have a toddler, so I pretty much just write whenever I can. A lot of times that’s late night! I try to hit specific wordcounts, but it always goes slowest earliest in the first draft and gradually picks up steam. Then I go through a number of drafts before sending it for editing.

  1. What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

I’ve actually done kind of a silly amount of research for this series, and I still do. First, I’ve read or listened to as many true (or supposedly true) ghost stories as I can find. I wanted to learn all about what real ghostly experiences were like, instead of following other fiction. I also researched the real technology and procedures used by ghost hunters and applied those to Ellie’s investigative process. My goal has been to make it is as realistic as possible as far as reflecting “ghost culture” in the real world.

  1. How many books are you planning for the series?

Eight or ten right now.

  1. When you were a kid, what was your favorite ghost story you heard?

There was an old house in an overgrown field near where I grew up. People would say it was haunted. I think that was the scariest one because it was so close and I could have walked inside the place if I wanted to (but I didn’t want to). I don’t even remember a specific story about it, people said different things. I did watch a lot of Scooby-Doo as a kid, too. And I was obsessed with the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, which are about a certain kind of ghost.

  1. When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was thirteen and wrote a book about a delusional kid who dressed up in a dog costume and tried to fight crime, despite his lack of any superpowers or anything. It was called Dogboy.

  1. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Ellie Jordan?

How many real or supposedly real ghost stories are out there. I’ve read several books about ghosts just in the Savannah area alone. There are lots of books and websites that collect people’s ghost stories, and lots of people have personal stories if you start asking around. There are at least a dozen “ghost reality” shows on TV, where haunted buildings are investigated with technology or by psychics, or people recount experiences they claim to have had. The abundance of ghostly experiences by real people has made researching and writing the series much more interesting to me.

  1. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Read widely, not just in your own genre, read lots of books on craft, and write every day. Commercially, you want to write in a popular genre and make sure you have quality book covers that reflect the correct genre.

  1. What is your favorite genre to read or watch?

I like to read historical nonfiction, biographies, things like that. Nonfiction is great fuel for your imagination.

  1. If someone dared you, would you spend the night in the house in the story?

No! Not unless Ellie had cleared the place first.

  1. Is there a genre you’d like to write but haven’t yet?

I actually write some science fiction on the side, but it hasn’t done as well as the supernatural stories so I don’t focus on it.

  1. Why did you choose to have the book take place in Savannah, Georgia?
  2. It was an easy choice for me because I live in Georgia and have visited Savannah several times (and I’m always willing to go back for more research!). Some of my ancestors were present at the founding of that city. So I wanted to write about a city with which I was familiar, and Savannah is a great setting, with lots of old mansions built in every style and centuries-old graveyards, plus the city is built on top of multiple native burial grounds. It’s believed to be one of the most haunted cities in the country among paranormal researchers and among people who live there. Most of the buildings in the Historic District have at least one ghost story attached to them. It seemed like a place where professional ghost hunters would really have their hands full!
 About The Author

J.L. Bryan

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories.

He is the author of The Paranormals series of horror novels (Jenny PoxTommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death) the Songs of Magic series for younger readers (Fairy Metal ThunderFairy Blues, and Fairystruck…so far) and other books. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina, their son, and some dogs and cats.

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