LIVING WITH GHOSTS
By Minnette Meador
“Keenan was used to living with hundreds of people. He no longer felt crowded, talked to himself, or went to therapists. Not that he liked it, mind you; given half a chance, he would have buried them all…” A GHOST OF A CHANCE (Resplendence Publishing – June 2011)
Those words were the beginning of a journey that led me into strange supernatural realms and introduced me to demons, entities, angels, and yes, many ghosts. Why did I go there? Because I used to live with a very real, very funny ghost of my own; we called him Marvin.
I was living with my two infant sons, my 3-year-old, a lovely roommate, and her little girl in the bottom half of a duplex in Portland, Oregon. It was the year of Reagonomics and a tough time in my life. I was a single mom struggling to stay afloat.
After my twins were born, things started happening that we couldn’t explain; the TV would go on in the middle of the night when all of us were in bed. Things would fly off counters and crash to the floor. But the strangest of all happened about two months later.
We began to lose belts. And not just belts; scarves, ropes, loose electrical cords, and even shoes from time to time. Blaming the kids would have been easy, except for the fact that they lived in the nursery and didn’t have access to such things. During one frustrating search, late for work, Sarah finally came out to me, her face pale.
“I found your belt,” she said quietly.
“Great! Where was it?”
She held up the limp leather and said, “Under my mattress.”
“How did it…” But then we both headed for our respective bedrooms and lifted each mattress gingerly. Low and behold, there were the missing items. We knew we had an uninvited guest.
Marvin was actually a very polite ghost. Although he didn’t like belts of any kind (and tennis shoes for some reason) he quit throwing things at us in the kitchen and settled down to just watching TV late at night. He didn’t like men, apparently, because every time one would come over, he’d run upstairs to our neighbor’s place. I’d get a call…
“You have a man down there?” she would ask.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. Just checking.”
We learned to live with him… and to keep our belts hidden.
Don’t forget, if you leave a comment you will be in a drawing for several wonderful prizes throughout my blog tour, including 2 Kindles, special Portland/Oregon Totes, jewelry, goodies, and lots more. Also, I have some “secret” giveaways throughout my blog tour for a chance to fin $25 GC from Amazon. Make sure to watch for them in all the blogs I’ll be visiting this month. For a list, go to: MINNETTE’S TOUR.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll check out my new book A Ghost of a Chance. It’s full of ghosts, angels, demons, and one slightly used psychic who goes through a comedy of disasters to find his heart’s desire.
A GHOST OF A CHANCE – Excerpt
a paranormal romantic comedy
(Book I in the Ghost Series)
by Minnette Meador
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 22, 2011
Resplendence Publishing
Keenan Swanson is your typical, everyday graphic designer. Well, except for the hundreds of pesky, prank-loving poltergeists that make his life interesting (in a Chinese curse sort of way). He finds his situation precarious yet manageable—until witty, smoking-hot coworker Isabella enters the scene and Keenan decides he wants her all for himself. With a horny succubus who has other ideas, a burly city cop determined to lock Keenan away, and an evil entity who’s hell-bent on using Keenan’s seed to create a living demon, the reluctant psychic realizes he just might not come out of this alive—or with heart intact.
“Hysterical and very original!”
2-Time Rita Winner Wendy Warren
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 am
A Ghost of a Chance sounds great!
June 22nd, 2011 at 8:43 am
Thanks, Amy!
June 22nd, 2011 at 8:58 am
Ok, I’m here again. Hope this tour is a huge success.
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:23 am
Hi, Christine! Thanks, hon… M:o)
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:46 am
Oh, BTW… The book is also available in Kindle or Nook:
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/423t8d6
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/3lygbwd
M:o)
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:59 am
That was a very interesting story Minnette.
Sometimes Ghosts are just lonely. Or trying to warn you not to do the same stupid things they did. Of course they never understand why the live ones don’t listen, sadly it’s simply a case of they can’t see them shaking their heads at them most of the time.
Growing up, we had this road going up from Golden to the top of Lookout Mountain, it was kind of this unspoken right of passage that you weren’t really grown up until you could drive the road. That road gave me the creeps as a kid, because I could see them, standing there shaking their heads. Stuck where they had died. As I grew older, and more understanding, I realized they were lonely. As a teen I used to go up and read to them. It was strange, but I know they watched out for me when I was driving that road.
~Christiana~
June 22nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
What a touching story, Christiana! We used to read to “Marvin” too… we were pretty sure it was a little boy. Sounds like the road was hair-raising! M:o)
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:12 am
What a fascinating story! I hope the blog tour goes well.
Lavinia
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:15 am
That was a really interesting story, glad Marvin was fairly easy to live with and didn’t cause too many problems for you. I have never had a ghost experience, not sure how I would feel about it.
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:31 am
It was certainly spine-tingling. There had been a lot of teen driving accidents on that road over the years, so I know the teen-ghosts were thinking, do kids ever learn from the past?
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:42 am
i am sooo looking foward to reading this book. i love a book that has humor in it along with all of the suspense and romance. this sounds like a great read and i can’t wait to find out what happens.
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
June 22nd, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Thanks, Lavinia! From your mouth to God’s ear!
)
Hi, Jean – Marvin was very well behaved once we knew what he wanted. However, we did try to get him to go on… He was gone after that, but don’t know where he went.
Christiana – Teenagers? They have troubles just learning from the present!
)
Thanks, Tammy – I really hope you like it. Sending a book out into public is a little like sending a child to college: You hope for the best, but you dread the worst!
)
June 22nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Books sounds great and it’s been fun trying to follow you everywhere, you are one busy lady
June 22nd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Exactly, Which is why it was always so ironic watching them shake their heads as the kids decided to do what they did 10-20-30-40 years before, Race down the mountain with it’s hairpin turns. Yet, sad as well because you knew they meant well, but most of the Teen’s just couldn’t see them, or chose to ignore them. Me, I always went the speed limit or slower down that hill, I valued my life and that of others. But then I also fought tooth and nail to not get my driver’s license.
June 22nd, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Thanks, Dawn – I have been busy, but it’s been a blast! I’m so glad you joined us! M:o)
Christina – I had five of my six kids all teenagers at the same time. I was soooo happy we got on the other side with all of them alive and out of jail ~LOL~ It’s a tough time of life… M:o)
June 22nd, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Hi Minnette! I got to download it last night, and started reading it today.
June 22nd, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Oh, thanks, K – I really hope you like it ~grin~
June 22nd, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Looks like it will be a very interesting book Minnette!
June 22nd, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Minnette, great post here about your book! I’m going to pick up a copy and get reading. Always love the stories you come out with. You’re so talented!
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Minnette, thanks for sharing your story with us! I have to pick a copy and get to reading it. Love the trailer!
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Trailer and story are great, love the stories you create Minnette!
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Thanks, Christina & Denise!
)
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:54 pm
What a really cool story Minnette! that would freak me out if my stuff went missing lol
Were either of you able to actually see Marvin? or just the incidents that happened around you? 
I’ve always found ghosts to be really interesting.. well at least the nice ones lol 
June 22nd, 2011 at 6:09 pm
We never did see him, just what he did.
)
June 22nd, 2011 at 6:30 pm
I promise to read your book very soon Minnette! Just know I’m around and supporting you
Great post!
leanne_gag{at]hotmail[dot]com
June 22nd, 2011 at 6:31 pm
your book sounds so good,
June 22nd, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Marvin, the funny ghost, would make a great novella romance. I always thought the pixies or fairies or elves are responsible for missing possessions. Even the washing machine or dryer. Perhaps such machines have own ghost. That’s how socks get gobbled up. Now isn’t that an interesting idea….?
June 22nd, 2011 at 7:43 pm
this sounds like an awesome book! cant wait to get my hands on a copy!
June 22nd, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Thanks, Leanne.
Nice to see you, Peg. Thanks!
Hi, Vonnie – That’s a great idea! He was kind of like a pixie, I guess, though we’re pretty sure he was a little boy. And, I’m sorry, but socks go to Babyland where they are joined to make soft cushions for the cribs.
)
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:10 pm
You didn’t say what part of PDX your duplex was in, but our house in NW was great for things being missing from the freezer… the biggest missing items were 5 ducks that one of my dad’s friends had shot & gave us. My mom’s former house had a ghost that would pace the downstairs when we were upstairs. Years later we found, from the granddaughter of the man who’d built our house, that it was her dad. He’d been ill & died in the dining room. His “thing” on his better days was to pace around in a circle trying to build up some strenghth.
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:30 pm
I bet you got pretty sick of all that pacing, Amelia! We lived on 39th between Division & Hawthorn… the same neighborhood this book takes place in, the Hawthorn District. You want to know something really interesting; our youngest son, who was raised in Beaverton on the other side of the city, moved into the duplex right next door to our haunted one last year! He had no idea that’s where his older brothers lived right after they were born and we didn’t know he lived there until we took him home one night. Coincidence? I think not! LOL
June 22nd, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Trailer and excerpt are great.
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:45 am
sighs mannn i soo want this book
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:18 am
I hope you can get it, SiNn!
)
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:55 am
Your experience sounds so eerie. Am glad that Marvin was fairly non-intrusive.
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:29 am
Me too… He was much more frightening in the beginning. One night I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and an empty jar on the top of the fridge flew across the room and shattered on the floor. I had no shoes on and had to yell to my roommate to help me. That was the night we decided we needed to talk to the little scamp!
)
June 23rd, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Great story Minnette. We had a teaspoon monster who always hid our teaspoons. The boys were almost sure they’d seen him sneaking them out of the drawer. But nothing so amazing as your ghost.
June 24th, 2011 at 9:15 am
I think a teaspoon monster is every bit as amazing as a ghost! LOL Thanks for joining us, Sheila!
)
June 24th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Ooh I especially liked this post; I have always been a ghost story lover. Real or not I can never get enough. I’m so glad your meeting a ghost played in role in writing A Ghost of a Chance. He wasn’t just an apparation that you came across but you, and your family interacted with him. All these things: him not liking men (jealousy lol?) and throwing things he didn’t like around, they make Marvin very real to us.
Did you ever research his history? Or do you have a hunch of where he came from?
June 24th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I’m so glad you got over here, Na! Actually, we rented through an agency and they had no idea about the history. To tell you the truth, I think he came along with my twins. It’s said that pregnant women pull in the most ghosts. We came away with the impression that it might be a little boy. No idea where he came from, but one day I’ll write his story. It might be interesting to write from a ghost’s point of view. M:o)
July 16th, 2011 at 7:04 am
Thia sounds so good!
shygrumpychica1@hotmail.com
July 23rd, 2011 at 12:42 am
I’d be very afraid to see a ghost even if he was friendly!
wade2121ATgmailDOTcom