Poetry is defined as a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature. The word poetry gives off different feelings and meanings to many different people but one thing is universal about it, poetry is a beautiful writing form that we can all appreciate. There are many ways that poetry can be written. Poetry has structure, form, lines, stanzas, rhyme, prose, among many other terms which all can be used to write it. For this particular post I will be listing the many different types and forms of poetry. I will do my best to list as many as I can. If I miss any please feel free to comment below this post to include them. Here are the many types of poetry:

Prose: written or spoken language in it’s ordinary form, without metrical structure

Blank verse: a poem that does not rhyme especially with the use of iambic pentameter

Rhyme: a pattern of stresses in the line of a verse or stanza

Free verse: poetry that does not rhyme or have any meter

Epics: a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters

Narrative: a form of poetry that tells a story, often using voices of narrator and characters; the story is usually written in metered verse

Haiku: a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five

Sonnet: a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line

Pastoral: explores the fantasy of withdrawing from modern life to live in an idyllic rural setting

Elegies: a meditative lyric poem focusing on the death of a public personage or of a friend or loved one

Ode: A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea

Limerick: a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly anapestic trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme

Lyric: is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person

Ballad: is a verse form consisting of three main stanzas and one concluding stanza called an envoi, each of which culminates in a repeated last line

Soliloquy: a monologue in which a character in a play expresses thoughts and feelings while being alone on stage

Villanelle: a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and with both repeated at the close of the concluding quatrain

Acrostic: a poem or other word composition in which the first letter of each new line spells out a word, message or the alphabet.

Ekphrastic: poems written about works of art

Concrete: an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance

Epigram: a short, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with a quick, satirical twist at the end

Epitaph: A short poem intended for (or imagined as) an inscription on a tombstone and often serving as a brief elegy

Chain verse: a type of poetic technique where the poet uses the last syllable of a line and repeats it as the first syllable of the line following

*Rhyming Chain verse: a type of poetic technique where the poet rhymes the first word with the last word in the following sentence and the last word in the first sentence with the first word of the following sentence

*-created by me

Pumpkinhead Meets the Wild West 

Review on Amazon: Had this book on my Kindle for a while and finally got around to reading it. Managed to read it in a couple of days because it was so good. This book has everything a reader of the weird west genre could want. It has a mysterious main character, a small western town taken over by a corrupt farmer, gritty wild west action, and a supernatural curse reminiscent of the film Pumpkinhead only with crows. If you're a fan of all that then you're sure to be a fan of this crimson-splattering, gun-barreling novel that's a real murder of crows.

Review on Goodreads: This book was a really fun read. Right from the get-go I knew I was in for a real weird western treat. The protagonist Cheveyo Santiago is a mysterious man who comes to a town to rid it of an evil curse. He gets some help from an unlikely source and from there the adventure begins. If you like your westerns totally weird, full of action and tons of guns firing with some strange twists and turns then get ready to draw to that buy button fast because you're in for a real bloody and supernatural western.

If you're interest in getting a copy of The Crowman for yourself then https://www.amazon.com/Crowman-Weird-Novella-Chronicles-Fallen-ebook/dp/B089KQS32V" target="_blank">click here

Ghosts. Some of us are scared by them while others aren’t phased by them in the slightest. For those of us who are why do you think this is? Why does that mention of the word ghost give those people chills and better yet why are they scared if they see one in person? Well, the answer to this may be as simple as because they aren’t alive anymore but one has to believe that with some people there’s more to it. So why do ghosts terrify us? We are about to break it down and delve deep within to explain this fear that some people have of ghosts, spirits, and the paranormal.

The definition of a ghost is an apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image. Notice I bolded two words. The reason for this is because I believe these two words are why people are afraid of ghosts. The fact that ghosts are dead people is a scary thought as dead people should not be seen or even walking around. As for nebulous image, well that’s not exactly a form we expect people to take so to see someone in any form other than a solid flesh and bone human being can be quite terrifying. In simple terms, the thought of seeing dead people around just scares people and is unnerving.

Media is another reason why we may be afraid of ghosts. Movies and television shows tend to depict ghosts as evil spirits and vicious ghouls hellbent on hurting us. Yes, these television shows are fictitious but that still doesn’t stop our imaginations from running wild and thinking they are real or that what is being shown can or could exist. The funny thing is though, some of us enjoy being scared by ghosts when we watch them on television and yet we are also the same people who would be scared out of our minds if we ever saw one for real. I suppose it depends on the individual after all but whether we are scared by them or not we constantly have ghosts as part of our lives in one way or another.

Seeing someone walk through walls, other people, objects or just disappearing out of nowhere is a terrifying thought. The fact that a person can be transparent and yet also visible, and also a ball of light or be heard but not seen is a chilling thought. But despite all of this I leave this last question for us terrified to ponder..should we really be terrified of ghosts at all? Chances are they could be relatives of ours simply saying hello or residual hauntings, which are ghosts who repeat an event they once lived on loop. Perhaps those of us who are scared of ghosts should take a page out of the film The Sixth Sense and rather than run from ghosts, ask them what they want or just let them do their thing because chances are they are not there to scare us.

We’ve all stayed in hotels at some point in our lives but not many have stayed at ones where guests never leave. Haunted hotels not only exist but they’ve become a big part of our culture and acceptance as a society. We not only embrace them but we go to these haunted places just because they are haunted. Some have more paranormal activity than others but to me just simply staying at a hotel and seeing a ghost would be quite scary. I have never seen a ghost in a hotel or ever for that matter and I would like to keep it that way. Haunted hotels have become a staple in tourist attractions which is funny because most of the time people stay at hotels so they are closer to tourist attractions never mind the fact that hotels themselves have become the attraction. So what are the top ten most haunted hotels in America? Well I am about to give you the list but please note two things. First, this list is based off my personal opinion as to what I believe to be the most haunted hotels. Second, I will include places that are abandoned. Without further ado, the ten most haunted hotels...

10. The Monteleone

Located on the French Quarter, The International Society of Paranormal Research deemed this place haunted after a stay here. Several authors have stayed here and reference the hotel in their works. Authors such as Anne Rice, Tennessee Williams, and Ernest Hemingway. Hauntings include doors opening and closing by themselves despite being locked, ghostly images of children, a boy who died in the hotel and several spirits of former employees.

9. The Pfister Hotel

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, many MLB baseball players have claimed to experience paranormal and unexplained things. https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articles/milwaukee-ghosts-major-league-paranormal-activity-" target="_blank">https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articles/milwaukee-ghosts-major-league-paranormal-activity-

8. The Marshall House

Located in Savanna, Georgia, The Marshall House is a historical hotel with many reports of ghosts. Many have claimed to hear children running down the halls late at night and, faucets turning on all by themselves.

7. La Fonda on the Plaza

This hotel in Santa Fe has several reported hauntings and sightings by numerous people over the years. https://savingplaces.org/stories/ghostly-encounters-at-la-fonda-on-the-plaza" target="_blank">https://savingplaces.org/stories/ghostly-encounters-at-la-fonda-on-the-plaza

6. The Hollywood Knickerbocker

While this place is now a retirement home back in the day it was one of the hottest spots for celebrities living and dead. Harry Houdini’s wive held her tenth seance on the roof of the building in hopes of talking to her beloved. The place was also were Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio met for drinks at the bar. Monroe and DiMaggio are just two of the many dead celebrities that were said to haunt the place and perhaps they still do...

5. Omni Parker House Hotel

Sure, it looks modern and not haunted at all but this place is just haunted enough to inspire Stephen King’s 1408. https://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/boston/omni-parker-house" target="_blank">https://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/boston/omni-parker-house

4. The Stanley Hotel

Of course the Omni Parker House wasn’t the first hotel to inspire Stephen King to write a novel. Back in the 70's, King and his wife were stayed at the Stanley Hotel. King left his room and upon returning found his clothes all folded and in drawers. This experience among other things inspired him to create the Overlook Hotel and his novel, The Shining. Aside from King, many others have claimed to experience paranormal activity within the walls of the Stanley. The hotel continues to be haunted and every year they hold a ghost tour per The Shining.

3. The Emily Morgan Hotel

In 2020 this place was listed as the third most haunted place in the world. Why exactly? Well, for one it’s located in San Antonio Texas and happens to be right across from the Alamo. Making it the perfect place for the spirits of dead soldiers to roam over to. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/texas/third-most-haunted-hotel-tx/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

2. The Hollywood Roosevelt

Like the Knickerbocker, this was a hot spot for celebrities to hang out and not only was this a place Marilyn Monroe hung out but she lived in Room 1200. This is also a place she’s said to haunt and people have claimed to see her reflection in the lobby mirror.

1. The Cecil Hotel

Coming in at #1 is of the craziest places in America. The Cecil Hotel was said to be doomed from the start but no one really know’s why. A popular place to stay since the 30's, Over 15 people have committed suicide, two serial killers once stayed there and is most recently known for a college student whose body was found in a water tank on the roof of the building. Is this place haunted? I would almost guarantee it and even though it’s being renovated I’m sure the spirits will not rest and will most certainly not leave...

https://www.youtube.com/live/KccTRm-523E?feature=share" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/live/KccTRm-523E?feature=share

https://www.youtube.com/live/u7v-vQ7AOeA?feature=share" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/live/u7v-vQ7AOeA?feature=share

After having published my first book, The Macabre Masterpiece in 2010, I didn’t really have the thought or idea to write another book. Looking back it seems juvenile. However, given the fact that I had my first book published by a vanity press and was in a bad contract the thought of a second book just wasn’t there. A year and a half into my contract I immediately realized I wanted out but that wouldn’t happen for another four years. What did happen was inspiration struck me almost out of nowhere from several directions. As I said, I had no plans for a second book but it was around this time that I joined Goodreads and came across the great sub-genre of Western Horror. Liking both westerns and horror I was intrigued. Little did I know that I was placing my interest in this newfound genre in the back of my mind.

One day I was watching a spaghetti western, one of the Dollar Trilogy series movies starring Clint Eastwood, which was either A Fistful of Dollars or For A Few Dollars More. As I was watching, one of the bad guys uttered a line, something along the lines of a bloody mess, I wish I could remember what exactly but its escaped me, but when I heard it for whatever reason the title A Bloody Bloody Mess in the Wild Wild West popped into my head. I don’t remember what the bad guy said but I do remember jumping off my couch and running to my room where I grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper and wrote down the title A Bloody Bloody Mess in the Wild Wild West in big bold letters at the top. I stared at the page and asked myself what it this for exactly and once again my brain told me, it’s the title of your next book, the book you didn’t know about, the book you didn’t know you were gonna write, a western horror that will be your second book.

I eventually went back to watching the movie and perhaps taking in little bits of inspiration as my eyes were fixed on the screen. I believe I watched all three movies in the series that day and little did I know that I was subconsciously making mental notes of stuff to include in my book. From the tools that make up a bad guy in westerns to the grit and intimidation, Clint Eastwood gave as he slowly talked to those that would become his victims. I ended up watching more westerns and reading up about the history of weird westerns and western horror. After I realized I had enough information I went back to the piece of paper with the title on it and began constructing the chapters of the book from the title of them to what they would be about. When I completed all of the chapter info I realized I was missing two important things, a protagonist and an antagonist. No western is complete without a hero cowboy and a bad hombre who longs to gun him down.

I wanted the main character to be his own person. Sure, I could make him like Clint Eastwood but people would see right through that. I don’t believe I was inspired by any person to create him but one day as I was thinking of names two came into mind and soon enough the protagonist Emerson Shaw was born. Now I needed his nemesis. A guy so ruthless, so gritty, so bad, that you’d swear he existed in real life. Well for this one I decided to take a few bad Mexican outlaws I’d seen from movies put them all together and add a dash of Yosemite Sam and Javier “Bones” Jones” was born. After I came up with the two main characters' names I had reached the stage to start writing. That is how inspiration struck me and how I came up with the idea to write A Bloody Bloody Mess in the Wild Wild West.

We’ve all done it. As fans of ghosts and the paranormal we have found ourselves at one point in front of our television screens watching one of the many ghost hunting shows...and there’s a lot of them. Over the years there have been many and I mean many ghost hunting shows. From Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Lockdown to Ghost Adventures and Portals to Hell just to name a few. Before we ask the question which ones are good and which ones aren’t let us first ask about the obvious ghost elephant in the room, are all ghost hunting shows total B.S? A very simple answer to that is no. If you are into these types of shows and watch a few then you know that not all of them are full of hot air and nonsense. However, if you are the type that doesn’t believe in ghosts or the paranormal and just watch to get your laughs on then chances are you think they are all total crocks and not worth watching.

Ghost hunting shows have become quite popular over the last 15 plus years. Ghost Hunters had a great run followed by Ghost Adventures. These are the main two shows that people immediately think of when they think of ghost hunting but there are so many more. Of course, for every good show there is one that is just as bad and while I have watched plenty of them and I can’t really give my full opinion on which follow under the good or the bad. What I will do is give you my thoughts on the main two I’ve already mentioned as well as a few others I enjoy rather than mention ones I don’t. Ghost hunting shows aren’t for everyone and all of them have two things in common: the same premise and the same conclusion that people have as to whether or not the evidence is faked.

I used to watch Ghost Hunters for quite a few years and I enjoyed it. I was young and as a believer in the paranormal(at least I think I was back then) and found them very enjoyable tuning in every week and sometimes even watching an occasional rerun if the episode was good. However, after a while I believe I became bored because I realized they weren’t finding much and while I didn’t expect them to find something on every episode it became very repetitious and I just lost interest. Then there was a Halloween Special episode where controversy ensued and I then on top of my boredom began to question the reality of the show. Of course they said it wasn’t staged and state it’s in their contract that they could not fake evidence but that’s only paper so what’s to stop someone from doing it and people not knowing? Needless to say, I just sort of grew out of watching the show.

Some episodes had very interesting finds such as the crew catching a full heat apparition of a solider and going to a mansion and hearing a clear voice of the spirit of a princess who used to live there. Others had lack luster finds or nothing at all and even one where they went all the way to California just to get tricked by the people of the establishment who placed phony props in areas thinking the crew wouldn’t catch them.

I’ve always found Ghost Adventures to be less enjoyable because it seems to me they don’t have any rules or go by the code of conduct when it comes to hunting ghosts. Zak Bagans and his crew like to joke around and it’s said you should never threaten or intimidate ghosts and yet any time I watch it seems like they are doing just that. Do they find evidence? Sure, but it seems like they always find something whereas other shows will have episodes where they don’t find something on every episode such as Ghost Hunters. Yes, I get bored when shows don’t find anything but at the same time at least you know it’s real. If a group of ghost hunters always find something just exactly how real is the show?

Finally, I would like to mention one particular show I remember watching but can’t remember the name of it. I watched it years ago but the name has escaped me. Basically, this group of ghost hunters would go into places with a psychic and she would explain what she would feel upon entering. The best part was every time she explained what she felt or thought she knew a fact would appear on the bottom of the screen totally discrediting it. It happened in at least 3 episodes and each time it would get worse. For example, she said the building they were in caught fire in 1969 and a boy died. On the bottom of the screen it said that there was no reported fire ever happening, nobody ever died in the house and the building wasn’t built until 1975. You can see why I found this show so great. But overall, let this last bit remind you that there are clear cases of fake and crappy ghost hunting shows and there are good ones, we just got to decide for ourselves which they are.

           Scary places. We love them because they terrify us, because they broaden our curiosity, but most of all we love them because we shouldn’t visit them. There are many lists out there that will give you their take on the scariest places in the world and so I decided to create my own list. The list is made up of places in order that I believe to be the most scary. I have never been to any of these places which in some eyes may discredit me but I believe having read up on them and watched documentaries and shows on them that I do have a keen eye for knowing if they are the scariest. I am no expert and like any one else who has made a list this is just my opinion. So without further ado, here is my list of the ten most scariest places in the world.

10. Chernobyl

In 1986, a nuclear blast caused massive devastation to the city of Pripyat, Ukraine. It left the city not only in abandoned in ruins but contaminated as well. For years it was uninhabitable and people were not allowed anywhere near the place. For the last few years there has been a cleanup of the area and tours are given but the place still gives off scary vibes and chilling feelings of what once was but is no more...

9. Nagoro, Japan

Another city that is downright creepy. It is known for its life-sized doll population that outnumbers the human population 10 to 1. A man began making dolls of her neighbors after they died or moved away. The eerie doppelgangers can be seen in various positions and can be seen all over town . There are around 350 dolls and just 27 living people...

8. Island of the Dolls

More dolls, anyone? This island is famous for the hundreds upon hundreds of dolls and parts hanging from trees and scattered throughout the area. The place was once an actual residence of a man whose now deceased. When he found a dead girl's body in a nearby canal, he began collecting the dolls and parts and displayed them all over in the hopes of warding off evil spirits.

7. Catacombs of Paris and Italy

There’s nothing more scary then being underground lost not knowing if you’ll ever make it out alive, or seeing thousands of skeletons. In Italy, there are catacombs and tunnels which many tourists and outsiders are led to only to be left in by locals to die. Then in Paris there are bodies down in the catacombs because the cemetery became too crowded. It contains about 8,000 bodiesand if that wasn’t creepy enough they are arranged by category. From religious figures and men to children, and virgins. The whole thing is set up as an exhibit, totally not weird.

6. The Amityville House

I’ll keep this brief because if you like scary things then you know this places history. And if you really know your stuff then you also know that while this place may be scary it may also have been a total hoax. Nevertheless, for what has transpired here simply cannot be ignored and the next time you fins yourself in the area, take a tour inside and see if it really is scary.

5.The Queen Mary

Haunted boat? The RSS Queen Mary has been boarded by many a ghost hunters and featured on countless shows for it’s reported hauntings. It’s said many strange sounds can be heard near the engine room, that a man once lost his leg near a stairwell, that a little girl’s ghostly footsteps can be seen near the pool. This place has lot’s of reported sightings and there’s no doubt whether they are friendly or scary, scary is the feeling most get when aboard this ship.

4. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

It’s a lunatic asylum so chances are there were a lot of weird, mentally unstable and deranged people within the walls of this place. Not only was the place extremely overcrowded but the patients were mistreated poorly. It’s said some people were even given lobotomies even when they were considered competent and sane. Today the place is said to be haunted and given all that has happened there it’s no wonder.

3. Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital

Today it sits abandoned but why is it on the list and why is it so low? It used to be a hospital for Nazi’s, need I say anymore? The horrors, the inhumanity and the amount of evil this place must’ve seen gives me chills just thinking about.

2. Eastern State Penitentiary

Like the Trans-Allegany, there were many people that called this wretched place home. Many prisoners were mistreated, killed, and tried to escape just to get placed back inside and suffer a worse faint then what they were in for. Now it’s considered one of the most haunted places in the world.

1. The Suicide Forest

Every year people come to this forest to kill themselves. The creepy thing is no one knows why. It’s become so popular for someone to off themselves that there’s now a sign at the beginning pinned to a tree pleading with people to re-consider. It’s said the forest gives off strange mystical vibes that doom an already depressed person roaming it. The death rate is alarmingly in the 1,000's and has sadly gone up every year. It’s for these reasons that I consider the suicide forest to be the scariest place on earth.

It's been a long time since I've commented in my own thread on here. However, I'm here to clear off the digital dust and cobwebs to let everyone who's still on here and anyone interested about what I've been up to over the last few years writing wise.

First off, within a year(May 2021 to May 2022), I wrote 4 books. The second book in my Wax Factory series, The Wax Menagerie, followed by The Short Story Emporium, Of Gears and Gaslight, and then the 3rd book in the Wax Factory series, The Wax Papers. I was astounded and shocked that I somehow managed to write 4 books in a year but I was making up for lost time as I was without a computer for most of 2020 so I set and was determined to make up for lost time and I believe I did just that.

In 2022, I wrote the 3rd book in my Macabre Masterpiece series, Vile Humanity. The book was never supposed to happen or at least not anytime soon but seeing as I was without a way to market and promote my books(stuck in a motel room for 3 months) I decided to write a book on my phone and so I did. I thought of 50 titles, started writing them, and when I finally found a place to live I hooked up my computer and got started and just published the book on January 9th of 2023. So only 2 books are likely to be written between May 2022 and May 2023 but I am working on a new western that I'll mention soon. Will I complete it in the next 4 months? Probably not, no need to rush it.

My current WIP is a western horror called Brimstone Express. The reason for this is because I wanted to truly go back to my roots of where it all started. I just finished writing another book of horror poetry and my first ever book was The Macabre Masterpiece. My second was a western horror so I'm truly going fully back to my roots by writing another western horror. I enjoy reading and watching the genre and it means for great inspiration to write my own weird westerns and western horror.

What's next for me after Brimstone Express? Well, yet another weird western called High Stakes at the Bonesaw Saloon. I also plan on writing a Horror/Crime Thriller called Nightshade Station which I plan on making permafree because I don't currently have a permafree book on Amazon and I feel this will be a great way for people to read my work to become familiar with me as well as get a taste of two genres I write in with horror and crime thrillers. It is worth noting though that I am in no rush to get these written as I still have another priority to do.

Marketing and promoting has illuded me for quite some time. So much so lately that I've managed to let 40 courses and over 100 e-mails go un-used and un-read and now I feel that since it's a new year that I must make this a must-do task and not only take these courses and read these e-mails but use them to the capacity that will help me market and promote my books that I have written over the last 2 and a half years.

So that's a rundown of what I've been up to and what I'm going to be up to going forward. I hope I can make some serious progress on this writing journey.

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and there’s two good reasons for that. I stopped blogging around 2019 because it became more of a chore and less of enjoyment for me. I found myself writing because I felt I needed to, not because I wanted to. After the joy of blogging left me, I decided to leave it behind. However, Covid happened the following year and during this I was without a computer for a whole year. The ironic thing was I said when I get my computer back that I was going to start blogging again. 2 years later and I still have not started it up again because...that’s where we get into what I’ve been doing and reason number two as to why I haven’t blogged.

The second reason I haven’t been blogging is because I’ve been busy writing books, four to be exact. When I got my computer back I also said I was going to not only finish writing the book I started but I would write another. Well, what was supposed to be two books turned into four books in one year which for me is quite an accomplishment. I thought writing books over blog posts was the better choice and I’m sure most would agree. Writing those books wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but then again I’m yet to find an author say it was easy. That being said, my first steampunk novel, Of Gears and Gaslight was a bit of an issue to write because it was my first steampunk novel which meant I needed to do a lot of research. After it was written I had the cover made but there were lots of uploading issues due to the cover not being the right size and other things but finally it was fixed and I published the book.

The cover was not only good to go but in the month it’s been out has won an award for Best Cover. I knew the cover was great but never thought it would win an award which it quite an honor. I could have given up on my cover artist, but I stuck with her and believed in her and the result was well worth it. I then finished writing The Wax Papers, the 3rd book in the Wax Factory series and my fourth book in a year. I had another cover artist do the cover, and this cover looks amazing too. So you might be wondering, okay he wrote four books, but what’s he doing to promote them? What now?

Well, that’s exactly the what now, I’m going to spend the summer promoting the books in various ways. I recently purchased a package for $40 which gave me access to 70 courses all are various ways to promote, market, blog, ways to organize your writing, how to get reviews, etc. All of this was over $8,000 in value and I got it at an insane price, so it will definitely help me in getting my books out there to readers. I’ve started watching and taking some of the courses and so far they’ve been helpful to me. I hope to do some serious promoting this summer and perhaps even make my new books a part of people’s summer reading lists.

So this brings me back to blogging. Now that I’ve written four books, have several dozen ways to promote them I plan to start blogging again which is exactly what I’m doing with this post. This post is the start of me blogging again and I plan to do it more often with my schedule in place. I have five topics and two additional ones I will write about which you see at the top of this blog page. I hope this time around I will enjoy the topics I write about and I think now that I’ve had time away from it to focus on other things that I can do just that.

When it comes to being haunted there are no places perhaps more haunted than the Winchester Mystery House. Located in San Jose, California, the giant Victorian mansion once was home to Sarah Winchester, widow of the maker of the Winchester rifle. Aside from now being a historical landmark, the place is known for its size, strange architecture, and strong paranormal activity. The most perplexing feature about the place is its known construction that went on every single day with Sarah Winchester's insistence until her death in 1922 when all construction halted. So why did Sarah Winchester keep building? Who are the spirits that haunt this place and why is the architecture so bizarre?

When her husband died, Sarah Winchester inherited his fortune and his land. After her child also died she decided to move but not before going to a medium who told her to build a home for herself and always continue to build to appease those who died from Winchester rifles. It is also claimed that she moved west because the spirits of those who died from the rifles haunted her and her family. When she finally moved to the property that we now refer to as the Mystery house she began building and it began a strange house at that. She did not use an architect and would add on to the building in a strange fashion. The house has several oddities such as doors and stairs that go nowhere, windows overlooking other rooms, doors that when you open them up it's just a brick wall, and stairs go up to nothing and stop at a wall. Many accounts suggest these oddities are due to her belief in ghosts haunting her to make up for the bloodshed her husband's rifles caused. It's suggested today that the layout for the house's odd structure could be the reason it seems so haunted.

The outside may look normal but the inside tells quite a different story. There are around161 rooms, 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms as well as 47 fireplaces, over 10,000 panes of glass, 17 and possibly there were more. There are also two basements and three elevators. The number 13 is also prominent throughout the house with the number of stairs, tiles on a floor, windows in a room, and other things always at 13. There is also a room that Sarah Winchester stopped going in altogether after she placed one of her late child's items inside it. Perhaps the most puzzling thing of all is in modern times a census was taken to find out how many rooms were in the house and oddly enough it was more than the 161. Did people just miscount the number of rooms or have some been added over the years by spirits?

So who haunts the house and why? Sarah Winchester is said to haunt the house of course. She is mainly said to be seen in what used to be her bedroom. She is said to be seen throughout the house but mainly in the rooms she frequently used. Aside from Sarah Winchester, the ghosts of the construction workers who worked on the house are said to haunt the place. They are seen walking the halls or even seen building. During tours, people also claim they hear whistling as if a worker if passing the time while working. Whatever it is there is no doubt between the reasoning or the building that the Winchester House is in fact haunted.

Winchester died in 1922 all building of the house ceased..at least from a living standpoint. Since she left no one in her will to get the house it went to the city and it was made as a place for people to be given a tour of. Over the last few years when a census was done on the house the outcome for the number of rooms seemed to be more than the previous time they were counted. Some suggest that the person handling matters simply miscounted but the other theory is suggested that the ghosts are still adding onto the house.

So what is our fascination with this house? It’s strange, it’s not like any other house we’ve ever seen or will ever see in our lives. It’s an endless labyrinth that tells of a woman’s bizarre superstitious endeavors and is one of the best and obvious places that ghosts should roam because they feel their mission will never be done. The Winchester House is not to be taken lightly in fact if you ever tour the place you should always stay with your group because you don’t want to get lost and who knows who you may bump into.

Here is a poem I wrote that is in my poetry book, The Macabre Masterpiece: Repressed Carnage. It’s called Echoes of a Rifle and it’s about the Winchester House and it’s history. There have been many homages and references to the house in popular culture and with the house as big as it is it’s no surprise why it’s inspiration and referenced so many times.

It was to be a simple build

of what was to become a house

But told to add on for blood that spilled

With enough spaces to confuse even a mouse

So it went on for years and years

Men everyday hard at work

Adding on features hidden with fears

The lady of the house slowly going berserk

They put in windows against walls

Doors and stairs that lead to no where

For as long as the echoes call

She tells them to build without concern or care

Each stairwell ending in thirteen

of all kinds straight, angled and spiral

Even today workers are still seen

Whistling Dixie as they nail and smile

Taking a count of the rooms within

May lead to a chilling revelation

Since constant building would forgive sin

The number can only be an estimation

The whispering of voices carry on

as the spirits seem ever so delightful

The men hard a work still, never gone

All from the echoes of a rifle