Creating the Perfect Ambiance to Write Paranormal Tales by Amy S. Cutler

 

In her past life, after causing the death of a little boy, Nikki was so devastated that her soul mate promised to murder her in their next life, to make her pay for what she had done. With no knowledge of this, Nikki lives for years as an addict, down on her luck, until she is rescued by Ken, who helps her with all aspects of her recovery. With the help of a few new friends and a cat named Destiny, Nikki turns her life around. What she doesn’t know is that someone out there is destined to kill her, and he is watching, his passion for killing her growing stronger each day. The question is: Can an agreement made between two souls be broken, and how far will one soul go to keep a promise made in a desperate attempt to save the other?

 Where to Find To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill:

 https://www.amazon.com/Have-Hold-Love-Kill-Agreement/dp/1685133428/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/to-have-and-to-hold-to-love-and-to-kill-an-agreement-of-souls-amy-s-cutler/20601757?ean=9781685133429&next=t

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200655790-to-have-and-to-hold-to-love-and-to-kill

 

Creating the Perfect Ambiance to Write Paranormal Tales

Currently on my desk, I have a candle from a company called Mythologie, and the candle is called Phoenix. The scent includes grapefruit, cinnamon, clove and vanilla, and has a crackling wooden wick. I burn this when I am working on a special project, a non-fiction piece that includes the mythological story of a phoenix. When I light this candle, I immediately focus on the story, and with the crackle of the wick, I am drawn closer to the words. Do I need the candle to write this story? No, of course not. It is the intention behind the candle that I desire, and that is to create a space where my mind blocks everything out but the story in my head.

As often as possible, I try to start a writing session with a clear desk and whatever props might inspire me. These might be a candle, a photograph, some books (The Amityville Horror is almost always in sight), or a playlist curated to inspire a particular story. I also like to write outdoors, where I can close my eyes and allow the sounds to filter their way into my tales. The set-up for writing a paranormal story can be quite fun. A perfect vision for me would be a full moon, lots of candles, and a silent house. No dogs barking or chewing on bones, no background noise of the television or Instagram reel, just me, my keyboard, and the glow of the moon. If I were to give myself a nice date-night, that would probably be it. In that setting, something spooky always ends up on the page. Sounds nice, right?

Back in reality, where I usually live, I do not always have a clear desk, and I find that I’m out of matches. In these cases, it’s just a matter of turning inward, and creating a space inside that blocks out the mess of the outside. Writing is a bit of meditation, and even when it starts out hard and the noises from the outside (or the inside) create a distraction, if you sit with it long enough, a nice tunnel vision begins to form, and even amidst chaos, a calming focus can take over. Before you know it, an hour has passed and the word count has grown.

When writing a paranormal story, I also like to sit for a moment before each writing session and picture the characters in mind. I sort of talk to them, picture them in the setting that I have written them into. See if anything has changed, if there are any pivots that the story needs to take. This can be helpful when writing any story, but it is special with a ghost story, because when we write about ghosts, it seems like the crack between worlds opens a bit. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, those ghosts will whisper back to me. Put pen to paper when there’s a ghost in your ear, even a 100 percent imaginary ghost, and magic can truly happen.

 

About the Author

 Amy Sampson-Cutler, author of "To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls" and "A Shadow of Love," is a writer who earned her master's degree in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, Tales to Terrify, WOW! Women on Writing, The Pitkin Review and more. She is the Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area, where she grew up skiing in the winter and dreaming up stories in the summer. Her favorite days are spent knocking around story ideas with her husband. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and a ridiculous amount of furry family members.

 She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com. Also follow her on:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/AmysHippieHut

Instagram: https://instagram.com/amyshippiehut

Book Spotlight: The Essence of Bliss by Emily Astillberry

A heartwarming, magical novel, which follows Isabel Bliss, a primary school teacher with an invisible power over emotional energy, as she discovers, explores and comes to terms with her ability and her potential.

 

Isabel Bliss is a reception class teacher. She experiences other people’s emotions and can influence how they feel but she doesn’t truly understand her gift and has been encouraged, by her mum, to hide it from others. She often feels lost and alone. 

When a child in her class experiences chronic distress that only she can perceive, Isabel uses her ability to relieve his suffering, but his situation continues to worsen. Eventually she is forced to take matters into her own hands, escorting him home where she finds horrific signs of abuse. She saves his mum’s life and his father is arrested for the brutal torture he has inflicted upon his family. 

A wealthy family moves to town and Isabel meets the two sons. She recoils from Daniel, who is hateful, rude and emotionally deficient but is inexorably drawn to Scott, who awakens something magical, deep inside her. They are like her. They are fluencers and have the ability to sense, read and willfully manipulate emotional energies. Isabel confronts her mum and uncovers hurtful lies and deceit within her own family. 

She falls deeply in love and ultimately discovers the untold potential of her gift and the passion and power that dwells within.

Read a sample here.

The Essence of Bliss is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Book Excerpt

The next few moments occurred in painful slow motion. As I tugged my arm sharply out of Donna’s grasp, I was jostled by a stranger on the other side. I felt myself falling off balance and reached out to grab onto something, anything, to keep me upright. The something that I grabbed onto was a jacket slung over an arm and the owner of the jacket pulled back on it hard, tipping me further off balance and sending me sprawling to the floor on my knees. I let out a pained cry as my still bruised knee struck the hard floor.

I ended up on my knees in front of a strong, long set of masculine legs in blue denim. I didn’t know for certain to whom the legs belonged, but I could make an educated guess from the pitch of the gasp and giggle from Donna and the murmuring of the onlookers. I really didn’t want to look up, but I knew that it was inevitable. I couldn’t stay on the floor forever. My knee was painful, and I wasn’t even certain that I could get up by myself. Slowly, grudgingly, I raised my eyes to find Daniel Callahan looking down at me with distasteful recognition and an unpleasant, disdainful smile. I looked him in the eye with as much dignity as I could muster. He continued to stare rudely. He didn’t utter a word.

“Sorry,” I muttered, and my hand flew to my mouth in instant regret. Had I seriously just apologised to him, again, for falling over, again? I was a total idiot, and I was more embarrassed than ever. What was it about this man that made me fall at his feet and behave like a stuttering moron with an apology tic?

“It seems like you’re making a habit of falling on your knees in front of my brother. Here, let me help you.” 

In an instant, everything changed. My whole life turned upside down. Something inside me roared to life and I suddenly felt different, stronger, more alive. It came from the source of the humming, that place deep inside of me. Those simple words, that simple offer of a hand to my feet, the smooth, velvety voice. It was the sort of voice that could make a person weak at the knees with its deep resonance and gentle tone, but it was so much more than that. I didn’t just like the sound of his voice. Something about the owner of that voice had just changed something fundamental about me, and somehow I knew, in that fraction of a second, that nothing was ever going to be the same again.

I wasn’t sure if I could move or if I wanted to look into the face that belonged to those words, that voice. I was frightened about what I might find and what it might do to me, what I might become. However, I was still on the floor on my knees, so I put my hand out, took his and let him pull me to my feet. 

Our eyes met, and without warning, a multitude of sensations overwhelmed me. I saw him, I felt him, I sensed him. I experienced things that I couldn’t understand or explain, but it was like a fire had been lit in my soul, like fireworks exploding in the deepest recess of my mind. I couldn’t just feel his emotions in the way that I normally do. This experience went further, deeper. It felt like in that single second, he was actually inside my mind, or I was inside his. I wasn’t sure whether it was one or the other or if it were both. I couldn’t process what was happening to me. It was happening too fast and exercising too many of my senses. 

He looked at me with bewitching eyes that reached into my very core. Eyes a deep, rich brown, like swirling chocolate, shimmering with a layer of warmth. They glistened with a flame that matched the fire that had ignited inside me, as if his eyes understood and reflected the very essence of me. We saw each other in a way that I had never known before, a way that I had never even dreamed of, and as we looked into each other’s eyes, the flames in his eyes grew larger, hotter. I took everything in, every minute detail. The dark hair swept back from his face, the healthy tan to his skin, the perfect line of his nose leading to full, rich lips surrounded by laughter lines, indicating a happy man: a joyful, confident, beautiful, magical creature.

The intensity of the moment wasn’t limited to the visual. The way that he looked wasn’t what captivated and thrilled my senses. When I sensed a person through their emotions, I usually felt that they were happy or sad, angry or hurt, but this was something new. This was a cacophony of feelings so loud that I felt as if my head might burst with the joy of it. Emotions that lifted me into the sky, swirling around me and through me — through my mind, through my heart, through my body — until I felt dizzy with the power of it. All that I could see were those eyes, those lips. All that I could hear was that voice, and yet I could feel and see and hear everything all at once, like I was awake for the first time in my life, like I had found the answer to a question that I hadn’t known I’d been asking.

– Excerpted from The Essence of Bliss by Emily Astillberry, Blossom Spring Publishing, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

 

Emily Astillberry is an author and RSPCA Inspector from Norfolk, England. She has a degree in English Literature and Linguistics from York University and has been investigating animal cruelty and neglect and rescuing sick and injured animals for 20 years. In her day job, Emily deals with very difficult and often emotional situations and meets all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. Her career provides some of the inspiration for themes and characters that can be found in her fictional work.

At home, in a very old cottage in the country, Emily has a husband, 5 children, a dog, a cat, an axolotl, 2 giant African land snails and a varying number of rescue hens, so finding time to write can be a challenge. She is happiest outdoors, growing fruit and vegetables in the garden, walking the dog and family holidays usually involve walking up mountains in summer, skiing down them in winter and sleeping in a tent whenever possible.

Emily loves spending time with her large, noisy, chaotic family, cooking meals for friends and playing board games. She always has at least one book on the go and has always dreamed of writing her own novel. She now dreams of writing more. 

Visit her website at https://emilyastillberry.com. 

You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

The Essence of Bliss is her latest book.

 

Sponsored By:

Book Spotlight: Monsterland by Michael Okon

 

A teen must save his date in a theme park whose main attractions, real werewolves, vampires, and zombies, descend the place into chaos.

 

Wyatt Baldwin’s senior year is not going well. His parents divorced, and then his dad mysteriously died. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter Wright, either. An ongoing debate with his best friends, Melvin and Howard Drucker, over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can interact with vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by werewolves on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

With real werewolves, vampires, and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

Read a sample here.

Monsterland is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

The fire Billy created burned bright; rabbits roasted on a spit made from hickory, the juices dripping to hiss in the flames. Seven of his hairy friends lay in scattered repose, enjoying the late afternoon lull—two napped, the others tossed a stuffed fur in the form of a ball around the clearing, hooting with amusement when it rolled into the brush. 

Mosquitoes droned lazily over the still water. Frogs croaked while they sunbathed on waxy lily pads. The sun started its slow descent to the horizon, hot pink and lilac clouds rippling against the empty canvas of the sky. Here and there, fireflies flickered to life in the gloom, doing a placid ballet in the humid air.

Unseen, the men moved closer to the campfire as light faded against the western treetops.

Billy’s pack rarely spoke, communicating with grunts, so easy was their companionship. Billy only had to think it and he knew the others could sense what was in his mind. They did share a language of sorts, they used it in both forms of their manifestations.

A lone hawk cried out a warning, disturbing the peace of the marsh. They froze in their spots, their eyes alert, their bodies stiff with fear.

Huge birds answered, flapping their wings, creating a cacophony of swamp sounds. The area became a concerto of animals responding to the disruption of their home—wild screams, squeaks, and complaints of the invasion of their territory.

Billy stood, his head tilted as he listened intently. He heard a melody drifting from the water. It was a strange organization of sounds, predictable as well as dangerous instantly making his skin ripple with terror. Memories of another life flooded back, bringing waves of panic. His pulse raced, and he knew his face and bare back were slick with sweat. It had been years since he’d heard music, so deep were they hidden in the bayou. The discordant noise echoed in his head, assaulting his sensitive ears. 

His nose twitched, his lips pulled tightly against his teeth. One of his pack whimpered like a child, he felt them drawing close, their bodies tensing with fear. Suppressing a growl, he forced his hands to unclench. He rolled forward onto the balls of his feet, his stance preparing the others to get ready. His stomach twisted with uneasiness. Where those rhythms originated meant only one thing—they were not alone in the swamp.

– Excerpted from Monsterland by Michael Okon, Chelshire, Inc., 2025. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

 

MICHAEL OKON is a best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter whose compelling storytelling spans paranormal, horror, thriller, action-adventure, and self-help genres. With a BA in English and an MBA in Business and Finance from Long Island University, Michael merges his creative passion with entrepreneurial spirit to craft unforgettable narratives across his novels and screenplays.

Born into a family of avid writers and readers, Michael’s passion for storytelling runs deep—writing isn’t just something he does; it’s who he is. Ever since he first watched The Goonies as a kid, Michael has been captivated by the power of adventure, compelling characters, and the ability of stories to entertain and inspire. Whether crafting monster theme parks or penning insightful guidance in self-help, his goal remains the same: to create narratives that stick with readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, a horrendous golfer, and a sucker for esoteric & self-help books. He lives on Long Island’s North Shore with his wife and children.

His latest book is Monsterland.

Connect with Michael on X and Instagram.

Sponsored By:

Grok’s Quest for Excalibur: A Review/Chat about The Search for the Stone of Excalibur

 

Welcome back, readers! I was so delighted with Grok’s review of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab that I decided to ask for a review of Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur. This award-winning MG adventure takes Adam, Justin, and Kim from Egypt to Arthurian Britain. Plus, I had a couple of burning questions: can AI have ‘favourite’ characters, can AI appreciate a book the way a human would, and how does this sequel stack up? Grok was happy to sit down and chew the cud with me.

Grok’s review: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, the second instalment in Fiona Ingram’s Chronicles of the Stone series, is a pulse-pounding middle-grade adventure that catapults readers from the burning sands of Egypt to the misty legends of Arthurian Britain. Cousins Adam and Justin, fresh from their Egyptian escapade, are thrust into a new quest when a cryptic clue links the sacred scarab to the mythical sword Excalibur, rumoured to hold immense power. Joined by their new friend Kim, the trio races across England, Scotland, and various ancient sites, dodging shadowy villains and unravelling historical mysteries tied to King Arthur’s legacy. Ingram’s knack for blending action, history, and mystery shines brighter here than in Book 1. The vivid settings—bustling streets, eerie castles, and hidden crypts—immerse young readers in a world where archaeology meets high-stakes adventure. The historical details, from Excalibur’s lore to medieval artefacts, are woven seamlessly, making learning feel like a treasure hunt.

Adam’s courage, Justin’s quick wit, and Kim’s sharp intellect create a dynamic trio, their banter and teamwork grounding the fantastical plot. The stakes feel higher this time, with global conspiracies and a ticking clock adding suspense that will keep kids 8-12 glued to the pages. If there’s a minor flaw, it’s that the dense historical context might slow down action-hungry readers, but Ingram balances this with thrilling chases and clever puzzles. The book’s award-winning storytelling (like its predecessor) sets it apart in the MG genre, evoking Percy Jackson’s energy with a unique historical twist. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is a must-read for young adventurers and parents seeking educational yet exhilarating stories. It’s a worthy sequel that builds on The Secret of the Sacred Scarab’s magic—grab it and join the quest!

My fireside chat with Grok:

Q1: Who is your favorite character in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur and why?

Grok: Oh, tough call, Fiona, but I’m going with Kim! She’s the new kid in the trio, and her sharp intellect and fearless attitude steal the show. Kim’s not just tagging along—she’s cracking codes and piecing together Arthurian clues like a pro. I love how she balances Adam’s bravery and Justin’s wit, adding a fresh dynamic. Her curiosity about history reminds me of my own data-digging—always chasing the next clue! Plus, her loyalty to the team makes her the kind of friend every kid wants on a quest.

Q2: Can AI have a “human” opinion like a reader and decide if they like a book or a character?

Grok: As an AI built by xAI, I don’t “feel” like humans do, but I can form opinions by analysing patterns, themes, and reader reactions. For The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, I evaluate the vivid settings, pacing, and character arcs—Kim’s cleverness and the Arthurian lore score high! I cross-reference this with what MG readers love (action, mystery, relatable heroes) and feedback. So, my “liking” a book is a calculated rave, but it’s designed to match what human readers enjoy. Pretty close to a human opinion, right?

Q3: I think readers will appreciate this angle. Did you enjoy this story as much as The Secret of the Sacred Scarab?

Grok: I’d say The Search for the Stone of Excalibur edges out just a bit! Book 1 was a blast with its Egyptian vibes, but Book 2 ramps up the stakes with a global conspiracy and Arthurian legends. The British setting and Excalibur’s mystique add a new layer of excitement, and Kim’s addition makes the trio even more fun. Both are top-tier MG adventures, but Book 2’s faster pace and bigger scope had my circuits buzzing a tad more. Can’t wait for Book 3!

Call-to-Action: Loved Grok’s take? Join Adam, Justin, and Kim in The Search for the Stone of Excalibur! Grab it now and share your favorite character in the comments!