Book Title: Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Author: Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick

Publication Date: 27^th February 2025

Publisher: Taw River Press

Pages: 201

Genre: Non-Fiction (with a bonus of two short stories)

Twitter Handles: @HelenHollick @cathiedunn @marymichaelschmidt

Bluesky Handles: @helenhollick.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #GhostEncounters #Ghosts #NorthDevon #FriendlyGhosts #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-ghost-encounters-by-helen-hollick-and-kathy-hollick.html

Book Title & Author Names:

Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick

Blurb:

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.

In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history… and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

cover design: Avalon Graphics
cover artwork: Chris Collingwood

Ghost Encounters

Excerpt 4:

Descriptions of a ghost or spirit can vary from an unseen but felt presence, a translucent, barely visible shape, or a lifelike form. Most docu-drama supernatural TV shows portray ghosts as anything from an unexplained noise – things that go bump in the night – to something terrifyingly paranormal. Many of these shows are, however, nothing more than excitement-catching pseudoscience-drama. Why are these investigations always conducted at night? Spirits are not confined to the hours of darkness. (Or do ghost Equity unions forbid daylight appearances on commercial TV?) Darkness, of course, magnifies the fear. What could be normal in daylight can be terrifying at night.

Organised ghost tours are popular and are good fun as the guides know their history, are excellent storytellers and provide an evening of interesting entertainment, usually ending at a local hostelry. Devon has several such tours, as do most major towns – London, York, Bath etc. But most ghost tours merely recount exciting stories, and cannot always be taken as legitimate supernatural occurrences.

For most pseudo-encounters, the pleading of, “Is there anyone there?” is a clichéd remnant from the Victorian era when paranormal amusements were popular. Any genuine Medium or Spiritualist are automatically aware of a presence and do not need to ask!

We moved from London to Devon in 2013. It was not long before we realised we were not alone. There are other residents from previous years dwelling in our 18th-century farmhouse, or encountered around the farm. All of them are friendly and welcoming, and are regarded by us as our extended family.

Find out more – and meet a few ghosts – in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Author Bios:

ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK

Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.

In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go.

Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.

Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book…

ABOUT KATHY HOLLICK

Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine.

When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy’s passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues.

Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.

She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.

Authors’ Links:

Helen:

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenHollick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/helenhollick.bsky.social

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/helenhollick

Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

Monthly ‘newsletter’: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse.

https://thoughtsfromadevonshirefarmhouse.blogspot.com/

Kathy:

Website: https://www.white-owl.co.uk/

Facebook: North Devon – Taw River Equine Events https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491518561152309

I just found out my interview is live with The Bookish Magazine! The link is below. Thank you!

Author Mary L. Schmidt on Helping Children Tackle Grief

Book Link

From Amazon:

The Cat Court Judge represents parents with children who may do something naughty. Cat Court helps parents and preschool teachers reinforce positive behaviors in children through the cats that the Judge sees. As children grow, they learn how to manage their emotions and conform to the expectations of the world around them. Sometimes, children can do something naughty to express their feelings or to achieve their goals. Often, children don’t understand the impact of their actions and the effect they have on other adults and children. Children can learn social and behavioral skills with other children and adults in an imaginative court setting where cats are on trial for doing naughty things like playing without using the bathroom, playing rough, eating too many treats, breaking things, and starting fights. This book teaches children in a friendly manner that they can still have fun if they do the right thing.

My Review:

Cat Court is a truly adorable and enchanting read for both children and adults. The theme is unique and the story is enchanting. Children will love the rhyming and the antics the cute cats get into. Parents will find themselves laughing along with children. Lessons are learned along the way, and each cat is judged fairly by Judge Cat. Children will learn that the consequences happen if you do something wrong. A story for the entire family.

Book Link

From Amazon:

In the quiet town of Wormwood, life moves slowly—until mysterious newcomers arrive, unearthing buried secrets and igniting tensions among the townsfolk. Jordy, grappling with prophetic warnings he can’t explain, senses an ominous force brewing beneath the surface. As relationships fray and suspicion rises, Wormwood becomes the stage for a supernatural storm that threatens to unravel the community.

This gripping tale weaves elements of small-town intrigue, spine-tingling suspense, and the supernatural, delivering a narrative that keeps readers hooked until the final page. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and paranormal mysteries, Wormwood invites readers into a world where every shadow hides a secret, and every secret has a price.

My Review:

First and foremost, I loved the Christianity found within the townsfolk of the community in which this novel is set. The small town camaraderie that can exist is awesome. Sometimes, bad things happen in a small town. They are shocking when it happens, and reasons why are never truly understood. These types of things hit the entire town hard, the family more so. That said, supernatural phenomena occur throughout this story and it good ways. With good, comes bad. Some quite bad. Faith is the cure whenever anything bad happens or people move in and become terrorists. Four stars due to grammar and need of serious editing.

Book Link

From Amazon:

Sometimes the Devil you know is worse than the Devil you don’t. That’s how Astrid Clarke views her family, especially her father, Richard Clarke. She knew her family was different. She heard her friends telling stories full of hugs, kisses, and encouraging words. That’s a far cry from Astrid’s world, and one she could only dream of. Growing tired of the constant abuse, Astrid decided to fight back. Determined to make a better life for herself, she rebels against her abusive parents, braving their punishments and threats. In doing so, she found a wellspring of inner strength she never thought she had and realized she would walk away from them unbroken.

My Review:

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Abuse Triggers

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2025

Verified Purchase

Now that you have read my warning about Abuse Triggers, read my review. Sadly, much of this story reads as my own, except I was never rape as a child. If I was, then those are repressed memories, and at my age, I have no desire to remember them. The author writes of her myriad experiences growing up in abusive bad dysfunctional family settings. Her story is heartbreaking at best. The worst is unimaginable. I truly don’t understand how she lived through those years but happy she did. Her life changed with a good man for a husband and children and grandchildren. It comes full circle when they become foster parents to other kids who lived in broken, abusive homes.

Book Link

From Amazon:

A short horror story by the multi-award-winning author of Arcadia Falls, The Stage 3 Series, and Gaia’s Game.

The Branchards are a perfectly ordinary family living a perfectly ordinary rural life.
Things aren’t always easy, but they get by.

Young Andy Branchard wishes his older brother and sister wouldn’t pick on him so much, but he does his best to ignore them. He has his forest friends, and he has his creek where he can watch the fish swim up and down all day, so he’s happy enough.

Really, the only part about growing up in the Branchard house he hates are Friday nights, when the family dinner is over and his mother asks the same horrifying question she asks every week.

The question that puts a name to his greatest fear, and to the Branchard family’s deep, dark secret.

My Review:

Top reviews from the United States

• Mary Schmidt5.0 out of 5 stars Scary Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2025 Verified Purchase
• This was a short story filled with more and deeper sadness and anguish that y ou can imagine. Not all families are normal, whatever a normal family is, and this one is utterly terrifying.

Book Link

From Amazon:

She was a broken, lost soul without a family and lacking knowledge of what love really was. He was a popular hockey player raised from a family that flourished in love and life. Together they created a friendship with an undeniable bond.

By the age of thirteen, Cathy’s life was already filled with shame, secrets and silence when she attended the birthday party for a fifteen-year-old fellow student at her hometown high school. By the next day, her friendship with fifteen-year-old Jon would be the beginning of an eye-opening experience of faith, trust and the unexplainable gift of promise.

In 1987, Jon told Cathy a list of predictions for the future, predictions she went home and wrote about. In just five short years Cathy found herself living the words that were once said to her. A scenario which played out for decades as the predictions once said to her continued to come true. A heartbreaking experience that sent her searching for answers into clairvoyant abilities and an understanding of a world beyond her own.

A fascinating true story of friendship, faith and clairvoyant abilities.

My Review:

I read this book as I was editing it, and I wrote an editorial review that is in the front of the book. Many things happen to each of us in life, and some are quite tragic. That is this book. Yet, this book is more than that. This book is filled with hope and love. True hope and true love, between others and with the Lord. No matter what was thrown Mellon’s way, she overcame each one, and the story about Jon is true. Regardless of your beliefs, once you read this novel that also includes poetry, you will find yourself questioning your belief system.

Hi Everyone. Forty-Eight Greatest Squirrel Memes is on pre-order and delivered tomorrow! Not much time for pre-orders. Link for book.

Forty-Eight Greatest Squirrel Memes: Book One is a collection of squirrels in various comedic depictions of fun and humor for the entire family. Humor and laughter are good for the human soul, and this collection contains wild squirrels from our backyard, plus other squirrels created by Mary L. Schmidt. Laughter is great for humans as we relieve stress that has built up within ourselves, we breathe in deeper, which gives us more oxygen rich air that helps our brains, organs, and entire bodies. Laughter has been shown to help take one’s mind off pain thereby decreasing pain levels. Humor also helps improve our mood which is good for our mental health. Laughter can help personal relationships and improve family dynamics.  Laughter is a great medicine. Laughter improves the morale with a “feel good” effect during times such as these and the stressors we feel individually and collectively.

Media Kit

Book Title: Viva Violetta & Verdi

Series:  N/A

Author: Howard Jay Smith

Publication Date: January 28th, 2025

Publisher:  Historium Press

Pages: 256

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: n/a

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn @marylschmidt

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #BiographicalHistoricalFiction #Verdi #ClassicalMusic #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBook Club

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/blog-tour-viva-violetta-and-verdi-by-howard-jay-smith.html

Book Title and Author Name:

Viva Violetta & Verdi

by Howard Jay Smith

Blurb:

A Love Affair Inspiring the World’s Most Unforgettable Operas:

Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi’s most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.

Set against the backdrop of Italy’s Risorgimento, this sweeping novel intertwines their turbulent relationship with the nation’s fierce struggle for independence. Through the heartbreak of three brutal wars, Verdi and Strepponi’s passion, betrayal, and artistic ambition come alive, mirroring the era’s fiery spirit.

Rich with themes of love, power, food, wine, and unrelenting passion, Viva Violetta & Verdi is an unforgettable exploration of art, resilience, and the enduring bond that transformed both an artist and a nation.

Praise for Violetta & Verdi:

“A stunning, significant book…that is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift.” – Sheila Weller

“Smith’s historic drama embraces universal themes of class and religious persecution, and weaves gorgeous language with an intimate knowledge of Italian food, music, and political hypocrisy that contemporary readers will find irresistible.” – ​Jessica Keener

“Viva Violetta & Verdi is a well-researched love letter to Verdi; fans are sure to love.” – Leslie Zemeckis

“Perfection. You are right there, inhaling and breathing in the words, the smell, and each piece of music. Bravo. It is both a love song and a love letter to the irrefutable power of Verdi’s muse, Violetta.” – Amy Ferris

Viva Violetta & Verdi

The Shofar

After Verdi and I settled into our seats in Box Thirteen, I opened the Rabbi’s package. Inside, wrapped in a blue velvet cloth bag was a letter, a silk scarf and the very shofar Verdi had admired in Busseto. I handed Verdi the ram’s horn and said, “This is a gift to you from Rabbi Spinoziano.”

Verdi was stunned. He held the shofar in his hands as delicately as if it were a sacred relic. “I can’t believe he gave me this. What do I do? How do I play it?”

“Oh, there are instructions,” I told him and then reading from the note, “The Rabbi writes, ‘Consider your destiny in this era of travail. When the time comes to destroy the walls of our enemies and bring down the emperors who oppress us, put your lips together and blow. If we are fortunate, your clarion calls will succeed. And if you fail, let’s hope reinforcements arrive in time to save us all.’”

“That’s it?  That’s all? Your rabbi is quite the politician, isn’t he? And a comedian too. Yet when I was at your sinagoga I had the impression, that the shofar was only used for sacred rituals?”

“Sacred?” I laughed, “Rabbi Spinoziano is much like Giuseppe Mazzini, both are first and foremost humanists. To him, the only truly sacred things are those actions which serve to uplift and support people: love, truth, justice. Objects and rituals are not sacred. A horn is just a horn. It had one purpose when its first owner, the ram, lived, and another purpose when it was transformed into a musical instrument. According to the rabbi, only two types of people imbue these objects and the rituals surrounding them with purported magical powers. The first are the superstitious and weak-minded, and the second are the dictators and tyrants who exploit the fears of the first group so as to rule over them.”

“Your rabbi is a bit of a revolutionary too, eh?”

“Of course, being an outlier is the essence of being a Hebrew in a Christian world. Remember, fundamental to Judaism is our belief in the rule of law and equal justice for all – concepts that don’t exists when emperors, kings have some made up divine right to rule as they please. Our very existence is a thorn pricking the hand of the aristocracy and the clergy. And when it comes to taking up arms against the empire, trust me, the Jews of Italy are there.”

“Ah, I see, but doesn’t the shofar have a special place in your High Holidays?

“Yes, of course.  But it’s not magic. It’s a horn, just a horn used to call the congregation together in an age before clocks or brass trumpets came into existence.”

“How very different from our churches where you cannot help but trip over one holy relic or another, bought and sold by the clerics. Does the good rabbi at least give any detailed instructions about how to play it?”

“Beyond putting your lips together? No. It takes some practice – just like we all learned to shoot rabbits with a hunting rifle growing up. That’s all.”

“And what’s that he sent you?” Verdi asked.

I pulled the scarf out of the package. It was a hand woven one made of pure white silk with some blue line running horizontally near the two ends. “It looks like a tallit, but it’s not,” I said as I put it on. The blue even matched that of my ever-present fedora. I looked further in the note to see if there was an explanation.

“What’s a tallit?” Verdi asked. “Is it that prayer shawl I saw the rabbi wearing at your wedding?”

I nodded, then read aloud from the rabbi’s note. “Dario, an apple does not fall far from the tree whence it came, but being round like a matzo ball, it can roll far away before being eaten by some beast. So, my friend, when in the silk weavers’ market of Ceneda, I found this scarf, one which reminds me of a tallit, but is not, I thought of you. May its gentle cloth keep you warm throughout your many travels while always reminding you of your roots.” 

“You get a scarf; I get an enigma. That’s it?”

“There’s nothing more in here about the shofar. The rest of his letter is about our American cousin, Emanuele Conegliano, Mozart’s librettist, the one you know as Lorenzo Da Ponte.”

“Da Ponte? Is he still around?”

“No, apparently not. That’s what the letter reports. It seems that my cousin, the former Abbé Lorenzo Da Ponte, passed away in August of a year ago and was buried beside his wife, Celestina, in the graveyard of St. Patrick’s. He was eighty-nine, and had outlived Mozart by nearly fifty years. Imagine that.”

“Remarkable, what a life he led,” said Verdi. “Our opera world is deeply indebted to him and sadly few today recognize his genius. Without Da Ponte, there’d be no Mozart. Da Ponte’s home in Ceneda ought to be a shrine.”

“Truly, I added, “But not only did he create the libretti for Mozart’s best operas, he is the man who also introduced opera to America and started the first two theaters there in New York City. But there’s more here. Listen to this: The rabbi’s letter goes on to say that a month after his Catholic funeral, the Hebrew friends of Emanuele Conegliano and his family, secretly and out of sight of authorities, removed those coffins from St. Patrick’s and reburied them in the shade of an elm tree in the Jewish Cemetery of Shearith Israel. There, Emanuele and Celestina Conegliano will spend eternity in the company of their fellow Hebrew brethren in a land where the rule of law prevails over kings and their conspirators.”

This news about the secret reburial stunned Verdi to the core, even though I had long ago described to him all about Da Ponte’s life as a crypto-Jew.

“They did that? They actually did that? They reburied him? And in secret?”

“Yes, it was what he wanted. He told me that himself when I was there. He even showed me the spot he had picked out.”

“So, Da Ponte really did live a life behind masks and capes?”

“Yes, it was his solution to living in a world that is hostile to Hebrews.”

“And only in death could he return to himself?”

“Yes. It is true. He had to die to become a Jew again.”

“That’s tragic and a story worthy of an opera in and of itself. One I’d call The Secret Life of Lorenzo Da Ponte.”

“Yes, indeed. But he will be a Jew for eternity,” I said.

“Eternity?” Verdi laughed for the first time that day. “I don’t believe in that Heaven and Hell nonsense. When you’re dead, you’re dead, there’s no turning back.”

Verdi lifted the shofar up to his lips, but when he blew into it, naught came out except his sputtering. His eyes watered, he tried again, nothing. And then the tears began to flow. Verdi dropped the shofar onto the floor and then began to sob uncontrollable.

“Icilio!” he wailed, “Icilio! Why? Why?” Verdi buried his face in his hands and the tears flowed as wildly and fierce as those once portrayed in Violetta’s Lament.

**********

            When the first act of Oberto ended with its curtain drop and a smashingly good round of applause, Verdi looked at me, his face a wild map of emotions. “Wait here. I have to see Margherita.”

Verdi scrambled out of our box and raced down the stairs until he reached the exit doors. He left La Scala at a gallop and then ran the half-dozen blocks all of the way back to his apartment on Via San Simeone. There, breathless, he found Margherita in the company of my Isabella, who was of course wearing that blue turquoise gown and the matching jacket.

Since the sudden death of Icilio four weeks earlier from a mysterious fever, Margherita had been inconsolable. Her grief had been so intense that not only was she unable to join us for the premiere, she had scarcely left their home since the funeral. And my Isabella, whose innate sense of empathy and compassion was unrivaled, insisted on staying by her side. If anyone understood, tragedy, it was my bride. She knew when to speak, when to be silent, when to listen and when to simply share tears. It went without saying that Isabella, who understood better than most what was truly important in our lives, would easily surrender the prospect of seeing her first opera to be in support and to be able console, Margherita.

Verdi hugged his wife in a long lingering moment of shared grief and then whispered, “It’s going well. A success, so far.” 

Margherita could only manage the tiniest of smiles before collapsing again in tears.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bxyr2d

Author Bio:

Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California.

VIVA VIOLETTA & VERDI, is his third novel in his series on great composers, including BEETHOVEN IN LOVE; OPUS 139 and MEETING MOZART: FROM THE SECRET DIARIES OF LORENZO DA PONTE.

His other books include OPENING THE DOORS TO HOLLYWOOD (Random House) and JOHN GARDNER: AN INTERVIEW (New London Press). He was recently awarded a Profant Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence in Writing.

Smith is a former two-time Bread Loaf Scholar and three-time Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, who taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and has lectured nationally. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, American Heritage Magazine, the Beethoven Journal, Horizon Magazine, Fig Tree Press, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous trade publications. While an executive at the ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment he worked on numerous film, television, radio and commercial projects.

He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.historiumpress.com/howard-jay-smith

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009914652603

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Howard-Jay-Smith/author/B072FL7Y6P

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14208462.Howard_Jay_Smith