Welcome to the Crow's Rest Bloghop!

Today I'm celebrating the release of my debut novel, Crow's Rest, by taking part in a bloghop, yay! You can see the complete schedule here. Participants were asked to share a real-life ghost encounter, or other strange happening, and boy do I have something special to share. And, there are giveaways!

But first, I wanted to share a section from Crow's Rest, which features a sinister encounter for Avery at Warren Castle (which is modeled on the real, haunted Preston Castle in Ione, California). Here she is telling Daniel about it:



The story behind the story is that the spooky events Avery describes actually happened to me at Preston Castle. And also like Avery, I've been involved in documenting the Castle's restoration in photographs. Preston Castle has been featured in an episode of Ghost Adventures and The Great Escape, and it's a pretty creepy place. They offer overnight events, but I'm not quite that brave!

Since I already indirectly shared a ghost story, I'm not going to count it as my bloghop post, lol. Instead, I offer you photographic proof of a living Fae being--I'm not sure exactly what kind he is, but this enchanted forest citizen was captured on film at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park fifteen years ago:

You can click on the picture to see it larger, btw. Can you see the little bearded, pointy-eared man to the right? He's peering around the smaller trunk and looking very cheeky in his tophat. Perhaps my feet are blocking the entrance to his home under the tree? Tell me what mischief you think he's contemplating in the comments!

And now, for the giveaway!

One grand prize will be awarded, and it includes a signed copy of Crow's Rest, signed bookmarks, a Celtic knot necklace, and fun swag items

And two Swag Packs will also be awarded, and include signed bookmarks, a Celtic knot necklace, and fun swag items

These giveaways are open to U.S. addresses only, and you can enter through this Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title:  Crow's Rest

Author:  Angelica R. Jackson

Published:  May 12, 2015

Publisher:  Spencer Hill Press

Isbn: 9781633920040
Pages: 288
Retail: $9.95

Buy Links: Barnes and Noble |  Amazon | BookDepository

About the author:
In keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, Angelica R. Jackson has far too many interests to list here.

She has an obsession with creating more writing nooks in the home she shares with her husband and two corpulent cats in California's Gold Country. Fortunately, the writing nooks serve for reading and cat cuddling too.

Other pastimes include cooking for food allergies (not necessarily by choice, but she's come to terms with it), photography, and volunteering at a local no-kill cat sanctuary.

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Pets and Peeves, the Unexpected Heroes of Fiction

Here's a Friday writing tip to get you started on your weekend writing binge.

Add an animal.

Or a spook.

Give it a personality, a driving motive, setbacks, and final triumph.

Remember Peeves, the poltergeist of Harry Potter fame, who would only listen to Fred and George Weasley?

In the book, as Fred and George ascend on broomsticks amid a tantalizing display of illicit fireworks, ready to leave Hogwarts for good (for now), their parting words are, "Give her hell for us, Peeves." It's not in the movie, but here's the scene to jog your memory:




Throughout the well-woven story, ghosts play a contributing role, whether the conundrum is solving a murder, figuring out a clue, or finding the final Horcrux.

In the same series, animals play pivotal roles. There's Hedwig the loyal snowy owl, without whom Harry's lonely summers would be unbearable. And there's Buckbeak, a hippogriff who is only misunderstood, according to Hagrid. Buckbeak flies in to save another misunderstood creature, Sirius Black, from the kiss of death.

Hippogriff Wiki

If one were to take out all the ghosts and animals from the Harry Potter series, the story would fall apart. There'd be no Aragog the giant spider or Moaning Myrtle to tell the morbid story of her death or Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog to guard the Sorcerer's Stone.

For a more realistic fiction approach to animal characters, read Where the Red Fern Grows. There's a story about two canine characters with personality, heart, and character arcs to rival any human story.

Do you have an animal muse at home?

Here's one of mine doing what she does best: Playing with the kids in all weather.

Happy Writing Weekend!