Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
By Helen Hollick
(with daughter Kathy Hollick)
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. 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 the 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)
Book Links:
Pre-order the e-book on Amazon
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
Paperback published February 28th – e-book will also be available on Kindle Unlimited
I invited Helen to tell us more about her ghosts, and the inspiration they’ve had through the years on her writing. Ghost Encounters is a fascinating walk through time and place (I had the pleasure of reading an Advance Copy) – highly recommend as a travel guide to North Devon, too! Helen, over to you!
Meeting Friendly Ghosts.
There was one main reason why I wanted to do a book about some ghosts encountered here in North Devon, England. And that reason is that my adult daughter, Kathy, sees them, (dead people, that is) all over the place. And very, very rarely – unlike commonly portrayed in the TV docu-drama programmes such as ‘My House Is Haunted’ has she ever come across a hostile presence. In fact, those who ‘live’ with us here in our 18th-century house are all perfectly nice and friendly. The same can be said for the encounters we’ve made up at our village pub or along our quiet Devonshire lanes. (Where the only hazards are the enormous potholes or the occasional wandering sheep!)
I suppose we’ve all been brainwashed into believing ghosts are to be feared – and admitted, seeing something supernaturally inexplicably weird loitering in a bedroom can be a bit scary, but if this happens to you take a deep breath, smile, and simply say ‘Hello’. And keep in mind, that if the ghost can see you, he or she is probably just as terrified!
The idea that ghosts can only be seen at night (no, they are not nocturnal,) seen where they died or are buried (in fact the one place you are least likely to see a ghost is in a cemetery,) and that they all go around clanking chains, moaning and groaning is… well, false. There is no proof that ghosts exist, but then, there is no proof that they don’t. Nor is there any satisfactory explanation of why the same apparition has been seen at different times, by different people, in the same place.
Stories of ghosts fascinate us: Dickens and Shakespeare used them to great advantage. Movies, too – the wonderful Blithe Spirit, based on Noel Coward’s comedy play. (Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati – superb!) Clint Eastwood’s westerns High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider are good films. Then there’s Ghostbusters, of course.
Captain Jesamiah Acorne, my pirate scoundrel in my nautical adventure Sea Witch Voyages encounters the ghost of his father in the third Voyage of the series, Bring It Close. (It also features Blackbeard.) Here’s a quick excerpt:
Jesamiah finished the pork and with a hunk of bread mopped up the gravy that had not slopped over the edge of the dished plate. He declined coffee but thanked his steward, Finch, for his diligence and got the usual curmudgeonly answer. Finch would not be Finch if ever he was to discover that the muscles around his mouth could turn upward now and then.
Jesamiah dragged himself into his quarter cabin—his body ached, he was almost asleep already. He sat on the bed—a wooden, double-sized cot suspended from the overhead beams by ropes—and raised his leg for Finch to pull off the first boot.
“I promise you, my friend, that once I have sorted all this, we will find ourselves a nice house on solid land with as many rooms in it as you can imagine.”
Finch grunted, removed the other boot. “I can imagine a fair few. Grand ’ouses don’t come cheap. Your Pa’s La Sorenta be a perfickly good ’ouse.”
“So it may, but I have no intention of living there. The place harbours too many bad memories. Asides,” Jesamiah broke off as he removed his shirt and breeches, “it is haunted.”
Finch, his hand outstretched to take the discarded clothes, froze, horrified. “Haunted?”
Sliding into the bed, Jesamiah felt a twinge of remorse at bursting Finch’s pleasure, but the old scoundrel did go on and on so. “Aye. Haunted.”
“Haunted? As in ghost haunted?”
“Mm hmm.”
“You certain?”
“As certain as I’m here waiting for you to stop gabbin’ so’s I can get t’sleep.”
“Ghost, you say?”
“Mm. Up by the cemetery plot. Seen ’im with m’own eyes.”
“A ghost? As in dead ghost?”
Jesamiah wriggled beneath the sheets, pulled the blanket under his chin. “Don’t know as there be such a thing as a live ghost. Blow the lamp out and bugger off. There’s a good fellow.”
Finch extinguished the lantern swinging from the central beam, shut the door behind him. “Don’t be wantin’ no ghosts. Ain’t good, ghosts. Dead ought’ stay dead, says I. Ain’t got no business comin’ t’life again ’ave ghosts.”
Buy link: https://viewbook.at/BringItClose
I’ve written a couple of short ghost stories as well – slotted them into the back of Ghost Encounters, which is classed as non-fiction, but I had these two stories and wasn’t quite sure what to usefully do with them. Besides, we all like a ghost story don’t we? Again, though, my two stories are about nice ghosts!
Read more in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
ABOUT HELEN
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.
Her historical fiction spans a variety of periods and her gift lies in her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life, creating an immersive experience that transports readers into the past. Her stories are as compelling as they are convincing.
Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which became a USA Today best-seller. 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
When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy’s passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had a 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 to aid calm relaxation and promote gentle healing.
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.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
Bluesky: @helenhollick.bsky.social
Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
Monthly newsletter : Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/01/thoughts-from-devonshire-farmhouse.html
Kathy’s Official Website:
https://www.white-owl.co.uk/
For additional (and any new ghost encounters!) visit
https://ghostencountersofdevon.blogspot.com/
Cover design: Avalon Graphics https://avalongraphics.org/
Cover image: Chris Collingwood Historical Artist
http://www.collingwoodhistoricart.com/
