My paranormal romance novel Return to Me has been categorised in the ghost genre with some ebooksellers so I thought I'd share my three all time favourite ghost movies.

This my number one favourite ghost novel. Kevin Bacon is Tom Witzky and he lives in a working class neighbourhood of Chicago with his wife and son. He undergoes a hypnosis session with his sister in law and suddenly things start going bump in the night.

I love this movie for so many reasons and have watched it at least five times. The whole vibe of a sinister suburbia, the other-wordly aspect, but most of all I love this scene when Tom talks to his wife and shares the disappointment of his life:

Tom Witzky: I never wanted to be famous. I just never expected to be so...

Maggie Witzky: What?

Tom Witzky: I don't know, ordinary.

The Gift is written by  Billy Bob Thornton and is based on his  own mother's reputed psychic abilities. Annie Wilson is a widow who feeds her children by bartering her psychic abilities for food. When a beautiful young girl is murdered it is Anne who is haunted by her and must find the killer. 

The Gift has this small town vibe and some beautiful shots of the scenery and a super eerie soundtrack. It's a thriller and a pretty damn good one, but I love that there are so many known actors who are playing against type. Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi as Buddy are riveting as their respective characters.

Buddy: You're the soul of this town, Ms Wilson, and you just need to keep doing what you are doing.

It is the 19th century and Ichabod Crane is a man of reason. A detective who confounds his superiors with his use of new techniques he is sent to a small Dutch town to prove himself by finding the killer that is beheading the townspeople.

When he gets there everyone tries to tell him that the Headless Horseman is responsible, but Ichabod knows differently. In this scene he has finally been confronted with his killer:

Ichabod Crane: It was a headless horseman.

Baltus Van Tassel: You must not excite yourself.

Ichabod Crane: But it was a headless horseman.

Baltus Van Tassel: Of course it was. That's why you're here.

Ichabod Crane: No, you must believe me. It was a horseman, a dead one. Headless.

Baltus Van Tassel: I know, I know.

Ichabod Crane: You don't know because you were not there. It's all true.

Baltus Van Tassel: Of course it is. I told you. Everyone told you.

Ichabod Crane: I... saw him.

[faints]


This movie is Johnny Depp at his comedic best and with Tim Burton directing you know it's got this whole gothic vibe going on that is just so cool.

So what are your favourite ghost movies?

Had a rough couple of weeks with a virus knocking me out for a week. Finally on the mend which is such a lovely feeling. Had an impossible deadline that I set myself with my new WIP and writing completely stalled, however I'm revising deadline and getting back into the swing of things.

Thought I'd share some interesting things that I saw on the internet in the past week.

I love Ellen DeGeneres and after this video you'll be a fan too. Apparently Bic made Pens For Her, pens that are specifically for women in pink and purple (because it seems we can't use regular pens) and then they thought it would be a good idea to ask Ellen to be the spokesperson. I don't think this is quite what they had in mind. My favourite line by Ellen to her faux daughter: 'You use this pen to write your opinion and then throw the paper away because no one cares.' Burn. Watch it here. 

It seems I'm not the only one who wants to see more male nudity on television. While I blogged about it here, these women have done an awesome video asking for more dongs on HBO. All I can say is, yes, yes, a million times yes. Here it is here.

Then there is this article sent by my husband where researchers have found that apparently couples in a long term relationship who have sex three times a week stay younger. My husband's new come on line is 'I'd like to make you younger tonight.' Nice try buddy! Read it here.

What interesting things have you seen on the internet that I should read or watch?

This book hooked me because of the blurb:

Keisha Ceylon is a psychic. At least, that’s what she tells people. She watches the news for stories of missing people, then waits a few days and goes to see the family. She tells them she’s had a vision and that she may know where their missing loved one is—for a price, of course.

It's not often that you read a book about someone who is not the typical hero.

This book was refreshing. Usually this genre is a 'who done it' with the protagonist getting into more and more ridiculous situations in order to uncover the mystery. Whereas Never Saw it Coming was more of a 'who gets away with it.' It had such original twists and turns that I didn't see where it was going and was riveted. I also really liked reading about characters who are on the fringes of society. Who aren't good or bad, but are kind of grey and that I could relate to. 

I highly recommend this book to fans of the mystery genre who are looking for something different. And Linwood Barclay is going on my 'authors I must read' list.

I did a guest blog post on Little Raven. Below is an extract. To read more click here.

Please note that this content is sexually explicit. We recommend that you should not read this content if you are offended by sexually explicit material.

I am an avid Game of Thrones fan and I think that the show is magnificent. What’s there not to love after all? Complex characters, the paranormal genre juxtaposed against a historical world, and surprise twists. I think I need to say only two words on the topic of surprise twists: Red Wedding.

However as I progressed through the episodes of Season 3 something bothered me. As many examples of sexposition graced my screen there was a variety of sex scenes. There was male on female, male on male, female on female, however something was missing.

Number one on the list is the 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen this is my all time favourite adaptation and I've watched it a few times now. While you could make the argument that this doesn't fit the rom/com genre, I disagree. It's full of quips and one liners that made me laugh.

There is such a sense of atmosphere and simmering tension. My all time favourite scene is Darcy's first failed proposal. They've both walked through the rain, they're both tortured by their feelings for each other, but full of pride.

Mr. Darcy: So this is your opinion of me. Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty...

Elizabeth Bennet: *My* pride?

Mr. Darcy: ...in admitting scruples about our relationship. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?

Elizabeth Bennet: And those are the words of a gentleman. From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.

[they look at each other for a long time as though about to kiss]

Mr. Darcy: Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time.

I love Crazy, Stupid, Love. Such a sense of joy and reality in this movie as it explores different kinds of love. Ryan Gosling's character Jacob is my favourite and this scene which is a reference of Dirty Dancing is the most iconic romantic scene, but also full of humour:

 'Will you take off your shirt... fuck! Seriously? It's like you're Photoshopped!' So funny.

This is also my all time favourite movie speech and I can so relate to it:

'I met my soulmate when I was fifteen years old. Our first date, we went for ice cream. After, my dad started teasing me about my ‘first date’ the way dads do. And I told him: ‘stop making a big deal, Dad. I’m going to go on lots of dates with plenty of girls.’ That was the first time I ever lied to my father. I met my soulmate when I was fifteen years old. And I have loved her with everything I have for every minute, of every day, ever since she let me buy her that first mint chip ice cream. I have loved her through the birth of our three perfect children, and I have loved her even as I’ve hated her — only married couples can truly understand that one. And I don’t know what will wind up happening with us, but I promise you this: I will never stop trying. When you find `the one’ you never give up trying…' 

I love Chris Pine and will watch anything with him in it, but this movie is laugh out funny. I've watched it at least three times now and each time I walk away uplifted and happy from the romance, and from the comedy.

Some of my favourite moments are between Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler who plays her BFF. This is a scene after Lauren sees her former boyfriend who dumped her:

Lauren: Oh, it was the most humiliating moment ever.

Trish: Well, that's because you have to come up with, like, better excuses. You should have been like, "I have a fiancé, too, but he's actually getting a penile reduction this afternoon because his penis is so big, every time it lands like a poltergeist."

So what romantic/comedy movies are on your list and why?

Return to Me is officially out in the world. Yesterday was the publication date and as you can guess I've been madly Googling myself.

So far I have received three reviews. You can read them here on Goodreads. Two of them were four stars so that's put a spring in my step. 

I know that there are book ranking systems I can check, but I haven't found them yet. Feel like nothing much will be happening with it at this early stage and that I'll be disappointed if I'm ranked 1,000,001. 

I have written a few blog posts and have some columns in progress in my efforts to garner publicity, so that's been keeping me busy. Have also enjoyed making new friends on Facebook and joining groups where I'm meeting some interesting people.

It's also been an experience seeing my novel on the Momentum website here. It seems I have written a paranormal, speculative romance novel. I knew it was paranormal, but I had to look up what speculative meant. Go figure!

In other news I have an erotic story accepted with Clan Destine Press and I need to start editing it. So that's on my to do list this week. The only way this will be done is if I leave the house so I get away from the internet and from Google. Wish me luck!