Pamela K. Kinney is an actress, Master Costumer, paranormal investigator and published author. She writes horror, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction ghost books. Two of her nonfiction ghost books, Haunted Richmond, Virginia and Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales, have been nominated in the past for Library of Virginia Literary Awards. Her latest release is Haunted Richmond II, a collection of supernatural stories about characters such as the Richmond Vampire and the Werewolf of Henrico set in battlefields, churches, parks, and colleges. Pamela is giving away one copy of her short horror and dark fantasy fiction collection, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations today to one lucky commenter (U.S. eligible for signed copy; outside U.S. eligible for e-book version). Welcome, Pamela!
Ghost Stories Bring Out the Primal in Us!
Ghost stories bring out the primal in us. We want to be scared. It goes back to the days when we huddled in caves, a fire kept going all night, not just against the real threat of the wolf and cave bear, but also against the spirits and monsters the tribal shaman warned us to beware of around the fire. Today, that tradition is kept by someone telling legends and urban legends to us as we sit around a warm campfire with friends or family, or in a building, locked tight against intruders. Which being the logical people we are in today’s modern world, kept safe from the living who might do harm to us. But ghosts can walk through walls and locked doors, and forget the outdoors, the unseen hover all around us more than we think.
Yet, we crave these ghostly tales, whether myths and legends, or what paranormal investigators or other people experience for real. The titillation of experiencing second hand what others have gone through is a safe way of almost being there. Still there are those who suddenly realized that second hand is not good enough. They need to experience it first hand! They need to see if there is life after death, proof to back up what they suspect, or if a skeptic, to maybe have their disbeliefs proven wrong. Most of all, it’s the thrill of actually coming face-to-face with an actual spirit or paranormal phenomenon, where the shackles of safe second hand hearing and viewing no longer are there as a safe-guard. The titillation has gone up several notches in the hair rising on the back of the neck.
I admit after researching in person for my four nonfiction ghost books, especially leading investigations at night with paranormal groups that I’d never done before for this new one, Haunted Richmond II, published by Schiffer Publishing, I was not ready to go back to the safety of my couch and read about ghosts or watch them on paranormal shows on television. Not to say that I still don’t enjoy reading ghost stories or watching them on shows like Paranormal Witness or Ghost Adventures. No, even when absolutely nothing happens on an investigation, the times when it does by evidence of ghostly presences in photos, EVPs on my recorder or hearing a voice from my Frank’s box (ghost book), or even a personal experience, makes me appreciate that sometimes we need to get out of that building or away from that campfire and really test the boundaries and learn something. Sometimes, we need to be a part of those ghost stories.
Don’t you agree?
More About Haunted Richmond II
Return once more to haunted Richmond, where no building is safe from supernatural happenings. Visit Stories Comics, which holds more than just comics within its walls. Step back in time at Henricus Historical Park where you’ll be welcomed by dead colonists, Civil War soldiers, and other haunts. Discover that not only is the Richmond Vampire out for your blood, but the Werewolf of Henrico waits for you beneath the full moon. It seems that the War Between the States is still being fought between ghostly Confederate and Union soldiers at Cold Harbor, Sailor’s Creek, Parker’s Battery, and Petersburg Battlefield. All this… plus a sea serpent, a lost city, ghostly cats, Bigfoot, a UFO, and haunted churches, parks, and colleges. So be sure to plan your visit now to a very paranormal Richmond. The dead don’t stay dead in this town!
Excerpt
By 9:00 p.m., in groups of two or more two, we all set off in different directions after Cheryl turned off all the lights. Greg of RPS was my partner for the night. Greg and I decided to go in the back room of the bookstore and begin there.
It was quiet and very dark—spooky. I could see where those working alone in the store might imagine anything creepy going on. I found a good place to stash my EMF meter that didn’t cause all the lights to come on (the wiring in such an old building can make the meters go off easily, something a potential ghost hunter should be aware of). Then, I switched on my recorder for the second time (I did an earlier recording for a short time when the lights were all still on) and set it on top of a couple of paperbacks. Greg and I asked questions, trying to get responses. We talked to each other and took pictures. We began to see parts of the darkness move—shadows. At one point, I saw something shifted by Greg, between the two of us, and I quickly snapped a picture. I captured a mass of blackness that covered his lower half and along the bookcase he stood in front of. I also captured a large shadow in the last aisle to my right.
The investigation became interesting when a second light came on my EMF meter. I asked some questions. The answers we received were that it was a male and loved comic books.
Later that night, two members of Ghost Eyes did something else in the same room and indicated that though the spirit seemed shy, he did get responses from it. One of RPS investigators, Carol, and I scared it off for a bit when we stuck our heads in to see what was going on, but it returned when Steve coaxed it. I watched and saw a shadow move to him, then dart back.
Greg and I did the ‘claustrophobic’ room in back of the center section of the building. The room was small and tight, with shelves filled with boxes of comics. I found a good enough place to set up my EMF meter where all the lights on didn’t automatically come on. We put down our recorders and settled down comfortably to ask questions and see what happened. Besides odd sounds, we would catch sight of shadows that were there, then not. One of those shadows hovered just outside of the room. For a second I saw a person with his or her hands on their hips, and then it vanished. I double-checked to see where my own shadow was. It was with me in the room, to my left. Usually I have seen shadowy masses in investigations before, but never one shaped like a person.
I found out that Greg had a Frank’s box. Another investigator was already utilizing a similar device in another room of the shop. Greg dug it out of his bookbag and set it up. After turning it on and setting to it in scanning mode, we began asking questions, hoping to get answers by voice, unlike the responses we get with the EMF meter. A voice said he was Charles (some of the investigators told us that they found on their own Frank’s box that the ghost in that room was Chuck) and that he worked in one of the businesses that were there before Stories. But he wouldn’t answer if he was an employee or the owner of the business. When I felt someone pulled at the back my T-shirt, I became upset and blurted out about invasion of my personal space. Suddenly, a male voice said from the box, “I’m sorry.”
It began to feel crowded in that room, as if there were lots of people on each side of Greg and me. The claustrophobic feeling grew worse. We shut off the box as we couldn’t get anything more, grabbed our recorders, my EMF meter and the bookbag, and left, stopping in the comic store section.
I got the feeling that the spirits had followed us from the room we just vacated. Voices came from the ghost box when Greg set it up, and I felt touches and my shirt tugged again, though not as hard as before. After a while, they quit.
One other strange thing that happened to me was when my recorder began to play and my voice rose from it. Greg thought it was his radio, but I figured out what it was and asked him to shine his light on it so I could change it back to recording mode. Funny thing, I never touched it. The last time this happened to me was at Cold Harbor in April 2007.
11:00 p.m. rolled around and everyone gathered up the equipment. I thanked Cheryl before the Ghost Eyes team drove me home. I uploaded my pictures and the recordings. There was nothing at all on the first recording. But on the second one, I had an EVP while we were in the claustrophobic room. For a short moment I heard low whispering.
Some members of the Richmond Paranormal Society got an assortment of activity. There was an interesting orb action caught on video. A couple of orbs floated from out of one of the back rooms, hovered in an extremely odd flight path, and then flew right back into the room. One of the members had an EVP of growling in one of the rooms, too.
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So what about you? Do you believe in ghosts? Do you like to tell ghost stories? Have you ever been somewhere that you thought was haunted? Have any ghost tours to recommend? Do you love to watch Ghost Hunters? Leave a comment for a chance to win Spectre Nightmares and Visitations. Wishing you all pleasant dreams tonight! 😉
Thank you, Pamela, for guest blogging today!
JILL ARCHER 
Thanks for letting me blog here today, Jill!
My pleasure, Pamela. I love ghost stories!
I do believe in the supernatural, so all this is very scary to me. I spent one night in a “haunted” hotel and won’t be able to do that ever again.
That doesn’t sound very restful, Brinda, although some people (my husband, for instance) would probably love to spend a night in a haunted hotel. 😀
Hi Pamela,
Your bookstore experience sounds fun and creepy at the same time. But I guess that’s the point–harking back to the campfire scenario you discussed earlier.
It’s funny; even though I just published a ghost novel, I don’t know if I believe in ghosts. Since childhood, though, I have found the concept of spirits fascinating. What I tend to focus on is the story behind the ghost. What causes such yearning, this sense of alienation, this sadness? As a storyteller, I am drawn to the hidden story. As a mom (and author), I want to fix it all.
Hi Deb– Ghosts and spirits are fascinating. From a storytelling perspective, I like the idea that ghost stories lend themselves to all kinds of different endings: happy, sad, horrifying, open to interpretation, etc. I guess it depends on why the story is being told… to warn, to remember, to entertain, to provoke thought. Great comment! Thanks for stopping by!
I read about a place that has children still haunting a location. My heart goes out to them. I want to help them cross over. So sad.
Deb, I do believe, but then I had expriences all my life, including my father haunting our place for three days after his death (when he was buried, it went back to norml in the duplex). That actually put tp prespective about how the dead don’t actually go to Heaven or Hell for three days–same amount of time before burial. And doing investigations with the two groups I am with just leans me as more of abeliever, thanks to some instances tht happened then and even when I did them for my nonfiction ghost books. Though we have disproved many thngs as not paranormal too on investigations.
One thing about the real ghosts is taught me to let people know my nonfiction ghost books aren’t made to be scary on pirpose and most time even a paranormal activity that happens can be boring or nothing happens at all–no spirit is a trick pony–they’re people after all! I explain to people that my fictional ghost stories (even the supernatural thriller WIP I am writing now) is intentional–most times ghosts don’t act the way they do in my ficitonal stories.
I have spent a night alone in a haunted hotel when I was a writer guest for a paranormal conference held there. Didn’t ask my husband to accompany me as i knew he be bored during the day, asmost time was at my table selling and signing my books or spoke to an audience. Friends I thought might come, could do it. So my junk was on one bed, byt the door, and I used the other by the bathroom. I wished I had my husband there when things did happen in my room. Like the fake red flower I found on top of my bed as i got rteady for bed that night (it wasn’t there whebn began to get ready)–woerse, it was on its tip, like a hand holding it and twirling slowly back and forth. It dropped to the bed as I watched. I picked it up and ran downstairs to ask some investigators the floor below mine as they had experiences with some red fake flowers in their room besides other things and they said yes, same type. I put it in my pink bookbag and zipped it up. Next morning, still zipped, I unzipped to find the flower gone. Was the ghost upset with me for freaking out? I prayed that night also as felt something touching me to let me rest and it worked. Didn’t care during daytime, just alone at night. I have issues thinking about waking up to a living person sneaking in my bedroom while sleaping, same goes for the dead.
Personally, hotels being transient–where people come to rent rooms for a night or so and move on, might be the best places for hauntings. People die while in their sleep while on business trips and all, so to me any hotels is more likely. What I told is not all that happened while I stayed there–I even saw a solid African-American man in a suit and more. The hotel was the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.
Yes, I do believe in ghosts, I heard one at my job, Residential Services Aide/ Certified Nurse Aide at a center for Developmentally Disabled people in PA, 3RD shift . A music box was playing & I heard babbeling in an unoccupied living area where we store laundry. I “assumed” it was one of my ladies unable to sleep. I went back downstairs with a load of laundry ready to see who wasn’t able to sleep & see if I could help them. ALL my ladies were sleeping so WHAT did I hear??
I do like to tell ghost stories.
A ghost tour I’d reccomend is in Hamburg, PA led by Charles Adams III. He’s a local collumnist & historian who “collects” ghost stories.
I don’t particularly like Ghost Hunters because they try to dramatise too much for me. I prefer where the ghost hunters try to explain the phoenomina.
Mindy 🙂
Birdsooong@aol.com
Hi Mina, just looked up Hamburg. It is a bit far from me but thanks for the recommendation! I have to admit that I have not seen a lot of Ghost Hunters shows but my husband and kids love it.
What a fun blog! I love ghost stories. I am really enjoying reading all the comments. I stayed at the Mytla Plantation in Lousisana. I didn’t see anything during the night. But the next morning I got a photo of someone looking at me from the window. I took a ghost tour in Key West that was awesome. Actually got some orbits in my photos. There is a haunted bench in front of the Library. I wanted to sit on it, but the tour guide took off so I could stay. It is haunt by the Librarian and a little dog. I have been trying for years to go back there. Maybe next year.
Hi Mary, I’ve never been to the Myrtles Plantation. I’ve toured other LA plantations but none with as haunted a history as that one! (I just looked it up, am loving all these suggestions!). Ah, Key West… I’d love to go someday. Thanks for stopping by. Glad you’re enjoying Pamela’s topic. I knew it would be a hit when she first told me about it! 🙂
I don’t believe in ghosts, but like to read ghost stories.
Who doesn’t?! 😀 Thanks for stopping by bn! Have a great weekend!
I live in a haunted house, so yeah, I’ve seen some things, ghosts, orbs, heard singing, music playing and whispering (not at the same time), and smelled brownies baking.
Just this morning I was sleeping with my husband when the phone rang. I opened my eyes to see an arm around me, but my husband was facing me. When I looked down at the arm again, it faded away.
Sounds like a great book and you must have had an interesting time gathering information for it. Good luck. I wish you many sales.
Janice~
Janice, that fading arm sounds creepy! And I would be bummed if I had to smell brownies baking and couldn’t have any! 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
Great post, Pamela. I love ghost stories, having cut my teeth (figuratively) on M R James. I have collected them throughout my lifetime, both fictional and those told as real experiences. I have also had a few experiences myself. I have never published the stories people have told me, although I have used them as a basis for one or two of my own fictional ghost stories. Hope I’m not too late to have chance of winning the ebook (I live in Spain). Thanks again
Jenny x
Hi Jenny, fantastic to see Pamela’s post making its way around the world. I haven’t read M.R. James. Thanks for the recommendation and visit! Good luck with your own writing.
Minday, I watch Ghost Hunters here and there, but at least they are beter than the first year, when like Zac of Ghost Adventureers would try to provoke the spirits. I saw that Zac admitting to having problems after one place, but again tried to get those same bad spirits to come over to Winchester House, to this “seance” room Mrs. Winchester had built. Guess he hadn’t learned his lesson. Thanks for tr ghost tour recommendation. 🙂
Mary, you been to some cool places! 🙂
bn100, I love ghost stories too, though believe in ghosts.
Janice, sounds like you have some experiences you could write your own book. And thank you, I hope so too. 🙂
Jenny, actually one of my own experinces in my first nonfiction ghost book, inspired me to write a short horror ghost story that is in Spectre Nightmares and Visitations! No, not late to enter. Good luck.
Oh, I definitely believe in ghosts, especially in the Virginia area. I worked in Parapsychology in DC for several years and am a psychic, one an exorcist used to check out hauntings before he’d meet with the homes’ owners. Had some scary experiences, but most were explained as natural causes.
Hi Linda– sounds like you’ve seen some interesting things. I’m sure many ghost stories can be explained as natural phenomenon, but it’s the ones that can’t that are the most fascinating. Thanks for stopping by!
Linda, sounds like you had some experiences there.
The winner of the giveaway, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations, that I drew is Jenny Twist. Please leave your email here or contact Jill with it so she can give it to me, so I can contact you about your prize. Congratulations.
Hi Jill. Too bad I missed the giveaway. I had a crazy work week that kept me away from the computer. You may remember that the very first story I ever wrote was a ghost story, so I’d say I fall into the “likes” category. But beyond that I can share a real-life ghost story. You see, there was a certain building in a town nearby where a man was stabbed to death. He died in a doorway in a large pool of his own blood. After the police investigation, the owner made arrangements for the blood to be cleaned. However, after the bloodstain was cleaned, it returned. It was cleaned or covered several times, but each time the bloodstain would return through whatever was in that spot. Finally, the owner had the floor ripped up and replaced. Any decent fantasy reader can tell you what happened next: the bloodstain returned the next day. After that, no one would go into the building. The police in that town — a hard-nosed bunch of skeptics one and all — confirmed all of this for me. They did random checks on the place when to be sure no one was using drugs inside or causing mischief. Strangely enough, no one was, not even the most desperate people. It stood unused for a few years before it was finally torn down and remains an empty lot to this day. I imagine you could get a great deal if you wanted to buy the property, though.
A gruesome, sad tale. Probably best that the building was torn down. Sorry you had such a crazy week at work. Hopefully this one will be calmer. Thanks for the visit!
Shamus, a very cool true story on the blood stain. There are a few places in Virginia with blood stain tales. One of the places was a hospital during Civil War and ended up a Laser Tag place–in Shockoe Bottom in downtown Richmond. They showed the stain to me that could never be washed out when I did the first ghost book. And yes, the place is haunted–with Civil War soldiers seen, etc… Sadly, Laser Tag closed when I was doing Haunted Richmond II, though the apartments above still there.
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