Blog Tour & Giveaway: Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell

KEEPER OF THE CASTLE
Guest Post by Juliet Blackwell

In Search of Ghosts:

To me, one of the best things about being an author is research.  In the course of writing my two series, the Witchcraft Mysteries and the Haunted Home Renovation series, I get to do things like shop in vintage clothing stores, hang out in Haight Street cafes, and tour historic buildings.

But one of my favorite parts of research is trailing around after paranormal investigators, peppering them with questions:

Can ghosts reach out and “touch” a person?
Can they become violent?
What if you had different ghosts or entities in a building?
From different times, “haunting” the place for different reasons?
How would they interact?
Why are animals sensitive to spirits, and how might they react?

Actually, I try to reserve these questions for either before or after walking through an allegedly haunted house. While on site, I mostly keep my mouth shut, trying not even to breathe loudly for fear of mucking things up…or possibly attracting unwanted attention!

Unfortunately, I have found that there’s a lot of “grey area” in the paranormal realm – which, I suppose, is fitting – so not all experts agree on the rules of the afterworld. Some think we bring our own ghosts with us, for example, while others believe in “residual” energies, and still others think sentient beings sometimes roam the earth.

But here are the “Top Five” things I’ve learned from my recent encounters with “ghost professionals”:

1.    Bring extra batteries (some spirits “borrow” energy by siphoning off battery power)
2.    Don’t wear perfume or scented lotions. Ghosts have a profound sense of smell, and whether they like or dislike what you’re wearing, it might not be a good thing
3.    Animals and children are considered more “sensitive” (and attractive to) spirits.  But since they can’t give consent, it’s unethical to take them along on a ghosthunt, darn the luck.
4.    Wear quiet shoes that are easy to run in (self-explanatory)
5.    Don’t make jokes about the size of the ghostbuster’s equipment (also self-explanatory)

So…how about you?  Have you ever encountered something that felt otherworldly? Do you believe in ghosts at all?

About the Author:

Juliet Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchcraft Mystery series, featuring a powerful witch with a vintage clothes store in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury.  She also writes the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series, about a failed anthropologist who reluctantly takes over her father’s high-end construction company…and finds ghosts behind the walls.  As Hailey Lind, Blackwell wrote the Agatha-nominated Art Lover’s Mystery series, in which an ex-art forger attempts to go straight as a faux finisher. She is currently working on a novel about a woman who takes over her uncle’s locksmith shop in Paris, entitled The Paris Key. A former anthropologist and social worker, Juliet has worked in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Italy, the Philippines, and France.

Visit her at www.julietblackwell.net, join her on Facebook (JulietBlackwellAuthor) and on Twitter @JulietBlackwell

Lately, Mel has been worried about finding enough historic renovation work to pay the bills. But while Turner Construction is in need of a project, Mel’s boyfriend, Graham, has his hands full managing the reconstruction of an ancient building shipped over from Scotland.

With the job plagued by rumors that the stones are cursed, Graham brings in Mel to look for paranormal activity. And while the ghost of a charming Scottish clansman does seem to be hanging around the site, the real shock comes when they stumble upon a body.

When the original construction crew starts running scared, Mel brings in her team to finish the job. Now all she has to do is nail down the killer, and put the spirits to rest, before anyone else winds up heading for the highlands…

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Keeper of the Castle

Review (5 Stars):  I love, love, love the Haunted Home Renovation mystery series because I love any mystery that involves ghosts and the supernatural.  Mel Turner is asked to be part of the crew to help reconstruct an ancient building from Scotland that has been plagued with paranormal sightings and has most of the construction crew running scared.  Mel is no stranger to ghosts and can’t turn down the job offer when there is so many dollar signs offered by the ultra-rich entrepreneur that is funding the project.  Before Mel knows it, she is involved with another murder mystery when she finds a dead body on the work site.  Now, she must work to find the real killer and find out who or what is really haunting the ancient building that is scaring everyone away.

I have loved Melanie from the very first book, If Walls Could Talk, because she is just this lovable character that you can instantly connect with.  She has a difficult job of being a female in male-dominated world, so there isn’t much that can scare her except that she has the uncanny ability of finding ghosts on her work sites.  After everything that she has been through over the course of the series, she still continues to impress me and I love reading her ghost hunting adventures with each new installment.  Keeper of the Castle is an entertaining mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seat with memorable characters and an intriguing whodunit. Ms. Blackwell has this amazing way of weaving a story that will hook you from the first page until the great reveal of the true killer.  Can’t wait to read the next mystery from this author.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Keeper of the Castle. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by December 17th, leave a comment for Ms. Blackwell below: