It's hard to believe it's time for another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, but here we are on the first Wednesday of November. The IWSG is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts are CD Coffelt, Tina Downey, Isis Rushdan, and Michelle Wallace. Also, the group now has its own website which is a fantastic resource for writers.
My novel The Ghosts of Aquinnah will be released on December 5, which means it's now officially less than one month away! I am super excited but also feeling totally nervous and insecure about the release. I'm insecure about marketing and insecure about the book itself. I'm afraid everyone will hate it or worse that no one will read it so hating it won't even be an option.
I had all these same insecurities when Polar Night was released and I thought that I would do better the second time around. But if anything I am now much worse and the insecure voice in my head is having a field day freaking me out.
But I am going to do my best to shut my insecure voice up and focus on the joy of being able to share this book. Here's hoping I can keep that voice quiet. It's loud and obnoxious, so I may need to gag it or smother it with a pillow. :D
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| Brenton Point (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
For this week's ghost story I am traveling to Newport, Rhode Island, which was once the summer destination of choice for America's wealthiest families, many of whom built mansions and lavish estates along Newport's shores.
Brenton Point State Park in Newport is located right on the shore and reportedly has exquisite scenic views. But in spite of this beauty, the land itself was not very friendly to those who chose to live there.
Wealthy attorney and amateur archaeologist Theodore Davis built an estate at Brenton Point in 1876 and filled his mansion with artifacts he had taken from the Middle East while on exhibitions to find King Tut's tomb. Many claimed that these artifacts were cursed by the spirits of the Pharaohs, and the curse seemed to play out as first Davis' windmill and then his stables caught on fire and burned to the ground.
While Davis rebuilt the windmill and stables, he was reportedly never happy on the estate from the time he moved in until his death in 1910. The property was vacant for 13 years following the death until it was purchased by Milton Budlong. The Budlong family was also miserable on the land and Budlong's children refused to live there after his death in 1941. Finally, after years of being left derelict, a fire destroyed the mansion in 1960.
The state of Rhode Island took over the estate in the 1960s and turned it into the park it is today. The ruins of the stables remain in the park and visitors have reported hearing voices and the sound of galloping hooves in the area. Many park visitors have heard a horse clopping up behind them while walking along the paths of the park, only to turn around and find no horse in sight. In addition, visitors have reported hearing ethereal voices in the gardens and around the site of the windmill.
Many rangers who work at the park refuse to enter the old estate grounds after dark. I figure if even the rangers don't want to be there, I probably wouldn't either. Although I think it would be interesting to visit during the daylight hours and see if I could hear those horses' hooves myself. :D
Happy IWSG day, all!
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