Exactly what are bejeebers, and why are they so easily scared?

By Jenna Byrnes

A woman named Mrs. Andrews was visiting the grave of her daughter in a cemetery in Queensland, Australia in 1946 or 1947. Her daughter Joyce had died about a year earlier, in 1945, at the age of 17. Mrs. Andrews saw nothing unusual when she took this photo of Joyce's gravemarker.

When the film was developed, Mrs. Andrews was astonished to see the image of a small child sitting happily at her daughter's grave. The ghost child seem to be aware of Mrs. Andrews since he or she is looking directly into the camera.

Is is possibly a double exposure? Mrs. Andrews said there were no such children nearby when she took the photograph and, moreover, did not recognize the child at all – it was no one she would have taken a picture of. She remarked that she did not believe it was the ghost of her daughter as a child.

Investigating this case, Australian paranormal researcher Tony Healy visited the cemetery in the late 1990s. Near Joyce's grave he found the graves of two infant girls. ~ About.com on paranormal

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I love ghost stories. Some of them scare the bejeebers outta me, but I think they're fun. I like writing about ghosts for the same reasons Lisabet mentioned yesterday. There aren't as many pre-existing rules about ghosts. I'll never forget the first time I discussed writing vampires with a group of authors. They were quite serious about what a vamp can or cannot do. I had always figured if I was writing fantasy, I could have the characters do whatever I wanted. Apparently, that is not the case.

I've done one book about vamps and one about werewolves (also a loose interpretation!) and they were fun, but I love ghosts. In several of my first short stories I used the old "person has sex with someone and finds out later he or she is a ghost" routine. I used to think that was a blast. I still like the twist at the end, but I believe I've evolved from that particular plot line.

In the Kindred Spirits series Jude Mason and I are writing, there is no sex with ghosts. Each of the ghosts/spirits has a story, and part of each book is spent uncovering one of the tales. Ethan's Choice dealt with Angry Annie, and exactly what made the chick so angry. One of my favorite lines (which Jude created and I use liberally) is when Cade told Ethan that Annie "has a scream that will shrivel your nuts". LMAO!

Part of what I'm enjoying about writing this series is giving an interesting history and delicious description to the ghosts. Even now as I'm writing about her, I can picture Angry Annie in my mind. It's my hope that after you read the book, you can, too.

*door slam*

Annie? What are you up to?

*Jenna stomps off to find out*