Ellen here, happy to welcome friend and fellow mystery author Nancy Cole Silverman back to the Chicks. I was thrilled when I discovered that Nancy is a neighbor! We live only a few blocks from each other. We translated proximity into a weekly routine that recently exposed something people might be surprised to learn about me. Read on…

TUESDAYS WITH ELLEN

Some of you may know that Ellen Byron and I are walking partners.  Tuesday mornings, we traverse the neighborhood with my dog Ali, a standard poodle who’s never met another dog she can pass without either a friendly tail-wag or woof.   Our trek is roughly three miles, and our conversations include anything and everything from plotting and character development to world politics.  I doubt, between the two of us, we’ll ever solve any world problems, but we do spend a lot of time talking about what stories we’re working on.  And this last year, I had a lot of fun, using Ellen as a sounding board for my new mystery series with Misty Dawn.

Misty is a former Hollywood psychic to the stars.  In her heyday she counseled some of the greats; Liz Taylor, the Gabor sisters, and at one time, a former President’s wife had Misty’s number on speed dial.  But things changed.  People moved on, some died, others faded from public view, and Misty, being Misty, had never planned ahead for retirement.  As such, she found herself with few resources, and other than the old Volkswagen camper she had driven to California back in the sixties, nowhere to live. Fortunately, a client, whose brother had recently passed, suggested Misty might like to house sit for her, at least until the market turned around and she could sell the house.  The only problem – the house was haunted.  Or more correctly, the original owner, Wilison Thorne, had yet to pass over.  He’s what psychics call a shade.

Have I got you yet?

Well, Ellen was hooked. We had barely gone a mile when she stopped and asked, “If Misty was psychic, why didn’t she know the house was haunted?”

Good question.

“Well, ” I said. “You know, of course, psychics can’t read themselves.”

“They can’t?” Ellen asked.

“No,” I said confidently.  “It’s like familiarity.  It breeds contempt. Blocks their ability to see the future.”

“And a shade?” Ellen looked at me, how did I know this stuff?  “Exactly, what is that?”

“It’s a spirit caught between two worlds. Stuck in limbo, if you will.”

“For how long?”

“It’s indefinite. Could be quite some time or no time at all.  It all depends on if they follow the rules or not.”

“What rules?”

“You know, things like spooking people, amateurish hauntings. The whole point of a shade is that they’re given a bit of a second chance.”

“Second chance?” Ellen frowned. I could see she was really giving this some thought.

“Shades are usually assigned to psychics to work as their emissaries.  They can help with readings, translate messages, pick up the slack, that kind of thing.  It’s entirely up to them.  If they’re helpful, the universe may— “ I paused.

“May what?” Ellen asked.

“Decide to reward them their wings…or not,” I said.

“Or not?”

I loved it!  Clearly, I had convinced Ellen of my knowledge of the psychic world. Granted, I had interviewed a number of psychics, but for the most part – spoiler alert—I was making it up as I went along.  And if Ellen believed me, despite the fact she’s just a little bit gullible,  I thought I might truly be on to something.  After all, Misty’s told me all along I just needed to get her story down on paper.

Readers, where do you stand on the paranormal? Believer or skeptic?

ABOUT THE BOOK: When Misty Dawn, a former Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, moves into an old craftsman house she encounters the former owner, the recently deceased Hollywood set designer, Wilson Thorne. Wilson is unaware of his circumstances and when Misty explains the particulars of his limbo state—how he might help himself if he helps her—he’s is not at all happy. That is until Zoey Chamberlain, a young actress, comes to Misty’s door for help. Zoey has recently purchased The Pink Mansion, a historic Hollywood Hills home, and believes it’s haunted. But when Misty arrives to search the house, it’s not a ghost she finds, but a dead body. The police are quick to suspect Zoey of murdering her best friend. Zoey maintains her innocence and fears her friend’s death may have been a result of the ghost…and a long-time family curse. Together Misty and Wilson must work to untangle the secrets of The Pink Mansion or submit to the powers of the family curse. https://www.amazon.com/House-Hallowed-Ground-Misty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07TKNGZ2Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C3BPTCEWAWBM&keywords=the+house+on+hallowed+ground&qid=1570388066&sprefix=The+house+on+hallowed%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/House-Hallowed-Ground-Misty-Mystery/dp/1635115515/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1C3BPTCEWAWBM&keywords=the+house+on+hallowed+ground&qid=1570388099&sprefix=The+house+on+hallowed%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-2

Author Bio: Nancy Cole Silverman credits her twenty-five years in news and talk radio for helping her to develop an ear for storytelling. But it wasn’t until after she retired that she was able to write fiction full-time. Much of what Silverman writes about is pulled from events that were reported on from inside some of Los Angeles’ busiest newsrooms where she spent the bulk of her career. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce, and Ali, her much pampered standard poodle.

https://www.nancycolesilverman.com/

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