Phantom Reviews

Being an innkeeper is not without its challenges. Or its rewards. And sometimes its not without its surprises. I have to admit, not much surprises me these days. I’m a true skeptic, believing nothing I hear and only half of what I see. It’s hard to impress me. It’s hard to scare me. It’s hard to surprise me. It’s hard to convince me. But sometimes . . . .

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The Creepy Evolution Of My Book

When I was writing my most recent release, On Hallowed Ground, I knew pretty early on that I had to write Gage and Qiana’s story. They are secondary characters in that book, but both of them grew into real people in my mind as I was working on that manuscript. As time went on, those characters developed their own personalities, which were not explored in great depth in Noah and Fallon’s story.

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Keeping It Creepy

I love to explore creepy places. Haunted houses are always cool, old dilapidated buildings at night, attics, basements, cemeteries in the fog, those kinds of places. I like to check out all the little nooks and crannies to see if there’s any hidden switches that open doorways to secret rooms. You know, the kinds of stuff you see on TV.

Photo courtesy Google Images

Here are some photos of some mysterious and supposedly haunted places I’ve had the privilege of exploring:

We’ll start with a local one. These pictures were taken on one of the nights I took the haunted tour over at the McRaven Tour Home here in Vicksburg

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

MsRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

McRaven House Photo by P. Rickrode

If you are interested in touring this fabulous house, and you should if you’re in Vicksburg, here is the link for more information https://www.mcraventourhome.com/

Next we’ll go to California, to a VERY small town called Ione in Amador County. One of the last places I visited before leaving California for Mississippi was Preston Castle. Here is a brief bit of information about Preston Castle:

In 1890, the California State Legislature purchased 230 acres from the Ione Coal & Iron Company for construction of the Preston School of Industry, a place where troubled boys could learn a trade instead of being incarcerated in juvenile prisons.

The complex was highly self-sufficient; the large acreage of the purchase allowed the boys to grow their own food, raise livestock and learn farming trades. Additionally, there was a print shop, bakery and cobbler shop where the young delinquents and otherwise homeless boys could learn skills for self-preservation in the real world.

The school officially opened on June 13, 1894, and the first wards moved in only two weeks later. The superintendent controlled life inside the Preston School of Industry, where discipline was extreme. Loss of privileges seemed minor in comparison to starvation, isolation, and public paddling and lashings, severe strategies that were common at Preston.

Here are some of the photos from my tour:

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Preston Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

For a brief time in 1954 country music legend Merle Haggard did time at Preston Castle for auto theft. For more information about Preston Castle click here: http://www.prestoncastle.com/

Next we’ll head up north to Victoria, British Columbia and take a peek at Craigdarroch Castle. The castle is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by C. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

Craigdarroch Castle Photo by P. Rickrode

All of these places are reportedly quite haunted although I never experienced anything supernatural while I was there. Quite a few of my photographs from Craigdarroch Castle have what appear to be orbs in them, but it might just be dust motes in the air. This one in particular is of interest.

Me and Corey on the grand staircase at Craigdarroch Castle.

I don’t know what that big cloudy bubble thing is near my hand but it darn near touched me. And, there are at least 3 more smaller orbs in this photo. Do you see them?

Anyway, if you’d like more information about this creepy cool place, here’s where you need to start: https://thecastle.ca/

So there you have it my friends, my nod to keeping it creepy in February. What creepy places have you explored? Do you like visiting haunted houses?

Word of the day: Zloty

Fun fact about me: I guess I live in a haunted house, at least that’s what people tell me.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2019. Photos by P. Rickrode and Google Images.

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The Mysterious Case of the Early Morning Creeper

Owning a bed and breakfast joint may seem glamorous to some, like a lot of work to others, and downright stupid to another group. Let me tell you, it’s all of those things.

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