Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Oct 15th Halloween Spirit Hunt Unearths Haunted Cities in America

Halloween only Fifteen days left!  Can you believe it? Toil and Trouble continue their search for the Halloween Spirit. This week, you won’t believe what they found. LOL! But Toil and Trouble’s quest for the Halloween Spirit continues.

No, it’s never to early for All Hallows Eve!  Halloween is my favorite time of year. Cooler weather, sight and sound of colorful leaves swirling toward the ground or crunching under foot. The smell of fall in the air, pumpkins and pumpkin flavored everything!! Love it! Also Halloween is the only day you can be anyone or anything  you want and no one will say a word.  Don’t forget it’s the day the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest! What will you be this Halloween?  Mystic our dog can’t decide which costume we wants to wear. What do you think?  Check back next week and see what else Toil and Trouble have discovered!

Well, October is finally here with cooler days and chilly nights.  Yippee! As we continue the annual Halloween countdown, the aspens are beginning to turn gold and the Colorado high county received its first dusting of snow.   Toil (Unicorn) and Trouble (dragon)  are hard at work in search of the Halloween Spirit. This week they discovered a whole Halloween Village.. They searched through the carved jack-o-lanterns, the haunted house, and haystacks. No Halloween Spirit. Toil and Trouble were totally disgusted and called Dave told him about the village So the search continues.

Their friend, Dave (Skeleton), from Texas (thank you Jessica)  after a days search for the Halloween Spirit, took time out to watch scary movies with friends. Though the wrong dates continue on his pictures. Fifteen days Dave and Jessica!

Each week, on Friday, there will be new pictures of where Toil and Trouble are searching and how Dave is helping.  In the month of October beside their search for the Halloween Spirit, Toil, Trouble and Dave will help me list the most haunted cities in America. Have you ever seen a ghost? A visit to haunted places in Colorado, my own stomping ground, Spooktacular tips to keep your pet safe this Halloween season. Do you suffer from Samhainopobia? I’ll tell you later. These are  just to name a few.  Please check back each week!

Only fifteen days days until Halloween! Where is the Halloween Spirit? Bwwwaaaaaaaaaa!!!! 

Plus a Halloween themed book from my collection will be featured each week:  You do know I write paranormal romance/mystery. Right? This week, we are talking about Witches!  What’s Halloween without witches, spells and curses and things that go bump in the night? Hidden Gypsy Magic.  So hurry grab your copy and join the #fantasy #adventure! You won’t believe what happens at their Halloween bash.

Most Haunted Cities in America, plus Hidden Gypsy Magic, set in Salem, MA, a Spooktacular Halloween read! Pssst… I’m participating in a Spooktacular FB Halloween Party October 20, 2021,  My time is from 6-7 EDT that’s 4-5  p.m. MDT, but the party goes from 10:00 a.m. – to 10:00 p.m.  EDT.  (8:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m. MDT) Click here to join the party on October 20th:

Most Haunted Cities in America – Could the Halloween Spirit be hiding in one of these?

It’s autumn the cool fall days are perfect for a walk on America’s dark side. With the approach of Halloween, it’s natural for our thoughts to conjure up ghosts, goblins, and all things that go bump in the night.  Bloody battles, shady shanghaiing practices, cities built over burial grounds, and natural disasters have left behind an unsettled past in towns throughout our country.  What better place to start than….

Salem, MA

Salem is best known for the witch trials of 1692 where mass hysteria led to more than 200 people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and ultimately 20 innocent people were executed. The tragedy has led to Salem becoming synonymous with witches and the city has embraced their history by preserving artifacts in museums and offering tours to educate visitors. The Witch House, The Salem Witch Museum, The Bewitched Statue and  Witch Trials Memorial to name a few. Yep, it’s on my bucket list to spend Halloween in Salem MA. How about you?

 Baltimore

Several nation-shaping events have played out on Baltimore’s historic streets: the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Hundreds of years of lost lives and the spirits that remain make the Fells Point area popular among ghost trackers. Guided tours through the maritime neighborhood take you to taverns, shops, and restaurants where things go bump in the night.

Milwaukee, WI 

The  Pfister Hotel ranked the haunted place in Wisconsin. But yet any given night, an unclaimed shot of Powers Irish whiskey sits on the bar at Sabbatic in Walker’s Point accompanied by a simple note: “For the ghost.” It’s something of a peace offering to a ghost who has caused quite a stir at Sabbatic. Several other hotels, diners and even the Pabst Mansion are listed as haunted in this city.

Galveston, Texas

When the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 struck, some 8,000 lives were lost—about 6,200 more fatalities than in New Orleans’ devastating Hurricane Katrina. Galveston’s was the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, and ghost hunters say most of the town’s spirits linger in its storied harbor and Victorian mansions. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, I don’t know what will, unless of course it’s Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen. Which brings us to…

New Orleans

Not much, it seems, separates the living from the dead in New Orleans. Because the town is below sea level, tombs sit above ground in the 42 cemeteries within city limits. Ghosts from the War of 1812 still hang around the French Quarter. And visitors to the grave of a prominent 1800s voodoo queen continue to leave offerings and ask for help.

Gettysburg, Pa.

During the most tragic battle of the Civil War, about 51,000 soldiers were killed or injured in and around Gettysburg. There was so much spilled blood on the floors of churches and schools (used as makeshift hospitals) that drainage holes had to be drilled in the floors. Baltimore Street downtown and Hospital Road in the countryside are purported hotspots for spirits with unfinished business.

Savannah, Ga.

Savannah may look like a sweet Southern belle, but she keeps a dark secret. The city was built, literally, on its dead. Homes and buildings sit atop Native American burial grounds; roads cover forgotten cemeteries of slaves and colonialists. Over the years, bloody battles, massive fires, yellow-fever epidemics, and hurricanes have taken hundreds of lives, leaving behind unsettled spirits.

Chicago

It was here, on Valentine’s Day, 1929, that seven men were lined up against the wall of a garage at 2122 North Clark Street and gunned down by Al Capone and his Prohibition-era gangsters. Strange mists, screams, and machine gun sounds have all been experienced at the site; other local gangster hideaways and crime scenes are also said to be haunted.

Portland, Ore.

Beneath the cobblestoned streets of Portland’s Old Town lies the legend of the Shanghai Tunnels, passageways that swirl with dark tales and hauntings. As the story goes, men who came to Portland to work—sailors, loggers, cowboys, and others—were “shanghaied,” or kidnapped through trapdoors in saloons, smuggled through the tunnels to the waterfront, and sold to sea captains.

Athens, Ohio

This Ohio University town is home to the Athens Lunatic Asylum, a mental institution open from 1874 until 1993 and known for its lobotomy practices. Now a university-owned property called The Ridges, the building has its share of haunted stories, say many amateur researchers: disembodied screams, apparitions that walk the halls, and a ghostly bloodstain on the floor. Throughout campus there are several haunted dorms, sororities, and fraternities.

Washington, D.C.

It’s an election year, and some in D.C. will be watching for the demon black cat that is rumored to show up in the U.S. Capitol Building as an omen of national tragedy or change of office. Ghost trackers say it appeared just before President Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre (which has its own haunting stories). Abraham Lincoln, John and Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Andrew Jackson are among the spirits that have been sighted in the White House.

Last but not least on my most haunted cities list I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mining District of Colorado is extremely rich in history and it is also touted to be one of the Most Haunted Places in the United States.  On Highway 67, at the base of Pike’s Peak, southwest of Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek sits at an elevation of 9,500 feet. There are mine shafts, head frames, miner’s cabins long abandoned tumbling down. A lonely stone fireplace may be all that’s left of a miners home. Standing among the rubble might cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand on end. A brief visit to one of the abandoned cabins still standing, gives you a window into what it was like back in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s.  Can you imagine a more inviting place for ghost to spend Halloween?

A little about Hidden Gypsy Magic  Third book in A Witch’s Journey Series. 

Discover the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic!

The Salem Wildlife Sanctuary is Gwen Taylor’s life work.  Her Irish Gypsy heritage provides a hidden talent she uses to help the creatures under her care.  But even her magical skills can’t help new rescues in dire need of veterinary care.

The opportunity of signing on as the vet for Gwen’s sanctuary dropped into Brock Scutter’s lap after he expanded his practice to include wildlife. The personal attraction he and Gwen experience is undeniable the more their professional and personal lives collide.

Touring the only “non-haunted” house in Salem they both feel a spark of magic.  A trip to his family’s cabin uncovers a heritage he didn’t know existed.  If they want a future together, it means facing the consequences of awakening hidden Gypsy magic and a race against the clock to correct past wrongs.

A sneak peek between the pages of Hidden Gypsy Magic. 

“It feels like all the air is being sucked out of this room.” His brother’s face turned ashen white as Beth’s ghostly form took shape in the center of the room.

Brock moved to the little group gathered and glanced at the grandfather clock standing in the hallway. Fifteen minutes until midnight. The witching hour on All Hallows Eve. A nervous chuckle rose up in his throat. How cliche. His brother would be a believer after this night.

He cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Gwen’s waist. “Can we help you, Beth?” Misfit’s howling could be heard clearly from the upstairs bedroom.

“No, but I hope we can help you.” Ghost Beth glanced back at the painting and sadly shook her head. “The ghost of Judge John Hathorne stands outside ready to curse or worse all those involved in sullying his reputation. The house stands between all of you…protecting—” The ghost’s hand and arm made a sweeping motion toward their group, “— against his magic ability.”

A soft almost hysterical giggle burst from Gwen. “Doesn’t he know that by his actions this night, he has not only outed himself but proved the rumors and article are true?”

About the Author:

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Website: https://www.tenastetler.com

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Hope you enjoy Toil and Trouble’s search and  Spooktacular Most Haunted Cities in America, along with a snippet of my book Hidden Gypsy Magic. Happy Halloween.  Check back next week and see what Toil and Trouble have discovered as well as Halloween pet safety tips!

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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Halloween Spirit, Haunted villages, Hidden Gypsy Magic, Most Haunted Cities in America, Search for Halloween Spirit, Tena Stetler, Time travel by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.