Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Oct. 2024- Ghost Stories?

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

**This site has been experiencing outages. If you are able to see this post, thank you bunches for stopping by. I look forward to spending time with you this month.**

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What’s your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I’ve read many scary stories in my life, but most of them make me feel either sad or mad. There have been a few that stuck with me long after reading simply because of how scary they were.

When I was much younger, I didn’t think Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart was that scary, yet it stuck with me. The madness of the killer and the depiction of paranoia made me feel sorry for the guy. Still, I would have called the cops on him if someone else hadn’t (Wink Wink). It was later in my early twenties when the story took on a level of terror that I still can’t fully explain. It was then that I learned that ravens can actually mimic human voices and words, even to a greater degree than parrots if they are properly trained. Before I simply imagined the madman hearing the bird say “nevermore”, after learning that, I could envision the scene playing out, where the raven is talking to him from above the door. That’s what got me. To this day, it’s one of the scariest stories I re-read each year.

Update- After writing this post, I realized that I was mashing two stories together- The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. I still think the talking raven is spooky but the beating heart from Tell-Tale is what really sticks with me. I always imagine the raven is a call back to the other story letting the reader know, “I know what you’ve been doing.”

On a slightly different note, there is one fairly recent scary book I’ve only read once. It’s so scary that I may never read it again, but if a sequel comes out, I will definitely pick it up. You can click the image to read my Goodreads review and I’ve also included a purchase link in case you are interested.

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And now, on to the personal updates…

I have plenty to say, but I’m not yet ready, so nothing to update at the moment.

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What are your favorite or worst ghost stories?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Nancy Gideon,
Jennifer Lane,
Jacqui Murray,
and Natalie Aguirre!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #25).

Did you know you can join my community for FREE over at Patreon to receive a monthly update on the creative projects I’m working on? I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Book Club Books

What I #read in March. ’23 & what I #amreading!

Today the IWSG Book Club launches our April discussion about what we are reading. It doesn’t have to be a book club selection just something you are excited about. Let’s all share what we are reading, and perhaps, we’ll find something to add to our own TBR lists. Click this link to go straight to the discussion. I’m currently reading Brides of Maracoor and Lulu’s Library.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

In March 2023, I completed 3 titles. My goal was 3, so an overall success. One was a super short read, but that was the point. As of today, I am ahead with my Goodreads Challenge.

2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
36 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review tags for each title I completed in the indicated month. You can also click the images to see the thorough reviews. There may even be a video for you to watch below, but I make no promises.

Rating: 4.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon

Check out my Goodreads Wrap-Up video or watch my Book Review video below (I elaborate on the public reviews I’ve posted).

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IWSG BOOK CLUB THEME CHALLENGE

#iwsgbookclub

This a voluntary monthly challenge, just for fun. Click this image to try the challenge.

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So tell me, what are you currently reading?
Did you read anything interesting in March?
Are you going to try the April theme challenge?

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Excerpts FridayFiction-ToiBoxEdition WIP Updates

Lover’s Lodge by Toi Thomas

Thanks to Scot Webb for the use of this image. (Posted on April 26th, 2018).

Over on my Patreon account, I like to share public (free) content from time to time, and this is one of those cases. I’ve written a spooky, yet, kind of funny story, I thought you guys might like to see since I haven’t been sharing my writing here much. I hope you’ll give it a look. It’s called Lover’s Lodge. I think it will make you laugh and cringe, just a little.

Here’s my latest WIP Update if you’d like to know more about what I’ve been writing. I try to update my Youtube subscribers with this monthly, and it’s free.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter