This is such a great book so far! I love this exact type of horror where you are left wholly unsettled and yet nothing is definite (yet) - it could all be explained naturally. Love that slow burn that just feel atmospheric. That scene with the hand on her back on the stairs - woof, great stuff!
That's a very good ending to Part I - you built it up gradually very well I thought - matter of fact stuff and then creepy stuff.
Just goes to show you have to be right careful with yes-no boards and turning tables and suchlike. I know a fair bit about oui-ja boards as it happens (it's a goth thing perhaps - don't ask) - they have an interesting history - intriguingly, it really did start just at the time your story is set. The 'patent' for the ouija board we're familiar with was on my birthday, 10 February 1891. Well, obviously I wasn't born in 1891 but, hmm, I guess I could be a vampire and I'm only pretending to have been born in 1973. One would have to adopt ghost identities on a regular basis I'd imagine, perhaps every two generations.
Anyhow - before the name 'ouija' they were known as talking boards. Originally it was a kind of parlour game, and only surged in popularity after ww1, for fairly obvious reasons. In my memory, though, I was under the impression they actually had a 'yes' and a 'no' marker already there (so ghostie doesn't have to keep typing out y-e-s and n-o I mean). When I say you have to be careful with them though I do really mean it - same with all that kind of magic - if you're not prepared or know what you're doing then a whole host, or legion, of bad spirits will take advantage... ooh....
On another note, I hope you're not going to keep us waiting more than next week for the next part? I'm really getting quite into this, you know...
Oo I didn't know about the "yes/no" already being there, but I did want to prolong the suspense with the spelling out of it. Part 2 will be here in a couple of weeks and will begin the murder mystery/paranormal psychology part. Then, part 3 is the chase. I'm very excited to share it with you! You have no idea what's coming and I can't wait to talk about it.
I think you're quite right to do your suspense-prolonging thing actually - I remember back in my days of adolescent folly the suspense was all in the spelling out, which often took bloody ages! Because each time the glass or counter has to go back to the centre.
Some Ouija boards may very well not have a yes and no actually - a lot of the ones I did were kind of DIY. Like get a big sheet of paper and write all the letters and numbers on it then get a tiddlywink for the counter. Student budgets, you know.
I remember there was one time (no, not at bandcamp) when my friend wanted to speak with Nostradamus (as you do) and I thought Nostradamus' answer just before he typed it out - 'everything you need to know is in my bloody books!' (well, minus the 'bloody', but I did have to stifle a laugh there).
I like your little teaser about what's to come - sounds like you have a solid three act structure there. I suppose I can wait an extra week *big hammy sigh* if I really must. Mind you you probably do deserve a little break, I'd say.
Nah, just enough time for others to catch up. I thought a 2-3 week lag would be enough without people forgetting, but I'll do a summary before part 2 starts anyway! Thanks for reading, Dan. I'm really excited to take this further and honestly, the readers have no idea what's going to happen. No one has picked up on the hints yet 😂 mwuhahahaha
This is such a great book so far! I love this exact type of horror where you are left wholly unsettled and yet nothing is definite (yet) - it could all be explained naturally. Love that slow burn that just feel atmospheric. That scene with the hand on her back on the stairs - woof, great stuff!
Thanks Keith! Glad you're enjoying it 😃
What an ending! Absolutely terrifying. Can't wait to read the next part
So, so good! Can’t wait for the next part!
That's a very good ending to Part I - you built it up gradually very well I thought - matter of fact stuff and then creepy stuff.
Just goes to show you have to be right careful with yes-no boards and turning tables and suchlike. I know a fair bit about oui-ja boards as it happens (it's a goth thing perhaps - don't ask) - they have an interesting history - intriguingly, it really did start just at the time your story is set. The 'patent' for the ouija board we're familiar with was on my birthday, 10 February 1891. Well, obviously I wasn't born in 1891 but, hmm, I guess I could be a vampire and I'm only pretending to have been born in 1973. One would have to adopt ghost identities on a regular basis I'd imagine, perhaps every two generations.
Anyhow - before the name 'ouija' they were known as talking boards. Originally it was a kind of parlour game, and only surged in popularity after ww1, for fairly obvious reasons. In my memory, though, I was under the impression they actually had a 'yes' and a 'no' marker already there (so ghostie doesn't have to keep typing out y-e-s and n-o I mean). When I say you have to be careful with them though I do really mean it - same with all that kind of magic - if you're not prepared or know what you're doing then a whole host, or legion, of bad spirits will take advantage... ooh....
On another note, I hope you're not going to keep us waiting more than next week for the next part? I'm really getting quite into this, you know...
Oo I didn't know about the "yes/no" already being there, but I did want to prolong the suspense with the spelling out of it. Part 2 will be here in a couple of weeks and will begin the murder mystery/paranormal psychology part. Then, part 3 is the chase. I'm very excited to share it with you! You have no idea what's coming and I can't wait to talk about it.
I think you're quite right to do your suspense-prolonging thing actually - I remember back in my days of adolescent folly the suspense was all in the spelling out, which often took bloody ages! Because each time the glass or counter has to go back to the centre.
Some Ouija boards may very well not have a yes and no actually - a lot of the ones I did were kind of DIY. Like get a big sheet of paper and write all the letters and numbers on it then get a tiddlywink for the counter. Student budgets, you know.
I remember there was one time (no, not at bandcamp) when my friend wanted to speak with Nostradamus (as you do) and I thought Nostradamus' answer just before he typed it out - 'everything you need to know is in my bloody books!' (well, minus the 'bloody', but I did have to stifle a laugh there).
I like your little teaser about what's to come - sounds like you have a solid three act structure there. I suppose I can wait an extra week *big hammy sigh* if I really must. Mind you you probably do deserve a little break, I'd say.
A great end to part one, Hanna. Looking forward to what happens next. Hopefully we don’t have too long to wait 👍🏼😁
Nah, just enough time for others to catch up. I thought a 2-3 week lag would be enough without people forgetting, but I'll do a summary before part 2 starts anyway! Thanks for reading, Dan. I'm really excited to take this further and honestly, the readers have no idea what's going to happen. No one has picked up on the hints yet 😂 mwuhahahaha
Oh god, Hanna! I can't believe you are leaving us dangling like this! 😱
On a side note, bless Elsie's little heart - the treat of sitting at the dinner table! 🥹