Booksignng at Adelaide’s
I’m not sure how many of us there were at Adelaide’s yesterday afternoon, but I was told by several people that, in addition to those I could see and talk to, there were ‘others’ among us! As far as I know, that was a first-time occurrence at any of my book talks!
Those of us who were clearly visible were there for an ‘event’ which had been advertised in the Chinook Observer as a “Book Talk & Signing” with a little teaser that said “Ghostly Whispers of a Sequel coming soon!” Maybe that was the draw to the invisibles who also arrived. Perhaps they wanted to make sure to be included should the next book of ghost stories materialize.
As it was, after I spoke about some of the characters in Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula and read “Ned Osborne, Jilted Lover” to my attentive (as far as I could tell) audience, we spent time talking about other ghosts or restless souls on the Peninsula. I had brought my notebook and I took names and phone numbers for possible follow-up discussions. I am, indeed, working on a sequel.
Booksigning at the Shelburne
In the evening, I was scheduled to “sit in the parlor” at the Shelburne, again to tell ghost stories and sell books. The atmosphere was a little different from that of a few hours earlier. Maybe it was the low lighting and old world ambience. Or was it the fact that people were arriving in costume? Or, perhaps, it was the live music wafting out from the adjacent room.
Whatever the reason, it felt like the ghost of Charles Beaver was right there among us listening to ‘his’ very story, “The Man Upstairs at the Shelburne” ( in Ghost Stories). Shelburne owner David Campiche dropped by, assuring us that Mr. Beaver was gone but… there is another ghost who still manifests herself now and again.
The conversation turned toward related subjects – why some people have these experiences and others don’t. “I’d love to see a ghost,” said one visitor, “but so far I haven’t been that lucky.” Another woman who was staying in the hotel was lobbying her husband to stay another night – specifically in Room 5, where guests have sometimes reported unexplained sightings.
Again, I made use of my pen and notebook. You never know what (or who) may show up and need to be included in the next book.
Does Mr. Campiche’s assurance mean that Charles Beaver’s ghost has “passed on?”
Yes. In fact, the first paragraph in “The Man Upstairs at The Shelburne” says: “When a visiting psychic asked David Campiche if he would like the ghost to leave the Shelburne Inn, there was no hesitation on his part. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘That was a while back, and it seems to have worked. The man upstairs us gone,'” For more, read that and other stories in my book “Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula!” You’ll no doubt ‘meet’ other people you kbow, Bruce!
I would have LOVED to seen you at the Shelburne!