Adelaide’s at the Taylor Hotel, by Jean Stamper – GHOST STORIES, OCT 29, 1:00 to 3:00 P.M.
When I was doing the research for Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula, it never occurred to me that those stories would become a focal point for Halloween gatherings here at the beach. My interest, as always, was to get at the history of the buildings that are said to be haunted and to find out who had lived (and possibly died) in them, eventually giving rise to weird and inexplicable experiences.
In some cases, the stories seemed clear-cut. The long-ago suicide or, perhaps, the unexplained death of someone closely associated with the structure seemed to lead to a straight-ahead explanation for sightings or “weird happenings.” In other instances, there were no clear answers and the stories took a speculative turn.
The Shelburne Inn – GHOST STORIES OCT. 29, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
As ghost stories go, the collection is not very creepy or spine-chilling. The compelling part, at least for me, was that the experiences happened in familiar places and to people I know. Some of the stories were even well-known in the area – not necessarily “taken for granted” or necessarily believed, but definitely part of our local lore. Finding out the stories behind the stories was fascinating and I loved it that History Press felt they were worthy of publication.
At my first book signing event after Ghost Stories was published – in October 2014 at Adelaide’s Books and Coffee – I half-way expected to learn of other story possibilities from audience members. There weren’t any that time but, as the years have passed, I’ve begun to hear glimmers here and there – enough, in fact, that I’m considering a sequel.
Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula
On Saturday, October 29th, I will have two additional opportunities to ‘make contact’ – if not with the ghosts, with residents and visitors who have had ghostly experiences here at the beach. From 1:00 to 3:00 I will again be at Adelaide’s in Ocean Park for a book signing and a talk. Later, that same day, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., I’ll be sharing stories and signing books in the parlor at the Shelburne Inn. I hope that there will be a crowd of book-buyers and ghost-story-tellers at both venues! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more ghostly history for “Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula – Part Two!” Storytellers, listeners, book buyers — all welcome!
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