"Let's each write a ghost story."

                                

  This casually tossed out challenge lead to the creation of the most iconic, enduring, groundbreaking horror story of all times, 

                                 Frankenstein. 

   In the summer of 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Shelly, and Mary's half-sister Claire, took a trip to Geneva to visit Claire's lover, Lord Byron. 

            

The weather was beastly, the world was locked in a long, cold volcanic winter caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815.  

    There at Byron's Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva, in Switzerland's Alps, the friends sat around discussing Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, atheisms, the political times, and the unrest in France. Even the scientific theories of galvanism and reanimation. 

    One evening (this had to be the original dark and stormy night) Byron and the visitors were again forced to stay indoors. To help pass the time, they read stories from Fantasmagoriana a French anthology of German ghost stories.

                           

  Byron suggested that he, Mary, Percy, and Byron's physician, John Polidori (credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction) each write a ghost story. Mary's attempt, eventually became the famous Frankenstein. 

                        

 Mary was very well educated. Her father was a fairly well known philosopher and author. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist and women's rights advocate, and author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. 

 Although her mother died shortly after young Mary's birth, while growing up, Mary was surrounded by her father's friends as they enjoyed many political, scientific, and philosophical discussions.  

 The subtitle of Frankenstein was The Modern Prometheus, and volumes of information have been penned regarding the influences and underlying theme surrounding the basic story. Even parallels between Victor Frankenstein and Mary's husband, Percy Shelley have been explored. 

 Published on 1 January 1818 by a small London publishing house, the book was issued anonymously, with a preface written for Mary by Percy Bysshe Shelley and with a dedication to philosopher William Godwin, her father. 

The second English edition was published in August 1823 in two volumes. October 31,1831 saw the first "popular" edition in one volume. This one was heavily revised by Mary Shelley, partially to make the story less radical. It included a lengthy new preface by the author, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story.

                         
 But Mary's life seemed destined to be filled with loss and sadness. As noted, she lost her mother in infancy, she married Percy only three weeks after his first wife died of suicide, she lost two children early in life, and then Fanny, another half-sister, also died by suicide. But was anything as devastating as her final loss, that of her beloved Percy? 

                                 Photo by Paolo Razzauti

  There are rumors, his drowning in the bay of Lerici, Italy was due to piracy? Percy Shelley’s boat, the Don Juan, was one of the largest ship in the region. In town, he was known as an Englishman of wealth. There truly were pirates about, and they could be violent in their attempts at stealing. 

                    Statue by Henry Weekes, 1854 Christchurch Priory, England

   After several weeks, Percy's body washed ashore, identified by his friend Edward Trelawny from the clothing and a copy of Keats's Lamia in a jacket pocket. The body was cremated nearby. When the ashes cooled, Trelawny retrieved a piece of what remained and swore it was Percy's heart which he gave to Mary.  

It is doubtful it was really Percy's heart, but the important thing is that Mary thought it was. She kept it with her throughout her life. After she died of brain cancer at age fifty-three, her only living child found the relic in her desk.

   Trelawny also collected ashes and supposed fragments of Shelley’s skull, now residing at the British Library. 

  How tragic and sad Percy and Mary's great love ended so abruptly when they were young and vibrant. Yet Percy accomplished much in his twenty-nine years, and she promoted his works and remembered him always. 

My Stories: 

Western Romance: Break Heart Canyon * Undercover Outlaw * Cowboys, Cattle and Cutthroats * A Cowboy’s Fate*Special Delivery. 

Contemporary Romantic Thriller: Fatal Recall

Medieval Romance: The Dragon and The Rose * Iron Heart        *Promise Me Christmas. 

Victorian Romance: Lady Gallant * Victorian Dream 

Romantasy: The Fae Warriors Trilogy: Solace * Bliss * Portence 

Blog www.ginirifkin.blogspot.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Gini-Rifkin-Author/100001680213365

Amazon author  https://amzn.to/2R53KA9

Anna Mazzola
https://annamazzola.com/did-mary-shelley-keep-percys-heart/#:~:text=How%20could%20it%20have%20survived,calcified%20due%20to%20earlier%20tuberculosis.

Saying Goodbye (For Now) to Ridge Ranch

by Katina J. Rose

When I first sat down in 2020 to write Saving Maddie, I had no idea the journey I was beginning. What started as one story quickly turned into an entire world—the Ridge Ranch, tucked just outside the small town of Emerson, Minnesota.

Now, with Forgiving Annie, it feels like I’m closing a chapter—not just for them, but for myself as a writer. This book marks the final installment (for now!) in the Ridge Ranch Series, and I’ll be honest… typing “The End” hit harder than I expected.

Each story in this series holds a special place in my heart:

💛 Managing Ryan — Ten years before the Ridge Brothers’ stories begin, one wrong turn brings Heather to the front porch of the Ridge Ranch and changes everything. Can a little sass and a whole lot of heart revive a struggling ranch—and the man determined to help save it?

💛 Loving Bonnie — Determined to prove she belongs in a man’s world, Bonnie joins the Ridge Ranch Internship Program with something to prove—and nothing to lose. But when a blue-eyed cowboy challenges her resolve, she learns that strength isn’t just about standing alone—it’s about letting someone in.

💛 Finding Liv — When a sweet city girl crosses paths with a rugged rancher, sparks fly—but so do the complications. Caught between duty and desire, Conner must choose between the life he knows and the love he never saw coming. Sometimes, finding yourself means losing everything first.

💛 Saving Maddie — When Wyatt Ridge’s life gets turned upside down, he discovers his daughter isn’t the only one who needs saving. Arianna thought she was running from her past—but fate leads her straight to the Ridge Ranch and the single father who might just be her future. Sometimes, the hardest part of healing is learning to let someone in.

💛 Forgiving Annie — (Available Soon!) When Annie arrives at the Ridge Ranch with her son, she doesn’t expect to find the man she once pushed away. Isaac has loved her through every mistake, but forgiveness doesn’t come easy—especially when old secrets resurface. Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

💛 Redeeming Cooper — Because forgiveness isn’t just for others.
He’s the Ridge family screw-up. She’s the one who never stopped loving him. When a second chance turns into something more, Cooper and Jo must decide if love can truly rewrite their past—or if some mistakes run too deep to fix.

💛 Billy’s Second Chance — Proof that love can find you again when you least expect it. When tragedy pulls Billy home, the last person he expects to find waiting is his childhood best friend. Hannah has always been his calm in the storm, but this time, walking away might not be so easy. Sometimes, love just needs a second chance to take root.

---

I’ve lived in this world for five years—five years of cowboys, heartbreak, redemption, and love that always finds its way home. These characters have become my friends. I’ve cried for them, cheered for them, and fallen in love right alongside them.

And though Forgiving Annie closes this chapter of Ridge Ranch, that doesn’t mean the story is over forever. There’s still a whisper in the back of my mind… a certain James and Eleanor Ridge who might just have something to say one day. Who doesn’t love a good origin story?

So, what’s next?
I’m stepping into new worlds and new hearts. There are more stories waiting to be told—different towns, new families, and all the emotion and romance you’ve come to expect. But Ridge Ranch will always be home.

Thank you for loving these characters with me. For every message, every review, every time you’ve reached out to tell me how a story touched you, you’ve made this journey unforgettable.

Here’s to Annie, to forgiveness, to new beginnings... and to all the love stories still to come. 🤍

With love,
Katina J. Rose

Ghosts of the Grand Canyon

 

Ghost of the Grand Canyon

Next month during my road trip to Author Nation in Las Vagas, I'm planning on doing a lot of sightseeing and the Grand Canyon is on my list of places to stop. I was there once back in 1995, so I think I'm due for another visit. In looking for things to do while I'm there, I came across a lot of ghost stories of the canyon. I picked three to share.

The Orphan Mine Bride

Near the South Rim village stands the rusted headframe of the Orphan Mine. Once a productive copper and uranium mine, it's now sealed and fenced off. But not abandoned.

Visitors report seeing a woman in a flowing white dress standing near the old mine structure, particularly at dawn and dusk. She appears to gaze into the canyon depths, as if searching for something lost forever. When witnesses approach, she vanishes like mist.

The story varies. Some say she was a young bride whose groom died in a mining accident on their wedding day, leaving her devastated and alone. Others claim her fiancé abandoned her at the altar, and in her despair, she wandered to the canyon rim and was never seen again. A darker version suggests she threw herself into the mine shaft to join her deceased husband in death.

Whatever the truth behind the legend, the image is haunting. A bride in her wedding dress, eternally waiting, her hope and heartbreak frozen in time. Park visitors still report seeing her ghostly figure, always in white, always alone, always staring into the canyon as if the answer to her tragedy lies somewhere in its ancient depths.

The Wailing Woman

Hikers throughout the Grand Canyon have reported hearing the unmistakable cries of a woman in distress echoing through the canyon. But when they search for the source, they find no one.

The sounds are described with unsettling consistency. Mournful sobbing, desperate screams, or a keening lament that rises and falls like a funeral dirge. What makes these accounts particularly disturbing is that they often occur in locations where no one else is present. Remote stretches of trail, isolated campsites, or areas accessible only to experienced hikers.

The legend has multiple origin stories. It takes place in the late 1800's or the 1920's. One version tells of a woman whose child and husband fell into the canyon while hiking the Transept Trail near the Grand Canyon Lodge. They were never recovered. Unable to cope with her loss, she decided to join them and hung herself in the lodge, and now her spirit searches and calls out in grief. Another interpretation connects the wailing to indigenous spiritual traditions, suggesting the sounds represent warning spirits or the collective sorrow of those who died in the canyon over centuries.

Some witnesses say she casts a haunting silhouette against the crimson hues of the canyon rocks. Hikers along the Transept Trail tell of encounter with this spirit, recounting eerie sightings that blur the lines between the living and the dead.

Skeptics point to the canyon's unique acoustics. Sounds can travel for miles, bounce off rock faces, and seem to come from entirely different directions than their source. Wildlife, particularly mountain lions and foxes, can produce remarkably human-sounding screams.

But for those who've heard those desperate cries echoing through the ancient stone, no rational explanation fully captures the visceral terror of the experience. The Wailing Woman remains one of the canyon's most persistent and unsettling legends.

The Hermit's Ghost

Unlike the other legends, the ghost of Louis Boucher, "The Hermit", is grounded in verifiable history. Boucher was a real French-Canadian prospector who lived in the canyon from roughly 1891 to 1912, establishing a camp at Dripping Springs where he mined copper claims, built impressive trails, and cultivated terraced gardens. Despite his nickname, he was actually quite friendly to visitors, though he clearly preferred solitude to society.

Today, Hermit Trail, Hermit's Rest, Hermit Creek, and several other features bear his name. And according to numerous reports, Boucher himself still walks his beloved trails.

The ghost is typically described as a tall, lean man with a long white beard, wearing old-fashioned prospector's clothing and carrying mining tools. He's often accompanied by a white mule, Boucher's actual historical companion. Unlike many ghost stories, encounters with the Hermit's spirit are rarely frightening. Instead, he seems to be going about his business. Examining rock formations, walking his trails, or tending the areas where his gardens once grew.

What makes these sightings particularly intriguing is their interactive nature. Hikers report receiving warnings about trail conditions, directions when lost, or encouragement during difficult climbs. All from an old prospector who then vanishes on sections of trail with nowhere to hide. The information provided often proves accurate, lending strange credibility to the encounters.

The historic Hermit's Rest building at the rim, designed by architect Mary Colter in 1914 as a tribute to Boucher, reportedly experiences significant paranormal activity. Staff members describe footsteps in empty areas, the smell of pipe tobacco when no one is present, doors operating on their own, and an overwhelming sense of presence—particularly near the fireplace where an old man is sometimes seen sitting before vanishing when approached.

Down in the canyon, the ruins of Boucher's actual camp at Dripping Springs seem especially active. Backpackers camping nearby report sounds of someone moving through the ruins, tool sounds, humming or singing in French, and fresh boot prints appearing overnight in patterns consistent with old-fashioned prospector's boots.

One solo backpacker in the 2000s reported, "All night I heard someone moving around the old cabin site. Footsteps, the clink of metal on stone, even what sounded like humming in a language I didn't recognize. I kept shining my headlamp over there but never saw anyone. In the morning, I found what looked like fresh boot prints in the dust near the ruins. But I was alone out there."

Perhaps most telling, witnesses consistently describe the encounters as comforting rather than frightening. The Hermit seems to be a protective presence, watching over his trails and helping modern hikers enjoy the canyon he loved. If he truly haunts the Grand Canyon, he appears to do so contentedly. Not trapped by unfinished business, but choosing to remain in the place where he was happiest.

As one frequent hiker put it, "If you had to spend eternity somewhere, and you got to choose, wouldn't you pick the place you loved most? Maybe that's not haunting at all. Maybe that's heaven."

The Grand Canyon is full of mystery.

Whether you see these legends as genuine paranormal phenomena, psychological effects of an extreme environment, or simply compelling folklore, they add depth and richness to the Grand Canyon experience. They connect us with the human history of this natural wonder.

I'm hoping to be able to explore a few of these legends during my visit. Though I don't really want to come across any of the ghosts myself. 

Halloween in the Old West

 

Out on the frontier, Halloween came quietly, riding in on the chill of late October winds that swept across dusty plains and through the cracks of lantern-lit cabins. It wasn't the lively, pumpkin-filled spectacle of later years, but a night marked by whispered tales, superstitions, and the occasional mischief cooked up by bored cowhands or daring town kids. Settlers, often isolated by miles of open land, brought their own old-country traditions, blending Irish Samhain customs with the stark reality of frontier life. A carved turnip or gourd might flicker in a window to ward off restless spirits, while stories of haunted mines and ghostly riders were passed around the campfire with low voices and wary eyes. 

 In small, dusty towns where lawmen walked the boardwalk and saloons swung open to gamblers and drifters, Halloween was more than just spooky--it was a rare excuse to gather. A barn dance might be thrown, lanterns strung from rafters, and fiddlers playing into the night. Wives and sweethearts would sew makeshift costumes from scraps, while rugged cowboys--more comfortable in spurs than masks--might tip their hats and offer a grin to a shy schoolteacher dressed as a gypsy or a ghost. And for a few stolen hours, under a harvest moon, hardened hearts softened. Even the toughest wrangler might find himself drawn into a waltz, the scent of hay and cinnamon in the air, a little closer to love than he'd ever admit by daylight.

 

But Halloween in the Old West was never far from the shadows. Folks believed the veil between worlds thinned on that night, and  some swore they'd seen strange lights out by the buttes or heard phantom hoof beats on the wind. In a land where danger lurked behind every canyon wall and justice often rode on horseback, a night like Halloween gave life to old fears--and new hopes. For lovers meeting in secret, for outlaws hiding from the law, or for a widow lighting a candle in memory, it was a night where the past met the present, and sometimes, even the dead seemed to dance.

Ed Gein and Romance? by Rhonda Lee Carver

Now that I have your attention...

No, Ed Gein isn't romantic in any stretch of the imagination. However, I just finished watching Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Great acting by Charlie Hunnam and what a great a$$. He must work out. A lot. 

I love a good villain. They can be so useful in romance novels--a balance between good and evil. Let's face it, sometimes romance novels can be a bit...how can I put this...sugary sweet. Heck, even chocolate cake needs ice cream to balance out the richness. Just like every love story needs a bit of conflict. Can't have the good without the bad. The rainbow without the storm. The yin without the yang. 

Okay...I'll stop. You get the point.

Over here in my neck of the woods, I'm in the editing stages of THE FRACTURED TEXAS RANGER (Book 2, Texas Heat: The Heart of a Texas Ranger). 

Here's an unedited teaser...ENJOY!

Pre-Order here

Yes, Leo enjoyed being spanked.

Margo had tried—she’d given it her best. She’d spanked his rock-hard, five-times-a-week gym &&& with fake enthusiasm just to please him. In the end, nothing pleased him. He was still a narcissist whom she’d detached herself from.

She reread the text message he’d sent her and shrugged. “It doesn’t say what he wants.” The scent of roasting coffee and cinnamon rolls finishing in the oven drifted between them. Every week, she and Mario would get together for Sinful Tuesday, when they would eat dessert for dinner.

“Isn’t the barely-out-of-diapers blonde occupying his attention any longer?” Mario draped his arm over the back of the worn velvet chair. He’d never been one to mince words and that was exactly what she needed in her life. Mario was outgoing and flamboyant, and she was a quiet introvert who enjoyed being home.

She’d suspected that Leo and his young assistant had been enjoying each other before Margo had called it quits. She took down two mugs and poured coffee into each of them. While she poured pumpkin spice creamer and stirred, she thought over all the reasons why Leo could want to see her.

Laying her spoon on the counter, she sighed. “I should just tell him no. We ended things on a sour note, and I’ve had closure. I don’t need to rehash all the old news.” She sipped her coffee.

Mario raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Exactly.”

And yet, in his text, he’d said that it was dire that she meet with him.

What could be so dire that he had to speak with her?

She didn’t owe him anything, especially any more of her valuable time.

“This is the first time he’s reached out in months.”

“He’s exhausting.” Mario flicked his wrist. “No more talk about Little Leo and tell me about your date last night.”

Margo didn’t like the nickname "Little Leo", but it did ring some truth.

Connect with

Rhonda Lee Carver

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@rhondaleecarver?lang=en

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhondaleecarver.author/

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/RLCarver

Instagram: www.instagram.com/rhondaleecarver/

Pinterest:

www.pinterest.com/rhondaleecarverauthor/

Amazon:

www.amazon.com/Rhonda-Lee-Carver/e/B00CQLXKTO

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/rhonda-lee-carver

Street

Team: www.facebook.com/groups/471259293018665/

Newsletter:

Subscribe here

 

 

Lord Dunraven - Who Was He?

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

Would we have Rocky Mountain National Park without Lord Dunraven's actions?  It is a question I've been pondering as I research the background for my upcoming book, "Isabella, Rocky Mountain Bride."

Let's begin with who Lord Dunraven was. Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Durraven and Mout-Earl, was born on February 12, 1841at Adare Manor, County Limerick. His early years were spent at Duraven Castle in Glamorgan, Wales.

Image from Wikipedia

At twenty-six, he was a war correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, a London newspaper, and covered the Abyssinian War in Africa. Then, for another paper, he covered the Franco-Prussian War, the Third Carlist War in Turkey, and witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War, and the 1919 Treaty of Versailles ending WWI. 

He was also involved in British politics as a conservative.

In 1872, Dunraven visited the Estes Park area to hunt wild game. This was a year before Englishwoman Isabella Bird visited the area. In 1874, he decided to create a game preserve in the area for himself and his English friends. He used the Homestead Act to acquire control of 15,000 acres. Some say this is one of the biggest land steals in Colorado history. He sold his land in 1907. This area is part of the Rocky Mountain National Park. 

On a side note, this same Lord Dunraven commissioned artist Albert Bierstadt in 1876 to paint a canvas of Longs Peak and Estes Park. Bierstadt was paid $15.000 for the work. Image of Bierstadt painting

Would we have a Rocky Mountain National Park without this early land grab? The park was officially designated in 1815, so it was eight years later. 

For more on this interesting person: Wikipedia, National Parks website

Until Next Time,

Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

Book 6 - Circuit Judges: Death Comes To Town - Rhoda By Amanda A. Brooks

My Circuit Judges Website – circuitjudges.site123.me

My amazon Author’s Page – amazon.com/author/aab

I just started work on my new book, Book 6 – Circuit Judges: Death Comes To Town - Rhoda. 

The book’s title, DEATH COMES TO TOWN, is inspired by the song THE MAN COMES AROUND by Johnny Cash. Several of the book’s scenes will be inspired by some of the songs of Singer/Actress Linda Ronstadt - who inspired the name of my heroine Linda in BOOK 5 – CIRCUIT JUDGES: MAIL-ORDER BRIDE - LINDA. Scenes set in Tucson, Arizona and Sonora, Mexico will also be inspired by Linda Ronstadt - who is from Tucson, Arizona and has Roots in Sonora, Mexico.

Primary Heroine - When Assassin Rhoda Fenton comes to town, she does not count on falling in love with the man who is out to destroy her.

Secondary Heroine/Narrator - When Historian Kelly Carson fights tooth and nail to save the ghost town of Green Valley, Arizona from becoming condos and a shopping mall, she does not expect to fall in love with the circuit judge who is behind destroying Green Valley.

                                      

Rhoda Maria Fenton was born on April 18, 1852 in Yuma, Arizona. Since I like to model my characters after actors so that I know what they look like, my model inspiration for Rhoda is Maria Bello. I named Rhoda after the character Rhoda Penmark in the 1956 film THE BAD SEED. Her story is set in Yuma, Arizona, Green Valley, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico, mainly in 1882.

Kelly Katherine Carson was born on November 17, 1989 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. My model inspiration for Kelly is Rachel McAdams. Her story is set in Green Valley, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona in 2019.                             

                        

Secondary Hero – Circuit Judge William Tyler. My model inspiration for William is Bradley Cooper.  

Primary Hero – Circuit Judge Lucas "Luke" Stiles. My model inspiration for Luke is - was - Luke Perry. The reason why I'm mentioning him second on this post is because he passed away on March 4, 2019. Not only was he the inspiration for my hero Reverend Lucas “Luke” Clayton in BOOK 12 – BRIDES OF DIABLO: RUNNING FROM LOVE – MYRA – which came out on March 3, 2019 – one day before Luke’s death – he was/is the inspiration for my entire CIRCUIT JUDGES Series – which I had begun creating while working on my BRIDES OF DIABLO Series. He had created the television movies GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE, GOODNGHT FOR JUSTICE: THE MEASURE OF A MAN, and GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: QUEEN OF HEARTS, in which he played Circuit Judge John Goodnight. My CIRCUIT JUDGES Series is my tribute to him. RIP Luke Perry – October 11, 1966 – March 4, 2019. He would have been 59 years old on October 11th.

Linda Ronstadt's film documentary, LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE, and her two memoirs, SIMPLE DREAMS: A MUSICAL MEMOIR and FEELS LIKE HOME: A SONG FOR THE SONORAN BORDERLANDS, will be inspiring this new book and scenes set in Tuscon, Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.                               

My music inspirations for this new book are THE MAN COMES AROUND by Johnny Cash, DESPERADO by Linda Ronstadt, RIDERS ON THE STORM by The Doors. and DOOLIN-DALTON by Eagles.