Promoting Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North DevonBy Helen Hollick (With daughter Kathy Hollick)
Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.
You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned. In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.
Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy the beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history... and a few of its ghosts.
(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)
Pre-order the e-book on Amazon
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
Paperback published February 28th – e-book will also be available on Kindle Unlimited
Encountering a couple of Tudor Ghosts!
Not everyone believes in ghosts, fair enough, but go into any old British pub and you’re bound to learn that there’s a ghost or two present among the paying present-day customers. What isn’t so well known, ghosts can be seen (by those with the gift or ability to see them – genuine Mediums, for instance), anywhere, not just in damp cellars, spooky castles or abandon old houses – and at any time, not just during the scary hours of night. And the least likeliest place to see a ghost is in a cemetery!
Ghosts can (and do) linger anywhere, not just where some tragedy happened or where they died. A presence can linger where that person had some emotional tie, maybe a tragic incident, yes, but more often something of great importance, or where they were particularly happy. And finally, to shatter all the things you thought you knew... the majority of supernatural presences, ghosts, spirits, shades, spooks (take your pick of what description you prefer), are not hostile or evil. Most are perfectly friendly, some, in fact, are as unaware of us as most of us are of them.
My daughter, Kathy, can see and hear ‘dead people’. To her these presences from the past look as real as real, living, people, although some she sees only from the waist up, or fleetingly. (It’s a giveaway when the ‘person’ she’s looking at suddenly vanishes!)
Our village pub here in Chittlehamholt, North Devon, hosts several such residents. Built in the 1500s, The Exeter Inn became a coaching inn during the late 1600s – early 1700s, being the first ‘comfort break’ en-route from the Colonial trade ports of Barnstaple and Bideford to Exeter, thirty or so miles away, and to other connections to London. There seems to have been a collection of ‘Exeter Inn’ public houses in our area, varying from thirteen to nine miles apart – usual distances for a coach and horses, depending on the difficulty of the terrain. I presume these same-named inns were conveniently placed along the regular route.
Pre-mid-1600s travel would have been by foot, horseback or carrier cart, with only the wealthy or tradespeople having their own transport. Thus, a Tudor couple must have arrived at our village inn with their own coach, some time during, we think, the age of Queen Elizabeth I.
Kathy has fleetingly seen the couple several times, identifying the era they belong to by their costume – typical Elizabethan, wealthy garments of velvets, brocades and silk. He is a tall, handsome, well-groomed man, proudly showing off the attractive lady with him. They appear to be newly married. She seems quite shy and is dripping with pearls and sparkling jewels (again common for that period). Kathy has been unable to judge their ages: the woman is possibly nineteen or so, he, mid-twenties?
Outside, it is daylight. We think they have stopped to rest the horses. Barnstaple is about thirteen miles away, with some steep hills in between.
Where they are heading...? Who knows. Sadly there is no way of discovering more about them, their name, their future fate. All that must be conjecture, and maybe a story for a fiction writer to decide?
Discover more about the ghosts of our village pub – or North Devon in general in Ghost Encounters: the Lingering Spirits of North Devon.
https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
ABOUT HELEN
Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.
Her historical fiction spans a variety of periods and her gift lies in her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life, creating an immersive experience that transports readers into the past. Her stories are as compelling as they are convincing.
Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which became a USA Today best-seller. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.
Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book...
ABOUT KATHY
When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy's passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had a pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training to aid calm relaxation and promote gentle healing.
Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.
She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
Bluesky: @helenhollick.bsky.social
Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
Monthly newsletter : Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/01/thoughts-from-devonshire-farmhouse.html
Kathy’s Official Website:
https://www.white-owl.co.uk/
For additional (and any new ghost encounters!) visit
https://ghostencountersofdevon.blogspot.com/
Cover design: Avalon Graphics https://avalongraphics.org/
Cover image: Chris Collingwood Historical Artist
http://www.collingwoodhistoricart.com/
