Writing Is Getting Spooky Again, In All the Noble Counties

 I feel a little guilty for not posting about this since June, but it's now official: I have a contract to produce, for The History Press, a book titled something like Haunted Noble County. Probably with an "Indiana" added because, it turns out, there are more Noble Counties.

(I'm looking at you, Ohio and Oklahoma. I mean, did you have both a Governor Noble and a Congressman Noble? That's right--busted.)

My original title was Noble Dead Rise: Haunted Hoosiers Horrified! But the publisher talked me out of it, by saying no. The History Press is part of Arcadia Publishing, and you might remember I already wrote a book with them:

Also Indiana! Don't let Ohio steal this from me.


Anyway, the original balloon I floated was in this blog:

https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2023/05/looking-for-local-ghost-stories.html

Immediately after posting that, I vanished. Like a ghost.

Actually, we had the summer of hell, which says a lot considering I usually love summer. I don't want to belabor it, because I don't know what belabor means, but it's been an overall horrible year for a lot of people. It derailed both me and Emily, who's an indispensable part of these projects due to my general incompetence. But in a few weeks her job will revert to weekends only and I'll be taking a little time off, so we're about ready to get rolling.

My acquisitions editor even said I could add a little humor to the book, something he may come to regret.

 

I do humor! I also drink tea.
 

I'll get back in touch with the people who've already contacted me, and of course I'd love to hear from anyone who has a ghost/spirit/haunted/weird story or place about Noble County (Indiana!) Photos, too, would be appreciated, especially historical ones. I've also cleaned up our good camera and we're going to be going around the county (Indiana!) to get pictures of everything from haunts and historic sites to cemeteries and--well, an actual picture of a ghost would be cool.

If you have a suggestion, make sure it's not in Ohio or Oklahoma. I like to travel, but come on.

Sometimes it's all about the lighting, am I right? The courthouse in Ohio is boring!

As I said earlier, in general I like to communicate through e-mail or various internet messages, only because I spend most days asleep and lots of nights awake. Just the same: phone, in person, ecto-plasmic telepathy, whatever--we want to hear stories. In the list of links at the bottom of this blog are several sites I can be contacted through. I do NOT want to hear the TV say "They're heeeeerrrrreeeee ...." so stay out of the satellite feeds.

 

Remember, if you don't support writers they attract more and more social media sites, and are soon so busy checking them they don't have time to write. Not that it would happen to me. Nope.


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book review: The Exo Project, by Andrew DeYoung

 The Earth is dying. Isn't it always, in today's YA dystopian novels?

The government has hatched a Hail Mary plan: They'll send small teams to various planets, to investigate whether those worlds can be used to resettle the human race. 17-year-old Matthew, in return for money to save his sick mother, agrees to join one of those teams for the Exo Project. It's pretty much a death sentence, since most will awaken a century later to planets that can't support life.

But Mathew's team gets lucky: They land on a world with a breathable atmosphere and life. Oh, and intelligent alien beings who are less than eager to find their home invaded. At least, not all of them are.

https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Project-Andrew-DeYoung/dp/1629796107

Kiva is the young girl who's just been picked to lead the matriarchal society of her people. She also has dreams, and she's seen Mathew's ship coming. While she tries to investigate the newcomers and keep peace between them, others on both side are determined to sabotage her efforts. It doesn't help that Kiva, as leader, cannot marry or have any romantic relationship, and you can just guess how that will go.

But while romantic complications might be inevitable in this YA science fiction, there are plenty of surprises to come in Andrew DeYoung's fast-paced exploration of culture clash. It turns out there are dark secrets behind both The Exo Project and Kiva's people, secrets threatening to destroy everything.

Certainly there are echos of Earth history in The Echo Project, but Andrew DeYoung mixes it up pretty well, giving us a rich culture on the alien planet as well as well-rounded characters on both sides. It's a fun read, and I'd recommend trying both this book and anything else Andrew DeYoung has written.



 

 

Remember: Even space travelers need a good book or three.

 




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