Archive for the ‘fiction novels’ Category

Author Kala Ambrose in New Orleans

Ask me now about the first time I read Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and you’ll still see the warm grin rise from my lips along with a mischievous gleam appearing in my eye as I explain how her writing touched me and lured me into her world of vampires and their chronicles.

I grew up in Louisiana and when I discovered Ms. Rice’s books, I had moved away from my homeland.  When reading her books, I was not only touched by her stories, but by the vivid description and details of New Orleans.  She has the magnificent ability to allow one to taste, touch, smell and experience all six senses while reading her books, a feat not easily accomplished.

If you’ve followed me this far, you’ve figured out that I am a big fan of Anne Rice’s body of work. Maybe I connect with her writing so well because I also grew up Catholic in Louisiana, with a deep love of all things supernatural and paranormal. This could be part of why I enjoy her work so deeply, but truly moving beyond that parallel, I consider her ability to weave compelling story lines while immersing the reader into the story with history and sensory detail to be in the clearest sense of the word, masterful.

Years later, I was able to return to my beloved New Orleans, to write my book, Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead. This book is part of a non-fiction series by the publisher entitled America’s Haunted Road Trip. Described as paranormal travel guides, they delve into the haunted history, legends and lore in the area.  I had previously written a book for this publisher entitled Ghosthunting North Carolina and when the call came to write about New Orleans, I was thrilled to return to my roots and reveal the stories about a city that I love with all of my being. It’s a pleasure to share this book with those who hear the siren song of New Orleans calling their name to visit her as often as possible.

This brings me to my exciting news about the book, as this October, I will be returning to New Orleans.  Each year the Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club (ARVLFC) holds the UnDead Conference and Vampire Ball in the city. This year, from October 24th through October 27th, 2013, people will gather to hear a panel of authors speak about their books on New Orleans and Vampires. The authors speaking this year at the conference include Anne Rice and her son Christopher and I’m pleased to announce that yours truly, Kala Ambrose will be speaking this year as well about Spirits of New Orleans as well as attending the Vampire Ball.

I hope that you’ll join me for this unique event and experience. During this conference, I’ll share the haunted history of the city including the stories of those who decided to make New Orleans their eternal home, as a resting place for some and a point of revenge for others. Prepare to embark on an enticing journey into the haunted history, paranormal activities, magical ceremonies and supernatural rituals and practices in order to fully understand and embrace the cultural significance of the variety of beliefs, superstitions, legends and lore.

In Spirits of New Orleans, I invite you to visit the resting place of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, have a drink at some of the most haunted bars in the city and spend the night in your choice of haunted hotels. Join me as your guide, as we tread carefully through haunted Pirates Alley and down the streets of the French Quarter where ghosts, vampires and other supernatural beings lurk around every corner.

Explore Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead with Kala Ambrose and prepare to be supernaturally and eternally charmed by the city of New Orleans.

See you there! Here’s the details!

Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club

UnDead Conference and Vampire Ball

October 24th – 27th, 2013

In this episode of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, Kala speaks with Dr. Bob Curran about his new book: A Haunted Mind: Inside the Dark Twisted World of H.P. Lovecraft.

Arguably no American writer has had more of an impact on the modern horror scene than Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the man who created the Cthulhu Mythos, with its strange gods, eerie places, and forbidden books. But what sort of a man was Lovecraft, how did he create such a terrible universe, and where did his inspiration come from? Was it, as some have argued, based on esoteric knowledge forgotten or even denied to all sane people?

In A Haunted Mind, Dr. Bob Curran explores what motivated Lovecraft—his personal life is just as strange as some of his creations—and drove him to create his terrible cosmos. Using both folklore and history, Dr Curran investigates a wide variety of Lovecraftian mysteries. A word of warning: you may never look at Lovecraft—or the world—in exactly the same way again!

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About Bob Curran:
Dr. Bob Curran has travelled throughout the world, fascinated by the myths and stories that he has found. He has written a number of books, including Vampires; Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms; Zombies; and Werewolves, all for New Page Books. He lives in Northern Ireland with his wife and family. Illustrator Ian Daniels, who has illustrated book covers for science fiction luminaries Marion Zimmer Bradley, Orson Scott Card and Poul Anderson, has illustrated all of the books written by Dr. Curran.

It’s Summertime and one of my favorite pastimes to beat the heat of the season, is to sneak away for a few hours and read a great book.  I know, even I chuckle when I think that I spend most of my days writing books, articles and blog posts and yet what do I do for fun, I read!

Reading has been without a doubt my favorite pastime since childhood. I have fond memories of my first books, including the lavishly illustrated Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and the little Golden Books, remember those? Many memories of my childhood can be recalled by the books that I was reading at the time, including my pre-teen years when I was wrapped up in Nancy Drew and the Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder series.  I still remember the day that I read my first classic, Treasure Island, which was quickly followed by Kidnapped. I soaked up every word and each book was an adventure into foreign lands and new schools of thought.

My grandmother was the kindest woman in the world who shared my love of reading and during the Summer, we would set out twice a week to the library to check out new books and return those that we had read as quickly as we could in order to enjoy the next.  I still experience the same sense of reverence and nostalgia each time I walk into a library today.  To me, it’s a magical place where I never know what special book I might come across during my visit.

Around the age of eight, I began to explore further in the library where I delightfully discovered the books on ancient mysteries, paranormal and supernatural topics and monster tales. Coming from a unique background of having psychic ability and seeing ghosts, I was relieved to find books actually written on these topics so that I could review what others had seen and experienced on the subject.  I still find this as fascinating today and it is the reason that I created the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, so that authors, teachers and researchers would have a place to share their work and their knowledge with people who are interested and fascinated by these topics.  In my own way, I’ve created a virtual library here on Explore Your Spirit, so that anyone who is interested can listen to the interviews and find out about the authors and their books.

It’s a labor of love that connects my passion for books, the supernatural and sharing information with others in my goal to Educate, Entertain and Inspire. My wish is that the shows here on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show provide all of these things here for you and more.

During the summer season, I’m also going to share the books that I’m currently reading and my thoughts about them. Some of the choices will be books that I pre-read for an upcoming interview on the Explore Your Spirit  show and others are ones that have caught my attention for one reason or another…

Looking forward to sharing these books with you and hearing your thoughts about the books presented.

All the best,

*~Kala~*

author, intuitive and talk show host Kala Ambrose

About Kala Ambrose: Noted wisdom teacher, author, intuitive, inspirational speaker, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Radio and TV Show, Kala Ambrose’s teachings are described as discerning, empowering and inspiring. Whether she’s speaking with world-renowned experts on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, writing about empowering lifestyle choices, reporting on new discoveries in the scientific and spiritual arenas or teaching to groups around the country, fans around the world tune in daily for her inspirational musings and lively thought-provoking conversations.

Kala is the author of four books including the award-winning 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, Ghosthunting North Carolina,  The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body and coming September 2012, Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead.

A highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire, Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Developing Business Intuition, Haunted History and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, and Daily Om.

On this episode of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, Kala speaks with Jillian Chantal, author of The Gambler (Desert Breeze Publishing).

In 1937, Dirk McSwain, known as The Gambler, makes his living on the turn of a card. When his family home is in jeopardy of being lost, he boards the Queen Mary ocean liner, playground of both royalty and the wealthy alike. He hopes to win big to save his property.

He meets three beautiful, unchaperoned Irish sisters the first day at sea and determines to deprive them of some of their fortune. What he doesn’t count on is an obnoxious passenger accusing him of cheating at cards and then dying the next morning.

At the captain’s request, he teams up with one of the sisters who has a psychic gift. The story is her journey to the acceptance of that gift.

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EXPLORE YOUR SPIRIT RADIO

More about Jillian Chantal:

author Jillian Chantal

Jillian Chantal is the pen name for a lawyer who lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Florida. She writes romantic fiction for stress relief from the reality of her day job. The practice of law can be harsh and sometimes, the ugliness of the world is hard to put aside when the day ends. Jillian is an empath and the writing helps keep her mind on something besides the heartache she witnesses in her work as an attorney. She is married and the mother of two wonderful sons. http://www.Jillianchantal.com