Friday 21 March 2014

Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles Theme Reveal for A to Z Challenge 2014 - Ghosts





The A to Z Blogging Challenge starts in just a very small number of days (there's still time to sign up) and there are loads of folks already signed up, so it should be an interesting month! :) And, to kick start this little venture and to remind me to get all my ducks in a row, I'm joining in the A to Z Theme Reveal Blog Hop (for more entrants to this hop, check out the main post)!

So, ta dah - my theme is:
Ghosts
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!


Ghosts stories are one of my favourite genres to read and watch: I love being spooked :). I have a large collection of ghost books, both fictional and factual, and if there's a ghost story on TV, or in the cinema, you can bet I'll be there watching it. I have been fascinated with phantoms since I was very young, even though I can scare myself silly with such stories. It probably has something to do with growing up in a haunted house, but I'll save that story for the A to Z ;P. I'll be sharing that story, and lots of other ghost trivia in my posts throughout the A to Z Challenge.

I'm a writer too, and I enjoy writing ghost stories as well as consuming them, and so I'll be talking about different aspects of the ghost story genre and how it appeals to me.  I'll be taking my inspiration from the greats such as M R James, Dickens and Susan Hill, but I'll also be creating a new ghost story for my blog readers as the month goes on, each post providing a new instalment.

I hope you'll find my theme engaging and will pop by and share your own ghost stories as well. :)

Ghost Posts Schedule

Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
01
A is for
Apparition, Gertrude Atherton, Anne Griffiths
02
B is for
Backdrop, E F Benson, Borley Rectory
03
C is for
Contrast, Wilkie Collins, Chilham
04
D is for
Disturbing, Dickens, Dean Castle
05
E is for
Endurance, Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards, The Enfield Poltergeist
06
N/A
07
F is for
Friend, Anatole France, Annie Farie
08
G is for
Gift, Elizabeth Gaskell, Sir Fulke Greville
09
H is for
Human, Susan Hill, Hairy Hands Ghost
10
I is for
Is It Real?, Peter Ibbotson, Islay
11
J is for
Jeopardy, M R James, Jamaica Inn
12
K is for
Kick, Rudyard Kipling, Knebworth
13
N/A
14
L is for
Love, Sheridan Le Fanu, Ladies
15
M is for
Mystery, Louisa Murray, Mother Leaky
16
N is for
Nuances, E Nesbit, The Nag's Head
17
O is for
Obscure, Vincent O'Sullivan, O2 Millennium Dome
18
P is for
Pause, Edgar Allen Poe, Pluckley
19
Q is for
Queer, A T Quiller-Couch, Queens
20
N/A
21
R is for
Risk, Mary Raymond, Raynham Hall
22
S is for
Secrets, Bram Stoker, Thomas Skelton
23
T is for
Tension, Mark Twain, The Tower of London
24
U is for
Urgency, Peter Underwood, Uley
25
V is for
Vacuum, Pamela Vincent, Verdley Castle
26
W is for
Wrong, Edward Lucas White, Wittersham
27
N/A

28
X is for
X marks the spot, X?, X-roads
29
Y is for
Yield, You, York
30
Z is for
Zing, ?, Zennor
All the links will become available to view on the days specified.


A few of us discovered that we all had supernatural themes for the AtoZ so we got together and did a mini list. If you also have a supernatural theme (ghosts, monsters, witches, spells etc), please feel free to add yourself to the list.

get the InLinkz code to add to your blog

45 comments:

  1. Sounds exciting, I wish you all the luck, though it looks like you have it thoroughly planned out.

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    1. Thanks. I have it planned, but I'm still writing the posts :)

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  2. Sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to reading your post.

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  3. What a great idea - and I LOVE the way you've incorporated the A2Z style in your badge. Happy blogging - see you later!
    Jemima
    #Team Damyanti
    Blogging from Alpha to Zulu in April

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    1. Thanks - I thought if I was going to theme this year, I wanted to get the AtoZ into my badge :). Thanks for stopping by - it should be a good challenge this year.

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  4. Sounds a little spooky! But very fun and exhilarating too. Looking forward to your tips on writing about ghosts as well.

    MJ, A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    Writing Tips
    Effectively Human
    Lots of Crochet Stitches


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    1. Thanks. I hope it will be good and spooky :)

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  5. So cool!! I just saw an A to Z of Vampires too. I am doing an A to Z of Witches (and did Demons last year). I am planning on being here everyday!

    --
    Timothy S. Brannan
    The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches

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    1. Witches - that sounds really intriguing. I love all things supernatural. so I will have to check out your posts too. :)

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  6. You win for most organized post! I love that you put up a calendar of posts--color me impressed! I have mine sketched out but there are a few holes toward the end of the alphabet. I hope you have fun with the challenge!

    My A to Z Reveal post here

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    1. I find I have to be organised, so I have goals to aim for, otherwise I'd procrastinate until the cows come home :). The A to Z should be fun, see you there :).

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  7. Ooh! I love ghosts too. In fact, one of my "one day" projects is all about a girl who inherits the responsibility to take out the world's nastiest poltergeist. How's that for ghostly? =)

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    1. That is really ghostly.:) I think poltergeists are one of the scariest types of ghost because they tend to be much more violent than the visible kind. I like your theme of True Heroes as well.

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  8. Oh lovely! As a storyteller I greatly approve :) I have not been big on ghost stories until recently, but I am learning to like them now :) Happy A to Z!

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    1. Happy A to Z to you as well :) I'm glad you like my theme.

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  9. Woahhh... you're done??
    That's so awesome. (And organised)

    anna @ Deeply Shallow

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    1. I have my content mainly done, but NOT my ghost story, I'm still writing that :) So I still have a lot of work to do! I'm looking forward to your flash fics. :)

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  10. Ghost stories can be so much fun! Can't wait to see what you've got!

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  11. Love the calendar! How handy! Also, I'm a big fan of ghosts as well.

    ~MPL

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  12. OOOOO! I'm definitely hanging around for your posts. I recently started writing a ghost story and I LOVE ghost hunting shows.

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    1. Excellent - a fellow devotee! :D Ghost Hunting shows are my secret treat, since the rest of my household can't stand them and I have to sneak in a peak at them when they're not around.

      I was lying in bed last night working out one of the scenes for my ghost story, as you do, y'know, in the pitch black, and I managed to give myself the heebie jeebies, so here's to hoping I can get that onto the page :)

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  13. I've always loved ghost stories, and even like the idea of staying in a notoriously haunted hotel or inn. I probably wouldn't have the guts to actually stay in one of the haunted rooms, though!

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    1. You're braver than me. I managed to get myself into a haunted room in a hotel during a work's conference by just sheer bad luck and I didn't sleep a wink all night. I had the lights on, I even watched the TV to try and calm myself down, but I was a wreck about it.

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  14. Yay, ghosts! I've grown up with ghosts from a young age. My parents owned a pub when I was just a toddler, and you could always hear children laughing and talking. We even had a lady who freaked the hell out of my mum. They were nice ghosts, but when we moved to a house, that's a different story.
    This will be top on my list to come back to on April 1st, closely followed by your sister. :)

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    1. Sounds like you had a spooky childhood! Pubs do have a reputation for collecting ghosts. I'm glad they were nice in your pub, though. Glad to hear you'll be coming back, I'm encouraging folks to share their stories as I share mine throughout April, so it would be great to hear what you have to say. :)

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  15. Eerily cool! Can't wait to join in your ghostly adventures during the A to Z challenge ;)

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  16. You sound like you are really organized. Look forward to reading your ghost stories.

    http://cmbrown-books.blogspot.com.au/

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  17. Ghosts ! Interesting ..Looking forward for some believe-it-or-not stuff..

    GS at Moontime Tunes

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    1. Thanks. Glad you like the sound of my ghosts :)

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  18. Ghosts! Interesting . Looking forward for some believe-it-or-not stuff from you.

    GS at Moontime Tunes

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  19. Sounds like a lot of fun to read! I'm looking forward to it. Ghost stories are fascinating on many levels: the inevitable tragic characters, the conflict between worlds, the connections between characters of different times...love it!

    jetgirlcos visiting via Forty, c'est Fantastique

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Glad you like ghost stories too, they've always captivated me, I just love being scared :)

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  20. curious.. very curious ... I am interested in knowing more!

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    1. great! :) Thanks for stopping by. This A to Z is going to be fun!

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  21. Stopping by for the A to Z challenge. I've always loved being spooked! I've yet to find a scary movie. :) I started reading Poe at age 9 and have always found it fascinating. It's really strange I'm not writing that genre....yet...

    Jamie Dement (LadyJai)
    My A to Z Challenge
    Caring for my Veterna

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    1. There aren't many movies I find scary, but The Woman In Black is one of them, and Rose Red. Poe disturbs me, he writes stuff that makes me shiver. I haven't written much ghost story writing, but I did manage to scare the sh*t out of myself yesterday when I was writing a scary scene for my ghost story for the A to Z and suddenly the front door bell went ;P I just hope my imagination translates to the page.

      Good luck with your A to Z :)

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  22. I love the classics, even Bram Stoker's spooky story. This could be a lot of fun.

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  23. Writing about ghosts -- cool theme! But the way you did up the AtoZ badge? Now THAT is completely badass! I need to learn how to do that sort of thing. It looks awesome!

    I can never have to much mythology and folklore in my life! Looking forward to reading your posts throughout April.

    I'm participating in AtoZ, as well. My topic is writing in general + my current work-in-progress in particular.

    See you around!
    ~Andi-Roo @TheWorld4Realz

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    1. Thanks, I'm glad you like the badge. I'm not much of an original artist, but I can take existing pictures and combine them. The green of the A to Z this year just leant itself to the spooky theme :)

      Good luck with your theme, sounds cool too. I look forward to checking out your posts. I'm always interested to see what other writers have to say about the craft - I think if you got a bunch of us writers together we'd spend so much time talking about writing we'd never get any done ;P

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Thanks for stopping by - I'd love to hear from you. :)