Ghost Stories

Work began in 1848 on the Hoosac Tunnel, a.k.a. "Bloody Pit" in Massachusetts and wasn't completed until 1877. The tunnel was located at Hoosac Mountain which interestingly in the Mohawk language means "forbidden". More than 200 men died from explosions, fires, tunnel collapses and once by the hand of another worker. But the murder which occurred in 1865, is what gave the tunnel it's reputation. That year, the construction crew at Hoosac Tunnel was the first to use the new explosive nitroglycerin. Three explosive experts by the names of Ned Brinkman, Billy Nash and Ringo Kelley used the nitro to continue their work on March 20, 1865. After placing a charge, they ran back to the bunker that would shield them from the blast effects but unfortunately, Brinkman and Nash never made it. Kelley set off the charge early, burying the two men alive under tons of rock. The authorities began to believe that the "accident" wasn't an accident at all when

Harpy- winged female monster with sharp talens. Hydra- many-headed water serpent. Kraken- giant squid. Minotaur- half man, half bull. Mummy- dead, embalmed body. Ogre- man-eating giant. Pegasus- winged horse. Phoenix- brilliant-plumed, large bird that sprang from ashes of fire set by previous phoenix. Sea Serpent- umbrella term for many large sea monsters. Sphinx- human head, lion's body. Unicorn- animal generally depicted as having head and body of a horse, the hind legs of a stag, the tail of a lion, and having a long tapering horn growing from the middle of its forehead. Vampire- undead, blood-sucking creature. Werewolf- human that transform into a wolf at night. Wraith- specter seen before death. Yedi- creature usually described as a shaggy man-beast that is only ever briefly seen moving across snow swept landscapes. Zombie- living dead. *McLaughlin, Barb (2005). Mythical Creatures. Retrieved on November 15-16, 2005 from the Soul Quest Learning Center MSN group website: http://

Angel- A spiritual being who serves God. Banshee- Female Irish fairy who wails to warn impending death. Basilisk- King of the serpents. Centaur- Half man, half horse. Cyclops- Giant with a single eye in the middle of the forehead. Demon- supernatural evil spirit. Djinni (genie)- evil or good spirit that grants wishes. Doppleganger- human double. Dragon- large flying reptile, sometimes fire-breathing. Elemental- a being composed of one of the fundamental elements. Fae- umbrella term for other-worldly little people. Gargoyle- hideous creatures carved on Gothic buildings as water spouts and to ward off evil spirits. Ghost- disembodied spirit. Ghoul- evil spirit that feeds on corpses. Giant- humaniod creature of prodigious size and strength. Gremlin- mechanically oriented mischievous creature. Griffin- Lion's body, eagle's head, long ears and an eagle's claws. More to come. Some of these creatures (those that I haven't already) will be described more in later posts.

I don't usually post anything about my writing career on this blog. I have a separate blog for that but this is important and for a good cause. Stories of Strength is an anthology to help raise money for hurricane victims. Writers at Absolutewrite.com joined together for this special project. Disaster relief charities such as The Red Cross, Americares and Salvation Army will receive 100 percent of the proceeds. SoS was published at Lulu.com a POD (Publish on Demand) company. They also generously agreed to donate their profits from the project. Sos was officially released on November 1st. After only 6 days, we have sold 241 books, raising $1,226.69 for charity! Our goal is to raise at least $100,000. Headed by Jenna Glatzer, author of Celine Dion biography For Keeps, this project attracted contributions from many well-known writers, including award-winning science fiction novelist Orson Scott Card, famed actor Wil Wheaton (Star Trek, Stand By Me), and Christian romance author Robin