Release Day Giveaway, Interview, & Review: Haunted Stuff by Stacey Graham

Hello my lovely followers. Today I'm happy to have author Stacey Graham here on the blog talking to me about her book, Haunted Stuff: Demonic Dolls, Screaming Skulls & Other Creepy Collectibles. This book goes live today, and to celebrate the release Stacey and Llewellyn Publications have graciously offered up a few pretty copies up for a giveaway to a new home. But first, what's Haunted stuff about?



Synopsis from Goodreads:
Finding a one-of-a-kind antique doll at a garage sale is a great feeling--until you bring that doll home and discover it's haunted. Objects with restless spirits attached to them can quietly invade a home through auctions, antique dealers, estate sales, garage sales, and inheritance. This spooky collection examines a wide variety of haunted items, from screaming skulls to demonic dolls, and how they affect the owner's life. Haunted Stuff provides true accounts of possessed possessions, often found in the strangest places. Discover chilling stories of the island of haunted dolls, the tumbling coffin, Rudolph Valentino's cursed ring, and even the Queen Mary ocean liner--one of the largest haunted items of all. Experience these true accounts that will make you look closer at the antiques on your shelf . . . and wonder if that creepy doll just blinked.

Interview:

Thanks so much for stopping by to talk with me, Stacey! What inspired you to write Haunted Stuff?

I've had a lifelong fascination with things that we can't quite explain away, and wanted to know if there was more than just floating head stories. Haunted houses are the ultimate ghostly abode, but what about blenders or ceramic cupcakes? It was time to find out more, so I dug in and found some doozies.

Have you ever thought about what item you'd haunt? What would it be? Why?

Great question! I'd go old school and haunt an oil painting. I'd be the eyes watching you from across the room.

Have you ever visited a place that you knew was haunted? Where was it? What was it like?

been investigating the paranormal for over 25 years and have seen a lot of odd things, but one of the most compelling was at a haunted mansion I visited during a writer's retreat near San Francisco. Detailed in the book, I had my share of run-ins with a mustachioed gentleman, and a very noisy dining room.

Everyone has their own version of nightmare fuel. What are you most afraid of?

Rats. Next question. :shudder:

Thousand-leggers for me. Quickly, let's move on. What was the weirdest/most interesting thing you researched while writing Haunted Stuff?

I have a penchant for haunted ships. I was going to be a marine archaeologist before life (and children) took me in another direction; I think part of that lure to the sea was wrapped up in the stories shipwrecks bring. The ones that haunt the coastline, such as the Lady Lovibond, or relive its former glory, like the USS Constellation, make all of us shiver just a little bit. It's addicting.

What gave you the most trouble with the story?

I ran into a lot of dead ends when doing research. I tried to follow a story to the object's owner or at least have three solid references to it from reputable sources. A lot of urban legends fell apart when held up to scrutiny so they didn't make it into the book.

If you could have dinner with five people, living or dead, who would they be? Why?

Jane Austen, for writing tips and love life advice
Daniel Craig because Daniel Craig
Queen Elizabeth I & II because I want the skinny on the hidden tunnels in the castles
The Dalai Lama because I think he'd be a hoot at parties

What's one item you can't live without?

Lip gloss. I know I should say my husband and children, but I'd toss them over in a second for a great lip gloss.

Describe your book in ten words or less.

Is that clown doll looking at you funny? HAUNTED STUFF!

What's one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I didn't start writing professionally until I was 39, and then had four books and a dozen short stories published by the time I was 46. Five busy kids don't leave a lot of time for dillydallying, so I hit the ground running after the last one could walk.

Can you tell us about any upcoming or previous works?

My first books, The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), and the Zombie Tarot (Quirk) were so much fun to write. I like to read books with a heavy dose of humor, so try to add that to everything I send out. My next book, The Boxcar Children Guide to Adventure: A How-To for Mystery Solving, Make-It-Yourself Projects, and More (Albert Whitman, & Co) and written as Gertrude Chandler Warner, will be released September 1, 2014. I love writing for younger audiences, they get all the booger jokes.

Some authors need to use pink ink, others have to sit in a special chair. Do you have any quirks when you write?

I get hyper-organized when I'm on deadline for a book. I have mind-maps, legal pads, Excel spreadsheets, multiple chapters, and two screens (or more) going for online resources. And a bowlful of chocolate doesn't hurt either.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Be sure to check out Haunted Stuff, and all her other books too!

About the Author
Stacey Graham has spent a good part of the last twenty years as a ghost hunter sitting in dark attics waiting to poke the paranormal and see if it giggles. When not wrestling ghosts, she enjoys reading Jane Austen and writing zombie poetry, humor, and ghost stories. She is the author of The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide and the Zombie Tarot. Her current projects include: Haunted Stuff: Demonic Dolls, Screaming Skulls, and Other Creepy Collectibles for Llewellyn Publishing (releases August 8, 2014), plus The Boxcar Children Guide to Adventure: A How-To for Mystery Solving, Make-It-Yourself Projects, and More for Albert Whitman & Co (releases September 1, 2014).

Please visit her at her website at http://staceyigraham.com for information on Ghoul School and how to schedule Skype bookclub or Scout meetings, on Facebook at facebook.com/authorstaceygraham, and on Twitter at twitter.com/staceyigraham. She may also be found at her blog, Late Bloomer, at http://staceyigraham.blogspot.com.

Review:

Title: Haunted Stuff: Demonic Dolls, Screaming Skulls & Other Creepy Collectibles
Author: Stacey Graham
Format: ebook
Pub. Date: August 26th 2014
Source: Stacey Graham



★★★★

Four stars.

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When I saw that this book existed, I knew that I needed to read it. I'm a frequent shopper at places like estate sales, thrift stores, and garage sales. When you frequent these sorts of places, or at least in my opinion, you get certain feels on older items. An item that comes to mind to me is a pink pearl necklace that I bought at an estate sale after the old woman who had lived there for decades had passed away. It hadn't bothered me much to buy the used necklace.... Until I held it in my hands. It felt... Sad. This was the first time, I think, that I'd ever experienced touching a non-living object and felt an emotional reaction to it.

So, when this book popped up on my radar, my ears (metaphorically of course) perked up, realizing that hey, I'm not the only one who has felt something like that. I needed to learn more. I was not at all disappointed when I got to reading Haunted Stuff. Stacey Graham takes you around the world and tells true story account of haunted objects and places with believable research and citations and first-hand accounts. This book is written in a very well-researched manner, but in such a tone that inspires a bit of humor and that puts me in mind of telling ghost stories around the campfire.

This book is fascinating, and if you're like me and are the type of person who believes that things can go bump in the night, then this book is right up your alley. It'll make you look twice at some of the items in your house that inevitably creep you out. (Thanks for that Stacey. I live with a woman who collects porcelain figurines and dolls. It won't be hard to fall asleep at ALL now >.>) Suitable for any age that can handle a few ghosties, this is a great book for anyone with an interest in the paranormal.

Thanks so much to Stacey Graham for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway:

Rules:
-This giveaway will run from August 8th to August 15, 2014
-This giveaway is US ONLY.
-This giveaway is open to those 13 and older (with parental permission of course)
-It is open to anyone over that age who can legally enter, receive, and use their prize.
-Two (2) winners will each win a copy.
-This giveaway is sponsored wholly by the publisher. I am not responsible.
-This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity.
-Winner will have 48 hours to reply, or a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be chosen using random.org.
-Invalid entries will be removed, so please don't cheat.
-Void where prohibited. Odds will vary. No purchase necessary.
-My opinions are my own. Information will not be stored or sold, and will be used only to contact the winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway