Today at my local RWA meeting, we had some truly phenomenal guest speakers:  The Ghost Chicks! Tara and Lorrie (the Ghost Chicks in question) are certified paranormal investigators. They told my group about their experiences with paranormal phenomenon, particularly their encounters at The Myrtles Plantation–“One of America’s Most Haunted Homes.”

After their talk about the plantation, I wasn’t certain if I should pack my bags and immediately book a stay at the plantation (so that I could try to observe some of the supernatural occurrences for myself) or if I should stay far, far away from the place. I’m still debating that one!

The Ghost Chicks brought some of their equipment with them (oh, yeah, these ladies were definitely giving me story ideas), and it was interesting to learn about the use of cell sensors and K2 meters. The Chicks told my group about the importance of using hand-held recorders–they said it was always a good idea to record the questions because, at the time, while you may not hear a response, if you listen later, you could hear some sort of answer (not necessarily talking a clear voice hear, but perhaps knocking that shouldn’t be present).

Here are some other tidbits from the discussion:

The Chicks said that when a paranormal event is occurring, the temperature may drop–or it may rise. I thought this was interesting, because I’d heard of the drop before–but the rise in temp was new for me.

People who have a strong encounter with the paranormal often become sick after the event–folks might develop a metallic taste in their mouths, they may vomit, or they may suffer from headaches.

The Chicks said they made a habit of carrying extra batteries to the various haunted locations because the energy present at those sites drains the batteries faster.

I really enjoyed their talk (they made me want to go home and tune in for a Ghost Hunter episode!).   Now, I’m certain I can use all of the great info I’ve now obtained in a book…

I can’t help it–I had to post because I think the widget–well, she’s cool:

I’m guest blogging over at Magical Musings today–one of my absolute favorite spots on the Web. If you get a chance, come by, leave a comment–and you might just win the $10 Amazon.com gift certificate that I’m giving away. (Wow–lately, I seem to love giving those away!)

Okay, the  sneaky Edie Ramer has tagged me–and now  I must reveal eight random  facts about myself. Since I’m a pretty random person, this should be easy!

Here we go:

1. I have a habit of eating brownie mix when I’m stressed. I know–what in the heck? But it’s good!!

2. I used to enjoy wrapping potato chips inside large pieces of ham–crunchy surprises were nice.

3. I graduated college with a perfect 4.0 GPA–didn’t see that coming, did you? Especially not in light of items #1 and #2.

4. If I watch a scary movie, I won’t think about the movie again until I’m alone and it’s late at night–then I WON’T be able to stop thinking about the dang film.

5. The last time I played hide and seek was, oh, about fifteen minutes ago.

6. I don’t like to bury my feet in the sand b/c I know that sand crabs will nibble on my toes.

7. When I was younger, I took dance classes for several years–an amazing feat for one as clumsy as I am!

8. My first published work appeared in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SISTER’S SOUL.

That’s it–my eight facts. Thanks, Edie, that was fun! Now, I am going to break the rules a little bit here and instead of specifically listing eight other folks to tag, I’m going to say if you read this post–consider yourself tagged!

Over at The Bradford Bunch, I’m talking about the shifters I love–and the ones you probably won’t find me writing about any time soon. 🙂  If you get a chance, hop over and check out my post.