GirlZombieAuthors: A Shadow of Love Blog Tour #ghost story

Today I welcome Amy S. Cutler, author of the spooky A Shadow of Love. Read more about her view of why ghost stories are popular below.

About the Book:

When Annabelle flees her abusive husband and moves into an 1860's farmhouse, she soon learns that she is not alone; she shares her home with Christian, the ghost of a poet who killed himself in 1917. Christian, wanting nothing but solitude, tries to scare Annabelle away, but once they come together while she is dreaming, they fall in love. The clock is ticking for Christian, for moments after his hanging his fiance magically cursed his spirit to be stuck on earth for one hundred years, and his time is almost up.

With Annabelle's ex threatening her and the spirit she has fallen in love with on the verge of disappearing, Annabelle becomes obsessed with staying with Christian, and will do anything to be with him. Being in love with a ghost is bad enough, but for Annabelle, discovering that her true love will be crossing over at any moment pushes her over the edge of reckless behavior.

* Buy A Shadow of Love on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

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(images: pixabay.com)

Why are ghost stories so popular?

By Amy S Cutler

A good ghost story is like being put under the best sort of spell. You are transported to a world where you know the answer to the top question that so many of us have: What happens when we die? When swept away in a story, we can be delighted to discover the answer, and in the pages of a book we can find solace in knowing that if there is an afterlife for our beloved characters, then there is an afterlife for all of us.

I have always loved ghost stories, and horror in general, although ghost stories certainly do not have to be scary. Part of the reason that I like the horror genre so much is that I love the adrenaline rush that being scared gives, along with the safety of knowing that I can shut the book or turn off the TV if I need a break.

Ghost stories are different. They give me comfort, and if that comfort only lasts while I’m reading, I’ll still take it because taking a break from the question of what’s next is a sort of meditation. It relaxes me, stills my unease. I frequently ponder the purpose of my life – what is my life purpose? Am I fulfilling it? Does it even matter? It is often while reading or watching a ghost story when I find myself letting my guard down, throwing away my analytical thinking, and getting to the bottom of these questions. Ghost stories allow people to open their minds, and that is where our answers lie.

Of course, many ghost stories are scary, as that is so often the point in the telling of them. But even then, there is comfort in the idea of ghosts as a possibility. Naturally some people may not want to know these answers, and are not so thrilled with the idea that ghosts could exist outside of the pages of a book. I happen to know quite a few people who say that they do not believe in ghosts and do not want ghosts to exist, yet they still love a good ghost story. I like to think that they are getting some comfort, too, in knowing that it’s just fiction (or rather, they think it’s just fiction, wink wink).

To tell the truth, there are some ghost stories that have scared the daylights out of me, stories like The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Hell House by Richard Matheson, and Pet Sematary by Stephen King.

Naturally I don’t want those stories to be true, and don’t want an afterlife where it is I who is the terrifying one. I may not want that reality, but I do know that life cannot be wrapped up in a pretty bow, or box, just because it’s what I want to believe. I still enjoy these stories, even if I am not fantasizing about them being true, and I still get a glimmer of hope that there is something out there besides … nothing.

One can probably guess that October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite day, since ghost story lovers like myself are free to express to the world how enthralled we are with the afterlife. It is my hope that people get something more out of the Halloween month than just scary tales and KitKats – something deeper, something that brings us all closer to the answers we seek.

About the Author:

Amy S. Cutler, author of A Shadow of Love earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Most recently she was published in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work and featured in the Tales to Terrify Podcast, among others. Her writing focus is suspense, horror, science fiction, and ghost stories. She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

* Follow the rest of the blog tour: *

October 25th @ Four Moon Reviews

Join Samantha as she reviews Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love. You can also win a copy of the book too!

https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/

October 27th @ Girl Zombie Authors

Come by Chris' blog again and read a review of Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love. You can also enter to win a copy of the book too!

https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/

October 29th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion

Visit Linda's blog for an in-depth interview with author Amy S. Cutler about her book A Shadow of Love.

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com

October 31st @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog

Visit Anthony's blog for Amy S. Cutler's guest post about finding a publisher.