Verliege, By Micheal Rivers
I’m thrilled to have author Micheal Rivers joining us today. His travels include over thirty years of investigating and collecting stories of the paranormal. He writes horror and thrillers, with an element of paranormal. He’s the founder and lead investigator for the Smokey Mountain Ghost Trackers of Western North Carolina. His novels, The Black Witch and Moonlight on the Nantahala, have received rave reviews; one calling his work, “Timeless and beautiful.”
AR: Micheal, you’re a real-life ghost hunter! What are some of the stranger experiences you’ve had?
MR: The experiences over the years have been fantastic to say the least. One of my favorites happened last year on an investigation in the mountains of North Carolina. The owners of the residence were standing by their house while the team was about 20 yards from them in a wooded area. There were three of us. My wife took a picture that shows myself and another investigator sitting on some rocks. Behind us was an infrared camera pointing towards my wife. In the picture you see the camera and two men and a woman who was not with us. This made four people when there were only three in the area. The infrared never picked up the fourth person, but the still camera did. Where did the fourth person come from?
AR: Creepy! Readers can find a pic of the ghost woman, and more about your ghost hunting below. How did your experience with paranormal phenomenon impact your writing of Verliege, and what’s the story about?
MR: Between the actual experiences and research over a long period of time, I have learned what can happen when the paranormal events take place. Yes, it can be very dangerous at times and you can be physically harmed in the blink of an eye. I incorporated a few of the things into the book, but most have been embellished for the sake of the reader.
Verliege takes place in an obscure castle in Germany. A famous writer was convicted of killing his wife and is murdered while incarcerated. A team of experts as well as his psychiatrist go to the castle and attempt to prove who killed her and clear his name. What they find is a mystery that will only be resolved with the legacy surrounding the secret of the ‘9’.
AR: The title, Verliege, suggests an old castle with shadows and dark secrets. How did you come up with it?!
MR: I have always had an avid interest in castles and the history behind them. I first developed this idea back in the 90’s. I wasn’t sure exactly how I wanted to produce the story. Castles and hauntings go hand in hand, but I wanted something to give my readers something to think about.
We have known since the beginning that spirits walk the earth and there are more things possible than we can possibly imagine. Many disagree, but a huge number claim to have had an experience of some kind. Do the spirits of those passed co-exist with us, or do we co-exist with them? Food for thought.
AR: If it won’t spoil anything, tell us about the story’s antagonist, and how you developed it.
MR: The antagonist is not a simple one, it is a question. “Can you bargain with the dead?” I posed a scenario to myself and backed it by asking people what they thought about it. The answers were amazing. Some who were not believers (or said they weren’t) actually believed it was possible.
AR: Themes about loss run through your writing, and is so compelling in a love story? What is it about the transcendence of space and time that grabs people?
MR: In Moonlight on the Nantahala, the basic theme is how some of us deal with the loss of a loved one. Most move on with their lives and find happiness again, while others try to hang on to memories and emotions that once lost can never be regained.
I am not sure what the exact answer would be. For some I think it would be to try and hold on to some semblance of what they once had, while with others it would be proof there is life after death. They search for the answers to life after death. It is unknown territory and as curiosity seekers we want to know the truth. It is a lot of speculation on our behalf.
AR: Are you a romantic at heart. Nature or nurture?!
MR: I don’t know for sure if I would be in the category of being a romanticist. Maybe in my personal life, but then again, with my background, sometimes I have doubts. Nature at best.
AR: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
MR: Write what you know and don’t be discouraged if your writing does not compare with the writers of great merit. At one time in their lives they were not as beloved as they are now. Practice makes perfect so they say, but not everyone was born to write.
AR: Thanks so much for stopping by! Links to follow Micheal and purchase his books below:
Links:
Micheal Rivers Facebook Author Page
Micheal Rivers Blog
Micheal Rivers, Author of "Verliege"
Micheal told me about a house on a mountain top that the owners leave for the winter. Their security is very high, with cameras everywhere. The caretaker has gone in twice and found the thermostat turned up; and there was a leather cord with three strands that had been braided and left on the table. The alarm system was on! Picture of the braided cord below.
Braided Cord left by ghost?
