A Glimmer of Ghosts (The Hell Gate Series) by Hunter J. Skye

A Glimmer of Ghosts

The Hell Gate Series Book 1

by Hunter J. Skye

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

One night of filming in the wrong cemetery changes everything for a celebrity ghost-hunter with a half dead brain. When Melisande Blythe discovers that a secret society of wraiths wants her killed or worse, Mel will have to do the one thing she promised she would never do… trust a ghost.

But does the corporeal spirit of her dreams really want her heart or does he want her newfound ability to enslave souls? With Hell on the horizon, Mel is running out of time. She has to stop the fiery invasion or face the darkness warring in her soul.

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The Lady with the Fruit Hat

Someone asked me recently if I’ve had any experiences with ghosts. My immediate response was, “How much time do you have.” But it got me thinking, maybe I should write them down. I looked back at my experiences from toddler age on and was shocked at how many encounters with the otherworldly I’ve actually had. Some of them were brushes with pretty unwholesome stuff. It makes me wonder if I might have a bit of divine protection.

Not all entities out there are bad- thank goodness. I discovered that fact when was three years old. I recall that my parents had packed up the car because we were going somewhere. My brother, who is five years older than me, was already sitting in the back seat. For some reason, I had to make one last trip into the house before we set off.

I remember very clearly walking back into the house and seeing a beautiful older African-American woman with fruit on her hat. She was leaning over with her arms stretched wide waiting for a hug. She was smiling from her very soul. I can still feel the sense of love emanating from her.

I’m not sure what happened next, but I went back to the car, climbed inside, and told me parents about the “nice lady with the fruit on her hat”. They looked shocked. I learned later that my brother had mentioned a nice lady in the house when he was that age. They remembered the description he’d given of the hat she wore with fruit on it.

I don’t know if that was a ghost attached to my parents first house. We did move that year to their permanent home. Maybe I remember the event so well because it was moving day and the ghost was just trying to say goodbye. Part of me hopes that the Lady with the Fruit Hat is a wandering entity that visits all children at that age. Or, maybe she’s my spirit guide. Whatever the explanation of her existence may be, I feel blessed and glad to have that memory.

I’d love it if your visitors would leave their ghostly encounters in the comments. I like a good chill down the spine.

Excerpt 1:

He was there. I could tell. His thoughts whispered down the phone line between us. They simmered—heavy, wordless, and thick with desire.

Lightning flashed outside my bedroom windows, illuminating every shadowy corner of my room, but the hall was dark. It didn’t matter. I knew he was there. I felt him inside my head watching me…longing for me. Thunder rolled across the roof, pushing against my ward. My bed shook with the force of it. Even the sky wanted in. Maybe I’d make it suffer too.

Excerpt 2:

My mind rolled on the shore of dreams. Each wave of REM stage that washed toward me threatened to sweep me away. I fought the tide as spirits spiraled past us. Where were they going? I reached into an icy current and caught another hand rough with the burdens of his former life. He closed the memory of his calloused fingers over mine.

“What’s wrong?” I asked the ghost. He fixed me with the deep-sea eyes of a faded mariner. His uniform came into view, and I heard the wet clang of a ship bell ringing.

“She’s here.” His voice trembled. “My apologies, Miss. There is no time. You must run!”

Hunter J. Skye is a high-functioning square peg, which turns out to be a prerequisite for writing quirky urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her debut novel, A Glimmer of Ghosts, has won four Romance Writers of America awards.

When not typing away on her next novel, Hunter can be found cracking nerdy jokes or waxing existential over a bowl of spaghetti.

She firmly believes this world is ready for a narcoleptic heroine.

One thing about the story:

Many of the spirits appearing in A Glimmer of Ghosts are based on actual ghost stories from the Olde Towne district of Portsmouth, Virginia. Once a year, these stories are told on the city’s annual Halloween Ghost Walk. These apparitions are well known to the residents of Olde Towne, Portsmouth and the city considers them ambassadors of a sort. One such ghost, Colonel William Crawford, founded the town three hundred years ago and is the inspiration for Grayford- Melisande’s haunting lover.

One thing about me:

In 2016 Hunter Skye was diagnosed with a rare REM sleep disorder that mimics the presence of other-worldly entities. In her search for a coping mechanism, Hunter adopted a new life plan- “when life gives you ghosts, write a ghost story.” Now that those specters are on the payroll, everyone is much happier.

Hunter has a Bachelor of the Fine Arts and has won four Romance Writers of America awards pre-publication for her debut novel, A Glimmer of Ghosts. Worldwide release is 2/19/20.

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