This is so spookily cool! And the cover reminds me of a Raffaello painting.

She Sees Ghosts―The Story of a Woman Who Rescues Lost Souls (Part of the Adirondack Spirit Series) By David Fitz-Gerald released in October in the Historical/Supernatural genre.

A blazing fire killed her family and devoured her home. A vengeful demon haunted her. Ghosts of the Revolutionary War needed help that only she could provide. A young woman languished, desperate to survive, and teetered on the edge of sanity.

Mehitable grew up in a freshly tamed town, carved from the primeval forest. Family, friends, and working at the mercantile filled her days and warmed her heart. For Mehitable, life was simple and safe, until tragedy struck. When her family perished in their burning home, she retreated into a world of her own making.

As a young girl, she had seen glimmers, glimpses, and flickers of the spirit world. She closed her eyes. She turned her back. She ignored the apparitions that she never spoke of, desperately hoping they would leave her in peace. She was mistaken.

Grief-stricken, Mehitable withdrew from the human world. Ghosts were everywhere. They became bolder. She could no longer turn her back on the spirit world. Her friends feared for her survival. Nobody understood her. She would have to find her own way.

Fans of TV’s Ghost Whisperer and Long Island Medium will especially love She Sees Ghosts. This historical novel features memorable characters and delivers bone-tingling, spine chilling goosebumps. It stands on its own and it is the next installment in the Adirondack Spirit Series by the award-winning author of Wanders Far―An Unlikely Hero’s Journey. David Fitz-Gerald delivers a historical novel with a bittersweet ending that you won’t see coming.

Would she save the spirits’ souls, or would they save her? Only time would tell.

And so, Mehitable’s wandering in the woods continued. Each day she went farther into the wilderness than the day before, adding to her cumulative explorations.

One day her hiking brought her to a large rock at the edge of the woods. She followed the road that ran along the river as she often did. A red squirrel sat on top of the rock. Its big bushy tail followed the curve of its body to its ears which stood at attention. Its tiny brown eyes watched her intently and the squirrel remained prepared to scurry off into the forest at the first sign of danger.

Mehitable admired the beauty of the small animal. Her fear and hatred of mice didn’t extend to squirrels. She admired their industrious nature, and yet, squirrels were also playful. Whenever she saw them, she felt as if she were being reminded to stop and take a moment to do something to feed her soul.

She made a chirping sound as if she hoped to converse with the denizen of the forest. It chattered back and she approached the rock. The squirrel jumped to a branch a short distance away and Mehitable climbed up onto the rock. Then the squirrel darted off to another tree, drawing Mehitable’s eyes deeper into the woods.

She was intrigued. It looked as if a path led into the woods. The boulder seemed to signal that the trail was there and hide it at the same time. She followed the trail and the playful red squirrel down the path. Every once in a while, it would look back to see if she were following.

Eventually, that path led her to the shore of a large pond. She neglected to notice the small wickiup in a little meadow, two hundred yards away. She watched as the squirrel took a quick drink, twittered, and disappeared back into the woods.

Mehitable shed her clothes and walked into the lake. She splashed around like a happy, carefree child rather than a mature woman. She enjoyed the feeling of the cool, refreshing water on her naked body.

The commotion in his pond caught the attention of a young man across the lake. He leaned forward to see more clearly across the water. He rubbed his eyes, then squinted. It had been three years since he had seen another human being. As he watched, she finished her swim, turned her back, and walked away from him until she reached the edge of the lake. She turned, stretched her arms wide and tilted her head back.

The young man’s heart pounded. It wasn’t just a human, it was a woman. And she was naked. She had her arms stretched wide, welcoming him. Without giving thought to whether he should or should not, he began swimming.

Author Bio:

David Fitz-Gerald writes fiction that is grounded in history and soars with the spirits. Dave enjoys getting lost in the settings he imagines and spending time with the characters he creates. Writing historical fiction is like making paintings of the past. He loves to weave fact and fiction together, stirring in action, adventure, romance, and a heavy dose of the supernatural with the hope of transporting the reader to another time and place. He is an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked all of the highest peaks in New York State, so it should not be surprising when Dave attempts to glorify hikers as swashbuckling superheroes in his writing. She Sees Ghosts―A Story of a Woman Who Rescues Lost Souls is the next installment in the Adirondack Spirit Series.

Meet the Ghosts

by David Fitz-Gerald

She Sees Ghosts is a historical novel about the soul, reincarnation, and timelessness. I didn’t set out to write a horror novel, like Stephen King, or a book that would cause recurring nightmares for decades. My first objective is to make readers feel like they’re in the world inhabited by Mehitable Munch in the early 1800s. That said, I hope that the supernatural elements of my book do give readers goosebumps and cause them to imagine supernatural possibilities.

Most of the ghosts are soldiers from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the French and Indian War. In most cases, the spirits are confused and can’t find their way. It is up to Mehitable Munch, our protagonist, to rescue their souls and help them join the world of spirits. Some go willingly, and some present a significant challenge.

Not all of the spirits that Mehitable encounters are benevolent. There are evil spirits in this book. A vengeful, demonic presence is Mehitable’s greatest challenge. You will meet the ghost of a wicked man, William Cunningham, the provost marshal who was responsible for the death and torture of many Revolutionary War prisoners. Mehitable must endure the nightly presence of an evil spirit. Anson Smudge was a troubled young man who accidentally burned down her house and killed her family. His ghost torments her nightly and insists that she harm herself. In the end, you might find that even the bad guys aren’t all bad after all.

Here are some of the other ghosts you’ll meet in She Sees Ghosts:

Molly Cole Lewis was a messenger during the Revolutionary War who sounded the alarm and allowed for the evacuation of several towns in advance of General Burgoyne’s army on its way through what would become Vermont. This was the campaign that ultimately ended at Saratoga. Molly’s ghost attached itself to the spyglass that her granddaughter Polly kept on her mantle. Will Mehitable find a way to help Molly’s spirit find God?

Lieutenant Colonel Roger Townshend was the son of a British Viscount who lived in Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. In 1759, a French cannonball blew through his belly, and his spirit suffered his tragic death, over and over, like a looping GIF. Mehitable writes a letter to his family. Can she help his ghost find the peace he seeks?

Nathanial Wheat was a young, 21-year-old soldier from Hollis, New Hampshire that died in 1777. He sits on a stump with his hat in his hand. He is lost and confused, sad, and tired. He doesn’t know that he is a spirit. Mehitable must help him find his way.

Daniel Cadwell had been stationed at Ticonderoga in 1777 but contracted smallpox. He was a courageous soldier, but his spirit was not brave. His presence scares Mehitable. She sees only his bright green eye beneath his hat as he mysteriously spies on her. He died in Skenesborough, a town that is today known as Whitehall, New York. His ghost follows Mehitable when she and her friends move from one rural frontier town to another. He needs to know that his family is well. Can Mehitable locate them?

Herod’s babies―or, rather, the ghosts of the babies killed on King Herod’s command have somehow found their way to Mehitable. Mehitable and the ghost of her Granny must try to find a way to help them.

Wanders Far, the ghost of a Mohawk man from hundreds of years earlier―and the hero of the previous book in the Adirondack Spirit Series―is an ethereal presence in Mehitable’s life. She tries to help him find his way into the light, but he doesn’t seem interested in crossing over just yet. Can she figure out what this ghost seeks?

In 1634-5, an epidemic of smallpox claimed the lives of many Native Americans. Hundreds of these souls remain lost. Again, Mehitable is challenged to help a large number of souls cross into the world of spirits, all at once. What would it mean to help so many lost souls?

Liam Mallory is a character from Paul Bennett’s books, The Mallory Saga. It was fun to include a crossover character from another author’s novel. Check out his third book, The Crucible of Rebellion, newly released. It was fun to work with another indie author on this guest star. It reminded me of when characters from one television show drop by and visit another television series. Will Mehitable be able to help Liam Mallory crossover?

Ethan Allen was a Revolutionary War hero, known as the liberator of Ticonderoga and the leader of the Green Mountain Boys. His spirit searches endlessly for his trusty stead, “a tall, flaxen chestnut with white socks, a narrow stripe on his head, a long blond mane, and a tail that flows almost to the ground.” Colonel Allen’s horse was named Pendennis, after the castle where he was held prisoner in England. The spirit of Ethan Allen confounds and confuses Mehitable. He is a larger than life character with a most unusual spirit. Despite Mehitable’s suggestion that “heaven must be full of beautiful horses and hot buttered rum,” Ethan’s ghost stubbornly refuses to seek the light. Will Mehitable be able to help his soul, or will he become “the one that got away?”

These are just some of the ghosts you’ll encounter. There are plenty more. It is like watching a full season of TV’s Long Island Medium, only 220 years earlier.

In addition to demons, ghosts, and spirits, this book also contains a bit of romance. Some readers might be surprised to find this storyline when it shows up unexpectedly. Readers of this blog will know it is coming from the brief excerpt from Chapter 19. What will become of this magical encounter in the woods? Come and meet the ghosts.

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