Wednesday, October 30, 2013

A Haunting From The Great Beyond

 
Welcome to the From The Great Beyond bloghop, where deceased writers can gather around the séance table and chat a bit across the great divide. Come on in, pull up a seat, and take the hands of the people on each side of you. Now close your eyes while I try to summon my favorite deceased author, Charles Dickens.
 
But before we start, I'll tell you a bit about him. He wrote tons of stories about ghosts and such, the most famous being A Christmas Carol. Remember Jacob Marley, who was dead as a doornail and had to go around rattling chains for his sins? He wore the chains he forged in life. If you'll remember, Marley's chains were cash boxes, ledgers and deeds. Money was his business, when it should have been Mankind.
 
Did you know that Dickens was one of the first social activists? His father went to debtor's prison when he was a child, and little Charles was forced to work long hours at a factory. He never forgot that, and his stories are full of social commentary, disguised within the pages of his eccentric, yet amazing stories and characters.
 
Now if you're ready, let's join hands and....
 
*The table rattles*
 
What was that? Who did that?
 
*The table begins to rise*
 
*Empty chairs lie on the floor and Gwen is left standing alone*
 
Um, while I go to see what happened to my guests, perhaps you would like to leave a comment?
 
*Gwen hightails it out of there*
 




Which writer would you choose to contact?


Sorry everyone, but my linky won't work on my blog, but if you'll go to Tara, Angela or Roland, you should be able to see a list of participants to visit. Did I mention there are prizes?! Lots of prizes for both the participants and the commenters.

We'll announce the winners on Halloween (tomorrow)!








30 comments:

  1. What fun.

    I'm not sure which dead author I'd contact. Maybe Louisa May Alcott, who wrote Little Women, as that is one of the first novels I read and desired to steal from the library. Luckily my mother had the good sense to purchase the book as a gift before I had a chance to rob the library. I think I was cheated of an experience :)

    ........dhole

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, what a conversation that would be, Donna. Good choice. Glad you didn't have to "borrow" it from the library :)

      Delete
  2. Run! I'd got for Shakespeare, cool seance Gwen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now Shakespeare would be interesting - maybe a bit of a language barrier, LOL. I visited the house he was born in when I went to England. I was thrilled!

      Delete
  3. Gosh, so many awesome choices...probably Cervantes. That would be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cervantes...I think I may have read some of his stuff in college. Nice choice, Miranda.

      Delete
  4. Great idea for Halloween, and Charles Dickens would be one fabulous man to speak with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was Tara's brilliant idea. She's full of them :)

      Delete
  5. Talk about getting your education from hard knocks. I'd love to speak to him. Good choice, Gwen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HaHa, "hard knocks"! I should have had mysterious knocking, then maybe a voice reaching out - but I wanted to keep it simpler :)

      Delete
  6. I wonder about his extra-marital love affair myself. I hoped he found some small measure of peace in his last years as ill health and pain dogged him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Roland, I try to ignore that part, LOL. In those days, though, you didn't get divorced and move on. I read his biography - he led a full life, and I think it was interspersed with moments of ups and downs, just like us.

      Delete
  7. Dickens not only entertained, but he changes lives. What a powerful choice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, he used his voice to make lasting, positive changes. And what an entertainer!

      Delete
  8. Maybe your guests were afraid they'd be haunted by three spirits?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah yes. Charles Dickens is a great choice.
    But IMHO, The Bard is still THE MAN!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, I agree. I love the Bard, even went to his house a few years ago. It was soooo thrilling :)

      Delete
  10. Hehehe! Nice choice. I think I'd like to meet Lovecraft or Poe, but I hope they're not insane after death!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you, Christine. How would you stop an insane ghost? Now there'd be a story...

      Delete
  11. Hi, Gwen,

    I LOVE DICKENS…. He is definitely on of my absolute favs…. Great choice. Enjoyed your seance ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Michael. Yours séance was wonderful, too!

      Delete
  12. Dickens is the whole reason I love literature. I read Tale of Two Cities in HS and fell in love. What a great story. He'd be an interesting man to talk to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too, Mary. I started with A Christmas Carol, then A Tale of Two Cities really hooked me.

      Delete
  13. Fun, fun, fun! Loved participating in the hop. Thx for hosting. Dickens is an excellent choice. :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for participating, Candilynn. It really was fun, fun, fun!

      Delete
  14. supreme post! love the dickens out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ah, yes, Charles Dickens is a master wordsmith. I suppose it would be interesting to get his take on many a social activity in today's agen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that'd be a great question to ask Dickens. I wonder if I could get him so come back......

      Delete

Yay! You left a comment! I love comments.