Goodbye My Love, Goodbye

 

Attribution: J. R. Cotner

Goodbye My Love, Goodbye by Jack R. Cotner Copyright 2015

Retreating inward from the pain,

I smell the sweetness of her hair

As we move along the path. I strain

Uphill, dragging muddied weight to where

Headstones squat like sacred peaks between

Mowed grass where walked mourning crones.

Stoic statues weathered, weeping, still serene,

Guarding lengthy rows of buried bones.

We halt. Crows pass, loud caws abating.

A portal beyond the pale awaits, silent.

The gaping hole lies open, waiting, waiting

For my dearest here quiet, broken, spent.

Farewell, sweet beauty, unfaithful miss.

I weep. Red lipstick on blue, icy lips

Beckons. Entranced, I take one final kiss

Before tossing splendor into the dark abyss.

Goodbye my love, goodbye.

 

“Living History” Cemetery Walking Tour

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The Eureka Springs Historical Museum will host its 7th annual “Voices from Eureka’s Silent City” cemetery walking tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 15th, 16th, and 17th.  Then again on Friday and Saturday, October 30th and 31st.  The living history tours feature live actors in period costumes portraying early citizens of Eureka Springs.

This year, actors and guides will be presenting  compelling stories of some of Eureka’s former leaders in service and philanthropy who now reside in the Silent City,  the Eureka Springs City Cemetery:  A WWI Army Colonel, a socialite, a prominent lawyer/mayor, a descendant of a Native American Chief, and an early proponent of baseball, among others.

I will be attending this event. It should be a fun, interesting experience.

For more information and pictures from previous walks take a jaunt over to Eureka Springs Historical Museum!

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Cemetery Walk Eureka Springs 2014

 

May 2015 Be A Productive Year!

Back home  after an enjoyable holiday trip and already busy with two more short stories for my paranormal anthology, work on the second book in my Celtic mystery series, and additional rework and editing of last year’s WIP murder mystery first draft manuscript set in fictional 1950s Logan County, Arkansas.

In addition to  writing, I’m currently reading and enjoying three books: one a Christmas present, Bergoglio’s List, about the life and times of Pope Francis by Nello Scavo. The second is on loan titled Coronado’s Children by J. Frank Dobie. The third is a fascinating story by Irish author Ali Isaac titled Conor Kelly And The Four Treasures Of Eirean.

Coffee is ready. Back to writing!

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

― Stephen King

‘Tis The Season To Shop Local

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I will be signing copies of my books Mystery Of The Death Hearth and Storytellin’: True And Fictional Short Stories Of Arkansas Saturday, November 29, 2014 between the hours of 1:30 pm – 4 pm as part of Nightbird Books and the Local Author Day and Small Business Saturday.

“This is one of our best attended events each year so plan to make us part of your holiday shopping these days.” Nightbird Books, 205 W Dickson St, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Looks like it will be beautiful weather and a great day to shop local.

Hope to see you there!

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Book Review: Haunted Ozarks

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Haunted Ozarks by Janice Tremeear is a well-researched, finely written work full of interesting stories of haunted places, paranormal events, and actual history in and around the Ozark Mountains. Numerous references of mountain superstitions appear throughout  adding to the ambiance of haunted folklore. The author makes the narrative of ghostly supernatural activity interesting without all the over-the-top hyperbole often found in books with similar subject matter. It was both entertaining and historically informative. An enjoyable read I would recommend to anyone interested in the paranormal and/or history of the Ozarks.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the haunted Crescent Hotel.

Crescent Hotel Eureka Springs

There are many places in my home state I enjoy visiting but few can compare to the beauty and interest of Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the folks that call this place home. Beautiful scenery, tourist sites, boating, fishing, hiking and just about all manner of outdoor recreational fun galore aside, there’s also a unique side to this area: its less than corporal inhabitants. By that, I mean ghostly haunts and otherworldly spirits.

A number of buildings in this area reputedly hold inhabitants from the ghostly realms. Among the more famous is the beautiful (and some say beautifully haunted) Crescent Hotel. In fact, their ghosts are so famous the Crescent is known as America’s most haunted hotel.

“Officially known as the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, its legend has been formed from the many guests who checked out but have never left.

These famous spirits include Michael, the Irish stonemason who fell to his death while building the hotel in 1885, Theodora, the cancer patient of the Dr. Baker hospital days who seems to need help finding her room key, Norman Baker in his white suit and lavender shirt, Morris the cat, a mystery patient in a white nightgown who appears in the luxury suites at the foot of your bed or any of the innumerable…”

In fact, the Crescent is so haunted they even conduct official ghost tours of the place which will end in the morgue. Yes, there’s an old morgue.

The tour and ghost hunting is still (possibly) on my list of things to do. If they are as interesting as the rest of Eureka Springs, the adventure shouldn’t be a disappointment, spooky haunts or not.