‘Tis the Season for ghost stories and wibbly-wobbly shadows at the window. My guest, courtesy Goddess Fish Promotions, offers a mystery tale set in Maryland–an area rich in paranormal legend. Read on to learn about the haunted offerings.
PLUS enter the contest at the end. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
You can follow this tour and enter the contest at all the stops to increase your odds!
Otherworldly Maryland Legends
by
D.W. Thompson
What can be assumed about a novel set in Southern Maryland in an area often described as the most haunted in the country? Emma Stone’s tale in “The Mystery at Love’s Manor” is set on the same river’s shores where Moll Dyer, aka the winter witch, lived her life and met her disturbing fate over 300 years ago.
Although there are some minor deviations to the legend, most local families’ oral traditions agree: Moll was an herbal healer and hermit. Most state her origin was Ireland, although she likely arrived on a passenger ship from England. She came here single and unaccompanied. She preferred the company of the Native Americans to her European neighbors and dressed in a manner of lost affluence (threadbare clothes initially made from the finest materials). She was a social outcast and froze to death on the coldest night of 1697 after a citizen’s mob burned her small cabin to the ground, declaring her a witch.
Moll’s tale is not the only sordid story told around campfires to quivering youths. A few miles south of Emma and Moll’s hometown is Point Lookout State Park. The park encompasses Fort Lincoln, the unholy Civil War prison camp that rivaled Andersonville for its atrocities. It is also the location of Point Lookout lighthouse. Both sites are renowned for paranormal experiences, recorded haunted voices, ghostly children playing, soldiers talking, and occasionally showing themselves as they cross the dirt road from the field hospital site.
These two locales are but a taste of the otherworldly nature the area is known for. There’s a haunted mansion where a ghostly nun wanders the halls, another haunted colonial-era mansion, haunted tobacco barns, a haunted high school where a teacher was murdered, and an elementary school where lights cut off and on of their own accord. Late-night workers there have been ordered to “get out” by disembodied voices.
Although The Mystery at Love’s Manor is not as dark as many of my past books, it has an unmistakable paranormal presence that readers of Sorchia’s Universe would enjoy. Set in this area, how could there not be?
The Mystery at Love’s Manor by D.W. Thompson
Emma Love never thought she’d return to her hometown after years away from her estranged family. But when her sister-in-law is kidnapped, Emma puts her life on hold to help an old flame, Deputy Sam Mattingley, solve the case and bring Gwen home. With a degree in Criminal Justice and part-time experience working at a detective agency, Emma’s skills are tested. As the layers of secrecy are peeled back, Emma realizes the mystery shrouding Love’s Manor and her brother’s marriage is more intricate than anyone could have fathomed. Can she navigate the convoluted trail of clues and locate Gwen before it’s too late? And what of her long-suppressed feelings for Sam Mattingley…are they merely a product of nostalgia…or something more?
Meet D.W. Thompson
D.W. Thompson is the mystery genre pen name for award-winning author David W. Thompson. As a multi-genre author, he’s been awarded membership in the Horror Writer’s Association, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and the Mystery Writers of America. David lives in picturesque Southern Maryland with nearby family and dear old friends.
When he isn’t writing, Dave enjoys time with his family, kayaking (flat water, please), fishing, hiking, archery, gardening, winemaking, and pursuing his other “creative passion”- woodcarving.
He’d love to hear your thoughts on his tales that he describes as occasionally twisted, but always honest and original!
Connect with D.W. Thompson using any of these links:
Author Website | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Instagram | FaceBook
9 thoughts on “Maryland Hauntings: Mystery at Love’s Manor by D.W. Thompson”
You had me at mystery and cat!
Absolutely! If kidnapers bait their trap with a cat and a mystery book, I’m a goner.
This should be great read. Thanks for sharing
It sounds like a really interesting book.
This story sounds good.
Love your write up and thank you for hosting “The Mystery at Love’s Manor.”
My pleasure, Dave. Best of Luck!
Thank you so much for featuring THE MYSTERY AT LOVE’S MANOR today.
Delighted to do my part to promote other authors–and this books sounds like something my peeps will love. Thanks for the opportunity to share!