Tag: cryptid

Spooky Rumors

Profile on Kayla Murphy

When I started writing Some Thing Calls from the Dark, I envisioned a girl that was nice to others but also a little self-conscious, a little fed up with her brother, and a little stubborn when it comes to holding onto a grudge.

Kayla Murphy is a seventh grader living near Flatwoods, West Virginia. Her house in the country is two stories, her bedroom on the second floor. From her bedroom window, she can see the big backyard and the bushes that separates the yard from the woods beyond.

She likes teasing her little brother, hanging with her best friend Gina, video games, and ooey gooey macaroni and cheese.

She loves her new cell phone.

It took Kayla months to get her parents talked into letting her have one. Vibrate mode is for suckers. She set all the calls, notifications, and alarms to her favorite ringtone and turned it up as loud as it would go!

Bing. Bong. Bing bing!

My favorite Kayla quote is a tie between…

book quote

or…

book quote

Most of her life, Kayla has been oblivious to the stories about the green monster that visits the woods. Now, she’s lived her own story.

Read more about Kayla Murphy and her hunt for the Flatwoods Monster in Some Thing Calls from the Dark (Spooky Rumors series). Now available for preorder at major online bookstores. Release date: September 20, 2023.

MM Behind the Scenes, Mothman Mysteries

Finding Mothman

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been busy wrapping my next book, Wrong Side of the Grave, which will be the first in a new series of standalone Mothman Mysteries. The series will be YA/teen and this time, kiddos, I’m delving into sci-fi. But you know me, this series has strong paranormal influences (think Doctor Who).

So what’s my YA Sci-fi Mystery about? Mothman.

In western West Virginia, Mothman is a creature of legend. In fact, there he is below with the big red eyes and gray wings nestled in the center between Nessie, Chupacabra, Bigfoot and the Yeti. He’s in good company.

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Mothman is a winged humanoid creature. He stands on two legs, but his skin is gray and he has big red eyes that rest near his shoulders. The moth part comes from his giant wings that are reported to hum and glide on the air rather than flap. He doesn’t need a running start, witnesses say these great wings can straight up into the air like a helicopter.

Mothman caused the biggest stir in 1966 and 67 when according to journalist John A. Keel more than a hundred people sighted him in the area surrounding Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Some even blame Mothman for the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge in which took forty-six lives just days before Christmas in 1967.

He’s been mentioned on the X-Files, been the star of movies, chased by reality show hillbillies, and has his own museum. There’s even an annual festival where the Men in Black trot him out for festival goers to catch a quick selfie!

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Over the next few weeks we’ll explore the legend, the art, and the music behind this new series. Next week, I’ll share with you how I’m taking this legend and giving it a YA twist. Until then, check out the Mothman Mysteries page on my site for a description of the book and the official Spotify playlist. Only one legendary creature rocks out loud!