Pursue Your Dreams

…..Some secrets are deadly, and ghost-blogger Jillian Winchester and her photographer boyfriend discover it's true when they set out to investigate an Australian family who disappeared without a trace in the 1880s. 

…..An abandoned sheep station rumored to be haunted by the long-dead Kinsley family is one challenge. The other is the beautiful but deadly Outback.

…..As Jillian probes deeper into the mystery, one thing becomes clear: She might not make it out of this quest alive.

Wild Women Authors is thrilled to have Julie Howard with us this weekend. Her novella, House of Seven Spirits, part of the Australian relief project out of the Wild Rose Press, was released on March 25, 2020, and we couldn't be happier for her. She's with us today to chat about a most timely matter: Life is uncertain; don’t wait too long to pursue your dreams.

     I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust. Career, family and building a retirement fund meant that for years my desire to travel the world stayed on hold. Although we never went without, we were frugal savers. We traveled a bit when our kids were young but these trips consisted of tent camping, staying in budget motels, and we didn’t travel far. This isn’t a complaint, because our trips to forests and beaches were great fun. In contrast, I felt very fortunate indeed.

     By the time our kids entered high school, though, I grew tired of saving so stringently. How much was enough? What was I sacrificing to see my bank account grow larger? My dreams of travel hadn’t diminished with the years; I began to worry that we would put this idea on hold and save forever. Then the recession hit us all hard. Our retirement accounts plummeted in value. I threw up my hands and said enough. Time to value my dreams.

     Now, I say thank goodness! We’ve traveled to Spain, Italy and Turkey – three places that will be closed off for a while. We went to England and Ireland, Mexico and Canada, Greece and Monaco. Last February, we flew to Australia – a journey which inspired my current book – and from there cruised to Tasmania and New Zealand. All these wonderful places on Earth, recorded in photos and memories, are now off limits as the world focuses on battling a pandemic.

     Of course, traveling abroad is expensive and we weren’t able to save as aggressively in our retirement accounts – these accounts are sharply down again as the stock market tumbles more each week. But the joy of having sated a bit of wanderlust will last forever. I have no doubt that the economy will recover and the travel industry will snap back with gusto. Toilet paper and fresh chicken will be available in abundance, and we can finally have a conversation that doesn’t launch with the latest Covid-19 news.

     The lesson I’ve learned is to not put off one’s dreams forever. We don’t know what troubles will come our way in the future. If I had waited, current events would have made my travel dreams impossible. I would have some pretty big regrets right now.

We continue to be frugal savers and so there’s a balance to our lives and bank accounts. But I finally realized my spirit and soul can be put off only so long.

A dream doesn’t have to be big to be important. It doesn’t need to have significance to anyone else but you. If it matters, jump in, don’t wait too long. In these strange times, this is especially crucial.

Julie brought along an excerpt from House of Seven Spirits:

“Don’t go up there,” Mason warned. “The wood’s apt to be rotted in places. The floor may not be safe.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him and hesitated. Her California beach home was eight thousand miles away—a fifteen-hour flight plus a day’s drive along bumpy bleak roads. She hadn’t come this far to only examine the structure’s exterior. Her work required total immersion.

She put a foot on the first step and tested it with her weight. Mason strode around the car and halted just below the porch with arms crossed. “Jillian.”

The last thing she needed was someone hovering, directing her on what she could and couldn’t do. When she worked, the “real” world faded in importance. His uneasy energy interrupted her focus. “I’m fine.”

The stair was solid, at least. Not even a creak greeted her as she advanced onto the veranda. He cleared his throat as she took another step, but said nothing.

Despite the heat, a sudden chill rippled up her bare arms, sending prickles all the way to her neck. For a split second, her world tilted and her senses were overwhelmed. The musty odor of freshly shorn sheep wool, clothes flapping on a line, young voices chattering, the sharp tang of blood. Just as quick, the images dissolved and all was still, dry and lifeless once more. She let go of a deep breath, and a feeling of exhilaration swept through her.

Someone’s here.

Bio: Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal.

Author Links:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07D6CS4NQ

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ubgz73p

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/house-of-seven-spirits/id1497768327

Nook: https://bit.ly/39kJRgS

GooglePlay: http://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=itzWDwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/house-of-seven-spirits