A Knock in the Attic—my second award-winning book—is, as Uri Geller stated, "a fascinating true story of incredible psychic experiences."
In these entertaining and adventure filled stories I'll tell you what it was like to grow up with a powerful and accurate psychic gift that sometimes spooked the adults around me, leaving them bug-eyed and slack-jawed; and I'll relate some of the emotions I experienced while encountering hair-raising visitations from ghosts on a regular basis.
I'll share with you the times when my own Guardian Angels not only protected me from physical harm but when they also literally saved my life with a belated Christmas Miracle, to the astonishment of others who said I had lived through the impossible.
Travel with me to Roswell where I have my very own "'UFO' encounter" at the Roswell UFO Museum, an encounter that validated the fact that the Roswell UFO crash was a real event and also explained why many witnesses to UFOs are reluctant to come forward.
Plus: I'll tell you what it was like to meet Uri Geller; give you a behind-the-scenes look at filming the TV pilot for The History Channel; take you along with me to a haunted horse barn; and then...what was that knocking in the attic...?
You'll enjoy more than a few spine-tingling moments as you join me to experience these astonishing true stories of the unknown...these are incredible paranormal events that you will not soon forget.
Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Russell’s story about his life and his paranormal experiences is engaging and emotional. His life’s story is very interesting, though the narrative could be slightly improved by rearranging the stories to be in more chronological order.
Prose: The author’s voice is very personal, but descriptive. The reader may feel like they are actually speaking with Russell, which adds positively to the “ghost stories” appeal.
Originality: Russell’s paranormal and life experiences are engaging, charming, and offer a unique perspective on questions of life and death.
Character Development/Execution: This paranormal memoir is well-written, but could be improved with more organization and a tying up of narrative loose ends.
Date Submitted: November 04, 2021
Russell serves up strange experiences and paranormal events with a fast pace and enough vivid detail to keep even some skeptical readers turning the pages to find out exactly how many encounters he claims with the spirit world and how he has dealt with the aftermath. Russell reports that his “gift” runs the gamut from seeing spirits to having prophetic dreams to being able to read other people's history–histories, he insists, that have not been disclosed to him and he would have no way of knowing. Russell describes his gift as likely inherited: "Several generations of my family had been both believers in and had had experiences with the paranormal."
Russell relishes building tension as he spins his tales. This is not a book readers will want to read late into the night if they are inclined to be fearful of the dark. It will put readers in the mind of television shows like Ghost Hunters or Medium in book format, or a round of entertaining ghost stories told around a campfire.
Takeaway: Readers who enjoy a good heart-racing, spooky ghost story will enjoy this collection claiming real-life encounters with the paranormal world.
Great for fans of: Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Sylvia Browne's The Other Side and Back.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER: Paranormal Category Winner (2023)
HONORABLE MENTION & Compelling Read Award, BooksShelf’s Nonfiction Writing Contest (2023)
2022 BIBA® WINNER, Non-Fiction: Metaphysical Category Winner (2022)
GOLD AWARD from the Nonfiction Book Awards (2021)
QUARTERFINALIST in the 2021 BookLife Prize Nonfiction Contest (2021)
TOP NOTABLE BOOK in the Shelf Unbound 2021 Best Indie Book Competition (2021)
FIVE STAR REVIEW from Readers' Favorite (2021)