Who are the Dogs on the Cover of PJ and The Paranormal Pursuers – The Phantoms of Pittenweem?
Well, the small white dog, who appeared on the cover of my first PJ book, The Mackenzie Poltergeist, was designed from a photograph of my beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Smudge.
Sadly, at the time the first book went to print, Smudge, who was almost 17 had been terribly ill for a while. The book has a dedication to him but he went to the Rainbow Bridge before publication and I wanted his memory to live on.
He does so as ‘Dug,’ Shuggie’s JRT in the book and as the motif on the covers. The other dog, added for the Phantoms of Pittenweem is modelled on Gus, another family dog. He was a Schnauzer who was also a lovely soul.
When he wasn’t freshly groomed, he was a shaggy dog on whom I modelled Buddy, PJ’s dog. Gus had also travelled the Rainbow Bridge by the time the new book was published and he joins Smudge on the cover of my second book.
As many people will understand, the grief of losing a pet, who is very much a family member, friend and companion is hard – often just as hard as losing a human.
I was devastated at the loss of Smudge and resolved never to have another dog of my own because the pain and trauma was too great. I know that many people say that you should offer another dog a happy home and believe me, I have been tempted – until that wave of grief crashes over me and reminds me of what we went through.
I have written about Smudge extensively on my blog; one part (For the Love of Smudge) telling his story and the second part (I’m only talking to my dog today) which explains the strange events after his death which convinced me he was still around and sending messages to say he was OK. These can be found here: Jacqueline Dempster – Medium. I hope that the articles help those of you who find themselves grief stricken after the loss of a beloved pet.
My days of doggy love are not over, however. Although we don’t have any of our own, we did join an organisation called ‘Borrow my Doggy,’ which offers just what it says on the tin!
For a small annual fee, you can offer to borrow other people’s doggies when they need company during the week or a place to stay when their people want to go on holiday.
It’s worked out brilliantly for us and we’ve had the joy of looking after Winnie, a Jack Russell Terrier (who looks remarkably like Smudge) and Arlo who is a very cheeky little JRT/Shih Tzu cross.
We also look after our grandpups, Willow (guess what – a JRT whose arrival as a pup was accurately predicted by one of the animal psychics I consulted after we lost Smudge) and Pepper, a Poodle/Bichon Frise cross.
We have a new boy, Joe, (JRT) coming to visit and stay for holidays very soon! I am certain that Smudge knows that we’ll never replace him but has a hand in bringing all these perfect friends into our lives.
It is very strange how all of the borrowed doggies who’ve arrived on our doorstep have been JRTs and I am certain our boy has a hand in it. To be honest, I love each one of them dearly and while they are not our dogs, the grief of losing any of them will be hard.
I can console myself, however, knowing that we’ve been able to give them a welcome and the comfort of a loving home from home whenever their mums and dads need a holiday, or just to stop them getting lonely while their people are working.
They return the love in spades and I wouldn’t be without them. They’ve also been very willing to read my books as you might gather from the photographs!
To learn more about Jacqui’s books and enter the Giveaway, click the link.
Nigeria is dealing with a level of disorderliness that is neither compatible with functionality nor with long life. Our problems did not start today; they have been with us for as long as we have existed as a country. But just like a disorder left untreated, our problem has incapacitated us, and the rate of deterioration is currently becoming alarming.
The long-term survival of our country is no longer as assured as it used to be. We are on a slippery slope with nothing to hold on to.
This book attempts to answer the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘who’, and ‘what is next’ of our problems. As is always the case when truths are discussed, be ready to be offended.
But if you are open-minded enough to be offended and not switch off and open-minded enough to be offended and keep reading – you might learn one or two things at the end of this book.
Excerpt:
We live in a disordered world. However, each society presents with different types of disorders and varying levels of disorderliness. And just like in individuals, some disorders are compatible with functionality and life, while some are neither compatible with functionality nor with life.
Caution: If you are not a Nigerian—before you read beyond the title, the book’s table of contents, and this introduction to the preface above— beware that this is an analysis of a country.
This is like a clinic letter, like a psychological evaluation of an individual, solely addressed to that individual: You can still drop this book right away and not read it or you can proceed and read it.
After reading this, you might feel happy and think you now have points to use against Nigerians, or you could be a smart person and reflect on how these apply to your own country and all its inadequacies.
Nigeria (and, to be honest, like most of the other sub-Saharan countries of Africa) is dealing with a level of disorderliness incompatible with functionality and long life.
Our problems did not start today; they have been with us for as long as we have existed as a country. But just like a disorder left untreated, our problem has festered, and it has incapacitated us. The rate of deterioration is currently alarming.
And the long-term survival of our country is no longer as assured as it used to be. We are on a slippery slope with nothing to hold onto, with nothing to pull us up, and each day, we are sliding closer to the edge of oblivion.
The leaders are in denial of reality as they feed fat on the commonwealth, while the majority of their followers are distracted by frivolities and immaterial innuendoes.
Even the followers—who yesterday seemed in touch with reality and were crying aloud about hardship—have forgotten how to think the moment they have the opportunity to sit at the table where decisions are being made.
This book is an attempt to draw our attention to the what, the who, the why . . . and the what is next of our problems. My hope is that this book will open eyes and stimulate conversations on the causes of our problems and the possible ways to get ourselves out of our current predicaments.
About The Author:
Michael, a self-described realist with a touch of cynicism, is a UK-based, Nigerian-trained psychiatrist and the author of The Atrocities of Hope: An Analysis of the ‘Nigeria Problem.’
Michael’s lived experience in Nigeria, his inquisitive mind, and his ability to pull back and observe despite being involved combine well with his skills as a mental health expert to create this work.
Michael is a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Faculty of Psychiatry, and is an affiliate member of the Royal College of Psychiatry. He plies his trade as a psychiatrist in the Northwest of England. He describes himself as a member of a speciality that helps you in the fight against your worst enemy: yourself.
Michael is a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a neighbour, a member of the public, a lover of music, and a lover of movies and books.
In a world ravaged by war and mutants, family is everything.
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Novella
Fiona Whitaker is alone—but it wasn’t always that way. When rumors surface that her brother might still be alive, she vows to find him, no matter the cost. After years of fighting the bastard mutants who stole her world, she’s ready to infiltrate the elite rebel unit where he’s rumored to be. But getting in is far from simple.
The unit’s commander offers her one chance: survive a secretive, brutal test deep in the woods with a shadowy and dangerous man. For Fiona, no risk is too great when it comes to family. But under the watch of a ruthless mentor who follows no rules but his own, survival is only the beginning.
Her fighting skills won’t be enough to survive, though. This test won’t just reveal the unit’s darkest secrets and why they’re so secretive—it may uncover something within Fiona that she’s been trying to outrun.
Fiona must discover the mystery behind the unit—or she won’t survive to see her brother again.
** Please note this is a short novella, about 75 pages **
About The Author
Ligia de Wit is a quirky bilingual writer, residing in Mexico City. An eternal romantic who’s loved fairy tales and swashbuckling stories all her life, she blends both with fun language and a hefty sprinkle of romance while she’s at it.
Her stories are full of personality with endearing characters. . You can find her short stories with Palamades Publishing, Backchannel Magazine, and WordCrafter.
When not concocting stories, she works at a global leading distributor company.
A chilling tale of loss, tragedy, psychic warfare, and eternal love.
Tough Karma: A Race Against Time
The Karma Series Book 1
by Laura Simmons
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
“Tough Karma – A Race Against Time took my preconceived idea and previous experience of Paranormal Romance, rolled it into a tight little ball and slam dunked it in the bin of old experiences.” The International Review of Books
A chilling tale of loss, tragedy, psychic warfare, and eternal love.
Amber Macklin’s world is cruelly shattered when she loses her baby girl three months after her husband’s sudden death. Her cousin, Bryce, comes to her rescue, moving her into his home for fear she will kill herself from the grief.
He provides solace and a shoulder to cry on, and he has loved her as more than a cousin for a long time. Amber and Bryce soon discover they are not blood relatives, which opens the door for romance as he pulls her through her darkest hours.
When Mike, a college friend of Bryce’s, stops by to visit, Amber senses a deadly secret behind his nice guy persona. She has a frightening dream that Mike is trying to kill her and recurring sleepwalking episodes where she draws detailed pictures of him torturing her.
Deeply troubled, Bryce uses his ability to astral travel to investigate Mike and uncover his terrifying past. Mike has had his eye on Amber for some time, and when he learns that Bryce and Amber have become lovers, he is furious.
Mike abducts Amber and takes her to his rural Georgia hideaway, and Bryce must rely on his astral abilities to track her down. But will he be too late?
Tough Karma is a stand alone novel. The astral adventures continue in Dark Karma: Sword of Vengeance.
“Dark Karma is a fascinating story that would surely be loved by any fan of fantasy and romance. Simmons proved herself a competent author in writing a tale of angst, magic, and determination.” Reader Views
What would you do if you woke up one morning and your world was inexplicably changed in the worst way imaginable?
Banished by his enemy into a hellish alternate dimension, Luke Decker fights to understand why his world has suddenly changed, and why is he on trial for the murder of his beloved Nina?
What he doesn’t know is she’s not dead. Nina watches him vanish into thin air and is completely bereft, struggling to find out how and why he disappeared. Using all of her psychic talents and traversing the astral realm, she frantically searches for him to no avail.
She owns a secret item which holds the key to his salvation, but will she figure it out before he’s condemned to live the rest of his life in a realm of darkness?
This remarkable tale of vengeance, time travel, and dark magic is even more enjoyable if you read Tough Karma: A Race Against Time first.
This story picks up where Dark Karma left off. Enjoy the next thrilling adventure into alternate dimensions!
“From the first time I saw you back in the 14th century to the day I was imprisoned in the dark realm, you have lived in my dreams and my heart,” David said to Maddie.
He knows that she is the reincarnation of his beloved Cara. Can he convince her that they shared a past life? Will she still want him once she learns the truth? And what about the evil immortal who wants her dead?
“If I can pull a cat from a dream, I can rescue Mori from where she’s being held prisoner,” thought Noah Colton. Each night Mori comes to him on the astral plane, begging for him to save her and vanishing before he can follow.
Terrified that she will soon be killed, he travels to another dimension to rescue her and bring her to his home. But what will happen when her captors track her down?
Two, out-of-this-world romantic fantasy stories unfold as David and Noah battle dark forces to save the women they love. Find out what happens when the unexpected intervenes and changes everything in these interconnected stories.
A captivating reincarnation romance of redemption and forgiveness.
Even though Holly O’Rourke is having problems with her longtime significant other, James, she has never entertained thoughts of infidelity…that is, until the day she has a chance encounter with Charlie, a handsome coworker.
James promises he will change and work on their relationship, but Holly’s feelings for Charlie just won’t go away. Distressed by her mixed emotions, Holly schedules an appointment for a reading with a psychic medium, where she discovers her adulterous past lives and their tragic consequences.
Holly learns to do her own past life regression through self-hypnosis and uncovers not only lives that she shared with James and Charlie, but how the other people in her present life have been with her in the past—the threads of their lives interwoven for centuries.
Holly is stunned by recurring themes and the issues of karmic justice that need to be addressed. Where will her karmic path ultimately lead? Find out in Little Bits of Karma, an entertaining new book about spiritual cause and effect.
Laura Simmons grew up in northern Virginia and spent most of her career working for various Department of Defense contractors in the Washington, DC area.
She has a fascination with all things metaphysical and mysterious. She enjoys adult coloring books, writing, jigsaw puzzles, arts and crafts, and vacationing at the beach.
Cassie uses her clairvoyant powers to help her detective brother solve crime…
but will she find the answers in time?
The Killer on the Heath
The Cassidy Newbold, Clairvoyant Collection Book 1
by Karen J. Mossman
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
A woman is dead, and another is missing. The only person who can save her is Cassie.
With no clues and time running out, her brother, Detective Newbold, desperately needs her help. He is counting on Cassie’s clairvoyant and empathic abilities to locate Chantelle.
When Chantelle’s brother, Pedro, seeks out a psychic for help, he meets and falls for Cassie. Though he wants answers, neither Cassie nor Detective Newbold can give any, which complicates their relationship. To make matters worse, his overbearing mother adds further damage with her meddling.
Meanwhile, the killer has been caught, but he refuses to talk. Now, it’s up to Cassie to read the signs and rescue her lover’s sister.
The Cassidy Newbold, Clairvoyant Collection Book 2
When two best friends vanish without a trace, Cassie Newbold joins forces with her brother Detective Inspector Seb Newbold, to track them down. A risky move almost ends in disaster, leaving Cassie shaken and acutely aware of her near-fatal mistake. Luckily, it also leads to the arrest of Ronnie Gunner.
With the suspected kidnapper in custody, his chilling laughter still echoes in Cassie’s mind. As she takes Ronnie Gunner’s hand, a vision reveals every depraved thing he had done. Will she ever be able to escape the haunting images now seared into her memory? Ultimately, will it bring her any closer to where the teenagers are being held?
With a terrifying paranormal encounter to deal with first, can Cassie lead her brother to the right location and solve the case?
The Cassidy Newbold, Clairvoyant Collection Book 3
When a man-mountain of a guy walks into a café and asks for you by name, you sit up and take notice. Cassie instantly feels attracted to the charming Damien Mathers.
He wants her help to banish a ghost from the home of his brother Daniel. Even as Cassie explains, she is a clairvoyant, not an exorcist. Damien is very persuasive!
Their relationship blossoms despite the scepticism of the brothers. When Daniel’s wife Rachel refuses to move in, her fear is palpable as she points at the shadowy figure lingering on the stairs.
Cassie must intervene and find out why the apparition is reliving the day of her death. She soon finds another ghost lurking in the attic, one that and does not appreciate Cassie’s interference.
As things turn bizarre, with spectral figures making their presence felt. Cassie fights for control as the two worlds collide in a horrifying and chaotic way.
Will Damien believe a sight so shocking, so surreal, it threatens to shatter his perceptions? Or has Cassie gone a step too far in her expectation of him?
Read this thrilling instalment and judge for yourself.
A Cassidy Newbold, Clairvoyant Collection Short Story
When a young woman kills herself, it is the method that is most horrifying. Why did she choose to set fire to herself? Clairvoyant Cassidy Newbold helps bereaved families find closure. It doesn’t surprise Cassie when Sandra, the mother of a headline suicide case, approaches her for answers. But what are the questions?
As Cassidy nears the site of the suicide, will she be able to connect with the victim? Or are no ghosts here to tell their tale?
A Cassidy Newbold, Clairvoyant Collection Short Story
Cassidy Newbold is a clairvoyant and empath who refuses to work on All Hallow’s Eve, but why?
In this short story, we discover the events that still haunt Cassie. As she recalls a séance that went wrong, we learn why she refuses to tamper with ghosts at Halloween.
The truth behind why she refuses work on this day of paranormal activity. Was it Cassie’s fault? Was it the thinning of the veil between worlds?
Karen J. Mossman is an avid reader, reviewer, book blogger, and award-winning, multi-genre writer. She became a professional author in 2014, and since then, she has more than 27 published titles to her credit. These include anthologies, short stories, novellas, novels, and series.
She lives on the small island of Anglesey with her husband and two dogs.
In the high-octane realm of military thrillers,Rose Island stands out with its masterful blend of espionage and covert warfare. Set against the backdrop of a forgotten Cold War bastion that harbors earth-shattering secrets, former Marine turned clandestine operator Jake Harper is drawn back into action when a top-secret rescue mission calls him to an island erased from every map—a place steeped in mystery and guarded by deadly forces.
Charged with leading a special operations team amidst the threat of a looming hurricane, Harper and his team, with their unwavering courage and resilience, must navigate the treacherous mysteries of Rose Island. As they unearth hidden bunkers and tangled alliances, each revelation plunges them deeper into a whirlpool of political intrigue and betrayal. The island, a forgotten relic of Cold War experiments, holds secrets that some will kill to protect. Their mission escalates in complexity when they cross paths with a renegade unit of mercenaries with connections to enigmatic international powers. These well-trained, heavily armed adversaries are resolute in their intent to exploit the island’s secrets for their own sinister ends.
With time running out, their mission evolves from a covert infiltration to a desperate fight for survival. Harper’s resolve is tested as past emotional entanglements with a team member add layers of complexity to his leadership. As the storm bears down, they face the natural elements and a formidable enemy in a climactic showdown that promises to blend their fates with the island’s dark history.
Dive into Rose Island, where survival clashes with the ghosts of history, crafting a narrative so tense and gripping that it will leave readers breathless until the last page is turned.
Unlock your inner potential and achieve your goals with The B.G.C. Formula &
Pick up some just straight comedy game with The No Chill Comedy Bible
The BGC Formula: Belief. Grind. Consistency.
by Ebony the Ebonizer
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help, Personal Growth
The BGC Formula reveals the powerful blueprint for achieving personal and professional success through three key principles: Belief, Growth, and Consistency. In this book, you’ll learn how to:
*Cultivate unwavering belief in yourself and your vision.
*Embrace continuous growth to evolve both personally and professionally.
*Build consistency to take focused action and create lasting success.
Packed with actionable insights and practical exercises, The BGC Formula provides the tools you need to unlock your potential and achieve your goals. This is your guide to a purposeful and successful life.
The No Chill Comedy Bible” is the ultimate, no-nonsense guide for aspiring and seasoned comedians looking to master their craft, build a powerful brand, and dominate the stage.
Packed with raw insights, real experiences, and unfiltered truths, Jeff “Mr. No Chill” Baylock breaks down the art of comedy—covering everything from writing and delivery to branding, marketing, and the business side of stand-up.
Whether you’re just starting out or trying to level up, this book will challenge you to think bigger, grind harder, and turn your pain into punchlines that leave a lasting impact.
Ebony “The Ebonizer” & Jeff “Mr. No Chill” Baylock
The Powerhouse Duo Redefining Realness Through Laughter, Lyrics, and Legacy
Ebony “The Ebonizer” and Jeff “Mr. No Chill” Baylock are the dynamic husband-and-wife duo taking the stage-and the world-by storm. Together, they blend soulful storytelling, unapologetic humor, and transformative energy to inspire, entertain, and empower audiences everywhere.
The Ebonizer, a certified speaker, author, and award-winning entertainer, brings a powerhouse voice and a bold mindset movement with her signature B.G.C. Formula: Belief. Grind. Consistency.
From gospel stages with legends like Yolanda Adams and Celine Dion to coaching entrepreneurs and creatives to elevate their lives and businesses, Ebony’s mission is clear: transform mindsets, spark purpose, and help people build legacies with confidence and heart.
Mr. No Chill is a fearless comedian, writer, and creative force behind The No Chill Comedy Bible-a raw, hilarious, and unfiltered guide to breaking barriers in comedy and life. Known for his gut-punch punchlines and authentic delivery, Jeff brings the real with a side of laughter, making space for joy, truth, and unapologetic self-expression.
Together, they co-founded the Ebonized Chill Tour, a groundbreaking music and mental health experience blending R&B, comedy, and conversations that matter-touching lives in cities across the country and soon, across the globe.
Whether they’re on stage, on screen, or behind the mic, Ebony and Jeff are proof that love, laughter, and legacy-building don’t have to be chill-they just have to be real
