Visit to Eliza Jumel's Mansion in Washington Heights, NYC: I Made Eliza's Ghost Laugh!

Me on the Steps of the Jumel Mansion

In researching my latest historical bio novel, about Aaron Burr and his last wife, Madame Eliza Jumel, I visited her mansion in Washington Heights, NYC. It's beautifully restored and maintained, befitting the once-richest lady in New York.
You can also hear the many stories of her ghost wandering the mansion in a purple gown, rapping on walls and windows, and yelling at schoolkids to shut up!
One July night in 1833, Aaron, age 77, showed up at Eliza's door with the same minister who married him to his first wife Theodosia fifty years before. After several rejections of his proposal, she finally agreed to marry him in the front parlor (photo below).

Front Parlor

When she realized he was a gold-digger (as by then, he was broke), she began divorce proceedings, also charging him with adultery, as he had a mistress in Jersey City. In an ironic twist, she hired Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her lawyer. But in the most ironic twist of all, he died the same day he received the final papers.
When we visited on Sunday, my husband Chris & I were on the 2nd floor where the bedrooms are. I was standing in the doorway of her bedroom (Aaron's is across the hall), and said out loud that I wondered if they ever slept together, or always in the separate rooms. Chris said, 'she was so old, and he was 80!'
I replied, 'Well, from what I've read of him, he could still get it up.'
A minute later, Chris asked me if I laughed after saying that. I definitely had not laughed.
That means somebody else did! He'd heard a woman's throaty chuckle, NOT my voice at all.

Aaron's Bedroom

We were the only (living) people up there at the time. I'm convinced it was Eliza, eavesdropping on us, and I was able to give her a laugh.
Have you ever heard of a ghost laughing? I never have!
If you're ever in the area, visit the mansion--it's an unforgettable experience.
Visit the Jumel Mansion's website at http://www.morrisjumel.org/

A Great Article: Not-Knowing: A Sometimes Unnerving but Utterly Reliable Guide

I read this article in an E-newsletter I receive, Creativity Portal.
Thanks, Naomi, for letting me reproduce this here.


I've written before about the need to accept, even welcome, not-knowing as part of the process of writing a book (see Writing a Book as a Quest). And today, having been home from doing a three-day spiritual retreat for about two weeks now, I am inspired to write about it again.

We want to know. We want to know things beforehand, ahead of time. We want to know where we are going, why we are going there, what we will encounter (and should thus prepare for) along the way. Will it be cold? Should we bring our thermal underwear? Should we make an outline of our intent, chapter by chapter, without yet having a real sense of what those chapters will feel like, will be like inside us? We should know where we're going. We should know how to get there. Certainly, if we're taking a plane somewhere, we want the pilot to know the destination, and for sure the route. No collisions, no delays. No surprises, other than perhaps wind currents, and the altitude needed to get above the clouds. And we tend to think that writing a book should be the same.

But unless it's one of those "paint by the numbers" kinds of books ("There are ten steps to having a better complexion, and here they are: Chapter 1, Your Skin Isn't Skin Deep; Chapter 2, Eat Healthy Foods," etc.), it isn't the same. There are factors that come into the picture that you can't really know until you're standing inside the territory of your book, or at least inside your desire to write it. Sometimes writing a book is a lot like the decision to enter therapy: you think you're doing it because you have difficulties with, say, your boss. But as time goes on and the defenses that usually hold you up begin to melt, in the course of being seen and understood within a compassionate therapeutic relationship, you find out that what got you in the door was only what they call the "presenting problem" ~ the issue that got you in the door. You're really there for something else entirely. You're there to encounter the Self that got left behind ~ to catch a glimpse of its presence, to weep for its needing to disguise itself when you were young, and to call it back into your heart as devotedly as it is calling you.

This is a very frequent occurrence in therapy: we think "something's wrong with me, something's not working for me," and so we go in for a fix, as if we were a car. But if we are alert in any way to the passion of our soul, and if we have chosen an adept and loving helper, we find that we are on a much more important quest: the quest for our real Self.

In my experience ~ writing my own books, and working with my clients ~ the same thing often happens in writing a book from the deeper Self. We start with a desire ~ and we may even downplay the significance of the desire, may tell ourselves we want fame or fortune or a good credit for our career ~ and step in: perhaps with nothing in hand, perhaps with a sterling outline, perhaps with old notes or journal entries, or shelved vignettes or ideas. And then, somewhere down the line, right away or much later, we realize that we are on the trail of something tremendous, to us at least ~ and we have no idea how to get there, what to do. We thought we were starting out with a Triple-A triptych guide, and then here we are, surrounded by lupines and blue sky, and a road that bends so windingly that we can't see past a few feet, if at all. We thought we knew, but we don't, now. We are in territory unknown. We may fear this; and yet something calls us forward. What is going on?

What's going on, in my direct experience, is that we have somehow made our way into the same territory in which we can find ourselves in good therapy. The "presenting goal" of the book may fall away, or change direction, change its tune, leaving us feeling not in charge anymore. We can give up, we can panic, we can turn on ourselves in rebuke and dismay.

But this would be a great mistake. For we have made it past the invisible electric fence of our defenses ~ and though we don't yet recognize the territory, we are close to the door of the divine within. Some welcoming presence (though perhaps too long-forgotten to feel known at all) has beckoned us into the interior, so that we may become more still and get our bearings in a land we don't yet recognize as our own.

What guidance is it that refuses to take direction from our controlling intellect, and insists on taking us into unknown places, waiting until we slow down and begin to turn on the light of our hearts and shine it into the crevices of our inner being?

Who is leading us astray from our outlines, and bringing us to our knees so that we might feel the velvet-softness of the grass beneath, which we couldn't even see before, in our haste to get to our goal?

How can we trust that these places of not-knowing are gifts, are God's love poured on us, so that we will have to stop and look and listen within to what is being born, what threads are shining and weaving themselves into a wholeness that our controlling minds never could have found on their own?

When I was on my retreat, away from the pressures of ordinary life ~ bills and to-do lists, concern about my loved ones, about "too much to do and too little time" ~ I had the luxury of, among other things, reading certain spiritual books. As the Jewish High Holy Days were in progress, with the Day of Atonement soon to come, I picked up a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel, and read a section about prayer; and realized that I knew what he was talking about, not only from my own experience of praying but also from my own experience of writing a book.

"The purpose of prayer (Heschel wrote) is not the same as the purpose of speech. The purpose of speech is to inform; the purpose of prayer is to partake.

"In speech, the act and the content are not always contemporaneous. What we wish to communicate to others is usually present in our minds prior to the moment of communication. In contrast, the actual content of prayer comes into being in the moment of praying. For the true content of prayer, the true sacrifice we offer, is not the proscribed word which we repeat, but the response to it, the self-examination of the heart, the realization of what is at stake in living as a child of God. These elements which constitute the substance of prayer come into being within prayer." — Abraham Heschel, Man's Quest for God (NY: Scribner's, 1954, p. 16, Italics mine)

Can you sense the similarity between writing deeply and prayer? We think we're supposed to step up to the plate all polished and ready to go; but in the moment of encounter, all we have is what gives itself to us in the moment. And that's what opens up everything.

We cannot pre-order our words, though we may want to, may want to reassure ourselves that we know what we are doing, that we are good, we are worthy ~ as if our worth depended on any of these things. All we can do is be present to the deep stirrings of our hearts, and then call out (in writing, in this case) and be present to the divine's response (also in writing). So we can view writing a book as prayer-and-response: God calls us, we hear the call, we pick up the pen and write our way into the wilderness; and then, when we think we can't recognize the surrounding countryside, or ourselves ~ who we are, were, will be ~ God writes us into full existence, and our strongest urge is to fall to our knees in gratitude beyond any possible words.

Writing from the deeper Self calls us to know who we are, and to live there ~ at least to return again and again, as to a home once locked away and miraculously re-found. To write a book from the deeper Self is to treasure our deepest nature, and give it room to shine on its own terms. Is there a better gift to give ourselves, or our loved ones, or people whom we will never meet, but who will meet themselves because of us? Aren't there books that have lodged inside us as our own heartbeat ~ perhaps some read as a child? We are the legacy we will leave behind, because we took that journey, left the markings, left on a light to show our readers the way back home. •

Copyright © 2009 by Naomi Rose. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Naomi Rose
Naomi Rose, Book Developer and Writing Coach, has successfully used her “Writing from the Deeper Self” approach to help people with an inner-directed focus write the books of their hearts. This organic approach to writing provides a gentle, listening way to bring forth what's within onto the page, without pushing or forcing anything. Drawing from transpersonal studies and over 30 years in the publications field as a writer, editor, consultant, and book developer, Naomi specializes in working with first-time book writers. She lives in Oakland, CA, and her website is www.essentialwriting.com

Copyright © 2009 by Naomi Rose. All rights reserved.
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9/11/01

We will never forget.
United We Stand.

Book Giveaway and Interview on Royal Reviews

Royal Reviews interviewed me and I'm giving away copies of A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE. Stop in and say hello!
http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-interview-bloody-good-cruise.html

Paranormal Author Michele Hauf Guesting Here Today

Dear Lovers of Paranormal Romance,

Today my guest is Michele Hauf, paranormal romance author. Michele has been writing for twenty years. Her first novel, a vampire romance, DARK RAPTURE, was published in 1997. She’s since published over 20 works in historical romance, paranormal romance, fantasy, and action/adventure. Michele will be popping in and out today to answer your questions. Meanwhile, here is an in-depth interview I did with Michele which will tell you about her!


If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?

Read a book purely for pleasure. To much reading for research or interviews lately. Sigh…

What kind of books do you love to read? Why?

I will read any non-fiction on 17th or 18th century Paris. Historical romances are my first love, and if they have a paranormal element that’s a bonus. Only read paranormal contemporaries. Am trying to expand my reading horizons, and recently finished The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I really enjoyed.

What type of music do you enjoy relaxing to?

All sorts: Metallica, Def Leppard, Neurosonic, Disturbed, Adam Ant, Annie Lennox, flamenco, Soundtracks, Ricky Martin. And no country. All right, so I do like Wynonna.

What is your stress buster?

I don’t have a lot of stress. It’s not really a word in my vocabulary. Stress is just how you view things. If you don’t view it as anxiety-causing and horrible, then it will not be, no matter the situation.

What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you==re sad, sort of a comfort food?

Pizza! And chocolate.

Describe yourself in one word.

Persistent.

If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
To rewind the world back a century, regarding the technologies and chemicals we use in our foods so we have a fighting chance and can all live healthier lives.

What's your biggest regret in life?

Can’t think of anything.

What is the most adventurous thing you==ve ever done?

Went to Paris for ten days with a couple writer friends.

What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)

Fresh green grass, cats, books, and smiling kids make me happy.
What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?

To move to France, live in a quaint little cottage, and to actually be able to speak and read French so I wouldn’t die of frustration living amongst the natives.

How would readers find out more about you?

www.michelehauf.com Also, I blog (almost) daily just about my writing life in general at: dustedbywhimsy.blogspot.com

When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?

Started Dark Rapture in 1990, finished couple years later. Sold in 1993.
Did you encounter any obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?

Editorial volleyball with an author is never easy (being volleyed from editor to editor because mine had left the company). Also, when a line you write for (Bombshell) ceases publishing, that can be a challenge. But I always forge ahead, ever writing, focused on the current story.

How did you feel when you receive your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event, etc to commemorate the occasion?

It was very exciting. I remember the day perfectly. It was a Friday afternoon, and for some reason my hubby was home from work early, taking a shower. I got the call, and I was so excited, I ran into the bathroom hopped into the shower (fully clothed) to tell hubby the good news. I think we went out to Olive Garden that night. Simple pleasures.

Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent?

Peeves? I have a horrible addiction to using the word ‘just’. I just can’t stop it. I actually just have to do a ‘just’ draft, where I just go through the mss. and search for all the ‘justs’ and take out just like…ninety percent of them.

Exceptional? I think I tell a pretty good story. ;-)

What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?

I love any book I write because I’m writing something I want to read. The fact I can sell it, and other readers like it as well, is a cherry on top!

What do you think about editing?

I love the editing process. I really appreciate any comments or suggestion my editor may give me. I feel any book can always be improved upon. The few occasions I’ve not been given edits, I felt somehow deprived of an opportunity to make the story better.

Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?

I have a nice little office. Usually write well in the mornings, good in the afternoons, and horribly in the evenings.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.

It varies, but most often I have two characters who I see together and then I figure how to pull them apart. Maybe some major plot point is involved at that moment. I’ll play with the characters in my head over a week or two, see if they really do have a story. If so, then I start drafting it out.

My current release, MOON KISSED, features Severo the werewolf hero. He was a small secondary character in a previous story. I’d never intended to write him in a bigger book because I had no interest in werewolves. He kept bugging me though, and when I realized he was very lonely and just wanted happiness, I found a heroine for him.

Also, when creating my characters, I need to have pictures. Before I even write a single word I must know what they look like. So I will surf the internet for my idea of what they look like. Use a lot of celebrity pics, but sometimes a page torn from an advertisement in a magazine may have the perfect face as well.

What books can you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot, structure, dialogue, etc?

Donald Maass’s Writing The Breakout Novel.What is your must-have book for writing?

See above!

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Just write. Don’t worry about all the ‘rules’ and stop fretting about whether you’re doing it as well as the next writer, or if your story will fit into a pre-determined slot. Just. Write. Write the best book you can. Then revise and edit. And then revise and edit again until you have what you feel is a great story. Send it out. And then start writing again immediately. Always. Just. Write.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

Right now I’m writing paranormal romance. I love the paranormal element and it allows me to create a world I want as opposed to the one I live in (which isn’t a bad world at all, I just like faeries and vampires and all those other fun creatures). I have written historical romances. Would love to do more of those some day. I did a few fantasies for Luna. Great fun. And I’m currently also writing under the Alex Archer pseudonym for the Rogue Angel series which is high action and adventure. (The Alex Archer pseudonym is written by about six different authors at the moment; check copyright in book to see who wrote the one you are reading).

Among those that you've written, which is your favorite book and why?

I just completed revisions for HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND, which was supposed to be a Nocturne but now has been changed to an April HQN release. I LOVE this story! It’s the hero and heroine. They are too cool for words. I want to be their friends. I want them to love me as much as I love them. I want everyone to love them as much as I do. ‘nuf said. ;-)

Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook, in case you forgot?

I’ve always got something going on in my head. Daydreams, stories, ideas. Some will just float to the surface and linger, wanting their story to be told. Yep, always taking notes. Not so easy to do when driving, but I have a notebook and pen ready in the car for when I need it.

Which book is the closest to your heart? Why?

DARK RAPTURE, because it was my first.

Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?

None.

Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you? Why?

I think a little bit of me is in all my characters. It’s hard to avoid.

Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?

Creed Saint-Pierre in Her Vampire Husband. He’s a thousand year old vampire lord who is the key to preventing an all-out war between the vampires and werewolves. He agrees to an arranged marriage with a werewolf princess.

Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters are moving it in another direction? What did you do in such a situation?

Sometimes. I just follow along if that happens.

Tell us more about your current release.

Out this September are Moon Kissed, “After The Kiss” and I have a short story in Critters of Mossy Creek by a small press called Belle Books. Moon Kissed is Severo the werewolf’s story. After the Kiss is actually a ‘what happens next’ story that follows Moon Kissed. It looks in on the hero and heroine six months after their happily ever after to see if they really are. Don’t you ever wonder, after you’ve closed the pages of a book, what happens to the hero and heroine now?

Moon Kissed: http://www.michelehauf.com/mk.html (first chapter online)
After The Kiss: http://www.michelehauf.com/atk.html
Critters of Mossy Creek: http://www.bellebooks.com
Any new projects, work in progress?

I’m working on the Of Angels And Demons trilogy for Nocturne. It’s got fallen angels, Sinistari demons, vampires, halo hunters, and muses, all rolled into a bunch of adventure. I think the first book, Angel Slayer, will be out July ’10. This is what my pub schedule looks like (so far) for 2010:

January: Dark Awakenings anthology - Nocturne
March: “The Vampire’s Tango” – Nocturne Bites
April: Her Vampire Husband – HQN
May: Rogue Angel: The Bone Conjurer – Gold Eagle
June: “Halo Hunter” – Nocturne Bites
July: Angel Slayer

Paranormal Author Michele Hauf Guesting Here on September 1

Paranormal author Michele Hauf will be a guest here tomorrow, Sept. 1. Read my in-depth interview with Michele, and she'll answer all questions from visitors.
Please stop in for some lively chat with Michele!

FaceBook "Fan Page"

I'm working on a 'fan page' on FB. Meanwhile, check out my regular FB page, there are 5 Diana Rubinos in the world, but I'm listed first! I've reconnected with several of my grammar school classmates (Alexander D. Sullivan School, P.S. #30, Jersey City) Class of 1971. We're planning a '39 and holding' reunion next year---39 years since graduation, that is! Going to bring all my Partridge Family albums! Have a groovy day!