(Text) Messages from Hell and Other Bad Infuencers

You all remember Annabelle, right? That scary, murderous doll eventually caught, trapped and locked away for posterity by demon-hunting duo Ed and Lorraine Warren. (Or was she?). There are numerous other accounts of the devil and his cohorts inhabiting inanimate objects and bringing them to life in all sorts of evil ways, but this is the 21st century and it would appear the devil is also a dab hand at using our everyday technology for his own dastardly ends. Nothing is safe or immune from his attention. Not even the humble text message. We've seen fictional examples in horror movies of recent years but it couldn't happen in real life, could it?

Well... Take this strange case in Poland:

In 2014, priest Marian Rajchel carried out an exorcism on a teenage girl. It failed. Instead of leaving her soul, he somehow managed to drive the demon into the girl’s mobile phone whereupon he started to receive threatening text messages from it.

He replied and received the response, “Shut up, Preacher. You cannot save yourself. Idiot. You pathetic old preacher.” Even more sinister, one message said, “She will not come out of hell. She’s mine. Anyone who prays for her will die.”

Father Rajchel was convinced the author of the text messages was the same demon that possessed the girl’s soul and, furthermore, asserted that this was no isolated incident. He believed many such cases like this were going undetected because people didn’t realise they were being used in this way.

He went on record saying that the young girl was in need of further help to rid her of the evil inhabiting her. Sadly, the priest died in 2021.

But Father Rajchel is not alone in his belief that the devil is working through technology. Back in 2000, in Savannah, Georgia, Reverend Jim Peasboro wrote a book entitled, The Devil in the Machine; Is Your Computer Possessed by a Demon? This now appears to be out of print but in an article published in The Journal Record, it would seem that, in his view, any computer built after 1985 has the memory capacity to house a demon. He believed then, ‘one in ten computers in America now houses some type of evil spirit.” Now, if he is correct, that number must be close to one hundred percent worldwide. Pretty scary stuff - if true. However, he quotes as evidence for this, many instances of formerly happily married men unable to stop themselves from visiting pornographic websites and of women drawn into internet chat rooms where they behaved totally out of character, using foul language and debasing themselves in a way that would hitherto have been abhorrent to them. One such woman wept as she told of feeling that whenever she was using her computer, someone else was controlling her actions. Convenient excuse perhaps?

 

When challenged that this is simply the result of the easy availability of so much unsavoury – and worse – material on the internet, Reverend Peasboro insisted that he knew for certain demons were at work – because he had come face to face with them.

He told a story of inspecting a computer believed to be possessed by an evil spirit when it began openly ‘talking’ to him. It typed out, “Preacher, you are a weakling and your God is a damn liar.” It then started to go berserk and printed out what looked like nonsense. He then consulted an expert in dead languages who studied it and reported back that the text contained a stream of obscenities written in a 2,800 year old Mesopotamian dialect.

Of course more recently, we are being warned to be wary of our smart household appliances. They are spying on us, apparently. That air fryer sitting so innocently in a corner of your kitchen awaiting its next batch of fried chicken is actually quietly amassing (and passing on) data on your eating habits and maybe much more.

Do you ever find yourself thinking you just fancy a glass of refreshing, chilled white wine only to boot up your laptop and up pops an ad with some special offer on a case of Chardonnay? Is this the devil at work? More likely Alexa has been eavesdropping on you or that pesky air fryer again, or maybe, just maybe, you inadvertently visited some supermarket website recently and lingered a little in the drinks 'aisle'. None of these? Well, did you discuss your desires with anyone - and was the air dryer or maybe the washing machine 'listening'? Of course, if it's only shopping ideas, you probably haven't much to worry about...but if something more sinister manifests on your screen, start with an IT technician. If that doesn't work, find out the number of your local exorcist. 

Are we looking at demons possessing our technology? You decide.

Meanwhile...

‘Fear her now, fear the queen,

As in her stone she reigns supreme'

When Jonathan agrees to accompany his girlfriend, Nadia, on a trip to Landane, he imagines a short relaxing break in the countryside. But he quickly discovers that Nadia isn’t just drawn to the ancient Neolithic stone circle, she is obsessed by the megaliths. One in particular holds a fascination for her. Within hours, her personality begins to change, and it isn’t long before Jonathan starts to fear for her sanity.

Reaching far back into the past and up to the present day, those same stones have demonstrated powers beyond reason and, as Jonathan’s girlfriend becomes increasingly distant from reality, some of the ghosts of the past begin to reappear.

Now it isn’t only Nadia who is in danger.

Available from: 

Amazon

Flame Tree Press

Barnes and Noble

Waterstones

Bookshop.org

and wherever you usually shop for books

Images:

Shutterstock

Flame Tree Press

 

It Was a Dark and Stormy (January) Evening...

 ...and, to make matters worse, Liverpool FC were playing at home in the European Cup!

(James Lefebure and me)

But despite all the odds against it, we had a fantastic evening at my book launch at Waterstones, Liverpool on the 21st January.

My intrepid friend, James Lefebure (author of The Books of Sarah) was in the chair and kept me mostly in order, except when the subject turned to the first scary stories I had ever read as a child. Here is where I normally wax lyrical about the multiple merits of The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs (which, if you haven't read, please do so, it's out of copyright and free on the internet and is all round brilliant). I said, as always, that I first read this at the age of around eight or nine at school. Kept me awake I can tell you, and put me off taxidermy for life.

But I veered off from that into an apparently innocuous and charming book we also read that year at school - Finn Family Moomintroll by Finland's Tove Jansson. You may have seen one of the animated versions of The Moomins and be familiar with Moomintroll, his Mamma and Pappa, his girlfriend the Snork Maiden, best friend Snufkin... So far, so charmingly sweet. But, as Moomin readers will know, there is a darker side of Moominvalley and its environs. There's a creature called the Groke, who is solitary, looks scary and turns up at night. She sits, unmoving, and when she goes away again the ground on which she has been sitting is...frozen. AARGH! Moomintroll is scared of her - and so was eight-year-old me. This was a dive-under-the-blanket moment for sure.

And then we got to the Hattifatteners. These creatures were affected by thunderstorms and became electrified. They could give you a nasty shock. More AAAAARGHS! But, how do you describe a Hattifattener to the uninitiated? I asked my hairdresser, Karl, who is from Shetland and, like me, a true Moomin aficionado. He said they had always reminded him somewhat of wavy condoms. Well, this reinforced my own feeling that, if you look at the illustrations the author did of them, they resemble penises...with jazz hands and staring eyes. 

Did I say this? In public? At Waterstones in Liverpool at around 7.00 pm?

(Can you spot the Hattifatteners and the Groke?)

Of course I did!

The audience laughed.

I wasn't banned from Waterstones.

And now you simply have to read Tove Jansson, don't you? 

Huge thanks to all who came, braved the elements and potential football crowds, and even bought books. Massive appreciation and thanks to James Lefebure, and to Phil Larner and Waterstones, Liverpool for making it all possible. Thank you to my lovely publisher, Flame Tree Press for the super prizes and for being who you are.

Congratulations to Simon and Cate Bestwick who won the gorgeous prizes provided by Flame Tree Press (in association with The Henge Shop in Avebury)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Liverpool beat Lille 2-1. Result all round I'd say!

So, what were we launching?

Available from: 

Amazon

Flame Tree Press

Barnes and Noble

Waterstones

Bookshop.org

and wherever you usually shop for books

The Stones of Landane Are Here - Come and Meet Them (And Me)

 

After months of waiting, it's finally here. The Stones of Landane is now out in the world!

My official launch takes place on TUESDAY, JANUARY 21st at 6.30p.m. to be precise, and the lovely people at Waterstones, Liverpool One, are making it all happen.

In the chair, asking questions and keeping me from wandering off down all sorts of meandering roads, will be my friend and fellow author, JAMES LEFEBURE. What is he going to ask me? You would have to ask him that, or better still, come along and see for yourself but here's a little sneak preview into what I intend to wangle into our conversation (by fair means or not so fair):

* The long and winding road that led to The Stones of Landane

*  'It was the mice what done for it' (thereby hangs a tale. Or tail?)

* Of ley lines, stone circles and Aubrey Burl

* The magic and mystery of Avebury

Obviously, there will be more. Some of it may even be true. One thing is certain, if you can make it to Waterstones for the book launch, you will be eligible to win a bundle of beautiful prizes provided by Flame Tree Press in conjunction with a shop I always visit (and never come out of empty-handed) whenever I visit Avebury, namely - The Henge Shop

As I write this, the silver moonstone pendant (which is utterly gorgeous, by the way) is sold out on their website so this is your only chance to get your hands on one and, believe me, you'll want to. It's beautiful.

You'll also see a bag of mixed stone runes which the  Henge Shop describes as: Made using mixed tumble stones. These can vary from a mixture of Tiger Eye, Obsidian, Blue Agate, Amethyst, Rose Quartz and more....

This set consists of 25 crystal runes in a beautifully made satin-lined velvet bag. The runic symbols are engraved into the crystal and there is one left blank. The engraving is then inlaid with gold paint.

From Flame Tree Publishing comes the Tree of Life Notebook. Every writer needs to carry one of these around because you truly never know when an idea is going to strike you and unless you write it down then and there, trust me, you won't remember it. 

Ideas frequently come thick and fast when you're reading, and the Folk Horror Short Stories Collection from Flame Tree Press will keep you chilled, thrilled, inspired and entertained with tales from: Linda D. Addison, V. Castro, John Connolly, Helen Grant, Kathryn Healy, H.R. Laurence, Alison Littlewood, Lee Murray, Adam L.G. Nevill, Cavan Scott, Christina Sng, Benjamin Spada, Stephen Volk, Jen Williams, Katie Young and B. Zelkovich.

I hope you can make it to the inspiring city of Liverpool and my book launch on the 21st. Meanwhile, here's a little taster from the beginning of The Stones of Landane:

Nadia 

 The (Almost) Present

'It seemed I had always known them, those magnificent sarsens towering above my head. I nearly convinced myself that I had been created by them. That somehow, incredible and impossible as it might seem, they had given birth to me. How stupidly fanciful is that? Yet now, as I drive closer, I feel that old rush of excitement flowing through my veins as it has since…well, forever.

It’s a feeling, a real sense of coming home. And I know that sounds crazy. Here we are in the south of England, yet I have lived all my life in the north, two hundred and fifty miles away. But much as I love the Pennines and their rugged beauty, I never felt I truly belonged there. Recently, I have come to realize that, only when I am in Landane, surrounded by those ancient stones, do I feel grounded, at home, where I belong. Even if it isn’t always easy.

Safe? Is that the right word? Maybe not safe exactly but…protected, shielded from something I don’t understand. Something I have never understood. It exists on the edge of my sight. I can’t quite see it, but it’s there. Like a fleeting shadow. When it happens, it’s for a split second only. So fleeting that I am left unsure of whether it even happened. And it can occur at any time, without warning. Like that day at work…. I don’t have a fancy job. I work as a sales assistant in a branch of a chain of high street pharmacies. One day, I was advising a customer on which type of moisturizer might suit her best when, out of the corner of my eye, it…whatever it was…flashed by. I let out a little cry. I didn’t mean to. It just happened and it scared the wits out of the poor woman. Next thing, she summoned the manager. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Nadia,” he said, so I suppose I must have. And he wasn’t far off the truth anyway...

We have just whizzed past a road sign. Landane’s only five miles away. Beside me, my partner, Jonathan, has fallen asleep…

Four miles now. My nerve endings are tingling. It’s as if the stones are calling to me. They always have. It’s been two years but I always knew I would return. They knew too. I only wish it wasn’t under such sad circumstances but…well, I’m here now and this time feels different, as if something important is going to happen. No, important isn’t a strong enough word. Life-changing. Monumental….

Jonathan stirs. He opens his eyes, yawns and stretches. “This looks familiar,” he says. I wish he could sound more enthusiastic. Both sides of the road are bordered by fertile hedges, resplendent in their bright green spring foliage. It’s late April and the sun is shining.

It’s late April and I’m coming home.'

Click the link for full details: An Evening with Catherine Cavendish

The Stones of Landane

is available from:

Amazon

Flame Tree Press

Barnes and Noble

Waterstones

Bookshop.org

and wherever you usually shop for books

Images:

Flame Tree Press

Shutterstock

We Lived With A Ghost

I have often been asked (understandably, given the nature of what I write) if I believe in ghosts. I answer, ‘yes’. The next question is invariably. ‘Have you ever seen one?’ Again, ‘yes’ is my response. People want details. I tell them, but, of course such phenomena can be explained away by the sceptical. ‘A trick of the light’, ‘Your imagination playing tricks on you,’ or the incredulous look behind which lurks, ‘you’re weird’. All, of course, are quite possibly true (especially the latter), but I have seen and heard a lot of things I couldn’t quite so easily explain but, of course, in order to believe as I do, you simply had to be there.

A few years ago, we divided our time between a flat in north Wales and a house in Liverpool. The house in Liverpool contained nothing particularly ghostly – although I did once see the apparition of the cat I grew up with who, at that time, had been deceased for around four years. This was a happy experience which stayed with me for days, weeks even.

The flat in north Wales on the other hand… We lived with a ghost. There is no getting away from it. In fact the building itself continues to be haunted by more than one restless spirit – and one of them was caught on camera!

The building dates from the mid eighteenth century and has gone through many different configurations – as shops, dwelling places, a combination thereof and is now a club beneath with a two floor flat above. This was unoccupied for many years until we moved in following extensive renovations. Almost immediately things started to happen. And they were mostly homely, welcoming things, as if our invisible ‘visitor’ wanted to make us feel comfortable.

We would sometimes arrive to find the TV switched on, lights on and, before you say we had carelessly left them on before we left, we hadn’t. In fact, we had checked that everything was switched off just a few minutes before we left. And no, sorry, no-one else could have sneaked in and done it either!

Meanwhile, in another part of the building, used by the Club, other things were happening. In the Snooker Room, chalk was regularly moved, as were beer mats, and then, at around six one morning, my husband came down to our kitchen, whereupon he heard the distinctive sound of the gents’ toilet flushing. This is next to the Snooker Room and on the other side of our wall. He logged the time precisely, thinking that maybe the cleaners had arrived unusually early. 

When, mid-morning, he heard the sound of the Barman arriving to start his shift, my husband, who was Treasurer, went downstairs to the Club and asked to check the CCTV. Evidently the Cleaners had arrived later, at their usual time, so who had been in the Gents? Fortunately CCTV was trained on the area immediately outside. As he watched and, at precisely the same time as he had logged the flushing of the toilet, there was a distinctive, if fast-moving, waft of white smoke across the camera. He continued to watch. Nothing else happened. Other staff watched it. I watched it.

No one has yet been able to explain it. There was no one there or we would have seen them. The cameras were installed to ensure no hiding place for anyone entering or leaving the building and are motion activated. Yes, they were all in perfect working order when the incident happened.

Things continued to move from time to time in the Snooker Room and a couple of the bar staff were so unnerved by the goings-on there that they refused to go up there. One of the staff was certain he heard his name called one night when he was locking up after everyone had gone home. So certain in fact that he answered. There was no one there.

 

 A psychic-medium was shoved violently when she entered the room (with no prior knowledge of its reputation). I was pushed violently backwards and forwards before being thrown off the stair. The injuries I sustained were so severe, the doctors at the hospital couldn’t believe only one step was involved. I didn’t go into all the detail of being shoved and pushed this way and that before the fall occurred. I had no witnesses and who would believe me? My arm was badly broken and I had a bone scan, as they wondered whether my bones were brittle. The tests showed np sign of this. I never retuned to that room.

Thankfully, the ghost in our flat was always friendly. My husband was often aware of her moving around when he was there alone, and there was the curious incident of the washing machine – the detergent drawer was mysteriously and impossibly pushed out when it was operating one day. For all the years we lived there though, neither of us ever felt threatened in that flat.

I was sorry to leave, and wished our ghostly flatmate well. Is she still there looking after whoever has moved in? Sadly, to the best of my knowledge, no one lives in that flat now. She’s all alone up there…

In Landane, ghosts mingle with the living, and the circle of stones guards its secrets well.

‘Fear her now, fear the queen,

As in her stone she reigns supreme…’

When Jonathan agrees to accompany his girlfriend, Nadia, on a trip to Landane, he imagines a short relaxing break in the countryside.  But he quickly discovers that Nadia isn’t just drawn to the ancient Neolithic stone circle, she is obsessed by the megaliths. One in particular. Within hours, her personality begins to change and it isn’t long before Jonathan starts to fear for her sanity.

Reaching far back into the past and up to the present day, those same stones have demonstrated powers beyond reason and, as Jonathan’s girlfriend becomes increasingly distant from reality, some of the ghosts of the past begin to reappear. Now it isn’t only Nadia who is in danger.

What is the secret of the prehistoric standing stones of Landane? What lies within them? And why does an ancient piece of folklore ring so true?

 Publishing on January 14th, 2025

Amazon

Flame Tree Press

Barnes and Noble

and/or wherever you shop for books

 Book Launch!

Waterstones, Liverpool One 

Tuesday January 21st at 6.30p.m.

Join me in conversation with James Lefebure (author of The Books of Sarah)

Full details: 

An Evening with Catherine Cavendish

 

 Images:

Flame Tree Studio

Shutterstock