A murderous nobleman, an executed queen, and a naked witch are believed to be some of the restless spirits said to walk the venerable halls of Holyrood Palace. Situated at one end of Edinburgh’s prestigious Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace has played a central role in the eventful history of Scotland’s capital. Officially called the Palace of Holyroodhouse, it was the favoured palace of several of Scotland’s rulers, and is currently the UK monarch’s Royal Scottish residence. However in its past, the palace also provided the backdrop for a number of notably gruesome incidents.

When James VI of Scotland was returning from Denmark with his new queen, their ship was almost sunk in a fearsome storm. James had a profound belief in sorcery at the time and was convinced that the storm had been caused by witchcraft. His theories led on to an event in 1590 which came to be known as the North Berwick witch trials, a notorious episode in the country’s history which saw numerous people, of varying rank, rounded up on suspicion of using sorcery against the king. Many of these unfortunates were subsequently imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed. The North Berwick trials were the first major outbreak of witchcraft persecution in Scotland.

Agnes Sampson was one of the accused in the Berwick trials. Known as the ‘Wise Wife of Keith’, she was brought to Holyrood Palace on specific orders by King James where she was stripped bare and her body shaved. She was then interrogated in the monarch’s presence before being affixed to a wall through the aid of a “Witch’s Bridle”. King James wavered for a while before declaring Agnes guilty of sorcery. She was then taken to Castle Hill, an infamous spot for the execution of convicted witches, where she was strangled and burned at the stake. However some say that this wasn’t the last of Agnes Sampson, and her vengeful ghost, known as ‘Bald Agnes’, is still rumoured to roam nude around Holyrood Palace, the place of her terrible captivity.

In the realms of the supernatural, the ghost of Mary, Queen of Scots is arguably one of the most ubiquitous of phantoms. There have been reports of her apparition at several locations in Scotland, including Stirling Castle and Craignethan Castle, as well as in England, where she was ultimately beheaded; a particularly messy execution that took place in Fotheringhay Castle on February 8, 1587. She lived at Holyrood Palace between 1561 and 1567 and her much-travelled spirit is still reputed to visit the place. The ghost of Mary’s second husband, Henry Stewart, more commonly known as Lord Darnley, is also said to haunt Holyrood. His spectre has apparently been sighted on numerous occasions roaming the palace grounds with a guilt-ridden countenance.

In 1566, the palace was the setting for a frightful murder when David Rizzio, a young Italian courtier and private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, was brutally done to death by Lord Darnley and his cohorts. The hot-headed Darnley had grown terribly jealous of Rizzio’s close relationship with his wife. The Italian had been playing cards with Mary when Darnley, accompanied by several noblemen, burst into the queen’s private chambers via means of a hidden staircase. Rizzio’s body was thrown down the main staircase at Holyrood after being stabbed 56 times. The young Italian’s ghost is said to still haunt the palace and there is also an indelible bloodstain on the spot where he perished, apparently still visible to this day.

What is it like for a book ghost writer?

It’s an enlightening profession, laden with subtle nuances that typically fail to be properly expressed. Email, the “new” goldmine for information, isn’t being utilized to its fullest possible extent. Too many individuals pound away swiftly into their phones, handhelds and computers. They send out hard to understand messages, and don’t manage to read thoroughly through yours. It can make it difficult to deal with your clients, and also the fellow writers on your team. Phone messaging can also prove to be problematic. Therefore, how may you communicate best with your ghost writing clients when you’re a book ghost writer? How do you figure them out, when it’s tricky to communicate?

The key to ghostwriting or editing a book is to probe carefully for each client’s strongest desires, and to follow them as expressly as possible. You’re striving for steady pay in a “work for hire” category of a job, and each of your client’s needs are paramount. In short, a book ghost writer has to accomplish one main objective: staying within the client’s good graces. This can become unmanageable unless you know more about the type of person with whom you’re speaking. Emails and even phones or Skype are sometimes insufficient to discover everything. So, how exactly does a book ghost writer begin to interpret an incoming stream of ghost writing clients?

Any client has his or her own individual hopes and dream, plus highly personal requirements and expectations. Over the years, I’ve found that ghost writing clients tend to separate into two main groups. There are those with solid book ideas, having access to available target markets. They’re in a field where they offer expertise. They need to hire a book ghost writer to produce a professionally written book manuscript. Then there are those who hold close a cherished dream, such as writing a family memoir, a fiction novel, or a nonfiction book about something dear to them.

Whatever you think, both groups offer a book ghost writer good, potentially great clients! Stereotypically, the first group is easier to deal with. They tend to be salaried professionals, having the right amount of money to pay a professional book ghost writer. The latter group tends to be more ordinary folks, who vary extremely. Yet their pattern tends toward the pursuit of a dream, a personal set of ideas, or a deep desire to relate a story about how their lives were radically affected by other people.

Often, this group needs a book ghost writer to place their stories into perspective. Then they can put things behind them, creating a sense of closure. However, they also want their books to be uplifting, inspirational and helpful. They have advice to give, assisting others with similar woes. Their dream is to help readers overcome the problems they faced, getting them to commiserate personally with the book author.

What is it like for ghost writing clients?

Both groups are hoping to sell lots of book copies, or at least to get a family memoir prepared for their loved ones, friends and colleagues. The main idea for the first group is to produce a professional work that sells within target markets, while the main dream for the second one is to create the next million copy bestseller. Thankfully, these worthwhile goals are still within your reach. It all depends on the amount of heart, time, effort, thought, money and work you’re prepared to provide.

One important thing for ghost writing clients to realize is that their book ghost writers are merely people like them. We have financial needs, families to raise, computer problems such as Internet shutoffs, kids with health problems and sudden emergencies. So be prepared to deal politely with setbacks. Work in a timely, forthright manner with unexpected dilemmas, and do your best to solve them. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. It’s the same as any other business or personal relationship: live and let live. Don’t accuse someone when you don’t know the circumstances yet, and don’t “read things into” what you don’t really know about. Ask questions, get answers!

Finally, there is one important thing for book ghost writers and their ghost writing clients to remember. No matter which group you’re in, write with your readers in mind. Don’t forget, you’re not writing a book for yourself; you want somebody else to read it. Be sure to make it a great, lasting, timeless book, well worth reading and reviewing.

The resting place of kings, Westminster Abbey is one of the largest churches in England and, over the years, has acquired a reputation for being haunted. Standing in central London next to the Houses of Parliament, the Abbey is the venue for coronations, Royal weddings and burials; its origins dating back to the 10th century.

A number of ghosts allegedly haunt the Abbey. These include a spectral soldier who is said to manifest next to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, as well as John Bradshaw, the 17th century judge who passed the death sentence on the deposed King Charles I, and now supposedly haunts the Deanery. Other reported phenomena include a particular door that opens on its own accord, and also lights which suddenly switch themselves off.

However the most famous ghost at Westminster Abbey is that of a monk known as ‘Father Benedictus’. Where this spirit acquired his name is unclear, although he is thought to have been a Benedictine monk on account of the habit he is wearing. The monk is said to be friendly, and his story has become one of the enduring legends of this most venerable of London landmarks.

There were several sightings of this ghostly monk back in the 20th century. The earliest dates to 1900, when two young ladies noticed a tall and lean figure in a monk’s habit with a prominent forehead, standing near the cloisters, leisurely observing them and the congregation. They watched the mysterious figure for several minutes before it stepped back and disappeared directly into a wall.

Westminster Abbey has played host to many Royal weddings over the years, including that of Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future King George VI and the Queen Mother) on 26 April 1923. Father Benedictus was apparently observed on the night before the wedding.

The monk was also witnessed on two separate occasions in the 1930s. The first of these, in 1932, was particularly dramatic. Two American tourists related how they had encountered a monk, describing the apparition as appearing life-like. It also spoke to them. The somewhat bemused tourists had assumed this was an actual person, describing him as rather entertaining. The monk went on to recount how he had lived in the time of Henry VIII and had been stabbed to death by robbers. Although there was a particularly gruesome murder at the Abbey in 1378, there is no record of a monk being killed there in the 16th century.

Fyvie Castle abounds with stories of restless spirits and deadly curses. Situated in expansive parkland north of Aberdeen, this ancient baronial castle dates back to the 13th century, and is one of the most haunted buildings in Scotland.

One of the castle’s well-known ghosts is Dame Lilias Drummond. Known as the ‘Green Lady of Fyvie’, on account of her wearing a greenish dress, Lilias has been witnessed on many occasions since the 17th century. She is said to manifest in the halls and on the great staircase, having been spotted by both staff and visitors alike. Apparently she was once seen in a mirror by a tourist visiting the castle. The smell of roses is said to accompany her presence.

Dame Lilias was married to Alexander Seton, the then laird of Fyvie, of whom she bore five daughters. However she was unable to provide Seton with his much longed for male heir. She died in 1601, aged about thirty; some say under suspicious circumstances.

Soon after Lilias’s death, Alexander married a beautiful young woman by the name of Grizel Leslie. It was on the couple’s wedding night that a very odd and unaccountable incident occurred. The newly-weds had retired to bed in an upper chamber of the castle, when Grizel was awakened in the small hours by a strange moaning, a sort of horribly unearthly sighing coming from beyond the bedroom window. She roused her husband and he went to investigate but didn’t find anything. However sleep proved elusive for young Grizel as the moaning persisted.

The following morning Grizel went to check the window and got a terrible fright. Inscribed into the very stone of the window sill were the words “D. Lilias Drummond”. Had Dame Lilias returned from the grave and carved her name in stone? The room where Alexander and Grizel had slept is located very high up and would have been difficult to access, so how the inscription got there is anyone’s guess. It can still be seen to this day.

Some say the ghost of Lilias Drummond only manifests when a laird at the castle is about to die. Tradition tells of how she was seen on a December afternoon in 1879 by Alick Gordon, the brother of the then laird, Colonel Cosmo Gordon, who had been ill in bed at the time. Cosmo did indeed die soon after and Alick came into possession of Fyvie.

With several ghost sightings in the area, Brockley Combe is thought to be one of the most haunted locations in England. Situated to the south west of Bristol, the combe is a picturesque beauty spot by day; however at night there is a distinctly otherworldly atmosphere…

The apparition of a terrified elderly woman has been sighted in the woods of Brockley Combe. The ghost is believed to be that of Dinah Swan, a 90 year old woman who allegedly died of fright in 1833 after her house was broken into by ruffians. The old woman’s body was discovered at her home and several of her belongings were missing. Her ghost was last seen in 1940 by a woman from Weston-super-Mare. Dinah’s spirit apparently appears around midnight and is said to bring misfortune to those who witness it.

A phantom coach has been seen on at least three separate occasions. The first to behold this spectacular manifestation were a group of gypsies residing in the woods at the time. The coach was a hearse-like vehicle drawn by four horses and, according to them, its driver also appeared to be headless! The second sighting was by a sceptical chap who, having heard that Brockley Combe was haunted, decided to investigate for himself. After fleeing from a party of footballers of which he had previously had a set-to after encountering in the woods, the man happened upon the unearthly coach and subsequently reassessed his former scepticism. Another person to witness the phantom coach was a cyclist who was seriously unnerved when the spectral vehicle materialized from nowhere and seemingly passed right through him!

The condemned spirit of an evil parson has been observed prowling along a road which runs through the combe. The spectre is supposedly that of a man called John Hibbetson who in 1776, witnessed the squire of Chelvey, James Stevens, have a serious fall and subsequently nursed him back to health. However, as soon as Hibbetson had wormed his way into James’s favour, and the squire had altered his will so that the parson would inherit a substantial amount of his fortune, Hibbetson promptly murdered him. John Hibbetson was also rumoured to practice devil worship and it is said that on his death, a terrifying beast was witnessed entering the parson’s abode to claim his soul.

A number of other ghosts are said to haunt Brockley Combe. These include a phantom known as the Bounding Ghost, which is apparently a slender figure who bounds silently along a road through the wood. An apparition known as the Phantom Girl is thought to be that of a young woman who, legend has it, killed herself by jumping off one of the crags in the combe after a love affair ended in tragedy. A spectre simply known as the Ghost Man has been occasionally glimpsed in the woods by several witnesses. The mysterious figure is swathed in black and stands at the foot of one of the trees.

St Nicholas’ Church in the village of Brockley is reputedly haunted by an apparition known as the Little Lady in Brown. The spirit is thought to be that of a former cleaner who died around 1900. A number of visitors to St Nicholas’ have witnessed the ghost in the church’s aisle and vestry. The renowned ghost hunter Elliott O’Donnell conducted an all-night vigil at the church back in the 1940s but failed to witness the Little Brown Lady, although he did report strange whisperings and footsteps of which a source could not be identified.

The combe is also home to Brockley Court, an old manor house where apparently an actual ghost was once photographed. Elliott O’Donnell visited Brockley Court on several occasions and arrived at the conclusion that it was indeed very haunted. Accompanied by a range of acquaintances O’Donnell oversaw a number of all-night vigils at the house where he witnessed a variety of supernatural phenomena. Perhaps the most terrifying however was the ghost of a monk. One of O’Donnell’s companions was frightened out of his wits when a monkish figure with a horrible skull-like face suddenly leapt up the stairs towards him. This apparition put in a second appearance in a chamber dubbed the ‘haunted room’ and was subsequently photographed by another of O’Donnell’s acquaintances. When the film was developed, it showed the face of an evil-looking monk…

The world of the supernatural has a strong, unshakable belief in ghosts and orbs. However, the connection between orbs and ghosts is still little known.

1. Ghosts and Orb Photographs

There are plenty of photographs depicting both orbs and ghosts. In photographs, ghosts appear as translucent or transparent human-shaped beings. They wear whatever dress they were comfortable in when they were alive.

Orbs, on the other hand, bear no resemblance to human beings whatsoever. They are moving balls of light. Many skeptics and scientists are of the opinion that orbs don’t really exist. What appears in photographs and is mistaken to be an orb is really a technical imperfection in the film or dust and vapor particles.

2. Ghost and Orb Video Clippings

Video clippings tell a different story. A ghosts hardly appear in videos as it appears in photographs. Orbs, on the contrary, are clearly visible. They move about and even open doors, a fact the clearly indicates some intelligence on the part of the orb.

3. Appearances

There is one more difference between a ghost and an orb. Ghosts appear to some people. In other words, gifted people can view a ghost with their naked eye. Orbs, on the other hand, are hardly visible to the naked eye. They become visible only in photos and videos. Unfortunately, in the days when Myrtle’s Plantation was believed to be haunted, both photographs and videos were unavailable. So no photographs of orbs could be obtained from Myrtle’s Plantation.

4. How Are Orbs Viewed?

Ghosts and orbs are believed to be connected in some way. Both seem to have once been people who lived on earth, and are now earthbound spirits unable to move to the upper realms. But the existence of orbs is disputed more than the existence of ghosts is. Many people, while they admit that there may be some truth in ghosts, claim that orbs are either photographic imperfections or that they are actually dust or vapor particles.

Moreover, creating fake photographs of orbs and ghosts the favorite past time of tricksters. For this reason, a photograph cannot be considered as proof for the existence of these creatures although it can be introduced in a court as evidence.

One may obtain a clue to the existence of orbs and ghosts in haunted places. For example, Myrtle’s Plantation has been haunted by the usual transparent or translucent human-shaped ghost. There are many more places such as Myrtle’s Plantation, which might provide much-needed evidence.

To prove that ghosts or orbs exist, provided scientific investigators are interested in doing so, we need highly advanced technological devices. Ghosts are not new to the world; they have been in existence as long as human beings have. However, there is a difference between the present world and the past world. We have devices now that the ancients knew nothing of.

And if we work at improving these devices, we might be able to make spectacular discoveries about the supernatural worlds. Why, we might be able to prove once and for all, if supernatural phenomenons are real or just a figment of human imagination.