Thursday, October 29, 2009

Arizona Ghost Stories by Antonio R. Garcez

Title: Arizona Ghost Stories
Author: Antonio R. Garcez
ISBN: 0-9740988-0-9, Red Rabbit Press, 2005
Genre: Ghost Stories
Rating: B-

First Line: Arivaca, about 11 miles north of Arizona's border with Mexico, was mapped by Father Eusebio Kino in 1695.

Author Garcez takes us on a journey through the state of Arizona. All the towns he stops in along the way are in alphabetical order, and he gives a little history of each to set the stage for the ghost stories. In addition, ghost stories from several of the Native American tribes in the state are shared.

Garcez doesn't set out to explain ghosts, and he lets each person tell his own story. If you want to read a book filled with tales that are going to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, I wouldn't pick this book up because I found it rather tame in that respect. But as a history (of sorts) of each town, I found it to be very interesting and well worth my time.

I have to confess that I did get a few cold chills reading about Bisbee and the Copper Queen Hotel. Denis and I spent our honeymoon in that historic hotel in a room on the third floor. On our way down to Bisbee, I joked with Denis, telling him that the third floor of the Copper Queen was supposedly haunted. That was the extent of my knowledge. We laughed about it for a minute or two, and then we forgot all about it.

On our second night there, I was awakened at 3 AM by what sounded like an angry Shaquille O'Neal in a pair of hob-nailed boots stomping up and down the hallway right outside our door. When it didn't stop, I got out of bed, crept over to the door, and looked out the peephole. Even though I could hear that loud, angry stomping right outside the door, I couldn't see a thing. I was immediately covered in goose flesh. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, I got back in bed, pulled the covers up to my ears and plastered myself to Denis's back. In reading Arizona Ghost Stories I discovered that I'm not the only person who's heard that ghostly stomping-- and that there are several other things going on up on the third floor of the Copper Queen.

I enjoyed this book, and even if you decide you don't need to know anything about Arizona's ghosts, I'll just bet there are books written about the ghosts in your own area. You ought to check and see!

[Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble.]




6 comments:

  1. How bizarre that you and Denis stayed and you had your own up front & personal creepy experience!

    Just reading the story would have made my hair stand on end after experiencing something ghostly at that place!

    Great story!

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  2. I would have had all the lights on and my bags would have been packed in 3-seconds flat!!!!!

    Spooky

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  3. Amy-- That was the first time something creepy like that had happened to me outside my own home.

    Beth-- I was having too much fun to leave. Besides... the stomper never tried to get in our room!

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  4. You did the exact right thing, Cathy. If you pull the covers over your head, the ghosts will never find you. They might eat Denis, but you'll be okay.

    The sheet over my head has never failed me after all these years. Even the thing that lives under the bed has never found me.

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  5. Charlie-- Believe it or not, I learned that from holding baby rabbits. They always burrowed into the crook of my elbow in the firm belief that, if they couldn't see the monster (me), then they were perfectly safe. It is a shame about Denis though. Wonder if I can pull the covers over his head without waking him up?

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  6. Grate Article. Thanks for posting .You should feature your services/products on the Arivaca community, classifieds section.

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