On occasion, I take part in local festivals. They are a good way of connecting with potential readers/buyers of my books. Of Dreams and Shadow, the first book in the Forget Me Not Series, features a shadow. The shadow is an evil apparition. As people stopped by my table, I would present my pitch, hoping I could entice them to buy a copy. As I described the premise of the story, highlighting the shadow, I was surprised at the number of people asking me if I had a paranormal/supernatural experience as a child. It would seem that plenty of people have. An old woman described how as a child, she was visited by a shadow who wore a cloak and hat. Another shared her experience of a shadowy figure who haunted her until she turned eighteen.
The thing is – these people aren’t alone. As I was writing Of Dreams and Shadow, I researched shadow people and there are a lot of sightings. The cloak and hat guy – I couldn’t believe how many accounts I found concerning him – and while the old woman stood in front of me recounting her experience, I realized how much her story had in common with my research. 
As for me – I didn’t see a shadow but I remember having the sensation of feeling “watched.” It was so unnerving, I shared that experience with my main character.
“There are three classes of people: those who see.
Those who see when they are shown.
Those who do not see.”
~Leonardo da Vinci
So – what’s with these shadows? Are they ghosts or something else? Perhaps, they are nothing more than a figment of an overactive imagination or a hysterical response to something like a night terror. If so, what about those people who’ve seen these entities during the day?
I’m not sure I believe in ghosts – but I believe there’s something going on that I can’t explain.
Years ago, our dog (who coincidently was named Shadow) disappeared. We searched for her for hours. I’ll never forget getting out of our vehicle, walking to our house and feeling as though Shadow was running to us. It was strange, to say the least. It wasn’t long before my son came inside. He looked at me and said, “I saw Shadow. She was sitting by the steps watching me and then she was gone.” Sometime later, we found Shadow’s body. Do I believe that she came back to check on her boy one last time – absolutely.
How about you? Any strange experiences or encounters with the unknown?
dsmcknight.com 
Both my father and mother visited me in dreams after their passing. My brother visited me 3 days before he passed. Every visit was great and I woke up with a feeling of closure/happiness. Also a past boyfriend from decades ago visited me after his death in a boating accident. All of these were good experiences that I do NOT consider dreams. These people loved me and wanted to ease my pain – and they did. The oddest thing to happen to me happened when I was around 9 or 10. I was playing basketball in an empty lot with a friend. My dog Tuffy was watching and then decided to go home. I turned to watch him cross the road and saw a car hit him – but that was not the strange part. I saw Tuffy stand on his hind legs and put his front paws over his nose and walk (human like) across the road to my house. I KNOW I saw this – maybe that is why I have always felt like animals are closer to God than humans. There is something they are not telling us – maybe that is why they are “dumb” – so we have to figure it all out ourselves – they are there to love and comfort us as we go along on our journey.
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Have you ever wondered why your loved ones chose to visit in a dream? Do you think that it has anything to do with our busy lives? And maybe, when we are asleep we are finally quiet enough to hear them?
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I think it may be as you suggest, but perhaps it is because our defenses are down. We accept the supernatural more readily when we sleep.The thing with my dog Tuffy was bizarre and I have never forgotten it.
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jn OF DREAMS AND SHADOW evil is very real.and it does come initially to Jenna in a dream and eventually consumes her. I have had a few “evil” dreams and they disturb me more than I like – in a way they consume me because the thought of those horrible things happening bother me so much. I tend to think bad dreams are not real, but my “good” dreams are real. Why is that- I wonder. Then I have had some very weird or funny dreams that don’i include people – so odd, but still a delight since my dreams are all so vivid and colorful.
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