Randy  Overbeck

A few weeks ago, I met an aspiring writer who asked, “Do you plot your stories out so you know where you going or do you wing it and see where it takes you?” she asked. “I’ve heard both can work.”                   My answer was, “Of course both can work. I know writers who succeed using either method.”                   The young lady persisted, “But what about you?” I explained, “Basically , I’m part plotter and part pantser.” For my Haunted Shores Mysteries, I do an exte

“There are more people in slavery now than at any time in human history.”                   At my latest visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, I was chilled by what I learned about the history of slavery in this country. The curated exhibits with the actual shackles, the cramped slave pen where 12 bodies struggled to find space on the floor and the detailed blueprint of a slave ship complete with an illustration of slaves shov

A few years ago, when I was still active in my work in schools, several of my talented primary teachers had their students write letters to Santa. From time to time, these teachers would share a few, especially when the messages made you bend over with laughter or rip your heart out. Sometimes it takes children to remind us about the meaning and fun in Christmas…and perhaps put a mirror up to ourselves. I wish I’d kept some of those dandies but I wasn’t that smart or prescien

Each October,  I offer a blog about the world of ghosts. For 2025, I thought I’d go Native, Native American, that is. As I’ve shared my ghost talks with more than 150 groups and organizations across the country, I discuss how the belief in ghosts is integral to every religion in the world. Whether believers are Christian or Jewish, Hindu or Muslim, one part of the dogma of every faith is the belief in ghosts. The same is true of ghosts in Native American religions. Since my n

A few years ago, when the first entry in my Haunted Shores Mysteries was released by the Wild Rose Press, I was doing a book talk at a...

Recently, I met a friend and former colleague for lunch. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so first we got caught up on our families’...

Christians have been celebrating Christ’s birth for more than 2000 years, honoring this event by doing what God did, showering those we...