Columbia Ghost Story Sandbox

Columbia Ghost Story is now a wrap. I posted the last chapter this morning. Arriving at that final page is a bittersweet experience for a story that has been on the drawing board for close to four years. Before moving on to another story, I hit the pause button to leaf through the scrapbook.

Columbia Ghost Story: Vengeful Spirits

Oblivion is a scary place. The underworld kingdom is home to vampires and witches who have been killed on Earth, but the most terrifying residents of all are vengeful spirits. Once mortal, they are now consumed by an insatiable desire for revenge. In Columbia Ghost Story, Thanatos sends one back to the upper world. It's the first step in his own plan to exact revenge on Astrena.

Neal's Inner Child

If ever Neal could be excused to have an inner child moment, it's after the conclusion of my previous story, The Musicians. During that tale, he'd been subjected to psychological manipulation, abducted, and drugged into a state of schizophrenia for a week. When he was cleared to return to work, he was on restricted duty for three weeks. Neal could easily argue giving free rein to his inner child was excellent therapy not only for him but for Peter. It was a sign that he was back to normal.

Shaken, Not Stirred

For the speakeasy party in Columbia Ghost Story, Neal reprises a James Bond costume he wore in an Arkham Files story while Sara dresses as Emma Peel from The Avengers. Although they have a moment wishing they'd been disguised as d'Artagnan and Constance, James Bond has a much stronger connection to Caffrey Conversation.