Join Rue Allyn who tells us the facts about ghostly phenomena or at least what she’s learned to make her story plausible.
In my next two books (still in progress) I’ll be branching out into what used to be called Paranormal Romance and I believe is now termed Romantasy. Regardless of the specific sub-genre name (because I believe there are difference) these works in progress both have fantastical elements important to the story. Today I want to tell you about my research into ghosts. Now I personally don’t believe in ghosts per se. I do believe that, to paraphrase Shakespeare, there are more things in Heaven and Earth, my friends, than are dreamt of in your experience, or mine.
Then why discuss the ‘facts’ such as they are of Ghosts than any of the myriad other fantastical elements I could use in a story? For the very reason that I am creating a character who in some respects has a ‘ghostly’ existence. [I really don’t want to give much more detail than that or I’ll spoil the story.]
The problem I came to when I began to write this character is—as I explained above—I don’t believe in ghosts, and therefore don’t really have a good concept of what would make a ghost-type character believable to readers.
Enter a Google search for the keyword phrase ‘list ghostly powers.’ I figured the human elements of the character—emotions, needs etc.—would not change for ghosts. However, I was certain that while ghosts had limitations they also had abilities greater than your average living human. Hence my need to know what powers might be plausible for my character. Below this article I give a short version of the list I found using Google’s AI.
The list is much longer than I imagined it would be. In addition, giving my character all of those ‘powers’ would make him/her impossible to control. I had to pick and choose from the available items which would be most plausible for this character in his/her circumstances. Fortunately other elements of my story helped me select the right powers. My point however is that not all ‘facts’ behind the fiction are actual facts. Sometimes the ‘facts’ are more about what the reader will believe is possible than what can be documented as true.
One last word on this particular story. Once I figured out how to make the ghostly aspects of my character plausible, I tremendous fun creating him. The story—which does not yet have a firm title—should launch early in 2026.
Common ghostly powers include intangibility, allowing passage through solid objects; invisibility; telekinesis, moving objects with the mind; teleportation, instant travel; and possession, taking control of living beings or objects. Other abilities can include fear inducement, shapeshifting, environmental manipulation (like creating cold or manipulating elements), and electromagnetic interference.
About the Author
Award winning romance author, Rue Allyn has a lifelong passion for happy ever after. She lives south of the border with her husband of more than
forty years and their cat, Tanto. She has two sons and is a proud veteran of the US Navy. Shewrites heart melting romance in all sub-genres, but her favorite is historical romance, especially medieval.
Subscribe to Rue’s News where you may learn more about Rue and receive a FREEdownload.
Join Rue’s Daring Damsels: Rue’s facebook group is called Rue Allyn’s Daring Damsels. We gather to party, chat, and spread the word far and wide about great books, mine and other authors. Active members can have a lot of fun, reap rewards and gain prizes, all for free (and a little bit of your FB time). Here’s the link to Rue Allyn’s Daring Damsels. Can’t wait to meet you.
Common Ghostly Abilities
•Intangibility: The ability to pass through physical objects without hindrance, a core trait of most spirits.
• Invisibility: The capacity to become unseen by the living, though sometimes visible as a faint light or blur.
• Telekinesis (Psychokinesis): The power to move objects using mental force.
• Teleportation: The ability to instantly travel from one location to another.
• Possession: The power to enter and control the body of a living person or inanimate objects.
Other Abilities
• Fear Inducement: Causing fear or terror in living individuals.
• Shapeshifting: The ability to change into different forms or even manipulate elements.
• Environmental Manipulation: Some ghosts can alter their surroundings, such as lowering temperatures (thermokinesis), creating wind, or manipulating fire.
• Electromagnetic Interference: Disruption of electronic devices in the ghost’s presence.
• Super Strength/Speed: Ghosts can exhibit enhanced physical capabilities compared to their living state.
• Astral Perception: The ability to perceive other spiritual beings that are normally invisible.
• Illusion Manipulation: Creating false images or perceptions to deceive the living.
• Ghostly Wail/Scream: A powerful sonic attack, often with a destructive or paralyzing effect.
• Dream Walking: The ability to enter and influence the dreams of sleeping individuals.