The Ghost Circus By Diandra Archer

The Ghost Circus: An Onyx Webb Supernatural Thriller
Diandra Archer

Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Publisher: Lust for Living
Date of Publication: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1947814226
ASIN: B0B7QVRLYK
Number of pages: 280
Word Count: 64,000
Cover Artist: Alex at https://www.nessgraphica.com/

Tagline: If You Think Life is Precious, Just Wait Until You’re Dead

Book Description:

A ragtag traveling circus sits outside a small California town. Two hundred miles north, the rumors of Onyx Webb, a legendary ghost, are "alive and well" in the seaside hamlet of Crimson Cove, Oregon.

After mysterious deaths occur in both places, the FBI gets involved. By the time the circus travels to Crimson Cove, the little town is starting to unravel. It's one thing to stop people from committing crimes, but how do you stop ghosts?


Amazon
 
 
Onyx existed in a constant state of guilt over what she considered to be stealing the best years of Noah’s life. What some would call robbing the cradle or being what was currently called a cougar.
It was the opposite of the norm, in which men had a tendency to date and marry younger women.
When Onyx brought up the topic, Noah pointed out how it was no longer a big deal for couples to have differences in their age. “Age is just a number,” Noah would say, having pointed out the age difference between Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. “She’s like 15 years older than he is.”
First, Onyx had absolutely no idea who these people were since she never watched television. And the 15-year age difference paled in comparison to their ages since Onyx was 114 and Noah was still in his 30s.
The thing that made the age difference livable, no pun intended, was that ghosts appeared as the age they were on the day they died and returned as their perfect selves. No scars or blemishes or wrinkles. Even severed limbs reappeared.
She may have been 114 years old, but in terms of appearance, Onyx looked 39.
And as a ghost, she would be 39 forever.
Assuming she could get the energy.
Onyx watched as Noah took advantage of the last bit of daylight, shirt off—sweating and swearing when the rocks wouldn’t fit together—his skin glistening with sweat and red with color.
Onyx held up her hand and examined it. Unlike Noah’s, her skin was gray. Transparent.
When she held the hand up to her face, she could see right through it.
Unacceptable.
Tonight, she would go to the hospital and see if there was anyone whose time had come. If there wasn’t, she would go into town and look for an addict shooting up in a dark alley—the kind that could be found in all towns, even small ones like Crimson Cove.
She had no problem taking drug addicts. They were killing themselves, anyway. If they wanted to die, she was happy to help them along.
Those who were young and healthy? No. Onyx’s code would not allow it. They were off-limits.
And children? Never.
Onyx walked to the opposite side of the lighthouse and peered out toward the water, seeing thin red lines of red forming as the sun was being slowly swallowed by the ocean.
Soon it would be dark. It was time.



1 Onyx Webb: The 31 Immutable Matters of Life and Death
(Based on the original 10 book, 31 episode Onyx Webb series. )

Episode 1:
“Should you one day discover you have both light and darkness inside you, do not despair. We all do. The only thing that matters is which you choose to act on.”

Episode 2
“We do not fear heights, we fear falling. Nor do we fear the darkness… but, rather, what we think may be lurking there. And in matters of life and death, we do not fear dying: only that it may be final.”

Episode 3
 “It is not important to know what fate awaits you beyond the living plane. All that matters is that you know there is a ‘there’ there.”

Episode 4
“The greatest temptation in life is to pursue everything that catches your eye. What matters is: Are you willing to pursue only that which captures your heart.”

Episode 5
“The universe is a blank canvas, and you are the paint. The only thing that matters is how much of yourself you are willing to splash upon it.”

Episode 6
“The universe is impressed when you find the courage to stand with others. What matters more, however, are the times you find the courage to stand alone.”

Episode 7
“Everything in the universe is temporary, yet everything lasts forever. And it does not matter if you believe this—it will be true with or without your consent.”

Episode 8
 “It is not the job of the universe to tell you what your destiny is. For that matter, no one is destined to become anything other than what they choose to become.”

Episode 9
“No matter how unfair the world may seem, the world is perfect just the way it is.”

Episode 10
 “Those filled with hate believe the edge of the universe is surrounded in darkness, while those filled with love believe it to be bathed in light. But what does it matter? Upon their deaths, both will discover they were correct.”

Episode 11
“Your forgiveness may not matter to those who harm you, but it was never intended for them anyway. It is a gift you give yourself.”
 
Episode 12
 “When you die, one of the following two things must be true. You are dead and gone, or you are dead but not gone. To settle the matter once and for all, as far as the Universe is concerned, we are never gone.”

Episode 13
“The desire to remain young matters most to those who do not realize that growing old is a privilege denied to many.”

Episode 14
 “Your dreams matter to you, but also to the universe. Do not let anyone who has given up on their dreams talk you out of yours.”

Episode 15
 “The world is filled with unspeakable evil, but it is also filled with unstoppable love. The only thing that matters—as long as there is one person with a single ounce of love in their heart—is that evil cannot win.”

Episode 16
“The thing that matters most in your final hours is that you do not find yourself crying and begging for more time. Only those who have failed to live fear death.”

Episode 17
“There is no such thing as a lifetime—only a series of moments strung together that matter to us that we call a lifetime. To miss these moments is to miss your life.

Episode 18
“The universe is not interested in your long list of casual wants. The only thing that matters is your short list of passionate desires.”

Episode 19
“No matter what you think or how you feel when times are tough, life is a precious gift. Just how precious is it? Don’t worry. You know when you’re dead.”

Episode 20
“If knowing every secret in the universe matters to you, your time on earth will be a disappointment. The number of secrets is infinite; the capacity to understand is not.”

Episode 21
“The best way to deal with matters of hate, jealousy, anger, fear, and regret is to be so busy living your life that you simply have no time for any of them.”

Episode 22
“It does not matter that you reach out to the universe. What matters is that you reach inside yourself.”

Episode 23
“The universe does not care if you are beautiful. What matters is that you surround yourself with that which is beautiful to you.”

Episode 24
 “Nothing in the universe is good or bad, big or small, hot or cold, up or down, right or wrong. The only thing that matters is the perspective of the observer.”

Episode 25
“If fulfilling your mission on earth truly matters, why have you yet to even start? And don’t say it is because you don’t know your mission. You have always known.”

Episode 26
“In matters of karma, the universe is excruciatingly fair. What goes around does indeed come around. But you must understand: the universe is under no obligation to ensure it comes around to you.”

Episode 27
“Thoughts don’t just matter. They are matter. In the same way that the moon tugs on the oceans, the gravity of your thoughts have pulled both things and people into your life.”

Episode 28
“The true wonders of the universe can be seen in three ways: through the lens of a telescope, the lens of a microscope, and—when it matters most—the lens of human understanding.”

Episode 29
“Every choice, large or small, matters more than you’ll ever know. In the end, your life will have been nothing more than a collection of your choices.”

Episode 30
“Show the universe what matters most to you, and the universe will show you… you.”

Episode 31
“The differences between us matter less than the ways in which we are the same, for in the end we come to understand we were all connected by the same frail web called life.”


A Poem from the Journal of Onyx Webb

Alive Again

I want to be alive again, feel wind blow through my hair.

Take a deep, glorious breath, have my lungs fill up with air.

I even want to feel the pain as thorns draw drops of blood.

Run outside in a pouring rain, dance barefoot in the mud.

What good is hearing music when you cannot sense the beat?

What purpose does passion serve for a soul that feels no heat?

Why pray for more tomorrows when your present is such hell?

Why hope to one day fall in love if you have no heart to swell?

There was a time when I believed that I would do it all—Climb the Eiffel Tower; walk China’s long Great Wall.

Dance on my wedding night, in the arms of the perfect man,

But life did not turn out that way, for fate had other plans.

What good is one more day on Earth? I ask myself again.

I know that I was happy once yet cannot remember when.

Why continue on this way, doing nothing but survive?

Why stay among the living, simply dying to be alive?

-Onyx Webb
Crimson Cove, Oregon
 
About the Author:

Diandra Archer is the pen name for professional speakers and best-selling authors, Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz. Richard and Andrea have been entrepreneurs, writing and publishing non-fiction business books for over twenty years. Onyx Webb is their first fiction book series. They live in Central Florida with their cat Storey, and newly adopted senior dog, Peppers. Diandra Archer is a combination of both of their first names.

http://onyxwebb.com/
 
https://twitter.com/onyxwebb

https://www.facebook.com/OnyxWebbSeries

Spooktacular Giveaway 
 
$20 Amazon Gift Card from Diandra Archer