By Karen Milano

I was one of those kids who placed homemade Holy water on my window sill on Halloween night. For years I was quite certain there was an elderly ghost occupying a rocking chair in the corner of my room. Terrorized and mesmerized by movies like "The Exorcist", "The Shining" and "Amityville Horror", not to mention anything written by Anne Rice, paranormal activity and tales of the spirit world fascinated me. I don't put holy water on the window sill anymore, but these stories continue to tweak my interest.

Imagine my delight when a request materialized to highlight a local writer's new project…. ghost sightings and hauntings in the shoreline area of CT. Right up my alley! Hopefully not a dark one or I'll have to break out the garlic necklace…. And perhaps the little gold cross.

Pamela Ryder, Killingworth resident and mother of two, currently works for the town of Guilford and the Essex River Museum. She lives on her sailboat during summer months, writes for a hobby, is a photographer and a paranormal researcher.

KM: Have you always had an interest in ghosts/the paranormal?

PR: I was raised in a house in Carmel, NY that many believe was haunted by a young teenage girl named Abigail. She died at the age of 16 after losing her parents the previous year. Many families, including my own, moved out of the house due to negative activity.
My father died when I was 19, and I have felt his presence around me ever since. I have a psychic sensitivity and also have had my own physical experiences of cold spots, being touched, and hearing things unexplained by normal parameters.

KM: How did the idea of writing this book come to you and how did it come to your attention that Killingworth has it's own ghost stories to share?

PR: New to the area, I visited two locations that I sensed were "crawling" with activity. The Parker Hill Cemetery and The Killingworth Café. There are tales of activity at The Inn at Chester and Sage Restaurant as well. After hearing other locals confess their own ghost stories, I did some research and discovered there was very little documented about the shoreline area.

My lifelong dream has been to become a published writer. I remember reading somewhere that a good place to start is simply "write what you know". Well, I know ghost stories and I'm interested in the history behind the ghost story... I always want to know what happened to these people in life, so that their energy was left behind after death? The book research is in the beginning process of exploration, so I can't be certain of what the end result will be.

KM: How can people contact you with ghost stories or encounters of their own? Will information be kept confidential if the contact wishes this to be the case?

PR: They can email me at hauntedconnecticut@gmail.com or call 203-815-7700.. Once contact is made, I will set up interviews. I also welcome photos, video, or EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) that have captured paranormal activity. Confidentiality is absolute for those who request it and no addresses will be given out in the book. The Connecticut Ghost Hunters of Shoreline Towns (C - G.H.O.S.TS), is being formed and will be dedicated to investigating, archiving, and writing about paranormal activity in all shoreline towns. Those interested in getting involved can go to www.cghosts.org. I know there are others in this area with the same interest in these things. It would be great to work together to do some shoreline ghost hunting!