Spirit Catcher
Historical Fiction
by Steve Bartholomew
Get Your Copy Here
Liam O’Malley was just looking for a warm bed, a decent living and an honest job. The California Gold Rush wasn’t paying off for this son of an Irish Immigrant, and he was tired of living in squalor. He headed north to San Francisco, hoping to find employment. Shortly after his arrival in the City by the Bay, he did find employment, but he soon questioned how honest it was. He found himself working as the assistant to a Daguerreotype photographer who specialized in portrait photography in his studio, but he also photographed ghosts and departed spirits for Spiritists in the area.
Today, these people would be called Mediums or Psychics but at that time in history, they were considered Spiritists. Labeled as harmless entertainment by some, relied upon heavily by the most influential businessmen and politicians of the time, considered dangerous to civilized society in some circles and even considered witches by others. While taking his "fake ghost pictures" and happily growing their ever expanding photographic business, Liam's work brought him together with many Spiritists. He fell in love with the daughter of one and battled against the most dangerous anti-Spiritist campaigner of the era. While his photos started out as fakes, after an unexplained tragedy, Liam receives a huge surprise that makes him rethink everything. Were these so-called Spiritists actually con men or were they the real deal… you decide!
Meet Author: Steve Bartholomew
Steve Bartholomew is a prolific author who specializes in writing historical fiction. Following a previous life, he has turned his attention to telling stories about the Old West during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He has discovered there are thousands of untold stories to be found in old newspapers, magazines, and sometimes even history books.
The stories he writes are mostly made-up fiction, but then so are a lot of history books.His favorite characters are based on real people from the Old West, The Gold Rush era and from San Francisco's colorful history. He has learned that what people most value are not the bare bone facts of the past, but the stories we tell about them.
Steve (whose friends mostly refer to him as "Bart") derives his idea from listening to people, walking around old neighborhoods, and a lot of reading. As for his previous life, he had an undistinguished career in civil service. His first actual job was in the U.S. Army. Someday he may write a book titled "All I Need to Know I learned in the Army."
He now lives in a rural part of northern California, where he likes to listen to folks and look at trees. Steve is a wonderful story teller and you are sure to fall in love with his characters.
For more information on Steve’s many books, visit http://stevebartholomew.com
or check out his author page on amazon.
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