LOCAL AUTHOR PENS NOVEL INSPIRED BY CAPE MAY LEGEND

If you ask former Hamilton resident and Hun School alum Marlo Berliner if she believes in ghosts, she will tell you she likes to keep an open mind. And that’s good, because she’s written a book about Michael and Sarah, two spirits trapped in the afterlife. THE GHOST CHRONICLES is a young adult novel with adult crossover appeal, perfect for fans of the 1990’s movie Ghost.

The book was inspired by the legend of a haunting at The Angel of the Sea, an award-winning bed and breakfast in Cape May, NJ. This spectacular inn has been featured on several TV shows and in magazines throughout the world. Most notably, it was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as one of the “Best Vacations in the World” and included on her talk show. The Angel of the Sea is one of the most recognized Victorian structures in the United States.

While staying at The Angel of the Sea, Berliner happened to pick up a non-fiction book about Cape May ghosts stories in the lobby. Imagine her surprise when she learned the place she was staying at was haunted. The book detailed how a girl fell to her death on the property in the late 1960’s and how her ghost is believed to still haunt the inn. Immediately Berliner knew she wanted to include Sarah’s character in the book and set most of the story at The Angel of the Sea.

Berliner then did extensive research on the legend surrounding the haunting at The Angel of the Sea. The story is widely known and has been included in several non-fiction books about ghosts in Cape May. News stories about the death say that the young girl, whose real name was Sarah Brown, was an Irish exchange student rooming at The Angel of the Sea and working at the nearby Christian Admiral Hotel. The story goes that she returned to her room at The Angel of the Sea to shower and change for church, but discovered she had left her keys at work. Since she didn’t have time to retrieve the keys and still get ready, she attempted to shinny along a ledge to get in through the window. But when she tried to pry the screen off it suddenly broke free, smacking her in the forehead and sending her tumbling to her death.

Over the years, guests at The Angel of the Sea have attributed a number of experiences to the girl’s playful spirit. It is said Sarah has an affinity for electronic devices. Lamps, radios and televisions have all been known to turn on and off by themselves from time to time. Guests and staff have noticed items disappearing from one spot only to reappear mysteriously in another. Objects also fall from tables and dressers as if knocked off by unseen hands. Furniture and pictures have been seen wobbling or shaking for no explainable reason.

Most notably, the girl seems to have an aversion to locked doors. Given the fact that a locked door contributed to her untimely death, it is not surprising that her ghost has been said to lock and unlock doors in certain parts of the inn, and in particular, the door to her own room has been found inexplicably unlocked.

In her own words, Berliner had this to say about THE GHOST CHRONICLES: “This is the story ripped from the headlines about a young person who dies tragically through no fault of their own. Unfortunately we read these stories nearly every day in the newspaper or see them on TV. The kind of young person you hear has died and you find yourself thinking, What a shame. They had so much going for them, such a promising future. Why did that have to happen? For this reason, this book was the book of my heart. It won’t be completely apparent until later in the series, but I wanted it to be a story of great hope for anyone who has tragically lost someone they love, especially someone young.”

Formerly an accounting manager for a Fortune 500 company, Berliner is currently an intern with a well-known literary agency based in New York City, as well as, an editor at Chimera Editing. Berliner writes young adult, women’s fiction, and short stories. THE GHOST CHRONICLES is her first novel. Her second novel, SECRETS BENEATH, will be released in the fall. She is currently working on her third and fourth novels. When she’s not writing or editing, Berliner loves reading, relaxing at the beach, watching movies, and rooting for the Penn State Nittany Lions. After having spent some wonderful time in Pittsburgh and Houston, she’s now back in her home state of New Jersey where she resides with her husband and two sons.

Berliner will be signing her book, THE GHOST CHRONICLES, at the Barnes & Noble in Hamilton Township, NJ on Saturday, March 5th from 1-3PM as part of a Bookfair to benefit the Friends of the Hamilton Township Public Library. If you plan to attend the signing, please bring the voucher with you so that a portion of your total purchases can be donated to the library. Online sales will also count towards the fundraiser from March 5th through March 9th as long as you give Bookfair ID #11808474 when checking out. More information about the event can be found here https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061762231-0. Copies of the Bookfair flyer can be obtained here: https://hamiltonnjplfotl.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/tgcstandard-bookfair-flyer-with-vouchers-color-feb-2016.pdf. Additional information about author Marlo Berliner can be found on her website: http://marloberliner.com.