SIGHT UNSEEN: EMMA'S HOUSE
All my adult life I've been a songwriter. Then 5 years ago I began writing a novel. The initial inspiration came from listening to my grandmother talk about her life. She was born in 1895, and her family had Irish/Scots roots with which I identify. When my husband and I visited Ireland in 2019 we gained an appreciation for people's strong sense of place, home, history, and their recognition of and deep respect for the spirit world. These attributes are woven throughout my novel.
As happened for many artists, the pandemic shifted my efforts from songwriting and performance to the more solitary pursuit of writing. Sight Unseen: Emma’s House is, on its surface, part family saga and part romance. But the undercurrent of the tale tells of liminal space, archetypes, walking between the worlds, and justice. With a bit of home improvement. “I’m drawn to outsiders: seekers, rebels, unorthodox lovers, artists. And also to goddesses. I’m deeply curious about that realm which I am convinced lies behind our daily reality. I got a glimpse of it when I ran into Áine in Ireland.”
REVIEW:
“Sight Unseen: Emma’s House is many things; fantasy, horror, romance, historical mystery, feminist thriller, and domestic suspense. . . this was a place haunted by ghosts dating back to the original residents of the house and then some. Bashaw tells the story between flashbacks to the original inhabitants a century ago alongside experiences of the current owner, a woman named Emma MacLaine, who moves to Riverton and acquires the moldering wreck of this once majestic residence.” Vick Mickunas, “BOOK NOOK: Halloween is just around the corner – some ghosts are getting busy in this novel.” Dayton Daily News, September 15, 2024.
The book is available in paperback and Kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/Sight-Unseen-Sandra-Lee-Bashaw/dp/B0DC3BMKFL
Listen to my interview with Vick Mickunas on WYSO radio's show Book Nook.
This is a tale told in two eras. In 2015, writer Emma MacLaine moves to a new town and impulsively decides to buy and restore a Victorian-era house. When the restoration activates long-dormant energies from 1911, Emma turns to her new friends for help, to find a way to end the chaos. She learns how to walk between two worlds: the everyday and the otherworld, the past and the present. Emma works together with these friends and some otherworldly entities, to clear the house of psychic residue from the past, and redress injustice which has endured for 100 years.
I've written some music inspired by the story. You can listen free or download here:
https://sandybashaw.bandcamp.com/album/sight-unseen
Contact me at: bashawbashaw1@gmail.com