NEWS

Paranormal experience paved way for book

By EMMA BARTLETT
Posted 9/27/22

By EMMA BARTLETT

Paul Tiberi’s “Unwelcome Visitor” may be fictional, but the Cranston author claims the story is based on a true paranormal experience. Tiberi never believed in …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
NEWS

Paranormal experience paved way for book

Posted

Paul Tiberi’s “Unwelcome Visitor” may be fictional, but the Cranston author claims the story is based on a true paranormal experience. Tiberi never believed in spirits but, following three months of peculiar activity inside his home, an expert informed Tiberi that the spirit of a young boy had followed him home from a local cemetery. The house was exhumed and the incident inspired Tiberi to write a fictionalized story.

Tiberi couldn’t stop writing once he started and last year published “The Strange Light at Salem House and Other Stories,” a 300-page book of three stories meant to capture readers’ imaginations. Dabbling in the genres of horror, sci-fi and fantasy, Tiberi said the stories are appropriate for young adults and up.

Tiberi wrote “Unwelcome Visitor” on Facebook – the story pondered whether the hauntings were delusions of mind, or if it’s a poltergeist or spirit bent on some unknown purpose. He’d post a chapter every other day and started noticing an increase in readership. People then asked if he had more stories.

“That’s when I wrote ‘Planetary Pets,’” said Tiberi.

“Planetary Pets,” which is the book’s opening story, is about a post-apocalyptic world where humans have become pets and, more ominously, a potential source of breeding stock for an alien race. Tiberi said his love for horror, fantasy and sci-fi comes from the Saturday afternoons he’d spend with friends at the Uptown Theatre watching movies like “Sinbad,” “Hercules” and “Frankenstein” as a kid.

“I got hooked on seeing these amazing creatures and exotic places come to life,” said Tiberi.

Of the three stories in his book, “The Strange Light at Salem House” (the featured story) is Tiberi’s favorite.

The story follows two English families who learn magic from Irish druids and pass it down from the 17th century to the 21st century. One family engages in light magic while the other decides to use dark magic; the two groups constantly feud – resulting in one family moving to Salem, Massachusetts, to get away. The other family eventually gets in trouble with England’s authorities and moves to Providence, Rhode Island. The story alternates between the 17th and 21st centuries with parallels between ancestors and descendants. Filled with the dark times of witch burning and the history of Salem, two innocent 21st-century descendants of the light magic family find themselves immersed in a frightening tale from which they may never return.

Tiberi reflected on his writing and noted that he likes naming characters after people he knows and mentioning places in Rhode Island. In “The Strange Light at Salem House,” the two main characters (Christopher and Juliana) are named after Tiberi’s grandchildren.

He also likes keeping his chapters short – adding that he likes to make his point in a chapter and move on; he also enjoys alternating between time periods.

“I like to jump around because it keeps me on my toes when I write, and I also think the audience doesn’t get bored reading from A to Z,” Tiberi said.

Tiberi admires several authors including Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.R.R. Martin. Tiberi worked with fellow Cranstonian Carol Myron who edited the book; he also had the book published out of Cranston’s JEBWizard Publishing.

“Planetary Pets” is 98 pages long, “Unwelcome Visitor” is 72 pages and “The Strange Light at Salem House” is 137 pages. Tiberi said his book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

This winter, he plans on writing sequels to “Planetary Pets” and “The Strange Light at Salem House.” Tiberi is also wrapping up a 350-page rock and roll novel called “Paisley Tymes” which is about cultural music of the 1960s.

Growing up on Federal Hill in Providence, Tiberi moved to Cranston in 1964 where he attended Bain Middle School and graduated from Cranston East. Tiberi was a member of a band for 10 years before taking on a job as a letter carrier in 1984 for the U.S. Postal Service. He remained there until his retirement in 2010 – serving the Edgewood community for many years. He raised his family in Cranston and now lives on the Western side of the city with his wife.

book, author

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here