Jack Massa

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Jack Massa

Goodreads Author


Born
in Jersey City, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
May 2009


Jack Massa has studied writing and other forms of magic for many years. He lives in Florida and wanders in many places.

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Popular Answered Questions

Jack Massa Hi, Patricia.
Thanks so much for your question. I am so pleased you're enjoying the Abby Renshaw adventures.

I am working on the next story now. It ta…more
Hi, Patricia.
Thanks so much for your question. I am so pleased you're enjoying the Abby Renshaw adventures.

I am working on the next story now. It takes place the following summer, when Abby has returned to Harmony Springs. I had planned to make it another fairly short one (because, quicker to write), but it is growing deeper and longer as we speak. When will it come out? I hope by the end of this year.

- Jack (less)
Jack Massa Hi, Bobbie,

First, thanks so much for reading Ghosts of Bliss Bayou and your terrific review.

To answer your questions:

1. I live in Florida now but act…more
Hi, Bobbie,

First, thanks so much for reading Ghosts of Bliss Bayou and your terrific review.

To answer your questions:

1. I live in Florida now but actually grew up in New Jersey (not far from where Abby is living in the opening chapter.) I first saw Florida when I went to college down here, and have been in love with it ever since. As to my ancestors, they are Irish and Italian immigrants who settled in New Jersey. No occultists among them (that I know of).

2. As to the magical practices in the book. First, of course and as stated in the Afterword, they are fictional. That said, they are based on research into real magical societies from the late Victorian era, which were quite active in Britain and the U.S. Lots and lots has been written about these traditions. If you want to learn more, you might start by looking up "The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn."

3. The occult studies of these Victorians certainly included study and use of the Tarot deck. But the Tarot is much older, and its origins are murky. Again, there are oodles of books written about Tarot and many different decks. Serious authors have studied the Tarot in relation to the Qabalah and to the works of Carl Jung. For sure, Abby learns, the uses of the cards go way beyond fortune telling.

Thanks for the question and keep reading!
(less)
Average rating: 4.24 · 378 ratings · 187 reviews · 21 distinct worksSimilar authors
Ghost of Bliss Bayou (Abby ...

4.44 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
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Cloak of the Two Winds (The...

4.19 avg rating — 37 ratings3 editions
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Mooncrow

3.97 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 1979 — 3 editions
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Ghosts of Tamgrove Hall (Ab...

4.45 avg rating — 33 ratings2 editions
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The Mazes of Magic (Conjure...

3.94 avg rating — 34 ratings2 editions
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Ghosts of Lock Tower (Abby ...

4.55 avg rating — 29 ratings3 editions
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A Mirror Against All Mishap...

4.46 avg rating — 13 ratings3 editions
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Ghosts of Prosper Key (Abby...

4.67 avg rating — 9 ratings3 editions
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A Demon on the Lion Bridge ...

4.67 avg rating — 9 ratings2 editions
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The Lights of Alexandria (C...

4.56 avg rating — 9 ratings2 editions
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Writing Fiction with a Chatbot. Or Not. Part 2 – An Experiment

As I discussed in Part 1 of this post, after

1. Mulling over the moral questions of using AI tools to help me write fiction, and

2. Concluding this was an area I should at least learn about, and

3. Researching some of the many available tools and resources,

I decided on an experiment. I took a science fiction story idea that had been lying dormant in my Garden of Notes for a long time, but which had n

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on January 07, 2025 12:38
Ghost of Bliss Bayou Ghosts of Tamgrove Hall Ghosts of Lock Tower Ghosts of Prosper Key
(4 books)
by
4.48 avg rating — 144 ratings

Cloak of the Two Winds A Mirror Against All Mishap Tournament of Witches
(3 books)
by
4.26 avg rating — 58 ratings

The Mazes of Magic The Lights of Alexandria The Treasure of the Sun God
(3 books)
by
4.10 avg rating — 49 ratings

Ruby Lark
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Jack Massa is now following Jennifer Loschiavo's reviews
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Ruby Lark by Jack Massa
"This is a true example of epic fantasy. It is very old-school and has a strong magic system. I am a sucker for anything that is full of sorcery and wizards, and this book is fully loaded. The world building is impeccable throughout this whole series." Read more of this review »
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" I recently published a new edition of my first novel, Mooncrow (1979) which is already on Goodreads. Would please like to list the new edition, since ...more "
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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
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Scanning some of the many reviews of Piranesi, I see so many readers adored it and some were simply mystified by this adoration. For myself, let me just say that I feel strongly both ways.
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The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
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Darby O'Gill and the Good People by Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
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I first saw the Disney movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People when I was six years old. All I remember is the “Coach of Death” with the headless coachman, and that it scared the stuffin’ out of me.

So, when I happened upon a paperback version of the
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Marian Halcombe by Brenda W. Clough
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Not having read the book description, I was 75% through this excellent novel before I realized it is actually a sequel to Wilkie Collins’ classic The Woman in White. I mention this to let you know that you absolutely do not need to be familiar with C ...more
Mooncrow by Jack Massa
"Purchased from The Book Exchange in Amsterdam, May 2023

I forgive the cover for lying to me"
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