Balancing Act

I'm really starting to get into having two books to work on at the same time. If I hit a lull with one, I can still feel like I'm accomplishing something by working on the other. In fact, I'll be doing that very thing today.

The photos I'd hoped to bring home yesterday didn't happen, but there's a pretty funny story attached to why. I plotted my route, starting with the farthest location from my 4:30 appointment and working towards it. All of my photo gear was packed in the car, but I realized before I left that I needed a bundle of new batteries to get through all of the stops. No worries, I thought, there's a store about a half-mile from my first location - I'll just pop in and get some there.

I drove 40 minutes, stopped at the store and grabbed batteries and a drink. When I got to the register to pay, I realized I'd forgotten my wallet. By the time I drove all the way home and collected my necessities, I had about 20 minutes to go buy batteries to use TODAY and then get to my 4:30.

See what happens when I try and "schedule" this stuff? I'm much better at going with the flow than making rigid plans!

Pirates!

Ahoy!

Yesterday was fantastically productive when it came to research. I'm going to keep that momentum going today by turning over more stones involving the case of three pirates that were tried and ultimately executed here in Richmond. That's right - pirates.

No, Richmond isn't really near the coast (2-hours drive in moderate traffic) but we are the seat of the Federal Court for this district. The band of pirates in question sailed from Havana to New York and left a slew of bodies and carnage in their wake. How they ended up here is a story just begging to be told - but not here! Come on now, I can't reveal everything before the book's release.

So, that's today. I might even make it out later to photograph a couple of sites that have refused paranormal investigations, but whose stories are far too good to omit, for the upcoming ghost book. If I do, I'll be sure to share!

Murder Most Foul

19 blows to the head. Ouch.

I'm spending today reviewing the trial documentation of a particularly grisly murder case that dates back to 1852. The defendants were swiftly tried and executed for the hatchet killings of a couple and their 9-month old child, their motives still unknown.

This sort of work really wears me down emotionally (hmm, can't imagine why?) and makes the writing stage very difficult. Don't get me wrong, the research is like watching a historical episode of "Law and Order", but the gravity of it hits when you stop and digest the fact that none of the grisly details are fiction.

Maybe next time I'll propose a book on carnivals or amazing stories of survival instead!

Around the World in Ten Hours

The deadline for "Wicked Richmond" is looming and I'm backed up on research thanks to the most intense winter we've had here in Virginia for nearly 15 years. No worries, I'm set to explore the bowels of the State archives two days this week (thanks to a babysitter!) and will have this project back on course. Have I mentioned how much I love the State Library's archives? Maybe I'm more of a history nerd than I like to believe.

In a change of pace, I'm giving the history side of things a bit of a rest tonight in exchange for some talk about ghosts and discussion of paranormal investigating with Rusty O'Nhiall on his hit Australian radio program, Mysterious and Unexplained. If you're a beginner interested in getting out in the field to investigate on your own, if you wonder how I got my "accidental" start in this area, or if you'd just like to hear about some of my own encounters with things unseen or the encounters relayed to me about spirits here in Virginia, be sure to tune in tonight at 7 PM EST to the Para-X Radio Network!

Time Keeps on Slippin'

Today was magically siphoned away by errands, conference calls, and more errands. Oh, did I mention the weather folks are calling for MORE snow tomorrow? That means the likelihood of the State Library archives being open for research are slim. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

PS - This remarkably boring update is brought to you by the promise I made to keep better blog records. I swear I am not trying to lull you to sleep...

Out of the House!

Tuckahoe Plantation - Wikipedia

Thursdays are always busy for me because that's the day I play chauffeur. I'll be shuttling my daughter to her theater class near Goochland County and hope to take along the camera for a little photographic exploration while she's busy. There will be a whole hour to kill and I will be just a stone's throw from Tuckahoe Plantation and Whichello on River Road. My goal is to bring home a few shots of them with snow and maybe even visit the Old Stone Jail. It's an awful lot to try and squeeze in, but I'm optimistic!

I Guess I Should Cherish This Time, Right?

John Marshall - via Wikipedia

It looks as though I may be stuck at home again today because of snow. I have a few books on hand that I need to read for research and a couple of paintings in mind that I'd like to get to work on. Yes, I'm an avid artist and painter, too.

I've been digging up dirt from Richmond's past for the last six months or so (for the upcoming "Wicked Richmond" from History Press - sorry, no ghosts) and have discovered some really shocking things. One that I'm eager to get down to the State Library and comb through more involves the Randolph family and a soap-opera-like scandal from the 1700's that occurred at their plantation appropriately named Bizarre. These folks are the relatives of John Marshall, former US Chief Justice, and the crazy stuff that went on behind closed doors is truly stranger than fiction. The book about this scandal should definitely be a quick read.

It's tough for me to study the history of a site and NOT be able to jump up and go immediately after. I get really fueled up by all of the details and the itch to explore is insatiable. I'm going to limit my reading on local landmarks for a few days for this very reason! Weather permitting, I'll be at Fort Jackson on Sunday (braving the cold for certain) to try and capture EVP while the place is quiet.

Deep Freeze Blues

White House of the Confederacy - Wikipedia

I have a ton of field work that keeps getting pushed back because of snow and ice and I'm getting really restless to get out there. My current list of "to-do" locations for paranormal investigations is 23, and those are spread across all of Virginia. Over the next few weeks, regardless of weather, I plan to hit those that are close to home like the White House of the Confederacy and Fort Jackson.

Lots of things have changed since I last blogged about "More Haunted Battlefields". First of all, the title has changed to who-knows-what (the publisher ultimately decides that) to allow the book to include all kinds of Civil War sites, not just battlefields. Honestly, this is the best thing they could have done for both me and the readers! Another big change is the pushing back of the deadline to Summer '10 to allow for research and writing time of all these new locations. (Did you hear that sigh of relief?)

Oh, did I mention that there's talk now that the book may be full-color?? WoOt!

Since I'm stuck indoors today, I'll be working on a new feature submission for GhostVillage.com about a very ugly and controversial topic in paranormal research. Sorry, no spoilers here! If Jeff decides to accept the article for his site, I will keep you posted.

Confessions of a Blog-Neglector

I'm embarrassed to admit that it has been nearly four months since my last post. This is the way things roll when I'm working on a new book, or in this case, TWO. My thoughts and composition energy get so wrapped up in crafting a first or second draft that it feels like I've been tapped dry when I sit down to blog.

Don't worry - I have a plan. (Whenever someone says they have a plan, you SHOULD worry!)

For the past few years, I've been writing "Morning Pages" thanks to my friend Anne and author Julia Cameron. These are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness style writing thought to help creative types achieve better focus. My plan is to scale back my morning pages to two per day instead of three, saving some of that writing juice to share a bit of this and that here at my blog.

I can't promise that I'll be providing something of value to all, but I do promise to keep you updated on current investigations, teasers of sites visited for inclusion in the current book project, and odds and ends that I hope will help amateur historians and paranormal explorers alike.

Also, the blog will get a new, improved look and organization. My goal is to make the "useful" posts easier to find and maybe even attract a few new readers!

Thanks for sticking around despite my neglect <3