Rocky Mountain Whirlwind

Happy holidays! I hope you've all been as merrily busy as I have. The month of December has been a wild ride, that's for sure.

Just a few days before Christmas, I visited Denver, Colorado, to officially launch a Top Secret New Book Project. It was great to see snow again (it's such an unusual sight here in central Virginia) and the good friends who welcomed me were even more a delight. After some long days of interviews and research, I'm sure I wore out my welcome, but the trip was a huge success regardless.

Why the tease? No details? Because this is probably the most extreme, in-depth, and controversial project I've ever been involved with. It is a turning point for me, both personally and professionally. I can tell you this much: the book is about a form of instrumental transcommunication (ITC) that garners verifiable results like nothing else I've ever seen or heard. If you want to learn more, you'll have to keep an eye out over the next couple of months for updates as the manuscript progresses!

It's ALIVE! The Electrifying Resurrection of "Haunted Times" Magazine

Let's face it, niche magazines just don't get the recognition they deserve. These publications are almost always put together by a group of hobbyists or fans, and are funded by what's leftover after paying rent and tipping the pizza delivery driver. What is never lacking, however, is pure, distilled enthusiasm for the subject matter.

What if you could take that enthusiasm and add some consistent structure, talented columnists, head-turning artwork, an experienced editorial staff, and featured content that would BLOW YOUR MIND? You'd have one hellova magazine, that's what!

If the photo at the right hasn't already clued you in, Haunted Times magazine has recently put together that very same magical combination. I was honored to be offered the position of Senior Editor, and I jumped at the chance without hesitation. More than anything, I look forward to finding lots of fantastic new talent to share with readers every month!

Along with the change in staff at Haunted Times comes something else just as shocking - a change in format. Forget the days of having to hunt down the most recent issue in the racks at Barnes & Noble! Haunted Times magazine is about to rock the world of digital reading by launching fully interactive issues for your mobile devices or online enjoyment.

Look for the rebirth of Haunted Times in August, 2011. I'll keep you updated about what's to come, including subscription information and where you can go to find lots of freebies to get a feel for the new style and structure!

Book Review: Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck

No, I do not read solely for the sake of research - I also read for the pleasure of reading, to appease my longing for a carefully crafted and eloquently told story. That desire was certainly met when I read Mignola and Golden's illustrated novel, Baltimore: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire in 2007, and once again by the most recent installment of the story, The Plague Ships.

The novel introduced Lord Henry Baltimore, a member of the British aristocracy who had left his family behind to serve his country in the battlefields of France during World War I. While in the trenches, he discovered something far more terrifying than the Hessian savagery he had expected. Injured and nearly delirious, Baltimore witnessed an ancient evil feeding on the dead and dying, and then he fought back against it. His out-lash and determination to survive ignited another war, one much worse than the battle between nations - a war between humanity and a vampire horde.

The Plague caused by the vampires infested Europe in waves, bringing WWI to an end. Years have passed, and people in every town and village live in fear of strangers, the dark, and the dead who do not always stay dead. It is at this point where we step into Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships, a graphic novel that introduces the next turn in the title character's fate.

Baltimore, on a quest to destroy the leader of the vampires, finds himself with an unlikely companion during one leg of his journey, and the two fight together against the undead and find an astonishing clue about the origins and perpetuation of the vampire plague. The images during these scenes pull no punches, and have most certainly pushed (maybe even distorted) the boundaries of horror comics. There is no gore simply for gore's sake, mind you, every frame adds another tiny glimpse of Baltimore's inner struggle.

Mignola and Golden truly shine in their storytelling, while Ben Stenbeck (of Living With the Dead) does a stunning job of adapting Mignola's artwork for this action-filled graphic novel. This is the first up-close look the reader really has of Lord Baltimore, and he is every bit the scarred and stoic action hero one hopes him to be.

While the horror comics of decades past were heavily plot-driven, Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships draws the reader in and propels him forward with the instant allure of the book's title character. This dark and moody story is reminiscent of Mignola's earlier Hellboy volumes, but seems to delve much deeper into the shadows without the safety of Hellboy's wisecracks and comic relief.

I fell in love with the beautiful balance of action and emotion in this graphic novel. Because of that, I give it two thumbs up. If you're a fan of the horror genre but have never crossed the borders into the realm of comics or graphic novels, I urge to you dive in with Lord Baltimore!

Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships is scheduled for release from Dark Horse Comics on June 28, 2011.

Book Review: A History of Ghosts by Peter Aykroyd

It's seldom I will shell out the cash for a hardcover edition of any book, but I grabbed up A History of Ghosts: The True Story of Seances, Mediums, Ghosts, and Ghostbusters by Peter H. Aykroyd and Angela Narth as soon as it was released. Why? Because I'm a hopeless fan of the Ghostbusters movies and couldn't wait to read about the actual events in the Aykroyd family history that inspired the films. Sadly, it was not at all what I had hoped it would be.

I felt a little mislead by the title of this book, for one thing. It is not a historical look at paranormal activity at all - it is instead a summary of the Spiritualist religion in the United States and Canada. If you've ever been curious about the formation of the church and the most famous mediums from its first 100 years, this book provides a decent overview for the casual reader. Peter Aykroyd provides a glimpse at the researchers, like Charles Richet and Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, who were out to expose the frauds in the field, but the author makes only a short reference to one of the staunchest skeptics out to expose the Spiritualist church - Harry Houdini. As so many of the mediums highlighted in A History of Ghosts were exposed as having resorted to tricks and deception, I feel the book could use a little more attention paid to those investigators, like Houdini, who revealed the most convincing trickery.

The most colorful and entertaining parts of the this book were the tales of the Aykroyd circles (seances held in the dining room of the author's grandparents) and the communications between the family's medium, Walter, and his spirit guides. I wish that there had been more of these first-person accounts and less encyclopedic profiles of Spiritualist "celebrities", but alas, what is done is done.

For those new to the ideas of mediumship and channeling, Peter Aykroyd does a wonderful job of explaining the practices of automatic writing, table tipping, early spirit photography, slate writing, materialization, and direct-voice mediumship. While he touches on the study of electronic voice phenomena (EVP), he is quick to discount the findings as natural artifacts of the recordings, while he openly accepts the spirit communications through a human medium as absolute truth. His lack of objectivity on the subject was incredibly frustrating for me as a reader (likely because our opinions differ drastically) but I'm sure such is not the case for all.

I'm not really sure which events from the Aykroyd circles were those that inspired the author's son to write Ghostbusters as they were never clearly identified as such. Maybe the constant talk of spirit contact and the open mind the family has about the afterlife were more influential than any specific encounter? I guess only the Aykroyd men know for sure.

I know it may sound like I've been harsh on A History of Ghosts, but I really felt like there was a bit of "bait and switch" going on with the packaging and marketing of the book. The content itself is a great overview of the activities surrounding the Spiritualist boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is ideal for those seeking a quick and easy read to introduce them to the subject, but a "history of ghosts" it is not.

Overall, I give this book only one thumb up because of its weak cohesion. I encourage you to form your own opinion by picking up a copy and putting it to the test yourself. Peter Aykoyd is 90 years old and currently suffering from rapidly degenerating eyesight. To learn more about him, check out his interview with George Noory on Coast to Coast AM.

Everyday Haunts

Living in a city that was pummeled by war means that many of the places you pass by every day have a past that's not so pretty. One such building has been on my radar since about 1993 when the true revitalization of the Tobacco District was in full swing, and that is the Pohlig Box Building.

This industrial spot held the record until very recently as being the longest continuously operational commercial building in the US. Built in 1853, the box company kept up operations even when more than half of the structure was commandeered by the Confederate Army to house wounded or extremely sick troops from Alabama. Instead of crates and packaging being produced under its roof, the Pohlig building saw surgeries, amputation, and death.

As with any place having a shadow on its past such as this one, stories of unearthly happenings emerged very soon after the end of the war. These stories, however, really exploded when the Pohlig Box Company moved to a larger and more modern facility and the historic building at the corner of 25th and Franklin Streets was converted into apartments.

I had some very interesting interviews last week about what goes on inside of these walls, particularly in one unit that is difficult to rent. I'm working more on that this week and hope to wrap up the chapter with some stories that are going to surprise everyone!
 

Want to Know What Goes Into a Book?

Image via Wikipedia
I get questions all the time at events about what it's like to research and write books about the paranormal. If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, be sure to become a follower of my Twitter feed! I've decided to dedicate that venue to tweeting about travel, both historical and field research, interviews with witnesses, and more as the last (and most grueling) stage of More Haunted Battlefields comes together.

I hope you'll be there reading!

Let the Traveling Begin!

Yep, back on the road again! The second volume of Haunted Battlefields has been in the works now for nearly two years, but it is definitely drawing closer to completion. I have a feeling that I will be so busy come summer that I really need to get the finishing touches on this book before then. There's no time like the present, right?

Between now and April 1st, I will be visiting, photographing, and conducting paranormal experiments at more than a dozen Civil War sites in Virginia. Some of the highlights include:

• Glendale
• Seven Pines
• Fair Oaks
• Hanover Courthouse
• Five Forks
• Dinwiddie Courthouse
• Deep Bottom
• Saylor's Creek
• Lynchburg
• The Alabama Hospital (Richmond)

If you are in any of these areas and have a story to share or would like to participate in on-site experiments, please send me a message!

A Minimalist State of Mind for 2011

Image by Joe Lanman via Flickr
With so many new endeavors in my life lately, it's been very easy to get overwhelmed. This year, I've decided to pare down on all the things that have been eating up my time, my space, and my peace of mind. I came across this quote the other day and I think it sums up my state of mind for the coming months perfectly:  

“The happiness of too many days is often destroyed by trying to accomplish too much in one day. We would do well to follow a common rule for our daily lives – do less, but do it better.” - Dale E. Turner

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!

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