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.

Get a FREE Copy of "Haunted Plantations of Virginia"

That's right - I'm going to give away my very own advance copy of Haunted Plantations of Virginia, personalized and autographed, to one lucky winner on July 1st, 2009. That's a FULL MONTH before you can buy them online and nearly SIX WEEKS before they hit bookstore shelves!

What do you need to do to be part of the contest? Simply write a short, sweet, and positive review of Haunted Battlefields: Virginia's Civil War Ghosts at Amazon.com. One reviewer will be selected at random (okay, their name will be pointed to by my three-year old...) and notified of their status through Amazon. Make sure your email on file there is current! The winner will have seven days to reply before defaulting and another winner is selected.

So far the list of reviewers is short - that means your chances are GREAT!

Review Haunted Battlefields now for a chance to win a FREE BOOK.