Photos from my first research investigation

In the course of research for my various projects, I've had the opportunity to work with other paranormal researchers, and have gotten some good insight from them. Many times, the investigations I've participated in haven't even been to gather information for my own work, but to be able to gain more experience in effectively collecting data (taking photographs, doing background research, etc.)

These photos came from one such investigation. In the fall of 2007, I went on a "hunt" with members of SPIRiT (the SouthEastern Paranormal Independant Research Team) at Cabe Lands on the Eno River, a state park in Durham, North Carolina. The site had originally been the homestead of the Cabe Family during the mid/late 1700's, and included a grist mill (the ruins of which you see in the photo), a family home (which has pretty much all been destroyed), and an attached family cemetery. It was actually the cemetery we were interested in, as previous visitors and investigators had reported what appeared to be disembodied voices and other strange sounds in the area.

During the course of our investigation, we walked the trail around the perimeter of the park, taking establishing shots as we went, and eventually ended up in the cemetery. There we took more photos, and placed digital recorders in likely locations. Unfortunately, we didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary in the cemetery, but when I returned home and uploaded my own photos into my computer, I was surprised to see what appeared to be an odd anomaly in one of the photographs of the grist mill.

The first photo is the untouched original, and most everyone who's seen it has been able to point out the anomaly--whatever it may be--without any prompting. The second photo is the same with an outline showing what I think I see there; it's not unlikely, however, that this is simply an optical illusion, a lens flare or trick of the light. Still, considering the history of the site and the fact that other phenomenon have been reported there before, it makes for an interesting study.

My first post!

Welcome to "Ghost Posting," a blog dedicated to the research and work I've begun as a brand-new paranormal researcher and author.

The topic of paranormal research is a hot one right now (just look at all the shows on TV--"Ghost Hunters," "Ghost Hunters International," "Most Haunted, " Monster Quest," UFO Hunters," etc.)--and I can pretty easily admit I'm one of thousands who have jumped on the bandwagon. (BTW, I enjoy ALL those shows...) But I can also admit it's something I've always been interested in--even before it was "cool!"--and I'm very glad now to have the chance to really indulge my interest and perhaps even do something constructive with it.

So I've recently signed on with Schiffer Publishing (http://www.schifferbooks.com/) as one of their paranormal authors, and have my first book--Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas--written and in to them. As a film and theatre professional, I've had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of historic theatrical houses, and it's very rare to find one that isn't haunted--or at least doesn't have a good ghost story attached to it. I've heard quite a few good stories from my fellow theatre professionals, and in many cases have even experienced them for myself. And regardless of whether or not one is a believer, so much of what we do in the theatre world is strongly influenced by tradition, superstition, and ghosts--so in that sense, it is very real indeed. The book tells, in addition to these ghost stories, why we do a lot of what we do in the theatrical realm (ever wonder why you tell someone to "break a leg?"), and I was even lucky enough to be able to catch a few interesting photos. I'm waiting for the galleys (or first draft) to come back from Schiffer for final editing, and with any luck the book will be out sometime later this spring.

Currently I'm knee-deep in my second book, Ghosts of Charlotte (at least, that's the working title--I hope to come up with something a little more snazzy down the road), and have been burying myself in research for that. Charlotte, North Carolina, is my hometown, and I've been glad to be able to stay in one place for the time being to do my research and photos! I've also been constantly surprised at the number of good ghost stories I've been turning up in my own backyard--every time I interview someone for their own story, I also get "Oh, and have you heard about so-and-so's ghost story? You should talk to them, too!" Considering that the Queen City of Charlotte is deep in the heart of the Old South and has a very colorful history, I really shouldn't be too surprised that there are so many interesting tales.

Next up, I plan to write a book about "weird creatures" in North and South Carolina--we do have a few, and not just the characters you might see wandering the streets after a crazy Saturday night. One called "The Lizard Man" is said to reside just a stone's throw from where my mom grew up in Lamar, SC, and is apparently quite well known in monster hunting circles. My interest in crypto-creatures actually has a lot to do with my work--as a professional "creature builder" myself, I'm always fascinated by a good Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster video, whether it is clearly fake or not. While I'm not a scientist or anthropologist, I've found that it does help to have a good strong working knowledge of how real animals look and behave in order to make a convincing fake one--and I find myself looking for tell-tale signs in any monster video to see if I can tell if it's real or not. (I hope in a future post to tell why the Patterson Bigfoot film looks fake to me, even before they admitted it...)

So all that keeps me productively busy, while allowing me to really enjoy one of my strongest interests. I've been very grateful to the folks at Schiffer for their patience with and understanding for a first time author, and am glad for the opportunity to do some interesting historical research. I'll be posting updates on (and hopefully even photos from) my research as I continue work on my next few projects.