Weekend in review

Man, did we shoot a lot of video at Villisca! The Nevermore folks and I sifted through a large chunk of DVR footage, but didn't find much of anything. Sometimes I'm surprised I don't make something move just through the sheer force of my own will while staring at a chair or stack of books on that screen. Nothing paranormal on the pictures I took, but I did find a few cool EVPs. There was some distant singing in the child's room and scratching sounds on the equipment itself. Since it was too damn cold for any of us to be singing, that raises my eyebrow. Still plenty to go through and I will report on anything else we find. Check out this picture from the cellar. I think the last scene from The Blair Witch Project was shot down there.



Other than that, it was a pretty easy weekend. I've been playing through God of War 3. That game still kicks ass. Finally completed Batman: Arkham Asylum. I haven't been able to play that as often as I like, plus I've been purposely taking my time so I didn't get through it too quickly. When something's good enough, you wanna savor it. Heh.



So now it's time to dive head-first into Skinners 5. Book 3 comes out next month and 4 should be out at the end of October. It'll be a wild ride. Be sure to get your copies and tell your friends to get their own. I'm setting up convention appearances, so keep an eye on that to get those books signed! Talk to you later.

Upcoming hunting

Only a week and a half until I go on another ghost hunt! This time, it's to a site that some of you may have heard about: Villisca, IA. There were some well-documented axe murders here and it's supposed to be a pretty active spot entity-wise. We're hoping there are still some spirits hanging around that would like to tell us all about it. The Nevermore bunch and I will be there, recorders in hand, doing our best to stir up some supernatural activity. After all the editing I've been doing, a little road trip along with some poking around in the dark will be just what I need. Sure, it may not be the same as what most folks would think about when I mention poking around in the dark, but it'll be a lot of fun. If we uncover any evidence, I'll be sure to let you know.

Another upcoming event that's in the works is an author panel at a local comic book shop. Not only that, but it's the shop I go to on a weekly basis. It's still in the planning stages, but that's another fun one I'd like to do. Hopefully I can say something constructive in the midst of being distracted by so many comic books, Star Wars collectibles and cool t-shirts.

That's about it for now. God of War 3 looms on the horizon. Skinners 3 arrives in stores next month. Good things are afoot!

PS - Another landmark occasion: This marks the first time I've used the word "afoot" on this blog. History in the making, folks.

Huntin' in the headlines

Ok, so maybe it wasn't in the headlines, but Nevermore Paranormal did make it into a local paper, The Omaha Reader. Here's a link to the article. http://www.thereader.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1256755515&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3& Just scroll down to the bold print that starts off with "Paranormal Activity..."

Among other things, Nevermore's also been doing gigs at sold out seminars. That's the one where I was manning the chat board early in the morning. I'm so proud of those guys. Technically, I am one of "those guys" but I'm not much more than a grunt. Click the link on the side of the screen to see their website. Warning: that website is in desperate need of being updated! Can't do everything when they're (we're) so busy collecting evidence from the Great Beyond. Wow, that sounds pretty cool when I phrase it like that.

What second book??

It's the day before Howling Legion is released and I'm trying to distract myself any way possible. It's either that or allow the nervous stomach pangs to grow up into something bigger. Of course, there's work to be done. Always work. I'm finishing up another project and then I'll dive into some more Skinner-ness. Also, I don't want to let October slip away without enjoying it. Halloween is this week and we stocked up on bags o' candy. We don't get a ton of Trick or Treaters, but I still don't want to be the "crappy candy" house. Plus, I like candy. As always, any kids dressed as werewolves will get extra. Hey, I don't play favorites. I just tip my hat to refined taste in costumes.

And it looks like there's no live Ghost Hunter show this year. Is that true?? I haven't seen any promos or heard anything about it. I would hate to see a cool tradition like that get shot down. It's just fun to sit and watch that stuff even if they are just jumping at spiders.

Speaking of ghost hunting, Megan and I are planning our trip to Brighton for the World Horror Convention. While we're across the ocean, we're making a big vacation of it and hitting Scotland. Being Torchwood fans, we even planned on going to Cardiff for a day to see the sights and take in the Doctor Who exhibit. Yes, there's a Who exhibit and it looks freaking great! Unfortunately, we're not made of money and need to cut down on extra train tickets and that sort of thing. We decided to use our time there for lengthier stays in London and Scotland. Back to the ghost thing, we're finding all these great haunted tours of documented sites and will be visiting as many of them as possible. I'll bring my digital audio recorder and keep my fingers crossed that the tourists before me haven't caused the spirits to find someplace quieter to haunt. Should be fun.

I've finally started in on Call of Duty: World at War. I know I'm late to the party on this one, but pulling myself away from CoD: Modern Warfare ain't easy. Mostly, I've been addicted to the Nazi Zombie levels. The single player campaign is spectacular and multiplayer is great, but I can't get enough of putting out all those glowing eyes with a few well-placed shots from a Tommy Gun.

So tomorrow is the big day. I can't be distracted for too long. Hopefully the stores will get the books on shelves and people will buy them. Uh-oh. Here comes the nervous stomach again.

Guerilla Ghost Hunting

Last night, I donned my Nevermore Paranormal shirt and went on a ghost hunt. It was at a private home in Council Bluffs, which was one of the nicest houses I’ve ever seen. One great personal triumph came in the form of me helping put the DVR system together. I wish I could say I did the whole thing, but I’m just glad to have done more good than harm. We did need to call Jason our tech guy once, but Angie and I got the cameras up and rolling. There were supposed to be some footsteps heard going up and down the stairs of this house as well as a presence in one of the upstairs bedrooms. We had some interesting moments, but will have to wait and see what comes up in the evidence review.

One very interesting moment came when we saw a flash of bright light outside both front windows. We were sitting at the DVR monitor when it happened and soon heard a rattling on the front door. Turns out the rattle (at about 2:30 AM) was a cop and the flash was from that cop’s car! It seems one of the neighbors was a little concerned to see a bunch of strangers going in and out of our client’s darkened house at odd hours in the morning carrying cases and a television set. Fortunately, the client was there to let the cops know he wasn’t being held for ransom and the authorities moved along. Score one for a very effective Neighborhood Watch!

Bits and pieces for Archon are coming together nicely. Due to an error in me filling out my form, I originally didn’t have an autograph session scheduled. That’s been ironed out due to some last-minute hustling and I’ll be available to sign books at 1:30 on Saturday. Hope to see some of you there!

That’s about it for now. I’m wrapping up another manuscript and doing all the laundry, packing, and preparing needed for my road trip to St. Louis. Jack in the Box tacos, HERE I COME!!!

Evidence review

You know how, on Ghost Hunters, Jason and Grant always say "These things don't happen on cue"? Well, it's true. I spent some Nevermore time last night going over hours of video as well as audio evidence from our last hunt and didn't come up with squat. It's funny because it seems pretty logical that we might not catch anything even in a place that has genuine activity. It is, after all, only one night. To a spirit that presumably has all the time in the world to make noise and move stuff, that's not much. As logical as it is, coming up empty hits you on the same nerve when you get yourself convinced that you really can make some money in slot machines and then strike out. Oh well. On to the next one.

Coolness in small doses

The results came back from the most recent Nevermore investigation at the Squirrel Cage Jail. Of course, the good stuff happened AFTER the hours of evidence I was there to review. And on top of that, Megan had the gall to be born on June 3rd (not this June 3rd) so I missed the meeting that was the reveal for the rest of the team. There wasn’t anything as cool as a spectral prisoner rattling his chains for the DVR, but we caught a few head-scratching moments. Apparently, while we were all outside for a fresh air / cigarette break (ironic, I know) all of the DVR cameras were shifted slightly and then shifted back again. Was it a show of displeasure from Beyond? Maybe a quirky signal? Something in between like a quirky signal from Beyond? We don’t know. Also, during the investigation, I was fortunate enough to see a strange globe of light appear and disappear on one of the monitors from the camera in the solitary confinement cell. It sort of swelled up from nowhere and shrank back down again. That was caught on video and we still can’t explain it. Could be a blown IR light. Could be a demonic warden from…eh you know. All in all, it was an interesting way to spend a weekend.

In writing news, I just managed to put together a preview of Skinners Book 3: Teeth of Beasts (I love that title the more I see it) for placement in the back of Book 2: Howling Legion (also a cool title!). And when I say I just made it, I mean I JUST made it. I’ve been editing the third manuscript and going through the final pass pages for Book 2 at the same time. Today was the deadline and the final draft of Book 2 along with the preview pages were emailed at around 1 this morning. Whew! If it didn’t make it, the world wouldn’t have ended or anything, but I think this preview is especially nice because it feels like watching the first 10 minutes of a sequel right after a movie. After this, the major work on my end for Book 2 is done. All that’s left is the good stuff like waiting to see the final cover, getting advance copies and the inevitable signings and stuff. As the series grows, I’m hoping to get out there and attend more conventions, readings, etc. It’s more accurate to say I’m hoping readers and bookstores will want me to show up for those kinds of things.

E3 has wrapped up and there’s plenty to say, but I’ll save that for another post. I know what you’re thinking. “Video game crap? HERE???” Just bait your breath and wait for it.

Ugh, another Monday. Wait, Tuesday? No...

It’s back to work time. As you can tell, since I’m writing a blog entry instead of actually working, it’ll be back to work in a little while. Today’s just one of those dreary days that makes it hard to get going. Normally, I’m all for cloudy and drizzle. Even so, it’s hard to get the motor running. Maybe it was a bad idea to take an extra day off. Usually, that one extra day off tacked on is the sweetest. And yesterday wasn’t bad, it was just….eh.

Megan’s back in town after being away for over a week. That was rough. Abby was here, which was nice. The little dawg became my shadow and, apart from a few bathroom walk-ins, was fun. Once she got home, Megan and I got to break in the new Boom Blox. If you haven’t played Boom Blox (and you own a Wii) you’re missing out. It’s one of those simple games that’s just freaking awesome. Blocks are set up (or in this case, Blox) and there are various ways to knock them down. That’s it. It rules. Also picked up the new Punch Out for the Wii, which is an updated version of the NES nostalgia-fest. That too is great.

Went to the Squirrel Cage Jail again with the Nevermore crew. It was a good night, but not particularly eventful. I stood in the cement closet that passed for solitary and thought I heard a breath, but chalked that one up to wishful thinking. We saw some weird glowing globes appear on the new DVR cameras, but haven’t gotten a chance to see that on evidence review. After that, it was rushing home to let the dog out before her nibs exploded. I spent my Memorial Day reviewing said evidence, but didn’t get to the part with the globes since that was at the end of a 5 or 6 hour stretch of video. I did, however, get a real good chance to see how horrifically and tragically dumpy I look on video. Being photographed has never been my favorite thing and now I remember why. Usually, I look rather blobbish but when filmed at an upward angle in night vision that effect is cranked up a good 4 or 5 times. No ghosts and now no self esteem. Thanks, 3 day weekend!

The truth is that it wasn’t a bad couple of days. Megan’s back, it’s cool outside, had some quality Wii time and making fun of myself on unflattering video was good for a laugh (a LOT of laughs). Today I start in on draft 2 of Skinners 3 and that’s the real thing on my mind. I’m pumped to dig into the manuscript like Jigsaw from Saw 1-9 digging into some idiot who stuck their hand into a rusted, spiky metal box. The final pass for Skinners 2 arrived today and there are a lot of other projects floating around on the verge of being accepted or rejected. No matter what I do to try and distract myself, all that work stuff is there. I can’t just switch it off because I’m not in the office and there’s no deadline as to when I might hear any results. Stuff may sell or it may get shot down for no reason whatsoever. It may get shot down for a very good reason and it may happen today, tomorrow, eighteen weeks from now or never. That’s the business and I wouldn’t want to have any other job, but this part of it really tests the ol’ resolve.

Maybe I need another day off.
NO! I’m starting work right…….now.

I actually get a weekend off? How did that happen??

WooHOOOOO!!! Draft 1 of Skinners #3 is FINISHED!!! As with most first drafts, it’s too long, yet somehow still incomplete. There are a bunch of things I forgot about halfway through the book, stuff I need to patch, entire characters I need to get rid of, holes to mend, rough patches to smooth out. . .why was I celebrating a moment ago? Oh yeah. I get a few days off before diving in again.

I had some stuff planned to do once I was done with this draft as a way to get my long weekend started, but was too tired once I was through typing. It’s sexier to say I was “spent”, but it all just boils down to tired. Maybe I’ll celebrate when the book is really done, but I say that every time and just wind up sending it in, sighing with relief and scraping to get the next contract.

On another note, I’m heading out on a ghost hunt tonight. Back to the Squirrel Cage Jail for a follow-up investigation. It’s nice and hot today, so spending Saturday night in a huge metal box talking to shadows should be a lot of fun. Have you seen that Axe commercial with the guy who sprays sweat out of his shirt like a fire hose? Well I plan on making that guy look like Mister Roarke standing on the beach in his spotless white suit waiting for the guests to arrive on Fantasy Island. Pity the other folks at Nevermore. Seriously.

Wonderful. I am now a part of the tribe.

I'm not usually a joiner. "Usually" doesn't even cover it. I can't honestly remember the last group I've joined unless it was required for some other job or to get a free magazine subscription. Then again, I don't normally run into groups like Nevermore Paranormal. I recently went on a ghost hunt with them as part of my research for Skinners, MEG and all that jazz. It's a subject that's always fascinated me, which is why I wrote about it and also why I wanted to do more than just read a few books for research. One thing fed into another very nicely until I managed to fall in with Nevermore.

The hunt at the Squirrel Cage Jail went so well that I wanted to see about joining the group as a real member and not just some tag along writer guy trying not to knock over any equipment. The group either thought I would make a good member of the team or they needed a goofy-looking mascot because I'm now a full-fledged member! I put a link to their site on the side of the page and I'll be sure to write about any cool experiences I have. So far, I've just been to a few meetings but I'm looking forward to diving in and getting to work. I don't want to look like the dopey new guy, so I'll refrain from making too many Ghostbusters references. Acting like such a dork so early would be bad.

How bad?

Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ok...that's bad.

Ahhhhh....out of my system now. Feels better.