Boggy Depot Reviewed

Last weekend me and Ken Gerhard spoke at the first Boggy Depot Bigfoot Conference at Atoka, Oklahoma. It was a cool event and you can find my review of the weekend at my latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com.
And...have a fun Halloween!

A Halloween/Monster Profile

Just recently, I was interviewed about my cryptozoological pursuits for a Halloween-themed article in our local DFW.com magazine. It's just been published and here's the link.

Bigfoot & UFOs

While some people cringe at the notion that Bigfoot and distinct Fortean high-strangeness might somehow go together, I most certainly do not! Indeed, I have investigated numerous cases that suggest whatever the Bigfoot creatures may be, there seems to be an aspect of the phenomenon that takes us into some very strange, and near-paranormal, realms.

And, in view of this, I'm very pleased to learn that there's a new book out right now, courtesy of Stan Gordon, that delves into these very areas. Here's all the data on what looks to be a fascinating book!

Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook
By Stan Gordon,
Edited By Roger Marsh

Publication Date: October 30, 2010
348 pages, With Photos & Illustrations

Stan Gordon began his journey in field investigations of UFOs and other Paranormal encounters in Pennsylvania in 1965. During 1973 UFOs began to make widespread appearances in the sky across the Keystone State. It was during the summer of that year however when a mysterious wave of events began to unfold. Alarmed citizens over a widespread area reported close encounters with huge hairy Bigfoot-like creatures. Frightened residents called local authorities and media outlets reporting enormous footprints and terrified animals.

As the pace of the abnormal encounters quickened through the following months, more eyewitness reports of other strange creatures, and a variety of other paranormal events came to the attention of Gordon’s investigation team. Stan’s second book covers many of the mysterious incidents from that period which continued into 1974, including illustrations and photos. For the first time the author reveals many new details about this puzzling period of time. Some of the startling cases discussed suggest that there may be more to the Bigfoot mystery than a flesh and blood explanation. Some of the first hand accounts and details you will read about include:

*UFOs And Bigfoot Seen At The Same Time And Place
*The Case Of The Vanishing Bigfoot
*Bigfoot Shooting Incidents
*UFO Landings And Car Pursuits
*Mystery Men Interviewing Witnesses And Destroying Evidence
*The Government Interest

Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook $19.95
Shipping & handling is $4.95. Pennsylvania sales tax as applicable

Sold Outside of PA
$19.95 plus $4.95 SH=$24.90

PA Residents (Except those living in Allegheny or Philadelphia County (6%)
$19.95 plus $4.95 SH plus $1.49 (6% tax)=$26.39

PA Residents Living in Allegheny or Philadelphia County (7%)
$19.95 plus $4.95 SH plus $1.74 (7%)=$26.64

Shipped Outside of the U.S.
$19.95 plus $12.00 SH=$31.95

Don’t forget to order your copy of Stan’s other recently released book, “Really Mysterious Pennsylvania.” at www.stangordon.info

Order at www.stangordon.info or send check or money order to: Stan Gordon Productions, P.O. Box 936, Greensburg, PA 15601. For other ordering information call: 724-838-7768.

Gigantopithecus in the News

Loren Coleman treats us to an excellently-illustrated article that delves deep into the controversy surrounding hairy hominids and the presumed-extinct, mighty ape, Gigantopithecus...and there's good news on a certain, forthcoming book from Loren too. Here's the link.

A Down-Under Q&A

Neil Arnold has undertaken an excellent Q&A with Australian researchers Mike Williams and Rebecca Lang - and here's the link to access the story.

Croc Crash!

True or not, this is a very bizarre animal-based story, and a cautionary lesson for anyone wanting to take a crocodile on-board an aircraft!!

Ireland's Monsters - Reviewed

Over at my Reviews blog, you can find a new review of the brand-new book from Gary Cunningham and Ronan Coghlan - Mystery Animals of the British Isles: Ireland, which is a book I definitely recommend to everyone!

A World War II Chupacabras...???

Over at his blog, Dr. Karl Shuker has a fascinating new post (and accompanying drawing) from the Second World War that appears to show nothing less than (wait for it!) a Chupacabras clad like a dastardly Nazi! I absolutely kid you not! Here's the link...

A Bigfoot Anniversary...

Yep, the famous Patterson footage reaches the ripe old age of 43! How depressing that I'm 3-years older than it...

Reviewing New Jersey Monsters

At Mania.com, you can find my latest Lair of the Beasts column, which is a review of the new book from Loren Coleman and Bruce Hallenbeck. Here's the link...

Neil in the News

Good friend Neil Arnold is the focus of a new article in the UK media that focuses on his research and writings in the realm of Forteana - including, of course, cryptozoology. The article also provided good insight into Neil's brand new book, Paranormal Kent.

ShadowCass on Mothman

ShadowCass delves into the ominous world of Mothman and addresses the nature of the creature, its intent and much more...

The Chinese Bigfoot

A couple of days ago, Fox News interviewed me about the new expedition to China to search for their equivalent of Bigfoot - the Yeren - and the possibility of the beasts being relic colonies of Gigantopithecus.

Here's the link to the story.

Winged Things Around The World

In a new article that can be found at his Gralien Report website, good mate Micah Hanks delves into the weird realm of Mothman-style entities seen around the world and across the decades. He begins:

"It is often said in Fortean circles that the mysterious appearance of the Mothman, a winged cryptid monstrosity that appeared in the vicinity of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the late 1960s, was prophetic in nature. Traditionally, researchers have felt that the creature’s presence represented some sort of omen, warning of terrible things to come; specifically, the collapse of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967. Though the Mothman certainly isn’t the only winged creature alleged to exist in the realm of the unexplained, it is by far the most famous. Nonetheless, its cousins, reportedly seen at various times and places elsewhere around the globe, are also sometimes seen to be harbingers of ill fortune."

And if that has caught your attention, it's time to click right here for the rest...

Tonight on Bigfoot Quest

Here's Mike and Bob at Bigfoot Quest to tell you about tonight's show:

Your hosts are Bob Coyne and Mike Killen and this week will be a call in show. If you have something to report, have an opinion on something, have a topic you want to discuss, have had a sighting at one time or another or just want to say hello to Mike or Bob, these are the shows to do it. We'd love to talk to you this week on the show if you want to call in. Also please join us in the chat room if you can. It's always a lot of fun and we love to interact live with our listeners.

Where: www.blogtalkradio.com/Bigfoot_Quest

When: Tonight, Tuesday October 12, 2010

Time: 9:00 P.M. Eastern

Bob Coyne & Mike Killen

Paranormal Kent - Available!

Neil Arnold has sent me the press-release for his new book Paranormal Kent, which looks to be a great read for Halloween! Here's you go:

PARANORMAL KENT – PRESS RELEASE

Enquiries – Neil Arnold at: neil.Arnold@live.com

Available from: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paranormal-Kent-Neil-Arnold/dp/0752455907

PARANORMAL KENT (published by The History Press) – A brand new, richly illustrated book by full-time monster-hunter Neil Arnold, explores the darker heart of the Garden Of England. For centuries Kent has been the centre of high strangeness – from monsters in the woods, weird objects in the skies, serpents in the water, ghosts on the road. Now, for the first time ever, Kent has a book pertaining to the supernatural which DOESN’T regurgitate old myths and legends.

With October – the ‘season of the witch’ barely out of the way, the 1st November 2010 sees PARANORMAL KENT venture down the foggy avenues of the arcane, and the back-streets of the mind in search of the chilling and the obscure. New light shed on classic ghostly tales – 1) dispelling the myth of the phantom hitchhiker of Blue Bell Hill and yet uncovering an even more sinister secret in this haunted location. 2) delving into the dingy corners of Dover Castle’s eerie past. 3) uncovering brand new ghost stories from historic Rochester – Charles Dickens country. 4) shedding new light on the mysteries of Britain’s most haunted village – Pluckley.

And not forgetting a foray into the field of phantom animals – from spectral hellhounds, flying jellyfish, the Hythe Mothman, and red-eyed manimals. And a strange safari in search of ‘big cats’, serpents, dragons and out-of-place animals. And what autumnal mystery would be complete without macabre tales of local zombies, witchcraft and alien abductions.

PARANORMAL KENT – Neil’s fourth book, is a unique trip into the weird and wonderful side of a county steeped in folklore. Just when you thought mysterious monsters, ghouls, ghosts and zombies were confined to the lore of Halloween…think again.

Price £9.99
96 pages

The Mande-Burung Expedition Logo

Here's the official logo of the expedition to India in search of the Mande-Burung - and, of course, I'll be keeping you updated right here on any and all news on the expedition, which kicks off on October 31...

Monsters for Kids

On both Thursday and Friday, I gave lectures for two classes of 9-year-old kids at Dallas' Highland Park Independent School District on the subject of the Loch Ness Monster - lectures that rapidly opened up into full-scale debates on cryptozoology as a whole, the nature of Bigfoot, the Chupacabras and much more.

I'm very pleased to say that in an age when it seems so many kids are obsessed by computers, staying in-doors, and texting, all the kids proved to be highly interested in the subject, asked a lot of very good questions, were very motivated, and were also very knowledgeable on the matter.

Indeed, a number were regular watchers of shows like Monster Quest, Destination Truth, etc., and I found myself answering questions on everything from the Alligator Gar to the big-cats of Britain, and from the Yeti to giant Catfish.

And, from what some of the kids said, I suspect some of them may turn out to be next-generation cryptozoologists!

More on the Mande-Burung Expedition...

The CFZ's Richard Freeman talks about the forthcoming expedition to India in search of the Bigfoot-like Mande-Burung...

Crypto At The Anomalist

Sometimes, as you'll know, I link right here to articles on crypto that can be found at The Anomalist site. Well, over the last few days there has been such a wealth of stories on all manner of crypto-issues (Bigfoot, the new India expedition and much more), that it's probably easier (and quicker!) for me to just direct you to the site, rather than the individual links.

Monsters of Texas: Tonight

If you happen to be in Texas tonight, you may want to attend the lecture I'll be doing on my Monsters of Texas book (co-authored with good mate Ken Gerhard). Check out this link at Cryptomundo for all the details...

A Monstrous Q&A

I was recently interviewed extensively about my cryptozoological investigations by the British-based website Paranormal The Otherside. We covered a lot of ground, such as how I got into crypto, my expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras, the Patterson-Bigfoot film and much more.

Here's the link for those who may be interested.

The CFZ 2010 Expedition

This is excellent news: over at Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman alerts us to the fact that there's a new expedition on the horizon: to India, in search of the Mande Burung, a creature that may represent "a relic Gigantopithecus population."

Here's Loren to tell you more.

And, here's Jon Downes with the full story on the quest:

"On 31st of October the CFZ 2010 expedition leaves England. They will be exploring the Garo Hills in Northern India in search of the mande-burung or Indian yeti. The five-man team consists of team leader Adam Davies, Dr Chris Clark, Dave Archer, field naturalist John McGowan, and cryptozoologist Richard Freeman.

"The creatures are described as being up to ten feet tall, with predominantly black hair. Most importantly, they are said to walk upright, like a man. Walking apes have been reported in the area for many years. These descriptions sound almost identical to those reported in neighbouring Bhutan and Tibet. Witnesses report that the mande-burung, which translates as forest man, is most often seen in the area in November.

"The Garo Hills are a heavily forested and poorly explored area in Meghalaya state in the cool northern highlands of India. The area is internationally renowned for its wildlife, which includes tigers, bears, elephants and Indian rhino and clouded leopards.

"The Indian team will be led by Dipu Marek, a local expert who has been on the trail of the Indian yeti for a number of years and has found both its nests and 19inch long `footprints` on previous occasions. The expedition team has also arranged to interview eyewitnesses who have seen the Mande-Burung.

"Camera traps will be set up in sighting areas in the hope of catching one of the creatures on film.

"The Mande-Burung may be a surviving form of a giant ape known from its fossilised teeth and jaw bones, called Gigantopithecus blacki, which lived in the Pleistocene epoch around three hundred thousand years ago. This creature is of course extinct. However, much contemporary fauna such as the giant panda, the Asian tapir and the Asian elephant that lived alongside the monster ape, still survive today. It is thought by many that Gigantopithecus also survives in the impenetrable jungles and mountains of Asia. Its closest known relatives are the Orangutans of Sumatra and Borneo.

"Last year the team, who investigate mystery animals all over the world, travelled to Sumatra in search of a small, bipedal ape known as the orang pendek. Dave Archer and local guide Sahar Didmus saw the creature and the group brought back hair that was later analysed by Dr Lars Thomas at the University of Copenhagen. The DNA proved to be similar to an orangutan's, an animal not found in that part of Sumatra."

Karl Shuker's Alien Zoo

Jon Downes tells us about the imminent release of Karl Shuker's new book, Alien Zoo:

"Ever since 1997, Alien Zoo, Dr Karl Shuker’s cryptozoology news column has been a regular feature in Fortean Times – the world’s premier magazine devoted to unexplained phenomena of every kind, and inspired by the writings and researches of scientific iconoclast Charles Fort.

"Dr Shuker has also penned many longer, more detailed ‘Lost Ark’ articles for Fortean Times, surveying an immense diversity of controversial and newly-revealed creatures worldwide. Today, not only are both of these long-running FT series hailed as cryptozoological classics but now, for the very first time, an extensive compilation of each of them has been meticulously prepared by Dr Shuker, incorporating numerous remarkable illustrations (including many rare or previously-unpublished examples), and presented here in book form.

"So if the weather outside is wet and windy, or even if it’s fine but you’ve nowhere exciting to go, how would you like to visit a mesmerising realm of monsters and mystery beasts from the comfort and safety of your very own armchair?

"Where can you meet alien big cats and snake-headed dogs, resurrected thylacines and death worms from the Gobi, nightgrowlers and goatsuckers, lake monsters a-plenty and sabre-tooths alive-o, paradise parrots and rainbow serpents, glowing lizards and donkey-eared deer, sachamamas and curupiras, whale-chomping sea monsters and murderous jellyfish, giant rats and New York sqrats, rock-painted mermaids and unicorn bones, river dragons and elephant birds, blood-sweating horses and squids from the swamps, man-beasts, müshmurghs, and mapinguaries, didis, dodos, dodus, and dobhar-chús, orang pendeks and albatwitchers, Nessie teeth, yeti hairs, and archangel plumes, pouched skunks and pig ponies, duendes and cureloms, horse-eels and globsters, flying snakes and cats with wings, scratch monsters and shell monsters, mystery quails from New Zealand and mini-men from Maine, tigers in Tanzania and lions in Chile, sex-mad super-otters and cow-snatching tiger trees, seal mothers, ghoul cats, mouse-whales, and other Icelandic exotica, the lost songbirds of Audubon and new species from New Guinea, mokele-mbembes, kuil kaaxs, nittaewos, banakons, Saharan crocodiles, Birdzilla...and who knows what else too?

"In Karl Shuker’s Alien Zoo, that’s where! So what are you waiting for? Its gates are still open, so let’s go inside - right now!"

The Goat-Man Lives

Who says there's no Goat-Man at Lake Worth, Texas? There is - I met him/her/it this past weekend!

Holy Giant Penguins!

All-round Fortean Micah Hanks is hot on the trail of some very large birds:

"Among all feathery species of fowl that inhabit the Earth, the waddling penguins of the arctic are perhaps the least likely to strike fear into the hearts of men, let alone rank high on a list of potential cryptozoological wonders. There is good reason for this too, since there are few reports of large or otherwise anomalous circumstances that involve penguins; the biggest known species, the Emperor Penguin, stands at a mere four feet tall (actually, that’s fairly large, all things considered). However, new evidence of a fossilized penguin cousin discovered near the coast of Peru has painted a unique picture for archaeologists and ornithologists alike, depicting a massive bird that, unlike its cold-weather cousins of today, lived in a tropical climate. And yes, it was very large."

And here's the rest of Micah's post...

The Monster Bash

This past Saturday, me and good friend (and co-author on Monsters of Texas) Ken Gerhard headed out to Lake Worth, Texas, for the annual Lake Worth Monster Bash that celebrates the town's legendary Goat-Man that burst onto the scene in the summer of 1969, and which still attracts attention to this very day.

Last year was the first event, and such was the success of it, the organizers decided to make it a yearly gig. And, indeed interest in the Goatish one shows no signs of stopping: there was huge attendance throughout the day, far more vendors than last year, and a fun, relaxed vibe that made it a cool day.

Ken and I were on-hand to promote Monsters of Texas and to tell people about the history of the Lake Worth monster - and we also received a number of interesting accounts from people who had had their own encounters of the monstrous kind in Texas and elsewhere.

Here we are, after the gig, relaxing with a drink or two at a local hang-out place that is a favorite of me and my wife, Dana (who, not exactly being a fan of all-things crypto went shopping for clothes instead LOL). Ken is in the cowboy hat and I'm the one who looks half asleep...