My Weird World...

Nessie, Mothman, the Chupacabra and more...

Catching Up

Well, after lecturing outside of Houston and then spending a week in San Antonio with good friend Ken Gerhard (who I co-authored Monsters of Texas with), it's finally time to catch up with a bit of blogging!

Here's a few new posts from me of a Crypto nature:

1. The latest news on Lyle Blackburn's excellent new book, The Beast of Boggy Creek;

2. A strange tale of the legendary Thunderbird...;

3. A ghostly black dog of the Lone Star State...

4. And, finally...An island of Vampires...

The Disappearing Bigfoot

Over at his Gralien Report site, Micah Hanks has an excellent new post on the one angle - more than any other - that many Cryptozoologists don't want to have to deal with when it comes to Bigfoot - the "high-strangeness" cases, such as those where the giant hairy thing seemingly vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, Micah does deal with them, and offers an intriguing theory to explain such events...

The Beast of Boggy Creek - Published!

Now, you know you HAVE to buy this book! Yep, Lyle Blackburn's The Beast of Boggy Creek is now among us, and an excellent, atmospheric read it is, too!

I'll be reviewing it shortly, but, in the meantime, here's what the publisher - Anomalist Books - has to say about Lyle's book:

For more than a century, reports of a strange beast known as the Fouke Monster have circulated among the locals in southern Arkansas. Described as a large, hairy man-like creature, it’s said to haunt the vast Sulphur River Bottoms as it travels the secluded waterway known as Boggy Creek.

Over the years, the creature has been seen by numerous witnesses including respected citizens, experienced hunters, famous musicians, and even a police officer. The encounters were often so shocking, they served as inspiration for the classic horror film, The Legend of Boggy Creek, by Charles B. Pierce.

Tales of the creature have long existed in scattered pieces across news clippings, memoirs, police reports, and movies, but it is only now that the complete history of the Fouke Monster has been assembled in one place. This book collects all the facts, theories, and amazing sighting reports, and weaves them into a fascinating tale about this undeniable southern mystery, one that lives on, as frightening encounters with the Beast of Boggy Creek are still being reported today!

About the Author:

Growing up in Texas, LYLE BLACKBURN became fascinated with the legends, lore, and sighting reports of alleged real-life monsters. He is a frequent contributor and cryptozoology advisor to Rue Morgue magazine, one of the leading horror media publications in print today. He is also the founder and frontman for the rock band Ghoultown. Over the last decade, Ghoultown has released six albums, toured extensively in both the U.S. and Europe, and has appeared on several horror movie soundtracks. Lyle currently lives near Dallas, Texas, where he enjoys a day off now and then.

(Note from Nick: The accompanying photo of Lyle was taken by me last September at the Oklahoma-based Cryptid Fest.)

The Morar Monster

An excellent new post on the monster of Loch Morar, Scotland...

Ghost Finder London

As many of you will know, Richard Holland used to be editor of Britain's Paranormal Magazine before it very unfortunately closed down last year. And it was also a publication that covered Cryptozoology to a very significant degree.

Well, Richard is now back with a new venture, and here he is to tell you all about it!

Over to Richard...


There’s an app(arition) for that!

Ghost Finder London iPhone app plots hundreds of haunted sites on detailed maps of the capital, with information researched and written by journalist and ghost expert Richard Holland.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ghost-finder-london/id493251459?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Ghost Finder London is the new application for iPhone that allows users to locate and read about more than 300 haunted locations throughout Central and Greater London. Each site has been meticulously plotted on Google maps, tied in with the individual phone’s GPS. The database has been researched and written by Richard Holland, former editor of Paranormal Magazine, author of five books about ghosts and editor of www.uncannyuk.com, a website devoted to ghosts and folklore in Britain.

The database has been arranged alphabetically by district but can also be searched for key words and location name. The user can also access the information on each site one at a time by pressing the location-finding ‘pins’ on the map. By pressing the compass symbol, they can find the nearest spooky site to their own position. The detailed maps can then be used to hone in on the precise co-ordinates or expanded to show the number of haunted locations in the chosen area.

This is the most comprehensive gazetteer of haunted sites in London available digitally or in print. You’d have to buy a good many books to gather the same information. Ghost Finder London is available for download at just £1.99, less than the price of a pint in a haunted pub.

Many of London’s major attractions are haunted but so too are hundreds of less well-known locations, including pubs, parks, theatres, churches, roads and railway stations, to say nothing of the many obscure houses in quiet back streets. All have been precisely mapped on Ghost Finder London, making it a frighteningly good resource for Londoners and tourists alike.

Operation is intuitive and easily navigated. The application has been developed by iflowstudios. Ghost Finder London is also enhanced by the fun graphics provided by one of the UK’s most sought-after illustrators, Jonathan Edwards (www.jonathan-e.com).

The app is available at: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ghost-finder-london/id493251459?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

For more information please contact:
Richard Holland
editor@uncannyuk.com

The BBC & "Bownessie"

"Bownessie" catches the eyes and ears of the BBC (with footage and interviews)...

A Couple Of New Posts...

There's a couple of new posts from me that may be of interest. The first is on the Green Children of Woolpit, and the second is on the possibility that Britain's Man-Monkey of the Shropshire Union Canal maybe a Tulpa.

Yep, two totally different topics, but in their own ways, both being relevant to the weirder sides of Cryptozoology!