Beth Dolgner, Writer and Editor

Upcoming Book Signings, Promos and More Thriller

2009-10-24T00:53:00.000-07:00

October is my favorite month of the year because I get to celebrate Halloween for four weeks. This year, Halloween is even more special because I've been promoting my book, Georgia Spirits and Specters. The wonderful folks at the Norcross Ghost Tour had me out for a book signing two weeks ago. The weather didn't cooperate with us, but we still had fun. And, I got to tell ghost stories to a troop of wide-eyed Girl Scouts.

Things really ramp up this week since we are just seven days away from Halloween itself. On Sunday, October 25, I'll be signing books at Oakland Cemetery during their nighttime Halloween tours. Oakland is Atlanta's oldest cemetery, and my favorite spot in Atlanta. Tours are sold out for this year!

On Monday the 26th, I'll crawl out of bed in time for a 7:35 call-in to the Bill Bailey Morning Show on Fun 101.1. You can listen to me on their website. Catch me again on the air on Friday, October 30, when I stop by the Fun 101.1 studios to hang out at 8:00 a.m.

If you're in Savannah, stop by Magnolia's, a fabulous gift shop at 137 Bull Street in the historic district. I'll be signing books there from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Saturday - Halloween!

Before all the promos, I've got to put on my dancing shoes one more time. Guinness gave the Thriller world record to Mexico instead of DragonCon, despite the fact that they only danced for two minutes and didn't do the full choreography. Guinness can't keep us down, though. A lot of the D*Con Thriller alumni are gathering to participate in another record for the most people worldwide dancing at once. I'll be in full zombie mode!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

The Official DragonCon Thriller Video

2009-09-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

The official video of our Guinness World Record attempt is now online! Presenting 903 Thriller dancers ! I show up around 1:03. I am still amazed that we got that many people dancing together.

The DragonCon 2009 Recap

2009-09-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Three days have elapsed since DragonCon wrapped up for another year, and I feel like I'm still recovering. As I'm sure you can imagine, that means I had a fantastic time! (If you want proof, my pics are on my Flickr page.)

Mom came up from Savannah and we headed to the Sheraton for registration on Thursday evening. It was the smart thing to do, we thought: beat the crowds by registering early! Unfortunately, everyone else had the same plan and it took 3.5 hours for us to get our badges. On the upside, we got to meet some interesting folks in line and we didn't have to worry about missing any panels.

We got up early Friday and arrived by 8:30 a.m. for a panel that didn't start until 10. Considering it was the much-publicized William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy panel, we figured earlier was better. I'm not a Star Trek fan, but even I got excited at seeing those two together. You could tell they were having fun up on stage, and they reminded me so much of their characters! Shatner is loud and cocky, and Nimoy is the deadpan voice of reason. It was SUCH a great start to DragonCon 2009! (The only downside? They played Shatner of the Mount before the panel, and it has been stuck in my head ever since!)

Friday was pretty full with panels: we went to a Steampunk overview, which included a special visit from some Steampunk ghostbusters. Their costumes and props were beautiful, and they even had a Steampunk R4 unit (from Star Wars) trailing along with them. We went to the Firefly panel with Ron Glass, who played Shepherd Book, and we ended the day with the Tom Felton panel. Tom plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, and this was his first panel at his first-ever convention. Mom was a little star-struck, and shortly after he took the stage she whispered to me, "He sounds just like Draco Malfoy!" We cut the day short since we knew Saturday would be a whirlwind.

Saturday started with the parade, and this year we got there early so we had a great view. I don't think there were as many stormtroopers as last year, but the 501st was still well-represented. And of course, there were the Mandalorian Mercs and a Boba Fett or two. We did a lot of people watching during the day, especially while in line for the Patrick Stewart panel. I had to duck out of that panel early to find my way to the rooms where the Writer's Track was being held. It was so hidden away I felt like I'd left DragonCon behind entirely. I attended a panel about the craft of writing, and panelists included Charlaine Harris (the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood novels), and Timothy Zahn and Kevin J. Anderson (Star Wars novels). From there it was time to go see Adam Savage from Mythbusters, who was a lot of fun and proved that he's as much of a geek as the rest of us.

We ended Saturday night with a midnight Cruxshadows show, which didn't disappoint. I really like their music, and their show had a lot of energy.

I slept in Sunday morning (can you blame me?) before dashing to the Decatur Book Festival to sign copies of Georgia Spirits and Specters in the Bound to be Read Books booth. After that, I ran home, put on my costume and went back to DragonCon. From 4-7, I helped teach the Thriller dance to people participating in a Guinness World Record attmept to have the most people dancing to Thriller. It was exhausting work, but totally worth it when we gathered for the attempt at 7pm and there were 903 of us packed into the room! It was so much fun and an exhilarating experience. And there were even dancing stormtroopers!! The official video isn't up yet, but you can see the instructors/dance captains getting their Thriller on here. I'm in the white top and purple poodle skirt. For the performance I added a pink sweater- I went as the girl at the beginning of the Thriller video, when she and Michael are in a 50s horror movie.

Monday was comprised of a couple writer's workshops. When I left the last one, DragonCon had officially ended and the place was already looking like a ghost town. It was a great time, and I'm already planning my costumes for next year!

Let Your Geek Flag Fly!

2009-09-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

Registration for DragonCon opens tonight. If you have been anywhere near me for the past two months, you already know what DCon is, or at least you should. If you've not been paying attention to me, then here's a brief rundown: DragonCon is a gathering of fans, where we pay homage to sci-fi and fantasy pursuits, whether it's movies, books, music, TV shows or stalking cult-status celebrities. There's a parade, there are dozens of parties, and there are thousands of people, many of whom are in costume. During DragonCon, I can expect to see dozens of Stormtroopers (pictured here in 2008's parade), a handful of Mandalorian Mercs (Boba Fett qualifies as one), elves, hobbits, wizards, Klingons and, honestly, a bunch of costumes I don't even recognize.

It is, needless to say, Mecca for geeks. Right here in Atlanta, no less! I am excited about going to registration tonight-never have I so looked forward to standing in a line. Tonight I will also pick up a ribbon denoting me as a participant in DragonCon Thriller: a few people have organized a mass performance of the dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller video in the hopes of setting a world record for the most people performing the dance in one place. I have been "roaring" and "booty-bouncing" for weeks now and can't wait. I even sewed a special costume for the performance...yes, there will be pictures.

Never Mind the Strange Guy...

2009-06-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Chris, who urged me to write this book in the first place, was at the Border's in Buckhead on Sunday. He and his girlfriend Ashley spied my book, looking all nice with the cover facing out. It's pretty cool to see my book in a place like that, and it reminds me what a beautiful job the graphics team at Schiffer Publishing did on that cover.

In the News and on Bookshelves!

2009-06-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Georgia Spirits and Specters has debuted! If you're not in Georgia (where it's easy to pick one up from me or the bookstore), you can buy it right from my publisher: Schiffer Books. I'm very excited that my book is finally out! (As if you couldn't tell.)

Also, Carroll County's newspaper, The Times-Georgian, did a nice article about me and the two ghost stories from their county. You can read it here: New book on the supernatural. A username/password is required but it's easy to sign up.

Way Down in New Orleans

2009-05-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

My quick two-night trip to New Orleans was a busy one, since my purpose in being there was to get pictures and finish up interviews for my next book, "Everyday Voodoo." Everyone I met with was incredibly nice, and I am so grateful for the help everyone - from voodoo priestesses to shopkeepers - has given me with this project.

I got to be in a voodoo ritual one night, thanks to Rev. Claudia Williams of Starling Magickal. It was an absolutely amazing experience: very comfortable, positive and memorable. If you want to know more, you'll just have to read about it in the book!

I had planned to tag along on a cemetery tour so I could snap shots of voodoo queen Marie Laveau's grave. The tour guide was a no-show, though, so I hiked over to the cemetery by myself. All the tourist literature says "It's dangerous! Don't go alone!" Phooey, I say. I felt safe the whole time, got to wander through a residential part of the French Quarter I'd never seen before, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was full of tourists. I wound up meeting three great ladies from Alabama and Texas, so thanks to them for making my cemetery adventure extra fun.

Despite my busy schedule, I still managed to inhale every muffaletta possible, downed a hurricane, and I spent a couple hours at my favorite spot in New Orleans, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop.

Now that I'm home, I'm hard at work trying to finish up text for the book. I'm certainly feeling inspired after such a great trip.

Best Burger Ever?

2009-04-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

For years we've been hearing that Ann's Snack Shop in Atlanta has the best burger. Not just the best burger in Atlanta, mind you, but the best burger period. Yesterday, Ed and I finally decided to put that claim to the test.

Ann's Snack Shop is on Memorial Drive near the East Lake and East Atlanta neighborhoods. The ramshackle building has room for just seven diners, who belly up to a counter lined with ultra-chic duct tape. Behind the counter, the fridge sits at a slant thanks to the sagging floor, and giant stainless steel pots bubble away atop the kind of stove intended for a home kitchen.

Ann is a one-woman operation who's been in business for decades. She's a no-nonsense kind of lady, and if you want to eat at her restaurant, you'd better play by her rules. If the counter stools are all taken and another customer comes in the door, she'll give them a stern look and a command: "You'll have to wait outside."

Those left waiting might be standing outside for a while because Ann works at her own pace. Ed and I arrived half an hour before the place opened for the day, so we were the first through the door. Five minutes after she let us in, every stool was occupied. From the time we sat to the time we paid and left was a full hour - for nothing more than a burger and fries.

But what a burger! Ann's signature is the Ghetto Burger: two giant patties with double cheese, plus chili, bacon, onions, lettuce, ketchup and plenty of mayo. All of this is stacked between two halves of a toasted bun and takes up almost an entire plate.

The wait went quickly: watching Ann cook was entertainment enough. And the wait was worth it, too: the Ghetto Burger really is the best burger I've ever eaten.

Fiction Friday: Haunting Hall, Part 3

2009-03-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the last installment of Haunting Hall. If you missed the first two:
Part 1
Part 2

Enjoy, and please leave a comment to let me know what you think.

___

We never encountered something paranormal on one of those forays into the old hotel, and we never crossed paths with the security guard, if indeed there ever really was one. By the time we were seniors in high school, we had outgrown the dark spaces of Harding Hall. We found other things to do, and our imaginations were neglected in the rush to fill out college applications, write entrance essays, and study for the ever-present threat of final exams.

It was during one of those slow, melancholy nights of studying that I went to Harding Hall for the last time. My best friend and I were both weary of the endless list of names and dates we needed to memorize for our history exam. We would relive our adventurous younger days, we decided, going out for an inauspicious fast-food run but really wanting nothing more than one last hurrah at Harding Hall, one last chance to scare ourselves with something other than the pressure of growing up.

Approaching the abandoned resort brought back that exquisite sensation of mingled fear and excitement, and our broken window was right where we remembered, gaping darkly under the gaze of the full moon. Nothing was different until we were inside, when we decided to really scare ourselves by splitting up.

I turned right down the hallway that ran the length of the building, not as scared inside those walls as I used to be, even though I was alone. Moonlight was shining just ahead, and I passed through a wide doorway that opened into the ballroom. The moon peered through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far wall, catching each dust mote that hung suspended in the stale air so that I felt as if I were wading into a fine mist. Debris littered the dance floor, where once couples had swirled gracefully while live bands played from a little stage at one end.

My fear disappeared as I surveyed the ballroom with a sudden feeling of sadness. This place, once so full of light and revelry, was now neglected and crumbling. I sighed, and a breeze wafted across my body in response, carrying with it the faint scent of flowers. I turned toward the breeze, and as my feet grated against the cracked marble floor, I thought I heard another noise. With each step I took I heard a soft musical note, like an old tune played in a minor key, a haunting melody from the Jazz Age. Soon I didn’t know if I was keeping time with the music, or if the spectral serenade was keeping time with my footsteps. I lifted my arms as if I had a partner, and as I spun around the dance floor I felt a lightness in my feet and my heart. I smiled at my sudden joy, and when I laughed the music stopped.

I waited there, hoping to hear the sound again, or to smell the flowers that had decorated a gala ball decades before, but I never did. When I left that night, though, I was still smiling. I vowed right then that no matter how old I got, or how many adult responsibilities I would have to face in my lifetime, I would always make time to let my imagination run free, because it might lead me on a very real adventure after all.

Fiction Friday: Haunting Hall, Part 2

2009-03-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

I was out of town Friday, so here's my "better late than never" post, with Part 2 of Haunting Hall. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. I'll post the third and last part of the story on Friday.

____

Harding Hall’s splendor faded over the years, and it was in its final days as a resort when I was a child. My dad would take me there for tennis lessons, where I would haltingly wield my racket in the shadow of the great bell tower that stood sentinel at the center of the hulking building.

When the resort closed, the future of Harding Hall became uncertain as prospective owners came to tour the once-grand grounds. The pink stucco began to fade, Spanish tiles from the roof slipped out of place and crumbled on the ground, and weeds grew up among the tennis courts. Vandals – probably just bored teenagers like us – broke many of the first-floor windows, and finally a security guard was hired to patrol the grounds each night.

A new rumor about the future of Harding Hall emerged with every new year. It was going to be a resort once again, or a retirement home, or renovated as condos, or torn down altogether. Rumors about the owners began to circulate, also; rumors so thrilling that the gossip ran gleefully from one mouth to another. Harding Hall was cursed, they said, and anyone who bought the property befell tragedy shortly after signing the paperwork. One owner fell into financial ruin, another died in a boating accident, and a third went to jail on murder charges.

Harding Hall became known as Haunting Hall to us children, but our fear of the place only spurred us on. Here at last was a place which could turn our dark imaginings into reality! Surely this was the backdrop for our many wild tales and half-glimpsed monsters!

The first one in our group to turn sixteen had the honor of piling all of us into his second-hand car so we could troop out to Harding Hall, our hearts beating faster as we drove closer. With the car parked off the road, hidden under the enveloping branches of an oak tree, we scaled the perimeter fence and danced through the shadows, afraid only of being spotted by the security guard.

The pink stucco of the old place shone like translucent skin in the light of the stars and the sole security feature, a sodium light that buzzed in harmony with the crickets. To put our shaking hands against the building was to touch a living thing, it seemed, that might push against our flesh as it inhaled a deep breath of midnight air. Our fear of the supernatural always returned in that moment, and we would shove each other, whispering dares and pleas for someone to enter first through the broken window that beckoned us inside.

Once we made that great leap of faith into Harding Hall, we huddled together, our hands holding tightly to one another. Every visit there was the same, as we crept down dim hallways, past gaping doors that opened into the ruined old hotel rooms. Moldy curtains still hung at some of the windows, and bed frames stood out in stark silhouette. We would sometimes venture into rooms, but our goal was always the bell tower. Reaching the top was a rite of passage, a show of bravery that rewarded us with a humid breeze and a view of Fern Ridge’s twinkling lights three miles away.

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World, Part 3

2009-03-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were a kid, and one of your parents presented you with some strange new dish for dinner? When you scrunched up your face and pushed it away, your mother inevitably said, "Try it, you might like it." And so, with your nose pinched closed and your eyes shut in denial, you guided one tiny spoonful to your mouth.

Sometimes you liked it, and sometimes you didn't. You tried, though, so at least you knew for sure.

One of the lessons I learned from Disney World is just that: try new things, at least once. If you don't like it, then at least you made the effort.

Of course, this outlook hasn't always had positive results. Despite knowing it would be dark and scary, I tried the short-lived Alien Encounter in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. I was terrified every second. Turns out that not only do I have a fear of the dark, but I also seem to have an irrational fear of audio-animatronic aliens. I never visited that attraction again, but at least when I walked past it on my way to Space Mountain, I never had to wonder what I was missing.

Countdown to Extinction is another example of instant loathing. The Animal Kingdom ride terrified me. Like Alien Encounter, there were long periods of darkness, though the aliens have been swapped out for dinosaurs. I actually rode it a second time when I first visited the parks with my husband Ed, but I hated it just as much. In the souvenir photo they snap of you during the ride, he's laughing and smiling. I, on the other hand, have a death grip on the ride car and my eyes are shut.

Trying new things hasn't always garnered disastrous results, though. When Ed and I visited MGM Studios on our honeymoon (sorry, I may never get used to calling the park Disney's Hollyood Studios), I coerced him into riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Ed, for the record, had never been on a roller coaster until I took him to Disney World and introduced him to the Mountains. Going on an upside-down roller coaster wasn't even an option then. I may have misled him slightly regarding the number of times you go upside down on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. When we got off the ride, he looked at me and said, "You lied!" I responded, "Yeah, but did you like it?" He grinned back, "It was great!" Now, when we visit, Ed's as fond of riding the roller coaster as I.

On my most recent visit to Epcot, my mom bravely decided to try Mission: Space. She opted for the toned-down version of the ride, but I was still immensely proud of her. Mom is not a fan of thrill rides, and anyone who's been on Mission: Space can vouch for how daunting all the warning signs can be. "Are you sure about this?" I asked. I worried that Mom would hate it with as much passion as I hate Extinction, but when the ride ended she had an ear-to-ear grin and a spring in her step that even the hot day couldn't stop. The next time we visit, I bet it will be one of the first attractions she wants to visit.

Trying new things isn't always great, but when you like something new, it makes all those failed attempts worth it. Whether it's a new restaurant, a new place to vacation, a new recipe, even if it's a new way of approaching an old activity, the results can be well worth the risk.

Fiction Friday: Haunting Hall, Part 1

2009-03-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am actually posting fiction today! Here is part one of Haunting Hall, a short story I wrote a few months ago. I'm breaking it up so my blog entries won't be ridiculously long. For those of you from Sebring, you'll recognize the fact that's it's pretty autobiographical...
---

Haunting Hall

Growing up in a small town like Fern Ridge required a lot of imagination, which was something I never seemed to lack. Once we all turned sixteen and got our drivers’ licenses, we felt like explorers out to conquer every lonely mile of our rural central Florida county.

We thrived on the late-night, back-road journeys that paid little heed to curfews. Our imaginations opened to transform dark two-lane roads into pathways that might intersect with things we had only whispered about during childhood sleepovers. Within months we discovered a lonely old cemetery at the end of a dirt road that sliced cleanly through an orange grove, running parallel to rows of trees where all the dark creatures of our minds lurked, just waiting for our headlights to pass so they could flit along in our dusty wake.

A rarely-used route that skirted the edge of a swamp was where we played chicken with ghosts and demons, ever on the lookout for obscure tabloid fixtures like the Chupacabra, Mothman and Batboy. Although, we all agreed, Batboy was more sympathetic than scary, and we’d rather find him out there in the swamp than Mothman.

Of all the dark reaches available to us, there was no place that fascinated us and pulled us into a collective frenzy like Harding Hall. The pink stucco resort had towered above the flat Florida landscape since the roaring twenties, when our town was still new. Celebrities and wealthy couples from the North rode the train down through the center of the state to relax in the Florida sunshine, and Harding Hall was a glitzy oasis amid a land of mosquitoes and alligators.

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World, Part 3

2009-03-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, my apologies for failing to post on Fiction Friday in only my second week of it...I was sick last week, and a lot of things went by the wayside. I'll make up for it this Friday! Your ride will resume immediately...

During trips to the parks, we used to joke that there were no bugs at Disney World. I know that's not true, but, at the same time, I can't say I ever got a bite even at the height of mosquito season. Which brings us to this week's lesson: It's Tough To Be A Bug.

No, no, that's not it! What I really learned is that the little details make a big difference. Take the landscaping at the parks, for one thing. Every perfect flower bed, each neatly-trimmed topiary of Mickey and the dancing hippos from Fantasia. Children visiting Disney probably don't have a proper appreciation of landscaping, but it all adds up to give you that "Disney feeling."

Disney World has other impeccable details, too: I rarely find chipped paint or a littered ground. Since joining the UAB community, I've developed an appreciation for the background music in various areas, much of which I'd never paid conscious attention to in the past.

Taking care of the little details is a lesson that has vast applications outside of Disney World. Being thorough in the work I do for my clients, how I interact with others, even my spring cleaning. All of it has been affected by that one "little" lesson.

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World, Part 2

2009-03-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Change is Inevitable

Not all lessons from Disney World are easily learned. I'm a traditionalist; I never want things to change. Walt Disney, on the other hand, never intended for any of his theme parks to stagnate. He believed in changing, growing, and introducing new technologies that could enhance guests' experiences.

I haven't always liked the changes. I still mourn the loss of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom (though perhaps not as much as my friend Elyse). I miss Horizons and World of Motion at EPCOT. I preferred the Walter Cronkite-narrated version of Spaceship Earth to...well, anything that's come since. As for the original Journey Into Imagination compared to the current Journey Into Your Imagination, oh, don't get me started on that one.

Sometimes, though, the changes have been good. I hated Magic Journeys, the 3-D movie in the Imagination pavilion at EPCOT. I blame that on the scary witch, and my overactive five-year-old imagination. The movie was replaced with Captain EO, launching a long love affair with 3-D sci-fi musicals starring Michael Jackson. On my last visit to EPCOT, I rode the new version of El Rio de Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion, and it was a cute and much-needed update to the old ride.

Life is the same way. Change happens, whether we want it to or not. Sometimes the changes are ones we like, and sometimes they aren't. You have to make the best of it and, no matter what, keep Walt Disney's words in mind: "Keep moving forward!"

Fiction Friday: The Crows

2009-02-27T04:09:00.000-08:00

In an effort to do more blogging, I plan to post some of my fiction here each Friday. I'm starting with a short story I did a while back, just for fun. Comment and let me know what you think!

The Crows

The crows were back. I sat and watched them scratching at the damp morning earth, their razor-sharp beaks tapping the ground with a rhythmic urgency. There were seven of them, two more than yesterday.

I piled my pillows behind me so I could sit and lean against the ledge of the window. The doctor had told me to get a lot of rest, and as tired as my body felt despite a long night of sleep, I was too restless. I wanted to watch the crows.

There was a quiet tap on my bedroom door, and Mrs. Mayhew entered with a tray. “Good morning, dear,” she said cheerily, while simultaneously giving me a piteous look. “And how is our little patient feeling this morning?”

“Okay,” I answered the housekeeper. “I’m tired of being in bed.”

“Now, now, children with pneumonia have to stay in bed,” she scolded. Somehow, reprimands were always easier to take coming from Mrs. Mayhew. “Be good, and once you’re all better I’ll make sure you get a big slice of chocolate cake from the bakery in town!” The promise of sweets always made me behave.

Mrs. Mayhew set a steaming bowl of oatmeal in front of me, and placed a cup of tea on my nightstand. She sat dutifully with me as I ate, passing along the news and gossip from town just as she had for the past six days. I was grateful for the company.

“I shouldn’t tell you this; you’re too young,” began Mrs. Mayhew. She prefaced a lot of her gossip that way, and it always led to some gruesome bit of news that left my imagination running wild. “But Mrs. Jones, the wife of the locksmith, has gone missing! She went to visit her family a month ago, and Mr. Jones says he started getting worried when he didn’t get a single phone call or letter. She’s a bit scatter-brained you know, so the first couple of weeks he just assumed she had arrived safe and was having too good of a visit to think of calling. So he finally called her family and what do you think? They say she never arrived, and they thought she had canceled the trip! So now Mr. Jones says he is going to scour every inch of road between here and Mapleview – that’s where her people are, you know – and he’ll bring her home no matter what. Some folks think she must have gotten hurt or sick on the journey and is laid up in an inn or a hospital, but others say she probably ran off, say she hasn’t been happy with Mr. Jones for a long time.”

The town gossip continued as I finished my oatmeal and sipped down my tea. The Fishers had a fire in their barn, but all of the horses had been out to pasture when it happened so they weren’t hurt; old Mr. Daniels was at home sick too, but he probably wouldn’t get over the illness on account of his being eighty-two years old; and little Michael Bulloch had tried to run away from home, but he got caught when he asked the family gardener which way led to town. Finally, Mrs. Mayhew packed up the tray, built up the fire that had dwindled down to embers overnight, and told me to get some sleep.

Once I was alone again, I peeked out the window. The crows were still pacing and pecking, their black feathers shining in the sunlight that had broken through the early morning fog. I sat and watched, but a full stomach and my illness soon had me dozing.

When I woke up, the grandfather clock against the far wall said it was only lunch-time. The fog had given way to a crisp blue sky that told spring was well on its way. I quietly lifted the latch on my bedside window, pushing it open just a few inches to breathe some of the fresh air outside. A cool breeze swept in, but after being shut up in my room for a week it felt gloriously invigorating. The faint scent of loamy earth reached my nostrils, and I looked down to find the crows still hard at work, kicking up bits of the soft earth with their reptilian feet.

I was counting the crows and reached the number twelve before one of them swooped in and landed on the windowsill just inches from me. I yelped and sat back in bed, startled, while the crow peered down at his fellows toiling away. I reached up and shut the window, securing the latch as I heard footsteps outside my door.

Mother came blustering in, rushing to put a nervous hand against my forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. That crow landed on the windowsill and startled me, is all.” I didn’t dare tell her that the window had been open; I’d get a lecture about letting in all that chilly air for certain.

Mother relaxed. “Okay, dear. You gave me a bit of a fright, too! Shame on that mean old crow for scaring us!”

“When I’m better I’m going to go outside and stomp and yell and scare them all away!”

“There are more?” Mother leaned over me, looking out at the tiny avian bulldozers. “I guess we know where all the good grubs are.”

“Mrs. Mayhew says Michael Bulloch tried to run away from home,” I said, changing the subject.

“Yes, he did. He didn’t get very far, thank goodness! I can’t imagine how worried his parents would have been if their only boy had gone missing.” Mother paused and looked at me, the worry returning to her face. “You’re not going to run away from home, are you?”

“Oh, no! I don’t want to get caught by the bogeyman!”

Mother’s face turned to surprise, then she smiled. “Well, I’m glad to hear you won’t be sneaking away, but you don’t have to worry about any bogeyman. That’s just a story children tell to scare each other.”

“No, Mother, he’s real,” I insisted. “I saw him a few weeks ago. He was out in the garden, looking for gnomes to help him scare kids.”

“And a few weeks ago you were probably already in a fever from this pneumonia. Fevers can make us see things that aren’t there. There’s no bogeyman, and no gnomes. Now get some sleep, dear.”

“They are real,” I mumbled, feeling sullen. “He was big and shadowy, and he was digging out in the garden, trying to get gnomes out of their underground tunnels.” I pulled the covers up tight and rolled over on my side.

“What an imagination you have!” said Mother, tired of arguing with me. “It’s all that trash Mrs. Mayhew fills your head with! I’m going to have a chat with her about that, you can be sure.”

With a kiss on the cheek, Mother left and I laid there, wondering if what I had seen could possibly have been in my imagination.

That night, after a tight-lipped Mrs. Mayhew had come and gone with a dinner of soup and toast, I couldn’t resist staring out the window again. The moon was swelling to fullness, and the clear night let its pale light shine on the crows. Their numbers had increased again, and the swarm must have numbered at least thirty.

I watched for an hour, until my head began to feel heavy and my eyes were shut more than they were open and watching. The crows had become secondary to the bogeyman. As scary as he was, I wanted to see him again, just to prove to Mother that he was real and that I hadn’t created him in some fevered hallucination. He was real, he was! And if I had to sit up every night for a month to finally prove it, I would.

My resolution soon crumbled under the weight of my eyelids, and I felt sleep coming to snatch me back down to my pillow. But suddenly, one of the crows gave a terrific yank, pulling a plump white object out of the earth with his black beak.

I sat upright, sleep held at bay once again. The crow’s prize was too big to be a grub, and something on it gleamed. A gnome! I hadn’t seen one before, but surely the twinkle coming from the little white mass was the moonlight reflecting in one of the gnome’s eyes.

Shouting, I leaped out of bed and threw wide my bedroom door. “Mother, Mother, come quick! I was right, the crows have caught a gnome!” I was triumphant as Mother and Mrs. Mayhew both came sailing into my room, their dressing gowns billowing behind them like fog.

“Look!” I said, shouting my glorious discovery. “See, there, that crow has caught a gnome!”

Mother was torn between worry and anger. “What on earth? Now look, I’m going to open this window and prove to you once and for all that there are no gnomes, and no bogeyman!”

The window was thrown open in haste, and our three wide-eyed faces peered out at the crows’ feast. I pointed to the prone gnome, who had been abandoned by its finder when we opened the window.

Mother shook her head in dismay. “That’s not a gnome! It’s just a…” She narrowed her eyes, sucked in her breath. “Have mercy! Mrs. Mayhew, wake Till, get him out there at once!”

Mrs. Mayhew rushed away, and a few minutes later Mr. Till, our groundskeeper, came around the corner of the house, the light he carried drowning out the moon. He shone the light down on the gnome, but in the brightness the gleam no longer looked like an eye.

My heart sank in disappointment, Mother screamed in terror, and Mrs. Mayhew shouted a prayer to Heaven.

For years after that gold wedding band winked at me in the moonlight, still circling the decaying flesh of a finger, everyone from miles around would whisper that it must have been Mr. Jones who planted his wife in the soft dirt of our garden, though no one could ever prove it. I was possibly the only one who believed Mr. Jones’ pleas of innocence, but no one would listen to a kid who saw the bogeyman.

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World

2009-02-24T03:50:00.000-08:00

For years I have been joking about writing a book entitled "Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World." Long before I was a Star Wars geek, and decades before I was a writer, I was a Disney World fan. I joke that Disney was my second home growing up, but it's not far from the truth. We always had some sort of pass, whether it was the old-school Three Season Salute (good for January, May and September) in the early '80s to a full-blown annual pass. If we were up in Orlando, it wasn't unusual for us to just swing into the Magic Kingdom for a few rides, or to stop by EPCOT for dinner. I learned a lot during those trips to Disney, so from now on, my Tuesday blog will feature one of the many lessons learned at Disney World.

To start things off, "Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned at Disney World" includes how to wait your turn. It's one of the most important lessons that every kid learns, isn't it? "No, you can't play with Mandy's doll right now. You have to wait your turn." "Don't skip to the lead of the line at lunch. You have to wait your turn."

At Disney, there's a lot of waiting for your turn. Standing in line to buy your ticket, standing in line for rides, standing in line for food. Yes, even standing in line for the bathroom. What makes the "wait your turn" lesson really hit home, though, is that you can stand there and look at everyone else patiently waiting their turn, also. Adults lead by example, patiently shuffling through the line with all of the antsy kids. There isn't a stern face or a wagging finger to be found, just thousands of people showing you the way to wait.

And the best part? The reward at the end, of course! After all of that waiting, you finally get on the ride, or sit down to see the show, and then the lesson sinks in: patience really is rewarded!

Words of Horror

2009-02-23T04:19:00.000-08:00

During my junior year of high school, my English teacher made us keep journals. We were often given a topic, though from time to time I was able to write about whatever was on my 17-year-old brain.

On January 26, 1995, our journal topic was "Words I Associate with the Word 'Horror'" and what a fun list I made! There are the obvious entries: vampires, werewolves, witch. But a few were a little more obscure... words that set the mood for a chilling horror story. Moon, rain, blood, lost, panic, mangle, lacerate, claws. I remember the origin of some: "deadfall" came from Stephen King's Pet Sematery. Actually, Stephen King himself made the list, since at the time I was a voracious reader of his work. A few entries mystify me now, so many years later: why did I put "scientists" on the list? I am particularly amused that I added "voodoo" to the journal entry, especially since one topic covered in my voodoo book (which is in progress) deals with minconceptions about the religion.

What words do you associate with "horror"? Are there words outside the "typical" list that make a shiver run up your spine?

Oh, good, I was having withdrawals...

2009-02-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

My computer is up and running again after crashing last Thursday. And I don't mean any little old crash; I mean a knock-down, call the ambulance, this one's going to hurt a lot crash. I may not race motorcycles anymore, but I can still crash things with the best of them. I guess the upside is that I can't break any bones when the computer goes down.

The upside is that my files were backed up so, thanks to Ed, everything has been rebuilt and restored. All I lost was an interview with Scott Russell that I finished typing up just before the crash, which hadn't been backed up yet.

The downside is that I realized, over the course of six long days, just how dependent I am on my computer. I nearly drained the battery from my phone each day, obsessively checking email, Facebook, the message boards I frequent, and even Twitter. Yes, I've started Twittering, though I only have a whopping three followers - two of whom I had to coerce into following me.

It's not too late to make a New Year's resolution, is it? If not, then I resolve to spend less time on the computer. I need to go sit outside with a book, play with the kitties, visit the zoo, keep up with sewing projects... and whatever else might come along in the "real" world.

Quotes for a Quiet February

2009-02-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

February is shaping up to be a very quiet month for me, work-wise. The downside of this is that I won't be making much money over the next four weeks. The upside, however, is that it gives me a lot of free time, which I'm using to work on my voodoo book, and to work on the second draft of my fiction novel.

My favorite place on the internet, uabmagic.com (which plays Disney park music and has a wonderful online community), is closing down operations at the end of this month. Someone in the community posted the following link from Walt Disney, and I thought it was appropriate for me, as I look at my career and ask, "What's next?"

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." --Walt Disney

As for me, good timing helped me get the contract to write my book of Georgia Ghost Stories. That single project prompted my publisher to ask me to write Everyday Voodoo for the Home and Office. Who knows what's next as I "keep moving forward"?

I'm also reminded of my favorite quote, which comes from The Fellowship of the Ring:

"Not all those who wander are lost." --J.R.R. Tolkien

I think it's an apt description of my career: I may not be taking a traditional path, but I'm definitely getting somewhere. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get myself to the library to continue research for my next book!

Word of the Day

2009-01-29T00:52:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I read a post from fellow blogger and Disneyphile Deb, who used the word "adventuring" in her entry. I think it is my new favorite verb, and when I read it I declared it to be the word of the day.

Since that was a couple days ago, I guess I'm now declaring it the word of the week.

The next time some friends or family you haven't seen in a while ask you what you've been up to lately, simply look them in the eye and say, "Adventuring."

And for goodness' sake, stop reading, walk away from your computer, and go adventuring! You never know what's waiting for you around the next corner.

Grandparents, Movie Stars and Mr. Toad

2009-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

My cat Dorian is sitting on my lap while a few errant snowflakes fall outside, and if I wasn't so nice I'd move Dorian and go make a cup of hot tea. Just a week ago I was in California, and with highs around 75 degrees out there, I'm wishing I could go back.

And why was I in California? Well, the story really begins in New Orleans. Last April was our first official Girls' Weekend, which was kicked off in the French Quarter by me, my mom, my Aunt Bonnie, and my former college roommate Elyse. We had such a good time that we decided we needed to have another Girls' Weekend. Since my family lives mostly in California, Mom and I took the opportunity to combine a visit to my grandparents' home in Lompoc with a Girls' Weekend.

Mom and I flew out on a Wednesday, and Bonnie picked us up at LAX for the three-hour drive to Lompoc. Aside from running out of gas at the intersection of the 101 and absolutely nowhere, it was an uneventful trip. (All I can say is, "Hooray for AAA and our tow-truck driver hero.") Our two-day visit with Grandma and Grandpa was a nice, quiet one. Grandpa told me all kinds of stories from his time in the Air Force, from working in the motor pool in Germany to his memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which time he was working at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

On Friday we drove down to Anaheim. After checking into our hotel and grabbing dinner, we made a five-minute drive to my cousin Josh's college hockey game. The timing and location of the game worked out perfectly for us... and, as it turns out, perfect timing became a recurring theme of our weekend. Josh's team won... yay!

By the time we got back to the hotel, Elyse had arrived and she filled us in on her traveling adventure, which beat our "out of gas" story by a mile. Let's just say that hers involved a flight attendant making a PA announcement of, "Is there a doctor on board?"

Saturday was Hollywood day, and we started things at the Hollywood History Museum in the old Max Factor Building. The Art Deco building was almost as neat as the movie memorabilia. I especially enjoyed the really old costumes worn by stars like Valentino and Charlie Chaplain. If you ever get to Hollywood, I recommend a visit to the museum. It was the best thing we did all day.

We wandered past all of the Hollywood theaters, like Graumann's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, and El Capitan, then headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. From there we drove down Melrose and Sunset Boulevard, and even Rodeo Drive. The houses in Beverly Hills were like a whole different world from the slightly seedy, faded grandeur of Hollywood. We ended the tour at Venice Beach. The upside: it was a beautiful sunset. The downside: the little outdoor shops there are downright scary. Mom said she worried that if we wandered into one we'd wind up with our faces on a milk carton. I just kept thinking of the nighttime boardwalk scenes from The Lost Boys, wondering just who - or what - was walking next to us. (And no, I didn't run into a fanged Keifer Sutherland.)

We ended the night with dinner at The Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney, where I had my first-ever bananas foster. Yummmmm. We got back to the hotel and had just settled into bed when the fire alarm went off. Yes, we had to evacuate the building in our PJs. The fire department came, declared that it was a false alarm, and sent us all back to bed. Nothing like an impromptu slumber party in the parking lot.

Sunday was Disneyland and California Adventure day, and we started right at eight and didn't stop until 11:00. It was the longest Disney day I've ever had. The four of us pinned our Mickey ears on our heads and set out. As soon as we walked into Disneyland, we ran into Minnie and Donald. Mickey came out just as we walked up to get pictures, so we figured our day was off to a great start.

The park was practically empty for the first few hours, and we walked right onto the Finding Nemo submarine ride (cute and so much fun to be riding the subs again), Alice in Wonderland, the Teacups, Storybook Land, the Matterhorn, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (twice!), Roger Rabbit, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We also ran into Mickey again at his house in Toontown. Whew. We stopped at the Diamond Horseshoe to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. What a great show! The musical talent those guys have is amazing, and they are so funny.

By then it was about time for our lunch at the Blue Bayou, a restaurant I have always wanted to try. After all, it's right there where you load into Pirates of the Caribbean. The food and service were excellent, and even our non-alcoholic mint juleps weren't bad. Mom made a toast to our Girls' Weekend and announced our plans to go to Tokyo Disneyland for Elyse's next Big Decade Birthday.

After some more rides, we went to California Adventure. I did a lot that was new to me, like the Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story Midway Mania rides (both a lot of fun), and the roller-coaster California Screamin'. The highlight, though, was the Aladdin show. It was the best stage show I've seen at Disney, and had the elaborate costumes, sets and effects of a full-on Broadway production.

We went back to Disneyland to cap off the night, and nothing was funnier than riding Star Tours with someone wearing the same sweatshirt as me... we were both in our Boba Fett hoodies. The guy didn't seem as amused by it as I was, though someone else on our "flight" gleefully told me that we were geeks. I had to tell him that I'm already aware of that.

On our way out of the park, we ran into Mickey just before he went backstage. He came out to greet us in the morning, and was there to wave goodbye as we left. It was the perfect ending to Girls' Weekend - Disneyland Edition.

Snow on the Cactus: Bisbee Ghost Tour

2009-01-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

If you haven't guessed already, I love a good ghost story. I think one of the best ways to learn about a city it to take a ghost tour - it's a fun way to get a little bit of history about the place, along with the local legends.

We went to Tucson over Christmas to see Ed's family, and one night we went up into the hills to Bisbee, an old copper mining town, for the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour. It was already freezing cold in Tucson, and as soon as we got out of the city the snow began to fall on us. Seeing the desert landscape swirling with snowflakes is a little disorienting, but pretty. As we got higher into the hills, the snow began coming down harder. We found ourselves asking, "Are we insane to go on a walking tour in this weather?"

Yes, we were, but amazingly the tour that night was full, so at least we had a whole gang of crazy people wandering the streets of Bisbee. Our tour guide, Renee, was a great storyteller, and I enjoyed the fact that many of her reports of ghost sightings were recent, and she was able to give us a lot of accounts that came directly from the witnesses themselves. If you ever get out to that area of Arizona, I definitely recommend the tour. If you're lucky, it won't be snowing on you!

There's a Ghost in my Carpaccio

2008-12-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

I am by no means a food expert, and you will never catch me referring to myself as a foodie. I'm usually just as happy to dive into a basket of tots and a gyro wrap at the Flatiron here in East Atlanta as I am to dine at a "nice" restaurant.

But there are exceptions to every rule. Our favorite Brazilian restaurant (which got a new name recently, and for the life of me I can't remember what it is), Capitol Grill, and Mario Batali's restaurant CarneVino in Las Vegas are a few that stand out in my mind.

On Friday, Ed and I drove down to Savannah to celebrate an early Christmas with Mom. She knows the head chef at 17Hundred90, so she suggested that we go there for dinner. I've stayed at that historic inn a few times over the years, and I've visited their bar, but somehow I'd never managed to eat in their little restaurant. Ed and I quickly agreed to the suggestion: 17Hundred90 is a historic building and home of the ghost story about a maid named Anna. I've heard half a dozen variations about Anna, but it has to be one of the most popular ghost stories about Savannah...and if you've ever been to Savannah, you know that's saying a lot.

In short, dinner was an excellent experience from start to finish. John, the chef, came out to chat with us, and he surprised us by sending out goat cheese salads and carpaccio for all of us to get things started. When I eat raw beef of my own free will, you know it must be good. I had a filet mignon with veggies for my entree, and loved every bite.

The service was great, as well. Our server mentioned to us that Savannah Paranormal Investigators were there that evening, preparing to do a bit of ghost hunting in room 204, which is said to have been Anna's room. Of course the subject of my book came up, and before long our server was leading me into the bar to introduce me to the investigation team. It was a neat opportunity for me, and a cool coincidence that we were there at the same time as them. If you get a chance to go to Savannah, definitely check out 17Hundred90 for a meal. If you're a fan of ghost stories, that's even more reason to eat there.

Finally Finished!

2008-12-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

I'm telling everyone I know that I've finished the first draft of my fiction novel. Of course, in doing this, I've discovered that half of those people didn't even know I was working on a novel. The manuscript is printed and currently fermenting in a desk drawer. I'm going with the Stephen King Method for this first novel of mine: I'll let it hide in the dark for about six weeks, so when I pull it back out I'll be getting a fresh look at it. Once I go through and edit (and I know there are a long list of errors), a few kind souls have volunteered to read it for me. And then...it's time to find an agent. I have a feeling that writing the story was the easy part compared to finding an agent and actually getting the book published.

If you're in that half of people I know who haven't heard me gush about my book and the characters I'm so enamored with, have no fear. I'm always ready to talk about it! The premise centers around a young woman named Betty "Boo" Boorman, and she's a paranormal investigator in Savannah. The story, which I ultimately want to turn into a series, follows Betty's adventures, from strange investigations to her budding relationship with a guy who introduces himself simply as "Maxwell, Demon."

The idea came about when I was doing research for my book of Georgia ghost stories, which introduced me to a lot of ghost hunters throughout the state. With the popularity of ghost hunter shows on TV right now, I figured, "Why not a book?" And so Betty Boo was born.

Maxwell (who is, of course, drop-dead gorgeous) got an odd beginning: he was originally inspired by a mural of a train. Those of you who have been to Pleasure Island at Disney World (may it rest in peace... Kungaloosh!), might remember a huge mural of a locomotive that used to grace the side of Mannequins. The train's name was Maxwell's Demon, and the "back story" for the club was that it was once a roundhouse for this amazing train. My mom and I were discussing the old mural after our Pleasure Island Farewell Tour in August of 2008 when I got the idea for a character by the same name. Maxwell, Demon was born, but he still needed a face. I wrote down my description of him - pale blue eyes, dark hair styled perfectly so that it looks messy, dramatic cheekbones - before trying to describe him to Mom. Finally she asked, "If they made a movie of your book, who would play him?" Cillian Murphy, I decided. I did a Google search to find a picture of him to email Mom, and one image I stumbled across made me think, "Oh, that's Maxwell!"

And just what lies in store for Betty Boo and Maxwell, Demon? Well, you know...you'll just have to read the book!

Never Too Busy to Blog

2008-12-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get into the habit of posting blog entries, really. You'd think that someone as used to deadlines as me would be better about putting up fresh content. So, instead of heading downstairs for lunch, I'm here typing away while Velma (the tiniest of our five cats) sleeps soundly on my lap.

The work cycle never ceases to amaze me. At this time of year, with my race team finished for the season, I can have entire weeks with nothing on my to-do list. But then I get one call, then another... and suddenly I'm busy. Why does it always come at once? Mind you, I'm not complaining. The work is most welcome, especially with Christmas just a few weeks away! And what kind of work have I been doing? Here's a brief run-down of this week's to-do list:

-Two freelance articles for motorcycle magazines.

-Editing the galley for my book about Georgia ghosts. It is so exciting to already be at this step in the process. The next version I see will be the layout copy, and after that's approved, it's time to print it!

-Complete a marketing survey for the new book I've been assigned to write for Schiffer Publishing: "Practical Voodoo in the Home and Workplace." Yes, a second book! No, I don't know much about voodoo, but I'm excited about getting started on the research.

-And, finally, FINISH MY FICTION MANUSCRIPT. I am so close to wrapping up the very first adventure for Betty Boo, Ghost Hunter. It's also my first novel, and once I get it edited, I'll be on the hunt for an agent who's willing to take a chance on little ol' me.

It doesn't seem like a lot, does it? But consider that yesterday I wrote 3,500 words and edited 25 pages of my galley, and suddenly it seems like a pretty big stack. Luckily for me, I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Kungaloosh!

2008-11-25T04:39:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how a visit to one website can turn into hours of perusing, clicking and discovery of new internet gems. My mom stumbled across the blog Broke Hoedown (which is supremely entertaining, though I might be biased because it has so much Disney AND Star Wars content). Mom sent me over there, and through it I wound up at Your Souvenir Guide, where I found a great post about The Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island (RIP PI!). The "interests list" is a funny but accurate summary of the club. For those of you who made it there during its existence: you understand. For those of you who didn't get to sip Kungalooshes alongside Hathaway Browne, Samantha Sterling, and the rest: no matter how hard we try to explain it, we will never be able to convey the joy, genius and "sheer, unadulterated DRAMA" of The Adventurers Club. Kungaloosh!

Birthday Fun

2008-11-23T01:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I really had a hard time with 30 last year, but just tacking a "1" onto that dreaded "3" wasn't as bad. We had a really busy, but fun, day. In the morning, Ed and I drove over to Milledgeville for the annual Hammock family BBQ. Our friend Chris's brother is a pro when it comes to BBQ. He and his business partner make their own grills, their own sauce, and they enter competitions all over the Southeast. The food at this year's shindig was, as expected, absolutely wonderful. The pulled pork was amazing, and the bacon-wrapped venison bites were every bit as yummy as I remembered.

We got home to Atlanta with enough time for me to shower and change before we headed up to Discover Mills to go to Medieval Times. I had suggested going there for my birthday months ago, but never got around to doing anything about it. Our friend Steve reminded Ed about that fact, and Ed decided to get a group of us together to go celebrate my birthday Medieval-style.

Yes, I know Medieval Times is a little cheesy. But it's also a fun time, and we had a blast cheering for our blue knight. Who, I want to add, WON the tournament. I'm sure it was from all of our rowdy cheers and heartfelt boos for the other knights. Ed and I, along with Sean, Ev, Steve, Huey and Rikki, had a fun night and it was a great way to spend my big day. In the pic, that's me in the black and white coat.

The events of last night got me thinking about my days as part of the Adrian Empire, a re-enactment group I belonged to during college. Our South Florida group, the Kingdom of York, participated in the Florida Renaissance Festival each year. I loved getting dressed up in my chemise, bodice, boots and cloak to go roam the fair. Even now, I still enjoy visiting the Georgia Ren Fest - I'm just a spectator now, but dressing up is still half the fun for me.

This is my favorite picture of me at the Florida Ren Fest. It was taken during my senior year of college, which means I was only 21 years old. I realized that it's been 10 years since that picture, and since I was a part of the Adrian Empire. Ten years! The upside is that I only have six months to wait for the Georgia Ren Fest to start up again, and then I can be any age I want.

The Goth Guide to Disneyland

2008-11-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

While perusing the Internet last Friday (translation: slacking off), I stumbled across a website for an annual event called Bats Day in the Fun Park. Apparently, it's a chance for all the goth kids of Southern California to descend on Disneyland for a day of black-clad revelry.

This might come as a surprise to some, but I was a little goth girl in college. Those of you who know me might argue that I haven't entirely outgrown the phase, so needless to say I was fascinated by the whole Bats Day event. When I mentioned it at dinner with friends on Friday, someone raised the inevitable question: "What does Disneyland have that would interest a goth?"

The Haunted Mansion (my personal favorite) was the first ride that came to mind, but before long I had a growing list of things a goth might love about Disneyland. And so, here's The Goth Guide to Disneyland:

-Once again, The Haunted Mansion is the best ride ever. How can any goth not love 999 happy haunts frolicking in a Southern plantation home with wall to wall creeps, hot and cold running chills, and enough cobwebs to make a neat freak self-destruct?

-Mr. Toad's Wild Ride: Come on, where else can you go on a ride that ends in HELL? My husband Ed never visited the Magic Kingdom before the Toad ride there was replaced by Pooh, so when we went to Disneyland in October I dragged him on it. After the ride, Ed gave me a bewildered look. "Mr. Toad got a raw deal," he said. "He was just a fun-loving little guy who liked to drive fast, and they sent him to hell!"

-Pirates of the Caribbean gets on the list for two things. The first part of the ride roams through caves that are bursting with skeletons, giving it immediate inclusion on the list. Plus, some of the costumes on those pirates and wenches would be perfect with a pair of big black boots.

-Snow White's Scary Adventures might be in Fantasyland, but it's dark and creepy, in its own neon-painted plywood sort of way. I know it's a kids' ride, but I still like it.

-The walkway the cuts from The Village Haus restaurant in Fantasyland over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has to be one of the darkest areas of the park. I used to be in California once a month for work, and I bought an annual pass to Disneyland so I could head over there for a couple hours at night after leaving the office. On a weeknight near closing time, that stretch of sidewalk can be dark and lonely. It's the kind of place where you'd expect to find a vampire lurking. Or a goth who thinks he's a vampire.

What have I forgotten? If you have any additions for the list, let me know!

Well, that's Nice

2008-11-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

I've probably written enough over the years to fill several books, but much of it has been lost or misplaced. When I was Senior Editor at 2Wheel Tuner, I wrote a monthly column called "Head Case." Today I came across this editorial from the February, 2008 issue, which never got published because I wrote a second editorial that I used instead. It made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it.

*****
As a writer/editor type, people always assume that I have a staggeringly impressive vocabulary. But no matter how many thousands of words might be ingrained in my not-so-sane brain, and how many more I can pull off the online thesaurus, I get stuck on certain words just like everyone else.

We were at a hockey game last week when I looked at Ed. “You say ‘Really?’ a lot,” I told him. It’s become his latest catch word. When somebody tries to cut him off on the road, instead of the normal traffic expletives he’ll just look at them and say, “Really?” in a condescending tone. The same applies for unfair referees and hockey players who left their brains in the locker room.

Of course, as soon as I said that to Ed, I realized that I’m just as susceptible to using one word over and over. For me, it’s “nice.” I have found that I can use the word in almost any situation; it’s all about how I say it. I can exclaim “nice!” when my favorite racer makes a pass during a race.

Conversely, I can sarcastically say “niiiice” in that “hey, dumbass, you launched a bottle rocket from your mouth so don’t even pretend to be surprised that your face is on fire” sort of way. And believe me, I’ve had plenty of occasions to use the latter term following fireworks-related incidents. There’s something about motorcycle racers, illicit fireworks from South Carolina, and New Year’s Eve that doesn’t mix. Throw in a guy wearing flip-flops and you’ve got a recipe for disaster: a friend of ours will never live down last year’s celebration, when a stray bottle rocket got lodged between his foot and his flip-flop. Niiiiice.

Oftentimes I find that I use the same words again and again when it comes to talking about our niche of the industry. Custom, aftermarket, one-off: they’re terms you see regularly in our pages. It’s time to break out by finding some new words to describe the bikes and the lifestyle that we cover. Can some of these custom bikes be called art? Do you look up to one of the industry’s most accomplished builders as a sort of high-tech Picasso?

During a recent trip I visited a special exhibit about Leonardo Da Vinci. There wasn’t a lot of his artwork there – most of the exhibit featured the many little notebooks in which he’d record ideas, inventions, notes and who knows what else. I was struck by the tiny drawing of a two-wheeled human-powered machine: a bicycle. Typically, the bicycle’s history begins with an invention made in 1817, but DaVinci had the drawings more than 300 years prior to that.

Years from now, as sportbikes evolve, I wonder who future enthusiasts will look to as the founders of customizing, and the true artists of the industry. I don’t know what bikes will look like 10, 20, or 30 years from now, but I’m sure they’ll be… nice.

The Halloween Checklist

2008-11-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

October has come and gone, which means my favorite holiday is over for another year. Halloween has turned into a month-long celebration for me, and I put my decorations out on October 1st this year. In fact, I still need to take them down - I've been sick the past few days and haven't done much of anything.

Growing up in Central Florida, I loved trick-or-treating but never really felt the Halloween spirit - there were no fall leaves crunching under my ruby slippers, no brisk wind to make me pull my Wonder Girl cape closer around me, no crumbling headstones to snag my Renaissance princess dress.

Now that I'm in Atlanta, I get the fall leaves and the chilly air and the old cemetery, and there are certain October rituals that I look forward to every year. My girlfriend Coco and I head to Netherworld each year for their two superb haunted houses. We outdid outselves this year by also heading to Creepers in Marietta and Camp Blood, a haunted trail in Carrollton.

The Halloween parade in Little 5 Points is also an annual tradition. Everyone meets up at our house, and we jump on our scooters and ride down to The Vortex. The people-watching is almost as interesting as the parade. I wore my Velma (as in Scooby-Doo) costume again this year, and several little kids got really excited about seeing me. I had a lunchbox full of candy when I started, and by the time we got on the scooter and puttered on home, it was nearly empty.

After Dan and Coco's annual pumpkin-carving party, and a Halloween party, I was pretty happy with my October by the time the 31st rolled around. Ed and I stayed home to give candy to trick-or-treaters. We got a good number this year, probably 20 or so kids, which is great considering only three children live in our neighborhood. They were all very polite and I always love seeing the costumes.

Only one more year until next Halloween! I hope yours was as happy as mine.

An Early Halloween Present

2008-10-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so here's a little Halloween treat for everyone. Cynthia Rintye is a tour guide with both the Lawrenceville, GA Ghost Tours and the Atlanta City Segway Ghost Tour. Cynthia generously shared several stories for my book, and she helped me track down leads for a few others. Her favorite story is about the old jail in Lawrenceville, which is haunted by a former inmate named Elleck. This video features Cynthia's alter ego, Madame Macabre, relating the details of Elleck's story. She's a wonderful story-teller, so enjoy!

Elleck's Story

I'll be on the Airwaves this Saturday!

2008-10-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

My book of Georgia ghost stories won’t be out in bookstores until 2009, but it’s never too early to start promoting! I will be a guest on Dimension X, a paranormal radio show hosted by Dr. William Lester, this Saturday, November 1. I am scheduled to be on the air from 11pm – midnight Eastern Time. If you’d like to tune in, you can listen online here: http://www.apsrradio.com/

I’ll be discussing all things paranormal, from my favorite stories in the book to paranormal investigations and anywhere else the hour takes us. Is there a question you’d like to know the answer to? Send it to me and we’ll try to talk about it on the air!

What's in a Name?

2008-10-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

When I go to the bookstore, I often stop by the shelf that holds the local ghost books: stories about Atlanta, North Georgia, and yes, even the entire state. (Several others have beaten me to it, but it takes more than that to keep me down!) My husband and I stopped by last night and there was a new book there: Haunted Georgia.

Needless to say, I was a little horrified at finding my own working title already on someone's published book. I had perused Georgia ghost book titles all while I was working on my manuscript to ensure that my title didn't match someone else's. This new book has a 2008 copyright, so that explains why I hadn't spotted it before.

The first thing I did this morning was to fire off an email to my editor, telling her the news. Although I can still use Haunted Georgia as my title, I'm wondering if I shouldn't come up with a new one to avoid confusion. A lot of the obvious titles are taken, like Georgia Ghosts, so I'm in a bit of a quandary as to a new title. It's amazing that I could write an entire manuscript, then get writer's block over a title that's just a few words long. Any suggestions?

Paranormal Patience: The Nature of Publishing

2008-10-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have finally broken down and decided to try out this whole blogging thing. The past six months have been incredibly busy, between doing work that I actually get paid for, and wrapping up the manuscript for Haunted Georgia. I got the bulk of the manuscript finished in only six months, including all of the pictures I had to take to accompany the stories, and I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders the day I took everything in to the UPS Store and shipped it all to my editor Dinah at Schiffer Publishing.

Haunted Georgia will be my debut book, and I'll finally get to call myself an author! Needless to say, I can't wait for my collection of Georgia ghost stories to hit the shelves. But, of course, waiting is exactly what I have to do. An editor at Schiffer will go over my manuscript, we'll do several rounds of copy editing, the text and photos have to be laid out, the cover has to be designed... you get the picture. I won't be able to sign my first copy until sometime in the early fall of 2009. The good news is that my book will be out before Halloween of next year, so I can do some great promotions leading up to my favorite holiday.

Now that the book is done, I'll have extra time to work on my latest manuscript, which is a work of fiction. I'm not sure what category it falls into, but if I had to guess I'd call it paranormal fantasy, or possibly paranormal romance. I haven't even considered trying to find a publisher yet - right now, just the fact that I'm working on the manuscript is enough to keep me happy. It also helps with the long wait between now and the debut of Haunted Georgia... if you want to wait with me, check back for my updates, adventures, short stories, and maybe even some ghost stories that didn't make it into the book.