It’s been over two years since I first submitted a book proposal to a major publisher, only to have it politely but firmly rejected. “We liked your book idea,” the acquisitions editor told me sympathetically, “but ‘how-to’ ghost-hunting books aren’t selling well any more. True, real-life ghost stories are what people seem to want to read.”
Hmmm…I’d been investigating claims of paranormal activity for almost twenty years. I had more than a few real-life ghost stories. Would they be interested in any of those…?
And so we fast-forward to today, September 8th, 2015. I’ve just gotten off the plane from Atlanta, where my fourth Dragon Con (with hopefully many more still to come) was an absolute blast; exhausting, intoxicating, wallet-emptying, but a blast nonetheless. Today marks a major milestone in my publishing journey, because copies of the book which was the direct result of that conversation about real-life ghost stories are in stores today, and dropping into the hands of readers everywhere.
My publisher was kind (and canny) enough to ship a box of advanced copies to Atlanta, and I was able to hold a few signings for those people who attended my lectures and panels. There’s nothing like personalizing and signing a copy of something which you wrote and somebody published in order to make you feel like a “proper” author!
The online reviews have been very positive (I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad that it’s getting more stars on average than the new “Star Wars” novel), and if there is one criticism about the book that I have seen in a number of places, it’s that there don’t seem to be any “holy grail” moments of horror and terror in the book; to which I can only smile and say, “guilty as charged!” Paranormal investigators rarely (if ever) encounter, let alone succesfully record, apparitions of the dead. What we do get are anomalous recordings (EVPs) and a bunch of fascinating, sometimes chilling, and usually circumstantial evidence of the survival of the human consciousness (or some part of it, at least) after death.
“In Search of the Paranormal” relates some of my most interesting cases from the past two decades of lurking in dark, usually historic old buildings, investigating claims of the paranormal. Sometimes I found evidence to support it, and at other times I was able to debunk it (always assisted by my awesome fellow team members); the ride has always been a fascinating one. I’m still searching for that “zinger” of a moment, the one which proves the existence of the paranormal beyond a shadow of a doubt – and I’m open enough to admit to myself that I may be chasing vapors, though I really don’t think that I am – still, after all these years, in search of the paranormal.
Please drop me a line and let me know what you make of the book 🙂
Richard richard@richardestep.net
3 Responses
I was one of the folks who attended a panel at DragonCon (the one on Poltergeists and Demons) and picked up In Search of the Paranormal 🙂 . I just finished it tonight; it was a wonderful read! I enjoyed that you related not just your experiences where something paranormal was definitely happening, but also ones where you just learned something/bettered yourself as an investigator. I’m glad I got it, and I’m looking forward to reading more of your work 🙂 !
I’m really glad that you enjoyed the book, Kellie, and I thank you for your kind words. The panel was a lot of fun and I hope to do something similar next year. Could I possibly impose upon you to rate the book on Amazon.com? It would be greatly appreciated.
The book was enjoyable to write, and if the publisher agrees, I hope to have a sequel finished for 2016 🙂
Done! I definitely hope your publisher agrees to your sequel. Good luck!!