Fiona Dodwell's Blog, page 2

The Shift: Available Now

I want to apologise to my readers. There’s been a lot of changes in my life recently, a lot of things to deal with, so my writing hasn’t been at the forefront for a while. However, I am currently working on a new project called ASYLUM with a good friend and paranormal researcher, Chris Donnelly.

In the mean time, I want to share with you my good news! The Shift has been released with Canadian Publisher, Double Dragon Publishing.

It is currently available as Ebook, but next week you will be able to get your hands on a paperback copy.

Here is the book cover:

To read more about the release, you can visit the Double Dragon pages:

http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-095-5

Happy New Year?

Okay, I’m a little behind in wishing you all a Happy New Year. I have a good excuse too – the Christmas break for me was a very busy affair, and on New Years Eve, when the world was partying away, I was tucked up in bed, bracing myself for a busy New Years Day. Anyway, enough of my ramblings: I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and I wish you all a very happy new year. Let’s make it a good one.

You know what? I already believe 2013 is going to be an amazing year. For several reasons, I have started this year with a slightly crazed smile on my face. Why, I hear you ask?

Let me list for you, in no particular order, why 2013 is going to be a little bit special…

1) MOST HAUNTED RETURNS

After a break, the famous ghost hunting show, Most Haunted, is going to be making a return. Several new shows are planned, along with interactive fan events. As a long time fan, I am incredibly curious to see what Yvette Fielding and Karl Beattie have in store for the future of this fantastic new show. So for all you fans, surely this is something to look forward to?

If you are interested, you can check out Most Haunted’s new page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MHFans2011

MY NEW NOVEL SET TO BE RELEASED

2) My new novel, The Shift, will be released early this year with Canadian publisher, Double Dragon Publishing. It will be released first on eBook format, and hopefully followed by paperback. The Banishing and Obsessed are available in paperback and eBook through most retailers – Waterstones now stock online, as well as WHSmith and Amazon. If you’ve read my novels and want to let me know what you think, please get in touch!

A NEW HOME

3) I don’t normally write about personal things online, but this is an exciting time for me. I’ll be moving into a new home with my partner at the end of January, our first purchased home together. All togather now, “Awwwww…” A very exciting time ahead.

So, whatever you have planned for this year, I hope you too have lots to look forward to in 2013!

I’ll be back online soon, to talk about my upcoming release!

Nicky Alan: A Modern Day Witch Hunt?

 

When I first saw Nicky Alan live and witnessed the work she did as a psychic medium, I was impressed by not only her accuracy, but by her warmth and kindness. Even from on stage, where she could only interact with people under the pressure of time and under heavy scrutiny, she exuded such heartfelt kindness and respect for the people she was reading for. So when I found out, through her website, that she was being slandered, abused and experiencing damage to her property because of a Christian group, I was utterly shocked.

Last week, at Nicky’s shop, ‘Heaven on Earth’ at Chelmsford, members of a Christian group damaged and defaced the property, causing in excess of £500 worth of damage. Police made aware, Nicky is still awaiting justice for the vandalism. Posters advertising her work have been defaced with abusive comments, such as “Satanist Scum!”

Nicky herself, via her online blog, has said, “Sadly, it seems that the modern-day witch hunt continues. What a sad world we live in. Every banner and board I have used to advertise has been vandalised or scrawled on. I have had to report damages to the police eight times.”

Nicky has said that this isn’t the first time she has experienced such mentality from various people and religious groups. The psychic medium recalls many occasions where she has felt belittled, abused and at the receiving end of prejudice from others. Pointing out on her online profile that other religions, churches or groups would not accept such abuse on their property, Nicky wants only the same treatment that other people, religions or groups receive. Nothing more, nothing less.

As somebody who comes from the Christian faith myself, I can say I was really upset to see how Nicky as an individual has been treated. When those who profess to be Christians ignore the teachings of the New Testament in favour of their own inclinations and beliefs, the results are tragic. Just as when people were judged and executed in centuries past, when so called witches were burnt at the stake, one would like to believe that in modern times, we have passed the mentality of ruthlessly abusing and judging other people. One would like to think that we can now live in a society where people are free to make their own choices about their belief system, and not live in fear of what others will do to them.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He said:  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

He also said, “Why do you take the splinter out of your brother’s eye, when you miss the plank in your own?” The point being? Jesus wanted us to love each other, to refrain from judging. So whilst there are people out there abusing, hurting and slandering others, there will never be any love and acceptance. The irony is this: the group of people I described here are not sharing love, or acceptance, but are instead perpetuating the age-old degrading belief that those who are different should be excluded and thus become victims of modern day witch hunts.

Nicky Alan is working with a local paper about her negative experience in the hope that she can enlighten people to her plight and thus expose the hurt that such actions can cause.

I hope her work with the police, and the newspapers, will result in these people being brought to justice.

Nobody should be made to feel victimised about their beliefs – even when we feel threatened or confused about the beliefs of others, these should be enlightened times, a time of brightness. We are no longer in the dark ages, we are no longer covered by shrouds of ignorance: there is just no excuse for such intolerance to another human being.

I would like to wish my best to Nicky Alan, my experience with her so far as been nothing short of dignified and caring, even through such trying times.

 

An Evening with Psychic Medium, Nicky Alan

For those that regularly frequent my website, you will know that I am extremely fascinated by all aspects of the paranormal. Ever since I was a child, I have gravitated towards the study of ghosts, spirits, hauntings and mediums. In one form or another, and for reasons simply unknown to me, I have always felt pulled in this direction; full of an appetite to learn more and more about such things. So when I found out that international TV psychic medium Nicky Alan was doing a show closeby, I knew I had to attend. I instincively wanted to see this woman at work.

Nicky Alan herself is open to sharing details of her gift, and of how she came to discover she possessed it. Born in 1970, Nicky was the  grand daughter of a seventh son of a seventh son, paternal side,  from the East end of London. She found quite early on that she could see spirits. She had premonitions, psychic dreams and visitations. For a number of years, Nicky worked as a Police Detective, however, fate turned her life around one evening when she attended an evening of clairvoyance.

Nicky was sitting in the audience when she saw three figures appear at a window. One of the figures waved to her. After a moment, Nicky realised these figures were spirits. They gave her their names – and she discovered, amazingly, that they were family of the medium who was running that evening’s event. Nicky knew from there on, that her life was to be devoted to this gift.

Nicky runs many events; she does private readings, intimate group sessions, and live theatre shows. When I had the chance to see Nicky in action at Lupton House, Brixham (an event which sold out almost as soon as it went on sale!) I was thrilled to be able to attend, and see for myself her work, and how she shared this unusual gift.

A Night with Nicky Alan: Lupton House 24th October 2012

I will be honest with you; I did not know what to expect. Whilst I freely admit to believing in the spirit world, and have even had some experiences of my own, I  have always felt quite unsure about the gift of mediumship and clairvoyance. I wasn’t sure what to believe, what to trust, or what to think about those who claimed they had such a gift. However, Nicky Alan changed this for me. Her work, professionalism, accuracy and warmth really impresed me.

The night began with an introduction from Nicky about herself, her life and hopes for the evening. Immediately I warmed to her; she came across as sincere, warm and caring, whilst maintaining an air of matter-of-factness about a subject many of us in the audience were completely unsure about, or skeptical about. Her die-hard belief, commitment and certainty on the issue of life-after-death was inspiring. I am sure she could reach into the most hardened, skeptical hearts who attended that evening.

The proof is in the pudding, as they say. As the evening moved on, Nicky began engaging with the spirit world, trying to link the spirits she was in contact with to members of the audience. This was the part I was waiting for: How accurate was Nicky going to be? Were the messages going to be vague? I was not disappointed. Nicky sped through the evening with such force and energy because the spirits were literally lining up for her – one could almost feel the way she was trying to pass on messages, comments and details whilst literally hearing the next message coming through. It seemed to be an intense experience for her: fast-paced, emotional, and demanding. Tiring, perhaps!

Nicky’s work seemed to be, for want of a better term, spot-on! I was astounded at times when Nicky herself located people in the audience to pass on messages; she didn’t need to wait for people to volunteer information or ask questions, Nicky was finding them. Within many messages received, Nicky brought forward so many stories - unique and personal to each individual she spoke to. Pet names. Dates. Even details of homes. She described photographs in the home of audience members she could never have seen. Gave accounts of moments she could never have been privy to. Nicky passed on messages which seemed so precise and exact,  to the extent that I had was astounded at times.

Audience members were captivated; Nicky was inspiring. Her rich and vibrant personality really warmed the venue. She came over as being so sincere with her messages that many people were left in tears. I looked around the venue at times and people seemed absolutely enraptured by the work she was doing.

I did not receive – nor expect – a message from anybody from the spirit world, but I still took something away from that evening: A trust in a truth I had always suspected. A truth summed up in just a few words: There is more to life than meets the eye. I felt like Nicky confirmed this truth for many people in the audience. That there is something after the moment of physical death has been explored by many people the world over, and I truly believe people with a gift, such as Nicky, are doing beautiful work. Work that can easily enrich the lives of those around them.

Photo, above, taken during a show at Lupton in 2011. (From Nicky Alan’s official website)

I have to say, after having attended Nicky Alan’s event with an open mind, I came away trusting in her and her gift. Of course, there will always be non-believers, or doubters, and that is fine. I am not here to sway people one way or the other, I am simply here to share how the evening with Nicky made me feel.

If you ever have a chance to see one of Nicky’s shows, or to attend a private reading, I highly recommend it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a staunch believer or a skeptic: if the spirits exist, then they will be there. Luckily, our attitudes don’t have the ability to altar truth or fact. Whether for a night of entertainment, or curiosity, or out of the hunger to contact a loved one, I feel Nicky’s shows bring something of value to everybody.

To find out more about Nicky Alan and her work, plesae visit the following places:

www.nickyalan.co.uk

FACEBOOK: Nicky Alan Psychic Medium – News and Events

TWITTER: Nicky Alan

Thanks for reading, and thank you to Nicky for allowing me to attend the event, and write this review.

All photos included in this article are from Nicky Alan’s official website, which you can view at:  www.nickyalan.co.uk

Thanks!

The Heirloom: A Short Story

THE HEIRLOOM

Caroline Harrow gently prized the doll from her daughter’s hand and placed it back onto the table in front of her. The table-top yard sale that she’d decided to visit was a lot busier than she’d expected, and she wanted to get her daughter out of the way; home and dressed before her father picked her up later that afternoon.

“Please mum!” she begged, her face screwed up tightly. She pulled at Caroline’s sleeve and pouted her lips in that expert way she had come to develop. The Victim Look, Caroline inwardly called it. She rolled her eyes. “Sarah, sweetheart, you probably have two hundred dolls at home! You don’t need another one. Now let’s get back, I’ve things to do.”

“No, mum, but she’s special! This dolly is special!” Sarah reached for it again, and held it up, as if pushing the old and musky item before her mum’s nose would change her mind.

The elderly woman sitting behind the table – it was her yard-sale, and she had effectively tipped the entire contents of her home onto her lawn, somehow even managing to make space for the curiosity seekers, who were milling about and picking at the items displayed before them – chuckled and nodded towards the doll. “She can have it, please. What use have I for it?”

Caroline smiled. “That’s really very kind of you, Mrs…?” She left the sentence hanging pregnant between them and waited.

“Mrs Handcome. Nice to meet you.” The woman, who was tall with greying hair, wore wide, out-of-date glasses that magnified her eyes, making them appear too big for her face. She smiled warmly and reached her hand over from where she stood, taking Caroline’s in her own. Caroline felt a flash of goose-bumps run along the length of her skin and wanted to pull back, but she remained still, fixing her smile in place, trying to be friendly to the older woman. Where had that come from? She silenced the question and turned to her daughter.

“See what you’ve done? Making all this fuss. Lucky this kind lady is so understanding! Okay, you can take the doll….however…” Caroline fidgeted and rummaged through the contents of her bag and produced her red leather purse. “I’ll have to give you something,” she said, meeting  Mrs Handcome’s eyes.

“Not at all, I refuse! I was letting it go for a pound anyway – I’m sure I can manage without a silly doll, and it’d make my day to see a young girl happy!”

“I’m not that young,” Sarah instantly replied, smiling down happily at the doll. “I’ll be eight next month!”

“Well then, you’re a big girl, right?” Mrs Handcome said. “Make sure you take good care of her, won’t you? I’ve had her in the home for years. She is somewhat of an heirloom, so to speak. She used to be mine, when I was a child. She was my mothers, until she passed away, and her mothers before that. There’s a couple of children still in the family, but they’re young boys…and we know what boys think of dolls, right?” The old woman pulled a mock expression of horror, and smirked.

Sarah giggled. “They always think dolls are yucky. I love them!”

Caroline placed her purse back into her handbag. “You are sure? I mean, if the doll is a family hand-down, I don’t want you to regret giving it -”

“Please! I’ll hear no more of it! Make an old woman happy. Take the doll.” The older woman paused for a moment, staring across the table to Caroline. A moment of silence lapsed, and she repeated it, firmly, as if some decision had finally been made and accepted. “Yes. Take the doll. My family have no use for it now!”

“Yay!” Sarah hugged the doll close to her chest, delighted with her new-found treasure.

Caroline nodded. “Thank you. That’s very kind. Good luck with your move.”

Before the other woman had a chance to reply, Caroline took her daughter’s hand in her own and led her toward the car, which was parked outside the local grocery store. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

She looked up at the greying sky, felt the chill in the air, and winced. She knew bad weather was on the way.

*       *       *

She’d been right; the weather was terrible. At least they’d made the drive home before the rain had lashed down heavily, coating the ground and air itself in steep water. It was only two fifteen in the afternoon, but the greying light of the day made it seem impossibly later.

After preparing lunch, Caroline ate at the table with her daughter. It was only after doing the washing up, and noticing that she hadn’t heard Sarah for some time, that she dried her hands off on the tea towel and made her way up the stairs. She shivered; the heating would have to go on later. Winter was approaching rapidly. The very air itself spoke loudly of the turning seasons.

“Sarah honey, what are you up to? Don’t forget your dad will be here to pick you up in an hour. I hope you’re getting your over-night bag ready?”

She paused outside her daughter’s bedroom, her ear pressed to the door. She could hear quiet whispering. An imaginary friend? Or playing on her toy mobile phone? Caroline waited, trying to make out the words. Perhaps it was paranoia, but since the divorce, Caroline had been waiting for a change. The Change. Something to turn, to rotate in her daughter. Risen from some kind of anger, perhaps, or upset, or even betrayal. Wasn’t it to be expected, given the quick change in her little life? That her dad had up and walked out literally over-night surely had some kind of traumatic effect on Sarah. It certainly has on me, she thought inwardly, trying to fight back the surge of anger that always accompanied thoughts of her ex. If we never shared a daughter, the little shit wouldn’t come anywhere near me, or this house, ever again.

Caroline couldn’t make out the muffled words from behind the door, and her daughter had not replied to Caroline’s question. “Honey, I’m coming in!” She knocked once and threw open the bedroom door. Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bed, the new addition to her doll collection in her tiny hands. She was staring down at it, a smile inching at the edge of her lips, stroking the dark, black hair that hung limply from the toy.

Caroline shivered again. Goosebumps appeared, lightly dimpling her skin. What is it with that doll! She stepped in and joined her daughter on the edge of the bed. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Sarah, not taking her eyes away from the doll, nodded. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she, mum? I told you she was special.”

Caroline peered down at it. “Yeah, sure she is,” she lied. Caroline thought it was ugly, repulsive, even, yet she couldn’t place why. Certainly the features all seemed to be in the right place. The doll, perhaps about ten inches, wore a green Victorian-looking dress. She had long, dark hair, and her face, which was plastic, was painted in beautiful detail – the eyes a startling green, the lips a cherry red. Yet Caroline couldn’t shake the feeling that it was ugly, unattractive, that there was simply something wrong with it.

“You really need to get your bag together, baby. Get your night clothes, your toothbrush…. we’ll need to start giving a set of these items to your dad soon, so you don’t need to pack anything… but for now, you need to, okay?”

“Can I bring Joanne?” Sarah asked, looking up at her mother’s face, finally.

“Joanne?”

Sarah held up the doll.

Caroline grinned. “Yes, of course.”

* * *

She poured herself a glass of red wine and sat back, staring at the monitor screen of her computer. Her ‘working-table’, as Caroline had always called it, was situated in the far corner of the lounge, where she could get a good view of the TV whilst working. It also meant she could see Sarah, when she was in the lounge sitting in her special pink chair, watching her favourite cartoons. Of course, with Sarah having already been picked up by her dad (awkward atmosphere), and the TV listings looking as inspiring as a wet day in Grimsby, Caroline had resigned to spending her Friday evening going through some work she had taken home from the office, and to checking her emails – something she’d neglected to do for a while.

She took a sip of the Rosé wine and enjoyed the warmth of the alcohol, as it spread throughout her chest and body. “Happy Friday to you, Caroline,” she said softly, surprised at how she was feeling; having the usually noisy and busy home to herself was not something she was accustomed to.

“Right. Get on with it.” Caroline tapped her short, red nails onto the keypad and opened up her email’s inbox. Four new emails listed at the top were highlighted in bold italics– three from work colleagues, and one from a friend who was on holiday in Canada.

She chose to ignore the three from work, and guilty marked them as read. She opened the email from her friend. Attached to the short message was a photograph, of Brian, posing in front of a wooden cabin, the sky pregnant with snow, and the ground plastered in white with snow and frost. He was grinning, his cheeks burning red with cold and his nose red at the tip. He was giving the camera the thumbs up, looking ever the enthusiastic holiday maker.

Caroline couldn’t help it; she found herself smiling at the picture, glad that her good friend of nine years was enjoying himself. She scrolled down and read the message: “Hey Cazza! It’s me! Hope you’re doing well, and I hope that ex of yours isn’t being a total prick. Canada is as cold as expected, but I’m guessing things aren’t exactly much better in London, right? Anyway, all is good here. Eating lots, travelling lots, beautiful place to be honest. You and Sarah would love it. I’ll call when I get back next Friday. Brian.” Caroline clicked off the message. “It feels as cold here as it looks there,” she said to herself, pulling her black cardigan tightly around her.

She was about to return to her document section, to find her work folders, when she heard a small tapping noise from the front door. Confused as to who would be knocking at this point in the day, Caroline pushed back her chair and walked down the corridor to the front door. She peered through the frosted glass, trying to make out if anybody was there – but she could see nothing, not even the silhouette or outline of a person. She waited a moment, hesitating by the door. It was dark outside – it was probably gone eight in the evening, she wasn’t expecting anybody. Whoever it was, she wasn’t pleased about it.

Tap, tap, tap.

There it was again.

Caroline sighed, annoyed at her own timidness, unlocked the door and swung it open.

Nobody was there. But I heard it. Twice.

She stepped outside, onto her porch and looked into the street. She peered left, then right. She saw nobody, not even a dog walker.

She was about to turn to go inside when she felt a fluttering feeling against the back of her legs. Like a rush of fabric. Shocked at the contact, she spun around, expecting to find the neighbours cat, but all her eyes met was empty shadows.

“Shit.” Caroline shivered, a pang of nervousness in her stomach, and quickly marched back into the house, bolting the door inside after shutting it.

Probably kids. They’ll be out Trick or Treating any day now. She tried to accept the thought, tried to find comfort in its logical reason and rationality; but something inside of her was uncoiling, becoming bigger – a fear, an unsettled feeling, growing like the unfolding of clammy hands.

Caroline grabbed her empty glass from the lounge and padded into the kitchen. There, on the side where she had left it, was the half-empty bottle of wine. She topped up her glass, and took a long drink from it.

“He-heee!”

Caroline dropped the wine glass, and it shattered by her feet into tiny fragments and splinters.

Fear grew within her as she heard the sound a second time, like the giggle of a small child: “He-heee!”

It occurred to her, momentarily, that Sarah was still in the house, that she was playing some kind of trick on her mum. Yet that was ridiculous, Caroline thought. I saw her get in the car and drive off. I stood outside, and waved her off. I saw her go.

“Ha-ha-ha…” The small, tiny, feminine sound of laughter echoed and bounced around the quiet house, and Caroline had no clue where the source of the sound was. At first she thought it was there, in the kitchen with her, but the second and third time had sounded far away, as if perhaps upstairs, or in the bathroom.

“Shit! Is somebody messing about here?” She tried to sound forceful, angry and steady, but Caroline could not deceive herself – she knew that she sounded shaken, nervous, unsure.

She considered for a moment calling the next door neighbours, or perhaps phoning the police, but she felt stupid. She baulked at the idea. She could just imagine it now: “Hi officer, yes, I can hear laughing. Please come straight away!”

Trying to allow her feelings to subside, Caroline stepped over the broken glass and stood in the hallway, at the bottom of the stairs. “Hello?”

No answer. No more laughter.

She took a few steps on the staircase and stopped halfway up, peering up to the hallway above. It was cast in evening shadow, but Caroline could see nothing, could see nobody; everything looked like it should be. “This is bloody stupid!”

She almost ran to the top of the stairs, trying to beat off her own fears, and went to each of the rooms there. The bathroom was empty, still and quiet, except for the drop of occasional water seeping from the cold tap. She peered into her own bedroom, snapping on the light and taking in her surroundings. It was a mess, her own clothes piled high in the laundry basket, but it looked normal.

She took a step towards the last room. “Sarah’s Room” it said on the door, in bright, red colours. Here, Caroline hesitated. Wasn’t the door left open, after Sarah came down from packing her bag? Caroline grabbed the handle and stepped inside the room. The bedroom window was open, allowing a cold, autumnal breeze to seep into the small space. The bed was made. Her toys were neatly arranged on the small shelving unit. Caroline turned to leave, when she saw it.

The doll.

It was sitting straight on the edge of the bed.

Sitting up impossibly straight, as if supported by hands. A floppy, material-padded doll should not be sitting up like that, Caroline thought, and shuddered. Familiar goose-bumps returned to her skin.

She padded to her daughter’s window and pulled it shut. Then she paused by the bed, looking down at the still doll. She reached for it, and lifted it. Suddenly, Caroline felt a sharp pain, and she dropped it. The doll fell almost soundlessly to the floor.

Caroline looked at her hand and saw that three little drops of blood were forming on her index finger. It stung. She peered closer, and felt repulsed when she compared the marks to tiny teeth marks.

She took a step back and looked at the doll. Perhaps something sharp on the material? She reached down to lift it, but recoiled when the doll moved slightly, out of her reach.

Caroline gasped, lifted her hand to her face and kicked the thing under the bed.

She bounded out of the room and slammed the bedroom door shut behind her. This is it. I’m going crazy. I’m seeing things. Her mind raced, and she wondered if she’d drunk more wine that she’d perhaps realised.

The shrill noise of the phone broke into the silence and Caroline felt her heart pick up speed again. She jumped, unnerved at the raw noise which seemed so over-powering in the silence of the house, and ran down the stairs to answer.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her daughter’s voice.

“Hi mum!”

“Hello darling, how are you?”

“Alright.”

Sarah sounded glum; a little off. “What’s up?”

“Dad says I have to go to bed. It’s too early, tell him, mum!”

Caroline peered over her shoulder, still nervous from her experience. She glanced down at her hands; pricks of blood dotted brightly against her pale skin. “Honey, this is between you and your dad.”

“Mum, but I’m not even tired!”

“Sarah, I thought you packed your new dolly, the one from the yard sale?”

“Huh?”

“The dolly you got earlier, from that old woman.. I thought I saw you pack it?”

“I did.. she’s here with me!”

“Honey, she can’t be there with you… I saw her in your room.”

Sarah sighed heavily, annoyed at her mum. “No, you’re wrong.”

“Go and check in your bag, sweetheart, please, for mummy.”

There was silence, followed by a clatter, and a few moments later, Sarah returned. “Oh… you were right mum… it’s not here… I could have sworn I’d packed her.. I know I packed her! You saw me do it!”

Caroline felt a wave of ice cold fear envelope her entire body, and she felt stunned. Her mind returned to earlier; the little knocks at the front door, the rub of something against her back legs by the front door….

She tried to stop the thought, but it came: It was almost as if the little thing had managed to find its way back home..

Caroline’s hand gripped around the phone receiver, and she clutched it tightly, waves of confusion washing over her tired mind.

A small thud behind her shocked her back into the moment and she turned, slowly this time, scared of what she might see, of what she might find there, hidden in the shadowy gloom.

The little Victorian doll was standing there, amidst the spilt wine on the kitchen floor, a large shard of the jutting and dangerous broken wine glass in its hand. She barely had time to register what was going to happen before the doll ran towards her, spilling her off of her feet.

“Mum? Mum? Mum, what’s happening? Can you hear me? What is it, mum?”

The line went dead after Sarah heard a small, light giggle echoing down the line.

THE END

Part Two: Read the second part at Halloween

True Life Tale: An Australian Haunting.

Anybody who has read my novels, or who scans the pages of my website, knows that I am passionate about the paranormal. I like to explore this fascinating subject as much as possible. I always approach paranormal accounts with an open mind, and when I came across this story on a website, I wanted to explore it further. I contacted the person in question, and thankfully she was willing to share her account of her haunting experience. I want to thank her for her time,  honesty and for sharing an account of her life that was, at that time, troubling and upsetting to her. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed it.

True Life Tale: An Australian Haunting

Can you share with us a little bit about yourself and your background, Melissa?

I was raised in New South Wales, Australia in a Christian home.  My Father was a Pastor of a Church for more than 25 years, so being a good Christian daughter went along with the territory I suppose.  I’m happily Married to my Husband John, am the Mother of 5 children and am currently working full time in administration for a Trade College, so life is pretty much as mundane, hectic and normal as family life can be really.

Melissa, with her husband and daughter

Can you tell us when you moved into the home, and how soon you started noticing unusual occurrences?

We moved into the home at Daisy Hill, Queensland in September 2007.  At first the house was just perfect for our needs.  It was affordable for our small income, the school was close, shops even closer and not far from where I was working at the time. It was an older style 4 bedroom house with polished wooden floors.  It’s what we would call a renovated “Commission” house, which basically means it was once owned by the government and then sold to a private owner.

The first night, as any first night in a new home, was a little uneasy…we were all just getting our bearings on our new surroundings I suppose.

A couple of days after our first night, we would hear scratching in the walls.  I thought we may have been lucky enough to have acquired rats.  A week later, whilst in bed at night, I would hear what sounded like faint footsteps running up and down the hallway. Because it was so faint, I thought it may have been sounds coming from the neighbour’s house.


Did you suspect straight away that the unusual activity was paranormal? Have you always believed in the paranormal?

I think with anything like that, you just automatically and logically attribute your natural surroundings to anything that is questionable. I didn’t admit to myself that is was something else until I saw evidential proof that it was ‘something else’.  Everything else, although it left you with an uneasy feeling, was so surreal, it left you questioning yourself.

Have I always believed in the Paranormal? Yes and No. Being raised a Christian; I was always taught about Demons, Angels, Good and Evil…but paranormal.  No.  There was no such thing as Ghosts and such.  To me, it was either made up or in the mind of the person telling the tale.  Should I have seen photos of such…it was a Demon.

Can you describe for us what sort of things occurred?

Where do I begin?  There was just so much that went on.  I mentioned the scratching in the walls.  One day, I thought I’d scare the ‘rat’ away and bang on the wall to make it stop.  I banged 3 times – it banged back 3 times.  That was scary.

We would hear clear shuffling – like the sound of bare feet walking on the wooden floors at night, whilst everyone was in bed.

We would hear the sounds of nails scratching and dragging down the hallway, on the walls, in the roof and also under the floors. Dragging; shuffling and banging in the roof.
Tapping on doors and the windows at the back of the house – which was impossible because there were no trees nearby, and no one could have climbed up the back as it was two stories high.



 Lights would turn on and off without any reason whilst we would talk about God.  The power would shut off numerous times in succession, and then just be fine.  We’d hear loud bangs on the front door at night, answer it and have no one there. I’d be in the shower and sense someone there.  Feeling like a physical presence in the same room, open the shower curtain to find no one else there.

You said in an online article that you began to see physical manifestations in the home. What was it you actually saw? Can you describe it?

For a while there was just a lot of speculation as to the what and why’s of the noises we were hearing.  It wasn’t until we were pregnant with our Fourth child that things started to get a little worse at night. Being pregnant, getting up a lot during the night is a given and I would sometimes get that creepy feeling that something was behind me and then hear a horrible hissing like breathing from behind me.  It was all just so scary – but at the same time…questionable.  So my mind would tend to just brush it off and put it down to an overactive imagination, tricks of the mind or my natural surroundings.

Then, I started to wake with the feeling of being watched.  I would see either a red, yellow-orange or grey cloud hovering over my head.  Other times I would wake suddenly to see these ‘things’ like weird shapes that looked like faces, but were faceless floating past, big black spiders or insects crawling over the mirror and then disappear and sometimes the shape of a blurry person standing at my bedside watching me.  It was always so scary.

One night, I woke to the feeling of being watched and was facing the mirror at the time.  As I opened my eyes, in the reflection of the mirror stood a silhouette of a person that looked terribly charred.  I screamed and it disappeared.

How did family and friends react to your fears and experiences when you shared them?

At times I would see something floating in front of me and point it out to my Husband – and he wouldn’t see a thing.  These things made me feel like I was going crazy.
I remember being up late one night to make our baby a bottle and saw a bright light shoot past me.  I remember thinking “what’s the use in saying anything – no one would believe me”.  It was horrible and very, very lonely.
As far as the loud banging, scraping, shuffling on the floor and such…they were things that everyone in the family experienced, but as to the things that I saw…I was completely alone in that. I don’t know why it was easier to explain away things like ‘bumps in the night’ than unexplainable things that are seen, but I suppose they all thought it a bit too far fetched.
My marriage was starting to experience a lot of strain, as I was waking my Husband 6 – 8 times in a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times in a night screaming in fear of these ‘things’ I was seeing.  My Husband had real concerns for my mental health and my Doctor prescribed anti-depression medication. This did nothing at all to dissolve the waking horrors…but it did help me cope with the emotional stress of it all.



You say that you actually saw a dark, shadowy figure in your home. Can you describe this for us, what actually happened, and if you believe it to be a ghost or a shadow man?

I was pregnant with Hannah at the time and it was raining that night.  I remember waking to the sound of our little Maltese dog whining outside.  I rolled out of bed and made my way to the family room at the back of the house.  I opened the back door and leaned down to dry her off with a towel.

The house was still dark except for the light coming from the spare bedroom which was just off the main lounge and I heard footsteps shuffling up the hallway and thought it was John coming to check on me. As I stood up, expecting to see him, I saw, instead, a tall man shaped figure that was about 7 foot tall, as solid pitch black as the darkest shadow and was completely devoid of light.

It wasn’t a black skinned man…it was complete solid shadow.

This solid black figure was walking out from the hallway, across the lounge room and heading towards the spare bedroom. As it made its way towards the light, it was walking almost trance like…as though it had no idea that I was there and did not know I was watching it.

I stood there glued to the floor in absolute disbelief at what I was seeing, and in complete fear that should I move or make a sound, it may turn its head and see me.
I just stood there and watched it walk into the bedroom and then just disappear.  Once I saw it gone, I screamed at the top of my lungs for John.  He came bolting out of bed and saw me standing there shaking.  I asked him to wait a moment while I checked the room and to my horror saw nothining there.

Do I know what this Shadow thing was…No. I have been tempted to ask a Psychic or Medium for answers, but then I’m not sure I really do want to know.

You eventually moved home. Did you move because of the haunting?


Mainly yes. We had lived there for 4 ½ years and the feeling in the house became so oppressed not one of my family members were happy.  Everyone hated living there and my Husband was sure I had lost my mind.
I don’t think John really believed what was happening, until it started to happen to him.
We were in bed one night, when I was awoken by 2 hard taps on my head.  I woke and annoyed – asked my Husband why he hit me.  He replied that he didn’t hit me and that I was the one who hit him…once and hard on the head.  Yeah, that was weird.

Then only 2 nights later, he woke me asking if I had heard ‘that’

Asking what ‘that’ was – he told me that he had woken to the sound of a high pitched cackle, right near his ear and he said it had sounded so evil and that he felt from this laughter that it ‘somehow’ knew us and was mocking us.  He couldn’t explain that away and was clearly shaken by it. Then our 2 year old toddler would wake up screaming and come running into our room.  She knew the word scary and that’s all she said.

John could see that she was genuinely scared of something and drew the line.  It wasn’t long after that, that we made arrangements to move. We had decided that we would start packing now, then when we found a place to go to, moving wouldn’t take as long.
One night, John and I were moving our mattress from our room to the Family room and we were followed by the sound of scraping along the walls (as one would drag fingernails along a wall).  By now, I think we just told ourselves it was rats to give ourselves some kind of comfort.

But it followed us all the way from our bedroom to the Family room at the other end of the house and that was followed by the sound of a dragging-slide…thud.  Dragging-slide…thud.  Dragging-slide…thud.

We stood in the family room and looked at each other.  Making our way back to the bedroom, the sounds followed. So we went back to the family room to see what would happen and it followed us again.  As we looked at each other John asked “What’s that?”  And I’m like – I so don’t want to know. Then we heard the most awful, screeching sound.  There was scuffling, banging and then that sound again…it was the creepiest sound I had ever heard.  It didn’t sound anything like an animal or person or anything I had heard before.
The screeching made us extremely fearful as it made us feell very threatened and it felt like it intended malice towards us.  My Husband and I bolted back to the bedroom.
We stayed in the bedroom for a moment when we heard the scraping and shuffling again.  In a burst of courage I lunged out of the bedroom, into the hallway, planted my feet and screamed at the top of my lungs “In the name of Jesus Christ, get out! Get out of my house now!”



It didn’t like that and we heard banging and crashing against the walls as it sounded as though it was running towards us.  We heard a crash in the ceiling, a loud thud onto the roof of our shed outside and then scurrying into the bushes outside.

We just stood there looking at each other in disbelief.  There was no explanation for what had happened and John was convinced something was going on.

Has anything unusual happened since you moved out of that property?






Not to me, no.  I’m glad to say that I’ve never had anything wake me up, nor have I heard or seen anything that makes me feel uncomfortable in my own home. Our daughter, who is now 3 still, wakes up at night saying that she’s afraid of the ‘scary spider who is a man’. It does concern me, but don’t really know what to do about it.  We normally have her in our bed and try to dissuade her fears as best we can.

What would you say to those who don’t believe or feel they need proof to believe your story?

I used to believe a whole lot of stuff that seemed to be quite cemented and black and white. And I used to think I had all the answers to a whole range of topics.  But I have now come to appreciate that only God really knows the answers to things still left “unknown” and that maybe I’m not meant to have all the answers.
Some things just are!

I’ve been humbled by my experience and have been taught that things aren’t always as we think, perceive or make them out to be. People are welcome to think whatever they want.  I’m not out to persuade anyone to believe anything.  Just telling my story of what happened in the house we lived in.

Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your story!

Discussion with Skeptical Researcher of Paranormal Claims

I came to know of paranormal group RiPA and its founder, Atticus, online through Facebook. As somebody who is immensley interested in the study of the paranormal, I wanted to learn more about the group. Atticus kindly agreed to an interview and here he explains what he has experienced in the group, what has drawn him to the paranormal, and what he thinks of the popular ghost-hunting shows.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what got you interested in the paranormal?

Hey, how you dooooing? A bit about myself? Okay, I’m pretty much a frustrated film maker who has no mates and stays indoors. Ok… I sometimes venture out to a nettle patch to play the bongos in my y fronts - but even that’s becoming a rarity.

My interest in the paranormal started from an early age. My first film was Evil Dead. I saw that when I was about 2 years old. From then on. I was hooked.

I remember growing up through early school years looking forward to the next time a Hammer Horror film was on. Then come weekends there would be stay overs. With stayovers come horror films. As this was the 80′s I grew up with Freddy, Jason, Michael, and all the other horror films of that time. Yeah, I guess you could say I was the weird kid at school! After a while I started to think about why people like horror films. What is the cause of fear? Why is it that people like to be scared? Ok so the slasher films were fiction, but what about ghost stories. People always know of someone who has seen a ghost. There must be something to it all. So yeah, the interest was there from an early age but my research into paranormal study really only took off about 15 years ago.

Your paranormal group, RIPA, has been running for close to ten years. Can you tell us about the group, and why you started it?

Oh RiPA. RiPA’s back story is quite a journey. I returned to Milton Keynes in 2000. There I was, a newbie in a town were I knew limited people. Kinda felt like a bit of plankton in a filter jug. Where do I go, what do I do. So one night I tuyrned on the pc and thought. hmmm I wonder if anyone out there shares any interests with me. This was back in the day of MSN clubs. I made a group page based for people with paranormal interest and sat back and waited.

I then got an email from someone who already had a paranormal group running. Boom! I thought. Then it turned out he only lived around the corner from me, Double Boom! We hooked up, got talking and KAPOW! the birth of where we are today started. Over the years we have had several name changes, turned in many different directions hired and fired and loved and lost many members but that all adds up to the journey.

However. A few years back we were known under a different guise. Things were getting complicated with the co founder. I was busy taking things academic and he was busy taking the completely opposite route. It was tough. Many dissagreements came about regarding the future of what we had. Then came the decicive day. We went our separate ways. A name change was in order to encapsulate the research that we now do. Looking upon some of my academia fellows I adopted the name RiPA. Research into Paranormal Anomalistics. and that kinda stuck. Although I have toyed many a time with changing Paranormal to Psychological. This may still happen. But with any branding it costs a lot and can be quite a workload.RiPA is fundamentally a skeptic group. but this is only because its where our research and studies have led us.

Although saying that, we are not cynical. The RiPA mantra is ‘ Its not impossible, just improbable’. Come to us with a claim, we may or may not initially believe you. Show us proof. Give us the evidence. Unfortunatley, this is yet to happen.

 RiPA also conduct investigations into paranormal and pseudo-science claims. Be it Psychics, Mediums, Healers, Homeopaths etc.

This has led to RiPA getting quite a name for itself within the world of the paranormal. If we come to your psychic event or your ‘Mind, Body, Soul’ day, you know we are going to question your claims. We have been refused entry to some, received death threats from others and shunned by many.

If you make a claim, we wanna see proof!

Paranormal expert, Atticus, (above) in action!

On your website you claim that most paranormal claims can be explained away. Do you believe in the paranormal? Has your group ever uncovered anything you’ve yet been unable to explain?

Most paranormal claims are just tales of ignorance. Now I don’t mean that in a detrimental way. Just because you cant explain it does not mean it is paranormal. You may not be aware of the psychological causes of Hypnogognia (Sleep Paralysis) or the haunting effect that a high dose of carbon monoxide can cause. or the reaction that some geological and environmental conditions can play on the brain. Examples like these make up quite the percentage on paranormal experiences. Do I believe in the paranormal? I would like to. Really I would. And yeah, sometimes I do like to leave the bubble of reality and think about the what if’s. I believe that people DO experience paranormal phenomena. Gee, there are far to many accounts out there for there not to be anything. But I don’t think it is what you think it is. Come to me with a tale of a ghost sighting. I believe you saw what you said. Was it a ghost? Probably not. well, not in the sense of a typical spook anyway. So do I believe? Let me just say that I believe that you believe……

What is your opinion on popular ghost hunting shows?

Ratings! All about the ratings! I really don’t watch them. I get annoyed. It always seems to be the same tired format. Lets take a popular UK based Ghost Hunting show. 14 series’ later but still they have no proof of the paranormal. Despite what they say on the show, if they had caught real empirical evidence of the after life, a lot of science books will have to be re-written!

RiPA are currently filming some shows based on the paranormal subject but none will be the ghost hunting format.

What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about serious ghost investigation?

 Certain TV shows do a serious amount of damage to genuine research.

There are many carbon copy groups of MH. They go out, do what MH do and that’s that. That is not a ghost investigation! That is hanging out in place with your mates hoping a ghost will show. and surprisingly enough. It quite often does.

RiPA are certainly doing something wrong as over the years we must’ve covered over 300 locations and we are still yet to get anything! To be honest, 90% of ghost investigation can be explained from the armchair with a bit of research.It is soo much more than going to a supposedly haunted location, sitting in the dark and waiting for a machine to go ‘boing’!

Have you had any paranormal experiences yourself (or, experiences you’ve been unable to explain away)?

 Yeah, Once. It was a strange account. And to make matters worse it involves the most debunkable form of  ‘ghost’ research technique, EVP. Electronic Voice Phenomenon. It happened at a place in Gloucester. We were there for the night based on claims of many hauntings. I had an external microphone on a lead plugged into a dictaphone. There was a boarded up fireplace at this location. We were not allowed to remove the board. However, my interest peaked and there was a gap between the board and the middle of the fireplace archway. This was just big enough to stick my mic in. I had it in place for around three minutes. The room I was in was silent. On reviewing the recording, there was a section where what sounded like a crash of pans followed by a voice saying, quite clearly, ‘She’s DEAD!’ That was pretty cool. And although I have debunked and explained away many EVP recordings, this one is one occasion where I don’t have the answers……yet!


There is a call on your RIPA website for mediums to take part in a project. Can you tell us more about this, about any responses you’ve had, and what your opinion is on mediumship?

Ah, the ‘Test The Mediums’ project. We have had this running for 3 years now. We are still yet to conduct this! We have had many mediums agree in principal. but when it comes to show time they disappear!. We have had adverts up in places where Mediums meet only to have the advert ripped down. This really isn’t doing the Mediums any favours. What they don’t seem to understand is that this experiment is not about exposing them but its about discovering their ‘Gift’.

Just think what it could do for science if they actually took part and passed? I cant really see what the big deal is, its only doing what they charge people to do every day….. isn’t it?

My opinion on mediumship…. well. A lot of mediums dislike…..I mean hate me and RiPA. This is because we question what they do. We will investigate them, we will get evidence of their techniques and we will assess their style. We sit at their shows quietly, taking notes, filming covertly. We have had many members of the public come to us with tales about dodgy mediums ranging from being sexually inappropriate to just pure aggression when the subject tells the medium ‘no’.  Saying that. not all mediums are bad or out to make a quick buck. I’ve got some good friends who partake in the medium circles. But the services they hold are more like a group counselling session to put people at ease. These are not the type that charge a fortune or make outrageous claims.

You mention on the RIPA website that you have some projects upcoming. Can you tell us anything about this?

Future projects mainly consist around media. Moving with the times we need to concentrate on the media content. We have some shows coming to RiPA soon that will be like nothing you have seen before. We also have a few social experiments that we’ll be bringing to the high street.



What advice can you offer to any individual or group wanting to seriously investigate the paranormal?

My first and main bit of advice would be to work out what you want. Will you be a ‘ghost hunter’ or a ‘paranormal researcher’. Ghost hunting is easy. Paranormal research is not.

Can the general public take part in any of your investigations?

 Generally no. But sometimes we do open our doors in order to let people join us. But when they do it is part of a study. We would monitor how they are in certain situations and look into how they react if they experience effects of a typical haunting. These notes are then put into a paper that is confidential and stored for our records.




Can you share any relevant links so that people can learn about RIPA, yourself or any relevant material?

Of course:

www.ripaonline.co.uk

www.twitter.com/RiPA_Twitta

www.facebook.com/RiPA.online

Thanks Atticus!

Interview with Parapsychologist

I came to know of paranormal group RiPA and its founder, Atticus, online through Facebook. As somebody who is immensley interested in the study of the paranormal, I wanted to learn more about the group. Atticus kindly agreed to an interview and here he explains what he has experienced in the group, what has drawn him to the paranormal, and what he thinks of the popular ghost-hunting shows.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what got you interested in the paranormal?

Hey, how you dooooing? A bit about myself? Okay, I’m pretty much a frustrated film maker who has no mates and stays indoors. Ok… I sometimes venture out to a nettle patch to play the bongos in my y fronts - but even that’s becoming a rarity.

My interest in the paranormal started from an early age. My first film was Evil Dead. I saw that when I was about 2 years old. From then on. I was hooked.

I remember growing up through early school years looking forward to the next time a Hammer Horror film was on. Then come weekends there would be stay overs. With stayovers come horror films. As this was the 80′s I grew up with Freddy, Jason, Michael, and all the other horror films of that time. Yeah, I guess you could say I was the weird kid at school! After a while I started to think about why people like horror films. What is the cause of fear? Why is it that people like to be scared? Ok so the slasher films were fiction, but what about ghost stories. People always know of someone who has seen a ghost. There must be something to it all. So yeah, the interest was there from an early age but my research into paranormal study really only took off about 15 years ago.

Your paranormal group, RIPA, has been running for close to ten years. Can you tell us about the group, and why you started it?

Oh RiPA. RiPA’s back story is quite a journey. I returned to Milton Keynes in 2000. There I was, a newbie in a town were I knew limited people. Kinda felt like a bit of plankton in a filter jug. Where do I go, what do I do. So one night I tuyrned on the pc and thought. hmmm I wonder if anyone out there shares any interests with me. This was back in the day of MSN clubs. I made a group page based for people with paranormal interest and sat back and waited.

I then got an email from someone who already had a paranormal group running. Boom! I thought. Then it turned out he only lived around the corner from me, Double Boom! We hooked up, got talking and KAPOW! the birth of where we are today started. Over the years we have had several name changes, turned in many different directions hired and fired and loved and lost many members but that all adds up to the journey.

However. A few years back we were known under a different guise. Things were getting complicated with the co founder. I was busy taking things academic and he was busy taking the completely opposite route. It was tough. Many dissagreements came about regarding the future of what we had. Then came the decicive day. We went our separate ways. A name change was in order to encapsulate the research that we now do. Looking upon some of my academia fellows I adopted the name RiPA. Research into Paranormal Anomalistics. and that kinda stuck. Although I have toyed many a time with changing Paranormal to Psychological. This may still happen. But with any branding it costs a lot and can be quite a workload.RiPA is fundamentally a skeptic group. but this is only because its where our research and studies have led us.

Although saying that, we are not cynical. The RiPA mantra is ‘ Its not impossible, just improbable’. Come to us with a claim, we may or may not initially believe you. Show us proof. Give us the evidence. Unfortunatley, this is yet to happen.

 RiPA also conduct investigations into paranormal and pseudo-science claims. Be it Psychics, Mediums, Healers, Homeopaths etc.

This has led to RiPA getting quite a name for itself within the world of the paranormal. If we come to your psychic event or your ‘Mind, Body, Soul’ day, you know we are going to question your claims. We have been refused entry to some, received death threats from others and shunned by many.

If you make a claim, we wanna see proof!

Paranormal expert, Atticus, (above) in action!

On your website you claim that most paranormal claims can be explained away. Do you believe in the paranormal? Has your group ever uncovered anything you’ve yet been unable to explain?

Most paranormal claims are just tales of ignorance. Now I don’t mean that in a detrimental way. Just because you cant explain it does not mean it is paranormal. You may not be aware of the psychological causes of Hypnogognia (Sleep Paralysis) or the haunting effect that a high dose of carbon monoxide can cause. or the reaction that some geological and environmental conditions can play on the brain. Examples like these make up quite the percentage on paranormal experiences. Do I believe in the paranormal? I would like to. Really I would. And yeah, sometimes I do like to leave the bubble of reality and think about the what if’s. I believe that people DO experience paranormal phenomena. Gee, there are far to many accounts out there for there not to be anything. But I don’t think it is what you think it is. Come to me with a tale of a ghost sighting. I believe you saw what you said. Was it a ghost? Probably not. well, not in the sense of a typical spook anyway. So do I believe? Let me just say that I believe that you believe……

What is your opinion on popular ghost hunting shows?

Ratings! All about the ratings! I really don’t watch them. I get annoyed. It always seems to be the same tired format. Lets take a popular UK based Ghost Hunting show. 14 series’ later but still they have no proof of the paranormal. Despite what they say on the show, if they had caught real empirical evidence of the after life, a lot of science books will have to be re-written!

RiPA are currently filming some shows based on the paranormal subject but none will be the ghost hunting format.

What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about serious ghost investigation?

 Certain TV shows do a serious amount of damage to genuine research.

There are many carbon copy groups of MH. They go out, do what MH do and that’s that. That is not a ghost investigation! That is hanging out in place with your mates hoping a ghost will show. and surprisingly enough. It quite often does.

RiPA are certainly doing something wrong as over the years we must’ve covered over 300 locations and we are still yet to get anything! To be honest, 90% of ghost investigation can be explained from the armchair with a bit of research.It is soo much more than going to a supposedly haunted location, sitting in the dark and waiting for a machine to go ‘boing’!

Have you had any paranormal experiences yourself (or, experiences you’ve been unable to explain away)?

 Yeah, Once. It was a strange account. And to make matters worse it involves the most debunkable form of  ‘ghost’ research technique, EVP. Electronic Voice Phenomenon. It happened at a place in Gloucester. We were there for the night based on claims of many hauntings. I had an external microphone on a lead plugged into a dictaphone. There was a boarded up fireplace at this location. We were not allowed to remove the board. However, my interest peaked and there was a gap between the board and the middle of the fireplace archway. This was just big enough to stick my mic in. I had it in place for around three minutes. The room I was in was silent. On reviewing the recording, there was a section where what sounded like a crash of pans followed by a voice saying, quite clearly, ‘She’s DEAD!’ That was pretty cool. And although I have debunked and explained away many EVP recordings, this one is one occasion where I don’t have the answers……yet!


There is a call on your RIPA website for mediums to take part in a project. Can you tell us more about this, about any responses you’ve had, and what your opinion is on mediumship?


Ah, the ‘Test The Mediums’ project. We have had this running for 3 years now. We are still yet to conduct this! We have had many mediums agree in principal. but when it comes to show time they disappear!. We have had adverts up in places where Mediums meet only to have the advert ripped down. This really isn’t doing the Mediums any favours. What they don’t seem to understand is that this experiment is not about exposing them but its about discovering their ‘Gift’.

Just think what it could do for science if they actually took part and passed? I cant really see what the big deal is, its only doing what they charge people to do every day….. isn’t it?

My opinion on mediumship…. well. A lot of mediums dislike…..I mean hate me and RiPA. This is because we question what they do. We will investigate them, we will get evidence of their techniques and we will assess their style. We sit at their shows quietly, taking notes, filming covertly. We have had many members of the public come to us with tales about dodgy mediums ranging from being sexually inappropriate to just pure aggression when the subject tells the medium ‘no’.  Saying that. not all mediums are bad or out to make a quick buck. I’ve got some good friends who partake in the medium circles. But the services they hold are more like a group counselling session to put people at ease. These are not the type that charge a fortune or make outrageous claims.

You mention on the RIPA website that you have some projects upcoming. Can you tell us anything about this?

Future projects mainly consist around media. Moving with the times we need to concentrate on the media content. We have some shows coming to RiPA soon that will be like nothing you have seen before. We also have a few social experiments that we’ll be bringing to the high street.



What advice can you offer to any individual or group wanting to seriously investigate the paranormal?

My first and main bit of advice would be to work out what you want. Will you be a ‘ghost hunter’ or a ‘paranormal researcher’. Ghost hunting is easy. Paranormal research is not.

Can the general public take part in any of your investigations?

 Generally no. But sometimes we do open our doors in order to let people join us. But when they do it is part of a study. We would monitor how they are in certain situations and look into how they react if they experience effects of a typical haunting. These notes are then put into a paper that is confidential and stored for our records.




Can you share any relevant links so that people can learn about RIPA, yourself or any relevant material?

Of course:

www.ripaonline.co.uk

www.twitter.com/RiPA_Twitta

www.facebook.com/RiPA.online

Thanks Atticus!

Interview with Writer & Producer, Paul Gannon

Paul Gannon is a writer/stand up/comedy producer who has written and performed for UK TV channels BBC, ITV, Channel 4 as well as run the well loved ‘Geek Night Out’ live comedy show in London. As a stand up, he’s performed in London and the UK as well as Boston, Los Angeles and New York…

Paul Gannon has kindly agreed to be interviewed, to discuss his upcoming theatre tour, his opinions on ghosts, horror and writing… !

Paul, you’ve been involved in writing, stand-up comedy and the paranormal for some time now. A peculiar mix! For readers who aren’t familiar with your work, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up hosting your own Ghost-Busting show?

It’s a long story, but the general gist is that the film Ghostbusters started it all off for me. It set my imagination alight (at the tender age of 6), put me in love with the supernatural and made me want a career making people laugh. Like most people treat Star Wars as a religion, I treat Ghostbusters with the same reverence. Except Ghostbusters is better than Star Wars. Easily.

It was Dan Aykroyd’s writing that inspired me, his use of words and his strength in character dialogue that made me want to follow a career in comedy. Of course, at that early stage of my life, I actually wanted to grow up to bust ghosts for a living… But no one had the heart to tell me at that young age that is wasn’t a real profession!

In terms of my own work, I think I like mixing horror with comedy because they mostly work on the same principles, storytelling with a twist or subversion of expectations… whether it’s for a fright or for a laugh.

Failing that… cock jokes!

I met you briefly in 2011 at paranormal show, Psychic & Science. The show was a mix of paranormal investigation, comedy and interactive experiments. I personally loved it. How did you find  the experience of hosting this theatre tour, and did you ever experience anything unusual, either on stage or off?

I really loved the show although at times, in all honesty, I was at odds with some of the ideas in the show. I just decided to make it my duty to point out that not everything you experienced during the show had a supernatural explanation. I’d do my best to point out the skeptical or ‘alternative’ explanation to anything potentially spooky. That wasn’t in an attempt to deflate anything, but rather to make sure that any truly unexplainable was noted and not cast into the same pile as reading too much into Ouija board reading (for example), which is a true hazard.

As I’ve been doing stand up for a fair few years, performing for big crowds was no real problem with me (strokes ego) but the audiences were VERY different from my usual crowd. Importantly, they weren’t drunk. The crowds were largely wonderful, excitable and eager to get involved. Most of them were believers, but it was my job to try and start the show with a clean slate and allow them to make up their own mind by the end of the evening.

As for my role, I think it was mainly to keep things moving at a jaunty pace and try and keep the experience entertaining during those shows that were low on supernatural activity. A lot of shows, like Most Haunted, are self important, over earnest and, frankly, embarrassing to watch, and so with P&S, I thought it was important to try to make investigating the supernatural fun and far less agonizing.

As for experiences, well, there were a few (Some of which I reveal in my comedy show)… Some of them were easily explained and some were truly mind boggling. I’m not going to say they were supernatural, but they have certainly addled the minds of a few skeptics. It’s those moments that I find awesome… That gap in reality is what I live for!

The big question – do you believe in spooks?

Hmmm… Tough one. It’s something I tackle in the show, but it’s a “No… with a maybe” or a “Yes with a but…” The interesting point about my show is I went in with a design to find out if I believe or not, but came out more interested in why other people go ghost hunting instead. I became a hunter of ghost hunters basically. I think where I draw the line is with psychics. I just don’t believe in their abilities. I’ve met tones of them and get along with a fair few, but I always stress that I don’t think anyone can talk to the dead, and those who say they do, I kind of question their motives. But again, I don’t aim to debunk, as others can do that far better than me, but rather ask why other people believe.

So your upcoming tour, Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost , will be a mix of comedy and the supernatural. What can audiences expect from the show?

I’m hoping the audience can expect a good time, if nothing else. It’s a mix of storytelling, stand-up comedy, sketches, songs and videos, so it’s a varied show. I don’t want it to be a gag filled cheap piece of comedy, but rather a story with a mix of different style in order to tell it. It’s been hard to compress 3 years of research into 55 minutes without feeling I am missing important bits out, so I am trying to tell the best story I can. There are a fair few spooky stories, silly asides and it hopefully leaves you talking about your own thoughts on the supernatural. I’m not out to debunk or make fun, but rather talk about a very modern fascination with a very old fashioned question… What happens after we die? I just hope people like it, that’s the bottom line!

 I have noticed on your website that you enjoy creative writing too. Do you have any plans to submit work, either fiction or true-life, to a publisher in the future? What do you find most difficult about the writing process?

I love writing. Absolutely adore it. I just find it so bloody hard to get started. It’s hardly a unique complaint, but sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is actually get into a position to open that word document and get writing. I seem to wait until I find this ‘perfect moment’ when I am inspired in just the right time and place… Which I don’t think exists. So I have to drag myself, kicking and screaming, in order to get anything done. At the moment, I am enjoying writing a fiction blog about the adventures of a Ghost Hunter (I know, I know… but I love writing comedy and horror) called Eli Jenkins. He is an old, mad, possibly consistently drunk and demented paranormal expert who has decided to write up some of his most famous cases. I am having tones of fun writing it, I just need to publish more of it more often. It’s just hard to get some proper writing time with my schedule. If you fancy giving it a read, you can go here:

http://elijarvisparanormal.wordpress.com/

You mention on your website that you’ve “offended religious groups.” Dare I ask what has triggered this, and how you’ve combated attitudes from certain groups/people?

Well, that comes from the Psychic and Science tours, and frankly, it’s humourous because the groups in question were small minorities who were offended, but ultimately quite pathetic in their reaction. Nothing I’ve done is as awful as The Innocence of Muslims (thank god), but the level of negative feedback has mostly been people standing outside the theatre shouting ‘this show [Psychic and Science] is evil’ or telling me I am doing the devil’s work. However, the minute you say ‘Well, let’s talk about this…’ They get very defensive and build up an impenetrable wall of bullshit around them. So you can’t win. So instead, I’ll just take the mickey out of them during my show… Which they won’t come to see anyway… So I win!

What are your plans for the future?

I’d like to tour “Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost” around as much of the UK and abroad as possible. It already went down very well in America, so I’d like to go back there with it. Basically, if you’d like me to come to your town to do it, I’ll be there. Other than that, I just want to get more writing done, explore comedy in various different ways and carry on regardless… I know that sounds vague, but providing I can do what I enjoy and make a living out of it, I’ll be happy.

As many readers of my website are interested in the paranormal/horror genre, can I ask what your favourite horror movie is, and why?

Ok… Let me break this down. There is a lot of horror out there, and a lot of sub-genres, so let me take you on a brief tour of what rocks my horror boat.

Favourite Haunted House Film

The Haunting (1963)

Simply one of the best horror films ever. It both is and isn’t about the supernatural, has a dream-like quality to it. It has stunning photography, some inventive scares and ultimately leaves you wondering what exactly did happen at Hill House… was it supernatural? That’s up you.

Favourite Gore Fest

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

It’s the ultimate ‘hold on to your hats’ kind of horror film. It’s less interested in scaring you, but more interested in picking you up, throwing you around, messing with you mind and then dumping you at the end of the journey with your mind well and truly boggled. It may not be the goriest film ever, but its more like a Three Stooges film with decapitations.

Favourite Grim Horror Movie

The Mist (2007)

It’s one of the best Stephen King adaptations and its probably got one of the best all time “WTF” endings to a movie I’ve seen. It’s mean, cruel, grisly and makes you doubt your faith in humanity but it’s a damned fine monster movie. Even if the monsters themselves are probably the humans.

Favourite Clever Horror Film

This is a tough one – but there are 3 films I would recommend if you fancy your horror to be a little more smart.

Scream (1996)

The film that revitalized the horror genre in the 90s. It was a smart peek behind the curtain when it comes to the rules and clichés of being in a horror movie. Even though it dismantled the genre, it also became a classic in itself. It’s legacy has only been weakened by its own sequels and other knock offs!

Leslie Vernon: Behind The Mask (2006)

It is best described as a cross between Spinal Tap and Scream and it is monumentally clever. It lets you go behind the scenes with a masked killer who explains to a documentary crew how it’s all done. It flips from classy cinematics to grungy found footage and it works in perfect harmony.

Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Simply put. It’s awesome. It begins as many other horror films do… Some dumb teenagers head out to a cabin in the woods and then get picked off one by one by something lurking in the darkness. But that is only HALF the story, as there is something else going on, behind the scenes, that is both humdrum and hilarious. It’s how these two halves meet that truly blows your mind!

Where can people find out more about you and your work?

Well, I’m all over Facebook – Just look for Paul Gannon and if you see a picture of a man wearing a ghostbusters uniform, then that’s very likely me.

I’m also seen lurking on Twitter @paulgannonshow, so why not follow me and see me say really rubbish/boring things… Although I do live Ghost Hunt tweets at times, so they are fun! What else? Well, I’m working on a few websites that will be launched soon.

http://paulgannonsituation.co.uk/ – where you can learn about my gigs and video clips and other fun stuff

and

www.geekatorium.net – which is the new website that accompanies my new London show, which begins in 2013… and its going to rock! Both websites are being tinkered with and should be online soon!

Finally, any advice for readers who are interested in perusing careers in comedy/stand-up?

Advice? Well, I’ll be honest, it’s best just to go and do it. You could go and try one of those ‘Stand Up Courses’ that teaches you how to be slick and like the people you see on the telly, but ultimately, the only way to learn is find an open mic night and just do it… and carry on doing it until you find your voice and confidence, or until you quit and decide to open your own ‘Stand Up Course’.

Obviously, I don’t think anyone reading this should get into comedy, because there are far too few jobs anyway and I don’t think I can cope with any more competition. SO STAY AWAY FROM MY PATCH!

Here is the trailer for Paul Gannon’s upcoming theatre show:

Thanks for your time, Paul

Livid: A Review

I love horror movies that are sinister, subtle, troubling and unnerving. Whilst I do have an appreciation of more visual, bloody horror, such as “Saw” and “Inside“, I usually opt for unusual, ghostly stories. When I was recommended “Livid” recently, I was intrigued. The cover art for this movie was already enough to grab my attention, and when I read the synopsis, I knew I had to give it a go.

The story centres around a care worker, Lucy, who is a care giver to an elderly woman who resides in an old, crumbling mansion in France. When Lucy discovers that the elderly woman possesses money and treasures locked away in the old house, she breaks in one night to try to find the hidden gems. It is during this night that Lucy comes across terrifying supernatural presences, ghostly interceptors and a girl that just won’t die….She has a night trapped in the house, with the ghosts that inhabit the property.

This film is French, with UK subtitles. The grim, grainy and dark quality to the film really captures the mood of the story as a whole. The acting is tight, making the unbelievable aspects to this story very believable. The film is an old-fashioned ghost story combined with visual effects that do not drag the audience into reality, but instead into a nightmare that feels every inch real.

The film simply worked for me. Dead ballet dancers. Ghostly shadows. Toys that seem to be alive. The dead that won’t rest. It’s simply delicious. A strong story, strong acting and a beautiful cast of actors really bring this enchanting story to life.

I have watched it once, but I know I shall be watching it again over Halloween. If my first reaction was the correct one, I can easily imagine it ranking amongst my favourite scary movies of all time.

Go on, buy a copy of the DVD, or spend a couple of quid and rent it on iTunes. It’s too good to miss.