Author Archives: Jamie Cook

In which the author discusses horror movie soundtracks and the Jacobites & the Supernatural on radio…

 

On Thursday 12 January I’m returning as the guest of that fine gentleman Tim Prevett on his ‘History and Mystery’ show on RedShift Radio.

 

 

From 7pm I’ll be playing and discussing brain-frying soundtrack gems from cult films such as Donnie Darko, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Wicker Man, Rosemary’s Baby and The Dawn of the Dead – as well as Werner Herzog’s mystical-weirdo classic Aguirre: Wrath of God.

Then from 8pm the topic changes to the Jacobites and the Supernatural, with Tim and I discussing everything from accusations that a Jacobite general sold his soul to the Devil, to the alleged magical powers of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and a host of Jacobite ghosts. In addition, as RedShift Radio is based in Crewe, I’ll be exploring the propaganda surrounding the mystical prophecies of Nixon the Cheshire Prophet.

 

For more info go to http://www.redshiftradio.co.uk/programmes/history-and-mystery.

 

History and Mystery with Tim Prevett, Redshift Radio, 7-9pm, Thursday 12th January. Listen live at www.redshiftradio.co.uk .

In which the author finishes writing another book…

 

I’ve just put the final touches to Haunted St Andrews & District, book number 23 in the list they are all calling ‘Geoff Holder’s List of Books What He Has Wrote’.

This has been a terrific book to research and write. St Andrews is a wonderful place to wander round, and the stories are fascinating, ranging from medieval spectres of monks, murderers and archbishops, to ‘undergraduate legends’ transmitted via online student message-boards.

I also spent time investigating the famous White Lady and the mummies of the Haunted Tower, as well as the Veiled Nun, the Grey Lady, the Library Ghost, and other Fife phantoms. Not to mention a trio of poltergeists (including the polt of Pitmilly House, officially recognised by an insurance company payout).

Haunted St Andrews & District will be published in the summer of 2012.

 
 

In which the author expands further into YouTube land…

 

Thanks to the good offices of Jamie Cook, webmaster of this parish, there are now many more Geoff Holder items on that there YouTube.

All the Fortean Freak Out podcasts can be found at the official Geoff Holder Youtube Channel while the complete collection of my interviews with radio stations both in the UK and the USA can be found here on the official Interview Playlist.

More videos, podcasts and radio interviews to come.

 
 

In which the author enjoys some vampires…

 

There’s a new feature on the website – My Top Ten. I’ll be regularly adding ‘Top Ten’ lists from the world of the supernatural, the mysterious and the macabre.

 

The first My Top Ten is ‘My Top Ten Vampires’. And no, RPat and the poutsters from The Vampire Diaries do not make the list…

In which the author releases The Little Book of Glasgow…

The Little Book of Glasgow is now officially published. A funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of frivolous, fantastic and strange facts about Glasgow, it is, to use the conventional phrase, the perfect Christmas gift.

 

At a recent talk I had a number of advance copies for sale and signing, and they disappeared faster than Santa’s mince pies. Amazon has almost sold out already – just one left at the time of writing. Thanks to everyone who’s bought one.

 

There’s more here about the book here:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usreviews/books/historylittleglasgow.html

http://www.booksfromscotland.com/Books/The-Little-Book-Of-Glasgow-9780752460048

 http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Little-Book-of-Glasgow.aspx

 

Watch the video trailer for The Little Book of Glasgow

In which the author gives a talk on poltergeists at Kinross…

On Monday 21st December I’m delighted to be the guest of the Kinross-shire Historical Society. Topics for the evening will include local big cat sightings, a particularly dastardly bodysnatching crime involving a hidden door and a secret underground dissection chamber, and an eighteenth century poltergeist that specialised in the relocation of pins inside slices of meat and boiled eggs. Just the usual stuff, then.

 

Everyone is welcome. The event kicks off at 7.30 in the parish church on Station Road, and as usual I’ll have copies of books for sale and signing.