Tag Archives: ghosts

In which the Author sees another book swim into view…

 

My next book, Poltergeist over Scotland, will be published at the end of January. It is the first-ever survey of Scottish poltergeists, with 134 cases stretching from 1635 to 2012. Illustrated with images and distribution maps, and with cases in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and the Highlands, as well as all the Lowland counties and the major cities, this should be the definitive work on the topic of Scottish polts.

New research throws light on a number of well-known episodes, from the Edinburgh ‘Egyptian curse’ poltergeist to the Trinity case that famously ended up with one of the participants suing the other in court. In addition, many cases have been rescued from dusty obscurity, while others have either not seen the light of publication for centuries, or are previously unpublished.

You can order Poltergeist over Scotland here.

Meanwhile, a series of interviews with the humble author on the subject of poltergeists can be found on this very website here and also on YouTube.

Hallelujah, it’s raining polts.

 

 

 

In which the Author talks about Haunted St Andrews on Halloween…

 

 

Poltergeists. Secret mummified corpses in the Haunted Tower. Apparitions of the White Lady and other distaff spectres. Death warnings. Doppelgangers. Vortices of invisible evil.

 

All these subjects will be present and correct on Halloween night when I’m the guest of Abertay Historical Society at the St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum, 12 North Street, St Andrews, KY16 9PW.

 

The illustrated talk starts at 7.30pm and a small charge is made for non-members. Places are limited – it’s a small museum – so book a place at 01334 477629, or email curator@standrewspreservationtrust.org. Copies of Haunted St Andrews will be available for sale on the night.

 
 

Feature length release of ‘An Evening with Geoff Holder: Haunted St. Andrews’

 

This week we officially release the feature length presentation by Geoff Holder on ‘Haunted St. Andrews’. Filmed on in February 2012, in front of a live audience, Geoff covers topics from the philosophy of belief to mummies and apparitions, to poltergeists and timeslips.

 

If you’d like to see Geoff in action, make sure and keep up to date with the events calendar on the site, and come along to a talk near you. Alternatively if you’d like to book Geoff for an event, or invite him to speak for a group of society in which you are involved, head over to our ‘Get in Touch’ page!

 
 

In which the Author is interviewed by Scotcampus Magazine…

 

 

The February issue of the free student magazine Scotcampus features a Q & A style interview with the humble author, entitled ‘Spooky Scotland’. I ramble on about loch monsters, vampires, Jacobites and the supernatural, ghosts, and other examples of Scottish paranormalism, with particular reference to Dundee, Glasgow and Iona.

 

Free copies can be picked up from this week (15th February) at student-frequented bars, cafés, record shops and arts venues. The online link is here:

 

http://www.scotcampus.com/2012/01/spooky-scotland-qa-geoff-holder/

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 actually writes a book…

There have been no posts recently because I’ve been sequestered away writing Paranormal Cumbria (deadlines are a wonderful thing). The text of the book is now complete so normal service (such as it is) should be resumed as soon as possible. As a sneak preview, I can promise witchcraft, monsters of sea and lake (oh yes, Bownessie gets a look in), twentieth-century fairy sightings, ‘scareship’ UFOS, the Cursing Stone of Carlisle, the Cumberland Spaceman and the Croglin Vampire. Crikey.

 

Just a reminder that the event at Ladywell in Glasgow, originally booked for Wednesday 24th August, has been rescheduled for 19 October. Same venue, same time, same vampire with iron teeth – just a different date.