Tag Archives: Paranormal

In which the Author talks about poltergeists on YouTube…

 

To mark the fact that I’ve got two books on poltergeists coming out, a series of interviews with the humble if prolix author have been posted on that there YouTube.

The interviews concentrate on both the ebook What is a Poltergeist? – Understanding Poltergeist Activity and the conventional book Poltergeist Over Scotland. For the former, which will be available for download soon, I discuss the nine different theories/beliefs that have been put forward over the centuries to explain poltergeists:

  1. Demons
  2. Witchcraft
  3. Ghosts
  4. Fairies
  5. Vampires
  6. Psychokinesis (powers of the mind)
  7. Tulpas (thoughtforms)
  8. Hoaxes
  9. Natural forces (electromagnetism, geomagnetism, earth movements etc.)

These are illustrated with cases from throughout the world, including America, Europe and Asia.

When discussing Poltergeist over Scotland I talk about some of the 134 cases I’ve uncovered over the past 400 years. This is the first ever history of Scottish poltergeists.

The interview clips are being released in 16 parts over the next week or so, both on this website here and on YouTube. Collect the set!

In which the Author talks bodysnatching at Bellshill…

 

On Thursday 25th October I’ll be lurking with intent at the Bellshill Cultural Centre, talking about the history of Scottish bodysnatching, possibly with an element of audience participation.

 

The event starts at 7pm and is free, Booking not essential but advisable, on 01698 346770. The illustrated talk is part of the North Lanarkshire Cultural Festival, Encounters.

 

Is that graveyard dirt on your hands, sir…?

In which the Author has hi-jinks in a stately home…

 

 

My thanks to everyone who came along to Haddo House on Saturday 20th October, for my talk on ‘Sex, Lies and Poltergeists’. Good audience, good questions.

 

Thank also to the organisers, Public Image Events and the National Trust for Scotland, as well as the writer Allan Burnett, who gave us an excellent ‘Crime Tour of Haddo’ after the event.

 

Below you’ll find a few quick snaps from the event!

 

 

 

In which the Author talks about sex, lies and poltergeists in a stately home…

 

Between 19 and 21 October the ‘Unsolved’ Crime & Mystery Festival is running at Haddo House near Ellon in Aberdeenshire, one of the National Trust for Scotland’s premier stately homes. On the Saturday (20th October) I’ll be lurking in the library and giving a talk by the name of ‘Sex, Lies and Poltergeists’, which will unveil the secrets of poltergeist cases from the seventeenth century to the present day in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The cases are all from my forthcoming book Poltergeist Over Scotland, and feature typical polt activity such as showers of stones, destruction of property, unexplained noises, flying objects, oozings of blood and other noxious substances – not to mention their fair share of sex and lies.

 

The talk starts at 4pm, and tickets are £6 (£4 for concessions). Full booking details can be found at the official website, which also tells you about the other tempting events on offer, from crime-solving tours to talks by writers of both fictional and true crime.

 

May the polt be with you.

 

 

In which the Author talks about mummies and ghosts in the Sunday Herald…

 

Glasgow’s Sunday Herald did a full-page feature on Haunted St Andrews in their 8th July edition. I tried to look windswept and interesting for the photo shoot in the Cathedral ruins, and gabbled on in my usual windbag fashion. The full piece can be read here, courtesy of the Sunday Herald and journalist Cate Devine. I’ll be doing a book signing at J & G Innes on Market Street in St Andrews on Saturday 21st July.

Read the full article by clicking here, or the image to the left!

In which the author publishes another book (again)

 

My new book, Haunted St Andrews, is published today (29 June). The list of contents should give you an idea what to expect:

 

Chapter 1  – The White Lady and The Haunted Tower

 

Chapter 2 – A Haunted Cluster – the Ghosts of The Pends, St Leonard’s School and Queen Mary’s House

 

Chapter 3 – Ghosts of Castle and Cloister

 

Chapter 4 – Ghosts of Town and Gown

 

Chapter 5 – Pitmilly House – Poltergeist Manor!

 

Chapter 6 – A Pair of Poltergeists

 

Chapter 7 – Death Warnings, Dead Air and Ghost Villages

 

I will be doing a book signing at the esteemed bookshop of J & G Innes, St Andrews on Saturday 21 July. Meanwhile, there will be articles on Haunted St Andrews in the Scottish Daily Mail (Saturday 30th June) and the Glasgow Herald (Sunday 8 July). There was going to be a televised interview on BBC’s Reporting Scotland, but they cancelled at the last minute (and there was me having ironed a clean shirt and shaved my manly stubble – honestly, the sacrifices I make for my public…)

 

Haunted St Andrews is published by The History Press at £9.99, and is available from your local high street bookshop or from Amazon.