Not Quite Being a Paranormal Writer

I applied for the Paranormal topic at About.com today. But, I tried 3 times over the afternoon, the site keeps giving me a 404 error when I send the application. So, for personal posterity, here is what I sent. Time travel, mad science, aliens, cryptozoology, the supernatural, lost worlds, the unexplained, weird science, history, and … Read more

From Fred, the Missing Strange Traveler

The following is cut and pasted from an abandoned site, on Tripod. I would have reposted more newsletters, but I only found two.

Welcome, to The STRANGE TRAVELER

Hi. I’m Fred, the Robin Leach of haunted castles, alien landing fields, mystical monoliths and really cool bars. You have just stumbled into the only travel Website on the Internet that takes a “Twilight Zone” approach to vacation planning.

This is how it works: First, dim the lights.

Stare deeply into your computer screen.

Then imagine you are in the black-and-white world of early 1960s television, sitting in a AAA travel office filled with happy brochures on Disneyland, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Suddenly, you realize that the terse, thin-lipped agent marking up your TripTik is actually Rod Serling, host of “The Twilight Zone” and one of modern society’s first supernatural tour guides.

In your head, you hear his clipped, dramatically inflected words offering guidance in your search for vacation ideas that don’t center on theme parks, relatives or all-inclusive resorts:

“You’re traveling through another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead. Your next stop …Alton, Illinois.”

Or Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Or Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Paris, Roswell, Loch Ness, the Nazca Plain, Stonehenge, Area 51, The Queen Mary or that spooky old house everyone whispered about in the neighborhood you grew up in.

The Strange Traveler thinks vacations should be more than sunscreen and lengthy discussions about where to eat dinner. Your travel tales should make jaws drop around the office water cooler, and widen the eyes of fellow parents on the T-ball sidelines.

You see, the world is filled with Strange Travel possibilities: destinations reputed to be haunted, cursed, charmed, visited by aliens, inhabited by monsters, worshiped by strange cults, or infested by vampires, faeries and zombies. Some of these places are the doorways to true mysteries. Others are heavily hyped tourist traps. Most have overnight accommodations, lots of local color, and at least one decent bar.

That’s where The Strange Traveler comes in.

This Website and its newsletter are your tour guides to bizarre, out-of-the-way destinations. This e-zine both guides readers to strange places they can visit, and advises them of the supernatural undercurrents flowing beneath traditional getaways.

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Jewellery as Christmas Ornaments

I like to buy new holiday brooches every Christmas season. My favourite to find (and collect) are the Christmas trees. Next are poinsettias and from there I like an assortment of Christmas things. I do prefer natural themes like birds, pine cones and snow people to the religious themed brooches. That’s just me as an … Read more

Rewrite Misogynistic History

“Men write the history books,” she added neutrally. “So naturally their take on it was that Morgan was this wicked terrible evil witch who destroyed Arthur because she could. But that’s not true at all.” Quote from “Derik’s Bane” by Mary Janice Davidson. I’ve thought about how women are portrayed in history, a history written by men … Read more

Storybook Houses of Los Angeles

Once upon a time (in the early 1900s) hobbit holes and witches dens dotted the Los Angeles landscape. A few are left standing. Photos and story quoted from the Los Angeles Times. Pictured here is the Hobbit House in Culver City. The Spadena House, Beverly Hills. The Spadena House, also known as Witches House, was … Read more

Interesting Groups Found on GoodReads

Dystopias and Social Critiques The Alternative World Apocalypse Whenever Hard SF– Where the reality of the science counts. Urban Fantasy Cozy Mysteries Dragon and Magic Lovers – For those who like books that include dragons. Wicca and Witchcraft – Discussing Paganism and books about Wicca and Witchcraft. Witches Brew – Books with Witches in them. … Read more