Merry Christmas!

Unless something massively earth-shattering occurs in the Fortean world over the next week or so, I'm signing off until January 2 onwards.

So, have a merry Christmas and a great new year!

John Keel's Jadoo: Coming Soon!

This is very good news!

Check out this link at the website of Anomalist Books and you'll see that they are soon to republish John Keel's classic book Jadoo.

If any mention of John Keel (pictured above with Greg Bishop) makes you think of Mothman and the Men in Black, well, it should!

But, Jadoo takes the reader much further into the world of Keel - and a much earlier world, too.

Keep checking out the AB website for news of the official publication date. If you haven't read Jadoo, then you're in for a major treat!

The Beast of Bolam: 10 Years On

Next month, January 2013, will mark the 10th anniversary of an on-site investigation of a very weird set of events that involved a series of Bigfoot-type encounters at Bolam Lake Country Park, in Northumberland, England.

And it ended with a spectacularly bizarre encounter on the part of the Center for Fortean Zoology's director, Jon Downes, who was there coordinating the quest for the beast.

But, as Jon noted at the time, and as he still confirms today, whatever the thing was, it clearly was not a flesh and blood animal - at least not in the way we understand the term.

So, why am I mentioning this now?

Well, not just because of the anniversary angle, but because my new book, Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the "British Bigfoot" tells this story in full, and includes a number of seldom-addressed aspects of the story, as well as photos of the site of Jon's dramatic encounter.

For me, it's a case that definitively demonstrates why the British Bigfoot should be perceived as a creature of paranormal - rather than flesh and blood - origins, however we define what the paranormal might actually be!

Peggy Cummins, Happy Birthday!

Well, I missed it by 24-hours, but it's still not too late to wish Peggy Cummins a happy 87th birthday.

In case you didn't know, she's the last surviving member of the cast of my all-time favourite film, Night of the Demon.

Here's wishing you many more to come, Miss Cummins!

The film stars Dana Andrews in the lead role of Dr. John Holden, but it's Niall MacGinnis - as the Aleister Crowley-like Julian Carswell - who masterfully steals the show.

Packed with strange and spooky goings-on in the woods, monstrous demons, glowing balls of light traveling through darkened trees, supernatural big cats, witchcraft, and some memorably sinister characters, Night of the Demon has a curiously Fortean element to it.

If your idea of a horror film is just seeing a bunch of bland college kids getting hacked to pieces one-by-one by some character in a mask and amid a mass of modern-day special effects, then this most definitely isn't a film for you.

However, if (like me) you are a devotee of atmospheric, black-and-white horror films from decades-past, then Night of the Demon is one you will definitely want to catch.

If you've never seen it before, you are in for a treat!

PS: It was released in the US as Curse of the Demon (with several key scenes omitted), so don't get confused...

Dowsing and the Government

My latest Mysterious Universe post is on a subject that rarely gets addressed, namely official, secret interest in the art of dowsing.

It begins like this...

"One of the strangest skills and talents allegedly possessed by humans is water-divining, or dowsing as it is more popularly known. Although the ability of the dowser to locate water by non-conventional means is looked on with suspicion and skepticism in some quarters, for many it is an age-old tradition that remains as absolutely relevant and vital today as it was centuries ago.

"Not only that: the skill has attracted the secret attention of some quite unlikely parties, including the US Intelligence community, the government of the former Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler, the British Police Force, and a department of the British Government that played a key role in the battle against the Nazis during the Second World War."

It's (not) the end of the world as we know it!

Good friend Kithra reminds us that, in case we forgot (as I actually had!), the world goes to crap this coming Friday. According to a bunch of long-gone people, of course.

Her post begins like this...

"This Friday is 21st December, the end of the Mayan Calendar, and doom and disaster is rife across the Internet with so many people under the misapprehension that it will also be the end of the world. It won’t be, it’s just the end of one cycle and the start of another. Although it would be wonderful if the new cycle ushered in an age that was globally more spiritual, and more compassionate.

"If it were to be the end how would that play out around the world on the exact date? Writing as somebody located in the UK how would that date apply to other places, such as Australia, or Japan? For them would it happen on Saturday instead?"

Good questions! You can find Kithra's complete article right here.

PS: Don't worry, the world will NOT end this week! Christmas WILL come!

Monster Diary Gets Loren's Vote

Loren Coleman votes my Monster Diary book as the "best autobiographical cryptozoological book of the year."

And here's the link where you can find Loren's top books in a wide range of other crypto-themed categories.

That's me and Loren above, photographed in October of this year.

Wildmen of Europe

Dr. Karl Shuker has a new post at his Shuker Nature blog.

The subject: the European wildman.

Karl begins...

"Homo sapiens was not the only species of human named and recognised by Linnaeus when publishing Systema Naturae, his revolutionary binomial system of zoological classification, in 1735. Among several others was Homo ferus, the wild man, which according to Linnaeus was covered in hair, moved on all fours, was mute, and lived apart from H. sapiens in forests, hills, and mountains. Today, none of Linnaeus’s ‘other’ species of human is recognised by mainstream science."

They may not be recognized, but that doesn't mean the subject has no validity to it!

In Search of Britain's Big Cats

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com, on Britain's Big Cats, which begins like this...

"For decades, people all across the United Kingdom - from the cold northern realms of Scotland to the southern-most borders of England – have reported sightings of large cats, very often the size of mountain-lions and equally often completely black in color.

 

"Their many and varied colorful and memorable names include the Beast of Bodmin, the Essex Lion, the Surrey Puma, and the Beast of Exmoor.

 

"Needless to say, no-one should be seeing any such creatures – anywhere at all – in the wilds of the UK. And yet people do see them, on no less than dozens and dozens of occasions each and every year. So, since Britain has no large, indigenous cats in its midst at all, this begs a very important and big question: where are the cats coming from? Let’s see…"

 

 

MIB, WIB, Monster

There's a new article from me at Mysterious Universe that focuses on one of the strangest stories to have come my way while searching for the Chupacabras on Puerto Rico.

Although I have now made a number of trips to the island, and uncovered a lot of weird tales, this one (told to me and Paul Kimball of Red Star Films in 2005) is very odd.

It starts like this:

"While the term 'Men in Black' is one that pretty much everyone understands – regardless of whether or not they have an interest in the UFO issue, conspiracy-theories, or Forteana in general – what about their female counterparts, the Women in Black, or WIB? Although reports are far more scarce, they do exist and are no less intriguing than the more well-known MIB. Indeed, back in 2005, I was caught up in the investigation of one such case…

"For years, sensational and sinister stories have surfaced from the forests and lowlands of Puerto Rico that tell of a strange and lethal creature roaming the landscape by night and day, while striking overwhelming terror into the hearts of the populace – which is not at all surprising since the animal has been described as having a pair of glowing red eyes, powerful, claw style hands, razor sharp teeth, a body not unlike that a monkey, a row of vicious spikes running down the length of its back, and occasionally, and of deep relevance to this particular chapter, a pair of large and leathery bat-like wings."

And here's the complete feature.

Movie Monsters: A Top 20

Over at EHow.co.uk, there's a new post from me on my top 20 monsters of the movies, many of a definitively cryptozoological nature.

And it begins like this...

"They range from a massive, city-destroying reptile to a monstrous ape, a glowing-eyed winged fiend to an oversized spider, a shape-shifting werewolf to a blood-thirsty giant worm, and much, much more. They have given cinema audiences thrills, shocks, scares and frights for decades. And they have achieved legendary status in the worlds of film-making and Hollywood. Some you will know, others may be less familiar. But they all have one thing in common: they fall under the banner of our personal, favourite monsters of the movies. So, sit back, grab a bag of popcorn and a coke, and read on!"

Brad Steiger Reviews Monster Diary

 

 

Author Brad Steiger gives the thumbs-up to my new book, Monster Diary:

 

"Nick Redfern has produced another excellent title that we will all wish to add to our Redfern Library of Monsters, Weird Creatures, and Perplexing Paths of the Paranormal. In Monster Diary Redfern takes to the road to search out 'strange and sinister creatures,' and the literary style of diary entries serves the subject matter very well.

"I always enjoy reading his take on some of the classic monsters which have haunted the British countryside for centuries. What he adds to his usual reportage of monsters of the moors is a theory that some of these entities may well be spectral memories and ghostly projections. To me, this theory makes a great deal of sense. I have always wondered just where the Brits got the notion that black panthers were terrorizing their roadways when no panthers have ever existed in Great Britain in known history. Psychic projections do make for better explanations.

"Redfern expands this thoughtful theory to extend to Bigfoot and other such creatures. Perhaps the paranormal will not be welcome in this territory by those who faithfully search the woods for signs and proofs of Old Daddy Bigfoot's actual, physical reality. After suggesting a paranormal explanation for a good many Bigfoot sightings, Redfern contends that some of those witnesses who have reported encountering Mammoths, Loch Ness-type water beasts, and saber-toothed tigers may have actually seen ghosts of these prehistoric beasts. And why not? In our Miracle series, my wife Sherry and I have recounted dozens of our correspondents' sightings of the ghostly forms of their beloved dog or cat. The mysteries of life and death may be even more mysterious than we have supposed.

"As a major Redfern fan, I definitely recommend this book as one of his best."

Para-News: Signed Copies

If you haven't yet read Richard Thomas' Para-News book, you should, as it's a very good one. And, right now, Richard has signed copies available.

A Night At The Museum

From Craig Woolheater, of Cryptomundo:

Come join Cryptomundo and The Museum of the Weird, http://www.museumoftheweird.com/, for an afternoon and evening of fun and frivolity on Saturday, January 26:

Schedule of Events:

 3-6: Tour of Museum
Speaker presentations and author book signings
Lyle Blackburn: The Beast of Boggy Creek
Nick Redfern: Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures, The World’s Weirdest Places, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter
Dave Coleman: The Bigfoot Filmography
6-8: Dinner @ Chupacabra Cantina, http://chupacabracantina.com/
8-10: Movie night at the Museum: Creature from Black Lake
10-?: Drinks @ Jackelope Bar, http://www.jackalopebar.com/

Neil Arnold on my new book: Wildman

Neil Arnold, author of many books, including Monster! and The Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London, says of my new book, Wildman:

"For many years there have been occasional reports in the wilds of the UK of what people term 'hairy men' and by that we don't just mean the local flasher on the loose! Although legends pertaining to creatures known as Bigfoot and the Yeti are hazy to say the least, can you imagine just how absurd it would sound if such beasts - or similar forms - were reported in the not so inhospitable woods of Britain! Well, since Medieval times there have been alleged encounters with 'wild men of the woods,' hulking great hairy bipedal figures that quite simply cannot be flesh and blood animals. So, what are they? Hallucination? Too many witnesses coming home from the pub? Hoaxes? Or esoteric manifestations connected to the human psyche or something weirder? In his new book, WILDMAN, author Nick Redfern investigates numerous accounts across the British Isles involving those elusive and seemingly supernatural monsters that seem to resemble those hairy hominids of lands far away. Could a Bigfoot-type of animal roam the forests and woods of Britain and remain undetected by science? Highly unlikely, so what are people seeing? Are these creatures connected to the history or magic of a place? Have they been raised occult rituals? Nick Redfern presents a unique case study of such accounts, putting forward his theories - separating fact from fiction - and peeling back the layers of one of Britain's most intriguing yet obscure mysteries. Join Nick as he scours the valleys of Wales, the forests of Scotland, the woods of Kent, the darkest corners of rural Staffordshire, and just about every ruinous abbey, creaky mansion, and underground dwelling in search of those things that cannot be. Published by CFZ PRESS, 'WILDMAN' is one hairy read that should not be missed. Available from Amazon and all good bookstores."

RIP Patrick Moore...and a certain book...

Dave Clarke pays tribute to astronomy-legend, Sir Patrick Moore, who has just died, and says of the man's interest in UFOs that it...

"...can be traced back to 1950s when he interviewed Desmond Leslie and George Adamski for the long-running BBC programme Panorama. Adamski had become a minor celebrity at the time because of the success of his 1953 book Flying Saucers Have Landed. The book told a wildly improbable story of his meeting with a tall, blond alien called Orthon from Venus who landed in the Mojave Desert. In 2006 Moore told me that he and Desmond Leslie, Adamski’s co-author, were chums who had both served in the RAF during the war. He admitted that he and Desmond ‘enjoyed playing practical jokes’. And to demonstrate how easy it was to write fairytales about visitors from other worlds, Patrick produced his own spoof novel, Flying Saucer from Mars. Written under the pseudonym Cedric Allingham, it claimed the author had witnessed the landing of a UFO in Scotland in 1954 and that he was taken on board and whisked around the solar system."

Yes, Moore was quite a character!

And here's Dave's full post.

And here's a piece I did some time back on the re-issue of Flying Saucers from Mars.

Wildman: The Contents

 

 

A couple of people have asked me what kinds of cases and theories for the British Bigfoot appear in my new book, Wildman!, which is the first full-length study of the phenomenon of hairy man-beasts in the UK.

 

Well, the easiest way to answer that question of cases and theories, is to share with you the "Contents" list, which reads like this:

 

THE CASE FILES

Chapter 1: Woodwose and Wild Men

Chapter 2: Tales of the Green Man

Chapter 3: The Apes of Shugborough

Chapter 4: Nightmare in 1971

Chapter 5: The Cursed Canal

Chapter 6: Welsh Wild Men

Chapter 7: The Creature of the Lake

Chapter 8: Dartmoor’s Hairy Hands

Chapter 9: London’s Underground Monstrosities

Chapter 10: The Tragic Tale of Patient X

Chapter 11: Shug Monkeys on the Loose

Chapter 12: A Bridge to Weird

Chapter 13: Slitting Mill’s Hairy Trolls

Chapter 14: ‘The silence was strange, the landscape unfamiliar…’

Chapter 15: The Cleadon Creature

Chapter 16: A Monstrous Castle

Chapter 17: Go Wild in the Country

Chapter 18: Monsters of the Magic Ring

Chapter 19: The Beasts of Derbyshire

Chapter 20: A Cackling Creature in an Irish Castle

Chapter 21: Sasquatch on the Chase

Chapter 22: A Real Life Stig of the Dump

Chapter 23: Southern Archives

Chapter 24: The Big Gray Man of the Mountains

Chapter 25: Bigfoot in Scotland

Chapter 26: The Littlefoot Phenomenon

Chapter 27: The Baboons of Britain

Chapter 28: Old Ned’s Devil and More

THE THEORIES

Chapter 29: A Flesh and Blood Animal?

Chapter 30: Fakery in the U.K.

Chapter 31: The Myth of Menageries and Missing Animals

Chapter 32: Welcome to the Ghost Apes

Chapter 33: From Man to Beast

Chapter 34: UFOs: Connections and Controversies

Chapter 35: Beasts of the Mind

Chapter 36: Mutilations and Anomalous Animals

Chapter 37: Of Hairy Men, Beastly Bridges, and Water-Horses

Chapter 38: From Neolithic to Neanderthal

Chapter 39: Panic on the Mountains

Chapter 40: Rebooting to the Realm of Monsters

Conclusions

MIB: Time Surfers?

I have a new post up at Mysterious Universe on the always-controversial issue of time-travel, but there's another, equally controversial, puzzle added to the mix: that of the Men in Black.

And it all begins like this...

"Just recently, long-time friend, ufological author, publisher and observer of the saucer scene, Tim Green Beckley, emailed me to say he was working on a new book on the controversial issue of time-travel. Tim asked me: would I be interested in contributing a paper to the book? 'Well, of course I would!' I replied. And, now, the book is available to one and all. Its title: Plans for Time Travel Machines That Really Work: How to Move Through Time and Space.

"Over the years I have heard more than a few stories, theories and suggestions that, just perhaps, our presumed extraterrestrial visitors may not be quite so extraterrestrial, after all. Maybe they’re us. But not us from now, if you see what I’m getting at. Instead, maybe they are from times still yet to come. Yeah, I know, it’s all a big mind-f**k. But, it’s still a matter worth addressing, no matter how many headaches it gives us!

"Without doubt, one of the most intriguing theories that suggests a time-travel component to the UFO puzzle came to me from good mate, and prolific author and researcher, Joshua P. Warren. Josh has developed a very interesting scenario that places one of the most controversial aspects of the subject firmly into a time-surfing context. It’s one of my favorite of all paranormal puzzles: the Men in Black."

And here's the full article...

Wildman! A Study of the British Bigfoot

I'm pleased to announce that the Center for Fortean Zoology's CFZ Press have just published from me a new book titled Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot.

Ironically, for a subject that many - even within the field of Cryptozoology - view as marginal and minimal, it's my longest book ever. It runs at approximately 130,000 words and 300-plus pages.

Here's (below) the blurb for the book, which will give you an idea of what it's all about.

As you'll note, and as is the case with all my crypto-themed books, Wildman! doesn't shy away from the more alternative, Fortean theories for the nature of the beast that I'm known, hated and loathed for persistently promoting:

In Search of a British Man-Beast
The huge forests of the United States are home to Sasquatch. The Abominable Snowman roams the Himalayas. Australia has a similar beast, the Yowie. In China there lurks a giant, bipedal creature called the Yeren. From the Caucasus Mountains in Eurasia stories of the Almas circulate. And then there’s the highly controversial matter of Bigfoot in Britain.

A Menagerie of Monsters
For years, Nick Redfern has been on the trail of this mystifying monster of the British kind – one that provokes fear, amazement and controversy whenever it rears its horrific, hairy head. The Shug-Monkey, the Beast of Bolam, the Big Grey Man, the Man-Monkey, and the Wild Man of Orford are just a few of its many names.

The Strangest Sasquatch of All
But, the wild men and Bigfoot-style beasts of Britain are not what many might assume them to be. They’re not just strange. They’re beyond strange. In Wildman!, Nick Redfern presents controversial data that places the British man-beast in a definitively paranormal category.

A Supernatural Monster
Lycanthrope-style shape-shifting, occult rituals, the human dead returned in beastly form, animal sacrifice, thought-forms and monsters of the mind given a semblance of life, UFO activity, and amazing encounters at sacred, historic and ancient sites all across the British Isles, are just some of the many issues covered in Wildman!, the first, full-length study of a bizarre and nightmarish phenomenon of appropriately monstrous proportions.

And here are a couple of new articles I've done on the book:

1. This one is my latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com;

2. And this one is from Mysterious Universe.

Encounters with Star People

 

 

Encounters with Star People: Untold Stories of American Indians by Ardy Sixkiller Clarke is a new book just published by the good folks at Anomalist Books. And it looks to be a good one!

 

Here's the write-up from the publisher:

A noted American Indian researcher offers up a collection of intimate narratives of encounters between contemporary American Indians and the Star People. The first person accounts, described as conscious experiences and recalled without the aid of hypnosis, reveal a worldview that unquestionably accepts the reality of the Star People. The stories also reveal cultures that almost universally regard Star People as ancestors, which allows for interactions that take place without fear and helps explain the uniqueness of the encounters and experiences.

The stories are told by people from all walks of life. Some had graduate degrees; others had never attended school. Some were adept at technology; others had never used a cell phone, owned a computer or a television set. A few of the stories are about events that occurred before the 1947 Roswell incident, however, the majority of the events took place between 1990 and 2010. This book significantly contributes to the knowledge about UFOs from a group that until now have mostly remained silent. For readers, it is likely they will never look at the UFO phenomenon in the same way again

About the Author:

DR. ARDY SIXKILLER CLARKE, a Professor Emeritus at Montana State University, has dedicated her life and career to working with indigenous populations. She is the author of several children’s books and the bestselling Sisters in the Blood. While retired from academia, Dr. Clarke continues to work as a consultant to American Indian tribes and indigenous communities worldwide. She maintains a blog, a poetry page, and a photo gallery entitled “A Day in the Life,” which embodies the beauty of Mother Earth and her creatures, at www.sixkiller.com. Dr. Clarke lives in Montana with her husband, Kip Szczygiel; her beloved Lhasa Apso, Prairie Rose, and her Maine Coon cat, Rez Perez.

---

---

CONTENTS
Author’s Note
Preface
Chapter 1: Missing Time
Chapter 2: An Encounter that Pre-Dates Roswell
Chapter 3: Sometimes They Come for Families
Chapter 4: The Man Who Shot an Alien
Chapter 5: An Alien, A Spacecraft, and an Alaskan Blizzard
Chapter 6: They Are Among Us
Chapter 7: A Star Traveler
Chapter 8: Three Military Veterans Describe an Encounter of the First Kind
Chapter 9: Alien Abductions of the Not-So-Common Kind
Chapter 10: Encounters of the Fifth Kind
Chapter 11: Disappearances in the Southwest
Chapter 12: They Hover Over Missile Sites
Chapter 13: A Vietnam Veteran Reveals a Gift from the Star People
Chapter 14: An Alien Heart
Chapter 15: They Live Underground
Chapter 16: Abductions of a Different Kind
Chapter 17: We Are Not of This Earth
Chapter 18: Where the Buffalo Play
Chapter 19: They Are Shapeshifters
Chapter 20: Liberators from Space
Chapter 21: Two Women Speak Their Minds
Chapter 22: They Will Be Gone When I Am 25
Chapter 23: No Guns Allowed
Chapter 24: The Little People Are the Star People
Chapter 25: The Story of a Traveling Marble
Chapter 26: Four Police Officers Come Forward
Chapter 27: An Alien Hitchhiker
Chapter 28: American Indians and the Cosmic Connection
Acknowledgments

The Ghostly Black Dogs of Cornwall

 

 

Stories of ghostly black dogs from Britain of centuries-past have long fascinated me, which is why it's very good to see a new article on this subject from good friend, Kithra.

 

Specifically, Kithra focuses on those blazing-eyed hounds from her native English county of Cornwall, a place rich in myth, folklore and legend.

 

She says:

 

"The local name that the Cornish have for these creatures is Dando's Dogs, or Dandy Dogs. As in many other places, it is believed that to hear them baying is a sign of imminent disaster. And, should you actually see them then you will meet a sudden death. The name itself arises from the tale of a dissolute priest called Dando, and many believe that they only appear on a Sunday.

 

"The story of Dando is one where he sells his soul to the Devil. As generally told Dando was a priest at the old priory church in St Germans, and he was a great sinner who enjoyed all the pleasures of life that priests weren't supposed to indulge in. This included hunting, even on a Sunday, and while doing so he continued his love of drink to the point of disregarding crops and fences as his hounds and henchmen followed him wherever the prey went. Yet he was loved by his parishioners as, being such a sinner himself, he always forgave then their own sins."

 

And here's where you can find the complete article.

 

 

Monster Diary: Sunday Radio

On Sunday night, I'll be on Ken Gerhard's Search for Hidden Beasts show where I'll be talking about my latest book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

Here's the link to Ken's show, where you can find all the info.

Monsters of the Midlands

There's a new post from me at Mysterious Universe that delves into a number of stories I've collected over the years of what may be large eels roaming the waters of the UK, and specifically the Midlands area. In fact, very large eels!

The article begins likes this:

"Any mention of large, serpent-like monsters lurking in the waters of the British Isles inevitably conjures up imagery of the nation’s most famous cryptozoological creature, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Or monsters. Indeed, if not some strange Fortean phantasm (which I don’t actually rule out), then there would have to be an entire colony of such things in the loch, given that sightings have been reported for many a year. But, regardless of the true nature of Nessie, sometimes it’s not necessary to travel to ancient lochs to find tales of terrible things lurking in the dark depths. Sometimes, you can find them right in the heart of the city, which is something I note in my new book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

"Back in the late 1980s, when I was working as both a fork-lift and a van driver for a company in the West Midlands, England town of Walsall, I heard a number of noteworthy stories pertaining to sightings of huge violent eels, which were said to roam the dark, winding canals of both the nearby city of Birmingham, and certain rural areas of the adjacent county of Staffordshire. Rather like some 1950s era street gang from the Bronx, they seemed to travel in packs, prepared to take on just about anything and everything that had the misfortune to cross their path."

And here's the complete article.

The photo above - taken by me a couple of years ago - shows one of the stretches of Birmingham canal in question where at least one of the eels was reportedly seen back in the '80's.

Final Events & Ray Boeche

Back in 2010, I wrote what was probably my most controversial book ever: Final Events. It was a book that looked into the controversy surrounding a deeply-buried think-tank-style group in the US Government that concluded not only did UFOs exist, but they were nothing less than demonic in origin.

The reason - in fact, the only reason - I learned of the group's existence was because back in 2007 I interviewed a man who met with a couple of its members, under very cloak-and-dagger circumstances, in late 1991 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

That's man's name is Ray Boeche, both an Anglican priest and a long-time researcher of the UFO phenomenon.

Although I missed it when it surfaced a week or so ago, there's a new online interview with Ray that you can find right here, and which delves deep into his research, thoughts and much more of a ufological nature.

The Lady of the Lake

There's a new article from me at Mysterious Universe on a subject that I don't usually delve into much (as it bores me rigid), and it's ghost-hunting.

But, in the case I refer to in the MU feature, I have made an exception, since the story in question had its origins pretty much on one of my old doorsteps.

And it all begins like this...

"It’s strange how, sometimes, profound and intriguing mysteries of the supernatural variety can turn up pretty much on your very own doorstep. A perfect, paranormal case in point: the spectral young woman of White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas, where I lived from January 2004 until the summer of 2008. Indeed, my apartment practically backed on to the very shores of the lake itself, which made the mystery even more inviting to me.

"Built in 1911 as Dallas’s very first reservoir, White Rock Lake has nearly ten miles of shoreline, thick trees, a long and winding path for walkers and cyclists, and is home to more than thirty kinds of mammal, including possums, bobcats, and red foxes, more than fifty types of reptiles, and around two hundred kinds of bird. But, it’s the supernatural, rather than the natural, which occupies our very own study of what may lurk deep within the dark waters and shadows of White Rock Lake."

And here's my complete post.

PS: The photo above shows good mate Jon Downes - Director of the Center for Fortean Zoology - when we hung out at the lake for an afternoon in 2010.

Lair of the (Very Weird) Beasts

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com expands on some of my ideas concerning the Fortean overtones present in many cases of a cryptozoological nature that I've investigated over the years. And they amount to many of the cases that I detail in my just-published book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures...

The Real Men in Black: Chinese Edition

For those who might be interested, a Chinese edition of my 2011 book, The Real Men in Black, has just been published.

Don't ask me where you can get it from though, as I have no idea! Aside from going to China, of course!

Magonia Reviews "The World's Weirdest Places"

 

 

Magonia review my recently published book, The World's Weirdest Places, and say in part:

"One of the first things that one notices is Mr Redfern’s animated demeanour. It is what is generally known as infectious. His passion for his subject jumps, as the old saw has it, off the page and jollies the reader along in the manner of a cheery, yet knowledgeable tour guide. There is certainly a positive quality akin to good, old-fashioned storytelling about his narratives that leads an unsuspecting reader into some truly odd places. And my, but those places are very odd indeed! Forests where werewolves sprint into the ancient woodland, black dogs glare from baleful, red eyes that threaten impossibly from fairy tales, long-past underground civilisations made from gold; all of these wonders and yet more are waiting to be discovered by those looking for the less usual happenings in our own world."

 

And here's the full review...

A British Bigfoot: In Kent...

From Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, Bigfoot in Kent:

And here's an extract from the article, to give you an idea of what's afoot:

"It is an historic and quaint 'middle England' town which doesn't really like creating a scene. But if the reports of one terrified walker are to be believed, the residents of Royal Tunbridge Wells could have a giant Bigfoot-like creature in their midst. A man walking in the woods beside the town's common claims to have spotted an 8ft tall beast with demonic red eyes and long arms."

Cases like this abound all across Britain, but, even the most cursory of studies of cases like this make it very clear that the British Bigfoot is not a flesh and blood beast, but something far stranger.

I'll very soon have more words to say about the British Bigfoot. In fact, about 120,000 of them...

Keep watching this space...

The Legacy of the Red Lion

A couple of days ago I received an email from a man named David Mcavoy II, who has a new book out right now with somewhat of a cryptozoological tinge to it.

Here's David to tell you more...

The book is called The Legacy of the Red Lion and is the first in the Swords & Sails series, a set of young adult books about a young man named Edward Reynolds who finds himself forced aboard a pirate ship called the Cerberus. Along with pirates, ghosts, a powerful Sea Witch, and his own country's navy, Edward and his crew find themselves facing a sea serpent as they round the Cape of Good Hope:

Edward helped Kana along, guiding her weak and shaky legs toward the railing. Suddenly the ship lurched, causing everyone to stagger about and Kana to fall.
 

"What the devil?" Wolfang snarled from the helm. "Squid, did we hit something?"

"Oy! Can't see that we did Captain!" Squid called back.
 

"Edward." Kana whispered.

Edward turned to her, finding her pale and frightened.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Danger...We're all in danger..."

Everything grew still and quiet on the Cerberus and Edward found himself stepping toward the railing to look over the side, fear gripping at his chest and throat as he looked from the terrified Kana down to the sea below. There, as he stared down into the sea, he saw something large move in the waters below-a thick, green, slimy looking something that moved from side to side before slipping under the boat.

"There's something under us!" He shouted back to the others.

Before anyone could react a massive form exploded from the water on the port side of the ship away from Edward. Water poured off the massive creature's body in a torrent as the enormous, eel like sea serpent shook its head and neck from side to side, raising it as high as the tallest mast and hissing down at the Cerberus, opening its mouth to reveal dozens of huge, jagged teeth.

The choice of location for the encounter was inspired by the account of the H.M.S. Daedalus and its encounter with a sea serpent. I have a life long interest in cryptozoology and future installments in the series will also have cryptozoological influences in them.

Anyone interested can pick up the book here: http://www.piratenovel.com

Or follow me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidmcavoyII

Or goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6526107.David_McAvoy_II

The Weirder Side of Cryptozoology

There's a new post up from me at Mysterious Universe that digs into some of the weirder cryptozoological/strange animal stories that appear in my new book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

As I note in the article:

"The book is written in definitive road-trip style, and covers my many and varied investigations of strange creatures from early 2009 to late 2011. But, there’s something else, too. It’s something that will likely get mainstream Cryptozoologists, Ufologists, ghost-hunters, and investigators of the paranormal in states of fury. And, no doubt, it will provoke a great deal of eye-rolling and head-shaking, too. What is it? I’ll tell you! The numerous examples I cite in the book where bizarre beasts, supernatural phenomena, and UFOs have all crossed paths; time and again, and to deeply significant degrees."

Here's the link...

Quoting Moseley: Contactees and MIB

In the wake of the sad passing of Jim Moseley, I thought I would share with you a few notable quotes that Jim made to me on the several occasions when I interviewed him for my books.

The first one comes from my Contactees book and focuses on Jim's words (highly insightful words, I think it's fair to say) on the controversial Contactee George Adamski, which, I'm pretty sure, got close to the truth about the man who (allegedly!) met the Space Brothers.

Jim said...

“When I met him, Adamski was in his classic mode of the great guru. You could go to him at Palomar without an appointment and he would be sitting there, holding court, and talking to all the people that came in. He seemed like a pleasant sort. He couldn’t prove anything: you had the choice of believing him or not. Now, whether he was genuine or not, he did have a background with the Royal Order of Tibet. Then he wrote his science fiction story, Pioneers of Space, which turned out to be very similar to his later UFO book. I don’t think he literally believed everything he said. But I think what he said was in-line with a personal philosophy that he may very well have taken seriously."

Jim continued:

“I think with Adamski it was like this: if I say ‘I’m Jim Moseley, and I believe in world-peace, love and saving the environment,’ people won’t care. Why should they? But if I say that a spaceman called Orthon told me that we should love each other; well, that certainly gives it more meaning. I think that is one of the big things behind the Contactee movement. They believed in what they were saying; but they needed a higher authority to get it across. Like in religion, you need God. Adamski needed Orthon.”

Moving on, back in September 2010, I interviewed Jim about his views on Albert Bender’s now-legendary claims to have been visited by the Men in Black in the early 1950s.

As the interview progressed, Moseley practically shouted down the telephone to me that: “This is funny: there’s something wrong with the phone here! The longer I talk the more static I get!"

As I noted in The Real Men in Black regarding this odd case of phone interference:

"...Perhaps the souls of [Gray] Barker and [John] Keel decided to turn the tables, and duly partook in a few tricks from the other-side on Moseley. Or, maybe, the Men in Black – so oddly keen on playing disruptive games with our telephones – were engaging in a few Trickster-like shenanigans of their very own on Moseley and me. Given that Moseley is skeptical of much of the MIB lore, possibly, in their own unique way, the Tricksters were trying to tell him that he should not be quite so skeptical, after all."

Well, maybe, now, Jim finally knows the truth behind the MIB, the Contactees and all the rest!

Jim Moseley RIP

Sad news from Loren Coleman:

"Fortean friend, ufology humorist, and writer James W. Moseley, 81, died Friday night, November 16, 2012. He passed away at a Key West, Florida, hospital, several months after being diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

"Upon hearing of the death of Moseley, Anomalist Books publisher and editor Patrick Huyghe said: 'He was one of the last remaining old timers from the golden age of flying saucers. Goodbye, Jim.'"

And here's Loren's fine tribute to Jim.

Cryptids and Circuses

Over at Mysterious Universe, I have a new post up that deals with one of the regularly-trotted out theories for bizarre beasts in our midst. Namely that they're circus-escapees. We can never rule out the possibility of some escapes from circuses.

But, the sheer number makes it clear - to me, anyway - that this explanation is pretty much ongoing folklore...

And here's how I begin...

"One of the many and varied explanations put forward to try and explain away the presence in our midst of strange beasts and creatures – 'Cryptids,' as they’re known within the fields of Cryptozoology and monster-hunting – is that they’re nothing stranger than zoo-escapees. Some might say that the theory is a highly plausible one. Well, I would agree to a degree, were it not for one important and undeniable fact: such tales have been dutifully trotted out on so many occasions now that it’s abundantly clear they, themselves, are nothing more than folklore-in-the-making. Let’s take a look…"

A Diary of Monsters: New Book

Anomalist Books have just published a new book from me: Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

Written in first-person style, the book chronicles my on-the-road investigations of all-things cryptozoological from early 2009 to late 2011. And here's the AB background-info on the book...

MONSTER DIARY is the latest saga in Nick Redfern’s ongoing series of worldwide road-trips in search of strange creatures and terrifying beasts.

In this transatlantic trek, Redfern is hot on the trail of...a Mothman-like creature in Wisconsin; giant eels that lurk in the canals of Birmingham, England; a spectral mammoth and a ghostly big-cat in American woods; Bigfoot in New Mexico; a Chupacabras in the wilds of Oklahoma; vampire-like beasts roaming the valleys of Wales; and California’s very own shape-shifting Skinwalkers.

MONSTER DIARY reveals that many of the unknown animals of our planet are not all they seem to be. They may appear to be flesh-and-blood creatures, but is that what they really are?
Redfern sets out to prove that the true nature of the fearsome creatures that dwell in dark and shadowy woods, atop imposing mountainous peaks, and within the depths of murky lakes and rivers can only be understood with a knowledge of ancient rituals designed to conjure up foul life forms from some terrible realm, ominous sacrificial ceremonies undertaken in the dead of night, and disturbing occult rites.

Monsters do exist. Monsters are among us. But they are not what you probably think there are.

George Hunt Williamson: A Contactee Profiled

There's a new post up at UFO Digest from Sean Casteel that delves deep into the controversy-filled life of one of the most enigmatic of all the 1950s Contactees, George Hunt Williamson.

You can find the article at this link, which digs into countless issues, including the matter of the man's "government file" and what officialdom thought about him and concluded about him - matters I detailed in a lengthy paper that can be found in the recently-republished edition of Williamson's book, Road in the Sky.

Casteel begins:

"George Hunt Williamson, one of the major players on the UFO contactee scene of the 1950s, continues to be a shadowy, hard-to-define personality in the years since his death in 1986. He embodied a great deal of the contactee era’s optimistic faith in Space Brothers as the saviors of our planet and would be crucial to the formation of a large portion of accepted New Age doctrine. But he also had ties to a neo-fascist organization and was investigated by the FBI as a possible communist propagandist. He claimed degrees in anthropology that could never be verified, even while he traveled throughout the Americas collecting legends and stories from various indigenous peoples about visits from those same Space Brothers and their help in establishing functioning tribal communities. He would change his name to suit the occasion, sometimes calling himself Brother Philip, or by the Serbian moniker Michael d’Obrenovic."

Spying on the Saucer Seekers

There's another new post from me at Mysterious Universe, this one on how the world of officialdom keeps secret watch on what's afoot in the UFO research arena.

It begins as follows:

"Some people will tell you it’s totally untrue. It’s not. Others will say it’s unfounded. Dead wrong. And probably more than a few will claim it’s nothing but paranoia run rampant. Wrong again. What is it? Well, I’ll tell you: it’s the claim that Intelligence agencies not only monitor UFO activity, but carefully take note of what is being said on the subject at conferences around the world, too; even to the extent of sitting in the audiences and carefully making notes or recording every word that comes out of the mouths of the speakers. Think I’m wrong? Read on."

And here's where you can find the complete article...

The Horrors of Hopton Heath

There's a new post up from me at Mysterious Universe that focuses upon two of the strangest stories to have ever crossed my path. That both of them came from the same area - the site of a famous, centuries-old military confrontation in central England, the Battle of Hopton Heath, makes the whole thing even weirder.

I begin the article like this:

"Sometimes, as a writer of mysteries of the paranormal kind, I end up being the recipient of tales that are not just bizarre; they’re actually beyond bizarre! And what is without doubt one of the absolute oddest, and potentially most disturbing, stories I have ever heard came from a family who, in an October 2000 interview with me, maintained that, in 1979, while driving near the site of the 1643 Battle of Hopton Heath, Staffordshire, England, they came across a shocking sight: namely, the badly damaged body of a very strange-looking young woman sprawled at the side of the road 'that looked like a hit-and-run.' The woman, says the resolutely-anonymous family, was naked, had a head of long, dark hair, a mouth full of elongated teeth, and a pair of legs that were fused together below the knees,'like a seal' Yep, distinct shades of mermaids, no less.

"The story – provided to me when I was writing a weekly column in England’s Chase Post newspaper at the time, called The C-Files – gets even more controversial by the claim that the family elected not to inform the authorities of what they had found, and quickly continued on their journey. To this day, their action, or, far more accurately, their utter lack of action, hangs over them like a veritable sword of Damocles; or so they collectively assert, at least."

And here's the link to the complete piece.

Britain Gone Wild!

The BBC tells an interesting story - at its website - of animals of the distinctly out of place kind that once walked Britain...

Book Pleasures: Q&A

Over at Book Pleasures, there's a new interview with me that is a bit different to most interviews I do. Whereas the bulk of them are on the subjects of my latest releases, this one focuses more upon the process of writing in general, my attitude towards writing, my mentors, and more.

As an example, here's an extract from the interview (which was done by Norm Goldman):

Norm: "If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?"

Nick: "It's difficult to pick just one, because there are various people, coming from different angles. Many of my books are written in a first-person, road-trip style. So, I have to say that, without doubt, two of my biggest mentors and influences would be Jack Kerouac and Hunter S, Thompson, who typified that genre.
"Between them, they wrote some of the greatest books of the 20th Century, in my view anyway: Big Sur, The Rum Diary, the list goes on and on. But, for me, a mentor is not a hero. Nor should it be. The real person behind the heroic image generally doesn't stand the test of time.
"Kerouac was a huge influence on me. But I keep it all in perspective. Let's face it: he was a raging alcoholic, dead at 47, a life utterly wasted, and a body and great talent ravaged and destroyed by booze. And Thompson took a totally cowardly way out when he shot himself. Suicide is for weaklings."
And here's the link.

The Pyramids, the Pentagon, and Final Events

Just recently, Tim Binnall interviewed me for his Binnall of America show, as he has often done in the past. But, this episode was a bit different, since it focused on two of my books, rather than just one: The Pyramids and the Pentagon and Final Events.

 

And here's Tim himself to give you a run-down on the episode (which you can find right here):

"Prolific Fortean researcher and great friend of the program, Nick Redfern makes his long overdue return to BoA:Audio for a marathon conversation covering one of his most recent books, The Pyramids and the Pentagon, as well as a previous book, Final Events, which may have profound meaning for the UFO enigma. In the first half, covering Pyramids, we'll discuss stories of a Bible being found in the Roswell crash, CIA interest in Noah's Ark, odd references to Mars anomalies in old literature which may have come from the Voynich manuscript, as well as an overall look at why the government may be looking at ancient mysteries and what they may have found.

"In the latter half, covering Final Events, we'll delve into the bizarre story of a government think tank which studied UFOs and determined that they were demonic in origin. We'll discuss how Nick heard about the story, various aspects of the groups findings, notably their thoughts on Roswell, abductions, and MJ-12, as well as meta analysis on what the 'demonic UFO' theory means for UFO research and how Ufology reacted to Nick's controversial research.

"Altogether it is a brisk conversation that is also jam packed with amazing stories, intriguing anecdotes, and thoughtful analysis about a myriad of paranormal mysteries with a true trailblazer in the field of esoteric studies, Nick Redfern.

"Full Preview: We kick things off by getting an update from Nick on what he's been up to since his last appearance on BoA:Audio. We get meta and talk about the prolific nature of Nick's research and how it exemplifies the need to examine many facets of the paranormal. We then begin digging in to Nick's latest book, The Pyramids and the Pentagon, and he provides a thumbnail look at the premise behind the research, which is government interest in ancient mysteries. Looking at one of more bizarre tales found in the book, we have Nick extrapolate on the rumors that a Bible was found in the Roswell crash debris. This segues into details about the CIA interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls during 1947 and onward.

"Next, we move on to talk about Noah's Ark and how there is a wealth of documentation showing that the government photographed and investigated the infamous anomaly on Mt. Ararat in Turkey. Nick provides tremendous detail about the tales of Air Force photographs of an object in the ice and subsequent, extensive CIA investigation into the 'Ark Problem,' as they called it. This leads to some discussion about how it is baffling that, in this age of modern satellite technology, we still do not have any definitive answers regarding the Ararat anomaly. He also explains how Ararat is a unique 'paranormal location,' since it is treacherous terrain.

"Following that, we look at the Mars anomalies and how there appears to have been knowledge of these mysteries dating back much farther than the Viking probe photos which brought them to the public consciousness. Nick also illuminates the bizarre 'coincidence' that there are fairly accurate descriptions of Mars' moons in Gulliver's Travels and how it has been suggested that Jonathan Swift actually got the information from the Voynich Manuscript, of all places. Beyond that, Nick details how Jack Kirby's work also contained references to Martian mysteries and how his work, as well as other artists' works, may have been part of an acclimation program put together by the government.

"Nearing the end of our discussion on The Pyramids and the Pentagon, we discuss how the government has repeatedly tapped in to 'New Age' researchers for insights on ancient mysteries and ponder what that may indicate about their overall knowledge about the enigmas. This leads to Nick speculating that, rather than having the 'best and brightest' working on these mysteries as well as things like the UFO phenomenon, the government may be using more maverick scientists who are more malleable and controllable. Going in a different direction from there, we talk about the Navy has a surprisingly under reported role in examining many mysteries. This leads to Nick sharing a wild story which connects the pyramids, the Navy, and acoustic levitation.

"In the second half of the conversation, we discuss, at length, Nick's 2010 book Final Events, which details an alleged government group that investigated UFOs and determined that they were actually demonic. We begin by hearing how Nick came upon the story via a former MUFON state director who was made privy to this secret group, known as the Collins Elite. He also revisits the shadowy nature by which he learned more about the group, including conversations with former members of the organization.

"This leads to us talking about the 'demonic UFO' theory and how the story of the Collins Elite gives greater credence to the hypothesis. That said, we also talk about how the 'demonic' aspect may be too literal an interpretation for a malignant force from another dimension or realm. The conversation segues into the importance of Jack Parsons to both NASA and JPL as well as the occult and arcane history of the modern paranormal mythos. Nick talks about how there is an odd paranormal lineage from Alistair Crowley to Parsons to Ray Palmer to Kenneth Arnold.

"In light of the hypothesis put forward by the Collins Elite, we then ponder, if we are being invaded by demonic forces, why there appear to be no mention of any counterbalancing force of good against them. Our conversation then turns towards Roswell 'crash,' which the Collins Elite believed was the result of alchemical trickery designed to fool humans. Attempting to get a handle on the various government groups investigating the UFO phenomenon, we then ponder where the Collins Elite fits in relation to an MJ-12 type group. This leads to us talking about another facet of the Collins Elite's conclusions, which was that the 'visitors' were interested in human souls.

"We then look at MILABs and how the Collins Elite investigated the phenomenon and concluded that they were also a part of the demonic illusion. Since the book came out a couple of years ago, we find out if Nick has any general update on the Collins Elite research. We also find out how the UFO community reacted to Nick research presented in Final Events, including how some Ufologists told Nick that he shouldn't have written the book. We then muse about the irony that the government, if they are really investigating the demonic aspect of UFOs, may have a more open mind about the phenomenon than the UFO research community.

"Furthering our journey into the troubling theories of the Collins Elite, we look at their 'end game' scenario which involved turning America into a purely Christian nation created via an staged 'second coming.' While that may sound insane, Nick details a revealed CIA plans to stage just such a scenario over Cuba in the 1960's and also reflects on how the warfare of the last 10 years has been suspiciously built along religious lines. In light of the alleged global cover up of the UFO phenomenon, we ponder whether the Russians or British governments have examined the demonic UFO theory. Our conversation then gets a bit meta as we talk about Nick's presentation of the Collins Elite story and how he fully acknowledges that it could be disinformation.

"Looking at the world of the paranormal, as a whole, we then discuss the perceived stasis which seems to have fallen over the entire genre in the last decade or so, despite the saturation of paranormal shows. We also reflect on how the hype for 2012 seems to have subsided, ironically, in 2012. We also return to the meta realm and learn how Nick decides on which topic to examine for his future books. Wrapping up the conversation, we find out what's next for Nick Redfern through 2012 as well as into 2013, including new cryptozoological books and a fresh look at the infamous Men in Black. "