Bigfoot Twice

 
Two new articles from me on Bigfoot:

One on a pair of Bigfoot that were not so big, after all.

And the other, a review of a 2015 Bigfoot-themed movie, Something in the Woods.

Aurora Alien Encounter Gig - April 16

On April 16, I'll be speaking at the "Aurora Alien Encounter" gig at Aurora, Texas - here's a promo about the event, the speakers and the history behind the whole thing...

Bloodline of the Gods: Audio Edition

For those who like audio-books, my Bloodline of the Gods book is now available in audio format...

Coming Very Soon...

A "British Roswell" in WWII?

Did a UFO crash in the UK during the Second World War? That's the subject of a new article from me, which you can find here.

1975: UFOs & "Phantom Helicopters"

 Over at Jim Harold's Paranormal Braintrust there's a new article from me which is focused on a very weird wave of UFO and "phantom helicopter" wave that hit the United States in late 1975.

Here's how it starts:

One of the many curious aspects of the UFO phenomenon is that relative to so-called “waves” and “flaps.” Over the years, there have been more than a few occasions upon which UFOs have intruded into our airspace to a significant degree. I’m talking about the likes of the summer of 1947; the Washington, D.C. invasion of July 1952; the wave of close encounters that hit the United States in 1973; and the Belgian “Flying Triangle” encounters of 1989/1990. And then there’s the curious matter of the UFO/ “phantom helicopter” wave of 1975. It’s not only curious, but disturbing, too. Chiefly because a great deal of concern was exhibited by the U.S. military, despite the fact that the Air Force’s UFO program, Project Blue Book, closed its doors six years earlier, in 1969. Notably, and thanks to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, we can see just how seriously matters were taken.

And here's the link to the article.

All the photos taken at one of my earlier homes...

Spring-Heeled Jack: New Book Coming

This looks to be a very good book: The Mystery of Spring-Heeled Jack: From Victorian Legend to Steampunk Hero by John Matthews and which is published in October.

And here's the publisher's info on the book:

An extensive investigation of the origins and numerous sightings of the mysterious and terrifying figure known as Spring-Heeled Jack

• Shares original 19th-century newspaper accounts of Spring-Heeled Jack encounters as well as 20th and 21st-century reports

• Explains his connections to Jack the Ripper and the Slender Man

• Explores his origins in earlier mythical beings from folklore, his Steampunk popularity, and the theory that he may be an alien from a high-gravity planet

Spring-Heeled Jack--a tall, thin, bounding figure with bat-like wings, clawed hands, wheels of fire for eyes, and breath of blue flames--first leapt to public attention in Victorian London in 1838, springing over hedges and walls, from dark lanes and dank graveyards, to frighten and sometimes physically attack women. News of this strange and terrifying character quickly spread, but despite numerous sightings through 1904 he was never captured or identified.

Exploring the vast urban legend surrounding this enigmatic figure, John Matthews explains how the Victorian fascination with strange phenomena and sinister figures paired with hysterical reports enabled Spring-Heeled Jack to be conjured into existence. Sharing original 19th-century newspaper accounts of Spring-Heeled Jack sightings and encounters, he also examines recent 20th and 21st-century reports, including a 1953 UFO-related sighting from Houston, Texas, and disturbing accounts of the Slender Man, who displays notable similarities with Jack. He traces Spring-Heeled Jack’s origins to earlier mythical beings from folklore, such as fairy creatures and land spirits, and explores the theory that Jack is an alien marooned on Earth whose leaping prowess is attributed to his home planet having far stronger gravity than ours.

The author reveals how Jack the Ripper, although a different and much more violent character, chose to identify himself with the old, well-established figure of Spring-Heeled Jack. Providing an extensive look at Spring-Heeled Jack from his beginnings to the present, Matthews illustrates why the worldwide Steampunk community has so thoroughly embraced Jack.

A UFO Conman and Psychic Dogs

Two new articles from me:

One on a UFO Contactee who turned out to be nothing but a conman, and the other on a U.S. Army program of the 1950s designed to see if dogs could psychically locate landmines.

A Contactee and "The Government"

Also at Mysterious Universe, I take a look at the FBI's declassified file on famous 1950s-1970s Contactee, George Van Tassel. The article begins...
 
As a follow-up to my article on George Adamski’s “doctored document,” I thought I would share with you some of the highlights from the FBI’s file on yet another famous Contactee who surfaced in the early 1950s: George Van Tassel. He was a man with an intriguing background. In the 1940s Van Tassel worked for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation. And also with both Lockheed and Universal Airlines. In addition, Van Tassel was employed – in an assistance capacity – by brilliant fruitcake, Howard Hughes. In 1947, Van Tassel and his family moved to Yucca Valley, California. Only a few years later, Van Tassel attracted the attention of both the long-haired Space Brothers and the short-haired G-Men of the FBI.

It was out at the near-legendary “Giant Rock” where many of Van Tassel’s encounters of the alien kind went down. Giant Rock also being the location of Van Tassel’s hugely successful outdoor UFO gigs of the 1950s. And, as strange as it may sound, the Van Tassel family lived below Giant Rock in a kind of then-modern-day equivalent of the structures that Fred and Wilma, and Barney and Betty, called home in The Flintstones. Van Tassel’s visiting ETs included “Numa of Uni,” “Ah-Ming of Tarr,” “Rondolla of the Fourth Density,” and “Zolton, the Highest Authority and Commandant of all spacecraft in the Sector System of Vela.”

Here's the link to the article.

 

Looking Back At "Dark Skies"

Over at Mysterious Universe I take a look back at the 1990s UFO/conspiracy-themed show, Dark Skies. Here's how it starts:

It was 20 years ago that NBC unleashed a much talked about and still widely remembered UFO-themed show: Dark Skies. It was the brainchild of Brent V. Friedman and Bryce Zabel. The show was not destined to last, however. It ran for just 20 episodes, from September 1996 to May 1997. The show focused on the world of two people caught up in a Cold War-era conspiracy of extraterrestrial proportions: John Loengard and his girlfriend, Kim Sayers (played by Eric Close and Megan Ward). When I first heard news of the series, of the nature of the show, and of the man-woman team, I thought: “X-Files rip-off.” It turns out that it wasn’t. And I was pleasantly surprised, too.

In The X-Files the extraterrestrial angle was always shrouded in ambiguity: were we really being visited by aliens? Was the UFO phenomenon just a cover for highly-classified experiments of a genetic- and mind-control-nature undertaken by top secret, “black budget” programs? Or, was it a strange and secret mixture of both? While ambiguity in a show like The X-Files worked, for me the ambiguity went on way too long – which is why I stopped watching the show around 1998. It’s for the very same reason that I stopped watching Lost – I felt like the story was being written with no real idea of where it was heading. A runaway train with no driver in sight.

"It Defies Language!" Reviewed

At Mysterious Universe I review Greg Bishop's new book, It Defies Language!

Here's how the review starts:

Back in 2006, Greg Bishop and I were invited to take part in a new venture of the ufological kind. It went by the name of UFOMystic. Basically, it was a website where me and Greg were given free rein to write about whatever crossed our minds, providing it was on the subject of UFOs. And, for several years, we did exactly that – and pretty much on a daily basis, too. Our content ranged from reviews to articles, and news items to lengthy features, the latter sometimes split over a couple of days. But, as is the case with all things, UFOMystic ultimately came to an end and the site was closed down. Now, however, it’s back, in book format. The title: It Defies Language! Essays on UFOs and Other Weirdness.

When, some months ago, Greg called to let me know he had secured the rights to all of his old UFOMystic material, I told him that was great news. It’s still great news! Over the several years that Greg wrote for the site, we got to see some of his best, most thought-provoking, work. Collectively, it challenged the reader to confront new and radical concepts when it came to the UFO enigma. It offered alternative scenarios for classic cases. But, most important of all, it made people think outside of what passes for the ufological box. And to think carefully, too.

That's me and Greg, 2014, in California.

Aurora, Texas "UFO Crash" Gig - April 16

For those who may be interested in attending, I'll be speaking at the first Aurora Alien Encounter conference in Aurora, Texas on Saturday April 16. And here's the flyer, which shows all the info on the event.

Today's Texas Paranormal Unity Fest

A few photos from today's Texas Paranormal Unity Fest in Glen Rose, Texas - was a great day! Lecture subjects included the Chupacabra, the weirder side of Bigfoot, the Aurora 1897 UFO crash, demons, and much more - including a hot belly dancer!

Angel Hair Mentioned In A Government UFO Document?

That's the subject of a new article from me...

George Adamski's Doctored Document

A new article from me on a certain official document and contactee George Adamski. It starts like this:

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, a significant body of material on the famous/infamous George Adamski has surfaced – the bulk of it from the FBI. It has to be said that the Bureau’s file on the controversial Contactee makes for highly entertaining reading. But, perhaps, for reasons you might not have considered. There’s not a single scrap of paper in the “Adamski File” which suggests the FBI was concerned in the slightest about the man’s alleged alien encounters. Rather, it was his public and vocal stance on communism that had J. Edgar Hoover’s finest hot under the collar.

Adamski was heard to state that communism was the way of the future, and that the Soviet Union would ultimately dominate the planet. That Adamski had thousands of fans, devotees and impressionable people hanging on his every pro-Russia word bothered the FBI to a significant degree. And so, and almost inevitably, a file was opened on George. But, there’s far more to the file than Cold War era commies. There’s the matter of a certain document outrageously doctored by Adamski; yet another affair that got the FBI in a collective state of frustration and anger.

Dogman Symposium Website

If you're interested in attending the Dogman Symposium in Defiance, Ohio on August 6, here's the newly created website for the gig.

The speakers are: Ken Gerhard, Linda Godfrey, me, Stan Gordon, David Weatherly, John Tenney and (as master of ceremonies) Lyle Blackburn.

Should be a good one!

Reviews X 2

Over at Mysterious Universe I review a great 2014 movie, Wild Tales, and the re-release by Anomalist Books of Brad Steiger's Mysteries of Time and Space.

Bloodline of the Gods - Audio CD

For those who may be interested, there's a new audio (CD) version of my Bloodline of the Gods book out next week. Here's the link.

Arrived: It Defies Language!

Just received in the mail the new book from good mate, Greg Bishop.

This is going to be a good one.

Its title: It Defies Language: Essays on UFOs and Other Weirdness. Cheers Greg!

The Roswell UFO: Why It's Important

That's the subject of a new article from me at Mysterious Universe, and which starts like this:

Over at his UFO Conjecture(s) blog, Rich Reynolds has a new post titled “‘Roswell’ in a blog title increases blog-views.” And, as you’ll see from Rich’s stats, indeed it does! But, the big question is: why? Well, at first glance, the answer seems simple. Let’s face it, Roswell is the most well-known of all the thousands of UFO cases on record. Even people who have no interest (or belief) in UFOs know of Roswell and the basic theme of the story. Namely, that of a flying saucer crashing to earth back in the 1940s, and a hasty cover-up of the facts, a cover-up which persists to this day. But, it’s not because Roswell is so famous that it achieves greater hits than – let’s say – a sighting of a “Flying Triangle,” or the discovery of a Crop Circle in some angry farmer’s field. It’s due to something else: Panic.

The fact is that Ufology is always looking for proof that UFOs exist. And, by proof, I mean hard, solid evidence that can be examined and studied – if, of course, “they” would only “tell us the truth.” Almost seventy years have gone by since Kenneth Arnold kicked off the flying saucer controversy – after encountering a squadron of unidentified aerial vehicles near Mt. Rainier, Washington State. And, although we have masses of material, eye-witness testimony, photos, declassified files, etc., the fact is that we still don’t have hard evidence of – or definitive answers for – what UFOs actually are. Roswell, however, theoretically offers us those answers. If, that is, we could uncover the alleged bodies, wreckage, old files, and so on. And presuming, of course, that Roswell was an alien event and not something else. Such as something down-to-earth and which still has to remain hidden at all costs.

Women in Black - Contents

A bit more insight on my forthcoming book, Women in Black: The Creepy Companions of the Mysterious M.I.B. 

Here's the table of contents, with chapter titles to give you an idea of the story:

Introduction
Chapter 1: “He saw a lady in black in his bedroom at night”
Chapter 2: “They are surely the saucer people you told us about”
Chapter 3: “We talked for hours about traveling in space and time”
Chapter 4: “It was as if she were dead”
Chapter 5: “A sinister group of pale-faced women”
Chapter 6: “She was black. Her skin was black, her body was black, the
wings were black; everything was black”
Chapter 7: “Whatever that young woman did to me, it was like being in a
sleepwalk”
Chapter 8: “Her skin was very pale, and of an unusually smooth texture”
Chapter 9: “The sky is very clear tonight”
Chapter 10: “They wore long black cloaks”
Chapter 11: “Rambling wolves seeking whom they can devour”
Chapter 12: “We would urge everyone to be vigilant”
Chapter 13: “I didn’t want to get bitten”
Chapter 14: “This thing he is doing with UFOs, tell him to stop it, right away”
Chapter 15: “Late at night the attic became a creepy place”
Chapter 16: “May I come in?”
Chapter 17: “It was a hideous-looking woman dressed in black”
Chapter 18: “I used to apprentice as an embalmer, and I swear that woman
smelled just like formalin”
Chapter 19: “The scene shows a large woman dressed in black”
Chapter 20: “Maybe they decided it was too far advanced for people”
Chapter 21: “This scary-looking woman was tall and thin, had a face
powdered white”
Chapter 22: "I have never felt such fear in my life”
Chapter 23: “There was something ‘off’ about them”
Chapter 24: “I had a very strange feeling when I saw the woman”
Chapter 25: “She shrank from him with a hissing sound”
Chapter 26: “The woods are avoided after dusk”
Conclusions
Bibliography
About Nick Redfern
Acknowledgments

Women in Black - New Book

Very soon I'll have a new book published from Lisa Hagan Books (Lisa being my agent). Its title: Women in Black: The Creepy Companions of the Mysterious M.I.B.

Over at Mysterious Universe you can find an article that outlines some of the things the book touches on. I'll update things when I have an exact release date for WIB.

And here are the opening paragraphs of the Mysterious Universe article:

Coming very soon from Lisa Hagan Books is a follow-up book to my 2015 release, Men in Black: Personal Stories and Eerie Adventures. The title of the new one: Women in Black: The Creepy Companions of the Mysterious M.I.B. It’s a book which – like my 3 books on the MIB – demonstrates that the popular image of the WIB and the MIB being “secret agents” of some equally secret agency is very far from the reality of the situation. They’re way stranger.

Certainly, in the world of on-screen entertainment the portrayal of the MIB and the WIB as employees of a top-secret, black-budget-style organization was presented most famously in the blockbuster 1997 movie, Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie, of course, focuses primarily on the two main characters (Agents J & K). However, there’s also the character of Laurel Weaver. She’s a Deputy Medical Examiner, played by Linda Fiorentino. In the final minutes of the movie, she’s recruited into that aforementioned black-budget agency and becomes Agent L, a definitive WIB.

The Aurora, Texas "UFO Crash" of 1897

A gig I'll be speaking at in April (here's the link):

Two New Articles

One from me on a strange and controversial UFO-themed incident, and the other on a monster that never was...

Wood Knocks - Vol. 1

A new book I have contributed to, coming soon...

King Arthur - New Book

If you're into the story of King Arthur, there's a new book on the subject, which I highlight over at Mysterious Universe. Here's the link, and here's how the article begins:


For those with an interest in the tales and accounts of King Arthur, there’s a new book on the subject coming very soon. The legendary King Arthur has been identified with a real historical ruler – and he was not from the traditional locations of Cornwall, England or Wales. Instead, he governed in the north. That’s the verdict of a new book entitled Pennine Dragon: The Real King Arthur of the North.

Author Simon Keegan, 36, a journalist for 19 years, has researched the ancient texts and says he can prove Arthur was from the Lancashire-Yorkshire, England area. And the timing could not be more fitting, as 2016 is the 1,500th anniversary of Arthur’s “Waterloo” – the Battle of Badon in which he defeated the Saxons in 516AD and stopped their invasion for a generation.

James Forrestal and the M.I.B.

There's a new article from me which starts like this (and here's the link):

Within the field of Ufology there are longstanding rumors that the May 22, 1949 death of James Forrestal – the first U.S. Secretary of Defense – was linked to the UFO phenomenon. So the story goes, while suffering from severe depression and anxiety, and ultimately spiraling into a complete nervous breakdown (as a result of his exposure to what the U.S. Government knew about UFOs), Forrestal was on the verge of revealing his knowledge of an alien presence on Earth. The theory continues that powerful figures decided such a thing simply could not be allowed to occur. The result was that Forrestal had to go. And “go,” he certainly did: out of a window. In the early hours of May 22, Forrestal plunged to his death from the 16th floor of the Bethesda Naval Hospital. The big question is: was he pushed or did he jump?

Of course, there’s no hard proof in the public domain that Forrestal was briefed on the more sensational and top secret aspects of the UFO phenomenon. Although, logic dictates that he would have been briefed (at least to some degree), since he accepted the position of Secretary of Defense in 1947 – the year in which the flying saucer was “born” and when the military was indeed taking the mysterious matter very seriously. Even outside of Ufology, there are suspicions that Forrestal’s death was no suicide. But, that’s not the focus of this article. Rather, the focus is on something that happened before Forrestal died and prior to his admittance to Bethesda on April 2, 1949.

A "How To" Guide on a Controversial Topic!

 
That's the subject of my latest Mysterious Universe article:

Part-1 and Part-2.