The Supernatural Hazards of Being a Writer

 
That's the title of a new article from me at the Mysterious Universe website, and which you can find at this link. And here's how the article begins:

"Is it possible that writing on certain, supernatural subjects can result in you getting “hit” by the powers of paranormal entities? It might sound bizarre – crazy and even insane. The fact is, though, that such things have happened to me time and time again. Also to good friend David Weatherly, and specifically in relation to his research and writing in the field of the Black Eyed Children. And to another friend of mine, Buffy Clary, who got hit by lightning on two occasions while researching about, and reading on, the phenomenon of the Djinn. Even for an author like myself – someone who has written more than fifty books across slightly more than the last two decades – the publishing world can still present challenges. Very strange ones, as the opening lines of this article showed, and how things can get worse. Deadlines, edits, fact-checking, securing photographs to accompany the text, and planning publicity campaigns, can all be time-consuming at times. In the end, however, it’s all worth it, as I still have the enthusiasm for all things weird that I had when I was a kid. That said, there is another aspect to book-writing which can present the author with more than a few challenges. And, on more than a few occasions, those same challenges are steeped in menace and supernatural activity. At least, for me they are. Perhaps, for you, too."