BOOK REVIEWS: Regional Paranormal Books by Schiffer Books.

Reviews by Scott Lefebvre

Haunted Rhode Island & Haunted New Hampshire by Thomas D’Agostino (2006 Schiffer Books)

     I had the good fortune to meet the author of these two books at the 2006 Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival where the author was selling his book about the local legends of Rhode Island.

     I had recently been accepted to the staff of Scars Magazine to review books, and Thomas D’Agostino was the first author I spoke to about obtaining their book for review.   The author was regrettably unable to give me a copy of his book at the time, since the copies he had brought he bought himself to sell on commission and to raise awareness of the availability of his book.   And what better place than Rhode Island’s best horror film festival?

     The author provided me with the information to contact his publisher to request a copy of his book for review.   I sent an e-mail to the publisher, and although the e-mail did not obtain the book I sought, it did obtain for me the commission for my first book, but that’s a story for another time and place.

     Now, almost six months later, Schiffer Publishing has been kind enough to send me the book I requested and offered me another book by the author in addition as compensation.

     Although the wait has been long, Thomas D’Agastino’s book lived up to my expectations.   I have read many regional paranormal books, both for research for my own book, and for review.   D’Agastino selected for the style of his two regional paranormal books the organization of the miscellany of tales by alphabetical listing of the cities of the state in which they were alleged to have occurred.   Although this lends a referential feeling to the books, it also allows easy access to local readers eager to read about events that occurred in or near familiar locations.

     The tales themselves are presented in easily digestible portions, including a brief history of the unique locations, following closely with the supernatural events that allegedly occurred there.   The author follows up with succinct, but clear directions to public locations as well as information about the hours and availability of tours of those locations that cater to visitors offering tours and events open to the public on their premises.

     I have had the pleasure of visiting some, but far from all of the locations listed, and the author’s descriptions of the places I have been to I found to be both accurate and evocative.   The author’s research provides a valuable reference source for clarifying the oft-times muddy waters one wades into when one finds oneself discussing local legends.   The author also shed light upon some of the stranger places in Rhode Island where I had wandered into in my travels.   I eagerly look forward to visiting many of the locations I have not yet been to in my leisure.

     Lacking the spelling and grammatical errors of similar regional paranormal books, Thomas D’Agostino’s books are written solidly and consistently and I can recommend them for purchase either as gifts for fans of the paranormal living in the two territories covered by these books or for your own personal enjoyment.

The Ghosts of Austin: Who They Are and Where to Find Them by Fiona Broome  (2007 Schiffer Books)
     I was heading out to be a part of the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Austin, Texas.
     When I plotted my course, I observed that my route would take me close to the home of Schiffer Books in Atglen, Pennsylvania.   I contacted the Schiffer Books offices through my editor, Dinah Roseberry and arranged to pick up a case of my book, ‘Spooky Creepy Long Island’ to bring along with me to the show.   I had prior authorization from my boss to sell copies of my book over the table of the Fearwerx booth.   When I told Pete and Dinah at Schiffer where I was going and what I was doing, they asked me if I was interested in taking any other books along with me.   Via e-mail I agreed to try out a case of ‘Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town’ by Red Wassenich.

     I got to the home of Schiffer Books later than I had anticipated, but Pete Schiffer Jr. was still in the office and received me most hospitably.   During the course of our conversation, I received a tour of the facilities.   The warehouse was like the end scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.   Palette after palette stacked with boxes of books.   When it came time to leave, I checked out the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ book and seeing it, I decided that it probably wouldn’t go over that well with the Fangoria audience.   Pete offered ‘The Ghosts of Austin’ as a last-minute replacement and I quickly and easily agreed that it was a much better candidate for the convention I was attending.

     Twenty-seven hours later and I’m in Austin.   I decide to read ‘The Ghosts of Austin’ so I’d know a little bit about the book that I was selling.  

     The prose is light and engaging, making the book both easy and pleasant to read.

     The stories fulfilled my expectations.   I expected tales of ghosts from the free-wheeling wild west era of Texas frontier past, and this anthology of ghostly tales provides exactly that.

     From the pioneering battles of the state’s first colonists in conflict against the Mexican Army and Native American tribes, through the early years of statehood and the strife of the civil war, the victims of the vicissitudes of fortune, often only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, continue to linger in the locations where the forces of earthly attraction tethered them to the physical plane.

     An interesting element of this book is the author’s dual service as an author and a medium who claims the ability to speak with the lingering spirits of the physically deceased.   This ability enabled the author to include at the end of many of her chapters her “conversations” with the paranormal presences which haunt Austin’s many historical locations.   The spirits are open about the reason for their persistent presence at their selected locations.   This is the first time I encountered this literary device, although I have been made aware of the popularity of this device in conversations following my encounter with and discussion of this book.    

     Of course, the gunslingers and whorehouse madams and Indian spirits are here, not as single spirits, but in battalions.   But the author presents a wider range of tales than I had anticipated.   The author presents her collection of stories covering the chronological and geographical history of Austin and its surrounding areas.   The book is also generously populated with photographs and illustrations to accompany its spine-tingling tales.

     I have to begrudgingly admit that although I spent the weekend in Austin, I learned much more about Austin and its environs from ‘The Ghosts of Austin’ than I learned from my infrequent visits to downtown Austin.   Austin is a ghost town in more ways than one.   For a celebrated party town, it has an early bedtime and I drove its silent streets at 3:00 a.m. at fifteen miles and hour, calmly acquainting myself with the unfamiliar area.

     Also begrudgingly I admit that I didn’t sell a whole lot of ‘The Ghosts of Austin’ at the convention.   Of the twenty-five copies I brought with me, I returned twenty-three.   One of which I retained to read and review, and the other copy, my display copy, was bought by a woman, a self-professed librarian, who said that her library just must have this book for its collection.

      I attribute this not as a reflection on the quality of the book, which I enjoyed as much as I have enjoyed any regional paranormal book.   Instead I attribute this to a general decline of literary interest in our culture.

     If you’d care to prove my pessimism fallacious, then, by all means, please go to the address provided below and acquire a copy of this informative and entertaining book.

Baltimore’s Harbor Haunts: True Ghost Stories by Melissa Rowell

     The first feature one notices is the cover illustration.   Although it’s not awe-inspiring, it is different than most of the covers of the regional paranormal books I’ve been reading lately.   The illustration is different than what readers have come to expect and this makes it striking and inspired me to select it from the stack of new books I received for review.

     By way of comparison, usually the covers of these books have a layout featuring a photo taken by the author or a friend or acquaintance of the author, who sometimes serves the photographer role to accompany the role of the author as paranormal researcher.   If not that, then there’s a digitally jazzed up image somewhat evocative of the theme of the book.

     As attractive as the cover is, the contents of the book are even more interesting.   The co-authors are co-owners of “The Original Fell’s Point Ghost Walk”, an award winning haunted walking tour of the neighborhood.   The authors have used their expertise to put together an enjoyable readable collection of the residual hauntings of Baltimore harbor.

     The authors present a variety of paranormal manifestations: “impressions”, “spirits”, “ghosts” & “time warps”.   In addition to presenting a variety of different manifestations, the locations encompass almost every conceivable location.   Restaurants, bars, taverns, private residences, boarding houses, brothels, graveyards, motels, antique stores and lighthouses are all given equal attention.   Also such famous personages as Edgar Allan Poe and Billie Holiday make guest appearances as paranormal manifestations.

     The stories are concise, sometimes almost abrupt, but the brevity does nothing to subtract from the quality of the stories.   It is with ease and no small amount of pleasure that I recommend this book, not only to residents of the Baltimore harbor area which the book’s chosen topic, but enthusiasts of paranormal books in general.

Ghosts of St. Louis: The Lemp Mansion And Other Eerie Tales by Bryan W. Alaspa (2007 Schiffer)
    I received this book as one of a stack of regional paranormal books I obtained from Schiffer Books when I stopped by the publisher’s home in Atglen, Pennsylvania.   And by home I mean their quaint offices next door to a warehouse that looks like the end scene from Raider’s of the Lost Ark inside.

     Whenever I read a book, I always read the back cover blurbs, read the jacket flap blurbs, (if there are any) and check out the chapter listing.   I noticed that the author included a Guideline for Urban Exploration.   I had written one for my book, ‘Spooky Creepy Long Island’, so I decided to see how my guidelines weighed up against his guidelines.   And by written, I mean I discovered a set of guidelines during my research for the Long Island book and thought it was pretty good, but it could be better, so, using the one I found as its inspiration, I cleaned it up and rewrote it in my own style, which I think made it read a little clearer and gave it a better flow.   If I didn’t think I could have improved it, I would have just sent the original creator an e-mail and asked to use their version.   But thankfully I haven’t yet found someone who executed something that I set out to do perfectly.   There’s always room for improvement.

     So I decided to check out this author’s Guidelines and when I got a few sentences in they seemed really familiar.   I liked the style the guy used.   Then it hit me.   I flipped to the end of the Guidelines.   There it was.   My samurai sword joke.   They were my Guidelines.   I forgot that I had given the okay for Dinah Roseberry, my editor at Schiffer Books to offer my Guidelines as supplementary material for other authors submitting books to the Schiffer Books ghost line.   It was the first time I had seen the Guidelines used in this manner, and it was just really cool to have that experience.

     Not that Brian Alaspa’s original material is any less enjoyable.   The author presents an engaging account of the Lemp family, complete with success, scandal, suicide and marital strife.   The mansion which was a silent witness of the unfolding events supposedly continues to manifest the supernatural record of the rise and fall of the first family of St. Louis.   Although the Lemp’s and their family home make up the bulk of the book, it is not the only example of the regional paranormal offerings of the St. Louis area.   The author present eight additional chapters, addressing the regional paranormal offerings of the St. Louis area.

     One might wonder what the appeal is of reading a regional paranormal book about a region that you’re not from and have no plans to visit in the foreseeable future.   The appeal to me is whenever I read a regional paranormal book I like to think about the people I know from that area and imagine that I’m reading about their stomping grounds.   Plus, since I’m not from the region and I have no plans to visit it in the foreseeable future, it’s pleasant to read about places and things that I may never get a chance to get around to seeing.

     This book is sincerely recommended for not only St. Louis residents, but also any enthusiasts of all things paranormal. 

Ghosts: Minnesota’s Other Natural Resource by Brian Leffler (2007 Schiffer Books)
     I usually don’t pay much attention to the design of the cover of the books I read.   Some are designed better or worse than others, but the difference isn’t usually that significant.   The design for the cover of this book is actually exceptional in that it was part of what attracted me to the book.   I received this book as one of many regional paranormal books published by Schiffer Books that I picked up for review when I stopped by the publisher’s facility in Atglen, Pennsylvania.   The cover, a full-color reproduction of one of the author’s photographs is nicely rendered with the title in white letters across the relative darkness of the photo.   So when I was leafing through the stack of regional paranormal books, I selected this one before another possible selection.

     I was prepared for an anthology of Minnesota’s regional paranormal stories of haunted houses and urban legends.   Instead I was pleased to discover the book refreshingly different than the miscellany of regional paranormal books I have been reading.   The author is a member of the Northern Minnesota Paranormal Investigators.   So instead of presenting a collection of stories broken down by location, the author’s material reads more like the case-files of the Northern Minnesota Paranormal Investigators.   That the author participated in the investigation of the phenomenon adds a personal intimacy to the tales which I found engaging while reading.

     More than your usual collection of stories about derelict hospitals and historical buildings with lingering residents, the author provides a refreshing variety of stories including many private residences, although there are three cemeteries covered in the collection.  

     The author and I seem to have different approaches to our interest in the paranormal.   I’m more of a midnight creeper, going out to abandoned buildings under the cover of night with a small group of friends and touring the places by flashlight.   The author seems to prefer visiting locations when his paranormal investigation group is called in to perform an investigation.   Despite this minor philosophical difference I was able to enjoy this book as an excellent example of its type.

Cape May Haunts: Elaine’s Haunted Mansion and Other Eerie Beach Tales by D. P. Roseberry with Psychic Lauren Hull (2007 Schiffer Publishing)

      I’ve had the fortunate accident of being acquainted with the author.   Dinah is the editor of the Schiffer Books “ghost books” department, through which Schiffer releases a wide variety of regional paranormal books.   I rescued a short stack of these paranormal books from their appointment with the pulper, in exchange for which I promised to read and review the books I received.

     Dinah invited me to visit her office at Schiffer Books, she asked me if I had a copy of her book in the stack.   When I checked, I said, “No. But I’d love to read your book.”.    Dinah gave me a new copy from the book-case in her office, and asked me, half-jokingly if I was going to give her a good review.

     Herein lies a frequent problem for the impartial reviewer.   Sometimes you meet someone that’s a really great person and they provide you with the fruits of their creative labors.   As an impartial reviewer, I have to put aside my personal opinion of the creator and allow the work to make its aesthetic impression on me.

     Thankfully in this case, I really did enjoy reading her book.   It’s always nice to be able to provide a positive review to someone that you have a positive personal opinion of.

     The book is loosely separated into two parts.

     In the first part, occupying until page one-hundred and one of the two-hundred and twenty-four page book, the author relates her long-term acquaintance with Elaine’s Haunted Mansion (Restaurant, Bed and Breakfast, Dinner Theater, and Walking Ghost Tour).   The author visited the multifunctional location on her engagement and returned with a small team of paranormal investigators.   The author documents, in no small detail, their investigation.   Many tales of paranormal investigations rely on a single method of describing an investigation, either a highly personalized account of their reactions to the phenomenon, or a dry presentation of the observations of the investigator.   Unlike many monostylistic accounts, Dinah delivers an engaging mix of personal reflection and documentation.   It’s not often that investigators share their thrill at experiencing paranormal phenomenon with their readers.   Dinah’s openness is truly absorbing and engaging.   Her sincerity is preferable to the common practice where authors practice puns, trying to forcibly infuse their work with humor in an attempt to disarm their readers.   More often than not, this is done awkwardly and is transparent and just not funny.   Dinah avoids this by relating the humorous events as they naturally occur during a paranormal investigation.   Although paranormal investigations are truly frightening at times, more often than not, discovery alternates with the self-conscious awareness of the seeming absurdity of creeping around playing ghost hunter.   Dinah has a unique talent in her ability to integrate both sensibilities without lessening the impact of either.

     The second part of the book is more representative of what one would expect from a regional paranormal book.   A collection of brief stories about the miscellany of locations which have allegedly exhibited paranormal phenomenon.   Dinah has had the opportunity to visit most of the locations documented in the second half of her book, and her anecdotes, derived from her personal experiences, help to bring to life this collection of ghostly tales harvested from the paranormally pregnant Cape May coast.

Available from Schiffer Books at www.SchifferBooks.com