Not exactly paranormal, but not normal either

For those of you who don't know, I'm a playwright who has published two books, and what I write about wouldn't be considered paranormal, but it definitely wouldn't be considered normal either.  I write about gods...I put regular people in my plays too, but I like to write about gods because anything can happen, and I'm not limited by what mortals are capable of doing.

I like to think that I write plays for people who don't like plays...I write for people who just want to laugh and forget about their problems.  If you don't normally read plays, I hope you'll consider giving mine a chance...if you go to Smashwords, you can download a free sample of "For I Am Zeus," which is about Zeus trying to pick up a woman in a bar:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/317582

I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to imagine Will Ferrell as Zeus...that's who I picture when I write my Zeus plays. : )

Escape from Planet Earth

Last night I watched the animated movie Escape from Planet Earth and thought it was pretty good!  The movie is rated PG, 89 minutes long, and features the voices of Rob Corddry, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Jessica Alba, Craig Robinson, George Lopez, Ricky Gervais, Jane Lynch, and Sofia Vergara.  I mostly watched the movie because I love Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Ricky Gervais, and Craig Robinson, but I ended up enjoying the whole thing, and most of the characters are aliens, so that was a bonus.  Rob Corddry plays Gary Supernova, an alien who works for mission control on the planet Baab; Scorch (Brendan Fraser) is his brother, who is not very bright, but is seen as a hero.  When Gary finds out that Scorch might go on a mission to the "Dark Planet" (Earth), he tries to stop him, but Scorch goes anyway...and when he is trapped by General Shanker (William Shatner) and taken to Area 51, it's up to Gary to save him.

I didn't like the movie as much as I've liked some other recent animated movies (such as Despicable Me and Megamind), but overall I enjoyed it and think that kids will really like it.  I especially liked Ricky Gervais' character, Mr. James Bing, a talking computer, and wished he had been in the movie more...and I'm on board with any movie where Rob Corddry plays the main character (I've loved him in everything I've seen him in!).

My rating: 7/10

http://www.escapeearthmovie.com/

Cool Website of the Week: Your Ghost Stories

For today's post, I decided to look for a website that will really creep us out, so I searched for "ghost stories" and found a great one!  On Your Ghost Stories, people are invited to submit their real-life paranormal experiences, and I'm really glad I stumbled upon this website in the daylight instead of right before bed.  The website has sections for real paranormal experiences, articles about ghosts, information about well-known haunting, and ghostly pictures and videos...and they have an iPhone app.  I'm going to go check out the "Real Ghost Stories" section and scare myself while I'm home alone...sounds like a great idea, right? ; )  

http://www.yourghoststories.com/

Blast from the past: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

If you were interested in the paranormal and other scary stuff as a child, I'm guessing that you've read Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series.  I loved those books and even remember some of the stories in them twenty years after I read them.  One of them that I remember is "The Hook," which is about a couple hearing on the radio that a murderer with a hook for a hand has escaped from prison not far from where they're parked.  The girl is afraid and wants to go home; the boy thinks she's being silly, but he agrees to take her home, and the girl thinks she hears scratching at the door as they drive off, and when they get back to her house, and the boy goes around to her side of the car to open the door, he finds...a hook on the door handle!  This version is pretty tame compared to some that I heard later, but that was the first time I'd heard it, and that story has always scared the crap out of me.  I know that's not a paranormal story, but there were ghost stories in the books too, so I wanted to write about the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series on my blog.  These were some of my favorite books when I was a kid, but I have to say, now that I'm 32 years old, these stories are not as scary as I remember. ; )

If you're like me and loved these books as a child, leave a comment and let me know what your favorite story was (if you remember it)!

http://www.amazon.com/Scary-Stories-Box-Set-More/dp/0061980935/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377621079&sr=1-1&keywords=alvin+schwartz

Ghost Hunters: The Henson Studios and the "Manson" House

Yesterday I watched a season 3 Ghost Hunters episode called "The Henson Studios and the 'Manson' House," and it was pretty creepy!  The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) gets a call from a man who lives next to where the Manson Family murders took place, and since the house where it occurred is no longer there, the man believes that the victims are now haunting his house.  The TAPS team meets with David Oman, the homeowner, and he tells them that strange things have been going on since he was building the house...a construction worker said that he heard voices and footsteps on the stairs that kept getting louder and then stopped; when he felt a cold breeze on his shoulders, he left and didn't return for six weeks.  David tells the team that one night he saw a ghost standing next to his bed, pointing toward the driveway; when David was researching the Manson murders a few months later, he realized that the ghost was Jay Sebring, one of Manson's victims.  The team calls in fellow investigator Chris Fleming since he has some equipment that they do not have, and they think it would be useful for this investigation.  Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango investigate the guest room; Steve asks the spirit to give them a sign that it's there, and the blinds start moving.  Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, and Chris take the living room and also ask for a sign; they hear a loud noise in the kitchen and cannot figure out what made the sound.  They then move to the master bedroom, where they feel cold spots, and the K-2 meter, which measures energy, starts going crazy.  They change the batteries to see if it's causing a malfunction and then start asking yes or no questions, hoping that a spirit will communicate with them by making the K-2 meter blink; they find out that the spirit who is communicating with them is male, he was murdered by the Manson Family, and there are more spirits in the house.  Chris asks if the spirit is Jay Sebring, and the K-2 meter blinks once for yes; they also learn that Sharon Tate is one of the spirits who is haunting the house.  They ask the spirit to prove he's there by making the temperature drop from 66 degrees to 62 degrees; the temperature in front of the thermometer changes, but the temperature in the rest of the room stays the same.  When reviewing the recordings from when Donna LaCroix and Steve were using the EVP meter in the living room, they hear a female voice answering Donna's questions; they did not hear this voice when they were in the room.

Next the TAPS team goes to the Jim Henson Studios, where studio employee Johan Filla says he saw a dark figure in a top hat on the roof one night; when he went to the roof to investigate, no one was there.  There have been many ghostly sightings there, including when one employee saw a woman disappear into a wall.  On the soundstage, Jason and Grant get a thermal hit that looks like a female body floating three feet off the ground, and in an area known as "The Barn," Dave and Donna hear a "Shh!," and Donna hears a voice whisper "Tango, Tango."  I was hoping that the paranormal activity was really The Muppets coming to life, but no such luck. ; )

The Manson Family part of the episode was pretty creepy, but the Jim Henson Studios wasn't too scary...I don't really want to meet any ghosts though, so I'll probably never take a tour of the studio, even though I'm a little obsessed with The Muppets.

My rating: 9/10

http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters

Shows I Love: The 4400

One of my favorite paranormal/sci-fi shows, The 4400, began airing on the USA network in 2004.  It started out as a miniseries, but the ratings were so strong that USA added three seasons before canceling it in 2007.  The show is about 4400 people who had disappeared over the past sixty years reappearing on Highland Beach, Washington in a beam of light.  None of them have aged, and some of them come back with paranormal abilities.  The main characters are Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie), who are NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command) agents investigating The 4400.  Tom's son Kyle (Chad Faust) has been in a coma since 2001, when he was drinking on Highland Beach with Shawn Farrell (Patrick Flueger), his cousin; Shawn was abducted that day, and when he returns in 2004, he discovers that he has the power to heal and brings Kyle out of his coma. 

Other notable characters include Lily Moore (Laura Allen), who disappeared in 1993 and came back pregnant, Richard Tyler (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), who vanished in 1951, has a special connection to Lily, and develops telekinesis, and Maya Rutledge (Conchita Campbell), a child who disappeared in 1938, has precognition, and is taken in by Diana.  Of course I can't forget Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell), who becomes the self-appointed leader of The 4400; despite the fact that he builds a place where the 4400s can live safely, we're never quite sure whether he's good or bad (I'm leaning toward bad; there's just something about that guy...).

I mostly watch comedy shows, but I was hooked from the first few minutes of The 4400 and was really disappointed when it ended.  I may have even been a little obsessed with it, as evidenced by this small shrine that is still on my bedroom wall at my parents' house:

Do any of you guys like The 4400?  Who's your favorite character?  Mine is Kyle. : )

Free paranormal book: Ghost Hunting Diary Volume I by T.M. Simmons

Today's free book is Ghost Hunting Diary Volume I by T.M. Simmons.  It sounds really interesting, so I'm getting my copy right now!  Here's the book description from Amazon:

"This collection of ghost hunting diaries is a selection from those T. M. Simmons kept during her twenty years of adventures in the paranormal world. As a writer, she felt compelled to keep records of her encounters, and until now, she has only shared these with a few friends and relatives. Encouraged by their interest, and the awe and sometimes apprehension on their faces, she is editing some of the dozens upon dozens of diaries in her files. Volume I contains Down the Ghost Trail, which chronicles the start of T. M. Simmons’ ghost hunting career at the haunted Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Crossing Over explains how she learned to help lost souls cross into The Light. In Midnight Ferry, a late-night phone call sends her into a confrontation with a nasty ghost-witch who meant horrific harm. The other three stories are ones she chose as some of her favorites. She has also included a few definitions of her beliefs and the rules by which anyone whom she allows into her ghost hunting life must abide. These stories are true, and each new volume will be offered as a prelude to the upcoming fictional Dead Man mystery series. Dead Man Talking, which should be available as an ebook within a few days of this first volume, will be a fun, scary romp in the paranormal world. Part of the first chapter is included at the end."

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hunting-Volume-Diaries-ebook/dp/B0053TREPW/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377096872&sr=1-4&keywords=free+ghost+stories