STRANGE DIMENSIONS NEWSLETTER — JUNE 2011

VAMPIRES BOOK REVISED AND REISSUED

My first book on vampires, “Vampires Among Us,” which appeared in 1991, had a long run in print and became an underground classic. I have revised it and reissued it on Kindle, with a great new cover designed by my friend Robert Michael Place, the author and illustrator of “The Vampire Tarot.” Bob adapted his Star card from that deck for the image.

“Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s Vampires Among Us: Revised Edition” retains all the colorful interviews in the original edition, with new material on the more recent vampire underground culture. In addition, I have added more material on vampires in folklore, magic and sorcery, and vampires in dreams. The chapter on the vampires who came through a Ouija board, “Devon and the Vampire Choir,” remains one of my favorites!

This new book is available only on Kindle. Check it out at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051J80J8 It is also available on Kindle UK and Kindle DE.

COMING SOON — SPIRIT COMMUNICATIONS BOOK WITH GEORGE NOORY

Due out in October in hardcover from Tor, “Talking to the Dead,” an exploration of high-tech spirit communications with the dead and other beings… now available on pre-order at a great price on Amazon.com! Check it out at http://amzn.to/lxZ0XY

STRANGE PHENOMENA IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY

I spent two weeks in May in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado doing field research on portals and mysterious places for several book projects. It was my first trip to New Mexico in about three years, and I packed in a lot! I am indebted to Christopher O’Brien, the leading expert on the paranormal mysteries of the San Luis Valley, for putting the logistics into place and being a terrific guide and traveling companion. The San Luis Valley is a huge stretch of land from southern Colorado to northern New Mexico, covering about 8000 square miles, that is famous for its weird vibe and phenomena. Nobody knows it better than Chris!

Chris met me at the airport in Albuquerque and we hit the ground running. We pushed into some remote areas where there are no trails, and we visited with people who have been experiencing a wide range of bizarre phenomena, some of which fit my Djinn profiles.

In addition, Chris and I had some of our own strange experiences while we were out in the field. In Crestone, Colorado we visited a particularly intense hot spot late at night and were immediately greeted by a “welcoming committee” – or perhaps “unwelcoming committee” might be a better term for the aggressive entities that came out of the land and the night to see the intruders in their territory. They were a variety of semi-translucent grayish shapes, some long and undulating, some large and bigger than a human, and also small sparkly lights in orange and yellow. They all moved quite rapidly, and we decided that it was a good idea to vacate the site.

Back in our guest house, courtesy of Crestone resident Al Reed, we discussed the incident and the San Luis Valley in general long into the night. I made the statement that “nothing had better have followed us home” from the hot spot, and within seconds a small plastic flower pot on an upper windowsill in front of us launched into the air and crashed to the floor! Obviously we had company! That night I had a lucid dream of being dumped out of bed by a presence beneath the bed, but by morning the energy was clear. Even so, Chris did a sage cleansing upon our departure.

Chris lived for 13 years in Crestone, which inspired his ongoing research of the Valley phenomena. At one home, he experienced strange knockings on the walls, mysterious lights moving over the landscape, and a nighttime visit by a bipedal skinwalker in the shape of a humanoid with a deer head and antlers, which glided by his window.

Crestone is an interesting community, founded in the 1970s at the base of the Sangre de Christos Mountains as a spiritual center for old and new traditions. There are a number of monasteries and ashrams in town, and a scattering of houses. Like the rest of the San Luis Valley, the land is home to strange phenomena and spirits, such as UFO/ET activity, mysterious lights and sounds, shape-shifters, elementals, ghosts, tricksters, djinn, skinwalkers, animal mutilations, and so on. We did not see any UFO lights during our stay in the Valley, but we did get out to the area where the famous “Snippy the Horse” mutilation took place in 1967. The Snippy case focused attention on what would become waves of mysterious cattle and animal mutilations in conjunction with UFO activity.

Elsewhere in the Valley, we hiked into sacred sites frequented by elementals, the “little people,” shadow figures and entities of unknown origins. We met with people who had experienced ET visitations and abductions, the apparitions of Native American ancestors, weird lights and more. Chris has researched the Valley for years, and I think one could spend a lifetime there investigating the things that go on.

For more information on the San Luis Valley and the work of Chris O’Brien, including his informative books on the Valley, check out his website, Our Strange Planet, at http://www.tmv.us/

Among the wonderful people we met were Scott Stevens and Don Gifford, who make and sell Ormus, an alchemical elixir designed to enhance the light body. Their site is Blue Water Alchemy at http://bluewateralchemy.com/

In Santa Fe, I was given a tour of some of the hot spots in the region by Allan Pacheco, who also gives a ghost walk through the center of town. Founded in 1607, Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in America, and has a Wild West history that rivals Tombstone, Arizona. Allan, a native of Santa Fe and a descendant of the Conquistadors who settled this area in the 1500s, has studied and experienced the regional phenomena for most of his life.

One of the highlights of my tour with Allan was seeing the places where the Southwest legends of La Llorona originated. According to lore, a Santa Fe woman, abandoned by her Spanish lover, drowned her children in the Santa Fe River and then went into the river herself and stabbed herself to death with a pair of scissors. Her forlorn ghost wanders the roads and highways crying out, “Where are my children?”

Allan has written some books about the paranormal legends and lore of the area, which are available online. If you are planning a trip to Santa Fe – one of my favorite cities – book his ghost tour at http://www.santafeghostandhistorytours.com/. And have a meal at The Shed, an exquisitely decorated restaurant renowned for its red chile and its margaritas. We had quite a feast there.

My trip also included some R&R at Ojo Caliente, one of the best hot springs in New Mexico, and a day trip to Taos, which I had not visited in several years, and which has grown considerably since my last visit. The scenery there – as well as everywhere in northern New Mexico – is spectacular. My thanks go to my friends and hosts MJ Oref and Bob Kane in Espanola for providing a home away from home.

MORE VAMPIRE NEWS

My new second edition of my “Encyclopedia of Vampires and Werewolves” will be released in mid-June by Facts on File/CheckmarkBooks. The encyclopedia has substantial updates in media, pop culture, folklore and history, and in addition features numerous photos in color.

Autographed copies will be available in July my bookshop at http://wwww.visionaryliving.com/shop

I will be writing the introduction to another new commentary on the work of Montague Summers, courtesy of John Edgar Browning, who has inked a deal with Apochryphile Press for an annotated edition of “The Vampire in Europe.” I wrote the intro to John’s edition of “The Vampire: His Kith and Kin,” which Apochryphile will publish this year. Summers’s work remains invaluable today to our contemporary knowledge and understanding of the real vampires experienced by our ancestors.

In addition, John is marketing a series he has conceived on “True Blood Suckers,” which is under consideration by cable networks. I have seen the trailer, and the look is edgy, inviting – and substantial in terms of delivery of both entertainment and information. Best of luck to you John!

GetFanged.Com, of which I am a member, has changed its name to DarkMediaCity.com to reflect its broader coverage beyond vampires. It’s a great social networking site for anyone interested in the paranormal, as well as vampires, werewolves and the spookier side of strange.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DEMONS & DEMONOLOGY REVIEW

Posted on the Internet on May 6, 2011 by SodiumPentothal
Reposted with permission

Having never picked up any of Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s work, I was leery about jumping on board with this one. Demonology is a vast but bizarrely specialized subject. So many would be “encyclopedias” tend to leave out cultures, types of demons, or aspects of history and teachings that are vital to the myths of what demons have become today.

I was terribly wrong. This particular volume is probably the most highly detailed I have come across. It talks about the names and origins of particular demons, cultures they’ve sprung from and is rich with information. The author has taken a wide look at demons and creatures that have been considered demons to bring a comprehensive and cohesive volume that can be understood by anyone. Come across a term you don’t understand while reading The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology? Why not look it up in The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology?

(Review is posted at http://zombieslam.com/2011/05/the-encyclopedia-of-demons-and-demonology-by-rosemary-ellen-guiley/)

Autographed copies are available in my bookshop at http://wwww.visionaryliving.com/shop

JUNE HIGHLIGHTS
My major event coming up is Troy Taylor’s annual Haunted America Midwest conference June 10-11 in Jacksonville, Illinois. This is the first year at this location; Troy moved the venue from Decatur, IL, where the conference has been held for a number of years. I’m looking forward to exploring some new haunted territory there in the “extras” events. My presentation will be on the Djinn.

I have participated in many of Troy’s conferences, and they are among the best in the paranormal field. For more information and registration, go to http://www.prairieghosts.com/

This summer I will be out in the field quite a bit doing research for several projects, including my book on West Virginia monsters. Consequently, I will not be making many personal or media appearances. I am also preparing more titles for release on Kindle.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN ZAFFIS!
My dear friend and colleague John Zaffis, the leading authority in demonology and negative hauntings, has been out on the road since April filming for his first television series, “The Haunted Collector,” debuting this month on the Syfy Channel. Johnny has appeared in numerous documentaries and shows, but this is his own baby. And it’s about time! John is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced persons in the paranormal. Finally, we are getting a new show starring a real expert!

See you on down the paranormal road…

Rosemary