• Hauntings, Part 1

    In honor of Halloween, I have been asked to talk about hauntings. The primary reason why I have been asked as opposed to others is that I have worked in the past as a paranormal investigator. I first need to qualify this with a few facts: I am a skeptic. Always have been, always will be. I believe that science and hard evidence is more important than gut feelings and stories (which is ironic as I am primarily a fantasy author). Additionally, there are certain things that I am simply not comfortable discussing in open forum, so there are some things that I am straight up not going to talk…

  • ST COLUMBA AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

    Columba was newly converted to Christianity when he was partly responsible for the Battle of Culdrebene. Thousands of people lost their lives so he sailed to Britain repentant and founded a monastery at Iona. He travelled all across northern Britain spreading Christianity. His life as a saint was documented by adamnan where he gives what is possibly the first ever recorded sighting of The Loch Ness Monster.This is his account; Whilst travelling across Scotland Columba had to cross Loch Ness. While waiting to cross he came upon some locals who were carrying a man who had been bitten by a water monster. His body had been pulled from the lake…

  • DRUIDS

    Ah the druids. For most, the very name conjures images of white-robed, long bearded pale guys with a “special” relationship with nature and a penchant for speaking in riddles and cryptic messages. Dark druids who chant around purple bonfires at midnight and sacrifice babies on an altar of antlers and bone…. Okay, I totally ripped that last one from a D&D game I played once, but lets face facts, it was meant to be allegorical. Druids get a bad rap overall and I totally don’t think that is fair. What follows are a series of theories based on new(ish) archeological research and speculation by people smarter than me, because the…

  • The Search for Alfred the Great’s Tomb

    The only monarch in English history to bestowed the title “the Great” was Alfred of Wessex. Born to King Aethelwulf and his wife Osburh at Wantage in 849 CE, Alfred as the fifth and youngest son, was never intended to be king. His intelligence and love of learning was well documented. There is story in Bishop Asser’s biography of Alfred of his mother offering a book of Saxon poetry to the first of her children to memorize it. Despite being the youngest, Alfred won. He placed much importance on education, setting up schools and promoting literacy despite more pressing concerns. However, Alfred was born into tumultuous times. Viking raids were…

  • MALLEUS MALEFICARUM

    Okay, I am an open-minded guy. I really am. I accept all faiths, creeds, races, religions, sexual-orientations, and firmly believe in their right to practice their beliefs in whatever manner they see fit so long as it 1) Does not hurt people; 2) does not hurt animals; and 3) I am not actively told I am wrong for not believing in it. But I have to say that there is very little more… evocative than the title of this book. In three different languages, it draws on the imagination like an insane zealous Teutonic preacher etching his initials in blood on the pages of history. I mean, the Latin is…