R.A. Salvatore, best-selling fantasy author, co-founder 38 Studios: If we're talking about the work of other authors, it would have to be “The Hobbit” (by J.R.R. Tolkien). I read it during a blizzard in 1978 and it was the first time since my childhood that I actually read a book for enjoyment. School had all but beaten the love of reading out of me by that point, but Tolkien gave it back. That book made me want to read again, and eventually led me to write.

For my own work, “Mortalis,” the fourth book of my DemonWars series, changed my perspective, or rather, I was writing it while I was going through a great change of perspective. My brother, my best friend in the world, was dying of cancer while I was at work on that book, which happens to be about grief. It was very cathartic, for sure, but the truth is, I haven't even had the guts to go back and read it, these eight years later.

The story gets even more compelling for me, more introspective. With that book, I finally got to work with my dead friend, Keith Parkinson. I consider him to be one of the greatest artists the fantasy genre has ever known. The work he did on “Mortalis” touched me deeply, because I saw within Brother Francis, my brother, and the woman, Jilseponie, standing behind him very much resembles both my sister-in-law and my wife. The painting hangs in my office at 38 Studios and I can't look at it without thinking of my brother, about what he went through, about our discussions, knowing what was coming. Also, we lost Keith to cancer, way too young (he was around the same age as my brother when my brother died).

I can't look at that painting without being reminded of making the most of every day, because you just never know what's coming.

Elizabeth Miller, scholar and Dracula expert: I would have to say “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. It opened up for me an entirely new field of study and research. During the course of those activities, I have traveled widely, lectured at many universities and other venues, and met some fascinating people.

Nigel Patterson, president of the Elvis Information Network (EIN): “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. In my early 20’s I just couldn’t get enough of this book. I read it and re-read it several times. Its message of positive thinking and not limiting one’s self was just what I needed at the time and helped shape my thinking into something more balanced and forward focused.

Steve Almond, author of “(Not that You Asked) Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions”: “Slaughterhouse Five” (by Kurt Vonnegut). Good God, there's not a more seditious book you could read in this age of pointless, feelingless violence. It was like someone blew up some love dynamite in my skull.

Jessica Fox-Wilson, poet and blogger (“9 to 5 Poet”): The book that has changed my perspective the most was “The Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. I was 16 when I read it, when my English teacher assigned it to me because I had already read the assigned "African American Literature" in our class at my last high school. This was the first book that really opened my eyes to the racial politics in the U.S. After reading it, I knew I would never be able to look at racism or living with difference in the same way again.

Jeff Belanger, author and founder of GhostVillage: “Boy” by Roald Dahl -- the autobiography of his childhood. Roald Dahl is my literary hero. “Boy” taught me that there is a good story around every corner, under every rock, and certainly within every chocolate bar -- sometimes you just have to stand on your head to see it.

Dave H. Schleicher, blogger and author of “The Thief Maker”: I was required to read Toni Morrison's “Jazz” for an African American Literature course during my second year of college. It was the first bit of serious literary fiction that I took to task reading seriously. It opened my eyes to the fact that I didn't need to write just genre fiction. I could attempt something more artistic, more stylish, and more ambitious with my own writing. The book had a profoundly haunting effect on me because of the style in which it was written, and it opened my imagination to possibilities I hadn't previously considered.

Paul Sinclair, lead singer of Get the Led Out: It's an interesting question because until a few years ago I don't believe ANY book had ever changed my perspective on life.

This one truly fits the bill though, “The Power of Intention” by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. I've always had an interest in self improvement and spirituality. I've also always been a real logic-driven person. My more science-minded approach to things has always prevented me from going too far down the religious path. In “The Power of Intention” Dr. Dyer sort of melds the two. With stories, humor and science (sometimes basic quantum physics, but don't be scared) he describes what I've come to believe are concrete laws in our universe. The way I view the world and go after achieving my goals has changed so dramatically for the positive I can't begin to explain. Some of the concepts in this book are fairly obvious, others not so. Maybe it's Dr. Dyer's humor? Maybe it's the balance of science and god? Or maybe it was just the right time in my life for me to hear it, but something clicked.

I'll just give one example of the kind of thing that really drew me in to this book. Dr. Dyer tells a story about a young woman driving on her way to work and approaches a toll booth. The toll taker says “Go on through, the man ahead of you paid your toll.” “There must be some mistake; I don't know that man," said the young woman very confused. The toll taker explained, “The man said to tell the next person that came through to have a nice day.” The woman was so moved by this random act of kindness that she decided she would do this same thing every day on her way to work, “after all it's only 25 cents.”

Dr. Dyer goes on to explain how acts of kindness raise endorphin levels in the body and in turn strengthen your immune system. Also, not only does this benefit the person receiving the act of kindness, but the person performing it and those observing it as well. You can see how far reaching this can be from one thoughtful, random act.

It's this kind of thinking where the age old “do unto others” mantra is proven to have real, quantifiable health benefits that had me wanting to delve even further. It's hard for me to write this without feeling like I'm coming off too new age. I'm a guy who's always looking for a witty, sarcastic punch line in every conversation. Life to me can seem at times like a series of SNL skits; particularly where religion and spirituality are concerned.

So, no, I haven't “found god.” No, I won't be taking flying lessons with no interest in learning to land... and no, I won't be found naked in a field preparing for the mother ship anytime soon. However, “The Power of Intention” is a good read and if you approach it with an open mind... who knows?

Books as a Time Machine

Labels: books, dave Schleicher, Elizabeth Miller, Harry Bliss, Jeff Belanger, Jessica Fox-Wilson, Nigel Patterson, Paul Sinclair, R.A. Salvatore, reading, Steve Almond

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An Interview With Ghost Expert Jeff Belanger

(Some people believe in ghosts. Some people also believe in Bigfoot, space aliens and compassionate Republicans. What can we say? DaRK PaRTY can understand the allure of the supernatural – we just draw the line at believing in it. Paranormal Investigator Jeff Belanger, however, draws no such line and by his own account has led a very haunted life. He’s been fascinated with the supernatural since childhood when he investigated his first haunted house during a sleepover. He’s the founder of Ghostvillage.com, a repository for his writings and research on the subject of the supernatural. The site has grown to become one of the largest paranormal communities on the Web, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. Jeff is the author of seven books including, “The World’s Most Haunted Places” and “Our Haunted Lives.” His latest book is “The Ghost Files.” Since its Halloween, we wanted to talk to Jeff about ghosts and, despite his busy schedule this time of year, he graciously consented.)

DaRK PaRTY: Do you believe in ghosts?

Jeff: Absolutely. Without any doubt whatsoever.

DP: What do you think ghosts are? Where are they in relation to the rest of us?

Jeff: That’s the real question. And I’m sorry to say that I’m just not sure. But I do know that ghosts are perceived as real by millions of eyewitnesses from all walks of life. They exist in religious texts, sometimes in history books, oral traditions are full of them, there’s a word for “ghost” in every language, and beyond the word, there’s an archetypal understanding of the concept.

There are several predominant theories as to what these specters are. One is that they are a discarnate soul—the person died and is still hanging around our plane of existence for whatever reason. Another theory suggests that in some cases, ghosts are merely an impression left on a location. For example, a witness may visit an historic battlefield and see a regiment of soldiers march across the field and then disappear. It’s not likely that this was a group of souls, but rather it was an event that took place at this location at some point in time and for some reason, some people are able to tune in to the event and witness it in the present-day. The soldiers aren’t intelligent or interactive; they just march over and over like a movie reel. Beyond that, the theories get more complicated and into the realm of quantum physics (which has postulated that time isn’t necessarily linear in all cases), or into the field of parapsychology which suggests that certain events like a poltergeist may be caused by living through some as-yet-unexplained power of the mind. In these cases, the witness may not even be aware that they are the cause.

From interviewing well over a thousand people about their ghost experiences, I’ve learned that ghosts are many things to many people. For some, it’s a supernatural sign of life after death. For others, it’s some kind of demonic warning. And then there are some cases where they just are -- meaning there didn’t seem to be a message or purpose, yet the phenomenon was witnessed and reported.

DP: Why do you think some places are haunted by ghosts and other places are not?

Jeff: There’s two parts to any haunting. There’s the location and whatever events (most often tragic events) occurred there in the past, and then there’s the living human witness. If there’s history (i.e., back story), and a witness who may be more sensitive to picking up on these supernatural things, then a legend will be born. Once others hear that a place is haunted, they focus on the subtleties of the environment and then more people start to experience unexplained phenomena. Once you have multiple witnesses over a period of time reporting similar events, the location will get a haunted reputation.

DP: Why do you think people are so fascinated by ghosts?

Jeff: Ghosts answer the big questions: Is there life after death? Every one of us is going to die someday, and just about all of us is curious as to what comes next. Various religions have their theories, but we don’t really know for sure. Ghosts are the least common denominator of spirituality. When a person sees what they perceive to be a ghost or spirit, that big question is answered for the individual. The answer is: something happens. There’s comfort in that.

Plus, ghosts are titillating, they’re beyond our normal understanding of how the world works, and people love a good mystery. Ghosts speak to something primal and magical deep inside us all.

DP: Can you tell us about Ghostvillage.com. What is the site hoping to accomplish?

Jeff: Ghostvillage.com is a Web site I started back in 1999—on a dark and stormy night just like this one… At first, the site was just six little Web pages that included two haunted places articles I had written for a newspaper I was working for back in the mid-1990s. On the home page I put a message that said, “Tell us about your ghost experiences.”

And the site exploded from there. Today there are more than 150,000 pages of content and the site receives between 6 and 10 million hits per month. We have people contributing articles and stories from all over the globe. The objective of the site is the same today as it was back in 1999: to promote the discussion and research of all things supernatural. It’s an open forum for people to share their thoughts and ideas and realize that they’re not alone.

Labels: 5 Questions, Ghosts, Horror, interview, Jeff Belanger

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