By Rick Hinton
I like a good book! I enjoy the feel of of its cover and the crisp pages that follow; and especially one from a local Indiana author or a writer with ties to the Hoosier state. I do realize there are those readers who embrace a Nook or Kindle… that’s ok. However, I’m old fashioned. I love the act of physically turning a page, or the smell of type that only comes from a newly-purchased book. Books: I have a few (ask my wife). There are many favorites that will continue to hold resident spots on
my bookshelves; and not all deal solely with the paranormal. Yet, there are many that harbor its implications. These are just a few:
Nicole Kobrowski:
I may be a little biased as she is a friend, haunted tour operator and lecturer. She has written some excellent books – historical included – yet, many more on the subject of paranormal oddities in Indiana: Ghosts of Madison County, Haunted Backroads: Ghosts of Westfield, Haunted Backroads: Central Indiana, Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana (this has it all!), Fractured Intentions: A History of Central State Hospital for the Insane (the best definitive history I have read), She Sleeps Well: The Extraordinary Life and Murder of Dr. Helene Elise Hermine Knabe and the latest, Haunted Nightscares: An Adult Paranormal Coloring Book.
The grounds of Central State has long been rumored to have ghostly activity. And, the downtown location of Dr. Knabe’s brutal murder still stands today, seemingly oblivious to traffic rolling by, yet seemingly still resonating with echoes from the past.
Alan Hunter:
Alan is also a long time friend. A former teacher and baseball coach, he now pursues his love of historical folklore in many guises. His passion for the Gettysburg battlefield (he’s the man to take a tour with there) and Abraham Lincoln almost consume him, yet he continues to find time each October to lead the annual Irvington Ghost Walks, road trip with his wife Rhonda for antiques, and write a weekly column for the east side based Weekly View. His books include: Indianapolis
Haunts, Bumps in the Night: Stories from the Weekly View (a compilation of his weekly articles), The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection (serial killer H.H. Holmes and his last hurrah in Irvington, of which Alan has a few artifacts) and a series of books dealing with haunted Irvington, usually given out on his October tours. On a non-paranormal note, he co-authored a historical expose – Indiana’s Historical National Road (U.S. 40) and recently completed The Peterson House: The Oldroyd Museum and the House Where Lincoln Died.
Alan has fueled my fire for Gettysburg, and now Oldroyd and his connection with Lincoln. I always look forward to our Gettysburg adventures.
Robert Craig:
Roberts first fiction novel The Innocent and the Dead, for which I wrote the foreword, deals with the downside of the history of a house taking on a life of its own, and its effect upon the occupants. His publisher is also mine. As a paranormal investigator, this is all too real. The book is a great first venture!
Have I written a book? Yes, three of them, but that’s not important now. There are a few more authors I’d like to introduce to you. …
