Originally developed as a training manual for the Virginia Society of Paranormal Education and Research (VASPER), this guide is now available to all beginners and would-be ghost-hunters hoping to capture evidence of the supernatural for themselves. The book takes a step-by-step approach and teaches readers the fundamentals of planning investigations, researching haunted locations, collecting data in the field, and analyzing that data following an investigation. Topics covered include: interviewing witnesses, surveying a site, safety tips, investigation etiquette, data analysis, and advising clients of your findings. A handy resource section features sample interview questions, a Site Access Agreement, an Investigation Activity Log, and a collection of recommended websites to keep readers informed of current events in the world of paranormal research.
Beth Brown's creative career began not with writing, but with visual art and illustration. This probably explains why she still prefers to write with a paper and pen.
Beth turned her focus toward words after learning that the history and legends she had been researching as a hobby were quickly slipping away with the previous generation. Her non-fiction books became a mission to preserve the events of the past while making them fun and entertaining for modern readers. She managed this by pairing her love of history with another passion - the search for ghosts.
Beth began investigating the paranormal in 1989 when a mentor sent her to interview the owners of a 250-year old home practically overflowing with ghosts. Photographs and audio recordings made that day ignited her curiosity about life after death and set the wheels in motion for two decades of research. That cumulative study eventually led to the publication of "Haunted Battlefields", the first of Beth's books about survival of the human spirit.
A passionate supporter of the DIY arts movement, Beth founded the publishing house Iron Cauldron Books in 2007. The company's goal is to provide a publishing outlet for writers of "fringe" topics without having the artistic merit of their work altered to suit the market. Iron Cauldron Books is scheduled to release six new titles in 2011.
