Yeah yeah yeah! Who loves scary stuff? We all do, right? I know I do. And not just the fake scary stuff. I’ve been interested in the paranormal for as long as I can remember–not in a “dedicating my life to the search for the truth” sort of way, but more in a “this is fascinating, exciting and fun” sort of way.

As a journalist, I always pitched a ton of stories about creepy local spots, weird stories of the unexplained and the like; the weeks leading up to Halloween are always my favorite because I could always work in at least a couple of stories about the supernatural, like whether or not St. Pete resident Mary Hardy Reeser died of spontaneous human combustion, or maybe even spend the night in one of Tampa’s most haunted locations.

So when I semi-retired from full-time journalism, I decided to take on a fun project, just for me. Paranormal Florida: Shadows of the Sunshine State is that project–a rundown of some of Florida’s most interesting lore, from the skunk ape to some of its most infamous haunted hotspots. It was a real pleasure to put together, and hopefully you’ll have fun reading it, and find something you didn’t know about, or maybe even a spoopy place to visit sometime.