Calling All Mermaids

Have you ever seen a mermaid? Do you know someone who has? Do you have a family legend or terrifying (or delightful tale) that involves a sea creature, a mermaid, or a magical creature relative to the mermaid? Or perhaps you know a real-life mermaid and/or you can hold your breath for a really long time under water? If any of these questions have sparked your imagination or memories send them to me at varlaventura@gmail.com and I may include them in my next book. Note: I am NOT looking for lengthy fiction submissions. This is a collection of facts and folklore, so your great grandmother’s Irish tale is a yes, but your own romantic short-story is a no. I’d love actual encounters with the merfolk–I know they are out there!!!  This includes your first-hand account of the giant squid! And watch here for more details on the forthcoming new book on mermaids–a real print book!! If I pick your story you’ll be notified and receive a signed copy of the book when it comes out in the Spring of 2013.

Haunted Dorms

I just returned from a lengthy week off-the-grid at my sister’s place, where I spent evenings looking into the starry abyss (for UFOs, of course!) and days swimming in the murky lake straight out of Stephen King’s short story The Raft. The lake was once a blown out sinkhole caused by a mining explosion, and it even has a “plug” at the bottom that leads to an underground shaft. When we were young there was actually a raft floating in the middle of the lake, with a big chain attached to the bottom, that we would swim out to. Until the summer we read that short-story. After that, my sister refused to swim there and I was left swimming out on my own–much more boring. It is murky, icky, oozy, deep blue, icy-cold and completely isolated. In short, it was great! The perfect place for a grown-up-goth to spend her summer days.

Anyway, I got back and had a fun email in my inbox from a reader of my post about haunted places (5 Haunted Places I’d Love to Stay the Night)with a link to an article about some haunted college dorms.

Check it out! I know there are probably hundreds more out there, too!

http://www.thebestdegrees.org/7-college-dorms-that-are-allegedly-haunted/

Big thanks to Crystal for sending this article. And for all you freaks out there, feel free to email me your own freaky stories and links at varlaventura@gmail.com. I will try and post them, and who knows, you might just make it into my next book!

Coffin Box

Hello fabulous friends of the freakery that abounds!!

I wanted to share with you what the lucky winner of the Bizarre Giveaway contest is receiving. (If this is you, don’t look!) I was meant to send this out last week BUT I KNEW I had to find this hard-to-find box for the goodies. I finally managed to scare it up and I think it is well worth the wait.

The spoils include a mini pine cofffin packed with skeletal goodness.

THE BIZARRE BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

Okay fellow connoisseurs of the curious and fans of the freaktacular, the winner for the Bizarre Giveaway has been chosen (at random using a very complicated system of bibliomancy that my niece, Vivienne, imposed upon me).

So drum roll please…

And the winner of my BIZARRE GIVEAWAY is…

Aphrodisiastes Le Fay!!! Please e-mail varlaventura@gmail.com with your mailing address and indicating how you would like me to sign your copies of THE BOOK OF THE BIZARRE and BEYOND BIZARRE so I can send you your prize!

Aphrodisiastes Le Fay was actually one of the last few entrants in the contest, I’m so glad she decided to sneak in there before the deadline and am very excited to be sending along her BIZARRE giveaway prize. Thanks everyone for participating, all your comments about Magical Creatures were wonderful, creative, and might inspire another book in the near future… Stay tuned for a photo of the winner’s prize before I mail it and of course: MORE GIVEAWAYS TO COME!

Varla Ventura