Blog of the Bizarre

Bigfoot and Beer

Varla Ventura — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:54:00 +0000

If you are intrigued by Bigfoot, or a fan of beer, or really just need some cash, you are in luck. The Olympia Brewing Company, based in Olympia, Washington is offering a reward of $1,000,000 for the capture and SAFE return of Bigfoot.

According to their website:

Olympia Beer and Bigfoot have been leaving footprints together in the Pacific Northwest since 1896.

We have been sharing the same backyard for over a century and we believe it’s time to do what has never been done, and that is to offer a one million dollar reward to anyone who can ensure the safe capture of Bigfoot. When we say safe capture that means Bigfoot has to be alive and breathing folks, with no wounds. That’s right you can’t use any act of violence, no guns/knives/boxing gloves/nets/etc, only sugar or sweets to lure him in.

You must register to participate in the search. To report your discovery of irrefutable evidence of the existence of Bigfoot, click on the “Submit Capture Report” link on the left and follow the instructions to report your evidence. You participation in the search is subject to the complete Official Rules.

Click here to enter read more and enter the contest!

Bigfoot Contest

Sasquatch on!

Calling all Vampires!

Varla Ventura — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:50:52 +0000

Perhaps the most enticing and desperately attractive creature of the supernatural realm, ask some folks and they will tell you vampires are quite real. And there are often more to them than meets the eye. So whether you’ve had your blood drawn, your energy drained, had an odd encounter with a bat, or self-identify as a vamprie (or vampyre) I want to hear from you. I’d like some first-hand accounts for my forthcoming (October of 2013) book Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night. Send me your encounters at varlaventura AT gmail.com.

(I’ll contact you for permission if I want to put your story in my book.)

Calling all Werewolves!

Varla Ventura — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:43:22 +0000

Lycanthropy is a clinical disease, one in which a supposedly deranged individual “imagines” that they are a werewolf. And according to Sabine Baring Gould, everyone of us has the potential to be a werewolf–we all have a primal, uncontrolled element to us that manifests in some people as madnees, others as cravings, and others as murder. Not quite as “sexy” as the vampire, werewolves have an element of the pathetic and loyal dog, so often seeming to be animals without choice. In many stories the werewolf tries desperately to hide who he is, attempting to protect the ones he loves from his own animal-urges.

Have you encountered a werewolf or seen a were-creature?

I want to know! I’d like to include your first-hand account in my forthcoming book, Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night. Email me at varlaventura AT gmail.com. I’ll contact you if I’d like to include your story in my collection.

Calling all Banshees!

Varla Ventura — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:25:16 +0000

Banshees are among the most feared creatures of the fairy and supernatural realm, and this may be in part to the sympathies they invoke when you hear their wailing. You could easily be lured into the dark of night, hoping to help the pathetic creature who sounds as if she is in mourning. Some tales recount that banshees are the ghosts of women who have died in childbirth; others say they are the restless sprits of unrequited lovers.

It is common for families to inherit the banshee, who arrives time and time again to warn of an impending death.

To quote Raymond Buckland from his book The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts:

“It has been said that a banshee is really the disembodied soul of someone who once lived and was attached to the family in some way. It depends upon the relationship that the banshee had with the dying family member as to how the banshee announces his or her coming death. If the person about to die was of a gentle, kind disposition, then the banshee will appear and sing soft songs of warning, summoning the person to death. But if the person destined to die was of a hateful disposition, then the banshee will make her announcement with horrible cries and screams.”

Have you ever seen or heard a banshee? I want your first-hand accounts for my upcoming book, Banshees, Werewovles, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night (Weiser Books, October 2013).

Contact me at varlaventura AT gmail.com (you know how to actually type that, right?) and let me know what creepy creatures you’ve encountered.

International Paranormal Reporting Group Interview

Varla Ventura — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:42:46 +0000

Greetings Ghouls!

Want to hear some freaky stuff while digesting your big Sunday meal? Join me with hosts Marie Cuff and Shane Anderson as we talk about the paranormal, including ghostly encounters, TONIGHT at 7pm PST, March 24th.

Click the link below to listen live!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/iprg

Paranormal Odyssey

Varla Ventura — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:27:10 +0000

A super fun interview with Paranormal Odyssey Podcast, now available for download HERE. Here’s what the hosts had to say about it.

Author Varla Ventura takes the stage on the Paranormal Odyssey Podcast, and scares the shit out of us with tales of Werewolves, Irish monsters, and Banshees. Keep the lights on when you listen to this one! The Mighty Ants Lipanovic takes the center seat on this one!

http://paranormalodyssey.podomatic.com/entry/2013-03-20T05_01_23-07_00

Zombies of Miami (Bath Salts Strike Again)

Varla Ventura — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:47:10 +0000

On a Miami, Florida off-ramp, a completely naked man attacked a homeless man with a ferociousness that makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre look mild. The attacker began tearing away at the victim’s face, biting with his mouth, and then eating the chunks of flesh he tore off. Though the police and hospital are not confirming, the attacker is believed to be under the influence of bath salts–and not the kind that soak your cares away. Bath Salts are an amphetamine, and this is not the first time the drug has lead to zombie-like behavior.

Users snort, smoke, or inject the amphetamine, which can lead to extreme reactions including severe hallucinations. Reports of bizarre and extreme crimes while under the influence continue to flood the news. A man slayed a goat while wearing women’s underwear, a couple repeatedly called 911 to report a non-existent intruder, and more than one person has exhibited the urge to eat another persons flesh!

I don’t think this is quite what Vincent Price was expecting as The Last Man on Earth. But then, who ever said the apocalypse would be predictable? (Oh wait…)

Me, victim of a zombie encounter or just up all night?

Chickens, Yes! Goblins, No! Or yes, really.

Varla Ventura — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:21:57 +0000

My good pal Reginald Bakeley’s book Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop, is up for a PRIZE. And he’s made today’s UK Telegraph because of it. The Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, has announced its shortlist of books. Goblinproofing joins How Tea Cosies Changed the World and Was Hitler Ill? as contenders.

Please click the following link and vote for Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop, and ask your friends, family, and lovers to join the campaign!

http://www.welovethisbook.com/diagram-prize-2013

Click here to read the full article and see the most amazing juxtaposition in the history of publishing.

You can also read my review of Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop and a Q&A with dear old Reginald.

I Am an Android

Varla Ventura — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:50:43 +0000

And I’m a tablet, and an iPad and all kinds of other robotic things.

Freaky stories available now as apps for your devices! Including awesome bonus things like interviews with me!

My publisher just released the following information:

Dare to explore the dark side with this superbly disquieting collection of tales featured in our Paranormal Parlor, Magical Creatures, and Antiquarian Curiosity Shoppe apps! Now available in iTunes, Android, and soon for Kindle tablets.

Enjoy this compendium of hauntings, seances, psychic investigations, magic, trickery, and more…at a great price!

Download the free BiblioBoard app for access to our anthologies.

For iTunes click https://service.biblioboard.com/featuredContent/refer/SEO/APPID-00000000483/Tp

For Android click https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.biblioboard

Houses of Horror on Huffington Post

Varla Ventura — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:35:28 +0000

All you fans of American Horror Story, haunted houses, and weird news should enjoy my latest article on Huffington Post.

Click HERE to read it.