Today in Paranormal Week, we sit down with Theresa Bane, author of Haunted Historic Greensboro:

IFP: Tell us about your latest book, Haunted Historic Greensboro. How did you become involved in writing about local ghost stories?

TB: Haunted Historic Greensboro is one of Schiffer’s “Haunted City Books”. I was approached by Editor Dinah Roseberry at HorrorFind Weekend about the project. She had heard of me through a mutual friend, author Pamela Kinney. I told Dinah that I was more of a historical non-fiction author than a ghosttracker or mythbuster, but she promised me that I could take any angle I wanted when writing the book. I accepted the project and set about the task of visiting all of the historic locations in the city of Greensboro, NC that are also alleged to be haunted. Before writing the book, I had never heard of a single ghost story originating from the area. I also had no idea how historic a place the city was.

IFP: Why write about Greensboro? What is special about its history?

TB: There is a great deal of important and relevant historical events that took place in the city of Greensboro, NC that sculpted our country out in the early days of its development and so many people know nothing about it. For instance, the Battle of Guildford County Courthouse was fought between American Revolutionaries and the British. Although the battle was lost, it is what allowed General George Washington to win America its independence from the British. The movie, The Patriot, was sort of a retelling of the event. The “Woolworth’s Sit-In” happened here. It’s the gateway city to the largest zoo in the country. There is a phantom hitchhiker and the world’s worst gravity hill.

IFP: How do you research your stories?

TB: The research is my favourite part of a project. For Haunted Historic Greensboro, I sent a call out to the folks who live in the city to share their ghost stories with me by appearing on local TV and radio shows. I received a lot of e-mails and began by visiting the places that were said to be haunted that were also historically relevant. Because many of the places are businesses or national landmarks, it’s important to be respectful of not only the location but of the people who work there and the business that is somebody’s livelihood. I would always call ahead and make an appointment to speak with someone there at their leisure, making sure it would also be OK to take flash photography. When interviewing people, I never discredited anything they said or believed because that was not the intent of my book. HHG is all about recording and preserving history, and if a place is haunted, that is part of a place’s history too.

After interviews and photos, I hit the books. The history of the location has to be completely understood so that I can write it succinctly and efficiently for the book while making it interesting and enjoyable to read. It’s important to remember that the sources you cite for your book are very important. If you want to be considered a serious researcher, never use unreliable sources such as Wikipedia. Although Wiki has improved over the years and is, generally speaking, accurate, it is still suffering from the stigma it had back in the early days. Although Wiki tries to verify its entries, it’s never going be a wholly reliable source because anyone can edit pages. The internet can, however, be used as a directional tool. Although there are creditable sites out there, it may be impossible to tell if they are legitimate or not if you do not first already know your history.

IFP: What did you find out about the history of the Carolinas while doing your research?

TB: North Carolina has a lot of history to it. I don’t know why the state does not promote it and utilize its natural resources that encourage learning. There is so much more to this beautiful state than golf and NASCAR.

IFP: Are there any patterns to the stories that you’ve unearthed?

TB: In regards to Greensboro, the ghosts that are reported at the location of the Battle of Guilford County Courthouse seem to be the most frequent and manifest very clearly. The park is small compared to the size of the original battlefield. There are many other haunted places in Greensboro and a lot of them are at locations that were once part of the original battlefield. For such a brief battle, it was incredibly intense and violent.

IFP: What is the creepiest or most unusual ghost story that you have found?

TB: Truly, the creepiest and most scared I ever was while doing research for the book was while my assistant, Skuttles, and I were at a private residence to look into a ghost story. I think it is important to let folks know that it is ALWAYS a bad idea to go to a stranger’s home just because that person answered an ad for ghost stories you posted on CraigsList. You especially should not go into what looks to be an abandoned building in an isolated part of town with said stranger. Skuttles and I both had a bad feeling about the man and the location. Ghosts and vampires may not be real, but that is not to say that there are not monsters out there. We decided that, since we were not 100% comfortable with the environment and the situation, we left.

Likewise, when we went to Lydia’s Bridge, Skuttles and I were a bit scared. Although we went during the day and did not expect to see Lydia, the bridge where the poor girl died is a bit off the road, completely invisible if you’re not actively looking for it, and used as a hangout or camp for who knows who.

I suppose that Skuttles and I were in the most danger when we went to the Devil’s Tramping Ground. It was summer, the grass was high and we were deep into rattlesnake country – a long drive to any place that could give us medical attention should one of us have been bitten.

IFP: Do you run into many supernatural stories about things that aren’t ghosts?

TB: The Vampire Beast of Greensboro. This is a creature: some call it an ABC (Alien Big Cat, “alien” in the sense that it means “foreign” to the region”); some think it’s a type of cryptozoological creature. Most people I spoke to believe that the “vampire beast” is a cougar. The problem with any of these ideas is that the State of NC Wildlife Resources has declared that there no mountain lions in the state and have not been in many years. I called and asked what year the absence of mountain lions became official and no one was able to give me a year, the name of the person who made that decision official, or really any other specifics about it. They also do not have an official opinion as to what is killing livestock, draining the bodies of blood and leaving bodies with all the soft organs intact. Definitely not a ghost, but it also does not sound wholly like cougar attacks either.

IFP: Has your research made you more or less likely to believe in the supernatural?

TB: Research will only get you so far; at some point you have to leave the library, go into the field and experience what you are writing about. There are so many people who have had supernatural experiences and have witnessed paranormal events. Research does not prove or disprove if a thing is real. It only proves that a thing has been well-documented.

IFP: Tell us about your other two books, Actual Factual: Dracula and Bloodthirsty Weasels. What motivated you to write them?

TB: When you are trying to break into publishing, you’ll do just about anything. At the time, NeDeo Press was looking for a humour book, so that is what I wrote. After the book was published and selling, I was able to get my vampire book, Actual Factual Dracula, into the right hands. The Bloodthirsty Weasels: On the Loose and Buckwild is a dark humour book. It’s a cartoon book, where The Far Side meets Charles Addams. The Weasels pokes fun at society, pointing out things that are wrong but in a humourous way. It was reviewed by Orson Scott Card in his “Uncle Orson Reviews” column a while back. Mr. Card liked it, pointing out specific ‘toons he likes. He also mentioned the ones he thought I went too far with and totally lampooned my old website. To his credit, he was right on all accounts. I took all his advice to heart, especially the web site.

Actual Factual Dracula: A Compendium of Vampires is a historical non-fiction reference book where I catalogue over 900 different species of historical and mythological vampires in an easy-to-read field guide format. Once upon a time, I had fancied that I was going to write a trilogy of vampire fiction, but wanted my vamps to be different than what everyone before me did. A little bit of research turned into a lot of research and soon, I had an incredible wealth of knowledge. I presented the idea to a publisher and they said to run with it.

My next book, due out in 2010 and published through McFarland, is entitled Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. Writing an encyclopedia of vampire myth and lore just seemed to be the next natural step after having written the field guide.

IFP: What is your favorite Lovecraft/Mythos story?

TB: “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” is my favourite Lovecraft story. I love the way the story is written, very British. There’s a sort casualness to it, written so matter-of-factly, as if the man’s ever-increasing madness was of only some idle, passing concern.

IFP: If you could be a Lovecraft/Mythos monster, which one would you be?

TB: Wow, that is a frightening question. They are all so horrific and evil and nasty in their own right. Dagon. At least he has beachfront property; that’s important to me.

IFP: What other projects have you done in the past?

TB: I have appeared on Discovery Channel, talking about vampires on one of their shows, Twisted History: Vampires. I was just interviewed for a special by E! on vampires. The working title is Love Bites: Why Vampires Are So Popular in the Media.

I’m currently a beta reader for Jim Butcher, a job I love a great deal!

I alpha and beta test RPGs for Scaldcrow Games.

Buzzy Multi Media also hires me to write blogs for them, and I really enjoy doing that. For Buzzy, I wrote mostly about vampires, the Dresden verse and gaming. However, from time to time, I get a different topic (”What makes a t-shirt funny” and “How to tell if your clothes are dirty”).

IFP: What artistic accomplishment are you the most proud of in your career so far?

TB: Haunted Historic Greensboro was the first I book I wrote because a publishing company approached me. I will always be especially proud of that.

The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology is the first book that I have written for McFarland, an academic publisher. My work will be seen by a completely new audience. That is very exciting to me, as well, especially because of McFarland’s high standard of academic excellence.

In high school, I won first place in a photography contest with a portrait of my father. I also won Best in Show with a stippled 24×36 portrait of Adam Ant. I used to be something of an artist.

IFP: Please tell us about your upcoming projects.

TB: I have a pretty full plate right now. I think its time I get an agent or a manager, or both.

With Cynthia Brow, I am working on a book of the folk tales of the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

With John Zaffis, I am writing a book that documents a case of demonic possession that he worked on for two years.

I am writing Actual Factual Demons: A Grimoir of the Damned. It does not have a publisher yet, but it keeps me busy. When it’s finished, I may shop it around, or not.

McFarland is interested in a demonic encyclopedia as well, to follow up the vampire encyclopedia.

IFP: What is your dream project?

TB: To co-author a series of fictional vampire books with my favourite authors. Each book would have a different author and me working together, progressing the storyline and developing the characters. In no particular order, those folks are: Jim Butcher, Emily Bronte, Stella Gibbons, Jacqueline Susan, H.P. Lovecraft , Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Pamela Kinney, E.A. Poe, Gina Farargo, Thomas P. Costaine, Walter Farley, F.M. Busby, and Dr. Seuss (just to see how weird it would be).

That notwithstanding, I would love to finish out the Actual Factual series. After Ac Fac: Demons, there would be: the Gods, the Fey, Places, Items, and Angels.

Bio: Vampirologist Theresa Bane enjoys travel and educating audiences about the differences between historical, mythological and fictional vampires. Originally from the New York/New Jersey area, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband, the president of Scaldcrow Games. She can best be reached through her website www.theresabane.net.

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