Crypto in UFO

The new issue of UFO Magazine includes an interview with me about my latest book, There's Something in the Woods.

As I say in the interview:

"Previously, my UFO books have been strictly on UFOs; and my crypto-zoology books have been strictly on unknown animals. But the new book is slightly different. Basically, it chronicles my investigations into a whole range of weird phenomena that I dug into over the course of the last two years – both in the United States and in my home-country of England – and some of them were focused on UFO-related phenomena, and others were on strange creatures. And there were more than a few cases that crossed over into both camps.

"I need to qualify that with a statement first. When I first got involved with both the UFO issue and with crypto-zoology, I took pretty much a black-and-white approach: Bigfoot was a giant ape, and UFOs were nuts-and-bolts spacecraft. And, in some cases, that may be so. But, as witnesses, researchers and investigators of both areas will be fully aware, there are those incidents that are far less easy to reconcile in literal terms of this or that. I’m talking about where you seem to find evidence of both UFO and crypto data in one particular incident: a so-called cross-over case, as I like to call them.

"I’ll be the first to admit that many researchers are very against the idea that it’s anything other than all black-and-white. But there’s clear evidence, time and again, that in places where there is one paranormal mystery present, there is often another, too. And very often, this occurs in areas of dense woods and forests – hence the title of the new book, and the fact that it covers various subjects and things that have manifested in the woods of both America and Britain."

Psychic Files

The new issue of Britain's Paranormal Magazine includes a feature from me on the subject of official interest in the fields of ESP, psychic phenomena and Remote-Viewing. The article uses declassified files from the archives of the FBI, CIA and British Ministry of Defense to tell the whole strange saga.

Lecturing on Monsters

Well, I just got back from giving an illustrated lecture at Baylor University, Waco, Texas on the subject of cryptozoology.

I dug deep into some of the data in my new book, There's Something in the Woods, including (a) information on the British Bigfoot; (b) stories of unusual creatures seen in the vicinity of crop circles; and (c) the crypto mysteries of Texas's Big Thicket.

I also delved into such matters as Mokele mbembe; werewolves; lake-monsters; accounts of still-living pterosaurs; the Chupacabras; and much more of a monstrous nature.

Normally, I lecture to audiences who are already deeply acquainted with the subject matter in hand; however, this was a slight departure, in the sense that those in attendance - approximately 130 in number - were students at the university, many of who had little previous exposure to the world of crypto.

And the result?

I'm pleased to say that it was very positive, with a good variation of questions asked both during the lecture and in the immediate aftermath.I also detected more than a passing interest in some of the stranger, paranormal-style aspects of cryptozoology - such as those exhibited by the British Bigfoot - which I thought was intriguing.

Crypto Waco Tomorrow

It's unlikely I'll be posting tomorrow as I'll be driving to Waco to give a lecture at Baylor University on cryptozoology and my book There's Something in the Woods. I'm looking forward to seeing what the response will be from the students. Doubtless there will be a high degree of controversy and debate - which is always good, however, when it comes to lecturing! On Friday, I'll post my report on how the day went.

Sympathy for the Devil

The new issue of Fortean Times includes an article from me in which I interview Joshua P. Warren about his groundbreaking and controversial documentary, Inside the Church of Satan. For more details about Josh's film, click here.

The Texas U Find Out Gig

Here’s the details, from Jim Marrs, of a Texas-based UFO event that I’ll be speaking at next month and which will cover a wide range of topics, including all the latest on the Stephenville controversy and the Aurora case of 1897.

And with that said, over to Jim:

NEWS RELEASE

FROM: The Texas Research & Information Bureau

TO: All News Outlets

FOR RELEASE: Immediately

FIRST TEXAS U FIND OUT FORUM SET FOR OCT. 25

FORT WORTH, TX – Responding to increasing serious interest by the public concerning the issue of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO), the Texas Research & Information Bureau (TRIB) has scheduled a forum on the subject featuring four area authorities.

The First Annual Texas U Find Out Forum will be held on October 25, 2008, at Vance Godbey’s Restaurant located at 8601 Jacksboro Highway just past Lake Worth. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 10 a.m. and last until 4 p.m. A catered buffet lunch, a panel discussion and book signings are included. Cost is $65 per person but persons who pre-register by Oct. 10 can pay only $55. Orders may be placed by telephoning 817-379-0773.

Leading off the day-long presentations will be Jim Marrs, author of the 1997 book Alien Agenda, the top-selling non-fiction investigative work on UFOs in the world. Marrs will present an overview of the subject ranging from Ancient Astronauts to the latest research into the 1897 crash at Aurora, TX, just 20 miles north of Fort Worth.

“This will be an excellent opportunity for folks who once had only a passing interest in this subject to learn of the historical narratives and documentation of some of the best UFO incidents,” Marrs said. “It is time for the public to start dealing with this reality.”

British-born author Nick Redfern, who has extensively researched government documents regarding the UFO phenomenon, will report on what the U.S. Government really knows about UFOs. Redfern is the author of several UFO books, including A Covert Agenda: The British Government’s UFO Top Secrets Exposed, The FBI Files: The FBI’s UFO Top Secrets Exposed and Strange Secrets: Real Government Files on the Unknown.

The sightings near Stephenville earlier this year will be discussed by Kenneth Cherry, the Texas State Director of the Mutual UFO Network, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to investigating UFOs. Cherry directed a 10-person investigative team that looked into the reports of large lighted objects seen around Stephenville shortly after the first of the year. “We’ve eliminated a lot of the known possibilities regarding the Stephenville sightings,” Cherry said. “Early on in the investigation, we could see that something important was happening or we wouldn’t have devoted so many resources to this event.” His talk will include a discussion of recently-released radar data from the Stephenville sightings.

C. L. Turnage, an area freelance writer with an extensive background in history and ancient languages, has studied more than 300 translations of ancient Mesopotamian and Vedic Indian texts, the Hebrew/Greek scriptures, Egyptian writings, and extra-biblical books such as “Enoch the Prophet” as background material for her books. A member of the Ancient Astronaut Society, she has authored War in Heaven and Extraterrestrials Are on the Moon and Mars, using numerous NASA photographs to support her thesis. She will explain how the UFO phenomenon can be traced back to humankind’s earliest writings.

This First Texas U Find Out Forum is presented by the Texas Research & Information Bureau, a Texas non-profit organization begun in 2002 and dedicated to bringing information to the general public seldom covered in the mass media.

Bigfoot in "Paranormal"

The October 2008 issue (28) of Paranormal Magazine features an article from me on the controversial issue of Bigfoot in Britain.

Check it out! You'll find much on the Man-Monkey of Ranton; the Wild-Man of Orford; the man-beasts of England's Cannock Chase woods; the hairy creature of Castle Ring; the Bigfoot of Southern England; and much more...

A Ufological Interview

There's a new interview with me (on the subject of UFOs) over at Room 101.

Weekend Lectures

If you happen to be in Dallas, Texas this coming Saturday, I’ll be speaking at the Ancient Earth Mysteries conference at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center. The subject of my lecture: the CIA’s secret search for the remains of Noah’s Ark. Truly a real-life conspiratorial mystery of Indiana Jones-style proportions! If you want to know what it’s all about, here’s the details.

Then, on the day after, Sunday, I’ll be speaking about some little-known UFO cases from Texas in an illustrated lecture for the Dallas-Fort Worth Mufon Group. All the relevant info can be found right here.