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Burial Day Books is a boutique publisher of supernatural horror. Once a week we research a particular element dealing with superstition, folklore or myth and write a short piece about that element from the Gravedigger’s perspective. These elements were sometimes used somewhere in a previous horror story in history. Or, these elements could have been pulled from particular ideals, or from items that illicit fear. We may also discuss curious traditions that we feel admirers of horror, and beyond, would enjoy learning. Our blogs, while written from a fictional character ‘s perspective, are non-fictional. Overall, our blogs discuss true beliefs, phenomena, practices or customs.

Rest in Peace Dearest Poe

Rest in Peace Edgar Allan Poe who died on October 7th, 1849 at the age of 40.

Have you been here before? Déjà vu

Just the other day I had an appointment with a medical practitioner. It was not with my regular practitioner as

Opening Umbrellas Indoors

Spring still has not yet made its full appearance. Yes, we have our days of mild weather but cool,

Photoblog: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was founded in 1789 and it is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Like other

Ghost and Vampire Lore in New Orleans

This past weekend the Undertaker and I spent some time in the reportedly most haunted city in America, New Orleans.

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe!

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe, an American Literary Master! A very happy birthday to Edgar Allan Poe who was born

Interview with a Ghost Hunter: Alex Matsuo

Interview with a Ghost Hunter: Alex Matsuo 1. How did your interest in the paranormal begin? I had my

Christmas Superstitions

There are so many Christmas traditions, superstitions and customs that vary from country to country and varying regions as well.

The Next Big Thing

I was invited by John Everson to participate in a blog chain titled “The Next Big Thing.” The premise is

Is it haunted? The Stickney Mansion

The Stickney Mansion was created with no corners to keep the ghosts in. Perhaps they've never left?

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Rest in Peace Dearest Poe

On October 7th, 1849 Edgar Allan Poe died. The events leading to his death are the last mystery he left us. It was almost as if he himself became trapped in one of his dark stories. Beauty and tragedy met Poe at his end.

One of the reasons we at Burial Day Books started our venture into writing and publishing was to honor Poe’s memory. Tonight, we ask you only for a simple task, one simple task, honor Poe’s memory and read his works. He perfected the short story. He invented the detective. He excelled at the Gothic story and brought us psychological horrors that still sink our souls.

Here are some links to some wonderful sites. Please, learn more about Poe, or revisit this great American writer. Spend some time with him tonight, a master, and genius.

http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php

http://poestories.com/biography.php

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/130

http://www.eapoe.org/balt/poehse.htm

-Gravedigger

Have you been here before? Déjà vu

Just the other day I had an appointment with a medical practitioner. It was not with my regular practitioner as they were on holiday. When the practitioner entered the room their face brightened as did mine and then they asked me the same question I was thinking “Have we met before?” We both began to rattle off how we could have known one another, perhaps during a previous appointment years ago, but no, we in fact did not know each other. What was strange is that I was as familiar to them as they were to me. I then began to think about similar situations I have had over the years. Of all of the previous scenarios this was the most striking, as of course varying episodes of déjà vu I had experienced over the years.

Many of us have experienced déjà vu before. It is that intense feeling that the moment we are currently experiencing has been experienced before. However, it is difficult to prove whether this moment has indeed occurred previously. Science has argued varying theories to explain the phenomena including that bouts of déjà vu are caused by the brain constructing the scenario in time before it has been completed. Some parapsychologists have argued otherwise, believing that some cases of déjà vu can in part be due to reincarnation.

There are other related phenomena that are not regularly mentioned, but are similar in that each is a sensation that is difficult to explain.

Jamais vu – this translates into “never seen,” and is a situation which is not recognized. This can best be described as the opposite of déjà vu. If you have been in a situation where you very well know you have experienced something before, but can’t recognize it, you are having jamais vu. Examples include not being able to recognize a word, a person, or a place that you very well know you have experienced before.

Presque vu – this translates into “almost seen” and this can be a frustrating experience. Have you ever been speaking to someone and are about to describe something and the word or words fail you? You have the words right there, you just saw them but they’re gone. We often say we just had it on the ‘tip of the tongue.’ Overall, this is when someone cannot recall a word or person’s name. Eventually you are able to recall the information.

Déjà entendu – this translates into “already heard.” This is the experience of feeling as though you have already heard something but are not sure of the exact details.

Whether these experiences are due to reincarnation or our brains running slow or speeding up they are quite curious.

-Gravedigger

Opening Umbrellas Indoors

Spring still has not yet made its full appearance. Yes, we have our days of mild weather but cool, rainy days outnumber those with cheerful sun – and trust us, we do not mind being spared cheerfulness for a few more weeks.

Given that it has been rainy, people are careful to don the appropriate attire consisting of rain jackets, boots, and carrying the essential dreary weather accessory – the umbrella. When I was a child, I remember being scolded by my mother for playing with an umbrella indoors. In fact, to her horror, I was twirling an opened umbrella in my bedroom. It seemed like such a fantastic thing to do – to bring a pretend world of rain inside. My mother quickly snatched the umbrella from my hands, closed it and said it was bad luck to open an umbrella indoors. Since then, I have not opened an umbrella inside. Besides my mother’s warning, and because it does appear silly having an open umbrella indoors, I’ve never gone on to investigate the origin of this superstition, until now.

I found an account in the Oxford Dictionary of Superstitions from 1883 that states “It is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house, especially if it is held over the head, when it becomes a sign of death.” However, I found some indications that this superstition goes back even further to ancient Egypt. Parasols were used by nobility when outside to block the sun’s harsh rays, and so it was believed if one was opened indoors it would be an insult to the god of sun, Ra. If Ra felt you were insulting him it was believed you were then cursed.

A much more practical account is that umbrellas of the Victorian Era were constructed with steel poles and opening one indoors could cause injury or eye loss.

Regardless of the reason, refrain from opening an umbrella indoors because opening one could be a sign of death, an insult to the god Ra, or simply could poke someone’s eye out.

-Gravedigger

Photoblog: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was founded in 1789 and it is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Like other cemeteries in New Orleans, it features above ground tombs. The cemetery is one city block but is said to hold the remains of 100,000. It is one of the few cemeteries listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

These tombs typically allow for multiple burials. It is the final resting place of famous New Orleaians such as Homer Plessy, the plaintiff in the 1896 landmark Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court Decision that challenged racial segregation and Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole born a free woman in 1794 in the French Quarters of New Orleans. She would go on to have a reported 15 children, and worked in a hair salon servicing New Orleans women of high society. Marie Laveau was famous for her practice of Voodoo and for sharing spells with the community. It is said that she is the one who brought the overall practice of Voodoo into the public.

One of her daughters, Marie Laveau II was also said to practice Voodoo like her mother, but Marie Laveau II was known more for her large, public rituals.

The Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau is said to rest in the Glapion tomb which is said to be one of the most visited graves in the world. People leave behind mementos such as beads, candy, fruit, cigars, pictures, and money. It is said that wishes can be made at her tomb by drawing three X’s on its surface. Others say that the three X’s became a popular form for people to let Marie Laveau know that they had visited her tomb, since at the time of her death many people still did not know how to write and so would indicate a signature with this practice.

It is illegal to deface any property in the cemetery. Some also believe that Marie Laveau is not entombed there, but then again, there is no way to know if she isn’t there or is. You will find photographs of this tomb as well as others in the following photographs taken by the Undertaker. We hope you enjoy.

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Ghost and Vampire Lore in New Orleans

This past weekend the Undertaker and I spent some time in the reportedly most haunted city in America, New Orleans. We strolled through St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, left some mementos at the tomb of Marie Laveau, the great Voodoo priestess, and walked through the French Quarters at night listening to ghost stories, talks of witchcraft and Voodoo and of course to tales of vampire lore.

We will share some photographs soon of some of the lovely tombs at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, but for now, below are some interesting ghost and vampire stories that we learned while we were there.

Zach & Addy

In 2006, Zachary Bowen, a 28 year-old Iraq War hero threw himself off the ledge of the Omni Hotel in New Orleans. A note was found on his person that read to check on Addie. When investigators arrived at the apartment he shared with his girlfriend Addie no one answered after repeated knocks, yet the officers could smell what was described as dinner being made. After further attempts at knocking no one came to the door and so authorities broke down the door. In the kitchen they found the dismembered body of who later was identified as Addie Hall. News reports indicated two boiling pots were found on the stove, one containing a females head and another pot containing hands and feet. In the oven, detectives found legs and arms in a basting tray.

Ghost hunters in the French Quarters say that Zachary continues to repeat his suicide. Many people have reported seeing a man leaping from the rooftop of the Omni Hotel. Some say he disappears right before he hits the pavement.

The Yellow Fever Murders

The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum once operated as a pharmacy. Built in 1823, the pharmacy was operated first by Dr. Duffulo and was later purchased by Dr. Dupas who is believed to haunt the museum today. According to reports, Dr. Dupas experimented on slaves, especially pregnant slaves. Some say he was trying to find a cure for Yellow Fever and he would inject these people with varying treatments. All of those he experimented on would go on to die of Yellow Fever. Reports state that bodies were often found piled on top of each other in his small courtyard.

Dr. Dupas would himself go on to die of Yellow Fever. He can be seen stalking the museum today in a brown suit, throwing books off shelves, moving items in display cases, setting off the alarm system and overall emitting his negative energy.

Ursuline Convent Vampires

The Ursuline Convent dates back to 1718. At one point in the 1700s the ratio of men to women was problematic with men greatly outnumbering women. The local government went to the nuns at the Ursuline Convent and asked if they could request the French government to allow some women to be trusted to the care of the convent for a proper education. If after graduating the ladies found the calling to become a sister then they could surely stay at the convent or go on elsewhere for their work. Or, after graduating if they wanted to remain in New Orleans then the sisters could arrange an appropriate suitor for the young lady. When the sisters took this request to France the French authorities vehemently declined. At that time, America and New Orleans were seen as uncivilized and they would not allow young ladies to travel to such areas. The nuns then took their request to local, rural families who were struggling to financially support their children, especially their daughters. Some of these families agreed and three months later a boat arrived in New Orleans from France and a group of dirty, pale, and frail young ladies stepped on the land. Each girl was carrying a small casket in which they said held all of their belongings. The girls did not allow anyone to touch nor open their caskets. The caskets eventually were said to have made their way to the attic of the convent. Some people say that at one point the caskets were opened but nothing was found inside. Others say the caskets girls brought with them vampires.

Many people went missing after the casket girls arrived from France and eventually shutters were put on the attic windows. Legend says that each of the attic windows was sealed by 100 blessed nails from the Vatican. What’s most striking is that no other building in that area has shutters on their windows. Also, the nuns just left the convent one day without giving a full explanation why.

From time to time these days, there are reports of a window being spotted open and from time to time there are still reports of people going missing in New Orleans. The attic windows never stay open long as it’s said that 100 blessed nails arrive immediately from the Vatican to seal inside whatever lives in the attic. Today, the Ursuline Convent has been converted into a museum and people who have visited the museum have said there is no way to enter the attic. As far as the museum is concerned, the attic does not exist.

Jacques St. Germaine Vampire

In the 1800s Jacques St. Germaine was a wealthy man who loved to throw parties in the company of multiple beautiful women. At these parties though, Jacques St. Germaine never ate any food. It’s said that he had a wine collection that held hundreds of bottles of wine in an impressive home in the French Quarter.

One evening, screams were heard and a woman was seeing throwing herself from the top floor apartment window. She survived the fall and in the hospital doctors found that she was covered in long cuts from which she said Jacques St. Germaine was drinking her blood. When he was approached by authorities at his home Jacques remarked that the woman was unreliable as she had been drinking. Investigators insisted that he follow them back for questioning. He said he would follow their orders but first needed to gather some things from his home. Minutes passed and when Jacques did not emerge the authorities entered his home and were surprised to find it sparsely furnished as though someone has just moved in, or out. Upstairs, they entered the master bedroom and found the walls covered in blood, the bed covered in blood and the floor completely covered in blood. When one of them began to regard a bottle of wine, it fell accidentally but instead of spreading across the floor the liquid slowly settled. After a quick examination it was determined that all of the bottles were filled with blood.

Jacques St. Germaine never returned to New Orleans, but there are rumors that a Jack St. Germaine currently lives down the block from the original home.

-Gravedigger

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe!

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe, an American Literary Master!

A very happy birthday to Edgar Allan Poe who was born this day, January 19, in 1809.

For the past three years we have made the pilgrimage to Baltimore to stand at the gates of Westminster Hall and Burying Ground waiting for the famed, but mysterious, Poe Toaster to arrive. The Poe Toaster was a figure who would arrive at Poe’s gravesite in the very early hours of January 19^th to leave a tribute of three red roses and a bottle of fine cognac at the author’s resting place. The three red roses are thought to represent Poe, his wife, and his aunt who are at rest side-by-side. Last year was the third year in a row the Poe Toaster failed to show, and like so many aspects of Poe’s life, and death, this tradition was officially ended by Jeff Jerome, the curator of the Baltimore Poe House and Museum. Speculation remains but to this day no one knows for certain who the Poe Toaster is, or was.

Life disrupted this year, as it can at times, and the Undertaker and I were unable to make it again to Baltimore to sing our dear Eddie Happy Birthday and to lay roses and a bottle of cognac at his grave. Other long-time Poe fans were thankfully at Eddie’s side. Even in death Poe is loved. His masterful works such as “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Black Cat” and so many have shaped the history of literature laying groundwork for the genres of mystery, horror, the perfection of the short story, and of course to the character of the detective who Poe gave birth to in “The Murders of the Rue Morgue.”

Many of you may have heard of or actually have read “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” but in case you have not here is some information.

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that was published in 1841 in Graham’s Magazine. In the story, we are introduced to Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin. Dupin appears in two other stories – “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” which was published in 1842 in Snowden’s Ladies’ Companion in three installments (November and December of 1842 and in February of 1843). The final story in which Dupin appeared was “The Purloined Letter” which appeared in 1844-1845.

Each of the stories is unique in that Dupin solves an individual crime in each. In Rue, the murder of a mother and daughter are investigated. In Marie Rogêt, the murder of a shop girl, based loosely on a true case, is investigated as well. In the final story, Letter, Dupin investigates the theft of a letter to the queen. In all of the cases Dupin becomes involved not as a professional investigator, but as someone interested in solving the crime because of the challenge in logic each poses.

What we know about Dupin’s background is limited. He was once a wealthy man but due to unknown circumstances was reduced to a more basic way of life. He lives in Paris with a close friend of his who is not named, and it is this unnamed narrator who tells us Dupin’s stories. Throughout the short stories, Dupin uses a process which Poe terms “ratiocination” in which intellect and imagination are combined in order to understand the criminal and thus solve the crime.

If you have time this weekend perhaps try reading the first story, or even all three tales, in which the role of the detective is created. It would be a fantastic way to pay homage to a great American literary master.

-Gravedigger

Interview with a Ghost Hunter: Alex Matsuo

1. How did your interest in the paranormal begin?

I had my own experiences as a child that I couldn’t explain. When I talked to my family about it, there was an acknowledgement of my experiences along with their own experiences, but it didn’t go much further than that. Turns out there were several people in my family who had paranormal experiences, but again, besides verbally talking about, it didn’t go much further. Even at a young age, I wanted to learn more, and understand what was happening to me.

I started going to the library and reading ghost stories because my mom wouldn’t allow me to watch or read anything that had to do with the paranormal, even the Goosebumps series. Watching “Unsolved Mysteries” with my grandmother was a treat for me and I remember always on the edge of my seat waiting for the ghost and alien stories to appear.

2. You founded a paranormal research team. Why did you do that?

I want to help people better understand their experiences and what they are going through. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have that growing up. (more…)

Christmas Superstitions

There are so many Christmas traditions, superstitions and customs that vary from country to country and varying regions as well. Many of these practices were established so many years ago that we have forgotten why it is that we take part in these rituals. The Christmas holiday is a great time of feast, family and celebration. Many people celebrate this time of year for the Winter Solstice, or for the remembrance of Jesus Christ’s birthday, while others have no set of religious or spiritual beliefs but still enjoy celebrating this time of year for the seasonal change.

Regardless of why it is that you celebrate this time of year, we wanted to provide you with a few superstitions surrounding some of the decorative and ritualistic customs that Christmas brings each year.

Evergreens
Evergreens are used as decorative items for their belief in enduring and restoring life. There is a superstition that decorating the home with vegetation ensures the return of vegetation at the conclusion of winter.

The centerpiece evergreen in most people’s homes during this time of year is the Christmas tree.

Holly
It is thought that holly has protective powers. This lovely plant is believed to guard against witches and lightening.

Mistletoe
This little plant is believed to do more than to encourage, or pressure, people to kiss you.

Unmarried women, once upon a time, would hide sprigs of mistletoe under their pillow with the belief that the plant would give them the power to have dreams about their future husband.

For those of you not particularly excited to kiss the person you’ve caught yourself standing with beneath a mistletoe you’ve been warned – avoiding a kiss under a mistletoe is said to give you instant bad luck for a year.

One final note on mistletoe: Do not get rid of the mistletoe at the end of the season. It is bad luck to remove it from the house until it is replaced next year, which means once you bring it into your home you essentially have to repeat the tradition of hanging a new one up each year. (more…)

The Next Big Thing

I was invited by John Everson to participate in a blog chain titled “The Next Big Thing.” The premise is that each writer answers a series of questions about their next big project and lines up five other authors to do the same, in the hopes of encouraging people to discover the books and blogs of other authors. Below are my answers to the questions for The Next Big Thing.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?
Santa Muerte, it translates into Saint Death in English.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I have written a lot about witches and witchcraft and I write a lot about Latin American superstition and folklore. In recent years, I have been following developments of the drug cartels a little closely because not only does my husband have family living in Mexico, but because Mexico is our neighbor. So, when crime picks up there it tends to flow over into our own borders. Killings attributed by the drug cartels have been quite brazen and bold and only increasing in recent years. I had heard about a young boy who was recruited by the cartels to become an assassin. I think he was fourteen years old at the time. I thought it would be interesting to write a book about how a young person deals with this world of drugs, crime, witchcraft and death.

What genre does your book fall under?
Horror, but since I do not write content that is too graphic and keep my language and sexuality at about the PG-13 rating, occasionally waving at the R rating from afar, I am often categorized as a young adult author. So, young adult. (more…)

Is it haunted? The Stickney Mansion

We began a series last month titled “Is it haunted?” We hope to continue on with this series on a more permanent basis in between our normal supernatural entries.

The world of haunted houses abounds. A purported haunted house can be found in every country, city, town or neighborhood. Thousands of books have been written on the topic of haunted houses, and so, it would take us years to cover even the most famous of haunted houses, but we assure you this is not the end of our treatment of haunted houses.

The home we would like to tell you about this evening is the George Stickney Mansion located in McHenry, Illinois. Today, the home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as the base for the Village Hall and Bull Valley Police Department. The home was built by George and Sylvia Stickney around 1837 in what remains a secluded area. The isolated location was selected for peace, privacy and to allow the couple to practice spiritualism in a free environment. Spiritualism was a religious movement that held the belief that the living were able to communicate with the deceased through various spiritual devices and the use of mediums, people who claimed to channel the dead. Next week we will discuss Spiritualism in greater detail, but that is all you need to know for now in order to follow the Stickney story. (more…)