Ghosts of Austin, Texas: Who They Are and Where to Find Them
This was the first regional book to list haunted places in and near Austin, Texas, along with the ghost stories and histories that make them interesting.It was also one of my first full-length books about ghosts and haunted places.  I spent about four years in Texas, investigating its most fascinating ghost stories, and I fell in love with the many spirits that haunt the Lone Star State.Austin's ghosts are extraordinary.  Researching the chilling history of Shoal Creek -- and the large number of hauntings there, covering well over a century -- was like peeling an onion.  I kept thinking I'd found the final layer of ghost stories (and the gruesome histories behind them), and then another would pop up. The characters that haunt Austin and vicinity are equally interesting.  I loved learning about the very independent life of Susannah Wilkerson Dickinson, the only adult Anglo to leave the Alamo alive, after the famous battle.  Her ghost is regularly seen around downtown Austin.Then there were quirky ghostly cowboys like Ben Thompson, and the spirits of red-light madams like Blanche Dumont.  An encounter with one of their ghosts can be memorable, and I enjoyed every moment of that after-dark research.My two most surprising discoveries included the lurid and grotesque murders of America's first serial killer, who struck in Austin shortly before similar killings began in London.  Did Jack the Ripper begin his career in Texas?  It's a controversial topic.  At the time I was researching this book, almostno onein Austin talked about that very dark episode in the city's history.The other surprise was nearby Columbus, Texas.  I've since described it as the equivalent of a theme park for paranormal researchers.  I've never seen a community with so many strange tales and ghostly legends concentrated in a very small area.  Around the downtown, you can almost go door to door, and find at least one ghost story at each stop.All in all, this was a delightful book to research and write, and it documents Austin as one of America's most reliably haunted cities.