The book I worked on in 2006, Weird Hauntings, was out of print after having pretty decent sales in both hardcover and paperback (this was just before ebooks were a thing). Last year, my bosses at Weird NJ let me know that the publisher (not them) planned on re-issuing the book this fall. They were … Continue reading Weird Ghosts = Weird Hauntings
A return to ghosts
Not too long ago, I traveled with a friend of mine to the Strauss Mansion in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It's a beautiful old place and allegedly haunted, which is what we were there for - a ghost tour. I'm currently writing up the experience, which was pretty positive. We got to play with different tools … Continue reading A return to ghosts
Doll Parts
Back in 2009, I took a writing class taught by Jeremy Shipp and the end result was a short story draft called "Doll Parts." I will say, as an aside, that if Jeremy ever teaches a class again, you should take it. My class was a lot of fun. Some friends thought the story was … Continue reading Doll Parts
Signs
Today is a strange, sad day in the U.S. for a lot of reasons. It made me think of an essay draft I wrote last June for a Corporeal Writing class called Ontologies: Writing Your Way into the World. It still needs work, but it presents a true story about my life in one of … Continue reading Signs
Jersey Derby story
If there is a sport I was healthy and badass enough to participate in, it would be roller derby. I spent a year or so traveling to games all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania (the pictures taken above come from a tournament held in PA). And what I saw were players working together to come … Continue reading Jersey Derby story
Going Viral
Nope, not the flu. A few weeks ago, there was a Twitter post from Eric Alper, which asked an innocent question: What movie disturbed you as a child? He often asks questions like this, and because I had a great example, I responded using a gif of a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers … Continue reading Going Viral
Following Annie
Yesterday I took a trip to two New Jersey towns--Blairstown and Hope--that were featured in scenes from the 1980 horror movie, Friday the 13th. Both appear early in the film, when we're following the perky and independent Annie, who signed on to be the cook at Camp Crystal Lake and is getting there on a … Continue reading Following Annie
A year of not posting
I see I haven't posted here in almost a year. Like a lot of people, I've been a tad distracted, and not busy enough writing. A quick list of what's happened: 1. Post-election freakout and obsession over the direction my country is headed in. It's been taking up a lot of headspace. 2. Participation in … Continue reading A year of not posting
An update on KD
About a year ago, I wrote about KD Cyr, a young woman and fellow lover of the weird who died in a car crash. I wanted to let you know that you can learn more about her through the website that her family created not only to mourn her loss but to also celebrate her … Continue reading An update on KD
Home State Hauntings now in print
Today I was surprised to find out that an eBook that features a lot of my writing and editing has become a printed "special issue" of Weird NJ. Home State Hauntings: True Stories of Ghostly Places in New Jersey is available through the magazine's online store, as well as their Amazon store. As you can … Continue reading Home State Hauntings now in print
joanne m. austin 
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