Supernatural Spotlight: Chris Woodyard

Back when I began reading books on the paranormal, Chris Woodyard became a fast favorite. Before stumbling across her first book, Haunted Ohio, in 1991, I hadn't found many stories from my own state to seek out. Her books provided the first locations for my many weekend trips in pursuit of Ohio hauntings.

Chris grew up in Columbus. Her father ran a small printing company. From an early age, she new that writing was her dream. She had some works of poetry published, worked as an editor, and even created a murder mystery novel (which ended up being stolen by a disgruntled secretary). After moving to Dayton with her husband and daughter, she finished her first book about her new hometown.

The librarians in Beavercreek suggested ghosts as an idea for another book. Since there weren't really any Ohio ghost books out there, she decided it was an achievable goal (besides, she had a few paranormal experiences throughout her life). And that started the series of four books on Ohio ghosts, along with a children's ghost book and a few others.

She now operates her website, Invisible Ink: Books on Ghosts & Hauntings, which is the largest seller of diverse paranormal books anywhere. Odds are, if you're searching for that hard-to-find book about ghosts, she has it on her site. In fact, while scouring the internet for new publications, she happened to stop at eBay and purchase a copy of my own work. And she loved it, which made me feel better about a project which had taken almost a decade of searching to finish.

Though some may believe she has faded a bit into the woodwork, she's still out there... doing the occasional lecture and selling ghostly literature. But please, don't barrage her with tales and requests for investigations.

She's still afraid of spooks...