Paranormal Fiction Leads to True Lesbian Love...

Normally, I'm not a major fan of audio books, or even digital books for that matter. But for once, I've actually been looking into listening to my first audio book... and it ended up being a very educational experience.

for years now, I've been a big fan of author Daniel Hecht. And had it not been for his email to me years ago when he was starting his Cree Black thriller series, I probably wouldn't have known his name. But they are wonderful reads, all about a female paranormal investigator with some psychic ability solving interesting mysteries with supernatural ties. His last book, Bones of the Barbary Coast, was excellent (and I still need to get the hardcover to add to my shelf) so I decided to look his books up in the audio listings. There it was... read by one Anna Fields. It turns out she's a well-known name in the world of audio books. And it gets even more interesting.

Barbary Coast was released in the summer of 2006. In December, tragedy struck in Seattle. On the 14th, a flash flood struck the area and an actress by the name of Kate Fleming was trapped in her basement recording studio after part of the foundation collapsed. Fleming also recorded for audio books, under the name--you guessed it--Anna Fields. Her partner of nine years, Charlene Strong, was helpless to stop her death. And even now, she is haunted by the tragedy... and turned her plight into a film.

Strong has become known in the past few years as a champion for same-sex partner rights. It was never her intention, but after the untimely death of her partner Fleming at only 41, she found herself in the public eye. Through her actions, Washington State passed legislation for Domestic Partnership rights. The documentary For My Wife chronicles her story, from grieving widow to activist.

I can't help but wonder if Barbary Coast was one of her final projects. If you've ever read the book, you'll note some interesting irony between these two stories. If not, I highly recommend it. Here I set out simply to glance through an audio version of one of my favorite paranormal-themed fiction books... and ended up learning a lot more than I bargained for.

"Notorious"... And Now Haunted?

For those of you who are fans of primetime television's supernatural series Ghost Whisperer on CBS, you may have noticed the newest cast addition is none other than gay icon and stand-up comedian Margaret Cho. She will have a recurring role as Anthropology Professor Avery Grant, a rather serious (and perhaps a bit snobbish) role which might surprise Cho fans. Most of us know her better as an outlandish and blunt funny woman instead of the weeping widow.

Her debut appearance featured her communicating with a spirit with the aid of a Ouija board, an item with which Margaret is quite familiar (and I'm jealous of her collection). It may surprise some people to know that the comedian is actually a believer in the paranormal. In fact, on her MySpace profile, it clearly states she would like to meet "...hot bottoms, bears, paranormal investigators,..." and a slew of other fascinating people. Perhaps she is a girl after my own heart, considering I quite possibly meet all those qualifications (ok... so the first one is relative).

Here's a brief behind-the-scenes interview with the comedian on her experience with the show and her thoughts on Ouija:

Dragged into a World of Lycanthropy...

Many of us remember that rather interesting scene from An American Werewolf in London where Hollywood magic met full nudity, watching a man transform into a hairy beast while sprawled out naked on the floor. Perhaps a few of us found it strangely sexy on some amusing level, while others were intrigued by the thought that we could change our outward appearance in such a drastic way (if only in our imaginations). The werewolf remains an iconic image from classic movie horrors. Even modern audiences still thrill over vampires, ghosts,... and now the lycanthrope.

From Joe Johnston (director of Jumanji, The Rocketeer, and Jurrasic Park III) and writers Andrew Kevin Walker (who wrote the screenplays for Sleepy Hollow and Se7en) and David Self (The Haunting) comes a new remake of The Wolfman, due for release in theatres this week. At first glance, the film does seem to have a certain Tim Burton quality to it which might be caused by the music (written by my personal favorite composer Danny Elfman).

There is quite an impressive cast for Wolfman... and one in particular may be of special interest to you, dear readers. Some of you might recognize Hugo Weaving from The Matrix while I prefer to remember him as "Felicia Jollygoodfellow" in the gay Australian flick The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It seems all three lead actors from the film have gone on to bigger and better things. Movie fanatics may recognize another cast member from Priscilla (Terence Stamp, who played the transsexual "Bernadette") from his role as the butler in Disney's The Haunted Mansion.

Though I'm afraid Wolfman fails to bring out any cross-dressing creatures, the image might give a few moviegoers something interesting to imagine while seeing Hugo on the big screen. Without further adieu, I bring you the official movie trailer:

A House as Famous as Its Owners...

Anyone interested in owning a piece of haunted New Orleans may finally have a chance. The historic LaLaurie Mansion, known by many as "the Haunted House", is up for sale. It is located in the French Quarter on the corner of Royal Street and Gov. Nicholls Street.

The house has seen a bizarre past. It was purchased by Madame Delphine LaLaurie and her husband in either 1831 or 32. Delphine's parents were believed to have been murdered during a slave uprising in the late 1700s and she apparently harbored ill will toward slaves ever since. She was known to have tortured and mutilated countless slaves in the house: a fact which was uncovered after a fire in 1834 set by a slave to avoid further torment. A secret attic room held nude male and female slaves, surrounded by torture devices and body parts.

Since LaLaurie's death in 1842, the house has been known for its ghosts. It served as a music conservatory, apartment building, and furniture store over the years. In 2007, it was purchased by actor Nicolas Cage who currently lives in the adjacent building with his family.

Cage has been well aware of the building's haunted history and attended a few ghost tours to learn more about the sordid history. Just recently, the actor placed the home on the market again. The asking price is a chilling $3.9 million.