Blog Archives
The Four Most Frightening Things That Have Happened to me While Working on Books
(In Chronological Order) 1. The Pepper Spray Incident
That’s me in the background, keeping an eye on Phoenix Jones on the streets of Seattle. Photo by Lucien Knuteson.
Date: Oct. 9, 2011 Book and relevant chapter: Heroes in the Night, Chapter 13: “People Fighting and Superheroes and Pepper Spray and…I Don’t Know”
Oh boy. In 2011 I was starting to do a wrap on Heroes in the Night. I felt the book was lacking a good action sequence, and I sure did get that when I paid a visit to Real Life Superhero Phoenix Jones and his Rain City Superhero Movement. I joined Phoenix out on patrol for two nights. On the second night, we saw a fight break out in a parking lot underneath a freeway ramp. Phoenix broke it up by pepper spraying the combatants (Russians, it turned out) and all hell broke loose. In the terrifying 15 minutes or so that followed, Phoenix got hit over the head repeatedly with a high heel shoe, I was punched in the face by a pepper spray soaked Russian, an attempt was made to run us over with a SUV, and at one point I was certain the angry party was searching for a gun to shoot at us. The police showed up and placed Phoenix Jones under arrest and by the next day major news networks around the world had picked up on the story. As the squad car drove off with Phoenix Jones, I realized that my hands were shaking uncontrollably from the adrenaline overdose.
Here’s a photo of the Wall of Faces room I took in Bobby Mackey’s basement, where the strange incidents occurred.
2. Bobby Mackey’s Music World Date: Sept. 22-23, 2013 Book and relevant chapter: Monster Hunters, Chapter 14: “The Case of the Haunted Honky-Tonk”
This episode has a lot of back story to it. First there is the lore of the place itself (Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder, Kentucky), which is long yarn to begin with. Like any good ghost story, I found the legend has been exaggerated and embellished over time, but some of the gruesome past is also based in fact. The next thing to consider is that the group I followed, the Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee, had already done an eventful investigation at the location. I don’t want to spoil too much of the chapter, but one group member had an eerie encounter I witnessed where she had some sort of paralysis or possession and apparently experienced some temporary blindness. Added to the other frightening experiences the group had and the creepy atmosphere in general, it made for a strange and scary night.
3. Isabella Date: July 10-11, 2014 Book and relevant chapter: Monster Hunters, Chapter 9: “Squishes”
My second strange night while working on Monster Hunters happened while I was camping out with Jim Sherman of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) at a farm in central Michigan named “Isabella.” The couple who owned the farm had a number of weird experiences and had contacted BFRO. Jim had been out there to investigate and recorded some strange vocalizations. I wasn’t sure what to think. The last night of the trip I was scared out of my wits by a bloodcurdling screech outside of my tent. I slowly unzipped the tent door, certain I would be face-to-face with an aggressive Bigfoot. Later analysis of the screech (caught on Jim’s audio recorder) determined it was an angry coyote, but I didn’t know that at the time. To make the night even weirder, Jim and I observed an odd light bouncing around the night sky. What was it? I don’t know, but it was quite unlike anything I had seen before.
4. Crashing the Phantom Patriot’s ATV
The ATV shortly before I crashed it.
Date: May 22, 2015 Book and relevant chapter: Yet to be titled future book
Wow, where to begin on this one. Richard McCaslin aka the Phantom Patriot is a Real Life Superhero, conspiracy theorist, former stuntman, felon, comic book artist, political protestor, and guerrilla filmmaker. I’ve been in contact with him for almost 5 years and have slowly been working on a book about his life and the people, sub-cultures, and conspiracy theories his life has intersected with. I knew I needed to get down to his home environment (Pahrump, Nevada) to get some material, so I recently went down to visit him. While I was there, he asked if I would act in a short superheroes vs. conspiracy film he was writing and directing. Sure, I said. One of the scenes called for me driving his ATV down a desert embankment, and although my first take went smoothly, on the second take I hit a rut and crashed the ATV. I thought for sure I had broken my leg and maybe fractured several other body parts, but after slowly moving around, I found I was still in one piece. That was pretty frightening, but hey, I lived to see another day, right?
Loren Coleman Reviews Monster Hunters!
Here’s a photo I took of Loren at the International Cryptozoology Museum, which appears in the color photo section of the book.
When I began work on Monster Hunters, I had a few ideas of people I’d like to meet and write about. My two major ideas were, man, I got to meet a group of local ghost hunters and follow them around. My other idea was, man, I got to meet the zen grandmaster of cryptozoology. Party A ended up being the Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee. I found Party B in Loren Coleman, who has actively been pursuing cryptozoology since the 60s and is the founder of the International Cryptozoology Museum.
Visiting his museum while working on the book was a fantastic experience and he humored me by allowing me to interview him as I wandered around taking in the collection of unique artifacts.
Monster Hunters has begun to circulate and Loren got a copy this last week. He wrote a review on his website and I am extremely flattered and honored by it. He says I write with “humor, sensitivity, and insight,” but the best compliment by far is that he says: “Krulos’ first chapter will be mandatory reading for every new staff, and current & future docents/ volunteers at our museum, now.”
That is just about the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m also pleased to say that arrangements are being made so copies of the book will be available at the International Cryptozoology Museum’s gift shop, so buy a copy when you stop in.
A huge thank you to Loren and the ICM staff!
Loren’s review is here: www.cryptozoonews.com/tea-review/
ICM website: cryptozoologymuseum.com/
Monster Hunters ordering info: www.chicagoreviewpress.com/monster-hunters-products-9781613749814.php
Monster Hunters, Second Review: Library Journal
Melvil Dewey is way into it.
The second review for Monster Hunters is from trade publication Library Journal, founded in 1876 by Melvil “I Invented the Dewey Decimal System” Dewey and has “the highest circulation of any librarianship journal,” according to Wikipedia. Thanks for the recommendation!
Library Journal—May 1, 2015
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to enter the world of ghost hunters, ufologists, cryptozoologists, and demon hunters, Krulos’s ( Heroes in the Night) new book provides an introduction to a number of the unusual and fascinating people who work in these fields. In almost every chapter, the author introduces someone in a unique field starting with Loren Coleman, who founded the International Cryptozoology Museum. Looking at these areas of expertise through the eyes of those devoted to them offers a different perspective to this narrative, allowing it to be more personal than others about these subjects. For instance, hearing that “Bigfooters often possess a seething hatred for one another” is both funny and telling. While Krulos writes with some humor, he also shows a keen interest into these various subjects and has a strong respect for those who are consistently searching for answers. VERDICT: This work is bound to be fascinating to those already interested in these fields and even to readers who are seeking an easy way to learn about people who work in these specialized areas. Recommended for public libraries.
—
I’m also glad to say that website Cult of Weird did a Q and A with me about Monster Hunters. Cult of Weird is a website specializing in news of the macabre, creepy, unusual, spooky, and just plain weird, so I fit right in. They are also one of the fine media sponsors of the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference.
You can find the interview here: http://www.cultofweird.com/books/monster-hunters-tea-krulos/
—
Monster Hunters on Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398567-monster-hunters
On Amazon: LINK
On Chicago Review Press’s website: www.chicagoreviewpress.com/monster-hunters-products-9781613749814.php
Ripon College
That’s me telling Ripon College students about Mexico City’s social luchador activist Super Barrio. Photo by Wendy Schreier.
I was honored to be a guest speaker at Ripon College (in Ripon, WI), a small town college near Fon Du Lac, and the place where Harrison Ford first took an acting class. Professor Marc Eaton teaches a “Sociology of the Paranormal” class there, and decided to take a few days discussing Real Life Superheroes in addition to ghosts, UFOs, ESP, and cryptozoology.
The class was assigned to read some chapters of my book, Heroes in the Night, and last Friday they were paid a visit by The Watchman, a RLSH and star of some of the selected material they read. I drove up this morning with Wendy and ran through my RLSH slideshow, talked briefly on my upcoming book Monster Hunters and the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference, and answered a few questions. No one fell asleep!
The Watchman with students of the “Sociology and the Paranormal” class.
Afterward, I joined Marc and three students for coffee at the campus Starbucks and talked more on the book and one of the class assignments, which was creating a superhero persona.
This is the second time (that I know of) that Heroes in the Night has been part of class curriculum. Madeline Smith teaches a module class titled “Vigilante Nation: Vigilantism and Violence in American History and Culture” through the University of Hull in Yorkshire, England. The class featured reading an interview Smith conducted with me, as well as reading from the book for a section of the class on RLSH.
I certainly hope this continues and that more classes take time to read the book. If any teachers or administrators are interested, feel free to contact me!
Heroes in the Night is still available here:www.chicagoreviewpress.com/heroes-in-the-night-products-9781613747759.php
You can pre-order Monster Hunters here: www.chicagoreviewpress.com/monster-hunters-products-9781613749814.php?page_id=21
Monster Hunters, First Review: Booklist
Booklist is a publication of book reviews produced by the American Library Association “and is widely viewed as offering the most reliable reviews to help libraries decide what to buy and to help library patrons and students decide what to read, view, or listen to,” according to their website.
Well then, thanks for giving this nice review of Monster Hunters!
Booklist—May 15, 2015
The most important thing you need to know about this book is that it doesn’t take a stance on the existence of UFOs, lake monsters, the chupacabra, ghosts, or Bigfoot. Proving or disproving that these phenomena exist or don’t isn’t his mission. His plan is simply to follow the investigators, or “monster hunters,” as he calls them, along with some skeptics, to see what makes them tick, to find out why they believe so passionately in what they are doing. Krulos introduces us to some pretty interesting people: the curator of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine; the founder of the Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee; a noted skeptical investigator; and many others. The author treats his subjects with respect and courtesy (even when there are opportunities to ridicule or dismiss them); his approach seems to be not that these are wacky people with weird beliefs, but that these are ordinary people with beliefs most of us don’t understand—all of which adds up to an informative book for skeptics and believers alike.
— David Pitt
—
Monster Hunters on Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398567-monster-hunters
On Amazon: LINK
On Chicago Review Press’s website: www.chicagoreviewpress.com/monster-hunters-products-9781613749814.php
Advance Praise for Monster Hunters!
One thing publishers like to seek out is “endorsements” or “blurbs,” eye-catching short statements from people that might be familiar to the book’s intended audience. My book Monster Hunters got a couple of these from two interesting and cool guys, who took a moment from their busy schedules for me. Thanks!
***
“Everyone has their own idea of what a ghost or Bigfoot may look like, but what about those that dedicate themselves to the pursuit of these stories? Krulos strikes out in the dark, expertly shining a flashlight not on legends or creatures of folklore, but on the very human individuals who seek their own personal truths.” —Aaron Sagers, Travel Channel host, ParanormalPopCulture.com founder, Blastr.com Editor At Large
***
“Tea Krulos’s Monster Hunters is not your average ‘seen-it-all-before’ study of Sasquatch, aliens, and creepy critters. It’s an eye-opening, witty, and insightful look at the people who have dedicated their lives to solving some of the world’s biggest mysteries. In many ways, the characters Krulos crosses paths with are as unique and fascinating as the ‘things’ they seek!” —Nick Redfern, author of Monster Diary and Monster Files
***
Monster Hunters is available for pre-order on Amazon: LINK
Or, buy a copy in person at the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference: www.milwaukeeparacon.com
You can add it to your “to-read” list on Goodreads here: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398567-monster-hunters
January
My New Year’s resolution was to keep better track of what I’m doing. I’ll be listing what I get published each month and at the end of 2015 I’ll be able to see how many articles and a rough word count of what I did over the year.
I spent a lot of January working behind the scenes. I read over proofs for my upcoming book Monster Hunters (out June 2015, Chicago Review Press) and spent a lot of time working on the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference (June 6, 2015), and working on promo material for Ballyhoo (a comic I wrote and David Beyer Jr. illustrated).
I did have three articles published this month.
1. “Testing and Taxing Your Brain,” M: Milwaukee’s Lifestyle Magazine, January 2015. Article about local trivia nights, built on trivia questions with answer key at bottom of the article. The link will take you to their digital edition, the article is on page 96.
2. “the Soil & the Sun @ Turner Hall Ballroom,” Shepherd Express, Jan. 29. Concert review.
3. “Neighborhood Spotlight: Boen Richardson: The Right Side of the Tracks,” Riverwest Currents, February 2015. I’m including it here, despite Feb. cover date because it is out on the street (but not online yet).
The photo for this article was taken by Wendy Schreier Photography.
Total 2015 word count: 2,070 words.
2014
2014 was a good but often challenging year for me. I feel I did a lot of things I have not yet seen the payoff for, but hopefully will in 2015. 2014 was a lot of work. Good things happened and I’m looking forward to the future.
Major Stuff
I hit 2014 running, as it was around the halfway point of my deadline to my second non-fiction book, Monster Hunters: On the Trail With Ghosthunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, and Other Paranormal Investigators (Out June 1. Links to: Goodreads, Amazon).
In a way, writing this one was easier, because I had an idea of what had to be accomplished to write a book. On the other hand, it was intimidating because I had a lot of work to do in a fairly short amount of time. In 2013 I traveled to Vermont, Maine, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Florida. In 2014 travel continued to Arizona (for the 23rd International UFO Congress), Illinois, Michigan, and I continued to join local group Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee on cases.
On the trail of the Bigfoot with a member of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization. Somewhere in Michigan, July 2014.
In addition to the field work, I did a lot of research, interviewing, revising and more revising. By summer 2014 I had been reading about paranormal stuff for a solid year, was hammering out the final draft, and losing my mind.
I turned over the manuscript to my publisher (Chicago Review Press) in September. It was a huge relief and the book is currently going through the design phase. I’m looking forward greatly to having a stack of the books on my desk in June!
In October, I also self published a little book called Palookaville (links to Goodreads, Amazon). It’s a short collection of zany poetry and illustrations I slowly amassed over a year or so for kicks. A small project, but a fun one. I saw someone reading it and laughing, that’s all the pay off I really needed on that one.
One project I’ve been really excited about is Ballyhoo. I wrote the script for this comic and illustrator David Beyer, Jr. has been working on the art. We’re envisioning either a graphic novel or a 6 issue mini-series. I’m glad to announce here that David has completely finished the art for what will be issue or chapter one. Our next step is to shop it to a publisher. Wish us luck! I also recently finished first draft of what will be issue/ chapter 2. You can follow our progress at the Ballyhoo blog (which will be updated with new art soon) here: ballyhoocomic.wordpress.com
Articles
Although I was hella busy with Monster Hunters and other projects, I did freelance a few articles over the year. Rather than list them all, I’ll just list my favorite ones.
“Riverwest’s Ghost District,” Riverwest Currents, October 2014
“Milwaukee’s Pinball Wizards,” Shepherd Express, May 21, 2014
“Cream City Cabaret Gets Its Footing,” Shepherd Express, Nov. 25, 2014 (The talented Wendy Jean took the photo for that one.)
“Calamity Janes and the Fratney Street Band End Their Fantastic First Act,” Shepherd Express, Sept. 24, 2014
“Real-Life Superheroes: Inside the Secret Subculture of Costumed Crime-Fighters,” Fortean Times, May 2014. Cover story! Included an excerpt from my book and additional material I wrote on the RLSH subculture.
“Pretty Fly for a Daredevil Guy: the Return of the Human Fly,” Pop Mythology, Jan. 5, 2014. A different version of this article also appeared in the July 2014 issue of Fortean Times.
Events
I continued to do promotional appearances for my first book, Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook) throughout the year. I made guest appearances at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, MKE Comicbook Meetup, Translator, Minneapolis Comic Con, McMillin Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, Fantasticon, Milwaukee Zine Fest, the Museum of Wisconsin Art, and the Chicago Ghost Con. I got to see a lot of familiar faces and meet some great new friends, too. Lots of fun.
2015
I think the most major event of the year for me will be the release of Monster Hunters in June. To tie in I am planning a one day Milwaukee Paranormal Conference, which will be held June 6 at the Milwaukee Irish Cultural and Heritage Center. Mark your calendar, it’s going to be a really fun day: milwaukeeparacon.wordpress.com
I also have a plethora of freelanced articles that I’ve finished or are currently working on that will be in print soon. I’ve got about seven articles I can think of off the top of my head that are happening between January and March. My New Year resolution is to blog here more often and post links to all articles I write throughout the year and also write more about upcoming events.
In 2015 I also have some other small projects I’m working on, there’s some brain-storming sessions to be had have, and I’m also pretty deep into what I think will be my third non-fiction book.
But that, my friends, is in the future. Happy New Year!
Monster Hunters: Contents
Monster Hunters made it through copy edits and next will be sent to the book designers. To celebrate, I posted the book’s Table of Contents below. Monster Hunters is out June 2015.
You can pre-order on Amazon HERE
You can find the book on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398567-monster-hunters
* * *
Contents
Introduction: Invisible Monsters
1 The Monster Hunter and His Museum
2 Time Stamp
3 The Slaying of the Chupacabras
4 Lake Monster Fever
5 What Was That?
6 International UFO Congress
7 The Terror and Subsequent Pride of Point Pleasant
8 Drama with the Dead, Problems with the Living
9 Squishes
10 We Come to Whup Demons
11 Somethin’ Skunky
12 The Accidental Werewolf Chronicler
13 Night Visits
14 The Case of the Haunted Honky-Tonk
Epilogue: The Bogeyman
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Book Cover Reveal Makes a Happy Halloween For Me…
I can now reveal the book cover to my next book, MONSTER HUNTERS, which will be out June 2015!
teakrulos.com 