Veteran journalist and historian Don Allison serves up a very personal exploration of the paranormal in "I Met More Ghosts at Gettysburg: A Journalist's Paranormal Journey Continues." Don relies on keen insight honed through decades of newspaper writing and editing as he shares his own encounters with the paranormal. In the down-to-earth style he employs in his award winning and long running newspaper column "On My Mind," he shares what he encountered, and his very human reactions. In layman's terms Don also takes a look at the forces of nature he believes are behind these unexplained occurrences, as well as some of the scientific theories that have been proposed. In short, this skeptic is convinced we have something to gain from studying those fascinating occurrences in this world we currently do not understand. "A great read, very entertaining ... I think you've created an 'Everyman's' explanation of paranormal occurrences," is how Mark Nesbitt, "Ghosts of Gettysburg" author and paranormal investigator, describes Don's earlier work "I Met a Ghost at Gettysburg." As Don relates in the preface to "I Met More Ghosts at Gettysburg," "It's a great enigma, really. Human cultures across time have expressed a belief in ghosts, yet there is no conclusive, generally accepted scientific proof that they exist. And what exactly is a ghost, anyway? "It seems if ghosts do exist, science would have found irrefutable evidence by now. Yet countless people throughout history - up to and including the present day - have experiences they cannot explain, and believe they have encountered what we commonly consider to be a ghost. "At some level most of us are afraid of our own mortality, and paranormal occurrences can be taken as a sign of encouragement, that perhaps death does not end our existence. We can see unexplained communication as evidence that our consciousness can indeed live on after our physical departure. Deep down we may want to believe, and this can alleviate at least some of that fear of taking our final breath. "On the other hand, some people are terrorized at the possibility of encountering a spirit. The thought of entering a supposedly haunted building can strike fear into their hearts. "To a degree I believe we all fear that which we do not understand. Be it dreams or premonitions that defy the odds of being a coincidence, sights or sounds that our logic says simply cannot be, when we contemplate those things almost all of us experience some level of fear. It can be so much easier, so much safer, do so much for our peace of mind, to simply turn our heads and ignore it, wait for it to go away and forget it ever happened ... "After publishing "I Met a Ghost at Gettysburg" I didn't really expect to write another book on the paranormal. Instead I thought I was doing what I often do, explore a topic that has aroused my curiosity, write about what I learned and then move on to something new and different. "But this time, instead of finding the answers to most of my questions and feeling satisfied with my research, each potential answer to my paranormal queries seems to raise a dozen or more new questions. "In short, my experiences since publishing "I Met a Ghost at Gettysburg" have revealed an entirely new world to me, a reality that is truly awe inspiring. It's a quest I find I can't abandon, so it continues with this book. "My goal here is to encourage people to put aside their fears and open their minds to exploring a world beyond our day-to-day understanding. Ignoring or denying the unexplained doesn't make it go away. If anything, by doing so we cheat ourselves out of the chance to better appreciate the world around us, and to more fully explore what may well be laws of nature that we do not yet understand. Why not continue to tackle that age-old question, what happens to our personalities, our souls if you will, after we die?"
About the Author: Don Allison, a veteran journalist and author, is a lifelong resident of Williams County, Ohio, where he shares a historic home with his wife, Diane. A 1976 graduate of Stryker High School, Done earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Toledo in 1980. As a high school student in the early 1970's Don got his start in journalism as a sports writer and photographer with the weekly Advance Reporter newspaper, now known as the Village Reporter. He joined The Bryan Times in 1981, where he served many years as news editor and currently is semi-retired and is senior editor. He has received numerous Associated Press and United Press International awards for his news, feature and column writing and special section design. Don's weekly column "On My Mind" is a Bryan Times fixture. Drawing on knowledge gained from a lifetime of studying the Civil War, Don has written extensively about that conflict. He and Diane are the founders of Faded Banner Publications, which publishes books on the Civil War and Northwest Ohio history, as well as the paranormal. Currently Don is co-authoring, with fellow Northwest Ohio historian Richard Cooley, a book on the 38th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. For nearly four decades Don has served on the Williams County, Ohio, Historical Society Board of Trustees, and through the years he has held various offices with the organization. He spearheaded the successful effort in which the society acquired and preserved the 1845 Society of Friends Meeting House in western Williams County. Don also is a founding member and past trustee and officer of the Stryker Area Heritage Council. Currently Don serves as an interpreter with the Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio. Don's previous books include "I Met a Ghost at Gettysburg: A Journalist's Journey Into the Paranormal," "Hell on Belle Isle: Diary of a Civil War POW" and "The Best of On My Mind: The Bryan Times Newspaper Columns of Don Allison." Each is available for $16.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling from Faded Banner Publications, PO Box 101, Bryan, OH 43506. In addition, copies may be ordered online at www.fadedbanner.com.