Haunted by the Living

I began working on Haunted Chattanooga a little over a year ago.  At the time,  I didn't have a firm book contract and I wasn't sure what region I would write about, but I knew I wanted to write about Tennessee.   I was lucky enough (I thought) to be brought to a wonderful haunted place in Tennessee and was thrilled to be able to include it my new book.  At the time,  I was also thrilled that  Haunted North Alabama would be out soon.  I talked at length about Haunted North Alabama and my books to come to all involved in traveling to this haunted location.  I was a new writer and I had that glow that can only come from a writer who is soon to publish their first book.  I interviewed the staff at our location and they were pleasant, friendly, and kind.  I told them about my writing and how excited I was to be able to write about their location.  This was still somewhat new for me and I was thrilled.  I took pictures.  The staff even posed for the pictures.  I still have these photographs.  Photos of happy staff that were happy to be interviewed and photographed inside their haunted location.  When I look at these photos now, they seem wrong.  They seem crooked. 

Time passed.  It takes a long time to write and publish a book and my publisher is actually very fast.  I have an excellent publisher.   A year later, my new book is coming out!  Haunted Chattanooga will be released this week.  I was thrilled again, until I got an angry email from the staff at my haunted location demanding money for the photographs they let me take last year.  In fact, they are demanding far more money than I have made on the book.  They are demanding more money than I will ever make from the book.  They say they didn't ever give me permission to photograph their location and that no releases were signed. They are saying that unless we pay more money than any of us have, they will come after us about the photos they once so happily posed for, they didn't give us permission to take or use these photos.  So,,,,, now it seems Haunted Chattanooga could be stopped by the happy staff that once welcomed me. Their smiling photographs are now a bitter reminder of the duplicitous nature of the living.  I'm leaving names and locations out of this blog for obvious reasons.  I don't want to make anyone mad, but on a day like today, writing seems like the best coping skill I have to deal with the stress associated with living people.   I really wish I could just deal with the ghosts.  The supernatural is never this hostile.  In truth, I'm spoiled.  I've been lucky enough to spend most of my adult life around pleasant happy people that are honest and forthright.  I've been to hundreds of haunted locations and the staff and owners of these locations have always been welcoming.  Some of the locations I've visited even have my books in their gift shops.  One place asked me to do a book signing during one of their paranormal tours.  I have only seen the good people associated with the paranormal world.   Perhaps that is why these events are taking me so much by surprise and really making me question whether or not I want to write another Haunted book.   The biggest irony is that the ghosts I sought at this location filled me with no dread or fear, but the living staff at this location have kept me up night after night. They are haunting me and I find myself wishing I had a nice ghost instead, or at least a drink.  I wish pregnant women could drink.....