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Haunting tales spook series' readers
Ghosts keep cropping up all over Virginia, and L. B. Taylor Jr. continues to write about the scary doingsDate published: 1/7/2005
By LUCIA ANDERSON
Virginia's ghosts just won't be laid to rest. Just when author L.B. Taylor Jr. is sure that he's written about every ghost in the commonwealth, another story lands on his desk. Taylor, a 72-year-old freelance writer, recently published the ninth volume in his "The Ghosts of Virginia" series, which includes a couple of local tales. Before he widened his focus to include the whole state, he had written several books about ghosts in specific localities, including one on Fredericksburg. All told, he's written 17 ghost books. "I got started by accident," Taylor said in a telephone interview from his Williamsburg home. He'd been writing nonfiction books for Simon & Schuster, who asked him to do a story about haunted houses in the United States. During his research for the nationwide book, he found a lot of material on Virginia haunts. Taylor suggested a book on Virginia ghosts, particularly those in Williamsburg, but the publishers turned him down. "They said regional books don't sell," Taylor said. He went ahead and wrote "The Ghosts of Williamsburg" anyway, publishing it himself. "It's now in its 22nd printing," he said. A private company now runs year-round ghost tours of Williamsburg, based on Taylor's book. In Fredericksburg, tours based on his book often are scheduled around Halloween. There are even a few local ghost hunters who prowl the area with cameras, trying to document some of the phenomena mentioned in his Fredericksburg book. "There's been a veritable explosion of interest in the paranormal in the last 15, 20 years," Taylor said. He hasn't been able to authenticate any of the stories he's compiled, but, "I believe there are a lot of things that cannot be explained scientifically," he said. "And the sincerity of the people I've interviewed is beyond reproach." Where possible, Taylor investigates the rumored ghostly doings in person. "I'm convinced the people do believe they've seen something," he said. "Ninety percent could be explained rationally, but there's a small percent that are inexplicable." He did extensive research on Fredericksburg's ghost lore back in 1991 for "The Ghosts of Fredericksburg and nearby environs," but turned up a couple of fresh ones for Volume IX.
Date published: 1/7/2005
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