Among the Mermaids
An enchanting collection of classic stories, facts, and tales of mermaids from around the world that will thrill every lover of this romanticized mythological creature. From a mermaid joy ride in Baltimore's Druid Lake Park to the craggy shores of Ireland, your favorite new beach read is here.
Banshees Werewolves, and Vampires
The lusty vampire, the sympathetic werewolf, the tragic banshee...from the annals of forgotten folklore to the modern day hunt, this collection of facts and fictions showcases all manner of things that go bump in the night.
The Book of the Bizarre
A treasure trove of startling and stranger-than-fiction trivia that spans history, continents, even worlds. From rock n' roll history to the real reason you don't open an umbrella indoors, this collection of bizarre things looks great on a shelf next to those pickled "specimens" you've been collecting.
Beyond Bizarre
This sequel to The Book of the Bizarre takes the reader through chapters of even more freaky facts, terrifying trivia, and stranger-than-fiction stories including plants that smell like rotting corpses, coincidences you wish you could forget, and other handy tidbits guaranteed to scare off your conservative neighbors at the next block party.
Varla Ventura
Varla Venturava
Varla Ventura is most recently the author of Varla Ventura’s Paranormal Parlor: Ghosts, Seances, and Tales of True Hauntings. She is also the author of:
Fairies, Pookas and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm
Among the Mermaids: Facts, Myths & Enchantments of the Sirens of the Sea
The Book of the Bizarre: Freaky Facts and Strange Stories
Beyond Bizarre: Frightening Facts and Blood-Curdling True Tales Bizarre
Born just outside the wild jungle of San Francisco, she recently relocated from the mist and mystique of the California coast to the deep, dark woods of Minnesota. Her next book project is top secret (but rumor has it you can ply her with liquor to get answers).
Radio Ga-Ga: Upcoming Interviews & Archived Podcasts
Looking to tune in, turn on or maybe just space out? This is my (mostly) current list of upcoming and past radio appearances. Many of […]
New Website
Updated Look To The Website Hey Kids! Take a peek at my ALL NEW website designed by the amazing HillbillE. Be sure and check out […]
The Poltergeist Within: An Excerpt from Paranormal Parlor
We Are Family The idea of family ghosts, or ghosts that attach themselves to people and are “inherited” from generation to generation can perhaps be […]
Beyond the Strange Tonight with Dave Cruz May 9, 2019
Am I a three-toed malignant, Or furry Yeti miscreant? Have I a beard or a wooden leg? A tattooed face or am ne’er’bathed? Mostly you […]
Try to Keep an Open Mind: From Frederick Douglass to the Fox Sisters
Amy and Isaac Post were a pretty radical couple for the 1840s. As outspoken abolitionists it isn’t surprising that their open-minded attitude meant that not […]
Happy Hour of Horrors: Corpse Reviver
The next time you’re trying to think of something clever and creative to order at the bar, put down the Merlot and order up one […]
In Praise of Vampires: Living Vamps FAQ
In Praise of Vampires Although some of my exes may disagree, I am not (at least not last I checked) a vampire. However, I do […]
Sabine Baring Gould, Father of Werewolf Lit?
Sabine Baring-Gould was an eclectic man. Born in England in 1834, he is best known for the hymns he composed, among them the infamous “Onward, […]
Leaping Leprechauns: A Bit of Lore
Leprechauns are also known by more than pots of gold in the Fairy Kingdom. The leprechaun can be identified by the sound of his knocking […]
The Hopskinville Goblins
Not all goblins are from a different century. Case in point, The Hopskinville Goblins: In 1955, eleven members of two families living in a rural […]
The Occult Power of Goats
Do you believe in the occult intellectual power of goats? An American journalist, born in the 1830s, William Wirt Sikes did. Or at least he believed it […]
7 days ago
2 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
Rotten Botany: Bizarre, Beautiful and Grotesque Plants
Register for the Zoom linkJoin unique plant enthusiast and lover of the strange Varla Ventura for a delightful romp through a botanical wonderland of real plants that seem straight out of a horror nov...