Varla Ventura

writer, traveler, lover of the strange

Varla Ventura

I am the author of Fairies, Pookas and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm, The Book of the Bizarre; Beyond Bizarre; Among the Mermaids; and Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires & Other Creatures of the Night. I am a lover of all things truly strange and freaky, and spend a good deal of my time reading and researching stories of the unusual variety. I live in the North Woods where all manner of things tap, tap, tap at my windowpane at all hours of the night.

Have You Entered My Complete A Fairy Tale Contest?

Have you heard? In honor of my new book Fairies, Pookas and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm, I’m running a little contest throughout the month of April. Here’s how it works. I give you the following intro paragraph and you finish the tale, in 500 words or less (ideally). Submit your

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Everybody Plays the Fool (But Nobody Does It Like Joe Diamond)

Nobody knows how to trick and prank like Joe Diamond, paranormal magician, mind reader and radio host. Except, of course, the mighty Pooka. Join me and Joe tomorrow night as we discuss all manner of beasties that go bump in the night but especially the King of the Trickster Fairies: The Pooka. All because I

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Wild Thoughts of the Fairy King: Ghost Chronicles, Tonight!

Join me and the lovely hosts of Ghost Chronicles, Ron Kolek and Anne Kerrigan, as we gather round the radio-machine to discuss all manner of creatures real and imagined. Tune in live tonight, Wednesday, March 22nd at 7 p.m. EST to talk about my new book, Fairies, Pookas and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild

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A Christmas Creature Extravaganza with Chris Fleming

Join me and Chris Fleming on his show Spirit Talk as we share weird Christmas stories and Christmas traditions and creatures from around the world, from the benign to the terrifying. The perfect thing to listen to while you’re wrapping all those presents! Chris is a fascinating man who has had paranormal encounters and experiences

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A Christmas Ghost of Dickens’ Past

Happy Holidays, you weirdos! I’ve got a little present for you. I recently got together with my esteemed publisher for Weiser Books Radio Hour, to read to you from a little tale from Charles Dickens’ A Haunted House. Charles Dickens’ Christmas ghosts were rampant in his 1894 pamphlet Christmas Stories, a holiday supplement to Âll

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Something Wicked This Way Comes: An Excerpt from My New Book!

I’ve a little surprise for you tonight. My newest book, Fairies, Pookas, Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm is due on April 1st. You can pre-order it now at Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, or at any local bookshop. If the title is not enough to convince you, perhaps a little excerpt from

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