Book signing focuses on ghostly pets 10/25/2008 12:39 AM
Staff photo by Suzanne Stone
By SUZANNE R. STONE Staff writer
Asheville, N.C., author Randy Russell brought his works on the Southern folklore of ghosts to the Aiken County Public Library on Friday.
Russell spoke on and signed copies of his two most recent books, "Ghost Dogs of the South" and "Ghost Cats of the South," and asked the audience about their own encounters with ghosts.
"My wife and I have been researching folklore for more than 20 years," he said. "I learned it was better to go talk to people instead of staring at the microfilm machines. Our first book was written from published accounts, and we went to all the places we described and found the people living there had better stories than the ones we'd found in historical documents."
His personal experiences of hearing their late Great Dane stumbling on the house's wooden staircase in the night led Russell to start investigating pets and ghosts.
"I'm the first to admit it might be a trick of the heart, but it's what got me interested in animal ghosts," Russell said.
Companion animals are often sensitive to things humans can't detect, he said, and his book contains stories of "animal messengers" such as the bird that stayed around a dead father's porch chair to reassure the family.
"I'm not one of those people who goes around with a Geiger counter trying to prove or disprove ghosts. I'm more interested in what people experience when they see a ghost," he said. "Most ghost stories involve a close heart-tie, a family member or a pet. I look for phrases like 'old-timey clothes' or 'dressed funny,' those ring truer to me than if they've got too many details, then I think they've embroidered some. The overwhelming commonality is that the person telling the story felt comforted by a ghost very soon after a death. This has to be the case for at least half the stories I've been told."
Library manager Michael Swan sold copies of the two books, and purchasers stood in line with copies to be autographed after the talk.
For more information on upcoming events, call the Aiken County Public Library at 642-2020 or visit the library website at www.abbe-lib.org.
Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.
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