A lot of people helped in varied ways with this book. I’ll probably forget someone, and I apologize if I do. First and foremost, Deputy Dave Nelson, of the Morris County Sheriff’s Department, patiently explained the various local agencies, their available facilities, and how they worked together. Dave also kept me on track as to what they could and could not do within their jurisdictions, what had to be entrusted to larger cities, and how that worked. I could have listened to Sergeant Donnie Vallery of the Jefferson Police Department for hours, and do thank him again for finding that handcuff key so I could get out of the jail cell, despite what my husband wanted! The ladies at the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce answered my questions without blinking an eye. I guess they’re used to dealing with ghosthunters and writers. Officers Ron Jones and Ken McKeown of the Terrell Citizen’s Police Academy, as well as the great speakers they brought in, were so very willing to answer anything, no matter how sane or insane. See, guys and gals, I told you my curiosity was for my book, not any illegal activities! Thanks to Louise Harper for the wonderful title and the great Louise’isms. Thanks to my first readers, Louise, Alice, Tracy, and Lynn. Thank you, Lynn, for the web site. Thanks to OurLoopers for enjoying my scary stories even if they did give them nightmares and for encouraging me to write more of them. Sorry, Pam, about the gorgeous ghost who crawled in bed with you in our shared room — not!
Dear Reader Letter
Dear Reader:
Like Alice, I’m an author and also a ghosthunter. I see ghosts. I talk to ghosts. My own real-life Aunt Twila, Belle Brown, dragged me down the fascinating trail in search of ghosts years ago, and since then, she and I have shared many spooky/scary/thrilling adventures. We also hunt ghosts with friends who love prowling haunted houses and graveyards as much as we do. Several paranormal residents share my one-hundred-year-old home with my husband and me, and even my animals seem to see and interact with the ghosts or spirits at times.
Some of the ghosts Aunt Belle and I “met” during our quests told us wonderful stories about their lives. As fascinating to us as actually speaking with ghosts was the research, which confirmed the lives of these souls. Writer friends who were both scared spitless and captivated by the tales I told them in e-mail urged me to write my stories, and thus the idea for the Dead Man series, tales in which the ghosts actually participate in the investigations of their own deaths.
Six Gun, Texas, is a fictitious town, but some of the stories in the series are based on actual conversations with ghosts; some are the product of my own weird imagination. Or perhaps, tales of adventures that I would enjoy being a part of...although on this side of The Veil! Feel free to guess which are which, and I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Also, although many of the protective devices I use in the stories are gleaned from research and actual experience, I wouldn’t suggest you try to handle any ghosts you encounter on your own. Indeed, tread carefully into the paranormal dimension...as well as these tales. Things truly do go bump in the night, as well as the day, and sometimes dreams are actual reality.
T. M. Simmons
Author/Paranormal Investigator
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