There is still a lot of work left to do, but HauntJaunts.net is well underway.
ABOUT
Just as Haunt Jaunts the blog is a travel blog for restless spirits, HauntJaunts.net will be a travel site for restless spirits.
THE CONCEPT
Several years ago I had an idea that I’d write a book called Haunt Jaunts: A Travel Guide for Restless Spirits. I’d really enjoyed using Joyce Elson Moore’s Haunt Hunter’s Guide to Florida to explore Florida when my husband and I first moved there in 1999. Wayne and I ended up having some neat weekend excursions thanks to that book, which I came to think of as our “haunt jaunts.”
Anyway, then I started thinking about how I could write a book, what I’d have in it, but… something just didn’t seem to gel. There are tons of regional ghost books and what I had in mind just wasn’t wanting to manifest in “book” form. It didn’t feel right, I couldn’t visualize it, etc. But it didn’t dawn on me to do a website until a couple of years later. When it did, well…have you ever had an idea gnaw at you, keep you up at night, light your fire, basically consume you? That’s what happened to me.
I had put the plans into motion to create the site last February. But then in March my mom got sick, I ended up having to move her in with me, that turned into a full time job, then she passed away, then I got sick, found out I had cancer, started chemo…It was a rough year.
But now that I’m feeling better (and have a second shot at life right now), I decided to take the plunge and create the site.
WHAT HAUNTJAUNTS.NET WILL OFFER
First and foremost it will be a listing of Haunt Jaunts, or travel destinations that allegedly have ghosts or paranormal activity. Jaunts are broken down and cross-referenced in two ways: By Region and By Venue.
By Region lists Jaunts by state, then alphabetizes them by city. By Venue is broken down into three categories: Apparition Attractions, Eerie Eateries & Pubs, and Spooky Stays.
I’ll also be doing something I’ve always wanted to do: have a publishing venture! On a monthly basis I’ll publish travel articles and short stories with a ghostly slant.
There’s also The Book Shelf, which will feature books about ghosts and haunted places. (Both fiction and non-fiction.)
“WILL YOU ABANDON THE BLOG?”
No way! If anything, it’ll get used more. I plan to do book reviews, author interviews (both authors whose pieces I accept for publication as well as those who have written ghost books), and I’ll make editorial comments each month when I publish new stories and articles.
I’m really excited about this, having a lot of fun, and I hope my enthusiasm will catch on to the ghost loving community and we all end up having a whole lot of fun talking about, learning about, and exploring the plethora of Haunt Jaunts out there.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Sounds great!! And I’m glad the blog will still be going strong. 🙂