The Haunted Explorer

Welcome to my personal website where you can keep up to date with news about my books and paranormal work, as well as catch up with articles I have written covering hauntings, folklore and the darker and more bizarre side of Scottish History.

 

My interest in the paranormal started as a child after my grandfather, who carried out specialist work at historic buildings, would sit and tell me tales he had heard from staff and visitors at the places he had been working.

 

As I approached my teenage years, rather than opt for the usual weekly comic most kids my age went for, I chose to get the Unexplained Magazine by Orbis Publishing which could be compiled together to make encyclopaedias of all things supernatural. I still have and use these books today. While at school I also gained access to the local university library where I found early books covering the historic witch trials in Scotland which I found both shocking and fascinating in equal measures.

 

Other responsibilities became my priority as I moved into adulthood, quite understandably, yet around 2008 I found my curiosity and interest reignited and I once again started my research work. After testing the water with some independently published books, in 2013 I fulfilled one of my life long ambitions when I was contracted by the History Press to write 'Haunted Kirkcaldy, which was published in 2014. During this time I had also started to work with different paranormal investigators, some good, some less so. Since 2016 I have worked with the team at Scottish Paranormal, one of the oldest paranormal research teams in Scotland with dedicated fellow researchers who I trust implicitly and have the utmost respect for.

 

In addition to my research and writing, I have appeared on the television show Help! My House is Haunted and was involved with the recent show Spooked Scotland (Haunted Scotland in the USA) and have been interviewed on a number of radio stations.

 

I am a former trustee for the charity Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland and during my time on the steering group we campaigned for an apology from the Scottish Government and the Church of Scotland for the persecution of all those who suffered historically under false charges of witchcraft. We were delighted when the Scottish Government issued an apology in April 2022 and, following further representations we made to the Church of Scotland, they also issued a formal apology for the role the church had played.

The charity continues to campaign for the establishment of a national memorial constructed in memory of the accused, however, with other demands on my time increasing I took the difficult decision to step down in early 2023.

 

I part own potentially the largest collection of allegedly haunted items in Scotland, each with its own unique story. Details of some can be found on the website, and I will be adding more over time.