CFZ's Next Generation Initiative

My book Buckeye Beasts: Historical Accounts of "Gorillas," "Wild Men," and Other Hairy Monsters in Ohio is available on Amazon NOW! Right now only the Kindle version is on there, but the paperback will be in a day or so. Here's some more on the book: Throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries, encounters with "wild men" were commonly reported in newspapers around Ohio. Many cryptozoology researchers think these reports of wild men, "gorillas," "hairy men," and "anthropoids" could be historical accounts of Bigfoot-like creatures. In this book, author Tyler Houck examines these reports spanning from 1869 to the 1940s. Many are presented here as they originally appeared and are then compared to modern Bigfoot reports and other historical and contemporary reports of strange, man-like cryptids from around the world. Is this all something to do with mythology and folklore, hoaxes on slow news days or misidentificatio...

Making the rounds on all the news sites on the Internet as a "Loch Ness Monster" is this carcass of something that was recently found on a beach in Georgia, USA. Strange remains found by Jeff Warren. Is it real? Fox News  reports: Shocking pictures of a Loch Ness Monster-type beast found on a U.S. beach have sparked talk Nessie could have moved stateside. The mystery creature was reportedly found on Wolf Island, Georgia, by a father and son who were out on a boat trip, The Sun reported.  Father Jeff Warren spotted what he said he thought was a dead seal lying in the surf, according to First Coast News. But upon closer inspection, Warren said it became clear he had no idea what the animal was. Images show the supposed carcass, which Warren said was being eaten by birds when he arrived, lying in the sand. It appears to have a long tail and two fins, as well as a long neck and a tiny head - features usually associated with Nessie in popular culture. The cre...

I have two new books coming out sometime in the near future, both focusing on some of Ohio's cryptid creatures. First, Buckeye Beasts: Historical Accounts of "Wild Men," "Gorillas," and Other Hairy Monsters in Ohio.  The book is an examination of old "wild man" accounts from the 18- and early 1900s in the state. I cover sightings from the "first" report in 1896 up to 1950, since the '50s were the decade when "Bigfoot" was born. After looking at all the newspaper reports, I compare them to other stories of "wild men" from throughout the world (Australia and England for example) and also to modern Bigfoot reports. The book should be available on Amazon before long and I will update things when it is! The other is The Ohio Monster Guidebook: A Look at the Buckeye State's Most Mysterious Creatures. This one is being published by CFZ Press and things are currently underway. In this book, I cover many Ohio cryp...

The UK  Mirror  has a  new article  up on a woman who won £1,500 for having the "best Loch Ness Monster sighting" of 2017. The article reads: A woman who had a monster surprise on her honeymoon in the Highlands has won £1,500 for the experience. The annual Best Nessie Sighting of the year has been won by Rebecca Stewart of Lancashire with a picture she took on her honeymoon last October. Mrs Stewart from Chadderton, Oldham, photographed and saw the large fin shape for five minutes - although it is admittedly somewhat hard to make out on the photograph. Her husband Paul also claims to have seen the Loch Ness Monster as the picture was snapped while they were with their two-year-old son Thomas and the family dog. Mrs Stewart's sighting was accepted by the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register and then entered into the competition which has a prize of £1,500 given by bookmakers William Hill.  Mrs Stewart, who has recently been made redundant ...

The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster  is a brand-new book by Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito. Below is the book description: Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monster - a deformed flying horse with glowing red eyes - that flew up the chimney of her New Jersey home and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, this nightmarish beast has haunted these woods, presaging catastrophe and frightening innocent passersby - or so the story goes. In The Secret History of the Jersey Devil, Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito examine the genesis of this popular myth, which is also one of the oldest monster legends in the United States. According to Regal and Esposito, everything you think you know about the Jersey Devil is wrong. The real story of the Jersey Devil's birth is far more interesting, complex, and important than most people - believers and skeptics alike -...

Roland Watson, who runs the excellent Loch Ness Monster blog, has a new book out on a specific aspect of the mystery - the land sightings of Nessie. The book is called When Monsters Come Ashore: Stories of the Loch Ness Monster on Land . As far as I know, this is the first book to focus fully on the land sightings of the LNM. Below is the book description: "For centuries, people have claimed to have seen a strange creature swimming in the murky waters of Britain's biggest body of water - Loch Ness. However, a small but sensational number of these witnesses have claimed to have seen the same creature lurking on the beaches, lying on the fields and crossing the roads surrounding the loch. What are we to make of these extraordinary accounts of a normally aquatic beast? Hoax, misidentification or the real deal? What do they tell us about the nature and habits of this most mysterious of animals? In this first work dedicated to this aspect of the Loch Ness story, Roland W...