Spooky Season Starts Extra Early This Year

… at least it does for me, as the author of the upcoming National Geographic title 100 Haunts of a Lifetime!

This is indeed the news I’ve been so excited to share with the world, and it’s finally official! This project blends two of my lifelong obsessions: travel and all things spooky, haunted, or creepy. (And yes, I will be visiting some of these places to do some on-the-ground reporting!). I’ve been lucky enough to contribute to two other NatGeo titles, and I’ll be working with the same awesome editor for this one, too.

The book is scheduled for a fall 2027 publication date, which, in the book publishing world, isn’t that far away. My outline is due in a few short months, and that’s where you come in. I’d love to hear about any spooky destinations you know about, whether it’s a haunted hotel or graveyard; creepy ghost town; or an entire city (New Orleans, I’m looking at you!).

I’ve created this Google form to track responses. A good gauge for your picks: Does this place make the hair on the back of your neck stand up or give you goosebumps? If so, I want to hear about it! A few things to keep in mind:

• Think beyond just ghosts: Destinations associated with local legends/myths around cryptids; aliens; or other unexplained phenomena are all fair game! I'm casting as wide a net as possible with my research.

• No “dark tourism" destinations tied to genocide or mass murder (I know many spooky places are associated with death and violence, so this is admittedly complicated.)

• Please ABSOLUTELY NO seasonal hotel packages, haunted hayrides, trick-or-treating events, etc. Think places, not once-a-year events.

You can also pitch me separately at 100haunts@gmail.com (please, no responses to this newsletter or to my other email address; I’m trying to keep this project organized and contained.). Thanks again for your help, and let’s get this spooky show on the road!

Source Request

Just a reminder: Replying to this newsletter all but guarantees your email will get buried in my insane inbox, whether you’re sending a pitch or a comment (which I love! But would love even more if you can comment on the Substack platform!). If you’re pitching, send a separate email to blanebachelor[at]gmail[dot]com.

For Afar, I’m still looking for 1-2 sources for a story about how to avoid the crowds in Amsterdam. If you have a source who is on the ground here and can provide unexpected tips (as in, I’ll need something deeper than “get up early”) on how to do this, I’d love to hear from you.

Deadline: Monday, August 25

Subject Line: Avoiding Amsterdam Crowds

And That’s a Wrap!

I’m ending today with a snippet from an email sent to me by one of my sources for this CNN story, which is about the longstanding Dutch tradition of adopting the graves of U.S. service members who died in WWII. Long story short, my story helped this woman and her partner connect with family members of their adopted soldier in the U.S. for the first time.

We would like to thank you very much for [your story] which led to this friendship. We feel like family together, and that's wonderful.

If that doesn’t make all the downsides of my job worth it, I don’t know what does.

Thanks for reading,

Blane

P.S. Don’t forget to hit me up with some spooky spots, stat!

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