Local Haunts — Author explores ghostly tales across Illinois
By Melissa Garzanelli
Michael Kleen gets a kick out of ghost stories and he’s willing to travel to see if there’s any truth to these legends. Kleen, of Rockford, has visited spots across Illinois, including some nearby like Cumberland Cemetery near Wenona and Moon Point Cemetery in Livingston County, where stories persist of the “Hatchet Lady.” He posts his discoveries online through a serial newsletter at http://www.trueillinoishaunts.com. Now he’s taking some of those stories and putting them in print.
Kleen recently released “Paranormal Illinois,” which joins his first book “Haunting the Prairie.” He talked to The Times via e-mail about his books, ghost hunting and why people love their local haunts.
Q. You operate an online newsletter sharing tales of the paranormal. What made you decide to publish your books as well?
A. Books have always been my first love. I started out writing fiction, and the digital newsletter (Legends and Lore of Illinois) was a way to explore my other interests by examining the history and folklore of haunted places in Illinois…
M.A. Kleen 