On the evening of Saturday, October 17, author Sharon Pajka and myself headlined the “Spooky Town Books” event at Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia. You could tell fall is in the air in Old Town Alexandria, with ghost tours prowling the streets and Halloween decorations festooning the historic homes. We stayed at the book shop for over an hour answering questions from a moderator and engaging the audience in a spirited discussion about Virginia’s haunted places. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I was pleasantly surprised to meet a few other Illinoisans there.
Sharon Pajka, PhD, is a professor of English at Gallaudet University. She is the author of Women Writers Buried in Virginia (2021); The Souls Close to Edgar Allan Poe (2023), a 2024 Saturday “Visiter” Award Winner for “Adaptations of E.A. Poe’s Life or Works”; and Haunted Cemeteries of Virginia (2025). We both have a similar approach to researching and writing about folklore and ghost stories. It was great to finally meet her and am looking forward to reading her latest book.
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