Who you gonna thank?

In an online writer’s group I’m a member of, one member requested help in putting together the Acknowledgments for his book. He wasn’t sure of who he should thank for making his book what it was and how to thank them. The issue of leaving people out was discussed when members responded to this post. The question made me think of my own struggles in putting together Acknowledgments for my books.

On one hand, who to thank is a no-brainer. Anyone who helped with research, anyone who helped write/edit the book, anyone who actually supported the author’s efforts to write the book and get it published, the publisher and the author’s family members are top of the list on who to thank. And these are the people I have included when I put together my own Acknowledgments for the haunted houses book. (There is a general Acknowledgments in the back of the book, plus my co-author, Martha Jette, and I each wrote our own personalized Acknowledgments.) It's a good idea to keep a list of people to thank as you work on your book. One would think that, with an Acknowledgments in a book that just came out, that should be the end of thanking people. However, I feel otherwise, especially now as I hold this published book in my own hands. What a long, tenuous and amazing journey it has been to get this book published! It had all started out as a series of articles for the Shadowlands newsletter. Now they were part of a new published book.

I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that this book is finally published. That said, I am still thanking the people involved in making that happen. I thanked them in emails shortly after the book went to the printer, but I feel compelled to thank them again here:

Thank you, DAVE JULIANO, for publishing my articles in the Shadowlands newsletter, and giving me permission to use them in the book. (Note: The articles in the book have since been revised and edited.) Thank you for your support of my research on haunted houses and insights on the paranormal.

Thank you, MARTHA JETTE, for taking on such a mammoth project and working with me tirelessly and consistently through the years in turning this book into the magnum opus it has turned out to be. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, go over everything with me, share your opinions and ideas and work with me when our ideas were not on the same page. Thank you for standing by with the emails and putting in an enormous amount of legwork and promotional efforts for this book. Many times I have marveled over how one writer in Canada can team up with one writer in the U.S. and bring them together in this joint effort of creating a book that the whole world can enjoy. Your access to resources in Canada and mine to resources in the U.S., our communication shifts with the several companies we have been in contact with concerning this book on your shore and mine, and postal/economic differences have all been interesting experiences for me. I hope it has been the same for you.

Thank you, RUTH M. THOMPSON, of Saga Books, for taking on this manuscript and going above and beyond to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. What a trying time to work with such a huge manuscript! Thank you for keeping your sights on the big picture and seeing this manuscript through to publication. Thank you for publishing our book.

And thank you to everyone who has bought copies of this book so far. I hope you enjoy them!

How to write about an unknown industry? Live it!

One of the chapters in my haunted houses book is about the haunt industry. I learned there even WAS a "haunt industry" in my research for this book. I decided it should go into this book so I set about the task of learning about it, since it was VERY unknown to me. (On that note, I kept calling it the "haunted house industry" until I learned the proper wording was "haunt industry.") I wasn't able to find much out about it on my search through the Internet. I came across sites, sure, but nothing told me what it WAS. (Maybe because I had the wording wrong in the beginning, my Internet search wasn't so helpful.) So I decided to find people to interview. One site owner I contacted led to finding MORE people and MORE sites to investigate. As I became more familiar with what this industry was all about, my search and research became more and more prosperous.

However, I was about to learn that interviewing people involved in this industry is just not enough to get the full grasp of what it's all about. I kept clicking and clicking on sites and Google soon opened the floodgates on even MORE sites for me to check out. As I saw one link after another appear in my search, I was AMAZED. Literally amazed. This industry is REALLY BIG. I had NO idea it was so huge, that there were so many resources and businesses and helpful sites. I mean, it even has its own radio site! Wow.

And there is a book written about it, too. Just one book, but I'm still going to check it out and hopefully land an interview with the author.

I have also learned that the more I submerge myself in this industry -- the more I read about it, talk to people, learn about it and visit the sites -- the more I am beginning to understand it better. Understand what it's all about. I have felt intimidation in the past about writing this chapter, because this industry is so unknown to me, but as I become more familiar with it, that intimidation fades.

One other thing I have learned in this experience: Sometimes, it's OK to trust the Internet. I've grown cautious with what I read on the 'Net, but when it comes to the haunt industry, you can bet there are some professional, bona fide sites that will be upfront and honest with you about this whole thing. These people are serious about what they do. The people I have talked to have been TREMENDOUSLY helpful and supportive. They are there to offer advice and information. They're not trying to scam anyone, spread rumors, start fights or try to make the other guy look bad. So in this case, I have been able to learn more about this industry through the Internet, because I know what I'm reading is the real deal.

There's also conventions held at different times of the year. Some are better than others. I am hoping I can attend one or two of them -- just to get a better feel. This is something I KNOW I should do, in addition to visiting one or two of the attractions these haunters build.

Learning about something new in order to write about it can involve so much time and effort. Just because it's not something easily understood doesn't make it impossible to write about. Ask questions, read EVERYTHING and check it out in person. By virtually putting myself into this "world" through interviews, research and even visits to actual sites (and not Web sites), I am better able to understand this unknown iundustry inside and out, and write about it as if I've known everything there is to know about it all along.