Cover Art Release ~ Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper

Announcing the presentation of the cover art for my upcoming release, Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper.  The graphic artwork was created by http://bloodsoakedgraphics.tumblr.com/ .

I am pleased to report part one of the four-part manuscript is currently with my editor. As this project has been a lifelong journey and the exploration of Jack the Ripper has taken me, time and again, to the arteries of the Whitechapel district in London and ultimately consummated on the streets of Chicago’s south side neighborhood in the Englewood neighborhood where Dr. H. H. Holmes built his infamous “Murder Castle.”

In my book, I ask one thing of the reader… consider the possibilities!  In London, we have a serial killer who is nothing more than an enigma – a faceless name.  History has preserved documents, which not only indicate the Ripper is likely to be a person with medical knowledge – a skilled physician, and the Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard propose the culprit is likely an American.  Dr. H. H. Holmes, a con man, a skilled physician, and a frequent visitor of London, attempts to sell articulated skeletons to colleges and universities in the London area during the time of the murders.  Is this coincidence?

In Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper, case file evidence will demonstrate, Dr. H. H. Holmes was the prime suspect who committed the Whitechapel crimes and has evaded suspicion (and the criminal justice system) for more than a century.

Below is the write-up on the back cover of the book.  It exemplifies and represents the very foundation and heart of Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper.

“Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper”

By Dane Ladwig

In 1888 in the East End of London, the heart of the Whitechapel district was crippled by the crimes of a fiendish murderer known as Jack the Ripper. Across the Ocean, in America, another monster was on the loose – Dr. H. H. Holmes…

The mystery of the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders would puzzle the world for the next century and the years ahead. Scotland Yard Detectives, Stockholm’s finest minds, criminologists and experts (or “Ripperologists”) from around the globe, all endeavored and failed to unravel the mysterious identity of the world’s most notorious serial killer.

After more than a century of conjecture and inconclusive theories, The Ripper’s identity is no less a mystery than it was at the time of the murders. Is it possible Scotland Yard investigators were correct after all? Could the notorious Ripper have been an American visiting London? Furthermore, is it possible the visiting Ripper was an American physician and a convicted serial killer?

In Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper, the unproven propositions regarding the possible identity of Jack the Ripper are considered and weighed against the facts. Theory and literature based on opinion and imagination are left aside as only the facts and reason are considered. The historian, student, Ripperologist, or simply those intrigued with perhaps the greatest of all unsolved mysteries, should add to their knowledge with what is revealed in this compelling account of Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper.

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Holmes Manuscript Update…

It is apparent from the search parameters people are using on both my website and my blog (yes, I can check them lol); the majority of inquiring minds wish to know what’s going on in my world with Dr. H. H. Holmes.

As many of you are aware, I have written a book titled Piercing the Veils of Death: A Paranormal Exploration, and a great deal of my time is devoted to marketing, radio and newspaper interviews and such. In addition, I am writing Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper (forecasted for a fall 2013 release).

To pen such a monumental book, which will reveal facts about Herman Webster Mudgett a.k.a. Dr. H. H. Holmes and his many links to the infamous Jack the Ripper, which have never before been made public, is painstakingly difficult.

First, I must make sure the information is credible, and that includes case file information from the Holmes case and the open crime case of the Ripper. The people I am working with in the U.K. and home in the U.S. must be impeccable resources. Lastly, I must consider all possibilities before making the assumption Dr. H. H. Holmes is the principle candidate as the prime suspect in the Ripper slayings of 125 years ago.

To accomplish this enormous task, I have sought the assistance of experts from all over the globe. I am currently working with Scotland Yard, the London Metropolitan Police, the United Kingdom National Archives, the United States National Archives, the Gilmanton, New Hampshire Historic Society, Dartmouth College, the University of Michigan Medical School, and various experts and certified investigators in a unified and collaborative effort to expose the truth.

What has this benefited so far? Good question. I will share a misunderstanding people have had for several decades regarding Dr. H. H. Holmes. While Holmes was incarcerated, he documented his story. He told of a tale when he was a small boy living in Gilmanton, NH.

The sensationalized story passed on from Holmes was regarding his schoolmates, “hooligans”, who shoved him into a doctor’s office and frightened the boy Holmes/Herman Mudgett, by thrusting an articulated skeleton upon the terrorized child. This was only partially true.

My research has discovered the true story; the doctor’s identity, and a bond/relationship the doctor and Herman had throughout Herman’s life until the doctor’s unfortunate passing. Coincidentally, the doctor graduated Dartmouth College and mostly lectured at the University of Michigan Medical School. Herman Mudgett/Holmes attended Dartmouth for one year and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School.

This is but a brief moment of the research I am conducting to bring Dr. H. H. Holmes and the Whitechapel Ripper into the focus of speculation. Was Dr. H. H. Holmes coup de grâce, his most significant contribution to society and history, to be disregarded as the murderous Ripper for a century and a quarter, and go unnoticed… as a ghost in the night?

Just when I think I have Holmes figured out, someone sends me more information. When dealing with Holmes, I have learned there’s always a new angle, a new direction. To be the first to bring it together, I feel like Alfred Hitchcock on the set of a Hollywood blockbuster horror spectacle – only this one is real. This one really did happened!

Stay tuned as I bring you more and don’t forget to check out my website for more about my books and Dr. H. H. Holmes: www.daneladwig.com

Dane

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Dreamer ~ My Life in Retrospect

When I was a kid my mom would constantly yell at me, “Stop taking the family radio apart. Do you know what’ll happen if your dad finds out you took that thing apart again?” He never found out because I would put it back together before he would get home, and the wild thing is… the radio always worked when I reassembled it. I have always been a dreamer.

In grade school I was the one who never paid attention and always starred out the window. By the time I made it to Junior High School I became bored and resorted to the role of class clown and hallway bully. I never did my homework and I got bad grades, not because I didn’t know the stuff, but because I “didn’t pay attention”. Somehow I just knew the stuff they were teaching me in class and felt it was a waste of time. I was always interested in things like history and science. One year I entered the school’s Science Fair, I won second place, really ticked off the kids who studied. I have always been a dreamer.

The odds have always been against me. I dropped out of school well before graduation, so I lacked formal education. Based on the way my life was going, everyone was convinced I was headed for the morgue or the penitentiary. I came from a broken home and I lived on the streets. I was about to become another statistic on societies least favored citizens list. I resorted to everything negative and bad, and when I say everything, I do mean everything. When I was a kid, not a day passed by when I did not wish to depart this world; I imagined the next existence as a much nicer place. I have always been a dreamer.

As an adult I have worn many hats. I decided to take control of my education and I have been to Technical School for automobile mechanics, Theology training at a Bible College, and a private College for English and Philosophy degrees. I have worked in many fields along they way, but the ones which stand out in my life as the best and most rewarding were automobile mechanic, construction, a security guard protecting celebrities, working with Homeland Security on Presidential detail, working for a National Football Team, and now spending my life as an author. I have always been a dreamer.

I have met some really incredible and influential people in my lifetime; sports figures, actors, musicians, dignitaries and Heads of State from across the globe. The most inspiring of these people I have had the pleasure of knowing are some of the least famous; they are people stricken and inflicted with disabling conditions who refuse to allow life to dictate unacceptable terms — they are my hero’s and heroin’s. Like them, I too have a disability and I refuse to give in and accept nothingness as an existence. I have always been a dreamer.

I couldn’t tell you when the exact turning point was in my life, perhaps it was more of a culmination and a sort of process. Truth be told, I don’t think I would change a single thing about my life; every day and every nuance of my life made me who I am today. I harbor no bitterness, no resentments, only vague memories of a person I once was — a person I no longer recognize. I suppose, if I think about it real hard, the one constant has always been… I have always been a dreamer!

 

Dane Ladwig

 

http://www.daneladwig.com

Please help review my first video (3:15)

“You won’t believe your eyes,” that’s what one viewer said. I made the video and I have a difficult time with it. I posted this to my Facebook page and the comments just began to pour in,”… it is compelling”, “Sure does make a person think”, and “This is bound to turn a few heads!” Just a few of the comments. This is my first (crude) attempt at making a YouTube video. I do hope you enjoy!

If you enjoyed this video you can follow Dane Ladwig at:http://www.daneladwig.com

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Interesting Facts

Just north of South Bend, Indiana in St. Joseph County a University proudly sits in an unincorporated community the University of’ Notre Dame du Lac or simply stated Notre Dame. The Catholic research university — Notre Dame — boasts one of the nation’s most spectacular sports programs to have ever existed. The “Fighting Irish” have once again made history. Having an undefeated season, the football team has shocked the country and earned themselves a trip to the Discover BCS National Championship (Mon, Jan 7, 2013).

As members of the NCAA Division 1 — Independent, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish has eleven National Championships to their credit, seven Heisman Trophy winners, and sixty-two Alum in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Mascot

All-American Knute Rockne is an Alum of Notre Dame. Rockne later became one of Notre Dame’s most esteemed football coach’s ever 1914-1940. Rockne grew up in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood where he first played football as a child with the Logan Square Tigers. At the age of 22 Rockne had saved enough money to enroll in college, he chose to attend Notre Dame. Rockne graduated Notre Dame in 1914 with a degree in Chemistry and Pharmacy. In 1913, while on Notre Dame’s football team as an end (receiver), when the team beat Army at West Point by way of the Quarterback throwing to the receivers as opposed to a ground game (running plays), they shocked the nation winning 35-13. Rockne’s methods were now being considered as a new “standard” if teams expected to compete and win. Knute Rockne went on to have an impressive overall career high record of 105 wins, 12 ties, and 5 loses, 1 bowl game and 3 National Championships (1924, 1929–1930). Notre Dame and Knute Rockne revolutionized football forever.

Many other well-known individuals have graduated Notre Dame. The list is endless, but I will mention just a few. Joe Montana, Condoleezza Rice, Regis Philbin, Phil Donohue, Mike Golic, Jeff Samardzija, Jerome Bettis, Julius Jones, Brady Quinn, Paul Hornung, Ricky Watters, Tim Brown, Bob Golic, Joe Theismann, John Paxon, Carl Yastrzemski, Nicholas Sparks, Bronko Nagurski, Jack Snow, and so many more.

Millard Sheets mural The Word of Life as seen from the campus of Notre Dame

If you have ever been to Notre Dame or watched a game played at Notre Dame, you would not miss the enormous mosaic mural, which overshadows over the stadium. “Touchdown Jesus” as it has been deemed, is a mural of the resurrection depicted by artist Millard Sheets entitled The Word of Life, donated to Notre Dame and installed atop the Hesburgh Library building on campus. From the stadium, the up-stretched raised arms of Jesus resemble a referee signifying a touchdown, hence the moniker “Touchdown Jesus”.

“Touchdown Jesus” The Word of Life mosaic mural as seen from Notre Dame’s football stadium.

To add to the luster of Notre Dame’s rich history, the movie Rudy (1993) based on the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, whose life-long dream was to play football at Notre Dame, was shot on campus and actor Sean Astin portrayed Rudy.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish “Golden Domes”

The Fighting Irish have been scrutinized for their “golden domes” — the helmets they sport at every game. Many people view this as a pompous statement, a golden dome with real gold in the paint. It is said, every helmet has 23.9-karat gold flakes in their spray paint. In all fairness, the golden dome helmet is fashioned after the golden dome on Notre Dame’s main campus building. Paying homage to your Alma Mater by wearing a proud statement upon your head in the form of a golden dome does not sound pompous, if you ask me, it sounds respectful and traditionally rich.

The golden dome atop the main building on Notre Dame’s campus. The football helmet is fashioned after this golden dome!

The same can be said for Notre Dame’s fight song, the Notre Dame Victory March. Perhaps the most recognized fight song in Collegiate sports in America. Below is the song sung by the Fighting Irish and recognized by more college students across America than any other rally song in existence.

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne’er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.

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This article has been presented to you by Author Dane Ladwig. You can visit Dane Ladwig’s website at: http://www.daneladwig.com

Writing ~ Hemingway ~ Profanity ~ the Apostle Peter

I have read a great deal of Hemingway in my days. I recall the Hemingway book that turned me on to his writing, Old Man and the Sea. I recall hearing Hemingway say once in regards to this classic masterpiece, “The first draft of anything is shit!” I don’t think I would ever classify anything Hemingway wrote, even if it were his moniker on a used tissue as “shit”. That is because I respect the man’s work. The one thing I can attest, with Hemingway, when he was convicted of a thought, he always spoke his mind with no regard to fear of repercussion. Why should he be afraid?

That brings me to my next realization. As I look in retrospect over the past year, I consider my writing and how I walk on eggs and tiptoe around words just to protect an image — so as not to be perceived as offensive or distasteful.

Well, today is the day I say bullshit to that! I realize if I set a precedent, I must adhere to such guidelines and not sway from such things as form, style and basic mechanics. However, if I have to be ever so careful not to offend that I water down the words or the content of my composition, I feel I am doing more harm than good.

Really, in a nutshell, what does this all mean? For starters, cursing. I have been a huge proponent against profanity. However, I have come to accept some texts are enhanced by placing the dialogue in factual account and rapport we could believe to have occurred. Case in point. It is a little past closing time, 2:20 AM. An armed robbery is in progress at the local corner liquor store. The offender, armed with a sawed-off shotgun forces his way into the rear entrance of the store while the store clerk tidies up the days affairs. Before the clerk has a chance to react, the armed robber has the shotgun pointed in the clerks face. The armed robber would not politely say, “Hello store clerk, please give me your money and then if it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience could you get on the floor.” No! The clerk would laugh hysterically while dialing the authorities. The conversation would most likely follow something such as,

“Get your hands up motherfucker… get ‘em up in the fucking air now! Don’t touch a fucking thing unless I tell you to do something. You fucking understand motherfucker? DO YOU? Now… Give me the fucking money and make it quick. You so much as twitch a fucking eyebrow I’ll waste your fuckin’ sorry ass. Now… get on the floor bitch! NOW. I said move motherfucker if you want to stay alive. Stay on the floor for five minutes or I will put another asshole right between your motherfucking eyes. You fuckin’ understand me bitch?”

Which scenario is more impactful and believable? I agree! Perhaps Hemingway was on to something very basic, but very pertinent to writing when he decided not to compromise.

As an ordained Chaplain, I must say my conscience has wrestled with the dilemma of omitting or allowing profanity in my writing. Any person who has studied the scriptures knows Jesus’ disciple Peter began swearing as he denied Jesus (Matt 26: 69-74). Throughout the scripture, Peter struggled with cursing. That does not excuse me, that is only to point out that even the highest of ordained men (and women) struggle with profanity and cursing and I doubt it is a mortal sin carrying with it the sentence of eternal doom in Hell’s kitchen.

The point is, we make a big fuss out of the most irrelevant and insignificant matters. Here’s a thought (it would behoove radical religious fanatics such as Westboro Baptist Church members to heed this advice). If you are offended, do not read the material or listen to the discussion or watch the program, it’s that damned simple! It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out, when you attack a writer, a producer, or a group of people for his/her/or their beliefs… YOU have the problem.

I think that was Hemingway’s strongest message; I’ll speak my mind honestly and truthfully, attack me, I’ll laugh, because I am not the one bothered by what I said, you are. I believe that is what he alluded to when he addressed the issue of profanity and writing, “I’ve tried to reduce profanity, but I’ve reduced so much profanity when writing the book that I’m afraid not much could come out. Perhaps we will have to consider it simply as a profane book and hope that the next book will be less profane or perhaps more sacred.”

While drafting a manuscript I always try to recall Hemingway’s ideals, which is why most of what I write makes it to the recycle bin. Like Hemingway, “I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.” With that in mind, I think I will actually save this article for print.

If you have enjoyed this article please check out Dane Ladwig’s website at: http://www.daneladwig.com

New Year’s Resolutions: UNDERSTANDably… So?

With the coming of a new year we greet it with the same old song, “This year I will…” Then a week or two passes and we slide back into our same old habits, tossing aside the resolutions we entered into; as if we are indebted to our habits and refuse to boldly go where no person has gone before — at least, where we have never ventured before.

Perhaps we are confused on what resolutions are and why they are so difficult to keep. That would explain why so many New Year’s resolutions are broken with each New Year season.

Some resolutions are commendable and offer the recipient a great deal of benefit. “I vow to lose twenty pounds by June”, or “I will quit smoking”, are just a few. Then there are those others that are just, well, let’s say, self-aggrandizing. “My resolution is to own a Lamborghini (on a modest $35,000.00 annual salary, I don’t think so!).” And one of my favorites, “This is the year I will find a husband (or wife), marry and live happily ever after”. Let’s face it you are 46 years old and there is a reason why you are still single.

What is a “resolution”? First, it requires much more than reciting a sentence or verse and expecting miraculous change. It requires action on the part of the individual entering into the declaration of a resolution.

Resolution is a determination followed by a strong will. One must act boldly and courageously in earnest towards the goals set forth, which takes fortitude and put plainly — guts. And by all means, if you are serious about your resolution you must first be honest and truthful with yourself.

Have you set reasonable and attainable goals? Can you admit you are willing to stand firm in your decision and doggedly pursue the fixed purpose, to persevere even when the odds are against you? Do you have the resolve to sincerely devote the willpower required?

Too often we enter into resolutions with little forethought to the plan. That is why many resolutions fail. Also, don’t set yourself up for failure. If you know the plan is doomed from the get-go, then it is at best a weak resolution. To say, “My resolution is to give up consuming alcohol”, but you work in a bar, all your friends are heavy social drinkers and your family parties like it’s 1999, that is a weak resolution — one you are sure to fail. However, you can say, “My resolution is to drink less and begin finding ways to surround myself with better role models.”

New Year’s resolutions take backbone and a renewed frame of mind. You must believe you are unwavering and unconquerable. Devotion to mastering your accomplishments will bring a greater sense of fulfillment and pride when you have gone the distance.

What a resolution is not; it is not compliance, indecision and weakness. All too often resolutions are entered into with the presumption, “All I have to do is follow a few basic rules and it’s all good.” My friends, that is referred to as compliance. That is what we do in order to make drive to and from work without getting a speeding ticket. The other error we allow is the occasional, “Well, it’s okay just as long as I only do it once (slip back to the old behavior).” No! That is indecision and it makes you a casualty of weakness.

The recipe for a successful New Year’s resolution is to remember to set reasonable attainable goals. Be honest and courageous when deciding your resolution and be willing to participate in the process of attaining your resolution. Lastly, do not waver. Your resolution is a process of re-creation, which you are in full control of — be willing to take matters into your hands and enjoy the benefits when your goals have been met!

By the way — my New Year’s resolution is to publish two books in 2013 (very doable) and to better my current health situation (which includes losing weight and quitting my nasty habit of smoking cigars). Will I succeed in reaching all my resolutions? You bet your sweet bumpkiss I will!

Dane Ladwig

You can follow Author Dane Ladwig on his website at: http://www.daneladwig.com

Massacre at Sandy Hook: Want to Know Why it Happened? Read On…

To address the mass murder at Sandy Hook School as a tragedy almost diminishes its severity, it is much, much more. Within moments of the crime, it seemed before investigators had the chance to walk through the gates of the crime scene, media had given birth to the most sensationalized mass murder in history. Not without good cause.

The numbers of victims to have been sacrificed to this crime ranged a full spectrum for the first several hours, as did the speculation of the identity of the victims and the killers motive. However, even amidst the confusion, one fact remained as we watched this ordeal unfold — children had lost their lives. Parents everywhere reflected on their priorities.

Now that the facts have begun to surface in this case — and so the speculation has intensified immeasurably — people are asking for the answer to the all-important question… Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did the killer target children?

The most recent theory, that the killer was motivated by a psychological disorder, have ranged from the unbelievable to Asperger’s Syndrome, are all immaterial and total nonsense. I happen to have family and friends, who are Autistic and have Asperger’s Syndrome, and it is my belief through having many years of knowledge in Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, I know these particular disorders do NOT account for homicidal massacres and rampages. But our society has a great desire to place blame and in turn, we refuse to accept this type of behavior could come from a human unless the unbelievable act of the monstrous fiend is given a label.

I refuse to use the killers name; I will simply refer to him as “the killer”. You may ask why? Because I believe the children and adults, whose names are listed below, are the individuals worthy of honoring, mentioning and remembering, NOT the killer.

These people — the victims — deserve remembrance; Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Rachel Davino, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana M. Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Dawn Hochsprung, Madeleine F. Hsu, Catherine V. Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Anne Marie Murphy, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison N. Wyatt.

When people ask why? I feel they should take a long hard look at our society and the media. A theater in Oregon is shot up and the media swarms it, the public treats it as if it were an extension of the Silver Screen. Killers become instantaneous celebrities — forever immortalized in history through their gruesome diabolic acts against humanity.  This behavior from the media — exalting killers — dates back many years. Name one person from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that leveled the Alferd P. Murrah Federal Building, where there were 168 victims’, which included 19 children from the America’s Kids Day Care Center.

My point is, although you may not be able to name a single victim of the Oklahoma City bombing, and you may not know the names of Chase Dalton Smith (3 years-old) or Colton Wade Smith (2 years-old), brothers who were at America’s Day Care Center at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, or 29 year-old Sgt. Benjamin LaRanzo Davis, a Marine recruiter, you will most likely know the name of the bomber Timothy McVeigh.

There is something faulty in a system when the culprit, the killer, the oppressor is the person we have lifted up and remember. News broadcast builds up this most recent murder spree as, “The second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech.” Through the media as a catalyst, we are sending the message as a society that if you want to be remembered, all you have to do is “top” the last most memorable “deadliest” and it will ensure you a mention, and the topic of conversation, in nearly every household throughout the world. This is a most sad state of affairs!

It is not about politics or demographics, it is not about wealth or poverty or social status. It is not even about gun control as the gun only becomes a weapon after the trigger is pulled. It is about people and the culture and a society and what we have accepted as the “norm”. It is about time the people take back their country, their rights, and their safety. They must band together and first recognize there is a problem, then decide — as one — how to effect change.

I say, we can effect change. I say, shift the focus! Show the victims names, the victim’s pictures. A numbers of networks aired the killer’s picture and held round-table discussions with panels of experts attempting to “assess” the killer’s motives. I say, hold your round-table and discuss how we as a country can take back the power we have relinquished to these demented killers and focus on the victims and their families. Sensationalism media is the cause for killing sprees such as the one witnessed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. If you plan to place fitting blame, do so intelligently and responsibly — at the appropriate radical motivator. I say, let’s not allow another Newtown, Ct., killing spree and let’s stand arm in arm and not allow those victims of violent crimes such as Newtown, Ct., be sacrificed in vain, but let us hold their deaths resolute and forge a new America, a safer and more loving America!

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You can get information on my books and so much more on my website: http://www.daneladwig.com/

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Step Aside Vlad ~ Sava, The Svelte Serbian Prefers Our Blood: Serbian Council Issues Vampire Alert

Underworld meets Van Helsing. Bram Stoker once predicted the end times unless the world guard itself from blood thirsting creatures sent from Hell, bent on stripping humanity of its very essence — the eternal soul. Just a portion of a day’s drive from Romania where in the fifteenth century, Vlad the Impaler ruled with the Order of the Dragon. Vlad was dubbed “Dracula” by towns folk because of his thirst for human blood, is a rural town in Serbia bracing for the return of the infamous archfiend better known as Dracula.

As far as Drac’s go, it is noted throughout history, Vlad would impale his victims, sometimes hundreds at a time, and have them lined up in the courtyard of his castle where he would enjoy his afternoon meals undisturbed while his skewered enemies would look upon him from their death stakes, sometimes Vlad would ridicule his so-called courtyard “guests” and partake in his daily victuals while his victims still clung to life.

The Telegraph, a UK newspaper, reported on Nov 30, 2012, the Village Council of a rural Serbian town sent out an emergency warning to its residents admonishing the residents advising “all villagers to place garlic on their doors and windows to ward off the legendary vampire, Sava Savanovic”.

It seems garlic is now a commodity, which is hard to come by in the rural village on the lookout for Sava Savanovic. The Romanian Times reported the ancient blood monger has been “reawakened after an old mill in which he was said to have lived collapsed recently”. The legend of Sava Savanovic predates Serbian folklore, so his actual origin has never been established.

The legend of Sava Savanovic tells of a fiend who once lived at a Mill, when the townsfolk came to mill their grain, Sava would drink their blood, draining their bodies of their very life’s blood, leaving behind a lifeless soulless carcass of a once living breathing being.

As 2013 approaches, it is difficult to understand how ancient folklore and mass hysteria could control an entire village of Serbians. Even the Mayor, Miodrag Vujetic, stated, “The villagers were fearful. People are worried, everyone knows the legend of this vampire and the thought that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying people.” Mayor Vujetic says in addition to placing garlic in every window and doorway, residents should “put a holy cross in every room (the Romanian Times).”

Perhaps the good folks in Serbia are no longer concerned with the Mayan agenda — the end of times and all. Truth be told, I rather prefer the pungent stench of garlic to the wasteful holiday spending when the world is going to end in less than a month. I wonder if Serbia’s Sava Savanovic has finished his holiday shopping? Lucky for him, he can do all his shopping at the local Blood Bank!

This Has Been A… View From My Loft

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/9713248/Serbian-village-council-issues-vampire-alert.html

Two Steps Back, One Step Forward ~ Time to Move On: A New Manuscript…

In a manner of speaking, I am taking a leap of faith. Despite having run into a roadblock on my current manuscript; the publisher and I are at an impasse, they wish for me to divide the project into two books and I feel I have constructed a single cohesive manuscript for the readers and not one which to line the coffers of the publisher or my own pockets, I have decided to begin working on my next project. In respects to my current manuscript, for those people I interviewed and the people awaiting the release of my book, do not fear, I will still pursue a viable publishing avenue, I have just adopted the attitude; I am sure in time, what will be — will be.

You could say I have been working on my new project for 40+ years. As a teenager, I was obsessed with the Whitechapel murders of Jack the Ripper. I was one of those kids who fantasized about being “Sherlock Holmes” and busting the caped fiend. All my life I have studied every facet and nuance of the Ripper murders from the many erroneous theories to the bizarre and the seemingly feasible.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of London’s East End ~ the Whitechapel district.

Sure, I know what you are thinking. Many people have written endless accounts of Ripper hype, what makes you so different? Well, for starters, I have invested a lifetime sifting through that muck you have grown tired of (truth be told, so have I). I have a solid grasp of the modus operandi the Ripper operated under. To further push the envelope, I am taking each “suspect”, past and present, and I am conducting an inductive analysis and then looking at each victim through the lens of the murderer(s).

In addition, I will inspect the prospect of known serial killers at the time of the Ripper murders and compare notes, including modus operandi, motive, whether they could have stalked the streets of London during the slayings, and Scotland Yard case file reports. Could the Ripper have been a doctor, one who has become famous throughout history due to his own murderous rampage — a serial killer believed to have brought great shame upon the World’s Colombian Exposition Fair? Could the Ripper have been none other than a scorned wife of a respected surgeon? Did the monarchy hide evidence, which would have revealed the true identity of the Ripper?

Could Dr. H. H . Holmes, Chicago’s diabolic serial killer, be behind the Jack the Ripper slayings?

I plan to bring these questions into light and offer unequaled inexhaustible summaries to these age old quandaries, which have stifled America, England and the world for much too long.

All too often writers offer opinionated propaganda to generate interest and sales. Frankly, if you are disinterested in the subject I figure you will not read my book, thus, I have an obligation to produce a book I would find interesting and one I would enjoy reading.

I look forward to the journey and hope to serve you well as you anticipate the release of my new endeavor, and as well, the release of my current manuscript, I look forward to your much-appreciated interest.

This Has Been a… View From My Loft

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The Infamous Diabolic Dr. H. H. Holmes:

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The Realm of the Supernatural and the Paranormal:                                                                 http://supernaturalandparanormal.wordpress.com/

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