Digger Wilson’s Paranormal Investigation Team
By Scott Nicholson
www.hauntedcomputer.com
A lot of host bloggers for the Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour have been interested in my
experiences in paranormal investigation and how I used them in Speed Dating with the
Dead.
I don’t want to overdo the topic, but today’s host Shari put an interesting spin on it by
asking “If you, Scott, were actually Wayne ‘Digger’ Wilson and you were hiring your
own "SSI" team what kind of interview would potential applicants experience?”
It would depend on my ghost hunting goals, of course. If I were a serious investigator, I
would want tech experts, a person with a vast knowledge of building construction, and
someone with video and audio recording skills. But Wayne isn’t that serious, because
his main interest is paranormal conferences. He has curiosity but he also recognizes
paranormal tourism is part showmanship and entertainment.
The interview would be skewed based on what role the applicant would fulfill on the
team, because Wayne needs a few people who can impress attendees with the latest
gizmos, and he also needs one or two Sensitives who can infect people with their belief
in ghosts. Of course, he’d also want a couple of metaphysical drama queens as well, to
provide spark and a certain unpredictability.
But let’s assume Wayne just wants a general type of hunt leader, someone who has a
little experience beyond just watching “TAPS” reruns. Here’s how it would go down:
DIGGER: So, what caused your interest in the paranormal?
APPLICANT: When I was ten, my grandmother died, and that night she came to the foot
of my bed and told me everything was okay.
DIGGER: Really? That would have freaked me out.
APPLICANT: It runs in the family. Everybody’s seen Uncle Floyd’s ghost, too. We don’t
talk about it much, but it’s not off limits, either.
DIGGER: So you’ve already made up your mind about the existence of an afterlife?
APPLICANT: I believe in it, but I also want proof.
DIGGER: Why is it so important that you make others believe? Isn’t your own faith good
enough?
APPLICANT: The more people understand, the more seriously people will take our
work.
DIGGER: You can’t be serious. Are you serious?
APPLICANT: I thought you were serious, too.
DIGGER: Sure, sure. As you know, we break up into groups of six or eight for each hunt.
Can you lead a group like that?
APPLICANT: Yes. We have a little team back home and we go out once a month for an
overnight.
DIGGER: We don’t have time for that. This is speed dating with the dead. Tight
schedule, fifty minutes for each location, ten minutes to rotate and set up. Every guest
gets at least one hunt with whichever para-celeb we fly in for the conference.
APPLICANT: That doesn’t sound very scientific.
DIGGER: You’re a tour guide for paranormal tourists. That’s what we do. Now,
hypothetical situation. Someone on your hunt freaks out in the dark, makes a run for it,
knocking over equipment. How do you handle it?
APPLICANT: I turn on the lights?
DIGGER: Wrong. You yell, “Oh, my God, what was THAT?” Then wait for everyone to
panic and flee. Then slowly back out of the room, holding your flashlight. It’ll become
the most popular hunt site of the conference.
APPLICANT: That sounds a little phony.
DIGGER: Listen. People don’t want the truth. Have you ever told anybody the truth
about themselves?
APPLICANT: Yes.
DIGGER: And they didn’t want to hear it, right?
APPLICANT: I suppose.
DIGGER: I’ve been doing this awhile. And I’ve learned people only want to have their
own beliefs affirmed. Nobody’s objective in this field. If you already believe in ghosts,
we’re here to give you ghosts. If you don’t, you’re probably not at the conference
anyway.
APPLICANT: So you’re playing to the crowd?
DIGGER: Nobody has any answers. All we can do is ask more questions.
APPLICANT: I don’t think I want this job.
DIGGER: You’ll be perfect. We’ve already got a whiz kid, a tech guy, a demonologist,
and a skeptic. We need somebody like you, one of those sincere types.
APPLICANT: Do I get a black jumpsuit?
DIGGER: Sure. And I’ll even cut you in on T-shirt sales. One last question.
APPLICANT: Okay.
DIGGER: Do you by any chance speak in tongues?
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Scott Nicholson is author of The Skull Ring, Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy,
and nine other novels, five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. A
journalist and freelance editor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he often
uses local legends in his work. This tour is sponsored by Amazon, Kindle Nation Daily,
and Dellaster Design.
To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel
free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all
the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the
tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free ebooks to a follower of “hauntedcomputer”
on Twitter. And, hey, buy my books and put me in the Top 100 and I’ll throw in
another random Kindle 3 giveaway. Thanks for playing. Complete details at
http:// www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm
Good Luck everyone!!!
Thank you so much Scott for including me in your fantastic blog tour. It's been a blast!