Diana Jarvis - Shadows in the Night: Memoirs of a Ghost Hunter

Diana Jarvis is a Capricorn, born on 10th January 1964. She lives with Gordon, her husband, as well as the spirits of an old lady and a tom cat both of whom haunt the master bedroom in her house. The cat sprays periodically, just to make sure she knows its his room and, although his habit is smelly, it doesnt last long and spirit stains require little in the way of cleaning.

She has a step-son called Jonathan, a step-daughter called Fai and two sons of her own: Robert and David. All of her children think shes mad and all of her children are almost certainly right. She spends her spare time giving psychic readings; cooking; cross-stitching and reading. She also dresses up in 17th Century clothing and re-enacts battles from the English Civil War by firing large, operational cannons at Parliamentarian soldiers.

She has taught Tarot, Runes, Wicca, Mediumship, Paranormal Investigation Techniques and Spiritual Development; appeared on a plethora of TV channels, radio stations and in magazines; lectured on a variety of subjects from ghost hunting to candle magick and has appeared on a breakfast television program as a Klingon in order to teach singer Robbie Williams the niceties of the language.

Her success in the last of these endeavors is questionable and its connection with the subject matter of this book is non-existent.

Her main ambition is to raise enough money to move to an old farmhouse in the Limousin, Franceand to keep chickens.

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldntbrood. Id type a little faster.

Isaac Asimov, science fiction author, 19201992

I would like to extend my thanks to a number of people for their help with this book.

Firstly, Id like to thank accomplished author and paranormal investigator, Michael J Hallowell. Mike has been an inspiration to me with his professionalism, expertise, good humor and his genuine compassion for people. I am honored to have his name at the bottom of the Foreword and honored to call him a friend.

Secondly, my thanks go to my partner-in-crime, Rachel Lacy. She has been a friend and an invaluable support in both my professional and private life. She is also a dedicated and knowledgeable ghost investigator. What she doesnt know about the ghosts of York or about Yorks history isnt worth knowing. No ghost hunt is quite the same without her.

There are many investigators, witnesses and friends who need a mention, some of whom have been kind enough to add their own comments to the book. Their efforts and support have made ghost hunting possible for me, and without them, I would have nothing to write. In particular Id like to offer thanks to Amanda, Simon Curwood, Carole Chui, Norie Miles, Dru Sinanan, James Littlewood, John Riley and Clare Dunn for their expertise. Sandie Riley is also deserving of a mention; especially as she accurately predicted that this book would reach the shelves at least 10 years before it was conceived.

Every author needs opinions on their work. I have been lucky enough to have Paul Clay to thank for objective criticism, as well as help with the text. Further thanks in this regard must go to O-Books. Without them, this book would not be on the shelves in the first place.

Thanks are also due to Gordon, my husband. He has encouraged me and believed in me from the day I first met him; and has been very supportive of my writing and my unusual hobby. This book is dedicated in part to him. His support, coupled with that of the rest of my family, is invaluable. I am particularly grateful to my children: Robert, David, Fai and Jonathan. They have accepted their mothers / stepmothers eccentricity with good grace and humor, and their understanding is much appreciated. Its not easy explaining to your peers that your mother is a ghost-hunting witch!

Finally, Id like to thank my spirit guides both past and present for their unseen help during all the events covered in this book: Mackay, for his drunken humor that keeps me laughing in the face of adversity; and Annaliese, whom I miss every single day.

Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to havenothing whatever to do with it.

W Somerset Maugham, playwright and novelist, 18741965

I am a ghost hunter.

Perhaps this sounds grand to you? If so, you obviously have not experienced the joys of spending a large proportion of your normal sleeping hours awake in cold, dark, damp and unsavory places. Attempting to communicate with the spirits of the dead invariably leads a ghost hunter to places a normal person would not set foot in. Ghost hunting is not glamorous at all; it is cold, dark, damp and unsavory and you will probably have to visit more haunted buildings than there are stories about them, before youll have a really paranormal experience, let alone a warm one.

As a ghost hunter, Im not alone. Twenty years ago, I certainly would have been. Any others like me would have been well and truly hidden from public view and any ghost hunter openly admitting to their strange hobby would have been ridiculed and avoided. These days, however, ghost hunters are two a penny.

Although you may not know it, people all around the world go spook crazy every weekend. Thousands of men and women belonging to hundreds of paranormal groups pack flight cases with an assortment of paraphernalia: EMF (ElectroMagnetic Frequency) meters; digital thermometers; digital camcorders; digital cameras; torches; spare batteries; cotton; pens; notepads; chewing gum; mobile phonesthe list goes on. Then they traipse along to whatever house, bar, stately home, castle or shack they have managed to persuade to host them for the night - and get on and do their thing.

Their thing will mean taking copious notes; recording measurements; fiddling with electronic gizmos and producing photographs galore. They may also use mediumistic skills to attempt to communicate with any resident spirits. Then theyll get extremely cold, extremely fed up and wish they were in a warm bar somewhere. However, they will stick to their mission like scandal to a politician and theyll work right through the nightcontinuing with the same tasks and wishing they were in a bar some more. Nothing much will happen and, just to make matters worse, nothing much will happen virtually every time they do this. The thing isthey will keep doing it.

If you thought that all ghost hunts included at least one exceptional experience, then its time to put the record straight. If you cant see why anyone would want to stay up all night and discover nothing at all, then I shall reveal why so many ghost hunters will put themselves through this. Their hour after hour of painstaking measuring, recording and sitting around in the cold trying to stay awake has a purpose; despite the fact that it may currently be lost on you. Whilst their television counterparts appear to be experiencing the most amazing phenomena all the time, the average ghost hunter is probably shivering somewhere and taking their umpteenth temperature reading.

Why would they do this? The reason is simple. One night something will happen. One night, after weeks, months or years, something quite inexplicable will occur and all those cold and lonely hours will be worth it. It wont be something they see on television or read in a book it will have happened to them. When it does, the ghost hunter will be elevated to the dizzy heights of witness to a paranormal incident, and will be able to regale their friends with the experience forever (or until their friends disperse, whichever comes sooner). More importantly they will have been there themselves, experienced for themselves, and will know what it feels like to come face-to-face with the paranormal. They may even write a book about what happened to them: as many have done before me, and no doubt, many will after. More importantly, they will also, quite possibly, have formulated some kind of answer to the age-old enigma: Is there really life after death?