A ghost hunter who built his career on fake scares finally encounters something he can’t stage. Millions can watch him unravel, but nobody can come to his rescue.
That’s the setup for Dark Times, the first novel from Wheelersburg-area author and paranormal investigator Mike McCallister. And while the story is fiction, McCallister says some of its unsettling moments have roots in his own investigations.
The project also features local talent on the cover, and McCallister hopes to find someone nearby to give the story a voice.
From Ghost Hunting to Horror Fiction
Dark Times follows Manson Drewry, a popular paranormal livestreamer whose supposedly terrifying encounters have been carefully manufactured. When his deception comes to light, he makes a desperate attempt to save his career: a nonstop, 30-day livestream inside an abandoned asylum.
As strange voices and disturbing experiences chip away at his grip on reality, his audience struggles to separate the performance from whatever is really happening.
McCallister said he wrote the book for readers who enjoy livestream ghost hunting and a story that builds its scares slowly. The idea came during a late-night conversation with his daughter about shows she watched.
His own paranormal experiences supplied some of the pieces.
“Many parts are based on real events that I reskinned and twisted a bit to frankly be more interesting,” he said. “Ghost hunting can be very boring when you actually do it.”
He compared the process to assembling a puzzle using pieces from many different boxes. The fictional setting combines elements of an asylum and an abandoned hospital he investigated, although no local location directly inspired the story.
A Local Artist Behind the Cover
For the book’s cover, McCallister turned to local artist Travis Herman of Creative Jargon.
“He did an amazing job,” McCallister said, adding that there is also a video showing Herman’s process.
Now, he’s interested in bringing another local contributor into the project. McCallister hopes to produce an audiobook and is looking for someone in the area to narrate it.
A Family Push to Start Writing
Writing a novel wasn’t a lifelong ambition for McCallister. Until a few years ago, he said, he wasn’t even a book reader. That changed, and his wife’s decision to write her own book helped inspire him to try.
Amanda McCallister’s first book is The Last Pioneers.
A firetruck inspector, husband, and father, Mike said time on the road for work helped him find room in his schedule to develop Dark Times. He is already writing another book.
His family also helped draw him back into paranormal investigations. Three members of Resurrection Paranormal previously belonged to OVPRI, and their daughters encouraged them to get started again under a new name.
McCallister said one earlier experience had kept him away from investigating for more than a decade: an encounter in which he says he saw a creature crawl across a ceiling, drop down, and run out of the room.
It remains something he says he cannot explain.
Looking for Local Signing Spots
With his first book newly released, McCallister said friends and family have helped spread the word. He’s also looking for local businesses or organizations willing to host a signing.
“I love my community and any place with enough space for a table would work for me,” he said. “I’m just excited to do any signings.”
Dark Times is currently available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions. McCallister hopes to add a hardcover eventually.
Anyone interested in hosting a signing or discussing audiobook narration can contact him through Facebook or call 740-935-5092.
“My only hope is people who read my book enjoy it,” he said.
