J.A. Hernandez

A shriek from the jungle portends death.

The horrors of Daylight Saving Time, an eight-legged friend, and writing updates.

The world's first documented vampire.

I took this photo of the winter moon over the Tucson desert with my phone and was surprised at how well it turned out.

An alluring figure from Irish folklore that can bring you a wonderful life for a price.

I rescued a jumping spider on the wall a few days ago before Cap'n Hammy Pants found it. Her name is known far and wide as the scourge of the insect and arachnid worlds. Eight-legged parents tell their children stories of the massive paw-stomping furry monster to keep them from wandering too far into the wilds.

Stories of a spirit from Mexico City, dating back to at least the 1500s.

Over the last week, two pigeons have come and sat by the window every morning.

A gravedigger still lingers a century after his death.

A British/Chilean artist living in the UK reached out to me a while back about my article El Peuchen of Mapuche Mythology.

What is now known as Brazil's National Boogeyman brought the very first ever Brazilian-produced horror film to the world.

Due to a sudden injury, I've learned how to use crutches over the past few days. No one tells you how much skill is required to properly use them.

A creature parents tell their children about all around the world. Is it a myth? Or is there something more?

Some of you reading this may not have been alive, but I distinctly remember it.

A horror movie icon's final performance as a Universal Classic Monster.

Tae and I were talking about the word telekinesis. I don't think there is an existing verb form for it, at least not one that I could easily find.

A sea serpent off the coast of England, spotted by soldiers during World War I.

There has been a lot of talk about ChatGPT and "generative AI" lately. I've noticed a lot of posts on various social media sites, posts from users who are brand new to the platform and who all have the same five talking points and use the same phrases and linguistic style.

Strange happenings in a city centuries old.

A few weeks ago, I had RAM failing in my computer, which resulted in all sorts of weird, intermittent issues.

A horror movie icon's secret, real-life superpower.

Weird how fast time goes, isn't it?

Everyone's favorite wintertime horned, anthropomorphic pre-Christian pagan kidnapper. What can be said about Krampus that hasn't already been said?

I've successfully defunkified a few books now with my Not Patent Pending Demonically Divine Defunkifier 3000™ (not trademarked).

It's been a bit since I played with video, so I thought I'd make a little book trailer.

A museum in New York with recorded ghost sightings from over one hundred years ago.

Quite literally.

An amusement park in Australia with the restless ghost of a little girl.

I don't usually write this much in a weekly update, but it's been a year since I started writing newsletters, and I thought I'd reflect a bit.

A malevolent Scottish ghost. (Or is it?)

Arizona isn't a place people typically think of when the word "witch" is mentioned, but you might be surprised to hear that the desert is not only full of life but also rich with...the witches!

A familiar spirit born from a brutal ritual.

A friend of mine sent me an old book for my birthday. It's an original from 1931—nearly one hundred years old. The book is in fantastic shape for being almost a century old. I'm running it through my old book process right now, and I expect it to be finished next weekend. Just look at the first few pages to get an idea of what's inside.

One gate is visible in the day, six more at night, and passing all seven takes you straight to Hell.

While snow is blanketing many parts of the United States right now, Arizona feels like autumn.

An old highway full of haunts.

I took a photo of the full moon with my phone on November 8th, 2022. The cameras sure have come a long way since the potato quality of yesteryear.

A strange creature lurks in the swamps of a wildlife refuge in Delaware.

Remember the strange story of the Fauna of Mirrors I mentioned in Mirrors: Superstition, Mythology, Psychology, & Sanity?

Local legends are fascinating. Most of them can't really be traced back to any particular origin, and precisely how or why locals know about them is a bit of a mystery.

I took this photo last night, around sunset, of the moon on Devil's Night here in Tucson.

Many legends of cryptids don't have a clear origin, a story that can easily be traced back to the first sighting. For these creatures, the line between cryptid (an as-of-yet undocumented natural animal) and supernatural is sometimes blurry, as is true with cases such as The Qalupalik of Inuit Folklore or El Peuchen of Mapuche Mythology. In some ways, the controversy surrounding sightings of strange things can make them even more intriguing to explore because there is little in the way of proof for or against their existence. At the core of these legends or folklore is a story, often a tangled combination of truth and fiction, genuine experience and exaggeration.

There's a bit more to do with the move into a new place in Tucson, and it's a good thing I have a couple of dollies to help.

A ghostly black dog isn't the only thing prowling castle ruins in Poland.

I move around a lot. It's a thing. I've accepted it as part of my personality, and it's good that Tae is the same way. It's not that we necessarily like moving. In fact, the act of moving is kind of a pain in the ass. But we have had enough practice that it's pretty straightforward for us.

A creature born from the ashes of cremated oxen, out for revenge.

I'm moving into a new place in Arizona, changing day jobs, starting up a few new adventures, and still getting a lot of writing done. There are times in life that are relatively calm and routine, and then others, like now, are hectic and sometimes chaotic.

A movie from Japan that forever changed the film industry.

Some time ago, I wrote about a true crime murder case in Keillers Park, Gothenburg, in western Sweden. I've just published an update on the case.

A strange mystery from Norway that remains unsolved over fifty years later.

Why is it that at least every couple of years, it looks like nuclear war is imminent?

A witch with a true horror that may surprise you.

Did you know that true crime means real people? It seems obvious, but it's easy to lose sight of...

Don't you just love spirited dolls?

It's always a great day when some weird package comes in the mail.

A procession of the dead just waiting to curse you.

About two months ago, I tracked down and ordered an old book that supposedly had an entry El Peuchen, a strange flying snake creature from Mapuche mythology in the southern area of South America. The book finally came!

The life and times of horror host Morgus the Magnificent.

Whenever I'm writing and get stuck on something, I go for a walk. I'm not sure it's the actual act of walking, but taking breaks every once in a while is necessary.

There's more behind the mirror than you may think.

Arizona really is full of life. I'm not sure why, but people think the state is a desert wasteland of sand and rattlesnakes. I see something new every day, like this praying mantis outside my door.

One of the most famous hauntings in the United Kingdom.

Actually, all cats are the best cats, but desk cats add a fun extra challenge to writing. Cap'n Hammy Pants loves to hang out with me while I'm writing. She sometimes takes naps on the desk, and, like most cats, she loves to lie on the keyboard.

One of the few vampires documented in official government records.

We're in the middle of monsoon season in Arizona, and most of the wildlife is taking shelter anywhere it can.

Another trip to South America, deep in the jungle, where the last thing you want to do is follow a beautiful and mysterious woman away from your traveling companions.

A terrifying flying feathered serpent from South America.

I bought a super loud whistle, 120 decibels. It's part of my kit that I take with me for nighttime walks around the neighborhood here in the desert.

A theatre haunted by the ghost of opera singer Frederick Federici.

You know when you move, and you get unpacked, then realize there are little things here and there that you haven't found a home for, and while you're putting those up, you find a few moving boxes you still haven't opened?

Your circle of friends shrinks as you grow older, but it doesn't have to be that way. Two-sentence horror.

Australia's most haunted house.

New installation of Absolution: Behind the Scenes, a haunted theatre coming up next week, and a desert tarantula.

Doggie nightmares two-sentence horror.

If you hear his whistle, it may be too late.

Covid has cleared out of my system, and I'm doing a bit of writing catch-up.

Christmas summer fun with two-sentence horror.

They sure don't make cartoons like they used to.

A few months ago, I was interviewed for a magazine.

Have trouble sleeping? Two-sentence horror.

A shapeshifting jumbie that strips off her own skin to go hunting.

Two and a half years, and it finally happened. Covid found me.

Two sentence horror about grandchildren.

A revenant out for blood.

You know what I like? Art.

Get a special gift for that someone special in your life. Two sentence horror.

One quick stop in a small town might be your last.

It's an odd thing to move to a different landscape. Moving within a local area, you get pretty much the same, just slightly different views. Moving from Colorado to the Arizona desert, though, everything is different.

Storm chasers really are crazy. Two sentence horror.

A spooky story from Chicago that may seem like an urban legend—until you dig deeper.

Moving 900 miles (1,400 km) sounds pretty straightforward, right? You just box up your stuff, hop in a vehicle, and make the drive.

Amazon's Alexa sure is getting advanced.

A woman who created her own movement in Gothic that still continues today.

I'm probably driving or last-minute packing when this goes out.

Everyone has their own secret ingredient.

A local legend from Karnataka, India, that you don't want to encounter in the dark—or at all.

One week to go, and I'll officially be a desert dweller. I can't wait to get to the new place, get settled in, and get back to editing the novel.

Isn't it great to gaze back on your accomplishments? More experiments in two-sentence horror.

A woman you'll wish to never, ever encounter.