I’m frequently asked how I came up with the Lizardville Ghost Story series idea. The answer is simple: I lived it, well, sort of.
I’m grateful to my mom and dad for buying the damkeeper’s house in 1969. I grew up in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. We lived on Lizardville Road in a historic four-story home built in the early 1900s, complete with a full basement, first floor, second floor, and a spacious attic.
Our house was nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. Across the way, we had the ruins of a dam and the remnants of the Axe Factory along Fishing Creek. As kids in a small town of just a thousand people, we often thought life was boring. So, we made the best of it. But now, as an adult, I realize how fortunate I was to grow up in such a close-knit community.
I want to thank my older brother and a small group of neighbor kids—though I use the term “neighbors” loosely since most houses were a quarter mile apart or further. We would walk or ride bikes to visit each other. That was our only way to spend time together. We loved fishing, camping, and hiking in the woods. We used our imagination, or at least I did. Growing up in the seventies was a different experience than what the children of today face. Many of my childhood memories inspired the stories I write.
About half a mile from our house was a motorcycle shop. Back then, motorcycles were shipped in wooden crates lined with large pieces of Styrofoam, and the shop would pile all the foam out back. We would drag these large pieces of foam to Fishing Creek during the summer and float down the river, turning simple summer days into memorable adventures. We would spend a lot of time on the creek swimming and fishing.
Wildlife thrived in the woods, creek, and the dried-up lake bed where the dam once held back the water. From swimming in the creek to fishing and encounters with various animals, these experiences became the foundation for many of my stories. I often get asked if the scene on the bridge was real. Yes, it was, and you will find many of our adventures in The Camping Trip were real, except for me talking to ghosts.
The remains of the Axe Factory, mostly destroyed in a flood before my time, provided a fascinating area to explore. People often ask if we ever had any ghostly encounters as kids. I have to say no, but there were unexplained occurrences that left us puzzled. Our parents or older kids usually say animals or other explanations caused these events.
I encountered all sorts of wildlife in the woods—snakes, muskrats, beavers, deer, and even the occasional black bear. No matter the season, I loved the outdoors. As we became teenagers, our adventures evolved from overnight trips to full weekend excursions. Learning to live off the land was a part of life. We spent more time outside than inside. I look back now and think, what were my parents thinking. But I must mention that times were different back then.
