Few states can rival California in terms of natural beauty and exciting history. But nearly three centuries of violent crime, sickness, greed, and murder have tarnished the Golden State and made it ripe for ghosts and hauntings. From the Spanish priests who founded the first missions in their quest to bring Christianity to the Native people of the region, to the ill-fated Donner Party committing acts of cannibalism in order to survive. This book explores the most famous ghost stories from California’s past (dating back to the 18th century) with spine-tingling details that will delight readers.

Janice Oberding is a Nevada-based writer who enjoys traveling and researching history, true crime, and the paranormal. She is one of only a few people who have spent an entire night at Alcatraz—aside from those who were incarcerated there. She worked as consultant and historian for the Alcatraz episode of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters (with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson).

She has also worked with the History Channel, LivingTV, and the Travel Channel, and has appeared in episodes of Dead Famous for Two Four productions, Travel Channel’s Haunted Hotels, Ghost Adventures, and Fox’s Scariest Places on Earth.

Janice has previously published spooky books with Stackpole, Arcadia/History Press, Pelican Publishing, and Fonthill Publishing. When she’s not writing, she teaches an annual ghosthunting 101 class for Truckee Meadows Community College’s Paranormal Series. She also speaks at local events and paranormal conferences. Although she has had inexplicable things occur during her research, Janice remains a skeptic. You can find her online at facebook.com/JaniceOberding and Twitter, @JaniceOberding (1,460 followers).