About fifteen years ago, I wrote three manuscripts in a
mystery series with a psychic detective and a contemporary setting. The
sentiment I heard from editors and agents at conferences was, "People aren't
reading about psychic detectives. What publisher would buy into this
idea?" Not unlike the sentiment expressed by an executive from a major
technology company in the mid-1970s: "But who would want a computer in
their home?"

Obviously psychics haven't swarmed the publishing
industry to offer guidance with publishers' long-term business plans. Crime fiction with a paranormal twist has been selling well
for at least a decade. I have
no intention of seeking publication for those three manuscripts about the
psychic detective, but I've been developing the idea for another series that
deals with paranormal and police investigations.

The release of the movie Ghostbusters in 1984 made
parapsychologists laugh at themselves with all the gizmos used by
the characters. That movie may also have stimulated the current interest in the
paranormal, brought it out of the realm of nutcases and into mainstream
fiction. If we fast-forward to 2010, we find that there's a lot of
(non-crackpot) information to learn about paranormal investigations.

TV shows
like Ghost Hunters expose viewers to scientific approaches toward
understanding the paranormal. These days, if you write paranormal crime fiction, and you
expect to be taken seriously by editors and agents, you must toe the line
with what the "experts" say. Where do you start sorting through this overload of
information? How do you sort through it?

Last year, my book Camp Follower finaled for the
Daphne du Maurier Award, presented each year by the Kiss of Death chapter of the Romance Writers of America. I received a certificate for a
free online class through the chapter and cashed in my certificate this past
March on "Paranormal Forensic Investigation," led by Katherine
Ramsland. The elevator description for the course is "Ghost Hunters
Meet CSI," and it provides students with an excellent foundation in
secondary research: the type of research that's already been interpreted by
others when it reaches you.

Ramsland showed how the disciplines of paranormal
investigation and police investigation are converging. Many paranormal
investigators today believe that the spirits of murder victims may linger to
see justice done. These paranormalists use technological devices like those
seen on Ghost Hunters in attempt to access the "other side,"
shed light on cases. Of course, police detectives are skeptical of
"woo-woo," but sometimes they'll reach out to the paranormal
community for leads on a cold case.

Since anyone can finagle facts to "substantiate" a
pet theory, Ramsland's guiding principle for paranormalists is that they must
try to disprove a hypothesis, not prove it. What's left if you're unable
to debunk an incident? Facts for a solid, interesting hypothesis.

Ramsland discusses different scientific disciplines that support a murder investigation, the type of equipment that
paranormalists would use, phases of a "ghost" investigation, the
typical procedure for a police investigation, and the various types of psychic
abilities. She also recounts cases that blended a traditional police
investigation with a paranormal investigation.

Due to the nature of the course, it doesn't encourage the
type of interactivity between students and instructor that I've received in
other online courses, like Mary Buckham's body language course. But in
exchange, you receive a good summary of the background that inspired the
exciting and diverse genre of paranormal crime fiction.

Obviously secondary research doesn't tell you everything. If
you're ready for the kind of research that allows you hands-on experience with
both paranormal and police investigations, here are my suggestions for ways to
go deeper:

• Take a Citizens Police Academy course through your local law
  enforcement agency. A comprehensive, multi-week course will give you a good
  idea of all the hats that cops wear and how they do what they do, including
  crime scene investigation. You will get hands-on experience. Your
  ride-along may even turn out to be exciting if a chase for a fugitive heats up.
• Attend workshops for writers that include an FBI or CSI
  track, and go to those lectures. You'll learn from experts how some of the
  scientific disciplines that Ramsland mentioned — like entomology, handwriting
  analysis, and anthropology — help solve crimes.

NOTE: You can combine the above two by attending Lee
Lofland's Writers Police Academy. It'll be one jam-packed but fun-filled
weekend.

• Make the acquaintance of a team of established paranormal
  investigators in the TAPS family, such as Haunted North Carolina,
  and go through the stages of a ghost hunt with them.
• Attend reputable workshops or symposiums, such as the
  Paranormal Research Symposium, featuring paranormal specialists. Talk
  with the specialists who lead the sessions.

Have fun!