E. Katherine Bates was an English gentlewoman of independent means. She traveled the world—America, Australia, Hong Kong, Alaska, etc.—pursuing her developing interest in psychic events in the 1880s and documenting it in a series of publications.
Varla Ventura is the author of Fairies, Pookas and Changelings; Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night; Among the Mermaids; The Book of the Bizarre; and Beyond Bizarre. She can often be found lurking about the deep dark woods and lakes of Minnesota on the hunt for mushrooms, magical herbs, and the elusive little men of legend. Visit her at www.varlaventura.net.