Things That Go Bark in the Night: Paranormal Pugs & Haunted Happenings
This week on Paranormal Pets, host Brandy Stark catches us up on the latest adventures of her paranormal pug pack—including adorable new black pug puppy Telemachus—and some decidedly strange activity surrounding her four-legged ghost hunters. When an electronic candle mysteriously switches on by itself at Brandy's reportedly haunted art studio, one of her pugs suddenly begins barking intensely at the exact spot as though someone—or something—is standing there. Brandy also shares what happens when her pugs encounter allegedly haunted dolls and other unusual artifacts destined for her planned paranormal museum. Then local author Deb Carson joins the show to talk about her own connection to the paranormal, her experiences in some of St. Petersburg's spirited locations, and the remarkable personal history behind her book Becoming Flo: A Mostly True Story. From haunted hideaways and mysterious canine reactions to pugs, spirits and things that go bark in the night, it's another wonderfully weird journey into the world where pets and the paranormal collide.
Listen to Episode #140 Now:
BIO:
My mother said from the moment I came into this world, I was singing and dancing; my first love was always the arts. In our family, it’s what we call “having been born with the Uncle Albert” gene, which we now reference as the “Flo” gene.
Entering college as a voice major, switching to musical theatre, oral interpretation of literature at Boston’s Emerson College, and ultimately to marketing and communications – I enjoyed a multi-decade career in that field focused mainly in healthcare, higher education and finally, a return to my first love - the arts. I’ve always been an arts dabbler – performing, writing, singing and playing a few instruments, but have also worked in paint, clay, glass and photography.
While my “writing muscle” was exercised every day at Eckerd College where I earned my B.A., I’ve also written extensively in my marketing career: represented by work that‘s appeared in academic and business publications, in film/print/broadcast/traditional and new media scripts, speechwriting and podcasting.
After earning my M.L.A. from the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, I pivoted to a second career as a writer and first penned Flo’s true story as a film treatment, later as my master’s thesis before publishing the book’s first edition in 2021.
Subsequently, returning to my performing roots, I developed with the book's editor and creative partner Nanette Wiser, “The FLO Show,” the colorful, emotionally-packed multimedia companion presentation to Becoming FLO.
It is a joy to have presented this program to audiences at museums, colleges, galleries, theatres and festivals near and far. I was honored three times to have been accepted into the prestigious "Writers in Paradise” writers conference at Eckerd College, and later, to have been invited by Eckerd College's President to perform The FLO Show as part of the College's 2024 President's Community Lecture Series. I was deeply honored by my alma mater on that April evening, having received a packed house and embraced by more than 300 current and past students, mentors, dear friends and family.
My work and interests have allowed me to enjoy a rich personal life that informs my writing. I’ve lived and worked in Baltimore where I was born and raised, in Boston, Washington, DC, Tidewater Virginia, and Florida - Sarasota, Sebring, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, and finally St. Petersburg where I’ve lived for more than 20 years. Among so many remarkable two and four-legged family and friends, such rich experiences across time and space weave a tapestry that never ceases to inspire me and inform my work.