Bigfoot and Steve on the Loose!

When you write a novel about Bigfoot, but still have more of the story to tell, what do you do? Write a sequel, of course! That’s how the 2018 novel Bigfoot CSI led to last week’s release of Bigfoot and Steve. 

Like the first book in this Flashfire Series, Bigfoot and Steve is exciting, funny, tinged with young love, and full of Sasquatchy goodness. Best of all, it’s just in time for holiday gift-giving. Don’t think there’s anyone on your gift list who deserves this hilarious book? No problem. Get a copy for yourself. You deserve a cuddle-up-by-the-fire-in-your-new-Christmas-jammies book. Or, if you're lucky enough to live in Florida among the Skunk Apes (i.e. Florida Bigfoot), it’s a perfect beach read any time of year.

Bigfoot and Steve continues the story about sixteen-year-old Piper O’Connell as she continues to grow into her calling as a “scrub.” Her job is to track down and destroy the bodies of dead Bigfoot so the race won’t be discovered by human hunters. Everything she does must be kept secret from her family and friends, which causes conflicts when she tries to have a normal teenage life full of school, dating, and extracurricular activities. Even something as common as learning to drive is more challenging for a scrub whose mom was killed in a car accident three years ago while trying to destroy the body of a dead Bigfoot.

If you read Bigfoot CSI two years ago: Thank you! If you didn’t, there’s still time to pick up a copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc. in either paperback or ebook format. Then scoop up the brand-new sequel Bigfoot and Steve. It even answers the eternal question “How does Bigfoot celebrate the holidays?”

Enjoy! And happy holidays!

Bigfoot's Book Review

Just got a fantastic celebrity book review for my novel BIGFOOT CSI! Check it out:

"Two big, hairy thumbs up for BIGFOOT CSI! The author Sullivan just seems to get me, you know? I laughed, I cried, I bellowed, and I knocked on trees with a big stick.

I read this book over a long, rainy weekend when I was stuck inside a tent that I had liberated from a troop of Boy Scouts by howling outside and making them pee their khaki shorts all the way home. They left behind hot dogs and marshmallows, along with a copy of this book, so it was a good weekend.

If you haven't read BIGFOOT CSI yet, stop skulking in the woods trying to catch me with my proverbial pants down and go get yourself a copy. It's time to learn what Bigfoot is really like."

Verified reviewer: Bigfoot

Decatur Book Festival

Last weekend I introduced an audience at the Decatur (Georgia) Book Festival to the expression

"Gone Squatchin'." It was a great opportunity to talk to book-lovers about my new novel Bigfoot CSI, and at the same time, introduce them to cryptozoology. Did you miss the event? Okay, you're not the only one. Literally 7 billion people also missed it. But just because you missed the Decatur Book Festival this year, that doesn't mean you should miss out on the cryptozoology information. So I've copied my speech below. You're welcome, all you budding cryptozoologists!

Cryptozoology at the Decatur Book Festival, Decatur, Georgia, September 1, 2018

I’m Kim Osborn Sullivan, and I’m a cryptozoologist. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, a cryptozoologist is one of those people who lurks around the wilderness in search of cryptids, which are creatures that science says don’t exist. Some examples of cryptids are the Loch Ness Monster, the Jersey Devil, Mothman, and my favorite, Bigfoot.

Full disclosure: I’m a lousy cryptozoologist. I’ve never actually seen a cryptid. Bigfoot doesn’t pelt me with acorns when I’m in the forest, sea serpents don’t pose for my camera, and giant prehistoric sharks called megaladons don’t swim up alongside my boat. Not that I have a boat. I’m afraid of sharks regardless of their size, and it’s hard to get eaten by a shark if you never leave central Georgia.

Whether you’re a good cryptozoologist or a crummy one (like me), it’s a terrific hobby. Even if you spend the whole day hunting for cryptids and turn up empty, you’ve still had a relaxing day with plenty of fresh air and good cardio. You don’t even need any expensive equipment. I bought this fancy shirt that tells the world I’ve “Gone Squatchin’” (which is the cryptozoologists’ term for searching for sasquatch), but this shirt wasn’t required. I could wear pajamas and get the same results.

One day when I was out squatchin, I got to thinking about the thousands of bigfoot sightings that are reported every year in the United States. They come from across the country, from the Pacific Northwest of Oregon and Washington down to Florida where they call Bigfoot a “skunk ape.” This undignified name must have evolved because Florida is so hot that even their Bigfoot get sweaty and stinky.

Anyway, it occurred to me that, despite all those bigfoot sightings, no one has found any dead bodies. There have been some hoaxes, but nothing real. How could that be? Is it possible that Bigfoot doesn’t exist and all those thousands of people are delusional or are playing hoaxes on each other? I refuse to believe that. Or is there just one immortal bigfoot that somehow transports himself around the country at will, showing himself to a Nebraska cattle rancher one day and a California logger the next? Seems farfetched, even to someone like me who believes there’s a prehistoric sea serpent floating around Loch Ness in Scotland. There has to be some other explanation.

You see the kinds of deep thoughts that happen when you’re out squatchin’? Do you suppose you can generate thoughts like these if you don’t wear the special t-shirt? Maybe, but I’m not willing to risk it.

This line of thinking is what led me to write my new young adult novel BIGFOOT CSI. It’s a funny, exciting book about 16-year-old Piper O’Connell from the small town of Senoia, Georgia who discovers that she’s part of an elite group of people who have the ability to track down the bodies of dead bigfoot. Once she finds them, she uses specialized tools to destroy them. Since Piper has this rare ability, she realizes that she must use it to help keep the bigfoot race secret from human hunters who would capture or kill the creatures if they knew that they exist. The job is dangerous and the hours stink, but there’s one big advantage: Piper’s tall, dark, and genetically complicated partner named Sam. He’s a hybrid—which means half bigfoot, half human—and it’s his job to help Piper protect the race of bigfoot.

BIGFOOT CSI is a novel, which means it’s not a true story. That’s different from many of the nonfiction bigfoot books out there that focus on people’s reports of encounters with the big guy.

For a change of pace, I wanted to write a novel that answered my questions about where the dead Bigfoot bodies go, so I researched cryptid reports from across the country to create a story that accurately reflects the bigfoot behaviors according to eyewitnesses. For instance, the creatures sometimes leave gifts of pretty stones or animal parts for people they like. They sometimes throw rocks at people they don’t like. They move silently and quickly, they make vocal noises, but aren’t as verbal as humans. Some people say they smell musky. Some say they stink. I incorporated as many of those details as I could while writing an entertaining story, and now I’d love it if you’d read the book.

I’ll be signing copies at the table back there, and I’d love to sign one for you. I also want to talk cryptozoology. If you have any stories about seeing Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster tipping your boat (for those of you daredevils who sail), I’d love to hear them. Been abducted by aliens? Bring it on!

Thanks for spending part of your day here. Have a terrific time at the Decatur Book Fair!

Why Bigfoot hides

“If Bigfoot really exists, why does he stay hidden? Why not show himself?” a friend asked me recently. We were discussing the premise of my new novel Bigfoot CSI, which is about a teenage girl whose job is to destroy the bodies of dead Bigfoot so they won’t be discovered by humans.

My response to the question was simply that interaction with humans tends to go badly for animals of all sorts. Even creatures like gorillas that look like hairy humans get shot, locked in cages, and experimented on. What sensible Bigfoot would want to sign up for that? My friend didn’t think I was giving humans enough credit and disagreed with my negative assessment of how we treat the creatures we share the Earth with.

A few days after the conversation, I saw this article about a loose African warthog was spotted running around Port St. Lucie, Florida. Apparently, a warthog—which had probably belonged to a local resident because it was friendly—was roaming the area. It took some time, but wildlife officials finally caught it. It’s unclear why that was necessary. It was living in Florida, for goodness’ sake! It’s warm enough for a warthog to survive, there are already alligators and massive snakes, and if you’ve ever been to Key West. you know that an African warthog isn’t the strangest mammal they’ve got down there. 

Once they caught the poor pig, they promptly killed it. “Euthanize” is the word used in one article. That word suggests putting a creature out of its misery for humane reasons. There was no reason to believe this pig was in any misery. He acted tame and friendly. The wildlife officials claimed to be concerned about disease transmission since they didn’t know where he had come from. If they didn’t want to have him running the streets, then why not put him in a zoo? Or turn him over to ICE so they could deport him back to Africa? He was Pumba from the Lion King! How can you murder Pumba?

This incident was the perfect support for my argument that interaction with humans is never a good thing for wild creatures. Why would Bigfoot refuse to show himself? Because wildlife officials could pretend they’re worried about diseases he might have, so it would be safer to just kill him. Then they would study his body, which is what another article reported they did with the poor warthog.

That warthog wasn’t bothering anyone, just blending in with the other wild, hairy, naked things in Florida, yet he had to be killed and cut open to satisfy some scientists’ curiosity. Tragic. 

You stay hidden, Bigfoot! And be careful in Florida because you’re probably not the biggest, hairiest, weirdest thing in the Sunshine State.

BIGFOOT CSI is on the loose!

It's finally out! BIGFOOT CSI is the novel I've been working on for way longer than I care to admit. I started it years ago, before we even moved away from Illinois, then things got busy when we got to our new home in Georgia. Poor Bigfoot was pushed to the side too many times. I even finished a couple other projects in the meantime and published the adult novels SAUCY GIRL and DEAD GIRLS DON'T GET FAT.

No matter what happened, I couldn't stop thinking about Sasquatch. It was like he was lurking in the woods of my subconscious, waiting to stroll across the path when I least expected it--and when I happened to be without a decent camera--just like a typical cryptid.


So I buckled down and finished the book. Now it's published, and the whole world can read it! Please, Whole World, read it!

This is a funny, exciting novel about 16-year-old Piper O'Connell who has just learned that she's part of a secret sisterhood of girls and women who are born with the skills to protect the race of bigfoot from human hunters who seek to expose them. The job is dangerous, the hours stink, and Piper gets paid in trinkets like dead animal parts and shiny stones. The only perk is her tall, dark, handsome, and genetically complicated partner, Sam. Piper is intrigued by him, but she's reluctant to meet his mom, who's 7 feet tall and lives with a pod of other bigfoot in the Georgia mountains.

Piper is kept busy "scrubbing" the bodies of dead bigfoot near her small town of Senoia, Georgia, and she must solve the mystery of who is killing the creatures before her friends--and maybe even Piper herself--become the murderer's next victims.

Please check out BIGFOOT CSI and please write a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. This book is the perfect companion for those long, cold vigils in the woods waiting for Bigfoot to show himself. Enjoy!

Bigfoot Reading List

I’ve been reading a lot about Bigfoot lately. My novel BIGFOOT CSI will be coming out this spring, and I’m busy doing final edits on the manuscript and trying to get the word out there in social media. In the process of doing these things, I’ve run across some excellent books about people’s encounters with not only Bigfoot but also a wide variety of other cryptids. 

Did you know there’s something called Black Eyed Children? Apparently these troublesome urchins show up at people’s doors wearing old fashioned clothes and ask to come in. They all have big black eyes with no whites in them. They insist that if you let them in, “it” won’t take long. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. This is precisely why I never open my door. I’m hoping Amazon’s drone technology will soon be able to drop supplies down my chimney because I’m running low on bourbon.

Speaking of cryptozoology books, author Tom Lyons gave me a copy of his book LIVING AMONG BIGFOOT: FIRST CONTACT. As the title suggests, it’s about the author’s alarming encounters with a mysterious creature when he moved to California. I eagerly turned the pages of this book. Part of it focuses on the author’s efforts to settle into a new home in a new state, while part of it details experiences that most new homeowners are never subjected to. Granted, most homeowners would prefer to wrestle an angry Sasquatch than deal with the cable company, but having to do both just adds insult to injury.

This book picked up on a couple angles that emerge from some of the other fascinating Bigfoot accounts I’ve been reading. For one thing, in some books, the creatures are more human-like in that they walk upright. In other stories, the creatures are more dog-like and have a preference for walking on all fours. These latter creatures are sometimes called Dogmen for obvious reasons. You’ll have to read LIVING AMONG BIGFOOT to see which kind the author saw.

Another thing I find intriguing about the Bigfoot literature is that there’s a touch of magic surrounding the creatures. By magic, I don’t mean wands or spells, but the ability to move more quickly than any normal creature and evade capture either on film or through traps. Some Native American stories suggest that Bigfoot lives partly in this world and partly in a spirit world.

These are the kinds of things I’ve been working on lately, and it’s terrific! Creepy, interesting, mysterious, and overall fun. Thanks to Tom Lyons for sharing his book with me!

Bigfoot: Coming to a neighborhood near you!

A family of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) is living in my town. At least that's what my local newspaper says. It ran a story yesterday that said someone had been out walking his dog in a forest preserve when he saw two huge, brown furry creatures disappear into the woods. These creatures were 8 to 10 feet tall, smelled rank, and one of them screamed. Best of all, the Bigfeet threw rocks at the guy and his dog. So they're big, stinky, and aggressive. The person reporting the incident described himself as a skeptic when it came to Bigfoot, so it wasn't like he had been out in the woods hoping to see a mythical creature.

How cool is that? Bigfoot – even better – a family of Bigfeet living down the block from me? And even if the story is false, then maybe I've got a prankster or drunk or delusional crackpot living down the block from me who's lurking in the woods at night. Either way, I win. And my property value should start to climb any day now.

I learned in the newspaper story that there are way more Bigfoot sightings every year than I would have ever imagined. They're not all in the Northwest, either. They're spread around the United States, including here in Illinois where I live. Some people report their Bigfoot sightings to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization where data on these incidents is collected. That's how the newspaper found out about the sighting near my house; the witness had reported it anonymously at the organization's website.

Stan Courtney, a Bigfoot researcher from Illinois, said Bigfeet like heavily wooded areas. They're also fond of bike paths and railroad tracks for walking. After all, who wants to blaze a trail through the brush if you don't have to? At Courtney's website www.StanCourtney.com he also noted the tendency of Bigfoot creatures to leave gifts. Of course, Bigfoot's idea of a gift (a skunk tail or rocks) might not be the same as most humans', but it's the thought that counts.

As much as I want to believe that legends like Bigfoot are for real, I have one big objection to them: Where are the bodies? If Bigfoots are wandering across the country, then somebody must have found a body by now. Unless they're immortal, which seems unlikely since nothing they seem related to (humans, monkeys) is immortal. Or maybe the TV show Grimm had it right in their Bigfoot episode. The creatures are actually humans that transform like werewolves, but they revert to human form when they die. But that seems strange, too, because we don't know of any other animals that do that.

The newspaper interviewed our county's forest preserve director to see if his office knew anything about Bigfoot sightings. He said no, although there's somebody in the office who fantasizes about dressing up in a Bigfoot costume. Yick. That's a subject for a whole different kind of blog. He also said that the person who spotted the Bigfeet was breaking the law by being in a forest preserve after dark. Really? Leave it to a bureaucrat to suck all the wonder out of life.

So am I living next door to a family of Sasquatch? Maybe. Which means I've got to be alert to things like skunk tails left on my property, rocks being thrown in my direction, and horrible stenches. Of course, those things would have gotten my attention before. Only now I know their true source. Cue Twilight Zone music.

Kim