Coast to Coast AM Radio Show appearance

On hour 3 and 4 of the show.

In the latter half, sci-fi and horror author Mark Muncy shared his passion for Appalachian folklore, cryptids, and eerie legends surrounding the Smoky Mountains (view related illustrations). His research methodology involves collaborating with historians, Cherokee storytellers, and paranormal investigators, piecing together folklore with historical facts. “The Appalachians are probably one of the darkest places on the planet,” he stated, highlighting the mountains’ ancient history and the haunting stories that emerge from the region. He recounted the “Lightning Lady” tale from Cades Cove, where two brides in the same house were struck by lightning, and delved into various entities from Cherokee mythology, such as Spear Finger, a shape-shifting witch known for stealing livers and the “Moon-Eyed People,” a mysterious pale-skinned race said to live in caves.

Another captivating tale he shared was about the “Boojum,” a legendary wild man or Sasquatch who was said to have lived in the Smokies. The settler version tells of a creature who dug for gems to win the love of a hotel worker named Annie, while the Cherokee version adds depth, with the creature trading gems for moonshine, and wearing a hat given to him by the tribe. The discussion turned to ghost stories, including Dark Aggie, a terrifying entity with a skeletal face seen by many ghost hunters in the Old Gray Cemetery in Knoxville, the haunting of Lucy from the Roaring Fork area– a hitchhiking ghost who tragically died in a fire, and the apparition of Zelda Fitzgerald, who reportedly wanders the grounds of a former mental health facility in Asheville.