The Oz Factor
CRYPTIDS
& More Mysterious Creatures
The Oz Factor book series is a harbinger of a new era of monsters! Introducing a new collection of real accounts of unknown and unexplained creatures, cryptids, and monsters.
Each story features an encounter that will creep you out and keep you up at night. The series takes inspiration from shows like The Twilight Zone. The series features cryptids and creatures inspired by classic Universal Monsters. Each story features and explores an encounter with a mysterious cryptid.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
On the soft, autumn evening of October 17, 1973, Jeff Greenhaw then 26-year-old chief of police of Falkville, AL settles in with his wife for a well-deserved night of rest when just after 10 pm he receives an emergency call. Little could he have imagined that this phone call would change his life forever. The call is from a nearly hysterical (to this day anonymous) woman who claims that an Unidentified Flying Object had landed just outside of town in a field that was situated across from the local Atomic Research Center. Thus begins arguably one of the most bizarre cases of an alien encounter to come out of the American South.
Although he was off duty, Greenhaw abiding by his sworn duty to protect and serve jumps up, snags his keys, cuffs, revolver, and, almost as an afterthought, his trusty Polaroid camera on the off chance that there might be something worth taking a picture of. He then hops into his truck, radios the call in, and rushes to the location of the alleged flying saucer landing.
When Greenhaw arrives on the scene he gets out of his truck and patrols the area but finds nothing out of the ordinary. The chief then returns to his vehicle and decides to take a drive around the field before returning home. Greenhaw cruises around the perimeter of the property, scanning the darkness for anything unusual but sees nothing of note in the murky blackness. He then turns down a narrow, gravel path for one final pass… which is when he comes face to face with something that would challenge his understanding of reality.
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The Oz Factor
CRYPTIDS
& More Mysterious Creatures
Defining The Oz Factor
The Oz Factor, a term coined by ufologists and author Jenny Randles (b. 1951), refers to the experience of being isolated or transported by the real world of everyday life into another environment which is quite similar to the real world but changed enough to be noticeable and disturbing.
The Oz Factor, a term coined by ufologists and author Jenny Randles (b. 1951), refers to the experience of being isolated or transported by the real world of everyday life into another environment that is quite similar to the real world but changed enough to be noticeable and disturbing. Such reports have been common in both UFO and paranormal accounts but had been pushed aside (their evidential value being somewhat limited) until Randles called attention to such experiences as a common element in some types of UFO encounters.
In one instance on a late-summer evening in 1978, a Manchester, England, couple watched a UFO as it hovered above a well-traveled street almost inexplicably devoid of its customary brisk vehicular and pedestrian traffic. On the afternoon of April 15, 1989, a father and son watched a metallic, gold-colored, dumbbell-shaped object, accompanied by four smaller discs, maneuvering low in the sky near their home in Novato, California. As puzzling to the witnesses as the UFOs themselves was the absence of other humans at a time of day when people would ordinarily be out.
Folklorist Peter M. Rojcewicz recounted such an experience in 1980 while working on his Ph.D. dissertation, which happened to be on UFOs. While working in the library, he had a strange encounter with a man who approached the table at which he worked and engaged him in conversation. As they talked on the subject of his dissertation, the man suddenly shouted accusingly, "Flying saucers are the most important fact of the century, and you are not interested?" Shortly thereafter he left. Rojcewicz was relieved at his departure, thinking the man was disturbed. However, as he tried to return to his work, he had a feeling that all was not right. Unable to stay seated, he wandered around the library. He noticed that no librarians were staffing the desks and that no patrons seemed to be in the library. In a mild panic, he returned to his working space and tried to settle his mind. An hour later when he finally left the library, all seemed to have returned to normal.
Such experiences often appear as an aspect of a longer story of paranormal encounters, doing more to describe the atmosphere surrounding more spectacular or definitive experiences. Also, such stories appear closely related to phenomena like déjà vu, which make an impact upon the person experiencing them, but only minimally impress one to whom the story is told. Stories abound of people who have felt a presence, sensed some guidance or seen something that led them to sense that they had been unwittingly pulled away from the normal sequence of experiences. It is almost impossible to further investigate the anecdotal accounts, however reality-shattering they might be to the person experiencing them.
What is a Cryptid
Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild but are not recognized by science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected by the scientific community. While biologists regularly identify new species following established scientific methodology, cryptozoologists focus on entities mentioned in the folklore record and rumor. Entities that may be considered cryptids by cryptozoologists include Bigfoot, Yeti, the Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Mokele-mbembe.
What is Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, the chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, or the Mokele-mbembe. Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as cryptids, a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the scientific method, cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is neither a branch of zoology nor of folklore studies. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson.
Scholars have noted that the subculture rejected mainstream approaches from an early date and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science. Scholars have studied cryptozoologists and their influence (including cryptozoology's association with Young Earth creationism), noted parallels in cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as ghost hunting and ufology, and highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptozoologist claims.
Terminology, history, and approach
As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of Bernard Heuvelmans, a Belgian zoologist, and Ivan T. Sanderson, a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published On the Track of Unknown Animals (French Sur la Piste des Bêtes Ignorées) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other like works. Similarly, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life (1961).
The term cryptozoology dates from 1959 or before—Heuvelmans attributes the coinage of the term cryptozoology 'the study of hidden animals' (from Ancient Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós "hidden, secret"; Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion "animal", and λόγος, logos, i.e. "knowledge, study") to Sanderson.
Patterned after cryptozoology, the term cryptid was coined in 1983 by cryptozoologist J. E. Wall in the summer issue of the International Society of Cryptozoology newsletter. According to Wall "[It has been] suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like 'monster'. My suggestion is 'cryptid', meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown ... describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the noun cryptid as "an animal whose existence or survival to the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated; any animal of interest to a cryptozoologist".[7] While used by most cryptozoologists, the term cryptid is not used by academic zoologists. In a textbook aimed at undergraduates, academics Caleb W. Lack and Jacques Rousseau note that the subculture's focus on what it deems to be "cryptids" is a pseudoscientific extension of older belief in monsters and other similar entities from the folkloric record, yet with a "new, more scientific-sounding name: cryptids".
While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the folkloric record. Most famously, these include the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the chupacabra, as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids". Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.
The Oz Factor
Series in Development
I've always loved cryptids, monsters and aliens growing up so I thought why not try to share my passion with the masses. Currently I'm writing and illustrating a book featuring real-life accounts of people who encountered mysterious creatures. Along with the book I'm making a series based on these accounts, I made a proof of concept short video which you can watch HERE!
The Oz Factor is a harbinger of a new era of monsters! Introducing a new collection of real accounts of unknown and unexplained creatures, cryptids, and monsters. Each story features an encounter that will creep you out and keep you up at night. Taking inspiration from shows like The Twilight Zone, featuring cryptids and creatures inspired by classic Universal Monsters, each episode will be its own contained story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each episode will explore an encounter with a mysterious cryptid. These tales explore the world of cryptids and monsters, the first season’s creatures include The Mercury Metal-Man, The Green-Clawed Beast, The Nameless Horror, The Ghostly Scarecrow, The Fanged Fiend, The Kinnula Humanoid, The Wicomico Cat-Man, The Chupacabra.
