Subjects of Interest:
Candle Face Chronicles
The Lost Souls
January 5, 2024
Please allow me to rant!
It’s been grueling since I reignited my investigation into Candle Face in October 2023, the ghost that haunted my childhood in Austin, Texas. Despite initially believing I had banished her back to hell, my return to Texas post-military retirement revealed a grim truth: Candle Face wasn’t just active; she was thriving and terrorizing others. Armed with three decades of experience in analysis and investigations, I was determined to unearth the full extent of Candle Face’s evil ways.
As I sifted through the pile of emails received over the years about Candle Face, my skepticism turned to alarm. The ghost wasn’t dormant; she was more powerful and dangerous than ever. Emails from so-called ‘Disciples’ of Candle Face painted a disturbing picture: a spirit aiding its followers while viciously punishing skeptics. Despite their terrifying stories, these disciples were frustratingly restrained, their fear hindering any actionable intelligence.
My investigation extended to various paranormal groups on Facebook, Reddit, and the Darknet, spanning paranormal enthusiasts, ghost hunters, mediums, and psychics. Here, my frustration only deepened:
Many individuals who post images of “orbs” on these platforms seem genuinely convinced that their photos capture actual paranormal activity. Alongside orbs, it’s common to find posts showcasing photos of clouds, and grainy pictures of patterns on walls, ceilings, trees, bushes, etc., which are classic examples of pareidolia - seeing significant patterns or images in random or ambiguous visual data. However, when these ‘evidence’ are challenged, the situation becomes sensitive. The original posters frequently perceive this skepticism as personal attacks, leading to accusations of bullying. Notably, while some dissenters express their disagreements harshly, others approach these conversations more gently. This highlights a persistent conflict between belief and skepticism in the paranormal community, often intensified by the emotional investment of those who genuinely believe in their paranormal experiences.
When I tried to engage these group members in a serious discussion about Candle Face, their responses were evasive or fear-stricken. It appears that most people in these groups are not genuinely interested in real hauntings, possibly due to fear. Instead, they seem to focus predominantly on the less intimidating subjects like orbs and pareidolia. This inclination towards safer, less challenging paranormal aspects underscores a reluctance to confront truly unsettling phenomena. Despite their apparent fascination with the paranormal, they shy away from confronting a genuinely terrifying case like Candle Face. Their enthusiasm for the supernatural seems limited to harmless orbs and grainy photos, not the reality I was facing.
Watching paranormal investigators in action was particularly disheartening. These paranormal investigators would post videos of their ghost hunts. These so-called professionals, who publicly seek out spirits by yelling at and challenging them, would often flee in panic upon encountering anything remotely unexplainable. Their retreats from haunted locations weren’t just laughable and cowardly but hypocritical. They claim a desire to witness paranormal events yet run at the first sign of genuine supernatural activity. Those who managed to stay till the end would coincidentally decide to leave just as the video concluded, precisely at the 60-minute mark - curiously, the exact duration all their previous videos had.
My attempts to gain advice from mediums and psychics were met with similar cowardice. These individuals, who boast about their connections with the spirit world, were suddenly mute or evasive when asked to assist with interpreting the distressing dreams about Candle Face’s victims. Their reluctance wasn’t just frustrating but contradictory. They immerse themselves in a world filled with ghostly encounters and yet cower when faced with a real and terrifying evil spirit. Additionally, there was an intriguing development during my investigation. I received an offer from a paranormal investigation team via a Facebook video call. They volunteered to investigate Candle Face, the ghost that terrorized my childhood and seems to be resurfacing today. Initially, this seemed like a promising lead. However, my initial optimism faded after conducting my due diligence on this team. To my dismay, I found their approach and methods were more akin to a comedy act than a serious and professional paranormal investigation. Candle Face’s victims want answers, not a late-night comedy show. This revelation was disheartening, as it further emphasized the challenge of finding genuine assistance in this field, where theatrics often overshadow true investigation and understanding of the paranormal.
My journey to investigate Candle Face has been both enlightening and disheartening. Navigating through a labyrinth of skepticism, fear, and half-hearted investigations, I’ve encountered more obstacles than answers. While rich in enthusiasm and lore, the paranormal community often shies away from the truly terrifying aspects of the supernatural. My quest has reinforced the notion that a genuine understanding of such phenomena requires a balance of open-mindedness and critical thinking. My resolve remains unshaken. For those haunted by Candle Face and for my own childhood memories, this investigation is far from over.
Is Candle Face real?
This is a complex and deeply personal question. On the one hand, there's the possibility that Candle Face is a manifestation of my childhood trauma, a figure created by my mind to cope with fear and emotional turmoil. On the other hand, the consistent details, physical evidence, and shared experiences with others suggest that Candle Face may be a genuine supernatural entity. Whether Candle Face is real or a creation of my psyche, her impact on my life has been undeniably profound. Ultimately, the answer to this question is up to you.
How are you able to communicate with the dead? Are you a psychic or medium?
I don’t consider myself a psychic or medium, although many in the paranormal community believe I have some kind of gift, perhaps one that I haven’t fully tapped into yet. Unlike those who claim to communicate with any spirit, my ability seems limited to connecting with Candle Face’s victims and Candle Face herself. While I’m not sure how this works, the connection is strong and focused on these particular Lost Souls, allowing me to share their stories and seek justice for them.
Do you use AI to create your content?
From October 2023 to around March 2024, I personally wrote the short descriptions you see on Google and social media platforms when my web pages or journal entries are shared or found in search results. These descriptions are those brief, 160-character summaries that pop up beside the URL. It was challenging to condense complex ideas into such a small space.
By March 2024, I began letting Wix, my website host, handle this task for me. Their AI generates these summaries much faster and often with more precision than I could manage within that tight character limit. It was a practical decision to let the system take over this small aspect of my work, allowing me to focus more on my writing and investigations.
The web pages and journal entries themselves are entirely my own. My writing encompasses a wide range of topics, including the testimonies of the Lost Souls, my investigations into Candle Face/Isabel, my books like Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona and The Haunted Handbook, as well as other works and research. Everything I write is rooted in my decades of experience in writing (over ten books in 15 years) and my 30+ years of expertise in intelligence analysis, missing persons cases, and human trafficking investigations. The core content you read always comes from me.
By early March 2025, I decided to create a Shopify account to sell copies of Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona, The Haunted Handbook, and to look for caretakers for The Scrolls of Souls. It was a tremendous amount of work to manually transfer all 130 journal entries from Wix to Shopify and recreate the Google SEO titles and descriptions for each entry. Shopify’s blogging platform also required a summary for each journal entry. Summarizing my work was taking around 30 minutes per entry, which became overwhelming and unsustainable.
To streamline the process, I allowed AI to create the summaries for me by uploading each journal entry and letting the AI generate the SEO descriptions, summaries, and ALT text for images. Here's a clear breakdown of what is AI-generated:
- Some journal entry titles.
- Nearly all SEO journal descriptions (up to 160 characters).
- Nearly all summaries (which are only available in the backend and not visible to the public).
Everything else you read comes from me, whether it’s documenting testimonies from the Lost Souls, researching Candle Face/Isabel, or writing my books. The AI simply handles the tedious, mechanical parts of the process, leaving the writing, storytelling, and investigations entirely in my hands.
I review all AI-generated summaries and descriptions to ensure they accurately represent the essence of my writing. My decision to use AI for these backend tasks is about maintaining efficiency and allowing me to focus on what truly matters: writing, storytelling, investigations, and giving voice to the Lost Souls, protecting the Fugitives, investigating Candle Face/Isabel, and exploring new projects. Your experience as a reader is shaped by my work, not by AI.
Why did you end the podcast?
I decided to cancel the Candle Face Chronicles Podcast for two key reasons. First, while the Get Haunted Network is a fantastic community for paranormal entertainment, it wasn't the right fit for the serious and important nature of my work with Candle Face Chronicles. The network's lighthearted tone didn’t align with my mission.
Second, the friends and family of one of Candle Face's victims reached out and asked me to stop discussing their loved one on the podcast because it was causing them too much pain. Their request made me realize that my work, while well-intentioned, was unintentionally hurting those who are still living and grieving.
These reasons led me to end the podcast, but I remain committed to continuing my mission to uncover Candle Face’s origins and methods with a renewed focus on compassion and respect for the living.
Why did you stop using www.candleface.com and start using www.branchingplotbooks.com?
I have had the branchingplotbooks.com domain since 2012, but I transferred the domain to Shopify to use it as my storefront. I needed to do this because Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona can't be published or sold via Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing because of its spiral binding requirement. The same goes for The Haunted Handbook.
I decided to sell them, along with most of my other books, on Shopify because it allows me to provide a more streamlined and reliable experience for my readers. It also enables me to have full control over my work and how it reaches my audience. Additionally, all my books are still available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle), except for Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona and The Haunted Handbook due to their unique binding requirements.
I also chose to use Shopify’s blogging platform, keeping all books, my journal, and the shopping experience located in one place.
I plan on keeping www.candleface.com up for the interim, but it will likely go down as well, or at least be redirected to www.branchingplotbooks.com. In the end, I want my work to be more streamlined and easier for the paranormal community and my readers to find my work, read and help the lost souls, protect the fugitives, and care for the Scrolls of Souls.
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