I’m a researcher and an author. I write books and articles about many topics.
Since the 1990s, I’ve been associated with the study of ghosts and haunted places.
Of course, that’s not all that I research, but – for now – let’s skip past the Mandela Effect. (If I could turn back time, I’d manage that topic very differently.)
First and foremost, especially in paranormal research, I’m a skeptic.
For example, I only believe in ghostly phenomena when I can’t find a reasonable, science-based explanation for them—at least for that specific place.
Of course, I’ll remain open to unusual, non-paranormal explanations, as well.
So, if you ask me about my research my advice isn’t hype. It’s based on history, science, and personal observation.
History is what interests me.
I love visiting historic sites, many of which seem to be haunted.
I enjoy sharing those stories with others. In fact, my first ghost-related articles were published in Fate magazine in the 1970s. And yes, I knew I was writing for an audience eager to believe in haunted places. So, I wrote to please them, while also conveying factual information.
However, I started exploring those sites as an adjunct to my interest in history, especially odd history.
In the mid-1990s, I started a related website, first at GeoCities (an early blog community). A few years later, I launched HollowHill.com.
In that era, mine was one of the few websites sharing useful how-to insights for ghost enthusiasts. It’s where many TV and YouTube stars learned innovative approaches to ghost investigations.
(Likewise, MandelaEffect.com was intended to explore the roots of why people have conflicted – but eerily aligned – memories of the past. In the early days, most site visitors understood the whimsical undertones of our conversations, while also framing our speculations in a scientific context. And then… well, it went viral. Skeptical trolls had far too much fun, misunderstanding – perhaps deliberately – the tone of our early conversations.)
But HollowHill.com wasn’t intended as a ghost-related website.
In fact, the “hollow hills” reference Irish history related to the Tuath Dé Danann, which – in turn – shares common ground (no pun intended) with research by Graham Hancock.
History fascinates me, especially when it casts a fresh light on what’s always been assumed.
Now, seeing the public’s waning interest in serious ghost research, I’m eager to pursue other interests. (As I’m writing this, I’m practically giddy with enthusiasm, reading about the hidden cities discovered in Uzbekistan.)
Oh, I’ll still visit haunted and historical sites, and share what I discover there. I’m not walking away from ghost huntings, and may still be a production consultant, now and then.
Speaking of the media…
I’ve been on TV just once, and never in movies.
At this point, I’ve turned down so many TV shows, I’ve lost count. (I did appear on a History Channel series. Yikes. That was enough, thank you very much.)
I’ve been portrayed in movies, but never contacted by producers, directors, or anyone associated with those movies. I never gave my permission, and so far, I’ve avoided seeing how I was represented.
In real life, I choose not to be in front of the camera. I like my privacy. I’m not quite a recluse, but I like going to the grocery store wearing my most comfortable clothes, and nobody notices me.
For me, the trade-offs are worth it.
I’ve been featured at…
… and a lot more, as you’d probably expect, after so many years in this field. At least once a week, Google Alerts tells me about another time I’ve been mentioned – by name – in national media.
(In 2023, when I was the subject of a Today Show piece, I was astonished… and then couldn’t stop laughing. Until then, I’d thought the Good Housekeeping mention was bizarre enough.)
BIO
Fiona Broome is an author, researcher, location scout, historian, and media consultant. She specializes in historical and paranormal research in the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, and Canada.
Fiona is the founder of HollowHill.com. where her articles were among the very first to share ghost hunting techniques. Since then, she’s written more than 1,000 ghost-related articles for magazines and websites.
Fiona is the author of several books. She’s also contributed to the “Weird U.S.” book series and “Armchair Reader” books.
Fiona has been a speaker and panelist at international events including the New England Ghost Conference, GhoStock, Central Texas Paranormal Conference, and Canada’s annual G.H.O.S.T.S. conferences. She’s also been a celebrity Guest and panelist at Dragon Con.
Fiona’s websites include: HollowHill.com and this site, FionaBroome.com. Her other projects have included Ghosts101.com and the original MandelaEffect.com site, as well as smaller projects. On YouTube, some of her videos were at Ghost Hunting with Fiona Broome, and at the Real Mandela Effect.
Fiona’s unique research
- Ley line patterns in ghost research. Using geographical lines (ley lines) and patterns, Fiona was the first to publicly identify sites with unreported (and under-reported) paranormal activity. She’s predicted anomalies from New Orleans’ French Quarter to Salem, Massachusetts, and from Atlanta, Georgia, to Maritime Canada.
- Historical patterns in general paranormal research. For Fiona, this started with her discovery of the connection between Abner Cook, Shoal Creek, and Austin, Texas’ many haunted buildings. Since then, Fiona has been a leading researcher in historical and geographical patterns. Those might explain why some sites seem haunted, but others don’t. (And yes, many of those hauntings might related to infrasound, but why spoil the intrigue?)
- Genealogy as a paranormal research tool. Fiona has pioneered paragenealogy, to document (and sometimes discredit) popular ghost stories, from the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans, to the enduring “curses” that followed the Salem Witch Trials.
- Trivia: Fiona is descended from Oliver Cromwell’s first cousin, Thomas Cromwell. He fled the controversy stirred up by Oliver’s “Godly Reformation” and the English Civil War. Thomas and his family sought a devout, Christian community with a simpler focus, and less religious hyperbole. Alas, Salem was not a wise choice.
Fiona’s genealogical notes: The Broome (also Broom, Brome, Brougham) surname may come from the broom plant, of the Genisteae family.
However, SurnamesDb.com says, “This name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is either a locational or a topographical surname. If the former, it derives from any one of the various places called Broom (in Bedfordshire, Durham and Worcestershire), Broome (in Norfolk, Shropshire and Warwickshire), and Brome, in Suffolk.”
Here’s my one-minute overview of the Broome surname:
I’m pleased that the Broome (with an E) spelling is connected to an ancestral pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Crusades.
(Also, Fiona – which, since 1999, has been among the United States’ top 500 most popular baby names – comes from fionn, which is Irish/Gaeilge for light, white, or fair.)
- The Mandela Effect is a phrase Fiona popularized in 2009 to describe quirky, synchronous historical memories that differ from what’s widely accepted. There may be multiple explanations. Depending on the memory, any or all of them could be correct. For Fiona, this has nothing to do with conspiracies.
- “Sparkles,” a specific camera effect. In the late 1990s, Fiona coined the term “sparkles” to describe camera phenomena that can indicate the likelihood of photographic anomalies. The term has since been adopted throughout the field, and used as a predictor in paranormal investigations.
Additional info, if you’ve read this far…
Fiona Broome was the inspiration for the “Fiona” character in Trickery Treat, the final novel in the first Charmed TV series books.
Conferences, Conventions, and Symposia
Fiona has been a regular, invited guest at many local events and international conferences. Here are some of the earliest:
- In 2003, Fiona was the opening speaker for the New England Ghost Conference. (John Zaffis – a great friend – was the closing speaker.)
- During 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, Fiona was an invited Guest and speaker at Dragon Con, talking about paranormal, sci-fi, and speculative topics. By 2011, she felt the crowds were a bit much, and the popularity of the oft-misunderstood “Mandela Effect” made public appearances less attractive.
TV and Radio
Fiona has been a location scout and consultant for producers, cast, and crew of TV shows on SyFy, Travel Channel, and History Channel, etc.
She’s also appeared on a few shows.
- TV: Hollywood New England, Chronicle (various throughout New England), and the History Channel (History II).
- Radio: Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, Para-X Radio shows (several) , Blog Talk Radio (several, including Haunted 911), Darkness Radio with Dave Schrader, Psychic Sundays with Gavin Cromwell, The Spiritual View with Dr. Kevin Ross Emery, and Just Energy Radio with Dr. Rita Louise.
- YouTube: Ghost Hunting with Fiona Broome.
Fiona has never appeared in movies. She’s been represented by actors pretending to be her, but no one ever asked her permission or consulted her.
She avoids seeing how she’s been portrayed. It’s rarely flattering.
YouTube, Podcasts, and Other Recordings
Fiona hasn’t agreed to recorded interviews in over a decade. (She’s been too busy.)
If you hear an odd-sounding recording of “Fiona,” ignore it. Or if it’s very worrisome, report it.
The only real recordings of her are on her own websites, including HollowHill.com, and – in the past Ghosts101.com, and her YouTube channels.
Magazines and Newspapers
Fiona and her research projects have been featured in hundreds of magazines and newspapers. Some articles were more accurate than others. These are among the earliest:
- Haunted Times magazine: Fear the Darkness of Falstaff’s Experience (Fall 2008).
- Phylllis Hoffman Celebrate Magazine, Haunted Happenings in Salem (Halloween 2010).
- NH Magazine: Nine Bone-Chilling Questions with a Granite State Ghost Hunter (Oct 2002), Unearthly Encounters (Oct 2010), Haunted Cemeteries (Oct 2012).
- Boston Globe newspaper, Boston, MA: Inside the T’s Tunnel of Doom (Halloween “City View,” Oct 2002).
- Nashua Telegraph newspaper, Nashua, NH. Encore cover story, Do you believe in GHOSTS? (27 Oct 2000), The Haunting of Tyng Mansion (31 Oct 2002), NH Ghost Hunter Reports Ghoulish Prank (12 May 2003), Spirits & Hauntings & Pukwudgies, Oh My (10 Oct 2010).
- You’ll also find Fiona mentioned in: Medical News Today, Healthline, Kenbridge Victoria Dispatch, ZME Science, The Jerusalem Post, Upworthy, Parade magazine, Times Live, Good Housekeeping, The Hollywood Reporter, Art & Object, Press and Journal, Reader’s Digest, Snopes, The Mirror (UK), Independent Australia, artnet News, Mental Floss, Daily Mail, The Independent, and… well, you get the idea.