Are you afraid of snakes? We would venture to guess your answer is "yes". Amelia Cotter, however, wants to help you reorganize your beliefs about our serpent friends, and she does so in our seventh episode of The Fantastic Story Society. While there is plenty of fantastic ghost stories told in this episode (Amelia's telling of her one and only encounter with a ghost is excellent), we learned that there is a Native American snake mound right outside the second biggest city in the country - sweet home Chicago! Amelia, being an author and investigator, researcher and all-around fantastic storyteller, also dives in to a few details and elements of snake myths that do, in fact, help quell Scott and Max's snake fears...at least a little.

Amelia is an author, poet, and storyteller with a special interest in the supernatural, history, and folklore. Her books include This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost, Maryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State, and the children’s book Breakfast with Bigfoot. She has appeared on various radio and television programs, including Travel Channel’s Hometown Horror (with an all-new episode airing on December 2 featuring Amelia and her husband), and in the documentaries Scary Stories, and Tinker’s Shadow: The Hidden History of Tinker Swiss Cottage. She also appeared as a regular cast member on the show The R.I.P. Files.

Originally from Maryland, Amelia lives and writes in Chicago, gives tours with Chicago Hauntings ghost tours and, regularly presents at conferences and events. For more information, head on over to her website, www.ameliacotter.com

As for our Society, if you haven't already, you can look for and find us on Twitter @FantasticGhosty, and we're always sharing stories, news, and more on our Facebook page at facebook.com/FantasticStorySociety/

Remember, there are stories everywhere, you just need to look for them...and when you find them, give a little knock on our door and you may just be welcomed into The Fantastic Story Society.