Bud Steed

Bud Steed is a writer, investigator, and lifelong explorer of the haunted, the historic, and the half-forgotten.

With over four decades of hands-on experience in paranormal research and a background that spans everything from soldier to private investigator, Bud doesn’t just write about ghost stories; he’s lived them. His books blend immersive storytelling with deep historical research, peeling back the layers of folklore to uncover the truth buried beneath.

Bud has authored eight books and counting, including Haunted Natchez Trace, The Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Haunted Fort Smith and Van Buren. His work has been honored with inclusion in the Library of Congress for its contributions to American folklore and regional history.

He’s the creator of two fact-based series, America’s Ghosts and America’s Lost Treasures, that guide readers through eerie landscapes and elusive legends, from Southern cemeteries to Ozark backwoods. His most recent release, Alabama: Haunted Heart of Dixie, continues his mission to document the haunted history of overlooked places with credibility, respect, and just enough chill to raise the hairs on your neck.

In 2025, Bud expanded into historical paranormal fiction with The Cemetery Diaries, a serialized short story collection that blends quiet dread, folklore, and emotionally resonant hauntings. His upcoming Southern Gothic series brings the same atmospheric depth to chilling tales set in the decaying heart of the American South.

Whether he's documenting forgotten cemeteries, photographing weathered tombstones, or investigating haunted hotels, Bud combines the curiosity of a historian with the instincts of a field investigator. As founder of the Ozarks Paranormal Project, he’s spent years exploring locations across the U.S. and Europe in search of the stories that still linger, just beneath the surface.

He currently lives in the Ozark Mountains of Southwest Missouri with his wife, Jennifer, four kids, and two loyal pit bulls, Dixie and Clyde. When he’s not writing, you’ll likely find him walking through an old cemetery, camera in hand, listening for footsteps that shouldn’t be there.