Bigfoot Collectors Club

Episode: "Bigfoot in the Backyard" w/ Tiffany S. Doran

Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Michael McMillan & Riley Bray
Guest: Tiffany S. Doran (Romantic suspense & paranormal author, host of Veil of the Shadows podcast)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Michael and Riley welcome Tiffany S. Doran, an author of romantic suspense who has crossed into the world of paranormal fiction, podcasting, and (possibly) haunted houses. Tiffany shares her journey as a writer, her advice for aspiring authors, and, most tantalizingly, the high strangeness and paranormal activity that has unfolded at her home in Virginia—including poltergeist-like goings-on, generational Ouija board drama, ghostly cigarette smoke, "Starman," and a close-quarters Bigfoot sighting. Alongside the club's usual banter, the gang also hits on recent UFO headlines and the ongoing overlap between cryptid encounters and hauntings.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Writing Romantic Suspense & Paranormal Fiction

• How Tiffany got started:

  • Wanted to read a book that didn't exist, so she wrote it herself (05:28).
  • First wrote "Desires of the Heart" in 2015 but kept it private until 2022 due to concerns about its appeal; ultimately released it after "2022 was the year we stopped caring" (06:43).
  • Advice for writers:

    "You just have to sit down and do it. But don't edit while you're writing because it takes so long... Write what's in your head. Get it on the piece of paper. Be like, yeah, this is crap, this is crap... But that's okay. It's all part of it." – Tiffany S. Doran (05:48)

• Transition to the paranormal:

  • Began writing scripts for podcasts like Paranormal Odyssey and Sasquatch Odyssey after quitting her job in 2023.
  • Delved into full-blown paranormal/cryptid fiction with "Unfamiliars" (featuring Bigfoot, Pukwudgies, Black Eyed Kids, etc.) and "Dogman, Terror in the Woods".

• On Dogman vs. Bigfoot:

  "I don't think Dogman is a werewolf... I think they were naturally or supernaturally always Dogman." – Tiffany S. Doran (11:17)

2. The Paranormal in Tiffany's Home

a) Ouija Board Origins & Family Lore

• Tiffany's sister brought home a Ouija board as a teen, against parents’ wishes (26:09).

• Parents had their own prior Ouija board incident; tried to burn a board and saw a "blue flame" (26:47).

  "That's just gonna make everyone angry." – Tiffany's dad (as quoted by Tiffany, 26:43)

• Sister "explicitly came home to raise the dead" and Tiffany was "chicken" about it (27:20).

b) Poltergeist Activity & The "It"

• Paranormal activity began after husband’s Bigfoot encounter (~2021).
• Experiences include:
  • Pacing in the hallway when home alone (29:15).
  • Distinct sound of a fingernail dragging down the bedroom door—

    "That one did not feel nice. That one did not feel nice at all." – Tiffany (30:25)

  • "It" described as nonhuman, ominous presence.
  • Doorknob starts turning, but it's just daughter entering—building up maximum tension (32:08).

  • Phantom cigarette smoke travels from room to room, persistent for years; sometimes overwhelming (34:13, 34:44).

    "It's a smell ghost." – Michael McMillan (36:12)

  • Grandchildren consistently see "a man" at the top of the stairs. Second-oldest refers to him as "Starman" (39:03).

    "Nana, where's Starman?" – Tiffany’s grandson (39:24)

c) Haunted Objects

• Giraffe statues from an antique store seem to trigger activity in the dining room (41:11).
• Statues reportedly "turn in circles" by themselves (41:47).
• Discussion about dolls as soul vessels ("Dolls were made to hold souls.") (42:33).
• TVs turn on without explanation—once turning on "Blippi" kids' show after house was empty (40:04).

d) Other Phenomena

• Grandson as a baby staring at corners of the room/ceiling (37:33).
• Voices outside house at night (and day) calling "Help me"—advice to children never to open the door for such a voice (50:30).

e) Physical Manifestations

• Husband's college diploma falls off the wall during ominous "red light" experience at 2am; room filled with malevolent presence ("fight or flight") (47:50).

• Family has adopted a "live and let after-live" attitude, setting boundaries ("You can live peaceably in this house... Quit breaking my stuff.") (49:58).

  "Quit picking fights with my husband in the middle of the night." – Michael (49:58)

3. Bigfoot Encounter in the Backyard (54:12)

• Husband saw something large, brown, and upright—estimated 8–8.5 ft tall—while weed-eating in backyard (51:48).

• Sighting was brief, across a chain-link fence, in dense brush ("Amazon jungle in the summer").

  "It gruffed at him, almost like he was disgusted by him being there, making all this noise." – Tiffany (54:35)

• No tracks checked for; paranormal activity in the home seemed to ramp up after the sighting.
• Mysterious row of wet rocks (from nearby creek) found lined up on driveway—possible "gifting" (57:15).
• Tree snapped and placed across driveway after Tiffany returns home for lunch without any noise or explanation (58:43).
• Occasional whoop calls (60:05).

4. Community & Current Podcast Projects

• Tiffany’s new YouTube show: Veil of the Shadows.
• Encouragement to share more stories and connect via Discord/YouTube/BCC Clubhouse.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On writing:

  "There was a girl who wrote a Bigfoot erotica book in bro. She made 30 grand first month." – Tiffany S. Doran (12:52)

• On blending genres:

  "The Unfamiliars has everything you could imagine in it. It has Bigfoot, it has Pukwudgies, it has... Black Eyed Kids in that one." – Tiffany S. Doran (10:19)

• On boundaries with ghosts:

  "If you want to live here, fine. Quit breaking my stuff, because now I got to fix it." – Tiffany S. Doran (49:58)

• On living with strangeness:

  "We're just chilling homies with the ghosties, you know... You kind of have to subdue [your fear] a little bit." – Tiffany S. Doran (47:04)

• Creepiest occurrence:

  "Every single one of them would stand at the foot of the steps and see a man." – Tiffany (38:39)
  "...he called him Starman." (39:03)

• Hosts reflect:

  "It's not often that we have a guest on the show that is like currently living in a poltergeist house. And so casually so, so casual about it." – Michael & Riley (69:39)

UFO & High Strangeness News

[15:34] UFO crash in Poland:

• Recent "UFO" crash (later alleged to be a Russian drone) in Poland leads to conspiracies about government cover–ups (15:43–18:03).

  “Not everything’s a freaking drone.” – Tiffany (17:32)
  “But they're saying it's a UFO. They literally say an unidentified flying object.” – Michael (17:48)

[19:17] Missouri "Black Triangle" UFO video:

• Video surfaces of a triangular UFO near St. Peter’s, Missouri (“would ‘cloak in a ball of light before reappearing’”).
• Witnesses speculate secret military craft; Tiffany shares local black triangle stories:

  "You gotta watch them black triangles because they hover down...” – Tiffany (20:41)

• Michael:

  “I mean, I've kind of been in the camp that those black triangles are probably like Secret military craft.” (21:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:03 – Introduction to Tiffany S. Doran
• 05:28 – Beginnings as a romantic suspense writer; advice for writers
• 09:56 – Paranormal/cryptid fiction and podcasting
• 11:17 – Tiffany’s take on Dogman and cryptids
• 26:09 – Family Ouija board history
• 29:15 – First personal poltergeist experiences in the house
• 34:13 – Phantom cigarette smoke & haunting escalates
• 37:33 – Grandchild sees “the man” (a.k.a. Starman) at top of stairs; haunted objects & antique store giraffes
• 41:47 – Giraffe statues move on their own
• 47:50 – Husband's encounter with malevolent presence and falling picture
• 50:30 – "Help me" voices outside
• 54:12 – Husband’s Bigfoot encounter & aftermath
• 57:15 – Mysterious rock gifting & snapped tree
• 64:58 – Lightning round: "Believe It or B.S."
• 67:55 – Where to find Tiffany’s books and podcast
• 69:39–71:44 – Host reactions & closing reflections

Lightning Round: "Believe It or B.S." [64:58]

Tiffany’s beliefs are open to most cryptids, ghostly, and extraterrestrial phenomena ("believe it" on nearly everything except some human-made occult items).

Resources and Where to Find Guest

• Books: Amazon, Hanger One Publishing, Barnes & Noble
• Podcast: Veil of the Shadows (YouTube)
• Social: @tiffanysdoran (Facebook & others)

Final Host Reflections

• Hosts are floored at the ongoing, casual nature of Tiffany’s experiences and her good humor about “chilling with the ghosties.”
• Note the classic overlap of high strangeness: Bigfoot, poltergeist, and mimicked voices all in one case (71:13).
• Michael wants more updates, especially kid-drawn pictures of “Starman.”
• Show ends with club news, recommendations (Eddington, Alien Earth), and encouragement for community engagement.

For Listeners

If you love a mix of creepy true stories, cryptid lore, writing advice, and the kind of poltergeist drama that feels both lived-in and deeply strange, this episode delivers. Tiffany’s tales offer that rare blend of the familiar (haunted house tensions) and the spectacular (Bigfoot sightings, poltergeist antics, & literary inspiration). Both newbies and seasoned fans of high strangeness will find plenty to keep them tuning in.

Notable Conclusion:

“We're just chilling homies with the ghosties.” – Tiffany S. Doran (47:04)

— End of Summary —