C-Falls author publishing second in Bigfoot trilogy

Columbia Falls resident Misty Allabaugh loves and believes in Bigfoot, regardless of what people think.

She’s in the middle of writing a science-fiction horror trilogy about Bigfoot. The prominent character in the trilogy is Red, “the friendly, lovable sasquatch,” Allabaugh said. A 7-foot tall figure of him is a popular photo companion for fans at her book signings.

“He just happened to be — he just became Red,” Allabaugh said. Red might be friendly, but other bigfoots are not — her book is full of graphic and gory details of humans being eaten by other sasquatch characters.

Her first book, “Flesh and Fury: Bigfoot: Rogue,” came easily to her because she wrote it from the heart. After only a couple chapters into the book she knew how it would end.

“Honestly, it just wrote itself,” Allabaugh said.“I just believe in whatever type of creativity comes to me.”

She researched in order to get the details right, then she let creativity take over. For example, the beasts in her book are named leviathans, a creature of the sea, yet they live in the forest. She said it is supposed to be mythological and not about a real-life experience.

Despite the ease in which she wrote the book, getting it published was a challenge. The book sat on the shelf for about four years until her brother, Tom Allabaugh, encouraged her to self-publish it in April 2014. After the attention of her first novel and with her brother’s support, she decided to continue the trilogy. She hired editor Terry Clark of Kentucky for the second book, “Rampage and Revenge: Bigfoot: Renegade.” It will be available on Amazon by Christmas.

Completing the second book wasn’t without its difficulties. “‘Rampage and Revenge,’ should never have seen the light of day,” she said.

After most of the book was complete, a severe car accident made it impossible for her to continue writing.

After several months of healing and overcoming challenges, she finished writing the end of the book with amazing speed, 60 pages in less than 48 hours. In the dedication of the novel she shares with readers that “you can rise above obstacles.”

Now she has lots of plans for other books and research trips. She is going to be a speaker at the first International Bigfoot Conference in Kennewick, Washington Sept. 2-4, 2016

She does have a little writer’s block in writing the last book in the trilogy.

“I’m sorrowful to see it end,” Allabaugh said.

One of her plans is to write a children’s chapter book on behalf of her 9-year-old nephew who wanted to be in one of her stories. She said she may use the sasquatch young of Red in the children’s book. Another project in progress is about true life encounters of Bigfoot. She is putting it together as she travels the northwest meeting people with stories. In a way, it’s to affirm that she isn’t alone in an experience she had 22 years ago.

She recalled being in the backseat of her parent’s truck after a long-day of hiking and hunting when she saw something on the skyline with hair, not fur, on its shoulders.

“I ask my parents, ‘Have you ever seen any thing but you know it’s not real?’ And my mom turns to me … and she looked at me and she goes ‘Did you see the hairy man cross the road?’” Allabaugh recalled. From then on curiosity about Bigfoot overwhelmed her.

She watched documentaries and cheesy horror movies and bought stacks of books.

She said she spends 95 percent of her time in the woods, either off-roading, hunting, looking for Bigfoot and researching. She shared the obsession with her mother Mary Allabaugh, who died in 2007. The author dedicated “Rampage and Revenge” to her parents.

“We loved Bigfoot so much together,” she said.