J.W. Ocker is considered an expert on haunted spaces, creepy places, and cursed objects. His blog and podcast Odd Things I’ve Seen chronicles his travels to unusual locations.

Ocker’s latest book Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations – and Take Over Our Lives, explores the 30 most interesting, infamous, and dangerous cults in history – from Branch Davidians, a cult waiting out the apocalypse when the FBI raided their compound in Waco, Texas, to Heaven’s Gate, a UFO cult whose members believed they would ascend to a spaceship after death.

He discusses the dangerous attraction of cults, and the reasons people join them, such as looking for a sense of purpose or belonging.

A USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author, Ocker has written 12 works of nonfiction, travelogues, and middle grade and adult horror novels, including Poe-Land, A Season with the Witch, Death and Douglas, and The Smashed Man of Dread End.