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Post by dem bones on Jun 19, 2017 14:06:47 GMT
Denys Val Baker (ed.) – Phantom Lovers (William Kimber 1984) Pat Doyle R. Chetwynd-Hayes – Lord Dunwilliam and the Cwn Annwn Fred Urquhart – Dust Fills Helen’s Eyes James Turner – Love Affair James Lasdun – The Cat Maggie Ross – Kevin J. C. Trewin – Special Performance Washington Irving – The Spectre Bridegroom Ronald Blythe – Everything a Man Needs A. L. Barker – The Old Man’s Story Derek Stanford – Window-Dressing Denys Val Baker – The Haunting of Angela Prendergast Rosemary Timperley – The Walker-Out Rosalind Wade – Guch Cottage Mary Williams – Anna Blurb: In this absorbing new collection Denys Val Baker has gathered together a galaxy of ghostly lovers, and sweethearts haunted by phantoms. The truth of the saying 'the course of true love never did run smooth' is amply demonstrated by the stories of these amorous spirits.Derek Stanford - Window-Dressing: "Supply teaching here was a very different thing from the riot of his South-East London classrooms, where the beau ideal of the boys seemed to be that of yobos from outer space and that of the girls, punk-hair-styled trollops." Philip Drover, art critic, swaps the capital to teach in a small, fashionable seaside town. Mr. Drover has never had any difficulty luring women into his bed but this time is different. The object of his lustful affection is a mauve-eyed mannequin in the window of Davenham fashions and, the worst of it is, this time it is true love! Imagine his delight when he's introduced to mysterious artist's model Miranda, the original of the plastic dummy, who is suitably flattered at his devotion to her waxen replica. But a black cloud looms over their wild, sex-charged affair, namely the imminent return of Miranda's long-term lover from Paris. Philip must either marry his dream lover or lose her for all time. Denys Val Baker – The Haunting of Angela Prendergast: Shy and timid as she is, Angela loves to admire her naked body in the mirror .... until she senses a phantom presence in the room. Miss Prendergast finds the idea of a spectral peeping tom a rare turn on and even invests in a racy black frilly nightgown for his (it could only be a he) delectation. Can Angela lure her admirer out from the shadows and into her bed? Very cute. Rosemary Timperley – The Walker-Out: "I arranged your funeral. There's a gravestone in the churchyard with your name on it." A year on from deserting him for her latest lover, a contrite Sarah turns up unannounced on husband Dennis's doorstep. How will he receive her? Much to Sarah's relief, Dennis is overjoyed at her unexpected reappearance, but not for any reason she might appreciate. Six months ago police recovered a badly decomposed body which they - and Dennis - believed to be hers. Although never charged, Dennis is suspected locally of her murder, so to have Sarah turn up in the flesh finally releases him from suspicion. Otherwise ... no, he doesn't want her back in his life! She'll only quit on him again when the next guy tickles her fancy. What is a woman scorned to do? R. Chetwynd-Hayes - Lord Dunwilliam And The Cwn Annwn: ( Welsh Tales Of Terror, 1973). Ronald does Folk Horror .... I think. (See also Shona And The Water Horse in the following year's Terror By Night). Maggie Ross - Kevin: "I want to tell you,' Myrtle said, 'that tomorrow you will be marrying a widow." Bad form to leave it until the eve of their wedding to inform fiancée Robert that she has already buried one husband but it can't be helped. From the little he can winkle from Myrtle's tight-lipped bridesmaid mafia, his name was Kevin and he fell to his death from a window at the Cherton Manor hotel, which just so happens to be where the wedding party are staying the weekend. As the drink flows and the evening wears on, Myrtle's behaviour grows increasingly erratic. Surely she's not intent on a last fling with a fancy man on this of all nights?
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Post by dem bones on Jun 20, 2017 15:55:36 GMT
James Turner - Love Affair: (Staircase To The Sea: Fourteen Ghost Stories, Kimber, 1974). Another sweet one with a dash of the macabre to keep us interested. James falls in love with the ghost of Charlotte, an eighteen-year-old dairy maid murdered by her lover in 1844, whose story he is researching for a book of West Country Ghosts.
Mary Williams - Anna: (Ghostly Carnival: Cornish Ghost Stories, Kimber, 1980). Five years into their marriage, Vera, John's second wife, is possessed by the spirit of her predecessor, "sexy, faithless little bitch" Anna. The problem is that, despite it all, John still adores his destructive ex over all women. Anna's murder following an ill-advised fling with an unpopular Eastern potentate spells the end for Vera who is completely ousted from her own body.
A. L. Barker – The Old Man’s Story: Referred to in the editor's brief introduction as An Old Man's Love Affairs. Veteran odd job man 'Dusty' Miller's latest engagement is as cleaner at the museum. Dusty obsesses over the image of a woman in a group portrait, identified on the brass plaque beneath as Lady Barbara, wife of Sir Fortunatus Benedit, 1623.. He comes to think of her as a Saint. "She solved his problems, soothed his fears and peopled his loneliness - just looking at her made him feel better. Better? He would have said best." On his Sunday off, Dusty pays a visit to the ruins of Benedit Castle where a young history graduate with something of the goth about his avowedly miserable demeanour, relates the life and crimes of the Lady Barbara in support of his argument that "women are the devil."
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Post by dem bones on Jul 11, 2017 5:41:50 GMT
Fred Urquhart - Dust In Helen's Eye: Three hundred and fifty years after his torture murder by the Huran injuns, Donald MacKinnon of Glen Fluechra remains devoted to Helen Campbell, traveling to and fro across the Atlantic in search of his true love. On this particular flight he's joined by the ghost of with-it, sweary Beatles fan Lucy Fitzjames, a recent road death. As can only be expected, Donald finds much of her conversation unintelligible ("Sometimes I wish I'd been there when John Lennon was murdered, so that our ghosts could have gone off together.") Eventually ridding himself of Lucy at Cape Canaveral in a rocket bound for the moon, Donald visits his Nova Scotia grave, convinced that the hour of reunion is nigh.
Ronald Blythe - Everything A Man Needs: Meet Margery Nethersole, Justice of the Peace, OBE, widow, meddler, nosey parker. She has a remarkable talent for worming out the secrets of others while revealing nothing about herself. She is especially circumspect in regard to her marriage to Alfred, who died way back before WWII.
Margery's closest ally is her long-time housekeeper-friend, Perpetua Cramner, a fellow fifty-something with no significant other in her life. Between them these two conjure an imaginary perfect man as their lodger, blue-eyed, fair, twenty-four years of age, devastatingly handsome. They name him Thomas and spoil him rotten. An entire male wardrobe is purchased from Marks and Sparks, including racy tangerine pyjamas, dressing gown, a dozen initialled handkerchiefs ... Perpetua gets so caught up in the fantasy that she suggests a motorbike and record player. Margery, sensing the game is getting out of hand, reminds her that 'Thomas' doesn't exist.
For the first time since the funeral, Margery visits Alfred's grave .... to find it very recently desecrated.
Meanwhile, back at Penault House, Perpetua is persecuted by a violent intruder ...
Washington Irving - The Spectre Bridegroom: The Baron Von Landshort's unidentified eighteen year old daughter, who has no equal for beauty in the whole of Germany, is promised in marriage to the gallant young Count Von Altenburg. Everyone is agreed that when they eventually get to meet it will be a case of love at first sight, but tragedy intervenes! On the eve of the wedding, the Count is set upon and murdered by bandits in the Odenwald mountains. With his dying breath, Von Altenburg extracts a promise from best friend Herman Van Starkenfaust that he travel to Castle Landshort and explain why the Count has been unable to keep his appointment with his bride. "Unless this is done I shall not sleep quietly in my grave." Herman duly obliges whereupon wondrous and terrible "supernatural" episodes ensue. Cheery Gothic piss take, though real thing often funnier.
James Lasdun - The Cat: (Short Story Magazine, 1982). Adrian and Monica are ideally suited to one another in that they are both totally up themselves. They eventually part company over a fall out involving Monica's foul feline, Ernest, though truth is she'd already embarked on latest affair before the seismic cat-puke-on-the-bedspread episode. "I'm moving in with Tommy Delauney. I know I agreed with you that he was a shit, but that was months ago when I didn't really know him, and we've since become lovers so you'll have to forget I ever said anything spiteful against him." Tommy claims a cat allergy so Monica demands her ex look after Ernest to make up for all the hurtful things he said during their break up. Clearly Adrian has no alternative but to do the fleabag a terminal mischief.
J. C. Trewin - Special Performance: An amateur review touring the West Country with their Twelfth Night, bring the season top a close at the private theatre on the Amis estate in the Cornish hamlet of Bolan. They are joined on-stage by the ghosts of the runaway heir Richard Mullyan and his lover, Millicent the serving maid, with whom he eloped 170 years ago after a performance of the same play, never to be seen again. Beautifully written and very very dull.
Rosalind Wade - Guch Cottage: In the wake of a painful relationship break-up, narrator rents a cottage At Guch Cairn, Cornwall, for a short convalesce. Up until Christmas just gone, the cottage was home to Raymond - estranged husband of Lady Guch, the last of the family line - a casualty of the winter's flu epidemic. The cottage is let as is, and Raymond's amiable ghost is very much a part of the furniture. Another gentle story I didn't particularly get off on but suspect that any failing is mine and not the authors. Quotes Arthur Machen. "Man is so made that all his true delight arises from the contemplation of mystery and save for his own frantic and invincible folly mystery is never taken from him."
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