Janet Sanger [ed] - Scary Shorts for Halloween

[dem bones]

Janet Sanger [ed] - Scary Shorts for Halloween: A Collection of True Ghost Stories (Accent Press, 2004)

Desert Point Illustrations

Photograph of the Hampton Court Ghost

Yvette Fielding - My Ghosts
Anne Caulfield - Descent Into Chaos
Tina Brown - The Girl
Nina Tucknott - Blue Bell Hill
Jillian Rawlins - Déjà Vu
David Peck - Exposure
Angela Williams - Druid's Hill
Sandy Neville - The Blue Lady
Sasha Fenton - The Devil In My Bed
Liza Granville - Last Year's Doll
Kathryn Brennan - I'll Give Her Ghosts!
Peter Stockwell - Found At A Bedside
Sue Moorcroft - Talking In The Park
Jay Whitfield - Oxford 16 Miles
Elizabeth Crooks - Lucy
Kathleen Croft - Little Chapel Wedding
Jim Harwood- Sickness Takes The Mind
Lisa Main - Fritz
Hilary Halliwell - Still There...
Carolyn Lewis - Staying At The Grove
Jan Jones - Good Neighbours
Jill Stitson - Friends Forever
Raymond Humphreys - Wish Man's Wood
Patricia Scott - Screams From Purgatory
Dawn Wingfield - The House Next Door
Della Galton - A Logical Explanation
Linda Povey - The Wheel Of Fortune
Jill Steeples - Animal Magic
Andrea Presneill - Elysium

Biographies
A Message From Breast Cancer Campaign

Blurb:

Featuring modern supernatural experiences that will send a shiver down your spine. Each story tells of a mysterious encounter with the supernatural

Yvette Fielding - My Ghosts: The Fielding's Cheshire dream cottage is haunted by a ghost from the seventeenth century, a woman who perished in a house fire caused by her drunken husband. An outbreak of poltergeist activity. With her husband away, Yvette wakens in the night to find she's sharing the bed with a spectral old lady. Tranquillity is eventually restored following Mark the psychic's successful exorcism.

Anne Caulfield - Descent Into Chaos: Tricia ignores a Spiritualist's warning against messing around with the Ouija board when she's not the least ability to protect herself from destructive entities.

Tina Brown - The Girl: Australian setting. Kirsty and her mum are frightened by the ghost of a friendly little girl.

Nina Tucknott - Blue Bell Hill: Kindly motorist Jack Parcell offers a lift to a drenched young woman who missed the last bus home from Chatham. Ellie Pond explains she has been celebrating her hen night, she's to be married tomorrow afternoon, and he is invited! Jack has a fright that causes him to swerve off the road and into a tree. When the police arrive, he insists they find his missing passenger, Ellie Pond, who could be badly injured. The cops recognise the name ...

[helrunar]

Sounds like fun! And the cover is one for the "Down the back of the Vault" corner, too!

cheers, Hel

[dem bones]

Jul 20, 2023 18:10:11 GMT helrunar said:

Sounds like fun! And the cover is one for the "Down the back of the Vault" corner, too!

cheers, Hel

It's magnificent, isn't it? The London Dungeon used to sell this one in their gift store before they relocated to the South Bank. The biographies tell us that many contributors write for popular women's magazines. Several also donate stories to companion volume, Sexy Shorts for Summer, for same charity.

Jillian Rawlins - Déjà Vu: Carew Castle, famously haunted by a phantom Barbary Ape, Satan, who burnt to death with his owner, Sir Roland Rhys, when the NW tower caught flame. A young French girl takes ill, having caught a glimpse of the frazzled creature on the guided tour.

David Peck - Exposure: Phantom climber rescues woman stranded high on Snowdonia.

Angela Williams - Druid's Hill: Visiting Cornwall's Witchcraft museum on June 21st, Molly notices a young blonde in long flowing skirt and cowboy boots. She recognises the girl's scent, Charlie, from schooldays. Later that same afternoon, a glimpse of the same girl on the cliff leading to Tintagel Castle. It's strange that companion, Liz, hasn't noticed her. That night at Mrs Thompson's boarded house, she chances upon the embittered old woman's photo album, and a solitary press cutting.

Sandy Neville - The Blue Lady: The sad ghost of a lady in long silk dress and bonnet haunts the Abbey library. She appears only to those soon to suffer bereavement. Little kid narrator's army father is away fighting in the Falklands.

[dem bones]

Sasha Fenton - The Devil In My Bed: Christmas 2003. The author, a medium, reads a magazine article in which three women claim to have been molested by the Devil. That same night, a ghost joins her bed .... A lifelong platonic male friend come to say his goodbyes.

Liza Granville - Last Year's Doll: Narrator buys a birthday present for a little girl she just met in the street. The next day she learns of little Kylie's death in a house fire exactly a year ago. As maudlin as it sounds.

Kathryn Brennan - I'll Give Her Ghosts!: Ellen Bradley, a newcomer to Mortunville village having lived there a mere 25 years, has no time for local customs and beliefs. Far as she is concerned, the supposed "curse" on Thorogood Hall is a rather distasteful fairy story, until ...

Peter Stockwell - Found At A Bedside: Man who doesn't believe in ghosts is forced to reconsider on moving to a Victorian farmhouse, whose resident phantoms include his still-living sister. Sustained spiteful poltergeist activity drives him to seek psychiatric help.

Sue Moorcroft - Talking In The Park: Day of the phantom dog walker.

Jay Whitfield - Oxford 16 Miles: Mrs Marianna James is left a dream country cottage in Hazelbury Martin by an Aunt who presumably disliked her.

If Take A Break published a book of 'True' Ghost Stories I'd imagine it would read much like this one.

[helrunar]

The tales by Angela Williams and Sasha Fenton sound promising. What an interesting collection.

cheers, Hel.

[dem bones]

Jul 22, 2023 14:03:53 GMT helrunar said:

The tales by Angela Williams and Sasha Fenton sound promising. What an interesting collection.

Not sure I'd go that far. For the most part these are fictions loosely based — if at all — on 'true' ghost stories, tame ones for the most part. Druid's Hill, Lucy, and Blue Bell Hill at least have some grim to them.

Elizabeth Crooks - Lucy: The ghost of a teenager haunts a small wood behind Cirencester Abbey. Fifty years later, the murderer has yet to be identified, until ...

Kathleen Croft - Little Chapel Wedding: Janice, recently split from her long time partner, takes a short break in Mumbles where she witnesses a spectral re-enactment of her grandparents' wedding. Maybe she and her ex ought to reconsider ...

Jim Harwood- Sickness Takes The Mind: A hospital patient is visited by the ghosts of a nurse from the gaslit era and his late father as a young man.

Lisa Main - Fritz: Captain Hughes loses patience with his men when they insist that the ghost of a murdered homosexual haunts the site of the Elvergaardimein POW camp.

Hilary Halliwell - Still There...: While marriage to Mike has always been a struggle, she takes strength from a framed photograph of the one true love of her life.

Carolyn Lewis - Staying At The Grove: The ghost of house-proud Mrs. Mayberry haunts a Cornish holiday cottage from her decrepit caravan in the garden.

Jan Jones - Good Neighbours: A widower, grateful for death, guest stars in the narrator's dream to assure her that he and beloved wife are happily reunited in the afterlife, and that a kindness has been remembered in his will.

[dem bones]

Jill Stitson - Friends Forever: Jan's new best friend is seemingly irresistible to everyone she meets — it is as though they are transfixed by her radiant disposition. Then Alison falls seriously ill. As she lies dying, so Jan's dress sense and entire personality undergo alarmingly, child scaring transformation ...

Raymond Humphreys - Wish Man's Wood: Berrynardor, North Devon. The boy scout troop, the phantom monk and an orchard of poisonous apples.

Patricia Scott - Screams From Purgatory: The barracks at the former Liebenau internment camp near Konstanz are haunted by the screams of tortured inmates.

Dawn Wingfield - The House Next Door: A century old semi on East Willow Street, Cedar Bend. Why on earth would Patty and husband be in such a hurry to sell up and move far away? The dream home is haunted by the ghost of Abraham Fischer, who hacked to pieces his wife and children before blowing out his brains. No matter the weather, its rooms are too icy to endure.

Della Galton - A Logical Explanation: (Woman's Weekly Fictin Special, 2001). Just as she promised, Gran's ghost returns to tend her garden.

Linda Povey - The Wheel Of Fortune: Angela has a recurring dream of herself as an old woman stood before a London monument fifty years before it exists.

Jill Steeples - Animal Magic: Newlywed Lizzie learns the countryside villa and barn she and Rick are renovating were formerly a butcher shop and abattoir. Overcoming her initial disgust, she soon learns to love its "happy" ghosts of slaughtered animals.

Andrea Presneill - Elysium: Holidaying students, Craig and Louise spend a glorious afternoon at a phantom taverna on Antipalos.

A noble cause, even if this reader found the book something of an endurance test. Recommended to fans of Richard Felix's The People's Ghost Stories. Everyone else .... maybe not so much.