Haints And Hollers

Thirteen plus one short tales by nine different Appalachian authors, an uprooting of tradition with another just for fun. A strong mix of history, speculation, and, perhaps, a wee bit of fear. These hills are listenin', child, so come sit a spell. You'll hear tales you ain't before; dark yahoos, wishes gone wrong, veil walkers, and someone's head might well roll. Ain't nothin' really, just a few new stories you can take back to the holler and share with you and yours. Maybe they'll shiver. Maybe you will too. And maybe, just maybe, you'll hug someone tight when things get scary enough. This is an anthology of nontraditional Appalachian ghost tales. It's not that we don't like the classics. Rather, we're ready for something new. By order of appearance: Part One: Short doesn't mean necessarily sweet. "Messages" by Deborah Marshall "Miss Vera" by Brenda M. G'Fellers "Can Johnny Come Home with Us?" by Rebecca Lynn "Strays" by Brenda M. G'Fellers "A Visit from a Peculiar Entity" by Jeanne G'Fellers Part Two: Here's to sad songs, rabid beasts, and things best left unseen. "Singin' Sally" by Sarah Elizabeth "Survival" by Brenda M. G'Fellers "Born with a Veil" by Jules Corriere "The Neighbors are Fantastic" by Jeanne G'Fellers "Pieces and Parts" by Anne G'Fellers-Mason "As Light Fades" by Kristin Pearson Part Three: Pull up a chair... if you ain't too scared. "Great Uncle's Rocking Chair" by Jeanne G'Fellers "Causing a Scene" by Anne G'Fellers-Mason "The Salt Creek Valley Monkey Dog" by Edward Karshner

Many of the highlanders in Virginia's western mountains live in small communities with names such as Stonebruise, Novelty, and Wangle Junction, and here their stories are chronicled by one of their own, Floyd County native and Pulitzer-nominated journalist Rex Bowman, roving reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Colorful characters abound, from folks in Independence who have a decades-old tradition of racing outhouses, to the brawlers in St. Paul who once gave the town a reputation for world-class wickedness, to the purveyors of Roanoke's Texas Tavern who have never in seventy years put ketchup on their hamburgers. Blue Ridge Chronicles is a delightful look at how the lively have lived in Southwest Virginia's backcountry.

The hills of the Appalachian region hold secrets—dark, deep, varied, and mysterious. These secrets are often told in the form of eerie, hair-raising, and creepy folktales that reveal strange sightings and oddities, and they commonly serve as cautionary tales for eager and curious ears. These spine-tingling stories have been shared among family members and neighbors in eastern Kentucky for generations. Haint Country: Dark Folktales from the Hills and Hollers is a collection of weird, otherworldly, and mystic phenomena—tales that have been recorded and documented for the first time. Collected and adapted by Matthew R. Sparks and Olivia Sizemore, the anthology explores ghosts or "haints," strange creatures or "boogers," haunted locations or "stained earth," uncanny happenings or "high strangeness," and humorous Appalachian ghost encounters. Contemporary first-person yarns about black panthers, demons, and spectral coal miners reflect the style and dialect of the region. Though comprised of a mixture of claimed accounts and fictional lore, the locations and people woven throughout are very real. Complemented by evocative watercolor illustrations by Olivia Sizemore (who was inspired by the work of Stephen Gammell), Haint Country is a thrilling and bone-chilling excursion to the spooky corner of Appalachia.

The hills of the Appalachia region hold secrets--dark, deep, varied, and mysterious. These secrets are often told in the form of eerie, thrilling, and creepy folk tales that reveal strange sightings, curious oddities, and commonly serve as cautionary tales for eager and curious ears. These spine-tingling stories have been told and retold by family members, neighbors, and "hillfolk" for generations. Haint Country: Dark Folktales from the Hills and Hollers is a collection of weird, otherworldly, and supernatural phenomenon in Eastern Kentucky--tales that have been recorded and documented for the first time. Collected and adapted by Matthew Sparks and Olivia Sizemore, the anthology explores stories of ghosts or "haints," strange creatures or "boogers," haunted locations or "stained earth," uncanny happenings or "high strangeness," and humorous Appalachian ghost stories. Contemporary yarns of black panthers, demons, and sightings of ghostly coal miners are narrated in the first person, reflecting the style and dialect of the collected oral history. Though comprised of a mixture of claimed accounts and fabricated lore, the locations and people woven throughout are very real. Complemented with evocative watercolor illustrations by Olivia Sizemore (who was inspired by the work of Stephen Gammell) and a compendium that provides additional context, Haint Country is a thrilling and bone-chilling excursion to the spooky corner of Appalachia.

Even the Spider can’t escape a ghost’s web . . . I’m being haunted. As Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, I’m used to being haunted by all the bad things I’ve done over the years. I suppose it was only a matter of time before an actual ghost came back to haunt me. But for once, I’m not the bad guy, and I wasn’t the person who sent this ghost—this haint—into the afterlife. But this haint definitely wants something from me, and I can’t help but think that it’s revenge on the person responsible for her untimely demise. Good thing revenge is my specialty, whether it’s among the living or the dead . . . Note:Haints and Hobwebsis an 11,000-word story that takes place after the events of Tangled Threads, book 4 in the Elemental Assassinurban fantasy series. Haints and Hobwebsfirst appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romancein 2012.

A collection of spine-tingling Appalachian ghost stories and tall tales passed down from generation to generation. Whether they tell of faucets that drip blood, monster catfish that lurk at the bottom of quarries, or strange lights on the mountaintop, these stories will make you--like the people who are sharing them--question what you believe. Foxfire has brought the philosophy of simple living to hundreds of thousands of readers, teaching creative self-sufficiency and preserving the stories, crafts, and customs of Appalachia. Inspiring and practical, this classic series has become an American institution. In July 2016, Vintage Shorts celebrates Foxfire's 50th Anniversary.

Twelve-year-old Hayder Hennessey wants to be a good son for his struggling mother and have a new start at a normal life, especially after the deaths of his father and baby sister. But when his mother moves them from Dallas to the small town of Black Knot, Oklahoma, Hayder figures out pretty fast things are a little bit different here. A little bit off. Enter Cora Corbucci, Hayder’s new next-door neighbor. The sole survivor of a grisly mass murder, Cora has been seeing and hearing a lot of unsettling things lately. Soon, Hayder begins to see and hear things too—unreal things that can’t be disbelieved. Meanwhile the citizens of the Knot drift through their lives, blissfully unaware of the slow poisoning of their souls. Of their blood. Hayder and Cora join forces with Juston Matheson, the town sheriff, to unearth the source of these horrors, exhuming dreadful secrets about their hometown better off having stayed forgotten. An ancient family of witches, the Fulcis, seek to open a door into another realm, a door hidden away in the dark forests and hollers around Black Knot, allowing the awakening of a sleeping horror who seeks to bring about hell on earth. Only, the gang learns these witches may not be the only evil they must face to survive. For in the town of Black Knot, where every day feels like Halloween, of eternal twilight, Hayder and his friends are about to go to war. “The low-down, greasy tone of the narration...will appeal to bizarro and hardcore horror fans. For those readers, there’s plenty to love” —Publishers Weekly

Love was never part of his plan. Until she came along and changed everything. Owen Campbell is a man with secrets. He finds comfort in isolation, keeping to himself in the mountains of Kentucky. But when his lovely neighbor Sarah returns from college, he finds himself enchanted. Even though he knows better than to risk his heart, he can't resist the pull toward her. As they begin to fall for each other, family tragedies and misunderstandings threaten to tear them apart. Will the secrets they keep and the heartache they endure be enough to drive them away from each other forever? Or will they find the strength and courage to fight for a love that's worth all the risks? Set in the stunning backdrop of 1960s Appalachia, Firefly Hollow is a tale of secrets, love, and the courage to overcome all odds. It’s the first book in the Firefly Hollow Universe, which includes the Firefly Hollow Series and Firefly Hollow Generations.