When Dead Clocks Chime is the literary debut by C. J. Phillips as author and storyteller. From vengeance to charm, to the paragon of nightmares, C. J. Phillips brings to the printed page haunting tales of heinous jealousy, yuletide romance, and unthinkable horrors. Each paranormal tale takes place within the rich green Americana landscapes of Middle Tennessee, the Missouri Bootheel, and the Memphis river bluffs off the mighty Mississippi River. Three stories by C. J. Phillips, carefully crafted for this first volume of When Dead Clocks Chime, presents an actual ghostly encounter of vehement hate and rage. Fear, torment, and mind scarring aggression between the undead and unborn wreaks havoc in the life of a woman who could never finish her story. "Reckless Scorn" is based on actual events. Love knows no boundaries. Blended amid the holiday trappings of yuletide cheer, this eerie evergreen tale of a promise well kept, just in time, will touch the tender spirit. Each yearning beat of a passionate heart will echo throughout time eternal. Death regards time as an absolute. The unseen realm will manifest a Christmas miracle in "The Silver Watch." Ancient scriptures declare the devil roams about like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), and sin so easily ensnares the unsuspecting soul (Hebrews 12:1). Dreams are made to be accomplished and then snatched away, all because of deceiving fantasies in exchange for a signature etched upon the diabolic walls of a nineteenth century brothel. Blood thirst is unquenchable in "Hiller House."