Pre-Approved for Haunting

Pre-Approved for Haunting
Author: Patrick Barb
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2023-09-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1684429498

A collection of weird, dark stories and millennial anxieties. In this new collection, Patrick Barb explores themes of family found and lost, media consumption and the dangers of runaway nostalgia, the supernatural in our lives, and the impact of violence in both the long- and short-term. A young couple's reunited with their lost son whose favorite fuzzy bear suit connects him to the ghost of a vengeful mama bear while he's alone in the forest. A jaded screenwriter can’t escape the haunted screenplay that’s ruined his career. A man returns to his small hometown, where the people are gone and the trees have taken over. A Slasher and Final Girl brother-sister duo match wits and blades against a sentient, dimension-hopping apocalypse at a never-ending summer camp. From rural backwoods to Park Slope brownstones, Barb's characters face impossible, awful situations, testing their inner strength and understanding of reality. Covering quiet horror, weird fiction, supernatural horror, slasher horror, topical dark fiction, and more, these stories spotlight supposedly familiar terrors and fears in new and unexpected ways.

Across the Universe

Across the Universe
Author: Michael A. Ventrella
Publisher: Fantastic Books
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2019-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781515423966

Sorcerers, superheroes, and zombies. Out of work, out of luck, out of practice. Gods, clods, or four simple lads. Here are the Beatles as you've never known them before: singing for their supper, singing for their souls, and singing to save the world. Join 25 remarkable authors as they take you Across the Universe.

Gargantuana's Ghost

Gargantuana's Ghost
Author: Patrick Barb
Publisher: Grey Matter Press
Total Pages: 95
Release: 2022-10-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Living in a society conditioned to fear him, young Antoine Santiago rides the New York subway and communes with the dead. With a love of history inherited from his late father, the city’s storied past is now the only friend to this loner obsessed with a long-forgotten legend about the life and tragic death of a fabled giant ape. Armed with a bargain-basement occult instruction manual and a backpack of bananas, Antoine summons the spirit of the Great Gargantuana–a kaiju-sized primate that haunts the F Train–and vows to reunite her with the only friend she knew before meeting her end on Brooklyn’s elevated tracks: Lettie, the feisty daughter of her captor, who’s now living as an elderly shut-in. One miraculous evening these three outsiders, shunned by a modern, gentrifying society that barely acknowledges their existence, converge for an alarming and otherworldly adventure of unimaginable monsters, paranormal activity and improbable friendships in this tale of NYC’s not-so-hidden magic and the cherished found families forged in the shadow of the Big Apple. REVIEWS FOR GARGANTUANA'S GHOST: "A heart-wrenching tale of old loves and fresh wounds; of what it means to find hope and strength in the dying embers of a life, or the loneliness of youth. A fresh, welcome take on what horror can mean.” — Philip Fracassi, author of A Child Alone with Strangers "An urban fantasy grounded in the reality of human cruelty, Gargantuana's Ghost is as unexpected as it is poignant. Barb infuses his unique characters with so much beauty, pain, and hope." — J.A.W. McCarthy, author of Sometimes We're Cruel and Other Stories “With a Kong-sized beating heart at its center, Patrick Barb has created an enchanting story. His deft hand takes us on a journey by way of subway and steamships, through jungles both urban and exotic, to the realms of loss and love.” — C.B. Jones, author of The Rules of the Road Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the independent published home of multiple award-nominated and award-winning dark fiction titles. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive

Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country

Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country
Author: Edward Parnell
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2019-10-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0008271968

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE 2020 ‘A uniquely strange and wonderful work of literature’ Philip Hoare ‘An exciting new voice’ Mark Cocker, author of Crow Country

The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy: Haunting the Hearts and Heaven of Mormon Women and Men

The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy: Haunting the Hearts and Heaven of Mormon Women and Men
Author: Carol Lynn Pearson
Publisher: Pivot Point Books
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2016-07-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780997458206

"Polygamy?" says the mainstream Mormon Church. "We gave that up long ago." Not so, claims noted LDS poet and author Carol Lynn Pearson, who examines the issue as it has never been examined before. Any member of the LDS Church today who enters the practice of polygamy is immediately excommunicated. However, Pearson claims, polygamy itself has never been excommunicated, but has an honored and protected place at the table. It has only been postponed, a fact confirmed by thousands of "eternal sealings" giving a man an assurance that he will claim as wives in heaven the two, three, or even more women he has sequentially married during his lifetime. No such opportunity is available to women. Through her own personal stories, those of her ancestors, and the thousands of stories that came to her through an Internet survey, Pearson shows the power of the Ghost of Eternal Polygamy as it not only waits on the other side to greet the most righteous in heaven, but also haunts the living-hiding in the recesses of the Mormon psyche, inflicting profound pain and fear, assuring women that they are still objects, harming or destroying marriages, bringing chaos to family relationships, leading many to lose faith in the church and in God. Mormon historian and author Dr. Gregory Prince says of The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy: "Carol Lynn Pearson has hit a home run in her quest to illuminate both the damage that Mormonism's de facto practice of polygamy continues to inflict, and the route to a better, more humane place. Those who truly hope for eternal polygamy or who resent any call to institutional reform will be upset, but countless others will rejoice that she has shown 'a more excellent way.' "

Don't Eat the Pie

Don't Eat the Pie
Author: Monique Asher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2024-09-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1998076180

In DON'T EAT THE PIE by Monique Asher, readers are transported to the hauntingly picturesque Camillia Island, where gothic horror meets family drama, unraveling the sinister secrets behind a mother and daughter's summer that promises to be as unsettling as it is compelling for fans of Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier. Newlywed Sam has always wanted to be a part of a normal happy family. When her mother-in-law falls ill, Sam dutifully moves her family to Edenic Camillia Island to care for her. The island residents, namely the older women, welcome Sam and her daughter Emma with open arms, endless cocktails, and plenty of superstition. It seems perfect until it’s not. The house next to her mother-in-law’s is creepy—not only that, it’s where Ben’s first wife died. Sam’s teen daughter Emma isn’t interested in spending the summer in Camillia. It gets even worse when Emma starts to see things—knowing that there are ghosts trying to warn her of something, but what? Despite Emma’s pleas, Sam doesn’t want to rock the boat with her new family. Emma won’t pretend nothing is happening, especially as the messages become more grim and frequent. What secrets are buried on Camillia Island? And why are all the residents keen on keeping them quiet? Content Warnings: abuse/domestic violence, suicide, unauthorized medical procedures, pregnancy complications, car accident

Tales from the Haunted Mansion Vol. 1: The Fearsome Foursome

Tales from the Haunted Mansion Vol. 1: The Fearsome Foursome
Author: Amicus Arcane
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-07-19
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1484713710

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press' spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion! Based on the attractions from the Disney Parks, each new book tells the story of one of the Haunted Mansion's 999 ghosts. With eerie illustrations throughout and a beautiful three-piece cloth cover, the books are designed to look like they came straight from the library in the Haunted Mansion. Tales from the Haunted Mansion is a fun, spooky ride, just like the attraction from the Disney Parks. And if readers are familiar with the ride, they'll see elements of it throughout the entire story, from items straight of the Mansion (are those pictures stretching?) to lyrics from the narration that is heard in each Doom Buggy. In this bone-chilling book, you will hear the terrifying tales of the Fearsome Foursome--four kids who look to out-scare each other. But just wait until they hear my spooky stories. Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. So read on... if you dare!

The Haunting of White Horse Inn

The Haunting of White Horse Inn
Author: Phyllis Reiser Stone
Publisher: WestBowPress
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2013-10-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1490810269

A financial crisis forces newly widowed Linda Rogers into making a life-changing decision. She puts her house up for sale, much to the objections of her teenage daughter, Amy, and agrees to become an innkeeper for a preCivil War mansion that has just been sold and is to become a bed-and-breakfast establishment. A first view of the mansion is not favorable; vines grow everywhere, and when Linda and Amy explore inside they are frightened into leaving by a mysterious noise. It is learned the townspeople believe the mansion is haunted by a ghost looking for his wife and daughter. Relying on her Christian beliefs, Linda doesnt believe in ghostsbut there is no logical explanation for the frequent noises and lights. A later discovery of a secret tunnel adds to Lindas anxiety. Did she make the right decision? Has she placed herself and Amy in danger?

I Liked My Life

I Liked My Life
Author: Abby Fabiaschi
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2017-01-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250084873

A husband and teen daughter are challenged to redefine their understandings of family when a devoted wife and mother commits suicide and begins meddling from beyond the grave.