Haints and Hollers


Book Description

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




Boogers, Witches, and Haints: Appalachian Ghost Stories


Book Description

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.




Haints and Hobwebs


Book Description

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.




The Country Girl's Guide to Hexes and Haints


Book Description

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




Haint Country


Book Description

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 Hum and the Shiver


Book Description

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe is an enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills, and the first book in the wondrous Tufa series. . . . "Imagine a book somewhere between American Gods and Faulkner. In brief: a good book. Absolutely worth your time."—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author, on The Hum and the Shiver Private Bronwyn Hyatt had left her small town of Needsville for the army to escape the pressures of her mystical Tufa family legacy. She returns a lone survivor after a disastrous attack overseas, wounded in body and spirit. But cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless haint lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn's darkest secrets. Now Bronwyn finds the greatest battle lies right in her backyard, especially as young minister with too much curiosity arrives in town. If she makes the wrong choice, the consequences could be deadly for all the Tufa. . . . "A sheer delight."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Enter the captivating world of the fae in Alex Bledsoe's Tufa novels The Hum and the Shiver Wisp of a Thing Long Black Curl Chapel of Ease Gather Her Round At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.




Running on Red Dog Road


Book Description

“Mining companies piled trash coal in a slag heap and set it ablaze. The coal burned up, but the slate didn’t. The heat turned it rose and orange and lavender. The dirt road I lived on was paved with that sharp-edged rock. We called it Red Dog. My grandmother always told me, ‘Don’t you go running on that Red Dog road.’ But oh, I did.” Gypsies, faith-healers, moonshiners, and snake handlers weave through Drema’s childhood in 1940s Appalachia after Drema’s father is killed in the coal mines, her mother goes off to work as a Rosie the Riveter, and she is left in the care of devout Pentecostal grandparents. What follows is a spitfire of a memoir that reads like a novel with intrigue, sweeping emotion, and indisputable charm. Drema’s coming of age is colored by tent revivals with Grandpa, jitterbug lessons, and traveling carnivals, and though it all, she serves witness to a multi-generational family of saints and sinners whose lives defy the stereotypes. Just as she defies her own. Running On Red Dog Road is proof that truth is stranger than fiction, especially when it comes to life and faith in an Appalachian childhood.




Blue Ridge Chronicles


Book Description

Many of the highlanders in Virginias 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 Roanokes 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 Virginias backcountry.




Appalachian Ghost Stories


Book Description




Talking Appalachian


Book Description

Tradition, community, and pride are fundamental aspects of the history of Appalachia, and the language of the region is a living testament to its rich heritage. Despite the persistence of unflattering stereotypes and cultural discrimination associated with their style of speech, Appalachians have organized to preserve regional dialects -- complex forms of English peppered with words, phrases, and pronunciations unique to the area and its people. Talking Appalachian examines these distinctive speech varieties and emphasizes their role in expressing local history and promoting a shared identity. Beginning with a historical and geographical overview of the region that analyzes the origins of its dialects, this volume features detailed research and local case studies investigating their use. The contributors explore a variety of subjects, including the success of African American Appalachian English and southern Appalachian English speakers in professional and corporate positions. In addition, editors Amy D. Clark and Nancy M. Hayward provide excerpts from essays, poetry, short fiction, and novels to illustrate usage. With contributions from well-known authors such as George Ella Lyon and Silas House, this balanced collection is the most comprehensive, accessible study of Appalachian language available today.