Haunted
by Willow Cross
Publisher: Willow Cross; Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: 23 October 2013
ASIN: B005Z53TA8
Format: Kindle book
Pages: 26
Genre: Horror; Short Story
Time to read: 1 hour
Source: Amazon (Free at the time; One Hundred Free Books) [5 January 2014]
aStore Link: Haunted
Summary
(from Goodreads)
Have you ever heard something go bump in the night and wonder if someone was there? Only to go looking for the cause of the noise and find nothing at all. Or how about unexplainably feeling like you’re being watched when you’re completely alone? Things disappearing for no reason or strange ghostly footsteps in the hall? This book is a collage of short stories about a few of the otherworldly experiences I’ve had. Although they are not movie worthy, you may find them interesting. All the stories are %100 true. Nothing has been added for dramatic effect.
My Reaction
I'm a sucker for scary short stories, particularly those that make you afraid to pay attention to your peripheral vision while you are reading. The author's prologue warned that the stories contained within were true accounts without embellishment, and that if you were looking for movie-quality scenes of terror, you would be "sorely disappointed". However, I came away with several good goosebumps and a little nervousness after reading.
It seems the author is somewhat of a magnet for haunted houses and ghostly visitors. She has moved several times: sometimes because of family and financial issues; other times because of an uncomfortable presence in their dwelling place. Each story in this quick little read gives a glimpse into what author Willow Cross must experience quite often. With a current total of four books in the Haunted series, there must be more stories worth reading.
This was a self-published endeavor, and while there was a second-party editor, there were a few spots within the text that seem to have needed a bit of polishing—but those are likely some things the average quick reader will gloss over without a second thought; neither did those errors really affect the story. (I just have picky eyes, except when it comes to editing my own stuff, it seems.) In any case, I am certainly hooked into reading the rest of the series as soon as I get the chance.
I will conclude by saying while I don't typically doubt that much of what Cross and other eyewitnesses of ghostly encounters believe to have experienced, I tend to relegate such evidence as coming from either something not-quite-obviously-explainable or from demonic forces (which I do believe exist).
Reading Challenges: 2014 Read Your Freebies! Challenge
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