SPOOKY STORIES FOR HALLOWEEN

As a child I loved everything about Halloween – my smoking neep (turnip) lantern, my dodgy bin-liner inspired costume, trailing around the neighbourhood in the dark with friends. Then when my sons were small I got into the swing of things by organising ducking for apples and suspending sugary doughnuts on a string.

Nowadays, with my boys grown, Halloween is a quieter affair but I still like to see piles of pumpkins in the supermarket and the plastic outfits waiting for a good home. But Halloween is also a time for revellers, young and old, to swap spine-tingling stories and so to celebrate I’m sharing some of my favourites …

A CLASSIC

One thing I should make clear is that I’m an absolute wimp when it comes to watching horror or scary movies, which is one of the reasons I prefer to read. If it all becomes too unsettling, I can close the book and make myself a calming cup of tea. However, when reading Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, I was simultaneously gripped and terrified! The sense of dread is palpable when Dr Montague, a scholar of the occult seeking proof of a haunting, invites three strangers to join him in recording the reported strange goings-on at a place locals speak of in fear, the notorious Hill House.

For brave souls who love everything chilling The Haunting of Hill House has twice been made into a film called The Haunting (in 1963 and 1999). It has also now been given the Netflix treatment. Read or watch if you dare!

A NEW CLASSIC

If The Haunting of Hill House has already been awarded classic status then Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver has new classic written all over it. Paver’s ghost stories (Thin Air and Dark Matter) have been on my to-read pile for a while, so when I decided to write a Halloween post I knew exactly which author I wanted to try. Wakenhyrst isn’t a ghost story but its mix of spooky ingredients makes it perfect for Halloween. Being a Victorian gothic thriller set in a crumbling mansion house amongst the Fens, we encounter demons and witchcraft, madness and grief, ice and darkness, as young Maud feels her way between religion and local superstition, to solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the natural world of the Fen that she so loves. It’s a beautifully written, creepy mystery; the perfect companion for darker evenings.

    

A HAIR-RAISING SHORT STORY

If you’re a bit short of time then a hair-raising short story may be all that’s needed to set your pulse racing on All Hallows’ Eve.

The Monkey’s Paw by W W Jacobs, first published in 1902, is a ‘granted three wishes’ tale, where an older couple don’t receive quite what they hope for. I’m not spoiling the story if I share that at one point the monkey’s paw lands in the fire and I swear I smelled singed fur! A story that held me riveted to the end. To read, click on the link here.

So these are just a few frightening favourites and I'd love to learn which ghoulish tales of sinister happenings you would recommend?

Stay safe and enjoy

Rae x

WHAT DOES YOUR BOOKSHELF SAY ABOUT YOU? by Victoria Cornwall

I have spent the last month undertaking a big clear out of my home. The things I no longer needed (or liked) were either sent to our local charity shop, recycling centre or thrown away. It was hard work, cathartic and a good time to identify what material things really mattered to me. One of the things that had a good sort through was my bookshelf.

I am a Poldark fan. Many years ago I bought the complete series which were twelve books in all. Over time, and after several readings, the pages have become yellow and dogeared. The first six books were very special to me as their covers had the actors from the 1970s TV series on them. However the remaining covers were mismatched, some of which displayed people who, in my mind, had no resemblance to the characters in the books. It was time to treat myself and buy a new complete set, preferably with the up-to-date, gorgeous covers which display the actors from the most recent adaptation. They would look neat on my bookshelf, thought I, make a perfect stylish set and show I was a big Poldark fan. It also accurately reflected my hobby of reading quality fiction with realistic historical facts. The size of the series would show any visitor that I am a serious reader (yes ... I have read all 12 books folks!) and I know a good thing when I see it (it's a classic after all!). This got me thinking, was I trying to project an image of who I wanted people to think I am or would the bookshelf silently show the real me?

I began to wonder if all bookshelves told us something about the reader. Could a chaotic, mismatched, overloaded bookshelf point to someone who is disorganised and unwilling to part with material things? Or did it tell us that the owner just loved books and wanted to keep them to read again and again?

If a bookshelf is arranged alphabetically or by colour, is the person organised and efficient or painfully controlling with too much time on their hands? Are books arranged by genre preferred by people who like to compartmentalise their lives, or does a variety of genres show that their owner is open to trying new things and will have a broad outlook on life?

By now my mind was in overload. Does the actual type of book chosen for display tell us something? Crime, fiction, autobiographies, travel ... there are certainly lots to choose from. Are we showing the world our innermost soul or the sort of person we aspire to be?

The "coffee table book" is a good example of the latter. It is usually large and expensive, with a lot of pictures, specifically designed to be looked at rather than read. Needless to say it is usually placed where people can see it easily, such as a coffee table. Is the owner really saying, "I am a good host as I have provided a book for you to look through while I prepare you a drink" ... or is it less about the guest's comfort and more about the owner wanting the guest to know that they are stylish and can afford a luxurious quality book that they don't really need.

Of course the books that don't make it to the bookshelf are just as telling. Reading an erotic book, but hiding it in the bottom drawer rather than displaying it on a shelf would certainly show there is a part of one's life the reader would rather keep private, despite the enjoyment it may give. Yet if the erotic book did make it to the shelf, it would show that the reader exuded confidence and had a "take me as you find me" attitude. This attitude is admirable, although one's reaction to viewing such a bookshelf might depend on the book ... and the number of them. Too many and too jaw droppingly kinky, one might just be tempted to run ... unless you are into that kind of thing. In that situation you will be delighted to discover you have found a kindred spirit who might enjoy dressing up in black studded straps and leather chaps too.

Does an array of fiction or travel books show that the reader is looking for an escape? Perhaps "real crime" books show a forensic, inquisitive mind? Do self-help books show someone seeking to take control of their lives or are they mere followers of yet another fad? I am intrigued to know the truth and will look at other people's bookshelves a little more closely next time.

Did I bin my original precious Poldark books with the original actors on the cover? No, I did not. My reorganisation and expensive purchase may hint that I am organised (the new book series is complete and in perfect alignment), stylish (they do look pretty and photogenic) and  show my interest in historical fiction with a strong romantic thread, (which is my preferred genre and the type of book I like to write myself). However, sitting neatly beside this spanking new set will be my six dogeared original Poldark books, which I like to think shows my soft nostalgic centre and undying loyalty to something that once played a big part in my teenage years.

Sometimes something which is losing its colour and curling at the edges is every bit as special as something sexy and spanking new ... at least that is what I remind my husband as I celebrate another birthday and spot yet another grey hair in the mirror. 

Victoria Cornwall

What does your bookshelf say about you?

SIZING UP THE COMPETITION

Now then, I am totally, totally unlucky when it comes to the lottery, or draws, or pick-a-straw at the fair and all that sort of thing. It's all chance, isn't it? But what about writing competitions? I'm thinking short story ones here, not novels. Do you have a go? Do you think - as many do - that they are all subjective? I mean, if you are an athlete the first person over the line is the winner - there's no question that the third or fifth person (for example) just had rotten luck to have been wearing the wrong shoes or the breeze caught them just that little bit more sharply. Surprisingly, for someone who is not competitive in any way, I've entered a fair few writing competitions. I've won a fair few too - national and local. Prizes have varied between a couple of hundred pounds and a pat on the back. I have a vivid memory of winning a competition and being handed a little cup and a bunch of flowers to see a writer who didn't win stalk out with the immortal words - 'That's just one person's opinion!' Obviously she thought my story was rot. Most competition wins provided certificates of some sort to prove it was me. When I decided to write about short story writing competitions I thought I'd dig out all my old certificates. It may surprise you to know, seeing as this is a sort of bragging rights post of sorts, that none of them is framed! But I could only find the one and when I went to scan it so you could all see I am speaking the truth and not just being what I am, a writer of fiction, I couldn't get the scanner to work ... honestly. I've been on a couple of writing courses - one in Italy and the other in Corfu - and each time there was a little competiton, neither of which I won but it didn't matter a jot. I was there for the holiday as much as the tutition. Here I am in Corfu - where Katie Fforde, June Tate, and Angela Arney were the tutors. I did, however, go on to write a novel from an idea, spawned on that Corfu holiday by the little competition, which was subsequently published, so I'll count that as a competition win of sorts.

I am writing fewer and fewer short stories these days as novels seem to have taken over. I'm not likely to ever be put forward for the Man Booker, or any other big league competiton. Literary I am not ... I know my place - and my market. But I do still like to keep my hand in by writing a short story now and again. And while I might not be competitive I do like a challenge. I've just been given details of the Exeter Short Story Prize 2020. Hmm ... nice big prizes. Open to published and unpublished authors ... I might have a go. How about you? Go on - you can do it! http://www.exeterwriters.org.uk/p/competition.html

Recreating a Cover...More Difficult Than You Might Think!

Sometimes when I’m in the Lake District the fresh air just goes to me head and I find myself doing soothing a little bit…well, dotty. 

A few weeks ago was one of those times. I happened to be walking with my beloved on the shores of Buttermere, and my beloved happened to be wearing a red jacket. And, as it happens, the shores of Buttermere are the background to my most recent book cover and the foreground features a figure — a woman, but never mind — in a red jacket.

And so I thought…wouldn’t it be fun to recreate the photograph on the book cover?

Now, I knew before I started on this ridiculous venture that it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew the photograph in the cover was a composite, for example, but I did think we might be able to find the right spot. It was pretty easy to line up the right area, generally speaking, with Fleetwith Pike in the background and Green Crag just to its right. 

But I couldn’t get the right bit of shoreline. It as starting to drive me mad. When I found a bit of ground that looked as if it might work, the line of sight to the fells was all wrong and there was an extra bit of mountain in the background — Brandreth, I think, quite obscuring Green Crag. It must have been cropped out of the design. And as for the shoreline…well, the picture was completely different to what was in front of me. 

I don’t know when the photograph was taken, of course. If it was last summer, when the water level was exceptionally low, the topography of Buttermere, like that of all the lakes and tarns, would have looked completely different. That might have explained why the only way I could have got the figure lined up correctly was to have Beloved standing in the waster. And no, he wasn’t up for that. 

And then there was the light. The cover had the figure in the foreground and the coat was bright, bright red. Enhanced, probably, or maybe the image had been bright anyway. Bt it was nine o’clock in the morning in my world and the sun…well, the sun had just popped above the level of the fell, in completely the wrong place to take a photograph, and so everything looked completely washed out. 

I got the clouds, though. The was a given. 

Have a look at my sad attempt and compare it with the rather wonderful cover for Death by Dark Waters. Then laugh at my ineptitude…and marvel at etc skill of the cover designer.