“It’s no secret that I love ghost stories – I’ve written quite a few myself. I also edited The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women… there is nothing quite like reading a ghost story, preferably when it’s cold outside, and the lights are on, and the curtains drawn. They evoke an atmosphere that’s quite unlike any other type of tale; a feeling of sadness and longing, and at times even sympathy for the poor deceased creature so desperate to impart their story to the living.
What I haven’t done, so far, is collect any of my own ghost stories into one volume, so I’m very grateful to Luna Press for giving me the chance to do just that. Here you’ll find ‘The Last Ghost’, a young girl’s tale of loss; ‘In The Howling of the Wind’, a small boy waiting for his parents in a house suddenly grown strange; ‘Someone To Watch Over You’, the story of a protective phantom; ‘The Cradle in the Corner’, a slightly different haunting; ‘Play Time’, a cautionary tale on the dangers of playing out alone at night, and ‘Sleeping Black’, a tale of spirits awoken by a house’s new tenants – and they want to play.
One thing I hadn’t realised, until now, was quite how many of my ghost stories involve children, in one way or another – perhaps it’s because children see more, and judge less; perhaps it’s that they’re more empathetic than the rest of us, or easier for us to empathise with. Who knows? Either way, you’ll find within these pages some of my favourite stories from those I’ve written; I hope you find something that becomes a favourite of yours.”
