THE GHOSTS ARE “IN”

I just came back from a fun weekend at the annual West Texas Book and Music Festival in Abilene, Texas. Looks like ghost stories are pretty popular!

On the left side of the picture is author Olyve Hallmark Abbott (what a great name!) Her new book is “A Ghost in the Guest Room,” featuring 57 haunted Texas inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and hotels.

On the right side of the photo is author Elaine Coleman, who wrote two books I already owned: “Texas Haunted Forts” and “Louisiana Haunted Forts.”

Behind me to the right (where you can’t see) is author J.A. LeVitt, whose young adult novel “Ghosts of Whitner” is reviewed in a previous blog entry.

I, Byron C. Justice, have my table in the background on the right (look for the orange “clouds” on my display easel).

Out of less than 200 authors, four of us presented books about ghosts. Take heart, ye lovers of the spine-tingling tales—you are not alone!

GHOSTS OF WHITNER

I met this author last weekend at the West Texas Book & Music Festival in Abilene, TX. She had won a publishing package from WordWright for this book.

I read the book that evening at the Abilene KOA. As it is just 76 pages written for young adults, it took me less than forty minutes.

I LOVE this story! Arthur has my dream job. He researches the history of ghost towns. One summer, he takes his mother, his 11-year-old daughter Josie, and his 7-year-old son Ron to live in the abandoned iron-smelting town of Whitner, Alabama, while he studies the town’s sudden, unexplained demise.

It isn’t long before Josie finds out they are not alone among the derelict buildings. We know right away that Josie’s new friend Lucy is a ghost, but it will be several more days before Josie figures that out.

GHOSTS OF WHITNER is, in many ways, a mini version of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Author J.A LeVitt has done a wonderful job of weaving a message of friendship, forgiveness, and family into a story that is surprisingly suspenseful and scary. In spite of the simple language she uses, detailed images pop right into the mind. The ending left me quite satisfied, unlike so many other young adult titles in this genre (like the Goosebumps books) which discredit their own plots by attributing the ghostly events to dreams, pranks, or other convenient coincidences.

Yes, there is murder behind the downfall of Whitner. The kids witness death there, too, and approach a murderer in an attempt to right some very old wrongs. If that makes you nervous, treat yourself to this fun little book before you pass it on to your 9-year-old!

FLIGHT 401: IS INVESTIGATING GHOSTS DISRESPECTFUL TO SURVIVORS?

I have heard some concerns lately about “disrespecting” survivors of a crime or natural disaster in suggesting that ghosts may remain. I guess that’s why Eastern Airlines was so uncooperative with the investigations into the appearances of the ill-fated pilots Repo and Loft after the crash. Here is a link to this well-documented story, which was the subject of a book and a film in just a few years after the crash killed everyone on that plane:

http://www.near-death.com/ghosts.html

Although I hear a lot of noise about respect for the dead in the wake of Columbine and 9/11, and nothing at all about the victims of Katrina, I don’t know of anybody who thought investigating ghosts after the 401 crash was disrespectful. We made two movies about the heroes of Flight 93 (also on 9/11), so why is it taboo to make a film or write a book about Katrina, the World Trade Center, or Columbine, all perfect ghost makers?

HAUNTED CAMPS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES

My long-awaited book of campfire ghost stories officially launches today! All of the details are on the website, http://www.hauntedcamps.com/.

Okay, I know there are plenty of ghost story books out there. But that’s the point—lots of folks like ghost stories. Many of these books have been in print a long time. There are books of classic ghost stories, books of true ghost stories, books of ghost stories for your kids. There are even two other sets of books of ghost stories marketed to Boy Scouts.

So where does HAUNTED CAMPS fit in?

First, send the Cub Scouts to bed before telling a chilling tale from this book. The stories are truly scary, intended for people above the age of 13. One of the Scout campfire book series, which I’ll review in another post, is geared to young children. The teenage crowd wouldn’t even think it was funny, let alone scary. The other series, those by William Forgey, has a few good stories in it, but also has stories teenagers today would laugh at. The stories in HAUNTED CAMPS, while not as edgy as Stephen King tales (no vulgar or explicit content), will turn the ho-hum campfire into a spellbinding night of terror! But not to worry… (usually) everything is back to normal when daylight comes.

HAUNTED CAMPS includes two little-known classic tales: “The Lost Trail To Dead Oak Crossing” and “The Purple Bishop,” which I recreated from memory. Several of the stories relate to local Scout camps: Lost Pines (“Fire Across the Lake”), and Camp Urland (“The Ballad of Timothy Squirrel”). Texas’ State Parks become haunted in “Vernal Pools” and “Black Stain.” Two of the stories—“The Hole” and “Just Like Being There”--are modern.

I have encountered two of the ghosts myself: the stealthly specter known as “The Purple Bishop” and the wandering “Ghost Car” which appears in lots of places.

I can’t wait to see what your reaction to HAUNTED CAMPS will be.

GHOST JOINS BOY SCOUTING

As a Scoutmaster, it's nice to know I'll have friendly company when I get around to my afterlife hauntings. Scoutmaster Steve of Troop 68 in Melrose, MN found this 1975 comic of Casper the Friendly Scout on Ebay. Read the rest on A Scoutmaster's Blog.

By the way, we don't cotton to evil spirits in the Boy Scouts, but I have heard of a poltergeist or two hanging around camp!