Florence and Giles by John Harding

Florence and Giles is a gothic, New England ghost story steeped in atmosphere and buried secrets. Florence is a 12 year-old orphan who lives under the tyrannical rule of her uncle, with only her brother Giles and the servants for company. Forbidden to learn how to read, Florence spends her days and nights in the...

Writing a Ghost Story During the Dog Days of Summer

Firstly, the big writing news of the month is that I've had four new pieces accepted. They'll be out later in the summer and early fall. They're short, quirky little stories, although one does contain the blueprint of a character and tone that I may one day expand upon.   In other news, it's hot...

Book Review: The Séance by John Harwood

John Harwood's The Seance is an elegant and faithful recreation of a good old fashioned gothic ghost story full of spiritualists, occult detectives, family secrets, madness, and mesmerism. Harwood has distilled the essence of 19th century gothic literature and its concerns and fears into a single atmospheric novel.   The Séance follows a young woman,...

Book Review: The Small Hand by Susan Hill

Susan Hill has been writing gothic novels and ghost stories for almost 50 years, the most famous of which is probably The Woman in Black. Given my interest in gothic literature and literary ghost stories it is odd that I haven't actually read any of her novels before, and odder still that I have started...