Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-ghost-legends"
Introducing...The Ghost Legends
Inspired by classic fairytales, mythology and literature, I am delighted to announce my brand new series of stories for children - 'The Ghost Legends'.
The first in the series will be released this October, just in time for Hallowe'en, and I'm already working on books two and three. More details coming soon!
The wheels are in motion... 👻
🎃
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The first in the series will be released this October, just in time for Hallowe'en, and I'm already working on books two and three. More details coming soon!
The wheels are in motion... 👻
🎃
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
The Ghost Train
Book I in my brand new series of stories for children - 'The Ghost Legends' - will be...
The Ghost Train
A Gothic Fairy Tale of the horror of evil and the power of love…
The legend of the Ghost Train has been passed through the centuries, the mystery growing with the forest around its hiding place. No one really believes in it anymore. But every so often, the wheels begin to move again…
Chloe and Lewis are visiting their Great Grandpa for Halloween when they hear the story of the Ghost Train and how their Great Grandma disappeared many years ago…
Determined to track down the train and solve the mystery of her disappearance, the two children venture out into the forest at night…
But evil is waiting for them. Can they escape the danger that lurks in the dark, or will they be lost forever along with the secret of the Ghost Train?
Coming this Halloween... 🎃
You can pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now!
Check out the cover reveal on Instagram.
Here's a sneak preview of the paperback edition on Facebook.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
The Ghost Train
A Gothic Fairy Tale of the horror of evil and the power of love…
The legend of the Ghost Train has been passed through the centuries, the mystery growing with the forest around its hiding place. No one really believes in it anymore. But every so often, the wheels begin to move again…
Chloe and Lewis are visiting their Great Grandpa for Halloween when they hear the story of the Ghost Train and how their Great Grandma disappeared many years ago…
Determined to track down the train and solve the mystery of her disappearance, the two children venture out into the forest at night…
But evil is waiting for them. Can they escape the danger that lurks in the dark, or will they be lost forever along with the secret of the Ghost Train?
Coming this Halloween... 🎃
You can pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now!
Check out the cover reveal on Instagram.
Here's a sneak preview of the paperback edition on Facebook.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
The Ghost Train - Preview
A Gothic Fairy Tale of the horror of evil and the power of love…
Read on to preview the opening chapter of The Ghost Train:
Chapter I
A Visit on Halloween
Sometimes, people wear the patterns of their lives on their faces, like a mask that reveals rather than hides who you are. Behind every one of those masks is a story. Often, there is far more behind that mask than you ever imagine, more to their story than you can see on the surface, much like the mysteries and enchantments that hide within the depths of the forest.
On the edge of such a vast and mysterious forest, an old man lived alone in a small cottage. On his face, he wore loneliness.
The old man’s granddaughter worried about him. Each time she spoke to him, he seemed to have become a little sadder. Having her two children in her life had helped her through many hard times, so she suggested to her granddad they stay with him for the school holiday, hoping they would help him, too.
They arrived on Halloween. The sun was shining, low in the sky, as they bounded off the train and ran to their Great Grandpa. His granddaughter watched him smile and knew she’d made the right decision. She unloaded their luggage and hugged all three of them goodbye, then left on the train. Through the window, she watched as Great Grandpa took Chloe and Lewis by the hands to take them home to his little cottage, both pulling a small suitcase behind them.
Once they had unpacked, they wrapped up in coats to keep out the autumn chill and went for a walk. Chloe and Lewis sprinted through the orange and brown leaves that covered the woodland paths, whooping with joy, kicking the leaves high in the air and watching them float to the ground like confetti.
They visited the nearby pumpkin patch and picked the biggest pumpkins they could find. Returning home, Great Grandpa helped them carve their jack o’lanterns, first scooping out their insides and then cutting spooky faces through their orange skin. When it got dark, they lit candles inside them and placed them on the windowsills to watch the fields that stretched for miles under the starry sky.
Great Grandpa cooked them tea and they played games in front of the fire. Though it was already past their bedtime, he agreed to read to them on the promise they would get ready for bed first. They excitedly changed into their pyjamas – covered in ghosts and skeletons and Frankenstein’s monsters – and settled at the foot of his armchair, clutching mugs of hot chocolate that overflowed with cream and marshmallows. As Great Grandpa read them stories of witches and ghouls and headless horsemen, he realised he felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long long time. He felt happy. Chloe and Lewis were thawing the pain that had frozen around his heart.
“Great Grandpa?” Lewis suddenly asked. “Who is the pretty lady in the photo on the fireplace?”
“That’s your Great Grandma, Lewis.”
“Why isn’t she old like you, Great Grandpa?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“She disappeared before she could get old,” Great Grandpa finally said.
“What happened?” Chloe butted in, as she crawled up and put her arm around the old man, seeing the sadness deepen in his eyes.
Great Grandpa patted the other arm of the chair for Lewis to sit beside him. He began to tell his story, remembering it like it was only yesterday,
“The last time I saw your Great Grandma, it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago this very day. Halloween…”
___
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Monday!
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Read on to preview the opening chapter of The Ghost Train:
Chapter I
A Visit on Halloween
Sometimes, people wear the patterns of their lives on their faces, like a mask that reveals rather than hides who you are. Behind every one of those masks is a story. Often, there is far more behind that mask than you ever imagine, more to their story than you can see on the surface, much like the mysteries and enchantments that hide within the depths of the forest.
On the edge of such a vast and mysterious forest, an old man lived alone in a small cottage. On his face, he wore loneliness.
The old man’s granddaughter worried about him. Each time she spoke to him, he seemed to have become a little sadder. Having her two children in her life had helped her through many hard times, so she suggested to her granddad they stay with him for the school holiday, hoping they would help him, too.
They arrived on Halloween. The sun was shining, low in the sky, as they bounded off the train and ran to their Great Grandpa. His granddaughter watched him smile and knew she’d made the right decision. She unloaded their luggage and hugged all three of them goodbye, then left on the train. Through the window, she watched as Great Grandpa took Chloe and Lewis by the hands to take them home to his little cottage, both pulling a small suitcase behind them.
Once they had unpacked, they wrapped up in coats to keep out the autumn chill and went for a walk. Chloe and Lewis sprinted through the orange and brown leaves that covered the woodland paths, whooping with joy, kicking the leaves high in the air and watching them float to the ground like confetti.
They visited the nearby pumpkin patch and picked the biggest pumpkins they could find. Returning home, Great Grandpa helped them carve their jack o’lanterns, first scooping out their insides and then cutting spooky faces through their orange skin. When it got dark, they lit candles inside them and placed them on the windowsills to watch the fields that stretched for miles under the starry sky.
Great Grandpa cooked them tea and they played games in front of the fire. Though it was already past their bedtime, he agreed to read to them on the promise they would get ready for bed first. They excitedly changed into their pyjamas – covered in ghosts and skeletons and Frankenstein’s monsters – and settled at the foot of his armchair, clutching mugs of hot chocolate that overflowed with cream and marshmallows. As Great Grandpa read them stories of witches and ghouls and headless horsemen, he realised he felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long long time. He felt happy. Chloe and Lewis were thawing the pain that had frozen around his heart.
“Great Grandpa?” Lewis suddenly asked. “Who is the pretty lady in the photo on the fireplace?”
“That’s your Great Grandma, Lewis.”
“Why isn’t she old like you, Great Grandpa?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“She disappeared before she could get old,” Great Grandpa finally said.
“What happened?” Chloe butted in, as she crawled up and put her arm around the old man, seeing the sadness deepen in his eyes.
Great Grandpa patted the other arm of the chair for Lewis to sit beside him. He began to tell his story, remembering it like it was only yesterday,
“The last time I saw your Great Grandma, it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago this very day. Halloween…”
___
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Monday!
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
The Ghost Tree
Book II in my series for children - "The Ghost Legends" - will be:
THE GHOST TREE
A dark and twisted fairy tale of myth, mystery and magic...
For many years, the Ghost Tree was said to reveal the secret of your future love. The legend has been lost to time, the mystical tree forgotten as the forest grew around it. But some legends are never truly lost, only waiting to be rediscovered…
Six years have passed since Chloe and Lewis went into the forest on Halloween night in search of the Ghost Train…
Now, having moved into their Great Grandpa’s old cottage, they will learn of the Ghost Tree and the secrets it hides within…
Danger awaits around every corner. Perhaps, sometimes, a horror you thought it safe to forget will come back to haunt you.
"The Ghost Tree" will be released in ebook and paperback on 23rd September, 2023.
Now available to pre-order for Kindle on Amazon!
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to be the first to see the cover reveal very soon.
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
THE GHOST TREE
A dark and twisted fairy tale of myth, mystery and magic...
For many years, the Ghost Tree was said to reveal the secret of your future love. The legend has been lost to time, the mystical tree forgotten as the forest grew around it. But some legends are never truly lost, only waiting to be rediscovered…
Six years have passed since Chloe and Lewis went into the forest on Halloween night in search of the Ghost Train…
Now, having moved into their Great Grandpa’s old cottage, they will learn of the Ghost Tree and the secrets it hides within…
Danger awaits around every corner. Perhaps, sometimes, a horror you thought it safe to forget will come back to haunt you.
"The Ghost Tree" will be released in ebook and paperback on 23rd September, 2023.
Now available to pre-order for Kindle on Amazon!
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to be the first to see the cover reveal very soon.
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
The Ghost Tree - Preview
A dark and twisted fairy tale of myth, mystery and magic...
Read on to preview the first chapter of The Ghost Tree:
Chapter I
Jasper
Jasper was not a nice man. He had lived in the village for many years, but everyone liked to pretend that he wasn’t there. His house looked dilapidated and abandoned. His front door was cracked and rotten. Rags hung in the windows for curtains. His front garden was overgrown with weeds and brambles. He had to force the gate shut behind him whenever he left the house, which didn’t happen very often.
He had only one neighbour. She never spoke to him. A family had lived on the other side of him at one time, but they had moved out after their little girl got scared of him. They hadn’t been able to sell the house, and now their garden was as overgrown as Jasper’s.
On the odd occasion when Jasper did leave his house, he liked to walk down to the local school and watch the children playing for a while. Usually the police would turn up in their panda car and ask him to move on, as he was scaring the children.
Jasper knew he scared the grown-ups even more.
He would smile to himself, and then take a walk through the woods, high above the meadow, past the little cottage where the pretty little girl and the handsome little boy stayed on their holidays. They were growing up fast, the girl a teenager now, the boy not so far behind. Jasper liked to watch from the edge of the forest as they walked in the fields.
Today was one of those days when Jasper left the house. He had trouble opening his gate and shutting it tight again, dragging it over the grass and weeds, banging his thumb on the gate post, making it bleed. He cried out and hit back at the post, giving up and leaving the gate wedged slightly open.
It was home-time at the school, the first day of term after the summer holidays. The sun was shining through the drizzle of rain that kept on falling. The grown-ups eyed him suspiciously. Jasper stood at the end of the road, watching through the gap in the fence from across the street.
One little boy was on his own, waiting just inside the school gate.
Jasper waited, watching the teachers through the fence. They were looking the other way, paying no attention to him.
Checking for traffic, Jasper quickly crossed the road and bent down in front of the little boy. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a toffee wrapped in shiny foil and offered it to him.
“Thank you,” the boy said timidly as he unwrapped the foil and popped the toffee into his mouth.
“Shhhh,” Jasper whispered, putting his dirty finger to his lips. “I’m glad you like toffees. I like toffees too! Do you want to know a secret?”
The little boy’s eyes were wide as he looked up at him. He didn’t answer at first, then slowly nodded his head.
“Have you ever heard of the Ghost Train?” Jasper asked him.
The little boy shook his head shyly.
“I can show it to you. It’s in the Enchanted Forest. Do you want to come and see it with me?”
The little boy shook his head again, nervous now.
“Why not?” Jasper asked him. “It’s really exciting. I’ll look after you.”
“Joseph!!” It was one of the teachers shouting.
Jasper quickly turned and started walking up the street, away from Joseph and the pesky teachers who were running up to the gate.
He looked back and saw one of them was following him. He quickened his pace until he was running, trying not to turn around and look back in case he tripped and fell over on to his face.
He didn’t stop until he had reached the forest, hidden by trees. He leaned against one, panting, looking back the way he had run, thinking that they had stopped following him.
There was a sound in the undergrowth.
They must still be chasing him! He needed to keep moving.
Breathing heavily, he held the stitch in his side as he stumbled through the trees.
Before long, he realised he was somewhere he hadn’t been to before, deep into the forest. Looking around him, he tried to remember the bluebells that lined both sides of the path, but couldn’t. He definitely had never been here.
It was getting dark. He was now walking even slower, struggling to see.
He collided with something, knocking his sore thumb and crying out.
It was a tree.
An old, gnarled tree. It reached up towards the sky, too far for him to see it properly, thick branches snaking off the trunk and twisting above his head. There were no leaves on the branches, only this tangle of wood that looped and knotted, like the tree was strangling itself. There was something cruel about it.
___
The story continues this autumn...
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Saturday, 23rd September!
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter
Read on to preview the first chapter of The Ghost Tree:
Chapter I
Jasper
Jasper was not a nice man. He had lived in the village for many years, but everyone liked to pretend that he wasn’t there. His house looked dilapidated and abandoned. His front door was cracked and rotten. Rags hung in the windows for curtains. His front garden was overgrown with weeds and brambles. He had to force the gate shut behind him whenever he left the house, which didn’t happen very often.
He had only one neighbour. She never spoke to him. A family had lived on the other side of him at one time, but they had moved out after their little girl got scared of him. They hadn’t been able to sell the house, and now their garden was as overgrown as Jasper’s.
On the odd occasion when Jasper did leave his house, he liked to walk down to the local school and watch the children playing for a while. Usually the police would turn up in their panda car and ask him to move on, as he was scaring the children.
Jasper knew he scared the grown-ups even more.
He would smile to himself, and then take a walk through the woods, high above the meadow, past the little cottage where the pretty little girl and the handsome little boy stayed on their holidays. They were growing up fast, the girl a teenager now, the boy not so far behind. Jasper liked to watch from the edge of the forest as they walked in the fields.
Today was one of those days when Jasper left the house. He had trouble opening his gate and shutting it tight again, dragging it over the grass and weeds, banging his thumb on the gate post, making it bleed. He cried out and hit back at the post, giving up and leaving the gate wedged slightly open.
It was home-time at the school, the first day of term after the summer holidays. The sun was shining through the drizzle of rain that kept on falling. The grown-ups eyed him suspiciously. Jasper stood at the end of the road, watching through the gap in the fence from across the street.
One little boy was on his own, waiting just inside the school gate.
Jasper waited, watching the teachers through the fence. They were looking the other way, paying no attention to him.
Checking for traffic, Jasper quickly crossed the road and bent down in front of the little boy. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a toffee wrapped in shiny foil and offered it to him.
“Thank you,” the boy said timidly as he unwrapped the foil and popped the toffee into his mouth.
“Shhhh,” Jasper whispered, putting his dirty finger to his lips. “I’m glad you like toffees. I like toffees too! Do you want to know a secret?”
The little boy’s eyes were wide as he looked up at him. He didn’t answer at first, then slowly nodded his head.
“Have you ever heard of the Ghost Train?” Jasper asked him.
The little boy shook his head shyly.
“I can show it to you. It’s in the Enchanted Forest. Do you want to come and see it with me?”
The little boy shook his head again, nervous now.
“Why not?” Jasper asked him. “It’s really exciting. I’ll look after you.”
“Joseph!!” It was one of the teachers shouting.
Jasper quickly turned and started walking up the street, away from Joseph and the pesky teachers who were running up to the gate.
He looked back and saw one of them was following him. He quickened his pace until he was running, trying not to turn around and look back in case he tripped and fell over on to his face.
He didn’t stop until he had reached the forest, hidden by trees. He leaned against one, panting, looking back the way he had run, thinking that they had stopped following him.
There was a sound in the undergrowth.
They must still be chasing him! He needed to keep moving.
Breathing heavily, he held the stitch in his side as he stumbled through the trees.
Before long, he realised he was somewhere he hadn’t been to before, deep into the forest. Looking around him, he tried to remember the bluebells that lined both sides of the path, but couldn’t. He definitely had never been here.
It was getting dark. He was now walking even slower, struggling to see.
He collided with something, knocking his sore thumb and crying out.
It was a tree.
An old, gnarled tree. It reached up towards the sky, too far for him to see it properly, thick branches snaking off the trunk and twisting above his head. There were no leaves on the branches, only this tangle of wood that looped and knotted, like the tree was strangling itself. There was something cruel about it.
___
The story continues this autumn...
Pre-order the Kindle edition from Amazon now, ready for release next Saturday, 23rd September!
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter
The Ghost Tree & Happy Autumn Equinox!
🍂 Hello autumn! 🍁
My brand new book, "The Ghost Tree", is out now! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me leading up to its release today! It's the second book in "The Ghost Legends" series for children, following "The Ghost Train". I'm very excited to hear what you think of it!
Not only that, today is the Autumn Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the official beginning of my favourite season. The Wheel of the Year continues to turn, this equinox marking the gateway into the darker half of the year, a time for reflection and gratitude, celebrating the harvest and preparing for winter.
Modern Pagans and Wiccans celebrate today as Mabon - named after the Welsh god and hero, son of Modron (the Welsh Mother Earth goddess). According to Celtic mythology, Mabon was kidnapped as a baby and spirited down into the Underworld (reminiscent of the springtime Greek myth of Persephone); and would in later years go on to be one of King Arthur's knights.
Spooky season has now fully begun. It's really no coincidence that we associate both darkness and spirituality with this time of year, both literally and figuratively, as we begin our approach to Samhain and the end of the year; and, from there, to Yule and the beginning of a new one. From today, the hours of darkness will grow longer, the chill in the air sharper, and we'll begin to hear the whispers on the wind. Time to light a candle, snuggle under blankets with a warm drink, listen to the rain outside and escape into ghost stories and spooky movies.
I have always felt a deep affinity with this time of year - often when I feel at my most peaceful, my most creative. Autumn is, after all, the season of the soul.
My brand new book, "The Ghost Tree", is out now! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me leading up to its release today! It's the second book in "The Ghost Legends" series for children, following "The Ghost Train". I'm very excited to hear what you think of it!
Not only that, today is the Autumn Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the official beginning of my favourite season. The Wheel of the Year continues to turn, this equinox marking the gateway into the darker half of the year, a time for reflection and gratitude, celebrating the harvest and preparing for winter.
Modern Pagans and Wiccans celebrate today as Mabon - named after the Welsh god and hero, son of Modron (the Welsh Mother Earth goddess). According to Celtic mythology, Mabon was kidnapped as a baby and spirited down into the Underworld (reminiscent of the springtime Greek myth of Persephone); and would in later years go on to be one of King Arthur's knights.
Spooky season has now fully begun. It's really no coincidence that we associate both darkness and spirituality with this time of year, both literally and figuratively, as we begin our approach to Samhain and the end of the year; and, from there, to Yule and the beginning of a new one. From today, the hours of darkness will grow longer, the chill in the air sharper, and we'll begin to hear the whispers on the wind. Time to light a candle, snuggle under blankets with a warm drink, listen to the rain outside and escape into ghost stories and spooky movies.
I have always felt a deep affinity with this time of year - often when I feel at my most peaceful, my most creative. Autumn is, after all, the season of the soul.
