The Gallows Tree: A Mothman's Tale

by Susan A. Sheppard

Author Susan Sheppard grew up only hills away from the first sighting of the West Virginia Mothman that occurred on November 14, 1966. This spectacular event helped shape Sheppard's imagination and set the tone for her future writings. Between 1966 and 1967, one hundred sightings of the Mothman were reported by local media. By 1968, the Mothman had disappeared. But his story did not end there. In The Gallows A Mothman's Tale, the peaceful landscape of West Virginia is shattered by a being that can only be described as a part-human, part-ghoul - a red-eyed, winged beast. Sheppard re-imagines her tale and builds a world for her Mothman through a cast of characters that includes an alcoholic preacher, ghosts of lynched slaves and a beautiful witch queen ruling over local ghouls. In this book, mixed with a dreamlike setting, the Mothman not only comes to West Virginia, he finds his humanity in one stunning final victory.

222 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Susan Sheppard of Parkersburg, West Virginia, has poetry published in over 100 magazines and has been writing poetry for more than 30 years. She is descended from the Blackfoot-Saponi and Lenape-Shawnee tribes of her region. In 1998, she was awarded a Poetry Fellowship from West Virginia Arts & Humanities. Sheppard is the author of a number of books, including four non-fiction and one novel. Her poetry chapbook, Balefire, was published in 2015 by Crisis Chronicles Press. Susan teaches poetry every Thursday at Sacred Way Arts in downtown Parkersburg. Her seasonal ghost tour, the Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours, is rated the #8 most popular ghost tour in the nation.