Grey Area: 13 Ghost Stories

by Nancy S.M. Waldman (Editor, Contributor), Julie A. Serroul (Editor, Contributor), Sherry D. Ramsey (Editor, Contributor)

Imagine that you are trapped in a grey area, neither here nor there, in-between time, space, colours, lives. The vivid stories in Grey Area: 13 Ghost Stories bring this scenario to life, with tales of ghosts and forerunners, unlikely hauntings, and messages from beyond. Thirteen strong authors show us what it is like to be in-between in this contemporary, varied, spooky and often touching collection.

Genres: Horror

186 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2013

About the author

Nancy writes science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels. She grew up in Texas, but now lives (as far away from that heat as she could manage) in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada and has a sometimes retreat in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She's an editor and publisher of regional authors through Third Person Press, a graduate of Viable Paradise Writing Workshop and a member of SF Canada.

Read Nancy's stories online in Fantasy Scroll Magazine, Perihelion SF, AE-Canadian Science Fiction Review and in the anthologies Futuristica Vol 1, Metasagas Press, Lazarus Risen, Bundoran Press and Compostela-Tesseracts Twenty, Edge Publishing as well as all the anthologies from Third Person Press.

Reviews

[Karen Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words “trapped in a grey area, neither here nor there” drew me to this book. Sometimes I feel this way in life, imagine the consequences in death! Anyway, this was enough for me to want to read the book and as an avid fantasy reader, I felt it was time for a change. Ghost stories have always been another favourite of mine.

Often you’ll see descriptions that claim “strong authors” used as a selling tool, and the book doesn’t always measure up, but in this case it’s 100% true. I rarely read a collection of short stories where I enjoy every story. There’s always at least one that doesn’t make the grade for me, but “Grey Area” doesn’t fall into that category. I enjoyed EVERY story in this book. They were tight, well written and different from each other.

Is it possible to cry when reading a ghost story? You bet! I did. Twice! “Mildred Mudd’s Epiphany” by Charlotte Musial touched me. As did “This is My Land” by Diane J. Sober. Both are simple, well written stories yet they are powerful in their messages. Both left me feeling sad (for different reasons, but mainly for opportunities lost). Both made me cry because they feed deep feelings of regret and longing. They reminded me that no matter how much we wish to, the past cannot be changed, and we need to make the most of today so we don’t have regrets tomorrow. Of course, things happen to us that are completely out of our control but we can allow those things to shape us. Do we allow ourselves to be free and happy, or do we become bitter and nasty? The ‘allowing’ is our decision.

“Out of the Deep” by D.C. Troicuk is a totally different type of story. It spoke to me because I have connections to a family of miners. Although I’ve never been in a mine, I know how dangerous they can be. This story brought mining to life. It allowed me into the mind of a miner and showed me what it would have been like; the fear, the wait, the pain, the loss. It’s a beautifully written story, with enough detail to spark the imagination, but allows the reader to interpret in their own way too. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the darker side is “Teetering on the Edge” by Voula Kappas-Dunn. This story spoke to me on a different level as I’ve known suicide first-hand and I know how it affects a family. This is a story about a woman who carries so much grief and fear that it threatens her sanity and her life. Believe me, fear can take over a healthy mind so quickly it’s frightening. This story can, in fact, be quite true. In the story, the woman receives help from friends and the other side. The important thing is that she does get help.

These are the four stories that impressed me the most, but that doesn’t mean the other nine stories were less entertaining. As I’ve already said, I enjoyed the entire book. Some of the stories explore the possibilities of what might happen after death. Some have those who have passed over coming back to help the living. All left me feeling satisfied and eager to read on.

Recommended.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great ghosts story compilation. It's not horror; it's not slasher fiction. It's not even romance with the undead. These stories are the "traditional" ghost stories, like those told around a camp fire, or huddling around a flashlight during a sleep over.

I loved most of these stories and liked the rest. This says something with a book having 13 different authors contributing. I was a bit disappointed that the author of the introduction didn't have a story in main body of the book.

As with other books in Canada, I liked many of the local references. These alone make the stories more 'possible' adding to the suspense factor in the telling.

I'd consider the stories 'family' friendly, fine for most pre-teens and up. A couple of them I will share with my 4 year old, ghost loving twin boys.



I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The review is my 100% my own.

[Sandy Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost stories are not really my thing, but I read this one because I know some people who contributed stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked them. My favorite was the one which gave the book its name: Grey Area by Katrina Nicholson.

[Cassandra Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this from the first reads giveaway..pretty good book, I wish some stories would have been longer..most of them put a different spin on the whole "ghost story" so that made it interesting.