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Ghosts Never Leave
Ghosts Never Leave. Ever.
Terror never ends in this new collection of chilling ghost stories by Jane Nightshade, the Countess of Creep. As Salman Rushdie said, ghosts are unfinished business. They will go on to haunt other characters in other situations–guaranteed. So if you’re a fan of slowly creeping horror, dive in and experience tales like. . .
The Sorting, where the neighborhood gang of kids adopt a new place to sort their candy after trick-or-treating on Halloween. But there’s something strange about the family who lives in their new sorting place. . .
‘Nam, where the daughter of a 60s revolutionary finds a Purple Heart medal in a box of vintage items sent to her antique shop. The medal, which is inscribed with the name of the veteran her mother helped to kill, keeps moving around the shop. . .
The Lake Lady, where a family of four canoe around the lake near their new vacation home, looking for a famous landmark of a weeping woman carved in stone. But only the females of the family can see the landmark. . .and one of them wants to climb it.
Everybody Loves a Clown, where a teen-age girl working in a dry cleaners shop cleans the famous clown costumes owned by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. The terror begins when the costumes start showing up in her closet. . .
These and other truly disturbing tales await you in Ghosts Never Leave. They will slither into your subconscious and never leave.
Terror never ends in this new collection of chilling ghost stories by Jane Nightshade, the Countess of Creep. As Salman Rushdie said, ghosts are unfinished business. They will go on to haunt other characters in other situations–guaranteed. So if you’re a fan of slowly creeping horror, dive in and experience tales like. . .
The Sorting, where the neighborhood gang of kids adopt a new place to sort their candy after trick-or-treating on Halloween. But there’s something strange about the family who lives in their new sorting place. . .
‘Nam, where the daughter of a 60s revolutionary finds a Purple Heart medal in a box of vintage items sent to her antique shop. The medal, which is inscribed with the name of the veteran her mother helped to kill, keeps moving around the shop. . .
The Lake Lady, where a family of four canoe around the lake near their new vacation home, looking for a famous landmark of a weeping woman carved in stone. But only the females of the family can see the landmark. . .and one of them wants to climb it.
Everybody Loves a Clown, where a teen-age girl working in a dry cleaners shop cleans the famous clown costumes owned by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. The terror begins when the costumes start showing up in her closet. . .
These and other truly disturbing tales await you in Ghosts Never Leave. They will slither into your subconscious and never leave.
351 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2025
13 people want to read
About the author
Jane Nightshade
34 books20 followersI write non-fiction and fiction. Check out my non-fiction articles on Horrornews.net and Horrified. My fiction includes The Drowning Game: A Story of the Supernatural, A Scream Full of Ghosts, and the just-released Jane Nightshade's Serial Encounters. I've also been published/dramatized in more than 20 anthologies and/or podcasts.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 29, 2025
One of the most spectacular ghost story collection ever. All 17 stories really hit! You'll meet a disturbing John Wayne Gayce, know what the perfect dress is all about, read about coming of age, experience some bizarre Halloween, shudder at the last Christmas Tree. Every single story has a great story line and a superb twist. Jane really knows her job. And the eeriest one? Animal Crackers. From now on you will see those little animal puppets in a different light, believe me. What are they made of? Magicians, runners, winter... you will love this spectacular collection with their sinister back stories. Those gems here are something to enjoy and digest. Too precious for speed reading. Of course you will be familiar with many of the horror motifs but Jane really manages to arrange everything in an extraordinary feast of horror. This is modern horror at its very best. Highly recommended!
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June 29, 2025A super collection of ghost stories that I'd slot into the 'quiet horror' genre. That said, there are a fair few gut punches within, too.
The collection offers the reader a good range, with the first offering featuring John Wayne Gacy sticking with me even now, though I read it several weeks back.
If you're a fan of ghost stories, you can't go wrong.
The collection offers the reader a good range, with the first offering featuring John Wayne Gacy sticking with me even now, though I read it several weeks back.
If you're a fan of ghost stories, you can't go wrong.
July 27, 2025
What I liked about Jane Nightshade's Ghosts Never Leave, a collection of 17 original ghostly tales, is the ordinariness of them all. No, not ordinary writing, but spooky accounts narrated by people you instantly relate to. They lead lives similar to ours, do things we've all done many times, and help draw us into stories that start off feeling both normal and familiar.
So when these everyday individuals find themselves drawn into increasingly strange, eerie situations, you find the lead character reacting in the exact same way you might. Start with skepticism, and then ... you sail right into the void.
It makes for an exceptionally engaging collection of ghost stories -- which take on the enjoyable feel of traditional folktales in modern day settings.
Like the best anthologies, Ghosts Never Leave doesn't settle into one type of ghost saga. The opening story, "Everybody Loves A Clown," is undeniably scary, dealing with a mother and daughter operating a cleaning shop and getting regular visits from "creepy Mr. Gacy" - you know, the guy who brings in the costumes he wears after he volunteers as a clown entertaining local children. Ginny, the daughter at the shop, dislikes Mr. Gacy but keeps her mouth shut because he's a regular customer. But she's very confused when she starts finding Mr. Gacy's costumes mysteriously showing up at their home. Did she bring them back and forget about it? Or is something even stranger than that going on ...
Another excellent piece is "Animal Crackers," about a couple who buy an old home in Fresno, California, and start clearing out junk left behind in the garage. They discover a chest filled with old toys, including stuffed animals. After cleaning the toys and placing them on shelves in the garage, the couple finds these animals keep mysteriously tumbling onto the floor. As the wife starts digging into the history of the house, she makes a startling, and grisly, discovery - and one that makes perfect sense.
Another particularly good story is "Midnight At the Steak Depot," about a family celebrating a birthday at an old train station that got converted into an upscale steak restaurant, The Steak Depot. The family is surprised that the service is disappointingly slow for such a highly acclaimed spot ... but they quickly discover that the long wait for their meal is the least of their problems.
In each story, we follow narrators as ordinary as you get - folks likely to remind you of your neighbors, co-workers, even family members. When they suddenly get into fantastical situations that are totally out of the ordinary, you might end up thinking, "I would have done the exact same thing."
These stories, which are not violent or gruesome, are ideal for readers of all ages who love the sense of wonder that a good ghost story can deliver.
So when these everyday individuals find themselves drawn into increasingly strange, eerie situations, you find the lead character reacting in the exact same way you might. Start with skepticism, and then ... you sail right into the void.
It makes for an exceptionally engaging collection of ghost stories -- which take on the enjoyable feel of traditional folktales in modern day settings.
Like the best anthologies, Ghosts Never Leave doesn't settle into one type of ghost saga. The opening story, "Everybody Loves A Clown," is undeniably scary, dealing with a mother and daughter operating a cleaning shop and getting regular visits from "creepy Mr. Gacy" - you know, the guy who brings in the costumes he wears after he volunteers as a clown entertaining local children. Ginny, the daughter at the shop, dislikes Mr. Gacy but keeps her mouth shut because he's a regular customer. But she's very confused when she starts finding Mr. Gacy's costumes mysteriously showing up at their home. Did she bring them back and forget about it? Or is something even stranger than that going on ...
Another excellent piece is "Animal Crackers," about a couple who buy an old home in Fresno, California, and start clearing out junk left behind in the garage. They discover a chest filled with old toys, including stuffed animals. After cleaning the toys and placing them on shelves in the garage, the couple finds these animals keep mysteriously tumbling onto the floor. As the wife starts digging into the history of the house, she makes a startling, and grisly, discovery - and one that makes perfect sense.
Another particularly good story is "Midnight At the Steak Depot," about a family celebrating a birthday at an old train station that got converted into an upscale steak restaurant, The Steak Depot. The family is surprised that the service is disappointingly slow for such a highly acclaimed spot ... but they quickly discover that the long wait for their meal is the least of their problems.
In each story, we follow narrators as ordinary as you get - folks likely to remind you of your neighbors, co-workers, even family members. When they suddenly get into fantastical situations that are totally out of the ordinary, you might end up thinking, "I would have done the exact same thing."
These stories, which are not violent or gruesome, are ideal for readers of all ages who love the sense of wonder that a good ghost story can deliver.
June 19, 2025
An excellent ghost story collection, precisely attuned to the cravings of true ghost story fans! The book contains seventeen tales, each one a different approach to the classic creepy story of ghostly apparitions with sinister intentions and bleak pasts. The horror trope is employed in many distinct ways, though there's always a familiar pattern leading to the inevitable plot twist. It's not hard to appreciate the author's craft and her passion for the genre: take the opening story, for example, "Everyone Loves a Clown," a story about John Wayne Gayce, the Killer Clown, narrated by the girl who does his laundry - original, well-written, but full of empathy and suspicion. Or my favorite, "Animal Crackers," wherein no ghost actually appears but the evil twist about the animal toys, though predictable, is shocking nevertheless, and hugely enjoyable. "Flower Face," so impressive for its imagery and the ending, almost heartbreaking; and "'Nam," another favorite. In fact, it's hard to pick favorites, so just go ahead and read them all - you won't regret it!
June 6, 2025
Ghosts Never Leave is a totally readable anthology plunging you into a myriad of characters including John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer active in the 1970’s. Nowadays, young boys do not have to worry about his lecherous stalking dressed as a clown but everyone else should worry about his clown suits out on the haunt! Read the very first story if you dare.
However, if you’re not totally running for the hills after that, then you’ll be sure to be scared witless with the 16 or so stories following it! Pick your favourite from the wide variety of bone-rattling stories as I have and hope that they do not turn your dreams into nightmares. Jane Nightside has provided horror fans with a truly imaginative collection of hauntings that will resonate for weeks to come.
However, if you’re not totally running for the hills after that, then you’ll be sure to be scared witless with the 16 or so stories following it! Pick your favourite from the wide variety of bone-rattling stories as I have and hope that they do not turn your dreams into nightmares. Jane Nightside has provided horror fans with a truly imaginative collection of hauntings that will resonate for weeks to come.
June 30, 2025
Ghosts Never Leave Will Leave You Spellbound
There’s no need to watch any more reboots of The Twilight Zone to unwind. Not with the haunting short horror stories available in Ghosts Never Leave, by Jane Nightshade.
My favorite ghost stories take place with relatable characters as the protagonists, in locations that I could easily find in my own neighborhood. This anthology gifts us with many such stories.
I especially was captivated with The Perfect Dress, which took place in a wedding dress shop, and The Steak Depot, which took place in a kitschy train theme restaurant.
There’s nothing scarier than to be haunted in a kitschy restaurant that you can’t escape!
All the other stories in the collection are marvelous too.
There’s no need to watch any more reboots of The Twilight Zone to unwind. Not with the haunting short horror stories available in Ghosts Never Leave, by Jane Nightshade.
My favorite ghost stories take place with relatable characters as the protagonists, in locations that I could easily find in my own neighborhood. This anthology gifts us with many such stories.
I especially was captivated with The Perfect Dress, which took place in a wedding dress shop, and The Steak Depot, which took place in a kitschy train theme restaurant.
There’s nothing scarier than to be haunted in a kitschy restaurant that you can’t escape!
All the other stories in the collection are marvelous too.
October 18, 2025
Jane Nightshade brings you chilling tales of hauntings ranging from a cursed wedding dress to a mother literally reaching from beyond the grave to protect her son to the victims of a serial killer trying to let the living know of their fate. If you love ghost stories, this is the book for you!
I particularly like that many of the stories take place in everyday settings, then things take a turn to the uncanny. Great read for Halloween or any time of the year you would like some chills down your spine…
I particularly like that many of the stories take place in everyday settings, then things take a turn to the uncanny. Great read for Halloween or any time of the year you would like some chills down your spine…
January 17, 2026
Great book and highly recommend!
I had the pleasure of randomly meeting the author, Jane Nightshade, when she was having a book signing at a local Barnes & Noble, and she was doing a book signing. I came into the store looking for horror, and what a coincidence she happened to be promoting her new book!
Ghosts Never Leave is an anthology of short stories that all had me glued to the book hungry to know what happens next. All of the stories were not extremely scary, but spooky enough to have me say at the end of most of the stories saying, “Whoa, that was good!” Or “Spooooooky!”
I highly recommend this book, and I am thankful I got to get my own copy signed! I look forward to supporting her by purchasing and reading more of her work in the future!
I had the pleasure of randomly meeting the author, Jane Nightshade, when she was having a book signing at a local Barnes & Noble, and she was doing a book signing. I came into the store looking for horror, and what a coincidence she happened to be promoting her new book!
Ghosts Never Leave is an anthology of short stories that all had me glued to the book hungry to know what happens next. All of the stories were not extremely scary, but spooky enough to have me say at the end of most of the stories saying, “Whoa, that was good!” Or “Spooooooky!”
I highly recommend this book, and I am thankful I got to get my own copy signed! I look forward to supporting her by purchasing and reading more of her work in the future!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews