Ghostoria: Vintage Romantic Tales of Fright

by Tam Francis

Do you like scary stories with a little romance and a vintage twist? Welcome to Ghostoria.

What happens when a WWII secretary is trapped in the office with a ghost and the only way out is to make an unwelcome choice?

Drive-in movies, hot rods, and jitterbugs populate Long Way Home; can one young man survive a bloody night in a historic cemetery with his girlfriend?

Young residents of a cursed Texas town grapple with what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to save their crops, animals and loved ones?

Can a kindergarten teacher silence the talking doll that has frightened her students by solving a fifty year old mystery?

Find out what happens when a college coed gets more than she bargained for with her vintage swing dress.

A lone lady hitchhiker hops a ride in a 1959 El Dorado Cadillac by a roadside grave. Who will be alive at the end of the drive?

A turn of the century jail that housed murderers, liars, and thieves for over a hundred years is taken over by six teenagers on Halloween. What happens when a childhood chant turns deadly?

Those are just a few haunts and haints that populate this world of unrequited love, woe and mystery. Ghostoria will gnaw the corners of your mind and challenge your ideas about life, love and death long after you leave

Genres: Horror, Romance, Paranormal

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2014

About the author

Tam Francis writes cross genre fiction with a pen in one hand and a vintage cocktail in the other. She has taught swing dancing with her husband for fifteen years and is an avid collector of vintage patterns, vintage clothing and antiques. All of which make appearances in her stories.  

She has published, contributed to, and been Editor-in-chief for two indie magazines – “From the Ashes” (Arts & Literature in the Greater Phoenix area 1990-1994) and “Swivel: Vintage Living” (swing dancing and vintage lifestyle culture 1994-2000) and various small press magazines

She began blogging her dance adventures years ago on Myspace, but started her novel when her husband shipped out for Iraq and she was alone to raise their two small children.

For fun facts, book reviews, give-aways, crossword puzzles, and more, check our her blog at: girlinthejitterbugdress.com

Titles include: Historical fiction series: The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress on Amazon and kindle. The sequel: The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress Hops the Atlantic Two paranormal: Ghostoria: Vintage Romantic Tales of Fright and The Flapper Affair and another short story collectionSwing Shorts: Stories & Wonders.

Querying agents with: Luminous Glow The first in the Dance of Light series where I finally found a way to combine my love of vintage fashion and dance into a speculative ficiton novel that works! and for something a little different Person in Progress: 1980s European Travel Adventure

Reviews

[Pagan Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's as difficult for me to put a star rating on a book like this as it is to like every thing on the menu at my favorite restaurant. Ms. Francis used several different writing recipes in this book, and even if some weren't as delectable as others, I enjoyed them all. I would recommend this book to others because, if you're at all like me, you'll like the variety, the occasional chill, the stray tear, and an overall feeling that you spent quality time on yourself. Enjoy!

[Sara Litchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories and I lap up ghost stories - so this was definitely a collection for me! I loved the vintage twist conjured throughout, culminating in my favourite in the collection - Mrs Franklin's Night Out. Seriously creepy and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

They’ll send chills down your spine, or make you cry. They’ll while away the hours and take your mind off the nightly news. And to mimic England’s Christmas ghost story telling tradition, I’ll remind everyone that Ghostoria would make a great Christmas present for someone.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ghoulishly great read.

This anthology of short stories is a terrific addition to any horror collection. Each was terrific in their own way, but I especially liked Roadside Passenger and it's little twist, Ten Knives, and Dressing the Part. This is my first read from this author but I will definitely be reading more. Highly recommend.

[()AARON()]

it was pretty boring to me, but i can see the fact that a lot of people could like it.

[Goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ghostoria” by Tam Francis is a collection of 12 short stories that range from horror/suspense/supernatural and a range of time periods from modern to turn of the century. Even though, Francis describes her collection as “vintage romantic tales of fright”, I also recognized a thread of southern gothic underpinning each of the stories. She has the amazing talent to create unique and complex characters you’d like to follow for hundreds of pages. I was amazed at her versatility and found myself reading from the point-of-view of a ghost in one story or teenagers in another story. No matter where she takes the reader, you find yourself a guest in her worlds and imagination…if you’re brave enough to follow.

If you were ever a fan of Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, or looking for something to read to family around the campfire, I would highly recommend this tome of unique lore.

I’m going to mention a few of my favorite stories, but I urge you to buy the book and find out for yourself why Tam Francis is a writer to keep your eye on.

“Long Way Home” reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury’s voice and theme in his book ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ – two boys on the brink of manhood, free spirits in an age of innocence, whose worlds are shattered with a brush with evil. When I read Bradbury’s book, I remembered the anticipation and foreshadowing that builds throughout the story. This is a talent Francis also has in each of her stories, where I was on the edge of my seat trying to out-guess the plot and always ended up surprised. In Francis’ story, the boys take a shortcut through the cemetery and encounter death in its most tempting form.

My absolute favorite story is “Roadside Passenger”, which reminded me so much of a Twilight Zone episode, in that a woman picks up a suspicious crying hitchhiker with a promise to drive her down the road. I can’t reveal too much, but I loved this story so much!!!

[Meghan Redmile]

This book is a bit out of the usual pick for me but I had won it in a contest i entered.

This book is filled with 12 short stories all with a vintage touch. I found most of the stories good but like I said before this isn't my kind of read. The short stories i particularly liked I found were cut too short and she could have made a really interesting longer read for the readers.

She describes everything so well so it is easy to imagine what she envisioned when writing her stories. I see this being a hit among teens and young adults.

I imagine readers who enjoy ghost, paranormal, vampires, etc will really get a kick out of this, as for me I'll be patiently waiting for the sequel to her "The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress" novel.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween is a non-event at our house so to get into the spirit of things, I decided to read Ghostoria. I loved the vintage twist on the horror genre. The short story format made it quick and easy to read. The horror level was just to my taste, not too graphic, more spooky. My favourites of the twelve stories were Ten Knives and Dressing the Part. I loved the scary factor of Ten Knives, and the swing dance references and psychological creepiness of Dressing the Part. Each of the short stories were engaging enough to leave me wanting more while still wrapping up the story in a satisfying way.