Goldfields

by Johanna Craven

Book One in the History and Horrors Short Story Collection

"It was only me that could see her. Tragic, dead Ivy.

"Sometimes I wished I weren't so lucky. Wished I experienced her the way the rest of the world did: as a cold draught, or a banging door you been gosh darn meaning to get fixed for months now. But to me she wasn't just a flash of light in the corner of your eye. She was a young woman in a torn yellow bustle dress and eyes like storm clouds. A reminder that there were layers between life and death that stretched far beyond our comprehension."

Stranded in the middle of the Australian desert, the Golden Plains Hotel is isolated, run down and haunted by murdered Ivy Westerly. Through the barrier between two worlds, Ivy and publican's daughter Alice console each other in their monotonous existence.

Alice is ecstatic when she finds a way to leave the Golden Plains. But tragic, dead Ivy won't let go of their friendship quite so easily...

Goldfields is a paranormal short story from Australia's past.

Genres: Horror

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

A lover of old stuff, folk music, and dance, Johanna Craven bases her books around little-known true events from the past, often set in bleak and beautiful places. She divides her time between Australia and the UK, and can very easily be persuaded to tell you about the time she accidentally swam with seals on Holy Island.

Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.

Reviews

[Bill Ward]

What a little gem of a short story this turned out to be! An atmospheric ghost story, both in terms of the supernatural element but also the description of the run down hotel in the middle of the Australian outback. Despite being short, there is a good plot and twists. Beautifully written and it captured my imagination from the first page. A great introduction to this author's writing. Highly recommended!

[Holly]

This is one of those annoying ghost stories in which the MC would have been fine if she hadn’t done something incredibly stupid.



**SPOILER**


She couldn’t have asked someone else to take the letter to the hotel?

[Book]

I loved the setting, the right amount of suspense and the historical angle of this short ghost story.

The author quickly brings you into the characters but keeps you guessing... And I wasn't sure which way this story would turn. The outback setting was perfect, the ghost herself was eery. Really well written, read quickly in one sitting ... Throughly enjoyable!

[Lorna Miller]

Short story

Enjoyable short story. Well written. I read this book within the hour. Not scary but enjoyable story. I would recommend.😊

[C.N.]

Wow! I wasn't expecting the twist at the end. This is a really creepy story overlaid with the ordinary existence of a girl in a gold town who works with her father in their hotel, or rather bar, as it has become. She shares her life with an uninvited companion, who doesn't cause problems most of the time, but now there is a chance of escape and that changes everything.

One of the things I liked best from this story was the wonderful gold town atmosphere. There was a real sense of how run down it had become and also of the period in which it was set. I couldn't put it down once I had started.

[Colin Griffiths]

A really enjoyable story that I had to read in in one sitting. The ghost herself was scary and the story oozed atmosphere, although a short story there was still twists and you were never quite sure how it would end. Recommended

[Julie Powell]

A well written short story about a girl wanting to break away from her life...but this is not a simple thing.

Some good characters and a great sense of place...and spooky.

Great for 'ghost' fans.

[Davis Galimberti]

A very enjoyable and spooky short story set in a small Australian mining town in early 20th century. Beautifully written.

[Liz K]

Good short story. Creepy.

[Robert Lalonde]

Great Short Story

Excellent short story whether you like ghost tales or not. Can’t wait for the next one by Johanna Craven.

[Brenda Mohammed]

Very short, Intriguing and well written.
Finished this book in a little more than half an hour.
Looking forward to more books in this series.