Ghost Lite

by J. Elliott

The author was raised on Hawthorne, Poe, Le Fanu, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice, Elvira, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and Tales From the Crypt. Ghost Lite offers fifteen old-style creepy ghost stories, macabre but not grisly and sometimes humorous bordering on campy. No zombies, psycho axe-murderers, or torture chambers here. "An Old House..." is simultaneously funny and macabre. "Find A Relic..." set in 1905 in New York City is a novella written in the epistolary style of a gothic novel. "Ghost Light" recounts the life of a 450-year old lantern with supernatural powers. "Benevolent Guides" and "A Roxanne Sighting" are about guardian spirits. "Poultrygeist" and "An Old House Just Has So Much Character" concern moving into an old house still holding the energies of previous occupants. An entertaining, illustrated quick-read for folks who want a chill but still want to sleep at night.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2016

About the author

J. Elliott has written three novels in a funny, Buddhist-theme-dusted, cozy series set in Florida (Monkey Mind, Monkey Heart, and It's a Haint Blue Christmas). The next installment is due out by May 2026.
A huge fan of the classic ghost story tradition, Elliott grew up watching The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She loves creepy, uncanny stories especially when funny and unease collide. She's published four collections of spooky short stories (Ghost Lite, Tales from Kensington & Other Macabre & Unsettling Offerings, Uncanny Stout and The Odds.) If you seek true horror, these will be way too light for you.
In 2024 she published her first ghost story novel, Jiko Bukken set in Japan in 1993.
She has made a few videos of some her stories that can be seen on her YouTube channel, Hedonistic Hound Press. She is a regular illustrator for two online horror magazines, Black Petals and Yellow Mama.
She resides on six acres of overgrown Florida hammock with her indulgent boyfriend, and sweet basset hound.

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are actually some decent stories here. I have no idea how I came across this obviously very self-published book (all the art in it is done on what appears to be MS Paint). But the stories are fun little ghost stories - the overall weakness is that the endings typically arrive very suddenly and end very abruptly. The story is going along and then 1 page later a very quick ending arrives and it’s over.

Best stories are one about a haunted elevator and one written in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. Good for this author for writing these up and publishing them.

[MBenzz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic collection of spooky stories. I immediately started book 2!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a nice collection of ghost stories, perfect for the Halloween season.

[J. Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began writing a novel, but soon after, got sidetracked with writing spooky stories. I've since written three collections --Ghost Lite was followed by Tales from Kensington and Uncanny Stout. The stories are all my babies, of course, but I'm quite proud of Ghost Lite. The first story, "An Old House Just Has So Much Character" was inspired by the question-- what if a schizophrenic woman really did have malevolent entities in her house and nobody believed her? It is equal parts humorous and spooky. "The Black Cat" is a true story about a peculiar cat I met in high school. "Find a Relic" is a nod to the old epistolary style of storytelling and is set in New York City in 1905. I had fun doing research for that one. "Corny Story" is about a night at a haunted corn maze where one of the spooks isn't fooling around. As of this writing, I'm still learning about marketing. Ghost Lite hasn't gotten the attention I believe it deserves and that's a pity. I sure had fun writing it. If you like hardcore horror, this isn't going to do it for you. If you liked shows like Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond et al. -- if you like a show-build creepy, this is that.

[Crew Kinnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining collection of good old fashioned ghost stories, with a nice variety of literary styles. Some are Gothic creepy, some are funny and some are like an old friend sharing a real experience that makes everyone say "Whoah!". The author emanates an air of someone who believes based on her own life, but is not one of those flibbertigibbets that starts running around like a chicken every time there's a draft in the room. To paraphrase The Monkees, "She's a Believer!". An easy delightful read.

[Judy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like a collection of spooky tales to entertain yourself on a rainy night, this is it! I particularly liked the short story "Betty Hanson, Please Call the Front Desk". Was he really there or not? You decide.

[John A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drew me in, then creeped me out (in a good way).

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was phenomenal. I love how these horror stories were reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allen Poe stories. Definitely a must read for anyone who truly loves a good scary story!

[Nicolette Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this diverse collection of spooky stories! Each tale has its own special color and flavor. The background note before each story is a nice touch. It gives the entire collection a tangible quality, like you're listening to storytime around a fire.