A Haunting of Words

by Brian Paone, D.W. Vogel, Virginia Carraway Stark

From Scout Media comes A Haunting of Words—the third volume in an ongoing short story anthology series featuring authors from all over the world.
In this installation, the reader will experience a multi-genre journey beyond traditional haunts; from comedy, to drama, fantasy, romance, and horror, these stories put eclectic spins on the every-day ghost tale. Whether you are running from the ghost of a vengeful mother, falling in love with an apparition, touring with a deceased famous musician, saving a newborn from a possessed crib, or having a specter cat as a sidekick, these stories of hauntings and apparitions will warm your heart, send shivers down your spine, and tickle your funny bone. 
Whether to be enlightened, entertained, or momentarily caught up in another world, these selections convey the true spirit of the short story.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Paranormal

Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2017

About the author

Brian Paone—a Salem, Massachusetts native displaced to northern Virginia—has been a published novelist since 2007. Brian is primarily a speculative fiction author who doesn’t know how to stay in his lane. His novels feature an array of subgenres for those readers who dare to venture just outside of realism.

Brian is a police detective in Maryland and has worked in law enforcement since 2002. He is the father to four children, a self-proclaimed rollercoaster junkie, a Star Wars 501st member since 2005, a New England Patriots fanatic, and his favorite color is burnt orange. In 2019, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming the proud owner of a 1981 DeLorean!

Reviews

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is perfect for Halloween. It has a variety of tales, all of which are very different, but definitely great for a spooky or horror-filled evening of reading.

The stories are not over the top, so if you like exceptionally dark reads, this will be on the lighter side, but still very enjoyable, whilst if you aren’t a fan of dark dark reads, you will find this range of tales exceptional.

Each had a great amount of detail, with characters and background built up so that you have a very interesting and engaging read. They are of a good length, not too short, and written well to match the length of short read.

The variety in tales, styles and take on the horror genre keep you guessing and enjoying each tale to the fullest. Overall, this is an excellent collection of stories.

** I chos to provide my honest review.

[Darque Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a whole, this anthology was quite different than what I am used to reading. It took me about a week to get through it, reading a few stories each night. There were several stories I did not care for, several that were my favorite, and three that I did not finish.

While I was going over the anthology in my head, contemplating what I would say in my review, I knew it would deserve a decent rating because there were several well written, thought provoking stories. I also knew that I had to point out that with this being my opinion, some of the reasons for not enjoying a few of the stories were because of my own personal preferences, so I would say this is still worth a read for those who enjoy a mix of short stories with mature content.

All in all, the collection was edgy, gritty, shocking, and entertaining. Several stories had bits of horror and spookiness. Several were humorous, and a few were endearing and emotional. My personal opinion is that I would have liked to see more horror, and less adult content, but I think the collection would be enjoyable for those who don't mind the content. 

I decided that, instead of naming each story and author in my review, I would list the stories in order by number and list my thoughts I jotted down while I read them. As I read the collection, I paid little mind to the story names and authors, as I wanted to focus on just the stories themselves.

So, keep in mind, these are my personal opinions, though sometimes I did not enjoy the writing, that in no way means I thought the author was a poor writer, just that certain writing styles and subjects are not enjoyable for every reader.

1. Confusing. Too much drug use. Awful story line.
2. Good writing style. Interesting plot twist. Not really horror.
3. Boring. Good twist though. Decent writing style.
4. Definitely suspenseful and well written. Awkward and confusing at times, but had some interesting twists.
5. Nice writing style, but odd subject, and lame, predictable twist and ending. 
6. Good, descriptive writing. Heart pounding suspense. Horrifying gore and ending, but disliked drug abuse subject and rape.
7. Didn't seem to have a point or anything to do with the theme. Writing style was okay.
8. Favorite so far. Great writing, suspenseful and creepy with a great twist.
9. Nice writing, funny twist.
10. Favorite. Beautifully written. Suspenseful. Great twists and amazing character development and story for being so short!
11. OMG, too funny!! Writing mildly awkward at times, but entertaining and suspenseful and hilarious!
12. What did I just read? Intrigued and confused. Nice writing, odd twist.
13. Decent writing style with suspense, but confusing twist.
14. DNF. Decent writing style, but ridiculous, pointless story line. Not my kind of enjoyable humor.
15. Writing is slightly awkward at times, but the story is spooky and suspenseful and has an eerie twist.
16. Not crazy over the writing style of the story. Predictable.
17. Decent writing. Awkward at times. Suspenseful story with a spooky twist.
18. Holy d#mn that was good! Great writing, awesome twist, and captivating story!
19. Nice writing, creepy, suspenseful, and interesting twist.
20. Awkward writing and dialogue. Boring story.
21. A little long winded at times, but very good with a nice, predictable twist and a shocking twist too.
22. What?? Confusing. Awkward. Switching tenses.
23. Very awkward writing style. Disgusting, violent twist involving baby death. DNF.
24. Interesting plot and twist. Awkwardness between narration and dialogue, but decent story for the length.
25. Decent writing style, but awkward plot and shocking, yet enjoyable twist.
26. Weird writing style. Weirder plot and twist. Not really enjoyable, even with the Doctor Who reference.
27. Nice writing style and predictable, but interesting twist.
28. Writing style was decent with an intriguing plot, but I DNF'd at a scene of child molestation.
29. Good writing style, but confusing plot twist.
30. Awkward writing and dialogue at times. Confusing twist and unsatisfying ending.

I ended up enjoying about 16 out of 30 of the stories. Three of them I did not finish. And, the rest were either not enjoyable, or just mildly enjoyable.

Thank you to author J.M Ames for sending me this anthology in exchange for my honest review.

[C.H. Knyght · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit of something for everyone in this ghostly anthology, from horror, to romance, to comedy.

[Carl Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scout Media has done it again. Every story in this anthology is excellent. But be forewarned, some of them may be best not read right before going to sleep.

[PageGlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Haunting of Words by Brian Paone is a delightful and inventive anthology that proves ghost stories can be far more than simple scares. Drawing on voices from around the world, this third Scout Media volume blends comedy, drama, fantasy, romance, and horror with impressive ease. Each story offers a fresh twist, from tender encounters with apparitions to chilling moments of possession and darkly funny hauntings. The variety keeps the collection engaging, while the emotional range gives it heart. Readers looking for warmth, wit, and well earned shivers will find this anthology both entertaining and memorable. Highly recommended for all readers.

[Sarah Karasek · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not that there wasn't decent writing in here, but for an anthology, there was very little diversity. What I mean is, most of the stories can be put into one of two categories: dead kids or dead dogs. A third common topic was domestic violence. If that's what this was advertised as, I just wouldn't have read it. These stories weren't exactly staggered either. There was a very large chunk of them all in a row. Again, that isn't to cast any blame or shade or other negativity at the authors.

If you're looking for some sad stories with a sprinkle of gore, this is probably the book you want.

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always have a hard time reviewing anthologies. With such a variety of authors, the stories can be quite a mixed bag. Overall, I enjoyed most of these. The ones I didn't were more due to subject matter than the quality of the writing. I simply didn't expect any of the stories to go in those directions in a serious manner. I was expecting more supernatural/paranormal stories (of which there were plenty).

Triggers may include: suicide, mental instability, infant deaths ...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm.... it was hard for me to decide between 3 stars and 4 stars. There were quite a few stories that I loved, some that I liked, and several that I didn't care for. I went ahead and gave 4 stars, because I really liked the variety of stories and I was entertained even while reading the ones that weren't as good.

[Marianne Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting compilation of short stories, some very well written, some with interesting twists, some predictable, and all very different from the other.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.25 🌟 read rounded ⬇️ to 3 🌟.