Spooky North Carolina: Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore, First Edition

by S.E. Schlosser, Paul G. Hoffman (Illustrator)

The spirit of a railroad flagman shines his lantern along the tracks near Maco, where he lost his head in a train accident. The ghost of a girl haunts the grave robbers who stole her corpse to use in a college medical department. And in a swamp outside Smithfield, a grisly mass hanging is re-created on dark nights. All this and much more!

Genres: Paranormal, Folklore, Nonfiction, Ghost Stories

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Author S.E. Schlosser has been telling stories since she was a child, when games of "let's pretend" quickly built themselves into full-length stories. A graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature and Rutgers University, she also created and maintains the website AmericanFolklore.net, where she shares a wealth of stories from all 50 states, some dating back to the origins of America.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a bad little book of stories. Like most compilations, it has it's good stories and really lame ones. The first few stories are hit and miss, but once you get to the middle and the end, you get to the more interesting stories. This was good "go-between" book (it filled the time while waiting for a more aniticpated book). That does not mean it was horrible, just that it was the right amount of pages, it took me just the right amount of time to read it, and it didn't feel like a waste of time reading it.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the different variety of spooky tales in this book. There were two sections in the book - one that focuses on ghosts and the other that focuses on the power of light and dark. There were tales from the mountains to the coast, as well as some tales from my own Piedmont region. There were stories that dealt with animals, stories that dealt with prankish ghosts, stories from ghosts in historical times, stories from North Carolina’s Native American culture, and stories of truly horrendous creatures. I loved them all!

[Lee L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

North Carolina, the seat of NASCAR, brings us eerie tales of hauntings and strange happenings as told by a master raconteur. I was pleasantly surprised by author S.E. Schlosser's unique style of story-telling in "Spooky North Carolina," and was captivated by her very original approach. I have never encountered something quite so distinctive in the realm of folklore. Rather than relying on the "it is often said ..." formula, Ms. Schlosser brings us right into the tales by using narrative, often in the first person, as she crafts each tale into an appealing short story that will have you wondering if, maybe, you too were there to witness a legend or two come to life.

In Maco, the author brings us right into the family car as Mom, Dad and the kids go searching (successfully) for a ghostly trainman, forevermore waving his lantern in warning to an oncoming train. In Charlotte, we join an unsettled spirit who harasses his tormentors after they rudely disturb him in his grave, and a pet returns for one last farewell in Boone. A boo-hag runs amok in Elizabeth City, and in Raleigh, a Dad returns to set things right after a tragedy for which he feels responsible. That one had me wiping a tear or two.

However, while Ms. Schlosser does convince us that legend and lore abound in North Carolina, this is not the most chilling collection of tales, and probably won't keep you up at night, even after indulging in a late-night read in front of a roaring fire on a stormy night. The tales themselves are written quite convincingly, but many are just not that enticing. Are the stories here frightening? Most, not so much. Yet, fans of legend, lore, and a well-told tale will greatly appreciate Ms. Schlosser's engaging manner of spinning a captivating yarn. The reader must just keep in mind that the "Spooky States" series is pure folklore. If you are looking for true, contemporary ghost stories complete with eye-witnesses, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a tale born solely of legend and lore and crafted by a master story-teller, you'll find it here.

(Review copy provided by publisher.)

[Emily Jarrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting, which is why it took me so long to read. I would have appreciated a little more context to the stories - I don’t think they were as impactful presented like this.

[Mariah Zike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short & very whimsical read. There were a couple times when I’d be reading and someone would come up quietly & startle me out of my focused state😆 Love how the book includes stories & lore from across North Carolina!

[Pchu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang, this book went to some dark places! It's quite good though and even has a few Native American tales which are quite interesting.

[Coira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author so much. I have been following the Spooky series since I was 8 and this one is easily one of my favs by her.

[Kimberly Brunk Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were not very spooky. My favorite stories in this book were the Native American ones. They had more depth and reason behind the hauntings.

[V2adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on ghost stories based on places in North Carolina. Since I'm from here in NC, I found this book to be even more interesting. I was delighted with how the book had stories from all over the state. Each one of the stories in the book isn't very long, but is written very well. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read ghost stories or learn different things about states. This is also the type of book that would be easy to read over and over again.

[Chris Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a North Carolina native, this was kind of a fun read, with stories depicting lore and legends in some of the towns I have traversed through, and others, I have not.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading these spooky tales from the different areas of North Carolina. Some of them I had heard bits and pieces of, but now I know the whole story. A must read for any NC resident.

[Logan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh....some of the stories had the same sentences repeated. some were written in an old country slang that the author thought people sounded like back then. just ugh to the entire thing.