by Editor
on November 23, 2015
A Literary Ghost Story
William Gay’s Haunted Novel: A Ghost Story Review
William Gay’s posthumous novel, Little Sister Death (Dzanc Books; 202 pages), was published to modest fanfare on October 31. It is, in our opinion, the best kind of ghost story: one written by a novelist who views writing as an art rather than merely as a way of throwing a cheap scare into his reader.
Gay, if you’re unfamiliar with him, was a Tennesseean who achieved literary success relatively late in life when his first novel, The Long Home, won the 1999 James A. Michener Memorial Prize. He was far into his fifties and up to then had worked at construction, factory work, house painting, and a variety of other blue-collar jobs, and had published his first two short stories only a year before. His other books include the novels Provinces of Night and Twilight, along with the short-story collections I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down and Wittgenstein’s Lolita. He died in 2012.
Gay’s often-violent fiction is deeply rooted in the Southern Gothic tradition, and in his style one hears strong echoes of Cormac McCarthy, who was a personal friend and mentor. William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor are other obvious influences.
Apparently, Gay also was a believer in ghosts. [continue reading…]
by Editor
on October 31, 2015
Jaroslav Panuška, 1900
It’s Finally Halloween—And Time To Publish The Top Stories In The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award Contest. Happy Reading!
Stories poured in from the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. The winning pieces—one that’s at once bittersweet and spooky, three others that are entirely unnerving—are set in wartime Japan, in rural Scotland, in suburban America, and in the dark hill country of the American South.
And the winning writers are as varied as their work: A well-known author who has won many prestigious awards, a 29-year-old from the West Coast who never previously published a word and is now publishing two stories here, and an Australian native now living in, and inspired by, Scotland.
Come on in and have a read—but be warned: Afterward, you may feel like sleeping with the lights on for a while.
by Editor
on October 24, 2015
As Interest In Christian Spirituality Wanes, Fascination With Ghosts And The Paranormal Has Been Booming
People the world over seem to have a longing for the unknown and the unknowable in one or more of the many forms in which they are encountered. Throughout the millennia, whenever one set of spiritual beliefs has crumbled or faded, another has risen from the earth or descended from the sky to take its place. And sometimes, rather evolving, spirituality returns to its earliest roots, and the beliefs of old gain a new hold over the human heart and imagination.
In Western Europe, for instance, while Christian churches have been losing adherents, interest in the supernatural—specifically in ghosts and spirits—has been gaining greatly in popularity. [continue reading…]
by Editor
on September 21, 2015
Ghost Hour. Illustration: Alice Popkorn
Submissions Closed!
The contest is now closed to submissions. Thanks to everyone who participated. We’ll be announcing (and publishing) our winner and honorable mention on Halloween. Visit our contest page for information about the next Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award competition.
If you’re a writer of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror, or magic realist fiction, beware the witching hour as September 30th draws to a close. That’s when we’ll stop accepting submissions to the short fiction competition in which we will award $1,000 to the writer of the best supernatural story, and $100 for an honorable mention. Of course, we’ll also publish both stories here on TGS.
If you’ve already submitted your tale, we’ll be in touch with you about the results before the end of October—and your work will be published here on Halloween. If you’re still working on your piece, keep at it; the more polished your prose, the better your chances, and you’ve still got a few days left. But don’t let the sand run out of the hour glass; that midnight bell inevitably will toll.
And if you’re still thinking about entering, you might want to have a look at our complete contest guidelines.
Good luck!
