Appliances Included by Mark Souza 

This is a chilling, well written, haunted house story.  If something seems too good to be true it probably is (something these people should have thought about).   When Mary and Lou Givens move into their dream home with their young son, it seems like the start of a new and exciting chapter in their lives, until the horror begins.  What can go wrong when you move into a massive 19^th century house that’s underpriced and much too big for the people living in it?

This was a great story and the  most disturbing element was the true to life way people have of accusing each other when tragedy occurs rather than offering comfort.  I also enjoyed the little background info to the story the author provided.  A riveting read.

Find this story at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/98826

The Vampire from Hell: The Beginning by Ally Thomas

Rayea is a vampire and she’s also the least favourite daughter of Satan (he has a problem with the fact that she likes humans).  Oh and she’s a blogger too.  Pretty cool right?  Rayea lives in hell and enjoys shopping on the internet; this left me wondering how delivery works but moving on.   Her father, the devil himself enjoys torturing her, and her evil sister Stephanie has it out for Rayea.  Her only ally is a seven foot friendly hellhound.

A good introduction to a new supernatural series and funny in parts.  I laughed out loud when Stephanie asked Rayea what she was doing on the internet.  “Mindlook. Twizzler?” to which an exasperated Rayea replies “It’s Facebook and Twitter.”  This is a free teaser.  If you like a different sort of vampire story check this out.

Find this story at  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36686

A Haunting in a Small Town by William Meikle 

This is a sample story from Meikle’s collection From Deep Within the Shadows.  John Ratchett is an old, lonely man who deeply misses his deceased wife Bettie.  He likes to focus on the past when they happily lived and worked at the long since closed train station house.  They kept a memento from the building, the red door that now stands in their kitchen and rattles constantly.  One day this door suddenly and impossibly opens out onto the platform and Mr. Ratchett realises something isn’t right.  Is the great beyond reaching out to him?

Meikle’s writing is, as always soothing.   His portrayal of an old man living alone with the company of the radio and his crosswords, and who makes a cup of hot chocolate each night for his dead wife is both sad and poignant.   Meikle’s ability to create characters that leap from the page is one of the strong-points of this short story.  We sympathise with Mr. Ratchett and share his anger at the youths that vandalise the station.  This tale will leave you feeling haunted

Find this story at http://www.scribd.com/doc/69983799/From-Deep-Within-the-Shadows-Sample