I could never say I had a favorite "spooky" story. As soon as I could pick up a chapter book, I read things like The House on Hackman's Hill, The Pike River Phantom, and Ghost Cat. To this day, I grab Alvin Schwartz's series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when the mood suits. 
Since I was twelve I've been reading Barbara Michaels. She may not put many books out these days (and those under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters), but she will likely remain my favorite author until I'm a ghost myself. The first Barbara Michaels book I ever read was Search the Shadows, about a young woman looking for her past by tracing her dead mother's career path. Though I still love that particular title, my heart lies with the more gothic ghost stories for which Michaels has an indelible knack. These titles involve a contemporary mystery or suspense story with a backdrop of rapping in the walls and strange
things seen out of the corner of the eye.
Since I was twelve I've been reading Barbara Michaels. She may not put many books out these days (and those under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters), but she will likely remain my favorite author until I'm a ghost myself. The first Barbara Michaels book I ever read was Search the Shadows, about a young woman looking for her past by tracing her dead mother's career path. Though I still love that particular title, my heart lies with the more gothic ghost stories for which Michaels has an indelible knack. These titles involve a contemporary mystery or suspense story with a backdrop of rapping in the walls and strange
things seen out of the corner of the eye. In Wait for What Will Come, a young woman travels to her ancestral home in Wales only to be possessed by one of the people who lived in it over a century before. A woman pretends to be a landscape artist to gain access to the last place anyone saw her brother--only to discover that he was not the only person to have gone missing from the house in Vanish with the Rose. The heroine in House of Many Shadows is supposed to be relaxing after a breakdown but soon discovers she's not the only occupant of her new home.
A good gothic novel is hard to come by these days, but there are a few authors who still put them out. Another favorite of mine is Kay Hooper. Although she is now known for her Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series, her earlier titles like Amanda, After Caroline, Haunting Rachel, and The Haunting of Josie all have heavy paranormal elements off-setting much of the romance. Within the last few years, my mother has raved over gothic titles such as The Spiritualist by Megan
Chance and The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb.
You know, things like Jane Eyre, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Rebecca are classics for a reason, and gothics to boot. As a genre, I think it's underrated--much better than a police procedural any day. So, join my campaign to keep Barbara Michaels in your library (I say that because we discarded one this year)--just because they're not very recent doesn't mean they're not good!
A good gothic novel is hard to come by these days, but there are a few authors who still put them out. Another favorite of mine is Kay Hooper. Although she is now known for her Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series, her earlier titles like Amanda, After Caroline, Haunting Rachel, and The Haunting of Josie all have heavy paranormal elements off-setting much of the romance. Within the last few years, my mother has raved over gothic titles such as The Spiritualist by Megan
Chance and The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb.You know, things like Jane Eyre, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Rebecca are classics for a reason, and gothics to boot. As a genre, I think it's underrated--much better than a police procedural any day. So, join my campaign to keep Barbara Michaels in your library (I say that because we discarded one this year)--just because they're not very recent doesn't mean they're not good!
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