ORLANDO — Ah, the ghost story. A finely honored subset of the horror genre, obviously, meant to send an unsettling chill up our spine as we enter a dark, ominous landscape, where strange sounds can be heard down the hallway late at night …

Actually, ghost stories are often far more diverse than they get credit for. True, a lot of ghost stories are intensely scary, but there have been plenty of comical ghost stories as well. In other instances, ghost novels can be more philosophical than spine-tingling, raising probing questions about the nature of our existence and mortality. There have been romantic ghost stories and Christmas-themed ghost stories. Ghosts have served a surprisingly diverse role in literature, and there’s a massive gulf between the likes of, say, Stephen King’s The Shining and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

What I particularly liked about Jane Nightshade’s book Ghosts Never Leave, a collection of 17 original ghostly tales, is the ordinariness of them all. No, not ordinary writing, but spooky accounts narrated by people you instantly relate to. They lead lives similar to ours, do things we’ve all done many times, and help draw us into stories that start off feeling both normal and familiar.

So when these everyday individuals find themselves drawn into increasingly strange, eerie situations, you find the lead character reacting in the exact same way you might. Start with skepticism, and then … you sail right into the void.

It makes for an exceptionally engaging collection of ghost stories — which take on the enjoyable feel of traditional folktales in modern day settings.

What is the book Ghosts Never Leave?

Like the best anthologies, Ghosts Never Leave doesn’t settle into one type of ghost saga. The opening story, “Everybody Loves A Clown,” is undeniably scary, dealing with a mother and daughter operating a cleaning shop and getting regular visits from “creepy Mr. Gacy” – you know, the guy who brings in the costumes he wears after he volunteers as a clown entertaining local children. Ginny, the daughter at the shop, dislikes Mr. Gacy but keeps her mouth shut because he’s a regular customer. But she’s very confused when she starts finding Mr. Gacy’s costumes mysteriously showing up at their home. Did she bring them back and forget about it? Or is something even stranger than that going on …

Other stories approach spirituality in radically different ways. “Pearl” focuses on Dan Herlihy, a tourist in Honolulu who decides to get a drink at a very old-fashioned bar called the Neon Pineapple. What’s odd is that everyone inside seems dressed as if it was some kind of retro night, in a style of clothing that hearkens back to … the 1940s? And it’s even more odd that the patrons seem to recognize Dan, only they keep calling him Johnny.

This tale ties in neatly with one of the most infamous events in U.S. history.

Another excellent piece is “Animal Crackers,” about a couple who buy an old home in Fresno, California, and start clearing out junk left behind in the garage. They discover a chest filled with old toys, including stuffed animals. After cleaning the toys and placing them on shelves in the garage, the couple finds these animals keep mysteriously tumbling onto the floor. As the wife starts digging into the history of the house, she makes a startling, and grisly, discovery – and one that makes perfect sense.

Another particularly good story is “Midnight At the Steak Depot,” about a family celebrating a birthday at an old train station that got converted into an upscale steak restaurant, The Steak Depot. The family is surprised that the service is disappointingly slow for such a highly acclaimed spot … but they quickly discover that the long wait for their meal is the least of their problems.

In each story, we follow narrators as ordinary as you get – folks likely to remind you of your neighbors, co-workers, even family members. When they suddenly get into fantastical situations that are totally out of the ordinary, you might end up thinking, “I would have done the exact same thing.”

These stories, which are not violent or gruesome, are ideal for readers of all ages who love the sense of wonder that a good ghost story can deliver.

Who is author Jane Nightshade?

A former corporate communications manager, Jane Nightshade left that world to become a horror writer. Her writing has appeared in anthologies and magazines and has been dramatized by NoSleep Podcast and Octoberpod.

Now living in California, Ghosts Never leave is her fourth novel, published by Baynam Books Press.

Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright and author of the terrifying book “Bloody Rabbit”. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.

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