Spooky Series

Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and other Local Lore    

by S.E. Schlosser

He gradually became aware that the words in the article he was reading were following a faint, rhythmic pattern that ebbed and flowed around a soft, steady beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like a heart beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like Polly's heart beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason screamed in terror and flung himself out of the house, running toward the bridge as the heart beat grew louder and louder in his ears.

Meet Jason, a jealous husband who kills his wife, and then finds himself haunted to death by the sound of her beating heart. Jason is just one of 26 spooky characters found in this folklore collection by S.E. Schlosser. You will also encounter:

• Crooked Kate, a witch who takes her revenge against a Chesapeake Bay Waterman
• Marmaduke Mister, who finds gold on Smith Island, with fatal consequences
• Aunt Sukey, once an African Princess and then a slave who knew how to control the spirit forms called the Lords of the Manor
• Plus 23 other ghosts and spooky creatures, including the Jack-O-Lantern, who stalks a stranded hunter, and a psychic who sees back in time to the Battle of Baltimore and catches a glimpse of the Star Spangled Banner.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part One: Ghost Stories
1. Whalem-Balem - Salisbury
2. Cruel Master - Bethesda
3. The Headless Confederate - Annapolis
4. Dead Man's Coat - Crisfield
5. Open Grave - Venton
6. Big Liz - Cambridge
7. The Life-Car - Ocean City
8. The Well - South Mountain State Park, Boonsboro
9. Ghost House - Dorchester County
10. Ghost in the Chimney - Frostburg
11. Traitor - Clinton
12. Steal Away Home - Berlin
13. Handprint - Calvert County

Part Two - Powers of Darkness and Light

14. Eavesdropper - Hagerstown
15. The Devil's Racecourse - Baltimore
16. Marmaduke Mister's Gold - Smith Island
17. The Hairy Toe - Upper Marlboro
18. Crooked Kate - Somerset County
19. The Card Game - Ward's Crossing
20. Dawn's Early Light - Fort McHenry, Baltimore
21. Heartbeat - Ellicot City
22. Jack O'Lantern - Worchester County
23. Der Belznickel - St. Mary's County
24. Black Aggie - Pikesville
25. Lords of the Manor - St. Charles
26. Don't Turn on the Light - Prince George's County

About the 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 Web site AmericanFolklore.net, where she shares a wealth of stories from all fifty states, some dating back to the origins of America. 

About the Illustrator
Paul G. Hoffman trained in painting and printmaking, with his first extensive illustration work on assignment in Egypt, drawing ancient wall reliefs for the University of Chicago. His work graces books of many genres--children's titles, textbooks, short story collections, natural history volumes, and numerous cookbooks. For the Spooky series he employed a scratchboard technique and an active imagination.