Spirits of the West (Narrating the Paranormal Book 2) is the second paranormal anthology produced by WordCrafter and compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth.
I have two short stories in Spirits of the West (Narrating the Paranormal Book 2) which is currently available as an ebook and as a paperback from Amazon US.
Blurb
Spirits of the west are often found in unexpected places. They can be found on a in a saloon in Colorado territory, on a wagon train in the plains of South Africa, or on a distant planet in another galaxy They can be the bringers of revenge or the protectors of the weak. Indulge yourself in eight unique paranormal stories with western spirit in Spirits of the West.
Includes the winning story in the 2020 WordCrafter Paranormal Short Fiction Contest, “Desert Rose“, by Enid Holden. Other contributing authors include Kaye Lynne Booth, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Arthur Rosch, Jeff Bowles, and Tom Johnson.
Extracts
Opening lines of The Thirstyland Journey:
“His cup of tea crashes to the floor as the emancipated figure materialises before his shocked eyes.
The vision’s large blue eyes bulge from a skull that is devoid of flesh and covered by dry and peeling skin. “Water,” her cracked lips form the word with a tongue that is swollen and blackish. “Help us, Reverend, you’re our only hope.”
“Where are you?”
“We are in the Kalahari Desert at Tlakane,” the spirit says weakly and then she is gone.”
Extract from The Termite Mound:
“The termite mound is huge. A reddish coloured mass with one thick section rearing up out of the structure, like a giant figure pointed accusingly towards sky. Glimpsed through the opening in the wagon covering, its long late-afternoon shadow makes Sara shudder involuntarily.
Papa halts the heavy vehicle under a giant baobab tree near the river, approximately 15 cape rood away from the impressive mound. Walking around to the other side, he helps his wife, Darlene, down from the wagon box.
Clutching her precious bundle close to her chest, she pulls back the edge of the blanket and scrutinises the sleeping child’s peaceful face. Just eight months old, Baby Kobus looks bonny and plump in the dim light.
“Thank you, Petrus,” Mama catches twelve-year-old Sara’s eye as she peeps out hopefully. “You can get down, Sara.”
Sara jumps down and then reaches back into the wagon, gently lifting out, first, six-year-old Susanna, and then, four-year-old Clara. Her sisters stamp their feet, delighted to be free from the cloying confines of the wagon which has been jolting and bumping its way through the veld all day.
“Something smells nice,” Susanna breathes deeply, savouring the sweet scent of the showy, white flowers that hang pendulously from the tree.
“We need to set up camp quickly, Darlene,” says Papa. “We’re late stopping for the night, so the men have decided not to make a laager.”
YouTube readings
Lingering Spirit Whispers
Three great WordCrafter paranormal anthologies bundled into one great paranormal anthology set: Whispers of the Past, Spirits of the West, and Where Spirits Linger. Thought provoking short fiction for every lover of ghost stories and paranormal tales.
Contributing authors include Kaye Lynne Booth, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Stevie Turner, Enid Holden, Laurel McHargue, Jeff Bowles, Julie Goodswen, Tom Johnson, Arthur Rosch, S.L. Kretschmer and Christa Planko.
Available here.