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’Round Christmastime, things are a little different on the Emerald Isle. Instead of logs thrown onto the fire, we find turf blazing bright. Instead of cold eggnog spiced just right, the mother and father are enjoying their stout. You’ll find no Donner or Cupid or Blitzen, but Ould Neddy the donkey and his small cart. Father Christmas with his Irish eyes twinkling ushers in his seven elves, to enjoy the poteen and plum pudding and unpack his large sack. And thus begins the wondrous Irish Night Before Christmas.

This humorous tale in the same vein as the famous Cajun Night Before Christmas® is the Irish version of Father Christmas’s yearly visit. Told in delightful brogue, it will have everyone wishing “Nollaig sona agut!” (Merry Christmas to you!).

Father Christmas, with his Irish eyes twinkling, ushers in his seven elves and thus begins this Irish tale.

A Taste of the New Orleans supernatural

A bloody romp through the French Quarter, including over 30 delectable recipes by Chef Chris Dunn

New Orleans is filled with mysteries and legends. Ghosts that haunt our city, rougarou (a werewolf-like creature that dwells in the swamps), and vampires. Maidens who were sent from France in 1721 to help colonize the city but were mysteriously turned to vampires on the ship before their arrival. There are also witches—some with remedies and some with curses. They say New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures. If one delves deep into this melting pot, they may just find the supernatural pulling them in deeper still until the food tastes like their favorite memories of home cooking, the unexpected becomes commonplace, and the sharp pain on their neck has them lusting and longing for their lover. Mosquito–Southern Vampires, originally released one chapter at a time as a penny dreadful, is a melting pot of the supernatural. To help create an immersive, mystical experience, at the end of each chapter is a recipe by Chef Chris Dunn from the New Orleans Vampire Café or the Vampire Apothecary, both located in the mysterious beating heart of the old French Quarter.

Marita Woywod Crandle, author and historian, has a passion for historical fiction. She has written several history books as research for her historical fiction work, including New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend and Josie Arlington’s Storyville: The Life and Times of a New Orleans Madame. Crandle also owns several vampire-themed businesses in the New Orleans French Quarter, including Boutique du Vampyre, and two restaurants, The New Orleans Vampire Café and Boutique du Vampyre’s Apothecary. Both restaurants share the same executive chef, Chef Chris Dunn, who offers many of his recipes in this book. Chef Chris creates meals that are decadently delicious, with elegant presentation—the way a vampire would host his mortal guests.

America's leading authority on Halloween presents interviews with spooky rock groups, amateur vampires, haunted house creators, champion pumpkin carvers, and more, all in the quest of explaining the nation's unique love affair with this holiday. The collection of essays and interviews explores the pop culture phenomenon that is Halloween, and why we celebrate it the way we do today.

Uncover tales of the strange and supernatural in Central Louisiana.

New Orleans doesn’t hold a monopoly on Louisiana’s haunted lore. Souls who brave the shadows along the bayous and byways of Central Louisiana will encounter a haunted heritage centuries in the making. From the legends swirling about Alexandria’s historic Hotel Bentley and the Old Pineville City Hall to an exploration of an abandoned speakeasy in downtown Alexandria, explore the spirted legacy of the Crossroads of Louisiana. 

Who is the lady in the photograph whose mirrored reflection appears headless in a bedroom in Oak Alley Plantation? Why are little girls the only tour visitors to experience the taunting of Chloe, a slave and mistress of the owner of the Myrtles in the 1800s? Whose invisible hand had to be repeatedly pushed away from the owner’s car horn at Chretien Point Plantation before the owner could get a good night’s rest?

The spine-tingling explanations for these events and many others are just waiting to be discovered.

Based on the PBS documentary of the same name that aired across the country, The Haunting of Louisiana showcases many of the stories that would not fit into the one-hour television program. Louisiana’s haunted reputation is spotlighted in the twenty chapters that cover the ghostly escapades and happenings at Oak Alley Plantation, Ormond Plantation, Destrehan Manor, and America’s “most haunted home,” the Myrtles, in St. Francisville, to name a few. The book also includes behind-the-scenes incidents that occurred during the taping of the documentary.

It�s the night before Halloween, and these witches still have many last-minute things to do! In this spooky parody of Clement C. Moore�s famous Christmas poem, the witches are up to their elbows in cobwebs and slime, trying to make sure their witchlings are well prepared for their first Halloween broomstick ride. Featuring witches like Mad-Maud and Snaggle-Tooth-Ruth and plenty of ghouls, zombies, monsters, skeletons, and moldy cellars that will satisfy all Halloween lovers, this good-natured book about these wickedly fun witches will have kids more amused than frightened.

This ghostly guide provides an accessible walk through the history of the Civil War. Quantrill and the Younger gang, the mysterious Baxter Springs Buffalo Soldier, the spooky secrets of Indian Territory, and the Spook Light in Hornet, Missouri, are among some of the haunted highlights included.

Ghosts and spirits abound in western Oregon. The imprints of pioneers, soldiers, prostitutes, and murder victims haunt the places they trod in life, searching for loved ones, reliving joyful times, protecting favorite haunts, and seeking revenge. This guide, history, and comprehensive how-to offers tantalizing information about the lives, deaths, and locales of the Portland area�s lingering past.

Areas include Central Portland, East Portland communities, Vancouver and North Portland, communities south of Portland, and Oregon�s coastal communities. The infamous Shanghai Tunnels have long reverberated with the screams of kidnapped victims, doomed to a brief life of forced servitude. Lone Fir Cemetery is visited to this day by the spirits of the Chinese laborers, mental asylum inmates, and Civil War veterans who rest there. Thelma Taylor can sometimes be felt in Cathedral Park, under the St. John Bridge. Historical hotels still host the spirits of guests who died, sometimes by their own hand. Opera houses and ballrooms tell a happier story: the imprints left by decades of entertainment and energy can be felt even now. These sites, and many others, are vividly described, and entries include locations and contact information.

Informative sections cover what a ghost is, how it can manifest, ideal ghost sighting conditions, and types of imprints. Techniques included are preliminary historical research, physical and mental preparation, and the two primary schools of ghost hunting: the technical and psychic methods. The technical method section covers equipment use and suggestions, and the psychic method section discusses using your intuition and sensitivity to sense phenomena. Helpful appendixes include a sighting report form; suggested readings, videos, and websites; a list of tours and events; and a collection of area museums and historical societies.

Twelve-year-old Gracie Watson is unusually—some might even say morbidly—excited about her upcoming move to Savannah, one of the most haunted cities in the country.

Gracie isn’t one to make friends with the living, but she quickly bonds with a graveyard groundskeeper’s son, who vows to help her on her quest. Together, they set out to find the ghost of another Gracie Watson, who happens to be buried at Bonaventure Cemetery. Like any great adventure, what they find is nothing like what they expected.

Haunted Islands of San Francisco Bay: Ghosts, Crime, and Dark Histories

Alcatraz, Alameda, Mare Island, Angel Island, Yerba Buena, and Treasure Island loom out of the dark waters of San Francisco Bay. Even when they aren’t shrouded in mist, the islands are haunted by a past swirling with criminal violence, fatal epidemic, environmental disaster, and explosive sabotage. From an infernal duel on Angel Island to the cursed cells of Alcatraz and the Old 84 naval prison, Jeff Dwyer steers adventurous readers through a haunted history full of phantom ships and open graves. 

Witch? Sorceress? Daughter of Satan? Murderer? Thief? Saint? Which label best fits Marie Laveau?

Queen of the voodoos, she is considered to have been the most important voodooienne ever to have reigned on this continent.

Robert Tallant, well known for his fine stories of the South, including Voodoo in New Orleans and Gumbo Ya-Ya, attempted to make use of all available facts and information in re-creating the life of this infamous woman. Marie Laveau, the last and most storied American sorceress, continues to weave her spell as those who read this fascinating portrait will discover.

All new story in this second edition of the collective tales of Bayou Bogeyman Presents Hoodoo and Voodoo.

The night might have started as a normal camping trip, but it soon becomes a nightmare from the swamp when a group of students are joined by the Bayou Bogeyman! With their teacher missing and no way home, the children have no choice but to play the Bogeyman's twisted game: tell a campfire story spooky enough to satisfy the monster's appetite or get eaten alive! This supernatural collection features spine-tingling tales from nine different Louisiana writers, each with their own share of screams to add to the trove of Southern lore. Lock the door, grab a flashlight, and pull the blankets over your head, because you're in for the fright of your life!

New paperback edition from Pelican Publishing!

"Robert Tallant speaks with authority . . ." —New York Times

"Straightforward handling of sensational times and tricksters, of the cult of voodooism in all its manifestations. From its first known appearances in New Orleans of 200 years ago, here are the . . . rites and dances, the cures, charms and gris-gris. Here were the witchdoctors and queens, and in particular Doctor John . . . and Marie Laveau.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Much nonsense has been written about voodoo in New Orleans. . . . Here is a truthful and definitive picture." —Lyle Saxon

The word “voodoo” elicits reactions from fear to fascination; thoughts of pins stuck in dolls, hexes, and strange rites immediately come to mind. But few people know the true origin of voodooism or anything about its practice in America, particularly New Orleans. This examination of voodoo rites and beliefs is sure to fascinate every reader.

Originally published in 1946, this intriguing book examines the rites and beliefs associated with voodoo through the legends of the art—its charms, trances, rituals, and difficult-to-explain occurrences.

Robert Tallant was one of Louisiana’s best-known authors. Born in New Orleans in 1909, he attended the city’s local public schools. Before “drifting” into writing, Tallant worked as an advertising copywriter, a bank teller, and a clerk. It was his friendship with Lyle Saxon that led Tallant to his position as editor on the Louisiana WPA Writers’ Project during the 1930s and 1940s. In that position, he coauthored Gumbo Ya-Ya: Folk Tales of Louisiana with Lyle Saxon and Edward Dreyer.

By 1948, Tallant’s career had launched, and over the next eleven years he produced eight novels, six full-length works of nonfiction, and numerous short stories and articles on subjects of local interest. He is also known to have corresponded with, as well as applied to, the Julius Rosenwald Fund for a fellowship in creative writing. During the last years of his life, he was a lecturer in English at Newcomb College as well as a reporter for the New Orleans Item. Robert Tallant died in 1957.

Hunted by vampires and haunted by lovers, Jake Campbell must survive New Orleans’ darkest secrets—or be buried with them

The supernatural world of the French Quarter quickly sucked Jake Campbell in and just as quickly spit him out. Now running from vampires and former lovers, Jake finds himself in Texas, where he discovers he’s not just a magnet for mayhem—he’s also a beacon for vampires, no matter what state he’s in. Jake teams up with two unusual vampire hunters against his better judgment, and the three head back to New Orleans to put an end to the Casket Girls, who Jake believes are still held captive in the convent attic. While it may seem like Jake has things under control, he soon finds out he should never underestimate vampires and scorned women...

Halloween is one of the most exciting days of the year for students. Imaginations—and children—run amok, fueled by thoughts of pumpkins, trick-or-treat plans, and sugar highs. But at school, their teachers dread the yearly shenanigans, and this year, the students have started celebrating a day early. With princesses running a tiara trade ring in the girls’ bathroom and a laser sword battle among fourth-grade space rangers, the kids are quickly taking control of the school!

           When a group of fifth-grade monsters tie up two first-graders and prepare to eat them, the teachers are ready to call it quits! It’s up to the students and their parents to show the teachers a new kind of Halloween and give them a holiday treat they’ll never forget.

Now in paperback! A secret American Army unit made up of actors, writers, artists, and set designers and relying on dummy equipment played a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Known as the Ghost Army and trained in the art of military deception, the Twenty-third Headquarters Special Troops launched its unique mission in France shortly after the Normandy invasion. Its goal: to confuse, mislead, and deceive the German Army.

Using top-secret government files declassified in 1996 and extensive interviews with many of the participants, author Jack Kneece recounts in these pages this remarkable story of military boldness and ingenuity—all carried out under the strictest secrecy.

A contingent of only 1,100 men, the Twenty-third regularly assumed the identities of much larger, more heavily armed units in its effort to confound the enemy by simulating large concentrations of men and materiel. It did so by using dummy tanks, trucks, and artillery, fake aircraft, and even cast-iron paratroopers. Phony radio traffic and convincing sound effects added to the illusion.

German soldiers referred to the unit as “the Phantom Army,” noting that at one moment it might be poised in front of them, and minutes later it could be attacking from the flank or the rear. It was, in a word, deception—skillful, calculated deception on a grand military scale.

Distinctive demises and bizarre burials of the Southern states.



Inspired by actual newspaper articles, these disturbing and bizarre accounts explore the macabre, and sometimes humorous, instances of death and dying.

The tragedy of death and burial is eclipsed by graveyard gossip and unbelievable stories of mishaps. Some demises were distinctive in their ridiculousness, some in their atrocity, and some in their stupidity. Egregious murders and suicides highlight the barbaric nature of humanity—husbands killing wives, children killing children, and people killing themselves—and yet the horror of these crimes equally matches the absurdity of the acts. 

From failed hangings to lynch mobs, ghostly inhabitants to vampire cults, this collection of stories revels in these incredible historical accounts. It is indeed a ghastly grab bag of tales, both ludicrous and laughable. 

Keven McQueen teaches composition and world literature at Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned an MA in English after receiving his BA from Berea College. McQueen has written more than twelve books, spanning such genres as true crime and mystery. He has appeared on Darkness Radio, 30 Odd Minutes, Crime City Central, and The Fringe Radio Show to discuss his true-crime stories and to quench listeners’ morbid curiosities. McQueen is also the author of The Axman Came from Hell and Other Southern True Crime Stories, published by Pelican. 

When Mama Witch concocts a special Halloween soup for her Little Witch, she adds eye of newt, spit of bug, and hair of slug. But Little Witch turns up her tiny nose at the culinary creation. She prefers such sticky sweets as butter toffee, caramel dandy, and cotton candy. Can these picky eaters come to a compromise? Complete with a recipe for Halloween soup, this fun read is a treat for children and parents alike.

J is for jack-o'-lantern in this spooky ABC book.