A native of East Bend, North Carolina, Michael Renegar is a graduate of Appalachian State University where he lived in a dorm reputed to be haunted. He began researching local haunts with friends and recording their experiences. Always interested in family lore, he began adding these tales to his collection. In Roadside Revenants, the author and his plucky band of ghost chasers have done the footwork and researched many of the haunted locations in western North Carolina and the Piedmont.

The twenty-plus stories in this new collection by Michael Renegar, author of Roadside Revenants and Other North Carolina Ghosts and Legends, range geographically from the coast to the mountains of North Carolina. Some are retellings of classic Tar Heel ghost stories and legends while others stem from the personal experiences of the author and his friends and family. Some stories are of the supernatural, some interesting curiosities, and others are just plain weird. Read about the ghost of a Revolutionary War hero, a haunted road in Forsyth County, a vengeful spirit trapped in a gold mine, and more. Whether read around a campfire or in the safety of your own home, these tales are sure to leave your spine tingling.

Nancy Roberts has often been described to as the "First Lady of American Folklore" and the title is well deserved. Throughout her decades-long career, Roberts documented supernatural experiences and interviewed hundreds of people about their recollections of encounters with the supernatural. This nationally renowned writer began her undertaking in this ghostly realm as a freelance writer for the Charlotte Observer. Encouraged by Carl Sandburg, who enjoyed her stories and articles, Roberts wrote her first book in 1958. Aptly called a "custodian of the twilight zone" by Southern Living magazine, Roberts based her suspenseful stories on interviews and her rich knowledge of American folklore. Her stories were always rooted in history, which earned her a certificate of commendation from the American Association of State and Local History for her books on the Carolinas and Appalachia.

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for twenty-five creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences in North Carolina.

The eastern side of the Smokies abounds with spooky tales, like the story of a Shadow Woman who appeared to a farmer each morning and evening to beg for a cup of milk. Skinned Tom is another East Tennessee haunt, though his is a sinister tale that warns the unfaithful to steer clear of local lover’s lanes for their illicit trysting. From the farmer who finds a Cavern of Skulls to a moonshiner who makes a deal with a water demon; and the Half Shaved ghost seeking vengeance to the first (and only) meeting of the Asheville Ghost Club, the Great Smoky Mountains and its foothills abound with spooky tales. My favorites are in this collection.

Pull up a chair or gather 'round the campfire and get ready for creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past! Appalachia folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S.E. Schlosser and through artist Paul G. Hoffman's evocative illustrations. You'll meet ghosts and witches, hear things that go bump in the night, and feel an icy wind on the back of your neck on a warm summer evening. The stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.

Read your way across North Carolina's Piedmont in the second of a series of regional guides that bring the state's rich literary history to life for travelers and residents. Eighteen tours direct readers to sites that more than two hundred Tar Heel authors have explored in their fiction, poetry, plays, and creative nonfiction. Along the way, excerpts chosen by author Georgann Eubanks illustrate a writer's connection to a specific place or reveal intriguing local culture--insights rarely found in travel guidebooks. Featured authors include O. Henry, Doris Betts, Alex Haley, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, John Hart, Betty Smith, Edward R. Murrow, Patricia Cornwell, Carson McCullers, Maya Angelou, Lee Smith, Reynolds Price, and David Sedaris. Literary Trails is an exciting way to see anew the places that you already love and to discover new people and places you hadn't known about. The region's rich literary heritage will surprise and delight all readers.