Ghosts in the library

If you happen to have read my blog post about Hallowe'en, you will know that I spent 31st October as "Writer in Residence" at Innerpeffray Library, Scotland's oldest lending library. Sitting in the upper reading room, with its charming view into the kirkyard, I spent the day composing a series of three ghost stories connected by an overarching narrative. The same evening, I read them aloud to an audience in the library, by the light of artificial candles (real naked flames being inadvisable next to all those antiquarian books). All the stories are set in and around the library and the neighbouring kirkyard of Innerpeffray, so it made for an atmospheric evening, especially as the audience had to leave via a path that runs alongside the kirkyard in question, with its mossy graves!

I wrote the stories to increase awareness of Innerpeffray Library - which is a fabulous and uniquely literary local attraction - and also in hopes of helping to raise funds for it. I am therefore very pleased to say that Ghost Stories of Innerpeffray is now available from the library as an exclusive chapbook. You can order it here: Innerpeffray library shop. It costs £5 plus postage (orders from outside the UK also accepted).

The three stories are:
Nick's Story: The Spell -  in which a scholar inadvertently repeats an ancient incantation aloud;
Lilith's Story: The Unreturned Volume - a tale to delight a librarian's heart: retribution falls upon someone who fails to return a book;
and
Jude's Story: The Book Of Fate - it's dangerous to read - but which book is it?

If you would like a taster of the stories, a single one - Lilith's Story - is available in a free audio version here: Lilith's Story audio. You can listen to it, share it, or download it to listen to later - all completely free. If you enjoy that sample, do consider buying the chapbook to help support Innerpeffray Library!

Above: the library is the white building on the left; the other is the chapel. 

As you can see, the library really does look straight out onto the kirkyard!