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Appalachian Folk Beliefs

Seeds of Belief & Plant Lore

Cherokee Myths

WHAT THEY"RE SAYING:

"A stunning and emotionally intense addition to the haunted house sub-genre, Nicholson’s personality-driven house of horrors combines the atmospheric uneasiness of such classic fear novels as The Haunting Of Hill House and The House Next Door."-- William P. Simmons, Cemetery Dance

"Scott Nicholson has the most serious ambitions to write truly literate horror stories the genre has seen since the emergence of Peter Straub."-- Garrett Peck, Dark Fluidity

"Fans of Bentley Little and Peter Straub will love this old fashioned ghost story that will scare readers half to death."-- Harriet Klausner, Baryon Magazine

"The love child of Stephen King and Sharyn McCrumb."-- The Mountain Times

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THE MANOR: Synopsis

After parapsychologist Anna Galloway is diagnosed with metastatic cancer, she has a recurring dream in which she sees her own ghost. The setting of her dream is the historic Korban Manor, which is now an artist’s retreat in the remote Appalachian Mountains. Drawn both by the ghost stories surrounding the manor and her own sense of destiny, Anna signs up for the retreat.

Sculptor Mason Jackson has come to Korban Manor to make a final, all-or-nothing attempt at success before giving up his dreams. When he becomes obsessed with carving Ephram Korban’s form out of wood, he questions his motivation but is swept up in a creative frenzy unlike any he has ever known.

Sylva Hartley is an old mountain witchwoman who is connected to Ephram Korban both before and after his death. Her knowledge of Appalachian folk spells and potions has bound her to the manor in a deeper and darker way. Sylva harbors a family secret that refuses to stay slumbering in its grave.

The manor itself has secrets, with fires that blaze constantly in the hearths, portraits of Korban in every room, and deceptive mirrors on the walls. The house’s brooding atmosphere affects the creative visions of the visiting artists. A mysterious woman in white calls to Anna from the forest, while Mason is driven by the whispers of an unseen critic. With an October blue moon looming, both the living and the dead learn the true power of their dreams.

It’s a power that Korban craves for himself, because he walks a shadowy land where passions burn cold and even the ghosts are haunted.