For centuries, the mountains of western North Carolina have inspired wonder and awe. It was only natural that man, after gazing at such scenic wonders, would turn some of the mystery he felt into legend. Sometimes these legends attempted to explain natural phenomena, sometimes they attempted to explain an occurrence that appeared to be supernatural, and sometimes they grew up around the eccentric characters that were drawn to the isolation of these mysterious hills. This collection of eighteen stories presents some of the mystery and awe that the mountains convey, and it may alter your perception of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains forever. You may never stand atop Roan Mountain during a storm without thinking you hear a ghostly choir. You may gaze at the top of Chimney Rock during a hazy summer afternoon and wonder if it really is a ghostly cavalry fight you see. If you spend the night near High Hampton, you may find yourself listening for the call of the lonesome white owl. If you stand at Wiseman's View, you will probably think that you, too, can see the Brown Mountain Lights. Standing atop Clingman's Dome, you may wonder if there really is an enchanted lake where animals flock to heal their wounds somewhere in the valley below. And you will always wonder if the fly you hear on your mountain walk means that Spearfinger is lurking nearby. For several years, folklorists Randy Russell and Janet Barnett have taught a course about Southern folklore at the North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Russell is also the author of several mysteries, including Edgar Award nominee Hot Wire. They live in Asheville, North Carolina.

Award-winning "ghostlorist" Randy Russell admits to being flummoxed by cats. Some cats will give you whisker kisses or sit with you when you're sick. Others will invite you to rub them, then take a swipe at you, claws out. Some might do any of the above, depending on which way the wind is blowing. Visits from departed pets are easily the most common ghost experiences. And cats refuse to be left out of most anything. Ghost Cats of the South reveals that felines' beloved complexity continues well beyond the grave. In this haunting and entertaining volume, readers will meet the following: A cat smelling of chicken soup that saves a pair of street musicians in Kentucky; a face-hungry Mississippi cat that inhabits the seats of a vintage 1956 Chevy Bel Air; a porcelain cat that inspires girls at a North Carolina summer camp to reveal cherished secrets; a South Carolina feline that becomes part of a batch of moonshine; a piano-playing cat that fulfills the Thanksgiving wish of a Georgia grocery-store magnate; a soot-covered Louisiana cat whose fiery mission is to enforce a no-smoking ban; a Virginia cat that must get its owner his glasses before his coffin is sealed. Good ghost cats, bad ghost cats, ghost cats in their many manifestations and moods—you'll meet them all in these twenty-two stories that the cats dragged in. Randy Russell is the Edgar-nominated author of several books and collections of short stories, and co-authored, with his wife Janet Barnett, two volumes of southern Appalachian folklore and the highly popular Ghost Dogs of the South. Russell presents ghost-lore programs to groups large and small across the South. He and his wife live outside Asheville, North Carolina.