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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.
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 husband-and-wife folklorists Randy Russell and Janet
Barnett have gone to the dogs. Digging deeply through the rich
field of Southern folklore, the authors have discovered that a
dog's devotion to its human does not always end at the grave. Dogs
can be as peculiar as people. Their relationship with humans is
complex. In story after story from Southern homes, there is strong
evidence that this relationship can extend beyond death. Do dogs
return from the other side to comfort and aid their human
companions? You bet your buried bones they do. In Ghost Dogs
of the South, you'll meet the following: A stray dog that warns
Kentucky coal miners of impending disaster; a literary critic of a
dog with the gift of speech; a dog-snatching mermaid on the
Mississippi River; a Tennessee dog that returns year after year to
go trick-or-treating; a pair of Georgia hounds that stumble upon an
enchanted woods; a girl whose pain is eased by the ghost of a
butterfly dog. Dog ghosts (dogs that have become ghosts), ghost
dogs (humans who return as ghosts in the shape of dogs), dogs that
see ghosts, dogs that are afraid of ghosts—all make an appearance
in these twenty stories that illuminate the shadow side of man's
best friend. 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. "Alternately eerie, funny, tragic and sentimental .
. . These tales will undoubtedly delight dog lovers and will not
fail to charm even the most dour skeptics of supernatural
phenomena." —Publishers Weekly
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