Are you like me, do you love a ghost story, especially at Halloween? One of my favorite memories of teaching 5th and 6th graders was choosing the class novels -- especially at Halloween. RL Stine was always in demand! That's probably why I wrote these ghost stories. Because I love reading them.
Just for the record, I still love ghost stories. Joyland, by Stephen King, was quite a treat. Now, I'm on Doctor Sleep (and loving it). And aside from reading about them, writing about Stevie's ghosts was a blast. Scary? Yep, sometimes -- check out the first meeting with the Phantom Pilot in book one, or the little mirror-phantom in book two. Better yet, crawl in the tent with Stevie and the babydoll in book three -- if you're feeling brave! What have you got to lose, except for a few hours reading time, and maybe a loss of sleep . . . and when you've finished the trio, send me an email. Tell me which ghost was your favorite.
A trio of ghostly tales all in one book ~ The Phantom Series ~ just in time for
Halloween http://tinyurl.com/mjslkax $2.99
OR if you've already read one or more of the tales, you can pick up the others for only .99 each ~ links below!
Title: The Phantom Series (3 books)
Author: Ann Swann
Genre(s): Ghost stories, MG, YA, mystery
Book One: Stevie-girl
and the Phantom Pilot
TAGLINE:
No matter who
dares you, no matter what lures you, do not go in the spooky old house…
BLURB:
When a small
planes crashes behind Jase's rural home, strange things begin to happen. But no
one believes him. After all, there's no such thing as a ghost, right?
Then he sees his pretty, quiet schoolmate, Stevie-girl, about to enter
the legendary haunted house, and he knows if anyone can help him solve the
mystery, she's the one.
Book Two: Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student
Tagline:
Bullies, freaks, and phantoms inhabit the abandoned
elementary school. Would you go inside to help out a friend?
Blurb:
Stevie
asks Jase to help her find out why the ghost of a girl keeps appearing in her
mirror. They think it has something to do with the new student at their school,
a boy who has Tourette syndrome. Both the new kid and the new phantom
seem to need some kind of help. When the new kid falls prey to the school
bullies, Stevie knows they must act. But will they be too late, or will a
tragic moment in their school's history be repeated on Halloween night?
Book Three: Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby
Bridge
Tagline:
Stevie-girl and her best friend, Jase, are phantom magnets. Whenever
they are together, the doorway between this world and the next swings slightly
open.
Blurb:
The summer his parents treat them to a camping trip in New
Mexico, the two friends can’t wait to visit the legendary Crybaby Bridge. Right away, they hear the crying baby. Is it a phantom, or is someone playing tricks
on them?
As the two friends scour the campgrounds for answers, they
discover that phantoms are not the only secrets the nearby town has kept hidden
for over 60 years. They also discover
things about each other, and about Stevie’s family history, that will force
their relationship to a whole new level—a level from which there may be no
return.
The Interview
1. I got the idea for this book late one night when a small
plane flew over my house and then went silent.
I jumped up from the computer and ran outside to see if it had
crashed. It had not. I didn’t see a thing. But I dashed back inside and wrote a short story,
which I called The Escort. It won several awards for short fiction, and
then I turned it into a novella, which is now Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot.
The short story is included in the novella—except now, it belongs to
Jase.
2. I wrote the story in one evening. Then, when it became successful, I went back
and lengthened it in just a few days.
The thing seemed to write itself.
Appropriate for a ghost story, wouldn’t you say? Books two and three went almost as fast. It seems that Stevie girl isn’t through with
me yet. I pretty sure there will be a
book four, and possibly more.
3. When I wrote the short story, I had no target
audience. It just came out onto the
page. Later, when I wrote the rest of
the story, I intentionally aimed it at tweens because I taught that age group
for many years—and I know how they love anything spooky!
4. A couple of different reviewers have compared this series
to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. I’m quite flattered by the
comparisons! In truth though, I’ve tried
to incorporate a bit of reality into the books.
In book one, for example, there is the underlying theme of loneliness. In book two, school bullying and being
different takes center stage, and in book three, jealousy is examined. Furthermore, due to the 1960s-1970s time
period, the Vietnam War wraps around the entire series like an invisible
blanket.
5. Is there anyone in the book like me? Well, yes.
Stevie is my idealistic self. I
only wish I were half as brave! I will
admit that her hometown is based on the one where I grew up. Even the brick streets are the same—and the
music store? It was my home away from
home.
Reviews:
Stevie-girl and the
Phantom Pilot (Book One)
“ A touching tale with just enough fright!”
“Ann Swann took me back in
time! The characters were so easy to identify with. As a retired Jr high
reading teacher, I would have loved using The Phantom Pilot as a class novel.
So many teaching and learning activities could be used with this novel. I loved
it and cannot wait for the sequel.”
“I
loved this book and so did my daughter!”
Stevie-girl and the Phantom
Student (Book Two)
“A
must read sequel!”
“A
captivating series . . .”
“Ann
Swann does it again. Rarely does a sequel measure up to the first, but The
Phantom Student is a gleaming exception!”
Stevie-girl and the Phantom of
Crybaby Bridge (Book Three)
“An
enchanting mystery!”
“Book
#3 is as good as the rest. Bring on #4!”
“Teenage
ghost hunters!”
Sara Barnard: Author of An Everlasting Heart Series
