Beneath the Stairs

The Douglas Town Chronicles #2

by Ginger G. Howard

The old house isn't done with them yet!It's hard enough navigating the anxiety-inducing horrors of high school as a teenager in 1982, but Gwen Evans has it worse! Bullied by day, terrible dreams by night, and increasingly powerful psychic visions... freshman year isn't shaping up the way it was supposed to.

That previous summer, Gwen and her friends thought they'd solved the mystery of the abandoned Victorian house, so how could they have known that by closing one door, they would be opening another?

Now they must return to set things right... and all before the full moon on Halloween.

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2022

About the author

I started submitting poetry to national contests while in high school, with several honorable mentions and inclusions in anthologies published for libraries. During this time, I started writing short stories, and completed my first novel “Beyond the Horizon”. I attended San Diego State University with a major in Comparative Literature - my hope to make a career out of writing. A talent for singing and my penchant for poetry segued into a musical collaboration wherein I met my husband. We later formed a band called Saratoga Park and recorded a couple of CD's. During this time, I submitted that first novel to a YA Scholastic Book contest, with no glory so I set it aside and didn’t pursue it further. For fun, after we had our first son, I wrote a children's novel, that my graphic artist husband illustrated, entitled "French Fries in the Fountain”. Fast forward through jobs that paid the bills and raising two boys, to this last decade where I found myself knee deep in genealogical research. I pursued writing again by way of a blog called Ancestral Tides, where I published my findings through historical narratives. This passionate endeavor led me to the discovery of a family trauma that really touched me. In regards to sharing this story somehow, the Covid-19 quarantine had me asking myself, “If not NOW, when?” That, combined with some fascinating local historical finds, spurred me on to write the ghost story, "Under the Tracks" - the first novel in The Douglas Town Chronicles. Since then I’ve published two more in the series. While I hammer away on book four, my co-worker Mae, a 5 yr. old Yorkie mix, is in charge of promotion and advertising. She does her best to keep up with social media, but because she is willing to work for squeaky toys, she is also easily distracted.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a series by author Ginger G. Howard and the second one I have read. It is a continuation of the life of young teenager Gwen Evans, her friends and their struggles with high school and their supernatural experiences. It highlights the pure excitement of young love and brings me back in time. My description of this book is that it is joyfully intriguing. Enjoyable.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Finished September 4)

A good continuation of the story from the first book. This has more character development and more of the supernatural.

Some parts were a bit slow but otherwise it was an entertaining "cozy haunting" read.