In the hills of Appalachia, folks tell all kinds of stories to keep the children in line. Sometimes, these devilishly wicked tales are little more than innocent make-believe. Sometimes the absurd and the unexplained come together to teach morals and lessons that are passed down through the years. Sometimes, what you find at the end of a dark path, or within an abandoned cabin, or at the top of an old, decaying staircase, will scare some sense into you and equip you with a healthy dose of fear and caution as you walk about your daily life.


And then there are times when the stories seem so real, a little voice inside you urges you to turn back, rather than turn the page. It's those stories-like the ones in this collection-that beckon you into a world of dark mystery and unadulterated horror. These are the tales that sometimes teach us there are scarier things in the world than ghosts and haints. Sometimes, the scariest things in the woods come from within us. From the depths of our own natures. From our secret sins.



WITCHES OF THE WOOD is a collection of eight short stories from authors born and raised in Appalachia-including bestselling young adult novelist Bekah Harris (Iron Crown Faerie Tales) and social media sensation J. Warren Welch (That's Not Poetry)-that are sure to tingle your spine and make you think twice about sleeping with the lights off tonight.