O’Fallon Author Releases Collection of Spooky Stories Just in Time for Halloween

Editor's Note: Carole Lanham is of no relation to O'Fallon Patch Editor Jordan Lanham. 

If you’re looking for a spooky story that’s more psychological mystery than blood and gore, local author Carole Lanham’s latest collection may be for you.

The O’Fallon author’s second book, The Whisper Jar, a collection of short horror stories all revolving around secrets, hits shelves Tuesday.

“I’d say it’s dark fiction, not like gross horror,” Lanham said. “It’s more twilight zone. “

All of the stories in The Whisper Jar center around children in different time periods.

Lanham said one of her favorites, "The Good Part," was one of the first stories she published. The story is about a brother and sister and a mysterious vampire visitor who comes to their farm.

The Whisper Jar is geared toward teenage and adult readers. Lanham said they’re not kid stories, even though some may read a little like a child’s book.

“My daughter is 15, and I’m not sure I’m going to let her read all of them, not that they’re that bad, but they’re definitely not for kids,” Lanham said.

The mother of two said she has always been interested in writing, but it wasn’t until her children were in school that she quit her job as a special needs preschool teacher and focused on writing full time.  

Lanham grew up in Hazelwood reading classic scary stories such as Dracula and Frankenstein, but she said she didn’t set out to write horror fiction—the stories just seemed to take a dark twist as they poured from her head to the paper.

“People are always surprised, I’m a Girl Scout leader and room mother at school, and they’re always surprised I write scary stories,” Lanham said.

Lanham said she draws her inspiration from history and traveling, but often it’s something small such as a photo of an old lighthouse on a friend’s Facebook page, that gets her wheels turning for a story idea.

The O’Fallon author has published 24 short stories and another book and has won numerous awards for her work since 2004.

Her advice to other aspiring writers is to set small goals and make time for writing as regularly as possible—even if it’s just an hour a day.

“I’ve had a lot of luck I think just by starting out with little goals,” Lanham said. “It’s not huge stuff but it’s big stuff for me.”

You can order The Whisper Jar on Amazon, Smashwords and Morrigan Books.

To learn more about Carole Lanham, visit her websites, carolelanham.com and horrorhomemaker.com.