What makes a supernatural mystery linger in your imagination long after you've finished reading? Author E.M. Wallis explores the ideas behind GHOSTED, the appeal of short ghost stories and why the unexplained continues to fascinate him.

There's something particularly unsettling about the possibility that the world isn't quite as ordinary as we believe.

We go about our lives surrounded by familiar things. We follow routines, visit familiar places and generally assume that what we see is what we get. Most of the time, we don't question the reality of the world around us but every so often, something makes us hesitate.

An unexpected sound in an empty room. A fleeting movement at the edge of our vision. A coincidence that seems just a little too extraordinary to dismiss.

Usually, we find a perfectly reasonable explanation.

But what if we don't?

That question lies at the heart of my fascination with supernatural fiction, and it's one of the reasons I wrote GHOSTED, my supernatural mystery short story.

I wanted to explore the uncomfortable space between what we know, what we believe and what might be possible when the ordinary world begins to behave in extraordinary ways.

And I wanted to do it in a story that readers could enjoy in a single sitting.

Introducing GHOSTED

Some mysteries refuse to remain in the past.

GHOSTED is a supernatural mystery for readers who enjoy atmospheric storytelling, unsettling questions and the gradual discovery that something isn't quite right.

Rather than relying entirely on horror, I wanted the story to capture the curiosity that draws us towards the unexplained.

For me, a good supernatural mystery should do more than make readers feel uneasy. It should make them ask questions, consider possibilities and want to discover what lies beneath the surface.

There's a particular satisfaction in following a mystery as apparently unrelated details begin to connect. Something that seemed insignificant suddenly becomes important. An assumption is challenged. A new possibility emerges.

And somewhere along the way, the reader begins to wonder whether the explanation will be entirely rational.

That's the kind of experience I enjoy creating.

Discover GHOSTED on Amazon

Why I chose to write a short supernatural mystery

Writing a short story is a very different experience from writing a novel.

In a novel, there's room to develop several characters, introduce subplots and allow the central mystery to unfold gradually. A short story demands greater discipline. Every scene needs to contribute something, and the reader must become invested in the situation relatively quickly.

That presents an interesting challenge for supernatural fiction.

Atmosphere takes time to establish, but a short story doesn't have the luxury of spending several chapters preparing the ground. The writer needs to introduce something intriguing, develop a sense of uncertainty and maintain the reader's curiosity without allowing the pace to falter.

I enjoy that challenge.

A shorter story encourages you to think carefully about what the reader really needs to know. Sometimes, a single detail can suggest an entire history. A brief exchange can reveal something important about a character. An unanswered question can become more compelling than a lengthy explanation.

And when the supernatural enters the picture, suggestion can be particularly powerful.

The reader's imagination is often the writer's greatest ally.

The difference between horror and supernatural mystery

Although ghost stories and supernatural mysteries are frequently grouped together with horror, I don't believe they're quite the same thing.

Horror often aims to provoke fear, shock or dread. Supernatural mystery may contain those elements, but its central attraction is frequently the desire to understand something inexplicable.

Why is this happening?

Who or what is responsible?

And what truth is waiting to be uncovered?

Those questions are what interest me most as a writer.

I enjoy stories in which the supernatural becomes part of a larger puzzle, particularly when the mystery is connected to recognisable human experiences.

People have secrets. They make mistakes. They conceal things from others and sometimes from themselves. They carry regrets and memories that influence their decisions long after the original events have passed.

Introduce something unexplained into those circumstances, and the possibilities become fascinating.

A ghost doesn't necessarily need to be terrifying to be interesting.

Sometimes, the more compelling question is why it might be there at all.

Making the ordinary feel unsettling

One of my favourite techniques in supernatural storytelling is taking something familiar and gradually making it feel unfamiliar.

An empty house is simply an empty house until someone hears footsteps upstairs.

An old photograph is just a photograph until something appears in it that shouldn't be there.

A telephone call is an everyday occurrence until the person speaking should have been dead for decades.

That last idea forms the basis of my novel The Last Caller, but the broader principle influences much of my supernatural writing.

I find the intrusion of the extraordinary into ordinary life more interesting than creating a world in which everything is supernatural from the beginning.

When readers recognise a situation, they can imagine themselves experiencing it and that's when the mystery becomes personal. It's no longer simply a question of what might happen to a fictional character.

It's a question of what we would do if the same thing happened to us.

Why atmosphere matters

I've always believed that the most effective supernatural stories allow the atmosphere to do some of the work. A writer doesn't necessarily need to describe something frightening in detail. Sometimes, it's enough to create the impression that something is wrong.

A room feels different for no obvious reason. Someone behaves strangely. A familiar place suddenly seems threatening.

Small disturbances can be remarkably effective because they invite the reader to participate. We begin looking for explanations. We notice details. We anticipate what might happen next and anticipation can be far more unsettling than the event itself.

In my writing, I try to balance that atmosphere with a mystery that gives readers a reason to keep turning the pages. I want the story to create questions, but I also want the characters and their circumstances to matter.

Because even when the events are extraordinary, the emotional experiences should feel real.

The challenge of leaving readers wanting more

One of the pleasures of short fiction is that it can be read in a single sitting. There's something satisfying about beginning a story, becoming absorbed in its mystery and reaching the conclusion without having to put the book down.

However, that creates another challenge for the writer. How do you make a relatively brief encounter with fictional characters feel worthwhile?

For me, the answer lies in giving the reader something to think about. A story doesn't necessarily need to explain every detail of its supernatural world. It does, however, need to deliver a satisfying experience and make the central mystery worth following.

I enjoy the idea that readers might finish GHOSTED, close their Kindle and spend a few moments considering what they've just read.

Perhaps they'll think about the characters. Perhaps they'll reconsider something that happened earlier in the story or perhaps they'll simply glance towards the nearest darkened doorway.

I'd be quite happy with any of those reactions.

What readers are saying about GHOSTED

One of the most rewarding parts of publishing independently is hearing directly from readers.

Writing can be a solitary occupation. You spend hours developing characters, revising sentences and trying to decide whether a particular scene achieves what you intended.

Then someone reads the finished story and shares their reaction.

A Goodreads reviewer described GHOSTED as:

"This short paranormal thriller kept me on my toes and turning the page!"

It's encouraging to know that the story has connected with a reader in the way I'd hoped.

Reviews also make a real difference to independent authors. They help potential readers decide whether a book might appeal to them, and they provide valuable feedback for the person who wrote it.

If you've already read  I'd love to hear what you thought.

And if you haven't, perhaps it's time to discover what all the mystery is about.

Where GHOSTED fits into my writing

Although my supernatural stories explore different situations, they share a fascination with the unexplained and the secrets people carry.

In Whispers in the Fog, Lillie's psychic visions draw her into a murder mystery on the atmospheric Misthaven Island, where her extraordinary experiences threaten to make her a suspect.

In The Last Caller, helpline operator Jacob receives a mysterious telephone call that leads him towards a decades-old investigation and disturbing revelations about his own past.

And in GHOSTED, I've taken the opportunity to explore supernatural mystery in a shorter form.

Each offers a different reading experience, but all reflect the things that continue to fascinate me as a storyteller.

The uncertainty of the unexplained.

The complexity of human behaviour.

And the possibility that the past isn't always as distant as we imagine.

Discover GHOSTED

If you enjoy ghost stories, paranormal mysteries and fiction that makes you question what might be hiding beneath the surface of ordinary life, I'd love you to give GHOSTED a try.

It's a shorter journey into my imagination, written for readers who enjoy an intriguing mystery with a supernatural edge.

Read GHOSTED on Amazon

And if you enjoy it, please consider leaving an honest review. Every review helps another reader discover the story and makes a difference to an independent author.

One Final Question

What do you enjoy most about supernatural mysteries?

Is it the possibility of encountering something that cannot be explained? The atmosphere of an unsettling location? Or the satisfaction of uncovering a secret that someone desperately wanted to keep hidden?

I'd love to hear your thoughts - you can contact me here.

Because the thing I find most fascinating about supernatural fiction is that, however much we learn about the world, there will always be room for one more question.

What if?

E.M. Wallis

Author of Whispers in the Fog, GHOSTED and The Last Caller