Something was there

A recently discovered Daphne du Maurier tale as well as new stories by Polly Samson and Naomi Alderman are included in this ghost-themed short story collection

Nothing was changed, nothing at all, and yet it began to seem to me that something was there . . .

The Asham Short Stories Award, founded to encourage and promote new writing, is the only short story competition whose winners and runners-up are published alongside well-known women writers. This year's theme, Ghosts and Gothic, was chosen in honor of contest judge Sarah Waters, from whose ghostly novel The Little Stranger the title of the collection comes. Polly Samson, author of Perfect Lives and Lying in Bed, was also a judge, as was the publisher of Virago. These short stories, culled from 600 entries, include tales that are poignant, droll, loving, and of course puzzling, mysterious, subtle, and frightening. Best of all, in true gothic form, they are sure to leave the the reader's skin crawling.