Mark Leslie

Three stories which explore the darker side of the world of books. In a style reminiscent of the old "Twilight Zone" television show, these three tales will take the book loving reader to a place that is somewhat familiar yet frighteningly surreal and disturbing. Active ReaderLoyalty programs that track a reader's every preference are handy, save time and offer great discounts -- at least until your customer data gets into the hands of the wrong person. BrowsersA passionate book lover is drawn into a mysterious and eerie little bookstore the way a moth might be drawn to a flame. DistractionsHow far might a desperate writer go when blindly following the advice of a popular self-help book to eliminate the distractions preventing him from completing his next novel?

A supernatural tour of bookstores and libraries around the world, focusing on the ghost stories from haunted locations. Throughout history, books have inspired, informed, entertained, and enriched us. They have also kept us up through the night, thrilled us, and lured into their endless depths. Tomes of Terror is a celebration and an eerie look at the siren call of literature and the unexplained and fascinating stories associated with bookish locations around the world. Mark Leslie’s latest paranormal page-turner is a compendium of true stories of the supernatural in literary locales, complete with hair-raising first-person accounts. You may even recognize a spectre of your local library lurking in these true stories and photographs. If you have ever felt an indescribable presence hanging about a quiet bookshop, then you’ll enjoy these fascinating and haunting tales.

The magnetic aura surrounding Sudbury, for both the living as well as the once-alive, is the backdrop for tales of mystery, wonder, and outright horror. "I tried to leave" is a common theme for those from the Sudbury region. People often vow to move away, but something about the Nickel City keeps luring them back. Whether it’s the taste of fresh air – or just the sulphur in the air – it’s hard to move beyond the black rocks, endless lakes, and great openness without longing to come home. Some are so attached to the northern community that they choose to stick around, even when their physical life is over. After all, if the living can’t leave the place behind, why should the dead? Spooky Sudbury explores the magnetic aura surrounding the city, for the living as well as the once-alive, in these tales of the supernatural.

2013 Hamilton Arts Council Literary Award — Shortlisted, Nonfiction Hamilton, Ontario, may seem just like any other city, but a haunted past is hidden beneath it. From the Hermitage ruins to Dundurn Castle, from the Customs House to Stoney Creek Battlefield Park, the city of Hamilton, Ontario, is steeped in a rich history and culture. But beneath the surface of the Steel City there dwells a darker heart — from the shadows of yesteryear arise the unexplainable, the bizarre, and the chilling. Lock the doors and turn on all the lights before you settle down with this book, because once you begin to read about the supernatural elements that lurk within this seemingly normal city in Southern Ontario, strange bumps in the night will take on new, more sinister meanings. Prepare to be thrilled and chilled with this collection of tales compiled from historical documents, first-person accounts, and the files of the paranormal group Haunted Hamilton, which has been investigating and celebrating Hamilton’s historic haunted past since 1999.