HAUNTED LILY: The Nightmare Ball (Ghost Memoirs) [Paperback]

Sidney Fox (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ghost Memoirs | Publication Date: November 2, 2008

Reality is shattered for British filmmaker, Darby McGregor, when his beautiful fiancée is tragically killed on their wedding day. After a dark time of mourning, Darby is tormented by a horrifying phantom bride in the eighteenth-century church he recently renovated. Is this the spirit of his beloved fiancée or something more sinister? Darby's sanity is in question, when fate steps in.Her name is Lily, an enchanted young woman, who vibrantly shines through the darkness like a beacon of light for lost souls. Lily has been surrounded by the dearly departed since she was born, and has the gift/curse to penetrate the shadowy veil separating the living and the dead. Feeling an immediate connection, Lily agrees to be the subject of Darby's new documentary. However, Darby and his unsuspecting crew are not prepared for this chilling journey through the "spirit world".As they spend time together, their bond grows. And when Darby learns of Lily's tragic upbringing and dealings with dangerous apparitions; he wants nothing more than to protect her. But it turns out he is the one in need of protection, when Lily's horrifying childhood nemesis returns from the afterworld to claim her. Ghosts, thrills, and chills drive the action in Haunted Lily, a tale sure to scare.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sidney Fox had many ghostly experiences growing up in the spirit-saturated south. While working in Hollywood and studying film at UCLA, she wrote several screenplays, co-founded a writers group at Paramount Pictures, and wrote for Madonna?s ICON Magazine. Currently, she lives in Florida with her husband, Douglas, son and dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (November 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595485979
• ISBN-13: 978-0595485970
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dispirited, August 30, 2009

By 

A. Peirce "AP" - See all my reviews

This review is from: HAUNTED LILY: The Nightmare Ball (Ghost Memoirs) (Paperback)

I saw the overwhelming number of positive reviews for Haunted Lily, and was attracted by the visually arresting cover art enough to look up the artist who creates these fearsome "dolls". She's very talented!

This said, I'm giving the book two stars for the author's pluck to self publish and the amount of effort and money that it must have taken to launch this series. The story itself just wasn't gripping or convincing in this published form,in my opinion. The characters were caricatures and the attempt at setting this story, originally in Britain, floundered because it didn't ring true of an author who knew much beyond the superficial or stereotypical of the country,the architecture or the people of the UK.

Page after page I kept asking myself where the editor's head was to miss some of the most obvious missteps like the author having written Australian rather than Austrian crystal chandelier. There were many other equally obvious mistakes and some further examples of just plain clumsy writing. These things were jarring, like false notes, and very definitely interrupted the eerie mood Fox was attempting to create and the narrative flow throughout the book. All were entirely fixable, too.

The story itself was certainly salvageable, and I believe a great editor could have taken Ms. Fox's story in hand and helped elevate and polish the book to a much higher level of interest to the reader and overall degree of professionalism. I hope her future work has the benefit of more rigorous editorial assistance, because Ms. Fox certainly has many more interesting, spine tingling stories to tell. I wish her well.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Frightening Fairy-tale!!!, April 19, 2008

By 

Ally "Mischief Managed!" (Anaheim, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunted Lily: The Nightmare Ball (Hardcover)

I did not go into reading this book with any expectations... I love good ghost/paranormal/horror story. Honestly, I bought the book because I loved the cover! So I was so surprised at how good it turned out to be.

The story revolves around a British, documentary film-maker, named Darby, who's personal tragedy forces him to confront demons, both inner and other-worldly. As he questions his sanity...fate brings him across the Atlantic to an enchanted young woman named Lily.

I literally could not put this book down. I loved the characters, who were likable; you care about what happens to them. And the ghosts were both frightening and believable, very well done. The descriptions were so imaginative, the author made you feel like you were there in the story with these people and the adventure they were on... without overdoing it. There is a tremendous, unexpected, ending that I am still reeling from.

When I finished the book I looked on the cover to verify that another book would follow-up in the series called "The Ghost Memoirs". I am a voracious reader and highly recommend this book.

Haunted Lily: The Nightmare Ball

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars book one of the ghost memoirs!!!, October 7, 2008

By 

Louis Gonzalez (Bishop, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Haunted Lily: The Nightmare Ball (Hardcover)

Why this book has not been made into a movie baffles me. Reading this book was like watching a film. The book mentions the author is a screenwriter and it shows in the story development. I was always surprised to where the story went. It was like Alice in Wonderland. I was "curiouser and curiouser."
Looking forward to more from the same author...