PopCult Gift Guide Day 7: Books from Woodland Press

In today's PopCult Gift Guide, we recommend four books published by the West Virginia publishing powerhouse, Woodland Press. You can find Woodland Press books at both local locations of Drug Emporium, both Charleston locations of Books-A-Million, and Taylor Books. If you know of any other locations selling them, feel free to mention them in our comments.

Woodland Press is a West Virginia based company publishing books by local talents and covering themes close to the heart of the Mountain State. But don't think that this is some sort of vanity press. These are world class literary works.

Their latest books are "Shadows and Mountains" by Jessie Grayson and Ellen Thompson McCloud

Glimpse beyond the stunning beauty of Appalachia into what hides beneath. Allow these stories to guide you down spooky hollow roads and deep into the mysterious mountains within its dark heart, where monsters, mayhem and madness abound and things are never exactly as they seem.

Walk the hill paths, under the light of a sinister moon, with authors Ellen Thompson McCloud and Jessie Grayson as they weave together several chilling tales that promise to leave you staring into the wilderness, wondering what might be staring back.

"Stories from the Hearth" Edited by Brian J. Hatcher, Foreward by Michael Knost.

New stories with deep roots. Experience the power of Appalachian storytelling as twelve exceptional authors from around the world give their unique interpretations on a truly unique art form. Local, national, and international voices honor a grand tradition by telling stories as fresh as a mountain stream and as old as the hills. Powerful tales to edify the mind, move the heart, and stir the soul.

Stories By Beth Cato, Diane Tarantini, Shelly Li, Karin Fuller, Rachel Towns, Jamie Lackey, Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy, Josh Reynolds, Theodore Carter, Jeff Baker, Steve Rasnic Tem , and Sara J. Larson.

"The Mothman Files" Edited by Michael Knost.

Foreword by Jeff Wamsley, Author of "Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes"
Afterword By Thomas F. Monteleone

Strange occurrences and alarming sightings in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia—including the shocking appearance of a bizarre winged apparition that became known as the Mothman—troubled the once tranquil community from November 1966 to December 1967. Mysterious lights sparkled and moved across the winter heavens. Domestic animals were found slaughtered and mutilated. Weird speculations among townsfolk began to emerge that have never been fully confirmed or explained.

Most alarming, many say the strange Mothman visitations never stopped. The terrifying legend was birthed in the mountains, but now visitations have been documented around the world. Credible eyewitnesses abound—from every region of America and South America, from Europe to Asia—of a winged beast of mammoth proportions.

The stories inside this volume further this legend and are penned by some of the best storytellers in the nation. Contributing authors include Chandler Kaiden, Bev Vincent, S. Clayton Rhodes, Karin Fuller, Brian J. Hatcher, Lisa Morton, Victorya Chase, Orrin Grey, Jessie Grayson, William Meikle, John J. Barnes, Adrian Ludens, and Joseph Nassise. They have done their research and have much to say about the creature. Be prepared. Many of their final conclusions are petrifying.

"Full Bone Moon" by G. Cameron Fuller.

Someone is killing West Virginia University students. Again.

Six years ago, two WVU freshmen were last seen hitchhiking back to their dorms after seeing a movie in downtown Morgantown. Their bodies were later found in the dark woods south of town. E.P. Clawson was convicted of the murders, but Michael Chase, a reporter for the Herald-Dispatch, never thought Clawson was guilty—a belief that nearly cost him his career.

Now the murders have started again. Female WVU students are disappearing, and their defiled bodies are found with ritual markings. Full Bone Moon, a first place winner, novel, in the annual West Virginia Writers contest, follows Michael Chase as he tracks the ritual killers through the streets, underground tunnels, and forests of Morgantown.

Inspired by the actual murders of Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell in Morgantown in 1970, Full Bone Moon employs the many rumors and speculation that swirled around the Morgantown area after the killings, and continue to this day. Rumors of cult activity, high society complicity, police corruption and coverup, and FBI treachery are woven together in Full Bone Moon to take you on a wild ride—a fast-paced fictional thriller—through the Coed Murders as they could have happened.

Any or all of these will be great gifts for the readers on your Christmas list.