# Death and White Satin - Rated the Most Frightening of All the Shades Stories.



## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

How about starting the New Year off with a ghost story?

I am proud to announce the first in my new "Shades" series of stories; Death and White Satin. It is the tale of a young bride-to-be who uncovers an old wedding dress in an attic, and brings back something far worse along with it. Jessica discovers that blood and madness can echo down through the years, and sometimes the past is best left packed away.

This novelette will be the first in a series of tales involving ghosts, monsters, and the supernatural. If you enjoy a good scare, please give one of these a try.











Update: So far, according to what feedback I get from readers, this is the scariest of the Shades series. I promise to work hard on topping it. Happy Halloween!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi Nathan, and congratulations on your book!

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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

Your title intrigues me. I like the word shades--I'm into ancient Greece and all that kind of stuff. Will sample your book.

Suzanne


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Great title! Best of luck with the book 

Sandy


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Thanks! I hope you both enjoy it. Just be sure and read it with the lights on


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Still shiny and new after only one week on Amazon.com. This novelette is aimed at those who enjoy a good ghost story before bedtime.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

First of all, allow me to assure all of my fantasy readers out there that I have always written horror as well. It's just that most of my previous ghost and horror stories are buried in small press anthologies that haven't been published yet.

Anyways, I thought i would use this weeks bump to give a peek at the cover of the next in the Shades series of stories. It's titled "A Memory of Me," and should be out in two or three weeks.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Weekly bump for Great Justice!

btw...Shades: A Memory of Me has been sent to DTP and should be going live any time now as well.


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

I really like your covers.  Do you do them yourself?


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

This weeks bump is to announce that the Shades series has it's own page on my novel site.

to julieannfelicity...I made the covers to the four novelettes. The novel cover was commissioned by Pill Hill Press.


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## CaraMarsi27 (Aug 7, 2010)

Great covers! Good luck with your books.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

CaraMarsi27 said:


> Great covers! Good luck with your books.


Thank you very much!


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

This bump is in memory of all those great stories we used to tell as kids around the campfires.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

This story is written on the premise that ghost stories are supposed to be scary. Just like the good old days.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

While I'm proud to announce the new addition to the Shades series, Wind and Dark Waters, I hope everybody still finds time to enjoy this first and most successful of the Shades series to date.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

It has dipped below ninety for two weeks in a row. That qualifies as autumn here in Houston


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Reader feedback so far has this story leading as the scariest of the Shades series. I promise to try and top it. Happy Halloween


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Bump from a rainy afternoon at a Starbucks in Houston


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

*This snippet is from Part Three of the story*

Jessica didn't know how long she had been staring at the ceiling before realizing she was awake.
A faded golden light, the result of the setting sun shining on the closed window shades, suffused the room. It told her she must have slept for a couple of hours, but left her wondering what woke her up. Her head still felt tight, from the pressure of her eyes, but not as bad as earlier. Still, she usually slept till this kind of thing passed.
Why not this time?
The air hung still, and a hush seemed to lie over the dim room. She didn't hear any noise that would have disturbed her sleep. If anything, it seemed like all the sound and energy in the atmosphere had been sucked out. Even the light of the sunset possessed more of a sepia tone than the usual rich shade of gold.
The light, combined with presence of the antique furniture Marge used to decorate the room, gave the illusion of her being in an old photograph.
Jessica got the strangest feeling she had wakened to catch the world in a pause between breaths. She lay there in the blanket like silence, listening for any sound to break the spell. No sounds came from downstairs, leading her to decide Marge either hadn't gotten home from the store, or had curled up with a book. 
She shivered as she listened, and wondered if maybe the cold woke her up. And where had this cold come from, anyways? It was December, after all&#8230;but this was south Texas, and it certainly hadn't been cold when she lay down a couple of hours ago.
Rubbing her arms against the chill, Jessica wondered if Marge might have turned down the thermostat before leaving the house. The thought seemed reasonable, and having solved that mystery she prepared to deal with the problem by the simple expediency of getting under the blankets. Another hour or two of sleep would be just what the doctor ordered.
She prepared to roll over and reach for the corner of the blanket-then froze at the sound of a footstep out in the hall.
It wasn't loud, just the softest of taps, but clearly audible in the oppressive silence of the dead air. Jessica squinted down between her feet at the closed bedroom door in the far wall, holding her breath. Another halting step sounded, this time accompanied by the rustle of stiff fabric. What the hell? The hair on the back of her neck started to rise as instinct led her to two quick conclusions. Somebody stood out in the hall&#8230;on the other side of the door&#8230;
&#8230;and it wasn't Marge.
"Calm down, Jessy," she breathed to herself, "You don't know it isn't Marge." 
Nevertheless, she slowly eased herself onto the floor in her sock feet. With silent care, she pulled a knitted shawl off a nearby chair, wrapped it around her bare shoulders, and crept towards the bedroom entrance. The temperature fell further as she tiptoed in the direction of the door, and Jessica hugged herself against the icy air. 
She paused as something took another two steps in the hallway beyond, and this time the rustle of skirts was undeniable to Jessica's experienced ear. Somebody tottered on the other side of that door, and they were doing it in a full dress. 
_There's only one of those in this house_, she swallowed silently, _and it's hanging over the mirror in the attic._
Or at least it had been when she went to bed&#8230;suddenly, she wanted Ricky with her worse than ever before in her entire life. He would already be laughing at her, and making her feel like the world's biggest ninny, but that would be glorious compared to this. Fortifying herself with a quiet, shuddering breath, she resumed her approach towards the hall.
Jessica finally reached the entranceway, and with exquisite care leaned her hands and ear against the tall door. Her palms burned from the icy wood, and her breathing now made visible puffs in the frigid air.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Okay, it's in the next to last post now.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Okay, I'm too lazy to change the title. The snippet is two posts up, though


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Merry Christmas!


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Happy New Year! I'm still trying to top this one and make one scarier.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

oooh, I love scary ghost stories! I'm so glad I found this thread.
And I love your covers! Excellent!


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Death and White Satin is still considered my scariest Shades story...but allow me to introduce the upcoming contender...


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

So which is scarier...The Mushroom Man, or Death and White Satin?


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Has anybody else ever noticed that female ghosts tend to be more frightening than male ghosts? Why is that?


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