New Weird Western Story -- The Legend of the Screamin' Skulls. An 1880s "Nameless, Texas" spook story!

 Folkses!

Just in time for Halloween, a story I've been working on for two years. In addition to my modern day "Nameless, Texas" short mystery stories, I also write weird western stories set in 1880s Nameless! The coming of Halloween inspired me to ease a bit into the folklore of Jack-O'-Lanterns. If it's supernatural AND a tall tale, I love it.

 I finally got a cover I love, and that shrieks "fun, campy, slightly vintage and very weirdly western," y'all!  It's FREE on Kindle Unlimited right now, so go get it! And if you have a chance, please leave a short review there. Thank you!

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The Legend of the Screamin' Skulls

In Nameless, Texas, some legends just won't stay buried!

It's the 1880s in the dusty little frontier town of Nameless, Texas, where strange things happen, tall tales grow taller, and the locals know better than to dismiss an old legend. When rumors of mysterious flying skulls begin making the rounds, travelers and townsfolk alike discover that the Texas frontier holds more than rattlesnakes, outlaws, and tumbleweeds. Are the screamin' skulls merely an old superstition, or is something downright peculiar stirring in the night?

Inspired by old legends and folklore, The Legend of the Screamin' Skulls is a quirky Weird Western tale filled with supernatural mischief, frontier humor, and just enough spookiness to make you look over your shoulder.

The first in the Nameless, Texas Weird Western Spook Tales series—where history meets folklore, and the West gets wonderfully weird!

A short, spooky read for lovers of ghost stories, strange legends, and old-fashioned tall tales.

And there you have it!

Spooky trails!

bobbi c.

Spooky Little Halloween Story -- An Oldie but Goodie!

 Originally published in Kings River Life magazine, here's a short little spooky Halloween story for your shivery enjoyment! Happy Trails from Nameless, Texas!

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One night while laying in a cold, dark hospital room I spied the Angel of Death or was it the Grim Reaper? wisping down the hallway and into the room across the way, the inhabitant a white haired grandmother  who had gone in for a routine procedure.

Never mind that I was stoned out of my mind on morphine, prescribed by the doctor, that wonderful stuff that took the edge off the pain after my surgery and never mind that it was 3 a.m. and there wasn’t another soul except for her and I (alive, anyway)  on that whole corridor when I saw that horrible visage of death with the eyeless face in the black and drapey robe  with great dark cowl or dare I call it a shroud?

Nurses pooh-poohed my imagination and turned up the volume on the meds and told me to stay in bed where I belonged even though the doctor told me to get up and walk they said I didn’t have any business wandering around the hallways in the dead of night.  No telling what might happen, they warned.

They were too busy taking their smokes outside the door in the cold night air and didn’t want to be bothered with someone who wouldn’t behave, someone who saw dark figures lurking about the halls at night and insisting that at 3 a.m. someone had been there.

But I found out, almost by accident,  after I noticed that her room was empty and when I asked after her health  that the elderly woman who had been across the hall from me died at precisely 3 a.m. on that very night and how could I have known that? And it occurred to me then that the dark figure  got his signals crossed, and went into her room instead of mine.  THE END

Artwork © Copyright 2026 by Bobbi A. Chukran

Black Cats and Jack-o'-Lanterns for Halloween--Enjoy!

 

Artwork by Bobbi A. Chukran

Halloween Thirteen--A Collection of Spooky & Strange Short Stories UPDATED!

 Dear friends,

Back in 2012, I published my first collection of short stories, HALLOWEEN THIRTEEN for the Kindle. I was finally able to upgrade the cover (BIG upgrade!), do a few tweaks and edits and reissue it for Halloween 2026! Available this week on Amazon. I hope to offer it in paperback, too, soon.

Slip into the shadows…Some Halloween tales are frightening. Some are funny. 

And some are just plain strange.

Step into a world where ordinary takes an unexpected turn—where a lonely highway can lead to a café you were never meant to find, where cats become creatures of the moon, and where the magic and mischief of Halloween can transport you straight back to childhood.

From dusty West Texas roads and haunted places to moonlit nights, mysterious creatures, mischievous children, and things that go bump in the darkness, Halloween Thirteen is a collection of spooky tales with a wicked sense of humor and a touch of nostalgia.

There are stories for readers who remember the thrill of paper costumes, wax lips, jack-o’-lanterns, candy-filled plastic buckets and the delicious anticipation of Halloween night.

Turn the page, if you dare.

The lights may go out.

The shadows may move.

And you never know what might be waiting just around the corner.

Thirteen stories. Thirteen twists. One wonderfully spooky collection.

Happy trails!

bobbi c.

Traditional Gothic Ghost Story Published for Halloween 2026!

Hello friends!

I just finished uploading my most recent short spooky tale to Amazon for the Kindle. It's a traditional gothic ghost story set somewhere in England in a haunted (maybe) manor on a rocky coast. Yes, proper spooky! 

The dead rarely speak. But sometimes they return to be heard.

Years after the death of his wife, Eleanor, Thomas Sutton lives alone in a crumbling manor by the sea, haunted by memories—and by a secret he has carefully kept buried.

Everyone believes Eleanor died during the cholera epidemic.

Everyone is wrong.

At midnight, as Thomas sits before a dying fire with his silver pocket watch in his hand, the scent of lavender drifts through the room. A figure appears beside the window.

Eleanor has come home.

Atmospheric, melancholy, and quietly chilling, The Spectre of Eleanor Sutton is a traditional Gothic ghost story of love, guilt, betrayal, and a past that refuses to remain buried.

If you're a fan of historical supernatural or ghostly fiction, you should like this one. It's available on Amazon now. Please give it a look, and check out the rest of my strange, quirky and spooky stories there! Thank you!

 Hellooooo friends! We are doing some updates, re-arranging and re-vamp-ing here on Ye Olde Blog!

Please stay with us! We have new stories to come, new vintage style pulpy artwork and more. Alas, no one to do the confounded blog except ME. Dangit. Anyway, hope you have a wonderful fall and Happy Halloween!

This lovely fellow is a tease for an upcoming story! Stay tuned! 

Happy trails!

New Kindle Short Story Cozy Mystery Cover

 New cover reveal! Here's a story I published way back in 2014...one of my first Nameless, Texas short mystery stories featuring some of the main characters...Kendra Louise Harper, Jeremy Clifford, and Lolly, the owner of Do-Lolly's Downtown Cafe.

The first cover was all right, I guess, and featured one of my original photos. Over the years, I was told by friends that I needed a cover that "screamed" cozy. LOL. That one didn't. But it wasn't until I got some help, some new illustration skills, and some new software that I was able to do better with it.

I love this, and even did some interior illustrations. Unfortunately, Amazon wasn't havin' it today when I tried to upload them. So, I'll try again. But for now...here is the AFTER cover for this story.

I still have to tweak the Amazon page for the reviews, etc. but it's a start...I do plan on revamping some of my other older covers.

I'll post some of the interior drawings I did for this one, too. In another post.

Another in Black Cat Weekly, #162

 I'm a bit behind, but wanted to announce the publication of my Halloween story, "Ol' Crowbait," in Black Cat Weekly #162. Still available at their website and all over the web!

Black Cat Weekly #162

New Author Portrait

 Continuing in my new exploration of some new tools. A portrait to match all my new "Weird Western" stories coming up! (Next one should be in Black Cat Weekly at Halloween!)

Black Cats, Books and Jack O' Lanterns! What's not to love?

 Playing with a new artwork program. So much fun! 

Yes, I know it's early. What can I say, I love Halloween!

Happy trails!