"Dakota Apparitions"

"Dakota Apparitions"

A Collection of Short Stories by Laurel L. Burke

This is my first collection of short, fictional ghost stories published in 2006, each based in South Dakota. I dare you to take a step into the unbelievably believable world of apparitions among us, from Indian spirits in the Badlands, to a Sturgis Rally biker ghost forever watchful over a portion of Interstate 90.

The book is compiled of seven short stories, each unique in it's tale and ending.

"Badlands" takes you on an accidental break down in the Badlands where a news reporter discovers an old Indian's words of warning hold true.

"Snow Angel" will show you angels exist, and a young man who just recently lost his Grandmother, narrowly escapes a fatal accident in a blizzard after locking his keys in his truck.

"Restitution" is the story of a hard lesson learned by a mother and daughter instructed NOT to pick up artifacts in the Badlands, and what they actually bring home because they did. (My personal favorite!)

"Massachusetts" is based on the actual death of a man on his way to the annual Sturgis Bike Rally on Interstate 90 near Chamberlain, SD. While only his first name is real, the rest of the story is a weave about his ghost destined to roam that section of interstate, and the woman who sets out, determined to prove the ghost story unreal.

"Below The Surface" is a feel-good story of a teenage baseball team discovering the injustice served upon a young Indian boy after a small tree is transplanted in the park beside their baseball field.

"Watermelons" takes you to urban legend style story telling, as a curious story-seeker sets out on one of SD's loneliest highways to retrace the steps of a tragic ending to three teens during the State Fair in the seventies.

"Never Missed" won an Honorable Mention in Writers' Journal magazine. It's the story of two young boys discovering the dead body of a local homeless man, and how it effects one of them in a completely unexpected way.

This book can also be looked at and ordered from http://www.madeinsouthdakota.com/ or the Barnes & Noble website.