The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Mammoth Books) (72 page)

Elizabeth Gaskell
(1810–1865) was a Victorian novelist, born in London, the daughter of a Unitarian minister. In 1832 she married William Gaskell, and they settled in the industrial city of Manchester. Motherhood and the obligations of a minister’s wife kept her busy. However, the death of her only son inspired her to write her first novel,
Mary Barton
, which was published anonymously in 1848. It was an immediate success, winning the praise of authors such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle. Dickens invited her to contribute to his magazine
Household Words
, where her next major work,
Cranford
, appeared in 1853.
North and South
was published the following year. Gaskell’s work brought her many friends, including the novelist Charlotte Brontë. When Charlotte died in 1855, her father, Patrick Brontë, asked Gaskell to write her biography,
The Life of Charlotte Brontë
. Gaskell died on 12 November 1865, leaving her longest work,
Wives and Daughters
, incomplete.

Gail Z. Martin
is the author of
The Summoner
,
The Blood King
,
Dark Haven
and
Dark Lady’s Chosen
(The Chronicles of the Necromancer series). She is also the author of The Fallen Kings Cycle from Orbit Books with
Book One: The Sworn
and
Book Two: The Dread
, and the upcoming Ascendant Kingdoms Saga. For book updates, tour information and contact details, visit
www.ChroniclesoftheNecromancer.com
. Gail is the host of the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast, and you can find her on Facebook, GoodReads, BookTour, BookMarketing.ning, Shelfari and Twitter. She blogs at
www.DisquietingVisions.com
. She is also the author two non-fiction series. The Thrifty Author’s Guide series (Comfort Publishing) includes
Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind
and
Author Web Sites that Wow Readers and Impress Reporters
. The 30 Day Guide Series (Career Press) includes
30 Days to Social Media Success
and
30 Days to Online PR & Marketing Success
. Gail’s short fiction has been featured in two anthologies:
Rum and Runestones
from Dragon Moon Press and
The Bitten Word
from New Con Press.

Edith Wharton
(1862–1938) belonged to an aristocratic New York family with ancestry dating back three centuries. In 1885 she married Teddy Wharton, who was twelve years older than she was. Between 1900 and 1938, Wharton wrote many novels and wrote many ghost stories. The publication of
The House of Mirth
in 1905 marked the true beginning of her literary career. She continued to publish rapidly, producing, among others,
Ethan Frome
in 1911. Wharton continued writing until her death in 1938. She is buried in the American Cemetery at Versailles.

Gaie Sebold
was born in the US, lives in South East London, and works for a social change charity. She has had several short stories and a book of poetry published. Her debut novel
Babylon Steel
is due out from Solaris in January 2012. She has been known to run around in woods hitting people with latex swords and declaim poetry in public, though not usually at the same time. She gardens inefficiently, reads obsessively, and is currently working on a novel collaboration with her partner, writer Dave Gullen, along with rather too many other projects. She is gradually being crowded out of her living room by plants.
www.gaiesebold.com
.