Meredith Williams
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Fans of spooky stories and folk tales congregated at The Jessie Ball duPont library on Oct. 10 during a book signing by author Toby Sells, whose scary collection of short stories, Haint Blues: Strange Tales From the American South, captured audiences’ attention The event was attended by a mix of fans from the horror genre and fans of Southern Gothic, which was a great tribute to the eerie tales within Sells’ new book.
Toby Sells is an American newspaper reporter, journalist, podcast producer, and author who worked for the Memphis Flyer for over ten years. In 2018, he produced the podcast Haint Blues, which inspired his book published in 2024.
Drawing on years of research, Sells has approached each tale with a journalist’s precision and a Southerner’s flair for storytelling. The book introduces readers to iconic legends like the Lizard Man, the Bell Witch, and the ghostly pirate crew rumored to drift eternally through the Florida Everglades. Alongside these classic legends, Sells explores lesser-known stories, like those of a psychic horse and conjure doctors, piecing together paranormal folklore and forgotten news clippings to reveal rich details often left out of retellings.
The stories in Haint Blues are not mere ghost stories but are deeply woven into the South’s cultural fabric. Sells’ writing captures the region’s spirit and respect for a good tale, treating these stories as carefully as an old recipe handed down through generations. “I really want to do these stories justice and these people justice,” explained Sells. Whether it’s following Andrew Jackson’s hunt for the Bell Witch, piecing together one of the most famous UFO encounters in Pascagoula, Mississippi, or exploring the rich tapestry of haunted New Orleans, readers are sure to experience the chills and thrills as though they were standing on the scene.
For Sells, Haint Blues is more than just storytelling—it celebrates the South’s unique cultural history. Sells explained, “Getting to tell people these stories and bring them this way, it’s just, it’s been a real thrill for me to bring that part of southern culture.” Growing up in Tennessee, Sells’ love for Southern folklore, alongside his background in investigative journalism, gives him a rare lens through which he explores each story. His research is thorough and unearths archival treasures that bring these legends to life in new and vivid ways. Since launching his podcast, Haint Blues, in 2018, Sells has shared these stories with an ever-growing audience eager to hear tales that stretch from the fantastical to the eerie.
At the book signing, Sells read a few stories from Haint Blues: Strange Tales From the American South, including the Bell Witch, the UFO encounters in Pascagoula, and the ghost of the little girl in the Orpheum in Memphis. This event was free and open to the public, and Sell’s book was (and is still) available for sale.