A SPINE-tingling evening of readings from a new book of Cornish ghost stories will take place by candlelight tonight.

A First World War mystery; A lost child in the rain; A strange glow from an abandoned church; The sleeper in the monks' fields; Passion, belonging and the meaning of home are threads running through the eight stories in Stuart Fraser's The Promised Land.

The tales take inspiration and have a firm foundation in the myths and legends of Cornwall.

Fittingly enough, there's an eerie story behind the cover of the book itself, says Westcountry writer Stuart.

'The cover photograph was taken by my dear friend, the great photojournalist Arthur Kay, and is of the churchyard at Bigbury in South Devon. Arthur took it more than 30 years ago, before he knew me – subsequently, we worked together for many years and have been friends for decades. 'What makes this extraordinary is that the photo is of the graves of my mother's ancestors. The grave the woman is tending is the grave of my maternal grandparents, Arthur and Bessie Brewer.'

Stuart, who lives near Launceston with his partner and two sons, said: 'I've always adored the classic English ghost story. There is something irresistible about the mixture of an armchair by the fire, history, mystery and an air of excitement and trepidation.

'My stories are all based in the area I love to call home, and many of the stories and places that inspired them will be familiar to people,' he added.

l The Promised Land is being launched with a candlelit fireside reading by actors Jonathan Lewsey and Elaine Humphries at the Church House Inn, Linkinhorne, tonight (Friday) from 9pm. The book is published by Lynher Press, priced £7.50, and is available from local bookshops and through the author's website http://www.stuartfraserwords.co.uk">www.stuartfraserwords.co.uk?