If you heard that a woman left figure skating and became a writer of scary stories, you’d probably immediately think of Tonya Harding. You’d be wrong.

Christina Barber, who feels she has always been a closet writer, has come out of her shell in the last six years, publishing two novels, a non-fiction book about ghost stories in Georgia’s Southern Crescent, and several short stories.

Barber moved to Newnan, Ga. from New Jersey 12 years ago. She heard about a writer’s group in the area that operated as a functioning critique group and decided to look into joining. The members meet once a month and exchange stories or excerpts of things they are working on and discuss them the following the month. The first novel Barber wrote resides in a drawer after collecting more than its share of red ink from the author and her colleagues. Barber swears it will never see the light of day. She fared better with her second novel though. “Greystone,” was published by eTreasures Publishing.

“Greystone” is a fictional novel set at a real place in New Jersey. Greystone is a psychiatric hospital set on 42 acres. It was scheduled to be demolished but members of the community fought to preserve it as a historical landmark. Barber had always heard a lot of rumors about the hospital and decided to write a novel as if the rumors were true. Her second novel, “Seely’s Pond,” was also set in New Jersey but focused on Chinese mythology, which required Barber to do a lot of research. While she incorporated a lot of what he learned, she also had to branch out on her own and make up the demon to fit her story.

Her latest work is “Spirits of Georgia’s Southern Crescent,” a non-ficton book that features all true stories. Barber spoke directly to people who experienced hauntings in the area and also did a fair amount of research on the Southern Crescent and its history. There is also a chapter in the book called “Tall Tales,” that discusses local ghost stories that could not be confirmed by talking directly with the people who claimed to experience the hauntings. Some of the places mentioned in the book include Union City, Fayetteville, Grantville and Newnan. Barber stated that the some of the scariest stories she heard while conducting interviews for the book involved Union City’s Green Manor and a costume shop on Grantville Street in Newnan.

“Some bizarre things happened to multiple people there,” Barber said.

Barber has always loved spooky stories and has said that her favorite author and her greatest influence in writing is Edgar Allan Poe. She added that she was also a fan of the television program “Dark Shadows,” while growing up. However, when she first decided to give writing and getting published a try, Barber was not writing in the horror or dark fiction genre.

“I tried to write ‘normal,’ but it wasn’t me,” said Barber. “I think you need to write what you want and not think about getting it published or selling it until later.”

Writing is now Barber’s full time job and though she tries to write several hours every day, there are times, like now, where she is busy with other events such as signings, speaking engagements and attending conventions. Barber will be at the Barnes and Noble in Fayetteville on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m., which comes after attending Hallow-Con in Tennessee this weekend. She will be a part of a free writing seminar at The Coweta County African American Heritage Museum in Newnan on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. Due to limited seating, you must pre-register by calling Vickie Kennedy at 770-683-8416 between 7-10 p.m. week nights or 12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Barber is working on several new books right now and often has more than one going at the same time. She is writing a sequel to “Seely’s Pond,” and is also shooping around a series about vampires. Her advice for aspiring writers is to find a critique group and to keep plugging away at the craft.

“I have learned a million and one things since joining the critique group,” said Barber, who added that she has also dealt with her share of rejections since seeking publishing. “Rejection is a part of the business, but don’t give up.”

Barber never gave up during processes that stretched to close to a year of writing, re-writing and editing and now her books are scaring fans of horror all over the world.

For more information on Christina Barber, visit www.christinabarber.net

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