The Ghost Way

＂The Ghost Way＂ is the true story of the family in Southern Thailand during the mid 1970’s. Kung, my wife, had told me a few stories of her family being driven out of their home on many nights by evil entities. The Ramanakajjas were then forced to walk through the dark, eerie jungle with only small candles lighting the path to their grandfather’s house. This was just the beginning of an intense battle with supernatural villains that inhabit the land to this day. ＂The Ghost Way＂ is told by the people who suffered the most during this horrendous period, Kung’s parents, Eot and Jak Ramanakajja. Eot mesmerized us with the vast array of mortals and spirits that passed in and out of their lives during their years on ＂The Ghost Way.＂ It is difficult to recall any ghost story or film that can rival the Ramanakajja family’s troubled past in terms of plot intricacies, the cast of characters involved from this world and the other one, and in the sheer terror and mayhem directed at the parents and children. The family was most fortunate to survive the ordeal. At the heart of this colossal struggle and journey from darkness is a young impoverished family of farmers’ escape from a great malevolence to an eventual re-emergence into the light. The story’s culmination involves not only Kung’s family and the property’s next and final owners, but, most stunningly, reveals the triumph of a prehistoric and depraved evil over this land.

Eot Pongchu and Jak Ramanakajja were both born in Phatthalung Province in 1947. They have been farming their entire lives in the Muang District and now have six children along with many grandchildren. The family remains devout Thai Buddhists devoted to King Rama IX. Kung Ramanakajja was born in 1973 before the start of her family’s years on ＂The Ghost Way.＂ She earned scholarships throughout her entire academic career that concluded with a MBA in Accounting from Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. Kung was a Senior Accountant for Ingram Micro in Thailand for many years before she immigrated to Hawaii in early 2007. Lance Smith graduated from the American Film Institute with a master’s degree in screenwriting. He went on to write several movies for Oscar Winning filmmaker Roger Corman. After penning ＂The Crew,＂ which starred Viggo Mortensen and won the Audience Award at the Sao Paulo Film Festival, Smith wrote and directed the family sex comedy, ＂Love Shack,＂ on an ＄80,000 micro budget in his hometown of Savannah. ＂That Dog Don’t Hunt＂ was his first novel published and received much praise for his retelling of a famous society murder with ＂ample black comedy＂ that is ＂approaching greatness＂ and ＂conversation that gives the impression of eavesdropping＂ in ＂a dark and sardonic tale＂ of ＂Dixie noir.＂ ＂The Ghost Way＂ is Smith’s second book to be published.