Books
War of the Worlds: Frontlines
April 2010 – Northern Frights Publishing
My Beautiful Boy
Excerpt:
The boy wearing a torn shirt and jeans pulled the cart across the deck in front of the small office building. As he trudged it through the door he thought about the rewards he would receive after the hard labor today. Never in his life had he seen so much treasure in one spot; the Outsider would be ecstatic on his return to the compound. No one had found this before, even though it should have been one of the first places they’d searched.
The old floorboards squeaked. He knew they were barely holding his weight combined with that of the cart, let alone the return trip being double that. This would be the final time he crossed the floor in this building, the final time he would have to be frightened for his very life.
52Stitches: Horror Stories
October, 2009
Strange Publications – It Never Lasts Forever
Excerpt:
It was a night much like this one that I broke into the abandoned house over on Main Street – you know the one, don’t you – and met Old Lady Parker. At first, I thought she was a dusty old cobweb. All I could see of her was the top of her head, so I pushed it out of the way. I knew right away something was wrong, I mean, cobwebs aren’t heavy and they don’t clunk when they hit a wall.
The Black Garden
March 2009
Corpulent Insanity – The Legless Ones
Excerpt:
Luna smiled at her new brothers, thinking to herself that they resembled the dragons who danced the fields in fall, after the harvests. Of course, the others would never have seen them. Sinann and Boann didn’t like walking the fields, and Lugh never went out at night. Still, she didn’t want to get stuck making sure the three stayed out of trouble. As her mother turned to leave the mound, she hid herself in the voluminous robes and made her escape.
She managed to get to the horizon before her mother noticed her and scolded her. Showing only half her face, Luna remained rebellious and rode the skies for the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, the three older siblings faced the three youngest on either side of the dinner table. When the triplets opened their mouths, a horrible screeching echoed through the mounds, rather than the language all deities are born knowing. Sinann recoiled when she saw their tongues were thin and forked. She rolled her eyes as she left, and Boann quickly followed; but not before silencing the triplets with a douse of icy water.
Tainted: An Anthology of Terror and the Supernatural
October, 2008
Strange Publications – The Lion Roared
Excerpt:
The clunking noise from behind the firewall of the beat-up ‘74 Malibu had progressively become louder for over an hour. No matter how many times Emmy turned the stereo up, it didn’t seem to take too long before the clunking over-powered the heavy bass beat.
There was a moment when she thought she could feel the thumping right through the gas pedal; Emmy could have sworn the pedal pushed back at her foot. Telling herself it was just nerves from driving through the storm, she kept on; eyes straining in their sockets as though the simple act of bulging out a bit would give them super powers. That was what she needed really – super powers. Infra-red vision to see through the swirling snow or laser eyes to burn through the harder drifts. Screw that, Emmy thought to herself, I’d super power up a bubble and just float there. Swearing under her breath, she admitted she wasn’t even entirely sure where there was… Brad’s map had been of little help for the city chick.
Emmy tore her focus from the road for just one second to flick her lighter and touch the flame to the tip of the cigarette that had dangled from her lips for a half hour. In that one moment, some kind of dog wandered out onto the road; Emmy saw the red reflection of the animal’s eyes barely in time, and she swerved while hitting the brakes.
May 2008
Excerpt:
I waited on the other side of that door, only it wasn’t really me. It was, but not. She looked like me and talked like me, but she could do horrible things. She knew I was scared of her. Her name was Maya.
I once watched as Maya took slivers of wood and slid them into the eyes of a bird she’d trapped. The bird didn’t make a noise as the wood pierced its eyes; I hoped it was dead.
September 1, 2007 – Llewellyn Publications
Vampires: Dispelling the Myths
Excerpt:
What are some of the stories you’ve heard about vampires? Surely, in this day and age, there isn’t a person out there who hasn’t heard of or read about Dracula. That undead, night-prowling Count of immense powers and unlimited appeal has caused quite a stir—and perpetuated the frightening myths that can make reality hard to live in.
Holy water, silver, sunlight, and garlic are banes to the Hollywood vampire. But being a real vampire does not give you an automatic allergy to silver. Holy water does not burn like acid, and garlic does not keep you at bay. The only myth that seems to hold some grain of truth to it has to do with sunlight. Sunlight will hardly reduce a real vampire to ash, but for myself, I do easily burn. I only burn once a year, though, and that turns into a deep enough tan that I don’t burn again. However, I don’t like being outside in the sunlight simply because it hurts my eyes, even when I wear heavy-duty sunglasses. I won’t sit out in the sun for more than half an hour at a time. This is true for summer or winter. Cloudy days are often just as bad.
Fall 2007 – Graveside Tales
Excerpt:
Norman hated Edgar; as much as he loved Michelle, he hated Edgar. Edgar was Michelle’s boyfriend, and her boss. Norman knew the private meetings in Edgar’s office quite often included Michelle bending to her graceful knees behind the old man’s desk. A “bracing blow” one of the other guys had commented, standing around the coffee machine two days ago. He’d even gone so far as to jokingly ponder whether old man Edgar’s pubic hair stuck in the mass of metal in her mouth.
That made Norman think of the lettuce, caught in the sparkling wires of her braces. Norman didn’t stick around to join in the laughter.
Now, sitting here staring at the mess on his desk, he felt a justified, righteous anger begin to grow in his mind. Norman would rescue Michelle from the dishonorable grasp with which Edgar held her. He’d save her. Again, his fingers traced lightly across the desk, picked up another object which he popped into his mouth. After he’d swallowed, he repeated the motion.
Echoes of Terror
March 2007 – Lachesis Publishing – OOP
Echoes of Terror
Excerpt:
Somewhere in the darkness, Kaine heard a scratching sound.
Not long after, something touched his leg and he pulled back as far as he could. When the reaching, snatching thing pushed against him again, he stood and stumbled across the room. The scratching followed him, sounding like the scurrying feet of half a dozen rats.
The sounds came from all around him. Sinking to his knees, Kaine gave himself up to whatever it was that wanted him. It ripped and tore at his clothes until he was left naked and shivering. The hands brushed against his skin as though he were a favorite family pet. Petting him, stroking him, kissing him.
In his terror, the shrieks issuing from his mouth nearly deafened him. And when he could scream no more, he fell silent and became still.
The rights to Fire & Ice have reverted to me after my contract lapsed, October 13th. I chose not to renew. Therefore, all Forbidden Publications/Fire & Ice relevant material will be removed from the site.
Keep your eye on the blog for updates on Kabhan & Siobhan’s adventures in Eternity!
Updated October 29th, 2007
