tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90216263590803278782024-03-13T20:21:46.017-04:00Bitternest: The Writings of Alan Draven / Neal VandarAlan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-8366336809227260182024-03-02T08:00:00.001-05:002024-03-02T08:00:00.135-05:00Short Story Time: Beyond the Doomed Cave<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's the first Saturday of March,
so it's time for a FREE short story! This time, I’ve chosen "Beyond the
Doomed Cave", a Bradburyesque Gothic coming-of-age tale about a witch in a
churchyard. Originally published in the <i>Sinister
Landscapes</i> anthology in 2008 and reprinted in my second collection, <i>Spooky Showcase</i>, in 2012. You can
read/download the free PDF <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/gmkr3r2x8p7m8lm/AD6_-_Beyond_the_Doomed_Cave.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtxh8vb6GGBhAqO93K6JrHTVaHcv_0DoFhvsHMpacdZ6CEI5CiRE1Vk_2VaKan-mqYkJG3rWb3_WCcJGULxA4yOqvFyNs2QcM9xOIm-wJN7qi_w0xKjXvIYPcrbGA4Y5BVRqB0g4UrjHvQ8GajREv_UmPkEkp44bv6gbFSO6ekJ4Hm9qrWwCMdgUyUyaS/s768/Beyond%20the%20Doomed%20Cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtxh8vb6GGBhAqO93K6JrHTVaHcv_0DoFhvsHMpacdZ6CEI5CiRE1Vk_2VaKan-mqYkJG3rWb3_WCcJGULxA4yOqvFyNs2QcM9xOIm-wJN7qi_w0xKjXvIYPcrbGA4Y5BVRqB0g4UrjHvQ8GajREv_UmPkEkp44bv6gbFSO6ekJ4Hm9qrWwCMdgUyUyaS/w400-h640/Beyond%20the%20Doomed%20Cave.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In case you missed the previous
entries in Short Story Time, you can download them at the links below. Enjoy
and drop me a line to let me know what you think of them!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/mfok2p213ti1vsx/AD9_-_Silently_It_Creeps.pdf/file" target="_blank">Silently It Creeps</a>” is a short
and nasty, creepy little tale about the monster under the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/gpo6o6kykd03qf4/AD5_-_The_Chilling_Hour.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Chilling Hour</a>” is a tale
about Nick Kubrick, a horror DJ who investigates and debunks supernatural myths
in his spare time in the foggy city of Bitternest, Louisiana. He would go on to
star in his own novel, <i>Nocturnal
Offerings</i>, a few years later.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/swbr59nhq2806m3/AD4_-_The_Errand.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Errand</a>” is a tale about a
man who goes through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the
course of his life altered forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7ynjo9qotsm4p78/AD3_-_Hershell%2527s_Motel.pdf/file" target="_blank">Hershell’s Motel</a>” is a strange
tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>” is a coming of
age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the
Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" target="_blank">Crimson Nightmares</a>” is my take
on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back
in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second
"Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized
Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield,
Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode
babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears
the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious
town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a
quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes
looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his
own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the
ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-15262781898053458012024-02-03T07:00:00.001-05:002024-02-03T07:00:00.134-05:00Short Story Time: Silently It Creeps<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's the first Saturday of February,
so it's time for a FREE short story! This one’s very short and nasty, and has
only been published online back in the spring of 2006 (the second story I ever
got published). It’s a creepy little tale about the monster under the bed. I
give you “Silently It Creeps”. You can download the free PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/mfok2p213ti1vsx/AD9_-_Silently_It_Creeps.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UaBno55Jiu7T8sm0PcPOn0TDcZHP7_wRhyp5s53RdsI-NJ9O8ZuLtOcwl3Hczz-9AvJ0j6FwDCezhyphenhyphenDCRZrOy1esBC-LpW8UPrKIP3P1RKIszd0uWLOX4Tea_C0MT6rbkvKxm_SMEhts6f1CTrFq1k2RgSg7hnvP8_mIbAbYBhDpAHLiwJfFVhQDhr4B/s768/Silently%20It%20Creeps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UaBno55Jiu7T8sm0PcPOn0TDcZHP7_wRhyp5s53RdsI-NJ9O8ZuLtOcwl3Hczz-9AvJ0j6FwDCezhyphenhyphenDCRZrOy1esBC-LpW8UPrKIP3P1RKIszd0uWLOX4Tea_C0MT6rbkvKxm_SMEhts6f1CTrFq1k2RgSg7hnvP8_mIbAbYBhDpAHLiwJfFVhQDhr4B/w400-h640/Silently%20It%20Creeps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In case you missed the previous
entries in Short Story Time, you can download them at the links below. Enjoy
and drop me a line to let me know what you think of them!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/gpo6o6kykd03qf4/AD5_-_The_Chilling_Hour.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Chilling Hour</a>” is a tale
about Nick Kubrick, a horror DJ who investigates and debunks supernatural myths
in his spare time in the foggy city of Bitternest, Louisiana. He would go on to
star in his own novel, <i>Nocturnal
Offerings</i>, a few years later.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/swbr59nhq2806m3/AD4_-_The_Errand.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Errand</a>” is a tale about a
man who goes through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the
course of his life altered forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7ynjo9qotsm4p78/AD3_-_Hershell%2527s_Motel.pdf/file" target="_blank">Hershell’s Motel</a>” is a strange
tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>” is a coming of
age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the
Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" target="_blank">Crimson Nightmares</a>” is my take
on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back
in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second
"Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized
Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield,
Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode
babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears
the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious
town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a
quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes
looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his
own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the
ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-79419000669597078542024-01-06T07:00:00.001-05:002024-01-06T07:00:00.140-05:00Short Story Time: The Chilling Hour<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Happy New Year! It's the first
Saturday of the year, so it's time for a FREE short story! This is one of my personal
favourites, starring Nick Kubrick, one of my fave characters that I've created.
Nick is a horror DJ who investigates and debunks supernatural myths in his
spare time in the foggy city of Bitternest, Louisiana. He would go on to star
in his own novel, <i>Nocturnal Offerings</i>,
a few years later. Originally published in 2008 in the <i>9 of Swords</i> e-zine and reprinted in my first collection, <i>The Bitternest Chronicles</i>, in 2010, I
give you "The Chilling Hour." You can download the free PDF right
<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/gpo6o6kykd03qf4/AD5_-_The_Chilling_Hour.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFbDqQhIa4PiCVzEJVmHkJd8rrlbeqEE9KbTexk5dCm4pIQkZazagYRHB816mZcataaAOmt3Az3fyyxQVO3igJ3AIWJEmdNyIewi1DJJh71lYuHxJZG2wPV7axFGT1t7rUCGBsa-dC6QDEOVDUclf0bfBxRsiA_pwwxTMP1cwNxiF7udHwkxAtHE5_o0u/s768/The%20Chilling%20Hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFbDqQhIa4PiCVzEJVmHkJd8rrlbeqEE9KbTexk5dCm4pIQkZazagYRHB816mZcataaAOmt3Az3fyyxQVO3igJ3AIWJEmdNyIewi1DJJh71lYuHxJZG2wPV7axFGT1t7rUCGBsa-dC6QDEOVDUclf0bfBxRsiA_pwwxTMP1cwNxiF7udHwkxAtHE5_o0u/w400-h640/The%20Chilling%20Hour.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In case you missed the previous
entries in Short Story Time, you can download them at the links below. Enjoy
and drop me a line to let me know what you think of them!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/swbr59nhq2806m3/AD4_-_The_Errand.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Errand</a>” is a tale about a
man who goes through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the
course of his life altered forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7ynjo9qotsm4p78/AD3_-_Hershell%2527s_Motel.pdf/file" target="_blank">Hershell’s Motel</a>” is a strange
tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>” is a coming of
age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the
Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" target="_blank">Crimson Nightmares</a>” is my take
on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back
in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second
"Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized
Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield,
Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode
babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears
the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious
town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a
quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes
looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his
own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the
ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-22957289866366443092023-12-30T13:44:00.002-05:002023-12-30T13:48:09.876-05:00Update on Amok's Fifth Tale...<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Good
morning/afternoon/evening dear readers! The fifth story featuring my barbarian
Amok is finished and on the editor's desk. It’s simply titled "Travelers"
and follows Amok, Goyiir, and Lotar's ongoing adventures as they spend a rainy
night at what is rumoured to be a haunted inn. Amok wakes in the middle of the
night and is thrown into a strange hunt with a peculiar man to slay an even
stranger creature. There are three more tales to go in Amok's chronicles until
the saga comes to an end. I'll get started on Tale #6 next weekend. All eight
Amok tales will be published as a complete story in print/ebook sometime in
October of 2024. Until then, if you haven't already downloaded/read Amok's
first two tales, they’re available as a free PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #900007; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-decoration-line: none;">here</span></a>,<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> so join in on the fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1phuawT5EB_guE1TtLTtarPD5n8nakSRvo0nDlZgX2dZADO6fQyXBsv20EeWMLCnC6bAmRUR2CiSicBB4sx9iyjrYD-aiYJ1V7uTHkoBsULYBkF3DTQKySnNTa1juAua-j5tkQ8whGXvMm4fMFBv_uGUxrCZ6Hfg4R6SZzPYIlThL82fBwP9px2usvvTM/s3300/Olf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1phuawT5EB_guE1TtLTtarPD5n8nakSRvo0nDlZgX2dZADO6fQyXBsv20EeWMLCnC6bAmRUR2CiSicBB4sx9iyjrYD-aiYJ1V7uTHkoBsULYBkF3DTQKySnNTa1juAua-j5tkQ8whGXvMm4fMFBv_uGUxrCZ6Hfg4R6SZzPYIlThL82fBwP9px2usvvTM/w494-h640/Olf.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I’d like to take this
opportunity to wish all my readers and followers of the blog a wonderful,
healthy New Year full of great stories. Tune back here next weekend for another
round of Short Story Time where you’ll be able to download a free short story
of mine.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-5003682357551175112023-12-02T07:26:00.002-05:002023-12-02T07:27:24.912-05:00Short Story Time: The Errand<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Greetings to all wherever you are!
It's the first Saturday of December, so it's time for a final FREE short story
for 2023! This one is titled “The Errand” and it’s a tale about a man who goes
through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the course of his
life altered forever. It was first published in 2008 in the <i>Darkened Horizons</i> Vol. 4 anthology and
later reprinted in my first collection, <i>The
Bitternest Chronicles</i>, in 2010. You can download it as a PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/swbr59nhq2806m3/AD4_-_The_Errand.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZhY1KZultZEwR6WKnVYrpPRGri-2jddFhi1xVSLdKgIysxbbJtL8cPJcksNZZtl065o7hzMT19RnNHL2E1T2tq3oOKT5dsdhV0pGFq7Lt_kRSwyyTv-jlcuSMR_dp1e7pJloT1PuiYYJWLK1LTYcUUNWxMCyrpQHhfJvl7_xKZ-QCVsKY8k6LKoniwYs/s768/The%20Errand.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZhY1KZultZEwR6WKnVYrpPRGri-2jddFhi1xVSLdKgIysxbbJtL8cPJcksNZZtl065o7hzMT19RnNHL2E1T2tq3oOKT5dsdhV0pGFq7Lt_kRSwyyTv-jlcuSMR_dp1e7pJloT1PuiYYJWLK1LTYcUUNWxMCyrpQHhfJvl7_xKZ-QCVsKY8k6LKoniwYs/w400-h640/The%20Errand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In case you missed them, you can
download the previous entries in Short Story Time below. Enjoy and drop me a
line to let me know what you think of those tales!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7ynjo9qotsm4p78/AD3_-_Hershell%2527s_Motel.pdf/file" target="_blank">Hershell’s Motel</a>” is a strange
tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>” is a coming of
age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the
Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Crimson Nightmares</a>” is my take
on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back
in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second
"Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized
Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield,
Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode
babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears
the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious
town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a
quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes
looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his
own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the
ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #8c4890;" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right </span><a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" style="background-color: white; color: #900007; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-62567737425863177592023-11-11T06:27:00.001-05:002023-12-30T11:02:12.594-05:00Update on Amok's Fourth Tale...<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Good morning/afternoon/evening to all! The fourth story in my Sword & Sorcery series featuring my warrior Amok is in the books and on the editor's desk as I write this. The tale is titled "A Quest Within a Quest" and follows Amok and Goyiir's adventures as they meet a new friend and embark on a quest to retrieve a shield from a dragon. Of course, things will go awry and mayhem ensues. There are four more tales to go and Amok's chronicles will be complete. All eight Amok tales will be published as a complete story in a print/ebook in the fourth quarter of 2024. Until then, if you haven't already downloaded/read Amok's first two tales available as a <b>free</b> PDF, then head over <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" style="color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">here</a> to join the fun. I'll get cracking on Tale #5 later today. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeMrYBEAPuYgnsqUojrdT_R5UNkBehyphenhyphen2nhlQ7O8RfHARNz4ryONFBmstX3_O-0wD8F0ON1pbtODGnK_6lMuSHBUvYLfPqj6DMbV0rikwsse5QcZDTTH9FYoY0JrBhJf3oqfCRB1YilBqzISVrGqRTIhhC9Q9iVErqTmuyiRsnrl7P0xYatJ761sHHOp7q/s3300/Lotar-Corps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeMrYBEAPuYgnsqUojrdT_R5UNkBehyphenhyphen2nhlQ7O8RfHARNz4ryONFBmstX3_O-0wD8F0ON1pbtODGnK_6lMuSHBUvYLfPqj6DMbV0rikwsse5QcZDTTH9FYoY0JrBhJf3oqfCRB1YilBqzISVrGqRTIhhC9Q9iVErqTmuyiRsnrl7P0xYatJ761sHHOp7q/w494-h640/Lotar-Corps.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-54547036464892458962023-11-04T07:00:00.001-04:002023-11-04T07:00:00.137-04:00Short Story Time: Hershell’s Motel<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Good morning, good day, good
evening! It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE
short story! For the occasion, I've selected a strange little story about a
strange little motel. It's titled "Hershell's Motel" and that's all
I'll say about it to keep the mystery. It was originally published in the <i>Bonded by Blood</i> anthology in 2008. The
tale was later reprinted in my first short story collection in 2010, <i>The Bitternest Chronicles</i>. You can
download it as a PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7ynjo9qotsm4p78/AD3_-_Hershell%2527s_Motel.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJBjG8i8P5HpHlWEnX4dK7Sm4_DmxaDkpeEClNXEddwnhpqXw_JlemxF9_FCsQ9kbVKo1IeEKLB_IRoZXsGJdFg3_0fTll7wrveLfWy9aP8JV69HpW8Eqi5LYZCi3yloX4pTqoLFzTMoHX1jbBz8X5ov0ihcax5lrU8k7Le41P0qZ7X9slxSCjl7mSHBW/s768/Hershell's%20Motel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJBjG8i8P5HpHlWEnX4dK7Sm4_DmxaDkpeEClNXEddwnhpqXw_JlemxF9_FCsQ9kbVKo1IeEKLB_IRoZXsGJdFg3_0fTll7wrveLfWy9aP8JV69HpW8Eqi5LYZCi3yloX4pTqoLFzTMoHX1jbBz8X5ov0ihcax5lrU8k7Le41P0qZ7X9slxSCjl7mSHBW/w400-h640/Hershell's%20Motel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In case you missed them, you can
download the previous entries in Short Story Time below, starting with a coming
of age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the
Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is in “<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>”!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" target="_blank">Crimson Nightmares</a>” is my take on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially
published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after
the events of the second "Halloween" film from 1981, the night when
Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the
residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the
little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is
all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night to this day. She
has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her
past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until something inside Michael
Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer
clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget.
It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of
Bitternest.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-26199687112508502212023-10-14T13:49:00.001-04:002023-10-14T14:15:05.460-04:00Short Story Time: Halloween - Crimson Nightmares<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Happy Saturday! As I promised
last week, I have a little treat for you to celebrate the month of October leading
up to Halloween. Here’s my take on the “Halloween” movie series; a novella titled
<i>Halloween: Crimson Nightmares</i>.
Written and initially published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella
picks up 33 years after the events of the second "Halloween" film
from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by
Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little
Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween”
(1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night
to this day. She has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to
get away from her past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until
something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween.
Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you
won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to
the eerie city of Bitternest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBdoGMoY_SXnKC2_Rr3q6J5WTGfUhOajMMWsxSqpTQecrNaoQqMTCPYpVXBygvY5EzE8kUXXVaRdZhOgOZLJJvYLa0vv3JYSdMKYRF3V6MQVd9m7_LzOQmqs5RX2fgLoAY13vWKi20M14L958UbeKecJxWHWgfV_u3JVyM4ZkkCYVWR4hDDqkZI7h1Rut/s675/MyersPumpkins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="574" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBdoGMoY_SXnKC2_Rr3q6J5WTGfUhOajMMWsxSqpTQecrNaoQqMTCPYpVXBygvY5EzE8kUXXVaRdZhOgOZLJJvYLa0vv3JYSdMKYRF3V6MQVd9m7_LzOQmqs5RX2fgLoAY13vWKi20M14L958UbeKecJxWHWgfV_u3JVyM4ZkkCYVWR4hDDqkZI7h1Rut/w340-h400/MyersPumpkins.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">You can download the FREE PDF of <i>Crimson Nightmares</i> right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/1fzr1zne27ydbex/AD10_-_Crimson_Nightmares.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>. Since I don’t own the rights to the “Halloween" franchise,
this one falls under “fan fiction” and it’s actually the only fan fiction I’ve
ever written. "Halloween" is my favourite film of all-time so it’s
fitting. I’m very proud of this tale as I believe it represents some of my very
best writing. Enjoy! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOXtQIRuCShrTOMvZYRXKWr0VpfgXA4_3v7BmecUuaE46yBBNb2ujxOpfUUmV2MVoBwExlbkJuL41lu3QdxSJ7iE99-IUjhy_S2GibwxeQKSjzFVEnW_H5kWxSsBqRP01OKbZrlJMnxim9WQ6she-WenIJcud2iNjGKxAVKRcvGSMdKF1DZ-xSejbyE2/s638/CN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="413" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOXtQIRuCShrTOMvZYRXKWr0VpfgXA4_3v7BmecUuaE46yBBNb2ujxOpfUUmV2MVoBwExlbkJuL41lu3QdxSJ7iE99-IUjhy_S2GibwxeQKSjzFVEnW_H5kWxSsBqRP01OKbZrlJMnxim9WQ6she-WenIJcud2iNjGKxAVKRcvGSMdKF1DZ-xSejbyE2/w414-h640/CN.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If you haven’t already, you can
also download the previous free tales from Short Story Time, starting with last
week’s “<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Rattling Man</a>”, a coming of age Halloween story. Do you believe in
the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what is the
Rattling Man!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-47981217959769412732023-10-07T08:36:00.001-04:002023-10-14T14:15:18.063-04:00Short Story Time: The Rattling Man<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Greetings everyone! It's the
first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE short story from yours
truly! October is the month of Halloween, my favourite holiday of the year. For
the occasion, I have the perfect coming of age Halloween tale for you. Do you
believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what
he is in “The Rattling Man”! You can download the free PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/4jcp71f1la7jcja/AD7_-_The_Rattling_Man.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_dnSC4Nxe-OCzYZAdJs3pdC8W2AVXOaNu1Su1ImJnUioFi4ShaMFX4iqFJkcrgNelZ5y0OtcavVNxntlwkuD4EmuiTnYVVioQqc_h7ci1ataqzDSBsoyQxpKOTqFqBDCUh-c5S1gGQHGMD704zUfvfbDtOcN3uHkIE-DVkdkMi59tIBLcmTOiDwLAxKx/s768/The%20Rattling%20Man.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_dnSC4Nxe-OCzYZAdJs3pdC8W2AVXOaNu1Su1ImJnUioFi4ShaMFX4iqFJkcrgNelZ5y0OtcavVNxntlwkuD4EmuiTnYVVioQqc_h7ci1ataqzDSBsoyQxpKOTqFqBDCUh-c5S1gGQHGMD704zUfvfbDtOcN3uHkIE-DVkdkMi59tIBLcmTOiDwLAxKx/w400-h640/The%20Rattling%20Man.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I'll see you again next week on October
14<sup>th</sup> for another special treat. Until next time, enjoy “The Rattling
Man” and visit the links below for the previous months’ free tales.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">The Bypassed Mind</a>”, a romantic
suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was
directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time Return</i> also adapted as the film
"Somewhere in Time".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-61011106150438521112023-09-02T12:10:00.001-04:002023-10-14T14:15:34.344-04:00Short Story Time: The Bypassed Mind<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Howdy! It's the first Saturday of
the month so it's time for another FREE short story from my archives! This month’s
story is one of my most beloved (and one of my very first) short stories that
was published as part of the now defunct Amazon Shorts series back in 2007
titled "The Bypassed Mind." This romantic suspense/fantasy story with
some hypnosis thrown in for good measure was directly inspired by the late,
great Richard Matheson's novel <i>Bid Time
Return</i> also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time" starring
Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. You can download the free PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3t7njiarmvmptbt/AD2_-_The_Bypassed_Mind.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4UYSWA1X9VTRDqMBClZNnPlpbmcho-knAfQPWnUBSKGCXwRWwGmWiVJSg4MLeHnOJNvWINGUXfw8-RBRrEsUDJoMkX781HVsvzNDkcsCTkSNlblTcdB6e0VO1CMw4hLqhv7p4FS-uFKTNCGzz_xsutOGN0bF4Ai4zhynKxiSoguemyIRh8jvauCUEmEX/s768/The%20Bypassed%20Mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4UYSWA1X9VTRDqMBClZNnPlpbmcho-knAfQPWnUBSKGCXwRWwGmWiVJSg4MLeHnOJNvWINGUXfw8-RBRrEsUDJoMkX781HVsvzNDkcsCTkSNlblTcdB6e0VO1CMw4hLqhv7p4FS-uFKTNCGzz_xsutOGN0bF4Ai4zhynKxiSoguemyIRh8jvauCUEmEX/w400-h640/The%20Bypassed%20Mind.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I'll see you again on October 7<sup>th</sup>
for another free story. Until then, enjoy "The Bypassed Mind” and visit
the links below for the past months’ free tales.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">Breaking and Entering</a>”, the
story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing
anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble
upon something that will change his life forever…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">Scapegoat</a>”, a tale about the
Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of
nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with
mystery is sure to entertain you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last but not least, fans of
Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales
of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-40523241076475198212023-08-20T09:24:00.003-04:002023-08-20T10:07:03.683-04:00Update on Amok's Third Tale...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Greetings! For those who have been following my Sword & Sorcery news lately, the third story in my barbarian Amok's series is back from the editor's desk. The tale is titled "It Fell from the Firmament" and continues Amok and Goyiir's adventures as they pass through a village and witness an unidentified flying object crashing in a field. This story sheds some light on Amok's past and reveals interesting details about his quest. You'll be able to read it in the fourth quarter of 2024 when the book of Amok's complete chronicles is published. Until then, if you haven't already downloaded/read Amok's first two tales available as a <b>free</b> PDF, then head over <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a> to join the fun. I'll be starting to write Tale #4 later today. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxW7VjHouggeG-3TJKen0YkIO7ZKoTIbEB_GehS_cpZULo11883OIvmjPUvpHn7eH6H2Go3UjVhD_B3FiroB0NNQmih3f23FpMs5CvtjKohM5EQW74g07k_JK0KKZd5o8i0T24Lb0cpA0gcsJ1SLkdwsKV4TJMoXXmSJLOjM2Ri5uK2H6DZBqF87UyTngl/s6600/AlienVert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6600" data-original-width="5100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxW7VjHouggeG-3TJKen0YkIO7ZKoTIbEB_GehS_cpZULo11883OIvmjPUvpHn7eH6H2Go3UjVhD_B3FiroB0NNQmih3f23FpMs5CvtjKohM5EQW74g07k_JK0KKZd5o8i0T24Lb0cpA0gcsJ1SLkdwsKV4TJMoXXmSJLOjM2Ri5uK2H6DZBqF87UyTngl/w494-h640/AlienVert.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-52177087686462595712023-08-05T11:22:00.003-04:002023-08-05T11:30:17.205-04:00Short Story Time: Breaking and Entering<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Greetings! It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE short story from yours truly! Today I give you "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Breaking and Entering", which was originally published in <i>NexGen Pulp Magazine</i> way back in 2008 and reprinted in 2010 in my collection </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><i>The Bitternest Chronicles</i>. It was also adapted as a short film directed by Jonathan Dubsky in 2010. It’s the story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble upon something that will change his life forever… </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMMEEwHDNbWHlJXlH2LCCOWbW5jS4bc-1eYWdegqcAY_sz9jgzdqZmBIU6Etw7T-S1kbpIhbdnS45zw43UxTfUm5xEft6Qcd5ZdgUFU94mHecNDkFYcBGWMb7NYW_Aq9ra_620BsPMarX2DBV3NdoornhEpXs1bAxOm4rHW02XsJ6WCiK6HhMftKNObQF/s768/Breaking%20and%20Entering.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMMEEwHDNbWHlJXlH2LCCOWbW5jS4bc-1eYWdegqcAY_sz9jgzdqZmBIU6Etw7T-S1kbpIhbdnS45zw43UxTfUm5xEft6Qcd5ZdgUFU94mHecNDkFYcBGWMb7NYW_Aq9ra_620BsPMarX2DBV3NdoornhEpXs1bAxOm4rHW02XsJ6WCiK6HhMftKNObQF/w400-h640/Breaking%20and%20Entering.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">You can download this 13-page short story</span> as a free PDF right <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/cepg5s6fa5rxiyv/AD1_-_Breaking_and_Entering.pdf/file" target="_blank">here</a>. I'll see you again on September 2nd for another free story. Until then, enjoy "Breaking and Entering" and if you missed last month's story, "Scapegoat", you can get it at this <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">location</a>. </span></p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-4047612113364922542023-07-01T09:47:00.001-04:002023-07-01T09:47:43.128-04:00Short Story Time: Scapegoat<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Welcome to a new feature on the
blog: Short Story Time. Back in 2018, leading up to the publication of my then-upcoming
thriller <i>Oblique</i>, penned under the
pseudonym Neal Vandar (an anagram of Alan Draven), I had decided to republish
all my short stories for free as well as a couple of my novellas. The links to
those tales have long disappeared so I figured it was time to bring them back
and introduce them to new readers. Starting today, I’ll upload one of my short
stories or novellas on the first Saturday of every month as a free PDF. It will
lead to the publication of the collected Amok tales as a print/Kindle book
around November or December 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx-o1NAD8tj4EGejUiiGu6B901kiwC-iafQFXj7LEteKVFfzAwLnenJfDZjPNMYDAKlunJpckIoKb1hCg_BiKqPcGQSXTpxfBOx1nC4wEnxYx6mQ11fKKGnLf2j9pZ___jzkxqWQl9obAoym1Z0nsGW4Qydudm3NAv-o2sEBrJ-0xUDjqxVaJsYHPnriZ/s696/Scapegoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx-o1NAD8tj4EGejUiiGu6B901kiwC-iafQFXj7LEteKVFfzAwLnenJfDZjPNMYDAKlunJpckIoKb1hCg_BiKqPcGQSXTpxfBOx1nC4wEnxYx6mQ11fKKGnLf2j9pZ___jzkxqWQl9obAoym1Z0nsGW4Qydudm3NAv-o2sEBrJ-0xUDjqxVaJsYHPnriZ/w434-h640/Scapegoat.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">To get the ball rolling, since
we’re in the middle of baseball season, why not start with the only short story
I wrote as Neal Vandar back in 2018 titled “Scapegoat.” It’s a baseball tale
but I promise you, even if you don’t care for baseball, you’re bound to get a
kick out of it. It’s a fantasy tale that deals with the Curse of the Cubs, the
love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of nostalgia. It’s 26 pages
long so you can read it in one sitting. You can download it <a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/3cm6op4x5t9m25e/NV1_-_Scapegoat.pdf/file" target="_blank">right here</a>. If you
enjoy this tale, drop me a line here or on Twitter to let me know; I always
love to hear from my readers. You can come back here on August 5</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
for another free story.</span> <span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Happy
reading!</span></p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-27341900213585958272023-06-17T08:30:00.000-04:002023-06-17T08:30:20.020-04:00Alan Draven’s AMOK Has Arrived!<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">About four months ago, I said I'd
be publishing a Sword & Sorcery short story to introduce my new character,
Amok. Well, the time has finally come! Below you'll find a link to download a FREE
PDF booklet of 76 pages featuring Amok’s first two tales. These two novelettes
serve as an introduction to Amok and his world. There will be six more
novelettes to come that will be available by the end of 2024 in a novel-length
collection of the complete eight tales chronicling Amok’s quest to find answers
about his past. His journey will be fraught with peril and full of challenges. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlXXYRFgGw0phHddW5k6S8Uwgi17G6vjbzGZwNIHk88384jt82lywmTmHisuVWon8sl6vKyXcxAGbUDQM2AAeWVnSTgHj1FJpu6Ykd4HatowHqoEs0947OGqUYTk0XIVD_W2t0UtjWRFa60KcO3Plw_e7w6KnnawZdMVjxw8YJgC1eD7kqy8k53u-GA/s1105/Amok-TwoTalesCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="780" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlXXYRFgGw0phHddW5k6S8Uwgi17G6vjbzGZwNIHk88384jt82lywmTmHisuVWon8sl6vKyXcxAGbUDQM2AAeWVnSTgHj1FJpu6Ykd4HatowHqoEs0947OGqUYTk0XIVD_W2t0UtjWRFa60KcO3Plw_e7w6KnnawZdMVjxw8YJgC1eD7kqy8k53u-GA/w452-h640/Amok-TwoTalesCover.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The first two tales are titled “Evil
Soul, Evil Deed” and “Denizens of the Deep.” Also included are four beautiful illustrations
spread throughout the booklet to give you an idea of what Amok and his friend
Goyiir look like. If you like what you read, then I hope you’ll join me for the
full ride come November or December 2024 and purchase <i>Amok the Powerful</i> in print or as an eBook. In the meantime, enjoy
Amok’s first two tales and spread the word to anyone you know who’s into Sword
& Sorcery, Conan, or Dungeons & Dragons. Thank you for reading me and
stay tuned for more updates over the next eighteen months.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Download <b><a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/7jxskivs0jox47d/Amok_-_Two_Tales.pdf/file" target="_blank">Alan Draven’s AMOK</a></b></span></p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-81534236626343414542023-02-20T09:14:00.000-05:002023-02-20T09:14:33.816-05:00And Now For Something Completely Different...<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For
about 17 years now, I've been writing under the pen names Alan Draven for all my Bitternest stories, novellas, and novels, and as Neal Vandar for one novel, <i>Oblique,</i> and one short story, "Scapegoat." I've written mainly
in the horror/supernatural thriller genres, dabbling into action, adventure, and sci-fi occasionally. I called it a career last October
with the publication of my final novel, <i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i>, but you
know what they say about retiring from anything, right? It usually never lasts
for very long. Anyhow, I’m done writing novels, that’s for sure. I’ve climbed
Mount Everest enough times already and have no desire to do it again. I’m also
done writing horror and dark fiction; I’ve outgrown those genres over the
years. But it turns out that I'm not done writing fiction, not anywhere close.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve just finished what is the first in a series of Sword & Sorcery short stories
featuring the ongoing saga of a Conan-type character. This series of short
tales will eventually be collected into a single volume available in print, digital,
and audiobook formats. These tales will be episodic in nature, chronicling the
adventures of Amok, an adventurer, mercenary for hire, and thief who lived in a
distant land long ago. His adventures will be fraught with peril; he will embark
on a deeply personal quest, encounter many evil men, battle scary monsters, deal
with dark magic, and rescue a few damsels in distress along the way. Amok won’t
be alone on his journey; he’ll come across some reliable friends on his path
and will ride on the back of his trusty white stallion Melrik. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdcPPfz2uny2x-OWUiIu6P7JmdrfhSdnAjlCHPAVfNOFIkhrGAYaq3ZY_n_PaBJxi8EP5YbJgMXrk6Nvij9YfVHzmp8lrnjvDZBBfpiw8uFmwH-2_eM0S-CR2u1xLADBbmp5UzoNdbw6I1X_QmuztaKdNljvvcli-nc4F6rx-zrTFAQ7drICm_rSAiQ/s1920/EvilSoulTeaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1920" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdcPPfz2uny2x-OWUiIu6P7JmdrfhSdnAjlCHPAVfNOFIkhrGAYaq3ZY_n_PaBJxi8EP5YbJgMXrk6Nvij9YfVHzmp8lrnjvDZBBfpiw8uFmwH-2_eM0S-CR2u1xLADBbmp5UzoNdbw6I1X_QmuztaKdNljvvcli-nc4F6rx-zrTFAQ7drICm_rSAiQ/w450-h259/EvilSoulTeaser.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The plan is to write about ten
tales, ranging between 5,000 and 10,000 words each, and to publish them
individually at first on Amazon’s Kindle. In April or May, I will also start
recording readings of those tales (as well as a selection of my old Bitternest
horror/thriller stories). Those audio files will be available on Bandcamp and
on YouTube for your listening pleasure. Once I’m done the first phase of Amok’s
adventures, an audiobook comprising the complete saga will be available on
Audible as well. I’m also aiming to have an audiobook done for what I consider
my best Bitternest short stories written between 2006 and 2018 to release
individually on Bandcamp and as a collection on Audible as well by the end of
2023. Ideally, I’d love to have a book’s worth—about ten Amok stories—by the
end of 2024. I feel reinvigorated writing in the Sword & Sorcery genre,
something I’ve never tackled before. Sometimes all you need is a change of
scenery to get the inspiration flowing again and reignite a fading passion for
writing fiction.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">The first Amok story is
titled “Evil Soul, Evil Deed.” It is an introductory tale that sets up Amok’s world
and sees a mysterious one-eyed man hiring our hero to seek and retrieve a rare katana
from the clutches of a masterless samurai and his ninja acolytes. Deception and
bloodshed ensue. Stay tuned to the blog for a release date and more details in
the weeks to come.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-12675272394686485762022-10-25T06:30:00.001-04:002022-10-25T06:30:00.182-04:00Pub Day! Once Upon a Time in Bitternest is LIVE!<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My final novel, <i><b>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</b></i>, is finally out! You can grab a copy on Kindle on Amazon at the links below in the United States, Canada, and the UK. <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">It's priced at $4.99 US, $6.90 CAD, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;">£</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">4.47. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you'd like a PDF version instead (which always looks better and is formatted closer to what a print book would look like), you can message me on Twitter @alandraven or email me directly through this blog and we'll set it up via PayPal. I hope you'll enjoy this final ride in the city of Bitternest. Thank you for your support throughout the years!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNweU4KNLgj0KeyvIzhflO9HSC8cWWhj5jt_2CIEOUgM6XeoR4H9cBWhDEvgc54rEJppj6dyIk-qT1TkGOHw3onpCTORHTkYSvusxA2qzr6RoGx645PfR5-sqfLKexkCNp67GngHjiznpgsHWzF0h-HDrkTD51i5dTkIqkGPl9Z1hA2ri-2XMGq6xapw/s1074/OnceUpon-FinalCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="780" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNweU4KNLgj0KeyvIzhflO9HSC8cWWhj5jt_2CIEOUgM6XeoR4H9cBWhDEvgc54rEJppj6dyIk-qT1TkGOHw3onpCTORHTkYSvusxA2qzr6RoGx645PfR5-sqfLKexkCNp67GngHjiznpgsHWzF0h-HDrkTD51i5dTkIqkGPl9Z1hA2ri-2XMGq6xapw/w464-h640/OnceUpon-FinalCoverArt.jpg" width="464" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH1GLWJT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" style="color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BH1GLWJT" style="color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon.ca</a></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BH1GLWJT" style="color: #900007; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a></span></span></b></div>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-67643107197256005242022-10-02T10:17:00.000-04:002022-10-02T10:17:12.387-04:00Pre-Orders Are Live!<p style="text-align: justify;">Pre-orders are live for <i><b>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</b></i>! The novel will be out Tuesday, October 25th. After much debate, I've decided not to go ahead with a paperback release for my final book. The demand just isn't there. So, it'll be available as a Kindle exclusive on all Amazon sites. If you'd like a PDF version instead (which always looks better and is formatted closer to what a print book would look like), you can message me on Twitter @alandraven or email me directly through this blog and we'll set it up via PayPal. It's priced at $4.99 US and $6.90 CAD. You can find the links below. Enjoy and thank you!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwlZjzFMvlIKqdQ1DAAyL72Q0sRj1SneprDpw0EhwwHU5m6f17Bcf3vDkBdp652UCfS3NExgCSa1eGqpA-fz6XUyk2a8nby8QegnASc_m0wp6Foc0ZYRNfx4m9IuQGiUVJ-txRkTOqtis_k4katUUQdrqKjPnOXd68OHAJG5-VyBrg-ieIYc8ulnwMQ/s867/OnceUponATimeInBitternest-Teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="867" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwlZjzFMvlIKqdQ1DAAyL72Q0sRj1SneprDpw0EhwwHU5m6f17Bcf3vDkBdp652UCfS3NExgCSa1eGqpA-fz6XUyk2a8nby8QegnASc_m0wp6Foc0ZYRNfx4m9IuQGiUVJ-txRkTOqtis_k4katUUQdrqKjPnOXd68OHAJG5-VyBrg-ieIYc8ulnwMQ/w640-h238/OnceUponATimeInBitternest-Teaser.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alan-Draven/e/B002BMESH6" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Alan Draven's Author Page on Amazon</span></a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH1GLWJT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BH1GLWJT" target="_blank">Amazon.ca</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i> @ <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BH1GLWJT" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a></span></b></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-38412498534959997602022-08-21T09:20:00.008-04:002022-10-01T14:47:33.618-04:00Once Upon a Time in Bitternest<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Every journey comes to an end. </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This is
it, folks, my final novel. It’s been a couple of years in the making, a few
changes along the way, but now it’s done. I’ve told all the stories I needed
and wanted to tell. It’s time for me to ride off into the sunset. Writing a new
novel is like climbing Mount Everest every single time and I just don’t have
the passion and imagination to keep doing it anymore. I’ve been at it, chasing
a dream, pursuing a goal for a little over seventeen years. It’s been quite the
roller coaster ride, with many more lows than highs, but in the end, I have no
regrets. But I won’t stop writing. I’ll just be writing something different,
not fiction. If you want to know what I’ve been mostly up to these past two
years and what I’ll be doing for the foreseeable future, you can check out my
music blog, <a href="https://harbingerofdoom1.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Harbinger of D.O.O.M.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It ends where it all began, in my
beloved fictitious city of Bitternest, Louisiana where supernatural occurrences
happen on a daily basis. Here’s the official synopsis for <b><i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i></b>:
“<i>Bitternest. City of drunken ambitions
and sunken dreams. For more than a century, dark and supernatural occurrences
have been a part of day-to-day life in this Louisiana town. Jeremy Cyrus, a
vampire who was around in the first decade of the town’s inception, has
returned to the beloved city he calls home. The Woolrichs, a wealthy family of
werewolves, now rule the city from the shadows with an iron fist. They’ve had
bad blood with Cyrus dating back almost 150 years.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Marty
Johnson is a struggling freelance writer living in Chicago. His lifelong
fantasy has been to rob a bank. One day he decides that it’s now or never and
finds the perfect opportunity down south in a town he’s never heard of called
Bitternest. Meanwhile, one of Marty’s best friends, Carter Adams, is obsessed
with catching a serial killer who slipped through his fingers in Chicago and
who appears to have made his way to Bitternest. Along with a couple of their
pals with delusions of grandeur, they’ll join forces to pursue their goals.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Cyrus.
The Woolrichs. Marty. Carter. Their paths will collide in an action-packed,
supernatural thriller where the stakes are at their highest. No one will come
out unscathed and not everyone will make it out alive. It’s a tale for the ages
where past history clashes with the present and the outcome will change
Bitternest’s future forever</span></i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The book will be published
by Pixie Dust Press on Tuesday, October 25</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 2022. It will be
available in print as a trade paperback and on Kindle. Links and more details
to follow in the weeks to come. Below is the cover artwork for it. I hope you’ll
join me for one final trip to Bitternest! I’d like to thank all my readers,
publishers, and fellow writers who have supported me and spread the word about my
books and stories throughout the years. It’s been fun.</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6EStMJWv-BLiNvkVAdf2LiXIs7BDsOWH4J8V0SX6PglEOJjhAwzG7VOlDIi30ltXTPpFhLcliw0k5chdVFu8GWQm-1r2PN5RCC6DJ9SOs_RozTFSizgePQsQlchaDbT4O_IhAzGth7_k4DWo3r7HkM6Crdop0neglvYFk6ralIdU6sfHIlXsL6LnmA/s1074/OnceUpon-FinalCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="780" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6EStMJWv-BLiNvkVAdf2LiXIs7BDsOWH4J8V0SX6PglEOJjhAwzG7VOlDIi30ltXTPpFhLcliw0k5chdVFu8GWQm-1r2PN5RCC6DJ9SOs_RozTFSizgePQsQlchaDbT4O_IhAzGth7_k4DWo3r7HkM6Crdop0neglvYFk6ralIdU6sfHIlXsL6LnmA/w464-h640/OnceUpon-FinalCoverArt.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-7264049415558725802018-11-01T09:06:00.004-04:002018-11-01T09:10:07.019-04:00Some reading material for those cold winter nights...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My mind-fuck of a thriller <i>Oblique</i> penned as Neal Vandar has
been out for six weeks now. For about the price of a coffee, $4 US/$5 CAD, this
digital novel can be yours! It’s perfect reading material for those upcoming cold
winter nights where you can snuggle under the covers with a hot beverage and a
good book on your favourite ereader! Check out the synopsis below as well as
links to purchase on Amazon and Kobo in the US
and Canada. As
usual, you can always purchase the beautiful PDF directly from me (which looks
the way the book would look like if it were a paperback). Thank you for your
support!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“A man has dinner at a restaurant with a woman he hasn’t seen in
twenty-five years. Before they order their food, he goes to the basement
washroom. When he returns ten minutes later, the patrons and staff are
seemingly all dead. No signs of struggle or traces of blood anywhere. He panics
and flees the scene.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Following an encounter with a group of bullies, his paranoia reaches soaring
levels. Exhausted and afraid to go back home, he seeks refuge at a motel on the
edge of the city for the night. When he awakens the next day, he finds himself
in a completely different town, clueless as to how he arrived there. After
meeting a man whose past might be linked to his, he uncovers some information
that sends him on a wild quest in an attempt to get to the bottom of an
incident that occurred a quarter-century ago.</span></span></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
He’ll be chased, shot at, lied to, and drawn into a web of mystery and
confusion as he seeks the truth—and does his best not to get killed in the
process.”</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yz5olQ8RC0w/WkpDbEbAcVI/AAAAAAAAAc4/1TOZVmlL5-U7CzWHZN1MvSnfGlKZ7FzPwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/ObliqueCoverTeaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1134" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yz5olQ8RC0w/WkpDbEbAcVI/AAAAAAAAAc4/1TOZVmlL5-U7CzWHZN1MvSnfGlKZ7FzPwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/ObliqueCoverTeaser.jpg" width="452" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oblique-Neal-Vandar-ebook/dp/B07HFCVM48/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537842014&sr=1-2&keywords=oblique" target="_blank">Amazon US (Kindle)</a></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Oblique-Neal-Vandar-ebook/dp/B07HFCVM48/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537841971&sr=1-1&keywords=neal+vandar" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Amazon Canada (Kindle)</b></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/oblique-4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Kobo US (Epub)</b></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/oblique-4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Kobo Canada (Epub)</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-37932511479548338952018-10-31T10:45:00.000-04:002018-10-31T10:45:43.318-04:00Happy Halloween!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Halloween everyone! The best Holiday of the year is finally here! As promised, I have a FREE short story for
you. Initially it was going to be a brand new story penned as Neal Vandar that
I was working on titled “Grey Area” about some Grey aliens waiting for their
spaceship to pick them up and getting caught in an outdoor opera rehearsal with
wild shenanigans ensuing. But after a few pages, the story wasn’t coming
together the way I was hoping it would, and I had no idea how I was going to
end it so I abandoned it. Maybe I’ll go back to it someday but for now, it’s
dead in the water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So the story you’re getting has only been published online
back in the spring of 2006 (the second story I ever got published) and I felt
an inkling to revisit it, not having read it since then. I’m surprised that I
still found it quite effective after all this time. It’s a nasty little tale
about the monster under the bed. Very short… and creepy! So I give you “Silently
It Creeps”; you can download the FREE PDF <a href="http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=50634604799579161218" target="_blank"><b>right here</b></a>. Happy reading and stay scared this Halloween!</span></div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-16148709587023636602018-10-25T08:14:00.003-04:002018-10-25T08:15:24.158-04:00The Paradigm<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here it is, the fourth and final "novella for a dollar" re-release: <i>The Paradigm</i>. Of all the novellas I've written, this is my personal favourite. It's a noir mystery with a hint of supernatural and it stars my favourite character, Jim Coffin. I've revamped/re-edited this novella--no major changes; just a bit of polish here and there--as a refresher to get ready to write my next novella, <i>Once Upon a Time in Bitternest</i>, which also stars Jim Coffin. I'll get started on that one in December and it'll be digitally published sometime in May of 2019. Here's the nitty-gritty on The Paradigm:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>First published as part of Alan Draven's 2012 collection "Spooky Showcase", now a stand-alone novella: "The Paradigm."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In the tradition of Mickey Spillane and Donald E. Westlake comes a
noir mystery set in 1984 with a hint of supernatural. Upon investigating
Detective Harry Graves’ disappearance, private eye Jim Coffin finds
himself on the trail of an odd bunch of characters, including a
drop-dead gorgeous dame, a mad scientist, and a man who claims to be
immortal. Along the way, Coffin begins having bizarre dreams about his
own demise—could they be a foreboding of something sinister?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You
can purchase it on Amazon (Kindle) and Kobo (Epub) at the links below
or contact me directly to buy the PDF version. This completes the digital </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">novella </span>re-issues. I'll have one more treat for you on Halloween next Wednesday; a short story from the vault that I've revisited after 12 years. Till then, happy reading</span>!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JMQLX6F" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amazon US</span></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-paradigm-6" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kobo US</span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-paradigm-6" target="_blank">Kobo Canada</a> </span></b></div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-79000296193446180972018-10-19T08:33:00.001-04:002018-10-19T08:35:02.916-04:00Halloween: Crimson Nightmares<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As promised, to celebrate the release today of the new
"Halloween" film, I’m re-releasing my very own take on the series; my novella
<i>Halloween: Crimson Nightmares</i>. Written/initially digitally published back in
2011, this 106 page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second
"Halloween" film, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played
by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield,
Illinois. It follows little Lindsey
Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat, who is all grown-up now and the
scars of that terrible night haunt her to this day. She’s moved to Bitternest,
Louisiana to get away from her past and has
been leading a quiet life. Until something inside Michael snaps and he comes
looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his
own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the
ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can read online/download the FREE PDF <a href="https://nofile.io/f/4UZTrVq1EEH/Draven+-+Crimson+Nightmares.pdf" target="_blank">right here</a>. Since
I don’t own the rights to the "Halloween" franchise, this one falls under “fan
fiction” and it’s actually the only fan fiction I’ve ever written. "Halloween" is
my <span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">favourite</span> film of
all-time so it’s fitting. I’m very proud of this tale; I think it represents
some of my very best writing. Enjoy and happy Halloween!</span></div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-29597725924841302282018-10-18T10:54:00.000-04:002018-10-18T10:54:07.091-04:00Vengeance Is Mine!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's Thursday! Time for the third re-release in the $1 novella series. This one is what is widely considered to be my best novella: <i>Vengeance Is Mine</i>. I spent a couple months researching everything about Jack the Ripper prior to writing it and my attention to details, times, locations, and names of the victims contribute to making this one historical fiction. Here's the lowdown on it:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First published as
part of the multi-author novella collection “Creeping Shadows” in 2009
and reprinted in Alan Draven's 2012 collection "Spooky Showcase", now a
stand-alone novella: "Vengeance Is Mine."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Alan Draven’s classic re-telling of the Jack the Ripper murders—with a
twist! London 1888. Jack the Ripper leaves a trail of mutilated bodies
as he terrorizes the district of Whitechapel and baffles the
authorities. From beyond death, one of his victims returns to haunt him
and shows him the meaning of living in fear.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You
can purchase it on Amazon (Kindle) and Kobo (Epub) at the links below
or contact me directly to buy the PDF version. Tomorrow I'll have a special treat for you so be sure to drop by. And next Thursday will be the final $1 novella re-release and my personal favourite: <i>The Paradigm</i>. Happy reading!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vengeance-is-mine-65" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kobo US</span></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/vengeance-is-mine-65" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kobo Canada </span></b></a> </div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-91950143414781699002018-10-11T08:52:00.002-04:002018-10-11T09:00:59.572-04:00The Dark Emissaries<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Second week of the one dollar novella<b> </b>reprints. My novella <i>The Dark Emissaries</i> is now available for the modest sum of $0.99 US/$1.25 CAD. This one stars one of the supporting characters of my first novel, <i>Bitternest</i>, as well as the Dark Emissaries, those dark shadow beings, who first made their appearance in my short story "The Chilling Hour." Here's the official synopsis:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">First published as
part of Alan Draven's 2010 collection "The Bitternest Chronicles", now a
stand-alone novella: "The Dark Emissaries."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Harmony Evans returns to her hometown of Bitternest for a friend’s
funeral. She begins to suspect that he was murdered by something
unnatural. A strange and charismatic man who only goes out at night
confirms her fears and tells her there are dark beings sucking the life
out of Bitternest’s inhabitants and turning them into stone. They are
called the Dark Emissaries and a sign that they are but a taste of much
worse things to come. Harmony will learn that she has a bigger role to
play in the fight against the Dark Emissaries. Will she and her
mysterious new friend find a way to defeat them before the irreparable
happens?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can purchase it on Amazon (Kindle) and Kobo (Epub) at the links below or contact me directly to buy the PDF version. I'll see you next week for the re-release of <i>Vengeance Is Mine</i>, my classic Jack the Ripper novella.</span></div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9021626359080327878.post-85430277779066487992018-10-07T13:24:00.001-04:002018-10-07T13:24:30.783-04:00Links are back on track<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, I guess it was just a week-long maintenance issue for the NoFile.IO shutdown as the file host site is back on track today. I'm glad because on top of saving me from the hassle of re-uploading all the free stories to another site, this site looks professional, has a preview of the file before you download it, allows you to read the PDF online if you don't feel like downloading it and doesn't have annoying popups of any kind. So you can head over any of the links from the previous weeks' posts to download/read online the eight free Bitternest stories that I uploaded there a well as my brand new story penned as Neal Vandar titled "Scapegoat." The story runs 26 pages long and is about baseball, curses, and time traveling. Really proud of this one and I've received wonderful feedback on it so far. You can find that one <a href="https://nofile.io/f/v2j8S6eodm6/NV1+-+Scapegoat.pdf" target="_blank"><b>right here</b></a>. Have a good Sunday!</span></div>
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Alan Draven / Neal Vandarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080228404818935907noreply@blogger.com0