Happy May the Fourth! It’s the first Saturday of the
month, so you know what that means: it’s Short Story Time! Now that I’m done with
my horror short stories, I’m shaking things up a bit and I’ll be sharing my
novellas for FREE over the next four months. First published as part of my 2010
collection The Bitternest Chronicles, now a stand-alone novella, I give
you Cellar Door. Here’s the synopsis:
“Justis
Samson, a court proofreader, picks up white noise on the recording of a
transcript that he is proofreading. He hears a girl say ‘Help’ and ‘Find Cellar
Door’ on it. He begins to dig deeper and discovers troubling details about a
little girl that went missing in Bitternest. He embarks on an investigation to
uncover the truth and answer the ultimate question: ‘What is Cellar Door?’”
You can download it as a free PDF right here. If you’ve missed the previous installments of Short Story Time, you can download each tale at the links below. Until next month, keep it spooky!
“A Madman’s Atonement” is a story about a
serial killer in Bitternest. That’s all I’ll say about it. It’s become a
fan-favourite over the years and I’m damn proud of this one.
"Beyond the Doomed Cave",
is a Bradburyesque Gothic coming-of-age tale about a witch in a churchyard.
“Silently It Creeps” is a
short and nasty, creepy little tale about the monster under the bed.
“The Chilling Hour” 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, Nocturnal Offerings, a few years
later.
“The Errand” 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.
“Hershell’s Motel” is a
strange tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things
happen.
“The Rattling Man” 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!
“Crimson Nightmares” 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.
“The Bypassed Mind”, 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 Bid
Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".
“Breaking and Entering”,
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…
“Scapegoat”, 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.
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 here.
