It’s the first Saturday of July, so it’s Short Story Time! This month’s novella is widely considered to be my very
best one: Vengeance Is Mine. 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 make this one historical
fiction. Here's the lowdown on it:
“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.
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.”
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, stay scared!
“The Dark Emissaries” is a novella about a girl named Harmony who returns to Bitternest for a friend’s funeral. She encounters a strange man who only goes out at night that 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.
“Cellar Door” is a novella about a
court proofreader who picks up white noise on the recording of a transcript: A
girl says ‘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?’”
“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 close
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.
