Saturday, March 2, 2024

Short Story Time: Beyond the Doomed Cave

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 Sinister Landscapes anthology in 2008 and reprinted in my second collection, Spooky Showcase, in 2012. You can read/download the free PDF here.

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!

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. 

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Short Story Time: Silently It Creeps

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 here.

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!

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. 

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Short Story Time: The Chilling Hour

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, Nocturnal Offerings, a few years later. Originally published in 2008 in the 9 of Swords e-zine and reprinted in my first collection, The Bitternest Chronicles, in 2010, I give you "The Chilling Hour." You can download the free PDF right here.

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!

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. 

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Update on Amok's Fifth Tale...

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 here, so join in on the fun.

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. 

Saturday, December 2, 2023

Short Story Time: The Errand

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 Darkened Horizons Vol. 4 anthology and later reprinted in my first collection, The Bitternest Chronicles, in 2010. You can download it as a PDF right here.

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!

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. 

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Update on Amok's Fourth Tale...

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 free PDF, then head over here to join the fun. I'll get cracking on Tale #5 later today. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come!




Saturday, November 4, 2023

Short Story Time: Hershell’s Motel

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 Bonded by Blood anthology in 2008. The tale was later reprinted in my first short story collection in 2010, The Bitternest Chronicles. You can download it as a PDF right here.

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 “The Rattling Man”!

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. 

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Short Story Time: Halloween - Crimson Nightmares

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 Halloween: Crimson Nightmares. 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.

You can download the FREE PDF of Crimson Nightmares right here. 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!

If you haven’t already, you can also download the previous free tales from Short Story Time, starting with last week’s “The Rattling Man”, 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!

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. 

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Short Story Time: The Rattling Man

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 here.

I'll see you again next week on October 14th for another special treat. Until next time, enjoy “The Rattling Man” and visit the links below for the previous months’ free tales.

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. 

Saturday, September 2, 2023

Short Story Time: The Bypassed Mind

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 Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. You can download the free PDF right here.

I'll see you again on October 7th for another free story. Until then, enjoy "The Bypassed Mind” and visit the links below for the past months’ free tales.

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.