HardPress Classic Books Series Views: 3 213
Three boys plan a prank on the class weirdo, Toilet Tom. But the bullies soon learn that it's what's inside that counts . . .Toilet Tom is a darkly funny horror story which proves that some of the best surprises come from behind.Included with Toilet Tom is a preview of my second novel, Surviving Immortality, available on Smashwords as of August, 2012. Views: 964
"The end of the world began roughly about the time that Billy Carver’s butt rang about halfway through the War of 1812."The end of the world, as told by a teenager."So as near as I could tell the end of the world began roughly about the time that Billy Carver’s butt rang for Santa Claus about halfway through the War of 1812."Sixteen year old Briar Gamble is having a bad day.It started with the cell phones singing for Santa Claus. Then came the tanks and the storm troopers.The Black Masks, in their black fish bowl sunglasses.And then along came Captain Albino.The shooting started shortly after that.Like I said - Briar Gamble is having a REALLY bad day.And it's about to get worse. Views: 784
A trip goes tragically wrong, a derelict ship hides terrible secrets, and a day of celebration brings doubt and confrontation.These dark tales capture five distinct moments, moments that tell their stories in few words and hight tension . . .Included are five flash fiction stories:Burden; Seafood; The New Landlord; Out of Body; and Birth Day.Also included are the first three chapters of my novel, Deer Lake, also available on Smashwords.Please do let me know what you think! Views: 728
A man seeks to escape the noisiness and stupidity that surrounds him and, in so doing, becomes something more--or less--than human.This odd, darkly funny short story is approximately 2100 words.Included with Deepest Quiet are the first three chapters of my novel, Deer Lake.Do let me know what you think! Views: 726
In 1691 the town of Crossfall taught the witch Thessaly how to die. Now she has come back with an army of scarecrows.Hell will surely follow.In 1691 the town of Crossfall taught the witch Thessaly how to die. They beat her, they shot her, they hung her - but nothing worked. When they finally tried to bury her alive Thessaly set the field against them. The first man died as a gust of wind harrowed the meat from his bones. A root,flung like a dirty javelin, cut a second man down. Many more deaths followed. The Preacher Fell impaled the witch upon her very own broom but she dragged him down into the field to wait for three more centuries.Three hundred years later Maddy Harker will murder her bullying husband Vic. She will bury him in the field as she buried her abusive father years before that. The very same field where the revenant spirit of Thessaly Cross lies waiting.In three days Vic will rise again - a thing of dirt, bone and hatred.Men will call him the Tatterdemon.And hell - and Thessaly - will followThis is the first volume of the Tatterdemon Trilogy. If you liked this first volume you can purchase all three volumes either separately or you can save money and purchase them all together in a three volume omnibus. Views: 659
It was Billy McTavish's first sea voyage.He had signed on to the serve as convoy escort on the THISTLE a Royal Canadian Navy corvette.Through U-Boat attack and Luftwaffe bombing runs, Billy had thought he had seen all of the horror that the Atlantic could offer a young Canadian sailor.But Big Jimmy Noonan had other ideas...It was Billy McTavish's first sea voyage.He had signed on to the serve as convoy escort on the THISTLE a Royal Canadian Navy corvette.Through U-Boat attack and Luftwaffe bombing runs, Billy had thought he had seen all of the horror that the Atlantic could offer a young Canadian sailor.But Big Jimmy Noonan had other ideas...]***WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON'S WRITING! "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." – Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries “Steve Vernon is a hard writer to pin down. And that’s a good thing.” – Dark Scribe Magazine "This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." –Edward Lee, author of FLESH GOTHIC and CITY INFERNAL “Steve Vernon is one of the finest new talents of horror and dark fiction" - Owl Goingback, author of CROTA "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar Views: 519
He met her at the grocery store - piece by piece.Caroline is a strange and darkly funny love story.It is a full-length short story and includes a bonus preview of my second novel, Surviving Immortality, available as of August, 2012.Please do leave a review and/or contact me. Views: 491
Grab a copy of NINE of the wildest and weirdest cat stories that you have ever come across. Fantasy, mystery and true-to-life tales of cat wonder. "Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience." - Pam Brown "There is, incidentally, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come off as a sane person." - Dan Greenberg "Cats are like music. It is foolish to try to explain their worth to those who do not appreciate them." - Anonymous Table of Contents 1. "The Boy Who Loved To Draw Cats" by Steve Vernon 2. "Gilroy and the Kitten" by Jamie Ferguson 3. "Nine Lives" by Leah Cutter 4. "Coyotes, Cats and Other Creatures" by Karen L. Abrahamson 5. "Here, Kitty Kitty" by Annie Reed 6. "The Night Mischief Became a Real Cat" by Annie Reed 7. "A Gingersnap Cat Christmas" by Danielle Williams 8. "When She Gained Her Soul" by Felicia Fredlund 9. "Eclipse" by Linda Jordan Views: 479
An artist takes a page from Poe in seeking revenge against a critic.High Art is a darkly humorous tale of revenge in the style of The Cask of Amontillado.Included with High Art is a preview of my first novel, Deer Lake, available as of February, 2012. Views: 462
Lost in the Greenland desert, a man comes across a downed plane and is forced to make a decision that truly bites.Got an e-reader? Why not feed it some Frozen Dinner?Lost in the Greenland desert, a man comes across a downed plane and is forced to make a decision that truly bites.A short story that blends humour with horror, Frozen Dinner is ready to serve in seconds and best enjoyed with a dark ale or California red. Views: 419
Phantom Keys is mostly about a brother and sister who discover they have special powers. Giovanni and Gwendolyn Stephens learn about their family's past. While Giovanni is trying his best to live up to his father's name, Gwendolyn is busy with her very own personal issues. Gwendolyn's boyfriend, Marcus River, the former cop, now private detective, has no clue of Gwen's nor Giovanni's double life.The courage of a kidnapped young girl is tested, but her strong will to live will not allow her to become a victim. This dark story of sustained suspense focuses on the thought process of this young woman as she awaits the return of her captor and culminates in a surprise ending. The Captive was selected by San Diego Writer’s Ink Anthology, Vol 4 as one of San Diego’s finest writers. The story lends itself to a quick, but intense read. Views: 374
No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing - cats are always watching you. Even when you think that cat is totally ignoring you, that cat is watching. Do you own a cat? Take a quick look, and see if that cat doesn't flick one ear, or twitch their tail, or even briefly cock one vertical eye into a kind of a gun-slit winky-peek radar-honing right in your general direction - while all the while letting on like that cat doesn't even notice you. So, seeing that your cat is doing all of that watching, maybe you had better grab yourself a look at these nine magical cat tales. Read them to yourself or better yet read them aloud to your cat and see if you can't irritate one of those low and rumbling growls of indignation that only cats can seem to make happen. Just watch and see. "In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods; they have not forgotten this." - Terry Pratchett "The problem with cats is that they get the same exact... Views: 155
