An elderly woman's memories aren't what they seem in this terrifying tale of a haunting in New York.Maura Sullivan tells herself that the past was wonderful -- filled with laughter and love.But there's something horrible going on. What really happened all those years ago?And what's waiting in the shadows?Avar-Tek Event #2 (short story): When a military accident releases swarms of microscopic robots called forger nanites into the environment, science intern Kutisha finds that her lab is their target. As three swarms head her way, the military dispatches hover-tanks carrying human sized robotic mechs. Alone, late at night, she places her faith in the mechs, watching the battle between the big and little machines unfold on her doorstep. The question may not be who will win, but who to trust. Views: 640
An illustrated wit-and-wisdom-style packaging of quotes and excerpts from the fiction and nonfiction of Edgar Allan Poe, organized by theme and presented in a lighter-than-Poe context. This book will collect several hundred quotes and aphorisms from Poe's poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Quotes will be organized in thematic chapter groupings, and each chapter will be prefaced with several introductory paragraphs that discuss Poe's preoccupation with their subject matter in a lighter vein. Chapter subjects will include such themes as "Madness," "Dreams," "Revenge," "Mortality," and "Premature Burial." Spot illustrations will be distributed through the text. Views: 640
Off in a distance stood a dark desolate castle in north-western Ireland full of mystery and macabre known as Castle Drac Von Stoller. Anyone that would dare talk bad about the castle would later come up missing without a trace. Legend has it that Count Drac Von Stoller was cursed to remain in the castle's mirror for impaling the great wizard Estavon unless someone could break the curse.Off in a distance stood a dark desolate castle in north-western Ireland full of mystery and macabre known as Castle Drac Von Stoller. Anyone that would dare talk bad about the castle would later come up missing without a trace. Costume parties were held at the castle where ballroom dancing would also take place. Legend has it that Count Drac Von Stoller impaled the great Wizard Estavan and just as the Count was about to sink his teeth into the Wizard's neck the Wizard pulled his magic wand out of his cloak and a beam of light shot through the wand into the mirror standing in the corner. Estavan the Wizard said as he was gasping his last breathe on the impaling stake. "Count for what you've done to me I curse you to the mirror where you will remain for all eternity unless you can find thirteen virgin maiden's impale them and suck every drop of their precious blood from their bodies. If you fail the mirror will be your final resting place, you only have one chance to lift the curse.” Views: 639
When two archeologists investigate an ancient sheet of glass found buried in the Libyan Desert, they unwittingly awaken something buried for millennia.Inspired by both W.B. Yeats poem, The Second Coming, and H.P. Lovecraft's weird horror, The Lake of Glass revolves around two archeologists unearthing something terrible in the Libyan desert. Views: 639
William Clark Russell (1844 –1911) was an English writer best known for his nautical novels. Russell had an office job with a commercial company for a few months, after which he decided to attempt a literary career. His first attempt was a five-act tragedy, Fra Angelico, which was staged unsuccessfully in London during 1866. He began work as a journalist, and during the next two decades wrote for a variety of newspapers including The Newcastle Daily Chronicle, The Kent County News, and most importantly for him, The Daily Telegraph, for which he wrote articles using the pseudonym "Seafarer". Views: 639
This is a sampler of four of my short stories. Please leave a review if you like it.If you like them, I have other books available online. These include:The Eight Hour Hell - a paranormal action thrillerEmergency Protocol Nine - a collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror short storiesEcocide - an ecological sci-fi thrillerRichard Ross, joiner, part-time local football referee, ordinary man, is about to get a shock.It’s time to meet the relatives. But guess what? They’re all dead. Even worse, they are his past lives and all share the same soul - his!With help from his Strange Relations, an angel named Joe, and Roberta (Australopithecus Robustus), Richard has to learn the last lesson of life so all will be allowed to journey towards the Light. Richard is the last of a very long line and everyone’s last chance.One small problem though; Richard is in a coma and time is fast running out. Views: 639
From a young age we are urged to fight our fears. For Simon, those fears involve girls, bullies and things that lie deep beneath the surface of the pond.During their first Dream-year in the Land of Dreams, Eile and Sunny were mentored by Medb hErenn, who taught them about the Dreamworld and trained them in how to conduct adventures and to defend themselves. By the end of that year they had learned enough and gained enough experience to adventure on their own, but Medb sometimes still accompanied them, both because she enjoyed their company, and because she found their choices of adventures intriguing.One of their favorite pastimes is looting lost and abandoned temples, castles, and other ruins, both because they tend to be lucrative, and for the excitement of discovering something no one else had. So when they heard about the legendary temple of Ubasti, they decided to try to find it, and Medb volunteered to come along.They did find it with relative ease, and discovered the treasure was real, but a booby trap separated Sunny and Medb from Eile, and guards attacked her, forcing her to flee for her life.Now she must find a way to save herself and rescue the others, before some awful fate befalls them, but she will need help. Fortunately, she is able to find some, but it comes from the most unlikely source imaginable. Views: 638
A novelette of 10,000 words, sequel to Hambly's Darwath series. The Keep of Dare is an enclosed fortress: no one knows all its secrets and corners. When people start disappearing, the Archmage Ingold Inglorion and his two Californian companions - warrior Gil Patterson and novice wizard Rudy Solis - are faced with the possibility that some deadly entity is hiding in the darkness of the Keep. And the situation is not improved when Ingold himself disappears. Views: 638
Jeremiah Stalwart is from a small town. Though he is much smarter than his peers, he lives a pretty standard life. That is until some bullies chase him after school. He finds himself on a completely unfamiliar planet. Now it is his job to unlock the secret of how he got there and help scientists on his home planet to make the same journey. About 11100 words.Jeremiah Stalwart is from a small town. Though he is much smarter than his peers, he lives a pretty standard life. That is until some bullies chase him after school. He finds himself on a completely unfamiliar planet. Now it is his job to unlock the secret of how he got there and help scientists on his home planet to make the same journey. Join him as he takes the first step towards instantaneous space travel. About 11100 words. Views: 638
Lori Holmes has everything-doting parents, a happy home,
a brand-new college degree, and a wonderful fiance-until fire destroys her home
and family, until grief turns love to ashes, until nightmares steal the peace of
sleep from her tormented mind.
Step by step, an innocent young woman is drawn into a web
of deceit, murder, and supernatural danger Death awaits-but will Lori be
victim…or killer?
***
From Publishers Weekly
Bloch, whose professional career is now in its 55th year,
still manages to write with the same enthusiasm and in the same voice he used in
the novels of his prime (c. 1954-1964). A master of pulp fiction, Bloch always
sets up an intriguing premise. In this case, a recently orphaned young woman
whose parents have died in a mysterious fire discovers a school yearbook older
than she is-with her picture printed in it. Bloch piles mystery upon mystery,
adds unsavory characters, false leads and several violent deaths, before
resolving the whole thing in a typically complicated and unbelievable fashion.
Despite, or because of, all this, it's great fun-the thrills and the puzzles
keep the reader engaged all the way through, and the prose is befittingly
purple.
***
From Library Journal
Lori returns from college graduation to find her parents
dead, her home burned. In the wreckage, a daffy psychic finds an old college
yearbook containing a photo that looks just like Lori. The "twin" is Priscilla
Fairmount, who disappeared in 1968-the year of Lori's birth. Lori begins having
nightmares and becomes convinced that Priscilla is trying to possess her mind.
Under police suspicion for the fire and for the murder of her family lawyer, she
receives help from her psychiatrist to find out who the mysterious Priscilla is.
Although the story is interesting, most of the characters are two-dimensional.
Lori is particularly disappointing: dependent on everyone else to solve the
mystery, she herself does nothing but indulge in stream-of-consciousness
wordplay. Not bad, but one expects better from the author of American
Gothic (1974) and the film classic Psycho (1959).
***
"Lori is all that Bloch's hordes of admirers could
wish: inimitably written, ingeniously sustained, and spinecnilling as only Bloch
can be!"
- Ramsey Campbell
"A new Bloch of terror? Look in the mirror and repeat
after me: he's baaaack! Now go read it and tremble!"
- Harlan Ellison
"It's a terrifying read shot through with those dark
glints of humor only Bob seems to know how to find-a book made for a stormy
afternoon with a big cup of hot chocolate somewhere near at hand. Lori
was made for suspense addicts like myself who like to take their poison
straight; compulsive reading and imaginative plotting. I loved it!"
- Stephen King
"He has become part of the popular psyche, has Robert
Bloch. A dark part, to be sure, but a permanent one."
- Gahan Wilson
"Robert Bloch knows every twist conclusion available and
probably invented most of them. Any time devoted to studying this master is time
well spent."
- Fangoria
"Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters."
- Peter Straub Views: 638
When Trin was given the medallion as a child, he was told it was a talisman for hunters that could save his life. He'd never found the need to test the superstition until he is well into adulthood. When he does, however, it works in a way he could have never imagined.Part of the Blyssfully Abnormal Anthology; What happens when you take a group of writers, the most talented & twisted that you can find, and put them into one publishing house? They form into the strangest dysfunctional family we've ever seen. No one asked the question, but Charity found the answer. So she wondered, what would happen if she gave us a list of seemingly normal situations and asked us to give them our own unique twist? The answer is the Blyssfully Abnormal anthology, a collection of stories that gives the reader a peek into the somewhat abnormal minds that bring us together.In The Medallion when Trin was given the medallion as a child, he was told it was a talisman for hunters that could save his life. He'd never found the need to test the superstition until he is well into adulthood. When he does, however, it works in a way he could have never imagined. Views: 638
Returning to her hometown after college, Noelle is hired on at the local burger joint. But when strange occurrences plague the restaurant, she begins investigating the history of the town and discovers things aren't as idyllic as they seem and some secrets that should've remained buried.The small western town of New Smyrna has plenty of secrets to hide. Views: 638
Disobeying the rules of a frighten vegetable village, Corny Cornswab and his friends sneak out of the cornfields to prove to the other crops that the crows that had dominion over the barn were no longer there, but their actions result in Pop Cornswab (Corny's grandfather) being kidnapped by the crows. Corny feeling guilty gathers his friends and goes on a life or death mission to rescue Pop.As a boy soldier in WWII, Akira Yoshimoto has a profound spiritual experience and he emerges as the Seventh Samurai. Rising to high government office, he makes a deal with right wing Israelis to destroy their enemies in a nuclear holocaust and share world domination. However, Taro Watanabe, an Osaka city detective and his girlfriend, Nana Liberman, stumble onto a clue that plays havoc with Yoshimoto's plan. Taro and Nana are led on a perilous chase ending in a devastating discovery. Views: 638
THE SECOND AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERY—NOW A HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERY ORIGINAL STARRING CANDACE CAMERON BURE!Death comes calling on small-town librarian Aurora Teagarden in this entertaining mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris.Going to two weddings—one of a former lover—and a funeral for a member of her disbanded crime study club keeps Aurora “Roe” Teagarden quite busy for a few months. Unfortunately, her personal life seems to be at a standstill—until her fortunes unexpectedly change. After the funeral Roe learns that Jane Engle, the deceased, has named her as heir to a rather substantial estate, which includes money, jewelry, and a house complete with a skull hidden in a window seat. Knowing Jane, Roe concludes that the elderly woman has purposely left her a murder to solve. So she must identify the victim and figure out which one of Jane’s ordinary-seeming neighbors is a murderer—without putting herself in deadly danger... Views: 638
