Night Flights: A New Sci-Fi / Horror Short Story

Hi all! So it’s been a while, but at last I have a new release out on Amazon called Night Flights, and I’m really excited to share it with you!

Strange, terrifying images plague the mind of Peter the artist. Are they memories? Nightmares? Visions of the future? What is spawning them, and how is his wife experiencing the same delusions?

 

About The Cover Art

Some of my research took me into the 1960’s. Of course I can’t tell what I specifically looked into, because that would be a terrible spoiler. However, that inspired the thought to design a cover reminiscent of movie posters and other cover arts from that era.

Other 1960’s Inspirations

Most of you know from previous blog posts about my favorite films that one of my degrees was in Cinema Studies. In a post about my Favorite Films from the 1960’s, you’ll see the film Once Upon A Time In The West sitting at number fifteen. Director Sergio Leone incorporated an ingenious technique when he would occasionally cut to an out-of-focus image. With each successive cut, the image becomes clearer and clearer, until the final revelation when the shot is completely sharp.

I sort of played with that technique in Night Flights. The main character is an artist who has trouble faithfully reproducing his odd visions on canvas. Of course, you’ll have to read it to discover if he ever pieces everything together. But will it give him an answer?

A Long Road

I started writing Night Flights while travelling from Texas to Idaho. Motels can get rather boring when you’re on a road trip. So I passed the evening time away with my trusty laptop, a cold soda, and some Marlboros.

Moving to a new home brought some other priorities, so I didn’t finish the first draft until a few months ago. After a few critique sessions, multiple editing passes, and beta reads, I can proudly say it’s done.

Of course I’ve written other things during that time that are not yet released. I completed the first draft of my fantasy novel, and have edited the first ten chapters. Also, I’m working on a collection of shorts to be released later this year called “Pressure Points”

Night Flights is a single release because it doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the “Pressure Points” collection. Night Flights is a Sci-Fi / Horror story, and there are no others of that genre in the forthcoming collection.

Go check it out! Tell me your thoughts about Night Flights. Did you have a favorite line or scene? Did it keep you up at night? 🙂

Ragged Souls

The title of my latest short story collection is Ragged Souls: 3 Tales of the Holy, the Strange, and the Bizarre. It was my editor, Ruth, who created the subtitle for this book. She read and pondered the three stories before having a flash of insight into a connecting theme.

Let’s take a look at “Holy” for a minute. In Martha’s Kitchen, one could discuss the concept of misguided piety. For A Purveyor of Odd Things, it would be a general lack of Holiness. Finally , in Cactus Valley, worldliness is the cause for impiety. However, we get to witness an attempt at Angelic intervention in this last story.

I can sum up the usage of “Strange”, and “Bizarre” quite readily. Within Ragged Souls you’ll meet Angels, Demons, Dopplegangers, Murderers, and Mummies. Need I say more?

Here are excerpts from the three stories that you’ll find within the pages of the Ragged Souls collection.

A Purveyor of Odd Things

Meet Detective Renner Branson, a man so enslaved to his work that he’s forgotten how to live. In his newest baffling case, he will discover secrets – not just about the world, but about himself. The terrors lurking within may shatter his grip on reality.  Or they may show him just how beautiful reality can be.

Excerpt:

Branson squeezed his eyes shut. His sense of real and unreal, of possible and impossible, was shredded by these apparitions. He wanted so badly to run, run anywhere, to the car, to the gate, anything to get away from this insanity. But he wouldn’t – couldn’t – leave Hannah. Through his panic he became aware of her clammy hand clutching his, and though he tugged on it, she seemed unable to move. Paralyzed by that cold stare. Fight or flight…or freeze.

Available for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords for all other formats.  Free extended excerpt at Wattpad.

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Martha’s Kitchen

Martha and Jillian, two sisters from a dying town, cope with the hollowness of city life in a bloodcurdling way. Come explore this bizarre case of nostalgia gone horribly awry, but beware the secret recipe at Martha’s Kitchen!

Excerpt:

“His pants and suspenders are still on. I hope he didn’t soil himself,” Martha said.

“No, I heard the toilet flush.”

“It figures,” Martha said. “Mr. Jenkins always was a proper gentleman.”

Available for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Smashwords for all other formats.  Free extended excerpt at Wattpad.

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Cactus Valley

One New York couple’s vacation turns into a horrific nightmare. Ancient forces of good and evil do battle to win their souls – but which will be victorious?

Excerpt:

In a tense voice, Andrea said, “There’s still enough gas for thirty miles. Turn around.”

“We’ll never make it back that far. See if there’s another one ahead.”

Andrea studied the road atlas. “Okay. Get off at the next exit and make a right. There’s a service station about fifteen miles away.”

Available for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and on Smashwords for all other formats. Free extended excerpts on Wattpad.

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Cover Reveal: Ragged Souls

I’ve been doing a lot of market research lately, and found that it’s better to publish short stories in small collections of three to five than as singles. With that in mind, I’ve decided to re-release “A Purveyor of Odd Things”, “Martha’s Kitchen”, and my new short “Cactus Valley” together (Read Extended Excerpts Here).

The themes running through all of them are the battle between good and evil, with a touch of the paranormal.  This collection will be available for $.99 in all formats as of March 23^rd, 2014. Look for it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo!

We’ve put in long hours on this cover. What do you think of it?

Martha’s Kitchen Published!

Announcing the release of my new short story, Martha’s Kitchen, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!  If you love a good dose of dark humor, this is definitely for you.

The description:  Martha and Jillian, two sisters from a dying town, cope with the hollowness of city life in a bloodcurdling way. Come explore this bizarre case of nostalgia gone horribly awry, but beware the secret recipe at Martha’s Kitchen!

This is my first published work, selling at only $0.99, so if you can, please purchase a copy and let me know what you think (and let your friends know too).  No spoilers please!

Also coming soon on Kindle and Nook is Stasis, a Libertarian-themed short story about the horrors of big government. Evil flourishes when good people stay quiet.

Thanks everyone!

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