Hungry Coyote Modern Version
Native-American sniper Jake Redhorse often heard his Shaman Grandfather speak to him from the other side of Veil of Life, warning him of the danger he faced on his job; Coyote is always out there waiting, and Coyote is always hungry. As Jake pondered these words, he wondered what his life might’ve been like if he’d taken a different path. But, he was a company man, a good one too. He killed his target every time and never left a trace of evidence, or failed one assignment––ever until now. In Boston, during the worst blizzard on record, Jake came face-to-face with Coyote, his worst fear; a simple sniper job had turned ugly. A Company man failing meant only one thing: the end. Inside his heart he heard the drum beat of Grandfather calling. Would Jake die on a snowy city street, or would Coyote give him a new assignment, one he could never fail. (Modern Version) Urban Crime: Gothic Fantasy, by Flame Tree, 2019(1940’s version) Crimson Street, A Story a week & other tales, by Portable Nouns, 2017
The Haunted Coach
Nobody gets a second chance… or do they? When a tragic accident took the life of Doctor David Nolan’s young son, he blamed himself. A spiral of darkness and futility lead to drowning his sorrows in alcohol, until his wife left him and he was forced into hiatus from his practice. That was when the hauntings began. Like clock-work, at midnight, a horse-drawn stagecoach arrived at his estate. Characters out of the Wild West of American folklore stormed in, sure he is the innkeeper, and demanding he provide for a sick child. Noland wanted nothing to do with the apparitions, but they refused to leave. Impossible to ignore them, Nolan hires Paranormal Investigators, only to discover they were not actually ghosts. These time-travelers are caught in a loop. He learns that their fate is interwoven with his own, and the only way to save himself from the time loop, is to save them. Having uncovered that, the only question left is if he will rise to the occasion or stay mired in his futility. Live Free or Ride, NH Pulp Fiction series, Volume 5, Tales of the Concord Coach, 2016
I Fall in Love with A Dog
In those few desperate hours, between midnight and three AM, things happened on Elm Street, night things, curious things, wild things. One never knew if a stranger might find Nirvana in the arms of another. And there, she was that one all in leather, a no-nonsense, dangerous Predator... a blood drinker. He stood across the street watching her while she studied him. It was more than just a casual glance… even while she was focused on heroically dealing with a bunch of juvenile delinquents attempting to set fire to downtown Manchester. Once she scared them off, he crossed the street, coming right up to smell her perfume, orbiting her beauty while she circled him, thinking how easy it would be to get lost in those eyes, and oh, the muscle beneath his fur. If one was not careful, one might lose her head and fall in love on Elm Street with a Great Dane––Shifter. Love Free or Die, NH Pulp Fiction Series, volume 4, Straight to the Heart of The Granite State. 2013
Murder At the Monitor
Concord police Detective, Rick Knightly, had the gift of solving any crime. In any condition, sober, drunk, pissing on the tree he planted for his ex-wife, spying on her with the new boy-friend, or whistling stanzas from the Bridge on the River Kwai, Rick was that good at solving crimes. He had been unaware, when he married Wanda, that he could never give her children. All Wanda ever wanted was to be a mother. When a Newspaper Reporter was found murdered, Detective Knightly solved the crime even without the murer weapon. But she left behind a precious child, who had been sent to the state orphange. Now, the orphange allowed him to take the child home to visit his ex-wife, and he’s hoping for possibilities. Murder Ink, Thirteen Tales of New England Newsroom Crime, 2016
Wail Song
Former Boston Globe News editor, Luther Callahan, was condemned to life in prison for the murder of a child. Fifteen-years into his sentence Luther was exonerated and set free. Prison had taken its toll. Solitary confinement had left him with paranoid disorder. Craving nature and solitude, he moved to Caledonia, a small town in New Hampshire, a place with fond memories from his childhood. Here the wailing song of loons on the lake soothed his agony and kept him alive. Eventually he took a job at a small newspaper, and life began to normalize, until jars filled with blood started to show up on his desk every week… The monster from the past, the real murderer, was coming after him with intent worse than killing him: “random” killings implicating him, and the local detective is all too keen to pin it on him. Now, he is forced to investigate and soon makes a gruesome discovery. When the killers next target is his friend, perhaps the only one who understands Luther, he makes a mad rush against time… or will he suffer another loss in this place where the loons wailed their sad, sad, song. Murder Ink 3, Even More Tales of New England Newsroom Crime, 2018
Brick Wall
When her mother is murdered Sarah is seven years old. She returns to the family’s Georgian style homestead in Thornwood, owned by her Grandmother, where Maggie and her cousin played. There, she discovered a portal behind a loose brick in the wall. It became a marvel and secret mystery, until fifteen years later, when she returned. Curiosity sent her down into the basement. The portal was still there. She meets a young woman, Mary Towne, there, who claims to be held prisoner. Sarah falls prey to Mary Towne’s evil powers, that draws her through the wall into the past were she finds herself on trial... for using Witchcraft in old Salem Massachusetts. Snowbound with Zombies. Tales of the Supernatural inspired by the life & Work of John Greenleaf Whittier, 2015
Exposed For Murder
Police Lieutenant Mike Hasson walks in his sleep. When he awoke naked in Union Cemetery, he had no idea why or how he had ended up there. Unbeknownst to him at the same time, a murder had taken place in that same cemetery not far from where he stood. It didn’t take long to realize he was be framed for murder. Murder Among Friends: Mysteries Inspired by the Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whitter, 2017
Hungry Coyote
Native-American sniper Jake Redhorse often heard his Shaman Grandfather speak to him from the other side of Veil of Life, warning him of the danger he faced on his job; Coyote is always out there waiting, and Coyote is always hungry. As Jake pondered these words, he wondered what his life might’ve been like if he’d taken a different path. But, he was a company man, a good one too. He killed his target every time and never left a trace of evidence, or failed one assignment––ever until now. In Boston, during the worst blizzard on record, Jake came face-to-face with Coyote, his worst fear; a simple sniper job had turned ugly. A Company man failing meant only one thing: the end. Inside his heart he heard the drum beat of Grandfather calling. Would Jake die on a snowy city street, or would Coyote give him a new assignment, one he could never fail. (Modern Version) Urban Crime: Gothic Fantasy, by Flame Tree, 2019(1940’s version) Crimson Street, A Story a week & other tales, by Portable Nouns, 2017
Dead Lilacs
Wanda and Gale are excited to move into their first home, but are greatly disappointed to find the place had been abandoned by the former tenant. Everything, little and big, was left behind, as if they vanished overnight. A home should be a safe place of comfort. But this home held way too many secrets. Eerie sounds of movement within the walls kept them up all night, and the air itself held a gripping chill. It seems they were not the only residents in the house. Bugs: Tales that Slither, creep, and Crawl. Great Old Ones Publishing 2014
The Asp
The urban building with wide store-windows wasn’t fancy, hadn’t been upgraded since 1976 and, yet, this ordinary venue held a dark curse. The new business, Franklin’s Furry Friends & Fish, was unaware of the curse or how, years before, a delivery driver named Eldon Cooper mistakenly damaged a shipment of a forbidden egg jar. Eldon died a mysterious death as the evil was unleashed upon the unsuspecting owners. The evil waited to take its greatest revenge on Eldon’s family. As fate would have it, twenty years later, Nick, Eldon’s grandson, hired as a Sales Associate, would receive a suspicious shipment of deadly snakes. He had no idea what horrible hell awaited him or whomever dared mess with the curse. Canopic Jars: Tales of Mummies and Mumification 2013
Cultivar Wars
This comedic story explores the behavior of one man’s obsession with winning a Tomato contest. Norman, came in second every year for the best grower in the state. Smeelie always took the grand prize for best of show. Rick, Norman’s British best buddy, was a little tired of seeing his friend lose every year to the pompous Smeelie. Rick decided he’d find an unorthodox method to help Norman win, even if it meant cheating. This year, smelly Smeelie was going down. Norman had no idea what chaos was about to hit him, nobody was ready for what Rick would unleashed at this year’s Early Girl competition. Wittier Than Thou: Twenty Tales of Whimsy and Mirth Inspired by The Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, 2019
The Devil's in the Details
Julian’s life was circling the drain. He didn’t pass the bar exam, lost his girlfriend, ran out of money. He met a magical man holding an Orb one afternoon on a stroll in the forest, really, he had intended on throwing himself off a cliff. Was this man magical or diabolical? He offered Julian the world, just sign on the dotted line. Julian’s life changed instantly, but when the time came for Magic Man to claim Julian’s soul and take him to hell, something different happened, something Magic Man had not expected in a million years. Magical: An Anthology of Fantasy, Fairy Tales, and Other Magical Fiction, copyright 214
Cinceara Black
Bounty Hunter Cinceara Black is the daughter of royalty. Blind since birth, she has sight only with the help of a Gerenuk Lizard, who lets her see by telepathic connection. With her pet, she runs away from her father, traveling through the dangerous Bangies with far too many gods preying upon the weak, all seeking the most powerful lost magical artifact, the Nerezza Codex. Whoever possesses the codex would be the greatest god of all… would rule the world. On her journey to Drax City she encountered several gods, each of whom strike a deal with her for the Codex. In an act of impulsive compassion, she saves the life of a Miraraven, a magical bird, and accidentally forms a bond with it. He proves to be quite helpful when they travel through the City of Drax, finding clues that lead them to a hidden temple where they encounter more than they ever expected. Cineara is surprised to learn who holds the powerful artifact, and now she must overpower the most challenging royal of all. In the Shadow of the Mountain, Copyright 2019
Sweeney's Dark Tale
The Blackburn brothers cat, Sweeney, is the only one who can see the portal into hell at appears often in the back room of the small bookstore. A devil worm was killing customers. Most customers annoyed him anyway, except for Maggie. She was the best kind of customer who brought Sweeney treats, and he would protect her from the evil worm that came up through the floor. It was one cold day when the evil was about to kill Maggie… would the cat save her, or perhaps she will save Sweeney? Pernicious Invaders: A Horror Anthology, copyright 2016
