The Wolves of Fossil Lake, Part One

Lying with her back pressed to the searing sand, Kathryn allowed herself a moment to reflect on the day. Her two younger brothers were in the lake, searching for fossils, while her parents rested in the lodge, too “tired” from the hiking. Kathy just thought they wanted some alone time, and wouldn’t begrudge them such a thing, despite her own needs going unfulfilled. Her parents had nixed the idea that she invite her new boyfriend along, fearing what the two teens might get up to when the lights were out and the moon was full.

Sweet Dreams: Dead City

     For those of you that don't know, I have a column in two magazines, both of which end in "Sweet Dreams" as a sign off. It may seem hokey to have such a strange signature, but it holds great meaning to me, as well as to one of my favorite authors. But I digress... the columns on my site labeled Sweet Dreams will always be book reviews or author interviews. Jokingly, these are the articles that it is safe to fall asleep to.

Post Mortem: As Above, So Below

     This is a strange twist from the standard film industry when it comes to found film footage, in that nobody finds this footage. The people actually survive and get to tell their tale. Of course there are a few deaths along the way, which is what makes horror movies stand out, but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Now this review will contain some spoilers, so stop reading from here if you don't want it ruined.

Sandra Costello and the Spirit King, Chapter Two

Previous

The bustling, narrow streets of Albuan were shaded by the enormous walls that encircled the inner ring of the city known as the Marketplace, where all the shops and taverns rested for the weary traveler to partake in. Merchants took to empty stalls lining the streets, hawking their wares to any who passed by while knights and squires, the royalty’s police, marched up and down the lanes, keeping a careful eye out for any sign of trouble. Sandra nodded to them, her robe proudly displaying her master’s crest upon it, marking her as a member of the Wizard’s Circle. She waved to a woman in a pink dress selling flowers, stopping to buy one for Chiyue to eat, before ending her chilly trek across the Marketplace at the doorsteps of “The Inner Eye Emporium”, her master’s shop for any seeking magical solvents.

Update to the Site

     Sorry for the lack of updates, just getting back to my normal job has been harder than I thought it would be. Anyway, for the while I am running a little low on horror, and have been seeing fantasy prompts in many locations. So I figured, why not try some fantasy out? I know it might not be your cup of tea, but I plan on some deep seated horror tropes to be seen in the story, so give it a try.
     For the rest of my works, I am slowly getting new parts out for all of them. Thank you for continuing to support my work.

Sandra Costello and the Spirit King, Chapter One

Tap-tap-tap!

Sandra blearily opened her eyes, staring up at the raining dust from the wooden boards of the stairs she slept under, her masters cane tapping causing a horrid echo that only seemed to intensify her headache.

Post Mortem: A Look at Modern Cinema

For those of you familiar with the movie series Quarantine, you may not know that it is loosely based off of a Spanish trilogy known as REC. The main difference between the two movies is that one is simply a type of zombie movie while the other is about possessions. Two different horror tropes to be certain but the fact that the American versions skipped the possession-transferred-through-bites is a tad strange; we have movies about exorcisms all the time in our country, why would we worry about possessed people in this one particular scenario?

Samuel the Black Warlock, Chapter Ten

Previously

Samuel left Belle and Imogen in the den, both of them poring over a worn copies of Weekly Wiccans together, the imp explaining the basic difference between the magical world and the mundane world, while Samuel just needed a cold soda to cool his throbbing headache. Standing in the kitchen, he sipped from the glass bottle while leaning against the counter before hearing a soft knocking coming from his pantry. Smiling around the bottle, he smacked his lips in satisfaction and girded his will to the intolerable before calling out.

“Come on in,” he called, looking down at the floor.

Dark Eclipse Magazine

     Dark Eclipse 37 is out and ready for reading. My standard monthly column is there, going over some cinematic pieces I find worthy of notation, while the fiction section is full of short stories that will make you shivery and jittery. Check it out!

Dead But Dreaming

     Another month dies like a wounded animal, slowly bleeding out until it just keels over. This has been a long month, full of frustration for me, and I am glad it is coming to an end. Dead But Dreaming is back with it's third issue containing my monthly column as well as some truly amazing fiction. So go check it out, support small presses!