Yes, I accepted a challenge to write one short story a week for the entire year! I am keeping up with it and that's aside from my novel work!
I'm loving it too!
These stories will be published in a collection by Creativia.
And the circus stories (week 29 on--are from the upcoming Circus of Horrors book! Watch this space!
Week 1
NEW YEAR'S DAY - 1900 words - Suspense/Thriller
Arthur’s life has changed. There were his resolutions and a certain matter to take care of. And New Year’s Day is as good a day as any to bury the past.
Week 2:
SNOW WHITE'S MOMMY WAS A BITCH - 1000 words - Fantasy
Queen Debbie had anger issues, but her former best friend was no saint. When Deb’s fiancĂ© was stolen from her, the feud began!
Week 3
THE DEATH OF HOPE? - 2100 words - Fantasy
Hope cares for her elderly, disabled mother. Desperately unhappy, she has begun to long for death—but then something amazing happens. Should Hope trust it? Are there really gateways that lead to other worlds?
Week 4
PETER PAN AND EDDIE - 1200 words - Fantasy
London, 1931; for the price of a pint you can hear an old codger tell you the true story of Peter Pan (and Eddie).
Week 5
THE FAMILY - 1100 words - Horror/Thriller
A family: mom, dad and the kids. Just a family tooling along, or are they something else entirely?
Week 6
BYRON'S WAGER - 1900 words Horror
Bryon’s Villa Diodati and that special summer with Bryon and his house guests: Shelley and his fiancĂ©e, Mary, her stepsister, Clare and Bryon’s physician, John Polidori all enticed by a very special wager.
Week 7
TO THE HEART - 1200 words - Noir
He loved the Black Dahlia but he didn’t kill
her. Sad thing was, he knew who did.
Week 8
STRANGE DOLLS - 1300 words - Horror
His strange dolls needed blood but he did not judge them, he was that lonely.
Week 9
REUNION- 1400 words - Horror
Week 10
Week 8
STRANGE DOLLS - 1300 words - Horror
His strange dolls needed blood but he did not judge them, he was that lonely.
Week 9
Monsieur Oberon and his worldly vampires never miss
Carnivale in Venice. “You can choose a lover and your next meal,” he always
says. “And in such tasteful surroundings.”
Week 10
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS – 1300 words - Thriller/Suspense - She was always close to her children, always…
Based on a true crime case.
Week 11
Based on a true crime case.
Week 11
THE RIDE - 1800 words - Crime/Fantasy
She only spent the
weekend at her sister’s. Not a problem unless there is an insanely jealous
husband around. She wanted so to confide in the hitchhiker she stopped for. He
was so nice and he really cared…
Based on a real murder case.
Week 12
LITTLE TEETH - 1650 words - Horror - Another pedophile on the prowl in Thailand comes face to face with what he desires and what he doesn’t, a tale of vampirism and sorcery.
Week 13
Week 14
Week 12
LITTLE TEETH - 1650 words - Horror - Another pedophile on the prowl in Thailand comes face to face with what he desires and what he doesn’t, a tale of vampirism and sorcery.
Week 13
ZOMBIES ON A PLANE – 1200 words – Horror - A reporter hears the
story he knows could make him famous, it’s told to him by someone who knows. It
seems zombies brought down a plane, but now they want something…!
Week 14
MARGARET – 1400 words - Horror/Thriller Murderous and thoroughly insane, Margaret goes about judging and meting
out ‘justice’ as she sees fits. Everything is fine because her imaginary friends back her up and there are all those rats...
Week
15
MENTAL - 1600 words - Horror/Thriller - Carmen was the fat, dumpy sister. Heidi was the beautiful one. Not only that, she became a gourmet baker; always tempting Carmen with food. Carmen finally had enough and cracked. Heidi would turn out to be just one on her list. And really, it was poetic justice.
Week 16
MIRROR, MIRROR 1000 words – Fantasy - Laurel said she couldn’t relate to people over a certain age. She was so defensive and adamant; she called a radio talk show. Points were made but it was her own mirror that had the last word.
Week 16
MIRROR, MIRROR 1000 words – Fantasy - Laurel said she couldn’t relate to people over a certain age. She was so defensive and adamant; she called a radio talk show. Points were made but it was her own mirror that had the last word.
Week 17
BLISS – 1700 words
– Thriller/Suspense
Kenny discovers something amazing for Show and Tell but
then they arrested his father…
Week 18
WEIRD – 1500 words
– Horror/Sci-Fi
No one liked Harriet, not even her mother. She never had
a good word to say about anyone or anything. She had a mysterious malady but so did others...
Week 19
BLOODY RIGHT –
1500 words – Horror/Black Humor
Count Dracula’s patience is exhausted. How many more
simpering vampires can he take? Still, he and Renfield are working on something
and one great Hollywood director is too fearful not to be in on it.
Week 20
MOTHER’S DAY –
1400 words – Horror/Thriller
He couldn’t do enough for his mom so he was determined to
make this Mother’s Day the best yet. She deserved it; she even forgave his
brother for not being there. But that’s the kind of woman she was. She deserved
his devotion. God knew, that’s why he sent the angel.
Week 21
FRANCES
– 1450 words – Horror
Dark Lord was her friend, not a personal demon at all. If it wasn't for him, her life would have been so much harder. As it was, it was difficult caring for her elderly, ill mother. Lately she noticed Mother saw Dark
Lord too which was interesting because not everyone did…
Week 22
CARMINE’S BIG
ADVENTURE – 1400 WORDS – SCI-FI/FANTASY
Carmine was odd and disliked from infancy. Even his
parents hated him. How were any of them to know he was being carefully studied? At least it would all become clear after the comet.
Week 23
Week 26
SECRETS - 1450 words - Crime/Thriller
SINKHOLE – 1300
WORDS - HORROR
It started with doors slamming and ended with a jaw
dropping discovery.
No, not just the tunnels—what they found in the tunnels.
Week 24
DEAD LUCKY – 1300 WORDS - HORROR/THRILLER
Holly and her tight sweater and Tim’s passion—he really
fell for her but she fell for him too—must have been fate—still, they felt dead
lucky.
Week 25
THE MONSTER OF
WHITECHAPEL – 1400 words – Crime/Thriller
There was most definitely a monster, but it wasn’t Joseph
Merrick, it was the one they called, ‘The Ripper,’ and Merrick was determined
to find out who that was.
Week 26
SECRETS - 1450 words - Crime/Thriller
Roseann didn’t trust her husband with other women. But then the cops came and took him away. She didn’t care that Harry
was a killer, but then she wouldn’t have. Anything was better than cheating. Besides she had her own secrets.
Week 27
MRS. SPARKLE 1500
words – Suspense/Thriller
Judy’s house was dust free. Her sister and husband didn’t
want to leave a mess after all hell broke loose, so they didn’t. They didn’t because
they knew Judy would have wanted it that way. It was the least they could do.
Week 29 (chapters based on upcoming book, Circus of Horrors)
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - 2000 words – Horror
A circus of murderous miscreants, stopped for the night, having a very special cookout. Baby Alice and the clowns get holy hell for feeding the old man some of the roast though!
Week 28
CAST YOUR LOT –
2500 words – Horror
Holly was a skeptic and when she and her boyfriend Tim
saw a film about an urban legend, she not only laughed at it, she said the taboo chant three times! Poor Holly!
ANNOUNCEMENT:
I have been inspired to write a novel about a lunatic circus troupe. The characters I am writing about first appeared in short stories in this anthology.
buy link:
buy link:
Please check out this post:
Week 29 (chapters based on upcoming book, Circus of Horrors)
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - 2000 words – Horror
A circus of murderous miscreants, stopped for the night, having a very special cookout. Baby Alice and the clowns get holy hell for feeding the old man some of the roast though!
Week 30
UNDER THE BIG TOP – 2450 words - HORROR
Jack and his motley crew of weirdoes have hooked up with
Foster’s Circus. Things seem okay for now. The clowns haven’t eaten anyone for
a while—and the midgets have been behaving. So maybe Jack was wrong to think
Joe was a bad influence, but then the dreams or hallucinations started. How was
Jack to know it was a succubus?
WEEK 31
MORE CIRCUS HORRORS – 2550 words - HORROR
Some new performers arrived. There’s Gorilla Lady and the Wildman.
And as for the dancing girls, the clowns went crazy—!
Jack loves Mabel and Tommy who own it. Thankfully he didn’t see Mabel sprout wings and fly off only to return later with a child!
MORE CIRCUS HORRORS – 2550 words - HORROR
Some new performers arrived. There’s Gorilla Lady and the Wildman.
And as for the dancing girls, the clowns went crazy—!
Jack loves Mabel and Tommy who own it. Thankfully he didn’t see Mabel sprout wings and fly off only to return later with a child!
WEEK 32
HAPPY, THE CLOWN WASN’T REALLY HAPPY – 2700words - HORROR
Of the three clowns, Happy was the most disfigured. The
happy clown face he wore gave him his name. But was he happy? Nah, how could he
be? He always said the best he could do was to try not to kill people.
WEEK 33
based on the
upcoming novel, CIRCUS OF HORRORS
THEY’RE COMING FOR
YOU!- 2800 words - HORROR
Jack has protected his father’s secret for years, so that
might be why the ghosts are returning…
WEEK 34
CHANGES – 2650 words - HORROR
Baby Alice started to change, not slowly either. It
seemed to happen all at once.
People can’t suddenly become vampires or can
they?
WEEK 35
DREAMING? - 2900 words HORROR
Jack was hopeful about the future. Maybe he had just been
dreaming he was having sex—perhaps a woman hadn’t appeared at all. But then
again, why was Old Pa laughing?
WEEK 36
CIRCUS STUFF – 2350 words HORROR
WEEK 36
CIRCUS STUFF – 2350 words HORROR
The new sideshow was looking good. Baby Alice had a new
chair built and it was reinforced in order to take her weight. The sultan’s
dancing girls really pulled in the punters and Lester the tattoo man did too,
of course that was because no one understood the tattoos or their significance.
WEEK 37
JOE ON EVIL – 2150 words HORROR
WEEK 37
JOE ON EVIL – 2150 words HORROR
Joe had the most interesting sayings. At least Hank
thought he did. He said evil just happens sometimes. And when it does, it’s
spreads like wildfire. He saw that a lot during his wandering years “You can’t
believe the folks who’d turn out for lynchings!” he’d often say.
WEEK 39
WEEK 40
ABACADABRA! - 2200 words HORROR
WEEK 38
SECRETS – 2200 words HORROR
What was the story with Mabel? Jack felt she was capable
of the most horrific evil. It was funny he felt that way because he hadn’t even
seen her fly or anything.WEEK 39
FATED 1900 words
HORROR
Bob, of the trained dog
act was rehearsing when Joe said he had a prezzie for him. Bob pleaded with
him. “I don’t do that anymore…” Joe said
it didn’t matter. “There ain’t nothing you can do to change anything, boy. Don’t
you know that yet?”
The show was magical; everyone said so because it was strange
how quickly Joe got it all together; animals and everything!
"Remember," Hank said---"He can conjure!"
“Yeah, but that’s carny crap.” On the other hand, Jack thought, maybe it isn’t.
“Yeah, but that’s carny crap.” On the other hand, Jack thought, maybe it isn’t.
Hank had the strangest look on his face. “Wait until you
see the carousel! It’ll blow your sox off! The horses are mighty special!”
That was the first of many nights Jack wouldn't sleep.
WEEK 42
WEEK 41
A GUY NAMED JOE –
1950 words HORROR
Joe showed Hank some of his magic. He could make
elephants and big cats appear, lion tamers too. He even made Queenie, the
elephant’s handler appear. What couldn’t he do? More importantly, what wouldn’t
he do? He was, Jack thought, capable of anything.WEEK 42
WINGS – 1900 words – HORROR
Jack never heard the flapping wings nor did he see any of
the girls fly.
He knew the circus was weird but he never knew what it
was they always returned with. Nor did he know about their cannibalism.
WEEK 43 – 1900 words HORROR
PEACE
Her screams brought folks out. As for Bob, he was happy
because it was all over now. No more depravity, no more urges that he couldn’t
control. No more self-hating. His last thought was horrific though because he
thought of Joe.
WEEK 44 - 2000 words HORROR
HELL'S DOLLS
WEEK 45 - 2250 WORDS HORROR
WEEK 46 - 2100 WORDS - HORROR
ONE MORE
HELL'S DOLLS
Fred worked the doll concession. Damned if they
didn’t look real. He was nearing the end of his shift when he thought he heard
something. Had he looked at a toy soldier on the bottom shelf he’d have seen
the thing crying real tears.
WEEK 45 - 2250 WORDS HORROR
CHANGES
A lot happened in
the time that Mabel and Tommy were away, not that Fred knew about it. He didn’t
know Alice was a committed vampire nor did he know Al and Darla were also. He
didn’t realize the clowns had begun sniffing out those they wanted to eat
either. In fact he had no idea how much worse it was going to get.
ONE MORE
They had just beat it the hell out of their last
stop, that fair in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Why’d the clowns have to kill that
nosey kid? He and Happy had a huge flare up over that one, stupid bastard,
slitting the boy’s throat; he was only 12. Still, what was one more body?
WEEK 47 - 1870 - HORROR
REVELATIONS - More from Circus of Horrors 2000k Joe raised his arms and said something—whatever it was, it sounded like an incantation. It was then that Old Pa began to speak not in his usual gibberish but in complete sentences. “I don’t want to be here,” he said. “Get me out, son.”
WEEK 48 - 2100
REVELATIONS - More from Circus of Horrors 2000k Joe raised his arms and said something—whatever it was, it sounded like an incantation. It was then that Old Pa began to speak not in his usual gibberish but in complete sentences. “I don’t want to be here,” he said. “Get me out, son.”
WEEK 48 - 2100
MORE FROM CIRCUS OF HORRORS (JAN RELEASE)
They wouldn’t have been the monsters they were if it wasn’t
for the cruelty.
Just about all of them agreed with that. Joe counted on
stuff like that.
WEEK 49 - 1890
WHAT KIND A MAGIC? – HORROR
WHAT KIND A MAGIC? – HORROR
How could animals and acts appear over night?
Joe could do magic, sure—but this was beyond belief.
Between the toys in the stand and everything else, Fred
just about had it.
WEEK 50 2000
PAINTED HORSES - HORROR
They were stomping on children and their parents! But how could they have gotten off of the carousel?!
WEEK 51 2010
LIKE IT IS - HORROR
PAINTED HORSES - HORROR
They were stomping on children and their parents! But how could they have gotten off of the carousel?!
WEEK 51 2010
LIKE IT IS - HORROR
Joe showed it to them like it was a movie or something, all
their sins, even the murders Fred forgot about. When the last of the doors
banged open, it was too late to do anything but scream.
WEEK 52
2900
SURE
THING - HORROR
Fred would see what it was all for, what it was all about. As for
Joe—there were new horizons. Opportunities opened up all the time. It was
ongoing, never stopped. There were so many givens—it was a damned sure thing.
oh, that's a very good idea ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks! but i stole the idea from YOU!
ReplyDelete:D