The Clock is Ticking!

Remember, the Kindle Countdown deal on The Recognition Run ends in 1 day 17h 6m 23s.

Which I guess means that that's when TWO: The Second Annual Horror Special goes out of print, too. 

Hey! Why not splurge and buy 'em both?!

Considering my story, "An Incident in Cain's Mark", is currently in my collection, Trouble My Bones, and is about to appear in Merchants of Misery (edited by yours truly), it probably seems like you can't throw a stick at the moment without hitting it. But as of early next month (see below for details), Rampant Loon's TWO: The 2nd Annual Horror Special, is going out of print. TWO was where "Cain's Mark" first appeared, and I have to tell you, it's one of the finest horror anthologies I've ever read. There isn't a bad story in it, and for .99, you can't beat the price. I would encourage everyone to download a copy before it goes away. If you've never read Stupefying Stories (TWO is basically just an all-horror edition), this would be a great entry point. It represents the best of what Bruce Bethke and company do, which is produce quirky, quality fiction the likes of which we haven't seen since Amazing and Aboriginal SF went the way of the dodo.
-- L. Joseph Shosty, author and freelance editor

1 day 17h 5m 30s: the clock is TICKING!!!!!

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Maintenance in Progress

For some reason all the Follower-related widgets in the left column have quit working and instead are returning 502 errors. Is anyone else seeing (or rather, not seeing) this, or is it just another fluke of our peculiar Internet configuration?

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Kindle Countdown Deal: The Recognition Run

As we try to learn the mysterious ways of Amazon, we've signed up for a Kindle Countdown Deal. Therefore, for the next 3 days 16h 33m 32s -- I have no idea why, but Amazon tells us this incredibly precise "ticking clock" is important -- you can get THE RECOGNITION RUN on Kindle for the special promotional price of just $0.99 USD!

...3 days 16h 31m 20s...

"Struck from the template of classic space opera, this tale of intergalactic adventure hits all of the right notes. It has a likable hero and heroine, nasty villains, a plot full of intrigue and unforeseeable surprises, and a colorfully rendered outer-space backdrop against which its well-paced events unfold. Vogel's prose is perfectly suited to the story he has to tell--one in which he must give voice to a score of different characters and move quickly from moments of quiet intimacy to scenes of brisk and frenetic action. His simple, direct storytelling style gets the job done."
--BookLife Prize critique 

 ...3 days 16h 28m 48s...

"A great new series by Henry Vogel. In addition to his usual scifi thriller/adventure story, Vogel has added a generous splash of mystery, a computer slicer (hacker) character, and an atmosphere of political intrigue among royal families, reminiscent of C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series and George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones series, only with a more positive attitude."

 ...3 days 16h 27m 52s...

"Great start to what I hope is another series from Henry Vogel! Lots of action and intrigue, strong female characters, romance, and surprising twists and turns!"

 ...3 days 16h 27m 03s...

"Henry Vogel has produced an excellent story involving raw passion for power and survival. It captures your imagination as you follow each one in their path to their doom. And, in an incredible twist, delivers an intriguing justice. Well worth reading."

...3 days 16h 26m 14s...

"This is my first book written by Henry Vogel -- definitely won't be the last! This is more than Science Fiction - it has elements of the mystery/thriller, as well. His characters are well-drawn and you actually like them and care what happens to them. Danger and twists abound as Jeanine and Drake try to solve a mystery which could affect the galaxy (and has ramifications all the way to the royal family). Look this one over - get it - read it - and enjoy!"

...3 days 16h 25m 21s...

"Another fun and entertaining book by Vogel. The Recognition Run is firmly in the sci-fi genre but this time in a world with political conflict and power struggles that remind me slightly of Dune. The Recognition Run introduces readers to a new universe where there’s not only space ships, but also a royal family, a world ruled by a Duchy, a mysterious stone, and a rebellion in the works. [...] Overall I was intrigued and excited about the mix of plots. There is a lot going on in this book, and it’s a great start to a new series by Vogel that I’m excited to see where it heads. I really enjoyed this book and its been my favorite of all the books by Vogel so far."

...3 days 16h 23m 27s...

"Once again, Vogel has given his readers a pair of characters (Jeanine and Drake) who are at once interesting, intriguing, and endearing. There's a puzzle of galactic importance, to be solved, and danger is waiting for the couple around nearly every turn. The characters are well-crafted, the pacing is absolutely perfect, and any reader who's enjoyed Robert Heinlein or Andre Norton will absolutely love this book!"

...3 days 16h 21m 48s...

"I really enjoyed this first book in Vogel's latest series. I enjoyed the mix of royalty, rebellion and political intrigue in this exciting science fiction thriller. The characters are quite engaging and the plot is fast-paced and has several unexpected turns of events. The heroes are endearing, funny and everything else that a good hero should be. However, I was surprised by how much I also enjoyed the witty, intelligent, and cunning villains."

...3 days 16h 20m 51s...

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “In Fall, After the Harvest” by S. Travis Brown

The little cybernetic gadfly popped up as soon as I logged in. “Dave Miller,” it dutifully nagged, “you are now 15 minutes overdue for your appointment with the company fitness consultant.”

Right. I clicked the ‘ignore’ button to kill the message and then continued with my morning routine.
As soon as I brought up Outlook, though, the message returned: this time in red, and with a flag. It was on my calendar. At the top of my To-Do Bar. Waiting in my email inbox and claiming to be “Urgent.” I had just about enough time to sigh and swear, and then my phone chirped. It was Heather, from HR.

“Dave—”

I cut her off. “Heather, how many times do we have to go through this? I am six-foot-four. I weigh 165 pounds. My doctor says I’m skinny as a rail but healthy as a horse. I do not want to work out, I do not want to weight-train, I do not want to join the company’s charity plod-a-thon team, and above all I do not want to take some idiotic fitness test first thing this morning and then spend the rest of the day smelling like a sweaty goat. I have a meeting with—”
 
This time it was her turn to cut me off. “Sorry,” she said, “but Frank set this appointment up for you personally.”

Oh, great...

[...read the rest of the story...]

¤     ¤     ¤

S. TRAVIS BROWN has described himself as being both the former holder of the world’s record for cynicism and “an old guy who’s been there, done that, and with any luck, the statute of limitations has expired.” We do know he was once a very successful writer, until the winds of taste switched direction and the types of stories he liked to write fell out of favor. When his own agent advised him (just before dropping him) to adopt yet another new pen name, preferably female this time, and to start his career over again from scratch writing paranormal romances, he said “[intercourse] this, I am not Doctor Who” and decided to go do something else instead. We don’t hear from him often, but are always happy to use his stories when he’s willing to send one to us.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “Waters of Oblivion,” by Michael Haynes

 

Jackson always calls hyperspace the “waters of oblivion.” It seems an odd affectation, out of character with the rest of his carefree personality. His parents are both dead and he has no close relatives; he’s told me he plans to work the hyperspace runs until he’s thirty and then retire young and wealthy.

I asked him about the phrase once, and he wouldn’t answer me. Two days later ship’s time, after we’d completed the three-jump journey to the Karibib outpost to drop off our cargo, he turned to me and said “I took it from an ancient text.” Then he walked away.

I didn’t realize what he’d been referring to until many minutes later.

[...read the rest of the story...] 

¤     ¤     ¤ 

MICHAEL HAYNES lives in Central Ohio. An ardent short story reader and writer, Michael has had stories appear in venues such as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature, and Daily Science Fiction. He is Co-Editor at Goldfish Grimm’s Spicy Fiction Sushi. His website is http://michaelhaynes.info/.

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Friday Challenge Deadline Reminder

Just a gentle little nudge here, to remind you that the deadline for the current Friday Challenge is midnight CDT tomorrow, Friday, 10/27/17. If this post has you thinking, "Huh? What's a Friday Challenge?" you'll find a little more information here:

Return of the Son of The Friday Challenge

While we're on the subject, I'll add that I'm really pleased (and mildly surprised) by the number of entries we've received thus far, so I'll be issuing a new challenge tomorrow. We might not have the resources to make The Friday Challenge a weekly feature, but every two weeks just *might* be within reason.

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99-Cent Last-Chance Sale: TWO: The 2nd Annual Horror Special

TWO: The 2nd Annual Horror Special goes out of print as of November 1, so for the next seven days you can buy the Kindle edition only for the special last-chance price of $0.99 USD. (Or free, if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.)

I'd always considered TWO to be one of our biggest, best, and most cohesive books, as it contains fourteen short stories and two complete novelettes: a baker’s dozen and then some of ghosties and ghoulies, vampires and zombies, monsters and mayhem, and things that go bump in the night. But while it sold well enough, it fell victim to our usual brand-recognition and release-timing problems, and never became the breakout book I'd hoped it would be.

Nonetheless, it is a terrific collection, and if you like horror, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

TWO: The 2nd Annual Horror Special, features:

• “Second to Last Stop” by Evan Dicken
• “Cabrón” by Jóse Iriarte
• “Blood and Water” by Rose Blackthorn
• “Gris-Gris for a Mal Pris” by Rebecca Roland
• “Zombie Angst, or How to Pair Human Brains With a Good Chianti” by Stone Showers
• “Wall” by Yukimi Ogawa
• “A is for Android” by Holly A. Cave
• “The Things That Perish Along The Way” by Keith Rosson
• “Choice” by Shona Snowden
• “Offworld” by Anton Sim
• “An Incident in Cain's Mark” by L. Joseph Shosty
• “Professor Pandemonium's Train of Terror” by Simon Kewin
• “It Came From Hell And Smashed The Angels” by Gregor Xane
• “The Waiting Line (Many Elbows)” by Leah Thomas
• “The Revenge of Oscar Wilde” by Sean Eads
• “Eulogy to be Given by Whoever's Still Sober” by Nicole Cushing

Available for Kindle only, and for seven more days only, at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFCQOLQ

(Non-US readers: this link should automatically redirect to the Amazon site for your region. If it doesn't, let me know.)

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “Edvard Munch,” by Robert W. Hobson

 

Sebastian Kane flew across the second floor of the mansion like his ass was on fire and his head was catchin’. His blue shirt was torn and bloody, his jeans were rags and equally as red, his chest would need an entire spool of thread to put back together, and he would be eating soup for the next week.

He hit the stairs, ignored them, leaped over the bannister, and dropped fourteen feet to the marble floor below. He landed in a three-point stance, flipped onto his back, drew his .50 Desert Eagle pistol from his hip holster, and pointed it up at the hall he’d just run down.

When he spoke, his jaw ground in its socket. “C’mon, c’mon.”

Sebastian stood and pulled the pistol close to his chest. “No such thing as vampires, my ass.”

[...read the rest of the story...]

¤     ¤     ¤

ROBERT W. HOBSON is a retired soldier. He has two published works, Camel in the Wire and Not Everything Goes Bump. Camel in the Wire won the Literary Guild Complex award for best non-fiction November 2011 and was featured in Columbia College Chicago’s Hair Trigger 35.  Not Everything Goes Bump was published in Stupefying Stories, Mid-October issue, 2012. He is also a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a Masters in Fine Arts.  Robert lives in Berwyn, Illinois, with his lovely wife Cathy, a dog named Scully, and a cat named Mystique.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “Jackie, We Hardly Knew Ye,” by Carly Berg

Jackie oughtn’t watch. Yet she waited, heart in wild rhythm, for The Kennedy Conspiracy Theories to begin. Anniversaries of the incident were hard, the ten years intervening barely helped. She would finally watch. Jackie set aside the stack of papers from her latest volunteer committee. She made her way across the plush aquamarine carpet and pushed the intercom button.

“I’ll have lunch now. In my sitting room…The usual Thursday diet plate will be fine. What’s on Ari’s calender?... In Paris until Monday. Okay, then. Consuela? Bring a pitcher of dacquiris, too.”

Jackie opened the drapes. The cold steel and concrete of Fifth Avenue below looked nothing like Dallas in March. That unpleasantness belongs to a different time and place. It doesn’t matter anymore. She lit a cigarette with the big ceramic table lighter, inhaling deeply.

When the maid left, Jackie turned the television’s volume knob up. Words and images veered in and out of her focus. The Warren Commission. Lee Harvey Oswald. The KGB. Castro… Did someone else show up as well, with an agenda of his own? Everything afterwards was a blur. She only remembered her silly hat...

[...read the rest of the story...]

¤     ¤     ¤

Carly Berg is a dark cloud hovering above sunny Houston. Her flash stories appear in dozens of publications. She welcomes visitors to her site: carlyberg.com.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “The Beast,” by J. L. Phoenix

October, what a month. People in this world are so fascinated with their “holidays” that they set aside any remaining good sense and judgment they have to allow for fun and festivities. Fools. They make the tasks of the underworld disgustingly easy, even more so than in the days of the plague in the Dark Ages, when strange deaths were a part of everyday life. The beast is hungry. He knows it’s time to feed, and these fools are ripe and waiting to be plucked from the vine.

 

We invented this holiday all those years ago so these simpletons would let us walk among them without fear or worry, at least for a part of the year. Now they celebrate us, pretend to be us, even come to us looking for a bit of “Halloween fun” and ask us to read fortunes or cast spells, looking for magic potions to fix their miserable, broken lives. They might as well throw themselves in the beast’s bowl and lather on the gravy.

Preparations for the feeding were behind schedule this year, as some ingredients are becoming harder to acquire with the ever-dwindling population of the local covens, and an increasing number of amateur “witches” buying things they have no business touching. But my struggles are of little importance; the beast will hear no excuses. I must appease his hunger.

[...read the rest of the story...] 

¤     ¤     ¤ 

J.L. Phoenix is a lifelong lover of the fantasy realms who spends his days buried in technology (dreary day job stuff), his family (his reason for being), role playing games, or literature (reading and writing). He also enjoys leisurely drives to take in the beautiful Michigan scenery as inspiration.

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Life Here in the 21st Century

Here in Minnesota, the seasons change fast. A week ago it was nearly 80 degrees outside. Last night, the temps dropped into the low 40s. The forecast calls for it to dip down near freezing by Wednesday morning, with the possibility of snow on Friday.

To deal with these kinds of changes we have a dual-control electric blanket, so that my wife and I can set the temps separately for our respective sides of the bed. She usually prefers it a little cooler than I do, except when she summons the powers of Hot Flash Woman, and then she kicks off all the covers.

Last night, though, the controller for my side of the bed malfunctioned. My side of the blanket never did switch on; the controller just sat there blinking out an error code all night long. I got online with tech support first thing this morning and solved the problem in a matter of minutes, by receiving and following the instructions for rebooting the blanket. But still...

Rebooting the blanket. I have trouble wrapping my mind around that idea. I needed to reboot the blanket. I needed to contact tech support to get the instructions for rebooting the blanket.

As we plod along into the future, and into the coming age of the Internet of Stuff, I can't help but wonder what other adventures lie in wait?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bethke, but your toilet lost Internet connectivity last night and you won't be able to flush it until a technician replaces the NIC card."

What do you think will be the most useless and preposterous household device to be put under digital control and blessed with Internet connectivity?

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “Fulfilling,” by Jocelyn DeVore

I’d been born and raised in sunny Florida, so isn’t it ironic that the one thing I fear most in life is a night-stalking bloodsucker? I’ve spent many nights staring out my bedroom window at eyes glaring back at me from the trees.

 

My friends and family think I’m crazy, of course. Which is why they will be utterly horrified when they see my lifeless body completely drained of blood one morning. I can see it now: my mother would walk into my bedroom to ask me if I want pancakes or waffles (despite my open distaste for the first option), only to be greeted by the gruesome scene of her daughter with two puncture marks on her neck (or my wrist, or my breast—I really don’t know what vampires prefer). She would be numb with the bombardment of both sadness and anger. Until she finally floods my room with tears and wails (no, not the kinds with fins—though sometimes she sounds like one). Of course, reality isn’t nearly as romantic as TV would make it seem. Or so I found out when my worst fear came true.
[...read the rest of the story...]

¤     ¤     ¤ 

JOCELYN DEVORE is a writer and storyteller from the Pacific Northwest. She has written for a number of non-fiction online magazines and is a cozy mystery ghostwriter. She is still learning how to properly use a semicolon and frequently breaks the rules for sentence fragments because she finds them punchy, dramatic, and short. Just like her. She also writes, directs, and produces her own Lovecraftian audio drama, Poplar Cove.

When she’s not writing, you can often find her curled up on the couch with a book and a cup of coffee, or watching a scary movie on Netflix. You can also find her online at www.jocelyndevore.com.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “This Cat Must Die!” by Jason Lairamore

The heavy ceramic angel sitting high on the shelf above the sliding glass door was perfect for what Sham, the ethereal, had in mind. That fat, orange cat had to die. Its death was the only way he could become a real ghost.

Late morning sun shining through the glass door warmed the tiled floor. That cursed cat, Cadmus, loved nothing more than to lay there to sleep.

Sham positioned the angel in just the right spot. At this distance from the floor, the force of the falling figurine should kill the cat easily. Then Cadmus could sleep forever.

Bwaahaahaahaa!

[...read the rest of the story...]

JASON LAIRAMORE is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror who lives in Oklahoma with his beautiful wife and their three monstrously marvelous children. He is a published finalist of the 2012 SQ Mag annual contest and the winner of the 2013 Planetary Stories flash fiction contest. His work is both featured and forthcoming in over 30 publications to include Perihelion Science Fiction, Stupefying Stories, Third Flatiron publications, and Postscripts to Darkness, to name a few.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “The Van Helsing Women’s Shelter,” by Aaron DaMommio

I answered the door myself, as I always did when the shelter had visitors after dark. The gaunt man on the doorstep swept aside his cloak with one hand.

“I am Nikolai,” he said. “I haff come to take Lucy home.”

More than his emaciated physique, the power of his stare gave him away. I sighed. This happened less and less as word spread, but there were still some stubborn types in the nosferatu community. They’d come out of the coffin, but hadn’t adopted the Internet.

“I’m Doctor Maria Van Helsing,” I said. “And you are not welcome here.”

[...read the rest of the story...]

Aaron DaMommio is a husband, father, writer, juggler, and expert washer of dishes who lives in Austin, Texas. He is currently obsessed with Dorothy Dunnett’s House of Niccolo series. You can find him on the web at aarondamommio.blogspot.com.

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From the SHOWCASE archives...

Fiction: “I, Boy,” by Stone Showers

Henry Newman and I had been friends ever since his parents first brought him home from the yard sale. I didn’t care that he was older, and it didn’t matter to me that he couldn’t swim or speak seven languages. In so many ways, Henry was just like me, and because of that we did everything together.

In the mornings he and I would walk to the bus, or run, depending upon our mood. After school, we’d ride our bikes up Isaac’s Ridge and spend the afternoon searching for slugs and other creepy-crawly things. Sometimes we’d play hide-and-seek among the trees, our laughter breathing life into the forest. Henry and I spent practically every waking moment together. Except when it was raining, of course. On those days Henry’s mother made him stay inside.

The boys in the neighborhood often made fun of Henry—the way he talked, and the color of his skin. Jimmy Martin even suggested there might be something wrong with Henry, and I think he may have been right about that. Unlike the other second-graders, Henry knew nothing of the periodic table and he couldn’t conjugate even a single Latin verb. Whenever he tried to recite Mandarin, the other children always laughed at his pronunciation. I felt sorry for Henry, and tried to stick up for him whenever I could. But for some reason, Henry never seemed troubled by the insults.

“I’m just different from everyone else, that’s all, and I think that frightens them.”

[...read the rest of the story...]

¤     ¤     ¤

Stone Showers lives in Central Oregon with his wife and two children. His fiction has recently appeared in Fantasy Scroll, Zetetic, and Ember, A Journal of Luminous Things. Two of his previously published stories will soon be available for download on Audible.

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