Drabble Wednesday: Freaky Fan Fiction

Something different this week for Drabble Wednesday, a little nonsense, a little snark, a little fun with cartoons and sparkly vampires...

Acme Holiday

On an ordinary moonlit night, with the stars shining, night settles over a nondescript laboratory in the middle of an unnamed city.

Inside, tiny voices can be heard...

“What are we going to do tonight, Brain?”

“The same thing we—no.” There is a long pause. “I’m tired of this rat race, Pinky. The same thing night after night. We’re going on vacation!”

“Ooooh, Brain. Narf!”

“Narf indeed. Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Pinky?”

“I believe so, Brain. But where would we get the purple frilly tutus to wear on the teacup ride at Disneyworld?”

“To the closet, Pinky!”

~*~

The Truth About Manfredi and Johnson

Amidst sparks and the smell of fish, came the question...

“Are they ready, Kowalski?”

“Aye, aye, Skipper. Project Agent Clones is a go!”

Two years later...

“That’s the last of them, Skipper. The last of the clones are dead.”

“A moment of silence, boys, for the fallen. Manfredi and Johnson. The end of their line. Good soldiers, one and all.”

A hush fell, before Skipper continued, “A true tragedy, but really who could’ve predicted it. Struck down by a rogue herd of buffalo.”

“I believe it was bison, Skipper.”

“Really? I could’ve sworn it was buffalo.”

“No, it was bison.”

 ~*~

End of Twilight

Black scars and broken glass marred a once beautiful house, with its landscape razed to resemble a war zone. Over the trees rose smoke and an acrid smell wafted off the smouldering piles of ashes and corpses.

Across this recent battle ground gathered the victorious army, bloodied and weary. A lone soldier bowed to the commander.

“They are all dead, Count Dracula. Bella, Edward, their ridiculously named daughter, even the werewolves.”

“Good. Then the war is over! Those mutated abominations have been vanquished! True vampire kind has finally prevailed!”

A cheer rose with the smoke of the enemy's funeral pyres.

© A. F. Stewart 2017 All Rights Reserved

Interview With Author Glenn McGoldrick

Today I have a great interview with horror and thriller author Glenn McGoldrick. He stops by to chat about writing and his short story collections. Enjoy.

Interview With Author Glenn McGoldrick

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

English was my favourite lesson during my school days, and I always enjoyed writing stories.

Then I grew up and worked in Casinos for twenty years, and spent fifteen of those years travelling on cruise ships.

Leaving ships in 2011, I now live in the North East of England. When I’m not busy writing, I enjoy music, movies, beach walks and beer.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?

I have been writing for four years. I have published two collections of short stories, available on Amazon.

What did you hope to accomplish by publishing your book?

In February 2017 I published a collection of some of my stories on Amazon Kindle. Researched for a couple of months, did all the work, even the cover photo. I wanted to be able to say that I’d done absolutely every part of the process myself. It turned out quite well, I think; it was stressful at times, but very rewarding, and it’s great to see my book on Amazon. Then I went and did it all again with my second collection!

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I enjoyed writing stories as a young kid at school. Then I grew up, had a career and did some travelling. I saved some money, took some time off and thought about what I really wanted to do in life.

I’d always enjoyed reading, and I read some books about writing professionally. Then I took a writing course, wrote some stories of my own and enjoyed it. Then I just carried on writing stories, hoping to improve a little each time. And I still like to read a lot.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas originate? Do you have a certain writing routine?

I get lots of ideas from newspaper articles. I expand the original idea, work on it for three or four days, ending up with lots of notes on paper. Then when I’ve got most of the story figured out, I’ll get to my laptop, start typing it up, breaking it down by scene, in random order. I usually find that the first and last scenes are the easiest ones for me.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Finding the time to write. Or, setting aside the other stuff, everyday stuff, all the little mundane jobs that need attending to – sometimes it’s a challenge to put it all out of my mind, leaving me able to focus exclusively on writing.

Do you have a favourite author, or writing inspiration?

I’m an avid reader, particularly enjoying James Lee Burke (Robicheaux series), Robert B Parker (Spenser series) and Lawrence Block (Scudder series).

I usually bookmark my favourite passages from their books, then revisit them later, hoping to soak up some of their skills!

What advice would you give beginning writers?

Just sit down and write. Never mind the laundry, or making a snack, or going for a bike ride – sit your butt down and write. There’ll always be other stuff to do, so get to it after you write.

What do you like to do when you're not writing? Any hobbies?

I like movies and music, and I’m very interested in politics. I’m out on my bicycle most days, and I like going for walks in the country. And you can’t beat sitting by the sea, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper!

Glenn McGoldrick's books are available on Amazon: 

Nightmare Waiting

Little Dramas   

Glenn McGoldrick worked in casinos for 20 years, and 15 of those 20 years were spent on cruise ships, seeing the world. He's now settled back home, in the Northeast of England. He writes in the horror/thriller genre.

For more on the author check out his Website.

You can also find him on Twitter: @G_T_McGoldrick

Interview With Author Paul Trinetti

Today I have an interview with author Paul Trinetti who chats about writing and his futuristic thriller trilogy, the Vexton Series. Enjoy!

Interview With Paul Trinetti

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I’m 48 years old. I was born in Toronto, and have lived there my entire life. I’m single and have never been married. I worked as the accountant for my family’s construction company for twenty-five years. I’m an avid music and sports fan. I enjoy spending quality time and sharing laughs with family and friends. I would describe myself as someone who enjoys learning, but is also fascinated by the mysteries of life.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

The Preservation Plan is the third and final book in my Vexton Series. The series is a story of a near-future America. An America so politically divided that it is in a battle to remain independent and not be auctioned off like cattle. In this final segment, the country reaches its breaking point and is hanging by a thread. Once so powerful – Now  powerless?? – it’s up to the players involved, with the will of the people, to bridge the divide and come together as one and save their cherished land.

How long have you been writing?

I began writing poetry, lyrics, and short stories in my early teen years. It was in 2012 when I developed an outline for the Vexton Series and began writing in earnest.

Of all the books you've written, do you have a favourite?

Of the three books, the first book, MANUFRACTURED holds an extra special place in my heart. It’s where I developed the core characters and introduced the world my story is based on.

You write in several genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why? And why did you want to incorporate them all into your series?

Corporate and political corruption would lead the way. I’ve always found it interesting trying to determine who, and who isn’t sincere, which makes for fascinating stories.

The reason I incorporated all these genres is because they are universal in nature, and my goal with the Vexton Series was to create a story that would be epic in proportion and resonate with a wide audience.

Are there particular challenges in writing for your core readership?

I wrote the story as a witness to the world around us, therefore I had to make sure I captured universal themes, but made them not only interesting, but also entertaining.

What did you enjoy most about writing your books?

The challenge of threading all the elements together while developing interesting characters.

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your books?

Book 1 – The word-building aspect was grueling at times. But the creative process for books 2 and 3 flowed somewhat effortlessly.

What did you hope to accomplish by publishing your books?

As far as the actual story is concerned my hope is to: entertain, provoke thought, frighten and bring a chuckle to the reader by being original as can be.

My long term goal is to have my story developed into a motion picture or television series.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

My belief is that any form of art has to come from the heart in order for it to touch others in a profound manner. As far as writing is concerned, my advice would be to use your imagination and never be afraid to create your own little world. Imagination is a powerful gift. From a technical standpoint, pay attention to the amount of and placement of info dumps and action scenes in order to establish quality pacing. Also, constantly revising and editing your work might seem frustrating, but it will pay off in the end. Everybody has a different style of writing, so I think it’s important for each individual to find what works best for them.

The Vexton Series is available in paperback on:

Amazon

And on Kindle:

Manufractured

Moon Shade Bluff

The Preservation Plan

And find more about the author and his books at these sites:

Website   Twitter   Facebook

Drabble Wednesday: Dark Feathers

Today on Drabble Wednesday we fly with our dark winged friends, and death...

The Termination Onyx

Across the sky shadows grew.

Mottled streaks of soft gray into coal black patches covered blue and spread through the white clouds. From the tip of the world to the farthest horizon the shadows crept, and when they reached around the planet, the feathers fell as rain.

Stygian dark and sharp as razors, they sliced through air and trees and flesh, and when they struck the ground the earth shook and cracked. Cities became ruin, mountains fractured, and seas boiled.

Apocalypse, the inhabitants called it.

Annihilation Day.

The Universe knew it better by another name.

The Day the Angels Died.

~*~

The Ravens

On darkling wings the ravens flew.

A black spot across the midday sun, the trio of birds soared over the meadows and the forests, past the farms and towns. Every door closed against them, every shutter barred to their presence. The people of Arajyn knew what the ravens heralded.

Every soul waited in fear for its coming.

Children sobbed, parents prayed. And gave thanks when the ravens passed them by.

Until the birds descended, roosting in a tree outside the village of Syarien. Every voice in that village wailed, knowing they had been chosen.

Sacrifices to the God of Death.

~*~

Black Wings and a Story

Tell me a story you said.

So I did.

But you didn’t like the ending, did you?

I can’t say that I blame you. I tricked you, just a bit. You didn’t know what would happen.

Now did you?

If you did, if you knew who I was, then you wouldn’t have listened.

Would you?

No one wants the Raven King to tell them a story.

For, you know, my stories are never free.

Their ending always come with a price.

Poor you. You paid, didn’t you?

You paid when I plucked out your eyes, and sliced out your tongue.

© A. F. Stewart 2017 All Rights Reserved

Book Spotlight: A Life Removed

Today I have another spotlight, this time for the crime thriller, A Life Removed by Jason Parent. Enjoy!

 A Life Removed by Jason Parent

Detectives Bruce Marklin and Jocelyn Beaudette have put plenty of criminals behind bars. But a new terror is stalking their city. The killer’s violent crimes are ritualistic but seemingly indiscriminate. As the death toll rises, the detectives must track a murderer without motive. The next kill could be anyone… maybe even one of their own.

Officer Aaron Pimental sees no hope for himself or humanity. His girlfriend is pulling away, and his best friend has found religion. When Aaron is thrust into the heart of the investigation, he must choose who he will become, the hero or the villain.

If Aaron doesn’t decide soon, the choice will be made for him.

A Life Removed is available on Amazon

Author Bio:

In his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he calls New England his home. The region offers an abundance of settings for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He currently resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with his cuddly corgi named Calypso.

In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it's harassing the witness; no one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists in a knot or takes somebody's head off - he misses the appeal). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.

Please visit the author on Facebook, on Twitter, or at his Website for information regarding upcoming events or releases, or if you have any questions or comments for him.