Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Prisoner of Perdition - Update



We now have an official trailer and poster for the short film THE PRISONER OF PERDITION, based on my short story of the same name. This short, directed by Cameron McCasland and edited by Kyle Kelly, is currently making the festival rounds. It will eventually be part of an anthology released hopefully later this year, and hosted by Dr. Gangrene.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Free Short Story for Election Day

I wrote this one a while back, and since it's Election Day today I just couldn't pass up posting it here.


And if you enjoy it, and haven't picked up a copy of my TALES FROM PARTS UNKNOWN collection, now is the perfect time!


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Igor, Egor and Ygor


 

“I tell ya,” said Igor, raising his glass of blood and tonic, “the worst part of it is the total lack of respect.”

“No kidding,” said Egor, slapping the table for effect. “You’d think they might show a little appreciation from time to time, but no. It’s always, ‘Egor, get this. Egor, fetch that. Egor, you idiot!’ I tell ya, it’s enough to give a guy a complex.”

A third man limped over from the bar carrying fresh drinks.  “You think you have it bad, my master won’t even let me play my flute anymore.” Ygor rubbed his twisted neck as he spoke.  “It’s the one thing I truly enjoy in life, besides torturing villagers and playing with fire, that is, and he won’t even let me have that simple pleasure.”

Igor adjusted his hood and nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I almost couldn’t get off work to make it here this year. I ask for one week a year, just one week. And that’s the week she has to try and take over the world. Sheesh. Fortunately the atomic reactor won’t ship till next week, otherwise I’d still be slaving away underground building another doomsday device.”

Egor shot a quick glance to either side to see if anyone was listening. The far end of the lounge featured a bar with an array of misshapen and grotesque figures seated on stools in front of it. A four-armed bartender served them drinks.  Above the bar hung a banner that read, “143rd Annual Henchmen Convention.”

He lowered his voice to a near-whisper. “Say, let me ask you guys something. Just between us lackeys. You ever screw up on purpose?”

Ygor looked shocked. “What? Why, that would be against union code, you know that. I could lose my privileges for something like that.” He winked at the dwarf as he popped a handful of grub worms into his mouth.

Igor scratched his hump as he spoke. “I’m not ashamed to admit it. I screw up all the time. Maybe it isn’t technically on purpose, but let’s just say I could probably be a bit more careful. But come on, a guy’s gotta pass the time somehow, right? The Transylvanian nights are cold and lonely in those drafty dungeons.”

He noticed a blonde in a lab coat a few tables over. She looked up and their eyes locked. He raised an eyebrow and flashed a toothless grin. She quickly looked away, annoyed.

“I do it on purpose, I admit it,” said Egor. The candle in the center of their table flickered, dripping scarlet wax onto the skull beneath it. “But my master deserves it. He’s a slave driver. And the worst part of it? He never takes my suggestions. I’m no greenhorn; I’ve been doing this for almost a century.” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “I’m a pro, and he should respect that. There are plenty of other mad scientists out there that would appreciate my talents. I’ve had interest from headhunters.”

Ygor nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. Just last week, a witch doctor in Borneo inquired about my services.”

Igor looked at the other two men, and shook his head. “You know, I think we’re all forgetting why we became henchmen in the first place. Yeah, maybe it’s a tough job, but at least we’re a part of something special, making a difference. We have steady jobs, with decent pay and benefits. And most importantly we’re carrying on the time-honored tradition passed down by our ancestors.”

He looked up and gestured toward the corner of the room. “Besides, no matter how bad our bosses may be, no matter how wicked, cruel, heartless, or despicable the treatment, it could always be worse.”

The other henchmen turned to see what he was looking at. Mounted on the wall was a television. Onscreen, a man in a crisply pressed suit waved to an enthusiastic crowd, a leering smile plastered on his face. Words scrolled across the bottom of the screen announcing the latest election results.

“Even I can’t work for an overlord that evil,” Igor said with a shudder.

 

 

Friday, October 28, 2016

Story printed in Halloween edition of Siren's Call



The Halloween 2016 edition of the SIREN'S CALL EZINE came out today, entitled HALLOWE'EN HELL, and I'm pleased to announce my story NIGHT OF THE WITCH is included in it. You can get your own FREE copy online HERE - and Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

RETRIEVAL SERVICE Made into Short Film



Nashville filmmaker Cameron McCasland just wrapped shooting on a short film version of my short story RETRIEVAL SERVICE. This was actually the first story I ever had published, and Cameron loved it and asked if he could do a short film version. He wrote the shooting script for it. This one is in post now, and will be included in an anthology film next year. More details to come for sure!

 Myself, director Cameron McCasland and cinematographer Josh Ickes

 Cast and crew on set at graveyard...




More cast and crew inside funeral home...

Western STRINGS Made into Short Film



Got some good news to share with you folks - the Western short story I wrote entitled STRINGS is being made into a short film by Nashville filmmaker Cameron McCasland. The title of the film, however, is THE PRISONER OF PERDITION. Cameron felt, after doing a quick IMDB title search, that there were way too many films and shorts already with the title "Strings," so we changed the title of the short film. The shooting script was also written by me, and the movie was shot in a replica Western town in Hopkinsville, KY, an hour or so North of Nashville.

As of the date this is written the film is completely finished, edited and scored. It will be released as a short to festivals, then collected into an anthology next year. More on that later...




Yours ghouly on set talking to director McCasland.


The cast of Perdition gathers for a group shot in front of the saloon.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Story published in Halloween ezine

My short story NIGHT OF THE WITCH will be published in the upcoming Halloween edition of THE SIRENS CALL ezine, issue #29. Will be out later this month HERE - stay tuned for more information and Happy Halloween!




Speaking of Halloween, over at my YouTube page I'm holding a Halloween giveaway of Vincent Price movies. Good luck and Happy Halloween!






Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Short Story STRINGS accepted for publication

I wrote a new short story called STRINGS recently that is a Weird Western about a small town sheriff with a very unusual prisoner, one that has the town in an uproar. It was accepted for publication in an upcoming anthology from HORRIFIED PRESS called RIDING THE DARK FRONTIER: TALES OF THE WEIRD WEST.


More detail on this one coming up!