Tag Archives: Short Stories

The Pumpkin King and Asteroid by R. David Fulcher

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R. DAVID FULCHER is an author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Major literary influences include H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allen Poe, Fritz Lieber, and Stephen King. Fulcher’s first novel, a historical drama set in World War II, Trains to Nowhere, and his second novel, a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories, Blood Spiders and Dark Moon, are both available from authorhouse.com and Amazon.

FULCHER’S work has appeared in numerous small press publications including Lovecraft’s Mystery Magazine, Black Satellite, The Martian Wave, Burning Sky, Shadowlands, Twilight Showcase, Heliocentric Net, Gateways, Weird Times, Freaky Frights and the anthologies Dimensions and Silken Ropes. Fulcher’s work can also be found in the DPP collection Halloween Party 2019, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. A passion for the written word has also inspired Fulcher to edit and publish the literary magazine, Samsara (samsaramagazine.net), which has showcased writers and poets for over a decade. Fulcher resides in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife Lisa, and their rambunctious cats.

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Step into a world where the Pumpkin King reigns supreme, and other tales haunt your every thought. Or step out of this world into the sheer terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible deep space.

The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror
by R. David Fulcher
Genre: Horror Short Stories

Gravelight is pleased to present the first volume in a two-book series collecting the horror fiction of R. David Fulcher!

THE PUMPKIN KING AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR offers up 20 works by Fulcher, each updated and revised by the author. Each tale has been fully revised by the author, making these the definitive versions of the stories.

THE COLLECTION INCLUDES:
*Eulogy to E.A. Poe
*Marienburg Castle
*The Pumpkin King
*Heavenly Strains
*A Matter of Taste
*My Days With Mahalia
*A Night Out With Mr. Bones
*Merry Are We of the Lake
*The Night Flyer
*Pumpkin Seed Spit
*A Night for Animals
*The Man Next Door
*Extra! Extra!
*The Flight Dummy
*For the Children
*The Watcher’s Web
*Dreaming, The Copper City
*The Huntress
*The Faerie Lights
*The October Man
Features a wrap-around cover and contemporary design. Perfect for Halloween or dark, rainy nights.

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Asteroid 6 and Other Tales of Cosmic Horror
by R. David Fulcher
Genre: Science Fiction Horror Short Stories

Introducing ASTEROID 6 AND OTHER TALES OF COSMIC HORROR! The companion book to R. David Fulcher’s 2023 indie horror hit, THE PUMPKIN KING AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR!

In this newest collection, Fulcher explores concepts of the insignificance of human existence, terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible, and more motifs found in edlritch horror. Fulcher draws his influence from a wide assortment of authors ranging from Poe and Fritz Leiber to Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

The title story features an astronaut named Jones who, while on asteroid-clearing duty, crash lands onto a massive asteroid where he is drawn to an alien monolith and discovering an ancient race trapped in stasis. Does he dare set it free?

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind collection!

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The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes by Liese Sherwood Fabre

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A must-read for Sherlockians, history enthusiasts, and anyone eager to uncover the hidden layers of Victorian England.

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes
Essays on Victorian England Book V
by Liese Sherwood-Fabre
Genre: Nonfiction History, Literary Criticism

Rediscover Victorian England’s forgotten history and culture.

Volume V of The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes explores the cultural, scientific, and historical allusions found throughout Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective stories. This collection of essays unpacks twenty-four topics mentioned in the original mysteries, from everyday details like hats and plumbing to complex issues such as international spying, the binomial theorem, and relations with Russia. Through such insights, readers gain a deeper understanding of the Victorian world in which Holmes operated.

Other essays explore both the familiar and the obscure, touching on subjects like the KKK’s presence in England, the significance of whaling, and legal concepts like insanity and blackmail. Unique cultural topics—such as the role of curry in the British Empire, the rise of bohemianism, and the Victorian obsession with rejuvenation through animal hormones—reveal the rich complexity of the era. The collection also features a bonus essay on Sarah Cushing from The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, offering fresh insight into one of the most sinister characters in the Canon.

Whether examining automata, wax figures, or the legal definitions of murder and suicide, The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes provides a compelling lens through which readers gain a deeper understanding of the historical and social backdrop of the Holmes mysteries.

A must-read for Sherlockians, history enthusiasts, and anyone eager to uncover the hidden layers of Victorian England.

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Master of the Art of Detection
A Collection of Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
By Liese Sherwood-Fabre
Genre: Mystery

Decipher. Deduce. Deliver.

Sherlock Holmes, the most cerebral of detectives, finds his deductive powers put to the test in this intriguing collection of cases. Each adventure presents a web of secrets, clues, and deceptions. Only his highly honed observational skills lead him to the truth.

In a locked-room murder, did the victim succumb to “The Curse of Kisin?” And how had the daughter of Squire Northridge disappeared from her own locked bedroom? Can Holmes, an ocean away, determine if a missing treasure hunter ran off with Jean Lafitte’s fabled buried plunder? The disappearance of a beloved dog is an adventure filled with whimsy and humor, as are the return of Lady Frances Carfax and the howling dog of Baker Street.

Holmes’ unrivaled deductive powers rise to the test with each case. He shines as the consummate master of the art of detection and will captivate from beginning to end.

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Liese Sherwood-Fabre is an award-winning author known for her meticulously researched works of historical fiction and mystery. With a background in social sciences, she brings a unique depth to her characters and settings, particularly in her acclaimed series The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, which explores Victorian England through the lens of the famous detective’s world. Her essays delve into the cultural and historical intricacies of the era, uncovering hidden details that enhance her stories’ authenticity. Her fiction weaves real historical events and social insights into suspenseful plots, creating immersive narratives that captivate fans of both history and mystery. An avid traveler and lifelong scholar, Dr. Sherwood-Fabre combines curiosity and expertise to craft stories that transport readers to fascinating past worlds filled with intrigue and insight.

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A Little Texas for Sherlock

Being a native-born Texan, I was happy to find Sherlock Holmes also has some ties to Texas. Lillie Langtry, a British actress romantically linked to King Edward VII, is thought to have influenced the character of Irene Adler. Judge Roy Bean, the colorful saloon owner and self-proclaimed “Law West of the Pecos,” was so taken with the actress (whom he never met), he named his saloon “Jersey Lily” and his town Langtry, Texas. The town remains as a quirky historical tribute to her lasting charm and Bean’s unrequited admiration. A second tie comes from a ship. Holmes tracks a suspect to the ship “The Lone Star” in “The Five Orange Pips.” Even Watson knows Texas is “The Lone Star State.”

I decided to add my own Texas tie to Holmes. In Master of the Art of Detection, one story involves another of the more famous characters in Texas history. The pirate Jean Lafitte made his mark on the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. For several years, he used Galveston Island (near Houston) as a base to raid Spanish ships and trade goods on the black market. Known for playing both sides, he also occasionally aided the U.S., most notably by providing intelligence and supplies to Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. At the same time, his base on Galveston Island became a haven for smuggling and piracy. Though Lafitte was ultimately expelled from Texas, his legacy continues through the legends surrounding the treasure he left buried somewhere on the island. Holmes, however, soon uncovers Lafitte’s secrets.

These ties connect Victorian England with the rough, colorful world of 19th-century Texas and bridge two seemingly different worlds whose spirit of adventure and intrigue knows no boundaries. By adding a Texas mystery to Holmes’ cases, I honor my state’s tradition of unique characters and history and make Holmes’s adventures as boundless as the Texas sky.

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Douglas Ford ~ Author Interview

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Douglas Ford is the author of the recent collection of weird fiction, Ape in the Ring. His short stories have appeared in such venues as Dark Moon Digest, Tales to Terrify, Weird City, as well as The Best Hardcore Horror, Volumes 3 and 4.

Check out our interview on YouTube:

Check out HIs book below!

(Click on the cover image(s) to order your copy)

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)

APE IN THE RING – From the author of The Reattachment comes a frightening and twisted collection of stories that demonstrates Douglas Ford’s imagination at its best.

In these stories, a woman uncovers the buried memory of how she once disappeared inside the house of a murderer; a father waits and waits for his son to come out of a playground structure, unprepared for what finally does emerge; a group of foster children play an unconventional form of divination while protecting a secret together; the closet of a hotel room hides an unspeakable voyeur; and in the title story, a carnival offers ritualized combat with something that may or not be an ape.

Douglas Ford wields language like a sinister surgeon with a night-black scalpel. These stories cut down to the bone, exposing the darkness that lies just beneath the surface of our everyday world. This collection is a midnight carnival of dark wonders, terrifying and fascinating in equal measure.
–Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author, Tim Waggoner

Ape in the Ring and Other Tales of the Macabre and Uncanny is a must have collection for every horror library. Douglas Ford crafts stories that are disturbing, dripping with atmosphere, and claustrophobically frightening. You will be thinking about this book long after you have set it down.
-Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author, Owl Goingback

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A Door to Our Minds

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bookTITLE: A Door to Our Minds
AUTHORS: Lilly Brown, Bethany Martin, Jordan E. Lasater, Brenton Porter, and Bearcina

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Stories: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Take a journey through the minds of five young, teenage, aspiring authors with this exciting anthology of short stories. You’ll start in a world not too different from our own, where a group of teens are undergoing a deadly quest to bring peace to their land in The Spark. Then, you’ll meet two curious young adults and follow them as they uncover the mysteries of several unsolved disappearances in The Peculiar Case of Matthias Chase. In There is Love in War, you’ll be thrown into a world full of werewolves, griffons, Gods and Goddesses. Next, you’ll travel back in time to a realm where medieval guardsmen fought with swords and bow and arrow to protect their Emperor from building threats in The Trials of Gebhuza. Finally, you’ll travel light-years away, to the endless depths of space in Years in a Blink, where a raging war on the small planet of Rainmia has forever changed the life of young Artemia and set her on a scientific course and a lifelong journey.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

INSIDE THE COVER:
First let me start by saying that I had my hand in this book as well. Although I am not one of the authors, I did help them through the process. This group of amazing teen authors took their stories from concept to publication, a task that many would love to achieve. I am beyond proud of all five of them and am so honored that I was able to go on this journey with them. It is there first published work and I am looking forward to seeing how the grow as authors from this to the next.

WRITING: I won’t discuss each of the stories or authors separately, but what I will say is that they are developing authors who are learning to express themselves through their unique voices. There is true talent in these pages and I have a feeling this is not the last we will hear from them.

STORIES: This collection contained 5 short stories as you will see below.

The Spark, by Lilly Brown
During the brutal war over the Flame throne, a prophecy was delivered forever changing the lives of Elyse, James, Beth, Dan, and Reese. Even as children they were charged with the responsibilities of being named the Prophecy Warriors. Now, eleven years later, the prophecy has come to bare truth and these noble five must fight to save their country before it is ripped apart at the seams. Not all will survive, but if they can band together long enough to fulfill their birthright then their losses will not be in vain.

The Peculiar Case of Matthias Chase, by Bethany Martin
MATTHIAS CHASE, a small-town Golden Boy, has been missing for three days. With little evidence and no leads, the local detectives are getting nowhere. However, Aiden Altoviti, who recently graduated in Matthias’s class, has become quite invested in the case. With the help of his best friend, Bexley Craig, they uncover some strange details that tie Matthias’ disappearance to cases long in the past.

Unexplainable events continue to happen to Aiden and Bexley, causing them to believe there is so much more to the case than meets the eye. With unknown forces working against them, the teens find fiction and reality blurring together. Aiden and Bexley quickly piece things together, but Matthias’s time is running out. Perhaps Aiden and Bexley can get there in time to save Matthias. However, fate might have other plans for him.

There is Love in War, by Jordan E. Lasater
Have you ever loved someone so desperately but knew in your heart you couldn’t be with them? Love in War is a crazy tale full of werewolves, griffons, Gods, and Goddesses. Two star crossed lovers, Luna and Cyrus, try to make a life together, only to be pulled worlds apart. Surrounded by death and war, their souls get torn apart life after life. Is trying even worth it? After all he is just a boy and she is just a girl. Or are they?

The Trials of Gebhuza, by Brenton Porter
Amerellius and Amy are just two ordinary citizens serving the empire and living a normal life. That all changes when the emperor comes to town. After a failed attempt to take the emperor’s life, the Gebhuza, an elite force, is tasked with protecting the emperor and his empire from any and all threats. The time to put that force to use comes sooner than expected when trouble brews within the kingdom’s borders. Can Amerellius and Amy lead the Gebhuza and save the kingdom from utter desolation or will it fall in flames?

Years in a Blink, by Bearcina
Billions of Lightyears away, something- or someone- may just be screaming out in the endless depth of space, and you just can’t hear it.

A war raged across a lone little planet called Rainmia, and caught in the middle of it was a Betta named Artemia. She yearned for vengeance on a planet to be long forgotten in the eternity of time. Now, the Betta is much older, with her own laboratory that hosts the Universe’s best technology and brightest minds. Princess Persephone happens to get caught up in this mess right alongside Artemia.

Just remember, no one can hear you scream.

CHARACTERS: Again, not going to dive into each of the stories, but considering these are all short stories, I believe the authors did a beautiful job of giving us back story and just enough character development to care.

APPEARANCE: The cover, which was designed by Contagious Covers, is beautiful, whimsical, and draws you in before you even turn it over to read the back. Within the pages of the anthology, each story has its own cover as well. These interior story covers were created by Amanda Orneck with input from the authors themselves. I believe she did a wonderful job capturing the feel of each story.

MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“You’ve proven you can beat is alone, but we were trained to fight together. How can you stand against two of us?” ~ Reese in The Spark

“Yeah, I’m great. I absolutely love getting thrown against trees, this is the highlight of my day.” ~ Bexley in The Peculiar Case of Matthias Chase

“That’s very generous of you, but I’m giving you one last chance to hand her over – and I promise to make it quick when I kill all of your men.” ~ Princess Luna in There is Love in War

“If there is any more knocking, the door might just break.” ~ Amerellius in Trials of Gebhuza

“Panther, listen, that’s not going to reverse the sulfuric poisoning. I don’t care what kinds of miracle medicine she so called, needs; she can’t wake up, or she’ll die.” ~ Riddley in Years in a Blink

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https://youtu.be/cc3MZW5uuM0