Wrong-Tober 2023: The Orb

 

Photo by BoliviaInteligente (boliviainteligente) on Unsplash

The Orb

Israel Evensen was the kind of kid who insisted upon empirical evidence for everything. Therefore, the little purple and gold orb that had been following him everywhere for the past two weeks stymied him. Nevertheless, it seemed quite real.

Israel wondered if the appearance of the orb meant he was schizophrenic like his mother, although there were no other signs he had manifested the disease. In truth, he found the presence of the globe comforting, even if it sometimes appeared to be analyzing him as he would a specimen on a microscope slide. He couldn’t risk losing his only friend.

notes

I submitted this piece for potential inclusion in The Damned, but it wasn't selected. Perhaps the editors deemed it closer to paranormal or science fiction than horror. 

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5RSJS5M

The Drain #8Sunday

    

Book: The Damned

Stories: The Drain, The Enforcers, The Fog, On a Spring Day, and The Trial.

ASIN: B0C82RQFSZ

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Genre: Flash Fiction, Horror

Buy Link: http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

Price: $1.99 ebook (Pre-order price)

Book Blurb:

Bite-sized horror stories are brought to you by thirteen authors. From creepy crawlies to the seemingly normal pets. From hideous monsters lurking in the dark to charismatic people showing their true colors.

Each tale is precisely 100 words and leaves a long-lasting chilling effect. Some will make you question the security of the world around you, and what’s more terrifying than that?

Featuring drabbles from Storm Lomax, Jonathan Reddoch, Zari Hunt, Kellee Kranendonk, Andreas Flögel, Simon Clarke, Jacek Wilkos, Ferenc K. Zoltán, Vanessa Bane, C.L. Hart, Natascha Eschweiler, Angela Zimmerman, and J.E. Feldman.

Pre-Excerpt Information

I wrote this drabble along with 29 others for potential inclusion in The Damned, an anthology of drabbles from Dragon Soul Press. I did not submit this one for potential inclusion. The drabble is ominous but not horrific.

So, why in the world am I sharing it here?

Because there are 2 more weeks until the anthology is published. My contract stipulates that I can't share more than 500 words from the anthology prior to publication. That's all five of my selected stories. So, what in the heck would I share the rest of the time?

The other drabbles that didn't make the cut for this anthology, of course! 

Photo by Mo (mo_design_3d) on Unsplash

The Pinnacle

The cabin in sixteen-year-old Shideh O’Floinn’s dream was not user-friendly. Innumerable steep steps carved into a slender peak of white stone led to the confounding cottage. The dream always culminated with Shideh plummeting from the precipice just as she reached the strange edifice. Right before she hit the ground, a gust of wind whispered “thirty-two.”

“It’s a foolish structure,” Shideh told her father as the pair prepared for a climbing expedition. “It’s completely open to the elements. I only ever see one room with a plant, a recliner, a table, and two chairs for visitors. I can’t fathom its implication.”

Notes

I've been aggressively sharing the limited edition Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink, which will be pulled from publication on October 30th. If you'd like to read excerpts from my (Lil DeVille's) story, The Liberation of Mac MacCarrick, visit the official Naughty Netherworld Press blog. 

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

I also want to tell you about an upcoming event where readers can win free books and other good stuff and authors can share their stories. I will be giving away one copy of Hot and Sticky and one copy of The Damned. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

Fellow authors can sign up to participate. Here are the details:

Your book does NOT need to be Halloween related just make sure your graphics are Halloween Themed, that's it!

All Romance, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi subgenres are welcome.

 

Rules are simple:

1. Fill out the form below

2. Join the Party Room https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

3. Ask your readers to join Rene's Getaway Party Room. They will not want to miss this event! It will be so much fun for them to meet new authors, play games and win prizes.

4. Commit to sharing "A Spooky Good Time's" graphics on Social Media and in your Newsletters (including links to the group) leading up to the event. This is a team effort, so please share!

5. Mark your calendars. Saturday, October 28th. Anytime on the 28th, make 1 post in the group. Introduce yourself, tell the readers a bit about your books, tell them what you are giving away, and ask them a question, have them play a game, ask them to follow/friend you, whatever you want to do--but their comment on the post is their entry into the giveaway! You can give away as many books as you'd like! You can also give away swag and gift cards.

6. On Sunday the 29th you will pick your winner(s). Be sure to friend them and tag your winner right under GIVEAWAY CLOSED, so I know that you have reached out and made arrangements with your winner(s).

7. Link to graphics:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e2tAeckDS5TFdAkNYxkDWL6RMg64g2lZ?usp=sharing

 

**PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP SHARE THIS FORM WITH YOUR WRITERS GROUPS OR WRITER FRIENDS WHO MIGHT WANT TO PARTICIPATE** https://forms.gle/Yum4MLC9DX2ZBNvc6

 

Thank you!

 

I will be sending important updates as we gear up for the event, so be sure to check your inbox!

Hope you join us!

--

Rene Migliore

Personal Virtual Assistant

Rene's Getaway

Blog: www.renesgetaway.wordpress.com 

Please contact Rene, your ghostess with the mostest, if you have questions.

   

Book: The Damned

Stories: The Drain, The Enforcers, The Fog, On a Spring Day, and The Trial.

ASIN: B0C82RQFSZ

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Genre: Flash Fiction, Horror

Buy Link: http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

Price: $1.99 ebook (Pre-order price)

Book Blurb:

Bite-sized horror stories are brought to you by thirteen authors. From creepy crawlies to the seemingly normal pets. From hideous monsters lurking in the dark to charismatic people showing their true colors.

Each tale is precisely 100 words and leaves a long-lasting chilling effect. Some will make you question the security of the world around you, and what’s more terrifying than that?

Featuring drabbles from Storm Lomax, Jonathan Reddoch, Zari Hunt, Kellee Kranendonk, Andreas Flögel, Simon Clarke, Jacek Wilkos, Ferenc K. Zoltán, Vanessa Bane, C.L. Hart, Natascha Eschweiler, Angela Zimmerman, and J.E. Feldman.

Pre-Excerpt Information

I wrote this drabble along with 29 others for potential inclusion in The Damned, an anthology of drabbles from Dragon Soul Press. For the first time, you're seeing one of the drabbles that was included in the anthology. Hurray!

You have until September 23 to pre-order your copy of The Damned for $1.99. On the 23rd, the price for the ebook increases to $4.99.

Photo by byMATTER MADE BETTER (bymatter) on Unsplash

The Drain

Professor Vladimir Reed-Field wished he had never taken the job at Miskatonic University. He’d never had problems like this when he was teaching at the University of Hawaii. A volcanic eruption would be a welcome change over the sound coming from that damn kitchen sink.

The plumber from Blizzard Pipeworks could find nothing wrong with the drain. She’d scoped it, snaked it, and performed a full flush. She said that sometimes the plumbing in Arkham’s old houses just made odd noises.

The problem wasn’t the pipes themselves. It was the thing inside the pipes that kept whispering the professor’s name.

Notes

I've been aggressively sharing the limited edition Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink, which will be pulled from publication on October 30th. If you'd like to read excerpts from my (Lil DeVille's) story, The Liberation of Mac MacCarrick, visit the official Naughty Netherworld Press blog. 

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

I also want to tell you about an upcoming event where readers can win free books and other good stuff and authors can share their stories. I will be giving away one copy of Hot and Sticky and one copy of The Damned. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

Fellow authors can sign up to participate. Here are the details:

Your book does NOT need to be Halloween related just make sure your graphics are Halloween Themed, that's it!

All Romance, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi subgenres are welcome.

 

Rules are simple:

1. Fill out the form below

2. Join the Party Room https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

3. Ask your readers to join Rene's Getaway Party Room. They will not want to miss this event! It will be so much fun for them to meet new authors, play games and win prizes.

4. Commit to sharing "A Spooky Good Time's" graphics on Social Media and in your Newsletters (including links to the group) leading up to the event. This is a team effort, so please share!

5. Mark your calendars. Saturday, October 28th. Anytime on the 28th, make 1 post in the group. Introduce yourself, tell the readers a bit about your books, tell them what you are giving away, and ask them a question, have them play a game, ask them to follow/friend you, whatever you want to do--but their comment on the post is their entry into the giveaway! You can give away as many books as you'd like! You can also give away swag and gift cards.

6. On Sunday the 29th you will pick your winner(s). Be sure to friend them and tag your winner right under GIVEAWAY CLOSED, so I know that you have reached out and made arrangements with your winner(s).

7. Link to graphics:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e2tAeckDS5TFdAkNYxkDWL6RMg64g2lZ?usp=sharing

 

**PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP SHARE THIS FORM WITH YOUR WRITERS GROUPS OR WRITER FRIENDS WHO MIGHT WANT TO PARTICIPATE** https://forms.gle/Yum4MLC9DX2ZBNvc6

 

Thank you!

 

I will be sending important updates as we gear up for the event, so be sure to check your inbox!

Hope you join us!

--

Rene Migliore

Personal Virtual Assistant

Rene's Getaway

Blog: www.renesgetaway.wordpress.com 

Please contact Rene, your ghostess with the mostest, if you have questions.

http://wewriwa.blogspot.com

http://wewriwa.blogspot.com

The Pinnacle #8Sunday

   

Book: The Damned

Stories: The Drain, The Enforcers, The Fog, On a Spring Day, and The Trial.

ASIN: B0C82RQFSZ

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Genre: Flash Fiction, Horror

Buy Link: http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

Price: $1.99 ebook (Pre-order price)

Book Blurb:

Bite-sized horror stories are brought to you by thirteen authors. From creepy crawlies to the seemingly normal pets. From hideous monsters lurking in the dark to charismatic people showing their true colors.

Each tale is precisely 100 words and leaves a long-lasting chilling effect. Some will make you question the security of the world around you, and what’s more terrifying than that?

Featuring drabbles from Storm Lomax, Jonathan Reddoch, Zari Hunt, Kellee Kranendonk, Andreas Flögel, Simon Clarke, Jacek Wilkos, Ferenc K. Zoltán, Vanessa Bane, C.L. Hart, Natascha Eschweiler, Angela Zimmerman, and J.E. Feldman.

Pre-Excerpt Information

I wrote this drabble along with 29 others for potential inclusion in The Damned, an anthology of drabbles from Dragon Soul Press. I did not submit this one for potential inclusion. The drabble is ominous but not horrific.

So, why in the world am I sharing it here?

Because there are 2 more weeks until the anthology is published. My contract stipulates that I can't share more than 500 words from the anthology prior to publication. That's all five of my selected stories. So, what in the heck would I share the rest of the time?

The other drabbles that didn't make the cut for this anthology, of course! 

Photo by Mo (mo_design_3d) on Unsplash

The Pinnacle

The cabin in sixteen-year-old Shideh O’Floinn’s dream was not user-friendly. Innumerable steep steps carved into a slender peak of white stone led to the confounding cottage. The dream always culminated with Shideh plummeting from the precipice just as she reached the strange edifice. Right before she hit the ground, a gust of wind whispered “thirty-two.”

“It’s a foolish structure,” Shideh told her father as the pair prepared for a climbing expedition. “It’s completely open to the elements. I only ever see one room with a plant, a recliner, a table, and two chairs for visitors. I can’t fathom its implication.”

Notes

I've been aggressively sharing the limited edition Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink, which will be pulled from publication on October 30th. If you'd like to read excerpts from my (Lil DeVille's) story, The Liberation of Mac MacCarrick, visit the official Naughty Netherworld Press blog. 

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

I also want to tell you about an upcoming event where readers can win free books and other good stuff and authors can share their stories. I will be giving away one copy of Hot and Sticky and one copy of The Damned. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

Fellow authors can sign up to participate. Here are the details:

Your book does NOT need to be Halloween related just make sure your graphics are Halloween Themed, that's it!

All Romance, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi subgenres are welcome.

 

Rules are simple:

1. Fill out the form below

2. Join the Party Room https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

3. Ask your readers to join Rene's Getaway Party Room. They will not want to miss this event! It will be so much fun for them to meet new authors, play games and win prizes.

4. Commit to sharing "A Spooky Good Time's" graphics on Social Media and in your Newsletters (including links to the group) leading up to the event. This is a team effort, so please share!

5. Mark your calendars. Saturday, October 28th. Anytime on the 28th, make 1 post in the group. Introduce yourself, tell the readers a bit about your books, tell them what you are giving away, and ask them a question, have them play a game, ask them to follow/friend you, whatever you want to do--but their comment on the post is their entry into the giveaway! You can give away as many books as you'd like! You can also give away swag and gift cards.

6. On Sunday the 29th you will pick your winner(s). Be sure to friend them and tag your winner right under GIVEAWAY CLOSED, so I know that you have reached out and made arrangements with your winner(s).

7. Link to graphics:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e2tAeckDS5TFdAkNYxkDWL6RMg64g2lZ?usp=sharing

 

**PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP SHARE THIS FORM WITH YOUR WRITERS GROUPS OR WRITER FRIENDS WHO MIGHT WANT TO PARTICIPATE** https://forms.gle/Yum4MLC9DX2ZBNvc6

 

Thank you!

 

I will be sending important updates as we gear up for the event, so be sure to check your inbox!

Hope you join us!

--

Rene Migliore

Personal Virtual Assistant

Rene's Getaway

Blog: www.renesgetaway.wordpress.com 

Please contact Rene, your ghostess with the mostest, if you have questions.

http://wewriwa.blogspot.com

The Investment #8Sunday

   

Book: The Damned

Stories: The Drain, The Enforcers, The Fog, On a Spring Day, and The Trial.

ASIN: B0C82RQFSZ

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Genre: Flash Fiction, Horror

Buy Link: http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

Price: $1.99 ebook (Pre-order price)

Book Blurb:

Bite-sized horror stories are brought to you by thirteen authors. From creepy crawlies to the seemingly normal pets. From hideous monsters lurking in the dark to charismatic people showing their true colors.

Each tale is precisely 100 words and leaves a long-lasting chilling effect. Some will make you question the security of the world around you, and what’s more terrifying than that?

Featuring drabbles from Storm Lomax, Jonathan Reddoch, Zari Hunt, Kellee Kranendonk, Andreas Flögel, Simon Clarke, Jacek Wilkos, Ferenc K. Zoltán, Vanessa Bane, C.L. Hart, Natascha Eschweiler, Angela Zimmerman, and J.E. Feldman.

Pre-Excerpt Information

I wrote this drabble along with 29 others for potential inclusion in The Damned, an anthology of drabbles from Dragon Soul Press. I didn't submit it because I felt the story was more paranormal mystery than horror.

So, why in the world am I sharing it here?

Because there are approximately 13 weeks until the anthology is published. My contract stipulates that I can't share more than 500 words from the anthology prior to publication. That's all five of my selected stories. So, what in the heck would I share during the other eight weeks?

The other drabbles that didn't make the cut for this anthology, of course! 

The following drabble may be similar to other drabbles that did make the cut. It's pretty cool in its own right.

Photo by Jaromír Kalina (jkalinaofficial) on Unsplash

The Investment

Cambyses Fiala believed the old house was a good investment. His brother Moray agreed, until he realized that Camby planned to refurbish the house rather than razing it and rebuilding. Their partner, Valentyn Asanuma, felt the place contained an evil energy. Camby, however, could sell sawdust to a lumber mill. He convinced his partners that the Winthrop place would be their company’s crowning achievement.

Three days had passed since anyone had seen Cambyses. His tearful wife told his partners and the police that he was planning to stop by the Winthrop house on the way to pick up some takeout.

About the Author:

C. L. Hart, the owner and sole employee of Naughty Netherworld Press, is spoken of in hushed tones. She is described as The Mad Scribe of the Northeastern Colorado Plains, The Terrible Old Woman, and The Author That Should Not Be.

When not penning sanity-destroying works of dystopian fiction, Lovecraftian fantasy, or old-school horror with the occasional sweet romance thrown in to upset the cosmic apple cart, Ms. Hart enjoys creating baked goods she hopes will be considered palatable.

Ms. Hart shares a home in a remote rural town of 134 souls with her adult son and three cats. Her sense of fashion is best described as Early Twenty-First Century Unmade Bed. This disabled former nurse can usually be found arguing with herself about subplots or rehabilitating eldritch horrors.

Follow C. L. Hart

C. L. Hart Amazon Author Page

https://bit.ly/CLHartAmazonAuthor

C. L. Hart New and Improved Newsletter

https://www.subscribepage.com/clhart

Naughty Netherworld Press Blog

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Books

https://bit.ly/NNPBooks

Naughty Netherworld Press Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com

Readers Roost Book Blog

https://bit.ly/ReadersRoost

Readers Roost Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/OrneryOwlsRoost

Readers Roost Twitter

https://twitter.com/ReadersRoost

http://wewriwa.blogspot.com

While checking out the offerings from Weekend Writing Warriors, why not try a cup of Coffee Brand Coffee? No fancy packaging, no gimmicks, just great coffee. Lots of different flavors to choose from. 

https://coffeebrandcoffee.com/?ref=OrneryOwlDrinksCoffee

DEFENDING THE PEN: WEP - Moonlight Sonata

DEFENDING THE PEN: WEP - Moonlight Sonata:   Photo by  Martin Adams  on  Unsplash Goddess of the Night I'm a practical, well-educated man and an athlete that enjoys a challenge, a...

A beautiful story with some educational aspects. I'd not heard of a sturgeon moon before.

Fictional Creations

Visit the Artist

This erasure challenge provided by Hannah from Imaginary Garden With Real Toads was...hard! But it made me happy to do it because I talked Team Netherworld's own Rose LeMort to allow me to take a page from her in-progress novel, Fetch, and play Erasure with it. The story is a paranormal romance. 

I hope Rose enjoys what I've done with her page.

Click to enlarge

I got the idea for the graphic from our own Seth. One simply turns the font on the words they don't want to white, then pastes the results into Paint and saves it as a jpeg.

I'm going to provide the poem in a slightly more cohesive form below, then, for a real treat, I will share Rose's original page. She has given m her permission to do so. Personally, I can't wait to see more of this story. Rose has invited the team to brainstorm with her, and you can see the results at the special blog dedicated to this end.

Here it is in a more directly readable format

invited

fictional creations. 

They must be based on something factual. 

I need to find out what that something is

wires crossed

like drivin’ through a thick fog on an unfamiliar road

it wasn’t a stupid move, it was a desperate one

Makes me feel like I’m alive again

I’m tryin’ to make the best of it

I could use a quick little thrill

a little kiss for you

This was hard--really hard! I like the end result, although it's a bit of an odd piece.

Now, here is the real thrill for me, to present you with the original page from Rose's manuscript. Write, Rose, write! We need to see more of these characters--now!

Pepper sat down on the couch and invited Gerry to sit beside her. He nestled against her like a frightened child.

“Put me in your pocket then, Love,” he begged. “Let me stay safe here with you.”

“Gerry, I’d like nothing more. But at this stage, your body is going to keep pulling you back. I need to try to find out just what this entity is. I found the one commonality, but I need something more to act on. Both the Lights of Zetar and the demonic sphere from the Vampirella comic are fictional creations. They must be based on something factual. I need to find out what that something is. Until then, I very much do want you to stay with me as much as you can, my fetching fetch.”

“How’s that then?” Gerry asked, a smile brightening his face as if he were basking in Pepper’s affection for him.

“A fetch is the spirit of a person whose body is either close to death or very compromised, like yours.”

“Huh. Me body could go on kickin’ for quite a while. It’s only got minor sixty-some year old bloke crap wrong with it. It’s me brain that’s a fried mess with all the bleedin’ wires crossed.”

“Same difference. Your spirit can’t operate properly through your body.”

“Hate it when the fuckin’ thing draws me back in, like it did this morning. I was fightin’ me hardest to make that warped gray matter of mine function for me. It was like drivin’ through a thick fog on an unfamiliar road. I so desperately wanted to tell the staff what I’d seen. Feckin’ stupid, really. Should have known they wouldn’t listen to some poor addled blighter.”

“Gerry, it wasn’t a stupid move, it was a desperate one. I wish I knew better what was going on. We’re going to need to work on this together, okay?”

“My pleasure. I love bein’ here with you, Pepper. Makes me feel like I’m alive again. I hate this fucked transitional state, I really do. But I’m tryin’ to make the best of it. I tell meself I’m gonna see me angel, and I’ll be damned if that don’t just make everything all worthwhile. ‘Ey, would you do me a favor?”

“What’s that?”

“I could use a quick little thrill. How about a smooch?”

“I think I could muster one pretty easily.”

“Quickly maybe?”

“Impatient much? All right, my fetching fetch, a little kiss for you.”

A rosy blush spread over Pepper’s cheeks. She could feel the warmth of Gerry’s kiss, could even feel a bit of moisture. The kiss became more passionate. Pepper found herself trembling in Gerry’s arms. When he broke the kiss, he looked directly into her eyes. 

~Morella La Muerte~

With big thanks to 

Rose LeMort

Cross-Posted to:

Fetch

Poetry of the Netherworld