Six Sentence Sunday - 1/29/2012 - From "Larvae"

"It . . . it hurts, Mags. It fucking hurts like nothing I've felt before." Ropy green veins pulsed on Wade's forehead as he grimaced. "I can feel them . . . inside me. Gnawing at me. Just . . . just eating away."

This snippet is from the same conversation between Wade and Maggie from last week's Six Sunday. It occurs a few lines down the page. Am I freaking you out yet with this stuff? Or just grossing you out? Larvae does a little of both. Its aim is to keep you turning pages despite wanting to put it down because of all the wincing. Horror fans should dig it.

Sorry, but I mislabeled Larvae a novella a few weeks ago. It is actually an 11K word novelette. (Damn literary lingo always gets me.) I've been working like hell on this thing for the past two weeks. I've got one more section to write, a few days of self-editing, and then it goes off to the editor. Announcing the release date as Feb. 10th may have been a little hasty, but it should be all good to go by the 18th at the latest.

This story is the first I've written with a female protagonist, and I had a lot of fun with it. Two female protagonists, actually: a mother/daughter one-two punch. Yes, the ladies rule in this one. Just like in real life!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and take a peek at all the short, sweet posts from all the great authors.

Six Sentence Sunday - 1/22/2012 - From "Larvae"

“It did drop onto our property. That must be what this is. Some sort of alien life-form.”

“You can't . . . you can't be serious.”

A wry laugh wracked with pain escaped from between Wade's lips. “Mags, whatever this is, it ain't from this planet."

 

Six Sentence Sunday - 1/15/2012 - From "Larvae"

The dog had gotten into something he shouldn't have, and now Prince lay dying.

Wheezing, whimpering. Twitching, convulsing. Foaming translucent greenish goop from his pulsating jowls, all over the living room carpet.

Brand-new white living room carpet, which Wade had argued against for the very reason that it would be impossible to keep clean with two kids and a dog in the house.

Told you so, Mags, thought Wade with a decidedly giddy edge. He almost giggled, but managed to hold it in.

I've always wanted to write a "balls-to-the-wall" horror story, and Larvae is it. Non-stop action from the first page until the end. The premise is a dog that escapes the confines of the backyard fence and gets into something he shouldn't have in the woods. Of course, this something turns out to be far worse than anything the Mitchell family could have ever imagined. EDP for Larvae: Feb 10th. (But don't quote me on that.)

Larvae is a bit gory. My cover artist, Rich DiSilvio, caught the novella's tone perfectly: This tale is not for the squeamish. More from this one next week.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check out all the short, sweet posts from all the great writers.

SIx Sentence Sunday - 1/8/2012 - From "The Fountain of Eden"

“But you just said that if a human drinks six pints of the Water of Life they'll live forever! So why does the Water affect other human beings, but not me?” His patience at an end, Jack downed the last of his Scotch, slammed the glass down on the coffee table, and glared around the room.

Sir Arthur sighed, then obliged Jack in his quest for knowledge. “Jack, the Water of Life does not affect you because you are not a human being. You are—as am I, mind you—a mythological being. How else did you think you could have worked for Colonial Eden for over half a century without aging a day?”

In the scene above, Jack Whiskey is about to realize that things around the small Virginia town of Eden are not, and have never been, what they seem. He will very soon be getting a refresher course in mythology.

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and peep the great posts from all the great authors.

Six Sentence Sunday - 1/1/2012 - From "The Fountain of Eden"

“You ever hear saying 'If you see Buddha in road, kill him'?”

“Of course . . . but that's a metaphor! It means you shouldn't hang onto the idea that there even is such a thing as a buddha, or that it's even possible to become a buddha, because it interferes with what's truly important: your practice.”

“The true dharma not dependent on words and scriptures, much less metaphors and similes.” Master Mirbodi shrugged. “Interpret saying how you like--but tonight, if we see ugly, stinking harpy-buddhas in road, we gonna kill 'em.”

Master Mirbodi and Sitting Lotus, Zen master and Zen novice monk, were my favorite characters to write. These guys are fun!

NOTE: As a "hair-of-the-dog" special, The Fountain of Eden is available as a free download today and tomorrow in the Kindle Store. What better way to work off a hangover than read a novel about beer? Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by. I think I may mix it up next week and give you a taste of a WiP. See you then! And happy New Year!

And don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check out all the sweet, succinct posts from all the great authors.