Stories

The Silence Below – Coming April 27th, 2026

The deeper the waters, the darker the secrets.

Three years ago, Oscar “Oz” Locke quit a lucrative job at his father’s successful seafood manufacturing company, severing their relationship so he could escape Milo’s shadow.

After his mother’s unexpected death, Oz is called back to his parents’ semi-private Caribbean island, Tripana, the last place he ever wanted to be again. He soon realizes he’s not the only person there who hates his father. Nichole, the sole remaining neighbor, refuses to sell her property to Milo, no matter how much he offers or how much he presses.

When Nichole’s friends are involved in a deadly diving accident, she and Oz are drawn into a web of deceit tied to Milo’s business, and they discover secrets that could ruin the whole company and Milo’s reputation. Secrets that may be worth drowning for.

In the Blackest Hour

One person’s darkness is another’s light.

Haunted by her father’s death, Rennedi dedicates herself to looking after her irresponsible twin. So when Revli announces she’s pregnant and that the baby’s father is the charismatic leader of an unorthodox religious group called the Circle, Rennedi is uneasy. But she has her own life to worry about, including financial troubles and a former client who’s stalking her.

As her nephew’s birth draws nearer, Rennedi begins to experience alarming visions of unspeakable destruction unleashed upon the world. She learns more about the Circle’s chilling plans and finds herself in the middle of a battle between light and darkness. With the Circle closing in around them, Rennedi doesn’t know who to trust. She must protect herself, Revli, and the baby from those wanting to hurt them, all while uncovering the truth about the sinister destiny tied to her sister.

House of Desire

The House of Desire is the place where all your fantasies come true, but behind the walls, a darkness lives.

Ever since Walter Marceline took Lillian Dray’s aging body and transformed her into a twenty-four-year-old beauty, she has been his faithful servant. For nine years she’s worked as his assistant at the House of Desire, a princess-themed brothel located in the hills of southern Nevada.

Lil has it all. A great job, the attention and admiration of Walt, and her behind-the-scenes girlfriend, Ariel, but after the arrival of a new girl, Walt starts to increasingly show a violent side. When Lil finally realizes the truth about what’s going on, it might be too late to save herself and Ariel because there’s no leaving the House of Desire… for anybody.

Black Diamond Dogs

Kidnapped and held captive in a secured compound in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, Cody is thrust into the brutal world of dog fighting by a delusional woman who believes fate brought them together. Nobody is willing to defy Andressa by helping Cody, but as long as he doesn’t break her rules, he won’t be beat.

Not all of Andressa’s prisoners are as lucky as him though.

The stress of the dog fighting, along with her tumultuous relationship with her lunatic brother, pushes Andressa closer to the edge, and she becomes even more abusive toward her staff. Cody intends to play Andressa’s game and plan his escape, but if she discovers what he’s doing, he just might be fed to the dogs.

His Special Girls

The perfect girl. There’s no such thing in the real world, but upstairs in Dale’s attic, he has a dollhouse full of perfect women: his special girls with their smooth plastic legs, silky hair, flawless faces, and lovely curves.

Unlike his abrasive mother and catty sister, his girls don’t think he’s a loser or belittle the job he loves. They listen when he shares his problems, and they comfort him and offer advice. He knows it’s just in his head, but his dolls are the only ones who love and support him.

But then, Dale’s dream of bringing his special girls to life comes true. Now they feel real, and he can truly talk with them, touch them, and even make love to them. But perfection doesn’t last. The girls who once loved him don’t listen anymore, and they start turning on him. Dale’s dream world is falling apart, and he must regain control. At any cost.

Shallow Depths

Underwater they waited, their thirst for blood running deep. Soon… very soon, they would feed again.

Determined to fix their troubled marriage, Cat and Leif purchase a summer home on an idyllic lake, hours away from their hectic city life. While Leif is working, Cat keeps busy by spending time in the water or visiting with new friends, who warn her about the urban legends of the lake. Curious, Cat digs for more information, discovering a trio of mysterious deaths a century ago, and a woman who claimed the weeds to be responsible.

One drunken night, she makes a horrible mistake, widening the fissure in their marriage. Trying to figure out where it all went wrong, Cat finds comfort in the water. But soon, the betrayer becomes the betrayed as Cat slowly learns the truth about that night, and the weeds once again seek justice for the one who was wronged.

(Un)lucky Thirteen

A little girl. One sweet smile. And all is lost.

On a walk one night, Cara stops to admire a beautiful Victorian house. The little girl who lives there befriends her, and after a few visits, Lindsey invites Cara inside to have a lemonade with her and her dad.

But the house is not what it seems, and Cara finds herself trapped inside, unable to leave. But it’s not the father who is a threat to Cara. It’s Lindsey.

And now Cara has to figure out how to escape with her life.

The Silent Treatment

Kacee can’t do anything right, not according to her husband, Roman. And sometimes when she makes him mad, he gives her the silent treatment. It’s better than his fists though.

Between Roman and his dysfunctional family, she tries to stay in line, but one day she screws up big time, revealing a secret that could get him thrown in jail. As the days pass and his silent treatment continues, Kacee starts to question their life together and wonders what other secrets he’s keeping buried.

Panne Dora Pass

A blast triggered an avalanche that brought down a wall of snow in the Walcaster Mountains, blocking the only route out of a small mining town. When the weather finally allows residents to start clearing the pass, Warren brings along his son with the crew to help.

But as they dig out the snow , they soon they realize something is wrong. Terribly wrong. And there’s no way to escape the horror they’ve unleashed.

Glenda and Gus

Glenda and Gus. Gus and Glenda. Built-in best friends to last forever.
But sometimes forever isn’t that long.

Glenda never really could count on her twin brother. Over the years, Gus often drove away her friends and love interests with his leering gaze, he took advantage of their parents and developed an incurable gambling problem, and he just didn’t always respect their twin bond.

But she still loves him. So much so, that she’s willing to pack up her life and move him several states away to an isolated cabin in the woods. With no neighbors around for miles, they’ll have lots of quiet time together where she’ll care for him and teach him the error of his ways.

No, Glenda won’t give up on her brother, and she’s going to give him a chance to apologize for the mistakes he’s made, to apologize for hurting her and others, because Gus needs to be taught a lesson, and that’s exactly what a good sister does.

Two for the Price of One

Three go in… Two come out.

Lina has never been close to her twin sister, Brynn, and the unequal divide of an inheritance drives them further apart. Wanting to make amends, Lina offers to bring Brynn and their younger sister on a road trip, and before they arrive home, she’ll announce a big surprise: an offer to split the inheritance evenly between the three.

Even though she agreed to fund the entire trip, Lina can’t help but notice how Brynn steers them toward pricey activities that align with her expensive tastes, and she always wants to eat at restaurants with hundred-dollar tabs. But Lina wants to keep the peace, so she never shuts down Brynn’s suggestions.

But then Brynn proposes a stop at a decrepit doll museum on a desolate highway in the middle of nowhere. Inside the museum, Lina feels like doll eyes are on her, following her, drilling into her. And she is right to be on edge because by the end of the visit, only two sisters will leave. And one will be staying… Forever.

A Hard Split

A twin’s bond is hard to break.

Tyler wishes he could cut his brother out of his life. And sometimes he wishes he could just push Bran off a cliff. Of course, he never truly would, even if given the opportunity.

And not just because of their special twin bond. Tyler suffers from crippling anxiety and often depends on Bran to talk him through his dark thoughts and help him deal with their overbearing and controlling mother. He needs Bran in a lot of ways.

But now the brother who used to be a support is trying to micromanage his life, deciding where Tyler must live and who Tyler will date. And no matter how often Tyler dreams of being an only child, he’ll always be stuck as Bran’s twin.

The only way to fix this is to end his dependence on Bran. But if he does, life will never be the same.

In the Queen’s Dark Light

Princess Starr has always known her step-mother does not like her, but after her father dies, Queen Ivy doesn’t hide her disdain, and Starr watches as Ivy slowly transforms into a cruel and vicious tyrant, increasing her control over the subjects in their kingdom. Starr tries to fight the queen over these new policies, but the more Starr pushes, the more Queen Ivy takes out her anger on those Starr is trying to protect.

Queen Ivy’s magic mirror has been essential the last few years since the king died. Not only does it help her expose the undesirables in her kingdom who are disloyal to her rule, but now it’ll help find her the perfect husband: pliable, compliant, and devastatingly handsome. But the magic mirror reveals more than she’d ever expected, and she realizes she must get rid of that pesky princess, or she may risk losing her kingdom.

In the Queen’s Dark Light is a dark and twisted Snow White retelling.

When the Forest Cries

One bite is all it takes…

Out on a walk, Princess Talia can’t resist taking a bite from a lovely apple hanging from a tree, but a witch appears and accuses her of stealing, and sentences her to three years of servitude. Talia tries to run away, but Zella’s magic imprisons her, hiding Talia from those looking for her. She has no choice but to accept her punishment for now, but she will not give up her search for a magical escape.

Talia spends long days working as a maid, trying to get along with Zella’s cranky assistant and also avoiding her crude and loathsome son. But Zella is quick to anger, offering vicious punishments for small mistakes, and if Talia messes up one too many times, she just might lose her life.

When the Forest Cries is a dark and twisted Rapunzel retelling.

Killing Rosie

Rosie doesn’t know she’s about to die.

It’s Law’s last job as a hired hitman, a vigilante who takes care of those who escape justice, and then he’s starting a quiet life, working on his newly acquired farm. But on his way to dispose of Rosie, he runs into Sunny, an acquaintance traveling the forest alone, a dangerous road for a single, pretty gal, and he offers her a lift, unwilling to let her travel the road by herself.

Neither of them knows much about each other’s lives, and on the short ride, he gets to know the tenacious and generous Sunny better. But she also makes him question who he’s been and who he wants to be. And just maybe it isn’t his decision to determine Rosie’s fate.

Now he must decide if Rosie’s going to live or going to die.

Killing Rosie is a dark and twisted Little Red Riding Hood retelling.

The Perfect Meal

Camilla’s older sisters have never treated her well, especially since her parents died. When Hilde and Marit ruin the family name and are on the verge of getting run out of their small town, the three sisters decide to start their new life in the big city.

But the long journey starts at a bridge that houses a vicious man-eating troll, and since it’s their only route they can take, they must cross. If they can fool the troll, they’ll all three come out with their lives, but if not… one or all of them might just end up as troll food.

The Perfect Meal is a dark and twisted Three Billy Goats Gruff retelling.

An Unwanted Life

Thrust into a life she did not want…

Being the eldest child in a royal family, Vittoria looks forward to one day ruling her kingdom. She has accepted that as princess, she might not marry for love, but her father increasingly applies pressure to marry men whom she despises, but are from acceptable families, and he turns away any slightly decent man.

A sleeping spell cast by a rogue enchantress steals away a year of her life, but a kiss from her supposed true love, a prince from a distant land, removes the spell, and she awakens to find she is now promised in marriage to the man. After getting to know the arrogant prince, she isn’t sure she’ll ever come to love him, and she dreads the day she is forced to move to his lands, where they will rule together.

But her country has fallen into turmoil, and nobody knows if the enchantress was working on her own or if she colluded with the Resistance, a violent group opposed to the king and his policies. Vittoria has one month left before she has to leave the country she loves, but her life is still in danger, and as she searches for answers, she must decide whom she can trust and whom she can’t.

An Unwanted Life is a dark and twisted Sleeping Beauty retelling.

The Whole Story

Some mistakes can never be forgiven.

Basil never gave much thought to the giants living above him in their own world until one day when he discovers an invisible stalk in his backyard. He takes several trips up the stalk, but on his third time, he accidentally rips open a hole in the ground, and a giant home and its inhabitants crash down onto his house, almost killing his sick mother.

At the hospital he gets to know Nissa, a sweet nurse who is so concerned about his mother, a woman she doesn’t even know. As the authorities try to figure out who is responsible for the destruction and giants’ deaths, Basil must hide his culpability. But as he falls deeper for Nissa, the lies also grow, and he worries that the girl he loves might never forgive him.

The Whole Story is a dark and twisted Jack and the Beanstalk retelling.

Tales from the Water’s Edge

The Sandpit: a short story

Find it in Tales from the Water’s Edge, a Moorhead Friends Writing Group Anthology

Tales from The Water’s Edge, a captivating collection that beckons readers to explore the liminal space where land meets water. Each piece transports readers to where the human experience intertwines with the elemental forces of nature. These diverse works offer a poignant reminder of our deep and enduring connection to water.

Return to Effham Falls: Tales of Lost Souls

Lights Out: a short story

Return to Effham Falls: Tales of Lost Souls, a Moorhead Friends Writing Group Anthology

Return to Effham Falls: Tales of Lost Souls invites you back to a town where the ordinary meets the paranormal, and lost souls wander through mysteries that defy explanation. Beneath the quiet streets of Effham Falls lies the Well of Lost Souls, a place of dark secrets that has touched the lives of many.

Journey through this collection of spooky, paranormal, and mysterious tales, where the line between the living and the lost is fragile, and everyone has a story.

Books of Horror Community Anthology Vol 5 – Part 2

A Halloween Surprise: a short story.

Two women find a mysterious usb on Halloween night, and by morning, the movie on it becomes their reality.

Books of Horror Community Anthology: Stories live within everyone, Stories that scratch and claw until they’re finally unleashed into the world. Many contain horrors that no one should witness and slip into the ether, while others get remembered and immortalized in the pages of books. Take a journey and explore the horrors held within for your morbid delight.
Featuring stories by…