Amazon.com

First of all, for those you who have asked, Tales From Imagination's Closet will be available from Amazon.com in about 8 to 10 weeks, and then Kindle soon after. If you search for the title you get the older one that I planned to self-publish before signing with Melange-Books. This is not the recent release.

If you want a chance to win a signed copy, leave me a message here or on my Facebook page if you are interested. I will draw winners on April 25th.

Happy Reading!

Bartholomew County Library

I will be donating two copies of Tales From Imagination's Closet to the local library, so hopefully they will be availabe to check-out. Updates on this can be found here.

Contest continues! If you would like to win a signed copy, just leave me a message her or on my facebook. I will be drawing names after April 24th.

To see a full list of stories included visit my website and click on the book's cover. I will have a new excerpt up on Friday. If you visit my site and see a story you'd like to read an excerpt for, let me know. I'll post it here.

Still waiting on information about local bookstores!

Happy Reading!

Contest Continues!

During this month-long contest to win a signed copy of Tale From Imagination's Closet, I will also be posting excerpts on Fridays. Today's excerpt is from "My Friend, Clarence" one of the 29 stories included in the anthology. I have a complete list of stories included and a short description of each on my website. Just click on the book cover to view that page.

If you'd like a chance to win a signed copy, leave me a note here or on my Facebook page.

Happy Reading!

My Friend, Clarence

Jeremy spent hours searching for his friend, Clarence. The sun began rising over the trees on the east side of the city, so heheaded home. Went hewalked through the door there was Clarence on the couch, head in his hands, crying. Red blotches covered his jeans and dried blood outlined his fingers.

“No, Clarence, you promised.” Jeremy signed with his hands. “You have to turn yourself in, you need help.”

Clarence rose from the couch and nodded. He followed Jeremy to the car and both sat silent on the drive to the police station. Pulling into the parking lot, Jeremy turned to Clarence and signed, “I’m only doing this because I care about you. You need help.”

Clarence nodded in agreement.

The two entered the police station together. An officer sat behind a window in front of them; Jeremy walked up to thewindow and said, “We have information about the young girl who was murdered last night.”

The officer looked perplexed. “I don’t remember a murder report coming in last night. Hold on just a moment, please.” He left the small room behind the window, but returned quickly.“You can go through that door on the right and Detective Wilks will help you, sir.”

“Thank you,” Jeremy replied.

The two friends walked through the door. A tall, middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair greeted them. “If you would followme, please...” And led them down a long hallway to small, gloomy room with a table and chairs. “Have a seat.” Wilks sat down and placed a recording device on the table. “I will be recording our conversation. What is your name?” Wilks glanced up at Jeremy and noticed him making hand gestures.

“Umm…are you hearing impaired, sir?”

“No, but Clarence is. I have to let him know what you’re saying.”

Wilks rolls his eyes upward as he sighed.Why do I always get the nut jobs? “Who is Clarence?”

“He’s my best friend, has been since we were five. He wasborn deaf.” Jeremy reached over as if he were patting someone beside him on the back. “Mom says he’s imaginary, but he’s as real as you and me. She just doesn’t have the gift, like I have.”

“Sir, are you on any medications?”

“No, this has nothing to do with me, it’s Clarence. He needs help. He hears voices that make him do terrible things to those poor girls.”

“Okay, why don’t you tell me what you know about a murder that was committed last night?”

Jeremy used his hands to question Clarence. “Clarence says there was a girl walking alone last night by the park, the voices told him to grab her, so he did.”

“What else? Is this girl alive?”

Wilks waited through more hand gestures and Jeremy nodding to the imagery person beside him.

“Clarence says he didn’t mean to kill her, but she screamed even though he told her to be quiet. She scratched his arms, so he hit her in the head with a big rock.”

“Where can we find this girl?”

“Clarence says she’s in the bushes behind the restrooms at Sims Park. He said he’s real sorry. She was such a pretty little thing, long blonde hair, smooth tan skin…”

“You sit here with your friend, I’m going to get Dr. Roberts to come in and talk with you while we send an officer out to checkthis information.” Wilks chair screeched as he scooted back and left the room. He went to Detective Armstrong and gave him the information to confirm Jeremy’s story. He called Dr. Roberts and asked him to come in and do a psych evaluation on a suspect.

Dr. Roberts came in and Wilks led him to Jeremy’s room.

“This guy just gave me some information and we sent out a team to confirm, but he claims his imaginary friend is the perp.”

“That’s a new one. He may have some sort of disassociation disorder, or maybe Schizophrenia?”

“It gets better,” Wilks said, “his imaginary friend is deaf.”

Win A Signed Copy of Tales From Imagination's Closet!

Beginning today and running through April 24th, leave me a comment on this blog or a message on my facebook wall and on April 25th, I will draw names and pick three people to win a signed copy of my first anthology.

The message can be a simple hello. Once winners are chosen,  I will contact you to get your mailing address so I can mail the book to you.


Happy Reading!

Local Bookstores

Tales From Imaginaiton's Closet may soon be available in some local bookstores in the Columbus area. I will post any updates here and on Facebook.

I am also planning to give away a few signed copies of the print edition. I will have more details on this later in the week.

Happy Reading!

Interview Today

Hop on over to author Mysti Parker's blog Unwritten and for her interview with me. You'll learn more about me and my debut anthology. Plus, read another short blurb.

Tales From Imagination's Closet is now available in print at Melange-Books.

Happy Reading!

Join Me!

Join me tomorrow while I visit with author Mysti Parker at her blog Unwritten. We'll chat a bit about me and my recently released anthology Tales From Imagination's Closet.

Happy Reading! :)

Tales From Imagination's Closet Released Today from Melange-Books

Tales From Imagination's Closet is available today in PDF and HTML format through Melange-Books. It will be available in print very soon.

For a complete list of the 29 stories included in the anthology visit my website and click on the book's cover.

Happy Reading!

Excerpt from Tales From Imagination's Closet...

The Guardian

“Let’s call it. Time of death, twenty-two, forty-three p.m.” The doctor scribbled information on the death certificate and left the room.

Jude sprang up into sitting position. “Dead? Who me? I’ve never felt better.” He swung his body around to sit on the edge of the operating table, but his legs didn’t follow. He turned to the left, staring into his own face. “Holy bejeezus, I am dead!”

Jude slid off the table onto the floor. He didn’t feel the pull of gravity beneath his feet. “What happened to my feet?”

“This has to be a dream. If I’m dead, why am I still down here? Can’t I go to heaven or –” He paused and reflected on his life for a moment. “Never mind, I’ll just stay here.”

Suddenly, a baritone voice echoed through the room. “I’m sorry. Things have been a bit hectic the last few days.”

Jude felt warmth surround him as if sunrays penetrated his non-existent body. And, in the next instant, he was standing in an empty room with milky white walls. Extending his arms, he glanced down at his feet. He looked like someone had traced his body and sprinkled glitter around it. “Cool, I look a kindergarten art project.”

A bronze face emerged through one of the milky walls. “Sorry, for the delay.” Slowly, the rest of the visage came forth with large ivory wings shimmering, and a silver halo hovering above its head. Jude was transfixed on two translucent blue eyes.

“An angel.” Jude said.

“I’m Apollyon.” He pulled a scroll out from under his right wing. “I see you are Jude, twenty-four, handsome, and quite popular with the ladies.” He continued reading, “You were killed…” He let out a gasp, covering his mouth.

“What? What’s wrong?” Jude drifted over to look at the scroll.

Apollyon quickly wound it back up. “You mustn’t see.”

“If it’s about me, I have a right to know. I don’t even know how I died.”

Apollyon scratched under his halo. “Hold on a moment.” He dug under his left wing and brought out a small, thick book. He thumbed through a few pages. “I can tell you how you died, but you are never allowed to see the scroll. It's a rule.”

“Okay, so what happened?”

“You died suddenly, that’s why you don’t remember. You were shot.”

“Who’d want to shoot me?”

“You gave your life to save a little boy during a bank robbery.”

“I died a hero? That should get me into heaven.”

“Jude, you don’t understand. All those silly ideas you humans believe are wrong. Heaven and hell are not what you imagine.”

“Shew! So, there’s no chance of me burning for eternity?”

Apollyon laughed. “No, never. You are an entity, a force. I must give you a task, and when it’s completed you will become one of my special angels.”

For more information and to read another excerpt click here!

Happy Reading!

March 19th-

Tales From Imagination's Closet will be released this weekend!

Visit my website view a list of  29 stories included and a little description of each. Click on the book cover to be taken to the page. I promise to have excepts out this weekend!

Happy Reading!

Updates...

I have been experimenting with different schedules to find the best one that allows me ample time for school, work, writing projects. I have ten weeks left in this semester, so I need to find a way to juggle all my responsibilities for the next 2 and 1/2 months. Luckily, working from home does have its advantages, but it still has to be squeezed into the daily schedule. I suppose with trial and error, I will eventually find what works best.

I've have made one accomplishments  this week:

Fictitious Magazine submissions are caught up as today. The May issue is full. I will still read submission, but have to include them in a future issue if accepted. Still accepting for August and October.

I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Tales From Imagination's Closet. One week to go! I have been informed the book will also be available for Kindle in the near future.

Thinking about doing a virtual book tour sometime this summer--after classes are done. :) I'll let everyone know if I decide to do take on this new adventure.

Happy Reading!

New Publication

My speculative short story, "Operation Onion," will appear in the Feb/March issue of Spectacular Speculations.


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Two Weeks!

Tales From Imagination's Closet will out in in two weeks. I am excited, happy, nervous and scared--just a mix bag of emotions. I will post some excerpts from the book in later this week, so be watching!

Happy Reading!

Caught Up!

I am caught up on submissions received before March 1st  for Fictitious Magazine. I have updated the submission page. I am planning an October 2011 issue and asking for short stories or poems in the horror/scary genre.

I will continue to accept comedy submissions through April 19th, and August issue submissions until July 19th. August issue has no theme, so anything goes- Well, within the submission guidelines. :)

Happy Reading!