I've written two YA books in the scary/ spooky genre: Ally Ally Oxen Free and Alfred C. Bogeyman. Both books are just a little scary with a little humor woven in. Now Ally Ally has sold well and gotten quite a few reviews. The story also won a LitPick award. Alfred C. hasn't gotten as much love.
Alfred C. was first published by Fire and Ice Books, and then when rights reverted back to me, I got a new cover and self-published on Kindle. I think anyone who likes Ally Ally would love this little story. Here are a few reviews and excerpt, and I hope you'll check it out on Kindle. I'll include the one not-so-good review too, so you get a range of reviews. :)
Adrian stood in front of the old, ramshackle house. The green mailbox door hung off its hinges on one side. Some of the letters were missing, but he could still make out the last name—Bogeyman. The memories of that October twenty years earlier when he and his friends joined forces and stood up against the boogieman made him smile. But now that he was older, he had to go back and see for himself. Was Alfred still there? And if so, was he really a boogieman or did he and his friends have overactive imaginations. He chuckled as he thought back to the night during fall break when it all began.
Alfred C. was first published by Fire and Ice Books, and then when rights reverted back to me, I got a new cover and self-published on Kindle. I think anyone who likes Ally Ally would love this little story. Here are a few reviews and excerpt, and I hope you'll check it out on Kindle. I'll include the one not-so-good review too, so you get a range of reviews. :)
An Excerpt:
Adrian stood in front of the old, ramshackle house. The green mailbox door hung off its hinges on one side. Some of the letters were missing, but he could still make out the last name—Bogeyman. The memories of that October twenty years earlier when he and his friends joined forces and stood up against the boogieman made him smile. But now that he was older, he had to go back and see for himself. Was Alfred still there? And if so, was he really a boogieman or did he and his friends have overactive imaginations. He chuckled as he thought back to the night during fall break when it all began.
Reviews
This was a very cute and fun story. I really enjoyed reading it and having a few laughs with Ralph, Sean, and Adrian.
This short story is about three children named Ralph, Sean, and Adrian who believe that the boogieman is scaring Adrian's little brother Sam. Adrian is the brave one in the group, Ralph is the brains, while Sean is afraid of everything. Feeling the need to protect his little brother Adrian and the boys go on a mission to find the boogieman and teach him a lesson. They come up with a plan to use Sean's dog Socks to track down the boogieman and scare him. I don't want to give too much away but I'll say I really liked the ending of the story and really enjoyed reading about Sean, Adrian, and Ralph. It was a really good read!
This short story is about three children named Ralph, Sean, and Adrian who believe that the boogieman is scaring Adrian's little brother Sam. Adrian is the brave one in the group, Ralph is the brains, while Sean is afraid of everything. Feeling the need to protect his little brother Adrian and the boys go on a mission to find the boogieman and teach him a lesson. They come up with a plan to use Sean's dog Socks to track down the boogieman and scare him. I don't want to give too much away but I'll say I really liked the ending of the story and really enjoyed reading about Sean, Adrian, and Ralph. It was a really good read!
Sep 28, 2012Jenny Twist rated it it was amazing
Adrian is the man of the house now so it’s his job to protect his little brother. When the bogeyman starts coming to the house every night and frightening Sam to death he decides to deal with it. Together he, his two friends and Socks the dog set off to find the bogeyman and give him a taste of his own medicine.
A delightful story which takes you straight back to those dreadful childhood fears which had to be tackled alone because no grown-up ever believed you.
Ms Allman has once again come up with a new twist on an old theme – and done it in an entertaining and superbly well-written way. Very satisfying.
A delightful story which takes you straight back to those dreadful childhood fears which had to be tackled alone because no grown-up ever believed you.
Ms Allman has once again come up with a new twist on an old theme – and done it in an entertaining and superbly well-written way. Very satisfying.
I was asked to read this short story by the author. This does not bias my review.
Alfred C. Bogeyman by M. Allman is a short story about a group of boys ready to defeat the scary boogieman that is giving one of their younger brothers' nightmares.
The boys are likeable and it's a quick read. That said, I wanted a little more substance. I know it's harder to get more in a shorter story, but you can really pack a punch in a smaller space if done right. I wanted a bigger twist, or set of twists to unfold. The story has a good frame and can be reworked to really pop.
As it is now, I can see how this could be enjoyable to grade school boys especially around Halloween time. That said, in its current state, this story was not for me.
Alfred C. Bogeyman by M. Allman is a short story about a group of boys ready to defeat the scary boogieman that is giving one of their younger brothers' nightmares.
The boys are likeable and it's a quick read. That said, I wanted a little more substance. I know it's harder to get more in a shorter story, but you can really pack a punch in a smaller space if done right. I wanted a bigger twist, or set of twists to unfold. The story has a good frame and can be reworked to really pop.
As it is now, I can see how this could be enjoyable to grade school boys especially around Halloween time. That said, in its current state, this story was not for me.
