Even More Spooky Stories for the Halloween Season!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to part three of my horror fiction blog! This week, I’m sharing an inside look at two more stories, “The Ape” and “Not Your Ordinary Little Green Men”.


”The Ape” appeared in TheFour Horsemen: An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine & Death, published by Pill Hill Press. This anthology of twenty-five short stories is based on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In “The Ape” a young boy in South Carolina uses an unusual “toy” as a tool for revenge.

An Excerpt from The Ape

Billy wrinkled his nose as he entered the dimly lit shop. The air smelled funny, like a mix of spices and smoke. He closed the door behind him, cutting himself off from the outside world. His mind fired a jumble of warnings. Nobody knew where he was… he wasn’t supposed to be here… who knew what might happen to him?

He fought the urge to yank open the door and run, but he couldn’t. He had work to do. It had taken every bit of courage he had to get this far, and he wasn’t going to give up now. Everyone in town knew where the voodoo-lady practiced her magic—but no kid in fourth grade had ever been brave enough to come inside before.

The red curtain behind the high wooden counter whipped open. An ancient black woman wearing a bright yellow dress stood in the doorway, looking him up and down. She frowned. “Little boy, what you doin’ here? Don’ you know better?”

“I need a spell,” he whispered.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/Four-Horsemen-Anthology-Conquest-Famine/dp/0984261036/ref=la_B001JSAB24_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1349052120&sr=1-12

My humorous sci-fi short, "Not Your Ordinary Little Green Men" is one of 14 sci-fi tales appearing in What if…. Each story is unique and is based around the concept of “what if…” In “Not Your Ordinary Little Green Men”, a young couple moves into an old Victorian house and discovers they’re not alone.

An Excerpt from Not Your Ordinary Little Green Men

Sam grabbed a handful of yellowed "Not of This World" newsletters and dumped them into a trashbag. Everywhere he looked, he found books and pulp magazines about UFOs, aliens, and mystical creatures.

"No wonder everyone thought the old lady was a wacko," he muttered. He glanced at the cover of a sci fi magazine. The poorly drawn illustration showed three little green men standing next to a rocket. He frowned. Maybe these magazines had given Margie the idea about the pixies, or maybe she'd been hearing the strange noises at night, too.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/What-If-Collection-Science-Fiction/dp/098224343X/ref=la_B001JSAB24_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1349052120&sr=1-11

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Next week I’ll be back with a look at paranormal romances. Until then, you can check out more of my writings on my site: www.KelliWilkins.com

Happy Haunting!

Kelli

Anthologies: Collecting the Best of the Best – Part 3

Hi everyone!

Today I’m continuing my look at anthologies. When editors/publishers decide to put together an anthology, the first thing they decide on is the theme. Whether it’s a general theme (love, death, happiness), stories that take place in a haunted house, or short stories about rabbits, all the stories in the anthology share a common, connective bond. But what if they all start off with the same first line?

The First Line is an online magazine that publishes short stories in any genre – the catch? – they all must begin with the same first line. Whatever sentence they give you has to be the first line in your story. For instance, if their required first line is “Jimmy saw the UFO land in the cornfield.” That has to be the first line of your story.

I’m pleased to say that my horror story “Guest of Honor” appeared in The Best of the First Line - The First Three Years anthology and was also featured in TFL on Tape (Episode 10) as an audio broadcast. What’s it about? Here’s a brief excerpt:

The party was only the beginning of what would happen tonight. Black candles burned in cast iron candelabras. The scent of musky, earthy incense filled the room. The occult craze was in full force. People were trying to summon Satan for petty things...

Sometimes anthologies set a broad standard for submissions and let the writers’ imaginations go wild. That was the case with the What If… science fiction anthology. The guidelines were simple. Submit a sci-fi story based on the premise of “what if…” Almost all fiction (for the most part), starts with “what if…” and writing a sci-fi tale with that as a premise can lead writers into many different directions.

In December 2009, my humorous short story “Not Your Ordinary Little Green Men” was chosen for inclusion in ReadMe Publishing’s What If?: Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories. Here’s an excerpt:

A young couple moves into an old Victorian house and quickly discovers they’re not alone.

…Sam grabbed a handful of yellowed “Not of This World” newsletters and dumped them into a trashbag. Everywhere he looked, he found books and pulp magazines about UFOs, aliens, and mystical creatures.

“No wonder everyone thought the old lady was a wacko,” he muttered. He glanced at the cover of a sci fi magazine. The poorly drawn illustration showed three little green men standing next to a rocket. He frowned. Maybe these magazines had given Margie the idea about the pixies, or maybe she’d been hearing the strange noises at night, too.

Anthologies are a great way for writers to get their short stories published. If you have an old story lying around that fits an anthology theme, why not submit it? You never know where it will lead. (And if you have a story that sort of fits – tweak it and submit anyway!)

Next week, we’ll look at two more anthologies – both involving dogs.

Until next time!

Kelli