STORIES
THE PERFECT HOST
Ken Walters has the perfect life; family, career, beautiful wife. But when he finds his beloved garden shed infested with rats, he is horrified, and is very eager to defeat them. What he doesn’t recognize is that the real war will take place in his head as he battles insomnia, paranoia and hallucinations. Will he declare victory against the squealing army of vermin, or will his mind be overthrown?
You can read "The Perfect Host" in both print or e-book at Mobius Blvd Magazine, Volume 17, or in Infinity Wanderers March 2026 issue. You can read the online version in Exquisite Death Magazine. Click the links below for access.
You can read "The Perfect Host" in both print or e-book at Mobius Blvd Magazine, Volume 17, or in Infinity Wanderers March 2026 issue. You can read the online version in Exquisite Death Magazine. Click the links below for access.
SPREAD THIN
Wesley Phillips needs to change his life. He's out-of-shape, divorced and lonely. Moving to a new city and starting a new job should fix that. But his pursuit of a beautiful stranger sets him on a path not only of recovery, but of compassion. After springing into action to save the life of a mysterious old man, he begins to feel manipulated. Will he find love in a new romance, or will his misgivings about the old man prove to be warranted?
You can read the print or digital version of "Spread Thin" in Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Volume 19, Issue 1, or the online version in Books & Pieces Magazine. Click the links below for access.
You can read the print or digital version of "Spread Thin" in Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Volume 19, Issue 1, or the online version in Books & Pieces Magazine. Click the links below for access.
REFLECTION
Peyton Simmons is on the run–not only from her cruel benefactor, Jack–but from the law. As she becomes increasingly desperate to pay her debt, her risks become more dangerous. When she meets a kind, but naïve elderly stranger named Lilith, she sees a way out. As an unlikely friendship grows, Peyton begins to see glimpses of her future self in Lilith. Peyton now faces a choice: take advantage of the old lady and pay her debt, or cut ties with her criminal past by facing Jack. Either way, somebody’s going to get hurt.
You can read "Reflection" in Umbrella Factory Magazine, Issue 72. Click the link below for access.
You can read "Reflection" in Umbrella Factory Magazine, Issue 72. Click the link below for access.
HOW TO MURDER YOUR HUSBAND'S CAT AND GET AWAY WITH IT
Jennifer Sutcliffe can’t explain her intrusive thoughts. They are sudden and they are violent. Her friends think it’s perimenopause, her doctor thinks it’s prescription medication, Google thinks it’s psychosis and her useless husband doesn’t think anything at all–he would have to pay attention to her to notice. When Jennifer finally figures out the root of her problem, she makes a plan to fix it. As a skilled chef, she is accustomed to concocting recipes for success, but her plot to murder her husband’s malicious cat is doomed to turn out half-baked.
You can read "How to Murder Your Husband's Cat and Get Away with It" in The Brussels Review TBR Dark 1/26 e-book or print edition. Click the link below for access.
You can read "How to Murder Your Husband's Cat and Get Away with It" in The Brussels Review TBR Dark 1/26 e-book or print edition. Click the link below for access.
THE GRANDPARENT SCAM
Frederick Telford is tired of all the disrespect. Everything from telephone scams to the neighbourhood kids tormenting him. It’s hard enough dealing with the recent death of his wife and his newfound solitude. And when a kid in a suit representing The Global Human Fund–an obviously fake charitable organization–starts pressuring him for a donation, he reaches his breaking point and decides to teach the kid a lesson in respect. But the old man’s scare tactics end up going too far, and Telford embarks on a much darker path than he intended.
You can read "The Grandparent Scam" in Blood + Honey Magazine. It will be available soon in print and digital at The Bleeding Margin. Click the links below for access.
You can read "The Grandparent Scam" in Blood + Honey Magazine. It will be available soon in print and digital at The Bleeding Margin. Click the links below for access.
WHEN THE DREAM ENDS
Liam Barnes’ father just died. He’s been struggling to process his feelings and wondering if the catalogue of prescription medication he’s been taking has made things worse. As he sorts through all of his father’s possessions, he makes an unexpected discovery that changes the truth of his identity. Why was it kept hidden from him this whole time? What really happened to the brother he never knew he had? He quits his prescriptions cold-turkey and desperately searches for answers with his psychiatrist. He’s about to uncover who he truly is, and there will be no turning back this time.
You can read "When the Dream Ends" online at Bewildering Stories or at Slash Magazine. Click the links below for access.
You can read "When the Dream Ends" online at Bewildering Stories or at Slash Magazine. Click the links below for access.
UNDER A STAR-SPECKLED SKY
Petra and Alice are friends only through Book Club, where things can get a little bit wild, as they dish out more than just charcuterie and Pinot Grigio. The two are really opposites–Petra a confident, charming beauty with a crush on a mysterious stranger and Alice a quiet, quirky loner with a troubled past. When Petra suddenly disappears, Alice decides to investigate. But the investigation takes Alice to a very dark place where her courage and her resolve will be tested. Will Alice be able to save her friend or is she walking into a cleverly crafted trap?
You can read "Under a Star-Speckled-Sky" in print and digital at The Phoenix. Click the link below for access.
You can read "Under a Star-Speckled-Sky" in print and digital at The Phoenix. Click the link below for access.
BIG BLACK TRUCK
When Jake Sullivan flees the scene of a brutal accident, he doesn’t expect to see the horror replay endlessly in his mind. His guilty conscience torments him in multiple ways that he refuses to perceive while his truck becomes a moral compass that can’t seem to find a path back to righteousness. But Jake’s revelation is long overdue and inescapable. Fate will capture him and judge him no matter how fast or far he runs.
"Big Black Truck" will be available soon in print and e-book at Dark Horses.
"Big Black Truck" will be available soon in print and e-book at Dark Horses.
THE SILVER FOX
Blake Miller is caught completely off-guard when he spots a man who looks just like him, only 30 years older. His geriatric doppelgänger has a message, a desperate message, that Blake doesn’t want to hear. He’d prefer to carry on with his life as it is, with the passion he feels for his wife and the pride he has in raising his young daughters. But when tragedy shatters his idyllic existence, Blake begins chasing the past. He’ll have to summon all the strength and speed he has if he wants to beat the Silver Fox, and he’ll have to do it in a hurry. Time is running out.
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
THE ELEPHANT TREE
When Bopha McDonald flies all the way to Cambodia for a fairytale wedding, she never expects to have any doubts. But after a mysterious stranger makes a tragic prophecy about her life–twenty years in the future–she begins to notice flaws in her charming fiancé. Determined to make her relationship work, she gets married and wonders why she ever questioned herself. As time ticks down to the day of the prophecy, she begins to sense herself falling into its trap. Will she find the strength to escape fate’s call, or has she been destined for tragedy all along?
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
