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Creatures of the Night
Flash Fiction Challenge #2
Contributors: Marie Andreas, Matthew Stroescu, Stef Donev, Sarah Melton, R.L. Stuemke, J.A. Saare, Heather Wildman, Paul Monks, Jay Raven, M.L.D. Curelas, Tina Hunter, Cynthia Latzko, Tammy Lynde and Beth Caudill.
Cover Art: Herman Lau
Genre: Flash Fiction
Pages: 82
Release Date: October 31, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-77053-002-7 (Print edition) $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-77053-003-4 (eBook edition) Not Yet Available
Description:
In June 2009, writers everywhere (or at least those who visited the Absolute Xpress website) were issued a challenge—write an epic flash fiction story in under 1000 words.
But there was a twist, it couldn’t be just any story. It had to tell the tale of a creature that haunts the night; one that lurks in the shadows; one that hides in dark places.
Authors from all over the USA, UK and Canada met the challenge.
From the submissions received fourteen writers were selected; some with already established writing careers, others who are breaking out and these are their first works.
Within, you will find an eclectic collection of flash fiction that covers everything from the horrific to the humorous. There are real gems here—all waiting to scare you, thrill you, and make you laugh. Perhaps they’ll even make you wonder about what’s really going on out there while you’re asleep.
There is much more here than you’ve bargained for—and you’ll think twice before extinguishing your lights.
Read these stories in a safe place, preferably where you can bolt the doors and lock the windows, because tonight you will dream about Creatures of the Night.
The winning stories and authors include are:
- Blood Money by Jay Raven
- Demon Disease by Tina Hunter
- The Full Treatment by Sarah Melton
- When I’m Sixty Four by Matthew Stroescu
- Paranoia by Marie Andreas
- Hot Spell by R.L. Stuemke
- Leprechauns on Ice by Stef Donev
- Nightly Appetizers by Cynthia Latzko
- Becoming Human by Heather Wildman
- Signal To Noise by Paul Monks
- Mistakes Bite by Tina Hunter
- Weapons of Mass Destruction by Jay Raven
- The Prisoner by Tammy Lynde
- Eternal Moonless Night by Matthew Stroescu
- Buttons Almighty by Sarah Melton
- The Bridge Guardian by Beth Caudill
- Quickening by Paul Monks
- Foxhunt by M.L.D. Curelas
- Redemption by J.A. Saare
About the Contributors:
Marie Andreas
With two degrees in psychology, I enjoy the character aspects of writing the most. What goes on in people’s heads that makes them do what they do? I have been writing for a few years, and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Beth Caudill
Beth Caudill resides in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Her home is lined with bookcases and filled with books. Although she does not claim the computer manuals, those belong to her husband. In her life prior to becoming a stay-at-home-mom, she worked as a technical support analyst and quality assurance software tester. Now she plays chauffeur and cook for her family and fits in writing when she can.
M. L. D. Curelas
M.L.D. Curelas grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King, Agatha Christie, and Victorian literature, which influenced a continuing fascination with all things strange and fantastical. After a few years of bouncing around the continent, she has landed in Calgary, where she reads science fiction and fantasy for fun and profit at EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing.
Stef Donev
Stef Donev plays with words for a living. He is an author, comedy writer, college lecturer, corporate communicator and journalist. A former reporter for the Associated Press, in Detroit, the Toronto Star, and other U.S. and Canadian news organizations, he has sold to print and online publications–and comic books–in the U.S., Canada, England and New Zealand. His credits range from Newsweek and TV Guide to Urologists Sports Life and the Washington Post.
He has been a gag writer for Bob Hope, Shari Lewis [and Lamb Chop], amongst others, and written comedy sketches and material for TV as well as Saturday morning cartoons, corporate dinner theater, and live shows for Universal Studios Tour, Disneyworld and other theme parks in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan and Germany. He has also written and performed comedy material for CBC radio.
While continuing to freelance, he is currently adjunct faculty at a number of colleges and universities where he teaches communication and writing, both online and on-ground.
He spends part of the year in Bakersfield, California, where it actually does hit 115 degrees in the summer, and part of the year in Calgary, where summer is the third Tuesday in August, from noon to 2:17 p.m.—if it doesn’t snow.
Tina Hunter
Tina Hunter writes primarily in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, however a touch of horror has been know to influence her work— a side effect perhaps of the many writing courses she attended and working as a slush pile reader for two years.
2009 was the year Tina broke into print. Her first two short stories were published in the “Seven Deadly Sins: Flash Fiction Challenge #1” anthology, published by Absolute XPress (just like this lovely book). Another short story was picked up for publication in “The Red Book: Chinese Whisperings” collaborative anthology, published by eMergent Press.
Tina lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and their two dogs River and Masey. For more information, check out her website at www.TinaHunter.ca
Cynthia Latzko
Cynthia is an accountant who hails from the small state of Delaware, and is an avid animal lover who is currently living with her adult daughter and their menagerie of animals which include two crazy dogs, and three cute kitties. The inspiration for her first written work comes directly from her lovable, but definitely night hunter cats.
Tammy Lynde
I went to elementary school in Garnavillo Iowa and was smitten very early with writing. This followed me throughout my life all the way to California and into college. I attended Cal State Bakersfield and obtained a Master of Arts in English. After this, I began to teach academic writing at the college level. However, the desire to write creatively continued with me. For the first time then, at the behest of a friend, I wrote and submitted a story to this writing contest which, to my surprise, was accepted. With this very positive first step, I look forward to continued writing and creating more stories.
Sarah Melton
I spent my early childhood in Sacramento, CA, where I was given a strong love of the arts. My mother was a folk singer/guitarist, my father a drummer and student of psychology, and my family was large, loud and full of stories to tell. My grandmother had a seemingly endless library of fantasy tales, from Irish folklore to Nancy Drew mysteries, Aesop to Arthurian tales. I loved it all, and was reading full-sized novels easily by the age of five. It was my grandmother as well that gave me a love of theater, taking me to musicals and local productions whenever she could, and I spent a good deal of my free time making up plays with my numerous cousins, or singing along with the choirs and musical groups my mother performed with.
Paul Monks
Paul Monks currently works in an IT department, based in the West Midlands, UK. He is currently a member of Toastmasters International (a public speaking and presentation group) and has previous links with amateur theatre groups around the area, including having a play performed at competition level in the late 1990s. Despite running a regular online ‘blog’ of thoughts and musings under another name, which includes some short stories, he has not previously made any serious attempt to be published.
Paul has also studied creative writing and journalism at introductory level, is currently teaching himself to draw and paint and describes himself as someone with “too many ideas and too little time”. He is in the early stages of writing a fantasy novel.
Jay Raven
Jay Raven is the pen name of a UK short story writer who is surrendering himself to the dark side. After more than 15 years writing tearjerker romances and humorous twist-ender stories for mainstream magazines, he’s moving into horror—an obsession since watching British Hammer Horror films as a child.
Jay is currently working on his first novel, “Pray For The Dawn”—a gothic vampire chiller which carries on from his short story “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.
He says: “I’m thrilled to be one of the lucky writers to have their work showcased in Creatures of the Night and I’m sure this fright-filled compendium of horror will scare everyone who ventures inside its wickedly enticing pages. Don’t read it late at night when the wind howls and the floorboards creak!”
J. A. Saare
Jaime Saare is a wife and mother who turned to writing as a way to escape the fulfilling, yet oftentimes overwhelming, world around her. What began as a hobby became something more after her first story, Crimson Moon, was completed.
Currently, she resides in the wonderful state of Alabama; where she was also born. When she isn’t kid wrangling, catering to her husband, or writing something horrifying or erotic, she enjoys the simple things in life, including: shooting a game of pool (straight eight, if you please), listening to her favorite band (NIN), reading an excellent story, or partaking in a good horror movie.
You can visit her via the world wide web at: www.jasaare.com
Matthew Stroescu
Science fiction got me started in my interest in physics. I read a great deal of Piers Anthony, Isaac Asimov and Robert Asprin growing up. This lead to me eventually studying physics in school. I now teach introductory physics at a Canadian University. When not reading science fiction or teaching science I enjoy swing dancing. I also enjoy playing classical and flamenco guitar.
R. L. Stuemke
I was born and raised in Merrill, a town in north-central Wisconsin, in a family where books were valued and reading was encouraged, as was anything that used the imagination. I started writing my own stories when I was in first or second grade, with a western called ‘Horse Thieves at Star Ranch’, and it has been a favorite avocation ever since.
I spent 20 years writing stories in such universes as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Willow, to name just a few. I also wrote several original fantasy stories, printed, like the derivate fiction, in multi-media fanzines such as ‘Shadowstar’, ‘Fortune and Glory’, and ‘What You Fancy’. In the 90’s, I began to move into some other genres, returning to Westerns with stories based on Bordertown and the two weekly Lonesome Dove series, and then trying contemporary, with stories based on ER, to be posted online rather than published in print ‘zines.
Oddly enough, it was the ER stories that led me to first experiment with paranormal romance, the genre-bending fiction that finally got me into professional publication. I’ve dreamed about it since that first 4-page, handwritten story about horse thieves, scrawled down by a child on her front porch some 45-50 years ago, and now, finally, the dream is coming true.
Heather Wildman
Heather Wildman loves her kids, loves her life, and loves to laugh. Writing is not an option for her, it’s a need. She’s been writing for twenty years but only recently decided to market her scribbles. To read more short stories and other snippets of random mind droppings, visit her “blahg” at www.psychoticblah.blogspot.com
How to Buy:
Amazon – Coming Soon.
