Fiction:
Tales of Forgotten Creatures: JLA#10 Mythological Creatures Anthology
Belief in supernatural entities is not required, for they exist whether we believe in them or not. These seven expertly crafted tales provide brief snapshots into a life few ever have the opportunity of experiencing.
Delve into the lives of the mythical creatures that choose to create bonds with their human neighbors: a weary banshee learns that her power goes beyond a heartrending wail; a gargoyle risks his life to fulfill his duty to protect his charge; and a friendship is tested when one of them reveals the secret of his true identity.
Track down those mystical creatures that would prefer a life without human interference: after a thunderstorm, the race is on to seek out and protect the treasure at the end of the rainbow; and with his once quiet labyrinth now filling with noisy teenagers, the minotaur’s simple life is under siege.
Venture into the source of nightmares with the monstrous beings that spread terror and threaten our survival: a high school senior attempts to keep her pregnancy a secret when a Manananggal with an appetite wants the baby; and after making a deal to save her family’s souls, a peasant girl embarks on a series of dangerous quests.
Exploration into the unknown is the most noble of adventures. See the world through new eyes as you befriend, observe, and shy away from your supernatural cohabitants.
Secrets in Our Cities: JLA#4 Paranormal Urban Anthology
Official Blurb:
Some cities are inhabited by lycanthropes: a werewolf-turned-private-eye takes on a kidnapping case that upsets his plans for a simple life; a vegetarian werewolf must join forces with a local pack to save their city; and a twenty-something lycan thinks she’s the scariest monster in town until she meets a necromancer.
Children are often the center of paranormal activity: a troop of Mountain Gals on a camping trip runs afoul of a witch; a high school outcast pairs up with an angel to guide ghosts to their final rests; a young fae intelligence agent is placed on his first undercover assignment at a high school; and a little girl rattles a zombie-run pub for supernatural clientele when she accidentally begins haunting it.
These young urbanites are more than they seem: a kindhearted girl changes her life forever when she offers shelter to an injured hellhound; a runty dragon dwells in the sewers plotting revenge while dreaming of reliable takeout; and an ordinary detective must team up with a young hotshot magician to solve a mysterious disappearance.
Step across the paranormal divide with these ten short stories, and you’ll never look at your hometown the same way again.
Whispers in the Shadows: JLA#3 Horror Anthology
Horror anthology in collaboration with the JL Writers of Scribophile.
Official blurb:
Even when we think we’re safe, our biggest fears can be revealed, our worst nightmares brought to life.
For some, death is inevitable: a suspended detective and killer play a bloody game of cat and mouse; a girl risks her life to save her friends from an urban legend; a doctor’s daughter works to uncover the curse on their wayward ship; and an old lady’s cats are hungry…very hungry.
For others, death would have been an easier fate: a reflection isn’t meant to talk, let alone free itself; a priestess must renew her people’s magic, but that ritual carries a terrible price; and a famous boy rejects a lovesick girl…and lives to regret it.
Through life and death, the only constant is our fear of the unknown: bloody footprints continue to walk around a lighthouse; Grandma’s warnings of the Autumn People are finally heard loud and clear; and a girl moves into a new house to find a bloodstained carpet…that no one else can see.
Keep the lights on and brace yourself for ten creepy tales of horror and misfortune.
Publication Date: Friday, October 13, 2017
The Hymns of Creation
Over a thousand years ago three people rose from a silent world to sacrifice themselves for Paean, the musical magic. It binds humanity to the Composer above, and people to one another. It permeates the lowliest pebble, to the farthest star in the heavens, and into the deepest, darkest corners of the human soul.
When Trisha Clearwater, the most skilled user of Paean on this side of the world, is found murdered on her wedding night, her husband finds himself framed for her murder. Determined to discover why, Trenton Evensong launches himself into a quest to discover the truth and brings together an unlikely group of people as a conspiracy spanning generations looms over the Leonese Empire. Some seek to understand the divine. Others embrace it. And still others seek to destroy it.
Attuned to the universal tune sprung forth from the single Hymn of Creation that engendered a spiritual connection all the Spheres of Creation, a world on the cusp of an age of enlightenment must face the impending realization that free will may not exist. For the only way to move forward is to is to face the crimes of humanity’s ancestors, and explore the unknown.
Short Stories
Non-Fiction:
“Planting Seeds: Teens Cook from the Garden.” Edible Ojai and Ventura County. December 15, 2015