This is where you can come to get free reads. Most of these are short stories, but every once in a while I may post something longer. Welcome to Skullcrusher Mountain, for example, is a novella of around 25K, and I’m offering it for free because it was written under a Creative Commons license that allowed me to create a derivative work as long as I didn’t make any money off it. You can read each story online, click on “download” to download a .pdf file to your computer, or click on “download at Smashwords” if you want a format other than .pdf. If you have an iPad or other tablet, you may want to download a .pdf here instead of at Smashwords, because my versions have the original illustrations, while the Smashwords files are text-only, and the files do look nicer with the illustrations included. (And the Smashwords files are built from Word documents instead of InDesign ones, but that’s a discussion for another day.)
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Welcome to Skullcrusher Mountain is based on the Jonathan Coulton song “Skullcrusher Mountain” and was written for Dark Valentine magazine’s Fall Fiction Frenzy. If you don’t know who Jonathan Coulton is, all I can say is you’re missing out! I adore this song, and couldn’t resist writing my interpretation of this “mad scientist in love” tale. |
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“A Little Piece of Heaven” was written as part of a wedding promo at Pink Petal Books. This short story is a sort of “what happens next” snapshot of the lives of the two leads from my debut contemporary romance, Fringe Benefits. |
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“Mistletoe Magic” was written as a free Christmas story for Pink Petal Books. Even if it’s nowhere near the holidays, enjoy this tale of a lonely young woman who finds love where she least expects it. |
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“High Noon at Hot Topic” appeared in an issue of the now-defunct Astonishing Adventures magazine. This is a vampire tale with its tongue firmly in its cheek. |
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“Hunter’s Heart” is a Snow White pastiche that appeared in the Autumn 2010 issue of Dark Valentine magazine. |
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“The Queen of Frost and Darkness” is my take on “The Snow Queen.” This story is set in 1870s Russia and appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of Dark Valentine magazine. |
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“The King of Elfland” appeared in the inaugural issue of Dark Valentine magazine. Definitely one of those stories where not all is as it seems! |
