Short Stories
DEAR AUTHOR
Every writer has received one of those obnoxious "Dear Author" rejection letters in which a publisher or agent couldn't even be bothered to address the author by name. Veteran writers rack up hundreds of them as their writing careers progress.
In this short story, find out what happens when writer James Walek receives one too many of those insulting "Dear Author" letters.
(Genre: Short Story Fiction)
THAT'S WHY I'M THE SOAP OPERA WRITER
Go behind the scenes of popular soap opera TO LIVE AND LOVE in this humorous short story in which the backstage drama is more intense than what happens in front of the camera.
Follow hopeful actor Robert Schwarzmann in his journey from a small town in Maine to the glitz and glamor lifestyle of daytime television in Hollywood, California. Discover why in an industry in which looks mean everything, nothing is as it seems.
Serious themes percolate beneath the comedic surface in this short story.
Bonus Short Story Included With THAT'S WHY I'M THE SOAP OPERA WRITER
WELCOME TO SLATERS FALLS
Find out who comes out on top when a dirty cop pulls over a take-no-prisoners bitch on a deserted country road in this bonus short story featuring a crossover storyline with characters from Matthew W. Grant's novel SECRETS OF SLATERS FALLS and his serial NORTHBRIDGE.
(Genre: Soap Opera Short Stories)
NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(Holiday Crime Story #1)
FBI Agent Ross Benson just wants to have a normal Christmas – not one with dead bodies under the tree. Not one in which he is stalked by a serial killer. Not one which dredges up every unbearable memory he's tried to repress.
Unfortunately for Agent Benson, the murderer known as the crazed Christmas Eve Killer has other plans. The determined and mysterious killer taunts the FBI agent with gruesome twists on classic Christmas carols describing the bloody holiday crimes.
Find out who gets exactly what they deserve for Christmas when Agent Benson's hopes for a happy holiday season are once again in jeopardy.
Remember, 'tis the season to be gory.
TWISTED HOLIDAY PLANS
(Holiday Crime Story #2)
Loner Mark Rossi hates the holidays. He's quite surprised to finally meet a woman who might actually change his outlook on the Christmas season and life in general.
Letting his guard down comes with an unhealthy dose of self-doubt. Resentment, suspicion, and secrets soon fester beneath the surface of this fragile new relationship.
Against the backdrop of picture-perfect holiday plans, how long will it be before Mark harbors revenge in his heart and murder on his mind?
INVOCATION OF THE DAWN
For more years than he can count, Brother Roger has faithfully executed his duty as the keeper of the sacred relic. To an uninformed outsider, the glass display case with the gold trim in the monastery chapel holds the remains of a simple, charred log. The monks know better.
As the Winter Solstice celebration approaches, Brother Roger and his fellow rogue order of elderly monks dare to dabble in a forbidden ritual in the darkness of the longest night of the year.
What will happen this night on the first Winter Solstice since the thirteenth century to coincide with the Christmas Star in the sky? Will the monks discover that they've made a deal with the Devil?