Putting Down Roots
Matt and Rachel Bailey have uprooted their family and moved across the country to a quiet college town in New Brunswick. Their new house is a beautiful old Victorian with a sprawling yard on a corner lot in a nice suburban neighbourhood. Rachel’s got a great job at the university, the kids are making new friends, and everything’s coming together.
There’s just one problem.
Huddled in the far corner of the lot, just inside the high board fence that surrounds the yard, stands an old, massive tree. The moss-covered branches hang low to the ground, like skeletal hands reaching for those who wander too close. The thick, gnarled roots ripple just below the surface of the ground like probing tentacles. Matt finds it creepy and unsettling and plans to remove it as soon as possible. But it won’t be that easy.
Before long, unease turns to terror as the true nature of the tree slowly begins to unravel. This is no mere tree, but an ancient evil presence that has preyed on unsuspecting animals and people for centuries.
And getting rid of it won’t be as easy as he thinks.
With the safety of his wife, two curious children, and the family dog at risk, Matt does everything he can to protect his family from the rooted predator that lurks mere feet away from their back door. One false move, a step too close, is all it takes for tragedy to strike. And just how close to the house do the roots reach? Is anywhere safe?
After a close call that he narrowly escapes, and with the number of victims on the rise, Matt must devise a plan to destroy the menacing evil before it destroys everything he loves.
Monsters in the Fog
Terror in High Water
Available in paperback and ebook at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
My first full-length novel!
“The Man is comin’, Sheriff…bringin’ the hounds of Hell with him…”
On a hot morning In 1830s Texas, a cattle rancher limps into the tiny, isolated town of High Water. He’s battered, bloody, and near death but insists on speaking to the sheriff. “The Man is coming,” he warns, “and he’s taking over this town.” The townspeople fearfully brace for the newcomer’s arrival.
The Man arrives with his gang of Hell Hounds in tow, brutally kills the sheriff, and declares the town his. Thus begins the reign of terror by the sinister band who, as the people soon discover, are more than meets the eye. The residents of High Water are terrorized, threatened, and forced to pay tribute to their cruel oppressors with violent repercussions for any who dare to resist.But there is hope.
A story begins to circulate, in hushed whispers, behind closed doors. The legend of a renowned gunslinger and monster hunter who walks the earth, his sole purpose to seek and destroy the minions of hell. The people are held in the grip of terror, fearful of the consequences should they take a stand. But one young man will risk everything to escape The Man’s clutches, to locate the Legend and bring him back to banish the evil from High Water.
Is the legend real? Does the gunslinger still live? Can one man defeat the overwhelming odds and destroy the great evil that grips High Water?
Do legends ever die?
Seventeen Skulls
Someone is stalking and killing the residents of a homeless shelter in Beaverbrook. And he’s doing it from a cell at the Garden Island Super-Maximum Security Penitentiary, over a thousand miles away.
Notorious serial killer Eldon Grant has discovered the ability to travel through the Shadow Realm – a dark and sinister conduit that lies in the murky fissures between the physical and astral planes. This allows him to return to his old stomping grounds and resume his rampage without leaving the cozy confines of his cell. It’s the perfect crime.
But his actions haven’t gone unnoticed.
As the bodies pile up, shelter worker Jennifer Brennan vows to get to the bottom of the murderous spree. Along with a disjointed group of companions, she sets out to learn who’s responsible and figure out a way to stop him before they draw his attention and become his next victims.
OLD BONES
Gather round, my friends. Get comfortable, dim the lights, and settle in for a terrifying journey where each stop along the way is creepier than the last.
A themed corporate gathering…children with very special, very disturbing powers…a well-meaning criminal who can’t quite manage to stay on the straight and narrow…filmmakers chasing an old legend that’s more than just a story… a spectral visitor returns with stories from the past…
These stories reveal the evils of humanity at its worst, and the nightmarish things that lurk just around the corner from reality. Deceit, jealousy, temptation, danger, evil. Twelve tales of horror that delve into the dark recesses of your worst nightmares and lay them bare upon the page.
Scary Snippets: Virtual Edition
Includes my story, “A Bug in the System”.
From the publisher:
“There are some who say that advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and there is much about the digital age we still do not understand.
Machines are evolving faster than humankind can adapt, and it’s all happening amid the dark tapestry of the World Wide Web.
Take a deep dive into the heart of virtual terror alongside more than 20 horror authors as they connect you to evil artificial intelligences, haunted blogs and doomsday devices.”
Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition
Includes my stories “Homecoming” and “Nature Calls”.
From the publisher:
“Imagine you are alone. Surrounded on all sides by nothing but forest for as far as the eye can see. Then you hear a sound. It is like nothing you have ever heard. Is it a wolf? A ghost? A stalker? A monster from another world? Or something far far worse? Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition will have you rekindle your fear of the great outdoors with over 40 authors from around the world reminding you that terror is everywhere.”
Mother Ghost’s Grimm, Vol. 2
Forty-two authors have brought you another creepy collection of tales, sure to keep you up at night.
In this book you will find even more terrifying tales to haunt your mind. Cemeteries, spiders, gremlins, and ghosts – everything you fear the most. Just when you thought it was safe to turn out the light, Mother Ghost’s Grimm came back for round 2 of the fright.
Read…if you DARE. *Ages 7 & up!*
Canadian Dreadful
In the pages of this anthology, you will not find the Canada you are accustomed to, nor a Canada that the world has grown to know and love. Between the covers, you will discover a dark landscape that will challenge your perspective. From sea to shining sea, stories of a darker Canada will arise, and within them all a kernel of truth. Stories of sacrifice, cannibalism, ghosts and mystical forests, the authors will plunge you into the country that is Canadian Dreadful.
Deadly Bargain: A Colors in Darkness Anthology
Some deals should never be struck and some dealers should never be trusted. When faced with your heart’s desire, will you ignore that tingle in your spine or the hair rising on the backs of your arms? The offer- It’s too good to be true and you can feel it. The dealer smiles with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Holding out his tantalizing wares, his eagerness adds weight to the very air around you. It’s not a lot of money at all, sometimes it’s even free, he says and yet you know that this is the costliest item you will ever own.
Inside these pages you will find thirteen tales of horror, of deals that should never have been made and the horrible costs of those deadly bargains!
Cosmic Scream: Digital Horror Fiction Anthology (Digital Horror Fiction Short Stories Series One Book 5)
Ten tales of horror, together in one collection for the first time, presented to you by Digital Fiction Publishing!
Twisted Tails IX: Wunderkind
From inside the flap:
I suppose the first thing I need to do is define what Wunderkind means for this book. I’m pretty sure you’ve come across the word somewhere so you know a “normal” Wunderkind is a precocious child with mental capacities that are just a wee bit beyond amazing. A wonder (wunder). Here the Wunderkind is a good deal more than just bright. Our Wunderkind is capable of doing…things. He or she has talents that go far beyond learning the calculus at age three, or reading an entire set of encyclopedias at the rate of a book a day, or learning the alphabet on his or her way down the birth canal. No, this Wunderkind is extra special in the world of the Wunderkind.
Here you will find stories—10 of them in all—about folks with strange, unusual, sometimes dangerous talents that challenge the very fabric of the Universe. Some of our precious Wunderkind are all grown up, as children are prone to do if they are lucky enough to survive, while others are still on their way to their frightening adulthood. Whether adult or adolescent or youngster or toddler or infant, they are all…Wunderkind.
Passions become obsessions. Obsessions become manias. And sometimes, manias turn into nightmares.
What happens when one wants so badly that all else, including sanity and self, is consumed by the bonfires of desire? What happens when one achieves the dream, only to discover the nightmares lurking behind the illusions?
Firbolg Publishing’s fifth anthology, Enter at Your Own Risk: Dreamscapes into Darkness, explores the old adage of “Be Careful What You Wish For.” Journey down wishful thinking’s twisted pathways and discover what dark ends and detours await–with an introduction from Daniel Knauf, and featuring stories from D.H. Lawrence, Mary Shelley, A.M. Burrage, H.P. Lovecraft, and more Gothic masters from yesteryear and today… enter at your own risk, and be careful not to make a wish!
Blight Digest (Winter 2015)
The Winter 2015 issue of Blight Digest. Blight Digest is a three season magazine featuring 10 or more stories every 4 months that will feed just about any horror lovers tastes with a twist.
Twice Upon A Time: Fairytale, Folklore, & Myth. Reimagined & Remastered.
Not all stories end happily ever after, and not all stories only happen once upon a time. Sometimes Beauty is the only hope to save the Beast—not from a curse, but something darker. Other times, there’s a reason why Sleeping Beauty is slumbering—and waking her could quite possibly be the worst thing the Prince could have done…
Join The Bearded Scribe Press as they bring you on a whirlwind ride through fairytale and folklore, myth and majick. Treasured stories from your childhood are revisited and remastered into newly-treasured tales of hope and heartache, of adversity and adventure.
“Brilliant and imaginative, Twice Upon a Time is a fantastic anthology.” – Amazon review.
Fear’s Accomplice
Read this book by the warming glow of an autumnal fire… Read it while lying in bed… Just make sure that the lights are on! These ten tales of terror are sure to keep you awake and entertained throughout the Halloween season and beyond. Prepare yourself for Fear’s Accomplice: Halloween!
“My favorite story was actually the first one, “Fashionably Late” because it was closest to the literary style that I enjoy reading. The cover artwork is amazing. Don’t worry, there is definitely something for everyone in this anthology. Vivid imagery, well imagined plots, and an all around spooky time. ” – Amazon review
Hard Luck
This is a collection of short stories about what happens when things go from bad to worse. When no matter how hard you try, and regardless of your good intentions, the worst case scenario is inevitable. Everything doesn’t always work out in the end and not every ending is a happy one. Sometimes the only thing that helps you to feel better about your life is hearing about someone who has it even worse. Sometimes Hard Luck is the only kind of luck you’ve got.
“…my impression of this collection was a positive one. Life can be hard, and the stories here showed that well… ‘Good Samaritan’ – hard luck at its most ironic.” – Amazon review
Twisted Tails VIII: ParaAbnormal
Tales of the paranormal – with a twist! Editor J. Richard Jacobs brings you the latest installment in his award-winning series which features a cool dozen stories ranging from eclectic to downright creepy, all under one cover!
Featuring a pair of spooky tales by Joe, “Dream Vacation” and “Stick to the Script”.
Twisted Tails VII: Irreverence
Sixteen outstanding tales penned by thirteen world class authors make up this installment in the Twisted Tails series of anthologies. High quality writing that transcends many styles and genres, connected only by their irreverent theme.
TTVII was a Top Ten finalist in the 2013 Preditors & Editors Readers’ Poll for best anthology.
The spine-tingling “Jumping at Shadows” is Joe’s initial foray into the horror world and marks the first appearance of his favorite character to date, the mysterious Shadow Man.
Joe Powers, Author 