The Last Introduction

An odd thing happened this week. I was filling up the tank and the pump stopped here. I have to admit that it was kind of eerie too. Either it is destiny or evil....MWHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Regardless, it gave me the idea for the flash piece below called The Last Introduction.





The Last Introduction

In some strange way, I probably should have known. There were many signs along the way, which I clearly see now. But, it’s too late. At the time, I never noticed them and constantly tempted fate, calling its bluff. The problem was that fate doesn’t bluff, and, like I said…it’s too late.

When it happened, I didn’t know where I was. My mind was a haze. It was dream-like. I had lost all reasoning, like just awaking groggily from an extended deep sleep. My body had no feeling, with the exception of a constant nag churning deep inside, seemingly growing momentum.

In the distance I heard their muffled voices, both high and low, and searched for them, but couldn’t see where they came from. Exactly what they were saying, I couldn’t tell either, only that they seemed to be in plight.

The man standing before me was quaint, short and old, like somebody’s grandfather, with a crooked, somewhat odd and maybe even eerie smile.

“Who are you?” I asked him.

“While we may never have met…you know me,” he replied in a calm voice, never taking his dark eyes from mine.

“You’ve known me for a long time now. I was always in your drink and smoke, just lingering…waiting. I was always nearby watching your freely committed acts too. Of course, no need to go into those. You know which ones I’m talking about. While I am considerably impressed with your personal guidance, and although you truly needed no assistance from me, I will never appreciate and thank since I am not gentle.”

The voices surrounding us grew louder and turned into cries as I tried to recall ever meeting this man. He simply returned my confused stare, almost understandingly, and smiled wickedly.

Just then, plain as day, I loudly heard the word clear and felt a horrendous shocking pain in my chest. I was no longer standing in the fog and was now floating above my prone body, lying on a gurney, surrounded by numerous frantically working obvious medical personal.

One of them, a woman, held a syringe with a very long needle. I watched as she plunged it deep into my chest and felt a warm rush as the depressor was pressed, forcing the yellowish liquid to disappear into my body. Standing alongside her was a man holding a silver paddle in each hand. Each paddle had a curly wire running from it to a machine. The woman withdrew the needle and quickly glanced over at a machine and looked back at the paddle holding man, shaking her head solemnly. The man yelled clear, the folks backed away and he put the paddles to my chest.

Just as quick as the vision came, it left and I was back, standing in the fog with that little old man.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that,” the man spoke, “but, as I said, I am not gentle.” He extended a slightly quivering fully wrinkled, almost skeletal hand.

And…I probably shouldn’t have shaken it…but I did.



Almost 500 people (between Amazon.com and Amazon UK and even one from Germany) took the time to download The Daily Death during the 3 day get it for free promotion. Obviously, I'm not the only macabre person in the world. All I can hope for is that everyone enjoyed the read and will mention it here or there, preferably taking the time to post something about it on Amazon. So, if you are one of those that took the time, please take the time to post a review. Here's the Amazon link.


Speaking of mentioning, I am currently looking for reviewers who are willing to read it and post an honest review (good or bad). So far, I've heard from a few who intend to. Most notable, Sheri White (Horror News dot net) and Ellen Datlow, one of my all-time faves, who is considering it for a potential mentioning in her latest edition (vol 5) of The Best Horror of the Year she is currently editing. Of course, I can't convey what an honor it is to be considered by both.


Also, Jason Kohl of The Fear Corner is going to review it too. Now if I can just get Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Scream and a few others to notice it, I'd be as happy as a zombie gnawing on a bloody hunk of freshly torn flesh.

And...the first review is posted. It's by Dale Elster and it sounds as though he enjoyed the read calling it like "Greeting Cards - from Hell."  Read the review here

So, what am I currently reading? Right now I am most of the way through The Best Horror of the Year Vol 3



 and have just begun The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2011 edited by Paula Guran



 And, I'm been caught leafing through the latest issue of HorrorHound magazine.


Of course, my Kindle is fully stocked too. If your an avid reader and haven't gotten one yet, maybe it's time you consider it. It doesn't take away from my pleasure of holding an actual book, but it does give me a place to store around 600 books. And that opens more bookshelf space, which I am most certain to fill soon enough.

And...this week I put down 3000 words on my novel Future Past. I'm hopeful that I will have it ready for an editor sometime this summer.



So, until next week horror fiends,
Stay Scared,
Thomas

The Daily Death hits number 3 at Amazon



When I considered offering a 3 day giveaway of The Daily Death - How I Killed My C0-Workers In 30 Days, I had hopes that there would be a few folks who would take the time to download. Well, I had no idea it would become a top ten at both Amazon and Amazon UK on the Kindle / Fiction / Anthology lists. I was basically shocked and extremely grateful for this consideration. So, for all those who took the time to visit my macabre and often gruesome book....I want to say thank-you from the bottom of my blackened heart.

And, for those who haven't had the opportunity to download it yet, fear not my horror and demented loving fiends...it will still be available for free for the next couple of days.

Get it here

or here



With such an overwhelming response, it's given me an idea. But, there are a couple of things I'll need to consider beforehand. One of those items you can easily help with...simply let me know what you thought of The Daily Death tales. Would you read a second edition?

Email me, leave a comment here or look me up on Facebook or Twitter. The second item I can take care of myself...a little legal research.

MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Stay Scared,
Thomas

Free for the Next 3 Days

What horror reader can resist a collection of macabre tales....especially when they are free. Maybe even tell your friends or even write a review.

Get it here

Or here

Enjoy the dementedness...

Stay Scared,
Thomas



Two books on Amazon...so what's next?



Now, typically I write horror. However, I’ve had this novel idea for the past couple of years and have finally decided to pursue it. It’s an idea that’s not considered horror at all and would probably fall into the science fiction category / thriller type category. I have 30k words down on it and all the characters fleshed out. The beginning and the ending are complete and so, I just need to fill in the blanks, which obviously will take some time since writing time is somewhat constrained. You see, I work a tremendous amount. I rise at 5:00 am every morn, write until 6:30 am, and head to work. Sometimes I get home before dark, most of the time I don’t. Therefore, I suspect this piece of work will take a while. Regardless, here’s a taste.

What would you do if you could look back and see what could have been? Would you do it?

Maybe you’d find out that your life might have been better. On the other hand, maybe you’d find out that your life may have been worse too.

Maybe you would have had a different career…or a different husband or wife…or lived someplace else.

You might have made more money or ended up on skid row.

You may have lived longer or you may very well be dead.

Now, what if there was an actual place of business that you were able to go to in order to find the answers to these things.

Would you go?

This is the basic premise of my novel “Future Past.” A complex tale following five characters as they explore what could have been at a place that very well could exist…and the repercussions they endure for knowing what could have been.

·         Dillon Watson is extreme motorcycle rider that wants to know what would have happened had he made the backflip.

·         Wilma Gladstone wants to know what would have happened had she chosen to work on her term paper and not go to the football game.

·         Lenard Smyth is a womanizing stockbroker with a deeply harbored secret and wants to know if he was ever a truly different type of person.

·         Cathrine Banister, a one-time most sought after and shallow super model, has always sought love to no avail. Older now, she wants to know if she ever found it.

·         HR Delaney has a reformed drug addict for a wife who went back to her old ways and gave him a stillborn child. He wonders what would have happened if the child had lived.

These are the main characters (although, I’m not quite sure if I’ve completely settled on five or not just yet) and their dilemmas in this tale. As for the company they visit, let’s just say that they are fully explained and something more than simply somewhat believable. Of course, this offering a only tiny insight and I plan to keep much of it secret until it is finished and ready to be published. It is my most ambitious piece to date and like I said, clearly a step away from the typical horror that I normally pen. But, it is a tale that I’ve wanted to tell for a while now and I plan on telling it in 2012…before the world ends…heh heh!

In the meantime, both Twitch and The Daily Death - How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days is available on Amazon in both e-format as well as paperback. Get a copy today.



Ebooks are great, but there's something to be said about holding a physical book.

Before I got the Kindle (I've had it now for about 6 months), I debated for quite some time whether I would actually like holding an electronic device over an actual book. Well, I decided to give it a try and I'm most happy I diid. Currently I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 books in it and my shelving is gaining valuable space as I swap out physical for eletronic. Now, this doesn't mean that I've given up entirely on the physical book, because I certainly have not and more times than not, I have picked up one or two or ten at a garage sale or a thrift store or a bookstore or... By the way, Goodwill is an excellent place to find cheap books. Anyways, I'm getting long winded, the prospect of losing the actual book troubled me before I purchased my Kindle and, although I thoughly enjoy my little piece of electronic word filled heaven, I still like holding an actual book too. Maybe it's the best of both worlds, I don't know.

So, today I ordered proof copies of both Twitch and The Daily Death from Create-A-Space. Don't get me wrong, I am proud to see my books in e-format available on Amazon, but I'm also looking forward to actually holding them too. This is my first venture with physical publishing and I've heard many good things about Create-A-Space too. The only major difference is that the physical book will cost considerably more than it's electronic counter part. After I receive them, I'll inspect and then either fix errors or make them available for distribution at $10.99 each.

And, since I've order 5 proofs of each, which is certainly overkill, I think maybe I'll give away one or two of each and suspect to offer a signed copy of each giveaway here too.

Currently, both are available in e-format
and I'll let you know when the physicals are ready.

Have a great week folks.

The Daily Death - How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days

Happy New Year Folks and I hope your holidays were nothing short of great.

For me, 2012 is starting out rather gruesomely and it's the reason I've been away for a bit.

Remember that little series I wrote last April? The one where I fictionally killed off all my co-workers? Well, for the past couple of months, besides working long hours, I concentrated efforts, edited and rewrote all those little tales. Now, all 24 tales are included in my latest e-release at Amazon. Coincidently, there is also an exclusive tale (my own death) included that can't be read anywhere else.

And, in case you are unfamiliar with my Daily Death series, these are tales of demise, not for the weak hearted, that began as one simple exercise in creative writing. Well, it turned into a monster, but I explain all this in the book's introduction. So, if the demented side of you is curious and the macabre is your cup of tea, this may just be the book for you.

Death can come from anywhere, at anytime and in any form. It can creep up on you while you are at work. It can ambush you while you are out having fun. And, it can even strike as a side effect of a practical joke gone wrong.
Once known as The Daily Death series on his blog, Thomas Scopel, author of Twitch, has rewritten and compiled these 24 horrific and fictional tales of macabre demise into one book that will cause shivers and chills while it takes you on a demented tour of eventuality that may very well have you pondering your very own ending.

Get it here

Have a great 2012 everyone.

Thomas