Toe Tags 2: Wherein Lisa Gets Squashed

Now available, Toe Tags 2: Blood & Bizarro edited by William Pauley III & Brian Barnett. I'm proud to be included with fantastic writers such as Kevil Shamel, Suzie Bradshaw, Lee Hughes, Laura Eno, Andersen Prunty, Jordan Krall, David W Barbee, Steve Lowe, Garrett Calcaterra, John F.D. Taff, J. Travis Grundon, Alan Spencer, Joey Froehlich, Brian Barnett and William Pauley III.

My story, Lisa Got Squashed, holds my record for number of full rewrites at the big 40. That's FOUR-ZERO. Lots. It's my baby. My poor strange, squashed baby. Here's a sample:

***

"Kid, you’re forgetting, she went insane. Cuckoo. Checked out to La La land. And in the land of crazy clowns and roving daisies, there's a big difference between squish, squash, and smoosh."

"So why'd she go insane?" Jordan asked.

Derek finished off his beer. "You liked my party, kid?"

Jordan flinched at the change in Derek’s voice. He nodded and shrugged simultaneously, unsure of what to reply.

"Sure as hell you did.” Derek’s voice deepened. "How did she go insane, you ask?" He tightened his grip on the bottle, stood up, and smashed it on the barbeque grill.

“Woah!” Jordan stood, knocking over his lawn chair.

“Where you going, buddy?” Derek lifted the sharp edge of the broken bottle. “Get back here.”

Jordan limped towards his pickup. He felt Derek’s big hand grab his shirt; yank him backwards. "You’re not going anywhere yet."

"I wasn't going..." Jordan’s eyes grew huge when Derek brought the glass close to his face.

"Just shut up, kid." Derek screwed up his face like he had just gotten a whiff of his own breath. "Lisa went insane, the way we all go insane. Someone hurts you, hurts you real bad. We all have our ways of coping. Some choose drugs, women, smoking, some..." He tilted the bottleneck head down, like he was guzzling. "Booze. Lisa chose schitzo. In the end," Derek’s pupils expanded, "the pain always comes back to get you."

They stood there.

Eye to eye.

Silent.

Jordan finally adverted his gaze and willed himself not to piss his pants.

Derek let loose of Jordan’s shirt. Forced a smile. “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t mean to frighten you. Why don’t you go have a seat and I’ll fetch you another beer.”

Jordan thought of making another attempt for his pickup, but even if he could make it, what then? His truck wouldn’t make it far on the flat. He glanced at the weapon in Derek’s hand and made a decision. Jordan limped back to the lawn chair, turned it upright, and sat.

"This'll help." Derek handed him a cold one.

"Uh, thanks."

"You see," Derek flipped his sunglasses up. "What caused her to go schitzo is not what's important. What she did about the pain between the reality checks in La La land is what really matters. She took some sharp glass," he held out the razor shard of the bottle, "and she cut her wrists." He made a slicing motion over his own wrists.

Jordan, in the middle of a gulp, choked, and spit beer into the wind. It sprayed back in his face.

Derek twisted his thin lips into a smile. "Kid, get a grip."

Jordan coughed again. He pulled his tank top up and swiped it over his face. "So did she die?”

"No." Derek's voice softened. "Unfortunately, for her, she lived."

 ***

Play With me at The New Flesh

(Click Pic for Halloween read)

Thanks to III and Brian for letting me stow my eyeball in a pickle jar at The New Flesh.
(And you thought my mis-spelling was due to something else- ha.)

ps. Beat to a Pulp's new anthology, Beat to a Pulp: Round One, has finally been unleashed unto the world. I've been looking forward to this one. Raed a top interview with one of BTAP editors, Elaine Ash here.

***

My Resignation Letter

Dear Editors of The New Flesh,

Sadly, You accepted my story Adventures of My Little Carnivorous Pony based on the premise that this was a good story. Sadly, you’ve even included it in your Free New Ebook Collection of New Flesh’s first year. Sadly, I’ve come to realize that it ISN”T a very good story, because you see, I was mislead about what the conflict actually was. I thought My Little Carnivorous Pony was conflicted in the sense that if she remained true to herself, she wouldn’t blend into the ‘norm’ and wouldn’t have friends. If she gave up being herself, everyone would like and play with her. Unfortunately and apparently, this isn’t really what the story was about.

I’ve decided to stop writing. I’m a disgrace. A loser. A REJECT for crying out loud. I’m a mere Jungle Jane, not a Jungle George. The leotards were so tight that, apparently, sadly, and unfortunately, I can’t even UNDERSTAND my own stories, at least according to this reject letter below, which I received before The New Flesh editors accepted Adventures Of My Little Carnivorous Pony.

I will sit at my computer and cry. I will ask myself in the dead of night whether I truly am a writer, and keep Wishing. Wishing that I could be like the other awesome, cool, amazing, writers that made it into the awesome, cool, amazing New Flesh’s Free Ebook that anyone can download completely free by clicking Here. Here. And Here.

Thank you for the very kind, though, misguided words. And I’m sorry. Again.

Sincerely,
Jodi MacArthur

Ps. Got smurfs?

Ppss. Long Live The New Flesh!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Jodi MacArthur,

Thank for your submission to Xxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx. I regret to inform you that we are unable to use it at this time. I like the concept, although the use of My Little Pony and Smurfs concern me a bit since those are trademarked characters. Of more concern, though, nothing is actually resolved during the course of the story -- the pony is carnivorous and sad because she has no friends, then she eats a smurf. A resolution to her friendless situation would be necessary for this piece to feel complete. -- Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx

We wish you good luck in placing the story elsewhere.  
Sincerely, All of us at Xxxxx Xxx Xxxxxx



Disclaimer: I am not dogging the magazine that sent me the reject (in fact, it was very kind of them to send me their personal thoughts). It's more about treasuring The New Flesh, because they give a home for stories that don't fit anywhere else.   

Adventures Of My Little Carnivorous Pony

At The New Flesh

(No pic could have done this one justice. You'll just have to imagine.)

Thank you to editors

William Pauley III

&

Suzie Bradshaw

For publishing my work

(and for putting up with my bizarre mind.)

Book Reviews! Support Small Press!

Some of these I've read recently, others awhile back. I want to take some time this month and spot light these books and encourage my fellow readers to support small press.

**My apologies to Salvatore Buttaci and William Pauley III, I meant to do this for them ages ago.




Wrong Minds And Other Fictions
by Jason Michel

Jason Michel is a dark horse. This compilation of Wrong Minds And Other Stories prove it: Darkness infused with light, morbidity flayed to show philosophy, his words are poetry lulling you into Grimm like nightmares. These stories are very gruesome in the way of old fables, yet they show the reality of life that so many of us have forgotten. If we forget life’s old truths, we aren’t truly human anymore. And being human is what these shorts are all about. If you are inclined toward the old gothic literature like Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson - you will love Mr. Michel’s work. I highly, highly recommend this book.

Purchase Wrong Minds And Other Fictions or visit Jason's personal website.

Green Water Lullaby
by Lori Titus

Green Water Lullaby opens with French Doors, and invites you into its pages. This short story collection smells like vanilla and flows like honey. The grace of Lori’s smooth writing makes a reader vulnerable to her sweet voice of horror. She baptizes you into a world of suspense. But when you’re ready to come up for air, she holds you under, drowning you in the town’s mysteries. Evil secrets of murder, brotherhood, the occult… who could have guessed so much darkness resides in the sleepy little town of Chrysilis, or Lori Titus’s mind for that matter. This is an e-book you don’t want to miss.The E-book format is very user friendly and easy on the eyes.

Purchase Green Water Lullaby Or Visit Lori's personal website.

A Family of Sicilians:Stories & Poems

by Salvatore Buttaci

This is wonderful collection of stories about Sal’s experiences in Italy. Reading the works, one feels swept away to a beautiful country filled with people involved in life, love, and hard work. This book must be read with a hot cup of coffee and a box of tissues. Sal’s magic will work wonders on your heart, as he always does mine.

Purchase A Family Of Sicilians or visit Sal's personal website.

Toe Tags
edited by William Pauley III & Brian Barnett

Toe Tags is a collection of debauchery sewn together by William Pauley III and Brian Barnett. Horror has delivered its grimmest, its grittiest - the ungodly

morbid truth through the minds of Angel Zapata, Lori Titus, Graeme Reynolds, Robert C. Eccles, Nathan Rosen, Joshua Day, Chad Chase, William Pauley III, Brian Barnett and more.

If those names aren’t enough to catch your curiosity, the carnivals, talking tattoos, devils, zombies, magicians, the rage will snatch your eyes and force you to keep reading on. You know you are getting good quality horror, when the stories still pop up in your mind and scare you long after you’ve read them.

Purchase Toe Tags or visit William Pauley III's personal website.

Howl: Tales Of The Feral And Infernal
edited by Mark Anthony Crittenden

This savage collection of morphing creatures and nightmares has already achieved status by hosting three authors of honorable mention merit by Ellen Datlow. Between these pages, stories of werewolves, ravens, demons, owls, lizardmen, The Lady Red, fanged puppies (and more) explore awakenings of the animal within. Give in to the fierce extremes of lust and love. Mark Crittenden leaves a torch on the dark path of horror. Hurry. Read it. Or something will eat you.

Purchase Howl or visit Mark's personal website.

Rotten Little Animals
by Kevin Shamel

I've already plugged this, but I'll do it again. Zombie cats, Stinkin' Rats, Dirty Birds and other filthy scoundrels kidnap a child and create the same evil humanity does. Doesn't get more bizarre than Kevin Shamel's mind. Note: While inclusive of talking animals, this has adult material and is by no means a story for children. Read at your own risk.

Purchase Rotten Little Animals or visit Kevin's personal website







Something’s Not Right
by Trevor McPherson

This ebook collection features a handful of stories by a clever sci fi cook. His unique twilight zone writes are entertaining and intelligent. For under a buck, you are getting one heck of a deal.

Purchase Something's Not Right or Visit Trevor's personal website.

#Fridayflash ~ 'Rigged' at The New Flesh

Rigged



The answer to all his problems.

Read at The New Flesh Today!

Thanks to New Flesh editor William Pauley III for publishing my work. The Ezine is fairly new - so check it out, folks.

Also, Erin Cole's 13 Days Of Horror is growing more harrowing by the day. Visit her site for some scares and fantastic stories.

This song played through my head over and over as I was writing Rigged.
Thank you, Aretha!