Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction and Non-fiction

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    • Held Hostage: Search for the Juncal
    • Water Crisis: Day Zero
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Heart of the Maya: Murder for the Gods
    • Wreck of the Huron: Cuban Secrets
    • Guardians’ Keep: Mystery below the Adriatic
    • Flooding Hollywood: Fanatics at the Dam
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    • Lyin’ Fish
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    • Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery
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      • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
      • Capturing Memories: How to Record Oral Histories
    • Dive-abled: The Leo Morales Story
    • Keep on, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Story
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You are here: Home / Archives for Free Fiction

‘The Last Train To Glen Alum’ Radio Drama

October 2, 2024 By Eric Douglas

 

One hundred and ten years ago, there was a murder, payroll robbery and posse chase through the hills of Mingo County. West Virginia Public Broadcasting reached back to the golden age of radio to create a radio play of the event called “The Last Train to Glen Alum.” Eric Douglas wrote the play. 

‘The Last Train To Glen Alum’ Radio Drama 

Douglas: Let’s talk about the atmosphere in West Virginia in 1914.

Stan Bumgardner: 1914 is in some ways, a pivotal year in West Virginia. There’s no way to quantify this, but certainly one of the deadliest coal mine strikes, or strikes period, in U.S. history was at Paint Creek and Cabin Creek in Kanawha County. At the time of the Glen Alum robbery, prohibition had just come into effect in West Virginia, which happened nearly six years before it happened nationally. 

But what was happening in southern West Virginia was just massive change. And I mean, everything was changing. Before the Civil War, and even after the Civil War, you know, this had been a sparsely populated area, just some scattered farmland, and really not much of that because of the terrain. If you look at the census numbers, very few people lived in Mingo County, and in certain parts of McDowell County, very few people lived there until the railroads came. The railroad started coming in the 1880s and then by the 1890s, the Norfolk and Western had reached what’s now Mingo County. At that time it was part of Logan County. Mingo County is our newest county. It came in in 1895 and it’s almost solely due to the arrival of the N&W, the Norfolk and Western, and the opening of coal mines. Towns were being built, seemingly overnight, they were all over the place in that part of the state, and places where almost nobody had lived.

Filed Under: Free Fiction Tagged With: adventure, Audio drama, books, free fiction, thriller novels

Dreaming of a White Christmas: Advent Ghosts

December 22, 2023 By Eric Douglas

Each year at this time, my friend Loren Eaton organizes Advent Ghosts. It’s simply an opportunity for writers to have a little fun and continue the very old tradition of telling “scary ghost stories” around the yule log during the Christmas season. 

There are no prizes, and it isn’t a contest. The catch is this is flash fiction. As Loren says, “100 words, no more, no less.” The challenge is telling a complete story using a word count novelists would consider their opening paragraph. 

On the free short fiction page on my website, you can read previous efforts. (I took a couple years off during COVID.) Below are my stories from this year. 

 

White Christmas

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…” plays on the radio. 

“I don’t know why they play that silly song here. It’s not like it’s ever going to snow.”

Announcer interrupts the music. 

“The first nuclear missiles have already exploded in the now white-hot war between nuclear powers India and Pakistan. It’s unknown if other countries will get involved, but fallout from the blasts is expected to cover the globe.” 

“That’s on the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter to us,” Momma says. 

Momma come to the window! It’s snowing outside!

How can that be? We live in Miami!

 

Krampus goes up town

Ted sat at the bar dejected. All of his investments and real estate deals collapsed. He lost everything. 

They wouldn’t stop playing Christmas music. 

“Who cares if it’s Christmas eve? The markets are closed and I can’t fix things,” he slurred at the bar. 

A distinguished man entered and sat beside Ted. 

“Why so glum?” 

Ted laid out his tale of woe. 

“Ted, were you honest in your dealings?”

“I might have cut corners. Everything was only going up and then it just collapsed today!”

“Have you ever heard of Krampus?” The man’s smile didn’t reach his dark, cold eyes.

Filed Under: Free Fiction Tagged With: advent ghosts, flash fiction

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my friends, 

December 14, 2023 By Eric Douglas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my friends, 

For some of us, this has been a tough year — it feels like we’ve all been saying that for the last several years, of course. Still, I’m glad this one is nearly in the rearview mirror. 

I’ve been making a conscious effort to get myself in the Christmas spirit this year. I’ve decorated my office and have gone to several events as well. 

A friend of mine organizes a flash fiction event for holiday ghost stories called Advent Ghosts 2023. One hundred words, no more, no less. I haven’t participated the last couple years, telling myself I didn’t have the time. But this year, I made time. It felt good to get back to normal. The flash fiction pieces I am contributing this year are below. 

I’ve also written a couple longer short stories that I’d like to share with you. They are free on my website. One is a Santa origin story. It includes time travel. Santa is from Outer Space

A more serious story called Pearl Harbor Christmas is based on the true story, and other survivor stories, from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tony Sereno was missing for 18 days until his family got a telegram that he was alive. 

On the free short fiction page on my website, you can find links to previous Advent Ghosts flash fiction submissions. 

This year’s submissions.

 

White Christmas

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…” plays on the radio. 

“I don’t know why they play that silly song here. It’s not like it’s ever going to snow.”

Announcer interrupts music. 

“The first nuclear missiles have already exploded in the now white-hot war between nuclear powers India and Pakistan. It’s unknown if other countries will get involved, but fallout from the blasts is expected to cover the globe.” 

“That’s on the other side of the world. It doesn’t really matter to us,” Momma says. 

Momma come to the window! It’s snowing outside!

How can that be? We live in Miami!

 

Krampus goes up town

Ted sat at the bar dejected. All of his investments and real estate deals collapsed. He lost everything. 

They wouldn’t stop playing Christmas music. 

“Who cares if it’s Christmas eve? The markets are closed and I can’t fix things,” he slurred at the bar. 

A distinguished man entered and sat beside Ted. 

“Why so glum?” 

Ted laid out his tale of woe. 

“Ted, were you honest in your dealings?”

“I might have cut corners. Everything was only going up and then it just collapsed today!”

“Have you ever heard of Krampus?” The man’s smile didn’t reach his dark, cold eyes.

Lastly, I’ve put a Mike Scott novella on sale. This isn’t a countdown deal. It’s just $0.99 (or equivalent) in all Amazon markets around the world. But get it now before it goes back up to full price!

Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao

A jet plane crashes in the waters off of the island nation of Curacao catapulting international news photographer Mike Scott on a chase to figure out who brought down the plane and why. More importantly, he must save the life of the pilot he rescued from the water after the crash and his own life in the process.

 Oil and Water weaves a story of international intrigue with oil cartels and mercenaries sent to disrupt their plans.

https://www.booksbyeric.com/book/oil-and-water/

That’s enough for now. Happy Holidays to everyone and see you in the new year.

Eric

 

Filed Under: Free Fiction Tagged With: books, flash fiction, free fiction, Mike Scott thrillers

Going to the circus!

February 20, 2023 By Eric Douglas

To unfamiliar eyes, everything around them was chaos. Men and women scurried around. Some were in costumes, others in athletic training gear. A half dozen songs played as dancers practiced their choreography.  

But, to a circus performer, this was the real magic of the show. Everything it took to produce a modern-day circus was happening at once. Acrobats, clowns, gymnasts, and daredevils came together from nearly as many nations as existed on the planet. And they did it for that one kid in the front row at his first circus who was just blown away by the magic of it all.

Nearly every performer had a story about “that” kid. No matter what was going on around them, the kid would stare, and smile and yell and cheer and cry. That was what made it all worth the effort. That was why they loved it.

Before they could take the show on the road, before they could affect that child in the front row, it took hundreds of hours of sweat, blood, tears and screams of their own.

Photojournalist Mike Scott was there to capture that part of the story – the spectacle behind the spectacle at the circus’ winter home in Florida. It was circus school.

On his third day there, one of the administrators of the training program, Karl Klapproth, lead Mike around. Karl was a former performer in his own right, so he was able to give Mike special insight into some of the acts that were still in development.

“What’s this thing for,” Mike asked as they passed by a 30-foot-tall acrylic tube filled with water. The tank was like one you would find in a large public aquarium where the fish swim in the water column.

“Oh, that’s a new underwater act. The tube is six feet wide. A group of swimmers does an underwater ballet inside. They swim down in twos and threes to the bottom and perform. It’s very impressive to watch. They stay under an incredible amount of time and you wouldn’t think there was enough room for all of it, but they make it look amazing,” Karl said.

“I’ve done some freediving myself. Thirty feet is about my limit on a good day and I’m sure I wouldn’t have time on the bottom to do stunts,” Mike said. “Are they going to be practicing any time soon. I’d like to watch.”

At 6’2” and 220 pounds, with dark wavy hair, Mike was a big man. He stayed in shape mostly by traveling and being active. He loved scuba diving when he wasn’t working, and he combined his two loves into underwater photography when he wasn’t on assignment. He spent a lot of time diving the Caribbean but also loved to dive the shipwrecks near his home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

“I’m not sure when they’re going to practice again, but I’ll be sure and find out for you,” Karl told him.

“So, is that performance going to make it in the show this year? How do you decide what acts are featured each year and which ones never leave Florida,” Mike asked as they walked away from the tank.

“It’s interesting you ask that. There is a very involved process where choreographers and designers at our headquarters review possible acts, including the staple performances that everyone expects at the circus – the clowns, the high-flying acts, that sort of thing – and decides what else can fit with the theme of the show. Each show has a look and feel, and each act has to work with that look. Then they design costumes and figure out how to make it all work together,” Karl explained.

After a particularly grueling assignment in a war zone, Mike’s boss had suggested the circus school as a story and Mike jumped at it. After just a few days, he was surprised how much the experience had affected him. Lately, telling the big stories felt like it was wearing him down. Maybe he was getting older, but it was harder and harder to move on to the next assignment. But being here was inspiring Mike all over again. People doing this for the pure joy and satisfaction of it. They couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Like most closed groups, the performers and stagehands met Mike with some skepticism. They had all seen their fair share of reporters and photographers come to the training ground with an angle or an axe to grind. But they soon discovered Mike was different.

“Help!” came a terrified scream from behind Mike and Karl. “Ridian fell into the tank. Someone please help!”

Mike had walked about 20 feet from the acrylic tube with Karl. He could clearly see a lifeless body sinking in the tank.

Unconscious.

Mike tossed his camera bag to Karl as he bolted for the spiral staircase that led to the top of the tank. “What happened?” Mike shouted as he ran, taking the steps two at a time.

“Ridian said his father was going to let him in the act and we snuck up here as soon as you left. He was showing off and then slipped and hit his head. He just sank,” the young girl said as she began to sob.

When Mike reached the top of the stairs, he immediately stripped down to his shorts.

The sprint to the tank and charging up the stairs had Mike nearly out of breath.

He took a moment to focus on what he was going to have to do. Looking around, he saw what he would need to get down. Two weight belts were lying on the floor. The performers had been using them to train with. Each held five pounds of weight.

Mike picked up the belts and draped them over his shoulders, took three quick breaths and did his best to relax. Then he simply stepped in the water and let himself sink.

Cool water rushed all around Mike and shocked his system. It almost caused him to gasp, but he quelled the urge. He forced himself to stay relaxed and still – twisting, turning or struggling would only slow his descent. Mike wanted to save his energy. He was going to have to grab the boy and then swim up with him. That was going to be the hard part.

Mike would also be fighting a quickly dropping supply of oxygen in his system. The exertion of the swim would demand more oxygen from his body than normal. He would be cutting it close by the time he got to the surface.

Touching the hard acrylic bottom of the tank with his feet, Mike’s lungs were already beginning to burn and his mind was telling him to breathe.

Without a mask, Mike could only see blurry shapes. The performers had some equipment in the bottom of the tank that broke up his line of sight making it even harder to see.

Mike knew he had to find the boy quickly. There would be no way he could swim to the surface and make it back down again. And there was no telling when other help would arrive. He was the boy’s only hope.

Then he saw Ridian lying on the floor against a block that formed the base of one of the performer’s supports. Mike dropped to his knees and lifted the boy over his shoulder. Dropping the two weight belts, and with all the energy he had left, Mike sprang from the bottom, propelling the two of them toward the surface.

Mike kicked with his legs as hard as he could and swam upward with his free arm. His mind was screaming for fresh air. His lungs were burning. Mike swallowed, trying to put off the urge to breathe. He had no idea how far he was from the surface. Doubt started to creep into his mind. Can I make it? What if I’m too late? Should I have done this differently? What if I had…?

Mike’s vision began to grow dark and he knew he was close to blacking out.

And then his head broke the surface. As he felt the water fall away and air on his face, Mike took a deep breath. And a second one. And then he was able to focus his eyes. There were people on the stand. Hands reached out and grabbed Ridian from Mike. Others helped Mike climb out of the water.

The performers immediately began caring for the boy. One rescuer opened his airway and delivered two rescue breaths. Another performer called 911 while a third began CPR and started giving him oxygen.

After just a minute, Ridian began breathing on his own.

By the time emergency medical services had arrived the boy was beginning to regain consciousness.

There was no question in anyone’s mind that Mike had saved the boy’s life.

Mike would have won the performers’ confidence anyway, but his selfless effort to save the boy opened every door and broke down every barrier that anyone could have even thrown up. They accepted him as family and allowed him inside their homes and allowed him access to their lives without hesitation.

Finally, the circus was putting on a dress rehearsal before taking it on the road. While each of the performers had done their acts hundreds, if not thousands, of times before, this was a chance for everyone to see exactly what the show would look like. And Mike was there for that, too.

Mike didn’t look forward to editing through the images for this article. Ultimately, he might end up publishing 10 photographs from the thousands he took, but he knew he had amazing images that would reveal the circus life to his magazine’s readers. And that was what was important to him.

For him, the stress and the intensity of the assignment were over. Now, he got to enjoy this last night with his new group of friends, not as a photographer. He got to sit in the front row, in the owner’s box, and enjoy the show. He got to be the wide-eyed kid again. And he loved every minute of it.

Filed Under: Books, Free Fiction Tagged With: adventure, diving, free fiction, Mike Scott thrillers, scuba, thriller novels

Halloween 2020 – as if reality wasn’t scary enough

October 30, 2020 By Eric Douglas

Horror is not really my genre, but it’s good to step outside your comfort zone from time to time and see what you can come up with. For several years now, I’ve asked writer friends to join me in writing Halloween short stories. These range from 100-word flash fiction to longer stories.

Each writer posts their stories to their individual websites and then I link from one location. So, be prepared to visit a number of places. Do yourself a favor and look around and see what else they have to offer while you are there.

Exclusive Interview by Patrick Newman

Shift Change by Jon Byrne

Selachimorpha by Loren Eaton

Julie by Connie Kinsey  

A Real Trick and What Noise? By Eric Douglas

 

Check back later as there are a couple more stories on the way!

You can read previous collections of Halloween short stories here.

Filed Under: Free Fiction, New Releases

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Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder — Small groups of travelers have disappeared all over the mid-Atlantic without a trace. When bodies turn up with what appear to be ritual markings, FBI Agent AJ West is on the hunt for what might be a serial killer. Or something even more sinister. It’s a race against […]

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