Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction | Non-fiction: Adventure with a Purpose

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Everyone loves a Christmas ghost story…

December 22, 2018 By Eric Douglas

Have you ever wondered about the line in the song “Scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago?” People used to gather around the hearth at the winter solstice, days before Christmas, and tell ghost stories to each other.

For several years running now, Loren Eaton has organized the Advent Ghosts collection. (He did take a year off, but the birth of a new child will do that.) He coerces as group of writers to submit original scary Christmas/Solstice-themed stories. The catch is, the stories must be 100 words, no more, no less.

Writing flash fiction is always an interesting exercise in telling a story, with the intent of making someone’s skin crawl using only 100 words. It is just as important what you leave out as what you put in.

Below are my submissions to the effort this year. If you want to read more, go to the Shared Storytelling: Advent Ghosts page on Loren’s I Saw Lightning Fall page and follow the links. There are already a bunch there and more will come throughout the day.

You can also see past year’s submissions on my Free Fiction page.

Enjoy!

Roasting Over an Open Fire

Nothing says the holidays for me like the smell of fresh meat cooking over an open fire in the fireplace. There is just a magical feeling that comes with it. I have so many family memories of hunting with my father and grandfather. And for them, generations before that. I can’t wait to eat.

This year we are going to have a special treat, too. As soon as we get those eight reindeer butchered.

But first, we have to decide what to do about the fat man in the chimney. He should’ve known there was a fire in the fireplace.

Costume?

“That’s a great costume, very realistic. But what are you doing here?”

“I’m Krampus. I take bad children and whip their parents for letting them be ill-mannered.”

“We don’t celebrate that way. We believe in free-range parenting and never discipline our kids. They learn better that way and don’t believe in things that will hurt them. We want them to have a safe space to grow up.”

“You know the real world isn’t like that, right?”

“It’s our choice to protect them and shield them from bad things. Well, anyway, that’s a nice costume.”

“Who said it was a costume?”

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

Halloween Short Fiction 2018

October 30, 2018 By Eric Douglas

For the last several years, I’ve put out a call to writing friends to contribute Halloween short stories to a collection. We do it just for fun and for your entertainment. These stories can range from short stories to flash fiction to anything in between. Below you’ll find the links to the stories. They will take you to the respective writer’s websites to read. While you’re there, check out some of their other stories.

Check back today and tomorrow. I’ll add more as writers submit their stories.

Disclosure by Loren Eaton

Game Night by Patrick Newman

Killer Queen by JD Byrne

Stench: A Medical Horror by Connie Kinsey

When a costume isn’t & Left Behind by Eric Douglas

 

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Filed Under: Free Fiction, New Releases

When a costume isn’t & Left Behind

October 30, 2018 By Eric Douglas

Below are my contributions to my annual Halloween short story collection. These are two flash fiction stories, each exactly 100 words each. For the last several years, I have asked writing friends to contribute their own stories.

Here is the link to read the rest of the submissions. You can find the links to the previous years, plus loads of other free reading goodies, on the Free Fiction page.

 

When a costume isn’t

“That’s a great costume!”

“Wow, you’re so realistic!”

“How did you get your face to look like that?”

People laughed and shouted to friends. Kids ran past, dressed as…well, just about everything. Celebrities, politicians, witches and ghosts and superheroes.

The young woman walked around the neighborhood stunned. She was confused when she first saw the crowds on the street. And then things got weirder when people handed her candy and other treats.

What sort of weird tradition is this? She thought. This is how I look all the time. Wait until I show them what a witch can really do.

 

Left behind

Eric woke up at his usual time on November 1.

He laughed to himself about the BS he heard the night before. The “veil between worlds grows thin on Halloween” the woman walking down the street said. Such rubbish.

The night before, when the kids came around for trick or treat, he kept his lights off and stayed inside. He didn’t believe in handouts.

Eric flipped on the television, but no one was there. The cameras were on, but the talking heads weren’t in their seats.

No one was outside either. Where was everyone? It was like everyone had disappeared.

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Filed Under: Free Fiction, New Releases

Audio version of Frog Head Key

October 19, 2018 By Eric Douglas

Frog Head Key cover artSorting through some older files, I stumbled across an audio version of the Withrow Key thriller short story Frog Head Key. I don’t remember recording it and I’m not sure what I planned to do with it. Audiobooks hadn’t really become a thing yet.

It’s not a perfect recording, but if you like to listen to stories here it is. It’s about an hour long so a good story to put in your ears for a solid workout or a couple work commutes.

The story is part of the Tales from Withrow Key collection or you can download it as a standalone. You can find the links to the direct downloads or read along with the Preview (for the first 20 percent or so) on the book page.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Adventure, Books, Free Fiction

Murder: With a Grain of Salt Serial

September 10, 2018 By Eric Douglas

In October, I will be releasing a serial story called Murder: With a Grain of Salt. This is a period story, set in 1855 in what was then Charleston, Virginia. The story involves murder, horse chases and river boats along with the burgeoning salt industry.

It will be delivered to your email inbox on October 2, 9, 16 and 23. 

If you already receive monthly emails from me, you will still need to sign up for this special list. I don’t want to send out weekly emails to anyone who isn’t interested. 

Murder: With a Grain of Salt

When an upstanding citizen is murdered on the streets of pre-civil war Charleston, Virginia, the wealthy salt barons who control the town are the main suspects. It’s up to newspaperman Reed Donahue to solve the mystery, but someone is trying to stop him from finding out the truth. Will he become the next victim?


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Filed Under: Adventure, Books, Free Fiction, New Releases

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How I got into diving!

https://youtu.be/gKhw-4tORAM

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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