A Hell of Timbers

I dreamed of a house,
lurking in the deepest woods,
a ghost of timbers.

Its windows gleaming,
shining with the awful truth,
that this place was hell.

Dark souls did dark deeds,
the timber floors were stained red.
Redder still their hands.

Cruel hands and black hearts,
souls like pitch, so thick and dark,
devoid of kindness.

Hands wielding sharp blades,
that cut and stab, rending flesh,
freeing soul from bones.

And the house feasted,
eating up these new-shorn souls,
trapping them in hell.

A hell of wood walls,
of burning, glass window-eyes,
of red stained floorboards.

Locked away forever,
trapped by old splinters and sins,
gray shingles and vice.

And when the wind blows,
the trapped spirits moan and cry.
They get no mercy.

I dreamed of a house,
lurking in the deepest woods,
hungry for us all.

Even More Noise

Good morning, gentle readers!
I'm pleased to announce that you can now purchase a physical copy of Random Noise, my latest collection of short stories, from Amazon.  The link to my Amazon Author Page is at the top of the blog.
Thank you for all of your support!
Happy reading!

Rat Queens

Good afternoon, gentle readers!
Today, I want to talk about Rat Queens, a fantasy comic from Image Comics produced by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch.  The book follows the exploits of a group of female adventurers: Betty, Dee, Hannah and Violet.  It was nominated for a 2014 Eisner Award for Best New Series and may soon be adapted as an animated television series.
I've heard of Rat Queens, but never read it until last night. I was wandering through my local bookshop when I came across a copy of the trade paperback and bought it on a whim.
The book is very much an adult fantasy with a breezy narrative and uncomplicated characters. That, I think, is its strength and its weakness.
On the one hand, it would be very easy for new readers to jump aboard.  However, there isn't a lot of substance to the series, either, and I can't honestly say that I feel any strong desire to continue reading it. If I did, it would be solely as trade paperbacks and not as a monthly title.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Rat Queens a 4.  I wouldn't add it to my subscription at my local comic shop, but might glance at the occasional issue on the stand.

Random Noise

Random Noise is a collection of miscellaneous short stories covering a variety of subjects. Here, you can read about the starship pilot visited by his wife's ghost, the floating cities of a distant future consumed by hate, a woman's realization regarding the difficult choices she made and a variety of other stories. Also included is a sequel to one of the author's previous works, The Marvelous Land of Ap.
Currently available for the Kindle and soon-to-be available in paperback via CreateSpace!