13 Drops of Blood

Daley’s excellent ability to describe the scene draws the reader into the story as even the minor details of the story are brought to life on the page… sure to strike a chord in horror aficionados everywhere.
~ Snakebite Horror

Includes:

The Exhibition: A screamer. My two main characters enjoy a night on the town and venture into a “One Night Only” exhibition called "The Horror Show". They find more terror than they can handle.

The Confession: A throwback tale, reminiscent of Richard Matheson. George Lewis, arrested for murder, desperately explains that he’s not the dangerous one. It’s the man alongside the tracks the police should look for, the man the train rolled past… every few miles.

Baby: The opening scene is a Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan romance. Could there be anything less threatening? Too bad Tom’s a werewolf and Meg’s pregnant. A full moon during the third term is anything but romantic.

Ghost in my Room: Many of my stories are plot driven, but this one focuses on mood. Read it in your bedroom at night, while you are alone.

Jonathan and the Perfect Ten: In this plot-heavy piece Jonathan Weakley is a small-town scientist that creates giant monsters. People are willing to pay good money to see his creations. He figures they’ll pay more to watch the monsters fight. Of course, some of the townsfolk deem giant monsters a problem.. that’s okay. Jon’s got a plan to take care of the non-believers.

The Hanging Tree: In the old west punishment comes swiftly, especially when the crime is murder. But the hanging tree has a terrible reputation, and what dies on the tree doesn't always stay dead.

Thoughts of the Dead: A story like no other––a letter, typed by a dead man. As the living corpse clicks away at the keys some of his words are rooted in logic. Other thoughts, however, are a little tougher to interpret. The dead rarely stay focused… and there are better things for a dead man to do, than type.

Summer of 1816: Mary Shelley is having problems in her personal life. She heads into a terrible storm searching for inspiration, and finds more than that. A monstrous man challenges her thinking and offers her a glimpse of what she desires most.

Fallen: Business as usual during the zombie apocalypse. In this flash fiction piece we catch a glimpse of a man during his final minutes of life, and his first moments of death. It’s a shame he’s in no position to be reborn.

The Relation Ship: I’ve recently been told this piece should be required reading in high school. Maybe because the tale is filled with metaphors and timeless imagery, and was scripted with a gentle touch. It is a hardcore fantasy piece, exploring the innocence of youth and the relationship between a man and woman. Or in this case, a young man and the mythological creature… Lilith.

Suffer Shirley Gunn: One of my favorite sci-fi short stories is called Puppet Show, by Fredric Brown. In Puppet Show an animal speaks. What I enjoyed so much wasn’t the talking animal, but the fact that I believed it. Suffer Shirley Gunn is my take on the hardest sell in fiction: talking animals.

Humpy and Shrivels: When I’m asked to read a story at a writers convention Humpy and Shrivels always sits near the top of my list. I broke all the rules on this one, and wrote a nice big joke: two men sitting in a bar, one by one they leave for home, and enter the cemetery… but of course, the cemetery is haunted. The perfect yarn to share while sitting around the campfire.

Curse of the Blind Eel: Of all the short stories I have written none have caused more of an uproar than this one. Some have called it the funniest story ever written. Others have threatened to pull out their eyes and jump in front of a streetcar. Vampire hunters enter Dracula’s castle, problems ensue… and that’s when the shit hits the floor. Literally.