Yet another blogging buddy...the wonderful Ellie Garratt...has broached the publishing barrier, and its with a book of nine dark fiction stories that may just
give you nightmares.
A man lives to regret Passing Time.
A father will do anything to save his son in Expiration Date. An author
finds out her worst nightmare is back in The Devil’s Song. A woman gets
more than the claim fee when she takes out vampire insurance in Luna Black.
In Dining in Hell, the Death Valley
Diner becomes the wrong place to stop.
A serial killer wants to add another file to
his collection in The Vegas Screamer. In Eating Mr. Bone, an
undertaker could meet an unfortunate end. A con man meets his first ghost in Land
of the Free. And will truth finally be set free in The Letter?
I made up my mind to kill a woman I was hitching a ride with after we’d clocked a hundred kilometres on the odometer. I always decided that way. If I couldn’t stand a woman’s company for that long, it wasn’t worth the trouble of killing her. Fran was different. I could have gone from the west to east coast with her–she was worth the time.
“I remember how good it was to drive off road,” Fran said, checking her rear view mirror. “Nothing like these cruise-controlled sedans, driving on faultless asphalt highways. With gravel you felt every stone. You knew what gears were then, I can tell you.”
I’d heard it all before. Fran had driven on every road surface known to man.
“You never felt the urge to drive before the accident?” she asked, glancing sideways at my prosthetic arm.
“No need. Limos all the way in our family,” I answered.
“Jeez. Must have been good.”
“Not really.”
“Oh,” she said, open-mouthed. “Did you have a chauffeur?”
“Yep.”
With my good arm, I reached for the window control button and remembered it was broken. Instead, I used a gloved hand to lower the window a few inches. A cool wind whipped around my face. Temperatures on this stretch of the American highway could reach forty-four degrees Celsius, and I was grateful for the breeze.
“He was called Lionel,” I said, pausing to lower the window another couple of inches. “I swear he was twice my height and size. He’d drive me to and from school, sports club, the mall, and any other extra after-school activities. The thing that amazed me was how immaculate his uniform always looked. Not a crease or speck of dirt. Always wore his jacket, too–even on the warmest days.”
“I seem to attract anything loose in this car,” Fran said, fussing with her top.
I could saw dog or cat hairs speckled over her cardigan and pants. She was an attractive woman for her age–had that wholesome glow about her–but she talked too much for my liking. That was what made her special. She’d be a good screamer.
I'm sold...how about you? Here's where you can get Passing Time.
About The Author
A life-long addiction to reading science
fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s
passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to
be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in
anthologies and online. Passing Time is her first eBook collection and
contains nine previously published stories. Her science fiction collection Taking
Time will be published later in the year.
Author Links
I'm wishing Ellie all the best with her book! Did I mention there's a giveaway? Signup below to receive some free goodies!
Hi DL .. definitely on my radar to buy .. those stories sound exceedingly tempting and difficult to put down .. and I love the cover Ellie has chosen ...
ReplyDeleteGood luck to Ellie and cheers for now - Hilary
Thank you, Hilary!
DeleteShe'd be a good screamer - horror is all about the scream queens! Great excerpt, Ellie.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex. I had to have one scream queen in there!
Delete>:0
ReplyDeleteWell, that freaked me out. Great excerpt!
Is it wrong I'm smiling now?
DeleteCreepy! Good luck to her!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tiana.
DeleteGood luck with this, Ellie :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzanne!
DeleteHe'd be the poster child for why you don't hitchhike.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. Although he's the hitchhiker ;)
DeleteEllie's great and this totally gave me the shivers - that last line rocks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jemi! Muhahaha.
DeleteOh my goodness, creepy! That last line!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel. I'm pleased it had the desired reaction.
DeleteI'm hosting Ellie too. She's absolutely fabulous! I can't wait to sink my teeth into these short stories.
ReplyDeleteHehe. Glad they've made you hungry for more!
DeleteOh, this is SO not something I would read, but I WANT to! I hate getting scared on purpose! But...
ReplyDeleteGo on. I dare you!
DeleteThank you again for hosting me, DL. I would have been here earlier were it not for the horrid day job!
ReplyDeleteI love this cover. Good luck, Ellie. Sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rebecca!
DeleteThat excerpt sure sold ME! I just bought it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Let me know what you think of it.
DeleteCongrats to you, Ellie! What a creepy premise. I must admit, thanks to my mother, I have a lifelong fear of hitchhikers for this very reason--she was convinced anyone "needing" a ride was out to kill you. So, unfortunately for anyone who actually might need help out there, I was trained to fear them, but this sounds like a good read for me!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Colby. Your mother was probably right in teaching you to fear hitchhikers - well definitely in this case!
Delete