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If you're a reader, and you like stories about Taboos, check out my stories in this new anthology! 

I've been included in a new anthology called “We Were Warned.”  Three stories of mine dealing with taboos keep company with a number of other chilling tales.

  • The Girl in the Cloche Hat , by C.J. Sweet -- In a restaurant in San Francisco near the close of World War I, an American soldier and a young woman from the British Isles are brought together over words in a fortune cookie that could spell doom or good fortune. But should they believe it?
  •  Taboo, by Leif Behmer – The crypt keeper, the priest, the next-door neighbor, the schoolmaster, or their own mother? Two unruly sisters dare to investigate to learn—who is the vampire attacking residents and travelers alike? Can they find out before it’s too late to save Franklin, the village bard, and keep the music going? The clues are unspeakable.
  • It Takes a Village, by Cash AnthonyDuring the annual Gatorfest in Anahuac, TX., the body of an unknown East Indian man appears out of nowhere in the backyard of a B&B. Jessie Carr, P.I., wants to know—could a missing fifteen-year-old girl be involved in this murder?
  • Immaculate Conception, by Adam Cole – Pastor Ron Swaller is caught in an unholy bind.
  • The Dybbuk vs. the Crime Cartel, by Mark H. Phillips – In Depression-era New York, a new hero teaches the underworld a lesson in terror. The criminal masterminds who prey on the weak will learn to fear…the Dybbuk!
  • Devil Dog, by Regina Olson – Charlie was not superstitious. He didn’t believe in vampires, werewolves, or monsters that came out in the dark, until the fateful night when he came face to face with one.
  • The Legend of Stingy Jack, by Dr. Gail Clifford, MD – In an Irish village on Halloween, a young woman tells the tale of Stingy Jack, the original Jack o’Lantern. Can a clever man get away with challenging the Devil?
  •  Flight of the Sparrow, by Adam Cole – A runaway woman from a nearby village is not what she appears to be.
  • Gutshot Straight, by Mark H. Phillips – A gun moll has to follow her man, especially when he’s on a vengeance-fueled race straight to hell!
  • L.A. Abbreviations, by James R. Davis – While the city’s still smoking after the rioting in Watts, two co-workers visit a place in that area where racial stereotypes still draw a laugh.
  • Invisible Evidence, by Cash Anthony – A man lies dead on the floor of his study where he was studying toads as witch familiars. Jessie Carr, P.I., discovers he died while summoning a witch. He did, but not the way she thinks.
  • The Sky People, by Regina OlsonJanet's mother has little tolerance for the cultural stories Grandmother tells, declaring them nothing more than superstitious nonsense. But Janet is fascinated by these magical legends and eager to learn more. When she performs the sacred ceremony of sacrifice her grandmother taught her, it leads Janet into a world of ancient tradition where she learns the shocking truth about the Sky People.
  • Safe Haven, by Adam Cole – In an ideal town surrounded by the memories of a hellish nightmare, one resident must decide how important remembrance is.
  • R’aku, by C.J. Sweet – When Ulrek’s mother is shot out of the sky on her giant condor, the wingrider falls to her death and the condor is severely injured. In his hostile village, Ulrek must choose between killing R’aku, rendered useless for hunting, or taking the condor into the desert when Ulrek is banished, which means a slow death for both.

     

I'm in a new anthology: With Music As Our Muse 

I have THREE SHORT STORIES in an upcoming anthology!  The e-book, WITH MUSIC AS OUR MUSE, will be published on May 29th. This is the 12th anthology of The Final Twist Writer's Society, with 18 short stories included for $4.95. 

You can order it at this link:  With Music as Our Muse: An Anthology of Short Stories: Anthony, Cash, Behmer, Leif, Cole, Adam, Davis, James R., Hull, Ronald W., Olson, Regina, Phillips, Charlotte, Phillips, Mark H., Storfer, Natasha, Sweet, C.J.: 9798394268939: Amazon.com: Books

 

I would appreciate your helping me these three ways:

 1.    Please go to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and any other social media platform you use and post the following notice: 

Texas writers of The Final Twist will release their twelfth anthology this coming week – more than 18 short stories on the theme of Music. Take a look inside WITH MUSIC AS OUR MUSE, ready for pre-order on Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/4v62trfr

2.    Next, go to The Final Twist page on Facebook, and like or comment on or share (or all three) the announcement about the book.  Here’s the link: 

(20+) The Final Twist | Houston TX | Facebook

3. Finally, please go to our Wordpress website and post a comment about the upcoming release. All these exposures will help our readers learn that the book is out.

The Final Twist Writers Society | To Undertake and Complete (wordpress.com)

 Classical music and murder are on the program for two teenagers who sneak into Carnegie Hall. – Conduct Unbecoming, by Mark H. Phillips

 

A renowned violinist whose reputation is in decline must take on a student with no talent for the instrument, and no desire to play it! -- The Teacher, by Adam Cole

 

When Shen’s mother lies dying, he summons a “Singer” from the Blue Mountain—his childhood friend, Liwù, who heals her. When Shen returns to the mountain with an even more unusual request, will the Singer risk her own life to save his village? And will her sister Singers even allow it? – Gifted, by C.J. Sweet

 

When an 11-year-old boy must spend part of his summer alone with his gruff, Yankee grandfather, he satisfies a burning desire: to climb the recessed ladder and explore the forbidden corners in the attic of the old house. The record he finds there will change the whole course of his life. – Heart to Hands, by Cash Anthony

 

Some sing to celebrate, some to express joy, some even sing out a warning. Jason hears all three songs from one beautiful creature captured from the sea . . . until her last one leaves an indelible mark on his soul. – Song of Sorrow, by Regina Olson

 

Two minor wrecks on Highway 69, and biker chick Jessie Carr is caught between them—with an out-of-control auto transport carrier headed straight for her and nowhere to go. Besides the Ford F-250 pickups—soon to be charred wreckage--what else is the driver hauling to Mexico while he listens to Carmen?Singing a Different Tune, by Cash Anthony

 

Think the Pied Piper was made up? How did the rat feel about that music? Will he live to say? -- Hamelin, by C.J. Sweet

 

The destinies of a hobo, a high-wire walker, and a dog trainer converge around Circus Maximus’s decrepit calliope. – Calliope, by Mark H. Phillips

 

They listen to their victims sing before they feed. -- Mark of the Morendo , by Leif Behmer

 

In a series of letters between members of a music department, we discover why a concert pianist has been asked to perform a piece which is physically impossible to play. -- Triste, by Adam Cole

 

A teenage violin prodigy falls prey to murderous thoughts when her younger brother drives her crazy with frustration just as she prepares for the most important audition in her life. Lost Harmonies, by Cash Anthony 

 

A million dollars is missing, all because of a moment’s carelessness. Attorney Harry Wilson just can’t remember where he put the password-phrase to access his cryptocurrency wallet—until a story told by his friend George Drake proves that time-travel is possible. – What, Where, and When, by James R. Davis    

 

Family means something to everyone, but Trisha must decide: is hers a blessing, a life-long obligation, or a dreaded curse that must be ended? – My Song, by Regina Olson

 

A final mother-daughter duet. – Notes in Her Heart, by Natasha Storfer

 

Music is such an integral part of our lives that we often feel the urge to sing our favorite songs, regardless of ability. Here, song is the tie that binds two old lovers and brings satisfaction at the end of life. – Sweet Melody of Life, by Ronald W. Hull

 

Who knew researching an obscure blues musician could be so hazardous? – Lead Mine Blues, by Mark H. Phillips

 

When Candace decides to deliberately leave her guitar out of tune in a concert, she summons a stern figure from her past. Will she realize the ramifications of her choice before it’s too late? -- Out of Tune, by Adam Cole

 

A demon tricks a homeless Houston child into putting his family’s fate in its hands—until music reverses the situation. -- A Deal With Samael, by Charlotte Phillips

A Note Before Dying - Cosy Mystery by Adam Cole 

A NOTE BEFORE DYING - THE FIRST MARA SOLOMON MYSTERY

Mara Solomon is a musicologist, not a detective.   

But when her estranged friend, the harpist Reanne Adastra, is brutally beaten to death, her body left to rot in the South River, Mara takes up the case.  The only clue seems to be a piece of music, scrawled by Adastra before her death and left behind.  The police have no idea what to make of that.

But Mara thinks she knows.

Buy at Our Booklocker Store

Buy on Amazon

Motherless Child - Novel by Adam Cole - CUSA Series 

MOTHERLESS CHILD

In the Unincorporated States countless tiny communities full of disenfranchised "whites" have forgotten even their own history, while in the cities, the vast Corporation of the United States of America asks anyone not contributing to the bottom line to politely do themselves in.  This is the dystopian novel that came true before Cole could finish writing it.

https://booklocker.com/books/10408.html