Excerpts: from the writers and artists of "ME Haunted Love"; Tales of Haunted Love through
The Lovers by Meghan Smith (C)
"I killed him. On a hot night in Deadwater. I regretted it. I regretted nothing. It was the kind of night that forced you indoors. Sweltering, humid, the air alive with the electricity of an oncoming storm. He was angry that I wanted to leave and I was tired of fighting. Of losing. I left him in the alley, his vacant eyes staring at the black clouds rolling in from the sea."
~From the short story, The Ghosts of Deadwater by Amber E. Box
"Winter rain conspires in waves
blown sideways against the windows.
You ask if I dreamed about plotting
to poison you. How did you know?
Traffic snores through the circle,
tires hissing and slipping."
From the poem, Plotting to Poison You by William Doreski
"Every time I turn around,
I hope she were standing there.
I'm longing to hear the sound
Of her voice on the frosty air,
But distance cripples the affair." ~From the poem, Distant by Jonathan Dubey
"You play the Role of Grimm-
Standing with your sheath as you reap
Two iris moons encircle yellow and midnight green
One inside my soul while the other still bleeds."
~From the poem, You Sell Your Soul by Jaclyn Wilson
'“Chocolates, you devil,” she said with an enchanting lilt to her voice. “You know how much I love them. And I’m supposed to be watching my figure. I hear such wonderful things about you, Mark. How well you’re doing in school. Oh don’t look so puzzled. I have my spies. Haven’t noticed any owls hanging around the classroom lately have you?”
I was beginning to think that Clementine had some kind of sixth sense. It enabled her to keep up with my artistic and family doings from what amounted to a death bed over a hundred miles distant. And it was also tuned into an old brick house on Providence’s east side. She said that she and I shared the same spirit. I wondered if I too would mature into some kind of human radio receiver as I grew older."
~From the short story, DARLING CLEMENTINE by John Grey
"…he feels your eyes
reach back, unwinds
seeing through
the sheets like a canopy
re-netting these Caribou reveries
you cling to on repeat."
~From the poem: Through the sheets, From a photograph of Brigitte Bardot in La Femme et le Pantin by Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
"Peter lifted his hands in front of him. The blood dripped from the lines in his palms and slowly, his vision faded. He lifted his head from the concrete, and kept his focus on the blaring lights of the ambulance. In the distance, he heard the sound of his wife screaming, over and over again, like a Banshee heeding the call of death. The high-pitched wails pierced his ears until finally, the weight of his body pulled him under into complete darkness."
~From the short stort story, RESURRECTED by Jaclyn Wilson
"He was suddenly aware of a pain in his leg and he slowly reached down and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket. He looked at the time and saw it was nearly half past one now, only forty-five minutes until the time of night his wife had passed.
He set the phone down on the hood of the fire truck bed and lay back down. He thankfully fell asleep before he could think too long about how much his missed his wife."
~From the short story: The Picture by James Graham
"Doris pushed the stroller up the hill, sweating from the midday heat. She didn't know Maine was supposed to get this hot, not even during the summer, yet here she was. She'd tried to get her mother to watch Carol, but she'd nipped that in the bud before Doris had even asked. The woman wanted her out of the house, to be certain; but when it came time for her to look at a home, she wasn't even willing to watch her granddaughter. Doris shook her head; stubborn old witch, she thought as she powered up the 7th Street incline."
From the short story: Something In The Way by Craig Steven
Summerland of Orbs, Casco Bay by James Rand (c)
"In that instant, they both connected and were magnetized by the chemistry between them. A surge of electricity within that single moment seemed to stop time and bring them back into that dream.
The dream. They’d met across the world while sleeping, in a sultry room with velvet purple curtains, overlooking the sea. The sound of waves were crashing outside below their room, gusts of wind and whitecaps covered the sea as they stood in front of that window, kissing with a furious passion. But when they both woke, Lucy was in America, and Emerick in England; their oceans were calm, and their morning, crisp and clear. That dream was shared by them during the last new moon, where cosmic lovers came together creating their own storm."
~From the short story: The Coach by the Sea: A Tale of Lucy and Emerick by S. J. Galvin
"I stood behind the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Ash blonde hair with tawny highlights fell loosely about her shoulders. I had yet to see her face but knew she was an angel.
It was 3 A.M.. We waited in queue at the "Please wait to be seated sign", the hotel restaurant nearly empty and no one who even looked like an employee in sight. I was staring -- and didn't care if she knew it. I caught a glimpse of her nametag, she was attending the PortConMaine convention. Well, maybe that gave me an in. Unlike some of the attendees, I was dressed like a human and had even bathed recently."
~From the short story: KATRINA by E.J. Shumak
"It was exactly when Helen had moved away from the hallway and entered the living room that she happened to hear those whispers again. Whether they were voices or whatever the hell they turned out to be, that fact scared her very deeply. Those whispers seemed to be like feeble requests, sorrowful lamentations or strange words that she didn’t really understand. She was sure the current emptiness of the place, along with the timeworn objects she had decorated the room with, were simply influencing her and were playing dirty tricks on her mind."
~From the short story: Alena Grigoryevich of New York by Sergio ‘ente per ente’ Palumbo“New York City, city of exaggerations.Place of Herculean ascensionsand perilous falls.”~Kurt Wenzel
"An invisible force pulled Liz Lechman into the forest behind her English home, as though a rope were tied around her heart. There was purpose in her steps. She had just left University and would soon be moving to Maine in America with her husband, but she somehow felt as though she was missing something. She tugged on a button of her coat and peered over her shoulder toward her house, for though she was alone, she wanted to be sure of it. She felt followed, as though a presence shifted behind her. She turned toward the trees again and stepped beneath an abandoned bridge, more like a stone staircase, as fallen leaves skipped over it in the breeze."
~From the short story: Called by Fate by Justine Johnston Hemmestad
The photo below isn't in the book, but the poem by the late George M. Galvin is, and is inspired by The Thing from the novella "Who Goes There", by John W. Campbell, Jr., written under the pen name Don A. Stuart, which is the foundation of "The Thing".
Who Goes There?
by George Mark Galvin
There are time at night
At the sky I stare
And I wonder then
Who goes there?
And in the dark
My mind does see
And ponders what
Does follow me
Who goes there?
As my senses grasp
For truth
Who goes there?
Life is vast
And people unaware
As you watch and you plan
Who goes there . . .?
"Darkness dances like a lover you
will never really know – keeping to
the sides of the dance floor, moving
in and out of shadows. Embracing painfully
then shoving you away. Darkness seeps.
Darkness finds your hand on the street
when everyone has gone home for the night
and you wander alone, abandoned, forgotten.
Darkness creeps."
~From the poem: Darkness by Sybil Fogg
Meet the Artists & Writers
Amber E. Box is a fiction writer, an editor, a teacher, and a confessionalist. Her short stories have recently been featured in Trick or Treat, Call of the Warrior, 1:1000, and The Penmen Review. Her poetry can be found at Poetry WTF, Vimfire Magazine, the Literary Yard, and more. She has recently completed a BA in English Language and Literature from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently pursuing a MA in English and Creative Writing. Amber resides in Texas with her husband, their three small children, and their dog, Edgar. You can follow her experiences on her blog at www.AmberEBox.com.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda is an L.A, Poet who is currently enrolled in the MFA Graduate program at Antioch University in Los Angeles where he lives with his wife and their cat Woody Gold. His poetry has been featured in The Yellow Chair Review, Thick With Conviction, Silver Birch Press and one of his poems was named Cultured Vultures’ Top 3 Poems of the Week. You can connect with Adrian on his website: http://www.adrianernestocepeda.com/
William Doreski lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire. His latest book is City of Palms (AA Press, 2012). He has published three critical studies, including Robert Lowell’s Shifting Colors. His fiction, essays, poetry, and reviews have appeared in many journals, including Massachusetts Review, Notre Dame Review, Worcester Review, The Alembic, New England Quarterly, Harvard Review, Modern Philology, Antioch Review, Natural Bridge. He won the 2010 Aesthetica poetry award.
Jonathan Dubey: Though born in Saint Johnsbury Vermont, Jonathan Dubey has lived his entire life (so far) in the greater Berlin NH, USA area. He graduated Berlin High School in 1997, and worked in the Emergency Medical Service as a Paramedic. Jonathan is very involved with local arts, most specifically Community Theater. His published credits appear in the anthologies; Canopic Jars: Tales of Mummies and Mummification by Great Old Ones Publishing, Anthocon Year 3: Distant Dying Ember by Four Horsemen, and The Idolators of Cthulhu by Alban Lake Publishing.
Sybil Fogg swims in the mysterious recesses of Maine's salty waters. One day, she hopes to emerge carrying the secrets of the deep.
George Mark Galvin was a Vietnam Veteran, Writer, and long-time employee with the once thriving Great Northern Paper Company in Millinocket, Maine. Much of his writing can be found at: Ghost of the Woods: http://gmgalvin.blogspot.com/
S. J. Galvin lives in Maine and among the Dreamlands of her imaginary worlds.
James Graham currently resides in Brewer, Maine. He lives with his beautiful wife Sarah and their two children James the third and Quinn. He now has several published works out there including his debut novel “Beyond the Grave”. Right now James is currently working on editing his newest novel “Pestilence” as well as several other smaller projects. He has also recently begun work on his first screenplay. For more about James or for any exciting news regarding his work please follow him on Facebook at Facebook.com/Writingsbyjames.com
John Grey is an Australian born writer, US resident. Has been published in Weird Tales, Tales of the Talisman, Flapperhouse, Strangely Funny 2 ½ and the scifi anthology, “A Robot, A Cyborg And A Martian Walk Into A Bar” with work upcoming in Dreams and Nightmares, Gargoyle, Hurricane Review and Mudfish.
Justine Johnston Hemmestad is a wife and mother of 7 children, ages ranging from seven to twenty-three. She’s just earned her BLS degree from The University of Iowa, and is pursuing a graduate degree in literature through Northern Arizona University. She hopes to one day publish her novels and teach creative writing and literature.
Sergio “ente per ente” PALUMBO: Sergio is an Italian public servant who graduated from Law School working in the public real estate branch. He has published an extensive amount of writing including: Fantasy Role-Playing illustrated Manual and War Blades. Various other works include publications in and on: American Aphelion Webzine, Weird Year Webzine, Australian SQ Mag, and more. “Now I Lay Me Down To Reap...”, by Sirens Call Publications; “Timeless Worlds” and “Pulpateers”, in British Fantasy Anthology; “The Year's Best Schlock! Sci-Fi 2013”, Schlock Magazine; and Tales of the Undead Hell Whore Anthology by Horrified. (Sergio credits much of his editing assistance to Michele Dutcher, aka Bottomdweller, who holds a BS degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University with minors in Theology & Sociology, and writes Science Fiction. She lives in a carriage house in Old Louisville Kentucky with her border collie, Daisy Dukes.) Sergio is also a scale modeler who likes mostly Science Fiction and Real Space models, some of his little Dioramas have been shown also on some Italian (scale model) magazines like Soldatini, Model Time, Tutto Soldatini and online on American site StarShipModeler, MechaModelComp, on British SFM: UK site and Italian SMF.
James Rand is a radio station manager, musician, and photographer in Maine.
E.J. Shumak: Mr. Shumak lives in metro Chicago, Illinois, and has spent most of his life in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He has been many things, police officer, large cat sanctuary operator, C.P.A. and on again, off again writer. Lately on again. He has held active membership in S.F.W.A. since 1992, and has sold four books, three fantasy novels and one non-fiction along with several dozen short science fiction pieces and non-fiction articles. Some of his current work is available at amazon.com/author/ejshumak.
Meghan Smith is an emerging artist from the United Kingdom. Currently studying for a BA in Fine Art at Manchester School of Art (UK). Meghan has undertaken a range of work from interactive short films where she undertook the make up and styling to exhibitions of her own varied work. Meghan’s core work is influenced by the living form and interpretation of collage. Further examples of work can be seen at www.facebook.com/meghansmithart
Craig Steven: Craig is a member of the Horror Writers Association. He doesn't think he's deserving of this honor, but accepts it regardless. He's been published by Sanitarium, Under The Bed, Jitter Press, and EMP's Creepy Campfire Quarterly. He used to be the editor for Beyond Imagination and Beyond Science Fiction magazines before they were, unfortunately, discontinued. When he's not writing, he's watching rap battles or reading. His life really isn't that much more interesting than yours. If you want to keep up with him, for whatever reason, go to www.writercraig.com and watch him try his hand at being a writer, an endeavor that promises to leave him disappointed.
M. F. Whalen lives and writes in Maine.
Jaclyn Wilson: Jaclyn Wilson's passion for writing was instilled in her at an early age. Along with her love of writing, Jaclyn endows a passion for art and pursues both fiercely. Her accomplishments include an original drawing in a science fiction/fantasy convention magazine, a co-writer for a YA original novel for the television show Charmed, a short story, The Wayward Witch published in the Anthology "Thirteen,” and a short story, The Black Dog of Dartmoor published in a Halloween themed Anthology, ‘Trick or Treat” She is currently working on a contemporary fantasy novel. Jaclyn Wilson is studying for a BA in creative writing/ English and fiction and is expected to graduate in 2015. She also works as a fine arts instructor and hopes to endow her love of art and creativity in others; as well as the passion to inspire, learn, and live. She currently resides in San Diego, California.
