Curtains (20 page)

How to Build Your Own Coffin
—I
conducted one of those “vanity searches,” where you Google your
name on the Internet under the guise of testing the effectiveness
of promotional efforts while you’re really just seeing if anyone
out there is talking about you. And I came to another Scott
Nicholson’s Web page called “How to Build Your Own Coffin.”
Seriously. Step by step instructions, with great attention to
craft. How could I pass that one up? Originally appeared in the
respected U.K. publication
Crimewave #8
in 2005.

The Name Game
—I was toying with the
idea of fake identities and how lucky it would be if your fake
identity turned up dead and it wasn’t you. Especially if someone
wanted you dead. Of course, there’s also the problem of trying to
rebuild a life from scratch. And it can get confusing after a while
when you burn through a few false identities. Appeared in
The
Death Panel
anthology in 2009.

Good Fences
—Like most good stories,
this one grew from a real incident. A geezery neighbor up the road
would come down and straighten our corner fence post whenever it
leaned just a little, and I got so perturbed by the presumptuous
habit that I started deliberately knocking the pole out of true,
just to see how long it would take him to come creaking down with
his hammer and nails. Something like that, you just have to use
your imagination to take it to the next level. Published in the
Cemetery Dance anthology
Shivers V
in 2008.

The Agreement
—(From J.A.
Konrath
)
: I wrote this in college, and never tried to
publish it because I considered it too violent. But after selling
several stories to Ellery Queen, I still couldn’t crack its sister
publication, Alfred Hitchcock. After a handful of rejections, I
sent them this, and they bought it. I liked the last line so much
I’ve reused it a few times in other stories.

Kill Your Darlings
—The title is from
something Faulkner supposedly said, though I’ve seen it attributed
to a couple of other writers. The idea is a writer must cut every
precious phrase, no matter how elegant and beautiful, if that
phrase does not further the story. I’ll admit, the
writer-as-protagonist bit is a darling in itself. So shoot me.
First published in
Blue Murder Magazine #5
in 1997.

Making Ends Meet
—Simon Wood is author
of four novels, including
Asking for Trouble
and
The Fall
Guy
. He’s also written more than 170 short stories. He’s an
Anthony Award winner, pilot, adventurer, and licensed private
investigator. A true talent, his stories explore the dark human
heart and the fallibility in all of us. Visit him at
www.simonwood.net.

Sewing Circle
– Inspired by a true
incident in which I wrote what we in the journalism trade call a
“fluff piece” about a local quilting group. The leader of the
group, who wasn’t present and was barely mentioned in the article,
harassed me endlessly about a minor error, to the point that I
decided she was vengeful that I hadn’t made her the centerpiece of
the article. Since the group met at a church, it was easy to spin
the idea to its most absurd and extreme conclusion. Originally
published in the 2008 collection
Scattered Ashes
.

Nothing Personal, But You Gotta
Die
—I’ve tried a few “flip sides,” where I’ve spun stories off
of event sin another story, and here Mikey has been given the job
of tracking down Robert Wells, from “The Name Game,” only Mikey
knows him by his real name of Vincent. There’s probably a sequel in
here somewhere. This is its first appearance.

Watermelon
– I’m almost embarrassed to
admit this is autobiographical, but if you’ve read the book, then
you’ve caught me with my pants down, anyway. One night, while
drunk, I yanked a watermelon from the fridge and beat the holy hell
out of it, ramming my fist inside and yanking out the pink pulp. I
wasn’t even that angry. But I imagined that was the sort of diffuse
outlet that prevented some greater atrocity somewhere else. And as
with the protagonist here, you suspect worse things down the road,
life goes on, and hell lasts forever. Appeared in
Cemetery Dance
#51
in 2005.

About the author:

I have written 12 novels, including
The
Red Church, Speed Dating with the Dead, Disintegration,
and
The Skull Ring
.

Other electronic works include
Burial to
Follow
and the story collections
Ashes, The First,
Murdermouth, Gateway Drug,
and
Flowers.
I live in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where I write for a
newspaper, play guitar, raise an organic garden, and work as a
freelance fiction editor.

Come to the Haunted Computer, become a Spooky
Microchip, and help me build my next book. You’ll also find writing
tips, free fiction, and survival tips.

Talk to me
at
[email protected]
,
“hauntedcomputer” on
Twitter
, or
hauntedcomputer.blogspot.com
.
If you enjoyed this book, please tell your friends and give another
Nicholson title a try. If you hated it, why not try another one
anyway? What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and what
does
kill you is probably lurking in my next book. Read on
for more.

You should read these other thrillers because
you deserve a strange, daring adventure:

THE RED CHURCH

Book I in the Sheriff Littlefield Series

By Scott Nicholson

Stoker Award finalist and alternate selection
of the Mystery Guild

For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of
problems: Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant
pest, Melanie Ward either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ
won't stay in his heart. Plus he has to walk past the red church
every day, where the Bell Monster hides with its wings and claws
and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer McFall
is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend
midnight services with her.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red
church for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak
accident at the church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting
to see his brother's ghost. And the ghost keeps demanding, "Free
me." People are dying in Whispering Pines, and the murders coincide
with McFall's return.

The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls
are descendants of the original families that settled the rural
Appalachian community. Those old families share a secret of
betrayal and guilt, and McFall wants his congregation to prove its
faith. Because he believes he is the Second Son of God, and that
the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.

"Sacrifice is the currency of God," McFall
preaches, and unless Frank and Ronnie stop him, everybody pays.

Learn more about
The Red Church
and
the real Appalachian church that inspired the novel
www.hauntedcomputer.com/redchurch.htm

DRUMMER BOY

Book II in the Sheriff Littlefield Series

By Scott Nicholson

On an Appalachian Mountain ridge, three boys
hear the rattling of a snare drum deep inside a cave known as “The
Jangling Hole,” and the wind carries a whispered name.

An old man who grew up at the foot of the
mountain believes something inside the Hole has been disturbed by a
developer’s bulldozers. Sheriff Frank Littlefield, haunted by his
own past failures, must stand against a public enemy that has no
fear of bullets, bars, or mortal justice. A local reporter believes
the supernatural mysteries are more than just mountain folk
tales.

On the eve of a Civil War reenactment, the
town of Titusville prepares to host a staged battle. The weekend
warriors aren’t aware they will soon be fighting an elusive army. A
troop of Civil War deserters, trapped in the Hole by a long-ago
avalanche, is rising from a long slumber, and the war is far from
over.

And one misfit kid is all that stands between
the town and the cold mouth of hell…

Learn more about
Drummer Boy
and the
Appalachian legend that inspired the novel:
www.hauntedcomputer.com/drummerboy.htm

THE SKULL RING

By Scott Nicholson

Julia Stone will remember, even if it kills
her.

With the help of a therapist, Julia is
piecing together childhood memories of the night her father
vanished. When Julia finds a silver ring that bears the name "Judas
Stone," the past comes creeping back. Someone is leaving strange
messages inside her house, even though the door is locked. The
local handyman offers help, but he has his own shadowy past. And
the cop who investigated her father's disappearance has followed
her to the small mountain town of Elkwood.

Now Julia has a head full of memories, but
she doesn't know which are real. Julia's therapist is playing
games. The handyman is trying to save her, in more ways than one.
And a sinister cult is closing in, claiming ownership of Julia's
body and soul . . . .

Learn more about
The Skull Ring
and
False Recovered Memory Syndrome:
www.hauntedcomputer.com/skullring.htm

SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD

By Scott Nicholson

A paranormal conference at the most haunted
hotel in the Southern Appalachian mountains . . . a man’s promise
to his late wife that he’d summon her spirit . . . a daughter whose
imagination goes to dark places . . . and demonic evil lurking in
the remote hotel’s basement, just waiting to be awoken.

When Digger Wilson brings his paranormal team
to the White Horse Inn, he is skeptical that his dead wife will
keep her half of the bargain. He doesn’t believe in ghosts. But
when one of the conference guests channels a mysterious presence
and an Ouija board spells out a pet phrase known only to Digger and
his wife, his convictions are challenged. And when people start to
disappear, Digger and his daughter Kendra must face the circle of
demons that view the hotel as their personal playground. Because
soon the inn will be closing for good, angels, can’t be trusted,
and demons don’t like to play alone . . .

Learn more about
Speed Dating with the
Dead
and the 2008 paranormal conference and inn that inspired
the novel:
www.hauntedcomputer.com/speeddating.htm

AS I DIE LYING

By Scott Nicholson

Richard Coldiron’s first and last novel
follows his metafictional journey through a troubled childhood,
where he meets his invisible friend, his other invisible
friend...and then some who aren’t so friendly.

There’s Mister Milktoast, the protective
punster; Little Hitler, who leers from the shadows; Loverboy, the
lusty bastard; and Bookworm, who is thoughtful, introspective, and
determined to solve the riddle of Richard’s disintegration into
either madness or genius, and of course only makes things worse.
They reside in the various rooms of his skull, a place known as the
Bone House, and take turns rearranging the furniture. As Richard
works on his autobiography, his minor characters struggle with
their various redemptive arcs.

Richard keeps his cool despite the voices in
his head, but he’s about to get a new tenant: the Insider, a
malevolent soul-hopping spirit that may or may not be born from
Richard’s nightmares and demands a co-writing credit and a little
bit of foot-kissing dark worship.

Now Richard doesn’t know which voice to
trust. The book’s been rejected 117 times. The people he loves keep
turning up dead. And here comes the woman of his dreams.

Learn more about
As I Die Lying
and
the six people in Richard Coldiron’s head:
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/dielying.htm

BURIAL TO FOLLOW

By Scott Nicholson

When Jacob Ridgehorn dies, it's up to Roby
Snow to make sure his soul goes on to the eternal reward. The only
way Roby can do that is convince the Ridgehorn family to eat a
special pie, but a mysterious figure named Johnny Divine is
guarding the crossroads. When peculiar Appalachian Mountain funeral
customs get stirred into the mix, Roby has to perform miracles . .
. or else.

Novella originally published in the Cemetery
Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike.”

Learn more about
Burial to Follow
at
the Haunted Computer:
www.hauntedcomputer.com/burialtofollow.htm

FLOWERS

By Scott Nicholson

Features the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the
Future Award grand-prize winner "The Vampire Shortstop" and other
tales of fantasy for young adult readers, such as “When You Wear
These Shoes” and “In The Heart of November.” Includes a bonus essay
and afterword, as well as a bonus story from the author’s teen-age
files.

Learn more about the young-adult collection
Flowers
and the award-winning “The Vampire Shortstop”:
www.hauntedcomputer.com/flowers.htm

ASHES

By Scott Nicholson

A collection of supernatural and stories by
award-winning author Scott Nicholson, including "Homecoming," "The
Night is an Ally" and "Last Writes." From the author of THE RED
CHURCH, THE SKULL RING, and the story collections FLOWERS and THE
FIRST, these stories visit haunted islands, disturbed families, and
a lighthouse occupied by Edgar Allan Poe. Exclusive introduction by
Jonathan Maberry, author of THE DRAGON FACTORY and GHOST ROAD
BLUES, as well as an afterword.