Free Stories

Here you will find links to stories that I have published, mostly as blog posts, here on the site. They are free to read and enjoy. If you like them, please feel free to comment and/or tell your friends to come and read. Please do not copy or publish any of these in any way or in any place, other than a short excerpt which you may use to publicize or comment on them. Thank you. And enjoy!

Haunted: Dane Torrey doesn’t believe in ghosts. Or the stories that said the ship he just took command of was haunted. But that was before the mysterious lights started appearing. And why does the ship’s cat want him to follow them? Published in 2013

Things That Go Bump in the Night: It’s hard to sleep when there’s a monster up there. Mom says it’s just her imagination. Katy decides to find out for herself if the monster is real. Published in 2014

Academy in the Night: A short Halloween story about a school that isn’t quite what it seems. Published in 2015

Christmas Spirit: A Holiday Tale: Two detectives investigate a serial killer who strikes every year at Christmas, leaving behind a dead body and a cryptic note. Published in 2015

Danse Macabre: Bess accepts a new co-workers invitation to a Halloween party. But there’s something odd about their host, and when he invites her to dance, she’s unsure but accepts. She’s given an apple at the end of the night with instructions for when she gets home. And that’s when things get really weird. Published in 2016

Feed My People: A short dystopian story centering on the struggle to obtain and deliver food in the wake of severe climate change. Available for free download at Smashwords (click on the title to go to the page for downloading). Published in 2016

Boo Who: A small ghost tries to learn how to BOO! but he can only manage a Woo. When his friends tease him, he flies off into the woods where he meets an unexpected friend. A children’s Halloween story. Published in 2017

Catch A Falling Star : All Hallow’s Night: when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest. The night when spirits may walk the world they left behind, and the night sky is filled with streaking lights. If those lights reach the earth, angry souls may walk the world again. Unless the Watcher is there to stop them. Published in 2018

Souler: On Halloween night, the villagers gather on the village green.  They carry with them Soul Cakes, baked to honor the memory of those who died in the past year. But the cakes are more than just a treat. They allow the release of the newly dead from the limbo between this world and the next. For one of the villagers, releasing a loved one forever is a difficult choice. Published in 2019

Get A Clew: A group of friends gather for dinner at the mansion of Jameson and Lila Clew. Before they even get to the soup course, Jameson is discovered murdered. But who did it? And where? With what? A little bit Agatha Christie and a little bit the game of Clue, Get A Clew is a short cozy mystery. Published in 2020.

Leaving Well Enough Alone: A short story set in the world of my urban fantasy series, The Yo-Yo Files. On the way home from an investigation near the Canadian border, Johnny and Cerise stop overnight in a small Massachusetts town. When they visit a local restaurant in an historic old inn, they hear about a ghost that haunts the upstairs, and a mythical local urban legend that may still be living on the banks of the Mighty Mulpus Brook behind the building. Published in 2021.

Halloween 2023: At Your Service (A Yo-Yo Files Short): Tom, a new homeowner, asks Johnny and Cerise to investigate his haunted house. But this one is a bit different. Instead of the usual imp, sprite, or demon, this ghost seems bent on being helpful- picking the new owner’s perfect tie and making tea. Who is he and why is he being so nice? It’s up to Johnny and his favorite yo-yo to figure out what’s going on and what to do about it.