Drabble Friday June 5th

Sorry, I’ve been busy, as usual. Here are Drabble pieces though, as promised. All a hundred words, exactly. Happy reading!

The Sculptor

Her arm was severed at the elbow four years to the day her car careened over the embankment. “At least it’s only your right hand,” Mother said. “You can still sculpt.” Teri dug the nails of her left hand into the soft clay, creating a horrific face. The right eye welded shut, plastic nose a tad too pointy for reality, as if it were made from plastic and borrowed thigh skin. She looked up from her work and into the mirror to check the details. She stabbed a hole in her clay cheek.  At least it’s only my right face.

The Typist

Tap! Tap! Tap! Adam smashed the antique keys of the storekeeper’s typewriter, writing a letter to God about his dissatisfaction with humanity. “And therefore,” he typed, furiously and for so long that his fingertips bled, “You must, this very minute, deliver us from this curse of knowledge!” Ding! He looked at the keys, stained red, sticky, and slow to return to their original positions. Each minute of each day for what felt like eternity, he had written such a letter to God, begging for reprieve.  Damn that Eve. Damn the apple. “Dear God,” he began again.

The Tree Killer

Marilyn pedaled around the old oak tree on her brand-new tricycle. She’d ridden all day, carving a circle around the tree to mark her territory. Grandma said stop, but Marilyn didn’t listen. Round and round the tree she rode, shiny black tires butchering the grass beneath. The tree swayed its branches in warning but she wasn’t deterred. The tree swung harder, slapped her across the face with its leaves. She pedaled faster. Determined. Thunderous noise roared above. She soldiered on. Slaughtering.  Rumbling grew louder as a shadow enveloped her. A giant branch smashed down upon her. The living grass cheered.

The Hysterical Pregnancy

Five months into Allie’s pregnancy, Dr. Mason informed her there was no fetus. She viewed the ultrasound picture of an empty gray-scale sack. “Screw your tests,” she said. “I’m carrying a child.” Doctor Mason patted her hand. Month six, the baby kicked. Month seven, a tiny hand pushed against her from the inside. Month eight, constant movement convinced her that life grew within. On delivery day, blood and urine tests still reported lack of human life. The doctor bullied her. “It’s in your head.”  Two hours later, a creature akin to a goat ripped from her to start His reign.

The Collection and Other Dark Tales is Here

My long awaited (by me) short story collection is now available in print and on Kindle. The Collection and Other Dark Tales will be up on BN.com soon. My publisher, Shadowridge Press, has outdone himself this time.  He’s put together eighteen of my stories, some old and some brand-new, in a stunning presentation. What’s great about Shadowridge, is that he gets a feel for the content of the book and designs the layout to match the theme. The cover is a good representation of the subtle eeriness of the stories, but he also picks just the right fonts, just the right graphics.

Here is a description of the contents:

The Collection and Other Dark Tales is an eclectic mix of horrific and uplifting tales of the human condition in all its frailty. You will not find gritty, violent horror or torture chambers here. Nor will you find spinoffs of the traditional werewolves, vampires or zombies. What you will find are stories that will bore deep into your heart and mind with psychological twists; where long dead loved ones coming back to haunt…and to save. You’ll find a grisly apartment building with unholy tenants, sociopathic children, jealous mothers – both living and dead, the truth about snow angels, and lost love that reaches out beyond the grave. Predators and prey all vie to tell their stories in these pages. 

This compilation of cautionary tales tells of humanity in all its beauty and ugliness. And there is no greater horror than that.

Get your copy now-HERE. 

And check my AMAZON PAGE for other stories and novels. My WEBSITE will keep you current. CLICK HERE for upcoming book signings.

Want a signed copy? CLICK HERE to try and win one on Goodreads, now till April 4th.

Thanks for reading,

Tracy L. Carbone

Table of Contents for The Collection

The Collection and Other Dark Tales, is comprised of reprints and new stories by Tracy L. Carbone, and will be available from Shadowridge Press the end of March 2013. Though some of these have been previously made available on Kindle, many have never been in print and several are brand-new, written specifically for this book. Each of the stories contains an intro by the author, with a note as to its inspiration. This eclectic grouping has tales of romance, love, horror, human frailty, and plenty of ghosts.

Cover image coming soon!

Below is the table of contents for The Collection and Other Dark Tales. 

Rent Control

The Agreement

The Truth About Snow Angels

The Tattooed Woman

The Folks

Obligation

Pretty Pig Let Me In

Stone Man

Scent of Lilacs

Waste Not Want Not

The Relocation of Susan

It’s Always Now

The Attic

An Old Man and His Dog

The Collection

One Minute

The Jacuzzi

The Elephant Graveyard

Countdown to Restitution

My first mainstream adult novel will be formally released at this year’s Anthology Conference the weekend of November 9-11, 2012. It’s called Restitution and I am excited this book is coming to fruition.

This is a novel I wrote for the NANOWRIMO competition two years ago. It was written in a whirl of creativity and sleeplessness with the help of a full bottle of Black Bush and my trusty Mac computer. 30 solid days of writing. By the end my hands were sore, my eyes were blood-red and I had an overwritten story that I forced to 50,000 words to finish.

Almost two years later I opened it up, read and thought, WOW! Except for those last 5,000 words that turned to story into a miasma of crap. Easy fix. Deleted the words I didn’t need-which should always be a major step. I rewrote, renamed some characters and then edited it about four more times. Then some folks read it so I edited it again. And again. And then one fine day, it was done. Well except for that very last edit.

Throughout the month I will be posting more information but for tonight a quote and the synopsis.

A blurb from one of  my early readers, Kristi Petersen Schoonover: 

“Restitution is a tension-filled ride…a fast-paced twister of a mystery that will fill readers with dark glee and leave them breathless.”
— Kristi Petersen Schoonover, author of Bad Apple and Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole: Tales from Haunted Disney World

So what’s it all about? Here’s the synopsis:

Destiny intervenes for Tucker Millis, a delusional writer who needs a purpose in life and a plot for his new novel. When he discovers his new phone number once belonged to a man on the verge of turning himself in for a twenty-five year old murder, it’s a dream come true. Tucker uses the messages and calls intended for the murderer to manipulate lives and to craft his story. But he’s propelled back to reality when he can no longer escape the full horror and dire consequences of the world he’s created.

In upcoming posts I’ll reveal my inspiration for the book, the writing process, and how it is to work with my new publisher.

Can’t wait till the book comes out to read my fiction? Check out some short stories to hold you over. CLICK HERE.

-Thanks and happy writing

Tracy