Just Stories

In the last fifteen years or so, I started cranking out short stories, thanks to a wonderful writer and friend, John Dixon. I have mentioned this before in blogs perhaps, but he is the one, at NECon in RI, who inspired me to go back and rekindle with my first love, short stories.

Since then I’ve written dozens. Maybe a hundred, maybe more. I don’t track the ones I write, only the ones that have seen print. A few years ago I put out The Collection. These were my favorite dark and creepy stories. Most were very dark, some were lighter. But even the light ones had ghosts.

In the last couple of years though, my writing has moved toward more human darkness, and exposes people as they are in their struggles in triumphs. I didn’t write these for a genre, I wrote them because they were characters in my head screaming for their stories to be told. They are cautionary tales that warn against things like greed, intolerance, cruelty. Most of them are reprints but some were brand-new, written for this collection.

Just Stories, aptly titled, also includes a handful of Drabble stories, which are tales exactly a hundred words long, not including title. I felt these tidbit stories would break up the longer ones.

I hope you enjoy this new collection of stories, published by Shadowridge Press! If you do, please leave a review on Amazon or wherever you can.

Thanks for reading!

Tracy

Please visit my Amazon page to see all my fiction stories and books in one spot.

 

 

 

 

Where has the Time Gone?

The thing about being a writer who also has a full-time job, is that there’s not much time left for blog posts. Sadly there’s also little time for marketing or advertising or schmoozing.

I’ve lived in CA for almost two and half years. Since then my day job workload has really picked up, and we bought the house we were renting. Buying a house isn’t an excuse for not writing but renovating it is. And we’ve done a lot of renovating. But even with that, I have been writing fiction. Just not blog posts.

I finished The Rainbox, a novel, February of 2016. I sent it to several agents. Some I got rejections from, and on some their sites explained that they’re too busy to reply unless they want to see more. I  understand this attitude but they should also understand that writers are ultrasensitive people who read into everything. I had one hold out agent who said they DO reply so when she didn’t after four months I dropped her a line. She apologized and said at that particular time she had a problem with the submissions page and could I resend the first 50 pages? I was miffed but resent. Three months later I got a form rejection. I think it’s fair to say I’m burnt out on the big agents and big publishers.

Most, if not all, of my contacts are in the horror genre. The new book, and most of what I write these days isn’t horror, so I’m relegated to cold calling agencies I find online. I haven’t been doing that  because back to my old point, I have limited time and can’t spend it writing dozens of queries and then waiting upwards of nine months before I try someone else.

I have decided it’s time to proposition Shadowridge Press, my favorite small press who is growing by leaps and bounds and adding many authors I greatly admire. More on that in another post.

In July, Cemetery Riots came out. This is an anthology I edited with T.C. Bennett. This is a fantastic collection of stories by talented authors. It features my story, “Lunch at Mom’s” which was accepted before I came on board.

Last month I finished a new screenplay called Pretty When She Cries which to me is a cross of Precious, Babel, and Requiem for a Dream. A dark story about people with darkness, and how their actions spiral out of control.

I’ve written several new short stories this year. One was bought by a pro market, only to have the market suddenly fold right before it was to be published. Another was sent many, many months ago to what seems to be a great market. But it’s all still in limbo and the editor isn’t giving updates. I have included both of those stories in my new collection, Just Stories. This will be out by the Vintage Paperback show in March 2017 in Glendale and features many new stories.

Big markets and big agents and big publishers have worn me out. If you can land them, great! But for the rest of us the important thing is to keep writing and not let anyone tell you that if you haven’t published with X you’re not a writer. Someone told me a few months ago that if you don’t write every day you’re not a writer. I argued that sometimes real life prevents that and being a writer-to me at least-is an inborn gift, or curse. And I certainly make up for my output when I do write. He smugly stuck to his point. I agree to disagree.

I am still writing fiction all time even if I don’t post about it.  And even if I don’t write every day. I’m still a writer.

Go Patriots!

 

The Proteus Cure

The Proteus Cure is a chilling medical thriller I co-wrote with NY Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson. The formal release date is May 1st, but if you subscribe to this blog or just happen to come across this post, congratulations! You can buy this before everyone else! Here’s a bit about the book, which we’ve kept super secret until now.

“Paul Wilson and Tracy Carbone have penned a winner. The suspense is razor sharp and the characters masterfully drawn. Paul Wilson is at the top of the game, and Tracy Carbone is a welcome addition to the genre. You’ll love The Proteus Cure.” – Michael Palmer, NY Times best selling author of Political Suicide

In medical ethics, the line between right and wrong is often blurred. Who is to decide what is for the good of humanity?

Changing the world. One person at a time…

That is the mission statement of Tethys Hospital, run by Dr. Bill Gilchrist and his deformed sister, Abra. VG723, their revolutionary stem-cell-based therapy, appears to be capable of doing just that for the cancer patients who come to Tethys. VG723 is often their last hope. But if they match the protocol, they’re virtually guaranteed a cure.

Dr. Sheila Takamura, a young, dedicated oncologist, is proud to be involved in the clinical trials. Once the FDA approves it for widespread use, VG723 will revolutionize cancer therapy. That is why she’s alarmed when former patients return with bizarre syndromes. Yes, they’re cancer free, but they’re experiencing dramatic changes in their hair and skin and general appearance. When she investigates a possible link to the protocol, those patients start dying. As the body count grows, Sheila finds her own life in danger. She comes to suspect there might be a literal meaning behind the Tethys motto – but can she learn the truth in time to save herself and millions of others?

“Wilson is one of the masters of the medical thriller.” – Larry King

Click the links here for access to all versions of the book: US Kindle Trade Paperback UK Kindle

No Kindle? No problem.You can download a Kindle app to your tablet or phone. If you want to use your Nook, Sony, or Kobo reader, THE PROTEUS CURE carries no DRM and can be converted to any file type via a program called Calibre. Here’s how:1. Buy THE PROTEUS CURE on Amazon and Select “Transfer via Computer” from the “Deliver to” pull-down menu on the product detail page, and save to your computer.2. Download and install the free program Calibre.3. Open the Calibre program and click ADD BOOKS in the upper left-hand corner, selecting the .azw file you just downloaded onto your computer from Amazon. 4. Once the ebook is in Calibre, highlight it by clicking on it and then click on the CONVERT BOOKS tab. Select the type of file you’d like to convert it to (most of the new ereaders use epub files). 5. Upload the newly created file to your ereader of choice.

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

The Collection and Other Dark Tales

 

 

 DARKNESS AND REDEMPTION, HOPE AND HORROR ALL IN ONE NEAT LITTLE PACKAGE.

DETAILS COMING SOON!