Planning Ahead. . .Christmas Novella Cover Reveal!

New Christmas novella, in edits now...cover reveal!

CATTYWAMPUS CHRISTMAS--A Fantasy Adventure, is based on one of my award-winning plays for young people, Dot & the (Amazing Technicolor) Quest for the Real Santa Clause.

It's all about a crazy Texas family, a runaway inflatable Santa Clause, a little accident that leads to an adventure, toys that come to life and what happens when Santa has to outsource to Mars. (Mars? Really? Yep.)

Oh, and it's all about family, and holiday traditions.  Hope you like it.

Publication Date: November 10.

New Fall Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery E-Story!

Yes, I know it's a bit early, but I wanted to get this out where my readers can find it in time for their holiday read-a-thons. :-)

A new "Nameless, Texas" holiday/Thanksgiving story!

DEATH AT DO-LOLLY'S DINER

Available now at Amazon.com for the Kindle (and free apps for other devices).

Story cover features my grandmother's vintage turkey salt and pepper shakers, Made in Japan

What I see from my windows...

THE AUTHOR TAKES A BREAK. . .

THINGS I SEE FROM MY WINDOW 

CEMENT RABBITS

BIRDIES

 

ANTIQUE ROSES

PURPLE IRISES

SUNDIAL

Back to work!

 

New Cozy-Noir Anthology Out!

When Andrew MacRae of Darkhouse Books sent out his call for cozy-noir stories for their first published anthology, many of my short story author friends thought, what the heck? LOL. At first, I ignored it because that's not the kind of stuff I usually write. Then, as so many of these things do, it bored into my brain and sat there, and pulsated, and grew and I thought, hmmm, why not?

I did a bit of research. Got on Google and surfed around all the sites that discuss noir movies and novels and I realized how many of them are my favorites. I thought, well, maybe I can do this. For a challenge. For a few laughs. Hmmm. . .

Before long, I got a vision of a slinky dame---and of course, she was blonde. And buxom. And she was sitting on a bar stool in a smoky old Texas beer joint. "Well, HEY there, good lookin'!" I said. "What are YOU up to?"  

I frequently ask my characters what they're up to. You'd be surprised what they tell me.

Then little snippets of dialogue started running through my head.

One of these snippets of dialogue in particular turned into the first line of my finished story "Dead Dames Don't Wear Diamonds."

"I wonder how many damned fools have been led astray by a blue-eyed buxom blonde whispering the simple phrase through her blood-red lips -- "All you have to do is--  ""

The voice was of a male protagonist. Which was interesting, since I'd never written a story with a male POV before.  He gets into a bit of trouble. Of course, it's all the blonde's fault. LOL. I'm not sure how many people will recognize all the references to other noir books and movies I included in the story, but it was fun fitting them in.

I guess I pulled it off, because the story was accepted and published in the book along with others by authors Robert Lopresti, Deborah Auten, Judy Brownsword, Magdalena Jones, Herschel Cozine, L.E. Schwaller, Percy Spurlark Parker, Michael Guillebeau, Kate McCorkle, David Himmel, Lynn Kinnaman, Wenda Morrone and John Haas.

I'm pleased to be in this anthology for several reasons. One, it's my first published story in an anthology. Two, it's my first fiction story published in print (and e-book) by a small press and three, I'm in some great company.

The book is out now, for sale on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Anthology-Cozy-Noir-Mystery-stories/dp/0990842800

Take a look, read a sample. It's a good one.

Happy trails,

bobbi c.

Readers love DYE, DYEING, DEAD

Two great 5-Star Amazon reviews for my new "Nameless, Texas" novella, DYE, DYEING, DEAD:

A Delightful Mystery, August 27, 2014
 

"A great read, perfect for summer reading, or a cool, rainy fall day. As a native Texan, I found much of the dialogue familiar and fun. The characters are broadly drawn, but definitely true to the Lone Star mystique. If you're hankering for an engaging mystery with an entertaining cast of characters, this will more than fill the bill. Dying to see what Chukran has up her sleeve next for the folks in Nameless, Texas."

A Romp, October 5, 2014
 

"What a romp! With quirky characters, secrets large and small, a town with a personality all its own, and a solid plot, I found myself smiling more often than not when reading Dye, Dyeing, Dead. I hope more books about Kendra, Aunt Jewel, and Nameless, Texas are coming soon."

 

Thanks, y'all!

 

bobbi c.

Where do you get your short story ideas, anyway?

Most authors are asked that question at least once in their career, if not many times. I get the same question, although sometimes it's worded differently. Like, "Why do you write such strange stories?" or "Where on earth do you get such strange ideas?" LOL. People are surprised when I tell them that most of my stories come from simple things that happen in real life. Or they come from something I wonder about.

For example, in my first short story collection that was just released, HALLOWEEN THIRTEEN--A Collection of Mysteriously Macabre Tales, all of the stories were inspired by everyday occurrences.

Breakfast du Jour, my tale of comedic West Texas zombies, was inspired by a long-ago memory of driving down an inky black highway and seeing an old neon sign in the distance. Out there, in the dark, the road turns into a shimmery snake-like mirage and you see all sorts of things. Or you THINK you do. :-)

Phone Calls from Dead People was inspired by something my grandmother used to say.

One of only two poems in the collection, Catalyst, was inspired by watching how crazy my cats get sometimes in the middle of the night. I wondered, are they affected by phases of the moon? The other poem, Phantom Lover,  was triggered by a dog barking in the night.

My tale of the Poes, Edgar Allan and Virginia, Forevermore, was inspired by thinking how hard it must be sometimes to live with a famous author.

A reader's favorite, Best Halloween Ever, 1965, was inspired by a childhood memory.

Vampire Fever (or Hairum-Scarum Vampire), started out as a spoof of the classic DRACULA novel I wrote titled THE JOURNAL OF MINA HARKER. I wanted a shorter version with an alternative ending. And I'll admit it's a bit of a fun poke at all the vampire stories that have been swooping around the last few years.

Of course, I just can't help myself, I have to put a bit of black humor into my stories. Believe me, I've tried to write them otherwise and it just doesn't work.

For me, coming up with the ideas is the easy part. I love writing holiday stories and although most of these are not Halloween stories per se, they can be enjoyed at Halloween, read-aloud (most are rated PG-13) and shared with others who like their short fiction a little, how shall we say, straaaange?

If you're a fan of strange stories, please check out my collection.

Available on Amazon.com as an e-book; paperback to come

Happy trails from Texas!

bobbi c.

Announcing, a new Halloween Short Story Collection!

My new short story collection, HALLOWEEN THIRTEEN--A Collection of Mysteriously Macabre Tales, is now available as an e-book on Amazon for only $2.99.

http://amzn.to/1t3yTFv

It features thirteen stories written over a period of 25-years, most of them within the last five years. The stories are quirky, strange, a bit macabre and mysterious with my signature strange sense of humor.  These are some of the most fun stories I've written, so I really hope you're enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

And yes, that's Louie Eduardo on the cover, taken a few years ago.

The book is over 12,000 words in thirteen short stories and two poems and has a linked Table of Contents. PLUS a bonus excerpt from my new novella, DYE, DYEING, DEAD.

Stories included are:

Best Halloween Ever, 1965

Little Window in the Door

Phantom Lover, a Poem

Breakfast du Jour

Catalyst, a Poem

Edgar Allan and Virginia, Forevermore

Phone Calls from Dead People

Revenge of the Ulagu

The Winged Crusader

Think of the Snakes

Mistaken Identity

Vampire Fever

Good Neighbors

Several of the short stories included in this collection have been published online in places like Mysterical-E, Kings River Life and The Clockwise Cat.

Best Halloween Ever,1965 is still available as a single short story for the Kindle on Amazon.com. Vampire Fever is excerpted from THE JOURNAL OF MINA HARKER (my DRACULA adaptation novella) and published with an alternate ending.

All of the other stories and poems are original to this collection, never before seen.