Gristle & Bone (Violent Words: Short Horror Stories and Novellas) - Softcover

Ralston, Duncan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1499776764 ISBN 13: 9781499776768

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

Short and novella-length dark fiction from the twisted imagination of Duncan Ralston.
BABY TEETH
After doctors tell her she can't be pregnant, Candace learns that not every child is a gift.
BEWARE OF DOG
Disgraced soldier Dean Vogel returns to his hometown and confronts the bullies, and a horrifying event, from his past.
VIRAL
A reporter uncovers what really happened to the latest internet sensation, a troubled girl who disappeared on camera.
ARTIFACT (#37)
Gonzo pornographers learn a brutal lesson following a tragedy they inadvertently caused when life imitated "art."
//END USER
Anti-social conspiracy theorist Mason Adler's life is turned upside-down when he begins receiving eerily personal and prophetic spam that could be heralding the Apocalypse.
FAT OF THE LAND
A couple discovers the secret of a tourist town's prosperity may lie in its sinfully delicious cuisine.
SCAVENGERS
When successful restaurant owners Jim and Leanne Taymor confess to a grisly series of small town murders, their neighbor learns the gruesome truth that led them to kill. In Knee High, Nebraska, someone-or something-has been stalking household pets in the dead of night... but would they rather be hunting us?

About this title

From the Author

This book took me about a year to write. Most of the time I loved it, but there were times I wanted to bash my head into a wall and forget I ever thought about writing a short story collection. What started out as "I'm just going to write a few short stories to take a break from my novel," grew into a nasty, raving, 100,000-word beast.

Many of these stories got away from me, and I believe (I hope) that made them better. They grew up strange, wild creatures I barely recognize. The novella, Scavengers, was meant to be a short story, approx. 20 - 30 pages in length, and ended up a little over 85. Baby Teeth was initially about a "phantom pregnancy" and became something much more twisted. //END USER began as a story about what would happen if you replied to all the spam in your inbox and became apocalyptic--the end of all users.

I hope that makes it a better book. I'll leave that for you to decide.

If it frightens you, if it tickles you in the dark, that, at least, was my intent. There's plenty of darkness in here, but you won't have to look hard to find the light. Some stories end on a hopeful note, others... not so much.

Life doesn't always have a happy ending.

About the Author

Duncan Ralston was born in Toronto in 1976, and spent his teens in small-town Ontario. As a "grown-up," Duncan lives with his girlfriend and their dog in Toronto, where he writes dark fiction about the things that frighten, sicken, and delight him. In addition to his twisted short stories found in GRISTLE & BONE and the upcoming THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS, his debut novel, SALVAGE, will haunt various booksellers in November 2015.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1499776764
• ISBN 13: 9781499776768
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 359