The Bones Abode

William lived life as best he could—which isn't saying much, given his tendency to drink, steal, and occasionally murder. The whole time without him knowing it, he was under the control of an energy sucking ghost, Goblin the Vampyre. William found love in one woman, Matilda, but Goblin made sure that ended badly. William's life unravels seven years, when in a drunken stupor, he unknowingly killed Matilda. William is then beheaded...without ever knowing he has a son from his union with Matilda. The Wheels of Reincarnation housed on the Eastern Star, dictate William must remain in the Bones Abode, until his mortal remains crumble to dust. Matilda, on the other hand, lies in rest in the Bones Abode waiting to reincarnate soon, being the victim of such a hideous crime through no fault of her own. Death, the caretaker of the Bones Abode, doesn't find anything unusual about this, however, when Matilda's son, young William, commits suicide to try to find his mother in the afterlife, things become complicated, when the boy is buried directly above his father. Death and its Shadow of Death are shocked one day to find Goblin is using the Bones Abode as a hideaway. With the help of a Shadow of Death hunter who comes to their aid, they are able to imprison the ghost, for now. William's soul keeps getting woken up by the boy's soul lying in the coffin crying for his mother, and through the generosity of the Wheels of Reincarnation, they develop a relationship by being together at the "cottage" on a sort of holiday away from their coffins. Death finds this highly unusual, but knows better than to question the wisdom of the Wheels of Reincarnation. One Hallowed Eve night, when souls are released from their graves for one night to socialize, the family of three finally find themselves able to be together for the first time. If Matilda reincarnates, however, their newfound unit will once again be torn apart. But while family is all well and good, is it worth giving up a chance to live again? If she reincarnates, they will never find each other again. Will human love overcome death, or will divine will exact perfect punishment? Will Goblin escape and exact revenge on Death and its shadow, if given the chance? A witty, and surprisingly lighthearted tale of the after world. The Bones Abode suggests death isn't so bad—even when it's inconvenient.

Owen Wagg lives in Muskoka, Ontario, where he writes stories among the taletrees. When the storied snow starts to fall, he continues his yarn telling nestled by a warm fire. He writes in solitude, combining nature's raw beauty with imagination to create books that are unique. A graduate of the local "School of Storytelling," Wagg majored in yarn spinning and fable fabricating-with a minor in little-white-lying. He's carried the "torch of telling" since the last of his teachers passed it to him before fabling away into the beyond. Owen Wagg won an Editor's Choice Award for poetry in 1995. His previous books include: The Nears of Afar, The StinkerStanks, and The StinkerStanks (The Great Stink). Visit him at his website: www.talesbyo.com