Behrg Reviews: “The Book of Baby Names” by Norman Prentiss

“In the best stories, the child always dies in the end.”

Everyone has those favorite authors you read who just speak to you. Their writing style, voice, the narrative choices they make, everything combines into an experience that just has you smiling inside. “The Book of Baby Names” is an excellent reminder of why Norman Prentiss is on my list, and one I consider a must-read author.

The title for this collection of short stories doesn’t necessarily clue you in to its darker undertones, but the commonalities tying these stories together resolves around the theme of children. To speak to the strengths of Prentiss’ skills, every story is unique, never repeating the same message while exploring different sides of this Rubik’s cube-like coin. Grief of a lost child; the challenges of conceiving; a child that is more monster than human; the fears of single parenting; the challenges of a gay couple raising a child . . . each of these is explored but within a horror backdrop, allowing the themes to be present but secondary to the horror story taking place.

A darkly beautiful collection and great introduction to Prentiss’ work, one I highly recommend. You can pick up the collection on sales for just $0.99 on Amazon right now, a steal at that price.

Free Short Story – Verso.ink

The Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting life as we know it, and from the looks of things we’re only getting started. It’s been amazing to see so many authors and content creators share some of their work for free or at discounted prices at this time as just a small way to give back. Time is something we might all have a little more of in the coming weeks or months.

Fiction has always provided an escape from the world, and I’d argue particularly that the horror genre has always been that counter-balance to keep the horrors of the real world in check. For those who aren’t aware, I have several free stories and even a novella available at no cost on all eBook platforms. You can find links to each of these free eBooks here.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

But in addition to these stories, I’ve just published the first story in my new collection of short stories, The Passengers You Cannot See, on a new public platform called Verso.ink. It’s a place where authors can share short stories for free and readers can jump on and check out free fiction. This particular story, titled Driven, is a great preview of what you can expect from my collection and has sort of a Twilight Zone-esque approach to it.

Check out the new story DRIVEN on Verso.ink!

For those of you who have purchased copies of the new release, THANK YOU. Reviews continue to come in, with quite a few comparing the collection to the Netflix TV show Black Mirror. If you have read the collection, please add your thoughts as a review on Amazon or Goodreads, and if you haven’t yet checked it out, it’s also available for free under Kindle Unlimited or to purchase for less than a cup of coffee.

Stay safe out there and don’t panic. The good news is that we’re all in this together. And like all horrors–whether real or fictional–an end is always within sight.

New Release – #Passengers

It’s time to release some darkness into the world! Or at least an invitation to accompany me through the darkness to find the light.

My latest release, The Passengers You Cannot See, will be released this Friday the 13th!

(Fitting, I know).

But as a special thank you to those of you who follow me here, you can pick up your copy for just $0.99 during the 2 day pre-release period. So what are you waiting for?!?

Oh, right, some feedback and reviews! Here’s some of the early praise Passengers is receiving:

“Emotional, powerful and terrifying stories. I had nightmares for two nights . . . Excellent writing.” — Stella, Book Club President

“An outstanding collection . . . (The Behrg) creates harrowing characters and the atmosphere in these stories are individually electric.” — Kendall Reviews / Steve Stred, author of Ritual

“One of the best single-author collections I’ve read in years . . . you never know what the author is going to throw at you next.” –– Duncan Ralson, author of Ghostland

“Thought provoking and chilling all at the same time . . . I will definitely be on the look out for more from The Behrg.” — TyReadBooks

Newsletter subscribers will pick up some additional goodies, so if you haven’t yet joined the cool kid’s club on the little yellow bus, feel free to hop in. It’s never too late for a wild ride.

Thanks for being a part of this journey and I hope you enjoy The Passengers You Cannot See!

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Every story has its beginning and end. But some stories won’t let go. Some stories dig their claws into you. They infect your dreams. They carve out a residence in your mind. They become passengers—ones that never leave.

Within this collection of short stories by esteemed horror author The Behrg you will discover a haunted house that is not quite what it seems. A trophy collector who prefers living statues to cold ones. A truck driver who, with one good deed, finds more than he bargained for. And a world where happiness can no longer be felt. Light and darkness.

Hope and despair. Depravities and humanity. These passengers and more await. And they’ve been sharpening their claws to greet you.

Purchase Passengers Now

eBook     Print

NEW RELEASE — #Passengers

I’ve been working towards a few releases this year, and am excited to finally share the first with you!

A collection of dark literary stories, THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE, will be released March 10th on Amazon. The cover reveal was graciously hosted by Kendall Reviews yesterday, and it’s worth checking out that article as I share more insight into this collection than you’ll find here.

This collection has been the culmination of my writing journey over the past 5 years, and I’m immensely proud of the final product. Karl Drinkwater–an amazing author himself–was my editor for this project and challenged me to take what I had and elevate it to a level I wasn’t sure I could reach. It was awesome working with him and his efforts resulted in a much stronger collection than this would have been otherwise.

So check out the cover and synopsis below and prepare yourself to become a passenger in these stories. Hopefully you’ll make it through them alive.

THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE

Every story has its beginning and end. But some stories won’t let go. Some stories dig their claws into you. They infect your dreams. They carve out a residence in your mind. They become passengers …

Ones that never leave.

Within this collection of short stories by esteemed horror author The Behrg you will discover a haunted house that is not quite what it seems. A trophy collector who prefers living statues to cold ones. A truck driver who, with one good deed, finds more than he bargained for. And a world where happiness can no longer be felt.

Light and darkness. Hope and despair. Depravities and humanity. These passengers and more await. And they’ve been sharpening their claws to greet you.

** Available Now on NetGalley **

** Available Now in Print **

** Ebook Release Mar 10th **