Friday, May 7, 2010

(Recommended Reads) "Gold Star Mothers" by P.J. Kaiser

Stewards in crisp white uniforms jogged around the ship's deck, calling on all passengers to gather. Eleanor and her new friend Rebecca, along with the other two hundred and thirty women on board, made their way to the main dining room. Eleanor, recovering from six days of seasickness on the voyage from the United States, shuffled with her arm looped through Rebecca's. The two women formed an instant bond when they met eleven days ago - both from the Midwest, both their sons in the World War. Both had made this journey to the other side of the world, through a bewildering array of trains, ferries, hotels and passenger ships, in order to see with their own eyes the place where their sons were laid to rest...

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(Recommended Reads) "Never Too Old" by Marisa Birns

Ellen Newman did not expect to be stuck in an elevator with her mother. But here they were, somewhere between the third and fourth floors in Aunt Judy's building. Her mother, of course, knew about Ellen's discomfort of being confined in small spaces, so she tried to distract her...

click here to read the rest

Thursday, May 6, 2010

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Five

"You might think an invisible monster truck is a bad idea, but how else you gonna run down invisible monsters?"

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Four

A customer told her she lacked the proper empathy, she told him he could take his dead father to some other funeral home then.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Three

While the strip club secretly run by vampires has become a cliche, a day care secretly run by zombies was a surprise to everyone.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Two

She had once dated a TS Elliot fan but whenever they made love it ended not with a bang but a whimper.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety One

At Choe-Je's Home for Wayward Ninjas a small donation can keep a bloodthirsty assassin in katanas and smoke bombs for weeks.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety

Guns blazing the Shellfish Gang took refuge in a bowling alley where they quickly found themselves pinned down.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Nine

It was easy to program the DOUCHEBOT 5000's speech circuits, every question was answered with the reply of "Yeah with your Mom!"

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Eight

The golden idol was hidden within a trap-laden tomb, so Abner Deggent let the archaeologists go first into each chamber.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Seven

The extreme milking contest was canceled when the bungee cord holding the cow broke.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Six

Captain Hero had no patience for fad superheros- did anyone even remember the Battling Breakdancer or the Nehru Knight?

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Five

An unfortunate typo left the world thinking that Abner Deggent was scouring the African jungle for white loins.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Four

His daughter was going through puberty. His wife was going through menopause. He was going into witness relocation.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Three

She invited her boyfriend over so she could cook him dinner and refuse him sex. She loved macaroni and pleas.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Two

Quinn awoke in a puddle of his own urine, grabbed hold of the jumper cables and knocked himself back out. This went on all day.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty One

They were the Allied army's secret birdcall brigade- the Chirpy Dozen!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A little snafu with IN THE SHADOW OF HIS NEMESIS

Somehow I named chapter 61 chapter 60, it's corrected now but I promise you didn't miss anything.

Sorry folks!

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty

The Scotsmen all their sheep had been stolen by the English. One said, "They may take our lambs but they'll not take our FREEDOM!"

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Seventy Nine

"I have no problems with necromancy itself" Lorelei said, "but most actual necromancers are just trying to shock their parents."

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Seventy Eight

Despite his successes it pained Captain Hero that he had never developed a catchphrase.

5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred and Seventy Seven

He vowed that as soon as he got off the elevator he was going to take things to the next level.

My semi-regular plea for attention, validation and money.

IN THIS TWILIGHT tales of lost gods and fragile transformations

This collection of 13 stories transports you to a world where both dreams and monsters lurk in the shadows, where love and forgotten rituals fight for control of the human heart, and where the madness of eternity can be glimpsed in a single segmented eye. This anthology collects some of the best stories from Al Bruno III's website and includes the novellas 'Chad's Oracles', 'Fully Vested' and 'The Mask Collector', available for the first time anywhere.

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

IN THE MIDNIGHT OF HIS HEART a novel of horror and obsession

To all outward appearances John Sig is just an old man living a quietly in an empty old house. His one pleasure is when he heads down to the local diner and visits with his favorite waitress Angie. When Angie disappears, John sets out to find her. For an ordinary old man that might seem like a foolish idea but John Sig isn't human, he's a monster living in the shadow of a nightmare thirty -five years old.


In The Pit

This is the comic book I wrote, that sadly it never made it past the first issue. Too bad I had envisioned a fantastic tale of serial killers, Canadian pro wrestlers and exploding toilets. Still though I think you might enjoying reading the first issue, it is still available as a PDF file. There are also some preview pages at the sight below. Order away and weep for what might have been.

Some of my best work is available from the fine folks at Eden Studios. My contribution to their game lines has been mainly in the area of fiction. The rules and setting information was written by other very capable folks like Richard Dakan, CJ Carella, Jack Emmert, George Vasilakos and M. Alexander Jurkat. Believe me, they did all the hard work. If you are a fan of role-playing games or a fan of zombie movies then the books below are going to be right up your alley.

ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN main rulebook

Enter the dark world of survival horror. The Dead walk among us. This role-playing game allows you to play in a world infested by the walking dead. The main rulebook includes rules for character creation, combat and everything else you need to play in a world of survival horror. Also detailed are the multiple campaign settings so you can customize the type of "deadworld" you wish to explore.232 pages.Hardcover.Cover Art by Christopher Shy.

Click here for ordering information

ZOMBIE MASTER SCREEN

A must-have reference for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the Zombie Master's Screen is filled with charts and tables. From fear to weapons to outcomes, every reference that a prepared Zombie Master needs is packed onto a four-panel screen. The flip side of the screen scares and delights the players with full-color zombie images. The Screen is packed with a 48-page booklet, including a ready-to-run adventure introducing the Cast Member to the horrors of a zombie plague, and pregenerated characters with complete bios, statistics and resource information. Cover Art by Christopher Shy and George Vasilakos.

Click here for ordering information

ENTER THE ZOMBIE

Written by Richard DakanThe first supplement to All Flesh Must Be Eaten opens whole new vistas for a walking dead campaign. This tome brings together the thrills of Hong Kong action films and the excitement of flesh-craving horror. The match of these two genres may not have seemed obvious at first, but the pleasures that arise from it are undeniable. After all, zombies and Hong Kong style action make a perfect fit. What better match is there for a relentless series of lightning kicks and a hurricane of bullets than a target that can't die? The pulse-pounding danger just never stops. Besides, what martial arts master worth his salt doesn't ache for the ability to use his own intestines as a deadly whip? For the undead, no problem!Softcover.Cover Art by Christopher Shy.

Click here for ordering information

TERRA PRIMATE

Written by Al Bruno III, CJ Carella, David F. Chapman, Patrick SweenyBased on the original concept by George Vasilakos and Ross IsaacsEdited by M. Alexander Jurkat, David F. ChapmanCover art by Jeff ReitzInterior Art by Storn Cook, Thomas Denmark, Talon Dunning, DW Gross, Jon Hodgson, Chris Keefe, Jason Millet, Matt Morrow, James Powers, Gregory Price, George Vasilakos From the creators of All Flesh Must Be Eaten, similar in style but this time . . . with apes! Terra Primate has no specific setting. The only constant is the concept of intelligent apes. Planet of the Apes is a movie about intelligent apes, but then again so is Congo. As long as the characters are interacting with intelligent apes -- or are intelligent apes themselves! -- the game could be set in the pulp era of adventure, on a post-apocalyptic Earth, on a faraway alien planet, or downtown on Main Street. The main rulebook includes rules for character creation, combat and everything else you need to play in a world where man is the missing link! Also detailed are the multiple campaign settings so you can customize the type of "Apeworld" you wish to explore.

Click here for ordering information

Sunday, May 2, 2010

5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred And Fifty One Through One Thousand And Two Hundred

5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty One


He explained that his quest to protect family values drove him to scour the Internet for pornography and save it to his hard drive.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Two


The Reddeath preferred to kill all witnesses, not because he had to but just to keep in practice.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Three


She had a fear of strangers and you couldn't much stranger than Gary.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Four


Her baby took the morning train, which was why the charged her with child abandonment.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Five


It was a battle between superheroes, vampires, pro wrestlers and stage magicians. The air was thick with capes.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Six


He spent hours online searching for spoilers and then complaining online that there was nothing new or surprising at the movies.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Seven


He thought having a computerized scrotum was be awesome but he had frequent testicle difficulties.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Eight


Years later he finally got into his high school sweetheart's pants. She was in the Wal Mart changing room when he stole them.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Nine


Bitter experience taught Karl that in reality naughty nurses didn't do much more than steal your shoes while you were sleeping.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty


"And your instructor in Consonant Only education is Mr. Jhn Smth."



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty One


Abner Deggent wasn't worried when his enemies conspired against him but it was another matter when his ex-wives got together.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Two


Apple created a special run of products just for Wiccans, that way you could go skyclad with your iPad.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Three


It wasn't until after he'd hung up the red phone that Commander Infinity realized he'd said "Bye bye." to the President.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Four


They were a superhero team composed entirely of people with skin disorders. Who watches the Blotchmen?



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Five


He was a traveling salesman. She was a farmer's daughter. Theirs was a love story that would inspire a generation.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Six


No one cared that the crimefighter's name was actually Splendidman -his insignia was a complete infringement of copyright.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Seven


They say that if you can't get what you want, you get what you need but Ray kept getting what he deserved.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Eight


Online voting was used to update the names of the month for the 21st century. We celebrate this change every 9th of Faptober.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Nine


"What is that thing where married couples start finishing each other's sentences?" Zeth puzzled, "Ah yes. The Stockholm Syndrome."


5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy


Corporate preferred a 'loose management style' which was just another way of saying 'plausible deniability'.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy One


His deeply held religious views led him to name the tyranosaurus-filled island he was stranded on the Land The Dinosaur Rapture Forgot.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Two


"My Mom missed my tenth birthday party because somebody brought a rabid burro to a policy meeting," Lorelei said, "childhood huh?"



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Three


The Mathmagican could turn equations into physical objects, there was nothing worse than having her hit you with a pi in the face.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Four


The members of the Order of the Hidden Urinal greet each other with something a little more than a secret handshake.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Five


Megaton Minotaur loved to break things- cars, buildings, superheroes, it didn't matter.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Six


She said to him, "I'm not a little girl anymore."

And he agreed, "Not with those implants."



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Seven


He said, "I have no doubt that the Bible is the word of God but I am also sure he had the Devil for an editor. Most writers do."



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Eight


Adult film stars began to endorse breakfast cereals, it wasn't long before 'Sasha Grey's Frosted Mini Teats' became a best seller.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Nine


The worst part about suffering the death of a thousand screams was that the executioner kept losing count.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty


It was just her luck that she was eating calamari by the seashore the day dream Cthulhu rose and stormed ashore.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty One


Even though Abner Deggent escaped the two dozen naked men chasing him the flapping sounds would haunt him forever.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Two


The Maven and Psychotic Kid got into the Crime Countess' hideout with a combination of stealth and well-timed prank phone calls.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Three


She didn't so much measure her age in years as she did on the relevance of her pop culture references.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Four


The truth is that cats don't have nine lives, just lots of stunt doubles.


5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Five


He tried to bring sexy back but he'd lost the receipt.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Six


Abner Deggent awoke to find his room ablaze but soon he realized he'd gotten an equally scorching case of the crabs in Singapore.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Seven


Whenever he thought about her he touched himself and since he was a pirate with a hook for a hand injuries were abundant.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Eight


The Mathmagician knew she had to fight the evil clone of Albert Einstien but she was E=MC scared



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Nine


Trent never shut up, he was always talking and talking. That's why he had a closed casket funeral and the undertaker went mad.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety


Audra learned that magic was like skipping to the end of a mystery novel to see whodunnit, and most of the time it was you-dunnit.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety One


It wasn't easy get a hold of that much phlegm in so short a time but the neighbor kids never sneaked into his pool at night again.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Two


As she fed the last bits of her husband's body into the shredding gears she said, "Tell me to be more chipper will ya?"



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Three


Ninjas, mobsters and mutated psychopaths stormed the church, this kind of thing always happened when super heroes got married.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Four


He needed to be sure of the future so he dumped tea leaves onto the bumps on his head while he staring into a crystal ball.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Five


The new mission values statement told the employees they were held to the same standards as the CEO, the looting began at dawn.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Six


He died as he lived, smothered under plus-sized models. Lucky bastard.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Seven


The villain said, "They call me Killjoy because I enjoy killing!"


The Maven said, "Are you fucking kidding me?"



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Eight


They tore off each others clothes in the heat of passion. In the morning they saw the light of reason.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand One Hundred and Ninety Nine


He won raves as a dancing spoon and a dancing chair but when it came to being dancing teapot he just couldn't get a handle on it.



5 Second Fiction One Thousand Two Hundred


Even though he had been around for years no one really knew much about Dr. Obscure.