"Reflections" Available for Download!

My new horror short story, "Reflections", is available for purchase at Smashwords.com! 

"After her family moves into an old farmhouse outside of Twin Creek, Nebraska, Anna is enchanted by a rustic cheval mirror her mother finds in the attic, covered by a dusty patchwork quilt.  Behind the cloudy glass surface, she imagines another world, an exact copy of her own, separated only by a thin wall of glass.  An impenetrable barrier, she believes, until late one night a few days after her ninth birthday, when the antique mirror—and that which dwells within—reveals its true nature."

Awesome 5-Star Review for THE MENGELE EFFECT!

It's reviews like this that really make a rookie writer (like me) do a HAPPY DANCE (like Snoopy)!

From Mr. Scott Crowder, posted on THE MENGELE EFFECT's Smashwords page:

Review by: Scott Crowder on March 29, 2013:

"The Mengele Effect is a TNT-fueled juggernaut of a novel that barrels along at a breakneck pace, a pace so fool-hearty that , as you read it, you’re sure Mr. Grossart will lose control at any moment and send it hurtling into the nearest train station full of innocent bystanders, killing them all and maybe their next-of-kin too, just for good measure. Instead, he keeps this monstrosity on track with a deft touch and a vast arsenal of verisimilitude presumably picked up from his days in the Air Force. A staggeringly good novel that’s part horror, part political techno-thriller, it’s so good it won’t let you go until it’s over."

Thank you, Scott!

"Beach House" 350 Downloads & Counting!

Since it went live online on 21 Dec 12, my flash fiction horror story "Beach House" has been downloaded 350 times on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble!  If you haven't read it yet, give it a look...and if you like it, leave me a review!

Of the eight flash fiction stories I've put out there, "Beach House" has definitely done the best; "Legend" is second at 302...over 1,900 downloads for all eight of them combined!

Dear "Anonymous"...I don't like you.

If you read my last post, you know I was a little dumbfounded by the person ("Anonymous") who decided to leave a 1-star rating on one of my FREE stories (Legend) and leave the comment, "A waste of my time and money!!  Don't bother with this."  Like I said, if someone really doesn't like what they've read & decides to leave a bad review, I have no problem with that (especially if they complain about spending money on something that's F-R-E-E...*snort*).  What I DO have a problem with is:

1) A less-than-good review (1, 2 or 3 stars), with no accompanying text.
2) A less-than-good review (1, 2 or 3 stars), left by "Anonymous" (no name).
3) All of the above.

At the risk of sounding bitchy (which is okay, because I'm old and I've earned it), if I leave a poor review, I'll say who I am, and I'll say why.  Common courtesy, right?  Leaving a bad review without leaving a reason, or without leaving a name, is like someone putting on a ski mask, running into a neighbor's house, taking a Mexican-food-induced dump in the toilet off the living room (phew!), and running out of the house without saying a word.  What do I call that kind of neighbor?  J-E-R-K. (I don't have neighbors like that, by the way)

So why am I being bitchy?  I'm getting some poor reviews on Barnes & Noble (mostly from "Anonymous" with no accompanying text), and in most cases, they're the direct opposite of the reviews I've received on Smashwords.  Story by story, here's the reviews so you can see what I'm talking about:

Smashwords:  Three 5-star reviews, two 4-star

Barnes & Noble:  None...yet.

Smashwords:  Six 5-star reviews, one 4-star
Barnes & Noble:  None...yet.

Smashwords:  One 5-star review, one 4-star
Barnes & Noble:  One 3-star review, one 2-star (from "Anonymous")

Smashwords:  Three 5-star reviews (Awesome!  Thank you!)
Barnes & Noble:  None...yet.

Smashwords:  One 5-star review, one 4-star
Barnes & Noble: One 3-star review (from "Anonymous")

Smashwords:  Two 5-star reviews
Barnes & Noble: One 4-star review, one 3-star, and one 1-star (from the person I mentioned in the last post..."Anonymous")

Smashwords:  One 4-star review
Barnes & Noble:  One 5-star review, one 2-star (from "Anonymous")

Smashwords:  One 5-star review, one 4-star
Barnes & Noble:  One 2-star (from "Anonymous")

So, again, I have a favor to ask.  If you've read any of these stories, and happen to disagree with Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, I would humbly ask you please click on over to it's B&N page and leave an honest review.  If you leave a 1 or 2-star review, and leave your name & a reason, that's okay (I'll hunt you down later).

Now...for Mr. or Ms. Anonymous who can't seem to leave a name and/or a reason for their poor reviews:  Take off the ski mask and quit pooping in my main floor bathroom.  It's annoying.  And yes, I hope you read this.

Interview @ Scott Crowder's "The House of Fists"

I received an email from an author a few weeks ago who'd been reading my flash fiction horror stories, and he requested to include me as part of a series of author interviews he's posting on his blog, "The House of Fists".  The interview just went live today...I'm definitely humbled by how he described my work.  So cool!

Take a look!

Barnes & Noble numbers are FINALLY in...

Barnes & Noble (B&N) finally reported their Jan & Feb numbers, and WOW!  My eight flash fiction horror stories have been downloaded a combined total of 1,882 times!

Combined Smashwords, B&N and Sony numbers have "Beach House" leading the way with 345 downloads!

Bad news is, I received my first STINKY review on one of those stories..."Legend".  Whoever left the 1-star review on Barnes & Noble said, "A waste of my time and money!!  Don't bother with this."  Um, okay.  I can buy the fact that if someone took the time to download it and read it, and really didn't like it, they could say it was a waste of their time.  Got it.  What I don't get is they said it was a waste of their...money?  Um, it's free.  F-R-E-E.  Last time I checked, F-R-E-E means it doesn't cost any M-O-N-E-Y.

So...I have a favor to ask.  If you've read "Legend", and happen to disagree with Mr. or Ms. Anonymous who posted the stinky review on B&N, I would humbly ask you please click on over to it's B&N page and leave an honest review.  I'd sure appreciate it!