READ THE FIRST BOOK FREE!

READ "MORSELS 1" ABSOLUTELY FREE!

That's right. FREE. So why am I giving away my first book free exclusively through Smashwords? I want everyone to read it. I've been selling the book online for months and while it's nice receiving those royalties, what's even more important to me is getting my work in front of more eyeballs. I've taken all the risk out of it. All you have to do is go to Smashwords and sign up for free and download my first book. It's available in every format: Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, and Android. You don't even have to own an ereader! You can download it in PDF or TXT format and read it right on your computer screen. FREE!


I'm betting that you'll like it. I'm gambling that you'll want to read the second book. And after that, I think you'll want to read the third, which I'm hard at work on right now. But what if you read the first book and you discover that Morsels isn't for you? You're under no obligation to pay for it or buy anything. But if you like it, then let someone know. Tell someone else. Help me get my work out in front of more eyeballs. I thank you for you time and your support.


CLICK ME TO READ MORSELS NOW.

Only in my Dreams

I'm not the type to sit and brainstorm story ideas. If I force it, I'm not going to like the finished product. My brother Tony comes up with a lot of his ideas when he's out walking in the morning. Doing routine, monotonous tasks always helps me come up with stuff. There are so many stories that are born in my morning shower. 

I'm one of those people who believes that the stories come from somewhere. I don't mean there's a cosmic reservoir of short story ideas but often they come from dreams. Literally.


This past week I awoke with a name on my mind. It was a strange name that I don't believe I've ever heard before. All day long I thought of this name and wondered what it meant. The next night I had a dream that fleshed it out for me. Gave me a whole backstory on the name. The dream showed me that this was a black teenaged boy living in Fulton County, Georgia in 1920 with his mother and siblings. (Having dreams that pick up night after night isn't unusual for me. Ask me about my lucid dreaming sometime.) There were snippets and flashes of what happened to this boy in the dream. I was a mere observer.


I awoke and knew that this was a story and I had to write it down. Now the creative part of the storytelling is all part of my conscious effort but the story itself sprang from within. And I feel compelled to write it. To birth it. It's a story that definitely fits with the stories in my two books and it will probably end up in the third volume.

Last week I had another dream about a complex story idea. The dream was difficult to put into words and I've been thinking about how I'm going to be able to write this story. It's an entirely different concept for me, bordering on science fiction. I'm excited by it because if I can figure out how to tell the story that I saw in my dream, I think it will blow people away. 

That's my process.

"Morsels" for Kindles or Kindle apps: click HERE 
"Morsels" for Nooks or Nook apps: click HERE.
"Morsels" print versions, click HERE.

Kurt Vonnegut on Short Story Writing

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 

This is definitely essential. To not do this would be the kiss of death.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

If there's no one to root for then the reader is not going to care about the story. I can think of one of my stories where there is no one to root for. But I think what holds the reader's interest is the curiosity to see what is going to happen to the character. The story is "Victuals." The protagonist, Rooster Fallow, isn't a terribly likable guy. And I think the reader can tell something, probably bad, is going to happen to him after he does what he does in the beginning of the story. 

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Motivation is so important. In my story "No Good Deed" Buck McDonald is a highly paid professional athlete but he's searching for a reason to live. His success holds no satisfaction for him. He's a man who seemingly has it all. By contrast, the narrator of the story wants what he has. And she's appalled that he's not grateful for what he has while she's struggling. 

 

4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.

This is why I love short stories. The economy of words. I don't believe in writing a lot of detail for detail's sake. I want to tell the tale in the most judicious way possible. 

 

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

I love this advice. I may take it in the future. Some stories I come up with the ending first. Like "Greenlight," "Sewer Rat," "Dignity Tickets" or "Urad 238." I knew exactly where those stories were going. Others, I just started the story and let it unfold for me. "Godshot," "American Roulette" and "Fire-Roasted" are stories that I started and followed to their conclusion. I can't say which method is better because "Dignity Tickets" and "Godshot" are my two favorite tales and they were written completely differently.

 

6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Definitely. I recall always saying that what I like to do in a story is take a regular person and see how much misfortune I can heap on their shoulders. Stories like "Gravity" come to mind. I'm definitely sadistic in that I like to make my characters squirm. Make 'em sweat. I think it makes the reader squirm.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

I'll be honest with you. I think Vonnegut was drinking when he said it. I don't really understand what he meaas by this.

 

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
This would be true if you're writing a conventional short story. A lot of my stories have twist endings so I don't necessarily want the reader to know exactly where I'm going. But if a twist ending is done well all of the clues are right there to determine the ending if you look for them. 

MORSELS VOL 1. available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

MORSELS VOL 2. available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. 

"Godshot" is my favorite

Artists usually don't like choosing which of their creations they like most. It's like asking a patent who their favorite child is. But of the fifteen short stories in MORSELS Vol. 1 I can honestly say that "Godshot" is my favorite. For me, it's a deeply spiritual tale but I constructed it in such a way that it's a matter of faith for the reader.

The story centers around a young L.A. Crip who, after a harrowing incident with two of his homies, finds himself on a bus locked into what may be a religious discussion or a con or hustle by another young guy drinking beer. I wanted to do a story that was emotionally engaging with a spiritual theme.

The story was inspired by the old Joan Osborne song, "One of us." That song really spoke to me when it first came out and maybe this story has rattled around inside my head ever since then. All I know is that when I started writing it, it just flowed naturally from there. The characters were patterned after people that I've known. When I first wrote it, I read it to my girlfriend Cathi, who loved it. For me, it encapsulates the kind of tales I like telling.It's not scary or heavy handed. I could've made the story more overt and really pushed the supernatural in it but I think that would've been to the detriment of the main character, Beanie D. It had to go the way it went.

Two people can read it and walk away with differing conclusions of what exactly transpired.

It has coarse language in it, one of the few of the fifteen stories that does. It's necessary given who the characters are. This is how they would speak. I actually lessened some of the harsh language from the first version because I thought it may have been a bit much. My stories might shock but I don't shock for shock's sake.

Of course your favorite may differ. I love all of the tales of course but I'm biased. You can read 'Godshot' for yourself and let me know what you think of it. Got a buck? Pick up the Morsels Vol 1 ebook at Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and iTunes. You can buy a physical copy too. Info to do that is on this blog.

Pick up Morsels to read on your computer in TXT or PDF format or read it ONLINE right now by clicking HERE.

It all started with INIQUITY

In about 1995, I put together two two-page newsletters of short stories. It was called "Iniquity." I just did it for fun for friends. The stories were either scary or disturbing or both. They were quite short stories. Well several of those stories have found their way into my books MORSELS: Twisted Tales of Life and Death Vol. 1 and 2. "Red Delicious" was a vampire story I wrote way back then. I expanded it and fleshed it out for my books. The story is pretty much the same but has more depth. "In The Simian Hands of God" was another short story in Iniquity about the perils of animal testing in laboratories. The original short story focused on the climactic moment of the new version. The new version is beefier, more descriptive and I think it makes the payoff much more satisfying.

There are a few stories in Iniquity that I didn't update and include in Morsels. One is a two parter called "Perp." The reason I didn't include it as well as some others was just the graphic nature of the stories. "Iniquity" was meant to be a scary, horrifying compilation while MORSELS is disturbing, quirky with twist endings. Some elements of stories in MORSELS are scary but I wasn't going for the gross out. So while "Perp" may end up in future volumes of MORSELS, it will undergo some changes to make it less objectionable.

"Iniquity" really represented my desire to put together a short story book. Over the years I've written many short stories and a good number of those stories ended up in the MORSELS books. There are a good deal more stories waiting for a home in future editions. But it all started with Iniquity.

READ THE FIRST BOOK FOR 99 CENTS

That's right. It's not a typo. You can read the entire ebook MORSELS: Twisted Tales of Life and Death Vol. 1 for less than a buck. Why? Because I believe in getting my work out in front of as many eyeballs as I can without cost being an issue. There's not many things you can buy for a dollar these days. Can't even get a cup of coffee. But you can be entertained with fifteen all original tales.

I'd love to sell this book for $9.99 but I realize times are tight. So I want to almost give this book away because I think people will enjoy it. Folks who have read both books have loved them. So get it now for the price of an MP3 song or mobile phone app. What have you got to lose?

If you have a Nook, Kindle or iPad, Morsels should be part of your ebook collection. If you have an ereader app on your cell phone, then you need to have Morsels on there to read when you're waiting to pick up your kids from school, you're in the doctor's office, you're in the bathroom processing a big meal or you're in bed late at night.

These cooks can be read on the PC, too. No special software necessary. Smashwords offers text versions and PDF versions to read at your desktop or on your laptop at your leisure. You can use the Smashwords link to purchase the book for Nook, Kindle or iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch.

And for those still addicted to old fashioned books, I've got that covered too. You can buy Volume 1 or 2 at the Book Patch for $7.99 each by clicking right HERE.

And you can find them on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and iTunes.

Don't keep it to yourself. Tell your friends. Please take the time to write a short review on Barnes and Noble. or Amazon. Give me the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell the readers in your life. For me, this is about entertaining people and living my dream. Thank you for help making this possible.

NEW MORSELS TRAILER

One thing I've been working on lately has been this trailer for my book. I hope to get it in front of as many eyeballs as I can because I think it really sells the experience one will have with MORSELS. I put together the video with iMovie on the iPad just using the basic set up. A trailer for a book? Why not? I wanted to do something visual. And the video contains elements of many of the stories you will find within whether they be about terrorism, lie detectors, a strange bus ride or vampires.

I was concerned a bit about the tone because it does come across as pretty grim and the book, while featuring some dark tales, also weaves in uplifting tales and humorous ones. I hope people will forward the trailer to their friends and join me here on the Morsels blog.

Stop by SMASHWORDS and pick up your copy for Kindle, Nook, iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch or PC. Yes, you can read Morsels right on your PC! If you've got an Android smartphone, download the free Nook or Kindle reader apps from Android Market and get your copy of Morsels today!

The Opposite of Writers Block

With short stories, I don't really suffer from writer's block. I'm coming up with ideas all of the time. My dreams supply me with great material. I come up with ideas in the shower quite often. Sometimes I'll read a newspaper article and be hit with a new idea. With fiction my mind is on overdrive. I'm constantly thinking of names and places and how best to describe events. With short stories, I'm ready to explode with ideas. I go back and look at the stories I wrote and can think of three ways to improve each of them. I can sit down and just start typing and a story will come to me.

But with column writing it's a different story. I write opinion columns so they need a point of view. The subject matter has to be interesting. It has to be interesting to me or it's not going to be interesting to the reader. I also like my columns to be timely. A good many columnists write on universal subjects and themes, and they're probably smarter than me because that means they can write a slew of columns ahead of time. I prefer to be topical. I like being relatively current because I feel it gives my writing some crackle. But having a deadline and having parameters set by my editor on my subject matter makes newspaper writing more difficult. I'm more likely to end up sitting before a blank screen for hours.

My iPinion column is different in that I have a far wider selection of subject matter. I have a very accomdodating editor and great supportive colleagues. With so many talented writers at iPinion it forces me to raise my game. I don't want to phone it in. And let's be honest, it happens. I think it happens in any profession. Some days or weeks, you're just not feeling it. I can picture some teacher sitting at his desk overwhelmed by his students, wondering if they're even paying attention and not being able to keep his mind off of a summer trip to Cabo. Sometimes we're just not feeling up to doing our jobs. I don't like to half-ass it. I don't like looking back at my work and cringing. So I try to hit at least a triple with it, if I can't hit a homerun.

But I don't have a lot of time for fiction writing either because I have a nonfiction work I'm doing and I'm trying to promote my first two books. The business side of it is so much different than the creative side. I'm an artsy fartsy type of guy. Crunching numbers, gladhanding, promoting...that stuff definitely isn't my strong suit but I know it's all part of what I have to do to be successful.

When I have writers block it's best to get up from the puter. Go for a walk. I'd say for a drive but have you seen gas prices? Read something. Eat something. Listen to music. Definitely listening to music because it can quickly change your state of mind.

In fact, I'm writing this while suffering from writer's block on my newspaper column! Now back to work.

FROM DREAM to REALITY

Today, the article by Heather Ah San ran in the Fairfield Daily Republic. She and I had a great conversation last week about my books and writing, in general. She seemed genuinely interested

People probably think of me as a terribly opinionated guy since I write an opinion column. But I didn't start off wanting to be an opinion columnist. I've always loved telling stories. To my thinking, it's the opinion writing that is the anomaly, not the fiction.

Hopefully, this article will introduce me to readers who don't regular read my column. Maybe it'll encourage folks to give my books a look even if they disagree with me 90% of the time in my opinion columns. Everyone loves a good story.

I've generally leaned towards horror growing up but the stories in these two books aren't really horror. A couple of them are. Certainly, some stories are dark. But my two favorite stories are just literary tales. My favorite story in volume one is "Godshot." In volume two, my favorite tale is "Dignity Tickets." I think these stories would appeal to anyone. Of course, I'm biased.

Back to the article...Daily Republic photographer Brad Zweerink took photos for the story. It was his idea to have me gazing off into the distance. While it may seem like I'm contemplating something deep I'm really thinking, "How many more of these shots do we need to take? My knee's killing me."

Brad was great. Although right before I left I asked him if they had Photoshop and could make me look like Denzel. He assured me they did and they would. Man, I look like I ate Denzel. Oh well...

I did do a lot of writing during Mrs. Goodsell's and Ms. Gambrill's class at Grange. At Armijo I graduated to using composition notebooks to write my stories. I used to write during Mr. Scherr's english class, Mr. Kenny's short story class and Ms. Keys' Creative Writing class. The stories I wrote in Creative Writing were so scary and disturbing that Ms. Keys said they gave her nightmares! I considered that a compliment. I learned how to type in Ms. Klinghoffer's typing class solely so I could use her class to type stories.

Some of the stories in the two books stem from a couple old mid-nineties thing I created called "Iniquity." I've since updated the stories for Morsels. Some of them were written in the mid 2000's. And others were new, written after my hospital stay. Lying in a dimly lit room in ICU your life really comes into sharp focus. It was the worst hospital stay I'd ever had and it was the first time that I thought I might not walk out of there. An incompetent doctor had me on medications that interacted and shut down my kidneys. I had an infection at the same time and the whole thing temporarily elevated my blood sugar, so I had to be treated with insulin (even though I'm not diabetic.). There were a myriad of things going on and the doctor was concerned I would develop sepsis. I remember looking out the window at a big old tree, wondering how long it had been there. Wondering if it would outlive me. Thinking about the things I'd done in my life and the things I wanted to do. And I knew I needed my stories to be out there. It's like a legacy. It was that important to me. The stories are like my kids. They would carry on long after my days were done.

But at the same time, I'm not pretentious about it. I just want people to read them and enjoy them. It's escape. This isn't stone tablets with instructions from the Almighty I'm bringing down from a mountain. They're stories to help you enjoy your time while in the doctor's waiting room or you're on the train or plane or whatever. And maybe they'll make you think.

Big thanks to Glen Faison, Brad Stanhope, Heather Ah San and Brad Zweerink for putting this together and giving me the opportunity to reach people with my writing.

Buy Morsels ebooks in Nook, Kindle, iPad/iPhone, PDF, HTML or TXT format here.
Purchase print versions of Morsels here.

New Article on Morsels

I did an interview with Heather Ah San with the Fairfield Daily Republic today and tomorrow I will go in for a photo shoot for an article set to run on Saturday, February 18th. I'm excited that my hometown paper is doing a story on my work. Heather did a thorough job with her questions and I hope it spreads the word. I want as many people as possible to experience Morsels: Twisted tales of Life and Death Vol. 1 and 2. Together, they comprise 28 unique stories that you won't soon forget.

FREE STORY: "GREENLIGHT" from MORSELS VOL. 1

Hello. I've decided to record an audio version of the first story in MORSELS: Twisted Tales of Life and Death Vol. 1. It's a story entitled, "Greenlight." This is the complete story and runs almost a half an hour long so make yourself comfortable, maybe put on some headphones and listen. Both volumes of Morsels can be purchased at BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com and iTunes. Print versions can be purchased here.

MAKING MAGIC

by Kelvin Wade

Some people are born salesman. They can sell ice to Eskimos. Me? Not so much. What I love to do... what I'm passionate about... is writing. I love getting a great idea and transferring it to paper. I love the music behind the words. The rhythm and flow. I like making movies inside my readers' heads. So finally producing books of my short stories is a dream come true for me.

I love the quirky characters and situations I've invented and I'm hoping readers will too. I don't want people to buy my books because of who I am. If someone knows me or they like me, that's great. I appreciate it. But I want them to enjoy the work. I wanted to write entertaining stories that people can read in the doctor's waiting room, on the train, in bed or in the bathroom. You can quickly read one of my stories and I'm betting you'll laugh or cry or be horrified or at least ponder the situation raised in the tale.

And of course, if "Twilight Zone" ish stories aren't your thing, that's perfectly fine. But if you could let a friend know who might be interested, I'd appreciate it.

So I'm selling books. I'm not trying to strike it rich so I set the prices low deliberately to get these volumes in as many hands as possible. I love books but ebooks are the future. Still, I know some people just love the feel of a book in their hands or they don't have ereaders. That's why I found a print on demand printer to print regular books for those who want them. (Full disclosure: I never intended to have print versions but I knew some might want them. The print books are perfectly fine to read but I did have a problem with the numbering on the pages. It's a software thing. Doesn't affect the books at all.)

Moving out of my comfort zone and going from writer/artist to salesman is not easy for me but I want to make the magic happen. Thank you for your support.

GET YOUR READERS HERE

So you don't have a Kindle or a Nook but still want to read "Morsels: Twisted Tales of Life and Death Vol. 1 and 2." What to do? You can download FREE Kindle reader apps for your Android smartphone, iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch, PC or Mac. Download your free Kindle reader HERE. Or you can download a FREE Nook reader app for your smartphone or PC right HERE. So now you can read my ebooks (as well as millions of others) with these free apps. Get yours today!

Why only $2.99?

Do I think the books are worth more than $2.99? Of course they are. The print edition is $7.99. So why the difference? Well, there's the obvious thing. An ebook costs less than a print copy to make. But I could've set the price for the ebooks at $6.99 a book and I think they'd be worth it. But the truth is, I want people to read my work. And to make it as widely available as I can while still turning a profit and return for my work putting them together, I think $2.99 is a great price. For less than coffee and a pastry at Starbucks you can buy one of my books and it will satisfy you better and longer than that coffee and scone could.

We're living in economically hard times. Everything is expensive. And it seems everything is going up. So I wanted to find a price point that would make my stories affordable for most people. I'm not trying to break your bank. So, what are you waiting for? Pick up your copies today.

Buy them HERE. One stop shopping for Kindle, Nook, Kobo Reader, PDF, HTML versions.

MORSELS Twisted Tales of Life and Death Vol. 1 and 2

These are the first two in my series of short story collections. The stories are on a variety of subjects and genres. The thing they have in common is that they're twisted. My stories would have no trouble becoming episodes of the Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits or the Night Gallery. I love quirky stories. I enjoy stories that have endings that you don't see coming. Some of my stories are disturbing. Some are scary. Some are funny. And some are moving. I'm not satisfied just writing one kind of story over and over.

What if you made a rash decision right before the calvary arrives? Imagine a vampire that hates the taste of blood. What if a murdered battered woman decided to fight back? Ever seen a human zoo? Pssst...cows can fly. What would you give in exchange for your dreams coming true? What if that derelict on the bus is God? Morsels serves up fifteen twisted original tales that you won't soon forget.

Here is the table of contents for Volume 1.

Table of Contents

1. Greenlight
2. Red Delicious
3. Precious White Lies
4. Freakshow
5. Bitchslapped
6. No Good Deed
7. Victuals
8. Udder Nonsense
9. Seconds
10. The Young and the Terrorists
11. American Roulette
12. Coming Home to Roost
13. Switchcraft
14. Godshot
15. The Next Best Thing


Volume 2

How does a locomotive crash into a house two miles from the nearest train tracks? Could the ever popular Father DeConcini really be a pedophile priest? Did an act of terrorism crater a New York apartment building or was it something no one could've seen coming? Did a tornado level this small Missouri town or was it...a dragon? Thirteen all-new twisted tales by the author of Morsels Vol. 1.

Table of Contents

1. Loco
2. Gravity
3. Thou Shalt Not Touch
4. Sewer Rat
5. The Quickie Mart Reunion
6. Up Up and Away
7. Back II Reality
8. Urad 238
9. The Drive Thru
10. In The Simian Hands of God
11. Retarded
12. Fire Roasted
13. Dignity Tickets

MORSELS Vol. 1 is available for Kindle readers at Amazon. Click HERE.
It is also available for Nook readers at Barnes and Noble. Click Here.

MORSELS Vol. 2 is available for Kindle readers at Amazon. Click HERE.
It is also available for Nook readers at Barnes and Noble. Click HERE.

Morsels Vol. 1 and 2 are also available in the iTunes iBook store as well as Kobo.com. Just search for "Kelvin Wade."

Don't have a Kindle or Nook or iPad? Download the Kindle or Nook readers from iTunes or the Android Market for your smartphone and then download Morsels.

ONE STOP SHOPPING! Buy MORSELS from Smashwords. ALL FORMATS!!! Smashwords sells MORSELS in Kindle, Nook, PDF, .TXT, HTML, and PDF as well as other formats for you to read right on your computer! Free samples are also available! Please write a review on Barnes and Noble or Amazon after you read the books. Your feedback is valued and appreciated. I need to know if you enjoyed it. I need to know if you hated it. All views are welcome! Thank you so much for your support!

Print copies will be available soon.

Short Stories vs. Novels

I don't knock novels. My favorite novel is John Fowles' "The Collector." Amazing book that draws you into a creepy story of obsession. While I enjoy a good novel that tells a story that unfolds over a series of chapters, I fell in love with short stories in high school. I took a short story class and we read things like Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", and Thomas Wolfe's "The Child by Tiger." It showed me that complex stories with deep themes didn't have to be novel-length.

And to be honest, I've never written a novel. I've written novellas. But I like the idea of short stories because of their length. If they're done well, they can leave the reader wishing it were longer. I like the idea of a story that can be read on a train ride, right before you sleep or in the bathroom. Just a quick read that gives you a satisfying payoff.

That's what I hope to do with the short tales that I create.