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Horror Tales Publishing

Pub date July 24, 2023

ISBN 979-8218081928

Price $19.99 Hardcover, $14.99 Paperback, $8.99 Kindle edition, $0.00 Audio book

Author interview

Harmon delivers a fabulously eerie collection of fifteen short stories, exploring themes of teenage angst, bullying, dysfunctional family bonds, alcohol and substance abuse, and friendship. The stories wander both into SF and fantasy territory, centering on inner change rather than external. “The Unwanted Guest,” the opening story in the collection, sets the tone nicely: tables finally turn for a young girl bullied by her troubled brother after the siblings’ have a horrifying encounter with an intruder in their house. Several stories portray the teen protagonists wrestling with both inner and outer demons and eventually coming to personal breakthroughs. In “The New Teacher,” a troubled teen from a dysfunctional family develops a genuine bond of friendship after a terrifying near-death experience with an otherworldly monster. An adolescent boy finds his inner courage in “The Abandoned House.” Some stories have tragic endings: for example, in the utterly scary, heartbreaking, and distressing, “The Very Scary Game,” a teenager escapes a terrifying fate only to realize something far more sinister is in store for his little sister. A curious teen realizes his dream but only after paying a heavy price in “Aliens in My Backyard.” In general, the book delivers healthy emotional and moral choices in a flawed world. Deliciously creepy and engaging.