Uncharted

The world can be funny or terrifying depending on your outlook. Join our hero as he navigates the daily grind, experiencing life so you don't have to.

Ghosts of Eagle Valley

Ask anyone in Eagle Valley, Virginia, and they’ll be happy to tell you the history of their little town. After all, it’s a fascinating story. Way back in the 1700s, some of the town’s bravest young men marched off to fight in the Revolutionary War. Later, Eagle Valley’s mill brought the American Dream right to their doorsteps. During the Civil War, families were split between staying loyal to Virginia or re-joining the Union. Even as recently as World War II, Eagle Valley locals fought for victory half a world away. The town of Eagle Valley is proud of its long history, and even more proud of the ancestors that built their town.

Of course, if you ask the ghosts that still haunt Eagle Valley’s streets, you just might hear another side of the story. In this four-story collection, the ghosts of Eagle Valley set the record straight. Every town has its secrets, and these skeletons are ready to come out of their closets.

Ghosts of Eagle Valley is the companion short story collection to Ellen Smith’s debut novel, Reluctant Cassandra. Available only on Channillo for Charity, proceeds from Ghosts of Eagle Valley will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Sera Storme

Eight years ago, Sera Storme was forced to give up her baby daughter, Lani, for safekeeping. On the run from the Trillium criminal organization, she became a bounty hunter and mercenary for hire, taking jobs where she could, staying low-key. 

On her most dangerous assignment yet, she and Lani are reunited. Sera Storme is a hotheaded bounty hunter, a crack shot and a master of unarmed combat. Being a mother was not something she was prepared for. 

Now Sera must track down and defeat Xane Mori, a dangerous psychic from Mars, in the Sol system, while keeping eight-year-old Lani safe from the Trillium soldiers hunting them. Her only ally is the icy Sabian Delain. Sera’s mission will force her to confront her past, and to find a way to forge a bond with the daughter she left behind.

The Blossom of the Soul

The year is 1615. In a Benedictine convent in Northern France a woman named Mary Seton, who was once lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots is nearing the end of her life. 

She wants to tell you her story. 

Zen and the Art of Sanity

Brodi Parker, a yoga instructor at a high end resort high in the Appalachian mountains, has been recovering from a catastrophic injury. He's healing reasonably well, and he is looking forward to being able to get back into his studio 

Then, a dark secret from his past shows up and threatens to send his life spiraling out of control.

Can he pull himself together to face his own personal demons down?

Death at Delphi

Whose bones lie in Caroline’s grave?

A mysterious drowning. A dead person seen alive. A secret society reviving ancient rites. Rumours of smuggling, espionage and betrayal.

When a handsome stranger asks Jayne for help, her quest takes her to Greece where a web of lies, intrigue, and jealousy is soon laid bare. 

But how can Jayne unravel the intrigue of her friend’s death, when no one will believe her? 

And where is Caroline now?

Stolen Moments

A series of short stories composed over the years, ranging from horror, to character studies, speculative fiction and a lot in between. ;-)

The Last Minuters

When recent divorcee Margaret Ayinger decides to end her life, she wants to go out in style.  For those who have done their homework and for whom money is no object there is only one place for that: The Precipice Hotel.  Like a hospice for the terminally eccentric, it has stood for over a hundred years in a region plagued by yearly forest fires.  Upon arrival, Margaret finds the old place nothing like what was advertised. 

Oh sure, the staff are friendly.  And the food?  Positively four star!  Something about it though just doesn't sit well with her.  For instance, the people who randomly swan dive from their balconies late at night, the impossible thing living in her bedroom, and the automatons in black body stockings roaming the halls.  Oh, and the purple monster named Fred who lives in the gorge.  

The Resurrection of Gideon

Vampire Gideon Gower was a monster. Ruthless, bloodthirsty, and violent. A swift and brutal death awaiting anyone who happened to cross his path. He existed this way for centuries, until a shocking encounter in the 1930s left him reliving heartbreaking memories of loved ones long dead, touching on a pain that he hadn't allowed himself to feel for three hundred and seventy years.

Fast forward to 2018.

Eighty-five years have now passed and Gideon hasn't preyed on a single human since that night, instead choosing to feed off of animals in the Everglades and hiding away in a small house in Miami. But the quiet of his self-imposed isolation is shattered by the unexpected appearance of Meegan, a beautiful woman from his grisly past who's determined to return him to the fiend he once was. As Meegan attempts to drag him back down into bloody temptation, Gideon has to decide. With the man and the raging beast within pulling him in two different directions at once, does he continue to fight his instincts or allow the baser, darker part to take over once again, the latter tremendously more appealing.

Eventually Gideon finds purpose in newly forged friendship and rediscovered family, but when a gruesome murder committed by Meegan during Prohibition comes back to haunt her ninety years later, threatening not only exposure for Gideon and herself, but the safety of his family as well, Gideon must do everything he can to protect them. Even if it means unleashing the side that he's tried to keep caged for eight and a half decades.

The question is, can he close that door again once it's opened? Gideon is willing to take that chance. For them. But at what cost to himself?

2017 Short Story Contest Finalists

This is a monthly series featuring the finalists of our 2017 Channillo Short Story Contest. The stories will be released in random order as follows.

"Last Man to Die" by Rudy Koshar

"The Trail" by Melissa Algood

"Versions of You" by Joe Prosit (3rd Place)

"The County Fair" by Sasha Lauren (1st Place)

"Draw the Other One" by Adam Cook

"Presence" by Rudy Koshar

"The Wish" by Jae Mazer (2nd Place)

"Seconds" by Chance Webb

"Bacia" by Isabelle Reid

"Rum and Tears" by Simon A.C. Martin

"Reunion" by Melissa Algood

Can You Hear Me Now?

Can You Hear Me Now?

They call it The Rocket, this streetcar, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a slow boat, a barge on its way down the Limpopo, steamy in summer; in winter, gritty underfoot and rank with the smell of wet wool. On rainy days the windows blur and water from boots and umbrellas pools on the dirty floor.

On this long, long journey across the city I’m with you, though you don’t know me. You’re talking on your phone. About your mother, your date last night, what you want for dinner. Or maybe you’re talking about your next court date, your drug problem, your divorce. Your recent sexual enlightenment, the pain in your leg (or your heart) that won’t go away. Can you hear me now, you ask, when your phone cuts out for a second. You’re not talking to me.

But I hear you. I’m listening. Here are some of the stories you’ve told me.

Temperate Zone

Temperate Zone is an edgy collection of poetry that takes a gritty look at the journey of personal growth. Likened to the development and aging of trees, each poem is woven together to take readers through the stages of Missing Rings, Whorls, Growth Rings. The journey continues on through Tea Leaves. Charged up and penned to stir the soul, these poems are far from the “sip a cup of tea” norm. Now that I have your attention, pull up a seat and settle in for an exhilarating journey through the Temperate Zone.

The Last First Date

Beth Mulligan is single and kinda, maybe, possibly, ready to mingle. The recently divorced English teacher is all set to spend her summer relaxing and repairing her broken heart, but her friends and family have other plans. Her best friend Jen sets her up on one awkward blind date after another. Her well-meaning brother tries to hook her up with some of his friends. Even her dad suggests she sign up for a dating app.

As Beth spends the summer meeting and going out with new guys, her dates don’t always go as planned. In fact, most of the dates are awkward, comical, and downright disappointing. Still, once Beth gets back into the dating game, she’s hopeful that the next guy is the right guy and that their first date… will be her last first date.

Married to Mania

Married to Mania is a story about a couple’s journey through a wife’s severe mental illness, and the toll it has taken on them both. Nikki, the lead character, suffers from bi-polar disorder. The story begins with Nikki being in full psychosis, and her husband Jameson’s attempt to clean up her recent mess. As they fumble their way through Nikki's escapades of madness, Nikki battles with suicidal obsession while Jameson questions whether he wants to continue staying in the marriage. The story is told from their individual perspectives and is full of unexpected twists and turns.

A Twin Story

Lori and Laurie are identical twins, who accidentally meet for the first time twenty-two years after being separated at birth. Upon making this shocking discovery, they make a decision that will alter the course of their destinies forever.

"A Twin Story" is an unconventional tale of sisterhood, secrets, and the outrageous consequences of one impulsive choice.

Ghost

Life was simple, until I kidnapped her.

Ghost. The name of a man who is known for his ability to do the impossible. Of course, a hitman of his caliber is hard to find and his skills do not come cheap. Ghost has trained himself to be cold. A necessity when eliminating his victims. Take a job, complete it, get paid. Nothing more. Do as you're told. He has been successful with every hit he was assigned. When living in this hellhole some call a town, a man finds him and asks Ghost for his services. Accepted. First target, a girl. Heiress to the White family. Easy. A simple hit. This girl, that when he puts the gun to her head, intrigues him more than she should. He hesitates. What to do? Follow orders? Or take the first step down a road that could destroy him?

*If you do not wish to wait for the full story, "Ghost" is available for sale at your favorite eBook retailer

December Dead

From an amazing discovery in the jungles of the Amazon, to the serene mountain village of Hogsback in South Africa, something deadly has been unleashed, and the responsibility of ensuring humanity survives this unbelievable event has been placed in the unprepared hands of single parent Amanda Hoyer and her twelve year old son, Jimmy. Lost in the unforgiving mountains of the Amatola, and up against a relentless military force led by the cold-hearted General Peterson, Amanda and Jimmy will have to dig deeper than ever before in order to find the courage to overcome the mounting odds! With Jimmy possibly the only thing standing between the world as we know it and total annihilation, Amanda has no choice but to ensure she protects him - at whatever cost! This December may be the last...

And I Remembered

The suicide attempt was supposed to be the end for Elisabeth. Instead, it was yet another beginning for her, but it forced her to look back at every event in the previous five years that had brought her to this point.

Miami was a light, carefree, airy place where Elisabeth thought she had found herself, and found someone else, a professional hockey player who was starting his own adult life - just like she was. Until it took a grave turn.

Chicago was dark and lonely, a place where Elisabeth wanted to find herself, but lost herself. 

Jumping into the ocean forced her to consider what direction she decided to go in next. But it also helped Elisabeth understand how she grew, struggled and nearly gave up. And how she had to put it all back together.

Tortum: A Modernization of Old World Fables

Tales of the old world brought back to life. Tortum gathers a series of short stories that explore fables and legends from around the world. From Czechoslovakia to Japan, Norway to Nepal, rediscover the mysteries of fables from every corner of the world as they are brought back to modern society with dark and horrifying new twists.

2015 Short Story Contest Finalists

This is a monthly series featuring the 12 finalists of our 2015 Channillo Short Story Contest. The stories will be released in random order as follows.

"Green Means Stop" by Opher Goodwin    

"Under the Cover of Dreams" by Lynn Forest

"Beverage Therapy" by Eliza Leone

"The Scar" by Tom Farr

"The Slush Pile" by Ryan Lackey

"Gas Station Flowers" by C.E. Stokes (3rd Place)

"Monster Mash" by Julia Patt (1st Place)

"New Age Digital Hero" by Joe Prosit (2nd Place)

"Hair Dying" by Melissa Algood

"Visitation" by Devan Burton

"The Cricket Breeder" by Justin Overton

"The Children of Muspell" by Katie Drake

**Subscribing to this series will not count toward your subscription limit. This is a bonus series created by Channillo.com

Modern Magic: Book One

Modern Magic is a series of modern-day retellings of classic fairy tales. The first is Fashionista. 

For four generations, the House of Zangari has been a purveyor of luxury leather goods—shoes and purses and belts and boots. If her father had made a will, Allegra Zangari would have inherited the company and continued the family tradition. But Enzo Zangari had died intestate and her evil stepmother inherited the business and seems determined to run it into the ground.

Hugo Prince is the heir apparent of Prince’s, a global empire of upscale department stores based in Chicago. Hugo used to date Allegra’s stepsister Julia, a gold-digger of an upwardly mobile socialite. He was just a trophy for her, and their relationship soon fell apart. But not before he met Allegra.

Now, in the week after Christmas, Allegra and Hugo are about to meet again. With a little help from her ghostly great- grandmother, and the support of her friends, Allegra will save her family’s company and find her happy ending.

Set in Chicago, Fashioista is a sweet, clean, modern-day re-imagining of Cinderella set against the world of shoe design and high-end department stores.

The Modern Magic series will continue with Hunter's Kiss (Snow White), Hero's Kiss (Beauty and the Beast), and Rapunzel.

Note: The shoes and accessories described in this book are manufactured out of leather, including ostrich, crocodile, and pigskin. This reflects the current realities of the marketplace and not the author's own wardrobe. 

The Billionaire Heartbreaker

An island in the Caribbean Sea, is home for Mia, who lives and works as her ancestors did on the Mangrove Mills estate. Abandoned as a baby by her mother, the scars refuse to heal. Secretly designing displays of the island’s flora for the high society, her success could be compromised by the new boss of the estate.

Luke Taylor or ‘The Billionaire Heartbreaker’ as he’s known in the media, is not all that he portrays. Emotionally crippled by his parent’s death, like Mia, he has to learn to face loss and pain and open up to love.

NB; New chapters are added on the 14th and 28th of each month. 

The Moon is Crying

What monsters lurk in your mind? Why does The Hollow One wait? Who made the stars dance?

The Moon is Crying is a collection of contemplative microfiction with a touch of magic. Stories are bite-sized (under 1,000 words) and aim to explore the depths of human nature. Elements of fantasy and horror may be included.

The Moon is Crying is a Channillo for Charity series.

The Vice Sutra

The Vice Sutra is the story of Alex, a young man whose lies and base drives lead him on a journey through hidden sub-cultures and the world of day spa hopefuls searching for beauty. Along the way he must confront his father’s con-man legacy, shifting moral philosophy, a young woman who sparkles with new-age belief, and Dolly Harness, a self-styled Desire Educator who pushes him to follow his desires to an end. His story examines the constructs of belief and want, the power of words, and whether it is possible to emerge as a new creature through a drastic physical change.

Throughout the novel the reader must answer whether or not Alex will go through with his rebirth, if secrets are the only true power in the world, and if the words they hold dear deserve their devotion. It is a story of loss and redemption.

This novel is meant for readers interested in the existential questions raised by an increasingly impersonal world, and those who want to explore where desire and reality intersect. As this novel moves from the serious to the absurd often, the ideal reader for this book would be one who appreciates both Foucault and John Waters equally.

What Mattered Yesterday

    Avery Houde allows readers into her fictitious, maybe not so fiction based, life. Follow her internal dialogue in everyday situations regarding work, home, dating, family and much more. She speaks on paper what many may not be saying out loud, but will nod their heads along with her, knowing it could all be true. What Mattered Yesterday brings insight into the changing perspective of a life well lived, and all that goes with it.

The Flexibilizer

I read your story holding my breath. It's beautiful. Very different. - Theo (author)

I read The Flexibilizer and I think it's incredible. Very impressive and written with a good feel for language. - Michel (musician)

****************

The feeling of isolation is palpable. I admire the way you employ time in the story. By not giving exact dates and jumping to unspecified periods in time creates in the reader's mind a continuum that matches the state of mind of the main character.         - Bart (linguist)

The Extra-Terrestrial Toilet

Larry and his alien buddy, Nittix, travel through the universe in a time-travelling bathroom going from one misadventure to the next.

But, what mysterious power had put these two unlikely travelers together, and what is the purpose of the tests they endure?

Written in the humorous style of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

There are currently 25 chapters in this series to date.

This series is COMPLETE.

Cover design by Melody Simmons.

Taking Comfort

Leanne had Cara when she was still a teenager.  Now that her daughter is sixteen she wants her to understand.  She writes about her past in a book, but nothing is straight forward.  Who was Leanne before she had Cara?   

LILY'S SECOND CHANCE

As her dementia symptoms progress, Jenna Kiely begins writing letters from her bed in a nursing home to her niece Lily Robinson, relaying the tales of her harsh life growing up on the South Side of Chicago during the thirties and forties.

Jenna recounts the deaths of many loved ones including the racially motivated murder of her boyfriend. Later she must watch as her sister slowly becomes controlled by her fiancé. In her attempts to avenge the crimes committed against her loved ones, Jenna commits a crime so heinous, she begs for Lily’s forgiveness before she dies.

Seventeen years later, Jaymi Robinson has just moved from Los Angeles to Chicopee, California after the deaths of her Grandma Lily and her father. During the move, she discovers her Great-Great-Aunt Jenna Kiely's letters and quickly sees the parallels between the life of her aunt and her own. With the help of her best friend, Jaymi discovers that she is her Great-Great-Aunt reincarnated. She then realizes that she must use the letters if she is to stop tragic past events from reoccurring in her lifetime. Problem is, while they share the same soul, their lifetimes couldn't be more different.

Brothers

It is 2060, and Jakarta is in utter chaos. Two largest gangs have been involved in open war in the last four years, at the expense of the Capital, and the authorities can barely stop them.

Andrew and Daniel Jatmiko, the leaders of Sky Claw, are battling the Dragons with their limited resources, but when Andrew gets stabbed in the front of the crowd and faces imminent death, Daniel has no option but to call their youngest brother, Ray, who's never been in good terms with them both.

Ray, a former soldier turned private investigator to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that claims his best friend's life, has no interest in aiding his brothers who choose the underworld than to live normal lives, not even when Danny asks for his help and that Andy's life is on the edge of the knife.

Thinking that the gang war is just a stupid stuff his brothers choose to involve in, Ray is in for a sore surprise when he uncovers that there are people with insidious motives lurking behind it, secretly leading the march towards the Capital's fast decimation for the sake of their own profit.

Will Ray help his brothers and finally make peace with them? Or will he just focus on cracking the truth that took his friend's life and be damned with his brothers?

Machinery of Man

​Explore this exciting new story by the author of The Everything Factor (2014)

 Everything we've known is wrong! ​Prepare for a truth that will shake humanity to its core!

Machinery of Man follows Doug Vasiter's visit to the hamlet of Bandigan Bay as he oversees the production of a new Denathynol plant. Denathynol is a revolutionary new fuel source mixing minimal amounts of oil with natural materials found in the soils surrounding meteor impact zones.

Though the project can provide much needed employment to Bandigan Bay residents, while also serving as the first step in extending mankind's warranty on Earth amid our impending energy crisis, there also exists a sect of people aggressively  and strangely opposed to any new development.

A series of seemingly odd, "abort" messages across modern day technological devices, peculiar acts of vandalism and mysteriously cold, detached people all culminate in a mind bending truth.

Everything that people have regarded as facts about who and what we are as a species, where we come from, and the evolution of life itself, will be completely rewritten.

The truth will either set everyone free, or destroy everything in the process.

One man's passionate project, designed to be socially and environmentally responsible, will end up being the very thing that the fate of our entire universe rest upon.

Baby's Breath

     A sadistic madman has taken over a daycare.

     In one classroom, a single mom, wounded, goes into labor, so afraid her baby will be born before the police can rescue them.  Then, the gunman will know she, and her precious, unborn child, are alive.  In hard labor, she is trying to be as still, and as quiet, as she can be.

     Another teacher, who has ties to the gunman, hopes, and prays, she can talk him down before he hurts anyone else, especially their son, also in the daycare.  

     The last other surviving adult, a fellow teacher, is held hostage with the rest of the surviving children, in the common room, holding out hope she, and the children, will survive, with no more bloodshed.

     As the small, close-knit town hears of all this, parents, family, and friends gather outside, with police, and SWAT teams, to pray, and comfort each other, wondering, and hoping their loved ones are not among the dead inside.

*Contains graphic language and violence.  

The Days Beyond

When Lionel Hesse awakes next to the body of his dead wife, Jackie, bleeding profusely from a knife wound, he has no idea how he got there or what happened! Accused of her murder, and suffering from amnesia which covers a two and a half year period, he escapes from police custody after an assassination attempt on his life goes wrong! On the run from both the law and an unknown and sinister enemy, he finds himself teaming up with a strange woman. He has to prove his innocence and find those guilty of his wife's murder! He soon discovers that everyone he cares about is in danger, and when they start dying around him, he realizes he has to fight back! However time is running out, and as the truth about his missing past is slowly uncovered, he soon realizes that time, and a strange metal object he nicknames "The Eye" may be his only ally! Set in modern day South Africa, this rollercoaster of an adventure will entertain, frighten and have you cheering the unlikely hero as he transcends the boundaries of time in an effort to clear his name and save his loved ones!

P.S. Don't Be Stupid

The first time Bennett Dixon finds a letter offering unsolicited advice from her dead grandmother, she chalks it up to hormones.

The second time she vows to stop sleeping with people who aren’t her husband.

The third time Bennett begins to listen.

P.S. Don’t Be Stupid is a laugh out loud look at the ways we hide our imperfections from the world around us and how when we finally embrace ourselves, stupid choices and all,  we are capable of big, big magic.

Fortier: Blood & Moon

Fortier is the story of Alfred Zeidan, a vicious, deadly and renowned vampire that secluded himself away from everyone for hundreds of years, until a message reaches him from his father calling for his return. 

Part of him knew that this was about the Bertrams, another family of vampires that are fierce rivals and sworn enemies of the Zeidans, in fact the sole reason why he shunned the world he grew up with was because of the fighting and long standing feud between the two families.

But alas, he returns... for better or worst.

Haunted

Follow this series as strange and unexplainable encounters are shared.   

Many of these happenings are true, however, events are creatively embelleshed for entertaining fiction.

Beneath Black Clouds and White

Despite adoring his family and enjoying frequenting gaming tables, Captain Josiah Tenterchilt’s true love is the British Army and he is committed to his duty. As such, he does not hesitate to answer the army’s call when King Louis XVI of France is executed.

Accompanied by his wife to Flanders, Josiah finds his path crosses with a man who could not be more different from him: an apprentice surgeon named Henry Fotherby. As these two men pursue their own actions, fate and the careful connivance of a mysterious individual will push them together for the rest of their lives.

But it is a tumultuous time, and the French revolutionaries are not the only ones who pose a threat. The two gentlemen must find their place in a world where the constraints of social class are inescapable, and ‘slavery or abolition’ are the words on everyone’s lips. 

Beneath Black Clouds and White is the prequel to Day's Dying Glory, which was published by Crowvus in April 2017.

Aspirations & Inspirations

Inspiration comes to me in many forms. I tend to be drawn to the darker side of fiction, whether I'm looking at movies, story ideas, or books. These poems have been inspired by life, by film and anything in between. I can't always explain where they come from. I just write them.

Super

What if your best intentions cost the lives of innocents? Follow Fletcher, a Muay Thai fighter, as he becomes a crime fighting vigilante in order to keep his brother safe in a dangerous city. And share the burden of this young man as his actions turn him from a do-gooder to a criminal and murderer.

Sleepers

Jack Montgomery is a freelance investigator for the CDC's Global Health Center, and soon stumbles upon a medical mystery that threatens to change everything he thought he knew about the world--and might change everything he thought he knew about himself.  As the pieces of a world-wide conspiracy fall into place, Jack awakens a sleeping giant that could crush him without a thought.  One that has now turned its attention to him.

The machineries of government grind slowly, and one man with nothing left to lose just might have a chance.  A chance to free the sleepers.