Love... And Sleepless Nights MAY 2012 (33 page)

A great book will transport you to another world...
literally
, if you're not careful.

On a gloomy Thursday afternoon, Max Bloom enters his local library in a last ditch attempt to stave off an epic case of teenage boredom. Among the hushed stacks he discovers The Cornerstone, an ancient book tucked away on a dusty, forgotten shelf. Opening the cover, Max is instantly transported to an alternate dimension full of things intent on killing him - thus avoiding boredom with
remarkable
success.

He meets a beautiful girl called Merelie (brilliant), who tells him he could be a Wordsmith, a sorcerer able to craft magic from the written word itself, one strong enough to save both their worlds from the Dwellers - hideous monsters from beyond the universe (not so brilliant).

This all sounds completely unbelievable. The kind of thing you'd read in a fantasy novel. But The Cornerstone doesn't lie... and the danger is
very
real.

In a world threatened by monsters, where books are worshipped and powerful magic exists, Max Bloom must make a choice: close The Cornerstone and run home - or trust Merelie, become a Wordsmith, and save two worlds from certain destruction...

Spalding’s Scary Shorts

Feedback: A Vampire Story

Be careful who you write about...

Keating the vampire used to love the horror stories that humans would write about his species. They had endlessly amused him - and allowed him to operate safe in the knowledge nobody believed he existed.

Madeline De Martine had changed all that though.

From terrifying, bloodthirsty creatures of the night... to maudlin, effeminate idiots obsessed with pubescent American girls, De Martine's blockbuster romances had irrevocably ruined the image of the vampire, as far as Keating was concerned.

So tonight he's paying the multi-millionaire writer a visit, to offer some constructive feedback and show her the error of her ways...

I, Zombie

A story of the thinking dead!

"My name is Jim Monroe and I am a zombie.

"My natural life on this planet has ceased and I've been re-animated to stalk the world as a pale, hollow imitation of my former self.

"I'm different from my undead brethren though... I'm a zombie with a brain.

"This is the short, shocking story of how I came to be this way."

Dogs Of War

Giving interactive gameplay a whole new meaning...

Disaster
.

Epic. Huge. Unmitigated.
Disaster
.

Zack Hampton's beloved Gamestation console has just committed electronic suicide - right in the middle of a hectic Dogs Of War Team Deathmatch.

Where the hell is he supposed to find another one the week before Christmas? All the shops have sold out!

Imagine Zack's delight when he stumbles on a quaint Christmas shop, run by the enigmatic Mister Fix... and discovers a unique 'special edition' Gamestation on sale for a bargain price.

Following a very strange conversation with the old shopkeeper, the teenager buys the console and rushes home to rejoin the online mayhem as quickly as possible.

This Gamestation really is
very
special though - and Zack is about to take part in a game of Dogs Of War he is never going to forget...

Spine Slaughter

When hedgehogs attack!

On a warm summer day the
village
of
Wincing On Thames
is attacked by the most unlikely of monsters. Hoards of deadly hedgehogs are on the loose and out for blood. Can ASBO wielding Jason, Scab the punk and their friends survive the onslaught?

Warning: This story contains gore, profanity and gratuitous nudity... there's a children's tea party at the beginning though, so something for everyone, I think.

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