Bill Bodden Books

There’s something magical about the terror that grips you in the middle of sleep, when your heart pounds and you know the monster is seconds away. This anthology features nine stories designed to induce nightmares. In “La Japonesa,” a college professor chasing tenure confronts a creature with sharp claws and teeth. Weston Ochse’s “Glue and the Art of Supermodel Maintenance” delves into deep fears, while Yvonne Navarro’s “Recall” follows Officer Warren Hastings, unable to escape the crime he didn’t prevent. Jennifer Brozek’s “Twenty Questions” reveals that some games must be played to the end. E.S. Magill highlights the myths of supernatural protectors in “The Guardians,” where a hiker encounters spectral beings in California’s Santa Lucia Mountains, intent on stopping humanity’s threat to nature. In “The Haunting of Mrs. Poole,” Angel Leigh McCoy presents Amelia, who seems to have it all—wealth, family, and a gothic mansion—where nothing is as it appears. Alison J. McKenzie’s “Into the Quiet” blurs the line between reality and delirium for a new mother, while Bill Bodden’s “The House on River Road” reveals that some urban legends are more than just stories. Lastly, Loren Rhoads reflects on the essence of small-town life in “Elle a Vu un Loup.”