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Demons, Devils & Denizens of Hell Anthology

Published by John T M Herres on May 11, 2017

Demons, Devils & Denizens of Hell I have been tagged on Facebook to participate in this Anthology by one of my Facebook Friends, Becky Narron. As I have written a few other shorts for such calls, I figured I’d give this one a try, too. *** Just to update, since it has been too long I haven’t, I #amwriting, #amediting, #amrevizing. I’ve been working on restructuring and filling in blank spots on The Barbarian (the story on the blog is now outdated), making his story more complete. It’s going to take a while. I decided I’d take a break and make something new, then I’ll go back to editing, if you want to call it that. For this story, though I haven’t come up with a title yet, I figured I’d make another serial killer, as I did with Hell’s Beginning (sub’d to Azoth Khem Publishing, which is still waiting in the Editor’s pile.)   Without further ado, I give you a small teaser for the current work. In hopes that it will whet your appetite and cause some small anticipation for the completion. Untitled (I’ll edit that when I do think of an appropriate heading.) Agent Herman Schmidt had never seen such vicious crimes. In his 30 years of service, he had witnessed some of the various atrocities one human could do, either to another person or a group of people. However, the mess left by this perpetrator outdid anything he’d had to bear investigating. Schmidt knew this criminal.…

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ReBlog: #amwriting: Too Many Characters?

Published by John T M Herres on February 4, 2017

While going through my weekly updates for blogs I’m following, I came across this article by Connie J. Jasperson  #amwriting: Too Many Characters? I’ll post an excerpt, but to get the full explanation, you must go to her website. She explains it much better than I could. You’re writing the first draft of your novel.  A beta reader has pointed out that you may have too many named characters to keep track of, and now you’re on a mission to whittle down your cast of thousands. But who should go and who should stay? What is the optimal number of characters for a book? Some say only four, others fifteen, but I say introduce however many characters it takes to tell the story but use common sense. Put the reader first–they must be able to keep them straight without any effort. When you introduce a named character, ask yourself if it is someone the reader should remember. Does he or she offer information the protagonist and reader must know? Some characters will give us clues to help our protagonist complete his/her quest.  Others show us something about the protagonist, give us a clue into their personality or past. Read More Here   Now, where this hit me is in considering a new project I thought of. I #amwriting a story about a Werewolf community, the thought being to have every chapter revolve around either a popular proverb or idiom, alternating each (proverb in one chapter, idiom in the next, then…

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3RD Word Of The Day Challenge

Published by John T M Herres on January 15, 2017

3RD Word Of The Day Challenge The “rules.” For this installment, I opted to not go with the actual Dictionary.com word, which they have as igneous. Didn’t resonate with me, so I looked to some of the lists that are there. I went through 4 groups, and happened upon absquatulate. How’s that for a word? I has an easy meaning. Here’s how the website defines it: Absquatulate [ab-skwoch–uh-leyt] verb (used without object), absquatulated, absquatulating. Slang. to flee; abscond: The old prospector absquatulated with our picks and shovel.   Funky old word, ain’t it?   But, first, a word from our sponsor: As a grammatical rule, I have been taught that most two-syllable adjectives, when written in comparative or superlative form, would use “more” and “most,” respectively. It would appear, however, there are exceptions. For instance; Stupid VS Stupider. I cringe when I see the word “stupider,” as I’ve always known “more stupid” is the correct writing. By this article, I have been mistaken. Oh, well. Since each can be correct, I’ll just go with how I use them and suffer others to use which one they wish. I’ll still cringe, though.   On with the show!   Jesse decided he needed to leave town. His girlfriend had dumped him, his best friend basically disowned him. As it turned out, the two had found they got along better together than they did with him and had been running around behind his back. Jesse never saw it, though. His attention usually focused on trying to get something for nothing. He would steal from others and sell the…

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The Barbarian versus The Nomads

Published by John T M Herres on December 8, 2016

Here is another excerpt from my WIP The Barbarian. In this section, the Barbarian, who is still unnamed, has just returned from scouting with his trainer. The main Shandan Nomad (Shandan is the desert they are in charge of ruling with tyrant abandon, if you will) is resting, as is his second-in-command, and the one left in charge, Shenkar, hates the boy more than the other two do. In the distance, they can see a cloud of dust, and the Nomad who has better long range vision sees the group of Wizards riding hard toward them. It’s a bit rough, as it is still 1st draft, but I’m sure you can get the gist of it. Well, have a look:   Nomads No More Shenkar saw the scouts returning at a leisurely pace after exploring the route to the east. Bolthed and Akheem left him in charge when they retired to one of the wagons for a brief respite, with orders to be called only if needed. Two days prior, a scout from the Wastes had brought them news of the annihilation of their allies, the Destined Ones. He also told of the warning relayed that the Nomads would be next. Bolthed immediately put the band on alert” “The way is clear for the next league, my Lord,” the older scout reported. “Get some rest, then prepare to go back out.” As they turned to leave, the trainer pointed to the north. “My lord, Shenkar; look.” A cloud of dust…

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Guest Post by Sam Gregory

Published by John T M Herres on July 2, 2016

I extend a warm welcome to Samantha “Sam” Gregory, here to tell you about her Inner Daemons series of books. There is also an Event page on Facebook. So, without further ado;   Inner Daemons Book Event Guest Post By Samantha Gregory I started writing the Daemon series back in 2010 and it was published in 2013. Mackenzie Murphy pretty much walked straight onto the page. I wanted a tough character, who despite having a difficult childhood and upbringing, is still a decent person. Mackenzie had to deal with her mother going to jail when Mackenzie was only eleven, and then being put into the foster system. As a child she discovered her ability to control demonic shadows and have them do her bidding. She was terrified of her gift for a long time, but gradually learned to use it when she needed help. I have had the story, which runs across four books, mapped out for years. Daemon Battle and Daemon War are books three and four in the series and are out in the Fall 2016 and Summer 2017 respectively.   The event I am hosting during July 2nd and 3rd, will offer several giveaway options including a $25 Amazon Gift card and the chance to win a Kindle Fire 7” tablet. Participants can take part in the event by Clicking here. The giveaway runs through my website too. And as a special treat, book 1 – Daemon Persuasion will be FREE during the event.   Thanks, Sam!…

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A Memorable Storm

Published by John T M Herres on June 6, 2016

While chatting with a new friend on Facebook, she posted a link to this video; to which I said I liked, and posted another vid to continue the ode to Mondays: which she said she likes as well. The flighty nature of my thinking took hold, and I followed with the rain subject with; I also mentioned I had a cool memory of listening to Riders during a rain/wind storm many years ago. She indicated she’d like to hear it, so I’ll attempt a pseudo-bio concerning the event. 1983 (or 84), Austin, Texas Back when they were still coming out with the songs which are now considered classic rock, just after I graduated High School in El Paso, and my Brother left his Air Force experience, we settled back in Austin to try to be adults. Back then, we had a total of 4 regular TV channels. There were many choices on the radio, but the rock station of the time didn’t play a lot of the selections I wanted to hear. What they did do; whenever a storm started, they played Riders On The Storm by The Doors. Most always, that is. (Bear in mind- this is during the time I still drank beer frequently. Mixed with the joint I smoked, I felt pretty mellow for this experience.) One particular time, as I lay on the bed watching the new episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I heard the thunder approaching. Initially I ignored it, glad to be…

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Haunt Jaunt #ParaDayParT#BlogBattle #13

Haunt Jaunt #ParaDayParT

Published by John T M Herres on May 3, 2016

#ParaDayParT   Paranormal Day 2016 Party Invite   I originally wrote this story for a weekly challenge called #BlogBattle and hosted by Rachael Ritchey. Though I don’t participate every week, the ones I do play a part in garner some comments to my writing, which is always helpful. I did some camping, hiking, climbing action in my youth, either with my older Brother or Sister, or both, so draw from those experiences to pen some of my stories. So, as this is the third time I’ve used this story for a group post type of deal, I’ll just get it posted and let others decide if it is worthy of the Haunt Jaunts theme.   Genre: Thriller/Horror The Rope (c) 2016 By John T. M. Herres Look at it, just swinging there. Like it’s offering a fun time, just like children have. He had a hard time accepting the sight, as it looked so incongruous. He hiked all day through the National Forest, backpack loaded with provisions for a week, and had seen nothing strange. Until now. He trudged the thickest parts of the woods, where very few signs of humans showed. He didn’t like the paths that other people followed, as there would always be residue of sorts that they had passed. In the rough, most people knew how to keep their evidence to a minimum. He knew his journey’s end as only a point on a map. While planning, he tried to find areas that had not been…

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#BlogBattle Week 55- Leviathan

Published by John T M Herres on March 29, 2016

#BlogBattle Week 55 Howdy, all! ‘Tis time once again for a weekly writing prompt, hosted by Rachael Ritchey. It has been a while, not just since I participated, but since I’ve felt well enough (?) to write anything anywhere. I had been invited to join a blog hop with a Spring Time theme, but had to renege and withdraw from participating. Something is going on within me, and I know not what. Be that as it may: I’m here this week to offer another Thriller of a tale, but this one could be said to have a happy ending. You be the judge, and let me know in the comments, if you please. Evil In Technology By John T. M. Herres, (c) 2016   Evil. Most people think they know about Evil, but in reality, they only have a vague idea. They also think the Evil is elsewhere. It’s not. Case in point:   The day started as most every other day in recent memory. Joseph awoke alone, made a pot of coffee and sat at his computer to begin his daily routine. Quiet reigned, and he noticed even the outside noises were absent. While he waited for his favorite game site to load, he walked to the window and pulled aside the curtain to see what type of day he would face. Utter blackness met his gaze. The sun should be out by now, he thought, or at least a slate grey sky warning of impending rain. He squinted…

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#BlogBattle #53#BlogBattle #13

#BlogBattle #53

Published by John T M Herres on March 15, 2016

This week, Rachael Ritchey is celebrating a whole year running the #BlogBattle! Congrats, Rachael! For the challenge this week, she has issued the following: “To celebrate, This week we will not be writing a new story for the battle. For Week 53 here is what I want from anyone and everyone who has ever battled: Choose one of your #BlogBattle stories from the past year Edit it however you would like Reblog/repost it on Tuesday, March 15th. Make sure you specify the genre and the theme word We will do our voting from the compilation of awesome stories presented! First, the obligatory: Rules: 1000 words max fictional tale (or true if you really want) PG (no more than PG-13) Content – let’s keep this family friendly! Your story must contain the word(s) from the theme and/or be centered around the theme in a way that shows it is clearly related Go for the entertainment value! State the Genre of your story at the top of your post. Post your story on Tuesday, by 11:59 PM PST Use the hashtag #BlogBattle when tweeting your story, put a link back to your #BlogBattle Short Story in the comments section of this page, and/or include a link to this page in your own blog post (it creates a “ping-back” which will alert me and our friends to your #BlogBattle post) Have fun! Read all the short stories and vote! Winners are announced the Monday following. So, I went through my few offerings, and found that I…

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2015 Blog Statistics

Published by John T M Herres on January 13, 2016

Statistics For johntmherres.com I know, most people have already done this and moved on, but if you remember, I didn’t have a very happy end-of-year experience, and it’s taken me a bit to get back into the swing of things.     We all hear that the New Year is a time to make resolutions intended to encourage us to force a change in our lives. Either to start a diet, the goal to make a smaller you, or to quit this, stop that, get something else done, dedicate oneself to making the goals that have, in all years past, gotten broken way too soon after being made. I learned that it is setting myself up for failure when I make such grandiose plans, and began stating that, in the New Year, I would endeavor to do just a little better than the previous year. This is so much easier to accomplish.   Here are the stats they sent me; The WordPress helper-monkeys are working day and night to provide pages and pages of detail on how our blogs are doing. A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 890 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 15 trips to carry that many people. The busiest day of the year was November 3rd with 17 views. The most popular post that day was Home. (Even though the same stats page said “Home” didn’t have any views, and “Traffic Stop”…

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