Michelle Kilmer

Once upon a time...a woman wrote a collection of short stories, none of which end particularly well for their characters. This is a mini collection showcasing the diverse skill of Michelle Kilmer (von Eschen) and written for debut at Crypticon Seattle, a horror convention, in 2019. Featuring five short stories of loss detailing how far life is from a fairy tale. Follow a fiery scourge in Firesick, become transfixed by a mysterious, real life painting in The Hands Resist Him, consider what you can and can't live without after an alien invasion in Takers, strap into an advanced future technology in Pain Management, Inc., and take a back seat as a woman takes control of her destiny in The Opportunity.

What lurks beneath your skin...and your psyche? Thirteen individuals learn terrifying truths about themselves or others in this macabre offering from award-winning author Michelle von Eschen. From werewolves, sea zombies, and giant, sentient tapeworms, to a strange case of pyrophobia, and a mother's front row seat to a child-stealing pandemic, this collection runs the gamut of odd to horrific. Take a look inside, but remember: It's not always pretty when you find out what you're made of.

In an undead world, death is only one mistake away. How does one survive the zombie apocalypse? 17-year-old Ian Ward couldn't tell you because he is dying in one. From a closet in a second floor bedroom of an abandoned house, he recounts his tale of "survival" in a backwards journey through the choices that put him there. When the world ends, Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse is the anti-survival guide that just might keep you alive.**This is a novella based in the same world and plague as Michelle's novels When the Dead and The Spread**

You don't know when it will change your life, or how, but the zombie plague is spreading quickly and in ways that no one could have imagined. In Part I, an independently-hired researcher watches a mysterious plague decimate an island and takes notes with a gun-toting guard at his side. but the brisk waters of the Puget Sound can't keep it from spreading to the mainland. In Part II, follow the infection from chapter to chapter and person to person. A frightened neighborhood cat, a harmless fishing trip, a room full of infected preschoolers. perhaps someone will deliver it right to your front door. How kind. Featuring short stories that showcase the many ways in which a disease can overwhelm a city, The Spread will get you thinking of how mundane acts can become deadly. No matter your precautions, the spread will reach you. Of that you can be sure.