Steve Vernon

Anticipated follow-up to bestselling true-crime collection Maritime Murder, from celebrated author of Where the Ghosts Are and Halifax Haunts. The master of Maritime murder is back. More Maritime Murder presents twenty new and spine-tingling tales of cold-blooded crimes from across Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. From 1859 to 1947, these stories spring from police files and trial records, telling the true, gruesome, and long-buried tales of the Butterbox Babies, a murderer named Tom Collins, and a still-unsolved cold case from Goblin Hollow, PEI -- just to name a few. In his uniquely homespun style, veteran storyteller and historian Steve Vernon keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they follow the gory details of the crime itself, the (sometimes still-unknown) reasons behind it, and, perhaps most importantly, what happened afterwards. Fans of true crime and local history will not want to miss this follow-up to Vernon's 2010 bestseller, Maritime Murder.

In 1691 the town of Crossfall taught the witch Thessaly how to die. They beat her, they shot her, they hung her - but nothing worked. When they finally tried to bury her alive Thessaly set the field against them. The first man died as a gust of wind harrowed the meat from his bones. A root, flung like a dirty javelin, cut a second man down. Many more deaths followed. The Preacher Fell impaled the witch upon her very own broom but she dragged him down into the field to wait for three more centuries. Three hundred years later Maddy Harker will murder her bullying husband Vic. She will bury him in the field as she buried her abusive father years before that. The very same field where the revenant spirit of Thessaly Cross lies waiting. In three days Vic will rise again - a thing of dirt, bone and hatred. Men will call him the Tatterdemon. And hell - and Thessaly - will follow. **************WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON"This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." - Edward Lee, author of FLESH GOTHIC and CITY INFERNAL"If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance Magazine "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve Vernon's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries Magazine "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar

This children's picture book is a field guide to Maritime monsters, taken from local folklore and legends. The monsters described include Prince Edward Island's Old Hook-Snout, New Brunswick's Acadian Werewolf, Nova Scotia's Parker Road Phantom and Newfoundland's Not-So-Cuddly Kraken Each entry includes a short story featuring the monster and a field guide entry: location, diet, size, frequency, description, and special monster-hunting advice. An indispensable resource for the young Maritime monster hunter

Full disclaimer - this has to be one of the weirdest stories that I have ever written, and I have written a LOT of weird old stories. Just imagine you walk into a cheesy old greasy spoon diner, the kind that ought to hand out anti-acid along with a napkin, knife and fork. You ask the waitress for eggs and bacon and she brings you a plate with live chicken on it. I mean, feathers and beak and the whole bonanza. Just think about a mix of Kafka and O'Henry and you are somewhere close to the mark. If you want to find out just what comes next, then you ought to pick this story up and give it a read. I guarantee it's cholesterol free. Go ahead and read this story. I dare you. Are you a chicken?" If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "If Steve Vernon were a drug, he would DEFINITELY be illegal " - Some Anonymous Book Reviewer, Most Likely My Cat.

If you're from Halifax, you've probably heard that the Five Fisherman Restaurant is supposedly haunted, and that Georges Island is overrun with ghosts. If you're from Nova Scotia, you probably know about rumours of buried treasure on Oak Island, or about the UFO sighting in Shag Harbour. But what about the Grey Lady of Stoney Beach? Or the Ghost of Haddon Hall? Featuring addresses and GPS coordinates, this guide to Nova Scotian haunts maps out the origin stories of 50 spooky tales. Author Steve Vernon has covered every corner of the province in search of the spooky, bizarre, and unexplained. The perfect companion for those interested in the history of the province and thrill-seekers alike, Where the Ghosts Are is a DIY-ghost tour of Nova Scotia's most haunted spots.

The leaves are falling. You can smell that long-dying aroma of Autumn in the air. Kids are talking trick or treat and the leaves are already screaming at you in red and yellow and deep golden rust as they prepare for one final parachute down into the dirt. The tombstones are talking amongst themselves and winter is hiding just around the corner. It is the time of the year when people draw around the wood stove and the campfire and whisper stories of death and omens and ghosts and things that don't even have a name. These are some of the creepiest October stories that I have ever written. Why not pick up a copy today? ***************** WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON "The genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." -Edward Lee, author of FLESH GOTHIC and CITY INFERNAL "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar My Mom thinks I'm pretty cool, too.

Are you approaching your retirement years and wondering if you have enough money to stop working? Are you afraid of poor health, high medical costs, and outliving your savings? Well, stop worrying--and start planning for the 21st century retirement Retirement Game-Changers helps you make smart choices about your finances, health, and lifestyle as you transition from your work life into your retirement years. Filled with invaluable resources, checklists, and wit, Retirement Game-Changers shares ground-breaking tools and research to help you enjoy a long, healthy, and financially secure life. In this easy-to-follow guide, you'll discover how to: Generate recession-proof retirement income that lasts the rest of your life. Enhance your health and longevity. Protect against ruinous medical and long-term care costs. Lead a fulfilling and socially connected life. Retirement Game-Changers includes the following features: The ground-breaking Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy. Traps for the unwary on a variety of topics, including retirement income and investment strategies, Social Security, medical insurance selection, health care, where to live, and how to nurture your well-being. Action steps, plus mistakes to avoid and strategies to consider. A Retirement Reality Check to help assess your overall retirement readiness. Access to three bonus chapters on retirementgamechangers.com to help you implement the strategies learned in the book, including finding professional help, using behavioral economics and psychology to help you succeed with your planning, and insights for navigating tax rules. Retirement Game-Changers is your road map for planning the most important period of your life. Take charge--and make your retirement years count

There is magic in the number three. Just think about it. The three stooges. The three wise men. The three little pigs. And now - MIDNIGHT HAT TRICK - a collection of three wonderfully chilling novellas from Nova Scotia storyteller Steve Vernon. HAMMURABI ROAD is a dark tale of redneck noir, revenge and retribution, backwoods justice and getting closer to a black bear than you ever dreamed possible. The story starts with the eternal triangle - three men in a pick-up truck - two in front and one duct-taped in back. NOT JUST ANY OLD GHOST STORY is a quiet little story about coming home and ghosts that you can never escape. It is a story that will take you to the very heart of storytelling itself. SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME is a fast and fun read that asks the question - what would a bunch of over-the-hill old-time hockey players from Northern Labrador deal with a tour bus full of vampires? If you are having a hard time dealing with that concept - just throw the movie SLAPSHOT into a blender along with the movie 30 DAYS OF NIGHT and hit frappe. "Steve Vernon gets it right. SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME hits all the right notes with me. A wonderful cast of characters, great dialogue and an evil bus full of vicious vampires." - FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND "This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." - Edward Lee, author of GOON and THE BIGHEAD "Steve Vernon is the real deal." - Richard Chizmar, CEMETERY DANCE MAGAZINE

BOBBY KAYE's life story started and ended with an e-mail and then the monkey dung hit the fan. We're talking blue plague monkeys, tulwar-swinging cab drivers, a ride-on mower caravan of unbridled mass consumption and a moon-infatuated eight-legged story-telling spider god going toe-to-toe-to-toe-toe with the merciless scud-spear wielding Nigerian spam genie - Prince Wanna-Wanna-Wanna This is wildest and weirdest novellas that I have ever written. Not recommended for young readers or those who are easily offended. "An Anansi tale that reads as if it were written by William S. Burroughs." - Hellnotes

BOBBY KAYE's life story started and ended with an e-mail and then the monkey dung hit the fan. We're talking blue plague monkeys, tulwar-swinging cab drivers, a ride-on mower caravan of unbridled mass consumption and a moon-infatuated eight-legged story-telling spider god going toe-to-toe-to-toe-toe with the merciless scud-spear wielding Nigerian spam genie - Prince Wanna-Wanna-Wanna This is wildest and weirdest novellas that I have ever written. Not recommended for young readers or those who are easily offended. "An Anansi tale that reads as if it were written by William S. Burroughs." - Hellnotes"If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm

There are things out there that you ain't dreamed of Things like back-from-the-dead mountain men, green ghost rock spirits, carrion stallions, time-travelling mad scientists and zombified buffalo. And that's just for starters. This is a bone-chilling romp through a Buffalo Bill fun house. A wild west horror novella that starts at a gallop and gathers momentum faster than a herd of stampeding avalanches. I guarantee that you will NEVER look at a severed head the same way again." The Wild West just got a whole lot wilder LONG HORN, BIG SHAGGY takes gun-toting cowboys, thier horses and even buffalo and gives them an unabashed zombie makeover." - Rue Morgue Magazine"Laced with sardonic wit, visceral imagery and dialogue that will have you laughing out loud - this is the Old West as seen through Hell's meanest left eye squint." - Tim Curran, author of SKIN MEDICINE"I knew that Steve Vernon was a good writer when I found myself cheering for a decapitated head. Anyone that can put such personality into a dislodged appendage, simply by internal dialogue, deserves kudos in my book." - Adrienne JonesThis is, simply put, the wildest western horror romp of recent years. In his new novella, "Long Horn, Big Shaggy," Steve Vernon has taken icons of the Wild West, combined them with elements of H. P. Lovecraft, H. G. Wells, and George Romero, and created something unique in both voice and scope that will stick with readers long after the tumbleweeds have rolled off down the path. - Cemetery Dance (David Niall Wilson)One of the most gleefully scatological and outrageously clever novellas I've ever read - found myself wondering "Well how in tarnation is he going to top THAT?" as I moved from chapter to chapter, and Vernon somehow managed to do it. He's got the gift. - If you've got a taste for over-the-top gross-out stories in the campy mode of the Evil Dead movies, this is definitely a book you should look into. - The GoreletterLong Horn, Big Shaggy is absolutely brilliant. A wonderful, twisted tale that is perfect for campfires and stormy nights. Steve Vernon has excelled as a writer and is one of the finest new talents of horror and dark fiction. - Owl Goingback, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Crota." If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - BOOKGASM

There are things out there that you ain't dreamed of Things like back-from-the-dead mountain men, green ghost rock spirits, carrion stallions, time-travelling mad scientists and zombified buffalo. And that's just for starters. This is a bone-chilling romp through a Buffalo Bill fun house. A wild west horror novella that starts at a gallop and gathers momentum faster than a herd of stampeding avalanches. I guarantee that you will NEVER look at a severed head the same way again." The Wild West just got a whole lot wilder LONG HORN, BIG SHAGGY takes gun-toting cowboys, thier horses and even buffalo and gives them an unabashed zombie makeover." - Rue Morgue Magazine"Laced with sardonic wit, visceral imagery and dialogue that will have you laughing out loud - this is the Old West as seen through Hell's meanest left eye squint." - Tim Curran, author of SKIN MEDICINE"I knew that Steve Vernon was a good writer when I found myself cheering for a decapitated head. Anyone that can put such personality into a dislodged appendage, simply by internal dialogue, deserves kudos in my book." - Adrienne JonesThis is, simply put, the wildest western horror romp of recent years. In his new novella, "Long Horn, Big Shaggy," Steve Vernon has taken icons of the Wild West, combined them with elements of H. P. Lovecraft, H. G. Wells, and George Romero, and created something unique in both voice and scope that will stick with readers long after the tumbleweeds have rolled off down the path. - Cemetery Dance (David Niall Wilson)One of the most gleefully scatological and outrageously clever novellas I've ever read - found myself wondering "Well how in tarnation is he going to top THAT?" as I moved from chapter to chapter, and Vernon somehow managed to do it. He's got the gift. - If you've got a taste for over-the-top gross-out stories in the campy mode of the Evil Dead movies, this is definitely a book you should look into. - The GoreletterLong Horn, Big Shaggy is absolutely brilliant. A wonderful, twisted tale that is perfect for campfires and stormy nights. Steve Vernon has excelled as a writer and is one of the finest new talents of horror and dark fiction. - Owl Goingback, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Crota." If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - BOOKGASM

Murder and monsters... Demons and forces of evil... Ghosts and urban legends... Dive into the darkness with twenty tales of terror that will keep you awake long after the lights go out. A horror anthology featuring several best-selling and award-winning authors from around the globe, "Descent into Darkness" contains a variety of terrifying short stories and novellas. Featuring illustrations by David J. Schmidt

His name was Adam Kyler. He had eyes as black as licorice jujubes and a spit curl hooked across his forehead that reminded me of a young Superman. He was nine years old. It wasn't his fault he was standing in the alley, but I shot him just the same... DOPPLE DRIBBLE is a story of revenge from beyond the grave and I guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that after you read this story the VERY next time that you hear the sound of some kid walking down the sidewalk under the streetlights dribbling a basketball you are going to spend the rest of the night, scared stiff and wide awake. Don't say that I did not warn you. "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm

"Leave Luther's body right where we flung him," Bates said. "You aren't burying him today." After Sally Mae Webster phoned me up to tell me that my Korean War buddy Luther Webster had been shot and killed by the Bates brothers I knew I wasn't going to stop until I'd righted that wrong. I wonder just how many graves I was going to have to dig today. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON "The genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." -Edward Lee, author of FLESH GOTHIC and CITY INFERNAL "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar "Steve Vernon is a wicked creepy genius " - Mook OneManMafia (Distinguished Youtube Literary Critic)

It was Easter Monday, 1952. It was a day like any other. The slat truck rolled into camp with half a dozen new convicts. I counted a couple of vagrants, one drunk, one assaulter and one assaultee. All of that and Olan Walker. Olan Walker was first out of the slat truck and he could have slid through one of the slats. That man was nothing but lank. He was as lean as a dog in Lent. He was as lean as hunger poured thinner than a spoon full of prison soup. He looked like he ate nothing but wind and shadow all his life. If there was a king and queen of skinny; a duke of raw bone, an earl of gaunt and a prince of scrawny - well Olan Walker was the lord high ruler of them all. It didn't take too long before we all found out what Olan Walker REALLY was. Olan Walker was a conjure man. Fans of haunting Southern gothic horror stories will want to read this tale WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar My Mom thinks I'm pretty cool, too.

Just pause for a moment and ponder over a tale that reads like a cross between Lonesome Dove and Twin Peaks. Bass Clayton is a bounty killer turned professional drunkard. Silver Grimes is the man who inadvertently turned Bass Clayton into a drunk - after Bass accidentally shot Silver's arm off with an eight gauge shotgun. Sally Jezebel has a secret that she is keeping from both of them. Their lives will turn when Newt Gallagher came riding into Willy Jake's bar on top of Pritcher Targate's prize sow. You got to ask yourself - just how far one man will go? "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm

Nobody really knew how long the old Funnel mansion had stood empty, waiting up there high on Carpenter's Hill like a child's forgotten lunch box, any more than anybody knew just how long that old cat had squatted in behind the screen of the front porch window. Three young boys are about to find out just exactly what the dark and horrifying secret is behind that cat. Only two of them will survive. This is one of the creepiest and most haunting stories of the supernatural that you will ever read WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON "If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon." - Bookgasm "Steve Vernon is something of an anomaly in the world of horror literature. He's one of the freshest new voices in the genre although his career has spanned twenty years. Writing with a rare swagger and confidence, Steve Vernon can lead his readers through an entire gamut of emotions from outright fear and repulsion to pity and laughter." - Cemetery Dance "Armed with a bizarre sense of humor, a huge amount of originality, a flair for taking risks and a strong grasp of characterization - Steve's got the chops for sure." - Dark Discoveries "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar My Mom thinks I'm pretty cool, too.