Steve Vernon

It happened in early September, the time of year when the city does its damndest to remember what heat was, just one more time before winter rocks on in... This is a story of horror and haunting regret. (fair warning - this is a STORY - maybe about eight thousand words) A group of homeless men - fishing for a little fun and folly - latch onto something that MIGHT be a mermaid. Regret lives on and lingers - long after the last tear drop has fallen.

It was Billy McTavish's first sea voyage. He had signed on to the serve as convoy escort on the THISTLE a Royal Canadian Navy corvette. Through U-Boat attack and Luftwaffe bombing runs, Billy had thought he had seen all of the horror that the Atlantic could offer a young Canadian sailor. But Big Jimmy Noonan had other ideas... ]*** WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE VERNON'S WRITING "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 is a hard writer to pin down. And that's a good thing." - Dark Scribe Magazine "This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." -Edward Lee, author of FLESH GOTHIC and CITY INFERNAL "Steve Vernon is one of the finest new talents of horror and dark fiction" - Owl Goingback, author of CROTA "Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar

Burt was certain that if he hadn't hit King Kong with Darth Vader's head he would not have fallen into that Citadel Hill time traveling toilet. He wouldn't have met and been shot by the one-armed ghost and he would NOT have found himself in the wrong place at the wrong freaking time. A BLURT IN TIME is a YA time-travel horror story that grown-ups will want to read when the kids aren't looking.

It started out as a simple drive down a country road. Oh sure, Hillman was thinking about suicide. Oh sure, the dead woman is in his back seat was goading him on. What was the point? Why bother living? Who am I? Turns out Coyote has something to say about that. Coyote...and a Troll.

The story of a young farmer, a wishing ring, and a fairy named Queen Maab. Old school fairy tale telling at its very finest. 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.

Detours are amazing creatures. A detour can shortcut your existence or it can lead you down a forever long road that will linger far into the distant reaches of eternity. It is these unexpected tangents that people stumble across nearly every day that will haunt you in a frighteningly familiar fashion. Wander into a laundromat and find a kind of a time machine. Indulge yourself in a particularly nasty game of baseball. Hitch a ride on a freight train with the piggyback man or entomb yourself in a trailer walled with books or take a ride on a bus that is going nowhere fast or just lean over an empty ocean and wait for the very first mermaid you see. Detour around an overturned trailer of chickens and find a chance to do it all over again. Take a taxi ride with a very hungry passenger or just walk in the park and watch a juggler balancing severed heads. Reality will take you only so far and after that there is nothing to rely on but faith and fear. I offer you eighteen eerie tales of fantasy, horror, science fiction and all around strangeness that will take you to the edge of the map and then nudge you just a little bit further." 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

Lucas Sawyer and his wife Tamsen find themselves marooned in the heart of a mid-nineteenth century wilderness forest. They are rescued by Jonah Duvall, a mysterious woodsman abiding in this strange valley with his wife Jezebel and their son Cord. Brooding over all of this stands the Devil Tree - a huge and evil jack-pine that has summoned them to this valley to feed upon their collective emotions and their unnatural offspring. Part earth spirit, part elder demon - the tree is farming them - and worse. The characters are bound in a tightening noose of of undeniable fate. As winter sets in they must face the tree's unholy fury in an utterly horrific finale. DEVIL TREE is a story that will take you further into the heart of unimaginable horror. What Some Folks Are Saying About Steve Vernon's DEVIL TREE "A mesmerizing journey into unimaginable darkness, DEVIL TREE showcases Steve Vernon at the height of his power, and results in a provocative, profoundly unsettling novel you will never forget." - Greg F. Gifune, author of THE BLEEDING SEASON"DEVIL TREE is a frightening tale of man versus nature in every meaning. Vernon has written a tale of murder, infidelity, death and depravity. Full of horror and darkness - a supernatural tale like no other." - DARK RIVER PRESS"If you are looking for a story that will scare you, DEVIL TREE is a great read." - SIZZLING HOT BOOK REVIEWS"A well-written story that will appeal to fans of both the grotesque and magical realism. You must have a tough stomach to be able to handle this tale - OPINIONS OF A WOLF"With Cronenberg-esque body terror, a Wendigo-type sub plot, and a wicked tree that would give the vegetation in the original EVIL DEAD a run for its money, DEVIL TREE is a best bet for horror fans tired of not being scared by horror fiction." - THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW"This genre needs new blood and Steve Vernon is quite a transfusion." - Edward Lee"Steve Vernon was born to write. He's the real deal and we're lucky to have him." - Richard Chizmar

Here it is. The whole entire story of the Book of Genesis as told to you by the world's oldest storyteller, Uncle Bob.(Note: if you have ALREADY read Uncle Bob's Red Flannel Bible Camp: From Eden to the Ark, you have ALREADY read part of this novel)If you think you KNOW the truth behind the Bible Stories you REALLY ought to pick up a copy of this book. If you are one of those folks who thinks that it is bad manners to giggle a little in church - well, you might want to take a good look at the sample that the Kindle folks let you peek at before you go throwing down any of your hard-earned money. This isn't exactly a solemn retelling of the Bible. In fact, I guarantee a giggle or two along the way. The fact is this is the story of the Book of Genesis as retold by a country gentleman who read the Bible a couple of times and is doing his level best to retell it in his own words. Means he takes some liberties with the Gospel. Or - in the words of Uncle Bob - this here is mostly the truth with only a few lies stirred into the broth for pepper. Don't say I did not warn you

Hammurabi Road is a dark redneck noir tale of retribution, backwoods justice, and getting closer to a black bear than was ever dreamed possible. We start off with the eternal triangle - four men ride out in a pick-up truck; three in front and one duct-taped and bound in the back. It's a clear cut case of Northern Ontario railroad vengeance, served up as cold as a frozen hunting knife. It's a short, fast read - about 15,000 words - and could be best described as an exercise in redneck noir." 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

Let's face it. About seventy-five percent of the world is covered in water - and of that water nearly ninety-seven percent of it can be found in the sea. Maritimers will tell you that there is a story for every wave that has ever washed upon the shoreline. Here are seven of them. "In the Dark and the Deep" offers a very haunting yarn of World War 2 convoy duty and a sailor who made and kept a terrible bargain. "Harry's Mermaid" introduces you to a group of homeless men who catch something that MIGHT be a mermaid. If that doesn't tell you enough about this story just try and imagine what Steinbeck's CANNERY ROW would read like if it had been written by HP Lovecraft. "I Know Why The Waters of the Sea Taste of Salt" is a tale of an Okinawa-based Japanese Air Force suicide pilot and his encounter with a sea monster - of sorts. "Finbar's Story" is a dark fantasy tale of the deeper currents that eddy and flow within the deep quiet currents of a man's cold heart. "The Woman Who Lost Her Tooth From Laughing Too Loudly At The Sea" is a quiet little fable of salt water, tears and regret. "Between You-Know-Who and the Deep Dark Blue" is a story of the very last bargain on earth.

So you think you know all about superheroes? Those guys in the capes and the lightly starched spandex speedoes. Leaping tall buildings and always getting the girl. You don't know nothing. Join Steve Vernon, Nova Scotia's hardest working horror writer, as he takes you into the world of Captain Nothing. It's a world without hope, a world that is as cold and dark as a landlord's heart, three days after the rent is due. It's a world that could give the Batman a case of the squirming night fears. NOTHING TO LOSE is a collection of stories that will show you the darker side of courage. It will show you the shadows in a hero's heart. Go on. I dare you to take a closer look. You've got nothing to lose." 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