Book details

  • Genre:fiction
  • Sub-genre:Horror
  • Language:English
  • Pages:308
  • eBook ISBN:9798317857585

The Book of Strange Tales

By Dennis LeFevre

Overview

The Book of Strange Tales is a collection of short stories using classic horror/sci-fi themes. A lifelong enthusiast of those genres, I wanted to create something similar without crossing ownership boundaries. This work is a result of that effort. While these stories could have included much more detail, I decided to add just enough to make the stories different and entertaining at the same time. Filled with hints of the Golden Age of Horror and Science Fiction, they are about a somewhat exasperated, disembodied voice in an almost empty closest, a teenager's encounter with extraterrestrials, a chemist's flirtation with invisibility, reanimating the dead, the discovery of an egg and the little monster that hatches out if it, a vampire's last first few days of existence as viewed through his eyes, what happens when you disappoint the goddess you live with, and the curse that is the result of opening an ancient Egyptian tomb. Blended with humor and romance, these tales are intended for readers of all ages. They also feature AI-generated illustrations to further enhance the stories.
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Description

I've been writing for over fifty years now and all of my efforts to date, numbering forty short stories, novellas and full-length novels, have been centered on recurring characters. While I have no intentions of publishing any of them, I do plan to have as many of them printed as I can once I've been granted copyrights for them. Two are in print, so far. It was my sons who encouraged me to write about something other than those familiar characters and so, not actually sure if I could or not, I set out to at least make an attempt. Since I have an extensive collection of classic horror and sci-fi movies, dating back as far as 1915, and I'm obviously enamored with them, I decided to create something along those many lines. I was amazed at how easy it was to actually come up with the different stories and detail them. Working with AI to generate the many illustrations throughout the stories was an education in itself, too, and very rewarding because I feel as if they add to what's being told. It took me several months to write six stories and just as I was about to ship what I thought was the finished package off to the Copyright Office, I came up with two more. They explore, in the order they appear in the book, a voice with no apparent source emanating from a closet, a teenager's brief but enlightening encounter with extraterrestrials, a chemist's flirtation with invisibility, reanimating the dead. the discovery of a rather large egg and the little monster that hatches out of it, the last few days of a vampire's existence as seen through his eyes, what happens when you disappoint the goddess you live with, and an ancient Egyptian curse. Blended with humor and romance, they are intended for readers of all ages. Not really sure how to title the book, I finally settled on The Book of Strange Tales.
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About The Author

Denny LeFevre's passion for writing began almost sixty years ago. Inspired by The Hardy Boys mystery series, he set out to create a similar collection featuring adults. All hand-written in pencil, the 60 stories in that first series were eventually destroyed because the words became illegible over time. Switching to a typewriter, an old Underwood that felt like it weighed a ton, and teaching himself how to use it, he began work on a new series, with recurring characters. An ongoing project, that series has reached 40 volumes and counting. Of course, that old Underwood was replaced by newer, lighter models until computers and computer programs came along, making writing a lot easier. Not only has he written those 40, now 41, books, he enjoys writing poetry and song lyrics. It was his sons who encouraged him to break away from this latest detective series and, since Denny has a passion for classic horror and sci-fi, he opted to try something using the various themes from those genres. The Book of Strange Tales is the result of that decision. Not having really seriously considered publishing any of his work before, he has decided to attempt to share at least this one effort. Denny was born and raised and still lives in West Virginia. An Army veteran, he retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs after a thirty-four-year career there and now spends his time with family, writing, bowling, getting together with his model train group, and his indoor and outdoor menagerie of cats. He's very appreciative of the ability to self-publish.
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