Terrifying New Novel by Horror Author, Troy McCombs

 The Haunting of Grandma Crowley

A new novel of horror

Troy McCombs 

This book is based on a short story my buddy wrote. His name is Eric Johnston, and the short story is, The Sardonic Smile, from this book: Just South of Nowhere.

I wrote this because the concept seemed very creepy, and could be taken in so many different directions. Imagination is one of those things that has few limits. It's only limited to what each mind can create. The more you hone it and stretch it out, like a muscle, the more it grows.

I come from a horror background, and have been reading Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft for years. Lovecraft is my favorite author. I love the way he writes and the way his prose can drag me in. Yes, his writing can be wordy and anal-retentive, but it can also be very beautiful and gracious. But that's a subjective thing.

And I also wrote this to scare the holy hell out of the reader the best way I know how. I hope I succeed, and if you like dark horror, I think you'll love this.

So check out my book, and my friend, Eric's. Happy reading, pleasant nightmares!

Free Except from novel, below! Link to buy, in the cover pic, above.

Though he was still unable to move, her sudden reappearance rocked something vital within him—perhaps his soul. She now stood crouched beside his bed, looking down at him, her face only a foot away. This time, his eyes caught a profound glimpse of her in all her stark grotesqueness, and he knew his bladder let go. The sight jarred him to the bone, to the core, into the deepest recesses of his psyche.

Her empty, foul-smelling eye sockets oozed a yellow pus and ran with blackened blood. The hundreds of wrinkles that lined her face were so deep, so distinct, they looked like gashes. Bugs crawled from nostril to nostril; both ears fell off and turned to dust upon contact with the floor. The ram-like horns, sharp-looking and covered with gray matter, were rimmed with glimmering rings of gold. Her chin protruded. Moles appeared and grew and burst in mucky splatters. But, despite all those things, it was her mouth that frightened Danny most. It stretched to where the lobes of her twisted ears should've been, opened before his very eyes. Teeth were missing. The tongue elongated and split in two down the center. And through several holes in her black, ruddy gums, baby fingers emerged and wiggled frantically around. Dozens of them. The horrific vision was made worse by the wails of children trapped deep inside that bottomless mouth, screaming for help, for someone to free their trapped souls.

 

 

BITTEN!

Some say this book is nothing more than a hoax, but the reader is to conclude as he or she wishes.

Did something really bite Henry Boyer in that Tasmanian swamp? Something capable of drastically altering his DNA?

You decide. Ebook's free 8/05/2018

                                                       CLICK HERE TO READ!

Puppeteer of the Dead I

Wanna read a zombie novel unlike any other? For free? Tomorrow--Friday, July 6th--Puppeteer of the Dead 1 is FREE as an ebook. Get it before it gets away... to devour the living! Below is a description and a link. Thank you for coming.

Description:

What if the dead started coming back to life... and some sinister force was behind their resurrection?

The end began at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic, in a military aircraft filled with air trays containing the bodies of deceased American soldiers—that's the first reported instance of the dead returning to life. Soon, it spreads to neighboring regions like a wildfire. Nobody has a name for it, no answer, and no solution on how to properly dispose of the undead. The fate of mankind rests in a handful of people from the East Coast. Maynard Dunn, a family man and ex-marine, leads them, not only to safety, but to also rage against the malign force in control of the rising dead.

GET IT HERE!

Puppeteer of the Dead 2 is now available as well. Part 3, The Puppeteer, is in the works

Daily wisdom

Perfection is what it is, not what we think it should be.

I wrote this quote almost two decades ago. But, what does it mean?

It means that we, as humans, expect perfection. From ourselves, from others, life, God, work, relationships. We strive for perfection. We complicate our lives, when really, we should be doing the opposite. We're adding to something that doesn't need adding to, when we should actually be taking away. Simplicity is really the closest thing to perfection there is, and funnily enough, simplicity is difficult to explain.

It's like taking 5+5 and turning it into a quantum equation. So, when life gets tough, when you want something so badly you think you're going to burst, step back, breathe, and instead of making a problem bigger by adding to it...

Use the eraser. Our minds tend to overcomplicate things. Life was meant to be enjoyed, to learn, to laugh, to love. Don't turn it into an maze.

Walk forward, smile, and smell the roses.

Note: I will post more bits of wisdom like this more frequently, so if you're interested, definitely comment and let me know.

Puppeteer of the Dead 2 is now available for preorder!

Ebook will be released on June 1, 2018! Or you can get the paperback now from Amazon. Subscribe HERE to my mailing list for a free ebook (you must verify via email).

Some things are worse than zombies, and they're alive and well...

Click here for ebook preorder link

After a disastrous zombie outbreak ravages the majority of the population of the United States, the remaining survivors are rounded up and flown to remote locations—safe-zones—until the pandemic can be resolved. Maynard Dunn, his family, and new acquaintances soon find themselves on Conlaven Island, a perceptible paradise... at first. But only days after they arrive, they learn that not all is as it seems. People go missing, some are found dead—then undead—and the destructive military force has apparently become unhinged by the broken state the world is in. Maynard, as well as everyone else, soon learns that zombies may just be the lesser of the two evils compared to deranged, reckless humans.

These wolves in sheep's clothing, unlike the zombies, are armed.

The civilians are not.

How will they survive this—what's supposed to be a secure refuge?

Read to find out!

To all my readers and fans: sorry it took so long to write part two. It was one of the most arduous books I have ever written, and the longest. Part 3 will come out sooner than 2. I am a slow writer, not because I choose to be, but because I try making my books a joy to read, thus am a perfectionist (or try to be) with my work. Thanks for understanding!

My NEW YA/coming-of-age drama, Suriviving High School

I normally write horror novels. Short stories, screenplays, everything horror. It's my forte. It's what I enjoy most. But now I've ventured out of my comfort zone and wrote Surviving High School (The aNT'S Club Way). This YA novel is for every confused, bullied, victimized, and lonely outcast in the world, whether they be in school, at work, or wherever. The profanity is mild; I never use the eff word, and only use curse words at all because all high school kids do so. I did not want to water it down too much and make it unbelievable, and I believe this novel hits every delicate nerve of the high school experience. It's available for pre-order now (ebook version is on Amazon online; paperback to come soon, weeks before the ebook is released).

We are not alone in this world, even though it may seem so. We are one, and we are not losers, weirdos, or any one of the numerous derogatory names all the minorities like to call us. We are beautiful. We are strong in a different way. And we have a place in this tough world. I wrote this tale for you, for all of us. A blurb, link, and cover reveal, is below :)

Sixteen-year-old Matt Ingis is just trying to survive high school. But every proceeding day is always worse than the last. The constant bullying, combined with the crippling anxiety and depression, makes Matt's life a living hell. Duke Rogers, the biggest, baddest kid in Blake High, beats him up whenever he sees him. Everyone else either blatantly ignores him or belittles him. His parents are too wrapped up in their divorce to listen to his problems. And the only thing his therapist's been able to do is fuel his anger.

Stumped for a solution, Matt has an impromptu idea one day while watching an ant crawl across the lunch room table. He consequently decides to create his own therapy group in order to overcome his growing list of problems. With the help of his only friend, Ray Miller, they seek out two other troubled high-school rejects into The aNT'S Club. But will it work? Only one thing is for certain. If Matt doesn't get the help he needs soon, his repeated truancy will inevitably lead him to Briarwell, a juvenile detention center. And he would rather commit suicide before ending up there.

FREE for July 25th,2017: The Music of 1997

If you liked the film, The Butterfly Effect, you should read the novella, The Music of 1997, by Troy McCombs. It is the literary equivalent of The Butterfly Effect. Below is a blurb.

Stephen Stanson had it rough: no job, no friends, no girl, no life. He hasn't even listened to any modern music that he's liked for quite some time: 1997, to be exact.

The first song he hears from that era, he learns one night while flipping through TV channels and finding a music video station, can take him back to 1997... where suddenly he has a chance to fix everything that went wrong.

But there are two complications: he only has the time of the duration of the song(s) to work the problems out, and the songs themselves only work until Stephen gets used to them. After that, they can't transport him back to 97 anymore.

So here he is, stuck between 2001, his present, and 97, the best year of his life before everything fell apart.

Can he repair his broken past? Only time will tell, and of that, he's got little left.


https://www.amazon.com/Music-1997-time-travel-story-ebook/dp/B003DTMUJO/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1500964399&sr=8-20&keywords=troy+mccombs

Wanna know why people really kill themselves in the Suicide Forest? This is why:

Enter above (on picture) for a chance to win a free e-copy of the short story. Four will be given away. Below is a blurb. Click on picture to go to site for entry in contest!

Some drugs are dangerous... but this one might damn your soul...

Determined stoners Chaz Markis and Hayden Couter set out to find Devil's Root, a little-known and perhaps mythical hallucinogen that may or may not exist. Supposedly, it only grows in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, the infamous Suicide Forest, and is somehow responsible for the rash of suicides and odd occurrences that have happened there. As they venture deeper into the woods and farther from civilization, they soon discover that maybe all the other drugs they have a past with are much safer and far less powerful.

Nothing is worse for Adam McNicols than high school. Soon, when he breaks, nothing becomes worse for his enemies than Adam himself! Graphic violence! Reader's discretion is strongly advised! Free ebook today only, the 26 of October.

 

Damaged

 

 

 

My NEW zombie epic, Puppeteer of the Dead, is almost here!

Puppeteer of the Dead: Book 1: The Living Dead

 

 

 

The end of the world begins at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles from land. A military aircraft en route to Denver, loaded with deceased American soldiers, disappears into an aberrant mass of storm clouds that appear almost out of nowhere. The pilots are startled by a sudden commotion in the cargo bay, where the air trays are kept. What they find stuns them all: the dead moving, alive and angry and hungry for human flesh--this is the first reported incident.

Days pass. The bodies of the recently deceased return to life, first near landmasses near the ocean, then elsewhere. They cannot be killed in any practical way, only incapacitated by dismemberment or blinding. Medical and military facilities around the globe work together in order to solve this baffling, unparalleled mystery. What they discover is maddening. These zombies are ingrained with a malignant root system, put there by some unknown and sinister force which is controlling them remotely.

The fate of the world rests with a small, unassuming group of people looking to find refuge from the dead and hopefully survive Armageddon. It's Maynard Dunn, a family man and ex-marine, who will lead them: Peter, an unrenowned psychic; Andrew, a brilliant scientist and biologist; Tony, a reckless teenage boy with homicidal tendencies; Faith, a suicidal and agoraphobic young woman; and Don, an old geezer with dementia who can hear the voice of pure evil.

This is Book 1 in a series of three, titled Puppeteer of the Dead: The Living Dead. Book 2, which I haven't started yet, will deal with the internal corruption among the remaining survivors; and three, the malign force behind the zombies themselves.

IF you're interested in winning a free paperback copy, comment. I'm giving away a select few, randomly. Thanks

Favorite horror movie theme?

"Halloween" is an iconic horror movie theme everyone knows well. Then there's the sharp screeching of strings used in Friday the 13th. If you've ever seen Phantasm, you know that's also got a killer theme. Creepy and atmospheric. Name your favorite horror movie score you've ever heard, and how you think it/ they shaped the movie they belong to.

Name your favorite H.P. Lovecraft story. Explain why.

Lovecraft isn't as big a name as Stephen King--but not because he's not as good. King kills it, yes, but Lovecraft creeps the shit out of me like no other author can do. King does at times, sure. Lovecraft gives me goosebumps, though. Something about his atmospheric tales, his luxurious prose, his attention to detail--yet no detail, other than the "horrible, indescribable abominations", when it comes to creature description--really excites me as a writer. And a reader.

As for my fav Lovecraft story? Hard to say. Here are some: From Beyond, Reanimator (yes, both are movies, too), the Call of Cthulhu, The Outsider, Cool Air, Whisperer in Darkness, Colour out of Space, just to name a few.

I'm trying to make this blog FUN and engaging, but I need you, the visitor, to make that happen :)
Come back, I will update and continue trying to make this a fun place for lovers of all things horror.

What Is Your Favorite Horror/Thriller/Suspense Movie Twist?

The Sixth Sense. Dead Again. Jacob's Ladder. Orphan. There are lots of movies, horror and non, with endings that'll leave you gasping, saying, "I did not see that coming!" Describe what movie YOU think has the best twist ending. It can be any genre, just mention why you prefer it over others like it.
Just leave your opinion/description in the COMMENT section. Ready? Set? Twist!

What's the worst nightmare you've ever had?

Describe your most frightening nightmare in the comment section below, and one randomly picked winner will get a free digital ebook of one of my following novels:

Strandead PREY

The Clown Picture

The First Level of Hell

Imaginary Friend

As to my worst nightmare, I've forgotten many. I will say that FLOH (my novel--see above) scared me when I was a teenager just being born again into Christianity. I saw the devil sitting in the church I used to go to. He told me, "This isn't a dream, and it's not over yet!"

The next thing I knew, I was in hell. Scary shit! The second worst nightmare I had was eerily similar in terms of content. I renounced God, and demons drained me of life until the point I wanted--and tried--to take my own life. I also wrote that into a story which became a indie horror film, "Headspace."

Who knows, maybe these night terrors were dreams in disguise? Or maybe, just maybe, they're not dreams, and they're not over yet!

What is your favorite horror novel and why?

Important info:
(One person who answers will receive a $5.00 Amazon e gift card). Starts 2/18/2016 and ends 2/23/2016. Be sure to leave your email and contact info in your comment! :) By the way, there are no wrong/right answers. Winner will be drawn randomly.

As for my fav horror novel, I can't say. There's many to choose from!

Self Publishing vs.Traditional Publishing

Self Publishing Vs. Traditional Publishing (my take)

It's a common question a lot of authors ask.

So, what's the difference? And are there pros and cons to each?

Yes and yes.

The pros of self publishing:

1. You keep all the rights

2. You keep all the royalties.

3. You market how you see fit.

4. You're in total control.

5. You can publish almost immediately, and don't have to wait months or years.

The cons of self publishing:

1. Quality control: if you're new or inexperienced, you NEED to hire a PROFESSIONAL editor if you want to take all this seriously. If not, you may get some nasty reviews. And lose potential readers.

2. You're in total control, meaning you bear every responsibility: marketing, promotion, getting a professional cover, proper formatting... oh, and did I mention an editor?

3. You're going to spend some money making this look like a real book.

4. You alone are in charge of marketing! More time is spent marketing—or should be spent—than actually writing and editing. You don't have a professional who's experienced to help you, or someone who will spread your name around and get your novel reviewed by NYT and so forth. And getting a self pubbed book reviewed by most editorial reviewers is very difficult (if not impossible).

The pros of traditional publishers:

1. They will edit your book and make it awesome. However, YOU need to edit it first and make it very presentable to them.
2. They are experienced, they have connections, they have advertising money.
3. You COULD get an advance.
4. Your book may find its way into brick and mortar bookstores.
5. Possible book signings and events.
6. They will probably mentor you, letting you know what's involved in your own daily promotion.

The cons of traditional publishers:

1. You don't keep all the profits.
2. If it's accepted, you'll have to wait a while before it's available.
3. They're cut throat and blunt, so you'll need tough skin and a lot of perseverance.

Some very successful authors who've hit NYT bestseller status will tell beginners to go the self-publishing route, but I'd advise you not to listen to everything they say. Why?

Because they've built a BRAND before they've decided to scrap the traditional route and go total freelance. If Stephen King did that, his sales would not ebb. Why? Because he's established himself already. How? Through the traditional route.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's highly unlikely. These days, anyone can pump out a novel and upload it to Amazon. So many people are doing it, the market is flooded. Go to Amazon and see how many books there are, then you'll see how hard it is to be noticed through the white noise. Again, it's not impossible. And if you did or do decide to self publish, and don't sell many copies, you'll know why—readers have TOO many books to choose from. I'm not being biased for/against self or traditional publishing; they both have their place. I'm just trying to supply you with enough information to help make your own decision, that's all. Some self-published books have done VERY well (ever hear of this 50 Shades of Grey story?). Some traditionally published books don't sell. In fact, only one out of half a dozen even turns a profit. I wish you, the author, much success. Remember, you don't become a bestselling author overnight. It doesn't work that way, unless you're lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle like a select few. The best writers have spent years and even decades honing their craft, reading, writing, reading, rewriting, and practicing this art for a long time before they became a success. The worst thing you can do is give up. Just keep on trying. What have you got to lose? :)

Free Damaged and Free Strandead for 2 days!

Damaged: FREE Tonight (Jan. 26) and tomorrow.

 

A bullied high-schooler (Adam McNicols) takes gruff from his peers every day in Blake High. Enough becomes enough when a traumatic event breaks him, damages him, and sends him on a homicide mission. He discovers a way to abduct his aggressors without being seen, tortures them, and discards the bodies for all to see. Can they catch him before he strikes again? Or will the body count never end?

 

Strandead PREY (FREE Jan 27 and 28)

 

Yes, we've seen all the movies and read all the books. A vehicle breaks down in the woods, evil emerges, and the cat and mouse begins. But what if the deformed creatures who stalk their new prey brought them here on purpose? And what if they had a way to gain powers by devouring their victims' brains... through performing specific rituals learned centuries ago in faraway lands... rituals handed down by--gotta download to read more! :)

 

Please feel free to take the polls on the left, and comment if you wish. I'm trying to make this site fun, interactive, and informative. Stay tuned!

FREE Christmas Ebooks! Coming before Santa!

Troy McCombs, a writer of horror who's grown up reading the best: Stephen King, Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, and Poe, is putting most of his horror novels (and some that aren't horror) FREE on Amazon for a limited time.

Below are the available dates, ebooks, plotlines, and links. Get em while they're at NO cost!

 

December 20-23 Strandead PREY: High school seniors embark on a field trip to Chicago, but they never make it. Their bus ends up crashing on a deserted dirt road in the forest, which is occupied by flesh-and-soul-hungry monsters intent on devouring them all.

 

December 22. 1 day only! Damaged: A bullied teenager gets even with his classmates in the most sadistic ways possible.

Dec. 22-24 Baker's Dozen: A collection of 13 short horror tales with Lovecraftian endings. Beneath the Soil: What if you could not step on solid earth? What if there was something beneath any given spot of soil that you did not want to be there but was, always waiting for you? Would you chance it? Hypervision: If we could have better vision than an eagle, would we dare want it? And eleven more terrifying tales with endings you won't see coming!

December 21-24 The Clown Picture: 9-year-old Logan Barnes receives a painted picture of a clown from his mother. Soon, he begins to realize there's something very wrong with it. It's more than just a 2d image. The clown on canvas needs innocence to restore his life. (suitable for all ages)

December 20-22 Imaginary Friend: Nathan Stevenson is just a weakling. A wimp. A buck-toothed kid everyone in grade school picks on... that is, until they get a load of his imaginary friend, who likes to fight back and kill his creator's foes.

December 20-23 The First Level of Hell: 16-year-old Johnny Morris was the biggest troublemaker in his area. Borderline criminal. But after he gets into a fight with the wrong person and ends up dead, he finds himself in a place that makes him wish he was a much nicer person on earth.

December 17-19 The Music of 1997 (time travel story, not horror): Life's been bad to Stephen for the past three years. Before then, he had it all: a great girlfriend, awesome friends, a fun job, a healthy mother. Now he's broke, jobless, his mother dead, alone. When a song from the best time of his life strikes his ears, he realizes he can regress time and fix all his past mistakes. Easier said than done.

  

December 17-21 Bitten: Fact or Fiction? Henry Boyer gets bit by something while vacationing in a remote area of Tasmania. The wound becomes infected, grows, and he finds himself mutating into some... thing he cannot control... or stop from taking him over.

 

December 21-23 Silent Destruction (pen name Baron Driden): Andros Varlander has been a small-time thief all his life. The death of his uncle will make him a large-time thief. See, Uncle Rever headed an experimental military weapon that can open any safe, any vault, silently and effectively.

 

Happy reading! Sorry for any nightmares ;)

Favorite Stephen King story/movie, and why?

I've been reading Stephen King's work for a while. I've been watching his movies for even longer than that. I covered my eyes as a child when I saw Zelda from Pet Semetary on the big screen. I felt for Chris Chambers when he described what happened with the milk money he tried to return in Stand By Me. I rooted enthusiastically for the likable characters in The Stand who fought against The Walkin Dude and Captain Trips. And my heart pounded like a drum when I read the events that took place toward the end of Carrie. So, I ask YOU, what is your favorite Stephen King movie/book/story/short film, and why?

My new horror novel

After lots and lots of writing, editing, reading, rewriting, etc., my novel, Strandead PREY is finally available.  Below is a blurb and a link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013FCVQHA/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=09HW18P1BHAEJC81G19K&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

They thought it was going to be a fun, interesting field trip during their last days as high school seniors.

But what they didn't count on was the bus crashing on a remote, deserted dirt road in the woods.

And what they couldn't possibly have anticipated were the hideous horrors that lurked in those woods... mutated once-human monsters with a hunger for fresh meat...

And fresh souls...
_______________________________________________________________

Just days before their graduation, twelve high school seniors embark on a field trip to the bustling city of Chicago... but they never arrive. The bus ends up crashing on an old, deserted road in the bowels of a lush forest. Some students die in the crash. Others are injured. Few remain unscathed. How they managed to veer so far off the map is a mystery. And, calling for help proves useless, as nobody can receive a phone signal.

Since little daylight remains, and a fierce storm's brewing, they come to the conclusion that they must spend the night in this unfamiliar territory.

Before dawn, however, everyone is awakened by a girl's ferocious scream. It turns out to be the scream one of their own, who's gone missing. They also find proof of what roams these woods—deformed humanoids with the brute power of wild animals. The only difference is, these savages are smart, cunning and purposeful. Their goal—to devour the brains of everyone from the Number 13 bus in order to lengthen life and accumulate powers. It's up to Will Berilla, a confused but precocious teenager, to wage war against the evil that's stalking them, save his friends, and find his way back home.