Odds And Ends: A Dark Collection

by Lori R. Lopez, Lori R. Lopez (Illustrator)

Overview

What terrors lurk in the blackest regions of a cellar, amidst dusty cobwebbed shelves, in the glass jars and metal cans of a hopelessly abnormal mind? These odds and ends are both odd and contain endings. As in the real world, not everything ends well. Sometimes it is all about finding a glimmer of light in the shadows, or being forewarned. Sometimes, the candle's flame blows out!

An assortment of the weird and wonderfully grim are displayed for your fear and amusement. Whether you like quiet horror, humorous horror, stark horror, monstrous in-your-face horror, you'll find what scares you here. Twenty-six diverse tales and clusters of flash stories or drabbles fit together between dark poems and brief witfully pithy essays on women writing Horror like pieces of a macabre jigsaw puzzle devised by a single madwoman, Lori R. Lopez.

Among the ODDS AND ENDS . . . a devilish Jack-In-The-Box helps a young woman get even. Two little girls face-off in "Nemeses". A very old baby is released from its jar at a museum in "Jar Baby". Spaghetti comes to life in "Bloodwyrm". A trainride takes one fellow on a harrowing journey toward "Fate". A man and woman are reunited by the same curse that tore them apart in "The Fruit Of Thy Womb". A weakling finds a dreadful "Cereal Box Surprise" at the bottom of the package. Ladies play a lethal hand of cards in "Mindless". A couple wakes up to discover an enormous cobweb filling the house in "Spider Soup". Falling asleep could end the world in "Awake", while painting portraits takes a nightmarish turn for an artist in "Deathbed". A girl watches her friends disappear on a darkly sinister beach at "The Vanishing Point", and much much more. This edition features peculiar illustrations by the author.

DISCLAIMER: "ODDS AND ENDS isn't necessarily a collection of happy endings. Not even the fairytales I write always end happily ever after. It will make you think and feel. If you want an uplifting book, go read HOW TO TRAIN YOUR GERBIL." ~ Lori R. Lopez.

WARNING: This collection is a mixed bag, and a few of the stories are not for the more squeamish!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644750124
Publisher:	Fairy Fly Entertainment
Publication date:	08/13/2018
Edition description:	Page Borders, additional Interior Art.
Pages:	534
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.08(d)

About the Author

Lori R. Lopez wears many hats, although at times she feels the hat is wearing her. An award-winning author of short stories, novels, novellas, verse, songs and more, she designs her own covers and illustrates nearly all of her books. When the mood strikes, she pens a humorously serious column called “Poetic Reflections” at Fairy Fly Entertainment, a website shared with her two talented sons Noél and Rafael. She grew up in Wisconsin and also lived in Hawaii, Florida, Spain, and Key West before settling in California. Vegetarian or vegan most of her life, Lori’s work is often quirky yet at times addresses more serious themes such as the rights of animals and children. Stories and verse have appeared in assorted publications including Weirdbook, The Horror Zine, Bewildering Stories, The Sirens Call, and numerous anthologies.

Editorial Reviews

The stories in Odds and Ends vary from horror mixed with humor to horror that is sarcastic. Many stories poke fun at society or the poor way the government is operating. Other times it's how twisted we all are toward one another. All of these topics were fun to me and I couldn't help but laugh a time or two ... If you want a book full of stories that aren't the usual or typical horror stories then this is your book. It was full of surprises and I loved the time I spent in Lori Lopez' world.

THE SCARY REVIEWS Blog; Amazon; Goodreads Review - David Spell

Some of the stories have a dark, evil side to them, which makes you think of the dark alleys, the damp, dim cellars, the evil thoughts that we all think at times. Ms. Lopez has written stories that are far from your usual horror stories. Many are so alike but Ms. Lopez doesn't do that. . . . If you're looking for a different kind of horror world, then enter Ms. Lopez's world and it will become yours. But, this isn't for the faint of heart nor the squeemish. So BEWARE!

BOOKS, REVIEWS, ETC. Blog; Goodreads Review - Gayle Pace

I thought the stories just as good as the poetry. From the poor fellow who has a gift for exploding heads in "Headcase" and the weird case of the "Jar Baby" in the museum at night to "The Fruit of Thy Womb," a strange and horrible story that is not as persuasive in its character development as many other entries, I realized myself to be in the presence of a writer worth watching. I appreciated that I was reading a writer who has clearly worked hard on establishing a voice in the horror genre.

Judge, 23rd Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Lopez is an amazing artist and wordsmith! In this full-length bundle of ODDS AND ENDS, expect everything and be prepared for anything. Lori R. Lopez makes me smile from deep inside. There is no denying this author never fails to captivate me. I adore her style ... her witty darkness ... poetry and creative tales ... artful imagery and out-of-the-box multi-dimensional writing. Her work makes a worthy contribution to our literary world and the horror genre.

Goodreads Reviewer - Tamara Fey Turner

This collection on the whole is a testament to a woman, an author, who not only loves the horror genre, but is also a valuable contributor to it. ODDS AND ENDS contains some real gems. Lopez has an in-your-face, hard-hitting style. Her stories are smart, and her characters are presences brought to life on the page. She is a top-rate writer who knows all the (supposed) rules of writing. Her choice to, at times, break those rules, as well as the imaginative ways she does it, is very refreshing...

Amazon Reviewer - Edward Kenyon