A while back, my writers group posed an interesting prompt for its members: write a story, poem, play, or essay about a character who accidentally grabs the wrong coat by mistake. Today we’re proud to present:

The Wrong Coat: an anthology by the Brookfield and La Grange Writers Group

“Our coats are quiet, obedient servants, reliably there for us when we need them . . . until they’re not. What happens when, either by accident or design, we find ourselves in possession of the wrong coat? Eighteen writers answer this question through short fiction, poetry, or memoir. Within these pages are ordinary people whose wrong coat affects their lives in surprising, sometimes life-changing ways. Their journeys are poignant, funny, sometimes chilling. The eighteen writers in this anthology explore how wrong coats can become instructive or vindictive when they’ve left their rightful owners. Learn what can happen when the wrong coat meets the wrong person. It could happen to you.”

In my scary story “Polar Bound,” twins Emma and Alice are about to board a magical train to tour Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, but a secret between sisters provides an express pass to a far more sinister place.

The Wrong Coat is a really cool collection with a wide variety of local writers all putting their unique spins on this theme of misunderstanding, so be sure to check it out!

Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Coat-anthology-Brookfield-Writers/dp/1530652057/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460292330&sr=1-1

The right theme has that glass slipper fit!

Like actors struggling to find their motivation, writers fret over theme:

“What does this story mean?” “Why is it relevant?”

“What’s the gosh-darned moral?”

Here’s a secret that most writers don’t admit:

“Theme is NO BIG DEAL!”

But wait! Aren’t we taught that the meaning of a story is the most important part? Isn’t a story without thematic value essentially pointless?

To clarify: theme matters, but it’s not something to stress about. As long as you write a realistic story with authentic characters and circumstances, a natural, organic theme will arise.

That’s because real life is full of meaning, and your characters’ actions should represent believable desires, behaviors, and impulses. As a result, any worthwhile story has at least one important theme built in.

There are two approaches to theme:

1.) Start with a story idea; discover the theme LATER: Just like in real life, hindsight is 20-20. You don’t learn a life lesson until it’s over. You don’t understand why you and your spouse had that argument until the next day. Your father’s sage words of advice didn’t make sense until you turned 35. Theme does not need to be figured out ahead of time. It’s waiting to be discovered in the story, like buried treasure.

2.) Choose a Theme and Build the Story Around It: Not impossible, but potentially dangerous. Fiction written to serve a preconceived idea can be preachy, predictable, or self-serving. When characters and events become mouthpieces for the writer’s point, reader will not be invested. If you must start with theme, be careful to develop the events that fit that theme organically and avoid creating “writer propaganda.”

Themes can be as complex as the people, places, and things an author writes about. There’s no limit to the important ideas that form in your writing, but the following list suggests the kinds of themes you might discover:

• The impacts of emotions
• Dynamics of relationships
• Relationships with God/nature/the universe
• Man vs. the elements (or magical/sci-fi forces!)
• Relationships to culture/country/society
• Physical or mental health (sickness, vitality, virility, substance abuse, sexuality, etc.)

Your story may fall into one or more of those categories, and the theme you discover might even defy classification! Check out these familiar examples:

• Cinderella: An innocent girl is forced to dress in rags and do chores for her nasty stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother gives her a makeover and sets her up with a handsome prince. Theme: Social/Karmic Justice
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A young boy adventures down the
  

  Huck didn’t know what he was doing when he headed downriver. He figured it out on the way!

  Mississippi River with his friend Jim in the pre-Civil War American South. Theme(s): The relationship between race and identity in an oppressive culture. The social and moral hypocrisy of cultural expectations. The wisdom inherent in innocent people.

• A Game of Thrones: In a fantasy world, the newly appointed Hand of the King uncovers conspiracies, corruption, and hypocrisy as he attempts to serve the realm justly and honestly. Theme(s): The Burden of Authority, Moral Ambiguity and Social Darwinism, Corruption, Bonds of Family, The Impacts of Clashing Religious Beliefs, The Futility of Control (And a LOT more!)

Notice how short, snappy tales tend to have one main overarching theme, while longer, more complex works usually have many themes that are intertwined (kinda like real life!)

Once you discover an interesting idea, concept, message, moral, or reality that your story is representing, bring it out more in future drafts. You don’t want to hit theme too hard on the head. You want the readers to discover it in that same “A-HA!” way that you did.

Connect with Kevin M. Folliard on . . .
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinfolliard
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kmfollia

Arbor Day Terror Tales is on sale at Amazon now! (Seriously!)

I am pleased to announce my newest title is now on sale through Kindle and Amazon.com! Arbor Day Terror Tales: Sinister Yarns of Woodland Woe features thirteen insidious stories all featuring arboreal evils that grew from the blackest soils and twisted roots of my macabre imagination!

Mankind has always loved his trees, but what happens when the trees say “no more!” This collection explores this and other terrifying questions about humanity’s shaky relationship with the masters of the Plant Kingdom. A wicked willow invades the swampy nightmares of a trio of befuddled fishermen. The ghost of a vengeful spruce plagues the agenda of a rebellious rabbi. A jilted bride, lost in America’s iconic Red Wood Forest, unearths more companionship than she could have ever bargained for and ends up smothered in the fiery autumn of her deepest regrets!

Arbor Day Terror Tales features the following fiendish fables:

Flowering Plants Without Pity
Trick or Tree
Willow Willow Won’t
The Rabbi and the Knothole
Bark to the Future
She Attempted to Get Down from the Tree but She Couldn’t Seem to
Oak Too Soon
The Redwoods’ Bride
The Clown in the Apple Orchard
The Vampire’s Garden Hose
The Cursed Tree-House Where Children Died
A Tree with Tons of Spiders in It
A Smaller Tree with Just One Really Big Spider

With branch shakingly spooky illustrations by real life paleobotonist Dr. James Molloy, these stories are creepier and crawlier than a troop of ravenous wood lice! Hunker down, dim the lights, and leaf through these sturdy tall tales. But don’t climb too high into the canopy of the unknown! That evergreen outside your window just could be plotting to trim your branches!

Arbor Day Terror Tales: Sinister Yarns of Woodland Woe is available for $2.99 on Kindle and $5.50 in paperback. But you can’t buy it because this is an April Fools joke post!

Go buy my other books though! 🙂

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin M. Folliard has studied trees his entire life and dedicated every ounce of his free time to nurturing a supernatural psychic bond with the plant world. He alone is qualified to write about them, and anything else that you might read about plants from other so-called experts is a lie.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Paleobotonist Dr. James Molloy draws really cool comic books where trees probably exist somewhere in the background sometimes. You should buy his books too!

Kevin Folliard’s Books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Folliard/e/B0097S7T0A/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Learn More About Arbor Day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Day

On sale NOW!

I’m pleased to announce that Black Bed Sheet Books’ Bumps in the Road anthology is now on sale through Amazon, in paperback and Kindle, featuring my scary story “Ink!”

“Roads have been around for centuries, allowing mankind a convenient path to arrive at their destination—be it a lengthy vacation getaway with family or merely to their own inviting home after an exhausting day at work. These roadway treks can bring with them a lifetime of memories. But not all memories are good. And some things are best left forgotten. Join our storytellers as they share the morbid, woeful, and disturbing outcomes of an otherwise normal commute, as we watch each of these unfortunate souls fall victim to their own little bumps in the road. A unique horror anthology.”

In my story “Ink,” a weary road-tripping divorcee struggles against the influence of two unsavory, black-eyed children who he encounters in the dead of night, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Bumps in the Road is a really cool collection with a wide variety of writers all putting their unique spins on the theme of roads and travel, so be sure to check it out!

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Bumps-Road-Black-Sheet-Books/dp/069265898X/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459006583&sr=1-9

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Bumps-Road-Chad-Lutzke-ebook/dp/B01DF4VN6C/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459007332&sr=1-5&keywords=Bumps+in+the+Road+Kindle

Black Bed Sheet Books: http://www.downwarden.com/blackbedsheet/

Wax & Wane on sale NOW!

I’m pleased to announce that Nosetouch Press’s Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witch Tales is now on sale through Amazon, in paperback and Kindle, featuring my scary story “Hour of the Owl!”

“Whether wicked or whimsical, few folkloric figures are as iconic as the witch. Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witch Tales serves up 30 spellbinding stories of witches that are enchanting and terrifying, amusing and enticing. Classic or eclectic, fantastical or historical, these witch tales are a literary incantation to delight any fans of witches and witchcraft.”

In my story “Hour of the Owl,” Jean’s estranged son Wesley returns home to the family orchard with an unusual new bride named Ava. Ava is a slender, ageless woman with bird-like features and a nocturnal schedule. She quickly charms the men in Jean’s family and spends copious amounts of time performing strange rituals in the barn at night. Soon Jean begins to suffer nightmares about owls and a shadowy entity named Stryxus who seeks to claim her son. The story is about a mother’s unconditional love struggling against both the figurative and literal dark forces which have fractured her family.

Check out Nosetouch’s author interview with yours truly here! Wax & Wane is a really cool collection with a wide variety of writers all putting their unique spins on witch lore, so be sure to check it out!

ORDER Wax & Wane: http://www.amazon.com/Wax-Wane-Gathering-Witch-Tales/dp/1944286039/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451587890&sr=8-1&keywords=9781944286033

KEVIN M. FOLLIARD Contributor Spotlight: http://www.nosetouchpress.com/contributor-spotlight-kevin-m-folliard/

NOSETOUCH PRESS: http://www.nosetouchpress.com/

SMILE! It’s February!

Hello readers!

It’s once again that magically dreary month when we all need a good book to get us through the winter!

If you haven’t already, now is a great time to check out my scary stories collection Valentine Terror Tales: Scary Stories of Dark Romance! VTT is just $2.99 for Kindle or $5.50 in paperback, and it makes a great gift for single people or couples that love spooky things! Like all my books, VTT is also available for all KindleUnlimited readers, all the time!

I also have TWO giveaways this month:

• Violet Black & the Curse of Camp Coldwater is FREE for Kindle 2-1 through 2-5.
• Jake Carter & the Nightmare Gallery is FREE for Kindle 2-8 through 2-12!

Plenty of fun, spooky books to get you through that happy Valentine’s Day we all deserve! Pleasant reading!

Author Website: http://www.kevinfolliard.com/
Amazon Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Folliard/e/B0097S7T0A/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinfolliard
Terror Tales on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kmfollia

Pre-Order Wax & Wane and check out my story “Hour of the Owl!”

Happy 2016, readers!

I’m pleased to announce the first of several upcoming publications. Pre-order Nosetouch Press’s Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witch Tales on Amazon, featuring my scary story “Hour of the Owl!”

“Whether wicked or whimsical, few folkloric figures are as iconic as the witch. Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witch Tales serves up 30 spellbinding stories of witches that are enchanting and terrifying, amusing and enticing. Classic or eclectic, fantastical or historical, these witch tales are a literary incantation to delight any fans of witches and witchcraft.”

Check out Nosetouch’s author interview with yours truly here! Wax & Wane is a really cool collection with a wide variety of writers all putting their unique spins on witch lore, so be sure to check it out! Keep a watchful eye out right here for more updates on this as well as other upcoming collections and publications!

PRE-ORDER Wax & Wane: http://www.amazon.com/Wax-Wane-Gathering-Witch-Tales/dp/1944286039/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451587890&sr=8-1&keywords=9781944286033

KEVIN M. FOLLIARD Contributor Spotlight: http://www.nosetouchpress.com/contributor-spotlight-kevin-m-folliard/

NOSETOUCH PRESS: http://www.nosetouchpress.com/

FREE on Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2015 was an excellent year for scary stories and fun adventures, and I wanted to thank my readers with a couple of FREE titles!Grab my chiller novella Christmas Terror Tales: “Below” and my dark fantasy novel Jake Carter & the Nightmare Gallery on the house December 25th, but also keep in mind:

• My NEW fantasy adventure novel Jimmy Chimaera and the Temple of Champions make a great stocking-stuffer.
• Last-minute Chicagoland shoppers can pick up paperbacks at Chimera’s Comics in La Grange, IL!
• KindleUnlimited readers can check out ALL my titles anytime.

I look forward to announcing more cool projects and publications for 2016. Happy Holidays! 🙂

Author Website: http://www.kevinfolliard.com/
Amazon Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Folliard/e/B0097S7T0A/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinfolliard
Terror Tales on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kmfollia

FREE scary Christmas story!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Black Friday through Cyber Monday (11-27 through 11-30), I have 3 FREE Kindle Titles you can download:

• Christmas Terror Tales Presents: “Below”
• Jake Carter and the Nightmare Gallery
• Violet Black and the Curse of Camp Coldwater

Please read, review, and if you like what you read, grab some paperbacks for those young readers on your list! Books like Christmas Terror Tales and my new fantasy adventure Jimmy Chimaera and the Temple of Champions make great stocking-stuffers!

Remember also to support the small businesses in your local community this weekend (more info on where local Chicagoland readers can find my books HERE!)

Happy Holidays!

Author Website: http://www.kevinfolliard.com/
Amazon Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Folliard/e/B0097S7T0A/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinfolliard
Terror Tales on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kmfollia

Support Local Shops this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving, readers!

It’s time once again to support local authors AND local businesses!

This coming weekend is Small Business Saturday, and your local businesses are running excellent promotions! Small businesses are run by people who are passionate about the services and products they provide. They are our neighbors, and their profits stay within our communities. So this year, devote a big chunk of your holiday spending to friendly shops down the street.

I’m very grateful to the following local businesses that have supported my writing. They’ve been instrumental in helping me get the word out, and they’ve all got great deals for the holidays!

The Bookies: Paperback and More!

Stuff your stockings with local books from local stores!

2419 W. 103^rd St.
(Between Western Ave. & Artesian Ave.)
(773)-239-1110
www.bookiespaperbacks.com

Chimera’s Comics
19 S. La Grange Road
La Grange, IL 60525
(708)352-1230
www.chimerascomics.com

Frugal Muse Books
7511 Lemont Rd.
Darien, IL 60561
630-427-114
www.frugalmusebooks.com

If you’re local, be sure to drop by these great businesses this weekend and get a jump start on your shopping season. And remember that you can buy my books at any of the fine establishments listed above!

And if you aren’t local, please remember to support the local shops in your own community.

Happy Holidays!

Frugal Muse Books: www.frugalmusebooks.com
Bookies in South Chicago: http://bookiespaperbacks.com/
Chimera’s Comics in La Grange: http://www.chimerascomics.com/
Kevin M. Folliard on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinfolliard
CTT on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Christmas-Terror-Tales/204731106257625