Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real...tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

Childhood trauma doesn't change people, it breaks them. Nathan Burns would be no different! Once a caring teen, now a diagnosed sociopath in the state penitentiary for murder. Then he is thrown into a chaotic world where everything involves RAGE! The parasitic worms make animal to human transfer sending the world into a frenzy of apocalyptic bloodshed. For once he can let himself free destroying all that get in his way.

Joran Den Cade’s search for the source of the conspiracy threatening the Tiberian Empire has been anything but safe. Now, his journey brings him to the underground city of the dwarves, where a dark secret will shake everything Joran thinks he knows.

Just your average father-son story. But with abduction, torture, and murder. Out of nowhere, a retired 60-year old handyman goes on a murder-spree, abducting healthy young people and torturing them with hand-tools. After he's caught, a media fascination in The Handyman swells. People want to know why he snapped. They want to hear all the grisly details. But he'll only tell his gruesome story to one person - his estranged son.

When an ill-fated NASA project causes an extrasolar meteor to hit a small Pacific island, people rush to blame the agency for a mysterious death on the island. Under social media pressure, NASA sends David Anderson to the island to investigate the death and vindicate the agency. But Anderson is not the only newcomer to the island. More people are dying. Anderson and his team must figure out what is killing everyone before they, too, become victims. But how do you stop a killing machine that keeps evolving?

When former career criminal Westlake finds himself semi-zombified and shuffling towards Atlantic City, he freaks out. He's supposed to be dead, after all. Kidnapped, he becomes part of a savage gladiator-styled show for the amusement of a heartless overlord. Lucky for him, ex-cop Estela Ramirez and her crew of mishap heroes are already on their way to save him and stop the horrors being inflicted on the humans in good ol' AC . . . if they can figure out a way to fly a plane there, that is.

After a six-year absence, Addison Potts is back in Charleston to stir things up. And what better place to make her villainous return than her estranged cousin’s wedding? Only, the nuptials hit a snag when the bride doesn’t show, leaving Addison to play getaway driver for the jilted groom. Elijah Montgomery Du Pont is the future mayor of Charleston. From his military career to city hall, every detail of his life has been meticulously planned. Until now. His only respite from life’s sudden upheaval is Addison, his new, improbable best friend. She makes him happy. Grounds him.

Learn conversational agility to think quickly on your feet, be incredibly smooth, funny, and clever - all at once. Goodbye awkward silences! No matter where you lie on the spectrum of awkward to engaging, witty banter is always the end goal - and it should be. Witty banter, and all the steps that lead to it, allows you to disarm and connect with anyone, immediately exit boring small talk mode, and instantly build rapport.

It doesn't seem like the perfect house, but screw it, it's good enough to rent for a year. Unfortunately for Boyd, Adeline, and their two young daughters, it's immediately clear they chose the wrong place. The nightmare begins with violent coughs and headaches. Food starts to rot almost as soon as they take it inside. A pet tarantula goes missing. Some family members begin to exhibit creepy behavior. Then the ghosts arrive, and all hell breaks loose....

Six months after he almost died in a caving accident, sculptor Tim Overleigh spends his time crutching his broken body from bar to bar in downtown Annapolis. He has told no one that it was his dead wife, Hannah, who helped him survive—and that he's still seeing her . . . But a chance meeting with an old friend—and a plane ticket to Kathmandu—reawaken Tim's passion for adventure.

After a series of bizarre and increasingly horrific attacks from pulpy, red, seeded fruit, Mason Dixon finds himself leading a "crack" team of specialists to save the planet. But will they be quick enough to save everyone? To save you? You can't run! You can't swim!

As a stay-at-home dad taking care of triplets, Andrew Mayhem's days of getting into wild adventures are over. His life is measured in diaper changes. Sleep has become an abstract concept, something oft-discussed with his wife, Helen, but rarely experienced. So, when internet celebrity explorer Percival Longshore asks Andrew and his best friend, Roger, to travel with him on a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, Andrew laughs off the idea.

Dallas Corso is on top of the world. With millions of adoring subscribers, devilish good looks, and business savvy as developed as his six-pack abs, he enjoys unparalleled success on social media. As the king of men's fitness influencers, he's cultivated a polished image—hard-working, motivational and honest. But there's another side to Dallas Corso, one you won't find in a magazine. Greedy, self-obsessed and tirelessly judgmental, it's only a matter of time before his true colors show.

Daniel Hill will never forget the day he heard these words: "Daniel, you may be white, but don't let that lull you into thinking you have no culture. White culture is very real. In fact, when white culture comes in contact with other cultures, it almost always wins. So it would be a really good idea for you to learn about your culture." Confused and unsettled by this encounter, Hill began a journey of understanding his own white identity. Today he is an active participant in addressing and confronting racial and systemic injustices.

A comprehensive guide to setting goals.

Christian Windsor's odd genius brought him and his FBI unit fame when he stopped the sadistic murderer called The Surgeon. Christian's genius couldn't reveal the sociopath working right next to him, though: the world-renowned psychiatrist, Luke Titan. Dead bodies begin showing up again, but this time, Christian knows them. The killer doesn't want other people: He wants Christian. A delusional psychopath thinks Christian can bring God's return, which gives Luke Titan the perfect opportunity to continue his own sick purpose.

Harvard University coach and acclaimed rowing author, Dan Boyne, tells a humorous story of his first year of freshman crew, including a sub plot of personal redemption against an insufferable football player who has bullied him throughout high school.

The first in-depth examination of the voice intelligence industry, The Voice Catchers exposes how artificial intelligence is enabling personalized marketing and discrimination through voice analysis.

What goes through the mind of a killer when they commit murder? What motivates someone to take a life? How do murderers remember their lives and crimes? With unprecedented access to high-security prisons all around the country, the creators of Netflix's I Am a Killer set out to get answers to these questions—by talking to the killers themselves.

When Comet Press put out the call for submissions for Stiff Things, we said we were ready to ratchet up the eroticism and visceral intensity with hardcore stories that penetrate new depths of psychosexual horror. But we weren't as ready as we thought we were for the extreme stuff that came flooding in on waves of blood and other bodily fluids we won't mention here. Not that we're complaining. In other words, we got what we wished for...and more.