Windows

by Matt Medlock

14 tales of mystery and madness, spectacle and danger, irony and imagination, ecstasy and terror (anthology of work both previously published and previously unpublished) Hail, Stavros! A man washes up on the shore of an enigmatic island nation ruled by a bloodthirsty overseer that no one on the island has ever even seen before. Meet Me at Street Level When an instant romantic connection is abruptly severed, a young man goes to great lengths to forge a reunion, lengths that gets him inadvertently mixed up in some rather sinister business. Down Ravensclaw Hill When the youngest member of the family seemingly goes missing, three brothers ignore the grim folklore and warnings from the locals and go up to the cabin at the top of Ravensclaw Hill to look for him. Relax, Ronnie, You're Just Stoned Why won't anyone believe a shiftless pothead's ravings about how his small town has been infiltrated by aliens? He should probably just relax. Prophets of Condemnation A wayward space pilot needs help getting off a desolate planet, but first she needs to convince two callous clairvoyants that refuse to help her without a fatal favor first. Story for the Sackman A desperate peasant girl tells an illicit marketeer the story of how she came into possession of the kingdom’s royal crown. Prayers for Miriam A little girl wishes that her imaginary friends in the woods would become real, little counting on the consequences such a miracle could lead to. Scare Me When the most popular girls in school suddenly want to make nice with the class outcast, the shunned “scab” decides it would be good fun to play a game with them during a sleepover. Seth & P.H.I.L. A nervous government man is tasked with interviewing an amazing discovery—an alien being that has come to Earth. But it seems that the inscrutable guest has plenty of questions of its own for the interviewer. Nuestro delicioso salvador de gatos Nasty rat fiends discover cheesy contraband in the bunkhouse of worker mice and demand to know where it came from. Of Buzzscrews, for Honeydoos, We Strive for Metaaras! The steward of a generation ship begins to question the nature of their journey across space, and the reason why humankind even abandoned Earth at all so long ago. No More Teacher’s Dirty Looks An oversexed high school teacher loves the attention she gets from students and faculty, until she comes across a message left for her that takes matters far beyond harmless fantasies. Do You Believe in Monsters Young Donny lives at constant unease, haunted by the fears of his belief in monsters. Do you believe in them, too? Silver Storm Is on at Eight A regular Joe learns an astounding secret about his existence, and he only becomes more puzzled when he begins to think his life is somehow connected to the most popular broadcast program in the country.

366 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2017

About the author

Matt Medlock knows how to arrange words into satisfying, complete sentences. He also knows how to arrange them into jagged, incomplete sentences. Both styles suit him nicely. He has published several novels and short stories, had work appear in a variety of small-time and/or school-based publications, was a music reviewer and article writer for JustPressPlay, and wrote web-based content and scripts for ClassX and Perihelion Radio while providing the voice of cranky, buffoonish British "rock star" Clive London on both stations. He is currently, oh, maybe taking a bath?

He would be most commonly considered a "genre writer," but he both trades between genres and mashes them up. Most of what Medlock writes can be labeled sci-fi, action-thriller, and/or fantasy--"pure" or "blend"--but he has also delved into manifest humor and horror and even nudged a bit into romance and mystery territory. His writing is as much influenced by cinema and video games as it is literary sources (Dick, Vonnegut, Fleming, Palahnuik, Martin, etc.), and even often finds himself directing/editing scenes in his mind while the prose flows. He also appreciates any and all feedback, including the negative variety, so long as it's explanatory or constructive.