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The Odds: Short Stories
What are the odds?
This is a question put to a weary old man by a mysterious figure at the crossroads with an oily vibe, a weird hat, and a chilling smile of gold teeth. A hotel ghost who gives his guests extra souvenirs. A deranged old medium who traps spirits in her hoarded out house. A motorcycle-ambulance driver who gets spooky back-seat driver advice from people who shouldn't be there. A shy, young god in H. P. Lovecraft's Cthuluverse presents his homework to the class. Phantom phone calls pester a farmhouse family. And more.
These are misfits. Thirteen spooky, sometimes funny, peculiar tales intended to give readers a shiver but not nightmares.
This is a question put to a weary old man by a mysterious figure at the crossroads with an oily vibe, a weird hat, and a chilling smile of gold teeth. A hotel ghost who gives his guests extra souvenirs. A deranged old medium who traps spirits in her hoarded out house. A motorcycle-ambulance driver who gets spooky back-seat driver advice from people who shouldn't be there. A shy, young god in H. P. Lovecraft's Cthuluverse presents his homework to the class. Phantom phone calls pester a farmhouse family. And more.
These are misfits. Thirteen spooky, sometimes funny, peculiar tales intended to give readers a shiver but not nightmares.
224 pages, Paperback
Published September 9, 2025
About the author
J. Elliott
14 books23 followers J. Elliott has written three novels in a funny, Buddhist-theme-dusted, cozy series set in Florida (Monkey Mind, Monkey Heart, and It's a Haint Blue Christmas). The next installment is due out by May 2026.
A huge fan of the classic ghost story tradition, Elliott grew up watching The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She loves creepy, uncanny stories especially when funny and unease collide. She's published four collections of spooky short stories (Ghost Lite, Tales from Kensington & Other Macabre & Unsettling Offerings, Uncanny Stout and The Odds.) If you seek true horror, these will be way too light for you.
In 2024 she published her first ghost story novel, Jiko Bukken set in Japan in 1993.
She has made a few videos of some her stories that can be seen on her YouTube channel, Hedonistic Hound Press. She is a regular illustrator for two online horror magazines, Black Petals and Yellow Mama.
She resides on six acres of overgrown Florida hammock with her indulgent boyfriend, and sweet basset hound.
A huge fan of the classic ghost story tradition, Elliott grew up watching The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She loves creepy, uncanny stories especially when funny and unease collide. She's published four collections of spooky short stories (Ghost Lite, Tales from Kensington & Other Macabre & Unsettling Offerings, Uncanny Stout and The Odds.) If you seek true horror, these will be way too light for you.
In 2024 she published her first ghost story novel, Jiko Bukken set in Japan in 1993.
She has made a few videos of some her stories that can be seen on her YouTube channel, Hedonistic Hound Press. She is a regular illustrator for two online horror magazines, Black Petals and Yellow Mama.
She resides on six acres of overgrown Florida hammock with her indulgent boyfriend, and sweet basset hound.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 2, 2025
Another fun read by J. Elliott! This is a collection of 13 uncanny short stories, each with a bit of background about their inspiration. I devoured it in a single day, but definitely plan to return and savor these stories over the next few weeks.
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October 6, 2025Dear Reader,
My first collection of stories, Ghost Lite, focused on ghosts and hauntings--people, places, objects. In my second and third collections, subject matter included a few monsters--monster in the corn maze, vampire in a nursing home, a demonic child.
This one is the most eclectic, truly a collection of misfit stories. Of these, only one, "Lost and Found" tiptoes towards horror. Bokrug's Homework started out as a spinoff on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthuluverse but ended up almost a quaint fairy tale. The rest are weird, spooky, sometimes even humorous, but not truly scary. Think Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. These are intended for those who want a little shiver but don't want anything truly dark. In fact, of the collections, this is the most whimsical.
I've been asked several times, "Where do you get your story ideas?" From everywhere: memories, stories I've heard, even songs. Each story has a little note of explanation as to its inspiration.
Two of the stories in this collection are true!
All my stories are my little babies. I hope you love them as I do!
My first collection of stories, Ghost Lite, focused on ghosts and hauntings--people, places, objects. In my second and third collections, subject matter included a few monsters--monster in the corn maze, vampire in a nursing home, a demonic child.
This one is the most eclectic, truly a collection of misfit stories. Of these, only one, "Lost and Found" tiptoes towards horror. Bokrug's Homework started out as a spinoff on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthuluverse but ended up almost a quaint fairy tale. The rest are weird, spooky, sometimes even humorous, but not truly scary. Think Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. These are intended for those who want a little shiver but don't want anything truly dark. In fact, of the collections, this is the most whimsical.
I've been asked several times, "Where do you get your story ideas?" From everywhere: memories, stories I've heard, even songs. Each story has a little note of explanation as to its inspiration.
Two of the stories in this collection are true!
All my stories are my little babies. I hope you love them as I do!
October 31, 2025
The Odds by J. Elliott is an unsettling collection of short stories that dances between the uncanny and the absurd with wicked delight, stitched together with Elliott’s vivid imagination.
From strange meetings at lonely crossroads, to a haunted motorcycle ambulance and a mischievous hotel ghost with a fondness for false teeth, these stories brim with dread and humour. Elliott conjures eerie settings and offbeat characters with flair, drawing readers into worlds where the familiar turns sinister.
What makes this collection stand out is its variety: no two stories feel alike. Elliott’s voice is confident and playful, with echoes of M.R. James and Shirley Jackson - but with a contemporary bite.
From strange meetings at lonely crossroads, to a haunted motorcycle ambulance and a mischievous hotel ghost with a fondness for false teeth, these stories brim with dread and humour. Elliott conjures eerie settings and offbeat characters with flair, drawing readers into worlds where the familiar turns sinister.
What makes this collection stand out is its variety: no two stories feel alike. Elliott’s voice is confident and playful, with echoes of M.R. James and Shirley Jackson - but with a contemporary bite.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews