HARD LUCK • A ‘Burnt Offerings’ Anthology

HARD LUCK – A ‘Bend-Over’ Anthology

– Because sometimes HARD LUCK is the only kind of luck you’ve got.
– Because you’ve got to play your hands with the cards you’re dealt, and – the house always wins.

I was really diggin this book while reading it!
Not only because the collection has the perfect blend of stories & authors that compliment each other perfectly, but, also because I just got a huge ‘bend-over’ from life myself, and to put it eloquently (and act like I’m a bro…) – she didn’t even give me a reach-around. While reading the Foreword, written by Scott Lefebvre, I just kept nodding…with an ironic smirk on my face, because, you can’t get a quickie from life. When one thing goes, the rest follow suit. Scott wrote a line that I have said in blog posts, status updates, tweets, and, I’ve even said it out loud… “Sorry I haven’t finished “______” yet, but – life happened.” & “Sorry, but… Life keeps getting in the way.” And, to quote Scott… “It continues to happen.”
If you’ve ever gone through a rough patch, ever considered ending it – rather than doing just. one. more. day. Even if you’ve just had one epically bad day, you’ll be able to relate to something in this collection.
So, grab your drink and get comfy!
Misery loves company, and misery is on tap!

“Whenever someone asks me for something, and I don’t owe them anything, I make them tell me a story. Even if the story is a lie, it’s usually interesting. You have to pay the monkey if you want to hear the music.”
– Scott Lefebvre

THE WINNING by James Dorr
James Dorr sure knows how to capture paranoia, and as the character is breaking down – you are decending with them.

HAUNTED LOVE by Dusty Davis
I can’t think of a worse insult than finding your spouse or lover in bed with someone else. It’s bad enough to find out they’re cheating, but – to walk in on it… to never be able to wipe that imagery out of your mind… that’s unforgivable. But, after Chris cools down a little, that’s exactly what he does – he forgives Ashley, and tries to go back to the way things were.
Dusty Davis knows – “You can never go back.”

FOURTH FLOOR WALK UP by Michael McGlade
Elizabeth has found herself ‘kidnapped’, by two men she doesn’t know, but she is damn sure going to find out why. When the tears and sobs didn’t work, she proceeds to just be herself – and she may just make it out of this mess in better shape than she came in.

GARY by Michael Kanuckel
I know Gary. We all know Gary. Or, at least his type. He’s big, he’s loud, he’s a bragger, ans and a bore. Always with a story, connected, untouchable, and knows people. You know you can’t trust anything he says – because his stories at least begin with a modicum of truth. You just don’t know how deep that seed is planted.
I loved this one. I really enjoy Michael Kanuckel’s style.

HELL AND BACK by Lucas Mangum
Wally is a preacher. A preacher who was left by his wife, and dismissed by his church. A preacher who started drinking again, and stopped talking to God. He’s in his personal Hell now, no waiting for an afterlife for this guy.
When his old mate, Danny, walked into the bar – Wally knew something was wrong. He’s about to visit the deeper levels of Hell, because his friend needs his help. Why was he always so damn helpful?
Another favorite of mine in this anthology. I’ll be looking for more by Lucas Mangum – who I keep wanting to call Magnum…

GOOD SAMARITAN by Joe Powers
Wally is a preacher. A preacher who was left by his wife, and dismissed by his church. A preacher who started drinking again, and stopped talking to God. He’s in his personal Hell now, no waiting for an afterlife for this guy.
When his old mate, Danny, walked into the bar – Wally knew something was wrong. He’s about to visit the deeper levels of Hell, because his friend needs his help. Why was he always so damn helpful?
Another favorite of mine in this anthology. I’ll be looking for more by Lucas Mangum – who I keep wanting to call Magnum…

LADY LUCK by Mae March
Mae March is said to be a fairly new comer to the horror writing community, but, I would have never guessed it by reading LADY LUCK. It’s a story about the last seven days of Derek Whittaker’s life. The luckiest seven days he’s EVER had. The luck is from a Zippo type lighter with a pin-up girl on it.
Unfortunately, Derek’s luck comes with a very high price-tag. He doesn’t have to pay the bill, but that is driving him to slowly losing his mind instead.
Awesome. Very awesome. Can’t wait to see what else Mae has out there!

RIGHT, WRONG, OR INDIFFERENT by C.L. Quigley
C.J. Quigley makes his publishing debut with this story – and this is a hard one to review. If you’ve been in the shoes of either character – this is going to hurt. Hell, even if you’ve played the roll of innocent, advice giving, third party – you’ll see someone you know & love as one if these characters.
Outstanding work.

BIGGER FISH by Stephen Pope
This is a kick ass story, one where I had no flippin idea who would be the winner, or who would be the loser. A twist at the end proved all my theories incorrect. What’s better than this story, is the first line if Stephen Pope’s author bio – which is the best, and funniest damn thing I’ve heard since…. I can’t even say when!!

CHRISTINA’S WORLD by Sean Douglas
Sean Douglas may not be interested to know how much I loved this, but I may head over to his Facebook page to leave some unsolicited praise.
I’m on a rare second day off in a row, and was feeling antsy, so I threw this story on my tts and have been cleaning odds & ends while listening.
I’m not sure when I sat down, but when this story was almost over, I caught myself sitting on the edge of the bed, and I had tears in my eyes.
Yes, that’s a good thing.