Latest Short Stories

Castle of Horror: Revenge

 

Publisher: Castle Bridge Media

Release Date: May 2024

 

Description: Castle of Horror Volume 11 features stories of revenge. My story is set in the quintessential Curio Shop and features a bereaved widow seeking revenge on the person she blames for her husband's death.

The Chaos Clock

 

Publisher: eSpec Books

Release Date: April 2024

 

Description: The Chaos Clock contains stories of eldritch horrors set in steampunk universes. My story, "Sky Rivers of Gray," depicts the  aftermath of a 19th century archeologist's obsession with an Egyptian sarcophagus that contained a horrific secret.

99 Fleeting Fantasies

 

Publisher: Pulse Publishing

Release Date: February 2024

 

99 Fleeting Fantasies is a flash fiction anthology filled with wonder far-flung fables, and snippets of legend and lore from all over the world. My story is entitled, "Interview with Santa."

 

ebooks and paperbacks are available now.

Castle of Horror: Thinly Veiled: Saturday Mornings

 

Publisher: Castle Bridge Media

Release Date: July 2023

 

Description: Castle of Horror Volume 10 features thinly veiled stories set in the worlds of Saturday morning pop culture. My story follows a certain lucky rabbit who is great at counting to seven, and take a grim look behind the scenes of his magical "luck" power.

Moonstone Triple Threat

 

Publisher: Moonstone Books

Release Date: March 2023

 

Description: The March 2023 Moonstone Triple Threat includes my Kolchak: The Night Stalker story, "The Magic Flute," along with a Johnny Fade story by Nancy Holder and Alan Philipson, and a Gridiron story by David Boop. "The Magic Flute" sees Karl team up with his old (and by old I mean ancient astronaut old) friend Bennu, a.k.a "The Phoenix."

 

 

Kolchak 50th Anniversary Anthology

 

Publisher: Monstrous Books

Release Date: November 2022

 

Description: This special hardcover edition features 12 all-new comic stories, plus 10 prose stories to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Night Stalker. My story tells a mysterious tale of a Russian limo roaming the streets of Buffalo, kidnapping kids from the local parish. Carl suspects Biblical foul play.Head to Monstrous Books for more info or to order your  copy today.

 

 

Castle of Horror: Thinly Veiled: The 80s

 

Publisher: Castle Bridge Media

Release Date: July 2022

 

Description: Castle of Horror Volume 8 features my latest story, titled "Novelty." The Thinly Veiled series uses iconic media and products from a decade and features them without naming them. My story is about a plastic-string-covered ball toy that hides a deadly secret inside. Check out Castle Bridge Media for more information. You can purchase Thinly Veiled: The 80s on Amazon.

 

 

Castle of Horror: Love Gone Wrong

 

Publisher: Castle Bridge Media

Release Date: April 2022

 

Description: Castle of Horror Volume 7 features a story I wrote in the months after 9/11 called "Choices," which tells the story of Jack Lynch, a NYC firefighter who can change past choices he has made to alter the flow of events in the present. Check out Castle Bridge Media for more information. You can purchase Love Gone Wrong on Amazon.

 

 

Voices of Varuna Anthology

 

Publisher: Budgie Smuggler Games

Release Date: June 2021

 

Description: This anthology is set in Budgie Smuggler Games' Renegade Legion Universe RPG setting in the distant future. My story, "Unsanctioned," is a fun, Ocean's Eleven-esque heist pitting forces from the Union against the human TOG Empire in a race to see who will control a new technology. Check out Budgie Smuggler for more information or head to Amazon to purchase the book.

 

 

The Trials of Baldur

 

Publisher:  IAMTW

 

Release Date: March 2021

 

Description: My story is in this wonderful anthology published to benefit the World Literacy Foundation follows the Norse god Baldur on a quest to lighten the lives of Midgard's Druids, while Loki prowls the shadows looking to take the god down a notch.

Available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Necromunda Short Stories

Underhive Apex

 

Publisher:  Black Library

 

Release Date: August 2020

 

Description: This Mad D'onne story (a prequel to the novel Soulless Fury) shows just what happens when warring Underhive gangs come between Donna and her latest bounty. Nothing good for the gangs, that's for certain.

  

Banner-Jarl

 

Anthology: Uprising

Publisher: Black Library

Release Date: September 2020

Description: Once banner-jarl for the Vega Rams, an elite mercenary company Grendl Grendlsen lost everything when his liege crossed paths with Lord Helmawr, the ruthless ruler of Hive Primus. Forced into the Underhive, Grendl has made a new name for himself as a bounty hunter and hired gun. His latest job brings back bad memories of his previous life and may cost the former banner-jarl the only thing of value he has left, his life.

Original Short Stories

Resurrection Man

Anthology: Visual Journeys
Publisher: Hadley Rille Books

Release Date: Summer 2007

Description: This anthology combines fascinating depictions from space, imagined by great artists of today and yesterday with tales set in those universes as told by some of SF's greatest authors. It's a tribute to those who practice and those who imagine. Full color plates of space art accompany tales of fantastic fiction. My story, "Resurrection Man," based on a wonderful piece of art by Frank Wu, shows a dystopian view of early space exploration.

 

 

On the Off-Ramp of the Inter-Galactic Superhighway

 

Anthology: Golden Age SF: Tales of a Bygone Future

Publisher: Hadley Rille Books

Release Date: Summer 2006

Description: This anthology contains stories written as if during the Golden Age (from 1938 to 1957). The authors have transported themselves back to the Golden Age, suspended their memories of all events that have taken place since then and written science fiction stories about the future...tales of a bygone future. The anthology also boasts a foreword by Arthur C.Clarke.

 

 

Adrift in the Maelstrom

 

Anthology: No Longer Dreams

Publisher: Lite Circle Books

Release Date: June 2005

Description: "Adrift in the Maelstrom" is my first published story set in a universe of my own design. It's the story of a damaged ship dirfting in the void between universes, an enemy "ghost ship," and a xeno-bigoted engineer who must find a way to work with his crew to get them all home. No Longer Dreams features fantasy, horror and science fiction stories by such authors as CJ Henderson and Darrel Schweitzer.

Katya, Lady Assassin Story

Temple of Broken Dreams

Anthology: Katya, Lady Assassin: A Child's Eyes and other stories

 

Publisher: Story Portals

Release Date: October 2011

Description: This is the first e-book from the Story Portals website. It has nine original tales about Katya, an "assassin at the very top of her profession. ... There is no job she cannot do, no target she cannot kill, though, for reasons of her own and in accordance with her own strict code, there are jobs she will not accept regardless of the price. See the Amazon.com page to purchase the Kindle version.

Diamond Throne Stories

Essence of the Dragon

 

Anthology: The Dragon's Return

Publisher: Malhavoc Press

Release Date: March 2005

Description: "The Essence of the Dragon" is my second short story set in Monte Cook's Diamond Throne universe. It follows an mojh acolyte and his master as they search for the pieces of an important ritual that will herald the return of their masters - the dragons. The last piece of the ritual, however - the essence of the Dragon - will be the toughest to locate. The Dragon's Return is the second anthology published by Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press. It includes stories by such great fantasy authors as: Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb.

 

 

Child of the Street

 

Anthology: Children of the Rune

Publisher: Malhavoc Press

Release Date: August 2004

Description: This anthology is about the mystical Rune Children, who use magical tattoos to protect the weak. "Child of the Street" tells the tale of a Nada Flesher, a new initiate to the Nightwalkers, whose first assignment is the assassination of a Rune Child. But will her past catch up to her before she can complete her mission?

Magic: The Gathering Stories

Meme's Tale

Anthology: Shadowmoor

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: April 2008

Description: This Magic: The Gathering anthology describes a shattered world, where day and night divide the world into two halves - one of light and one of darkness. When the Aurora comes, night falls and the world changes, but no one seems to notice. My story, "Meme's Tale," tells the tale of a little girl named Meme, who is caught between worlds of her own when the landscape changes around her.

 

 

Ach! Hans, Run!

 

Anthology: The Monsters of Magic

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: August 2004

Description: The Magic: The Gathering trading card game features some of the most biggest and nastiest monsters in all of fantasy gaming. This anthology highlights some of the most famous in the game. In "Ach! Hans, Run," a Lhurgoyff goes on a killing spree in search of two hunters who murdered its mate and stole its most prized possession.

 

 

Journey Home

Anthology: The Secrets of Magic

 

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: March 2002

Description: This anthology brings to light some of the deepest, darkest secrets of the Magic: The Gathering universe. "Journey Home" is a companion short story to my first novel, Judgment. It tells the history of Balthor Rockfist, the barbarian dwarf, lone survivor of a massive battle in the Phyrexian wars. This future mentor to Kamahl, the protagonist of Judgment. must endure many hardships to return to his people. We also learn of the ancient origins of Kamahl's massive sword.

 

 

The Lady of the Mountain

 

Anthology: The Myths of Magic

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: June 2000

Description: This anthology tells the great myths of the various cultures and peoples in the lands of Dominaria. "The Lady of the Mountain," written with my wife, Daneen, is the dwarven creation myth (as well as the legend of their final battle against the forces of evil. It tells the tale of two gods - brother and sister - who combined their powers to create the world and then gave birth to the Lady, who would become both mother and protector of all the dwarves, until the end of time.

 

 

Phyrexian Autopsy

 

Appeared in: The Official Urza's Destiny Game Guide

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: July 1999

Description: These guides gave card-by-card descriptions and strategies for the Urza Cycle card sets in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. In addition, each guide contained a short story that helped bring readers into the main story of the set. In "Phyrexian Autopsy " Urza brings the corpse of a Negator - a Phyrexian killing machine to Rayne's lab for her to dissect. This story touches on information from the novel Bloodlines by Loren L Coleman.

  

Read "Phyrexian Autopsy" right now!
Autopsy
Autopsy.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [398.6 KB]

 

 

Scars of the Legacy

 

Appeared in: The Official Urza's Legacy Game Guide

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: April 1999

Description: These guides gave card-by-card descriptions and strategies for the Urza Cycle card sets in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. In addition, each guide contained a short story that helped bring readers into the main story of the set. In "Scars of the Legacy," Jhoira flies Weatherlight toward Zhalfir, discusses the ship's recent maiden voyage, and then faces the most important decision of her life.

  

Read "Scars of the Legacy" right now!
Scars
Scars.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [421.7 KB]

 

 

A Time for Remembrance

 

Appeared in: The Official Guide to Urza's Saga

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: November 1998
Description: These guides gave card-by-card descriptions and strategies for the Urza Cycle card sets in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. In addition, each guide contained a short story that helped bring readers into the main story of the set. In "A Time for Remembrance," Barrin, Urza's master wizard, attempts to write a letter of reconciliation to his daughter. Unfortunately, Urza interrupts with some bad news.

The story of this set was told in several books - The Brother's War, by Jeff Grubb, Planeswalker, by Lynn Abbey, and Timestreams, by J. Robert King. Thus the short story had a lot to cover, and it's much more of an overview than the two follow-up stories.

  

Read "A Time for Rembrance" right now!
Remembrance
Remembrance.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [371.3 KB]

 

Copyright Notice for PDF Downloands
Please note that the PDF downloads for "A Time for Remembrance," "Scars of the Legacy," and "Phyrexian Autopsy" are reproduced, with permission, from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All text and images are the property of Wizards of the Coast and may not be reproduced without their express written permission outside of this website.

Interact with Will on Facebook. follow him on Instagram, read his blog articles, and check out his Amazon author page.

Print | Sitemap
Contents © Will McDermott All Rights Reserved