Works
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Breastman short story
Another story from the alliterative (and arguably aliterate) T. T. Trestle has been published for the first time, appearing in Mystery Magazine. It’s about Tom “Kong” Carter, a gigantic man who collects for a loan shark. Tom wakes up one morning and discovers he has somehow grown breasts and, to quote Seinfeld, they are spectacular.
The issue with Breastman is available here:
Ebook
Kindle: Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
Epub: Kobo US | Kobo Canada
Trade paperback
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La Grosse Mort short film
Sometimes online dating really can be a soul-sucking experience. And sometimes it can be magical. La Grosse Mort is a short comedy horror (or horror comedy?) directed by Randy Smith and written by Henry Miller wannabe T. T. Trestle. It won Gold in the Horror Film Awards in seven categories, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
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Having A Drink audiobook
For audiobook aficionados, an episode of the diabolically disquieting Tales to Terrify podcast features an audiobook of my werewolf short story Having A Drink, narrated by Stephen Kilpatrick. You can give the episode a listen or download it here.
The first appearance of Having A Drink (under its original title Oges) was in an anthology called Decadence 2 from Flesh & Blood Press. The story received an Honourable Mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. It was reprinted in an anthology called The Last Diner.
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What the Replay Shows
My short story What the Reply Shows has been turned into an audiobook by the fiction podcast The Centropic Oracle. This story is a sequel of sorts to my shinny hockey yarn Johnny B. In this new story, Johnny is an old man and is looking back on the fateful night at an outdoor rink where his life changed forever (and who among us hasn’t had a life-altering experience while playing shinny?). You can listen to the story on YouTube or at The Centropic Oracle.
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Ghost Houndz
Ghost Houndz, a short film written by Phil Voyd, the Hyde to my Jekyll (or maybe we’re both Hykylls) is in the fourth chapter of the Monster Pool horror anthology. Monster Pool screens at the historic Mayfair Theatre in Ottawa, Canada every October. The theme (more or less) of this year’s anthol was technology. You can watch Ghost Houndz for free here.
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Monster Pool 3
A short film I wrote under the pen name T. T. Trestle is part of a horror anthology called Monster Pool: Seven Deadly Sins, the third volume of Monster Pool. The anthol has seven shorts by different filmmakers, each segment exploring one of the infamous mortal sins. My story is about lust, also known as lechery, concupiscence or high school. Seven Deadly Sins can be rented on Amazon US or Amazon UK (unfortunately, it’s not available on Amazon Cthulhu yet).
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A Marketable Skill short story
My story A Marketable Skill has been published for the first time, appearing in Blood & Bourbon magazine. It’s about Tommy Malthis, a perennial underachiever and Galaxian ace who comes from a family of epic overachievers. He’s just been fired from his job as a busboy – his seventh McJob since he almost finished applying for college – and finds out that the rest of the day has a lot more in store than zapping alien bugships.
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Axioms + Ecstasy short story
Axioms + Ecstasy, a story from the dubiously alliteratively named T. T. Trestle, was originally published in On Spec, Canada’s leading genre fiction magazine. An ebook version of Axioms is now available… with the warning that it’s kind of a naughty story. A tale of sex, drugs and – believe it or not – Rubik’s Cubes. It’s about David Jurat, a shy, young mathematician. He finds out life cannot be controlled as easily as numbers and that he has a special talent for more than just equations and theorems.
It’s available here:
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The Dean of Gravity audiobook
An episode of the wonderfully wicked Tales to Terrify podcast features my short story The Dean of Gravity, narrated by Wilson Fowlie. It’s the fifth time this story has been published, in one form or another. A record for tales about mysterious basketball-playing strangers (and not starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes). You can give the episode a listen or download it here.
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Mr. Bronze short story and radio play
My short story Mr. Bronze has been reprinted, with an alternate ending, in an anthology called Fear’s Accomplice. From the publisher: “Prepare to hold the hand of Fear’s Accomplice and be guided through a world of terror. Along the way you will encounter all manner of frights, from unmentionable supernatural beings to pure human evil, and all the absurdity that falls into the dark spaces in between.”
If you’d like to buy a copy of Fear’s Accomplice, it’s available here:
Ebook
Kindle: Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
Epub: Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo US | Kobo Canada
Trade paperback
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble
The first appearance of Mr. Bronze was in the 2009 anthology Escape Clause, which was published by Ink Oink Art Inc. The multitalented Kit St. Germain, actor, writer and Ink Oink Art mastermind, then adapted it into a radio play. Just click on the orange button to give it a listen.
The Mr. Bronze radio play features:
Kirby Morrow as Mr. Bronze, Trevor Devall as Throckmorton, Mark Oliver as The Narrator, Brian Drummond as all the other men, Maryke Hendrikse as The Neverdancer, Patti Drake as Sahara, Tabitha St. Germain as ‘little kid’
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Having A Drink short film
James is a highly paid escort for wealthy women. Sounds good in theory but in practice, not so much fun. James hates his job, which leads to a few stiff drinks after work. Tonight, he heads to a seedy after-hours joint called Oges Tavern. It turns out to be the wrong bar on the wrong night. It’s Halloween and two robbers dressed as werewolves come calling. Then things get really hairy…
Having A Drink is a short film directed by Randy Smith and based on a short story that received an Honorable Mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror.
“What makes Having A Drink so enjoyable? One is the story, which is based on a T. T. Trestle short story that encompasses the werewolves themselves. The other is the dedication to use practical costume, makeup, and gore effects. There’s no CGI.” – Bryan Dorr, pdxwerewolf.com
“It’s a fun quirky horror short that is sure to have you howling in enjoyment…a very strange but oddly wonderful mashup of moments,” – Jamie Hall, frakingfilms.net
You can watch Having A Drink for free here.
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Feeding Disorder
My short story Feeding Disorder is (ahem) seeing the light of day for the first time in Dying to Live, an anthology of dark vampire fiction. There are no sparkly vamps or moon-eyed teens in these tales – unless they’re breakfast for a real bloodsucking fiend. Here’s an excerpt from Feeding Disorder:
Everybody at the party was beautiful. Thin and happy and radiant in their designer dresses and tailored suits. Why had Jane come? Diana had only invited her because they were cousins. The same reason – or burden – that had induced the offer of an internship at the legendary Diana Nestor Agency. No one else at the party was ugly or fat. No one had thin, mousy hair. No one had marshmallow thighs with vile ragged white stretch marks. No one had a doughy, laughable double chin. No one was standing alone. Jane slid an éclair off the buffet, hesitated, then palmed a praline brownie. She walked quickly through an immense hallway to a small, dark room. It was a study, cozy yet refined. She closed the door. She ate the éclair in four bites, the brownie in three. She rested against the door, feeling the sweet warmth flow into her. For a moment, she didn’t care that she was ugly and fat and alone. She went back to the buffet. The solemn band had started playing. Beautiful couples were swaying together, almost dancing. No one would ask her to dance. She would never be allowed to join their thin and happy world. She slipped another éclair off the buffet then a piece of vanilla chiffon cake, hesitated, looked around, but no one had noticed her, of course. She palmed two frosted macaroons and went back to the study. She closed the door, ate the éclair in three bites, the chiffon cake in two, the macaroons in one. She rested against the door, relaxed, warm, contented. The warmth let her forget for a few precious seconds about her thin hair, marshmallow thighs and double chin. She decided she would leave the party. She would tell Diana she had a headache. Her cousin would understand. Diana Nestor’s migraines were also legendary. But the familiar urge came a few moments later.
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Johnny B
Upper Rubber Boot Books reprinted my hockey short story Johnny B as a standalone ebook in its Sole Series.
Johnny is mediocre at everything. Average. Ordinary. Straight Bs in everything. Except for one thing. Shinny, a pickup game of ice hockey played outdoors and the heart of Canadian hockey. Flying across the rinks every winter, no one can touch him. No one can even come close. Until one night, he plays against someone who is better than him. Now Johnny has to play like he’s never played before because the price for losing is a lot more than wounded pride.
Johnny B was originally published in On Spec magazine and reprinted in a high-school textbook called Foundations of English 12.
