Innocents & Demons on Sale Now!
My first original eBook, Innocents & Demons, is on sale now at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and Sony. Several people have suggested I provide a bit more information on what the book is about. You mean, “a collection of short stories and poems by me” isn’t enough? I suppose they have a point. Stories in Innocents & Demons include:
“Innocence Denied”
I set out to write a little horror story, but the characters had other ideas for “Innocence Denied” and it turned into something much more thought provoking about how our values, convictions, and notions of propriety can lead to horrific consequences.
“Just a Little Peace and Quiet”
Ever have one of those days when all you want is just a little peace and quiet? I was having one of those days, when my inner Edgar (as in Edgar Allan Poe) came out to play.
“The Trouble with Oliver”
There were a lot of things wrong with Oliver. A maliciously nasty attitude and a habit of bullying the other kids on their way to the school bus were just two of them.
“They Might Have Been Twins”
Nobody’s perfect. Some just try harder than others. It’s in their genes.
“Shhh… Don’t You Know?”
Dedicated to all the crazy librarians I know and love.
“To Follow in Their Footsteps”
Not your usual vampire story. I promise.
“Teen Angel”
Will Parker’s fantasies come true, up on Pinnacle Point? Or will locker room gossip and an older woman with a hot car lead to an end to all his dreams?
See if you can find the song titles buried in this story, which began life as the response to a writing prompt on writing.com.
“Immortal Beloved”
Would you choose immortality – if you could?
“In Real Life”
Things aren’t always what they seem. People aren’t always who they pretend to be. And yet…sometimes, things have a way of working out the way they should. A tale of online romance and insecurity.
“Troop #66613”
My friend Starr needed a St. Patrick’s Day story for a newsletter she was writing. “I don’t want the usual green, sparkly, shamrocks and leprechauns and unicorn stories,” she said.
You could call this “Mean Girls Meets Being Human at Girl Scout Camp,” but that’s just too long and doesn’t quite capture the twisted humor. And I think I managed to throw in everything Starr said she didn’t want to see…
She published it, anyway.
“Keeping Up Appearances”
I once had a sadistic ballet teacher whose motto was, “Beauty must suffer.” This story is dedicated to all the young women who have been brought up to believe that they must suffer in the name of beauty.
“Dealing with the Demon”
Originally written as part of a collaborative “novel” on GEnie’s Writers’ Ink RoundTable, “Dealing with the Demon” refers to demons both real and imaginary – the “demon” of addiction and the “demons” we invent or invite into our imaginations. This is an older story, and maybe one of the first to deal with “Internet addiction” before the psychiatric community could even wrap their collective heads around such a concept – I remember originally calling the network the “Internet,” only to be told by someone that there really was such a thing. Who knew? Apparently, I didn’t invent the Internet!
“Playing God”
An odd little piece. Fictional characters sometimes take on a life of their own. When a writer hangs on too tightly and tries to control their every move, the result is usually stilted, wooden prose. But allow them free rein? It’s a frightening prospect.
I wonder if that’s how God feels about free will.
“Don’t Look Under the Bed”
Billy climbed under his sister’s bed and now he’s trying to scare the living – well, scare the living right out of her. And maybe he’s found help doing it, too.
Trockle begged me not to publish this story. He made me promise not to let anyone under the age of 13 read it. I suggest you promise, too.
“Saying Goodbye”
My short stories rarely go where I think they will. This one is no exception. I started with a vague image of friends hanging out at a run-down amusement park, saying goodbye at the end of summer. By the time I was done writing, the tears were freely flowing down my cheeks. And yet, I think of it as a happy story, too – one that speaks volumes about the importance and enduring quality of real friendship.
Bonus points for anyone who can name the real place that inspired the setting for this story. Anyone except you, Dad.
Innocents & Demons also includes the poems, “Ultimate Blue-Eyes White Volkwagen,” “My Sister, the Roach,” “Beyond the Suzuki Method,” “Longing for Four,” “There Are Worse Things Than Death,” and “Next Time Around.”
It’s ironic, to me, that Stephen King is best known for his novels. I think his writing really shines in his short stories. Given that most readers (including me!) have short attention spans, I’m surprised short stories aren’t more popular, today, than ever. Most writers seem to think they’re more difficult to write than novels, but that’s where I’m in my element. I have trouble getting past about 2000 words without an irresistible urge to wrap up all the loose ends (or trim them neatly and tie ‘em in a knot) and move on to tell the next story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these. If you’d prefer a printed copy, you can buy it here for less than $10.
About the Author
Holly Jahangiri is a professional writer with over twenty years’ experience in technical writing, freelancing, fiction, poetry, and editing. Writer, wife, and mother, Holly is the creator of Trockle and the instigator of the Puppy-Guppy Rebellion.
Day four – let’s get real about this whole Paleo, hunter-gatherer diet. Four days, and I’ve lost nearly seven pounds. Oh, five of that – I’m sure – is nothing but water. I’m certainly not starving myself; in fact, I discovered 
today. Cavemen never had it so good. Foraging for fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies is hard work, but my grocer makes it really easy. He keeps all the wooly mammoths in the back cooler, away from the produce department. Plus, I’ll bet those cave-dwellers ate bugs. Yeah, I know – but I draw the line at balut. (Yep! that’s allowed on the Paleo Diet! Probably encouraged.) No bugs. I’ve felt a bit hungrier today, but not enough to derail me or put a dent in my resolve. I haven’t gotten nearly hungry enough to try bugs – although, speaking of hunger, I so enjoyed Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy that I downloaded her young adult novel, Gregor the Overlander, onto my nook, just so I’d have more of her stories to read.
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