Mischief Madness Mourning By J. Matthew Saunders

Since moving to North Carolina several years ago, I have come to appreciate how much of a character the southern scenery really is unto itself. The Midwest doesn’t get its own subgenre of fiction based on its locale but the South certainly does. J.Matthew Saunders has come out with a trio of Southern Gothic short stories – Mischief Madness Mourning.

From Amazon:

Mischief: “An Appalachian Tail” is the story of three boys who sneak out late at night from a sleepover in search of an adventure. They get more than they expect when they encounter a bloodthirsty creature out of Appalachian folklore in the woods near where they live, but other things lurk in the darkness that might be even more deadly.

Madness: In “Mr. Samuel” Jack Pruitt returns to his childhood home in the Georgia mountains to help take care of his ailing mother. She suffers from dementia and has delusions. At least Jack believes that’s what they are until one of her delusions talks to him one evening.

Mourning: “Prudence Black” tells the story of Abraham Black, who wants nothing more than to mourn the passing of his daughter Prudence in peace. However, when others in the small Depression-era Mississippi community are struck by the same mysterious illness that took her, their family members ask Abraham to agree to the unthinkable—let them dig Prudence up in search of a monster.

Enjoy the stories and support a local Charlotte area author. You can also visit his website at jmsaunders.com for details on his other work and free flash fiction.