Published: Oct. 20, 2011
Words: 29,485 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465893819

Short description

Every story is exactly 416 words long. They are all horror. They are all fantastic. Trust but verify. There has never been an anthology like this. A special Halloween treat. Inspired by Authonomy's contest and my genius, "416" is a unique collection of horror short shorts. You could do a lot worse than spend a few hours reading these beauties.

Extended description

Four Hundred Sixteen. That’s all it takes to tell a story. A scary story. At least here. Every tale of horror and suspense in this book is exactly 416 words long (you can spend your time counting or reading, that’s up to you). Every story was written by a member of Authonomy.com.

Stephen King takes 1,200 pages to tell a story. We do it in half a page. Sometimes we do it better.

From Arachnoids to Zombies, “416” has it all. The first fifty four stories were submitted as part of my weekly Flash Fiction Friday contest. Always a treat for the readers, this particular contest was an outstanding success. We got a lot of “new” writers as well as the old standbys. Many wrote outside their comfort zone and they did it well. (Read more) Four Hundred Sixteen. That’s all it takes to tell a story. A scary story. At least here. Every tale of horror and suspense in this book is exactly 416 words long (you can spend your time counting or reading, that’s up to you). Every story was written by a member of Authonomy.com.

Stephen King takes 1,200 pages to tell a story. We do it in half a page. Sometimes we do it better.

From Arachnoids to Zombies, “416” has it all. The first fifty four stories were submitted as part of my weekly Flash Fiction Friday contest. Always a treat for the readers, this particular contest was an outstanding success. We got a lot of “new” writers as well as the old standbys. Many wrote outside their comfort zone and they did it well.

So, now we have a collection of horror worthy to be on the shelves of whatever bookstores are still in business (another horror story in itself). Unfortunately, timing is everything and my Ouja board tells me that there is not enough time to get “416” on the shelves. That shouldn’t stop you from putting it on yours, however.

416 words is less than two pages. But you won’t believe what we can fit into those two pages. I know I didn’t, and I still believe in Obama.

When I first asked myself to edit this book, I thought “who wants to read a bunch of stories that aren’t even written by me. But after reading the submissions, I can almost see the logic of it. Besides, there are two stories that are by me, so everyone wins.

Now, here we sit. You, me, and fifty-something tales, tailor made to be read on a cold October night. Short, intense and eerie. You can take them in small doses or plow through with one eye shut and one open. It’s up to you.

Don’t be shy with feedback and comments. After all, a zombie can live on brains but a writer needs attention if he or she wants to thrive and survive.

Finally, if you think it’s easy, feel free to give it a try. Send me a 416 word horror story before October 30, 2011, and I may add it to this lovely tome. Thank you to Authonomy and Rachel Authonomy for inspiring all of us to rise to this challenge. Mr. King and Koontz have set the bar. You tell us if we cleared it.

And yes, this introduction is exactly 416 words.
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Tags

horror, anthology, zombies, flash fiction, 416, splinker

Available ebook reading formats

This book is free. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	View
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Download
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Download
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Download
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Download
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Download
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Download
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Download
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	View

Reviews

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Review by: Trista Baughman on April 11, 2012 :
forgot to star it :)
(review of free book)

Review by: Trista Baughman on April 11, 2012 : (no rating)
Looking for a spine-tingling read? This book has lots of them. It's a perfect book to snuggle down with for a bit of lite reading before bed, but you'll want to keep a light on...
(review of free book)

Review by: Gretchen Steen on Oct. 26, 2011 :
Only a week's worth of talent, all Horror, in tribute to Halloween. There are still three weeks of Flash Fiction in limbo, perhaps another "freebie", the ultimate companion piece for all horror enthusiasts...
A great read but definitely NOT IN THE DARK!!
(review of free book)

Review by: Ryan Holmes on Oct. 26, 2011 :
Perfect book for a little late night fright! Read one story or two at a time . . . just don't read them alone!
(review of free book)

Review by: Sue Edwards on Oct. 25, 2011 :
Congratulations guys. The book looks great; well formatted, and professional looking in such a short space of time.
(review of free book)

Review by: Patti Gaffney on Oct. 24, 2011 :
Forgot to star it!
(review of free book)

Review by: Kira Morgana on Oct. 22, 2011 :
Creepy stories, scary stories, gory and gushing stories... any horror fan will love this!
(review of free book)

Review by: Kira Morgana on Oct. 22, 2011 :
All the stories on here are worth reading - a massive bargain considering this book started out as a bit of fun!
(review of free book)

Review by: Patti Gaffney on Oct. 20, 2011 : (no rating)
What a fun and creepy book. A perfect time killer for me. Some of the stories were just fun and some were keep the lights on scary. A great freebie.
(review of free book)

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