Location: United States
Member Since: Aug. 15, 2010
3 users have added this author as a favorite.

Michael Crane


Biography

Michael Crane is an indie author and scribbler of inane babble that can sometimes end up as stories. He went to Columbia College Chicago where he earned a BA in Fiction Writing. He is currently the author of two short story collections, and he also might've written two books while he was in high school, but he refuses to own up to them and that's why they aren't included on the page. He lives in Illinois and is always trying to work on something new, unless he's battling stupid writer's block.

Some of his favorite writers are Raymond Carver, Richard Yates, Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis and Hunter S. Thompson.

Where to find Michael Crane online

Website: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Crane/e/B003Z9YW5W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter: m_crane
Facebook: Facebook profile

Where to buy in print

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Crane/e/B003Z9YW5W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Books

A Gnome Problem (a novelette)    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 8470 words. Published on June 18, 2012. Fiction.
What would you do if your best friend was being attacked by gnomes? Welcome to Pat's world. Forget the fact that his girlfriend of three years is about to call it quits; now he has to face his manic buddy who claims he's become a punching bag for a group of hyper and vengeful gnomes. Of course, this all has to be the result of a drug induced hallucination or nightmare, right?
Lessons IV: The Dead Carnival and Other Morbid Drabbles    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 5790 words. Published on March 25, 2012. Fiction.
The morbid 100-word shorts of chaos and pure, sinister evil are back in LESSONS IV: The Dead Carnival and Other Morbid Drabbles. In his latest installment of twenty-nine horrifying and darkly humorous stories, author Michael Crane takes you on a trip to the carnival you’ll never forget (and a trip you may not survive).
Lessons III: Demonic Dolls and Other Morbid Drabbles    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 4820 words. Published on July 31, 2011. Fiction.
In this latest collection of terrifying and darkly comic drabbles, you’ll find out why Playtime is only fun for those with vicious intentions. In these 30 100-word stories you’ll run into deranged toys with old scores to settle, homicidal sociopaths and other unapologetic creatures that lurk in the shadows.
Lessons II: Another Morbid Drabble Collection    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 4010 words. Published on January 13, 2011. Fiction.
From the author of LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES comes this terrifying and amusing follow-up. 30 100-word shorts about horrible ghouls, monsters and deranged, bloodthirsty lunatics. In these drabbles, you'll run into kid-hungry goblins, sadistic dolls, zombies and psychopaths who believe that violence can solve just about anything. There's always time for another lesson...
Lessons (and Other Morbid Drabbles)    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 3580 words. Published on October 26, 2010. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES is a collection of 25 100-word shorts that range from darkly comic to downright terrifying and wrong. Some shorts feature ghouls and monsters while others are simply about people behaving very, very badly. Which is scarier? Find out in this sick and twisted collection. They may only be a few words long, but that doesn’t lessen the bloodshed any…
Showdown at SunnyView Playground (a short-short)    by Michael Crane
Price: Free! 670 words. Published on September 4, 2010. Fiction.
(5.00 from 2 reviews)
A fight is about to go down at SunnyView Playground. Jimmy Winx is notorious for tormenting third graders, and he has Ralph Flannigan in his sights. Will Ralph fight or flee? Find out in this short-short!
Canary (a short story)    by Michael Crane
Price: $0.99 USD. 3720 words. Published on August 22, 2010. Fiction.
(4.00 from 6 reviews)
Willie had a nice job at the bookstore, until he's called in to tell on a co-worker who's been stealing. Willie can’t stand the punk-kid who’s been doing so, but he refuses to give a name and as a result, loses his job. CANARY is a story about how something so minor and trivial that happened when you were little can ultimately change the way you carry on in your adult life.
In Decline (stories)    by Michael Crane
Price: $1.99 USD. 28610 words. Published on August 19, 2010. Fiction.
IN DECLINE is a short story collection about people who are trying to get by the best way they can, for better or worse. Gossip, bizarre love, peer pressure, addiction, heartbreak and loss are only a few of the topics covered in these nine stories where characters are faced with tough choices and ugly truths about life, the world and within themselves.
Today, I Told a Lie (a short story)    by Michael Crane
Price: Free! 3310 words. Published on August 17, 2010. Fiction.
(4.00 from 5 reviews)
Kody is a kid who really doesn't mind playing by himself at Recess, no matter how odd it may look. One of his friends invites him to play softball with him and some of the older kids, although Kody isn't too thrilled with the idea. He thinks the whole thing will end up being a disaster, and unfortunately, he's right. RATING: PG-13 for some crude and strong language.

Michael Crane’s tag cloud

bukowski    bullies    canary    dark    dark humor    david mcafee    drabble    drabbles    elementary school    evil toys    fear    fiction    fired    flash fiction    free book    ghouls    gnomes    halloween    heartbreak    high school    horror    humor    in decline    indie author    lessons    lessons and other morbid    lessons and other morbid drabbles    lessons iii    lessons iv    madmen    michael crane    monsters    morbid    morbid drabbles    murderers    novelette    oddball    recess    short fiction    short short    short short fiction    short stories    short story    short story collection    showdown at sunnyview playground    snitching    softball    stealing    today i told a lie   

Michael Crane's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Michael Crane

  • The Weight of Blood, (The Half-Orcs, Book 1) on Aug. 31, 2010
    star star star star star
    David Dalglish's THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD (the first book in the HALF-ORCS series) is a gripping and dark fantasy about two half-orc brothers, Qurrah and Harruq. The two are despised by humans and elves alike, making them buy into the belief that they deserve to be violent in nature, even though Harruq, as much as he loves to battle and kill, questions his true nature. The two meet an evil figure who serves a god of death, and he has horrible plans for the world that involve the two brothers. Will the two end up being pawns, or will one or both of them figure out that there may be another way to go through life? It's all here in this exciting beginning to a promising series. Be warned, this is a very dark tale. The brothers do terrible things, but again this is to reveal to you their beginnings. Not all beginnings are pleasant, and theirs is proof of that. What Dalglish gives us are complex characters where there are no clear-cut good guys. And as evil as Velixar is, he too believes that he is doing right, and for that reason he never comes off as being cartoonish or flat. The brothers, as violent as they can be, come from a world where almost everybody who has crossed paths with them have shown them nothing but hatred. This does not excuse their actions, but it does make you believe they are capable of the things they do a lot more. A great read and a great beginning.