Mark Petersen

Biography

Mark Petersen is a graduate from Virginia Tech currently living in Blacksburg, Virginia working as an office supply salesman. He aspires to publish a novel someday, and has already begun work on it. That is, however, a long process. Currently he writes short stories to practice his writing and to gain feedback while also generating an audience. He enjoys thriller/suspense and desires to create a sense of fear in his reader while also imparting something lasting and of value. Mark has won an Honorable Mention Virginia Tech Literary Award for Fiction with his story "Cold Stairs".

Mark enjoys shooting, hiking, driving, coin collecting, reading, movies, and of course writing. He prefers to live somewhere with mountains and forests. He is also an avid typewriter collector and uses antique machines for a lot of his draft-writing.

Where to find Mark Petersen online

Facebook: Facebook profile

Books

I Got Drunk and then Poetry
Price: Free! Words: 1,140. Language: English. Published: February 10, 2013 . Categories: Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
(4.33 from 3 reviews)
A collection of poems composed downtown while enjoying the nightlife and thinking about art.
Cold Stairs
Price: Free! Words: 4,290. Language: English. Published: April 29, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Horror » Ghost, Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
(4.56 from 9 reviews)
Winner of an Honorable Mention Virginia Tech Literary Award, this story takes place in Eastern Kentucky and is based on what might have been a true ghost story. I consider this to be my best finished piece, and I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!
8 Poems
Price: Free! Words: 1,120. Language: English. Published: July 19, 2010 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry
(4.50 from 2 reviews)
Poetry is something I enjoy reading and writing, and I have gathered a few poems I have written over the past few years to share with any readers who are interested. They are random in their collection and do not represent any particular theme. I hope you enjoy reading them!
Tom Meets the Devil
Price: Free! Words: 2,470. Language: English. Published: May 11, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Horror » General, Fiction » Adventure » General
(4.33 from 6 reviews)
A short story influenced by classic American folk-horror tales, in which a small boy Tom meets the devil in the woods. This was an experimental and fun piece for me to write, and I hope you enjoy it.
Cellar Door
Price: Free! Words: 3,240. Language: English. Published: April 24, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
(4.75 from 4 reviews)
Carl finds a dead body while exploring an abandoned house a few days after Halloween. Convinced he is being haunted by an evil spirit he brings his skeptical roommate along to check it out.
And There Were No Cars on the Road
Price: Free! Words: 2,320. Language: English. Published: April 13, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
(3.80 from 5 reviews)
He goes out on a late night drive in the wintry woods to relax and free his mind, but after he becomes stranded his mind is anything but free...
Quickly In and Quickly Out
Price: Free! Words: 1,990. Language: English. Published: April 11, 2010 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » General
(3.75 from 4 reviews)
Quickly in and quickly out. That was the plan. It had been over an hour.

Mark Petersen's tag cloud

abandoned house    alcohol    award    beat generation    devil    drunk    folk    ghost    hipster    horror    kentucky    mark    modern    monster    nightlife    petersen    poem    poetry    scary    short story    suspense    thriller    virginia tech   

Smashwords book reviews by Mark Petersen

  • Over The Bridge on April 13, 2010

    It was an enjoyable read and I feel like your main character was pretty realistic as far as his personality and thoughts go. Some of the gadgetry, particularly the Jeep's dashboard functions seemed a little too James Bond for me, and I would have enjoyed some explanation for the phone call's origin and perhaps some explanation of what came over the bridge. You definitely have strong skills in imagery and in engaging your reader. Well done!
  • Kate and Ben on May 01, 2011

    A solid piece with a surprise ending that was interesting, the whole story being engaging throughout the read. Good writing, interesting characters, clever plot. SPOILERS BELOW: I do wonder why Kate did not know about her condition until the very end. If the boy was playing, and Kate held out just long enough to have the boy as told by her father, there must have been perhaps two years at least between her death and the time of the story. That was my only question, and it hardly distracted from an overall good short story. I think were it drawn out just a little longer, with some more explanation and details, not too much of course, I could easily give it five stars. I want to give it 4.5 stars, which rounds to five so even though a five doesn't quite get it, a four is not enough.