This book is appropriate for teenagers.
Scare You to Sleep read two stories from this collection on their podcast.
These are wonderful samples of what Laura has written!
A cafe owner lives with the psychic gift of communicating with the dead.
An interview with Bubba, Death's youngest sibling, about his own entrepreneurship.
A runner's struggle, both physical and emotional, in a difficult marathon.
Two boys, brothers, who lose their campsite and find shelter in a strange brick structure.
Laura J. Campbell has gathered twenty-eight of her stories that have been lost to the wilds of the internet or fallen into the virtual dust bin of the out-of-print. She presents them here not just to preserve them, but also to share her experiences though her writing. Laura helps us live a lifetime across the globe and beyond in this pages of this book, spanning from childhood to adulthood, from strange but exciting lands on the other side of the world to our own transformed homes and personal spaces. Her timelines span from the age of Vikings as they grapple with Mayan cult sacrifices to far into the future where space travel has captivated us, and an apocalypse has changed us. Here you will find extraordinary humans, inner demons, and travelers and gatekeepers wiser than us... and you will learn to head their warnings.
No matter your reading preference, you'll find a story that will touch your heart,
scare your soul, and ignite your wonder when you visit this book.
About the Author
Laura J. Campbell lives and writes in Houston, Texas. She grew up in the coastal community of El Largo, Texas, Home of the Astronauts. Her career has included taking care of venomous snakes, medical research, and health law. She has published over forty-five short stories and two novels, and she won the 2007 James B. Baker Award for her short story "416175", included in this collection. When she's not writing, Mrs. Campbell can be found running, weight training, or attending good old fashioned rock-and-roll shows. She is encouraged in her writing by her husband, Patrick, and children, Alexander and Samantha. Many of Mrs. Campbell's more recent works are available through Amazon at this link.
NEW! Click here for an interview from Monster Complex with Laura about No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils.
"... a riveting collection of the macabre, designed to keep the reader on edge, haunted by a subtle penetrating unease that torments the conscience with the suspicion that something is just not quite right...
Whether her well-developed characters are haunted, murdered, exploring space, running a marathon,
or being chased by ashes of the recently departed, the pages quickly turn until a new adventure begins,
just as eerily as the previous one ends."
~ Kirstin Holzschuh
Owner of Bleepnwabbit Ventures
"Campbell's collection... has it all: prophetic dreams and... marathon runners; alien conspiracies and femme fatales. But most of all, it has a heart. The stories are diverse in their style - from dark to humorous; and in their genre - from ghostly horror to science fiction. But they all touch the reader in profound and often unexpected ways. Beautifully written and deeply human, this is a collection for all lovers of speculative fiction."
~ Elana Gomel,
Author of The Cryptids
"Campbell's writing is poignant and riveting...
seasoned speculative fiction readers will enjoy
Campbell's atmospheric musings on death,
divine retribution, and the afterlife."
~ Publishers Weekly
"The title of the collection... gives a hint of the overall intent
of the stories: you can't really get away scot free
with anything. Those who like dark stories will be delighted. Those who like the whimsical will also... The occult, and seemingly occult, are represented as well, and there just might be a story or two which could lift your spirits."
~ Sue Sinor,
Co-author of The Hunt for the Red Cardinal
from the 1632 universe and avid reader
"A diverse collection of short speculative tales
worthy of The Twilight Zone. Campbell spins tales that
take readers into outer space, into haunted places,
but especially into a realm that borders very closely with
what might actually be out there!"
~ Beth Daniels,
Author of How to Write a Funny Mystery
and Muse to Manuscript
Monster Complex - Horror Author Q&A: Laura J. Campbell (No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils)
Cemetery Dance Publications - Review: No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils by Laura J. Campbell
Here are some articles about the real places, people, and events
that Laura explored in her storytelling.
Dracula Legend from RomaniaTourism.com
Poenari Castle: Vlad the Impaler's impenetrable fortress from Rolandia
Vampire History from History.com
The Monkey's Paw commentary: The horror of unintended consequences from EditorEric.com
Morgellons disease: Managing an unexplained skin condition
from the Mayo Clinic
Zombies from History.com
The Riddle of Twin Telepathy from LiveScience
Can twins sense each other? from How Stuff Works
Mayans: Overview of the Civilization and History from History on the Net
Vikings History: An Overview of the Culture and History of the Viking Age from History on the Net
The Sphinx from History.com
Sacrifice from Encyclopedia Britannica
Legend of the Banshee from Celtic Wedding Rings
Small Town Myths - Myths, Legends, and Scary Stories website
Vanishing hitchhiker from Wikipedia
Images from top to bottom:
Cover image by Dark Owl Publishing
Vanishing image by Victoria Borodinova from Pixabay
Laura J. Campbell, photo by author
Poenari Castle from Rolandia.eu (Creative Commons)
Twins/Janus image by efes from Pixabay
Forest image by David Clifford from Unsplash