Short Stories

We made it!

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

Hey! 2020 is behind us! We made it!

Last year was not exactly ideal (says captain obvious). All the plans were scuttled…seriously, all of them. The various book signings and conventions I had lined up to promote the re-release of The Space Between Houses vanished. I’m not complaining about this, mind you. It sucks, don’t get me wrong, but we were all in the same boat, so I’m not going to make it into a one-man pity party.

On a positive note, I did get some writing in, and even managed to sell four short stories (three have been released, the last coming this fall), with a fifth out in the ether as we speak.

I also managed a couple new drafts on my second horror novel, as well as a first draft on a literary fiction book I’m working on. That latter project will come to completion first, but then it’s back to the scary for me.

Another thing 2020 allowed me time for was a re-write of my first horror novel. Basically, after talking to some friends in the industry, I decided that there needed to be some changes to the story (mostly pacing). Ultimately, I am much happier with the novel now, and have recently started sending it out to agents and publishers (fingers crossed).

Looking ahead to this year, besides finishing those two books, I’m also going to try and squeeze in another four or five short stories as well as a mystery project (more on that soon).

With any luck, we’ll all be able to return to some semblance of normal in 2021 and we can start going outside again (I’m almost a mole-person at this point so it can’t happen soon enough). I miss the conventions and signings so much! Meeting new folks is the highlight of this wacky career I’ve chosen.

Anyway, that’s enough out of me for now.

Cheers!

-Christian

New Short Story!

/ Christian Laforet / 1 Comment

I’m a little late with this one, and for that, all I can do is throw my hands in the air and say life got in the way. But as they say, better late than never!

You’ll notice by the above image, that this book is not like the others I have been featured in. And the reason for that is because it isn’t. Words Gathered is a unique blend of poetry, prose, fiction and non-fiction. A veritable smorgasbord of literary delight.

This might have you asking how one of my spooky tales came to reside in such a volume? Good question.

Gertrude’s Writing Room is a fantastic local resource for both aspiring and established writers. Besides being a warm, and cozy place for creatives to gather, they also offer a plethora of writing workshops (I’ve attended one and taught two more). So when Gertrude’s owner, Vanessa Shields (an accomplished poet), asked if I’d be interesting in contributing to the first ever collection Gertrude’s would release, I of course said I would be delighted to.

Okay, now I’m just rambling. Long story short, it’s a great book and you should check it out. It can be purchased from Gertrude’s website, found here.

Until next time!

-Christian

The Space Between Houses cover reveal!

/ Christian Laforet / 1 Comment

Cover reveal

A little over five years ago, my first book, The Space Between Houses, was unleashed upon the world. The initial run was limited, and as such, the book has been out of print for a couple of years now. And it would have probably stayed there as well, if not for all of you. I am constantly being asked if, or when, Space will be available again. And since the book will always have a special place in my heart, coupled with the demand, I decided it was indeed the time to bring it back.

For this second edition of the book, I have gone through and cleaned it up a tad. Fixed some minor mistakes, and gave the whole thing a new coat of paint. Beyond that, I have also added three short stories that were not included in the original edition, but were written around the same time.

So, without further ado, I present the cover for the second edition of The Space Between Houses, published by Adventure Worlds Press, which will be available for purchase this April.

-Christian

Cover final

 

 

The Space Between Houses 2nd edition Update!

/ Christian Laforet / 1 Comment

So, as is wont to happen in the publishing world, things change.

I announced that my first book, The Space Between Houses, would be getting a second edition through a small press local to where I live. This agreement, done the old-fashioned way—a conversation and a handshake—has, unfortunately, fell through.

The good news is, The Space Between Houses 2nd edition is still going to come out…just not until next year. A lot of you have been asking for this book to go back into print, and as it is my first literary baby, I’m all too keen to make it happen.

More news on this in the coming months, including the brand new (and quite rad, if I do say so myself) cover art.

-Christian

The Space Between Houses Returns!

/ Christian Laforet / 1 Comment

2019 marks the five year anniversary of The Space Between Houses. It’s crazy to me that this book is only five years old. It seems like a whole lifetime ago that it was released.

So, with the anniversary looming, I knew I wanted to do something special. The problem, however, was that The Space Between Houses has been out of print for over a year now. I toyed with the idea of self-publishing, but at the end of the day, rejected the idea. This, of course, led to the obvious question; who would publish it?

As luck would have it, I soon found myself having a coffee with Daniel Lockhart, owner and publisher of Urban Farmhouse Press (UFP). I’ve known Daniel for a few years, and he is a great guy. So, while sipping coffee, I asked if he—and by extension, UFP—be interested in re-releasing the book.

He said no.

…just kidding, he said sure, why not.

Which brings me back to the five year anniversary. This coming fall will mark the exact date the book first launched, so it is only fitting that it also act as the date of the re-launch. UFP will be releasing a brand spanking new second edition of The Space Between Houses later this year!

There will be more info as the day grows near, but in the meantime, check out UFP’s webpage and FB page.

-Christian

Distressed cover final

Driving Through Time

/ Christian Laforet / 2 Comments

By Christian Laforet

Grant hammered the gas pedal. Thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway heading towards Manitoba. The broken yellow line stretched out in front of him like an endless snake—a beast with no head. Aware of the cell phone sitting on the passenger seat, every few seconds he would tap the screen with his finger. The time appeared in bold—7:46 p.m., EST. That was not set in stone though. Soon he would pass into the Central Standard Time Zone and the numbers on his phone would flip back exactly one hour.

The sweat, breaking out along his forehead for the last thirty minutes, felt cold and abrasive on his skin. He wiped it away with his sleeve, but knew it would come back.

Flying past a sign announcing the upcoming border, Grant reminisced again about what his Grandpa told him when he was a kid. Continue reading →

No Light Tomorrow Cover Reveal!

/ Christian Laforet / Leave a comment

I can’t believe it’s finally here. I’ve been working on this book for the better part of the year, and despite most of the process being trying (to say the least), I’m excited and proud of the final product.

Without further ado, I present No Light Tomorrow!

 

No Light Cover

Some things are so accepted as to be taken for granted. While the far future is shrouded in uncertainty, there are expectations often considered assured that are overlooked. There is only one you, threats are usually empty, ghosts are not real, life is finite, science can solve the most daunting challenges, and beliefs are assured when society takes matters in their own hands. When unexpected events transpire, we are left in the dark.

Authors Christian Laforet and Ben Van Dongen present six science fiction stories that explore improbability and show you what happens when expectations are subverted.