Synopsis
Saint-Ferdinand : The idyllic farm village. Houses on large, wild properties radiate from a single main street. There you’ll find a small police precinct, a single gas station and truck stop, a few restaurants diners and cafes. Bergeron’s traditional general store and Ms. Amanda’s flower shop. The most unusual thing about Saint-Ferdinand however is the cemetery. It is too large and too full and it is mostly because of the efforts of one man, a monster that has eluded police for over two decades.
… but no more.
When Sam Finnegan, the local weirdo, is finally caught for the murder of over sixty victims, it is the first in a series of events that have been waiting two decades to unfold. Those best informed on how to deal with the rapidly escalating situation have left town for the most part. The residents of Saint-Ferdinand are faced with a past they had tried to bury and forget. The clumsy spells they had cast to keep an ancient god contained have failed. Time and captivity have bred infinite bitterness in the creature and now its hatred is equal only to its power.
It’s only through the accidental use of an ancient oath that Venus McKenzy manages to trap the creature in her parents backyard shed. She and her friends struggle to understand what they’ve caught and how to deal with it. Meanwhile, even trapped, the creature’s power and legacy still manages to spread terror through the small town.
About ’A God in the Shed’
A God in the Shed is a book of fantasy and horror. It tells the story of Venus McKenzy and the residents of the tiny village of Saint-Ferdinand. A long time ago, the villagers stumbled onto an ancient power which they first angered and then tried to imprison and use for their own purposes. Today, the secrets of these terrible acts are coming back to reap their toll on the descendants of the original offenders.
What you can expect to find in A God in the Shed is bring to life a world where beauty and horror dance with each other tricking the reader into thinking one is the other and vice versa, blurring the line between both. I want to present a cohesive world where even the most fantastical elements are grounded in plausibility. The story unfolds in a reality where even science is the result of magic.
Most of all however, A God in the Shed is the story of the individual residents of Saint-Ferdinand and the few outsiders who come into their lives. Living or dead, everyone plays a part in the grand ballet of events that bridges the past and the present.
The book is the first part of a trilogy, is fully written and has gone through a round of developmental editing. However, there are several things I want to change and correct. Chapters that need streamlining and characters that could be fleshed out better. The experience I have so far with Inkshares is also making me look forward to another round of editing to really polish the narrative.
Listen to a reading of the prologue to ’A God in the Shed’ by the author of Ageless and Motor City Chronicles, Paul Inman.
Then enjoy these sample chapters. Keep in mind that these are still relatively early drafts and are subject to change (I’m looking at you Chapter 4).
About the author
I don’t want to be a writer. I want to write. Telling stories is both what I seem to do best and what I most enjoy doing. As a graphic designer and brand specialist I’m always looking for the narrative in whatever project I’m working on. I’ve always gravitated towards hobbies with a strong storytelling element to them; improvisation, role playing games, etc. Even my preferences in visual arts lean in the direction of pieces that want to tell a story.
It’s strange that it took me until so late in life to discover how much I adore writing. Especially long form narratives like novels and series. I’ve written several books but only two so far have been deserving of being published.
Becoming a writer is only the means to that end.
My current projects are The Life Engineered, (winner of the Sword & Laser Collection contest) and ’A God in the Shed’. I have a lot of other ideas I want to bring to life and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity.
I dream of one day having the privilege to write for a living, concentrating on bringing new worlds to the page. I hope you’ll be a part of this endeavour by supporting me and pre-ordering ’A God in the Shed’.
Thanks
JF
My appearance on the Sword & Laser panel at Nerdtacular 2015
I’m also an occasional guest host on the SciFi Geeks Club podcast
