Harvest Moon Wish and Other Short Stories - Stockton Elle

Hitchcockian suspense with an unexpected twist!    

“Harvest Moon Wish and Other Short Stories” delivers plot twist endings, tales of mystery, suspense, love, and magic that will transport readers to worlds of intrigue they will never want to leave. 'Fall' stirs readers’ emotions like no other short story, and leaves them wanting to read more. “Returning a Favor” sends chills up and down the spines of readers in the mood for a mystery. Romance and mystery abound in this book of fictional short stories that positively haunts readers for years to come. This collection takes the reader into characters' life experiences, spanning time and continents from birth to death and beyond those boundaries.   

“Mallory” manifests a small town’s resident paranormal expert who goes missing. Perhaps the expert’s delving into other worldly realms unveils a macabre truth. The result is a terrifying conclusion for the reader to decide.

“Lilah’s Handheld Pies” portrays a God-fearing, churchgoing woman of means whose business ambitions leave her fiancé choking.  

“The Swimmer” splashes through life’s hurdles in a way that most readers can relate. She takes on the negativity implanted in her consciousness by others, and slashes through one belief after another. The resolution to her quest for positive life affirmation transpires in a suspenseful twist.  

“Harvest Moon Wish” offers romantic suspense for two lonely people who make the same wish upon a brilliant harvest moon. They live far apart, unknown to each other. Readers who yearn for love will enjoy the journey of two people who also seek it.     

“Maurice Hooker,” a forty-eight-year-old mechanic has a nervous habit of throwing lit matches on the ground. When his truck stop begins to boom, Maurice becomes edgier than ever, and cannot stop his old habit.

 “Out of Hock” features the owner of a roadside diner. She lives in dreaded hock to a surly pawn broker. The whiskey on his breath with a side of what she owes him has become too much for her to endure.        

“Fall” depicts a mysterious mandolin player whose melancholy music circles the watchtower in a fishing village. The music serves as a counterpoint to a dark curtain of cloud over the entire enclave, and the malaise of the day. Emotions run high when the music stops.  

“Returning a Favor” by a svelte redhead wearing a black dress and spiked high heels begs further investigation. As her heels click down the hallway, she cracks the door open. Take a look inside with her.   

“Room 42” where secrets await discovery. Sipping wine while cruising the Rhine, savoring Belgium chocolates, and dancing to an Austrian waltz are some of the delicacies for enjoyment. The door is unlocked. Enter.          

“The Dance” showcases a lithe female draped in a flowing, translucent gown. She glides across the slick marble entry in one motion. Suddenly, she takes a surprising turn in a tango.  

Sixty stories of suspense, laughter, love, heartbreak, curiosity, mystery, and magic unfold in 'Harvest Moon Wish and Other Short Stories.' In the flavor of O. Henry with Alfred Hitchcock’s flair for suspense, readers who relish twists, turns, and the unexpected should find these tales engaging, challenging, and enjoyable. Readers will relate to these stories, love the plot twists, and reread 'Harvest Moon Wish and Other Short Stories' again and again.