Like some pool toy.
She can tell what he’s thinking.
By the look in his eye.
He might be here to worship her.
He might be here to kill her.
So why the hell not?
He looks like Dodge.
And she’s got a vacuum to fill, after all.
The same vacuum everybody has.
The empty caverns of our bodies we try to stuff, and stuff, and stuff.
To make ourselves feel better.
About ourselves.
Until we are just sick.
Of everyone’s dirty little secrets.
Of our own, dirty little deeds.
The End
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About the Author
I have been writing fiction since I learned to write.
When reading, I like fast-paced narratives that pull me into the middle of the action and never let me go.
My stories start out throwing punches to the gut, but try to land a few on the head and below the belt too.
I write about the bad decisions that good people make, and the big impacts that little actions have.
I like the crimes that make people criminals.
Besides Everyone’s Dirty Little Secrets, I have written and published two other novels: Seeing Crows and Twitch of the Death Camp. I have included descriptions and reviews of them below. If you enjoyed this story and leave a positive review on Amazon or elsewhere, I’d be happy to send you a free digital copy of one of my other books. My contact info is below.
I studied fiction writing at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, with degrees in writing and communication. I am a huge advocate for the possibilities that digital publishing creates for both writers and readers.
My writing is influenced by everyone from Harry Crews to Hunter S. Thompson to John Barth, even.
But really, I just write for fun.
Writing fiction is a great escape – a fun way to kill a few hours. And reading it should be the same.
I can be reached by email at [email protected], and welcome well-meaning comments and inquiries. You can also find me on Facebook, under Matthew Miles in Albany, NY.
And more than anything, I appreciate you reading my book and hope you enjoyed it.
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If you enjoyed Everyone’s Dirty Little Secrets, please also check out my other novels:
Seeing Crows
Suffocating in the rural ditches of upstate New York, a troubled drop-out struggles to deal with the sudden death of his best friend, a crumbling relationship to the woman he lives with and the secrets that tie them all together.
An ex-con takes him under his wing where they work the night shift together at a coffin factory and they embark on a series of increasingly criminal endeavors fueled by booze and drugs.
Propelled by his desire for a girl working in the factory office, he launches down a reckless path that divides good intentions from bad, pursuing gratification, and eventually self-preservation, over friendship or honesty.
As the consequences of his apathy catch up to him, he scrambles to keep out of the tide of trouble, even while friendship becomes harder to recognize, or prove, and the truth harder to speak, or hide.
Darkly humorous, Seeing Crows recounts the criminal conversion of a young man, pathologically indifferent and oppressed by economic and cultural isolation. A story about moral complexity, and complicity, amongst people who do not even begin to think in those terms, Seeing Crows explores the fleeting nature of friendship and honesty in a world not much concerned with the fortune of a delinquent at the bottom of the food chain.
If Harry Crews' Feast of Snakes and John Barth's The End of the Road had a discarded bastard child raised by Russell Banks' Rule of the Bone, it would probably look like Seeing Crows.
Praise for Seeing Crows:
“I loved this story and would like to highly recommend it. These are wonderfully written passages here, exposing a dark plot with deep meloncholy and biting humor- this is a remarkably well crafted mix of mystery, sarcasm, and drama. "Seeing Crows" is an altogether enjoyable story to involve yourself with from start to finish.”
“This book is truly twisted, I loved it. These characters makes such bad decisions that I laughed out loud several times, while yelling "NO....". They are the epitome of flawed people with good intensions doing what they think is right. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone that has ever enjoyed the perverse characters in any Harry Crews novel must read this.”
“this book was amazing, paranoid and scary in a very personal way. i enjoyed it very much and found it to be very honest, you should put more books out would love to read more”
“I really enjoyed this. It reminds me a little of Willy Vlautin's 'Motel Life.' Events spiral out of control for Buzz and everyone he comes into contact with. These are harsh lives lived in a bleak landscape and the poverty and desperation is conveyed with skill and imagination. Great characterisation, especially in the case of Van. I would definitely recommend this.”
“This is a quick read that sticks with you. The writing is excellent … and the story itself sucks you into a vortex of destruction. Yet with a blast of humor. The mirrors of destruction across generations are brilliant. I'm not normally attracted to dark novels, but this one is phenomenal and I've already recommended to several friends. Looking forward to reading more by this author.”
Twitch of the Death Camp
Twitch of the Death Camp is the lurid tale of an aspiring horror writer who leaves New York City in the wake of 9/11 to attend a writing camp in upstate New York, only to find himself once again surrounded by unspeakable violence.
As the attraction of an old classmate betrays an unhealthy obsession, mysterious deaths disturb the peace at the camp. As the bodies pile up and terror erupts, he suspects he is being targeted, or framed - learning he is part of a darker, more complicated history than he realizes the extent of.
Barely surviving with his own life, he flees the camp, making a horrible while escaping that will haunt him forever.
On the run from the police, the killer, and his own guilt, he follows clues south to New Orleans with the help of a hippie and a couple of Satanists, determined to solve the mystery and absolve his own guilt – an odyssey that forces him to confront what it’s like to live in a world ruled by fear, unknown enemies and misdirected revenge.
Praise for Twitch of the Death Camp:
“I stumbled on this book purely by accident but was grabbed by the title of all things, finding it reminiscent of the Mario Bava film I'm sure it took its inspiration from. I'm a big horror movie buff and nothing gets me like a summer camp horror story ala "Friday the 13th" and "The Burning", so after reading the plot description I didn't hesitate to purchase it. I'm very glad I did. The book is constructed into two parts, the first being your typical slasher movie fare and the second a thrilling road adventure. I enjoyed both equally. The author manages to hone in on some pretty interesting ideas regarding the whole creative process, human psychology, and even politics, all through the mouths of some pretty interesting characters that I actually found myself growing attached to. The twists and turns in the story kept me reading for hours on end, which is the sign of any good novel. I particularly enjoyed the way the author could set up scenes with an almost theatrical element to them--like they were just made for a good suspense/horror movie. The whole book had me turning page after page trying to piece it all together much like the main character. I highly recommend this to any fan of suspense/mystery stories and to good old-fashioned horror readers. There's a little bit of something here for all of you. I eagerly await the writer's next installment.”
“This novel starts as a campy 70's horror novel, a real blood fest with all the teenage clichés. People dying left and right while kids get stoned and hook up. Then the novel takes a turn into the classic 3 day journey style novel where the main character, Jones, is on the run, while trying to figure out "who done i
t". On the way he is forced to look at himself and ask what kind of person he really is and what it is he is really after. A modern day Holden Caulfield. I highly recommend this.”
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