by Matthew Iden
Finding Emma
No one likes Jack. His wife is gone and his neighbors avoid him. He's a recluse and a creep and that's just the way he wants it.
But when ten-year old Emma goes missing in the nearby woods, the eyes of his neighbors turn on him in fear and accusation, escalating as the days pass. The answers they--and the reader--get, however, are the last that anyone would suspect...
Finding Emma is a novella of literary horror totaling 17,500 words or about 70 paperback pages.
Available on Amazon.
Sword of Kings
"...[Sword of Kings] has brought back to me the pleasure of the short story done well."
— Amanda Reznick, 5 star review
King Andreas was confident, bold, courageous...until his sword--the living symbol of his power--began to crumble in his hands.
With his brother Jon by his side, Andreas has little time to find out why the sword, passed down through a hundred generations, is failing now. The answer he finds may save his kingdom, but at a terrible price.
Sword of Kings is a 4,100 word short story of high fantasy. Included in this volume is a Story Notes essay detailing the thought process and background behind the writing of the work. Available on Amazon.
Assassin
"... the stories and the mind behind them are first rate"
— Janis Ian, 4 star review
For almost twenty years, war has raged between the mountain kingdom of Thrace and the sea-faring land of Andal, exhausting both nations. Prince Lowan, the educated and debonair second son of the King of Thrace, has arrived to make peace with his father's enemies. But the price Andal requires for peace is high--too high--and Lowan knows there are many ways to influence a nation at war.
Assassin is an original fantasy short story of 4,200 word, or about 17 paperback pages. It includes a Story Notes section, outlining the background and thought process behind the writing as well as an excerpt from Matthew Iden's fantasy short story Sword of Kings.
Assassin is available on Amazon.
Seven Into the Bleak
"...A truly terrifying short fantasy/horror adventure... of the highest quality."
— Ray, Top 1000 Amazon reviewr, 5 star review
A band of companions—each with his or her own reasons—delves deep into the heart of the Bleak, the infamous and horrifying cavern world miles beneath their own. But their dreams of a quick journey fade into black when their way home is cut off.
Seven Into the Bleak is an original fantasy short story of 8,100 words or about 30 paperback pages. Find it on Amazon.
About the Author
Matthew Iden writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist.
Matthew has held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Studying literature at Penn State University and the University of Virginia helped fuel the desire to put pen to paper while trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot as well. All those experiences were put to good use about eight years ago—thinking, scheming, and writing.
Please visit him on the web at matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find him on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.
Matthew lives in Alexandria, Virginia.