Short Story Collection Available Soon

My short story collection, For Better, or For Worse, will soon be available. It is currently in the last stages of review. Of course, I’m kinda partial to these little tales, but I really think there’s something in there for just about anyone who likes dark fiction. There’s sci-fi. supernatural, and some that just involve some very morally compromised people.

The title is a play on the title of the first story in the book, “For Better or for Worse.” I changed it a little because I think the alternative title style fits the book. The stories span a good chunk of my time as a writer, from early efforts to recent stories. Here’s the back cover copy:

Eight Stories…

• “For Better or for Worse” – When Jacob’s world is derailed by a tragic accident, the hot-shot young attorney finds practicing law is easy compared to practicing his new life.
• “Tongue Lashing” – Two junior-high boys alone in an East Texas pasture on a broiling hot afternoon. What could go wrong?
• “The Hungry House” – In an effort to get his life straight, Davy takes a road trip to put the past behind him for good. But he finds his childhood home has been waiting for his return.
• “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” – Having to go in to the office on a Saturday is bad enough, but commuting on the public rail system can be… well, murder.
• “Attrition” – When looking for a job in the brutally competitive world of big law firms, John Nichols finds that getting through the hiring process can be survival of the most desperate.
• “Cake and Smokes” – A young couple buys the perfect starter home, but they find the prior owner wasn’t quite ready to leave the house behind.
• “The Past Never Dies” – Through the daily entries in Barney’s grief journal, a terrible secret from his past is revealed.
• “The Last Photographer” – First her parents, then her husband—Kat has trouble letting go of those she loves, but she soon finds there are fates much worse than death.

In For Better, or For Worse, Josh Craven offers up eight unsettling stories of the macabre, the supernatural, and the worst of human nature.