Works

“The horror is fantastic, with Craven skilled enough to peel away the layers with particularly well-done pacing and… a narrative laden with dark humor. An excellent new novel for lovers of horror and historical-style fiction.”  –Readers’ Favorite (5-star review)

It’s the summer of 1946, and hell is literally breaking loose in Jade City.

On the surface, Bobby Graywood is a noticeably awkward teen who loves baseball, mows lawns for his neighbors, and is working up the courage to ask out his best girl. However, beneath all that, he suffers a terrible Affliction that forces him to see and experience the worst horrors of humanity.

Meanwhile, there is much afoot in Jade City, where small-town politics, minor league baseball, and a series of cataclysmic events bring together a jigsaw cast of characters. When Newton Hellbender, a darkly recondite preacher, takes the helm at his church, Bobby immediately senses something sinister is smoldering. With his new friend, Jubal Moss, a scarred ballplayer just returned from the war, Bobby is soon caught up in a battle of good versus evil, where failure means death and the wages of victory is the loss of innocence.

Can Bobby embrace his Affliction in order to save those he loves?

“Once I started reading, I could not stop. My favorite was “The Past Never Dies”. If you are a fan of short stories, you will be doing yourself an injustice by not reading this gem of a book.” — Amazon reader “vnunez- msluv2read”

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 elderly 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.

“Part Sam Spade narrative with a military flair, and a heart. Not for the queasy though.” — Amazon reader “RMV”

Ben Witter, age 34, is one of the world’s youngest billionaire entrepreneurs. He has spent his adult life searching for his sister, Hannah, after the two were torn apart when they became wards of the state at a young age.

His relentless search has turned up a clue leading him to the United States’ most covert military installation, where the U.S. government, and the enigmatic and darkly beautiful Colonel Jennifer Maldek, guards the nation’s deepest secrets.

In this opening installment of the new Rogue Three sci-fi thriller series, Ben risks everything to discover the truth about his sister. Can an unlikely partner and a mysterious ally help Ben on his quest to find Hannah and uncover the ultimate purpose of Area 51?

“Better than the last!!! Couldn’t put it down great read!” — Amazon reader “Sc”

Abusive Power is part two of the Rogue Three sci-fi thriller series. A year has passed since the events of Dreamland, and the Global Livestock Famine continues to decimate the world’s consumable meat. 35-year-old billionaire entrepreneur Ben Witter is living in exile with his sister, Hannah, and his best friend, elite tech hacker DeShaun Downsen. Together, they are the Rogue Three. This time it’s Ben whose life is in danger. Originally presumed dead, rumors now swirl that he escaped from Area 51. He has become a central issue in the U.S. Presidential election. Both candidates have pledged to hunt Ben down and bring him to justice. Meanwhile, 3N, a U.S.-based, global news empire, is trying to locate Ben before the government, and they may have done it. DeShaun and Hannah will risk their lives to find out how much 3N really knows about Ben. In doing so, they uncover a sinister agenda that threatens the stability of the free world. Can Hannah and DeShaun uncover the truth in time to save Ben and foil a despicable villain, or will evil rise up and claim a terrible victory?