MaxShephard

(The Deal was optioned by TNT!)The mysterious Lee Cutter and his Carnival of Wonders hold a secret darker than any of the citizens of 1930's Junction City, Kansas can imagine.When Mr. Cutter shows up to town early one morning promising an end to the dust storms that have decimated the town's crops and stricken many of the children with the brown plague, young Matthew Porter is spellbound. His little brother Luke is deathly ill from breathing the dust-laden air. Plus, it would be amazing to hear the sound of the rain on his tin roof again. But at what cost? In this chilling short story about sacrifice and the cost of happiness, Matthew will come face to face with the terrifying secret Mr. Cutter's Carnival holds and learn the heart-wrenching truth about what it means to make a deal with the Devil. Excerpt: The man leaned down and fetched a matchbook out of the black boot that rested on the bench. There was no dust there, either - not even on the bottom. He stood up and brought one of the matches to the tip of the cigar. I never saw him strike it, but it fired just the same. He held it to the cigar and puffed on it several times until the end looked like the inside of a coal stove."Lot of 'em 'round here?" he asked again, shaking the match and exhaling the thick smoke into the air above my head."Yes, sir. All over. They eat what's left of the crops, even the roots. My pa says that's the real plague.""Does he now?" The man looked amused."He says we won't ne'er grow a crop again until God sees fit. No rain either."He turned his head and scanned the street like he was looking for someone. "You ever see God here in Junction City?"I looked up at him, squinting, but didn't know how to answer. I'd never seen God anywhere."My name's Lee," he said, holding out his hand. "Lee Cutter. What's yours?"…

MaxShephard

Jack Price, a small-town public defender living in Coles Creek, Mississippi, gets more than he bargains for when he's appointed to represent Lester Crowe, a mysterious drifter charged with the murder of local high school girl Amanda Dunbar. Jack soon finds out Lester Crowe is no ordinary client; he just might be the Devil himself. He's got a deal for Jack: help him beat the murder charge - by any means necessary - and Lester will help Jack with his failing marriage and alcohol problem. More importantly, he'll help Jack find his daughter, Sarah, who was kidnapped two years prior. Jack is torn. He'd do anything for his daughter, but he knows helping Lester Crowe could cost him his soul. With the help of a former client named Eddie who owes Jack a favor, Jack embarks on a mission to find Sarah on his own. In a race against time, Jack must find and rescue Sarah before Lester is acquitted for murder. Along the way he'll have to deal with Lester's minions - a group of people Jack's wife dubs the "broken men" - as well as the supernatural games Lester plays, even as he's locked in his cell at the Hernando County Sheriff's Department. This supernatural thriller, told from Jack's perspective and set on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, runs about 67,000 words. At least the first two chapters will be posted here on Wattpad.…

MaxShephard

Charlie doesn't remember how he got to Dr. Meg Goldman's office or why she's asking about the voices he hears in his head. But he's about to find out.…

MaxShephard

In a small town at the base of the Smokey Mountains, strange disappearances are as common as rainfall. Some say it's Indians who venture out from a reservation in the foothills of the mountain and scalp their victims in their sleep. Others say it's a family of trappers and moonshiners who steal children to pay off their debts. For Carson, who grew up in the shadow of the mountain, these disappearances are personal. His 7th grade teacher, Ms. Kelley, went missing before the first day of junior high even started. And his best friend Seth's family mysteriously left town before the FOR SALE sign was even in the yard. Not to mention Mr. Cline, the grocery store owner who simply didn't show up to work one day, allegedly leaving the booming business to his estranged wife.When someone even closer to Carson is taken on the last day of eighth grade, he and some friends are forced to delve into mystery of the disappearances or risk losing their friend forever.In this riveting tale about power, death, and the lies we tell ourselves about why bad things happen, Carson will be forced to come to terms with the truth about where those closest to him have been taken. The answer will change him and his family forever.Approx. 18,000 words.…

MaxShephard

With the help of a mysterious man, a young boy finds he can blur the line between life and death.…