What do you think?
Rate this book
The Story Collection #1
The Story Collection: Volume One
Discovered some of Matt Shaw's many books? Published together, as a single collection, are the first of his stories ("The Last Stop", "The Chosen Routes", "Writer's Block", "Smile", "Love Life") - at a cheaper rate than if you were to buy the books individually now you really do have no excuse not to give his work a go!
THE LAST STOP:
Having lost his Wife, James feels as though he has lost everything that matters to him. Finally beaten by his ongoing battles with depression, James decides his best plan of action is to sell his worldly possessions. Sell-up and move out to Australia for a final blow-out... a final adventure bringing nothing but highs, before his planned, grand exit from his own Life.
And it could have been the ideal plan had he not fallen asleep on the train...
From Matt Shaw (Best-selling author of 'Happy Ever After') comes a whole new dark and twisted tale....
THE CHOSEN ROUTES:
'The Chosen Routes' - was the Spirit trying to warn them of something, when the small drama group tried the ouija board? Was there a hidden message behind the sentence, spelt out by the moving glass - or was it simply the owner of the haunted mansion, where they were staying for the weekend on a money-raising scheme for charity, playing with their minds?
Either way, there was no way of turning back now and, for one, it was a weekend they'd never forget. Their Path Was Set.
WRITER'S BLOCK:
Nothing to write. Been too long now. At this rate, they would have forgotten about him. Forgotten his words. Forgotten his story.... no, they couldn't. They couldn't forget what he did. No one will forget his first story. The story that introduced him to the world.
No matter how much they wanted to forget what they read.... no one could. Even so, he needs to ignore his wife's possible affair and get past his writer's block.... get his new work out there.... keep him fresh in their memories.
SMILE:
He was stood there. Right there. He kept shouting that he was going to go but.... he wasn't moving... he wasn't. I thought he was bluffing... I only turned my back on him for a moment. A moment! Had I seen him go... of course I would have followed. Of course I would have gone after my younger brother! The thought of him lost in this shopping centre... alone... it sends shivers down my back.
I have to find him. I WILL find him. Anything to get out of having to make the call home to mum. She's going to be so mad...
* * * * * * *
Alex's mum was tired and over-worked. Holding down a full-time job, keeping the house clean and looking after the children - the youngest of which was still a handful with his ADHD as they tried to get the medication right - she just wanted a break. Even if it were only for an afternoon - so she sent Alex to the shopping mall, with his younger brother who was throwing a tantrum because he wanted to go to the toy store to spend his pocket money. She never once thought Alex would lose his younger brother in the crowds.
And no one would have guessed how the day would have ended or just how many more children were missing.
'Smile' is a new horror from the best-selling author behind the 'Happy Ever After Trilogy' - told through the eyes of the main character as he frantically searches for his missing brother.
LOVE LIFE:
Share a night with Kim, a working girl, and her client. Both have skeletons in their closets.
THE LAST STOP:
Having lost his Wife, James feels as though he has lost everything that matters to him. Finally beaten by his ongoing battles with depression, James decides his best plan of action is to sell his worldly possessions. Sell-up and move out to Australia for a final blow-out... a final adventure bringing nothing but highs, before his planned, grand exit from his own Life.
And it could have been the ideal plan had he not fallen asleep on the train...
From Matt Shaw (Best-selling author of 'Happy Ever After') comes a whole new dark and twisted tale....
THE CHOSEN ROUTES:
'The Chosen Routes' - was the Spirit trying to warn them of something, when the small drama group tried the ouija board? Was there a hidden message behind the sentence, spelt out by the moving glass - or was it simply the owner of the haunted mansion, where they were staying for the weekend on a money-raising scheme for charity, playing with their minds?
Either way, there was no way of turning back now and, for one, it was a weekend they'd never forget. Their Path Was Set.
WRITER'S BLOCK:
Nothing to write. Been too long now. At this rate, they would have forgotten about him. Forgotten his words. Forgotten his story.... no, they couldn't. They couldn't forget what he did. No one will forget his first story. The story that introduced him to the world.
No matter how much they wanted to forget what they read.... no one could. Even so, he needs to ignore his wife's possible affair and get past his writer's block.... get his new work out there.... keep him fresh in their memories.
SMILE:
He was stood there. Right there. He kept shouting that he was going to go but.... he wasn't moving... he wasn't. I thought he was bluffing... I only turned my back on him for a moment. A moment! Had I seen him go... of course I would have followed. Of course I would have gone after my younger brother! The thought of him lost in this shopping centre... alone... it sends shivers down my back.
I have to find him. I WILL find him. Anything to get out of having to make the call home to mum. She's going to be so mad...
* * * * * * *
Alex's mum was tired and over-worked. Holding down a full-time job, keeping the house clean and looking after the children - the youngest of which was still a handful with his ADHD as they tried to get the medication right - she just wanted a break. Even if it were only for an afternoon - so she sent Alex to the shopping mall, with his younger brother who was throwing a tantrum because he wanted to go to the toy store to spend his pocket money. She never once thought Alex would lose his younger brother in the crowds.
And no one would have guessed how the day would have ended or just how many more children were missing.
'Smile' is a new horror from the best-selling author behind the 'Happy Ever After Trilogy' - told through the eyes of the main character as he frantically searches for his missing brother.
LOVE LIFE:
Share a night with Kim, a working girl, and her client. Both have skeletons in their closets.
- GenresHorror
557 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2012
3 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Matt Shaw
540 books2,235 followersBiography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2015
If you are looking for happy endings then move along. If you want to read five great individual stories collected in a single volume then come on in, take a seat and enjoy. Favorite books in the collection would probably be "The Last Stop" (James is great in it) and "Writers Block" (some of the comments from the "author" are brilliant) although to be honest there are no bad stories. Each is great read. Considering how many books Matt writes this is a great way of catching up on part of his back catalog. I'm off to read Volume Two now.
July 11, 2012
one of the best collections of stories I've ever bought!! Matt shaw is an outstanding story teller!! if you have never read his work this collection is a perfect introduction!!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews