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Things That Creep: a collection of short, fantastical horror stories
Crazy, wild, and fantastical, these short stories are sure to give you something to shiver over and think about on those late nights.A widower wakes up to see the Gown She Was Buried In laid out beside him on his bed.There's a sound down A Dark Hallway, and she doesn't want to find out what it is.A man's crazy wife pays him a visit and teaches him there's nothing like A Woman's Touch.A woman is pursued to the edge by a creature that wants her soul and she learns to Fly.An overblown windbag finds out his wife is One Smart Penny.
93 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2014
9 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Jen Ponce
52 books152 followersHello! I'm a writer from Nebraska who enjoys fantasy of all kinds. Stories don't always seem quite as much fun without some element of magic.
I started out writing romances because that's what my best friend and I loved to read. (My other best friend and I wrote about our science teacher being an alien and hard boiled detectives.) I have a varied and exciting inner fantasy life, you might say.
My first full length novel was a fun private detective, contemporary, crazy love story. I'm working on rewrites so that I can get it out into the world. The first book I've published is an urban fantasy about a mother who doesn't know how to be a hero, but luckily she's a quick study.
I studied fiction writing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha but didn't truly appreciate the experience. Now that I've written millions of words, I think it might be fun to go back and take some more classes. (It might be fun...or it might be annoying, who knows?)
I love to read and I adore talking to people about writing and reading. And crochet!
Thank you for dropping by and thank you for reading my book. It honors me that you would spend some time in my imaginary world.
I started out writing romances because that's what my best friend and I loved to read. (My other best friend and I wrote about our science teacher being an alien and hard boiled detectives.) I have a varied and exciting inner fantasy life, you might say.
My first full length novel was a fun private detective, contemporary, crazy love story. I'm working on rewrites so that I can get it out into the world. The first book I've published is an urban fantasy about a mother who doesn't know how to be a hero, but luckily she's a quick study.
I studied fiction writing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha but didn't truly appreciate the experience. Now that I've written millions of words, I think it might be fun to go back and take some more classes. (It might be fun...or it might be annoying, who knows?)
I love to read and I adore talking to people about writing and reading. And crochet!
Thank you for dropping by and thank you for reading my book. It honors me that you would spend some time in my imaginary world.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 28, 2014
These five short stories by Jen Ponce are a perfect read for October, although, I do believe these tales will stay with me for a lifetime. Since I have read other books by this novelist, I knew Things That Creep would be just as creepy. I was creepified! And I still am!
I can't walk down the hallway in my house without thinking of A Dark Hallway. I can't look at a penny without thinking of One Smart Penny. I can't pick out something to wear without getting chills over Gown She as Buried In. I'm accepting every birthday invitation I get because I don't want to be home thinking about A Woman's Touch. (Still rewriting the horror of that one in my head) And, the next time I go to the Grand Canyon, remind me not to step too close to the edge because Fly was my favorite. It was the shortest and simplest of all five, but it spoke volumes in meaning and double meanings.
When I first saw the title "Fly," I thought it was going to be about bugs. Anyone who reads Jen Ponce novels knows by now -- that woman has a thing for bugs. A creepy thing. She does horribly wonderful things with insects (and oogy monsters) that affects the psyche. I enjoy that in a story.
If you enjoy suspense, thrills and chills, and mind teasing, OMG moments in reading, I highly suggest this author. Jen writes the Devany Miller series: Bazaar and Slip Song. Superb urban fantasy. She has a unique vampire book called Blood Curse, and soon to be birthed on Halloween 2014: Bug Queen.
If you adore fiction with fright, check out Jen Ponce's books!
I can't walk down the hallway in my house without thinking of A Dark Hallway. I can't look at a penny without thinking of One Smart Penny. I can't pick out something to wear without getting chills over Gown She as Buried In. I'm accepting every birthday invitation I get because I don't want to be home thinking about A Woman's Touch. (Still rewriting the horror of that one in my head) And, the next time I go to the Grand Canyon, remind me not to step too close to the edge because Fly was my favorite. It was the shortest and simplest of all five, but it spoke volumes in meaning and double meanings.
When I first saw the title "Fly," I thought it was going to be about bugs. Anyone who reads Jen Ponce novels knows by now -- that woman has a thing for bugs. A creepy thing. She does horribly wonderful things with insects (and oogy monsters) that affects the psyche. I enjoy that in a story.
If you enjoy suspense, thrills and chills, and mind teasing, OMG moments in reading, I highly suggest this author. Jen writes the Devany Miller series: Bazaar and Slip Song. Superb urban fantasy. She has a unique vampire book called Blood Curse, and soon to be birthed on Halloween 2014: Bug Queen.
If you adore fiction with fright, check out Jen Ponce's books!
April 18, 2016
This review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].
I'm going to briefly summarize each story as spoiler-free as possible with my review.
I read this collection as part of my #yearofindiewomen
The Gown She Was Buried In
This is a story about a widower who constantly sees his dead wife after he buries her. No one believes him except his daughter who sees her, too. Then, one day he wakes up with the dress she was buried in with him in his bed.
I'll be honest, I didn't really "get" this story. When I first read it, I was tired after a long night of writing, so I chalked it up to that, but I reread it for this review, and I still don't really get it. I don't want to spoil anything here, so I'm just going to say that I'm guessing it's a story of grief? I don't really know. Either way, it's very well written, and I think the failings are all on my end, not the author's.
The Dark Hallway
A woman wakes up in the night to a strange noise. She thinks it's her husband who woke up to sneakily play some video games in the night under the guise of having complained about stomach problems earlier in the day, but something tells her it's something else entirely. Afraid, she creeps out of her bedroom and is confronted by a nightmare.
This was my least favorite story in the collection. I predicted what was going to happen pretty quickly going in. That being said, it wasn't dissatisfying or anything, it was just not something I hadn't seen before. If you've read a lot of horror, I think you'd probably agree with me.
A Woman's Touch
Rick's ex-wife tried to kill him. She checked herself into a psych ward afterwards to get help, and he never told a soul. Before she went in, she worked with women, to empower them, and there was one, Margaret Sunday, who gave Rick the creeps. His ex-wife thought he was ridiculous, but turned out he was right. Sunday was a murderer, and now, Rick sees that she's escaped from the Sanitarium and is on the run. Guess who shows up at his door? Both his ex-wife and Margaret Sunday. Except only one of them claims they're trying to kill him, but which one?
I really liked this story (except for one part which I'm sure if you read it, and you know me, you'll know it! Haha!). This took an interesting twist and really had me on the edge of my seat. This was my second favorite story of the lot.
Fly
Marisol is atop a grain elevator reflecting on her life. The mess she made of it, mostly by accident. She's got a bag around her neck filled with a crystal, sage, and a tube of blood, and her only choice is to jump because there's something evil that wants her.
This is a chilling and sad tale. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. Quite from this perspective, so that's pretty cool. I rather liked this.
One Smart Penny
I like the author's description for this story: "An overblown windbag finds out his wife is One Smart Penny." It fits well. This is the story of Ethel and her husband Ed. Ethel bent over backwards for her husband for their entire marriage, putting up with Ed's demands of her -- starched shirts, buffed shoes, a wife who wasn't allowed to wear pants. But as he entered retirement things begin to get worse. He starts to hoard pennies. Jars and jars of pennies because he believes the government is going to call upon the citizens to turn them in for double, triple, even quadruple that. Well, as this progresses, he gets more and more hateful to his wife, telling her that he'll never give her anything and even going so far as to bury his pennies in the yard. Ethel begins bettering herself by going to the gym, taking college classes, etc. all while her husband sits in the basement counting pennies and slowly going mad. Eventually though, the government does call in all of the pennies just like Ed said, but does he get to say "I told you so" after all?
This is the best story in the collection. I would actually buy the whole thing for this story alone. It's great. Really great. Not just because I love stories about women who get shit done, but because it's wonderfully written. The pacing, characters, and resolution are all just immensely satisfying. Ponce did a fabulous job on this one. Well done.
I'm going to briefly summarize each story as spoiler-free as possible with my review.
I read this collection as part of my #yearofindiewomen
The Gown She Was Buried In
This is a story about a widower who constantly sees his dead wife after he buries her. No one believes him except his daughter who sees her, too. Then, one day he wakes up with the dress she was buried in with him in his bed.
I'll be honest, I didn't really "get" this story. When I first read it, I was tired after a long night of writing, so I chalked it up to that, but I reread it for this review, and I still don't really get it. I don't want to spoil anything here, so I'm just going to say that I'm guessing it's a story of grief? I don't really know. Either way, it's very well written, and I think the failings are all on my end, not the author's.
The Dark Hallway
A woman wakes up in the night to a strange noise. She thinks it's her husband who woke up to sneakily play some video games in the night under the guise of having complained about stomach problems earlier in the day, but something tells her it's something else entirely. Afraid, she creeps out of her bedroom and is confronted by a nightmare.
This was my least favorite story in the collection. I predicted what was going to happen pretty quickly going in. That being said, it wasn't dissatisfying or anything, it was just not something I hadn't seen before. If you've read a lot of horror, I think you'd probably agree with me.
A Woman's Touch
Rick's ex-wife tried to kill him. She checked herself into a psych ward afterwards to get help, and he never told a soul. Before she went in, she worked with women, to empower them, and there was one, Margaret Sunday, who gave Rick the creeps. His ex-wife thought he was ridiculous, but turned out he was right. Sunday was a murderer, and now, Rick sees that she's escaped from the Sanitarium and is on the run. Guess who shows up at his door? Both his ex-wife and Margaret Sunday. Except only one of them claims they're trying to kill him, but which one?
I really liked this story (except for one part which I'm sure if you read it, and you know me, you'll know it! Haha!). This took an interesting twist and really had me on the edge of my seat. This was my second favorite story of the lot.
Fly
Marisol is atop a grain elevator reflecting on her life. The mess she made of it, mostly by accident. She's got a bag around her neck filled with a crystal, sage, and a tube of blood, and her only choice is to jump because there's something evil that wants her.
This is a chilling and sad tale. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. Quite from this perspective, so that's pretty cool. I rather liked this.
One Smart Penny
I like the author's description for this story: "An overblown windbag finds out his wife is One Smart Penny." It fits well. This is the story of Ethel and her husband Ed. Ethel bent over backwards for her husband for their entire marriage, putting up with Ed's demands of her -- starched shirts, buffed shoes, a wife who wasn't allowed to wear pants. But as he entered retirement things begin to get worse. He starts to hoard pennies. Jars and jars of pennies because he believes the government is going to call upon the citizens to turn them in for double, triple, even quadruple that. Well, as this progresses, he gets more and more hateful to his wife, telling her that he'll never give her anything and even going so far as to bury his pennies in the yard. Ethel begins bettering herself by going to the gym, taking college classes, etc. all while her husband sits in the basement counting pennies and slowly going mad. Eventually though, the government does call in all of the pennies just like Ed said, but does he get to say "I told you so" after all?
This is the best story in the collection. I would actually buy the whole thing for this story alone. It's great. Really great. Not just because I love stories about women who get shit done, but because it's wonderfully written. The pacing, characters, and resolution are all just immensely satisfying. Ponce did a fabulous job on this one. Well done.
May 20, 2015
Hitchcock like thrillers
Jen Ponce will no doubt be well known soon as a literary powerhouse for the thriller genre. I hesitate to use horror as that conjures images of monsters, Gore and in your face action. What her stories do is create a puzzle, one that has you wide eyed , turning the pages not wanting to put it down. It. Then the stories cleverly leave you with ironic twists. It reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twighlight Zone. Often a lesson in human behavior and sometimes a lesson on the human condition and morality. My only criticisms were that often times the stories ended too abruptly. But that also contradicts my praise for the ironic twists and ambiguity. Most of the time I got the meaning of the endings. And other readers may interpret it differently. I also appreciate the lack of gratuitous violence and foul language. Bottom line, I enjoyed the stories very much and will no doubt read more of Jen Ponce's vivid imaginations put in words.
As I'm writing this in unseasonably cool weather in SW Iowa, I hope forecasted snow for Western Nebraska, Jen Ponse's home results in nothing serious and we're enjoying seasonally warm temperatures soon.
Jen Ponce will no doubt be well known soon as a literary powerhouse for the thriller genre. I hesitate to use horror as that conjures images of monsters, Gore and in your face action. What her stories do is create a puzzle, one that has you wide eyed , turning the pages not wanting to put it down. It. Then the stories cleverly leave you with ironic twists. It reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twighlight Zone. Often a lesson in human behavior and sometimes a lesson on the human condition and morality. My only criticisms were that often times the stories ended too abruptly. But that also contradicts my praise for the ironic twists and ambiguity. Most of the time I got the meaning of the endings. And other readers may interpret it differently. I also appreciate the lack of gratuitous violence and foul language. Bottom line, I enjoyed the stories very much and will no doubt read more of Jen Ponce's vivid imaginations put in words.
As I'm writing this in unseasonably cool weather in SW Iowa, I hope forecasted snow for Western Nebraska, Jen Ponse's home results in nothing serious and we're enjoying seasonally warm temperatures soon.
April 13, 2016
Definitely Some Skin Crawling Stuff Here!
The stories are a little short, and one or two of them left me feeling like I missed something, but as a whole it was a good read. Would really like to see this author go a little deeper into these and republish at a later date, but that's just my opinion!
The stories are a little short, and one or two of them left me feeling like I missed something, but as a whole it was a good read. Would really like to see this author go a little deeper into these and republish at a later date, but that's just my opinion!
February 12, 2016
Things That Creep
Well, I was looking for more Creepy,Scary in these stories but I was a little disappointed. A couple were good but I would have liked to see more scarred to turn the next page and goose bump stuff. It takes a lot for me to be Scared stiff and this didn't do it for me. Thought the Author has a good imagination.
kozettekaysmith
Well, I was looking for more Creepy,Scary in these stories but I was a little disappointed. A couple were good but I would have liked to see more scarred to turn the next page and goose bump stuff. It takes a lot for me to be Scared stiff and this didn't do it for me. Thought the Author has a good imagination.
kozettekaysmith
May 10, 2015
Very interesting collection of short stories
I liked almost every story but the Dark Hallway, the Dress She Was Buried in, and One Smart Penny were my favs. I recommend it.
I liked almost every story but the Dark Hallway, the Dress She Was Buried in, and One Smart Penny were my favs. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews