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Odds And Ends: A Dark Collection
What terrors lurk in the blackest regions of a cellar, amidst dusty cobwebbed shelves, in the glass jars and metal cans of a hopelessly abnormal mind? These odds and ends are both odd and contain endings. As in the real world, not everything ends well. Sometimes it is all about finding a glimmer of light in the shadows, or being forewarned. Sometimes, the candle’s flame blows out!
An assortment of the weird and wonderfully grim are displayed for your fear and amusement. Whether you like quiet horror, humorous horror, stark horror, monstrous in-your-face horror, you’ll find what scares you here. Twenty-six diverse tales and clusters of flash stories or drabbles fit together between dark poems and brief witfully pithy essays on women writing Horror like pieces of a macabre jigsaw puzzle devised by a single madwoman, Lori R. Lopez.
Among the “Odds And Ends” . . . a devilish jack-in-the-box helps a young woman get even. Two little girls face-off in “Nemeses”. A very old baby is released from its jar at a museum in “Jar Baby”. Spaghetti comes to life in “Bloodwyrm”. A trainride takes one fellow on a harrowing journey toward “Fate”. A man and woman are reunited by the same curse that tore them apart in “The Fruit Of Thy Womb”. A weakling finds a dreadful “Cereal Box Surprise” at the bottom of the package. Ladies play a lethal hand of cards in “Mindless”. A couple wakes up to discover an enormous cobweb filling the house in “Spider Soup”. Falling asleep could end the world in “Awake”, while painting portraits takes a nightmarish turn for an artist in “Deathbed”. A girl watches her friends disappear on a darkly sinister beach at “The Vanishing Point”, and much much more. The print edition features peculiar illustrations by the author.
“ODDS AND ENDS isn’t necessarily a collection of happy endings. Not even the fairytales I write always end happily ever after. It will make you think and feel. If you want an uplifting book, go read HOW TO TRAIN YOUR GERBIL.” ~ Lori R. Lopez
An assortment of the weird and wonderfully grim are displayed for your fear and amusement. Whether you like quiet horror, humorous horror, stark horror, monstrous in-your-face horror, you’ll find what scares you here. Twenty-six diverse tales and clusters of flash stories or drabbles fit together between dark poems and brief witfully pithy essays on women writing Horror like pieces of a macabre jigsaw puzzle devised by a single madwoman, Lori R. Lopez.
Among the “Odds And Ends” . . . a devilish jack-in-the-box helps a young woman get even. Two little girls face-off in “Nemeses”. A very old baby is released from its jar at a museum in “Jar Baby”. Spaghetti comes to life in “Bloodwyrm”. A trainride takes one fellow on a harrowing journey toward “Fate”. A man and woman are reunited by the same curse that tore them apart in “The Fruit Of Thy Womb”. A weakling finds a dreadful “Cereal Box Surprise” at the bottom of the package. Ladies play a lethal hand of cards in “Mindless”. A couple wakes up to discover an enormous cobweb filling the house in “Spider Soup”. Falling asleep could end the world in “Awake”, while painting portraits takes a nightmarish turn for an artist in “Deathbed”. A girl watches her friends disappear on a darkly sinister beach at “The Vanishing Point”, and much much more. The print edition features peculiar illustrations by the author.
“ODDS AND ENDS isn’t necessarily a collection of happy endings. Not even the fairytales I write always end happily ever after. It will make you think and feel. If you want an uplifting book, go read HOW TO TRAIN YOUR GERBIL.” ~ Lori R. Lopez
522 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2014
3 people want to read
About the author
Lori R. Lopez
97 books66 followersLori R. Lopez wears many hats as an Author and Speculative Poet of Horror, Fantasy, Suspense, Humor and more. She illustrates her books and has written songs, while being an Activist for animals and children.
Growing up, Lori roamed graveyards and conducted funerals for dead birds, squirrels, insects and spiders. Her offbeat books include The Dark Mister Snark, Leery Lane, An Ill Wind Blows, Darkverse: The Shadow Hours, Odds & Ends, and The Fairy Fly.
In 2023 Lori won Third Place in the Long Category for the SFPA Poetry Contest for “Wake Unto Death”. Her Poetry Collection Darkverse was nominated for an Elgin Award and a Finalist in the Kindle Book Awards. Her poems “Crop Circles” and “Nocturnal Embers” were nominated for the Rhysling Award in 2020, “Social Graces” and “The Whistle Stop” in 2021, “Biting Sarcasm” in 2022, “The Whippoorwill” and “If Houses Could Talk” in 2023, “Had She Lived” in 2024. Poems “The Maw” and “creatures of the macabre” received Editor’s Choice Awards among other honors.
Stories and verse have appeared in The Sirens Call, The Horror Zine, Space & Time, Spectral Realms, JOURN-E, Weirdbook, Bewildering Stories, Dreams & Nightmares, Impspired, Altered Reality, Aphelion, and anthologies such as California Screamin’ (the Foreword Poem), HWA Poetry Showcases II, III, V, VI, and IX, Journals Of Horror, Grey Matter Monsters, Dead Harvest, Fearful Fathoms I, Terror Train I and II, Trickster’s Treats #3, Speculations III (Weird Poets Society), and In Darkness We Play.
A member of the Horror Writers Association, Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and Lewis Carroll Society Of North America.
Visit the Fairy Fly Entertainment Website Lori shares with her two talented sons, and their YouTube Channel @FairyFly. They have a Folk Band called The Fairyflies.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 12, 2017
MY THOUGHTS
This book is a collection of short stories, poems and some other writings of Lori Lopez. If you're looking for stories with 'happily ever after' this isn't for you. All stories don't have happy endings. Ms. Lopez gives us characters that are of the strange lot, just a little on the odd side but isn't life sometimes? Just a little on the odd side? The author gives you a variety of horror mixed with humor, just plain horror and then the horror that has a sassy side to it. Some of the stories are towards the realistic side. Did you ever think how mean and difficult we can be towards others and how they can be to us? Sometimes Ms. Lopez mixes in a little jab at society and our government. Sometimes that can easily be understood. This is when the humor shows through. You may find yourself smiling a little at how real it is. Some of the stories have a dark, evil side to them, which makes you think of the dark alleys, the damp, dim cellars, the evil thoughts that we all think at times. Ms. Lopez has written stories that are far from your usual horror stories. Many are so alike but Ms. Lopez doesn't do that. She give you the outer most, the unusual and yet, they are sometimes stories you can picture as real. If you're looking for a different kind of horror world, then enter Ms. Lopez's world and it will become yours. But, this isn't for the faint of heart nor the squeemish. So BEWARE!
I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily decided to review it.
This book is a collection of short stories, poems and some other writings of Lori Lopez. If you're looking for stories with 'happily ever after' this isn't for you. All stories don't have happy endings. Ms. Lopez gives us characters that are of the strange lot, just a little on the odd side but isn't life sometimes? Just a little on the odd side? The author gives you a variety of horror mixed with humor, just plain horror and then the horror that has a sassy side to it. Some of the stories are towards the realistic side. Did you ever think how mean and difficult we can be towards others and how they can be to us? Sometimes Ms. Lopez mixes in a little jab at society and our government. Sometimes that can easily be understood. This is when the humor shows through. You may find yourself smiling a little at how real it is. Some of the stories have a dark, evil side to them, which makes you think of the dark alleys, the damp, dim cellars, the evil thoughts that we all think at times. Ms. Lopez has written stories that are far from your usual horror stories. Many are so alike but Ms. Lopez doesn't do that. She give you the outer most, the unusual and yet, they are sometimes stories you can picture as real. If you're looking for a different kind of horror world, then enter Ms. Lopez's world and it will become yours. But, this isn't for the faint of heart nor the squeemish. So BEWARE!
I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily decided to review it.
September 30, 2016
Odds and Ends is a collection of many of Lori Lopez’ writing from a variety of publications. Lori has included short stories, poems and a few stories that are 100 words or less. The last format is one of my favorites because I think it tends to be to most challenging for a writer and really shows what can be done with so few words. Lori Lopez states it plainly herself in her disclaimer “Odds and Ends isn’t necessarily a collection of happy endings”. That was the truth, plain and simple. From the first story Headcase she proves her case, happy endings are to be found elsewhere. Headcase gives Odds and Ends a solid and strong start and this was a story I really enjoyed.
Odds and Ends is filled with characters that are by all rights loners, geeks, oddballs, on the outs with society, or you could say what some might call strange, even different. They are not your typical character and it’s a connection I saw after just a few stories. These are the people who you see and wonder if life is strange for them because you can tell they are just a bit odd themselves. Lori Lopez often has a strong women or girl as the main character, or a strong side kick. The stories in Odds and Ends vary from horror mixed with humor to horror that is sarcastic. Many stories poke fun at society or the poor way the government is operating. Other times it’s how twisted we all are toward one another. All of these topics were fun to me and I couldn’t help but laugh a time or two.
Stories that really stood out for me include: The Eyes have it, Bugged (one of the 100 word stories), The Door, and Chill Factor, last but not least Drop Dead Fred. They are poetic and dark and stories that say so much. The following is a favorite sentences from Drop Dead Fred. “I feel weighed down, as if the world has become too heavy and my flesh too delicate for the strain. As if the air could bruise me.” They way Lori writes, chooses her words and arranges them is great. The further I went into Odds and Ends the more I enjoyed it. The Dim Bulb may be my favorite story of them all. A man has been hired to sit and guard a corridor. It’s a simple task, just sit and make sure the lights stay on. He and his co-workers work around the clock for the company to ensure the lights are always on. At the conclusion of the story it becomes painfully obvious why the lights need to be on and the twist is fantastic. If you want a book full of stories that aren’t the usual or typical horror stories then this is your book. It was full of surprises and I loved the time I spent in Lori Lopez’ world.
Odds and Ends is filled with characters that are by all rights loners, geeks, oddballs, on the outs with society, or you could say what some might call strange, even different. They are not your typical character and it’s a connection I saw after just a few stories. These are the people who you see and wonder if life is strange for them because you can tell they are just a bit odd themselves. Lori Lopez often has a strong women or girl as the main character, or a strong side kick. The stories in Odds and Ends vary from horror mixed with humor to horror that is sarcastic. Many stories poke fun at society or the poor way the government is operating. Other times it’s how twisted we all are toward one another. All of these topics were fun to me and I couldn’t help but laugh a time or two.
Stories that really stood out for me include: The Eyes have it, Bugged (one of the 100 word stories), The Door, and Chill Factor, last but not least Drop Dead Fred. They are poetic and dark and stories that say so much. The following is a favorite sentences from Drop Dead Fred. “I feel weighed down, as if the world has become too heavy and my flesh too delicate for the strain. As if the air could bruise me.” They way Lori writes, chooses her words and arranges them is great. The further I went into Odds and Ends the more I enjoyed it. The Dim Bulb may be my favorite story of them all. A man has been hired to sit and guard a corridor. It’s a simple task, just sit and make sure the lights stay on. He and his co-workers work around the clock for the company to ensure the lights are always on. At the conclusion of the story it becomes painfully obvious why the lights need to be on and the twist is fantastic. If you want a book full of stories that aren’t the usual or typical horror stories then this is your book. It was full of surprises and I loved the time I spent in Lori Lopez’ world.
March 28, 2015
What a collection! I have never hidden the fact that I am a Lori R. Lopez fan and that there is nothing greater to me than a new Lori Story. Well I just love when new collections come out because the include SOOOO many stories and this one as with many other of her collections also include some beautifully written dark poetry. If you are looking for something on the dark side to read that is gripping and unique then you really need to check out this anthology.
March 26, 2023
A collection of works by Lori R Lopez. 26 items that take the reader to that special dark place that only Lori R Lopez can do using her crafted, unique style of writing. Particular favourites of mine were “Jar Baby”, “Nemeses”, “Cereal Box Surprise “ and “The Vanishing Point”
I would highly recommend this book to aficionados of the dark and unusual and definitely a good starting point for anyone wanting to “get into” the author’s uniquely creative work
I received a copy from the author and leave this review on my own free will
I would highly recommend this book to aficionados of the dark and unusual and definitely a good starting point for anyone wanting to “get into” the author’s uniquely creative work
I received a copy from the author and leave this review on my own free will
October 7, 2015
Wonderful (As Always)!
Lopez is an amazing artist and wordsmith! In this full-length bundle of ODDS AND ENDS, expect everything and be prepared for anything. Lori R. Lopez makes me smile from deep inside. There is no denying this author never fails to captivate me. I adore her style ... her witty darkness ... poetry and creative tales ... artful imagery and out-of-the-box multi-dimensional writing. Her work makes a worthy contribution to our literary world and the horror genre. But even if you aren't "normally" a horror fan, I recommend you give her a try. You will not be disappointed!
Lopez is an amazing artist and wordsmith! In this full-length bundle of ODDS AND ENDS, expect everything and be prepared for anything. Lori R. Lopez makes me smile from deep inside. There is no denying this author never fails to captivate me. I adore her style ... her witty darkness ... poetry and creative tales ... artful imagery and out-of-the-box multi-dimensional writing. Her work makes a worthy contribution to our literary world and the horror genre. But even if you aren't "normally" a horror fan, I recommend you give her a try. You will not be disappointed!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews