A Very Bad Year: Twelve Stories of Horror and Suspense

by Stephen Barnard

It's a date... with disaster. From the author of 'Corner House' and 'Unlucky Numbers', a complete collection containing twelve tales of suspense and terror, each one based on a month of the year. Whether you read them in sequence or are drawn to particular months, you'll never look at a calendar the same way again. Stories 'Resolution' - Marie has decided to try and lose weight, mainly to appease her controlling husband. But as her efforts continue in vain, the side effects become more and more unsettling. 'Paddy' - St Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Now there's a man in Manchester with serpentine tattoos all over his arms, looking to make some new friends. 'Under The Bed' - Warren Slade is extremely house proud. But when things go awry during an Easter party in his back garden, he comes to realise that there are some home improvements that might just be impossible to make... 'Senorita' - Neil isn't coping very well on the lads' holiday to Tenerife, and a day in bed might just be what he needs. But then the maid makes an appearance and gives him something else to think about. 'MOG' - Emily Davis was only doing what most parents did on the first day of posting a picture on social media of the children in their new uniforms. The problem is, you can never be sure who is watching, and what they want to share with you... 'The Last Present' - It's Christmas lunch at the Seymour house, and Declan is meeting Holly's parents for the first time. They're worlds apart in terms of wealth and class, and Dec is right to be a little nervous. But not in the ways he imagined... AND SIX MORE! ONLINE PRAISE FOR 'A VERY BAD YEAR': 'Every story is so different... keeps you wondering what the author will come up with next.' 'Good storylines... very believable situations.' 'Really captivating and very special.'

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2019

About the author

Stephen Barnard has been writing fiction (and non-fiction cricket exploits) for a number of years. The success of his short story collection 'A Very Bad Year' encouraged him to push further. He now has over 20 published works, mainly in the horror/suspense genre. When he's not writing he teaches, reads, snoozes and binge-watches horror films.

Reviews

[lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good Anthology Book

I usually don't read short stories but I'm coming to love them. I will give this book 4 and a half Stars out of five

[Lolapaige · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were good. A few were excellent. There were a few typos however and that drove me crazy.

[Christine Dunne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stories

Your writing is interesting and has different favorably I wanted the different stories to turn out like they did. Keep writing as I'll keep reading.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Year!

I loved this book of short stories. I love short stories, especially horror. These did not disappoint. My favorite was the last one, Merry Christmas, Declan! Stephen Bernard is an author I am very glad I discovered and will definitely read more of. Cheers!

[B.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the right amount of horror, for the around the campfire.

Three nights camping, four stories a night. Not so scary that it caused nightmares, but some very nervous giggling. They are still talking about which was their favorite month.

[Katie Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant short suspense stories that kept me guessing. I couldn't put it down!