Short Stories

Do you love reading short stories? I love writing them. A short is anything up to about 7,500 words. The stories I am writing now are in a collection I call Tension, Short Stories on the American Landscape. Each of these tales gives you, the reader, a glimpse into a fictional character during a critical, action-packed, often thrilling event in their life.

My passion is writing. Creating young adult travel adventure novels from the ether sphere is what I love. But in the spaces between those novels and publishing and the next book, I write shorts. They are fun, short bursts of creativity meant to thrill you in a mild-mannered way.

There are thugs and bullies in my stories, but not much bloody violence. That’s simply not in my wheelhouse, my personality.

Enjoy the ride.

Gemma’s Big Fail: AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SHORT STORY

Gemma’s Big Fail: AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SHORT STORY

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Author: Brien Crothers
Series: Short Stories

Gemma meets the other woman, who cries on her doorstep. Gemma ends up consoling the woman, while she hatches a plan to make her cheating husband suffer and then leave him. Things don't go as planned. Gemma makes a mistake. Her husband, Darren, sees what she has done. He disables her pickup and comes for her. She runs into the night, Darren brandishing a gun and chasing her with his car. Gemma hopes she can outsmart him.

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Bobby the Accountant: AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SHORT STORY

Bobby the Accountant: AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SHORT STORY

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Author: Brien Crothers
Series: Short Stories

Bobby is training for his first ultra-marathon. When he spots something during a run well out of town, something not his, something of incredible value, he keeps his discovery a secret, even from his wife. A mysterious car accident and its dead driver suggests to Bobby that he should keep what he had found. Then some thugs come to town and Bobby’s world gets turned upside down.

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Twist & Shout – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Twist & Shout – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

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Author: Brien Crothers
Series: Short Stories
Genre: Thriller

Two friends with storm chasing on their bucket lists rendezvous in Oklahoma. They spend a week with professional storm chasers and their other clients. The group encounters zero storms, eat crappy food, and drink bad coffee. But when the two friends rent a car for the long drive to Oklahoma City to fly home, all hell breaks loose and demon twisters chase the two men across the American landscape.

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The Eighth – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

The Eighth – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Eleni is the eldest of eight children. She inherited the family apartment in Little Italy. She needs her husband of six months, Robert, to understand why she doesn't want to have children, ever.

When Eleni tells Robert about the evils her youngest brother, Daniel, has brought to the neighborhood and her family since he was a toddler, she can only hope that he will understand.

What horrible things could Daniel have possibly done to make Eleni fear raising her own children?

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Not Your Average Contractor – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Not Your Average Contractor – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Author: Brien Crothers
Series: Short Stories
Genre: Thriller

Blake, a Toledo, Ohio, based hitman — who doesn’t kill people — stealthily returns home after a recent job in the Bahamas?

Next day, while listening on the other end of the phone line, an old acquaintance kills Carver, Blake’s long-time friend and manager, then says he’s coming after Blake. What will the contractor do, how will he save his girlfriend Ronnie, and can they escape from Holder, the un-remorseful killer.

To make things worse, a lake-effect snow storm is blanketing the city. Blake has a stable of cars to choose from; he picks the Audi Quattro, a powerful, all-wheel-drive sedan.

Following the death of his friend, Blake’s immediate concern is Ronnie. However, Blake has prepared her for this day. He swings by his hideout-slash-home, follows his safety procedures to the max, and picks up Ronnie for their high-speed run from the city.

Will Blake, the unconventional hitman, have enough favors due to him around town to help he and Ronnie out of this terrible jam? How will he deal with Holder in the end?

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Thunder in the Mayacamas Range – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Thunder in the Mayacamas Range – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Even though marijuana is now legal in California, illegal patches thrive in the hills of the state. And there is competition, even feuds among their growers. Why would they not be legal, you might ask? Regulations have proven challenging to work within, and—more commonly—these folks have been tending crops for generations and know no other life. Our tale, Thunder in the Mayacamas Range, shows us the fallout during one night when two factions go to battle during a thunderstorm. Who will survive, and who will have to live with the consequences?

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Her Eyes Like Diamonds – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Her Eyes Like Diamonds – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Bodie is single. He drafts personal ads one after another, not finding the words. He casts his intentions to the universe. A shiny car parks near him. Out steps a supermodel.

Over coffee, and from their respective tables, she talks Bodie into riding along on an errand she must run. At a ‘spooky’ mansion in the Heights, Bodie witnesses her take something.

When the woman's boyfriend wants it back, Bodie’s day goes from a happy Saturday off to a high-speed run for his live. The beautiful woman his pilot.

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Ms. Dubois – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

Ms. Dubois – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

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Author: Brien Crothers
Series: Short Stories, Book 8
Genres: Inspirational, romance
Tag: Short Story

During a train commute, BRENT, a married suburbanite, found himself captivated by a foul-mouthed African-American woman as she talked, cursed, ranted, and muttered across their cosmopolitan landscape.

Weeks later, while once again waiting at a bar for the correct train, hoping to time a chance encounter, Brent confessed to a bartender, STAN, his irrational attraction to the stunning, blasphemous creature.

Did Brent tell all? Did Stan give worthy advice? Would Brent see the woman again? And what about Brent’s poor wife?

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The Black Road – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

The Black Road – An AMERICAN LANDSCAPE short story

In this gripping narrative, trucker Ted navigates a precarious encounter with old acquaintances, a sheriff's deputy, and a duo of desperate criminals. As his trucking route takes a perilous detour, Ted must rely on his faith and wits to survive. The story unfolds in a gritty New Mexico diner and the isolated desert, painting a vivid picture of life on the road and the unexpected challenges it brings.

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