Delve into the darker side of humanity and the supernatural.. Keep You Cold explores what happens during our final moments before death and other nightmarish concepts like a child's vengeance from beyond the grave, obsession and the thrills of killing.

Horror,Mystery

In the first story, Lydia, a widowed mother-to-be, is unknowingly forced into a miscarriage by her resentful and jealous mother-in-law. Once she understands what's happening, desperate to save herself and her child, Lydia protects herself by whatever means necessary - including murder.

In the second story, Arlo, an overweight and abused underdog, finds comfort and revenge go hand-in-hand when he begins cannibalizing those who've bullied and mistreated him, including his own father.

Portland, Oregon

No

Overcoming Monster/Villain,Tragedy

Twist

Extreme Violence,Nudity,Sexual Abuse, Language/Profanity

Name: Lydia

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Aspiring,Empathetic,Faithful,Honorable,Selfless,Skillful,Secretive

Name: Ina

Age: 50

Gender: Female

Role: Antagonist

Key Traits: Aggressive,Crazy,Criminal,Desperate,Villainous,Narcisstic,Manipulative

Name: Arlo

Age: 13

Gender: Male

Role: emotional

Key Traits: Clumsy,Desperate,Insecure,Underdog

Name: Jared Jacobson

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Role: antagonist

Key Traits: Aggressive,Badass,Leader,Masculine,Unapologetic

Reminiscent of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," and the popular TV series "Black Mirror," "Keep You Cold: Chilling Tales" scares, shocks and surprises with unpredictable, unconventional storytelling. The stories explore timeless concepts like what it must be like in the final moments before death, as well as new and twisted territory. The horrors range from psychological and gruesome to downright campy and entertaining. This is the first book in an upcoming series of short horror collections. The fresh content is universally relevant and coaxes one of the most basic human emotions from it's audience: fear. The stories provide voyeuristic pleasure to consumers, allowing them to get close to death, murder, suicide and other sins without having to commit any themselves. Reactions have ranged from, "A cross between Twilight Zone and Hitchcock," to "I was scared, then terrified." The stories evoke emotion across the board and leave the audience uncomfortable at having been a participant in such horrors.

AJ Franks is a Portland-based author and playwright. His most current works include "Keep You Cold: Chilling Tales" and the stage play, "Bereavement," which debuted at the 2015 Fertile Ground Festival. He was a semi-finalist in FiLMLaB’s 2013 Script-to-Screen contest with his original short screenplay, "Sometime Over Coffee."

Age: 13-17,18-34

Target Gender: Universal

Information not completed

Status: Yes: with a Publisher

Publisher: Inkwater Press

Year Published: 2019

No

9781629016245