"Death is like a box of chocolates." Lori R. Lopez will tingle your spine while tickling your funny bone in short stories from two of her collections: OUT-OF-MIND EXPERIENCES and THE MACABRE MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ. Zombies, ghosts, an abused homicidal feline, an ear devil and other creeps abound -- haunting an amusement park, possessing a windmill, opening a gate to the Inferno . . . This horror sampler of six uniquely eerie tales is prefaced by the titular poem "Chocolate-Covered Eyes". Beware of strangers offering candy. Or take a bite out of fright. You know you can't resist! Can the living and the undead co-exist in peace? A zombie defender must question his principles when a hunter becomes infected by the zombie plague and threatens the boy's mother in "Heartbeat". Would the tormented pet of a psycho, after witnessing countless abominations, begin to exhibit disturbing behavior? Find out in "Unleashed". "Beyond The Stump" is the dark harrowing tale of a young woman who must assume her mother's role of Gatekeeper. "Nuance" unfolds the humorously poignant Cinderfella tale of a spooky carnival and a misfit who discovers the truth behind his sorry circumstances. "Bedeviled" reveals a trail of madness featuring a parasitic ear sprite that causes folks to go berserk and the likable loons who try to halt his wacky head trip. In "Macabre", a young woman confronts her darkest fears in the specter of a decrepit windmill possessed by The Night Frights. The print edition contains original artwork by the author.
