In the summer of 2017 I was cooking tacos and about to get my grub on. I was about to have Taco Tuesday on Wednesday. (I'm a tough rebel that way). Suddenly my phone chimed; I got an email asking me to participate in the filming of an episode of the TVOne Program For My Man. The lettuce nearly fell out of my taco. I'd be glad to provide a screenshot of the email, but for confidentiality reasons I cannot post it here. However, I will say that I was skeptical. The email was completely random, and I thought maybe it was a prank of some sort. But after looking into things deeper, I saw that the email was indeed from one of the producers of the show. For My Man is a crime documentary series about women who commit crimes for the men they love.

Initially, I turned it down. The reason? Several years ago I made an appearance on a reality show called The Tankards: Thicker Than Water. After hours of filming and signing confidentiality papers, the scenes I participated in never made it to television. I wasn't eager to give my hopes up and go through a similar experience again, so I declined.

​The producer emailed me again, quite insistent that I change my mind. She was impressed with my resume -my books, celebrity interviews, etc. At the time I was living in Murfreesboro, and the crimes in this episode's story took place in nearby Smyrna, TN. 

​But my previous television experience haunted me, and I was burned out on journalism anyway, focusing on my social work jobs. My wife, however, encouraged me to take this opportunity. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I couldn't say no to her, and I decided to give it a shot. The producer told me where filming would be, and also that I would be paid. YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

It was early October, 2017. I was asked to do some research on the murder case in the episode, and I came to the hot, sweaty hotel room where my scene would be filmed. There were hot lights, big cameras and a big green screen. There were also some sexy ladies lounging around in bikinis. I thought to myself, "They DID trick me! This is a porno shoot!"

Actually, I'm exaggerating a little bit. There were no ladies laying around in bikinis. (I had you going though, didn't I?) Everyone in the room seemed tired (they had been filming all day) but they were upbeat and we exchanged a lot of laughs.

​My job was to provide commentary on the events in the story. I told the entire story from my point of view using the information I had, and later my comments were edited in with the other analysts. I was the only journalist for this episode; the other people interviewed included police detectives, a psychologist and a lawyer. Together we all brought different information and perspectives to the story's narrative; the who, what, when, where and why.

​I had a good time. I've always had a natural charm and they told me I was a natural in front of the camera. I wasn't nervous; I was just being myself. I really think I combined a nice blend of being a stand-up comedian and a professional. When you hear me impersonate one of the character's voices early on in the episode, you know you're going to be in for quite a new experience with me on commentary. Journalists typically don't tell jokes, do crazy voices, or even wear dreadlocks. But that's what you're seeing here, and I think my presence and humor elevated the episode a bit, especially considering the story was so tragic. Take a look at the episode below.

Several weeks after filming wrapped, I got an email saying that the episode would air in July of this year. After getting burned back in 2013 during my previous TV attempt, I was again skeptical. Are my scenes going to be cut? Will my hair look a hot mess? Will the camera make me look like Lil' Wayne? These were my horrifying, paranoid thoughts.

​Fast forward to August of this year and I was mailed a DVD of the episode. I was reluctant to watch it, but of course my wife wasn't. We eventually watched it and I was really impressed with how it turned out. I was one of the first commentators featured, and my commentary was featured prominently. Say it with me again. YYEEEEEEEEAAHHH!!!

​But unfortunately on the July date my episode was supposed to air, it did not. I kinda shrugged and forgot about it. Then three days ago my Facebook page blew up. "OMG AJ I saw you on TV!!" "#bossmoves AJ. I saw you on For My Man!" My sister posted a status update congratulating me, then my mother did the same, and people have shared the link so much that by now it's close to going viral. The support has almost been unreal and the love feels real and earned. I worked my buns off during my 13 years in journalism and this might just be the pinnacle. But when you're a public figure you're also a target for trolls and nastiness.

​My wife found this post about me on Twitter and showed it to me.

Trolls will be trolls. I'm just glad my hair is interesting enough to provoke a reaction. lol. People have asked me a lot lately if I'll make another appearance on For My Man. I really think it was a one shot deal, especially considering that the crime in this particular episode happened near where I lived at that time. But I'm blessed and happy that I got the opportunity. I consider myself somewhat retired from journalism lately, though I have another book I am working on. But you bet if more opportunities like this come along, you'll catch me writing headlines again.

​Thanks for reading, and have a Dugger Day.

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods. 

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician. 

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement.. 

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price... 

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last. 

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he? 

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine... 

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice. 

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think. 

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick. 

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night. ​

Two weeks ago I started my new role as Associate Editor of The Franklin Home Page Media Group in Middle Tennessee. It keeps me busy but I'm having a blast! There's nothing better than making a living doing what you love to do. I get to meet and interact with new people all the time and tell their stories, and keep people informed on what is happening in the community.

Things happened really fast. One day I was an unhappy teacher's assistant at an organization for at-risk children, and the next, my fiance and I were packing up and moving four hours away to a new home with new jobs. God listened to my prayers.

So far things have been great! People in Franklin are pretty nice and are really open and helpful to whatever I need. They even put me on the radio at the end of my first week. Here is a clip!

I cover the city of Franklin and the school system. So I'm everywhere! BOMA meetings, school board meetings, press conferences, grand openings, concerts, retirement parties, school functions, city hall meetings, etc. You name it. 

I'm slowly writing fiction stories for my next book. At the moment it's shaping up to be a sequel to SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, but don't quote me on that. It could wind up being another project altogether, but sometimes I sit and write and let my mind takes me where it chooses to go.

I'm getting married in July as well. With life changes and my busy schedule,  don't expect my next book too soon. But I'm very happy with life right now. All of the journalism jobs I've worked in the past have led to this one, and I couldn't be happier. I've been waiting on a job like this for eight long years.

I'm finishing my BeHiNd SoUtHeRn TeRrOr blog series. Thanks for supporting and buying the book! In case you're unaware, SoUtHeRn TeRrOr is my most recent book. It's a horror anthology, quite similar to shows like Tales From The Crypt and The Twilight Zone. To help promote the book, I've been doing an episodic blog series - each episode focuses on an individual story in the book and goes in-depth on the characters, the story, and my creative process while writing it. I've already completed six or seven episodes, all of which are available on this website if you look around the blog.

To keep up with my new content with Franklin Home Page, follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Generally I post my new articles on the Franklin Home Page social media pages, and then retweet them from my own social media sites. I still freelance on the side sometimes, so if you have any tips on news or need me to ghostwrite, edit, or write something for you, contact me.

To entertain you a bit, check out an old music video of me dancing over the years.

I enjoyed this one a lot and still play it often. You play as Jodie, who has a connection to a supernatural entity named Aiden. The player gets to play as both characters, and as Aiden you get to scare the poop out of people, possess them, etc. You can also make Jodie's life a living hell. It's a lot of fun.

This game was similar in a lot of ways to Heavy Rain. There are just two things that somewhat bother me - one is that too much is jammed into one story. At different points, Jodie is kicking ass for the FBI, then she's homeless, then she's living with isolated Mexicans haunted by demons, then there's another flashback to her being a child, etc. These were all great ideas - they just feel forced. It kinda makes the story feel all over the place. Even worse is that you can't play the game in chronological order either. Maybe they knew a sequel wasn't possible so they decided to jam all of their storylines into one game.

The other thing I didn't really like is that unlike other RPGs like Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead, etc, your choices in Beyond Two Souls do not matter as much as you hope. Some choices do matter as you'll find out later in the game, but overall many of the choices you make only create minor differences in the story at the time you make them. However, I was surprised when I played it a second and third time that I got different scenes and outcomes when I made different decisions than the previous times I played it. Your choices do matter; but only a limited amount of them are crucial to the story in big ways.
​

During my early teen years I was a huge WWE fan. If you're familiar with wrestling, you'll know that the WWE Attitude era was one of the best times to be a fan. The soap-opera storylines had me hooked, and the wrestlers were real characters you had to watch each week. This game is a throwback to that very period, which is the exact reason why I bought it. There's a story mode where you play the first three years of the Attitude era. There are chapters that focus on the period's biggest stars - Stone Cold, The Undertaker and Kane, Mankind, The Rock, DX, etc. You can relive plenty of iconic moments, like Kane appearing for the first time and attacking his brother The Undertaker, Stone Cold's first WWE title win (with help from MIKE TYSON), The Rock's transition from The Nation of Domination into The Corporate Champ, the Montreal Screwjob, the beginnings of D-Generation X, etc. Awesome stuff!

​Val Venis, Mike Tyson, Gangrel, Rikishi and others are available as DLC. But where is Chyna? It bothers me to not see her aiding Triple H during the story mode. She played a big part in Triple H's rise, but was written out of existence in this game. And as a result, the Triple H storylines aren't the same.

Chyna's not the only one missing in action. Where is Owen Hart? D'lo Brown? The Hardy Boyz? Several key wrestlers are missing and their absence is noticed. This doesn't hurt the gameplay or anything - there are I Quit Matches, Last Man Standing matches,  Empty Arena matches, etc. Even Hell In The Cell, Elimination Chamber and Inferno matches are here! So it's hard to get bored with this one. Just know that downloading CAWs isn't going to happen if you bought the game after 2K Sports took over the servers.
​

When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a Ghostbuster! Well, instead I grew up to become a journalist. But this game gave me a chance to live the "ghostbusting" experience. You play as an unnamed rookie joining the team. (Seriously, his name is never mentioned once). I must say that this was a really fun game. The story is excellent. It takes place a few years after Ghostbusters II ended, and most of the original cast lent their voices to the game. The only voices missing are those of Rick Moranis (who retired from acting) and Sigourney Weaver. Sigourney's absence, however, results in a new love interest for Peter Venkman.

This story is good enough to be a second sequel to the original franchise. We never got a film, but this comes really close. I like how the music score is recycled from the original film, and you get the chance to use all of the famous Ecto gadgets like the PKE Meter, Slime Blower, Proton Pack, etc. The other Ghostbusters really make you feel like part of the team. Well, sometimes. Watch out for Venkman.
​

This is going to be an unpopular ranking, but I feel that this game is highly overrated. Don't get me wrong. It was not a bad game. The story is gripping, the drama is real, the characters are full of depth and there's more than enough action.

The problem is all of the hype for the game. "AJ! Dude! This is the best video game of all time!"

I'm sorry. I just can't agree there. It is a good game, better than average. There's not much negative I can say, only other than it could be real difficult at times. Some of the situations could be real intense. I'm also getting kind of tired of the apocalyptic "monsters taking over the world" theme in games these days. I dunno. If this one wasn't so overhyped I would probably like it better.
​
​

I'm a fan of Telltale games. I knew virtually nothing about this game or the plot. Looking for a new adventure, I bought it one day and before I knew it, my wife and I were absolutely hooked. It's basically a story about fairytale characters living in the real world. You play as Sheriff Bigby, the "big bad wolf" from the story about the Three Little Pigs. Naturally other characters are a bit distrusting because of your past, but the beauty of the game (just like all recent Telltale games) is that you can play the character however you chose and play your own adventure. The story is intriguing - characters are being murdered and all other kinds of chaos is taking place. As the sheriff, it's up to you how you handle things.
​

This game was better than I anticipated. You play as Max, a high school photographer who has the power to rewind time and alter the future. Things start out cute enough, but as the five-part episode series progresses, the story gets deeper and darker.

The story and characters will keep you interested in this one, as well as the ability to alter time and change your future.

In the beginning of the game, Max's concerns are typical high school problems - popularity, boys, bullies, fitting in, etc. But she gradually finds real​ concerns and dangers  to worry about as the episodes move forward. This game begins cute but gets really dark by the end. I'm talking darker than a Tim Burton film. I was shocked that a game that began one way could end up in such a dark place.

​I highly suggest playing this one. You don't know where it's going to go, and it's a fun ride while you figure things out along the way. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
​

The Batman Arkham series as a whole is awesome. I've also played Arkham Asylum and I haven't finished Arkham Knight yet, but so far Arkham City is the best. The reason? The Villains!! They're all there, though some are just there for brief cameos and others are supporting cast. The Penguin, The Joker, Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Ra's al Ghul, Two-Face, etc.

Plus the DLC lets you play other storylines & adventures as Catwoman and Robin. These stories are separate adventures that are still connected to the main story.

​This is just one heck of a game. Great, great story. Cool gadgets, too. You really become The Dark Knight. Swinging from the rooftops and gliding through the night sky is great fun. This is also something of a stealth game at times. It's also worth noting that the battle with Mr. Freeze is one of the most original boss fights of any game I've ever played. The one minus is that there's no Batmobile here, but Arkham Knight more than makes up for that.
​

This is easily one of the best games I've ever played. There's so many things I like about it that I don't know where to begin. You play as four different characters, each on a quest to track down the horrible, stinky Origami Killer. That, to me, is one of the charms of the game. Each character has their own perspective and agenda, plus the story differs greatly depending on the choices you make. Also, if a character dies, the story moves right along. The Origami Killer is a villain who kidnaps pre-teen boys and slowly drowns them, but leaves origami clues for their parents to find them before they die. What a bastard.

​There's mystery, there's suspense, there's action, there's sex, there's drama. It's all in the story, and you find yourself caring about these people deeply. I wish there were more games like this one.
​

Being a longtime boxing fan, this is one of the games I play the most. Most of my favorites are here - Lennox Lewis, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Sonny Liston, etc. Some legends have to be downloaded in a DLC pack. (Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson and Floyd Patterson).

​This is a great game. Every fighter's style is represented pretty accurately for the most part. Examples being Mike Tyson coming out full of aggression in the opening rounds but slowing later, or Muhammad Ali skipping around the ring on his toes tossing out his jab and taunting you.

If you're new to the game, I suggest playing as Joe Louis. He has fierce knockout power in both hands, fast hand speed, a solid chin and can go the distance. With Louis you could fight a defensive fight by counter-punching or fight aggressive. Plus, at 6'2 he's not too big or small for any opponent on the game. Rocky Marciano is another tough fighter who can take lots of punishment but keeps coming. Like Louis, he can end the fight at any time with a punch from either hand.

Also worth noting is the beautiful story mode. The Andre Bishop tale is amazing. It's more than worthy of being a Hollywood feature and is easily the best boxing film to never make it to the big screen. Also, some have said that the story's antagonist Isaac Frost is the hardest video game boss fight of all time. I can't argue with that. He's a big, powerful 6'8 mountain of a man and the game forces you to fight him different ways at different times during the fight.

Because I love boxing and I love a great story, I will never get sick of this game. Perfect.  
​

I've already done a full length blog article on the first game, so I'll keep this one short and sweet. This game to me is perfect and is what got me into playing video games again as an adult. You play as Lee Everett, who finds himself being a father figure to 8 year-old Clementine. The characters in this game will definitely get passionate reactions from you. They will warm their way into your heart, or make you despise them. Also, the game's story is created by the decisions you make, and there will be plenty of tough decisions!

​Like The Walking Dead TV series and graphic novels, the story here is not really about the flesh-eating zombies, but about the people and their desperation for survival. It's a brilliant game, easily my favorite of all time. The second season was nearly just as good as the first, and the recent third season wasn't awful but not in the league of the first two. If I had to recommend just one game from this list, it would be this one. The Walking Dead is a game you must play!

That's my top ten list folks! But I have two honorable mentions, and here they are.

This one grabbed my attention immediately, from the smooth jazz ensemble menu music to the Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal attire everyone wore. Speaking of which, some criminals could be smooth here, but it depends on how you play the game.

The highlight of the game for me and other gamers are the interrogation scenes. You have to judge whether or not a suspect is lying or withholding information from you. If you have information that proves them to be liars, you can get a lot more information out of them. L.A. Noire makes you feel more like a real cop than a gamer. 

In addition to the role-playing aspect of the interrogation sequences, you also get lots of action scenes including car chases, shoot-outs, etc. You investigate all kinds of crimes, and you're partnered up with different people throughout your journey. Some of your allies are great; others are crooked cops. You get the whole police experience. I also enjoyed how you work 21 or so different cases instead of working one long endless case. Each case is different and that's part of what kept things from getting boring.

The story and gameplay are pretty smooth until the ridiculous ending. Other than that, this was a fun ride. Far from the best video game of all time, but original and innovative enough to be included here. 
​
​

​This game really surprised me. I was never a huge Spiderman fan, but I decided to pick the game up because I needed some type of adventure after I'd beaten most of my other games.

What I liked about this one was that it closely resembled the Batman Arkham games. This gave it a brighter but familiar feel to me. The story was great and overall I had a great time playing as Spidey.

Last Thoughts is the sixth story in the horror anthology SoUtHeRn TeRrOr. It's the story of a corrupt politician named Jake Richardson who is murdered by his wife, only to be resurrected and doomed to repeat a similar death by her each day. 

Jake Richardson may be a sleazy state senator, but that isn't the worst of his problems. He's also a womanizer. Currently, his naive wife, LaBelle, is out of town, so Jake is spending time with his mistress, Pearl, while LaBelle is away and clueless. Or so they think...

Jake finds himself trapped in a loop where each day, LaBelle somehow pops up and catches him with Pearl, then violently murders him in an act of pure rage. He always awakes right after his death with something left over from the fatal encounter, whether it's a burn mark, gunshot wound, etc.

After getting killed several times, he realizes what is going on and tries desperately to avoid it. But to no avail. Throughout the story, Jake is killed over and over again, whether by being set on fire, shot in the face, stabbed, etc. It's truly a never-ending nightmare for the state senator.

You'll have to read the book to discover how and why Jake was trapped in this warp. (No, he was not in hell or anything cliché like that). However, the payoff is quite original, but unsettling for the characters in the town of Malo, the setting of SoUtHeRn TeRrOr.

At this point in the book, we're taking a break from the supernatural and monster situations and dwelling more into psychological terror. So far you have already read the stories about ghosts, werewolves, gremlins, etc. This tale and the next one takes us away from those threats for a little while. But don't worry; the monsters, demons, etc will be back in later stories. That to me is part of the lure of the book. There is something for everybody.  ​

​“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.

Most boxing stories are tales of redemption. You want to see the underdog win the big fight at the climax of the story. Well, throw in horror, breast implants, vengeful ghosts and supernatural punching power, and you've got The Power of The Punch, the fifth story in the SoUtHeRn TeRrOr anthology book.

After growing up with a violent alcoholic father and recently getting attacked by some low-life thugs, Rebecca McCrary decides to not take any more abuse from anyone and becomes a professional boxer. The problem is – she's terrible! She lost eight fights in a row, each one by early knockout. Just as she's in the process of hanging up her boxing gloves for a career in modeling, her nerdy cousin comes up with the bright idea of inserting a supernatural amount of testosterone into the breast implants Rebecca planned on getting for her modeling career. The operation was a success, and Rebecca is a changed woman in the ring, easily crippling her opponents and knocking them out cold real fast and easy. She becomes known as “The Malo Smasher,” and is also nicknamed a “female Tyson.”

Things are going great for the young contender. Her lead trainer is a legend – an old rotund man named Alfred who was nicknamed “Turtle Face” by Muhammad Ali because of his droopy facial expressions. With her charisma and ability to end fights within seconds, Rebecca becomes a sports media sensation not seen since the days of a young Mike Tyson and recent phenomenons like Ronda Rousey.

Although Rebecca has “the power of the punch,” she serves as the protagonist and antagonist of the story all at once. She suffered lot of abuse in her past and just wants to succeed in life. Because of this we root for her and want her to succeed. But at the same time, she is cheating and severely hurting others to get ahead. Rebecca doesn't just knock her opponents cold – she cripples them! One opponent ends up being a fatality.  Rebecca punches so hard that a blow to the chin could knock your brain loose in your skull.

Although she harbors a soft spot and at times feels guilty for her new gift, she has a cocky, nasty attitude that most people can't stomach. In fact, Rebecca narrowly survives an assassination attempt early in the story - that's how despised she is.

The story takes a dramatic turn when the ghost of an opponent Rebecca killed in the ring decides to pay her a visit – during her big fight for the women's championship!  

A female boxer getting breast implants that enable her to punch like a superheavyweight? I know you're thinking, "A.J., I know you're a terrific writer and all, but how the hell did you come up with that one?" Well, I'm happy to break this one down for my fans. :)

If you've been following my career then you're aware that I  am a boxing fan. I've even interviewed Larry Holmes, Shannon Briggs, James "Quick" Tillis and Marvis Frazier.

Naturally, I decided to include a boxing story in my anthology. However, I wanted to flip things a bit. I wanted a woman boxer to be the central character. My favorite female boxer of all time is Ann Wolfe, known for her explosive punch. Watch the clip below - easily the most brutal knockout in the history of women's boxing.

Alright. What if there was a woman who could punch even harder than that? And what if she wasn't bulging with muscles? What if she were a small, almost average-looking woman with a surprise of a punch? That's how Rebecca McCrary was created. One reader remarked that she was Mike Tyson and Ronda Rousey rolled up into one person. I didn't have that in mind when I wrote the story, but it does fit pretty well so I'll take it.

The women's champion in the story is Jacqueline O'Neal. She's an experienced and well-rounded fighter. Unlike McCrary, Jacqueline is the "good girl." She may be wholesome, but she lacks Rebecca's charisma. Put an experienced counter-puncher like her in the ring with a slugger like Rebecca and you've got the recipe for a great fight. 

I wrote the first draft of this story back in late 2014. I wrote two other versions of the story and wound up using the best of all three to round out the story that you'll read in the book. Like The Magician and The Beast, I took a lot of time with this one and did several re-writes because I wanted it to be perfect. 

If you like boxing, or if you're a fan of ghost stories or intense dramas, Power Of The Punch will be one of your favorites in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr. 

                             Other tales in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr Include...

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 
​
“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods. 

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician. 

“Giggling In The Dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement.. 

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price... 

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last. 

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he? 

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine... 

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice. 

​“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think. 

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick. 

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night. 

Ever hear weird noises coming from another part of your house? Imagine hearing high-pitched giggles and other noisy movements coming from your basement late at night. Would you investigate? Well, a young couple in the Southern Terror story,  Giggling In The Dark  did just that, though they later regretted it.

Giggling In The Dark is the story of Francis and Martin. Francis is what they call a “boss lady.” She orders her submissive boyfriend around. She's the type of person who has to be in control. She doesn't trust anyone else to take care of business.

Her other half, Martin, is the opposite. He's passive and cowardly. While Francis is spontaneous and fearless, Martin would rather stay in the house, cook dinner and watch Empire or listen to Prince (his favorite singer).

Both of them are quite busy – Francis attends the University of Malo and Martin works at a video store. One evening Francis drags Martin along to investigate what is hiding in their basement. They stumble upon a disemboweled cat in a piano. Shortly afterward they are attacked – by a gremlin!!

You'll have to read the story to find out what happens next, but I've always been a fan of the Gremlins movies and knew I had to include a gremlin antagonist in one of the SoUtHeRn TeRrOr stories.

Gremlins are kind of overlooked in the horror genre. I'm not sure why!! They're comical, mischievous and downright brutal and vicious. Imagine a gremlin hiding somewhere in your house in the dark, waiting to attack you?

The gremlin in this story was designed by my fiance, Deshae Johnson Dugger.  

      Other stories in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr include....

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods. 

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician. 

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement.. 

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price... 

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last. 

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he? 

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine... 

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice. 

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think. 

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick. 

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night. 

There are plenty of people around the world who keep exotic pets. Snakes, tigers, sometimes even elephants or crocodiles. But imagine keeping a werewolf as your beast of choice? Well, someone in “SoUtHeRn TeRrOr” was dumb enough to do so.

Two years prior to the story, The Magnificent Charley was a criminal; a low-life dastardly fiend of a human being. You get the picture.

One night at dawn, he attempts to mug and rape an unsuspecting woman, but his efforts fail when a werewolf comes to the rescue and chases Charley away. Just as Charley is about to become werewolf chow, the sun appears in the sky and the wolf shrieks and shrivels back to human form. Charley takes the man hostage and becomes rich by creating his own traveling freak show and using the werewolf as his star attraction. He keeps the creature chained up inside of a steel cage. People were paying big money to watch the wolf transform live in front of their eyes.

In addition to the werewolf (whose human name is Noah) the freak show features other animals (including a chimp named Cheeto) and orphaned children. There is evidence that Charley abuses the young children. It is also hinted at that he molests them. (Like I said, Charley is lower than the scum of the earth). But he does have charisma – a manipulative smile and the ability to fart in even the most tense situations.
​
Eventually, Noah, the children and the animals have had enough and develop a plan to kill Charley and find freedom.

We see a lot of humorous situations in this story, including an over-the-top rapper named T-Money (who attempts to teach the angry werewolf how to twerk) and an old senile woman who has a habit of appearing at the wrong place at the wrong time and often confuses Charley with her dead husband who never returned from World War II.

This story has gotten plenty of laughs. I wrote the first draft back in 2014, but then rewrote it two more times. Each version of the story was different, and in the end I combined the best parts of each of draft. The result is a roller-coaster of a story with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns.

Without fail, I get asked the same question after a person reads the story. “Was Noah the werewolf a good guy?” That is part of the fun of the story. I'll let you read the story and draw your own conclusions. But first hear this.

For him to be the good guy, he had to be in some kind of peril. Sure a werewolf could tear you apart within seconds, so how could he be controlled?

There are several occasions when he saves someone's life. You could argue that the werewolf in this story is a Batman-type of vigilante who hides in the shadows and puts an end to crime attempts. (An example of this is when he foils Charley's attempt to rape that woman before he was captured). But at the same time, would you trust a huge blood-thirsty werewolf huffing and puffing as it growls looking at you?

Everyone with malice in their heart is killed by the wolf if he gets the chance. But good people and innocent characters are spared. Coincidence? Maybe. Whether the creature was a good guy or not, I wanted to put him in the anti-hero position, instead of being the usual murdering antagonists that they are normally portrayed as.

I wanted you to feel real sympathy for him and hate Charley's guts. One thing is for sure; when Noah's eerie howl pierces the air, someone is going to die. The question is....will it be you?
​
​                        Other stories in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr include...

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband.

​“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.

Sometimes riding in a car late at night in the woods is the creepiest thing. It's dark, and you never know who or what is lurking in all those trees...watching you....

Unfortunately, two teenage girls and their goofy Uncle Steve find out.

Lisa (13) and Stacy (17) are on their way home from their older cousin's boring college graduation. Their Uncle Steve is behind the wheel, and takes the girls on a shortcut through the woods to avoid traffic and shorten the two-hour trip. (Steve is the annoying cheerful type; definitely not the kind of person you want to be paired with in a horror movie).

During the trip, the girls fight as usual. Lisa is still very much a child and is often bullied by her older sister, who is a little too experienced with boys and is a spoiled  senior in high school.

The girls and their goofy, stupid uncle are attacked by a Bigfoot-esque creature. I've always been entertained by the idea that Bigfoot exists, and in this story he does, in all his hairy glory!! Uncle Steve becomes a casualty to the huge beast, while the girls are eventually rescued by a female sheriff named Officer Brown. But unfortunately, Officer Brown has a secret of her own; one that chills the two girls down to their bones.

While the previous story was more suspenseful, this one jumps right into action and the chilling twist has gotten praise from readers.

Take a look at the other story descriptions in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr!!

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband.

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.

​“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...

“Mail-Order Bride.” – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.

​"The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.

Here is a link to episode 1 of Behind Southern Terror: Alerts From The Grave.

Also take a look at the book's trailer, and feel free to buy the book here. 

I bet that got your attention, huh? Well, this hot and sweaty scene is what you find when you start reading the very first story in Southern Terror. I wanted something to catch you off guard and reel you in. Did I succeed? Be honest...

Alerts From The Grave is about a widowed porn star named “Kinky” Christa who is still grieving and adjusting to life without her husband Roger, a former lieutenant firefighter. Christa is only doing porn to support herself financially and hates her job with a passion. Her family, friends and church are ashamed of her. And she's ashamed of herself. She lives alone with her demanding cat, Area Code.

Things take a turn real early in the story when Roger begins to text and email Christa from beyond the grave. As it turns out, he was murdered and needs assistance from his wife to help nail the dastardly bastard who killed him.

I wrote this story in late 2014. My fingers started typing and before I knew it, Alerts From The Grave was staring right back at me from my laptop screen. 

People have praised this story because of its elements of black comedy, suspense and ghostly terror. But romance is also a big part of the story here. A man loved his wife so much that he used technology to communicate with her from the grave.

​I guess nothing can stop true love. Not even death.  ​

Stay tuned for future episodes of Behind Southern Terror. The next tale is The Dark Road, a story of two feuding teenage sisters and their cheery uncle who take a trip through the woods they will never forget..

Take a look at the other story descriptions in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr!!

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.

​“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...

“Mail-Order Bride.” – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.

​"The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.