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There are many paths in life we all travel. Some lead us into the light, but others take us down an ever-dimming pathway into darkness. Take a walk with me, if you dare, down a winding trail in the woods – and perhaps we might stray off the track along the way…
In Off the Beaten Path, you’ll join a couple on their hike and soon find that one of them is hiding a terrible truth—and is willing to go to horrific lengths to keep it that way.
In Stranded, you will cross paths with a man who can’t quite rid himself of an itch he has developed.
Frostbite allows you access into a strip club at the edge of the woods, where two patrons find out first-hand one stripper’s deep, dark secret.
In Ten-Penny Nailed, you’ll wander deep into the forest, where one high school student has devised a plan to stand up to the school bully.
Walk along the desolate sands of a moonlit beach in The Scuttling with two teens who have been warned that the beautiful setting hides a deadly danger.
In Rage, a minor traffic violation sends one man down darker highways than he could ever have imagined.
And Dead Bait drops you into open water with two fishermen who aim to catch that legendary ‘big one’ by any means necessary—even if they die trying.
Let us wander into the darkening forest together and see what secrets lurk just off the beaten path…
Advanced Praise for Off the Beaten Path
Off the Beaten Path is a solid collection of short stories/novelettes that connects the reader with horror on different levels.
Each story surprised me and had me wanting more, but I would like to call out my three favorites:
"Off The Beaten Path - The Beginning," "Stranded," and "Dead Bait."
There's a reason I don't really hike, take dark roads, go the "faster more scenic route," and tend to always be a cautious person...
and these stories just support my theories! "Stranded" really spoke to me, and I couldn't help but get a visual from one of the vignettes
in John Carpenter's movie, Body Bags. The plots are not the same at all, but in "Stranded" a character swallows a hair in his drink
that starts to do weird things inside his body and it all goes downhill from there. In Body Bags, a man gets a hair transplant
and essentially turns into Cousin Itt. But both make me think of this really long hair protruding from your body where it shouldn't be
and just... I can't quite explain the gross horror I feel from that!
Wofford Lee Jones did a wonderful job at bringing some of my personal fears to life in the pages of this collection,
and I think there is a story in here for everyone!
Alex Pearson
This time around Wofford has written a collection of eight short novellas, all with a foot in various aspects of horror.
Jones has done an excellent job crafting realistic, and likable characters. I want to mention
the second story, Stranded is a nice body horror story with some truly uncomfortable moments.
Matthew Vaughn, Author of Hellsworld Hotel and The ADHD Vampire
I just finished your story. All I can say is “WOW!!” It was dark, disturbing and uncomfortable. And I LOVED it!!
Laurie Jones
I loved this whole story. It was gross but also, like, weirdly fascinating,
creepy and gory in a really clinical, unnerving way – brilliant.
Emma O'Connell, Editor (on the story: Stranded)
Edward McDaniel has never been part of the popular crowd; in fact, he is pretty much shunned by his peers, forced to go through his high school years as a loner. He is privately—and at times publicly—humiliated as part of a running gag with his classmates. One summer afternoon, Jeremy Taylor takes one of these pranks too far and Edward drowns in a boating accident. Right before Edward breathes his final breath, he makes one last urgent wish: to live on. The wish is granted, to a certain extent, but only by capturing his soul inside a mysterious amulet Edward’s grandfather had given to him before passing away.
Eighteen years later, Tyler Curtis moves to the city of Silver Ridge. Knowing no one, but able to make friends easily, Tyler is quickly pulled into a new circle of friends. Through a chain of events, Edward’s amulet finds its way into Tyler’s possession. After partying with his new friends, Tyler is in an extremely bad car accident and finds himself making the same wish as Edward: to live on. Tyler’s wish is also granted, but the power of the charm releases Edward’s soul into Tyler. Using Tyler’s body as his puppet, Edward takes Tyler on a trip through madness as Edward seeks out each of the classmates that made his life a living hell while he was alive. Edward takes revenge to a whole new level, and Tyler finds himself right in the middle of it all until it comes down to the final confrontation between Edward McDaniel and Jeremy Taylor, the man who caused his death.
Most Recent Reviews for Soul Dreams
A passionate portrayal of possession, Jones takes readers on a journey that is at once haunting and heartbreaking.
The juxtaposition of Edward McDaniel and Tyler Curtis’ characters sets the stage for a horror novel which is both
delightfully unsettling and psychologically gripping. Edward’s character gleans our sympathy one moment and our horror
the next, while we continually root for Tyler and his strong moral center (contrasted smartly with his still-teenage outbursts).
This story has many coming-of-age elements for both Edward and Tyler as they struggle through a world in which they
both feel wronged (Edward by the other teens around him and Tyler by Edward, who though a spirit, we can consider as
Tyler’s teenage contemporary). Would definitely recommend this slow burning yet fast-paced book to those seeking a unique
take on possession as well as horror fans in general.
M.K. Deppner, Author of Photographs of October
It's a behemoth of a novel that is thought-provoking, at times shocking and ultimately emotionally cathartic.
Alex J. Knudsen, Author of The Nawie
Soul Dreams is incredibly engaging and masterfully written.
It is a wicked fresh take on possession horror filled with relatable characters and shocking twists.
Kevin Woods, Screenwriter/Producer of Survival, Producer of Exhibit A-7