The house is a shambles, abandoned by its previous owner and left to rot. For decades it has stood, ignored and forgotten. But not empty. Beneath the house something waits. Imprisoned in a maze of underground rooms, sealed away from the light, it is hungry. But finally its time has come… To new owner Laura Craig the house is an opportunity. With lots of sweat and hard work, she could restore it, make it what it once was. She doesn’t know yet about the rooms that lie beneath the cellar. She doesn’t know yet about the boarded-up well – or what’s inside it. But she’ll find out soon enough. And then it will be too late. Then the terror will be unleashed.
Review by Mario Guslandi for www.zone-sf.com
Steve Vernon for Cemetery Dance #59. “Maynard and Sims bring a skilled and patient craftsmanship to their work and in Shelter they have raised up a solid, entertaining creepshow. I recommend this book.”
Emma Porter had just started her new job as personal assistant to Alex Keltner, the charismatic and powerful head of Keltner Industries. So when he asked her to attend a party he was throwing that weekend at his secluded estate, she knew better than to refuse. It would be her first party amid the extremely wealthy and powerful elite. It will be a party she will never forget – if she survives. At first it will be simply odd. Mysterious warnings. Strange, seductive guests. An atmosphere of seduction and sexuality. Video cameras in the rooms. But as the weekend progresses, Emma will slowly learn the true nature of the guests and her mysterious host and the real, grotesque purpose of the party.
“This is old style horror, a tale that builds gradually to a crescendo, with dashes of sex and perversion added to the mix for flavour. Beautifully constructed, with Maynard and Sims neatly slotting each piece into place, it delivers its chills and surprises in a quite deliberate way, so that the reader is primed to accept each shock to the system by what has gone before, instead of having to cope with a gore overload from the outset.” Peter Tennant TTA Black Static
‘The book was very well written and fast paced. I enjoyed this one very much!’ Horror Review
They could control people’s minds. What happened when they couldn’t control themselves?
In the USA of the late fifties and early sixties the Hunter triplets – Robert, Gabriel and Peter – are growing up in the Carolinas. They live with their parents in a rural setting, similar to an Amish community. The three brothers are blessed, or cursed, depending on each brother’s perspective, with very strong mind controlling paranormal powers.
Their parents are killed when they are eleven – effectively by Gabriel – and they go to live with their grandfather. At age thirteen they are told by the community about their gift, and how they must use their powers to help mankind. Gabriel refuses, runs away and disappears; Peter finds it hard to accept and begins to drift through life; Robert begins a successful and fulfilling life. Time passes. They grow. In present day America they use their powers in very different ways.
It’s said that people who were alive on November 22, 1963 can remember where they were and what they were doing when they learned that the President of the United States of America had been shot. Gabriel Hunter could remember exactly. He was planning to kill his parents.
“One word describes this novel to a T: wow. A non-stop roller coaster ride of pure horror from beginning to end, The novel starts off moving fast and never slows down, making this a very intense story. The story flows well, and the characters are extremely well developed. This is a very exciting read for anyone who loves the horror genre.” Night Owl
““Nightmare City” by Maynard Sims is a page turner, with plenty of supernatural thrills and action. The authors do a fine job of filling in the back-story of all the secondary characters—the ones Robert “calls”–and set up some great scenes of supernatural warfare, including a spectacular finale. This is a solid supernatural thriller well worth reading.” Horror Review
‘I adored Stronghold, and I believe that both new and long standing fans will love it as well.’ Night Owl
In Los Angeles, USA, Jack and Debra are a successful young couple – he a financier, she an actress and would be script writer. A serial killer attacks Debra prompting her to want to leave the city. Hayden and Jessica are the cops assigned to the case.
On a remote island off the coast a new luxury complex is being built to house rich and successful people who want to live a better life safe from the fears of the city. This Safe Haven will be their stronghold against the worst dangers of modern life. Super advanced, everything is automated.
During the construction of the complex the last remnants of an ancient breed of creatures that have been in long term hibernation are disturbed and take their revenge on the construction crew. The creatures came over from Europe before the first US settlers and have stayed on the island as their own stronghold for centuries. They were persecuted for being different and by the advance of technology. The complex opens and people begin to move in, including Jack and Debra. The creatures begin to attack the new residents.
a psychological ghost story novel
A modern ghost story. Life was good for Beth, once. Now a car crash has left her confined to a wheelchair. To help her recuperate and rebuild her life, she’s leased Stillwater, a house with a lake in the countryside. But her dreams of peace and quiet are thwarted when she realizes she’s not alone. A girl who once lived at Stillwater—until she drowned in the lake—has never left, and she does not seem pleased by Beth’s presence. Beth sets out to solve the mystery of Stillwater. But can she find a strength she doesn’t know she possesses as she fights the fury of the dead girl, and tries to establish herself as the true mistress and keeper of the Stillwater house and lake?
“this author has the art of the psychological scare down pat. Stillwater is another in a long line of fantastic novels that really get under your skin and give you the chills.” Night Owl
“My first book by Maynard Sims and I was impressed. Stillwater is a classic ghost story in the English style with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Written to entertain rather than disturb, there certainly is a place for novels like Stillwater and plenty of readers will enjoy their visit in this very strange house. As a reader of M.R. James, Sheridan LeFanu, and others, I would consider this a modern ghost story with a strong sense of the tradition from which these stories originate. Four stars and I will look for more of Mr. Sims’ work.” Goodreads Review
‘definitely a ghost story I can recommend’ Frank Etherington
‘I would recommend “Stillwater” to fans of ghost stories’ Examiner
A ghost story Novella
“What unfolds is a traditional ghost story told through fresh and innocent eyes by two writers at the top of their game.” Goodreads
“Maynard and Sims are able to sum up years of mystery in quick breaths and handle an aggressively complicated and vile subject matter without ever being vile themselves. If you are new to Maynard Sims books, this is the perfect place to start.” HorrorUnderground
“The author duo who comprise Maynard Sims are super-fantastic …one excellent story after another. Their newest offering is CONVALESCENCE, and oh what a story it is! CONVALESCENCE will knock your socks off.” Mallory Heart
“CONVALESCENCE is don’t-miss terror as only Maynard Sims can deliver.” Goodreads
Who will protect the children? Fourteen-year-old James has seen his family wiped out by tuberculosis in the England of the 1960s. When he is sent to the country to convalesce with his Uncle Thomas it seems a welcome respite. But his uncle is strange, and clearly has a dark secret. The huge house is secretive too, with whispers and cries in the night. Gradually James meets other children, some real, some apparently ghosts, but all of whom have been hurt by the uncle. Will James be next? In an eerie novella of repressed depravity, Maynard Sims conjures nightmares from the fears of childhood.
“I have yet to read a Maynard Sims book and not enjoy it immensely. I love the atmosphere and visuals in their books and their writing always captures my imagination.” Scarlet’s Web Review
“I have always enjoyed everything that I have read by Maynard Sims but Convalescence” takes it to a whole new level. I have read many of Maynard Sims’s books in the past but “Convalescence” may be their best story so far.” Examiner.com