Free Short Story

"A Spring Break Carol: A Short Ghost Story"

by Benita Huffman

As dean, Jason makes the tough calls so his struggling small college will survive, including hiring a trendy, digitally savvy scholar to replace the recently deceased Professor Maynard Allen.  In life, Maynard never interfered with Jason's agenda.  So why is his ghost haunting Jason's office?  To destroy the new school Jason must create?  Or is his plan even more sinister: to reform Jason? 

"A Spring Break Carol" is a short ghost story of 6,629 words (24 pages).

Available on Smashwords, B&N, and Amazon

Smashwords for free here

Barnes and Noble for free here

Amazon (currently at 99 cents, but at some point they will match competitors' price) here

 

"We all have an addiction to narrative"

Long ago at UNC-Chapel Hill, Marya Devoto said the common feature of all those pursuing degrees in English was that we were addicted to narrative.  That's true for all of us who love to read, write, and talk about what we've read.

Over the years, as I've read and written in my professional role as an English professor, I've continued to read and write for fun.  Last summer, I began a plan to follow footsteps of MGA colleague Robin Johns Grant and make the fun writing I do available as ebooks as an independent author.  As this summer ends, I've taken the plunge. 

"A Spring Break Carol" was inspired by an old piece of college gossip more than a decade ago; campuses all have their ghosts.

Within a few days, I will also be releasing Telling Fortunes, the first in a series of novels. 

In Telling Fortunes, just as she was poised to hit the big time, psychic Cassie James stops helping families find missing people and moves back to her small hometown for a desk job.  A cousin set on saving her soul, school girls who want their fortunes told,  and a science teacher ready to discredit her complicate the new life she hoped to build.  Yet just as she begins to find what she wanted, old family secrets threaten it all.

Telling Fortunes will be available soon on Amazon.  It will also be available through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program.

A New / Old Name

You'll find these books under my old name:  Benita Huffman

Why? 

I'll have a way to separate my normal persona -- Dr. Muth -- from my lighter persona -- Benita Huffman -- the ebook writer.

Plus, I've missed being Benita Huffman.  It's the name I call myself in my head.  Even 25 years later, I occasionally slip up and introduce myself that way.

More practically, as years of students know, "Muth" does not suggest an obvious pronunciation.  "Huffman" is more user-friendly.

But there's no juicy gossip here.  I'm keeping Michael (the one I got the "Muth" name from) around.  He's worked out well for 25 years, and who else could put up with me?  I'm hoping we're blessed with many more years together. 

Want some summer reading?

I hope you will try "A Spring Break Carol" and Telling Fortunes.  If you like them, tell others and consider leaving an honest review.