Wrinkled Shorts

By Steve Umstead

Wrinkled Shorts
A collection of five short stories from the author of the top-rated Gabriel science fiction trilogy
~Includes the previously unreleased short story, Dreamshift!

Incursion (science fiction): A young boy working on his village's plantation watches as alien craft scream overhead. His first emotion is excitement... until the technologically superior aliens start shooting. He has no choice but to grow up quickly, becoming one of his village's most trusted defenders. What does human nature mean?

The Awakening (science fiction): Robert has been running the Monhegan Island-to-mainland Maine ferry for years. This morning, however, he and his boat are greeted by mysterious lights emanating from the small rocky island. No one greets him when he ties up to the dock, and not a structure is in sight - all the houses and buildings have disappeared. All he sees is a curtain of light. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he steps through the curtain...

Special Delivery (horror): Kerry Jensen is nervous about her upcoming blind date, and one glass of wine isn't doing the trick. Before she has an opportunity to pour a second, there's a knock at her door. Her blind date is early, but it's an unexpected package that will change the rest of her night -- and possibly her life.

Opt-Out (suspense): A massive global social network announces an initiative to encourage its nearly one billion users to donate organs and body parts with just the click of a mouse. Millions of potential transplant recipients rejoice, but there is a dark side. For a young, newly engaged professional in Portland Oregon, that dark side arrives wearing a smile and designer suit during a chance encounter at a train station.

Dreamshift (scifi/suspense): Jeremy is a college student, struggling to make ends meet. After hearing of a sleep experiment than pays handsomely he eagerly signs up. The tests seem innocent enough, the reasoning behind them intriguing, but the end result may cost Jeremy more than he’ll ever earn. Can dreams tell the future, or are they in fact the future itself?
~Never before released!

Completely made up Frequently Asked Questions of Wrinkled Shorts:

Q: Why is it called Wrinkled Shorts?
A: Steve has never been very good at ironing. His Author Page/Twitter profile image was taken overlooking a vineyard in St. Tropez, France during a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, but all anyone ever talks about are the wrinkled shorts he wore. Oh, and the bird poo on the light post, but “Bird Poo” was rejected as a title early on in the process.

Q: Why is buying a collection of short stories better than buying them individually?
A: You save money. Jeez.

Q: Speaking of money, why does this collection, which combined isn’t even half the length of a novel, cost three bucks?
A: Steve needs a better iron. Plus, each story provides a solid 15-30 minutes of enjoyment, adding up to several hours of intense reading pleasure. How long did the intense pleasure last from your last Starbucks triple-half-caff-skinny-vanilla? And don’t count the burned tongue or acid reflux.

Q: Is there anywhere we can donate to buy Steve new shorts? I mean actual shorts, not short stories.
A: No, but we’re sure he’d appreciate a download or two... perhaps even a review. And he won’t tell anyone his waist size anyway.

Q: Can I return one of the stories if I don’t like it and get 20% of my purchase price back?
A: Seriously?

Q: I love these stories so much, Steve is so talented, I hope he writes some more!
A: Mom, I told you never to post here...

Q: Will Steve be writing any erotic shorts soon?
A: MOM!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Umstead
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301639595

Steve Umstead

Steve Umstead has been the owner of a Caribbean & Mexico travel company for the past ten years, but never forgot his lifelong dream of becoming an author. After a successful stab at National Novel Writing Month, he decided to pursue his dream more vigorously...but hasn't given up the traveling. Steve lives in scenic (tongue-in-cheek) New Jersey with his wife, two kids, and several bookshelves full of other authors' science fiction novels. More information is at SteveUmstead.com, and you can always find him on Twitter (@SteveUmstead).

Book preview