Timmy Quinn Sees Ghosts in The Turtle Boy
“All the world’s a stage, Timmy Quinn, but it’s not the only one . . . “
If you’ve ever wondered why you should be afraid of ghosts, then let Kealan Patrick Burke show you why you should fear them with his Timmy Quinn series. You see, Kealan’s ghosts are a vicious piece of work.
The Turtle Boy won the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction. Now, author Kealan Patrick Burke makes a copy of the horror novella The Turtle Boy available to you as a free downloadable PDF story.
Remember, click the mouse on the book covers to get your free copy of The Turtle Boy, The Hides and Vessels from Kealan Patrick Burke’s website — now, before they disappear.
TITLE:
THE TURTLE BOY
WRITER:
by Kealan Patrick Burke
COVER/INTERIOR ART:
Caniglia
SERIES:
Timmy Quinn Series #1
PUBLISHER:
Necessary Evil Press
LENGTH:
97pp.
GENRE:
Horror Fiction,
DESCRIPTORS:
Murder, Suicide, Good vs. Evil, Ghosts, Revenge, Horror Novella, Fathers, Sons, The Stage, The Curtain, Turtles, Delaware Ohio, Small Town Communities,
CHARACTERS:
Timmy Quinn, A boy who can see and interact with ghosts, although he doesn’t know it yet.
Mr. Paul Quinn, Timmy’s beloved father.
Mrs. Sandra Quinn, Timmy’s beloved mother.
Pete Marshall, Timmy’s best friend.
Kim Barnes, Timmy’s new friend, despite the fact that she is a girl.
Darryl, The Turtle Boy — a mysterious ghost of a young boy at Myers Lake.
Mr. Wayne Marshall, Pete’s abusive father.
Danny Richards, A boy who was killed by a train while riding his bicycle.
Lena Richards, A girl who was also caught in a train accident while riding a bicycle but survived.
SUMMARY:
Eleven-year-old Timmy Quinn and Pete Marshall are best friends and when school lets out for the Summer in Delaware, Ohio. While visiting Myers Pond when they encounter a strange kid named Darryl, who claimed to be feeding the turtles. This is the same pond that, legend had it, grew large man-eating turtles.
While Timmy’s father asks him not to go back to the pond for a while, Pete’s father reacts more violently, hitting Pete and grounding him from Timmy.
Events soon get out of hand when Timmy returns to the pond with a new friend, a girl named Kim, which sets off a series of events that brings about a bad night — a night drenched in rain, death, madness and revenge.
For dead are now able to step out from behind the curtain that separates the dead from the living and they intend to claim the revenge they so desperately hunger for.
APPEAL:
Originally published by Necessary Evil Press in February 2005, as a hardcover novella, The Turtle Boy went on to win the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction (which are stories longer than a short story and shorter than a novel — includes novellas and novelettes).
Last year Kealan Patrick Burke made The Turtle Boy, along with the next two books in the series, available as a free download from his website. The Turtle Boy is available as a PDF file and contains the image of the book as it appeared in print with black and white illustrations by Caniglia. The artwork suffers in this reproduction but the story is definitely in tact.
The Turtle Boy begins the life of Timmy Quinn from the Summer his power first manifested at Lake Myers in Delaware, Ohio. By the end of that tale, Timmy’s life is irrevocably changed — damaged even. That he can see and interact with ghosts is a physical manifestation of a deeper change that begins inside.
Because he does not understand what is going on — is only barely aware that Darryl is a ghost — he has no way out of a trap that has been laid for him. He is a child — a bright child — but only a child.
The characterization is expert and the mystery — who killed Darryl — is one Timmy can’t solve, although a sharp reader will (and if you don’t get it, the answer is made clear in The Hides). Kealan doesn’t talk down to the reader but takes you by the hand and begins a horrific tale in the most innocent way possible.
At this time, The Turtle Boy is sold out, as is The Hides and the third book Vessels could sell out at any time.
However, for the last year and for a while longer, you can get all three books as free downloads from Kealan’s website. Click here to find and download all three books in the Timmy Quinn series If you read it, you’re invited to tell Mr. Burke what you thought of it on his blog: Something Stirs.
READALIKES:
If you like The Turtle Boy, you might want to try the next three stories in the Timmy Quinn series: The Hides, Vessels and the soon to be published “prequel” The Turtle Boy: Peregrine’s Tale which will hopefully set the stage for the projected final book tentatively called Nemesis.
Additional Posts:
A Present from Kealan Patrick Burke
A Gift I’d Love: Master of the Moors
March’s Book Cover Spotlight: Seldom Seen in August
- Horror Books: The Turtle Boy
- Kealan’s Horror Short Story Collection
- Horror Books: The Hides
- Take a Peek at Peekers
- Horror Books: Vessels
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