Maynard Sims

Death’s Sweet Echo is the 10th collection of stories from legendary horror writers Len Maynard and Mick Sims under their pen name, Maynard and Sims. These thirteen tales are not just your average bland ghost stories but a masterful blend of thought-provoking, chill-producing paranormal fiction.

The collection includes stories, such as “Glorious Dilapidation,” a tale about an abandoned house in the woods that only comes back to life when it’s time to claim a new unfortunate victim. show more “Hoping He Wouldn’t Be Too Late” redefines the old adage you can’t go home again to maybe you shouldn’t even try, while the mind-twisting tale of “I’m Here” will leave you scratching your head and wondering was it all real or just a fantasy.

“The Sweet Decay of Youth” highlights the petty shallowness of its characters, who, while each is sunk in their own thoughts, allows one young man to make sure his friends will always stay together, forever. “Silver” is a cautionary tale about a young girl who just can’t help falling for bad boys and her poor father who is left with the sorrow of her choices, whereas “And It Goes Like This” spins a sad tale of talent lost and endless possibilities cut short. “Just the Way It Is” begins with two widowed friends sharing cigars and telling the tale of a fallen politician who should not have made a fool of his wife. Not only does Richard Randolph lose his wife, his kids, his home and his political career he also loses his mind then his life. This lovely little cautionary tale of a woman done wrong raises the questions was Randolph the victim of a vampire, his own or his wife’s witchcraft, or maybe he just went mad with guilt.

“The Waltzer King” spins another cautionary tale of women and witchcraft – when Gloria Cooper tells young Judd Harrison to stay away from her granddaughter, he really should have listened. “Cold Comfort” tells the tale of Amrit, who makes energy cold calls and was unfortunate enough to dial David’s number – Amrit can only listen in growing horror to David’s story.

“Restitution” is the final cautionary tale about listening to your elders, in which a well-meaning social worker unwittingly returns the one hundred and fifty year old angry spirit of a sixteen year old girl to the home she was supposed to live in with bloody consequences.

Some of my favorites in this collection included “Another Bite of the Cherry,” a well told, devilishly twisted tale about love betrayed. It features a man so dedicated to his love that he has searched through the centuries for the perfect woman to revive her, only to find out that his resurrected lover is fickle. Women can be very touchy about their ages especially when a man doesn’t get that part as nearly as right as she would have liked. “I Hear His Footsteps Drawing Near“ is the terrifying story of a woman wronged and the vengeance she takes on any man unfortunate enough to cross her path. For years her spirit has wreaked its vengeance, until she meets one woman who believes in the man she loves enough to uncover the truth. It’s a true horror story featuring an angry spirit and possession but it’s the additional surprising emotional factor of the loss and perceived betrayal of a loved one that makes this tale a real stand-out. “Guilt Casts a Long Shadow” is about Martin, a flat out rat, who’s gotten people fired, broken up relationships and even slept with his own brothers wife, but now his lifetime of guilt has built up and is starting to leak out of his subconscious as he sleeps. So Martin tells all of his evil deeds to the vicar of St. Andrews thinking that if he tells someone it will make more room inside him and the guilt will stop leaking out. Martin thinks of himself as a survivor and that all the evil things he’s done has been because he had to; he has no regret for what he’s done and cares nothing at all for penance. I love this one for two reasons: first, because who doesn’t like the satisfaction of someone get just what they deserve? And secondly, the idea of using one’s own guilt as shadows to get revenge is such an original and aptly cunning idea.

All in all, the thirteen tales in Death’s Sweet Echo are sure to have a little something to make everyone cringe in horror and will leave you well satisfied. show less

After a rough divorce and a debilitating car accident, romance author Beth Alvarini is left paralyzed from the waist down and desperately in need of a new look on life. Her agent finds her the perfect lease in rural Suffolk, Stillwater; a place to rest, recuperate and begin a new book. At first Beth is totally taken with Stillwater, and its property manager James. Things slowly begin to happen within the house, however, that leads Beth to believe something is amiss. When neighbors begin to show more relay stories of the past owners, Beth thinks that she has the mystery of Stillwater figured out; but the Stillwater ghost has other ideas for Beth.
Set in modern day England, this was a slow burning horror. Beth’s character, strong, brave and fiercely independent was the perfect person to attempt to figure out Stillwater’s brutal story. The mystery of the past family and the slight glimpses into what might have happened there kept me intrigued. While there wasn’t much outright horror or gore, there was plenty to keep me on the edge of my seat and keep reading. I really liked that almost everything that was happening to Beth could be explained by natural phenomenon, making her think that she was relapsing into a breakdown. With several twists and turns near the end, Stillwater ends with a different outlook.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review. show less

Review copy

Maynard Sims is actually a "they." Len Maynard and Michael Sims have been writing together for more than forty years. In addition to supernatural thrillers, like Convalescence, they also write stories in the thriller, mystery, and suspense genres.

Although short on words, coming in at only 87 pages, Convalescence is long on story.

James Bently, fourteen, is the only member of his family to survive an outbreak of tuberculosis. Sent to live with his uncle Thomas, at his sprawling show more estate, it's not long before he hears what sounds like a child crying. Later, he begins to communicate with a mysterious entity on the property. With the aide of a house maid, sixteen-year-old, Amy, the riddle is eventually solved only to reveal a horrifying truth about what had taken place at his uncle's house.

Reading Convalescence was like stepping briefly into another time and place. The prose was lyrical and I loved the bits with James' little transistor radio, his only link to the outside world and British pop music of 1965. All in all, this was a truly wonderful ghost story.

From Samhain Horror, Convalescence will b available as an e-book on November 3, 2015.

If you are a fan of ghost stories you don't want to miss this one. show less

Review copy

This is my first time reading anything from Maynard Sims, so I thought I should check him out, turns out Maynard Sims is actually a "they." Len Maynard and Michael Sims have been writing together for more than forty years. In addition to supernatural thrillers, like Stillwater, they also write thrillers, mystery, and suspense.

Although, set in modern times, Stillwater, is an old-fashioned ghost story. This is not hit-you-over-the-head-until-you-bleed horror. Instead, it's a rather show more quiet story of a successful romance writer, wheel-chair bound after a terrible accident, who rents a somewhat secluded property to work on her next novel. What she didn't expect was the ghost that came with the house.

I enjoyed the way Beth Alvarini, the writer in the story, didn't run screaming from the property, but instead tried to learn everything she could about the circumstances leading to the death of the teen-aged girl who now haunts Stillwater.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this nice diversion from the hard-core horror I've been reading of late. Although, a bit slow out of the gate, Stillwater picked up the pace and finished strong and is definitely a ghost story I can recommend.

Published by Samhaim Horror, Stillwater is available now, both in paperback and ebook formats. show less