The
Trail in the Woods
by
Stanley C Straub
Genre:
Science Fiction
Something
or someone has encapsulated an entire valley on Earth.
The
story begins at an abandoned overgrown trail with the scary name of
'The Devils Tail'. The trail lies a few miles southeast of Portland
Oregon. The trail has been around for several years and has many
frightening rumors associated with it about why people disappeared
while hiking the trail. Two childhood friends get together and chat
about the trail. One of the friends, Janet Johnson, an experienced
hiker wants to hike the trail and the other Bob Wild is terrified of
the trail and doesn't want to hike it. Bob tells Janet that the
reason he is doesn't want to hike it is because people who hiked the
trail never came back. Janet thinks this is silly and just rumors.
She finally convinces Bob to reluctantly go with her on the trail.
The two of them set out on a thrilling and frightening adventure of a
lifetime. What they encounter changes their lives forever. The hike
encompasses the interactions of people from two different worlds and
the meeting of a Charles Manson type leader who thinks he is God.
Stanley
Straub was a Guided Missile Technician in the Navy and worked as an
electrical engineer in the Aerospace Industry. He is a master at
crafting technical thrillers that will capture you and thrill you
with his stories. Mr. Straub loves writing Science Fiction suspense
stories and has been honing his skills by writing spine-tingling
stories since he was in grade school. He has his own unique style. If
you like reading suspense thrillers, then you will love reading his
books. He is the author of three published thrillers, "The
Killer Within", "The Segmented Tail", and "The
Trail in the Woods".
GUEST POST
What is my writing process?
I come up with an idea in my head and
then just start writing. I have never outlined a book. I write one
chapter at a time. I do a lot of thinking about the story and
sometimes I develop it as I go along. I don't always have the ending
thought out but usually come up with the ending well before I come to
the last chapter.
What is the life of an author?
I'm married and have to take care of a
grandson, take him to school and pick him up plus haul him other
places. I don't have a set time to write but I try to write some
each day. My life doesn't revolve around my writing. My writing
revolves around my life. I usually write some in the morning and
then whenever I can during the day. I don't stay up at night to
write, at least not anymore. I did stay up at night when I wrote my
first book, The Killer Within. I was excited about it and wanted to
get it finished and published. I wrote on it for nearly twelve years
before I finally self published it. Why did it take so long to
publish it? I did an awful lot of editing the story. I kept trying
to make it better. Finally, I discovered that there comes a time
that you have to quit revising the story or you'll never get it
completed. I learned a lot from that first full-length book. Each
subsequent book has been much easier to write and I have learned to
incorporate my writing time into my ever day life. I love writing
but I let my family come first.
Why do you self publish and not try
to do traditional publishing?
When I first started, I planned on
going the traditional publishing route but after dozens of inquiries
were sent out and I received many rejection letters , I discovered
self publishing and decided that I'd rather have my books published
than going through the hassle of trying to get a book published and
then having to wait for a year or more to see it in print.
Do you have unpublished books?
I have written several short stories
over the years. I have four published books on Amazon.com, The
Killer Within, The Segmented Tail, The Trail in the Woods, A Grandma
for Nicole, and Wally and the Fisherman. I also like to write poems
from time to time. Most of my poems have been written to my wives.
However, I did write a poem about the town where I lived in. Cottage
Grove, Oregon. The name was "Our Town". It was liked by
the Cottage Grove Historical Society president and she had it
published in the local newspaper.
What kind of research do I do before
writing a book?
I don't do research usually before
starting but I have spent a lot of time doing research while I'm
writing the book. My first book The Killer Within was a medical
thriller and since I didn't have a medical background, I spent a
considerable amount of time researching medical terms and conditions.
When did you first consider yourself
a writer?
I've written stories almost all of my
life but didn't really consider myself a writer until I had written
and published my first book The Killer Within. Once I saw the
finished product and held it in my hand, I was hooked and believed
that I could call myself a writer.
Describe yourself in 5 words or
less.
I believe in life.
Which of your novels can you imagine
being made into a movie?
I believe that The Killer Within, The
Segmented Tail, and The Trail in the Woods would make good movies
that viewers would really like.
Do you have a favorite movie?
One of my favorite all time movies was
Forbidden Planet. I thought it was a very thought provoking Science
Fiction movie. I saw it when I was about 16 years old and I've never
forgotten it. In this sci-fi classic, a spacecraft travels to the
distant planet Altair IV to discover the fate of a group of
scientists sent there decades earlier. When Commander John J. Adams
(Leslie Nielsen) and his crew arrive, they discover only two people:
Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne
Francis), who was born on the remote planet. Soon, Adams begins to
uncover the mystery of what happened on Altair IV, and why Morbius
and Altaira are the sole survivors.
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