Jeffrey Calhoun
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STORY BY Jeffrey Calhoun
Confessions of a DPH Addict
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Confessions of a DPH Addict by Jeffrey Calhoun is a psychological horror novel presented as a fragmented diary written by a sixteen-year-old high school student whose grip on reality deteriorates alongside his escalating dependence on diphenhydramine. The entries are deliberately disordered, misnumbered, and unreliable, forcing the reader to question not only what is being confessed, but *when*—and whether any of it can be trusted at all. The diary becomes less a record of events and more a hostile object, a mirror that distorts memory, time, and identity. As Irina sinks deeper into addiction, hallucinations bleed into waking life: shadows linger too long, rooms warp and breathe, and the recurring figure of the Hatman—a tall, faceless presence lurking at the edge of perception—emerges as both symptom and symbol. Each entry reveals a mind attempting to document itself while actively unraveling, where fear no longer comes from chaos, but from the terrifying normalization of it. The horror does not rely on sudden violence, but on erosion—of memory, of selfhood, of the boundary between thought and reality. At its core, the novel explores addiction as a form of psychological possession: a slow rewriting of internal truth until self-destruction feels like routine. The diary’s mistrustworthiness becomes its greatest weapon, implicating the reader in the act of interpretation and forcing them to navigate gaps, contradictions, and moments that seem to predict themselves. Confessions of a DPH Addict is not a cautionary tale in the traditional sense—it is an intimate descent into dissociation, where the most frightening question is not what happened, but who is still writing
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Laura Swanson
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Laura Swanson is a neo-noir detective novel driven by observation, contradiction, and uneasy partnership. Laura Swanson is a private investigator in alternate history Victorian England whose talent lies in noticing what others instinctively smooth over—the pauses in conversation, the habits that betray intent, the lies people tell themselves before telling anyone else. When Evan Holt collapses and dies in a coffee shop at dawn, the death is ruled a heart attack almost immediately. Laura knows better. Her certainty draws the reluctant attention of Detective Mark Bell a recently promoted homicide detective whose instincts are sound but untested. Where Laura operates on ruthless logic and long-earned cynicism, Bell still believes procedure can protect truth. Forced together by circumstance and curiosity, Swanson and Bell form an uneasy alliance. Laura reconstructs the crime through behavioral analysis and deduction, while Bell navigates the institutional resistance that prefers simple answers. As they dig deeper, the murder reveals itself not as a single act, but as a sequence of quiet decisions—financial, emotional, and moral—that made Evan Holt disposable. Written in a neo-noir tone with a Sherlockian analytical voice the novel explores trust between unlikely allies, the friction between logic and bureaucracy, and the loneliness of those who see too clearly. Together, Swanson and Bell chase a truth neither could reach alone—one that implicates not just a killer, but the system that allowed the murder to pass unnoticed. Written in a neo-noir tone with a Sherlockian voice. The novel blends cold logic with moral exhaustion. It explores isolation, performative innocence, and the cost of seeing too clearly in a world that prefers comforting explanations. As Laura moves closer to the truth, she confronts not just a killer, but a system that relies on people like her to notice everything—while belonging nowhere.
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The Fall of One Matthias Bernard
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This book tells the ruthless story of Matthias Bernard, who lights his first cigarette at 15 and signs, without knowing it, the contract for his own early death. By 40, his lungs are ruined, his body is failing, and the cancer growing inside him is just the final word on a choice he kept making every day. As he lies dying, every cough feels like a bill coming due for all the “harmless” smokes he once laughed about with his friends. He sees clearly that cigarettes did not just kill him; they stole his breath, his chances, his ordinary joys, and decades of life he should have had. With what little strength he has left, Matthias begs anyone younger than him to listen: do not start smoking, because it will not just hurt you—it will take everything from you and leave you with nothing but regret.
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Breathe with the Arrow
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In the summer of 1954, nine-year-old Shirley travels from Tulsa to rural Oklahoma to stay with her grandparents. Her grandfather, a strict and stoic World War I veteran, runs the household with rigid discipline, while her grandmother Jolene offers gentle warmth and kindness. Shirley soon meets Cecil, their teenage grandson, who spends his days practicing archery in the fields. He teaches her how to hold a bow, how to focus, and how to trust her aim, and the two form a quiet, meaningful bond over the weeks they spend together. But when Cecil suddenly contracts polio and dies, the summer takes a heartbreaking turn. Shirley returns home carrying both the grief of losing him and the confidence he helped spark—an unforgettable summer shaped by discipline, tenderness, and a brief friendship that changed her life.
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Hollywood Lied
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This book follows Jody Keller, a former child star whose brief brush with fame in the 1990s never really let go of him. As a five-year-old, he played the lead in a low-budget horror film called Monsters in the Closet, where he was the terrified kid who knew something lived behind his bedroom door while the adults refused to believe him. The movie demanded raw, convincing fear from him, blurring the line between acting and genuine terror, and imprinting closets, darkness, and the idea of a human monster named Georgie Matthews Junior deep into his psyche. The film bombed and quietly disappeared, but the psychological fallout didn't.
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1917
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We follow the story of Jeremiah South, a curious and imaginative ten-year-old boy growing up in an American town in Mongomery, Alabama during one of the most transformative years in history. As 1917 unfolds, Jeremiah's world shifts dramatically, both on a global scale and in his personal life. The backdrop of World War I looms large, as older boys from his town enlist to fight overseas, and families, including Jeremiah's, grapple with fear and uncertainty. Jeremiah watches as his brother joins the war effort, leaving behind his family and his home. The sense of duty and patriotism conflicts with the personal sacrifices many must make, and Tommy begins to understand the complexities of loyalty, courage, and loss. At school, Jeremiah learns about the world beyond Montgomery — from the suffragette movement advocating for women’s rights to the technological advances that are transforming everyday life. The book captures how these larger events intersect with the innocence of childhood, as Jeremiah navigates friendships, family responsibilities, and the simple joys of being a child during a difficult time in history.
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Rewind
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*Rewind* by Jeffrey Calhoun is a dark, introspective coming‑of‑age novel that blurs the line between psychological realism and surreal horror. The story follows William Woodruff,, a teenager growing up in a fractured family marked by neglect, addiction, and handed‑down violence. After enduring emotional and physical trauma, William begins to lose his grip on reality—hears voices, experiences blackouts, and forgets entire years of his life. Doctors diagnose him with *retrograde amnesia* and later *encephalopathy*, but the true cause lies in deep psychological and generational wounds. Narrated in fragmented, time‑bending vignettes, the book weaves together visits from his troubled grandfather, memories of his best friend Toby’s persecution for being gay, and his relationship with Maya, a girl who becomes both his anchor and his mirror. As William’s perception deteriorates, hallucination and memory merge, forcing him to confront whether his “rewind” wish—a desire to start life over—is real or a symbol of psychotic collapse. Through its nonlinear structure and shifting tone—part confession, part fever dream—*Rewind* explores trauma, mental illness, love, and survival. It’s less about the events themselves than about how memory distorts them, asking what remains of a person when the mind rewrites its own story.
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1968
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1968 follows the journey of an eighteen-year-old navigating the turbulence of 1960s San Francisco. Isaac grows up in a middle-class family with traditional expectations, but as the Vietnam War intensifies, he begins to question the values he was raised with. Drawn to the city’s growing anti-war movement, Isaac becomes involved with student activists, musicians, and draft resisters who challenge him to think critically about duty, morality, and identity. When he receives his draft notice, Isaac makes the life-altering decision to refuse induction, believing he cannot in good conscience participate in a war he sees as unjust. His defiance leads to public protests, tense confrontations with his family, and ultimately his arrest. While in jail, Isaac wrestles with fear, guilt, and doubt, but also finds unexpected solidarity among other conscientious objectors. Through this experience, he learns that coming of age means not only discovering what you stand for, but being willing to face the consequences. By the end of the novel, Isaac emerges with a stronger sense of purpose and an unshakable commitment to living by his principles, even in the face of profound sacrifice.
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Armour
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The Princess Eliza of Eldritch has been kidnapped. In a kingdom shadowed by intrigue and unrest, hope seems lost—until Ian, a humble coal miner with dreams beyond the darkness of the earth, is thrust into a destiny he never imagined. When a chance encounter at the village tavern leads him to Oswald, a mysterious outcast with knowledge of a knight seeking an apprentice, Ian seizes the opportunity to escape his lot and pursue greatness.
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The Amethyst Flame
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The village of Colmer is devastated by a plague. Its only hope is two brothers divided by their beliefs in magic. When Jethro ventures into the depths of the forest to find a wizard who can heal the village, Arthur has to find his brother before anything or anyone can harm him. With the forest's secrets unveiling at every turn and the hopes of their people riding on their shoulders, can Arthur and Jethro find the cure and each other in time?
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