My latest short story, “The Case of the Troll with No Eyes,” is in the new anthology Unveiled Secrets. Released September 22nd by Fantasia Divinity Publishing, Unveiled Secrets features eleven detective fantasy stories and is available on Amazon HERE.

As I mentioned in my last post, I write mostly dark and grim horror stories, but my fantasy tales are typically light and heartfelt and just plain fun to write. And “The Case of the Troll with No Eyes” is the most fun I’ve had writing a story. It’s pure cornball comedy.

An urban fantasy whodunit, “The Case of the Troll with No Eyes” features an oddball detective duo on the case. Ben, a human hard-boiled detective, is teamed up with Cal, a smart alecky fairy who’s watched waaaay too many Netflix standup comedy specials. Cal fancies himself a comedic genius, and everyone at the precinct calls him the “Netflixie Pixie.” It’s not a compliment. Cal was born to annoy humans.

Here’s what Cal’s wearing when we first meet him:

“A bright red pointy cap covered Cal’s bald pate, but that is where the similarities to his fairy brethren ended. Cal wore lime-green high-top sneakers, ripped acid wash jeans, and a T-shirt with a photograph of rock-and-roll band Stray Cats on the front.”

A fashionista, Cal ain’t. I won’t lie. His jokes are wince-inducing bad. Every single time he delivers a joke he thinks is funny, Cal says something like, “Boom! The Calmeister drops the mic!” But Ben tolerates it because Cal is actually a talented investigator.

After I write a story, I like to think about what influenced it after the fact. In this case, I clearly used Wallace Shawn’s Vizzini from The Princess Bride film as a model for Cal’s personality. I even hear Shawn’s voice when Cal talks. “Inconceivable!”

I packed “The Case of the Troll with No Eyes” with lots of intrigue, including (surprise!) a dead troll with no eyes, a suspicious centaur, an even more suspicious witch, and a debate between Cal and the centaur about whether Pluto is actually a real planet. It’s pretty intense, folks.

If that’s not enough to tempt your taste buds, Cal sings “Proud Mary,” “Take On Me,” and a Billy Joel song from 1980. If nothing else, Cal does have good taste in music.

So, if you’re looking for a fun read, check out “The Case of the Troll with No Eyes” in Unveiled Secrets. Until next time, have an awesome day and thank you for reading.