I’ve launched a new web series on Wattpad. Soulburn is a paranormal thriller, darker than my usual fare and definitely adult-oriented.

As I often do with webserials, I’m launching this with the first few episodes (amounting to about two chapters) already in the can. I’ve found that having a small cushion puts enough pressure on me to continue the story, while not inducing panic (at least until inaction reduces or eliminates the cushion, anyway). Here’s to hope!

The title and story came to me as I was driving to work one morning. I happened to be listening to Alice Cooper’s album The Last Temptation and the track in particular was Lullaby. My car, being a convertible, is pretty noisy, and my brain doesn’t always do the best job of processing song lyrics anyway. So at the last line of the refrain, “I smell your sulfur smell,” I heard “I smell your soul burn smell.” An interesting thought… what would a burned soul smell like? The plot, or at least the synopsis, began constructing itself as I continued the commute.

What’s it about? Read on…

There’s a special place in Hell for those who abuse their authority, and Ronald Guyton abused his with gusto. But on his way to his final reward, he finds himself diverted.

Damned souls return to Earth, looking to pull a few more of the living over the edge into Hell. It is now Guyton’s job to find them—and send them back, by whatever means necessary.

But when he finds a young woman with the telltale soulburn, Guyton begins to wonder who is the prey in this hunt. With his own soul on the line, he has to choose between mercy and forgiveness—or justice.

With WriteOn long gone (and I do miss it), I’ve put this story on WattPad. I hope you’ll check it out, leave a comment if you’re inclined, and let other people know about it.