Tales from God’s Teeth are small slices of Appalachian life, just the briefest of glimpses into a world of monsters and darkness hidden away in the hollers and wilds of the east coast. Ground down by eons, they might not be as impressive as the Rockies or the Himalyas, but the Appalachians hide more than their fair share of secrets. From forgotten coal towns to modern cities, life can vary wildy in Appalachia, and no matter where you are you’re never really too far away from the mountains and for the folks that call the area home, remembering that can be the difference between life and death. Tread carefully in God’s Teeth, your life might depend on it.
Dear Julie
Dear Julie is the first collection of short stories set in God’s Teeth, otherwise known as the Appalachian Mountains. Spurred on by a mysterious and grisly letter from her uncle, Julie sets out to find him with her friend Jack in tow. Told through emails, can our narrator catch up to them in time? What will they find in God’s Teeth?
Dear Julie,
If you’re reading this then I’m dead, there’s no two ways about it. Actually, it’s more like you’re reading this because I’m dead. I wouldn’t have sent this email if I thought there was any hope of seeing you again.
Now, at this point I could say something along the lines of stop reading this if you value your life, your safety, and even your sanity. But I know you won’t. I know there’s nothing I could write that would dissuade you from reading the rest of this letter and that’s good. It would be too cliché anyway, everyone always reads the rest of the letter. You need to know what’s happened, but if by some chance you truly want to remain ignorant of the true nature of the world, then for God’s sake, you really should stop reading right now.
Still with me, Julie? Good. I knew you would be.
Assuming my body’s still in the garage, I’m sure that everyone thinks that I’ve committed suicide. That’s good. Let them keep on thinking that, the police, the public, even the rest of the family, it’ll be better that way. Maybe if they think I did it myself there won’t be much of an investigation and that’ll be the end of it, of all of this. God, it’s such a mess. But they might do it that way […]
