Blog Posts for Cliff J. Burns

"So Dark the Night" (on audio)

Cliff J. Burns — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:55:39 -0800

Thanks to my techno-savvy wife, I finally figured out how to add an audio excerpt of my supernatural thriller SO DARK THE NIGHT onto Redroom. Click on the "Media" section beside this post and you'll find an MP3 of me reading from the most exciting, intoxicating occult/paranormal novel since Jack Torrance took on the job of winter caretaker at the Overlook. And it features a winning ...

Burns on Audio

Cliff J. Burns — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:28:04 -0800

Well, it took some doing but I finally figured out how to add a page to my Beautiful Desolation blog that is specifically devoted to the short stories, poems and novel excerpts I've recorded over the past two years.This has been a long time coming and I'm delighted to offer audio presentations of my work to my readers, for free listening and downloading. Many of the recordings feature soundtracks ...

Hallowe'en offering

Cliff J. Burns — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:32:59 -0700

Moments ago I added an offering to my Beautiful Desolation blog that's a tip o' the hat to All Hallow's Eve and an acknowledgement of the crushing depression I've been experiencing over the past couple of days. Brain chemistry can be a bitch.I've taken an 18th century poem by Lord Byron and added music I created through Garageband. The end result is a chilling piece that ought to raise the ...

New story added to RedRoom

Cliff J. Burns — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:36:36 -0700

Added a new story to RedRoom, in my view the best bit of prose I've composed this year. It's called "The Future" and you'll find it in the Articles and Stories section, in the column to the right of this posting.A bittersweet offering, with a coming-of-age angle. It's part of a short story cycle that's posted on my main blog, Beautiful Desolation, which is the exclusive venue for my ...

New Fiction! Free Reading! Listen to it on audio!

Cliff J. Burns — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:36:08 -0700

Whoo hoo! Finally got around to adding one of my favorite recent short stories, "DeathThreats", to my blog. If you are cursed by mortal fears, have a dread of dying, this is the tale for you. Mordant without being morbid, evocative, chilling and funny.Pop over to my blog and either listen to it or download the PDF--no charge, as free as Woodstock (without the bad drugs). And do ...

"The Departed" (Available for listening)

Cliff J. Burns — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:24:45 -0700

Sherron tells me I've really got something with the latest audio piece I've added to my blog. It's called "The Departed" and it's another little beauty from my growing file of audio samples, themes and atmopsheres.Scamper over to Beautiful Desolation, plug in your headphones...and give it a listen. You're welcome to download it --and any of the other stuff on my site--onto iPhones, ...

Music and Words

Cliff J. Burns — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:42:20 -0700

Now this one I'm proud of.My wife and sons have been telling me I'm really starting to make some cool sounds with my Garageband program...so I decided to post one of my recent pieces on my blog. Hoping to get folks downloading it onto their iPods or iPhones...or whatever the hell it is they're listening to stuff on these days. Frankly, I get lost trying to keep track of all the different ...

Listen to me read 3 short short stories

Cliff J. Burns — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:27:06 -0700

I'm finally working up the nerve to explore some of the amazing things this iMac can do: movies, music, you name it. This weekend I recorded three of my favorite prose poems (short short stories), added some incidental music and sound FX and posted them on my blog.I'm a ham, I admit it, and having the chance to perform this trio of stories, compose music in Garageband and edit it all into a ...

Four New Stories!

Cliff J. Burns — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:18:19 -0700

I've alluded to the four short stories that made my summer a living hell--well, now you can go to my blog and read them...and then tell me if the abuse I put my body, mind and spirit through was worth it.Personally, kids, I have my doubts. I haven't been this beat up by a writing project in a long time and, frankly, I might be getting too old for this shit. Like a punchdrunk fighter, showing ...