By His Hand – a novelette by William R. Perry
This sounds kind of crazy. 
I woke up in early November 2022, having had one of the most vivid and scary nightmares I’ve EVER had. It was very real in that a great deal of it was derived from reality. The people, places, and situations involved are, for the most part, exactly as they exist in my life. The dream was so shocking that when I shared the premise of it with my wife, she asked me not to tell her any more about it.
I’ve been narrating an anthology of horror stories for Red Cape Publishing and I reached out to the gentleman that hired me to tell him about it. I thought that it might make a strong premise for a short story for one of his books. He asked me if I intended to write it. I do some writing for some websites, but not writing fiction.
I wrote it pretty quickly, as it was all still very vivid and quite emotion–driven. I sent it off to an author that is a friend of mine (that also teaches writing), a friend I met on Instagram that is a horror fan, and a copy to the publisher. I imagined that they would give me LOTS of notes to improve it or perhaps re-write it.
To my complete surprise, none did. They really enjoyed it and (with a few punctuation errors) it was ready for publication.
The story is called “By His Hand” and it will be published for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, Kobo and other retailers on February 17th, 2023 by Red Cape Publishing. I created the cover art, and because I already read books for Audible, I narrate the audiobook as well.
I’ve linked the image on the right and those buttons below to send you to Amazon/B&N/Audible/Kobo. They will allow you to buy the book in eBook format for .99 on pre-sale. Audible audiobooks will be available in mid-February. The print book should be available by the end of the month on Amazon and other retailers. I hope you’ll give it a read and enjoy it.
Here’s the book’s jacket description:
“It began when Bill’s hands began to cramp in odd and painful grips each morning. He finds himself helpless as his body grows progressively more numb each day. His illness is a medical mystery. Although his mind is sharp and active, he can only watch as he inexplicably withers and decays into complete paralysis.
Awaking on his 40th day in the hospital, his family and friends from church find that he is miraculously cured. Bill’s hands and limbs have begun to move and feel, but they do so with a life all of their own. Bill is still trapped, defenseless within his own body. Whatever is controlling his actions has a dark and terrifying intent, yet no one sees beyond his miraculous healing.“
PRE-SALE BEGINS JAN. 29, 2023 - LAUNCHES FEB. 17, 2023
Other places to purchase By His Hand
Kobo, Walmart: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/
BingeBooks: https://bingebooks.com/book/
NOOK Audiobooks: https://www.barnesandnoble.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/
Libro.FM: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/
Storytel: https://www.storytel.com/se/
Reviews:
William R. Perry’s ‘By His Hand’ is an amazing read by a wonderfully natural writer. The narrative is easy to appreciate: it’s a police transcript of some handwritten notes, written by a church-going family man who starts losing control of his hands. First to arthritis, and then… to something far more sinister. There are scenes of true horror, grounded on atmosphere and feeling (not gore); there’s an unforgettable scene in the middle of the story, where the narrative, striving for no effect, nothing feeling forced, managed in the most skilled and confident way to shock me (I mean the ‘RELEASE ME’ scene; trying to keep my review spoiler-free here!) I loved this and highly recommend it!
Milt Theo
posted to Amazon.com
*****
He gets you from the first page and takes you on a harrowing ride. The Steven King influences are obvious, and in the best way. It’s a quick read, but don’t be surprised if it sticks with you right into your dreams (or nightmares). A great first novel(ette) and I want more!
Amazon Customer
posted to Amazon.com
****
“By His Hand is a unique murder mystery written in the form of a police report. William Parson recounts the events that led to a string of murders and blames it all on an unknown spirit. By the end of the book, I was questioning whether he was telling the truth or avoiding blame. William Parson is such a complex character; his story sounds plausible, but the evidence piled up against him is beyond a reasonable doubt. William R. Perry makes the reader the lead investigator in this case and makes you question the validity of William Parson’s claims. This story blew my mind. The creative plotline and writing style were new to me, and I loved everything about it. I cannot wait to read more books from this author. Amazing story.”
Luwi Nyakansaila
posted to Readers’ Favorite
*****
“I went in knowing NOTHING about this book (other than the genre, which of course I am a big fan of) and I can honestly say it did not disappoint. I appreciate the dark tone of this story and the author did a great job at setting the mood from the start. I can typically see things coming a mile away, but I honestly did not expect a certain event to transpire the way it did, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome (I’d add more details but don’t want to spoil it for anyone). Even found myself responding out loud to some of the events in this book. Dark, twisted, and violent with a great story to back it up. Highly recommend.”
derezzed14
posted to Barnes & Noble.com
****
“From the initial first page grab, I couldn’t put this story down. Starting with the very familiar life and church events in a well known Southern California town, to literally your very worst nightmare. Shocking to say the least, which makes for a fantastic and very well written story. I want to read more!”
Kimberly D.
posted to Goodreads.com
****
Great read by first-time author William Perry. Don’t read this at night if you are home alone. Also do not read if you have to go out by yourself into the night. I hope this is the first of many books from this author. Thank you for a great book. Read in one sitting.
Hinga53 – Melbourne, AU
posted to Barnes & Noble.com