Free Pooka Read
Posted Wed, 02/22/12
In honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day, I'm providing a free read of Foofer, the Pooka & St. Patrick.
The book can be read online in its entirety from now until March 17th. The eight chapters are provided on linked pages, with graphics not available in the Kindle or Nook editions of the short story. In addition, a little Irish ditty known as the Road to Lisdoonvarna plays in a quick loop on the first page only.
I used to provide the free preview every year (from 2002 onwards), but after Foofer died in 2007 I didn't have the heart to continue the tradition. Four years on, I don't miss him any less yet feel more comfortable about offering a full perusal into his adventure with the Irish Pooka.
When Foofer first sees the Pooka:
Foofer wasn't sure if he was dreaming or awake until he found himself staring into the face of one of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen. This in itself was amazing, but more amazing still was that the creature - whoever and whatever it was - had managed to sneak up on Foofer without waking him. The reason Foofer thought he might be dreaming was that there was a hazy mist surrounding the creature, almost as if it were in a fog. Foofer lay still as his eyes drank in the sight of this inhuman being. There was no other way to describe the creature but as horrific and certainly not human at all.
Foofer looked with eyes wide open, and he could barely contain the growl that was forming in his throat. The creature had horns sprouting out of the sides of his temples, and ears protruded from his face. His eyes were mere slits, and there was a golden ring through his nose. The apparition's lips were long and thin, and bottom fangs shot up to almost reach the tip of his flattened nose. Fine wisps of light-red hair fell over the creature's head and around his neck. He was not very tall - maybe three feet - and he was wearing a green tunic with a knotted gold thread around his neck.
And the creature kept staring...
Out of all eleven titles available in the Short Tales Collection, Foofer, the Pooka & St. Patrick sells more than the rest by a wide margin. To date, it remains the most popular book in the collection.
Click here to read the story in full.
Tags: Foofer; Short Tales Collection