☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ with M.C.V. EGAN: Nothing Good Happens After Midnight A Suspense Magazine Anthology Genre: Suspense, Thriller Edited by Jeffery Deaver

THE ORIGNS OF MY STORY, ATM

By Jon Land

ATM, my story that appears at the very end of Nothing Good Happens After Midnight, was born on Saturday, November 16, on the New York City subway’s A train heading for the 207^th Street stop. I remember that so clearly because I was on my way to a tailgate party preceding the Brown University vs. Columbia football game, a game destined to become Brown’s first Ivy League win in three years. The due date for my contribution to the anthology was coming up and I was planning on penning it the following week.

Even though I had no idea what I was going to write about.

Well, that’s not entirely true. See, I count “The Twilight Zone” as the foremost influence on my style of short story writing. And fellow fans of that Rod Serling classic will recall that many of the episodes features something Alfred Hitchcock might have called the McGuffin, generally an object on which the action is centered around. None other than William Shatner appeared as a newlywed in one held hostage by a fortune telling machine in “Nick of Time”. A pair of glasses played a pivotal role in the classic “Time Enough at Last” starring Burgess Meredith. A stop watch takes center stage in the similarly themed “A Kind of Stopwatch,” that same kind of role played by a camera that takes pictures of the future in “A Most Unusual Camera.”

So I didn’t have a story yet that fall Saturday when I stepped aboard the A Train, though I knew it would be in the tradition of those Twilight Zone benchmarks. I took my seat and was greeted by an advertisement across the aisle that included a Venn diagram.

Hmmmmmm, I thought, Venn would make an interesting name for my hero. So what if he was riding the very same A Train headed to the same bar where the pre-football game tailgate was being held? And what if he was a male hustler? I’d never written a character like that, so I knew I had something even before the notion of Venn being down on his luck and down to his last forty bucks conjured the notion of an Automatic Teller Machine he visits in my mind.

Not just any ATM, of course, an ATM straight out of the Twilight Zone. Sitting there on that train, I came up with the idea of an ATM that dispenses more than money, an ATM that would, essentially, change Venn’s life forever and for the better. And, just like that, I had my story. Not the specifics yet, but those would come.

And come they did! I had a vision of a kind of treasure hunt, with the ATM sending Venn out to complete a series of tasks he has no choice but to undertake in order to get his card back. The machine sends him to locations, though he has no idea what’s going to happen when he gets there. And even when he gets his card and money back, he still follows the machine’s instructions because it promises to take good care of him if he obliges it.

I wouldn’t know the specifics of Venn’s life-changing adventure, until I set out to put pen to paper—well, fingers to keyboard. Nor did I know what the Zone-like twist ending would be, only that the story would have one.

In those 5,000 words that comprise the story, Venn became exceptionally clear in mind and just as easy to root for. With him at the helm, the story basically wrote itself; my fingers only needed to keep up with Venn since the entire story is told from his point of view to the point where one of Suspense Publishing’s editors asked if I was going to bring him back because she couldn’t wait to meet up with him again.

All because of a ride on the New York City subway I took to a tailgate party. I might never ride the A Train again but I can’t wait to write Venn’s next adventure.

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

A Suspense Magazine Anthology

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

Edited by Jeffery Deaver

with stories by

Jeffery Deaver, Joseph Badal, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Heather Graham,

Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Shannon Kirk, Jon Land, John Lescroart,

D.P. Lyle, Kevin O' Brien, Hank Phillippi Ryan

The sun sets. The moon takes its place, illuminating the most evil corners of the planet. What twisted fear dwells in that blackness? What legends attach to those of sound mind and make them go crazy in the bright light of day? Only Suspense Magazine knows…

Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, Suspense Magazine offers up a nail-biting anthology titled: “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight.” This thrilling collection consists of thirteen original short stories representing the genres of suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more.

Readers’ favorites come together to explore the mystery of midnight. The ‘best of the best’ presenting these memorable tales, include: Joseph Badal, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Shannon Kirk, Jon Land, John Lescroart, D. P. Lyle, Kevin O’Brien, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Take their hands…walk into their worlds…but be prepared to leave the light on when you’re through. After all, this incredible gathering of authors, who will delight fans of all genres, not only utilized their award-winning imaginations to answer that age-old question of why “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight”—they also made sure to pen stories will leave you…speechless.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION By Jeffery Deaver

12:01 AM By Alan Jacobson

Cell Phone Intolerant by Kevin O’Brien

All Aboard by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Gone Forever by Joseph Badal

Night Shift by Linwood Barclay

Midnight in the Garden of Death by Heather Graham

The Sixth Decoy by Paul Kemprecos

A Creative Defense By Jeffery Deaver

After Midnight By Rhys Bowen

Easy Peasey by John Lescroart

TONIC by D. P. Lyle

Tonight is the Night by Shannon Kirk

ATM By Jon Land

Review From Publisher's Weekly:

Most of the 13 all-original tales in this superlative anthology are unified by strange or unpleasant incidences occurring after the stroke of midnight. In contrast, Alan Jacobson’s thrilling “12:01 AM,” about a kidnapper patterning himself after a serial killer on death row, defies the perception that nothing good happens after midnight, as does John Land’s “ATM,” a redemption tale of a young man sent on a series of vague quests to improve people’s lives. Of special distinction are Linwood Barclay’s sublime nail-biter, “Night Shift,” about a newspaperman trying to stop a late-night caller from going on a killing spree, and Kevin O’Brien’s “Cell Phone Intolerant,” a darkly amusing vigilante tale of an anti–cell phone zealot whose crusade to punish inconsiderate people has shocking repercussions. Other standouts include Heather Graham’s disquieting spine-chiller, “Midnight in the Garden of Death,” in which high schoolers spend the night in a cemetery, and Deaver’s supernatural gothic, “A Creative Defense,” which underscores the power of music. This volume is guaranteed to keep readers burning the midnight oil well into the wee hours.

Goodreads * Amazon

Additional Praise:

“Something very good happens after midnight…just pick up this brilliant book and be transported—and very afraid!”

—Peter James, UK #1 Bestselling Author of the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace Series

“NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT is a treat—dark, chilling, and delicious. Grab it.”

—Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-Winning Author of The Dark Corners of the Night

“NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT proves that the witching hour still has the power to haunt in this suspenseful collection of stories by luminaries in the literary world. Inventive, twisted, and downright chilling, here is an anthology to be savored—well past midnight and into the dead of night.”

—James Rollins, #1 New York Times Bestseller of The Last Odyssey

“This anthology showcases some of the best talent in the thriller genre—or in any genre. Whether quirky or creepy, each story displays the talent and uniqueness of its author. And since all are so good, this collection is a delightful read.”

—Sandra Brown, #1 New York Times Bestseller of Thick as Thieves

“If you like intrigue and suspense, you’ll love this salmagundi of tense tales from some of today’s short story masters. This book is guaranteed to keep you awake until midnight and beyond.”

—Steven James, Bestselling Author of The Bowers Files

“Nothing Good Happens After Midnight is loads of fun. The stories from this lineup of all-star authors are a blast to read, with plenty of neck-snapping twists and heart-stopping thrills that will keep you turning pages way past the title’s witching hour.”

—Boyd Morrison, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

“Readers rarely get a gift such as this—a superb collection from the giants of mystery and suspense.”

—Robert Dugoni, Bestselling Author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series

“Midnight is the magic switch. Safe becomes dangerous, good becomes evil, quiet turns raucous. When the clock strikes twelve in NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT, a talented crew of writers unleashes a maelstrom of thrills so intense, you will never sleep again. Unputdownable!”

—K.J. Howe, International Bestselling Author of SKYJACK

“NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT is a treasure chest of novelties, curiosities and gems. From Kevin O’Brien’s ‘Cell Phone Intolerant’ to Shannon Kirk’s ‘Tonight is the Night’ and Jon Land’s surprisingly heartfelt ‘ATM,’ you’ll never step outside at night in quite the same way.”

—Joseph Finder, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Nick Heller Series