On the edge of horror, thriller and the occult.

Three short stories inspired by Dante’s Inferno, linked by a book of human skin passed down through generations.

Sins of the Flesh

When the tortured and mutilated corpse of a wealthy author is discovered, the police officer sent to investigate finds a curious diary amongst the occult objects at the scene. Will he uncover the author’s secret at the ruined chapel, and can he pay the price that it demands?

” … a short story that packs a heck of a punch, with vivid writing that sucks you right into the story from the very first page … In just fifteen pages, Penn manages to perfectly portray the sin of temptation, the longing for an easy fix, and the very human trait of justifying doing that which we know is wrong.”

From review at GamesFiends for the Kobo Descent

Sins of Treachery

On the death of their Grandfather, twin brothers Simon and Gestas are left a map covered in alchemical symbols that could lead them to great wealth and power. But they find more than they expected in the frozen wastes of the Arctic north …

Sins of Violence

In a brutal post-apocalyptic world, a young girl is about to be taken to The Minotaur for a Blessing that will end her innocence. Can her sister gain access to the fortified city of Dis in time to stop the ritual and avenge her own lost youth?

Sample or Buy Now: (Free on Amazon, Kobo & iBooks)

Reviews:

“Hide under the covers when you read these three stories. Each one is just as macabre than the one before it … the evil in these stories is very hungry.” Betsy S on Amazon

“Three dark stories based on a book of great power that seems to corrupt as much as it gives. Penn has the ability to transport you to three different worlds in these short stories and each is tinged with terror.” C Gebbie on Amazon

“‘A Thousand Fiendish Angels' is dark, thrilling and imaginative.” Denise Gardner

“Well-crafted and very entertaining. J.F Penn shows her flexibility across different genres with ease and class.” Trinidad

“Rich with startling imagery, crisp prose, and an intriguing, symbolic thread that binds them together, these three stories showcase Penn’s penchant for the macabre, giving the reader some morbid morsels to chew on while leaving one hungry for more.” Eric Praschan

“Joanna Penn has the ability to transport you to three different worlds in these short stories and each is tinged with terror.” Book Lover.

“Ms. Penn's smart, fast paced story telling and ability to paint a picture with words completely drew me in.” Robert P. Billeau

“These three stories are compactly written, but hold nothing back. …the imagery is brilliant.” Watkins12

“…the author creates a detail rich atmosphere for the reader. From the start you actually want to finish the stories to find out what happened!” Mr. M. O'Sullivan

Written For The Descent, Based On Dante's Inferno

These short stories were written for Kobo’s The Descent, an online contest for the launch of Dan Brown’s Inferno, based on Dante’s Inferno.

Here’s the Kobo press release for the contest and here’s an article that covered it in Wired.

The stories featured as the beginning of a transmedia game that crossed into websites and used symbols and numbers from the books to lead to the next step.

The contest finished in mid May 2013, but in this article, Kobo explain all the symbolism and links through the books to the finish.

The stories are now available in one collection, with some changes from the originally published versions, with the addition of Author's Notes.