Short Stories

2025 Anthony Finalist for Best Anthology
2025 Derringer Award Finalist for Best Anthology

FRIEND OF THE DEVIL: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD (Josh Pachter, editor)

2025 Anthony Award Finalist for Best Anthology

2025 Derringer Award Finalist for Best Anthology

The short story "Touch of Grey" by Paul Awad and Kathryn O'Sullivan has been included in this wonderful anthology inspired by the songs of the Grateful Dead. Other contributors include some of the best contemporary authors of short crime fiction, such as award winners Bruce Robert Coffin, James D.F. Hannah, Vinnie Hansen, James L’Etoile, G.M. Malliet, Twist Phelan, Faye Snowden, and Joseph S. Walker, as well as Linda Landrigan, Dominique Biebau, and David Avallone.

"Friend of the Devil" is available at:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Friend-Devil-Fiction-Inspired-Grateful/dp/1643963775

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/friend-of-the-devil-josh-pachter/1146317195

Down and Out

https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/pachter-friend-devil/

Books

When Earth Shall Be No More

An intriguing debut sci-fi thriller featuring a scientist heroine, the multiverse, and a NASA spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Environmental scientist Constance Roy is one of forty-nine refugees rescued from Earth’s destruction and transported to the ark spaceship Orb by an automaton race called the Curators. Twelve months have passed since their rescue. But now, with the ship’s orbit decaying, the refugees seem doomed to crash into Jupiter’s fiery belly.

In a parallel universe on present-day Earth, another version of Constance seeks answers to the questions that have haunted her since childhood: How and why did her mother die? The head of a mysterious corporation housed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility can give her the answers, but not without a price.

Two timestreams collide when the Constance on Earth discovers that Nicolas, her son, has the ability to save the Orb and its inhabitants. Now she must battle treacherous Curators wishing to destroy Nicolas, while on the Orb, another Constance must fight to save the ship from Jupiter's fatal pull.

Only together can they save their son - and future generations of humankind.

2023 IPPY Award Winner

Bronze Medal, National Category, Science Fiction

Accolades and Reviews

Advance Praise from Joelle Charbonneau, Author of The Testing

“A fascinating sci-fi story of survival, WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE will keep readers on their toes until the very end.” – Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times Best Selling Author of THE TESTING

Advance Praise from Alan Orloff, Author of I Play One On TV

"Awad and O’Sullivan’s WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE is the perfect sci-fi adventure: compelling characters, a frantic race against time, and a daring mission with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. A dimension-bending page-turner—no matter what galaxy you may inhabit!" -- Alan Orloff, two-time winner of the ITW Thriller Award and author of I PLAY ONE ON TV.

Advance Praise from Sherry Harris, Author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale and Chloe Jackson Sea Glass mysteries

“WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE hit every emotion as I tried to figure out who to trust in this deftly handled dual timeline sci-fi mystery. The characters drew me into a world so realistic and unique, I had a hard time putting this book down.” -- Sherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale and Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mysteries

Advance Praise from E.A. Aymar, Author of The Unrepentant and They're Gone

“Not only is WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE an imaginative, intelligent picture of humanity's potential future, but it's also a compassionate tale of parenthood, of identity, of the need for people to form relationships no matter their circumstance. O'Sullivan and Awad delve into complicated concepts with ease, and lovingly introduce readers to fully developed, emotionally layered characters along the way. A must read for fans in and out of science fiction.” -- E.A. Aymar, author of THE UNREPENTANT and THEY'RE GONE

Advance Praise from Adam Meyer, Author of The Last Domino

“What a great story--it’s full of surprises, suspense, and most of all, humanity. I was rooting for these refugees every step of the way as they hurtle through space, desperately hoping to find a new planet to call home. This is my favorite kind of science-fiction, a total page-turner with big ideas and lots of heart.” -- Adam Meyer, screenwriter/author of THE LAST DOMINO

SCREENPLAYS

The Legend of Lizzy Flynn (co-written with Kathryn O'Sullivan)

"The Legend of Lizzy Flynn" is a Western female buddy road movie set in 1880s America. Lizzy Flynn arrives in America from Ireland with a mysterious past and an uncertain future – a stranger in a strange land. After a series of unexpected setbacks, Lizzy stumbles upon the colorful and comedic frontiers woman, Calamity Jane, and the two embark on an adventure across the American West in search of land and Confederate gold.

Infinite Creativity Film Festival-Official Selection 2023

Austin Film Festival Semi-Finalist 2021

Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition-Finalist 2021

Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards -SemiFinalist 2020

Reno Tahoe Screenplay Contest Semi-Finalist 2021

Plot Point Awards Quarte- Finalist 2021

Vail Screenplay Contest-Finalist 2021

Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards-Official Selection 2021

Screenplay Festival- Semi-Finalist 2021

Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition-Finalist 2021

Scriptation Showcase- Semi-Finalist 2021

Cowpokes Int'l Film Festival- Award Winner 2021

A Savage Nature (co-written with Kathryn O'Sullivan )

A lonely waitress is desperate to escape her small town and repair her marriage to her deputy sheriff husband. On the evening of their wedding anniversary, the troubled couple attempts to make a fresh start, but things take an unexpected turn when sinister strangers invade their home. As the night unfolds, loyalties shift, secrets spill, and lives shatter

Grand Prize Thriller Award, Hollywood Screenplay Competition