Edward N. McConnell’s book, Sisterhood of the Pines is an anthology of short fiction with stories running the gamut from horror and magical realism to fantasy, then back to humor and satire and tributes to family and an old friend. This book ends with a study of courage in the face of danger. The stories include:

• A tattoo bonding experience for three women takes an unexpected turn
• Sailors encounter a most unusual blue-eyed sea monster
• A baseball player has an unusual way to prepare for a game
• There’s nothing worse than a reformed anything
• A suitor’s plan of marriage faces an unexpected challenge
• All debts get liquidated sooner or later
• A writer gets a confusing rejection letter
• A braggart has to face the truth, twice
• Don’t mess around with someone who knows Appalachian magic spells
• A grieving friend gives eulogy. Maybe he’ll do better next time
• Propagandists are made, not born and they are easily offended
• An old trial lawyer, in an authoritarian state, can’t keep his mouth shut
• Three women, who don’t really enjoy each other’s company, have lunch, forever
• It’s always nice to hear about what’s going on back home, maybe
• Not all cherry pie is equal
• An uncle and his nephew discuss sartorial stylings
• The first drive in your older brother’s car is the most memorable because you can’t do it twice
• These days, finding good people is difficult. Luckily, there is one in this story.

The opening story of McConnell’s book, Where Harry’s Buried was selected for inclusion in both The Best of Mad Swirl v2021 and Running Out of Time, Down in the Dirt, 2022. That collection of eighteen stories contains the following stories:

• Septuagenarian Treasure Hunters,
• A Hesitant Suitor,
• An Absolution Hardballer
• A Connection Between Two Broken People
• An Appalachian Backwoods Medicine Man,
• Three Last Rites and A Squirrel, Reactions to a Precise Location,
• A Distraught Man Seeking Pain Relief,
• An Irritating Clairvoyant
• A Harrowing Recurring Nightmare
• Magical Characters Performing A Cure
• Pugnacious Patrons Throwing Hands
• A Requiem for a Backyard Gardener
• A Boy Discovers Hidden Humanity and Love
• An Important Lesson Learned Too Late
• The Trouble with Chasing Awards
• Some Bad Hometown Memories
• Rescuing An Unlikely Fan Club.

In his book, Disappearances at Dr. Snow’s, McConnell sets the right tone for a collection of fourteen stories of supernatural events, horror and crime stories, including:

• People are disappearing from a house, and someone is leaving cryptic notes
• Ghosts retry an acquitted murderer
• Who are the real Ripley Junction monsters
• A trip south poses a problem for a retired couple
• Sometimes, the voice in your head, isn’t in your head
• A coffin maker discovers having a choice can be difficult
• Ordering the dinner special does not mean what you think
• A funeral director’s finds supplementing his income is not as simple as he thought
• A utility project spawns murderous ideas and acts
• A father finds out you cannot escape the consequences of one’s actions
• A bad man seeks to get even
• Some things are not traps until they are
• A trial exhibit’s lament
• A bright light guides the way to the truth

Edward N. McConnell and his wife, Cindy, formed McConnell Publishing, LLC. Their first book project in 2022 was to publish the short story anthology, Where Harry’s Buried and Other Short Stories, which was selected for inclusion in two best-of-end anthologies; The Best of Mad Swirl v2021 and Running Out of Time, Down in the Dirt, 2022.

That was followed in 2023 by the short story anthology, Disappearances at Dr. Snow’s and Other Short Stories.  A third short story anthology, Sisterhood of the Pines, was published in 2024.

McConnell’s work has appeared in many literary magazines.

Ed lives in West Des Moines, Iowa with Cindy.