Myriad Minds, Inc.

TODD S. JONES

Born in Dearborn, Michigan in March of 1971, Todd still resides in the state with his wife, Carolyn Jones, and several furbabies. He has worked in the automotive repair, computer programming, and financial services industries before retiring in April 2020. He enjoys weaving tales of fiction, camping, martial arts, playing guitar, motorcycle riding, and Jeeping.

Todd still works part-time as President & CEO of Myriad Minds, Inc. (d.b.a. MM Racing and d.b.a. MM Offroading). He is also an admin, and founding member, of Misfit Jeepers which is a 501(c)(7) Social Club dedicated to providing help to local 501(c)(3) charities and families through volunteering time and raising funds.

You can contact him at tjones@myriadminds.com

Note: Due to actively submitting stories for publication, Todd is limited on what can be displayed digitally (story title and logline).

A FAMILIAR TAIL: A young cat, Scratch, finds her familiars are disappearing and ends up discovering a darker force at play. She must find answers, before the answers find her. (Short story about 6,000 words) - Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q2 2023)

A FRIEND MOURNED: Based on a true story about a young man who faces the lose of a friend and how selective memories hide the dark that was within the person he viewed as an older brother. He discovers that to keep his friend in his heart, he must cherish the bad, and good, that made up his friend.

ANGEL OF SALVATION: A story about a vampire who tries to find absolution in becoming a contract killer.

BLUES 'N TWOS: When Rubi, a street hustler, is sentenced to serve in the Peace Officer cadet program, she finds herself walking the thin blue line between order and chaos when a string of robberies cause her to question her principles. (Short story about 5,000 words) - 1st Place from Southeastern Writers Association - Crime Fiction Contest (2025) and Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q2 2024)

COLD SPIRITS, WARM DREAD: When Henry Johnson has one to many drinks and loses his wife in a car crash, he finds that regret isn't the only thing that haunts him for not seeking help when he could have. (Short story about 3,000 words) - 3rd Place from Southeastern Writers Association - The Lighthouse Prompt Award (2025)

CURSED SPRING, BLESSED SOUL: A fledgling faerie seeks answers to why her magical wings never came in and discovers a magical decay that started on the night of her birth. She may be the Fae's only hope against the evil that wishes to destroy them all. (Short story about 5,000 words) - Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q1 2023)

DANSE DES MORTS: Death comes to all in due time, but not always in the form one may expect. Melek finds his life thrust into turmoil when his wife is murdered during the birth of their daughter, Morticia. He must protect his child, who he discovers is destined to become death incarnate, and unveils a plot to open a rift to the realm of demons. (Novel - Part 1 in the trilogy)

DARK INFLUENCERS: Dimitru is the seventh son of a seventh son that tries to live as a normal teenager with his adopted family. Yet, eon old beings haunt his thoughts as they try to control him and set themselves free. (Short story about 2,900 words) - Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q2 2022)

DEAFENING WHISPERS, SILENT SCREAMS: The voice in Detective Aidan McCoy's head whispers clues concerning cold cases, but when he crosses the path of an ancient evil in the guise of a copycat killer, the whispers turn to screams.

DEJA VU: After losing his best friend in a hiking accident, a young man finds the veil between alternate realities thinning where his friend passed. The other side gives him hope, but that hope quickly turns sour and he must figure out how to escape his past and prevent an even worse future from transpiring.

DISEASED: A naturally born vampire finds himself himself being hunted after digging into his parents peculiar disappearance. He discovers he was never meant to be and that others feel he will bring about the end to their dark society. He must muster the courage to rise up against those who are hunting him, and become the hunter.

HUSHED PASSING: Tarough Jacob always wanted to be an assassin, like his father and father before him. After his final exam goes sideways and his brother disappears, Tarough is put on the trail of a former renegade graduate. (Short story about 2,800 words) - Honorable Mention and Silver Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q1 & Q4 2022)

LESSONS IN PRAYERS, PERCENTAGES, AND POWER: Deimos, the god of dread, hates his job encouraging wars and stealing prayers from the newer gods. When he enlists a demon to help him create another way to collect power from humans, things spiral out of control. (Short story, about 6,200 words) - Finalist from Writers of the Future Contest (Q4 2024)

LUTHER'S TWISTED TALE: A sword and sorcery tale about an unexpected hero, Luther the Lustrous, who must face an ancient threat that could destroy the realm. When he acquires a magnificent sword that tries to twists his mind and body to its will, he is tghrust into facing a long forgotten curse. He finds love, mystery and unexpected friends on his quest. (Novel - Part 1 in the trilogy)

MALICIOUS DESTINY: It has been decades since the war with the Enochian magi, yet Deston finds that they've returned. His dreams of easy living have to be put aside to help save the earth, once again against the creatures the Enochians summon with their blood magic. (Short story about 4,000 words) - Semi-finalist from Writers of the Future Contest (Q3 2022)

MOON WALK: After losing his wife, Jared's mining project on the moon is on the verge of collapse. Plagued with mechanical failures, the robotic engineer continues his search for a mother lode, but discovers something more puzzling about mankind instead. (Short story about 5,400 words) - Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q4 2021 and Q4 2023)

ROLLER RINK EMPIRE: Billy's drug-dealing grandad has always taken care of him and tried to keep him out of his line of work. A rival drug dealer thrust him into a sticky situation where Billy finds out his education can be put to better use than a gun. (Short story about 3,200 words)

THE GATE KEEPERS: A race of inter-dimensional travelors are nearly wiped out after discovering an evil that will do anything to dominate all living beings. The gates are sealed, but a council member's daughter knows they must help continue the fight and free the myriad worlds that have already been enslaved. (Novel - Part 1 in the trilogy)

THE RACE: A fictional story about a couple of friends who find themselves forced into a drag race that could change their lives.

THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: Donovan has made a successful career out of collecting souls with a strategic whisper here and an encouraging nudge there. The challenge of his job has faded in today's world of situational ethics and moral degradation. A new comer from the other team gives Donovan more than he bargained for while working a routine hostage situation. (Short story, about 4,400 words) - Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future Contest (Q4 2022)

POETRY

A Feeling From The Heart
A Modern Life
Content Love
Crossing Paths
Future Hope
Ode to Death
Sensible Love
Sustaining Memories
Taking a Ride
The Journey
The Lake
The Rest of Our Lives
The Search
The Wedding Tale