Praise for "THE SHOT"

"Gaines has an enviable command over everything that happens here, each passage written with a twisted clarity, each scene arranged by the hand of a legit writer, the real deal stuff. The Shot is likely the first in a wide compendium of grim and slithery work Gaines will be famous for, and he did not start it lightly."

-Matthew D. Jordan, author of the Tincture trilogy

"The voice and tone are compelling, and the story is brimming with vivid descriptions that immerse the reader. Gaines reinvents and reshapes popular Science-Fiction tropes to yield something new, imaginative, and fun. What is perhaps the best aspect of The Shot is how it offers clever social commentary and criticisms without becoming didactic. Overall this is a good read, a strong narrative with a unique form that doesn’t sacrifice substance for style. It has camp and consciousness."

- Donald Quist, author of Let Me Make You A Sandwich

"It's a familiar but seductive template, with echoes of Dawn of the Dead and I Am Legend...Gaines executes the premise deftly, pulling in everything from filmic pastiche...to the kind of soul-searching you'd expect in a philosophical novel like Nausea or The Stranger... It's wildly enjoyable, at times terrifying and grotesque, and has a genius ending that left me both horrified and grinning like an idiot, if that makes a lick of sense. Definitely worth your time."

- Christopher J. Fraser, author of Dystopolis

Praise for "Michigan, ten cents" & "Clara's Quilt"

“By the end, you’re left with blood on your hands and a strange sense of stillness, and I love stories that do that...this at times comes across as a more folksy Cormac McCarthy. There are a number of perspectives...but each of them comes in at exactly the right time - in terms of the way he constructs a story, Gaines is impeccable.”

-Christopher J. Fraser, author of Dystopolis and Tales from the End

“The writing is clean and sharp, with a down-home narrative style that is at once disarming and disturbing ... the strength of Gaines' writing, his characterization, his sense of place, and his folksy storytelling style (think Stephen King when he's not trying to scare the hell out of you) pulls you into the dreamlike world of Pagosa Springs, Colorado”

-Jonathan Raab, author of The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre

“Gaines has crafted an intriguing story. He has taken what could be a ridiculous storyline and made it work... The dialogue is sharp, the music selection is excellent...like a less violent Frank Bill and a cheerier Donald Ray Pollock.”

-Rory O'Connor, founder and author of FourthStreetReview.com

“...right from page one, Doctor Gaines had me hooked with his delightfully colorful characters and a ridiculous scheme.”

-Amazon Review