New This Week in Dark Fantasy 8/23/2017

Captivated by Crimson by Brynn Myers

 

Click on cover for more info!

 
Synopsis:

She is the fated one I have been waiting for...
The crimson in her veins will restore me…

My desire for her burns like no other…
I must possess her…
Dare to touch her and you will be the one to suffer…

Nola Blair is a free-spirited photographer sent to cover the party of the century in Elizabeth Bathory’s ruined castle. It was an assignment she'd declined––twice, but when she was offered a hefty sum to indulge the wealthy eccentric, she finally gave in. Little did she know that the guests at this party were centuries old and their desires reached far beyond those of a normal partygoer.

One captivating night will change her life and the two vampires vying for her will fight to the death to get what they want. One wants her to be his and the other wants her blood.

Who will decide Nola’s fate?

 
Throne of the Bastards  by Brian Keene &  Steven L Shrewsbury

 

Click on cover for more info!

 
Synopsis:
Sword and sorcery collides with horror once again in this sequel to Brian Keene and Steven L. Shrewsbury’s award-winning KING OF THE BASTARDS.

Learning that his family is in danger, Rogan returns to his former kingdom, now under siege from foreign invaders and supernatural forces led by his bastard son. With time running out, the aging barbarian and his trusted companions, Javan and Akibeel, must forge an alliance of new friends and old foes, mustering an army to retake the kingdom. Surrounded by savages, soldiers, demons, and dark magic, it will take all of their cunning, skill, ruthlessness, and courage to survive the slaughter and determine once and for all who shall sit upon the THRONE OF THE BASTARDS.

 
Swarm and Steel by  Michael Fletcher

 

Click on cover for more info!

Synopsis:

Zerfall awakens in an alley, wounded and unable to remember her past. Chased by an assassin out into the endless wastes of the desert, she is caught, disfigured, and left for dead. Her scabbard is empty, but the need for answers—and the pull of her sword—will draw her back to the city-states.

When Jateko, a naïve youth, accidentally kills a member of his own tribe, he finds himself outcast and pursued across the desert for his crimes. Crazed from dehydration, dying of thirst and hunger, he stumbles across Zerfall.

Hunted by assassins and bound by mutual need, both Zerfall and Jeteko will confront the Täuschung, an ancient and deranged religion ruled by a broken fragment of Zerfall’s mind. Swarm, the Täuschung hell, seethes with imprisoned souls, but where gods—real or imagined—meddle in the affairs of man, the cost is high.

In Swarm and Steel, the power of belief can manifest and shape reality, and for political and religious leaders, faith becomes a powerful tool. But the insane are capable of twisting reality with their delusions as well, turning increasingly dangerous as their sanity crumbles. It is here that a long prophesied evil will be born, an endless hunger. The All Consuming will rise.
 
Blood Huntress by Izzy Shows

 

Click on cover for more info!

 
Synopsis:

What does it say when vampires aren’t the thing most feared in the night?

Nina Rodriguez has become the most lethal weapon in the world. A blood mage trained by werewolves to hunt and kill with no remorse, no morality, and no hesitation. All that matters is the thrill of the kill, and the danger that comes with it.

When she’s given orders to infiltrate and observe the vampire court, she couldn’t turn it down anymore than she could cease to breathe.

The sweet taste of danger was enough to tempt her, and that only doubles when the vampire king chooses her as his own personal thrall.

He’s a temptation she wasn’t prepared for, but dangerous, and his attention could mean death if she doesn’t watch her mouth. Words are weapons in a vampire court, weapons she was not trained to use.

She can fight off any enemy, but no one prepared her to fight for her soul.

 
Bound by Sorcery by Antara Mann

 

Click on cover for more info!

 
Synopsis:

A supernatural apocalypse is brewing. And only secret magic can defeat it.

Alexandra Shaw may be an elemental mage, but she prefers the quiet life, running her struggling occult bookshop. With secrets of her own and a magical lineage shrouded in mystery, she keeps a low profile. But when a New York banker is found gruesomely murdered with an ancient symbol carved into his chest — one representing a cult of demon hunters long thought extinct — the supernatural community, including the Magic Council, is stunned.

Alex reluctantly joins the investigation to keep her shop afloat, but tensions between gods and demons continue to rise and threaten to break into a devastating war. To diffuse the situation, the Council assigns a fiercely powerful and sexy fae to the case.

Ancient cults, demons, gods, ritualistic murders, a tempting fae — and as if all that weren't bad enough, now someone’s trying to kill her…

Bound By Sorcery is the first book in the Half-Goddess Chronicles urban fantasy series. It features a kick-ass heroine, a hot hero, mystery, and otherworldly adventures. Fans of Ilona Andrews, Ella Summers and Linsey Hall will enjoy this series.

Legion of the Damned Excerpt

Here's another little taste of Legion of the Damned, coming May 31, 2017. It's currently available as a pre-order at the low price of $.99 that will go up to  $2.99 the day after release. I've also lowered the prices of book 1, All Roads Lead to Terror, and book 2 The Reaping, to celebrate. You can grab all three for less than three bucks using the links above. . 
There has been a slight change to the cover to bring it in line with the story inside. Today's excerpt will make that perfectly clear, and I hope intrigue you enough to reserve your copy today.

Excerpt

As night approached and the shadows grew long the children gathered around a single fire as David stood before them. Meat and Einstein had become outsiders.

“Do you believe?” David said as he gazed at the faces gathered before him.

“Yes,” they whispered in response, hands clasped before their chests as they watched David with rapt attention.

“Do you believe with all your heart that God lives in each of us?”

“Yes,” they answered with more assurance as David moved back and forth in front of the fire, pointing at them as he spoke.

“He said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

“Amen,” the children whispered.

Meat was reminded of the service he’d attended when he was younger, the preacher moving back and forth across the stage as he whipped up the emotions of those attending. Smoke and mirrors, he had thought then, but after his experience in Richmond where he'd learned belief could be a powerful weapon, it was with just a touch of unease that he watched David.

“What are they doing?” Einstein said, and Meat held up his hand to quiet him. There was no sense drawing attention to them, not now.

“Let us pray,” David said as he bowed his head and the others followed suit.

“Father, we stand before you, a lost flock without its shepherd. Taken from us by a world that has closed its mind and its heart to the glory that is your love. We are without hope, lost upon a sea of unease. Will you lead us to our rightful home? Will you guide us in the task we have undertaken? Amen.” David finished and lifted his head to look at the faces that turned up to meet his gaze.

“Amen,” the children responded dutifully.

“Jesus said. ‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. “

“Amen,” the children answered in a growing voice that threatened the stillness of the darkening forest.

“Do we remember what Jesus said in Matthews twenty-six when Peter drew his sword as the Romans came to take him?”

“What did he say?” the children asked their combined voice a shout of righteous anger that stirred the short hairs on the nape of Meat’s neck.

“Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’ Our enemies have chosen to live by the sword, and so they shall perish by the sword.”

“Amen,” the children shouted and David leaned forward with one hand cupping his ear. He had them now, they’d follow him to hell itself if he asked, and what they planned to do was not far from it.

“Amen,” they repeated, louder this time, their voices carrying more conviction than before.

“I can’t hear you,” David said as he leaned over with a smile, his hand still next to his ear.

“Amen,” they screamed in a single voice that rocked the stillness of the forest around them.

“Jesus said, ‘Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

“Amen,” came the shout on cue, even louder than before as the children warmed up to David’s preaching.

“Are we not Father Henry’s legion of angels?”

Again their shout rocked the forest and David drank long and deep of the conviction that rolled off the assembled children. They had achieved a symbiotic relationship with one another, one feeding on the other, fueling their anger, their conviction, their belief

“But we failed him,” David said as he took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. A feeling of quiet discomfort spread through Meat’s stomach as the gathered children groaned in response to David’s comment.

“I don’t like this,” Meat said.

“He’s just talking to them.”

“That’s the way it always starts, with just talk, I imagine that’s the way it began in Richmond.”

“I wasn’t there, so I don’t understand.”

“I know, but had you been you would. It was like,” and Meat paused as he sought out the word to best describe the feelings that were coming to him from the gathered children. Fanatical came to mind, but he felt that was too strong, it was something much more subtle. Loss, confusion, they were close, but not quite right.

“They had been taught from the Bible, but somewhere along the way it had become garbled, mixed up with other things that made little sense,” Meat said, trying his best to put his finger on the problem.

“We, his legion of angels, have failed our father,” David said in a near whisper as several cries of anguish rose from the gathered children.

“What can we do?” One of them cried out.

“Yes, what can we do?” another took up the call.

Soon they were all asking the same question, their voices rising in volume as the night slowly descended around them.

“We must pay penance for our failure,” David said and turned away from the crowd. He did something none of them could see. When he turned back, a black cross bisected his face. The upright started at the hairline of his forehead and followed the line of his nose, ending at the tip. The cross member made him look like he had a unibrow, following the line of the ridge above his eyes.

“We must take vengeance on those who have wronged us for they have chosen to live by the sword, and now they must die by the sword. Who will take penance with me?”

Hands shot up throughout the crowd as a babble of voices rose up through the trees. All repeating the same thing. “me, me, me, me,” they said, and if a god existed within the low gray clouds that hugged the earth, he would have surely heard the anger in their voices.

“We will become Father Henry’s legion of angels, and we will bring death to his enemies. For we are the lost legion, we are, the legion of the damned.”

End Excerpt

Synopsis:

Hell was coming to Paradise!

In a remote desert world that bore little semblance to their own, the boys corner and kill Nickoli. Unfortunately the act fails to release Window from his curse, and they discover that a much higher sacrifice must be made to free him.

Struggling to silence the voices from his past, Billie-Bob’s drinking results in his capture by the family of cannibals he once escaped from. This time he is taken to Paradise, a small compound along one of the many tributaries leading to the Chesapeake Bay. For those who lived there it was truly a paradise on earth, for its captives it was a different story as they were reduced to nothing more than livestock to feed a growing population.

While following the trail left by Billie-Bob’s captors, Meat, Window and Einstein come upon the shattered remnants of the church that had given them shelter on their trek north. Many of the church’s inhabitants had perished in the attack, but most of the children had been able to escape. They join the boys on their journey south to rescue Billie-Bob, and exact their vengeance on those who had shattered their peaceful existence.

Hell was coming to Paradise, and there would be no denying its vengeance.

 To get your copy of the 

Richard Schiver starter

library, tell me where to

send it!

Send my FREE BOOKS!








There was a flavor of “Lord of the Flies” expressed through the savage tribe of kids who kidnapped the children in the first place. They were viscous, brutal creatures grown from the cycle of abuse this book explores. And the religious practices they had cultivated in the absence of love and protection is truly horrifying. It’s the kind of horror that at once makes your stomach churn and your hand itch to draw it. (Or maybe that’s just my response to these kind of stories…)

Jeanette Andromeda

Horror Made

I would place Mister Schiver's talents in league with Neil Gaiman's. He shines in his ability to let dialogue propel a story. That is trickier than it may seem, but the talented writers do it with an effortless grace.
 

T.W Brown

Brutally Honest Reviews

Legion of the Damned: Excerpt #3

My goal had been to post another portion of the story I started last week, unfortunately the need to finish the final edits on Legion of the Damned, ate up much of the time I have available for writing. With that behind me now I can focus on finishing the story.

In the interim, here's another little taste of Legion of the Damned, coming May 31, 2017. Currently available as a pre-order at a special price of $.99 that will go up to the regular price of $2.99 the day of release. Reserve your copy today. Stay turned to the end of the post for a special offer.

I hope you enjoy it.

Reserve your copy HERE!

Excerpt

“Please,” he moaned as a solitary tear slid from the corner of his eye to trace a wet path down his cheek. As a child, he’d needed a night light to keep the creatures lurking in the shadows at bay, and as he had grown older, he thought he had been done with such childish things. Now, as he stood alone against the emptiness, he wished he could have that small light once again.

He shuddered at the thought as another emerged, sending a slow chill winding its way down his spine. With a light, he would be able to see what hid in the shadows and he realized then that sometimes it was better not to be able to see what waited in the dark.

He focused his attention on that single point of light, struggling to ignore the vast emptiness that stood behind him, and the denizens of the dark who sought the comfort his warmth could provide. Shadows passed across the face of that distant light as the steady sound of footsteps echoed through the emptiness. They faded in and out of focus, and he was reminded of what he’d seen when he crossed over.

He had returned to the interior of that cooler at the supermarket, Maria resting on his outstretched legs, but they were not alone. There was something else with them, something as old as the emptiness that shrouded them. Kneeling beside them as he comforted Maria in her final hours that ticked down with resolute steadiness. He had felt it as it caressed her battered and bleeding body, and the chill it awakened within him had taken root in the heart of his soul.

Those steady footsteps moved around him, circling him as the denizens of the dark backed away, and a single thought whispered through his mind.

Welcome home!

Around him, it was as silent as a tomb, the only sound that of his heavy breathing, and the whine of terror whispering softly in his throat.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered as the light faded from view and the emptiness behind him reached out to wrap him in its chilled embrace. The loss of sight served to heighten his other senses, and he heard something slithering through the emptiness behind him. His sense of touch and smell exploded, and he felt the chilled caresses of those nameless things that stirred the hairs on his arms causing them to stand on end. The odors of ozone and excrement combined to create a noxious smell that set his teeth on edge and left a metallic tang in his mouth.

As the darkness filled the void around him his emotional sense of empathy was double, tripled, until he was overcome by a primitive terror that let him feel their pain. They were the creatures of the night, forever imprisoned in the shadowy corners of a well-lit world, fated to a bleak future. 

End Excerpt

Synopsis:

Hell was coming to Paradise!

In a remote desert world that bore little semblance to their own, the boys corner and kill Nickoli. Unfortunately the act fails to release Window from his curse, and they discover that a much higher price must be paid to free him.

Struggling to silence the voices from his past, Billie-Bob’s drinking results in his capture by the family of cannibals he once escaped from. This time he is taken to Paradise, a small compound along one of the many tributaries leading to the Chesapeake Bay. For those who lived there it was truly a paradise on earth, for its captives it was a different story as they were reduced to nothing more than livestock to feed a growing population.

While following the trail left by Billie-Bob’s captors, Meat, Window and Einstein come upon the shattered remnants of the church that had given them shelter on their trek north. Many of the church’s inhabitants had perished in the attack, but most of the children had been able to escape. They join the boys on their journey south to rescue Billie-Bob, and exact their vengeance on those who had shattered their peaceful existence.

Hell was coming to Paradise, and there would be no denying its vengeance.

Special Offer

Get all three books, over 550 pages of post apocalyptic adventure for less than the regular price of one. Order books one and two for only $0.99 each, and reserve book 3 for the same low price.

But you better hurry!

This deal won't last forever!

Click on the image above to order!

Dreadland Chronicles

Fourteen years ago a cataclysm shook the realms of multiple universes as a rising tide of evil rose up to battle those in power. Many worlds ceased to exist in the blink of an eye. On our world the dead walked, bringing society to its knees. The technology we had taken for granted stopped working as a new dark age filtered across the land. An age of unrestrained brutality where the only law was the firepower one carried, and the only hope was for a quick death followed by a dreamless sleep. 

It is into this world they have bee born. 

Four boys who have grown up knowing the brutality of a society teetering on the brink of extinction. Each of them alone is but a boy, however, together they are a force capable of defeating the evil that is slowly spreading across the land.

While you're here, don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list.
Each month I give away a personally autographed print copy of one of my books to one person chosen at random from my subscribers.

I'll also give you a free copy of my novel White Walker just for signing up, follow the link below.

http://www.eepurl.com/2bYSf

Lergion of the Damned: Excerpt

Legion of the Damned

Dreadland Chronicles Book III

The horrors of the past meet the brutality of the present as four young 

boys come of age while exploring a post apocalyptic world.

There should be others with him, he thought as he rolled over onto his back to find three women cowering in the opposite corner of the cage. Their clothes were torn and dirty, the result of the celebration his captors had thrown the night before, coming to the cage sitting far from the warming flames of the fire, taking each woman in turn back to the group where their screams vocalized the brutality that was visited upon them.

He had watched helplessly as each of the women was taken from the cage, powerless to do anything to help, consoling himself with the lone bottle of whiskey he’d found in his pack. 

One of them whimpered as Billie-Bob tried to sit up, fireworks of pain igniting within his head as his hand slipped in the liquid covering the floor of the cage. They were moving south as the morning sun breached the eastern horizon, spreading its warming glow across the countryside. His teeth chattered as he sat up, and he hugged himself to conserve what warmth remained in his body.

It was then he spotted the forth woman lying on her belly beside him. Her dress was torn, her bare back exposed to the elements as it rose and fell with shallow breaths. Her head was turned towards him, one arm covering half of her face as she chewed at her wrist. Blood stained her cheeks, crusting the tip of her nose as she worked diligently, gnawing at her own flesh. Her eyes burned with despair, unseeing, focused on a point somewhere that existed only in her mind. Blood flowed from beneath her arm, and Billie-Bob realized then that it was her blood that covered parts of his body.

He looked down at his blood covered arms, the shoulder of his shirt soaked through. He reached for her, wanting to stop her, but she shrank away from his hand as her gnawing intensified.

A gout of blood splattered against the wooden front of their prison, she had succeeded in severing the main artery in her wrist, enduring a pain he could only begin to imagine as she sought out the comfort death could provide. Her wrist fell away from her blood crusted lips as the waning light of her life fled from her eyes.

She had escaped the despair that awaited all of them, but in so doing had placed them in mortal danger. Billie-Bob had never been this close to someone when they died, and he watched in fascinated horror as a mottled gray color quickly spread across her exposed flesh. A growl came from deep within her chest as she pulled her arms under her body, and struggled to lift herself from the floor. Fabric tore as she pushed herself up, and her dress fell away from the mottled flesh of her body. He felt no desire at her nakedness, only revulsion, tempered with fear.

Ever so slowly she turned her head to look at him, her blood crusted lips pulled back to reveal bloodied teeth as she ran her tongue along them. The women in the corner behind him whined as the woman pushed herself up to her knees and turned to face them with cataract coated eyes.

To be continued! 

Read the first book in the series.

All Roads Lead To Terror

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

The horrors of the past meet the brutality of the present as four young boys come of age while exploring a post apocalyptic world.

On the day of his birth the dead walked and society crumbled. His mother took one look at him and pronounced him Meat. He survived, she didn't.

Fourteen years have passed and obscurity means survival in an increasingly dangerous world. For the survivors compound at Bremo Bluff that obscurity is threatened when a savage band abducts a group of children from the compound.

Accompanied by his three friends Window, Einstein, and Billie-Bob, Meat embarks on a quest to rescue the children. A journey that will lead them into adulthood, with a brief detour through the Dreadlands, as they confront the harsh reality of a brutal world beyond the barriers that had served to protect them.

In the dead city of Richmond Meat and his friends will confront a savage cult of children who worship a creature of the night. These creatures, once considered the nightmare imaginings of a fevered mind, are now awake in a world where the population that once served as their food source has been severely reduced.

Awake and very, very, hungry.

Legion of the Damned will be available for pre-order 

beginning March 1st with a special pre-order price. 

Sign up to be notified when I release a new book

 and receive a free copy of my novel

White Walker

When she was ten she made a promise to that which inhabits the winter storm. Now she's twenty six and pregnant, and the White Walker has returned to collect his due.

You will also be automatically entered into the monthly drawing for a personally autographed print copy of one of my books each month you remain.

Get your free book  

HERE!

All Roads Lead to Terror Audiobook Release.

They say all good things come to those who are patient. It's been a long time coming but the audio book version of All Roads Lead To Terror is now available.

Three ways to get your free copy!

• Sign up for an audible 30 day free trial and get a free copy of All Roads Lead To Terror. Follow this link: Free Book
• If you're already an audible member I will gladly provide you with a download code in exchange for your honest review. I only have a limited number of these available so act fast. Just drop me a line at rschiver@gmail.com with review in the subject line.
• Share this tweet to be entered into a drawing for a free code. The drawing will take place Friday February 17. Tweet This!

New Release: Rise of Valor

Take a peek at the dark side of Rock in Mark Taylor's, Rise of Valor.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

Diane plays guitar. She plays it well. When the guitarist of sensational local rock group, Split Horizon, goes solo, she sees her opportunity to play in a band. The band.

What follows is the terrifying truth behind rock music gigs: vicious rivalry, alcohol-fueled rages, and open drug abuse.

Nicknamed Valor, Diane must learn new ways to overcome the overbearing Killer-B, lead singer of Split Horizon, and hateful misogynist and serial abuser.

A gripping drama, Rise of Valor demonstrates that having great talent is not enough in the turbulent world of rock.

You need great strength.

About the Author 

Mark Taylor's debut novel crash landed on planet earth in 2013. Its dark brooding style benchmarked his writing and has led to further releases of novel and short story collection alike.

While most of Mark's work is macabre, occasion has it that he will write about kittens and daisies. Just not very often.

Some say he is a product of his environment, others, a product of his own imagination.

Whichever it is he works happily, portraying dark existences on this planet and others. He relays his fears and doubts on his characters, so always has a smile. If Mark is real, as some say he is, you might find him in England.

Perhaps.

Website: www.authormarktaylor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMarkTaylor

Fridays 5 with David Kummer

My name is David Duane Kummer. I'm a teenager, with a couple published novels and a collection of short stories.

I live in a small, river-town on the Ohio River in southern Indiana. Along with taking care of younger siblings (I have eight total), I make time for writing in between school and sports.

I've been writing since I was young, with As Trees Turned Away being my first published work and She being my first published novel. Along with writing, I am an avid reader and watcher of all things horror, and enjoy writing reviews on them for others who might want to know my opinion on them.

When I'm not writing, I enjoy talking with my hilarious friends and amazing girlfriend, spending time with my loving family, watching movies, and working out to burn all of the calories I get from binge-eating Hawaiian Rolls. Those things are really addicting, am I right? I'd rather get payed in those than money.

website: http://davidkummer.com/

email: davidkummer7@gmail.com

goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14106755.David_Duane_Kummer

amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/David-Duane-Kummer/e/B018AA9KK2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.)  Well, when I was in early elementary school I already loved writing. By third grade, I'd had a copy of one of my "books" (actually a novella) printed professionally ten times, but it was never on sale. I had a brief hiatus from writing, then returned in May of 2015 to publish with Kindle Direct Publishing.

At first, I had no plans to make any money. I just thought it was cool. But with time I realized that you could legitimately make money off of this author thing. That's when the wheels started clicking and I hope to one day make a living off of writing books. (Funnily enough, since this realization sales have gone down. Fate is cruel.)

So, to answer your question, I got serious about June of 2015.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.)  The hardest part right now is not getting discouraged when sales don't go how you had hoped. It's tough work, putting all those emotions and long nights into a book, only to have it not sell well. If I had to give advice to an indie author, it would certainly be: Don't get discouraged. Keep fighting.

The actual writing/book/words part, though, is leaving my characters behind. It's not the same with short stories, but even my novella My Abigail, which was only 20k words made me sad to leave behind those characters. It was especially tough with She, probably because of how that one ended.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

They have grown strong in the shadows, the kingdom of Oldon. The land is void of hope and of strength against them. The human kingdoms grow corrupt everyday, so that the lines between good and evil are slurred.

One young man from a small village in the valley could change all of that. He fights with the passion of a warrior and the luck of a magician. And when the barbarians force him out of his home, the journey begins.

Trained by a knight, shadowed with secrets, and against the kingdom he once called home, Jonathan is an outcast, a rebel. But more than anything, he is a leader.

Enden is a world filled with wars, famine, sieges, torture, and death. But the greatest battle of all is to survive. Only one thing is certain. Something is rising, in the distance near the edge of the world where forgotten secrets brew. Something has risen. And it is coming.

It is coming.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.)  When I published my first book officially in 2015 (see above), I was thrilled. Amazed. We immediately ordered 10 copies, and I set to work writing a full-length novel soon afterwards. Every time I publish something, it's a rush of adrenaline that keeps me going for weeks afterwards. There's nothing like it.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.)  Character is, by far, more important to me. The story is what they do. Without them, there would be no story. They are the cause to the story's effect.

I strive to make my characters as familiar as possible, especially for myself. I want readers to relate to them. I pour myself into every one of them and try to entertain. Without them, I wouldn't have anything published.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  Well, if we're going by weekdays, it's normally wake up for school (yeah, I still got that; I'm only in high school), go to either basketball or cross country practice afterwards depending on the season, and then come home and shower. I'll either work out or practice more, or I'll bypass that step and go straight to the computer. I'll stay on there until 11 or 12, read for maybe an hour, then go to bed and repeat the whole thing over again at 7 the next morning.
(Is that healthy? Probably not. That's why there are mangoes.)

New Release: Re-Civilize: Chad

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

Chad hates everything about life. He hates his sister for being a brat, his parents for being in denial and pretending life is perfect, and the world he lives in for the adherence to social pressures and norms. He wants it all to go away.

When the zombie apocalypse wipes out the world he’s used to, he’s left alone…and bitten. He’s sure he’ll die and become one of the undead. Instead, he becomes severely sick and recovers…still fully human.

Believing he can’t be the only exception, the only one immune to the zpoc virus, Chad goes out into the world to find others like himself. Once he does, he’s sucked into a plan to re-civilize for the good of all the survivors.

Chad and the other exceptions are expected to protect and provide for the weak and vulnerable survivors. He’s not sure he wants to take on the role expected of him in the new society, but he knows that if he refuses the survivors will die.

The fate of the human race weighs heavily on Chad’s young shoulders and he has to make a decision that he can live with in the new, re-civilized world.

About the Author:

I'm the author of "Undead Drive-Thru, Undead Regeneration, Cursed Bounty, Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death, Hall of Twelve,” and “Nurse Blood (Limitless Publishing)." I'm also a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports & Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Press Presents Magazine (Iss. 1 & 2), FrightFest eMagazine, An Xmas Charity Ebook, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas (Vol. 1 & 2) and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Knight Watch Press, Coscom Entertainment, Crowded Quarantine Publications, and Collaboration of the Dead (projects), and one (each) in an anthology by Post Mortem Press, NorGus Press, Evil Jester Press, Horrified Press, Atria Books (S&S Digital), and Nocturnal Press Publications. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press and a children’s poem in Oxford Ink Literature Reader 4 from Oxford University Press (India).

My nonfiction children's article about skydiving, written for my writing course with the Institute of Children's Literature, was published by McGraw Hill for NY Assessments.

I'm also an editor and have edited: Dark Dreams: Tales of Terror, Dead Worlds 7: Undead Stories, and Book of Cannibals 2: The Hunger from Living Dead Press; Earth's End from Wicked East Press; End of Days: An Apocalyptic Anthology (Vol. 4 & 5/co-edited) from Living Dead Press; and I've co-editing Feast or Famine (a zombie anthology).

When I'm not busy writing and/or editing, I'm formatting book covers, building/maintaining websites, and writing book reviews.

For more information, visit my website: www.rebeccabesser.com 

New Release: Little Monsters

A Collection of Appalachian Horror

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

19 Stories by master Appalachian storyteller, Tim Wellman! Academically sound, these horror stories are sure to scare you, entertain, and amuse you. All the stories revolve around little girls, either evil, or fighting evil. And as a long-time Appalachian writer, educated in Creative Writing at Marshall University, these stories from the former editor of the literary journal, Et Cetera, are sure to please even the most discriminating reader! 300+ pages!

About the Author:

Tim Wellman was born and raised in West Virginia. He attended Marshall University for four years as a Creative Writing major and won several state and school awards for writing, and has written several novels for younger readers, YA, and adults. He was the editor of Marshall University's literary magazine, Et Cetera, for two years. He has also had several horror short stories published in anthologies.

New Release: God's Rogue

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

Kaden Hunt has been fighting a hidden war for humanity, alone. A war That changed one night when his oldest friend tried to kill him. Now Kaden the most powerful human in existence has drawn the complete focus of Enki and Shamash the two warring leaders of the Annunaki; the aliens who created humanity. Both are determined to stop Kaden from becoming what he once was, who he once was. For if he becomes the Traveler a more powerful enemy will be freed.

About the Author:

Kevin S. Chambers was born May, 3, 1990. Kevin has always had a wild imagination, often creating and writing stories during, church and school when he should have been paying attention. Not
only did Kevin like to tell stories, he loved to read; until he entered high school.

Rich Martin a shop teacher at Kevin’s high school handed him a book, Eragon. For over a year Kevin held onto the book, until he finally read it. After which he continued to read, eventually finding the Sword of Truth Series.

Since 2010 Kevin has spent his time between reading, and writing not only novels, but screenplays as well.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?
A.) Well I've been writing for a long while, stories to entertain myself. I would say that when I really started writing, it was back during my freshman year, when I had just finished Brisingr, and did not want to wait 3 years for the next book. So I began writing my version of the final book.
Then I found Terry Goodkind, and began reading his novels. When I finished the Sword of Truth series, I decided to write my own series, and to get it published. Since that time, about 2010 I've been switching back and forth between novels, and screenplays.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?
A.) Actually having the time to write. With a full time job, a wife, and a social life; sometimes I'm just out late. That and the fact that I had an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for English and Grammar. Which is now a 504.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?
A.) Great, I'm nervous. Sitting here is this going to do well? Is it going to flop? You put so much work into a novel, that you wan it to succeed. Just like you'd want a child to not fail.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?
A.) The story is the character to me, so they are both important. The story shapes the character, and without the character there is no story.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?
A.) Up before the sun comes out, working on marketing my book, or writing. Take care of our animals, eat a little breakfast, go to work as an Operations Manager for a well drilling company. Come home, make dinner with my wife, eat, watch some TV, work on marketing or my book, and go to sleep.

Kevin on Goodreads.

New Release: Nurse Blood

From the twisted imagination of Rebecca Besser comes:

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

Sonya Garret roams the bar scene hoping to steal the heart of an unsuspecting victim—literally…

Sonya, better known as Nurse Blood, is part of a team of lethal organ harvesters who seek out the weak to seduce, kill, and part out for profit on the black market. When Sonya meets Daniel McCoy, a young man recovering from a broken engagement, he’s just another kill to line her pockets with quick cash.

Agent David McCoy vows to find out how and why his twin brother Daniel disappeared…

Daniel’s body hasn’t been found, and the leads are slim to none, but it won’t stop David from dedicating his life to solving his brother’s case. When the evidence finally uncovers the shocking truth that Daniel’s disappearance is linked to organ harvesters, David knows his brother is most likely dead. But he’s determined to stop the villains’ killing spree before they strike again.

One last harvest is all Sonya and her team need to put their murderous past behind them…

A family with the rarest blood type in the world is the only thing standing between Sonya and retirement. David McCoy and the FBI are hot on their trail, though, and multiple targets make this the most complicated harvest yet. Will David unravel Sonya’s wicked plans in time to avenge his brother and save an innocent family? Or will Sonya cash in her final kill and escape 

About the author:

I'm the author of "Undead Drive-Thru, Undead Regeneration, Cursed Bounty, Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death, Hall of Twelve,” and “Nurse Blood (Limitless Publishing)." I'm also a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports & Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Press Presents Magazine (Iss. 1 & 2), FrightFest eMagazine, An Xmas Charity Ebook, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas (Vol. 1 & 2) and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Knight Watch Press, Coscom Entertainment, Crowded Quarantine Publications, and Collaboration of the Dead (projects), and one (each) in an anthology by Post Mortem Press, NorGus Press, Evil Jester Press, Horrified Press, Atria Books (S&S Digital), and Nocturnal Press Publications. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press and a children’s poem in Oxford Ink Literature Reader 4 from Oxford University Press (India).

My nonfiction children's article about skydiving, written for my writing course with the Institute of Children's Literature, was published by McGraw Hill for NY Assessments.

I'm also an editor and have edited: Dark Dreams: Tales of Terror, Dead Worlds 7: Undead Stories, and Book of Cannibals 2: The Hunger from Living Dead Press; Earth's End from Wicked East Press; End of Days: An Apocalyptic Anthology (Vol. 4 & 5/co-edited) from Living Dead Press; and I've co-editing Feast or Famine (a zombie anthology).

When I'm not busy writing and/or editing, I'm formatting book covers, building/maintaining websites, and writing book reviews.

For more information, visit my website: www.rebeccabesser.com 

The Reaping Excerpt#5

  Coming June 24, 2016

Reserve your copy today.

Amazon

Upon the release of THE REAPING, book two in the Dreadland Chronicles, the first book in the series ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR, will be free the weekend of June 24, 25, and 26. Grab a copy and leave an honest  review before August 20,2016, and you will be entered into a drawing where one lucky person will receive this one of a kind 22oz sealed lid candy jar. I'll even sweeten the deal by throwing in the first 10 oz bag of your favorite candy.

The three images are of one jar as the design wraps halfway around the jar. 

Sandblasting designs on glass is one of my hobbies and I made this especially for this giveaway. 

I will ship the candy jar to the winner anywhere in the world, but the review for ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR must be on Amazon.com, and must go live by midnight August 20, 2016 . Based on customs I may not be able to include candy. Sorry, that's the breaks. As an added bonus everyone in the lower forty eight states of the U.S (sorry I have to restrict this part, I just don't have the money for international shipping on everything) who leaves an honest review for ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR on Amazon will receive an autographed bookmark.

You will find the particulars at the end of this post. So without further delay let's get on with this post.

The Reaping Synopsis

Man is no longer alone at the top of the food chain.

From the East a new threat to a struggling civilization emerges, spreading across the land like a cancerous stain, leaving in its wake the shattered remnants of a species teetering on the brink of extinction.

After the dead walked and society crumbled, mankind struggled back from the brink of extinction. Having fled the cities the survivors lead a more pastoral lifestyle, while the cities to the east stand as silent monuments to the former progress of man.

But they are not empty.

Not only did mankind leave behind the trappings of his progress, but the creatures of the night that once fed along the shadowy edges of a well lit world. Inhabiting that twilight space between day and night, between what is real and imagined, between dreams and nightmares. 

In Bryn Mawr Window is infected when he is bitten by a Reaper. As he struggles against the rising bloodlust, viewing his friends as a potential meal, they set out to the East in the search of a cure.

Along the way they learn more about the nature of the world they inhabit, their own past, and the part they each play in a potential future. Crossing paths with a shadowy figure who leaves small tokens from each of their own history. Little objects that carry powerful emotions linked to major changes in their past lives.

In the nations former capitol they are confronted by the master who reveals the cold truth about the cosmos as he prepares his own army of the undead to enslave what remains of mankind.


Excerpt:
 
The day that had started out cool quickly became hot as they reached what remained of Interstate ninety five. Around them the debris of the past lay buried beneath mounds of the mile-a-minute vine. Saplings had sprouted up though the cracked macadam, creating a young forest that followed the gentle curve of the interstate.

Four hundred yards ahead stood one of the many overpasses that crossed the interstate. It offered a brief respite from the relentless heat of the sun that beat down upon them from a cloudless blue sky.

“I’m gonna need to take a break up ahead,” Window said as he trudged forward, his head down to protect his face from the sun, his hands stuffed into his pockets. A tall fence ran the length of the overpass, its intent to keep people from dropping things onto the interstate below. Something in the past someone had attached tarps to the fence to provide shelter. The tarps were torn and tattered, their shredded parts hanging lifelessly in the still air. From the forest that bordered the side of the interstate came the incessant call of cicadas welcoming the noon day sun.

As they neared the overpass, a bullet ricocheted from a vehicle on Meats left followed closely by the booming sound of a rifle firing. Instantly the four boys vanished behind cover as a shout came from the overpass.

“Damn, you missed, Leroy.”

The shout was followed by a volley of gunfire, bullets slamming into the pavement around them, ricocheting from the vehicles they hid behind.

“Where are they?” Meat said as he peered around a corner, pulling his head back at the last moment as several round converged on the space it once occupied, ricocheting harmlessly into the day.

“They’re on the bridge,” Billie-Bob said as he pulled his rifle around, sighting through the scope from beneath a tangle of weeds. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it as he squeezed the trigger and the rifle bucked in his hand. Someone on the bridge screamed in response and a heavy volley of gunfire pushed Billie-Bob back into cover.

“We can’t move, what are we going to do?” Einstein shouted as he hunkered down behind a car. Bullets slammed into unyielding steel, whickering off into the distance like lethal bees zooming in on their target.

Window looked from Meat to Billie-Bob as an old rage blossomed in the pit of his stomach. That which he had so long fought to keep at bay embraced the anger growing within him.

How dare they! The thought raged through his mind as he stood and looked up at the overpass. A bullet slammed into his shoulder, pushing him back a step as he glanced at the bloody flower blossoming on his coat.


End Excerpt!

How to enter:



On the weekend of June 24, 25, and 26 download a free copy of ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR from  AMAZON .

By midnight August 20,2016, leave your honest review for ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR and send an email with the link to me at rschiver@gmail.com. The names will be placed in a hat, or jar, or bowl depending on how many I get and my wife will draw the winner. I will contact the winner on August 21st and will announce the name here.

It's that simple, get a free book, leave a review, and maybe you'll win. For those of you in the continuous U.S I'll also send a personally autographed bookmark, pictured below, just for your trouble. I know it's not much, but I'd just like to say thanks for taking the time to help me out.

The Reaping Excerpt #4

Coming June 24, 2016

Reserve your copy today.

Amazon

Upon the release of THE REAPING, book two in the Dreadland Chronicles, the first book in the series ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR, will be free the weekend of June 24, 25, and 26. Grab a copy and leave an honest  review before the end of July, and you will be entered into a drawing where one lucky person will receive this one of a kind 22oz sealed lid candy jar. I'll even sweeten the deal by throwing in the first 10 oz bag of your favorite candy.

The three images are of one jar as the design wraps halfway around the jar.

Sandblasting is one of my hobbies and I shot this design myself. 

I will ship this to the winner anywhere in the world, but the review for ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR must be on Amazon.com, and must go live by midnight July 31, 2016 . Based on customs I may not be able to include the candy. Sorry, that's the breaks. As an added bonus everyone in the continuous U.S who leaves an honest review will receive an autographed bookmark.(sorry I have to restrict this part, I just don't have the money for international shipping on everything)

You will find the particulars at the end of this post. So without further delay let's get on with this week's excerpt

Man is no longer alone at the top of the food chain.

From the East a new threat to a struggling civilization emerges, spreading across the land like a cancerous stain, leaving in its wake the shattered remnants of a species teetering on the brink of extinction.

After the dead walked and society crumbled, mankind struggled back from the brink of extinction. Having fled the cities the survivors lead a more pastoral lifestyle, while the cities to the east stand as silent monuments to the former progress of man.

But they are not empty.

Not only did mankind leave behind the trappings of his progress, but the creatures of the night that once fed along the shadowy edges of a well lit world. Inhabiting that twilight space between day and night, between what is real and imagined, between dreams and nightmares. 

In Bryn Mawr Window is infected when he is bitten by a Reaper. As he struggles against the rising blood lust, viewing his friends as a potential meal, they set out to the East in the search of a cure.

Along the way they learn more about the nature of the world they inhabit, their own past, and the part they each play in a potential future. Crossing paths with a shadowy figure who leaves small tokens from each of their own history. Little objects that carry powerful emotions linked to major changes in their past lives.

In the nations former capitol they are confronted by the master who reveals the cold truth about the cosmos as he prepares his own army of the undead to enslave what remains of mankind.

Excerpt:

With the memories came knowledge of things that so far had remained a mystery to him. The reality of their world was no longer as firm as it had once seemed. A tenuous fabric that could be easily shredded at will, exposing the inner workings of their world beneath it, and the existence of other realities that were but a few short steps away, for someone with his unique abilities.

They were realities that bore little semblance to anything he knew. With his mind’s eye he had seen worlds where the natural laws that governed their own had been turned upon their head. Worlds where nightmare creatures roamed at will, where the night battled the day, and the shadows breathed with a life of their own.

He stood in a shadowy corner of the barn, away from the weak sunlight that burned his exposed flesh with a fevered touch. With his hand he moved aside the fabric of the world in which they lived. He giggled as his fingers slid behind the image of the wooden wall, a chill caressing his fingertips as they vanished from view.

“Are you all right down there?” Billie-Bob called from the loft above.

“Right as rain,” Window replied with a lilt in his voice. Closing his hand his fingertips bled through the surface of the wall as he giggled again with a strangeness that disturbed him. He heard Billie-Bob’s footsteps behind him as he came down the ladder from the loft.

Turning around it was easy to spot Billie-Bob as he approached through the shadows. No longer was the night capable of hiding things from him. He could see as easily in the dark as he could during the day. It was another of the strange developments that had occurred since he’d been bitten.

“Meat and Einstein went out to catch whoever's following us,” Billie-Bob said as he stepped closer to Window, “are you sure you’re okay?”

“Never been better,” Window replied. From Billie-Bob came a faint sound that had always been there, a familiar sound, one he had known his entire life, the strong steady beating of a young heart. Only now it was accompanied by the thrumming sound of blood being pumped through the arteries. Placing his hand on his chest he felt his own heartbeat thumping in time with Billie-Bob’s. 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Billie-Bob said, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat suddenly stepping up a notch.

“Like what?”

“Like I’m a piece of meat and you’re a starving dog.”
 
End Excerpt

I hope this helps to whet your appetite.

How to enter:

On the weekend of June 24, 25, and 26 download a free copy of ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR from  AMAZON .

Before the end of July leave your honest review for ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR and send an email with the link to me at rschiver@gmail.com. The names will be placed in a hat, or jar, or bowl depending on how many I get and my wife will draw the winner. I will contact the winner on August 1st and will announce the name here.

It's that simple, get a free book, leave a review, and maybe you'll win. For those of you in the continuous U.S I'll also send an autographed bookmark, pictured below, just for your trouble. I know it's not much, but I'd just like to say thanks for taking the time to help me out.

The Reaping Excerpt

As many of you may know I've been hard at work getting my next book ready for release. THE REAPING is book two in my DREADLAND CHRONICLES series that follows a group of four boys through a post apocalyptic world. The story was inspired by the westerns I watched growing up and Stephen King's Darktower series that follows the adventures of the last gunslinger, Roland Deschain as he pursues the man in black.

For me a Gunslinger represents a force of good whose purpose is to bring order to a lawless land. But where did they originate? The DREADLAND CHRONICLES is my attempt to answer that question.

Every Wednesday over the next five weeks I will be sharing a different short excerpt from THE REAPING to, I hope, whet your appetite for its release on June 24, 2016. That weekend, the 24, through the 26th, the first book in the series ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR will be free on Amazon. There will also be a contest featuring a unique one of a kind prize for the winner with smaller gifts handed out to everyone who participates. See the end of this post for more details.

Without further delay I give you the first except from THE REAPING.

They heard her before they saw her, whistling a soft tune, a haunting melody that was anything but  upbeat. Like a funeral dirge best shared during the procession when the casket takes its final journey to the grave. From around a bend in the small stream the sound came, competing with the babble of the water rushing over smooth stone, and the restless voice of a soft breeze that stirred what leaves remained, their dead bodies chattering against one another like skeletons dancing a frenzied jig.

Cautiously they approached the sound, coming upon an old woman kneeling on the bank as she washed clothes in the cold waters of the stream. Her calloused hands were red with the cold, and as they rounded the bend she pushed herself to her feet with the help of a gnarled cane, tilting her head to one side like she could hear their footsteps on the grassy bank.

“I been waiting for you boys to find me. Mama said you would be around,” she said as the hem of her long dress caught in the moving water and the fabric drank its fill. She wore a black shawl stretched across her shoulders, her white hair in stark contrast as it rested against her back.

“Don’t be bashful now, I know you’re out there, I can smell ya.” She turned her head to look in their direction, the cataracts coating her eyes capturing the sunlight to lend them a silvery appearance. Her face was a road map of wrinkles, each one denoting a different emotion, the lines radiating out from her narrow lips ready at a moments notice to punctuate a smile or a frown.

Window moved past the others, following the narrow strip of brown grass that served as a bank to keep the stream on its course. She blinked several times as he approached, taking a hesitant step back as he got closer, his six two frame towering over her diminutive five three posture.

“He got to you, didn’t he boy?” She said with a faint quiver in her voice. It was obvious she was frightened by Windows sudden movement, but at the same time she carried herself like one who was prepared to meet her end. She reached out with one hand, and gently caressed Windows cheek like a mother comforting her child.

“How did you know we was coming?” Window said.

She smiled then, relaxing her grip on the walking stick she used to keep herself upright. “Mama told me back when I was a young un. She said, Sophie, you help them four boys when they come, you wait right there, don’t go running off, cause they’s gonna need your help.”

“How long ago was that?” Window said.

“All my life I’ve known, and I’ve waited, cause mama told me I had to. From the time I was a wee child running barefoot down to old man Winner's little store, I’ve known of you.”

“But that was before we were even born,” Window said as the others joined them and the old woman tilted her head to each in turn.

“You can see us?” Billie-Bob said.

She laughed then, her voice filled with a joy that helped push back the chill of the late fall day, offering a brief respite from the cold as a spreading warmth filled each of them at the sound of her merriment.

“Everything that has been, and is yet to be, has been writ down for those who know where to look,” she said before turning to look in Billie-Bob’s direction.

“I can see you with my heart, and that’s all I need. I can see your pain, you did something you thought was bad, but it wasn’t. Sometimes we are pushed to do things we otherwise would not do, for these things we can’t be held accountable, least ways not to ourselves. Where each of you are going you need to leave your guilt behind, it’s the only way you will survive, the only way the world as we know it will continue on its way.”

“What good is this world?” Einstein said, “why should we worry about letting it continue on its way.”

The old woman reached over and touched Einstein’s cheek, “I feel your pain son, but sometimes we have to know loss before we can know joy. It’s the way of the world and it won’t do us any good to fight it. You can’t see that now, but you will.”

“Can you help us?” Meat said.

“That’s why I’m here,” she said as she took Windows hand into her own, “he’s got something very bad in him," she said as she nodded at Window, "they calls them reapers, I can see it hunkered down next to his soul, trying to hide from me. I can’t help with that, but I know what you need to do. Let’s go inside where we can talk.” She looked around, searching the woods around them for other intruders, the boys followed suit, finding only the empty forest.

When they turned back a small cabin stood behind the old woman. It hadn’t been there before, Meat was sure of it, it was like it had materialized right out of the forest behind them.



End Excerpt

THE REAPING is available for pre-order HERE!


Book II, THE REAPING is due to be released June 24, 2016. That weekend, the 24, through the 26th, the first book in the series ALL ROADS LEAD TO TERROR will be free on Amazon.

Anyone who grabs a copy and leaves a review, (good, bad, indifferent) will receive an autographed bookmark, and will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a one of a kind glass mug. I'll have a photo of the mug next week.