Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts

This Week in Horror 8/9/2017

The Secret of the Sculptures by Monika Thakur


Click on cover to order!


Synopsis:

Lifelong friends Aditi and Maitreyi meet up in Delhi when Maitreyi returns for her holidays. The holidays start with innocent fun but before long the girls are embroiled in the theft of a priceless sculpture that is stolen from Aditi’s college. Mr. Seth, a mysterious stranger with hypnotic eyes, keeps crossing their path. For him, the sculpture seems to be more than just a relic of history. Events unfold rapidly which make the girls become the prime suspects of a heist. As if being at the center of crime and priceless history was not enough, the girls realize that there is a supernatural element to the sculptures that is directing the fates of everyone involved. What will the outcome be?

All in a Days Work by Brian Francis Slattery

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Synopsis:

Magic is real . . . and hungry.

The new, secret Team Four-Asanti, Perry, and Frances-plans a small experiment with magic in order to test their control. But the magical servants they summon keep going . . . and going . . . and interpret Asanti's orders in a much more extreme way than intended. The Orb summons Team Three, and while MenchĂș and the others are able to contain the damage, they're left wondering just who started this outbreak-and who the servants were working for.

Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from MenchĂș's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.

The 7-8-9's by Todd C Elliott


Click on cover to order!

 
Synopsis:

After an incident involving an escaped mental patient in upstate New York, Leslie Parkhurst tries to forget her deadly encounter with an elderly woman named Mament. Leslie and her brother, Declan, soon discover that Mament was part of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which now has become a secret, religious sect within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) known to conspiracy theorists as "The 7-8-9s."

The Muse by Arjay Lewis

Click on cover to order!


Synopsis:
Famed novelist Jack Court has a secret: the wealthy writer is a serial killer. He has another hidden treasure, a small antediluvian creature that dwells within his body and gives him youth, strength and a superhuman ability to avoid capture. On his trail is Sheriff Neil Trajan, who is certain Court murdered his wife three years earlier.
When the author is hit by a careless driver, the creature leaves him and through a series of events, ends up with lowly writer, Harold Godwine. Godwine begins to write faster and better, but is troubled by dreams of blood.
However, Jack is healing and devolving into something not quite human. As Court seeks the young author, he leaves a trail of destruction, pursued by Trajan and his FBI associate, Bill Morris.
Will Jack Court do anything to retrieve the companion that inspires his dark desires?

Lay Her Ghosts to Rest by Eda J. Vor


Click on cover to order!

 
Synopsis:

The veil has been lifted and spirit counselor Catori Khan has been tasked with sending a never-ending stream of wayward spirits off to their final destination. But where she excels in communicating with ghosts, she falls short with the living and no amount of empathy can help mend her broken connections. It’s not until she recognizes the negative patterns of behavior in her work and her social life that she can move forward, practicing self-care and sympathy, and form healthy, fulfilling relationships both professionally and personally.



Become a member of my
readers group and get a
free starter library.


That's 2 complete novels and a 
collection of short stories.
Absolutely Free!

Writing Process Blog tour.

Thomas Kleaton, a talented new writer who is showing a great deal of promise, recently asked me to participate in a writer’s blog tour. The requirement was simple enough, answer four questions, and tag several other writers that you know to answer the same four questions on their blog.

Thomas maintains a blog here: http://thomaskleaton.wordpress.com/

I don’t like to tag anyone for one of these unless I’ve spoken with them before hand and the three I intended to tag have not as yet gotten back to me. So I’m going to change things up here a bit and give a shout out to those tireless souls who help us writers get the word out about our new releases.

They are the readers who have taken their obsession one step further and publicly post reviews on their own personal blogs. So stop by their site after you’re done here, check out their reviews, interviews, new release announcement, you never know you might just find a new writer or two to follow.

What am I working on?
Shadows of the Past Part II Parasite. The creature Sam Hardin though he had killed in Shadows of the Past Part I has returned. But the problem is no longer isolated in the hills of Western Maryland. In Washington State a young man discovers an alien craft beneath his basement floor, inside is a parasite that is tied to what Sam killed and threatens the future of all mankind.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?
Very little blood and guts. I believe real tension is created by the perception in the readers mind of what is about to happen versus a blow-by-blow description of what does happen.
 
Why do I write what I do? 
That’s like asking someone why they breath. All my life I’ve been drawn to the macabre.
 
How does my writing process work?
I allow the idea to incubate, to explore its myriad possibilities, then I start running the gauntlet of questions. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and of course how. Once I have these firmly in mind it is only then that I put pen to paper.


Jim McLeod at Ginger Nuts of Horror: For any and all of your horror fiction needs, Ginger Nuts of Horror is your number one source! Through the many pages that this site has to offer, you will be given the chance to view the absolutely best in horror fiction news, horror fiction reviews, and exclusive interviews with both up and coming stars as well as established horror actors. In fact, Google has recently ranked Ginger Nuts of Horror as the number one website for horror news and horror author interviews, as well as ranking us in the top ten horror fiction review websites. Currently, the site  averages about 90,000 views every month with  over 18,000 unique visitors! Now, it’s time to get into the meat of our website: exactly what makes Ginger Nuts of Horror your number one horror website.

Anthony Seravante at Servante of Darkness: I critique, review, and discuss current trends in literature, especially works of Horror, SF, Fantasy, Crime Noir, and related subjects. I also review film, music, and TV programs. I compile monthly poetry columns and continue ongoing discussions on the Zombie Apocalypse, Cybernocturnalism (ebook publishing, good and bad), and Off Kilter TV: Where Horror Rears its Ugly Head on Family Television. And I publish a Horror Short Story of the Month every first of the month.


Shana Festa at Bookie Monster: Shay Festa A.K.A. The Bookie Monster reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis (but not limited to) zombie fiction. With a background in Psych Nursing, Shay brings her unique perspective to the online reading community. Her highly anticipated zombie novel, Time of Death: Induction, is now available!

Countdown to Halloween: Jeffrey Kosh

We're closing in on our target. Today's guest makes it 29, with but one more to follow. Permit me to introduce, illustrator, and author Jeffrey Kosh, and his latest release, Dead Men Tell No Tales.


Countdown to Halloween: S.D. Hintz

We have reached day 18 with 12 more to go. If you like you prose raw and vivid, then take a peek at our next special guest S.D. Hintz and his latest release, Tales From an Undertaker.

In the vein of Tales from the Crypt, undertaker Hayden Alcuin guides us through his funeral home of nightmares.

A publishing house hires a zombie temp service. A boy fights over his dead dog with a graveyard ghost. An unholy grail brews youth in exchange for death. A ghost town haunts a man with the Old West. An evil undertaker kills townspeople for his personal cosmetic use. A pirate returns to a harbor for his demonic treasure. A mailman leaves death threats that he carries out. And many other nightmarish tales.

“Vivid, kick-ass horror - just plain recommended.”
-- John Shirley, author of A Song Called Youth

“S.D. Hintz delivers a gruesome bumper crop.”
-- Scott Nicholson, author of After: The Shock

“S.D. Hintz…creates a nightmare any child (young and old) dreads.”
-- Simon Wood, author of Terminated

“Don’t expect pretty phrases from S. D. Hintz. No. The prose – raw and vivid – spits at you like a carbine. What you can expect is to be shocked and horrified … and desperately intrigued.”
-- Robert Dunbar, author of The Wood


 
Click on the cover for more info.

S.D. Hintz is a published author and CEO/Editor-in-Chief of KHP Publishers, Inc. He currently resides in Minnesota with his wife and two children.
 

What does your muse look like?

The broken queen wanders among the dead.

This sentence, in its entirety, just popped into my head last night as I was working on my latest WIP. Where it came from is anybody's guess. With it came the image of a field covered by the corpses of a recent battle.  Scavenger birds swooped in to feast on the offered banquet. Meanwhile a solitary figure picked its way carefully through the remains. Stopping every so often to inspect an object on the ground. I sensed the figure was looking for something important. She wore a regal gown cinched tight at the waist with sleeves that reached her wrists. Perched upon a head of flaming red hair rode a tarnished crown encrusted with sparkling jewels, some of which were missing, as if they had been pried out to pay for assorted necessities. The broken queen wandered among the dead seeking what only she could discern

Is the Broken Queen my muse?

Many writers in the past have described their muse, that mythical figure who whispers in their ear, and drives them to pour their souls out upon the page. Descriptions have ranged from angry midgets kicking them in the shins to shadowy beauties who hovered over their shoulder as they wrote, guiding their hand, breathing life into their words.

Until this moment I've never given any thought to what my muse might look like. But the image fit what I imagine a writer of dark fiction would have as an inspiration. Leaving only two possible options. My muse has revealed herself to me. Or my muse, who wishes to remain unseen, has given me but a glimpse of a future work. Of a place that exists so far only in my subconscious imagination. A place ruled by a broken queen whose kingdom encompasses a shattered landscape of eternal despair where the sun never shines and the gray clouds blend seamlessly into the dull countryside.

Do you have a muse?

What do you imagine they look like?

Friday's Five with Michael Brookes

I've resurrected Monday's 5Q's and renamed them Friday's Five. Every week a different author will answer the same five questions. If you're a writer and would like to participate, drop me a line at rschiver(AT)gmail(DOT)com and I'll send you the questions. Better yet answer the five questions below and send them to me along with a brief bio and links to your work for sale and I'll schedule it for the next available slot.

This week Michael Brookes, author of Cult of Me, has agreed to answer five questions so without further adieu I give you Michael Brookes.

1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Only recently. I have written since an early age, but only last year did I decide to put it into the public eye. Thankfully the response has been positive so far.

2.) What is the hardest part of writing?
For me it's proofreading, I just can't spot all the errors. I love writing the first draft and I enjoy the edit process, but proofreading I get other people to do for me.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?
I hadn't been that excited since my youth :-)

4.) In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
Computer games are one of my other passions and I'm lucky enough that is my day job. Even better I've been asked to write the official novel for one of our upcoming games!

5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?
I'd ask John Milton if he deliberately made Lucifer appear heroic in Paradise Lost.

Bio:
Michael Brookes is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping. Which is good as that is where many good ideas come from.

Book Links:
The Cult of Me
For too long he dwelt apart, watched those who passed him by. With his unique abilities he entered their minds and inflicted terrible suffering upon them. They didn't even know who he was. The game has lasted for years, but now the game has become stale. On an impulse he decides to make a final and very public last stand. After surrendering himself to the police he enacts his plan to seize the prison for his final bloody act.

There he discovers that he's not as unique as he once thought.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cult-Third-Path-ebook/dp/B008O7ZVXW/

An Odd Quartet
A quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and chill.

The Yellow Lady
Grave robbing is a dirty business, in more ways than one. When he disturbs the grave from a childhood scary story he discovers it's not always treasure to be found.

This Empty Place
At the heat death of the universe, Death contemplates his existence.

Forced Entry
Terrorists seize an average suburban house. A Special Forces hostage rescue team is sent in and encounter more than they were trained for.

The Reluctant Demon
A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.
http://www.amazon.com/An-Odd-Quartet-ebook/dp/B009QJMMPC/

Are you a storyteller?

Or do you just tell stories?

There's a big difference you know.

Writers who tell stories recount the details of what's happening on the page for the reader. They may go into minute detail of every aspect of the scene and the characters appearance as they set up the plot. They tell the reader what the character is feeling. Revealing their emotions like a shopping list of items to be picked up for dinner.

Storytellers on the other hand draw the reader emotionally into the story as they set up the plot.  They filter the scene through the characters eyes. Revealing only those details that are absolutely pertinent to the story as it transpires on the page. Investing the reader with the characters emotions.

Those who tell stories worry about word and page counts.

Storytellers know the story is done, when it is done.

Becoming a storyteller is not easy, but it can be done. Some are born with that innate ability while others struggle to achieve that goal.

I fall into the latter group, close but not quite, so I continue the struggle to train that storytellers voice. Most times it's a disappointment, but every so often the inner storyteller takes over, and it is these rare moments that compel me to continue writing in the face of all the odds stacked against me.

It is not the lure of riches or fame that drives me. Rather the desire to connect with the reader on an emotional level, to share with them my unique vision of the world around us. To tell them a story in the old tradition.

Are you a storyteller?

Or do you tell stories?

My Top Five Reads of 2012

Last week Kat Yares tagged me as an author she liked to read in her Next Big Thing post. I'm going to take that concept one step further and list the five books I enjoyed the most this year.

# 5

#4

#3

#2

And last but not least I give you the best book I've read this year.

#1

The dead rise, and only the dead can rock them back to sleep...but sometimes it falls to the living to do what the dead cannot.

Those are my picks for 2012. What are yours?

2012 Holiday Bloog hop

Welcome to my little corner of the 2012 Holiday Blog hop.

In case you missed what was going on a bunch of us writer types, sixty four to be exact, got together and pooled our resources to create a five day event that will culminate in a random drawing to select 5 lucky winners.



And what will these lucky people win?

Two grand prize winners will each receive a 7” Kindle Fire with HD, 16GB, Wi-Fi, and Dolby Audio. Each valued at $199.00

Third place will receive a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card.

Fourth place will receive a library of 18 autographed print books delivered directly to their door. Shadows of the Past included.

Fifth place will receive a library of 36 digital books. Shadows of the Past included.

Go to Holiday blog Hop to learn how to enter for your chance to win.

In addition to the above prizes I am hosting my own little giveaway, I can’t give away a kindle or money or anything like that, but each day of the hop I will be giving away a digital copy, in the format of their choice, of my novel Shadows of the Past, and my soon to be released novella, Enter Night, to be delivered upon publication. These will be given away via a smashwords coupon.





There are five chances to win. I will hold a drawing each day using that days tweets and a random number generator to select the winner.

To enter simply tweet about my blog using the following link
http://rschiver.blogspot.com

And the following hashtag
#SOTPbloghop1 for Monday with the drawing to take place on Tuesday at 5PM EST,
#SOTPbloghop2 for Tuesday with the drawing to take place Wednesday at 5pmEST.
#SOTPbloghop3 for Wednesday with the drawing to take place Thursday at 9amEST.
#SOTPbloghop4 for Thursday with the drawing to take place Friday at 5pmEST.
#SOTPbloghop5 for Friday with the drawing to take place Saturday at 5pmEST.

All tweets must include the above link to be elegible as well as the hashtag for that day. I use the hashtag to track the tweets. Enter as often as you like.

Good Luck and don’t forget to stop by each of the other participants blogs to see what they have to offer. I’ve provided the links below for your convenience. 



Cheryl Bradshaw, Christine Demaio-Rice, M Edward McNally, Emily Ann Ward,
Marsha A Moore, Diane Capri, Jillian Dodd, Victoria Adams, Olivia Hardin, Angela Muse,
Melissa A Smith, R.G Porter, Ty Hutchinson, Laura Yirak, C.M. Barrett, Elle Chardou,
Darren Pillsbury, Laura Eno, Alan Nayes, Michael Roberston, Catrina Barton,
D.B McNicol, Jolea M. Harrison, Katrina P. Williams, Julia Crane & Talia Jager,
Cheryl Shireman, Mary Pat Hyland, Karin Cox, Jason G. Anderson, S.L. Wallace,
Michelle Figley, Heather M Adkins, Athanasios, R.M. Strong, Susan Jean Ricci,
M.J. Holmes, Fabio Bueno, Lizzy Ford, Will Graham, Dana Taylor, Alyssa Reyans,
Marie J.S. Phillips, Karla Darcy, C.M. Keller, Carol D Luce, Robin Nadler, Jean M Bauhaus,
Tara West, Sharyn B Lunn, L. Leander, Lorne Oliver, Marilyn Holdsworth, Alonna Shaw,
Adrienne Thompson, Terry C Simpson, Juli D. Revezzo, Kate Policani, Randy Attwood,
Red Tash, Ian Walkley, Kip De Moll