Archive for February 5, 2014

The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle is now on tour! Check out every stop and join the special, HUGE International giveaway running here and on each tour stop!

The Wind Whisperer

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Synopsis

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.

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Enjoy this peek inside!

I looked around cautiously before freezing at the sketchy outline of a muscular man partially hidden in the grass.  A man!  He was sprawled on his back and golden pink from too many hours in the sun.  My heart pounded to see the unfamiliar pattern of a deer on his breechcloth.  I had marched myself directly into the reach of a Zennite warrior!

I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man’s black eyes fluttered open.  I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird.  My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless.  I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races.

After a few powerful strides, the warrior tackled me to the ground, painfully grazing the skin on my cheek.  I wheezed a few times before my lungs filled with air.

“A Chippoke?” he asked between breaths.

I feverishly punched and kicked to free myself.  “Get—off—me!”

“Stop! I’m not going to hurt you,” the warrior chuckled as he struggled to pin my arms and legs.  His voice was calm and pleasant, but lying was no different than breathing to a Zennite.

“I cannot promise the same,” I wheezed as I fought.

“You’re a bobcat,” he said with a laugh.  “A bobcat with no teeth or claws.”

“Let me go!”

“I will when you’re calm.”

Strong hands held my wrists while his full weight pinned my torso against the earth.  Fighting him was as useless as running.  “You are not a boy,” I spat angrily, fully taking in my attacker.  It was little comfort that he didn’t look like a bloodthirsty killer.  He was admittedly handsome with an angular face and sleek black hair that hung well past his shoulders.  He was not as tall as Elan, but his muscles were narrow and built for speed.  There was something different about his eyes too.  They were as black as soot—very unlike the brown woodsy colors from our tribe.

The warrior smirked down at me.  “My mother will be very surprised to hear that.  All this time she’s assumed…”

My face heated, but I fiercely met his gaze.  The Zenni were like wild dogs and pumas—they could smell emotions. “What I meant was, you are a man, not a boy.”

“Oh, I see, but you must understand, I’m not a man yet.”

“You must understand I’m a squirrel!  Get off!  You’re hurting me!” I ordered with a useless heave.

“No,” he said with a smirk.

It was then I realized I might die—right after I was lulled into a false sense of security.  My chest pounded as I searched for the killer’s weapon.  “Are you going to kill me?”

“I do not feel like killing you just yet,” he said as his long hair swirled in my face.  Were we to play a game before he killed me?

“I am glad the mood doesn’t strike you,” I snarled.  The warrior studied me with a drawn brow.  Was he guessing that I was the forest witch?  I didn’t think I looked like a witch, but I wasn’t certain what one should look like—evil at least.

“I don’t understand something,” the warrior said.  “Your eyes are blue—the blue of an angry sky.  Are you the daughter of a god?”

“Yes,” I said, heaving against his weight again.  “Now get off me, or my father Achak will strike you dead with lightning.”

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Krista Holle

Krista Holle

Krista Holle is an award winning author who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love—not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s socks.

Website/BlogTwitterFacebookGoodreadsAmazon

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Look what you can win!

GRAND PRIZE: Kindle Fire, $25 Amazon Gift Card, Printed copy of The Wind Whisperer (INT’L)

Printed copy of The Wind Whisperer (INT’L)

Ebook copy of The Wind Whisperer (INT’L)

Click on the rafflecoper below to enter.

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The Wind Whisperer Tour schedule:

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Most of you who follow my blog know I’m a huge fan of short stories and collections. I’m always on the prowl for more and have I found some good ones!

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My Review

This collection has something for everyone. Not all of them are scary. I’d compare them to The Twilight Zone or Tales From the Darkside. More Twisted than horrifying.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few that’ll make you flinch, and one or two you’ll wish you didn’t read after dark.

I particularly liked Cabin Fever. A shock was what I got when the story revealed itself. Not light reading and the ending left me wondering. Kind of grisly.

Another one that stood out was The Man In The Alley. He could see if a person was bad by looking at their shadow. I wondered what I’d do with that ability.

The Boy Who Saw Spiders is creepy crawly and quite disturbing. I have an irrational fear of spiders. Even the tiny ones make me shudder. I skipped past this one and waited until daytime to read it. Otherwise, I’d be lying in bed thinking about all of those spiders. They say there is one within 6 feet of you no matter where you are. Yuck.

Sick Day was twisted but the husband got my approval. He loved his wife.

My number one favorite was Mr. Ghoul’s Quaint Little Ghost Train. The cover gives you a clue. There was definitely a moral to this story. Something along the lines of ‘lest thee be judged’ or ‘he who casts the first stone.’ Spooky good.

There are 16 stories in all  and though I wasn’t crazy about some, that’s the great thing about a collection. You can move on to the next story and find something you enjoy.

The author did a great job of giving you a wide selection of scenarios, and characters you’ll cheer for, shake your head at, and shake your fist at.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

Roll up to the funhouse, a brand new collection of tales from the author of Whisper, Dark Corners & Meat, Michael Bray.

A man who makes an unscheduled stop gets more than he bargained for in ‘CANDYLAND.’

A Group of teens discover a terrible secret on Samsonite farm in ‘SCARECROWS.’

A Schoolyard bully and his former victim reunite with horrifying results in ‘LONG TALL COFFIN.’

A High school party becomes an arachnid nightmare for one unfortunate guest in ‘THE BOY WHO SAW SPIDERS.’

These are just some of the horrors hidden within the darkest recesses of the funhouse. Look closer if you dare, and indulge in these 16 tales of madness, murder, terror and insanity.

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About Michael Bray

Michael Bray is a Horror author based in Leeds, England. Influenced from an early age by the suspense horror of authors such as Stephen King, and the trashy pulp TV shows like Tales From The Crypt & The Twilight Zone, he started to work on his own fiction, and spent many years developing his style. In May 2012, he signed a deal with the highly reputable Dark Hall Press to print and distribute his collection of interlinked short stories titled Dark Corners, which was released in September 2012. His second release was a Novella titled MEAT which was initially self-published before being picked up by J. Ellington Ashton Press. His first full length novel, a supernatural horror titled Whisper was initially self-published, and following great critical acclaim, sold to Horrific Tales publishing where it went on to reach as high as #3 in the amazon paid best sellers list.

Goodreads / Amazon / Twitter / Website

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WWW Wednesday

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Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

Stake You

by Claire Farrell 

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Devlin O’Mara has spent a long time cultivating her reputation as a scary bitch, and nothing’s going to change that. Not cheating boyfriends, annoying ex-crushes, or even a cheesy new kid who looks like he could have walked straight out of a young adult novel.

But life takes odd turns and eerie events coupled with a stalking classmate threaten to send Dev’s walls crumbling down around her, finally forcing her to face the true horror of her past.

Joining forces with an enemy is the only way to get to the heart of an enigmatic boy’s true intentions and protect everyone in her life from a being who couldn’t possibly exist.

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What did you recently finishing reading?

The Long Afternoon

by Mary L. Farmer 

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Things go from bad to worse when diva romance novelist Veronica Harper and her long-suffering personal assistant arrive for a book signing appearance only to discover that they’re in the wrong bookstore. After a bizarre encounter with an eccentric fan, Veronica is plunged into a nightmarish world from which she can’t seem to escape. Short Fiction, 6200 Words. Rating: PG-13 for some language, mild horror.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

What Kills Me

Book #1

by Wynne Channing

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The fight for survival begins.An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?
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So, whatcha readin?

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