Archive for September, 2018

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Wild Spirits of the Hollow
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by Lea Ryan
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Wild Spirits of the Hollow by [Ryan, Lea]
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Genre: Contemporary fantasy/Supernatural fiction

Publisher: NightLark Publishing

Date of Publication: 08/28/2018

ISBN: 1721041397 / ASIN: B07DN3CH9H

Number of pages: 163 / Word Count: 43000

Cover Artist: RL Bender

An ancient evil is murdering residents in the isolated village of Mistwalk. Can Shannon survive long enough to save them all?

Synopsis

Shannon lies to almost everyone she meets. When she gets lost and winds up trapped in an Appalachian valley village, her lies don’t get her far.

Mistwalk Vale may look like a fairy tale, but nightmares lurk in the shadows.

Villagers are dying grisly deaths, their bodies reduced to bones and left in the streets for their friends and family to find. Worse, some people suspect that Shannon is involved. They accuse her of coming from the tribe of vicious earth witches down in the hollow.

A man named Owen believes Shannon is innocent. He tries to protect her as best he can, but there’s only so much he can do. She feels herself falling for him, despite her plan to leave as soon as she gets an opportunity.

Caught between angry mobs and an ancient darkness, she will be forced to fight for her survival. Can she save herself and the village before evil consumes them all?

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Excerpt from Chapter 1
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I stood at the edge of the trees, staring at the light deep within the forest. Between it and
me, a sea of shadow concealed the underbrush and all that lurked there. This
forest, like many other forests, would have its insects, snakes, tangles of
who-knew-what, maybe wildcats or some other thing ready to pounce on and maim
me.
After hours of walking along a secluded, mountain highway, my brain was thoroughly scrambled.
I knew enough to know that, and I knew enough to not fully trust what I was
seeing.
It might be a lie, the light, a mirage conjured by some desperate part of my mind. I’d told
enough lies to others, why not myself?
A fantasy of stumbling upon a cabin with friendly occupants swam through my mind. They’d
have food left over from dinner, a plate they’d be happy to hand over to
someone who really needed it, and I did really need it. Lunch was a distant
memory, as well as the Skittles from my backpack, my bottle of water. If I made
it anywhere alive, I would really have to reevaluate my packing priorities.
I sighed. Unless I wanted to sleep next to the highway, that light was my only hope. I adjusted
my backpack straps and stepped into the trees.
I plodded through the darkness in high tops that weren’t made for terrain any more
intense than a mall floor. I also regretted wearing shorts and a t-shirt
because there was no trail, only weeds and trees and rustling sounds made by
small animals nearby.
All the while, the light in the distance remained bright, burning my eyes, but I kept my
sights on it because that was hope, even if it never seemed to get any closer.
I kept my mind off my creepy surroundings by considering who I would be for the people who
awaited me. Had someone picked me up as I attempted to hitchhike, that lucky
individual would’ve had the opportunity to hang out with a model, who was on
her way to Miami.
Everybody likes to hang out with famous people and people who are about to be famous. I’ve
noticed this before. When I tell them whatever version of the story I’d
concocted for the evening, their eyes would light up as if I had offered to
take them along to fame and fortune.
The model story was my go-to. I was lanky and odd looking in a way that some people found
attractive or interesting, at the very least, plausible model material. This
was not the person I would be in the cabin. I didn’t have the energy to keep up
the behaviors that went along with that lie.
Models didn’t eat substantial food. Models ate iceberg lettuce and drank lemon, cucumber
water. My model did, anyway.
There in the woods with possible food ahead of me, there was no way I could keep that up. I
didn’t care what food someone shoved under my nose. The idea of grilled opossum
made my mouth water. Boiled weeds? Fine. I’d eat anything.

 

I tried to come up with another story, but the most compelling at that moment was my own.
Broken car. Girl wandering the woods in hope of finding food and shelter. I was
filthy and growing filthier by the minute. If I had scissors in my backpack, I
would’ve chopped off at least half of my long, brown hair just to get rid of
the tangles. That evening, I wouldn’t have to fake a look of utter desperation.
So I let the story be what it was.
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About the Author:
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Lea Ryan is the author of several books and stories. She writes about the strange and the dark, as well as the light and love and strives to immerse readers in vivid fictional worlds. She currently lives in Indiana with assorted family members and various pets. Her website and blog can be found at www.LeaRyan.com.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Hell Hole: The Official Screenplay
by Donald Firesmith and Leland Anderson
Genre: SciFi, Paranormal Horror
 
When a huge hole opens up in the path of a controversial new pipeline, the
oil company’s head of safety convinces her estranged husband to fly
up to Alaska’s North Slope and investigate. But when geologist Jack
Oswald rappels down into the mysterious pit, he discovers it is
unlike anything he has ever seen. Giant wolf-like creatures attack
the nearby protester camp, slaughtering both wildlife and people.
When they kill protesters and even the oil company’s armed guards,
a member of a secret society dedicated to defending humanity from
demons has no choice but to reveal herself. The survivors soon learn
there are worse monsters than hellhounds. To repair his broken
marriage, Jack only needs to save his wife, defeat a devil, seal the
hell hole, and put an end to Armageddon. What could possibly go wrong?
This movie script for the full-length feature film, Hell Hole, is based on
Donald Firesmith’s novel, Hell Holes: What Lurks Below.

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Hell Holes
Book 1: What Lurks Below
 
It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the
new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear
overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack
receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to
investigate, and he picks his climatologist wife and two of their
graduate students as his team. Uncharacteristically, Jack also lets
Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist,
talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in
the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect
them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk
of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells
and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger
lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s
unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all…

**Get it FREE!!**
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My Review

I love unexplained acts of nature. Makes for such a chilling plot. When holes start appearing in the Arctic Circle , a team of experts is sent to investigate. Once they arrive, things get worse as more holes appear. And then something straight out of Hell crawls out. A horde of otherworldly creatures that have only one thing in mind. Killing mankind. With nowhere to run, the team seeks shelter in an old station. But the horde won’t be denied, and like an octopus with a sealed bottle full of yummy bait, they will find a way in.

I was almost rubbing my hands together in twisted anticipation before I started this one. Mysterious holes appearing. Something beyond imagining crawls out. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Oh yeah. I knew I had to read this book.

There’s a mixed bag of character’s. Ones you come to like and respect and some not so much. The author doesn’t seem to mind killing off either one. Keeps you on edge when things get down and dirty. Which doesn’t take long at all.

The story is strong and there’s a sub plot that makes things even more interesting. Also, the blend of science fiction and horror leaves the story wide open for the author to go in many different directions.

The ending. Well, it’s an end, but also a cliff hanger. That’s because this is really the beginning of something much bigger. I’ll be grabbing the next one immediately. Got a good feeling about this series.

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Hell Holes
Book 2: Demons on the Dalton
 
When hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appeared overnight in the frozen
tundra north of the Arctic Circle, geologist Jack Oswald picked
Angele Menendez, his climatologist wife, to determine if the record
temperatures due to climate change was the cause. But the holes were
not natural. They were unnatural portals for an invading army of
demons. Together with Aileen O’Shannon, a 1,400-year-old sorceress
demon-hunter, the three survivors of the research team sent to study
the holes had only one chance: to flee down the dangerous Dalton
Highway towards the relative safety of Fairbanks. However, the
advancing horde of devils, imps, hellhounds, and gargoyles will stop
at nothing to prevent their prey from escaping. It is a 350-mile race
with simple rules. Win and live; lose and die…

**Only .99 cents!!**
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My Review

It started with mysterious holes appearing overnight in the tundra of the North Slope in Alaska. A team of seven, including Jack, a geologist, his wife, Angela, a climatologist, Aileen, a reporter with a secret power, and four others are hired by Exxon Mobil to investigate. When the very hounds of Hell crawl out of one of the holes and start killing, the team races south on Dalton Highway, one of the ten most dangerous roads, trying to reach Fairbanks and safety. Soon, imps and gargoyles join the hellhounds in pursuit. Only three of the team members make it to the SUV and begin their escape. The Demon War has begun.

Jack told his story of how it all began in the first book. Now, Angela tells what happens next.

As the three survivors race down the highway, they encounter more and more demons. And the demons have some surprising tricks up their sleeve that don’t bode well. It’s attack after attack. Every time it seems like they’ve found safety, it goes to hell in a hand basket. Even the military, with all of their technology and weapons, don’t stand a chance.

After what I’ve just read, I have now decided that if there’s ever an apocalypse, I’ll take zombies over demons any time. Some of these of creatures are dumber than a box of rocks, but they are guided by higher demons, smart ones, and can inflict major damage.

The author sure doesn’t give his characters a break. And he keeps the action and suspense at full throttle. How many demons are there? Do they have a weakness? And most important, how do we stop them? The answer is one you can’t begin to imagine.

I take from the ending that there’s more to come. I have an idea where it will go and sure excited to see how that works out.

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A geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer
helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive
systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books,
written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers,
and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He’s
also proud to have been named a Distinguished Engineer by the
Association of Computing Machinery, although his pride is tempered
somewhat by his fear that the term “distinguished” makes
him sound like a graybeard academic rather than an active engineer
whose beard is still slightly more red than gray.
By night and on weekends, his alter ego writes modern paranormal
fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and
relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from various magical woods and
mystical gemstones. His first foray into fiction is the book Magical
Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore written under the pen name Wolfrick
Ignatius Feuerschmied. He lives in Crafton, Pennsylvania with his
wife Becky, and his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs, cats, and birds.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to my Monday Minis where I share shorter reviews of books I’ve read.

Today’s book is an ARC I received from Flame Tree Press.

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Thirteen Days By Sunset Beach

by Ramsey Campbell

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Genre:  Horror

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My Review

I was intrigued by the synopsis for this book. Dove in all excited. But I stumbled right out of the gate. The writing felt a bit bumpy and the plot felt slow. I also didn’t care much for the characters. I persevered and got quite a good read after the bumpy start.

While this moved slowly and didn’t really scare me, it had plenty of atmosphere. And once my imagination kicked into gear it had me turning the pages to see if I was correct about what was actually occurring and to see the outcome.

I’m thinking I would have enjoyed this more as a movie.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, after it got going. Would I read this author again? Yep. Even though it didn’t wow me, I still had a good read.

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Thanks so much to Flame Tree Press and Author Ramsey Campbell for the opportunity to read this book.

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Synopsis

It’s Ray’s and Sandra’s first family holiday in Greece, on the newly developed island of Vasilema. The family weren’t to know that the skies are cloudier above the island than anywhere else in Greece, and they’re mostly intrigued by the local eccentricities and customs—the lack of mirrors, the outsize beach umbrellas, the saint’s day celebrated with an odd nocturnal ritual. Only why are there islanders who seem to follow the family wherever they go? Why do Sandra and the teenage grandchildren have strangely similar dreams? “I was in this huge place with no light and I didn’t want to see. Something sounded… huge.” And has Sandra been granted a wish she didn’t even know she made? Before their holiday is over, some of the family may learn more than they can bear about the secret that keeps the island alive…

Amazon / B&N / Flame Tree Press

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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This is my own version of a weekly book haul and all things new on fuonlyknew.

I’m also linking up with The Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

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Some chit chat.

I don’t know where me heads been lately. I left work Friday telling everyone I’d see them Monday. This drew some shocked looks. They were kind enough to remind me we were closed Monday for the holiday. LOL Glad they did as, knowing me, I would have drive into work!

So I plan to read some, swim a bunch, take some naps and binge shows and movies on the telly. I’ve been watching the show, Heartland, from the beginning for the past few weeks and almost finished. Such a fun, sweet show and I’m really loving it. I always dreamed of living on a horse ranch but never did come true. Now that I’m older I’m content to just ride other people’s horses. LOL

Just finished watching Annihilation last night with my son. We both really enjoyed it. Talk about going Into The Out Of. What a wild idea. We turned out all the lights, cranked up the surround sound and were amazed at the visual effects. Have you seen it? What did you think?

Have a fabulous  Sunday and brand new week!

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My new books this week.

Survival: After It Happened Book 1 by [Ford, Devon C.]  Snowfall: A Redclaw Security Universe Story by [Dean, McKenna]

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And here are some FREEBIES for ya.

Click on the covers to get your copies. Remember to make sure they’re still free before you hit that buy button.

Kelly's Koffee Shop (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) by [Harman, Dianne]  Gone With The Ghost (Murder By Design Book 1) by [McCarthy, Erin ]  Murder, Mayhem and Mama by [Craig, Christie]

The War On Horror: Tales From A Post-Zombie Society by [Allen, Nathan]  Unleashed: V Plague Book 1 by [Patton, Dirk]  BEYOND EXTINCTION: Even the concept of truth is a lie by [Keeble, John]

School Is So Cool by [Gluck, Ana Cristina]   Crabby the Crab: kids books for kids ages 3-6 ages 5-7 children, childrens bedtime stories adventure, early reader storybook collection children's, reading ... water color animal picture book) 2) by [Dr.Mc]  The Angry Dragon: (Childrens books about Anger, Picture Books, Preschool Books, Ages 3 5, Baby Books, Kids Books, Kindergarten Books) by [Gordon, Michael]

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Click on the covers to check out this week’s reviews.

book of m cover  a ran away

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Other posts on my blog this week.

Book Blast and Giveaway ~ Another Five Minutes

Shadow House ~ The Missing ~ Blast and Giveaway

The Book Of M by Peng Shepherd ~ Gotta sing my praises

Stabbed In The Baklava ~ Cozy Mystery Tour and Giveaway

Cozy Mystery Tour & Giveaway ~ Bear Witness To Murder

Musing Mediterranean by Beth Daigle ~ Book Blast and Giveaway

Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes ~ Trailer Blast and Giveaway

Blitz and Giveaway ~ Missing Signal by Seb Doubinsky

The Kid’s Korner #36 ~ The Day That A Ran Away

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Leave your link and I’ll come visit you.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to The Kid’s Korner.

I decided to do this feature as I have so many great children’s books to share. From picture books, to books for beginning readers, to middle graders, I have plenty of fun ones.

Today I’m sharing a brand new release!

The Day That A Ran Away

by B.C.R. Fegan

Illustrated by Lenny Wen

a ran away

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Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book

My Review

 I’m sure tons of teachers have heard the excuse, “the dog at my homework.” But Jet insists he did his, but the letters ran away, leaving a blank page.

 The zany, colorful illustrations wouldn’t let me go. I kept leaning in to see what was hidden on each page. Don’t rush from page to page. Take time to look at everything. There were some hidden messages and fun learning tools used in the pictures. And the story was a crazy adventure. The letters were actual characters and ran willy nilly everywhere.  Jet was in hot pursuit.  The more he pursued them, the faster they ran away.

I’m going to gush a bit now. This imaginatively written and delightfully illustrated book was a blast to read. It made my heart happy and kept a grin on my face. I felt all bubbly after reading it and enthusiastically recommend it.

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I received a complimentary copy from TaleBlade Press. Thanks so much and thank you to Author B.C.R. Fegan for this delightful book. My review is voluntarily given.

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Synopsis

While Mrs May is checking her students’ homework, she notices that Jet hasn’t managed to write down the letters of the alphabet. Instead of providing a familiar excuse, Jet offers Mrs May an elaborate story about how every letter happened to leave his page while he was walking to school that morning.

The Day That A Ran Away clearly and cleverly moves through the alphabet from A to Z. Each page has a number of items to find and the simple rhyme on each page will help readers remember the letter sequence. The story also touches gently on the concept of homework and the importance of making an effort.

Did you know… each page has hidden items to find?

Did you know… each letter has its own secrets?

Look closely at the pictures and letters… so many secrets to learn.

The Day That A Ran Away will be available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle and ePub through all major online retailers

Amazon US / Goodreads / B&N

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Author B.C.R. Fegan

a ran away author

I think you can tell a good children’s book by the desire of a child to hear it read to them again… and again! Or perhaps to see a child sitting by themselves engrossed in the story – turning each page and even reading aloud what they remember of the text. A good children’s book often goes beyond the narrative of the story itself and provides instead a platform from which the child’s own imagination takes flight.

It is from this place that the stories you find here have been crafted. Written not, by the adult carefully layering imaginative themes upon any number of agenda’s, but instead written by the child within. These are tales where anything can happen and where adventures lurk around every corner. Each story begins with the desire to delight young children; to tantalise their imaginations; and to kindle their curiosity.

Through each story’s natural progression, there are certainly lessons that parents can easily highlight to their children. However the main focus of each and every one of these books is for the reader and child alike to simply sit back, get drawn into the adventure, and enjoy a good tale.

I hope you enjoy them!

Author links:  Goodreads / Website / Twitter

TaleBlade Press : Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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Missing Signal
by Seb Doubinsky
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction
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Synopsis

“Beneath the entertaining wrapper of science fiction, Missing Signal is a masterfully written work, both provocative and rewarding.” ―Foreword Reviews

“A tiny, jeweled puzzle-box of a book, strangely but entertainingly crossing Kafka with Philip K. Dick to make something quite new.”―Tad Williams, bestselling author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and the Otherland series

From Seb Doubinsky, author of The Song of SynthThe Babylonian TrilogyWhite CityAbsinthOmega Gray and Suan Ming, comes his highly anticipated next installment in the City-States Cycle.

Missing Signal―a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a government conspiracy? Agent Terrence Kovacs has worked for the New Petersburg Counter-Intel Department propagating fake UFO stories for so long that even he has a hard time separating fact from fiction. Especially when he’s approached by a beautiful woman named Vita, who claims she’s been sent from another planet to liberate Earth.

Purchase:  Amazon / B&N
Author Seb Doubinsky
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missing signal author
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Seb Doubinsky is a bilingual writer born in Paris in 1963. His novels, all set in a dystopian universe revolving around competing cities-states, have been published in the UK and in the USA. He currently lives with his family in Aarhus, Denmark, where he teaches at the university.
Author links: Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.