Archive for October, 2018

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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The Sea Was A Fair Master

by Calvin Demmer

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Genre:  Horror / Short Stories Collection

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My Review

There’s a slew of short stories in this collection. Some are only a couple of pages long. But don’t let that fool you. Each of these has a beginning and end, with some very nasty surprises for you.

With so many stories, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy them all, but I did. They left me wrung out emotionally, had me leaning towards my Kindle, apprehensive but unable to stop reading, and even had me leaning away, seriously creeped out.

The words atmospheric, malevolent, evil and ominous are just a few words that could describe this experience. There’s also poignant and romantic. Whether you enjoy straight out horror or something a little more, a little strange, I’m sure you’ll find something in here you’ll like.

I can appreciate the author who tackles short stories. To get you to connect to the characters and story with a slim amount of words can’t be easy. Calvin Demmer “mastered” this art and I’m glad I got to read these.

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Synopsis

The world’s fate lies with a comatose young girl; an android wants to remember a human she once knew under Martian skies; men at sea learn that the ocean is a realm far different from land, where an unforgiving god rules; a school security guard discovers extreme English class; and a man understands what the behemoth beneath the sea commands of him.

The Sea Was a Fair Master is a collection of 23 stories, riding the currents of fantasy, science fiction, crime, and horror. There are tales of murder, death, loss, revenge, greed, and hate. There are also tales of hope, survival, and love.

For the sea was a fair master.

Amazon / B&N

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I own the eBook with the cover shown above. Here is the copy for the paperback.

Which do you like more?

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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.

Dark Falls BlitzBanner-1

Dark Falls by Lori Ryan
Dark Secrets by Savannah Kade
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller
Synopsis:
 
Welcome to Dark Falls, a gripping romantic thriller series brought to you by Lori Ryan, Trish McCallan, Becca Jameson, Savannah Kade, Lisa-Marie Cabrelli, and Sandra Owens.

When Darkness falls, Heroes rise! The first three heroes and heroines will share their stories in early October.

Blurb for Dark Falls by Lori Ryan (releases 10/09/2018)

Dark Falls cover

A cop hunting a violent thrill seeker. A woman from his past. Will their history and heated attraction put his case on ice?

Detective John Sevier never wanted to be anything but a cop. When a string of jewelry store heists threatens the woman he let get away years before, he’ll stop at nothing to bring the adrenaline junkie gang leader to justice.

Ava McNair never looked at her life as a sacrifice. She loves taking care of her dad and running her family’s jewelry store with her special needs sister. So what if that meant dropping out of college and leaving behind a man who just might have been the one? When fate gives her and the detective who got away a second shot at love, will she step up and take it or will life tear them apart again?

With Ava in the path of a killer, will John be able to move fast enough to take down a violent man set on wreaking as much damage as he can before he goes down?

Grab Dark Falls from NY Times Bestselling Author Lori Ryan and get ready for a night of “one more chapter” reading!

Dark Falls is the first book in the gripping new Dark Falls, CO romantic thriller series by Lori Ryan, Trish McCallan, Becca Jameson, Savannah Kade, Lisa-Marie Cabrelli, and Sandra Owens. Don’t miss a book!

Blurb for Dark Secrets by Savannah Kade

Dark Secrets cover

When Grace Lee storms into the Dark Falls Police Department, heads turn. But she only has eyes for Detective Nate Ryder—the officer who closed her brother Jimmy’s case too quickly, declaring his death a suicide rather than a murder. As a forensic scientist, Grace thinks the signs are obvious, the trick is convincing Nate.

Nate has to admit Grace’s argument makes a lot of sense, and he feels obligated to revisit the case. The problem is, while he’s following the old evidence, she’s collecting new samples—and putting herself in danger from the same organization that killed her brother. Jimmy was definitely onto something before he was murdered. Now, Nate has another worry: some of the new evidence Grace has found points back to members of the Dark Falls PD.

As strange coincidences turn deadly, Nate has to become Grace’s protector. They don’t know who they can trust and who they can’t. Will Grace and Nate be the next victims in a massive cover-up? Or can they figure out which cops are dirty fast enough to stay alive?

 
Purchase:
Dark Falls: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
Dark Secrets: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
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AUTHOR BIOS:
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Savannah
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Savannah Kade grew up in East Tennessee and started writing when she was only 8 years old. It was a romance for the ages, but it will never see the light of day. She’s been writing ever since and fighting for heroines who are quirky but not dumb, heroes who are real men, and for love stories that are more than just a cute trope. She now lives outside of Nashville with her amazing husband and 2 kids. She can usually be found working on her next novel.
Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter
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Lori
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Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance with steamy love scenes and characters you won’t want to leave in the pages when the story is over.

Lori published her first novel in April of 2013 and ​has fallen in love with writing. ​She is the author of the Sutton Capital Series; the Heroes of Evers, Texas; and the Triple Play Curse Novellas, a set of novellas with sexy baseball players at their core as part of Bella Andre’s Game For Love Kindle World. She has also published in Melanie Shawn’s Hope Falls Kindle World and in Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Kindle World.

She lives with an extremely understanding husband, three wonderful children, and two mostly well-behaved dogs in Austin, Texas. It’s a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn’t change a thing. She loves to connect with her readers. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to her blog.

Author links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

Haunted Tales

Stories from Beyond the Grave

An Anthology Compiled by Samie Sands

39218159

Genre:  Horror / Anthology

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My Review

I do like short stories and collections. There are a bunch in here, along with some poems. It also includes authors I’ve enjoyed before and some new ones I’ll be checking out further.

While many of these were really good, some weren’t my cuppa tea. That often happens when there are this many to read in one book.  Way to many to review individually, and I don’t want to play favorites.  I’ll just say the ones that grabbed me were creeptastic.

Plenty to keep you entertained and the right time of year to enjoy some spooky. I’m glad I read these.

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Synopsis

Find out what’s going bump in the night with stories and poetry from the most terrifying horror writers; Kevin S. Hall, Cecilia H. Doldan, Nicholas Boving, Stephen Downes, Kody Dibble, June Lundgren, Amy S. Pacini, June Rachelson-Ospa, Justin R. Beeman, Martha Jette, Debbie Johnson, Giselda Woldenga, Anthony V. Pugliese, Matt Mesnard, Rick Eddy, Michele Jones, Linda H. Gerald, Linda Jenkinson, Jake Elliot, Kally Jo Surbeck, Ekta Rawat, Mathias Jansson, Will Zeilinger, Delaina M. Waldron, Kimberly Klemm, Trisha Sugarek, Rae Desmond Jones, Jon Ospa and Samie Sands.

Amazon / B&N

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The above cover is the one I own. Here is an alternative cover.

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Which do you like more?

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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.

Big Bad Wolf banner

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Welcome to my stop on the tour for Nancy Gray’s Spine Chillers: Nig Bad Wolf, brought to you by Pump Up Your Book. The tour runs from September 17 – October 19th.

Spine Chillers Big Bad Wolf

Title: BIG BAD WOLF
Author: Nancy Gray
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 112
Genre: Middle Grade Horror

My Review

Big Bad Wolf was just what the doctor ordered for my Halloween reading list. Not that it has to be the spooky month for me to like creepy stories.

Little did Jane suspect that when she got the coveted role of Red Riding Hood in her school play she’d have to face off against a real big bad wolf. Well, it’s actually a moth eaten stuffed one used as a prop. Or is it.

It didn’t take long for this story to give me goose bumps. Jane had good reason to want to avoid the wolf. It seemed to become more menacing every time she faced it. When I was a young girl, I was given a stuffed mink. It seriously creeped me out and wound up spending it’s days hidden in the back of my closet.

  Jane’s nightmares gave me the willies and after strange things started happening I really felt for her. Who would believe that old stuffed wolf was out to get her? Where did it get it’s power? And why her? All of these questions were answered in some exciting and chilling events leading up to the big finish.

No matter your age, this will be one spooky read.

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Blurb

Jane is ecstatic when she gets the role of Red Riding Hood in her school play, but she didn’t realize that they’d be using the stuffed wolf prop as the Big Bad Wolf. That tattered old prop has always scared her and, lately, she has been having strange dreams about it that make it seem like it’s something more.

Jane will have to get help to save herself from the hungry spirit that has haunted her people and her nightmares before it consumes her, or worse, escapes the prison of the last creature it took to sate its horrible appetite.

Purchase on: Amazon

About Author Nancy Gray

Nancy Gray

Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her middle grade series Spine Chillers. She also published her YA fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.

Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Her latest book is the mid-grade horror, Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

Go HERE to follow the tour for more fun posts.

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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.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

Spine Chillers: The Beast of Black Pond
by Nancy Gray

The Beast of Black Pond

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Genre: Horror
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: October 2018

My Review

Duane has an assignment for his creative writing class. Write about an urban legend. He chooses to write about something local, the legend of Black Pond. Several children have died in the pond and a legend has grown that something lives there and pulls kids under to their doom. Little did he know, he’d meet the legend up close and personal and he’d be in the fight of his life.

The author’s writing was spot on. The character’s read and acted their age and it took me back to when I was young. You might find yourself thinking I’d never do that when reading some of the events in these pages. Don’t be so sure. Kid’s do the darndest things and don’t stop to overthink or rationalize them.

Duane, his sister, and his best friend joined forces and faced off against something that shouldn’t be real. It got pretty hairy, and felt genuine. No adult was going to believe them so they’d deal with it their own way. I tell ya, what dwelt in the pond was very scary. I wouldn’t have wanted to meet it as an adult, let alone as a kid.

There was lots of action to keep the story moving at a fast clip. And some harrowing encounters to get those endorphins pumping. I would have ate this up as a kid and I did as an adult.

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Stop back by tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing another Spine Chillers story, Big Bad Wolf.

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Synopsis

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“Mrs. Snider,” Duane asked. “Do you know anything about Black Pond?”
“There isn’t some monster drowning children. It’s a dangerous, polluted pond,” she said.

But there is a monster that lurks silently in the water, watching and waiting; hungry for its next meal. Duane has seen THE BEAST OF BLACK POND, and the beast has his scent. The beast hunts him from the pond, to the lake by the dam, even to his own swimming pool. Duane will need all his wits, and the help of his friends if he wants to avoid being pulled under to a watery grave.

Amazon

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About the Author:

Nancy Gray

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Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.
Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Other Works by Nancy Gray:
Blood Rain
Blood Moon
Blood God
Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow
Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf
Spine Chillers: The Beast of Black Pond
Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes
Spine Chillers: The Firefly

You can find and contact Nancy Gray here:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads


banner Lola's Blog Tours

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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.

New cover reveals for The Lightning Road series by Donna Galanti!

Look at these awesome the new cover reveals for Donna Galanti’s Lightning Road series! Plus enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card at the end of this post and get the first e-book in Donna’s series, Joshua and the Lightning Road, on sale now through October 15th for just $0.99cents.
Donna talks today about how the 10 steps to writing thrillers for kids and shares an excerpt from Joshua and the Lightning Road.

10 Steps to Writing Thrillers for Kids
by Donna Galanti

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Do you love to be scared? I do (when I know it’s safe)! Haunted houses. Hayrides. Rollercoasters. Adventure rides.
I got so scared once in a haunted house that I whacked the “ghosts” with the teddy bear from my costume. The management turned on all the lights and asked me to leave. Oops.
Recently at Halloween, my friend dared me to do Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary. I was very proud that I didn’t whack anyone this time! Here we are 😊 .

donna guest post

But I still get scared of real places as a grown up. Of the dark garage. Of the creepy cellar. Of nighttime when taking the trash cans out. My heart pip-pops waiting for that creature or boogeyman to grab me. I know he could be. My imagination tells me so.
Thriller movies are fun to watch – but I think it’s even more fun for me to watch my son watching them. He yells at the characters, “save yourselves!” then jumps up and down, hides his eyes, and we hug each other in fright – whether it’s Jurassic Park, Twister, or Dante’s Peak.
As my son became an avid and selective reader, I discovered that kids love to be thrilled not just in movies but in books too. I started reading some of the books my son had on his bookshelf like Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan and Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo. In doing this I began to see patterns in these kid adventure tales – and I began applying what I learned, along with general thriller elements, to create my own stories.
10-steps for writing kid thrillers:
⦁    Put the kids in charge. Kids don’t want to read about grownups having adventures.
⦁    Which leads into…have the kids figure out how to take the bad guys down – not grownups. Kids want to see themselves as the hero, not Mom or Dad or their teacher.
⦁    Whatever scary situations the kids find themselves in – they must navigate their way out.
⦁    Don’t dwell on the dark stuff. Make it happen fast without gory detail – kids can use their imagination.
⦁    Give them friends in their travels. Life is hard without friends! And a kid needs friends to help him along his scary adventure.
⦁    Through story events have the kids discover their own strength and courage to overcome the bad things happening to them.
⦁    Make all seemed lost! End the chapters on cliffhangers to encourage kids to keep turning the pages and find out what happens next.
⦁    Have it work out in the end, or at least partially, even if all seems doomed for a while.
⦁    Add humor! Interjecting a dollop of funny can alleviate the tension in the scariest of scenes and lighten the moment.
⦁    Make it a series. Have a final resolution to the story but leave it open for more stories down the road for the characters. Kids love to follow their beloved characters into new adventures.

JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM EXCERPT:

A faint rumble groaned through the whistling wind.
Boom!
Thunder ripped the sky overhead.
Charlie reached the frozen pond, spinning across it. “Woohoo! I win! You Americans can’t beat us at speed!”
Lightning flashed. It zinged across the pine trees like brilliant sunlight. A seed of terror flickered inside me.
Boom! Boom!
Another flash scorched the sky.
Charlie’s smile fell to a frown as he raced across the ice, peering up into the swirling clouds.
We both knew what lightning could do.
Suddenly, sneaking outside for a moonlit sled ride before Bo Chez got home from his monthly poker game didn’t seem so smart.
The sleet turned to snow. Icicles flew off trees like glass splinters, shattering on the hard snow. As I shot toward the pond, a tree on the edge moved. Its branches swayed in the swirling snow.
It wasn’t a tree, but a girl! She stumbled through the mad flurry, arms outstretched.
“Charlie, look!”
Gusts snatched the words away as my sled hit the ice and careened out of control on the bumpy surface. The girl staggered and fell onto the pond. I twisted my sled away to avoid hitting her and smashed right into Charlie. With a yelp, he pulled me up, and we clumped toward the girl. We lifted her up, half dragging her back up the hill to the house in the pelting snow and sleet.
“Who is she?” Charlie yelled.
“No idea,” I yelled back.
He said more, but his words were lost in the wind.
My lungs burned with the cold and effort. There was only one reason someone would appear with lightning—to steal us. This girl might appear like a waif unprepared for a storm, but I couldn’t trust that’s all she was.

WATCH THE JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD BOOK TRAILER!

ABOUT JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD:


Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper learns the hard way that lightning never strikes by chance when a bolt strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever. Armed with only luck and his grandfather’s mysterious crystal, Joshua must save his friend by traveling the Lightning Road to a dark world that steals children for energy. New friends come to Joshua’s aid and while battling beasts and bandits and fending off the Child Collector, Joshua’s mission quickly becomes more than a search for his friend—it becomes the battle of his life.

Read My Review HERE.

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PRAISE FOR JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD:
“Vividly imagined characters in a gripping action fantasy that never lets you go until the very last page.” —Jenny Nimmo, New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Bone series
**$0.99 DEAL!**
Joshua and the Lightning Road is available now through October 15th for just $0.99cents on e-book from these book sellers:
Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

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ABOUT JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM:


Joshua never thought he’d be called back to the world of Nostos so soon. But when his friend King Apollo needs his help in the Arrow Realm, Joshua braves this dark world once more in order to save him. With Joshua’s loyalties divided between Nostos and Earth, he must rely on his courage and powers to restore magic to this desperate world and to free its people. Abandoned by his friends in his quest, unarmed, and facing great odds, can he survive on instincts alone and not only save those imprisoned—but himself?

Read my review HERE.

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PRAISE FOR JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM:
“Fast-paced and endlessly inventive, this is a high-stakes romp through a wild world where descendants of the Greek gods walk beside you, beasts abound, and not everything—or everyone—is as it seems.” –Michael Northrop, New York Times bestselling author of the TombQuest series

Joshua and the Arrow Realm is available through these book sellers:
Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

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ABOUT DONNA:

Donna Galanti new
Donna Galanti is the author of the bestselling paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine, a writing contest judge at nycmidnight.com, and regularly presents as a guest author at schools and teaches at writing conferences. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna also loves teaching writers about building author brand and platform through her free training series at yourawesomeauthorlife.com. Visit her at donnagalanti.com.

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CONNECT WITH DONNA:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

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.

Raven Dock Blitz Banner

Raven Dock
by Sara Caldwell
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Raven Dock cover
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(Dark Coven #1)
Publication date: October 2nd 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
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Synopsis
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Seventeen-year-old Harper Duncan never fit in anywhere her family moved…and they moved a lot. But after her parents and brother die in a tragic accident, she finds out she’s adopted, and her birth mother lives in a remote retreat called Raven Dock. Harper ventures north and discovers a dark family secret: her birth mother is a witch. And she’s one too. As Harper Learns about her own hidden powers, will she choose to embrace her chilling heritage, or return to the safety of the ordinary world?
Purchase: Amazon / B&N
AUTHOR BIO
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Sara rd
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Sara Caldwell teaches screenwriting and digital media courses at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing (FIDIM) in Los Angeles. She has won many awards for her writing, including Best Original Screenplay at the Burbank International Film Festival. Sara has always been drawn to the supernatural and has produced a number of award-winning short horror films through House of Gorey Productions, along with her husband Walter Gorey. She is also a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Like Harper in Raven Dock, Sara spent her childhood as a tumbleweed, moving around the United States and even to Guatemala, Spain and England. She’s run three marathons, authored three nonfiction books, and has three cats that enjoy perching on her shoulder while she writes at her kitchen table. It goes without saying that three is her lucky number. She’s also working on the remaining novels for the Dark Coven series, the next of which is titled Darkest Hour.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

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.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

Cryptid Zoo

by Gerry Griffiths

40881174

Genre:  Horror / Science Fiction

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My Review

I’ve read lots of horror stories about zoos. There’s the zombies, werewolves, vampires zoo. The dinosaurs zoo. A dragon, crocodile zoo. Why not a crytpid zoo.

So, the plot isn’t all that new. We know going into this that the zoo is a very bad idea. We know the creatures escape and wreak havoc. But this gal says, so what. It’s still bloody good fun.

There’s every kind of cryptid you can think of, and a few new ones for me. They all have their own special killing abilities and, one by one, the humans fall like dominoes.

The author gave me a few characters that I actually liked and wanted to survive.  That always adds to the edginess. And not being familiar with this author, I didn’t know if he was willing to kill off prominent characters. I found out pretty quick.

The monsters are out. There’s nowhere to hide. Watch the skies. Stay out of the water. Don’t look it in the eyes. Plug your ears. Stay out of dark places. Who knows if they can be killed.  All of this made Cryptid Zoo a fun, scary, atmospheric read for me.

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Synopsis

As a child, rare and unusual animals, especially cryptid creatures, always fascinated Carter Wilde.

Now that he’s an eccentric billionaire and runs the largest conglomerate of high-tech companies all over the world, he can finally achieve his wildest dream of building the most incredible theme park ever conceived on the planet…CRYPTID ZOO.

Even though there have been apparent problems with the project, Wilde still decides to send some of his marketing employees and their families on a forced vacation to assess the theme park in preparation for Opening Day.

Nick Wells and his family are some of those chosen and are about to embark on what will become the most terror-filled weekend of their lives—praying they survive.

STEP RIGHT UP AND GET YOUR FREE PASS…

TO CRYPTID ZOO

Amazon / B&N

~~~~~

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.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

I’m also hosting a spot on the tour today. Click the link after the comments to learn more, read the excerpt and enter the giveaway!

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Planet Of The Dead

by Thomas S. Flowers

36309729

Genre:  Horror / Apocalyptic

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My Review

An epidemic sweeps the planet. The dead rise, hungry for human flesh. Loved ones kill loved ones. The government denies it’s even happening.There’s no help coming and everyone must fend for themselves.

This scenario never gets old for me. I especially enjoy character dynamics. Seeing who actually comes up with a plan and implements it. Who falls victim through denial. And who turns on who. There’s that saying, I don’t have to outrun the killer bear. I just have to outrun you.

Flowers doesn’t disappoint. His characters are brought to life and thrown into the worst possible situations. The action is fast and bloody. And it’s anyone’s guess who survives and who doesn’t.

A rollicking and intense story and I now have this author on my radar for more books.

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Synopsis

From the author of FEAST and Reinheit comes a new chapter in horror…

PLANET OF THE DEAD

News reports speak of mass panic and violence spreading across the globe. Negligent leaders hide behind misinformation. But in an age of paranoia and suspicion, who can say what is true anymore? Struggling to survive against a sweeping epidemic that has engulfed the planet, survivors will have to make hard choices in a world that no longer makes sense.

Live. Die. Or become one of the undead.

Amazon 

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Planet dead badge

 
Planet of the Dead
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Book One
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Thomas S. Flowers
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Planet dead cover
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Genre: Horror
Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing
Date of Publication: Oct 13, 2017
ISBN: 1988819024 / ASIN: B075X2WLX1
Number of pages: 268 (Kindle), 266 (paperback)
Word Count: 60K
Cover Artist: Travis Eck
Tagline: Live. Die. Or become one of the Undead.
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Book Description:
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News reports speak of mass panic and violence spreading across the globe. Negligent leaders hide behind misinformation. But in an age of paranoia and suspicion, who can say what is true anymore? Struggling to survive against a sweeping epidemic that has engulfed the planet, survivors will have to make hard choices in a world that no longer makes sense.
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Excerpt:
Seoul, South Korea.
There it is again. Scratching in the walls. Harold sat up in the queen bed he shared with
Silvio, his grey-haired miniature Schnauzer. He stared out into the darkness of
his room, turning his head to the wall. What was that sound? Scratching…was it
rats? Now it sounded like it was above him, that nails against wood kind of
sound. But that didn’t make sense. He lived on the first floor of a two-story
apartment building in one of the quieter neighborhoods in the Yongsan-gu area.
Nothing ever happened here. While in the past, he’d had his share of crappy
neighbors, Mrs. Kim was farthest from what one would consider to be a rowdy
neighbor. Kim was a sweet little old lady with poorly dyed hair that gave her thinning
white a touch of blue. She wore large red framed glasses and never made much of
a sound, even during the day. The only complaint he would have would be the
smell of kimchee that permeated through the walls whenever she cooked the awful
stuff.
Still, the scratching persisted.
Silvio whimpered, turning his head upward at the sound, and then burying himself under
the comforter.
Harold looked to his quivering dog and back to the ceiling. Now there was something else. Was
that…moaning? Christ, what if Mrs. Kim fell and hurt herself. She could be
dying up there. I should probably call someone, emergency services…anyone. But
would they get here in time to help her? What if she’s really hurt? I need to
do something.
He flung off his warm blanket and hopped out of bed. Harold slid on his slippers and went for
the door. The hallway outside was empty, not very surprising considering most
of the residents here at Yongsan-gu were nearing or past retirement. The very
reason why he wanted to rent here was the quiet; nothing out of the ordinary
ever happened here. A sudden cold breeze tickled his neck and arms. Pulling his
robe closer to his chest, his skin breaking out in goosebumps, he quickly
shuffled to the stairs.
Hoping Silvio would be okay on his own, Harold climbed the short steps to the second floor.
Silvio will be  okay, he promised himself.
It’ll only be for a few minutes.
Mrs. Kim’s apartment was at the end, just above his own. Passing the door before hers he
thought he’d heard the tenants arguing inside.
Odd, he thought, tempted to press his ear against their door.
In all the years that Harold had lived here, he had never once heard or
seen Fred and Marcy fight. Not once. They were the picture perfect boring
couple, and the only other Americans living in the complex. Teachers, at some
private school. Not that Harold would know much about that; he taught at the
public institution, and had so for years now. As the saying goes, he was a
professional bachelor and had little to nothing keeping him from wanting to
return to the States. And besides, he liked it here. The culture, the food, the
purposefulness, and the discipline of the students were far advanced from what
he’d dealt with back in Kentucky. 
Harold took a step and stopped, thought better of it, and continued to Mrs. Kim’s.
He knocked on the red door.
“Mrs. Kim, you in there?”
No answer.
“Is everything okay? I thought I heard— “
The door to Fred and Marcy’s apartment flung open.
Harold jumped back, pulling tighter on his robes.
Someone ran out. A blur. Down the hallway to the stairs. Turning back, he stared at Harold.
“Fred? What’s going on?”
Fred, who was normally tan with tidily kept clothes, looked disheveled and ghostly. He’d
obviously been sweating, his hair ruffled and sticking up in areas. And on his
clothes, there were red stains, dark red, covering most of his untucked shirt
and pant legs. On his neck, an aggravated wound, crimson and purplish, oozing
down and soaking into his collar.
“Fred, are you okay? Are you hurt?” Harold took a step forward.
Wide eyed, Fred turned and darted down the steps.
Harold watched, silent and unmoving.
He eyed the open door to their apartment.
No sounds came from within.
He glanced at Mrs. Kim’s door and then back to Fred and Marcy’s.
Swallowing hard, he moved toward the open door. With his slipper foot, he slowly nudged it open.
The door creaked and stopped. No lights inside, just a dim glow coming from a
lamp in the living room. Chairs were turned over, dishes smashed and broken on
the floor in the kitchen.
“Hello?” he called. “Marcy? It’s me, Harold, from downstairs.”
Nothing.
“I don’t mean to intrude, but I saw Fred. He looks hurt. Is everything okay?” Harold stopped
short of coming into the kitchen completely. He saw legs and feet sticking out
around the corner, lifeless on the floor.
Harold gasped, covering his mouth with his cold trembling hand.
“Oh no,” he whispered.
He moved to the body. Marcy lay face down on the kitchen tile. Blood pooled underneath,
staining her yellow polka dot dress, wet in a gamey orange.
“Marcy?” Harold called out. He bent down and reached to check for a pulse.
He jerked back.
Marcy stirred.
“Oh, God, you startled me. Marcy, are you alright?” Harold shuddered, his breath coming too
fast, heart pounding against his chest.
Strangely, in odd twitching movements, Marcy got to her knees and turned.
“Oh no, Marcy…what…what happened? How can— “Harold wanted to scream, his breath and his
heart pumping too hard to allow him.  She
ground chunks of pink flesh between red stained teeth… Fred’s flesh, he was
sure.
Marcy groaned and lunged for him.
Harold moved back just in time.! He watched as Marcy fell face first onto the kitchen tile,
inching away as she began moving again, crawling, reaching out with reddened
fingers, clawing at his slippered feet.
“Marcy, what’s happened? What’s going?” he begged, again taking another step back out into the
living room, back towards the open apartment door.
Marcy groaned, annoyed and hungry, still in pursuit, still crawling.
Unable to watch anymore, wanting nothing more than to run back downstairs to his own apartment,
to lock and deadbolt the door, to hug close Silvio, his miniature Schnauzer,
wanting nothing more than to be somewhere else, somewhere not here with this
bloodied crazed woman who was no longer the Marcy he thought he knew.
She’s drunk… Or on drugs, has to be.
She’s not herself.
Harold turned and started for the open door.
He yelped.
Mrs. Kim stood in the entryway. Her bluish white hair ruffled and torn. Red swollen teeth-like
wounds on her arms. And her eyes, a creamy yellow white, but not a sunny
yellow, rather much more like decay that reminded him of rotting things eking
some measure of existence at the bottom of dumpsters. She shuffled toward him,
quickly grabbing on his robe and pulling herself to him.
Harold slapped at her. Hard.
But her hold was strong, manically strong.
“Stop, Mrs. Kim, please— “
She angled down and bit his exposed wrist. Blood pooled around her lips as she gnawed and
suckled, grunting with a sort of pleasurable ecstasy.
Harold screamed and fought to dislodge her, but he could not remove her bite.
Nails scraped his shins.
He glared down.
Marcy was clawing at his legs, nipping at his flesh.
He kicked away, but she held fast. With a quick sneer, she bit into his calf.
Harold shrieked, toppling over the couch. He rolled and hit the floor on the other side hard,
knocking his head against the coffee table. Dazed, he lay there, unsure if what
was happening was even real. Maybe he was still in his own apartment, fast
asleep with Silvio by his side.
Shuffling over, moaning deeply, Mrs. Kim reappeared, her lips wet and scarlet, dribbling down
onto her white ruffle blouse.
He watched, frozen, his body refusing to move.
“Please…stop…don’t— “he begged.
Another moaning, gurgling above him.
Harold angled and watched as Marcy crawled towards him from the other side of the couch. As
if driven by the smell of his wounds, she quickened her pace, scrapping along
the floor. Reaching his face, she thrust her sneering teeth clamping down on
his cheek, ripping, shredding loose flesh and tissue and fat, pulling back to
enjoy the chunky red and purplish glob.
Harold squirmed and squealed.
He stared in horror as Mrs. Kim kneeled beside him, reaching with greedy claws for his now
exposed belly. She tore into his flesh, bleeding him, reaching, wiggling her
fingers deep inside.
Harold lost his voice, whimpering and gnashing his gums as he watched in disbelief, watched as
Mrs. Kim ripped out a rubbery looking hose like noddle what he could only
assume to be part of his intestines. Dripping wet, she suckled and chewed
hastily and dug some more.
What about Silvio, he wondered, shuddering at the molten touch of Mrs. Kim digging farther
into him, pulling out more of his stomach, licking, eating him alive.


My dog, what’ll happen to my Silvio…
 

About the Author:

Who doesn’t love a good story? Thomas’s favorite books include All Quiet on the Western Front, Salem’s Lot, and Hell House.
In his own writings, he aspires to create fantastic worlds with memorable characters and haunted places. His stories range from Shakespearean gore, classic monster tales, and even stories that hurt him the most to write about, haunted soldiers and PTSD. Residing in the swamps of Houston, Texas, with his wife and daughter, Thomas’s debut novel, Reinheit, was eventually published with Shadow Work Publishing, along with Lanmò, The Hobbsburg Horror, FEAST, Beautiful Ugly, and Planet of the Dead.
His veteran focused paranormal thriller series, The Subdue Series, filled with werewolves, Frankenstein-inspired monsters, cults, alter-dimensional insects, witches, and the undead are published with Limitless Publishing.
In 2008, Thomas was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army where he served three tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2014, Thomas graduated from University of Houston-Clear Lake with a Bachelors in History. He is the senior editor at Machine Mean, a site that reviews horribly awesome and vintage horror movies and books from guest contributors who obsess over a wide range of strange yet oddly related topics.
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