Archive for the ‘Mystery’ Category

Fanged Mania #5 Spotlight on Taylor Dean

Posted: December 28, 2012 in Fanged Mania, fiction, Mystery, otherworldly, Paranormal or fantasy, Series, suspense, Vampires
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To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

This weeks spotlight shines on Taylor Dean and her awesome series, Lancaster House!

Lancaster House

Add To Goodreads

Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?

The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.

I recently entered a contest for these books at fundinmental and I won! Man, the pictures here do not begin to show how beautiful the cover art is in print. I can’t wait to read these.

Here’s what Sherry @ fundinmental has to say.

“This was definitely a different twist on a vampire (?), ghost (?) or madwoman (?) story. I got about halfway through and thought WT. Never saw that coming. Now I get it, or do I?

A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. The minute you think you have the answer, you better think again.”

Check out Sherry’s full review of Lancaster House here.

The Middle Aisle (Lancaster House)

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The Sequel to Lancaster House

Zoe Grayson is back in Lancaster House, ordered to bed rest for the duration of her unexpected pregnancy. Doctor Wade Channing, her overzealous psychiatrist, is living in Lancaster House, taking care of her, waiting on her, and tending to her every need. It seems to be the perfect arrangement.

There’s just one catch.

She has to tell him her story—everything that has happened in her life since the moment she escaped from Serenity Hills. It’s been quite an adventure to include renovating another home and a walk down the middle aisle.

But, that’s all over now. Nothing is real. It never was.

How did she end up in this miserable situation?

And here’s what Sherry has to say about The Middle Aisle.

“The ending left me stunned, I smiled as tears ran down my face. It was one of the best endings of any book I have read and left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling that lingered long after I had finished the book.”

For her full review go here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Dean

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Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:

Website

Goodreads

To order any of the books below, simply click on the cover.

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Holiday Giveaway For Tiger Paw!

Posted: December 14, 2012 in crime thriller, fiction, Freebies!, giveaways, Mystery, Series, suspense, thriller
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Would you like to give a friend a free copy of Tiger Paw?

HERE’S HOW:

1) Post a NEW review of Tiger Paw on any of these sites:

Amazon’s Kindle Store

Barnes & Noble’s Nook Books

Apple’s iBookstore

Smashwords

Diesel eBooks

2) Email the link of your review to:   

author@charlesacornell.com

and specify the format you want:   mobi or epub

3) I will send you another copy of Tiger Paw!

Gift  it to your spouse or friend!

If you have Tiger Paw but haven’t read it yet, now’s the time to start!

Don’t have Tiger Paw yet?

Buy a Copy, review it & I’ll send you another one FREE!

(The above is reblogged from Charles A. Cornell’s Website)

Check out my 5 STAR Review here .

Check out another 5 STAR Review at fundinmental HERE.

To get your copy of Tiger Paw, click on the cover.

As a serial killer wreaks havoc on Wall Street, dismantling a corrupt financier’s empire one body at a time, FBI profiler Scott Forrester uncovers the deadly secret of a demon-worshipping Hindu cult that is determined to change the very fabric of society. Firmly in their assassin’s crosshairs, Scott Forrester is forced underground to stop the killing spree. But will he survive the deal he must make with the Devil to thwart their satanic plan?

Royal Palm Literary Award Winner for Best Thriller of 2012 –from the Florida Writers Association
Best Indie Thriller Nominee – Kindle Book Reviews

Merry Christmas from fuonlyknew

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Legend Unleashed Giveaway!

Posted: December 8, 2012 in Fae, fiction, giveaways, Mystery, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Romance, suspense, Trailer, werewolves, Witches, wizards
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Legend Unleashed

by M Latimer Ridley

Pretty cover isn’t it? Wait until you read the story!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock. That’s all that Ted hears as he rushes through the deserted streets of Carwick, heading for the Town Hall, where his office is located. He must hurry.

Carwick is a small, quiet town. The kind where people don’t lock their doors. It’s Ted’s job to keep it that way.

He reaches the building and enters his tiny office. It’s more like a broom closet, but hidden in the floor is a stairway down. Down there. Down to a hidden city time has forgotten.

Ted enters the underground city and rushes through the dark streets. Tick Tock, he must reach the old grandfather clock. He can’t let it wind down.

He finally reaches the clock, but it’s stopped ticking. When he dares to opens its door, it’s empty.What was inside is now behind him, it’s hot breath moist on his neck. He couldn’t turn around. He doesn’t want to see what’s coming.

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In the unsuspecting town of Carwick, Christmas is coming. Temperance works with her father Pratchett, decorating their bookstore. The Haven is always the first shop to do it.

Her father has gotten out the spider web decoration for Boris, a ghost spider. Temp thinks it’s a convenient story that he’s a ghost, as only her father can see him.

They banter back and forth as they decorate, her father mentioning that his friend Cyprian has a nephew coming to stay with him. Alastair is right around Temp’s age, a not so subtle hint.

“Anyway, I’ve put the mistletoe over the door in case he comes while you’re in the shop.” Pratchett wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Sometimes I wonder what age you really are,” Temperance sighed.

Her parents are always meddling in her love life, or lack of it, and it adds humor to this story.

It’s almost time for her classes at the university so Temp heads out. When she arrives the doors are still locked so she settles on a bench to wait.

She’s soon joined by a tall, handsome man who introduces himself as Alastair. She quickly learns how he knows her. Her father’s been busy. He gave her picture to Cyprian to pass on to Alastair. She doesn’t want to know what might be written on it.

The doors to the school open and out steps Cyprian followed by an older man with a walking stick. They seem to be arguing and when the older man bangs his stick on the ground, something strange and unnatural happens. But Alastair denies noticing anything.

Soon after, the man leaves and Cyprian comes to join them. He invites Temp to dinner and an evening at his place. At first she’s tempted to refuse, but then she remembers it’s the night of winter solstice.

Her parents were having friends over for a winter solstice gathering. She didn’t think she could face another of her mother’s versions of a Wiccan party. It would be crowded with menopausal women dancing naked around plastic cauldrons on the hill behind their house.

She sighed. “It’s true. I wouldn’t mind missing jangling crystals and saggy bits this year.”

She accepts the invitation, not knowing that life is about to take a dangerous turn. There are many strange things out and about in Carwick, some not human. After this night, people will huddle behind bolted doors in fear of the dark and what’s in it.

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When I started reading Legend Unleashed, I was so engaged, I only stopped reading because my kindle battery died. Got to remember to charge it more often. When I resumed reading, I was held captive to the end. It’s not a long book, and with the mystery, humor and romance, not to mention the creatures, it’s very engaging and easy to follow.

If you like all of the above and reading about witchy, magical, and hairy things, you’ll enjoy Legend Unleashed. I sure did and can’t wait for more in this series.

           Magically Delicious.

Giveaway

Great news. There’s a great tour going on right now for Legend Unleashed with lots of prizes and great posts. Go here to check it out. Keep reading to find out how to enter a giveaway here!

I was too late for the tour but these great ladies have offered 4 e-books to giveaway here on FUONLYKNEW! Thanks so much Karen and Rachel.

Entry is easy. Leave your email address and answer this question, ” What legend do you wish was real?”

Giveaway ends December 22nd.

About the authors

M. Latimer-Ridley

Latimer (Karen) and Ridley (Rachel) are two eccentric best friends with far too many obsessions and a frightening addiction to tea. When they aren’t reading stories filled with magic, passion and adventure, they’re writing them. A writing duo for the last nine years, they’ve always dreamed of sharing their imaginary worlds and quirky characters with others. While they live in Ireland, they would love to spend their lives travelling the world. But for now, they can be found happily wandering the internet.

Website

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Get yours by clicking on the cover! A copy is waiting for you.

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Silver Bells, Silver Bells……Free Christmas Story

Posted: December 2, 2012 in fiction, Freebies!, Holidays, Mystery, otherworldly, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Romance, Short stories and collections
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Soon it will be Christmas Day….

Silver Bells

I spotted this on Amazon while browsing for some Christmas reads. It’s a short story, didn’t take long at all to read it.

You can go here to get it free right now.

I wish it had been longer, as I fell in love with the characters and the whole story was just so ingenious. A new one on me.

Dash works on the old carousel in the South side of Howle. Not the nicer side of the town. He lovingly sands them and removes the graffiti the town kids paint on the animals, restoring them to their former glory for another year.

George, the night watchman, stops in for his daily chat, motioning to the harness and bells hanging quietly. He tells Dash, not for the first time, to get rid of them as the bells are broken, but Dash just shrugs. He could never part with them.

…..Dash knew the sound of those bells. The pure, beautiful chimes that stroked down his back with all the caress of a lover. They were silent now, but they hadn’t always been.

One afternoon, while working on one of the animals the door to his repair barn opens. Turning to see who has entered, he discovers a young woman. She looks down on her luck in her tattered clothes and exposed, reddened hands. It’s really cold outside and Dash sees no harm in letting her stay awhile.

Not wanting to frighten her, Dash turns back to his sanding. He hears a small voice behind him,

“So, what’s your name?”

and a friendship begins with Merry.

When it’s time to call it quits for the night, Dash tells Merry she’s welcome to stay in the barn. When he arrives the next morning, he discovers Merry gentle sanding a reindeer. She seems very adept at it. They sit quietly, working through the day and this becomes the norm.

Noticing that Merry’s cough is getting worse, he persuades her to stay at his house, in the spare room.  Their friendship has started to become something else, something more. But Dash has a secret, one he can’t tell Merry about.

The secret is in the bells. Why are they broken? Why can’t he hear their sweet sound anymore? There is only one way to get answers, and he’s getting them tonight.

Silver Bells is a sweet, romantic Christmas story.

There is a great surprise when you finally learn about the harness and its bells. The author came up with something so original and so cool. I loved the whole idea.

I gave Silver Bells Four Stars because it left me all warm and smiley inside and I loved the whole idea!

     

Silver Bells is FREE right now on Amazon. Get your copy now as I don’t know how long it will be free!

 Just click on the cover image to get it now!

About the author and where to find her

Sadie Hart often teases that, as a kid, she jumped right from the Saddle Club series to romance and never looked back. If only they knew it wasn’t a joke. From romance came fantasy, from fantasy came urban fantasy, and finally things came full circle when she stumbled on paranormal romantic thrillers. By then, she was more than old enough to hold a pen and had been scribbling down stories for years.

Currently, for half of each day she’s held hostage in a library, where she pretends to work as a secretary, but in reality spends most of her time trying not to read the books. As an avid animal lover, she currently owns two overly large mutts and is seriously debating becoming the crazy dog lady.

Sadie writes the Shifter Town Enforcement series, combining her love of all things animals, the paranormal, and an action packed plot, but she doesn’t plan to stop there. From post-apocalyptic worlds to dangerous hostage negotiation with monsters, every book is an action packed paranormal romance with a heavy dose of the things that go bump in the night–both the spooky and the naughty kind.

For all of her books go here .

Goodreads

Twitter

Website

Merry Christmas From FUONLYKNEW!!

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Steel Deal Huge Giveaway HO! HO! HO!

Posted: December 1, 2012 in Action/Adventure, crime thriller, fiction, giveaways, Mystery, reviews, suspense, thriller
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In the spirit of the holidays, I am hosting a wonderful giveaway for James Blakley, author of The Steal Deal. Details are following my review.

The Steel Deal

by James Blakley

The Steel Deal

It all started with the horses. Sonny Busco, private eye, aged 55, thought playing the horses would help him make ends meet. Business had dried up and he needed money badly. Living without running water or a telephone was not good for business, or for him.

He figured he’d cash in on the ponies, but as it usually goes, he lost. Enter Gator Grimes, the loan shark.

Sonny borrows $500 and before you know it, it’s $1.500. When he can’t meet the payment deadline, friends of Gator come callin.

Ziggy and Sully don’t get quite the reaction they were expecting from Sonny. He’s more like, can’t we be friends, than scared.

“You’re too chilly,” Sully carped. “You take the fun out of the collection biz.”

Things get worked out and Sonny gets an extension, a costly one. Then, as luck would have it, he gets a client.

Pixy Sage looks like her name. She’s a petite thing with short platinum blonde hair and black, large framed glasses. She looks like a school kid. But her offer is all grown-up.

$2,500 large to retrieve a package and have it in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 24 hours. Doesn’t sound like too big of a deal.

He could pay off Gator and maybe pay for the repairs on his car. The rusty olds still had some life in her, and he didn’t think the sleek black Stealth he was driving was right for spying on people. He kind of stood out from the crowd in it, but when Hub offered to loan it to him, he couldn’t resist.

It brought back memories of Magnum P. I. except Sonny’s a little slower, older and portly.

Sonny retrieves the package easily enough, but before he can even get to his car the men in black appear. And the woman who steps out of his loaner is taking the package even if she has to pry it from his cold dead fingers. What’s a guy to do, he tosses it to her and ducks for cover. The next sound he hears is his car being driven away.

So now he has no car, no package and no idea where they went. The sentient steel in that package must be the real deal.
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Sentient steel makes me think of the cop in Terminator Two.  It’s flexible, lightweight and incredibly strong and it can think and become whatever it chooses.

Now Sonny has a much bigger job and a sleuthing he will go.

I loved this book. The names and expressions the characters use when speaking were reminiscent of the old P.I. shows. I could just see Peter Faulk in Columbo, with his rumpled clothes and cloud of smoke following him, driving that old clunker. His appearance disguised a brilliant deductive mind, just like Sonny’s.

I even liked the bad guys. How could I not. They are so well written. The author makes it hard to guess who is telling the truth and who’s good or bad.  He has you spinning like a hamster in his wheel.

A super mystery in a small package. Steel Deal is a very fast story that you’ll want to read to the end once you start. There’s too much fun and action to pick a stopping point.

Fun from first page to last!

An International Giveaway

Do I have a giveaway for you. James has been very generous, just check out what you can win!

$25.00 Amazon Gift Card

$15.00 Walmart Gift Card

Two signed Paperback copies of Steel Deal.

There will be four winners.

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question, “What would you use sentient steel for?”

Contest ends December 18th.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Blakley    James Blakley was educated at Missouri Western State College and Washburn University. While at MWSC, he was a local and national award-winning columnist and co-editor of “The Griffon-News”.

Blakley worked 10 1/2 years as a page and as an Assistant Librarian for the River Bluffs Regional Libraries of St. Joseph, MO. He currently lives in Topeka,KS where he worked for The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library before spending several years in clerical and customer support capacities for international computer companies such as EDS and HP.

For those “inquiring minds who want to know”, I’m almost finished with a screenplay version of “The Steel Deal.” And I’m rough-drafting my next novel (due out in late 2013/early 2014).

You can find James Blakley at Goodreads

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. My opinions are my own.

To purchase Steel Deal, click on the book cover image below.

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Bad Juju, Zombies and a Huge Giveaway!

Posted: November 30, 2012 in Creatures, Dark Fantasy, fiction, giveaways, Guest Post, Mystery, otherworldly, reviews, suspense, thriller, voodoo, Zombies
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Who knew that he knew voodoo so well.

Bad Juju

by Dina Rae

Bad Juju

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Tom and Jessica Novak are proud to be doing God’s work. They’ve traveled to Port au-Prince as part of a missionary group with others of their church. They’re going to help with rebuilding the island after the 7.0 earthquake that shook all of  Haiti, causing massive destruction.

Their 15-year-old son Henry’s Asperger’s Syndrome had them questioning their decision. He’s intelligent and quite functional, but changes in routine, surroundings and new faces could cause problems. Henry doesn’t communicate well or understand social interaction.

But Henry’s the one that urged them to go. He’s been obsessed with Haiti. So here they are, the whole family, including Henry’s younger sister Natalie, who’d rather be back home. This is not her idea of a great summer vacation.

Since Henry’s been doing so well, they decide to extend their stay. If they had only left earlier, they wouldn’t be searching for their missing son. Henry has simply vanished and wandering away from the protection of the armed camp is dangerous. There are a lot of bad people out there and he wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

If they had only known the reason Henry wandered away, they never would have brought him there.

My favorite character is Jake. He befriends Henry when they meet in detention class. They aren’t really bad boys, just a couple of kids who got in a little trouble.

Jake is a kind-hearted boy, helping out the elderly residents in his trailer park. He does odd jobs, cleans house and run errands for the less able ones. You wonder how he turned out so well when you learn he suffers violent beatings from his uncle. After losing his parents he came to live with his aunt and uncle and his aunt suffers the same abuse.

Jake brings Henry home with him after school to introduce him to his favorite neighbor, Lucien.

Lucien is a powerful bokor, a voodoo priest, and with his black skin, unruly, long white hair and piercing eyes, he looks every bit the part.

It becomes a regular routine for the boys to visit with Lucien after school and after much pleading, he begins to teach them about Vodun, the voodoo religion, beginning with simple spells and hexes.

Lucien feels death coming for him and can’t bear the thought of all his vast knowledge and power going with him to the grave.

After Jake receives another very brutal and bloody beating, the three decide to create a voodoo doll to rid Jake of his uncle.

This is where it all starts to go weird.

Bad Juju was a surprise. I thought it was going to be all about voodoo, raising the dead, and voodoo dolls. Well, it was. I learned how to do voodoo, what the religion is about, good and dark arts of it, and how to raise someone from the dead. Some of it creeped me out, but a lot of it was really funny.

Having the characters as teen-age boys made this story. Boys will be boys and they had me rocking and  rolling! I can’t wait for you to meet the dead guy.

Getting back to the surprise part, there were several deeper subjects tackled throughout this book and I could tell the author did a lot of research and included that knowledge in the story to make it believable and engaging.

If you’re looking for something different, look no further. Bad Juju has plenty of interesting characters, some tough topics, plenty of laughs, and lots of scary voodoo magic. Oh Yeah, I almost forgot the zombie!

I felt like I got a crash course in voodoo, like voodoo for dummies.

     

And now please welcome Dina Rae. She’s here to tell us about zombies! Afterwards, follow the link to enter her amazing giveaway!

Do You Know Your Zombies?

With the so-called zombie apocalypse approaching, one must be educated about the different kinds of zombies before prepping for defense.  First, there is the most common and believable-the human that turns into a zombie because of mental collapse, disease, infection, and/or radiation.  They stagger around dazed and confused and cause panic to others.  Then there is the man-made monster kind or the kind Hollywood and horror authors like me tend to capitalize on.

Zombie interest continues to fascinate the world.  Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes then poured acid down his victim’s heads in hopes of creating his own zombie.  His madness didn’t work.  Can man make his own zombie?  Are these monsters real?

According to Wade Davis, author of The Serpent of the Rainbow, zombies are real.  They are a product of the Voodoo religion.  He was originally hired by a pharmaceutical company to find out about the drugs Voduists used in their death rituals.  He believed that datura also known as zombie’s cucumber was a plant that could medically make one who ingested it appear to be dead for a certain length of time.  Sounds like the stuff Juliet used to fake her death.  Could Shakespeare known about the magical zombie-making plant?

Datura or sometimes Cimora, a close relative of Datura’s, eventually wears off but leaves the victim in a state of confusion, highly susceptible to the art of persuasion.  Presto!  A zombie slave is at the captor’s disposal.  Mr. Davis didn’t just find his datura flower, but witnessed zombie phenomena as he immersed himself within the Haitian culture.

Bad Juju is a unique blend of horror, romance, and fantasy.  Besides The Serpent and the Rainbow, I read volumes of other Voodoo material and watched hours of TV specials.  Some of the terms I learned can be found below:

Bokor: A wizard who practices black magic, a zombie maker.

Loa: deity/spirit

Ghede Family: A family of loas known as the spirits of the dead.  Three barons rule the family.  Baron Samedi is the loa of resurrection.  Baron Kriminel is the most feared loa associated with cannibalism and souls.  He’s honored on The Day of the Dead.  Baron LaCroix is the loa of the dead and sexuality.

Poppet: Voodoo doll

Ti-bon-ange: “little good angel”  The part of the soul that represents a person’s individuality.

Gros-bon-ange: “great good angel”  Part of the soul that is collected into a reservoir of the Cosmos or spirit world.

Baka: Voodoo spirits in animal form.

Loup Garou: werewolf

Djab: a devil

Dessounin: Death ritual that separates the gros-bon-ange from the body.

Bizango Society: Secret society of Vodouists.  They have Freemason-like qualities such as aprons, secret handshakes, oaths, hierarchy, and symbols.  Legend states they change into animals at will.  They are known for stealing black cats and boiling them to death for Voodoo services.  They drink each other’s blood from a human skull chalice.

You need to check out Dina’s Holiday Bonanza: An Unholy Trinity of Dina Rae’s Novels. Go here to enter her awesome giveaway. Gift cards and books, books, books!

About Dina Rae and where to find her

Image of Dina Rae

Dina Rae is a new author here to stay.  As a former teacher, she brings an academic element to her work.  Her three novels, Halo of the Damned, The Last Degree, and Bad Juju weave research and suspense throughout the plots.  Her short story, Be Paranoid Be Prepared, is a prequel of sorts to The Last Degree, focusing on the James Martin character.  Dina also freelances for various entertainment blogs.
Dina lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Chicago.  She is a Christian, an avid tennis player, movie buff, and self-proclaimed expert on several conspiracy theories.  She has been interviewed numerous times in e-zines, websites, blogs, newspapers, and radio programs.  When she is not writing she is reading novels from her favorite authors Dan Brown, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Brad Thor, George R.R. Martin, and Preston & Childs.

Blog

Website

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To purchase Dina’s books, click on images below.

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That’s Not My Shadow! Giveaway

Posted: November 28, 2012 in Creatures, fiction, giveaways, horror, Mystery, otherworldly, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, suspense, thriller, Trailer
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I’ve got another scary one for ya!  Plus another Giveaway!

Faithful Shadow

by Kevin J. Howard

Faithful Shadow

ADD to Goodreads

Yellowstone National Park is on fire. The skies are smudged with smoke and the air is filled with the pungent scent of burning brush.

Underneath Yellowstone, the creatures maze of tunnels are filling up with smoke. It has to find a safe place until the fires are put out.  One unlucky fireman gives it that opportunity.

For Joseph Rand, a park ranger, things are heating up, and not only because of the fire. People are disappearing mysteriously. They seem to just vanish, leaving no trace.

Taking advantage of the lack of business at the Old Faithful Inn, a landmark in the park, some of the summer employees head up to the hotsprings to soak in the warm waters and camp out for the night, and do a little partying.  When they wake up the next morning, two of their group are missing. Their belongings are still there but there’s no trace of their friends. After much searching, it’s decided they need to head back and notify the park rangers.

Joseph is nursing a bad hangover when the kids rush in, talking over each other, claiming their friends are missing. He doesn’t see it as an emergency and patronizes them, saying maybe they went off to be together. This infuriates the group. They can see his shaking hands and smell the reek of stale booze on him.

When Joseph tells them he’ll go check it out they leave to report to work. What he finds isn’t much.  No trail to follow, but a few drops of blood are on the ground. Perhaps he was too hasty in writing this one off as young people having fun. Another call pulls him away from the hot springs, it’ll have to wait.

Now a fireman has gone missing. One second he was standing by his supervisor, the next he was gone. With the fire line close by, there’s no time to waste and the firemen and Joseph spread out to look for anything he could have fallen into. There are plenty of sinkholes in the park.

They find one and when they holler down, the fireman answers. It’s a ways down, so they rig a harness and lower a man down to get him. Strangely, he is now farther down the tunnel and in bad shape, too weak to help himself. When they finally get him topside, he’s so weak they have to take him back to the Inn. One man notices the injured man’s jacket is bulging in the back, like somethings underneath, but then he’s distracted and thinks of it no more .

What piggybacks the fireman is now a guest in the Inn. It’s cunning, malicious and hungry. Always hungry. And it gets a devilish delight in terrorizing its prey.

Hell has come to Yellowstone and it’s just getting started.

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Creature stories are my favorite reads. Whether they’re on land, under the sea, or on another planet doesn’t matter. As long as there’s carnage and terror I’m happy.

I know, “I ain’t right.” Can’t help it.

Faithful Shadow has all the carnage you could ever want, and once it starts it doesn’t stop.

I could take or leave the young group of friends. I found most of them shallow and self-centered. Probably a good thing I didn’t warm to them, as many meet bloody ends.

Joseph, the park ranger, has a huge drinking problem and a lot of baggage. It took a while, but I started to get him and was really pulling for him by the end.

There are a couple other characters I really liked, you’ll know who I’m talking about when you read the book. They added depth with their own stories.

Now, the creature! It’s something else. I kept trying to picture what it looked like and never really got an image in my mind. Maybe it was too dark:) Anyway, I shopped around and this is kind of what it looks like in my mind.

spooky forest photo: Spooky Green Forest SpookyForest.jpg

Do you see it? Oh, well I guess it’s too dark. But it’s in there, looking right back at you, edging closer. Can you hear it?

If a story makes me rub my hands together, chuckling with evil delight, it gets 5 Stars!

       

Congratulations Kevin. Your debut novel gave me shivers!  I’m first in line for your next one.

And now for the giveaway.

Kevin is giving away 5 e-books of Faithful Shadow.

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question, “If you’re cornered by the creature would you faint, fight, or run?”

Contest ends December 15th. Good luck everyone.

About the author

Kevin Howard lives with his family in Washington.  He worked in Yellowstone National Park for the summer season as part of a family tradition.  Kevin, his wife Melissa, and his two young children enjoy spending summers there. 

Contacts

Facebook

Goodreads

Website

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faithful-shadow-kevin-howard/1112436638?ean=9781432794354

Faithful Shadow will be offered for $0.99 from now until Christmas for the
Holiday Season. A great price to celebrate the holidays and the coming release
of my second novel, Precipice: The Beginning. Voted the Scariest Author of 2012
by Outskirts Press for Faithful Shadow.

Click on the cover image below to purchase.

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It’s good to be alive……when you’re dead.

Posted: November 26, 2012 in fiction, Mystery, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Romance, Short stories and collections, Vampires
Tags: , , , , ,
13

Night Sighs

by Emma Meade

Night Sighs

Tristan and his band are a sensation. Their rock concerts are jam-packed show after show. There’s nothing he loves more than performing before a screaming mass of fans. Well, except for her.

Alex loves Tristan, can’t keep her hands off him. There’s just one problem. He’s a vampire, but that’s not the problem. The problem is he wants to make her one too.  As much as Alex loves Tristan, she doesn’t want to become a vampire.

He loved feeling her beneath him, her warm, beating body that knew his own so well. His next words were muffled into her curls but Alex heard him.

“I don’t have you completely. This world is so dangerous. You know that more than anyone Alex.”

“Shh, please,” she murmured and kissed the top of his head.

Alex doesn’t know how much longer she can put him off. Tristan is losing patience. She knows what she has to do and wishes there were any other way.

Two years later and Alex can stay away from Tristan no longer. She died a little on the day she snuck away. Seeing him, hearing his sultry voice on the stage, makes her wonder how she ever found the strength to leave. It didn’t matter now, she was here and she hoped Tristan would forgive her.

Later.

She felt his presence behind her but didn’t move, preparing herself for his questions. Finally Alex turned to face him.

“Tristan I -“

He flew at her bird-like and she hit the ground silently. Falling over her, Tristan clamped a hand over her mouth.

Alex’s chest rose and fell rapidly and her eyes were wide, pleading with him to understand. Tristan’s face was not the one she was familiar with. There was something crumpled about it, more human and paradoxically more sinister. He looked eerie now with his eyes just as wide and frightened as her own.

Slowly he removed his hand and sat back, allowing her to rise up to meet him at eye level. Both had ceased to listen to the clamour of the excited audience.

“You came back to me,” he announced as if it were an agreement.

Alex nodded, afraid now of this new Tristan. He was quieter than normal. The man she had fallen in love with had been impossible to shut up. What is it about him that changed? Maturity, it came to her. The child-like gleam in his eyes had gone.

“I missed you,” she told Tristan honestly and stroked his cheek.

He closed his eyes at the touch, lost for a second in anguish at long passed memories. Then he looked directly at her and Alex’s heart beat faster.

“Shh,” he whispered and she never got a chance to protest.

No, he doesn’t kill her. Well he does, but he doesn’t. You know what I mean.

Tristan may have changed, gained some maturity, but when it comes to his music and the band, he is still childishly stubborn.

The head of the vampire council forbids Tristan and the band from performing anymore. The risk of exposure is too dangerous.

Here’s where Tristan rebels. He and his boys continue to perform, thumbing their noses at the council. This will have consequences.

Night Sighs is several chapters in the lives of Tristan and Alex. They are insatiable and incorrigible. The sexual scenes are hot and steamy, Oh My! And there is plenty of danger and intrigue.

I read this front to back in one sitting and my only complaint is I want more. This is a great beginning and I’d love to read further into the adventures of Tristan and Alex.

If you like stories about vampires, adventure, dangerous predicaments, a bit of mystery, and steamy sensual romance, you’ll love Night Sighs. The title alone gives me goosebumps.

Priced at 99 cents, Emma is practically giving away Night Sighs.

           Sexylicious and fun!!

Another book by Emma that I really loved was Under the Desert Moon.

17 year old Erin Harris spends her time daydreaming, hoping to escape her small town life in Copperfield, Arizona.  When a movie crew arrives unexpectedly to shoot a vampire film over the summer, Erin’s small town world changes forever. Erin is positive she has seen the star, James Linkin before in a thirty year old TV show.  He hasn’t aged a day. How is this possible?  Erin is determined to find out, but how will James handle the scrutiny of an all too intelligent teenage girl?

Go here to read my review.

About the author

Author of Nights Sighs and Under the Desert Moon.

Emma Meade writes paranormal fiction.
She lives in rainy Ireland and loves all things supernatural. Stephen King’s The Stand is one of her most loved books. Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.
She is not ashamed to admit that Dirty Dancing and Twilight make her top ten movie list but wishes to point out that The Last of the Mohicans, Reality Bites, Dead Poets Society, Stand by Me and The Goonies are in there too.

Writing supernatural stories & watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.

You can find Emma here:

http://emmameade.com

Http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4229395.Emma_Meade

http://www.twitter.com/emmameade83

Purchase Emma’s books by clicking on images below:

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Nobody Has To Know

Posted: November 13, 2012 in fiction, Mystery, reviews, suspense, thriller
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11

Nobody Has To Know

by Frank Nappi

Nobody Has to Know

Cam is twenty-five years old, teaching at Hillcrest Highschool, and in a long-term relationship with his college sweetheart. A relationship where he can’t seem to commit himself to the final step.

He should have listened to his mentor’s words – “Remember, you can be friendly with these kids, but you are not their friend….. Especially the girls. That’s just trouble waiting to happen.”

Well, trouble finds Cam or does he find it? A beautiful, vulnerable young girl tests the boundaries between student and teacher, and Cam fails miserably.

One night in a seedy little motel room sends him straight to hell.

If Cam had listened to his mentor’s warnings, if he’d stayed true to his college love, if he’d just quit justifying the act to himself, he wouldn’t be looking out of the deep, dark abyss he’s now in.

There is one name  for men like Cam – Loser.

He lies to the girl, he lies to his lover, he lies to everyone, including himself. And his lies take him deeper and deeper into a frightening, out-of-control madness.

Frank Nappi knows how to write a thrilling suspense story. The subject is delicate, and there are some gritty scenes, which I feel were necessary to evoke the called for responses.

My responses were disgust, outrage, anxiety, sadness, and exhilaration!

Congratulations go to Frank for leaving me exhausted and triumphant.

You don’t have to like the main character, Cam. I don’t expect you will. I sure didn’t. But I did squirm as his lies caught up with him.

The author leads you to believe the worse is over, but don’t relax. It is really just beginning and the suspense is relentless. My jaw ached from clenching my teeth in anguish. I was so invested in this story, I felt physical pain.

What took this from a 4 to a 5 rating was the explosive ending. I couldn’t imagine a better one!

Important news from Frank!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7W9YXb4H50]
.

HURRICANE SANDY – HELP SUPPORT MY SCHOOL COMMUNITY

I will donate ALL OF THE PROCEEDS from the sale of my book NOBODY HAS TO KNOW for the next month to
OCEANSIDE COMMUNITY SERVICE.
ENJOY A GOOD BOOK AND HELP REBUILD MY SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

About Frank Nappi and where to find him

Frank Nappi

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, Echoes From The Infantry, received national attention, including MWSA’s silver medal for outstanding fiction for 2006. His follow-up novel, The Legend of Mickey Tussler, garnered rave reviews as well, including a screenplay adaptation of the touching story which aired nationwide in the fall of 2011 (A Mile in His Shoes starring Dean Cain and Luke Schroder). Frank continues to produce quality work, including The Legend of Mickey Tussler: Sophomore Campaign, the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony.

Website  Goodreads   Amazon   Twitter

Click here to purchase Frank Nappi’s novels.

  Echoes from the Infantry: A Novel

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The Chupacabra Is Here And It’s Hungry!

Posted: October 17, 2012 in Book Promos, Creatures, Dark Fantasy, fiction, horror, Mystery, reviews, Series, thriller, Uncategorized, Western
Tags: , , , , ,
16

Night of the Chupacabra

The Chupacabra Series – Book One

16085981

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Author:  Michael Hebler

Style:  Anthology

Theme:  Dark Fantasy / Thriller / Western

Length:  300 pages (print) / 68,000 words

Binding:  Perfect bound & digital (.mobi, .epub, .pdf, .rtf, .lrf, .pdb

~~~~

I’m thrilled to be able to tell you about this brand new release!

The men huddle around the campire. The glow from the flames refelcts on their faces. A friendly game of poker between the two brothers is interupted by little Jessica, Drake‘s daughter.  Gavin grins, knowing Drake still can’t figure out how she is sneaking out of the wagon.

Fearing Lucy’s wrath, Drake tucks Jessica back in bed and then stops to talk with his wife. That’s when it starts. The animals are an early warning. They jerk loose and tear off into the desert. Then an unholy roar comes from one of the wagons, soon accompanied by screams of terror.

The brothers race to get their guns, but before they can reach the wagon, something too fast to follow leaps from one wagon to the next and the screaming starts again. The chupacabra easily leaps from wagon to wagon, killing in a blood lust. All goes quite.

Then they get their first look at the creature. It’s the size of a man, but there the resemblance ends. It’s covered in brown fur, it’s spiked tail flicks back and forth, it’s red eyes glow, and it’s stench can be smelled from across the fire.

Then it leaps into Drake’s wagan. He dives in after it. The wagon shakes, rocks and bursts into  flames. The creature bursts forth, engulfed in flames, and runs right into Gavin, pinning him to the ground. Gavin is being burned alive.

chupacabra photo: Chupacabra chupacabra.png

Impossibly, the thing is alive and leaps up to run off into the darkness, leaving Gavin mortally wounded. Lucy runs away into the night, driven hysterical by the loss of her daughter.

All this Drake sees as he lies helpless on the ground, horribly burned.

I can’t believe this all takes place at the beginning of the book. From the first sentence, you get to meet the Chupacabra and by the second chapter, he gets up close and personal.

If this story didn’t take place in western days, say it took place now, I still don’t know what could have been done. The thing is just too fast.

Drake did survive the attack. He’s horribly disfigured, his face a fright to gaze upon. He  has traveled from dusty town to dusty town looking for his Lucy. Each time he thinks he’s found her, it’s a false lead.Then he enters Dillmore Valley, A Fine Community. A strange welcome as the town is hidden in a valley, away from view.

He’s not alone. Something has followed him. He doesn’t want it dead. It has it’s uses.

I just can’t resist this kind of tale. I love scary stories of creatures in the night. I have for as long as I can remember.

Michael Hebler is a fine writer. I can feel the heat of the flames, smell the reek of the Chupacabra, and taste the dust of the trail in my mouth.

When Drake rides into Dillmore Valley it reminded me of Clint Eastwood appearing out of the desert and riding into town in the movie High Plains Drifter. Drake has that same aurora around him. No one in their right mind would mess with him, it’s better to avoid his attention.

I can’t tell you a whole lot about the characters as it would reveal too much of the plot. What I can tell you is they are a diverse lot, just like any small town. You have your nosy parkers, the town drunk, the belligerent bully and then you have the ladies. Each character brings a genuineness to the story, keeping you engrossed and curious. I love character driven stories.

Of course, let’s not forget the Chupacabra. He is something else! You don’t just get a little bit of him here and there. He is very busy, rending, ripping and terrorizing throughtout the book.

Okay. I’ll stop here. I could ramble on and on, but then I’d be telling everything. I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Michael Hebler gave me more than I ever expected. I’m thrilled to know he is making this a series. It will be interesting to see where it goes next.

  I loved it and need more!

Check out this great trailer!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRiCp9MKQ6g]

.

SPOTTED!!!  ‘NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA’ NOVEL

Press Release

Newport Beach, CA, XXXX XX, 2012 —On October 17, Fiction writer Michael Hebler, author of the acclaimed crypto-zoological short story “Hunt for the Chupacabra” publishes his first novel entitled, “Night of the Chupacabra” about a scarred man – on the inside and out – who searches endlessly for his missing family while the creature that separated them is never far behind.

Synopsis:  There is a creature that lurks in the vast open deserts of the west.  It can only survive on blood and, although it prefers to prey on the weak and young, it will slaughter anyone or anything, once provoked.  It is unnatural, deceptive, and difficult to kill.  Word about the existence of this elusive beast has not spread since anyone who has crossed paths with it did not live long enough to tell of their account.

“Night of the Chupacabra” is a profoundly moving story about one man’s determination to reunite with his beloved family while the lethal creature that separated them, the mysterious and ravenous chupacabra, is on his trail.  “Night of the Chupacabra” is not only a gruesome regale of carnage, but also a unique combination of science fiction bloodshed with a more poignant tale of lost love set against a Western backdrop.  The plot is an unflinching look at the impossible choices that are made for love, while knowing the consequences would ultimately lead to a fate worse than death.

Recently made famous by reports of sightings throughout the western United States, “Night of the Chupacabra” is the first novel in a new dark fantasy/thriller anthology that will span from the Old West to modern times, based on the cultural phenomenon, el chupacabra.  “The chupacabra has always fascinated me because nobody can explain exactly what the chupacabra is.  Is it an animal or a monster?  A mutant or an alien?  Where did it come from?  The only agreement there seems to be is that it feeds on blood.  Even the name ‘chupacabra’ translates to ‘goat-sucker’,” states Hebler.  “I love genre fusing but the reason why I decided to begin this soft horror anthology in the Old West was to go back in time far enough to give the chupacabra some roots.”

Author Hebler is already hard at work completing “Curse of the Chupacabra“, the second novel in the Chupacabra Series, which he would like to publish in 2013, and currently has plans to extend his anthology to five novels, with additional side short stories.

“Night of the Chupacabra” will be available in print and eBook formats.  More information can be found at Michael Hebler’s official author page, www.michaelhebler.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Hebler was raised and lived all of his life in beautiful Southern California.  He spent a handful of years as an international film publicist before guiding his career path towards writing.  To date, Hebler’s previous published works include, “The Night After Christmas,” a timeless holiday picture book for believers of all ages, and the free Chupacabra Series short story, “Hunt for the Chupacabra“.  In addition to writing his series of chupacabra thrillers, Hebler also runs a blog, “My Little Obsessions” where he likes to muse about what distractions life has to offer.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

email: info@michaelhebler.com

You can purchase all of Michael Hebler’s books by clicking on the images below.

Other places to purchase his books:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/245526

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Chupacabra-Michael-Hebler/dp/0983388407/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night-of-the-chupacabra-michael-hebler/1112983451?ean=9780983388401

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16085981-night-of-the-chupacabra

http://www.librarything.com/work/13142070/book/90794552

http://www.shelfari.com/books/31629753/Night-of-the-Chupacabra

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?y=0&isbn=0983388407&x=0&afn_sr=para&para_l=0

http://books.google.com/books?id=zBigMQEACAAJ&source=gbs_ViewAPI

http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780983388401

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