Archive for the ‘Short stories and collections’ Category

Teaser Tuesday’s #52 ~ Vampire’s Ball ~ Shall we dance?

Posted: January 7, 2014 in Series, Short stories and collections, Supernatural, Teaser Tuesdays
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Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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My Teaser for today is from Vampire’s Ball

Moonsongs, Book #5

by E.J. Wesley

Vampire's Ball, Moonsongs Book 5

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My tease from 8% into the story.

Feeling beautiful, surrounded by the people I cared for most – this could’ve been the setup for the best night of my life. But when I wiped the cold sweat from my palms on the rubbery boat seat for what felt like the hundredth time, I was reminded of how imperfect things really were.

I was on my way to a super-exclusive party being held at a swanky, Galveston Island mansion just off the Texas coastline. Unfortunately, this party was being hosted by a pissed off vampire, and I was to hand over the olive branch.

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Synopsis

Jenny Moonsong recently inherited the title of “monster hunter” and an ancient tribal journal/how-to manual passed down by her Apache ancestors. Being a girl of action, she has found herself particularly capable when it comes to battling the werewolves, trolls, and other supernatural denizens lurking in the Texas night. Until now.Vampire’s Ball, Moonsongs book 5, finds Jenny and her best friend Marshal in their most harrowing adventure yet. Traveling by boat to an extravagant masquerade party located at a Galveston Island mansion, Jenny must parlay with an ancient vampire in order to secure the release of the dragon princes, Isis. The unexpected return of an old “friend” turns the evening into chaos, and leaves Jenny and company once again fighting for survival amidst a sea of supernatural foes.Vampire’s Ball is approximately 12,500 words of humor, horror and paranormal mystery. It is the fifth volume of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, urban fantasy novelettes by author E.J. Wesley.

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Monday Minis #20 ~ The Basement ~ Don’t ever say I’ll be right back!

Posted: January 6, 2014 in horror, Monday's Minis, reviews, Short stories and collections
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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about The Basement

by Chad P. Brown

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My Review

I’ve seen the movies. I’ve read the books. But, I just can’t say it enough. Don’t go in the basement! There’s always something bad just waiting to make you dead.

So the story goes, Heather takes a dare and enters the Blackwell House. Everyone knows it’s haunted, and really bad things happened. But, like the foolish girl she is, I guess she figures it can’t happen to her. She’ll show her friends there’s nothing to be afraid of and that’ll be the end of it.

Not quite. Heather doesn’t run into the Blackwell family ghosts. Instead, she’s confronted by her dead mother.

What the author did really well was hook me in right from the beginning. This isn’t a new scenario. I’ve read many similar stories, but the author made it different. The ghost Heather thought she should be worried about isn’t the one that appeared.

The atmosphere is set, from the door slamming shut after she enters, to the creaking and moaning of the old house settling.

Another thing that I liked was how the author let me into Heather’s head as she tried to dispel her own fears and find logical explanations for what was occurring. It enabled me to feel her fear, her disbelief, and finally her terror.

Kudos to Chad for his surprising ending. After I read the last sentence I said to myself, “Got ya!”

3 Stars

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About Chad P. Brown

Chad P. Brown was born in Huntington, WV. Once he outgrew his childhood fears of haunted houses, clowns, and toy monkeys with cymbals (although those still creep him out a little bit), he discovered a dark love for writing and an affinity for macabre and eldritch matters. He holds a Master’s in Latin from Marshall University and is an Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. In October 2011, he released his first horror novel, The Jack-in-the-box. He has appeared in the anthologies SPIDERS (August 2012 by May December Publications) and Gothic Blue Book Vol. 2 – Revenge Edition (October 2012 by Burial Day Books). His current projects include a recently released zombie novella, Messiah of the Zombie Apocalypse, and various short stories, as well as a dark fiction novella, The Pumpkin House, which is in submission.

Freakin Fridays #25 ~ You chose it! The Little Mermaid of Death

Posted: January 4, 2014 in Freakin Friday, horror, reviews, Series, Short stories and collections, Zombies
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Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

~~

With the new year here, I’m ready to implement my new plans for my blog.

While I’ll still be doing my memes and posting for book tours and giveaways, I’m going to be doing a lot more reviewing.

Last week I asked you to help me with this. Below are the 5 books I’ll be reviewing for the 5 Fridays in January. You’ve let me know which one you want me to review first. The book with the most votes for my first 2014 Freakin Fridays review is The Little Mermaid of Death!

Enjoy my review and leave me a comment about which of the books below I should review next week!.

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The Little Mermaid of Death

by Kevin Richey

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Tired of her life with the other swamp hags, Ariel strikes a bargain to obtain a mask so realistic she could pass for human. But can she trick anyone into marrying her before the mask deteriorates—and all without saying a word?

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I won this book from a giveaway at I Smell Sheep.

Thanks so much Sharon and thanks Kevin!

My Review

Ariel isn’t like the other swamp hags. Sure, she still lines up for her share of flesh from an unfortunate victim, but she likes pretty things. She collects trinkets and squirrels them away under a rock in her nest beneath the stagnant bog waters.

One day, while setting a trap, she spies a beautiful man. Her world changes. She wishes she could be pretty, be human, and have love in her life.

When she has a chance, she takes it, hoping to get someone to fall in love with her before the power of the mask wears off, revealing the hag beneath.

Kevin Richey has written many of these Zombie Fairy Tales. This is the first one I’ve read and I’m so hooked now. I’m going to have to read them all.

I’m a fast reader and finished this in about 40 minutes with only one break to answer the phone.

Not for the sensitive stomach, this is gritty zombie fiction.

I liked Ariel. I liked that she had a wish for something different, for a human life. The author put a good twist on this one. While the mask made her look human, she had to get someone to fall in love with her without speaking a word.

I had high hopes for Ariel. I wanted her to succeed, but it was always in the back of my mind that this was a zombie fairy tale. I didn’t know if they had happy endings.

I had a lot of fun finding out.

If you like fairy tales and zombies, you’ll like this new spin on the little mermaid.

4 Stars

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About Kevin Richey

Kevin Richey lives and writes in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Zombie Fairy Tales, a series of short stories set in a dark fairy tale universe plagued by zombies, and the forthcoming Unloved Ones series, a YA urban fantasy series about seven vampire siblings who have one year to reduce their family to a single member, by whatever means necessary.

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Zombie Cinderella (Zombie Fairy Tales #1) Hansel and Gretel Are Dead (Zombie Fairy Tales #2) The Zombie Pinocchio (Zombie Fairy Tales #3) Blood Red Riding Hood (Zombie Fairy Tales #4)
Beauty Is a Beast (Zombie Fairy Tales #5) Zombie Cinderella II: The Ball (Zombie Fairy Tales #6) Revenge of the Little Match Girl (Zombie Fairy Tales #7) The Curse of Peter Pan (Zombie Fairy Tales #8)
The Little Mermaid of Death (Zombie Fairy Tales #9) The Headless Horseman (Zombie Fairy Tales #10) Skull White (Zombie Fairy Tales #11) Sleeping Beauty Wakes in Hell (Zombie Fairy Tales #12)

You can also now get the complete tales in one omnibus with a 13th tale exclusive to the set.

Zombie Fairy Tales: The Complete Collection

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Here are the books to choose from for next week. Let me know which one I should review next!

#1

The Monster Man of Horror House

by Danny King

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Local oddball, John Coal is the town oddball. Old, crotchety, pungent and solitary, he lives in a scary old house that is almost as rundown as he and sees out his days shuffling around the streets harvesting his neighbours’ skips for scrap.

The local kids take great delight in plaguing him morning, noon and night but they’ve chosen the wrong old coot to mess with because John Coal is no ordinary man. He knows where the bodies are buried. He’s been to the outer limits. He is a keeper of dark secrets. Murder, monsters, demons and bi-polar vampires, he has seen them all and lived to tell the tale.

Now, if he is to rid himself of his woes he must dig into the deepest recesses of his past and use these terrible experiences to convince his tormentors he’s not just an old man to be pushed around.

He is John Coal – the Monster Man of Horror House.

***

#2

Spooky Short Stories

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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Four contemporary spooky short stories:

Ghost Brother… So what happens after you die? Do you go to heaven, or hell? Or do you go to a special place fashioned just for you based on the life you’d lived in the real world? Based on how you treated people? What you did to them? And do ghosts exist? Do they roam the earth and plague the living, persuade them to do things they shouldn’t do? Two brothers and their tale follow; their journey through life and death. Do you believe in ghosts? Some do.

Running with the Train… Sarah has always been lonely. Searching for a love she’s begun to believe will never come. Her family and friends depend, need her…but they can’t give her what she wants. True, eternal love. Like the wolves have. So she goes on an adventure of a lifetime to the Grand Canyon; rides the train from Williams to the South Rim and sees these huge wolves running alongside in the evening twilight; scurrying unbelievably below on the Canyon’s ledges among the trees. She’s told there are no wolves but she hears their haunting cries. No one else sees or hears them. Just her. Has her loneliness made her crazy?

The Banshee and the Witch… What would you do to live forever, stay young forever? To find true love again? And if you were a white witch with the magical powers to make it happen…and the secret of how to do it, would you? So when the banshee comes calling for you one rainy dark night you’ll do what you have to do to get what you desire the most. More time.

Too Close to the Edge… Artist Penelope had been looking forward to going with her husband, sister and brother-in-law to see the Grand Canyon…even though she was terrified of heights and, when she got there, couldn’t bear to get too close to the edge. She watched people balancing on one foot, acting foolish, taking photos, oblivious of the death waiting below them. It scared her. Especially when a woman relates a story of a small child that fell into the Canyon the day before. Over the edge. Then she sees a young girl go over the rim and no one will believe her. For there was no child that had died–that day anyway. Was she seeing things that weren’t there, or was there another explanation?

**

#3

Cold Blood

by Donna Ansari

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As the winter holiday season descends on New York City, vampire Emma Hammond is anticipating celebrating with Tammy and David, her witch and werewolf roommates. But when an odd Christmas ornament unleashes waves of the undead from her neighborhood graveyard, Emma finds herself as an unwilling shield between ravenous zombies and an unsuspecting city. Even worse, despite having everyday dealing with supernatural creatures, Emma finds that she has an unnatural aversion to the shambling dead, and must get to their source and stop the invasion before she’s forced to cancel her holiday party!

**

#4

Days with the Undead

by Julianne Snow

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It’s a journal of survival.

Five people set out to escape the Undead who have risen too close to home. Join the emotional and physical struggle as they began on the third day after the awakening of Brooks VanReit, as they are recorded from the point of view of Julie, a former pathologist and part-time survivalist.

Each entry is geared toward helping those who want to help themselves and maybe give a few that don’t a swift kick in the ass.

Join our group of survivors on their journey through these Days with the Undead.

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So tell me. Which one should I review next?

Grab your Eggnog and let’s get cozy ~ Heartache Motel ~ Three interconnected mysteries

Posted: December 17, 2013 in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, giveaways, reviews, Short stories and collections
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Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas by Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker

…written with the backdrop of Graceland, complete with wacky Elvis impersonators, was fun and made for several hours of enjoyment. ~Socrates Book Review

Heartache Motel was an enjoyable read that introduced me to new characters that I thought were fun and entertaining. ~Book-n-Kisses

This is a book that will keep you hooked from the first novella to the last. ~Melina’s Book Blog

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Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas

Genre: Women Sleuths, Cozy Mystery, Humorous Mystery, Short Stories

Number of Pages: 225

Published by:  Henery Press (December 10, 2013)

SYNOPSIS

Heartache Motel, Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas

Elvis has left the building, but he’s forever memorialized at the Heartache Motel. Filled with drag queens, Rock-a-Hula cocktails, and a vibrating velveteen bed, these three novellas tell the tales of three amateur sleuths who spend their holidays at the King’s beloved home.

DINERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS by Terri L. Austin

A Rose Strickland Mystery Novella (follows DINER IMPOSSIBLE)

When Rose and the gang head to Graceland right before Christmas, they get all shook up: the motel is a seedy dump and an Elvis impersonator turns up dead. Rose discovers missing jewels tie into the death and her suspicious mind flips into overdrive, questioning her fellow guests, the staff, and even a cute impersonator who keeps popping up. Will Rose be able to find the murderer and get home by Christmas day? It’s now or never.

**

QUICK SKETCH by Larissa Reinhart

A Cherry Tucker Mystery Novella (prequel to PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY)

Sassy Southern artist Cherry Tucker and her poker-loving boyfriend, Todd, pop into Memphis to help Todd’s cousin who’s been hustled out of his savings, right before Christmas. Staying at the shady Heartache Motel, Cherry can’t tell a shill from a mark and fears everyone is playing them for chumps. Cherry and Todd quickly find themselves in a dangerous sting that could send them to the slammer or mark them as pigeons from cons looking for an even bigger score.

**

DATELINE MEMPHIS by LynDee Walker

A Headlines in High Heels Mystery Novella (follows BURIED LEADS)

Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke thinks she’s going home for Christmas. But a quick stop at Graceland proves news breaks in the strangest places. When the King’s home gets locked down with Nichelle inside, she chases this headline into the national spotlight—and the thief’s crosshairs. Christmas dreams of blue suede Manolos fade, and all Nichelle wants from Santa is to land the story before the thief cuts off her news feed for good.

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My Review

I’m always ready for a new cozy mystery. I got three in Heartache Motel. It was a lot of fun to see where each of these authors would go with their story centered around a seedy motel, staffed with drag queens and booked up with Elvis impersonators.

The Heartache Motel is located a short distance from Graceland and it came as no surprise that each story would be overflowing with quirky, fun characters.

In Diners Weepers, Losers Keepers I met Rose Strickland.  When Ma, the 80-year-old proprietor of Ma’s Diner shuts down the diner for a few days to go to Graceland, Rose and her best friend Roxy, along with Ax and his stoner roommate Joe ride along to keep her out of trouble.

When their hotel rooms are given away they wind up at a seedy, out-of-the-way hotel and get right in the middle of a murder investigation. Someone’s put an Elvis impersonator on ice, literally.

I enjoyed getting to know Rose and her gang. I would love to see Roxy in person. Her outfits sound extreme. And Stoner Joe. You could stand him in front of something, come back later, and he’d still be there. You’d never have to worry about losing him, you’d just have to remember not to leave him behind.

This was a fun, sassy introduction to the Rose Strickland Murder Mystery series. How could I not have a blast snooping and following the clues with Rose and her Scooby Doo gang as they sift through the impersonators and staff of drag queens, sniffing out the culprit.

Now that I’ve met these characters, further reading is required. The series is calling my name.

Quick Sketch is another romp at the Heartache Motel.

Artist Cherry Tucker and her boyfriend Todd wind up at the motel when they answer his cousins call for help. He’s lost all his money gambling and thinks he’s been cheated.

They put Vegas on hold and cook up a scheme to catch the con artists and maybe get Byron’s money back.

It was really fun to see Man Margaret and the drag queen gals again. The motel is as seedy as ever, and the Suspicious Minds Bar is still serving up Rock -A – Hulas.

I was a little doubtful of Byron’s story at first. Did he get scammed or did he just get taken to the cleaners, losing all of his savings and his Christmas bonus?

What a delirious trip this was. Cherry takes no prisoners with her cutting edge wit and sarcasm. She’s having none of Todd’s shenanigans and puts all her cards on the table to call the scammers bluffs. But they might all end up in the pokey.

While I really enjoyed this story, I felt like I needed to read the series to understand Cherry and Todd and their relationship better.

I’ll have to pay a visit to Hula, Georgia and become better acquainted with the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series.

And that brings me to Dateline Memphis.

Nichelle is a hoot. She’s got brains, beauty, a smart mouth, and as long as she has her signature high heels, she’ s ready to go. And she never goes anywhere without her pooch-to-go, Darcy, her Pomeranian.

Nichelle is the next to stay at the Heartache Motel. She plans on getting a good nights sleep and then a quick hop over to Graceland to get a Christmas present for her mother.

She may not make it in time to open presents, as her visit ends up in a police lockdown. No one leaves until they catch whoever stole the bejeweled belt once worn by Elvis.

Being a crime reporter, Nichelle offers to help with the investigation. Her skills might come in handy, and who knows, she might get the biggest scoop of her career.

I could just picture Nichelle waltzing into the motel, pooch under one arm and designer luggage on the other. She’d meet her match with the drag queens. She stood six-three in her high heels and Man-Margaret stood a full head taller.  I wonder who’d have the best outfits?

After busting crime with Nichelle, I’m looking forward to getting to know her better while reading the Headlines in High Heels Mystery Series.

I raise my Rock-A-Hula in a toast to these authors. They did a splendid job of slipping their characters into  the central theme of The Heartache Motel, while keeping the returning personalities in character. Each story had some of the same characters and each writer kept with their individual voices.

I’m a fan of the female protagonist and met some strong, sassy women in this collection. I also met some very endearing drag queens and I really would like to see the Elvis impersonator wearing nothing but a speedo and cowboy boots. I had a good laugh at that one.

Three authors, three cozy mysteries, many captivating characters, and some fun capers to solve. A great idea.

4 Stars

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Purchase Link: Amazon

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tla-bio-00TERRI L. AUSTIN

As a girl, Terri L. Austin thought she’d outgrow dreaming up stories and creating imaginary friends. Instead, she’s made a career of it. She met her own Prince Charming and together they live in Missouri. She loves to hear from readers!

WEB: www.terrilaustin.com

FOLLOW: www.twitter.com/terrilaustin

LIKE: www.facebook.com/terrilaustin

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closeupLARISSA REINHART

After seeing Paper Moon as a child, Larissa Reinhart fell in love with stories about confidence capers. QUICK SKETCH is the Cherry Tucker prequel to PORTRAIT in the mystery anthology THE HEARTACHE MOTEL. HIJACK IN ABSTRACT is the third in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series from Henery Press, following STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (#2) and PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (#1), a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist. She lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit.

WEB:  larissareinhart.com

Follow: twitter.com/RisWrites

Like: facebook.com/RisWrites

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LynDee headshotLYNDEE WALKER

LynDee Walker grew up in the land of stifling heat and amazing food most people call Texas, and wanted to be Lois Lane from the time she could say the words “press conference.” An award-winning journalist, she traded cops and deadlines for burp cloths and onesies when her oldest child was born. Writing the Headlines in Heels mysteries gives her the best of both worlds. LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel. Find her at www.lyndeewalker.com.

WEB: www.lyndeewalker.com

FOLLOW: www.twitter.com/LynDeeWalker

LIKE: www.facebook.com/lyndeewalkerbooks

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Great Prizes!

eBooks, a B&N Gift Card, swag, and other goodies!

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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Tour Participants

December 10 – A Chick Who Reads – Review

December 11 – Socrates’ Book Review Blog – Socrates’ Cozy Cafe – Review, Interview

December 12 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – Spotlight

December 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book– Spotlight

December 14 – Books-n-Kisses – Review

December 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

December 16 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review

December 17 – fuonlyknew – Review

December 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review

December 19 – Mochas, Mysteries and More – Interview

December 20 – My Recent Favorite books – Review

December 21 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview

December 22 – Jane Reads – Review, Interview

December 23 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview

December 23 – Queen of All She Reads – Review

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the present below.

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Freakin Fridays #23 ~ Reviewing Adam Light’s brand new release Serving Spirits and his short story collection Toes Up

Posted: December 6, 2013 in Freakin Friday, horror, New Release, reviews, Short stories and collections, Supernatural
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Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

~~

I’ve got a treat for you today!

Adam Light has a brand new novella just released today!

Check it out.

Serving Spirits

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Hunker down for a long night during a brutal hurricane with Natalie and Mitch Whitley. Which one of them will survive the night may depend on a father’s love.

This story was originally published as part of my collection TOES UP and is intended for adults only.

My Review

It was a dark and stormy… Just kidding. But it really was!

Hurricane Gwendolyn is battering the mansion. Natalie Whitley gets through it the howling winds and crash of tress falling by drowning it out with some Metallica. That and a Stoli and cranberry juice cocktail her husband mixed for her.

As the storm beats at the doors and windows, Natalie wishes she were in Vegas. But the mansion should be able to withstand the hurricane. It’s just a matter of waiting for it to pass.

I’ve been through my share of hurricanes and it always seems the worst of the storm occurs at night. All that crashing and howling and loud bumps makes for a long and scary night. Then the power goes out and it really gets bad.

The author sets the mood for you and all you can do is hang on.

You have a great cast of characters.  Seth, Natalie’s father, is a famous horror writer and is traveling abroad, researching his next big hit. Natalie is the apple of her father’s eye.

Mitch, the husband, is everything Natalie’s father doesn’t want for his daughter and his suspicions are soon confirmed.

A large package arrives at the mansion. Seth is always sending Natalie odd finds. This one is beyond odd and quite grotesque.

You’re going to love what’s in the crate. From here on, Natalie has to fear what’s in the mansion as much as the storm outside.

Once I knew what was in the crate, I had an idea where this story was going. That doesn’t mean I didn’t relish every word getting there.

Adam infuses suspense, outrage, and terror in stunning doses. While Serving Spirits is a short read, it feels a lot longer while you’re experiencing it.

Looking for something scary for a dark and stormy night. Or a quiet one. I recommend Serving Spirits.

5 Stars

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Now for Toes Up

The complete collection

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Taken

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Jack Harden is your average good-old-fashioned American truck driver.
You can ask the girl he’s got duct-taped in the back of his cab, she’ll tell you.
Oh, don’t worry – it’s okay. His wife knows all about it.
She told him to do it.

My Review

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Way Out Of Here

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Meet Gordon Delanolan. Just call him Nolan, everyone else does. Nolan is bored with life and in dire need of adventure. The only problem is that he has done everything, and there doesn’t seem to be anything else left to add spice to his existence.

Then one night Nolan is shocked and terrified to hear a disembodied voice coming from his navel. Reality, he finds, is much more tenuous than he at first believed.

At first he thinks he may be going insane, but perhaps he has found the way out of his jaded existence afterall.

This short story was originally published as BELLY BUTTON WINDOW, but I have elected to release it under its original title with a modified cover.
It will still be available in the previous format as part of the Light Brothers’ short story collection THE CORPUS CORRUPTUM.

My Review

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Gone

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Adam Light : “This is my debut published short story. People who have read it compare it to “a lost episode of the Twilight Zone”. Fast paced and surprising; this is a tale of a man experiencing a most unusual, and terrible, sort of day. Fans of suspense, quick and compelling reads, or interested in checking out a fresh author should give it a try. I think you will really enjoy this.”

My Review

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Vengeance By The Foot

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Like a modern-day Franz Kafka or young William S. Burroughs, blossoming new author Adam Light presents the twisted tale of an unlucky man suffering the misfortune of losing his foot to diabetes. Amputation is a bad thing even on a good day, but it’s even worse when your severed foot holds a grudge.

My Review

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The Continuance Agency

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Daniel Sharpe survived the end of the world. Now he lives alone, fearful that he may be the last living person on earth. It’s too dangerous for him to venture outside – to try and find other survivors – with that ominous black cloud of death still looming in the sky above.

When a manila envelope mysteriously arrives with an invitation to join “The Continuance Agency”, an organization on a mission to save mankind, Daniel has to decide if it’s worth the risk to try to join up, to see if he can help to save whatever’s left of the world. But deep inside he wonders: is “The Continuance Agency” really what it claims to be?

My Review

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Adam Light

Adam Light

I have always loved the written word. I fell in love at an early age and was fortunate enough to have a family that was in love with books. You could say I was nurtured on the language, and as I grow older I realize more and more that there are no boundaries to the impact words can have on everything.
I have been publishing my own stories for a couple of years now, and am inching my way towards the completion of a first novel. Until I finish that project, I will likely continue to pop out short stories here and there, and I am proud to say I just published a collection of short stories titled TOES UP, which contains one brand new story unavailable anywhere else, and five previously released titles.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed my work, giving an unknown author such as myself a chance to unleash my madness upon you.
There is plenty more to come.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Related articles

Monday Minis #19 ~ Stickman by Dennis Yates

Posted: December 2, 2013 in horror, Monday's Minis, reviews, Short stories and collections, suspense
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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about Stickman

by Dennis E. Yates

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My Review

Put yourself in Doug’s shoes.

He’s waiting in the car outside the store for his girlfriend, Jane, to return with a bag of ice. What was taking her so long?

Do you ever notice how long a few minutes, or even one minute, are when you’re the one waiting.

He happens to notice someone lurking around the parking lot, scoping out the vehicles. Doug figures the guy is looking for something to steal. He wonders if he should call the police, but decides to wait and see what the guy does.

He can’t believe it when the guy breaks into the back of a van parked right in front of his car. Now, Doug knows he has to do something. Unfortunately, after taking pictures with his cell phone all day, the battery is all but dead. He manages to take some pictures of the license plate and the bumper sticker,  and actually gets the guys face peering out the back window.

You know those stickers people put on the back of their vehicles? The ones depicting the father, mother, boys, and girls, plus pets as stick figures? This van has one and it pings Doug’s radar. He’s read about the serial killer dubbed The Stickman. Could this guy be him?

Now Doug has to act. But what should he do. His cell phones dead and there’s no security guys to be found. Once the family gets in the van, he’s forced to do something. Anything.

This story reminded me of a movie, Amber Alert. Three friends observe a young girl in a car and it  looks like she’s in trouble. They recognize her face from an Amber Alert, so they follow the car.

 I wonder what I’d do in this situation. It’s such a surreal moment.  The decisions you make aren’t easy. Your thinking on the fly. Unless you are trained to react, it’s not something that comes naturally.

Stickman made me pause and wonder. I shared Doug’s indecision about what to do. As events whirled faster and faster, my feelings turned to trepidation. I felt like I was with Doug and my anxiety hit overdrive.

All the way until right at the end  I was deeply engaged in this story. The words flowed smoothly and characters and events felt genuine.

I would have given this more stars, but somewhere near the end, I felt some confusion. Like I’d missed something. I reread the end and again I felt something had been left out. Maybe it was just me. I still liked this one and will be reading more from Dennis.

3 Stars

~~~~

About Dennis Yates

Dennis Yates (born 1963) is an American writer of novels and short stories. He is a native of Portland Oregon, and a fan of long road trips, animals, engaging literature and independent films. He often dreams of escaping the Oregon rain clouds to the scorching sun and red canyons of the American Southwest.

Dennis enjoys writing psychological thrillers and dark comedy. On the lighter side, his quintessential, quirky road-trip novel The Teriyaki Samurai was a quarter-finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakout Novel Award contest. Dennis draws deeply from his love of nature and the American landscape, which he firmly believes must play an important character in all of his writing.

He is a huge fan of such authors as Daniel Woodrell, Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, William Gay, Frank Bill, John Rector, Blake Crouch and many others.

Dennis can be reached at yates.author@gmail.com  and on Twitter at @YatesScribe.

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A fistful of vengeance ~ My review of Evans Light’s new release Don’t Need No Water ~ Free to download 11/25 thru 11/27

Posted: November 26, 2013 in horror, Release day, reviews, Short stories and collections, thriller
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Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Evans Light has just released his latest story!

I’ve got my review here for ya and Evans has Don’t Need No Water free to download!

Enjoy my review and head over to get yours!

Go HERE to get your free copy!

Free November 25th thru 27th!

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My Review

When Iverson’s girlfriend, Sissy, ends up dead in a jail cell, things don’t bode well for the sheriff and his cronies.

Ivy and his two younger brothers, along with some buddies are going to mete out their own brand of small town, vigilante justice.

Evans claims stories of the “weird tales’ variety are his favorite to write and he just proved it again. I can’t begin to imagine this happening in real life. Maybe it has, but it would’ve been hard to miss the headlines.

You don’t get to know Sissy. She’s already dead when the story starts. What you do get is the raging inferno that is Ivy’s hatred and need to maim.

Bakersville reminds me of towns I passed on road trips. They looked almost abandoned and I barely gave them a glance. Evans sets the mood with “a starless night, still and waiting.”  The town won’t be recognizable after these boys get done.

One thing you’ll learn after reading more of this authors stories is not to think you know what’s happening. You’ll be wrong. Everything I thought I knew about Ivy was thrown out the window quickly. My biggest shock wasn’t what was happening to the town. It was about what happened the first time Ivy met Sissy. You’ll see what I mean.

Evans usually adds a little levity to his horror and suspense. At first I thought Milwaukee’s Beast was a typo. Then I remembered how he writes and knew it was on purpose.

Some good descriptions of Ivy:

“A fistful of vengeance and a truckload of hell fire!”

“I’m an ‘eye for an eye’ kind of guy.”

While I often wish Evans would write an epic full length novel, I don’t think my poor heart could take it. I should have known he wouldn’t take me where I originally thought he would. His stories never go in a straight line.

Once again, the author sucked me into the darkness, finally letting me crawl back into the light, with some of that darkness following me like an ecto-plasmic tag along.

This story will linger with me for a long time.

If you’re a fan of horror, if you like it raw and wriggling, treat yourself to Don’t Need No Water. It’s a killer read.

5 Stars

~~~

I’ve read all of Evans Light’s stories

Be sure to visit THE LIGHT BROTHERS web portal at www.evans-light.com for exclusive discounts and giveaways.

Check out my reviews!

ARBOREATUM

ArborEATum

**

Dark Curtains

Dark Curtains

**

PAY BACK

Payback

**

The Mole People Beneath the City

The Mole People Beneath the City

**

Whatever Possessed You?

Whatever Possessed You?

**

CRAWLSPACE

Crawl Space

**

Black Door

Black Door

**

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Reviewing soon!

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****Short story collections****

Screamscapes

SCREAMSCAPES serves as the definitive collection of Evans short story/novella output from 2011-2012, and is available in ebook and paperback through quite a few retailers, including Barnes & Noble (ebook is currently Amazon-exclusive, but that will change in another month).

Screamscapes – Reviewing soon.

Screamscapes - Limited Edition

The limited edition signed/numbered paperback of SCREAMSCAPES is available exclusively through THE LIGHT BROTHERS Book Store at www.evans-light.com/book-store.

~~~~~

***written with Adam Light***

The Corpus Corruptum

Corpus Corruptum – Reviewing soon.

Evans Light

Evans Light

Evans Light is a writer of horror and suspense who suffers from frequent bouts of delusional grandeur interspersed with moments of soul-crushing suspicions of personal inadequacy.

He has a collection of short stories and novellas, SCREAMSCAPES, in the bag and now available from fine retailers everywhere, and a first novel well underway.

Evans works closely with his brother and frequent collaborater Adam Light, who is a stellar horror writer in his own right. Intense sibling rivalry and incessant one-upsmanship will ensure that nothing but horror of the highest caliber will be produced by The Light Brothers for years to come.

Connect with them:

Join “Q&A with The Light Brothers – Evans Light and Adam Light” – Goodreads group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8…

Goodreads

Facebook

You can also stalk Evans here.

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Monday Minis #18 ~ Hell’s Bells by Bivona and Firetog

Posted: November 12, 2013 in horror, Monday's Minis, reviews, Short stories and collections
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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review very short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about Hell’s Bells

by Vincent Bivona and Trevor Firetog

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ebook, 46 pages

Andrew and James are looking forward to meeting their favorite author, but when a homeless woman, who claims to be the author’s “biggest fan,” begins to stalk the two friends, they have to wonder if this creepy old woman is who she appears to be, and why the sound of bells follows her wherever she goes.

My Review

This was a ghoulishly fun story.

Best friends Andrew and James take the subway to the dark side of town. Their favorite author is having a book signing and they have to be there.

While on the train, a hideous homeless woman befriends them.

Once they finally reach the book signing, they bump into her again and can’t get away from her. When she does something unspeakable, they do something unforgivable, and now they are racing for their very lives.

Sure, the premise might be kind of predictable, but the authors scare ya good while telling it. I could smell the old lady, see her tattered face and hear those bells. Oh yea, the bells are ringing.

Excellent writing, vivid descriptions, and putting you there are what these authors do.

I don’t think I’ll be taking the subway any time soon!

4 Stars

~~~~

Authors

Hell’s Bells was co -authored.

Both authors, Vincent Bivona and Trevor Firetog have written many dark fantasy and horror stories on their own and joined up to bring us Hell’s Bells.

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Giveaway and My Review ~ The Harvesters ~ Can They Survive?

Posted: October 25, 2013 in Blog Tour, giveaways, horror, reviews, Short stories and collections
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Halloween is almost upon us. It’s time for tricks and treats!

I have a treat for you today.

I’m always up for reading horror and when Halloween draws near, I just can’t seem to get enough of it!

Doesn’t the cover art give you chills?

I’m here to tell ya, the story will too!

Check out The Harvesters!

And don’t forget to enter the giveaways. There are two of them!

The Harvesters

by Ashley Hill

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The Harvesters (Harvesting Series #1) By Ashley Hill

Publication Date : November 28th 2012

Genre: Young Adult/New Adult Horror

Summary

**

Welcome To The Harvest!
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I know. Harvesting season usually takes place in the late summer.
Here on the Gulf Coast, we harvest all year long.

**

My Review

You get all of the ingredients for a good horror story. A thunderstorm, a rustic old cabin deep in the woods and some really creepy characters. There’s the huge shambling guy with the axe, the sly shotgun wielding old man, and the creepy kids.

I think the kids creeped me out the most. It had me thinking Blair Witch, when they hear the weird voices outside their tent and the kids giggling and slapping the tent.

The Harvesters is relentless and you land right in the thick of it from the get go.

Ash creeps around in the cellar of the ratty cabin and finally spots her boyfriend, Jason. He’s manacled to a metal table.

From this point on, I girded myself for what was coming.

Ash manages to get his hands free before this huge man throws an axe at her. She heeds Jason’s warning and hightails it but is rushed by a little kid. She sweeps past him and slams the door of the cellar shut behind her.

That’s when she hears the whispering.

She rushes to the truck outside, but, of course, there are no keys. A vision flashes in her head of the keys hanging on a hook inside the cabin.

This is where I wonder what I would’ve done. We know the warnings for these scenes. “Don’t go back inside!” But if your true love is lying in there, helpless, about to be carved up, what else can you do?

So, in she goes again.

From the very beginning it’s a mad dash through this short story.

You’ll get to read about it from two points of view. Ash narrates most of the story, but Jason does have his own side to tell.

Then their story meets again as they struggle to survive multiple attacks with no help for miles in any direction.

I was thinking serial killers or a family of cannibals maybe. I’m still not sure exactly what they wanted from Ash.

That brings me to the ending. It’s a cliffhanger and a big one. I kind of saw it coming, but I think I would have been disappointed if it wrapped up neatly.

This way, I get to look forward to more. I wonder if one of the next books will be about Jason. He has a dark past and I think his story would be harrowing.

We’ll see.

~~~~~

Purchase Links:

Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

~~~

Ashley Hill

harvesters author pic

I’m a college student still trying to get a handle of the adult world. When I need to get away from it I lose myself in books, my own writing, and in spending time with my amazing boyfriend which he supports me to no end. Finding my passion in books has led me to finding a passion in writing my own fictional stories back in 2009, I have turned this into a dream career and going one step further I would love to open up my own book store.

~~~

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Giveaways. Yep, there’s two!

I have one ebook copy of The Harvesters to giveaway.

To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you and answer this question,

“What’s your favorite thing about Halloween?”

and

Grand Prize Giveaway

5 copies of The Harvester

The winners will also receive copies of the future titles for this series, once they are ready to publish.

To enter, click on the rafflecopter link below.

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For all of my giveaways click on the ghoul below.
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Monday Minis #16 ~ Rag Doll ~ A short horror story ~ Free today! I know I’m a day late!

Posted: October 22, 2013 in Freebies!, horror, Monday's Minis, reviews, Short stories and collections
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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review very short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about Rag Doll

by Troy McCombs

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Yikes! I know.  I’m a day late posting this, but the book is still free!

I picked this up as a free download while looking for short stories to review on my Monday Minis post.

It was still free as of time of posting.

Click on the cover to get yours. Just remember to check that it’s still free!

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My Review

At about 14 pages, I hardly blinked before I was finished reading Rag Doll.

Lucas’s young daughter Lucy just has to have the rag doll. She discovered it in a pile of stuff at a yard sale.

The thing is frayed and battered, ugly actually, but she wants it and so Lucas buys it for her.

Here’s where the author sets the tone. It’s dark now and a thunder storm is raging. A must for most horror settings.

The rag dolls name is Sandy and it will come as no surprise that the she comes to life.

The author even throws in a babysitter. Poor thing. She must be the sacrificial lamb.

There are some creepy scenes that reminded me of Dean Koontz‘ Tick Tock and voodoo dolls.

You get just enough to connect with characters, kind of recognize them, and then the fun begins. There are no wasted words. The author goes straight to the gut.

I never get tired of this kind of horror story. I suspend my disbelief and dive in, getting all kinds of creeped out and having fun.

The ending is deliciously horrific.

4 STARS

~~~~~

Author Troy McCombs

Troy McCombs

Ever since my third grade teacher made me write a short story for class credit, I was hooked to the art of writing. Creating and designing worlds that don’t exist, and populating those worlds with interesting and unusual characters, is what I do best. There’s nothing better than escaping reality for a while and taking an adventure. Who knows? Maybe somebody out in outer space is writing us. Perhaps we’re some make-believe characters in somebody else’s mind.

I hope you join my imagination and take my stories for a spin. If you read work by Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft (my favorite writer), then you’ve definitely come to the right place! I also have some coming-of-age stories as well (The Graveyard; The Black Place Inside; The Music of 1997).

Anyway, welcome! And enjoy!

Go HERE for more about the author and his books.

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For all of my giveaways click on the ghoul below.
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