Archive for the ‘Short stories and collections’ Category

Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary. Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

I have four stories to tell you about today.

Most of you know how much I love short stories. What I found in this collection is excellent writing and stories that keep you reading, even when you fear what’s coming.

So let’s get started.

Four Tales for Midnight

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Description

Four tales of extreme suspense and mystery aimed at getting the heart pumping. Hard. A soldier on D-Day finds an enemy soldier acting very strangely indeed; a jilted husband creates a grisly scavenger hunt; a marriage reconciliation service ABSOLUTELY guarantees positive results—the question is, how? And more!

Turn out the lights and enter a bizarre world, but remember—don’t go in the basement!

First things first. Are you the type of person who ignores all the cliché warnings and does just what you shout at the character in the movie not to do? You know, don’t go in the basement, don’t go in the water, don’t open the door, Etc….

You are? Great! You’ll love these stories then.

Night Drop

Private John Larkin is lost. It’s the morning following D-Day and he’s stumbling around Norman trying to find a small town. During the night drop, he was separated from his unit. With no safe place to hide, he keeps moving, hoping to bump into his unit, hell, any unit.

world war 2 photo: world war 2 dhm_08.jpg

Instead, he finds a tiny village. Looks like it’s already been bombed. And just sittin’ there on a rock is a German soldier.

What looks like an opportunity, becomes something else all together for John.

Do you ever feel like yelling at the character in the story, saying, “Hey, wake up and look around!”

I wanted to ask John, “Don’t you watch the movies?”

Even though I had a good idea what was going on, the ending was still a blast!

Scavenger Hunt

I’m going to warn you right now, this one is grisly.

scavenger hunt photo: scavenger hunt scavenger-hunt1.jpg

This poor sap thought he was getting away with it. Then he discovers a card stuck on his front door. He’s been invited to a scavenger hunt and he has a good idea who did the inviting.

So, he plays along and follows the clues, each discovery more gruesome than the last.

He’s pretty sure he knows how it will end, but he is so wrong.

This one isn’t for those with a sensitive stomach. It’s brutal and nasty, but oh so clever.

I think this might be my favorite.

Reconciliation Services,Inc.

Both men are going through a divorce. Both have kids. And both have a wife who knows how to manipulate the judicial system to put the screws to them, but good.

war of the roses photo: war of roses War-Of-The-Roses-kathleen-turner-21891867-1366-768_zps743c1d8d.jpg

“Then one day, Pete comes into work happier than a puppy in a Milk-Bone bakery.”

Let’s just say, our guy should have stayed away from the kibbles.

The Problem of the Vanishing Bullet

This one felt like the author gave me a treat for being a good reader and finishing the book.

It’s a short story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

sherlock holmes photo: SherlockHolmesWatson 20A-Sherlock-Holmes.jpg

One man guns down the other and is arrested for murder.

The fiance says he did kill the guy, but it was in self-defense, the other man shot first. The problem is, no bullet. The room was searched diligently and no bullet or bullet holes were found.

The clever Holmes pulls a rabbit out of his hat, or should I say, a bullet out of a…..

I loved this one. I felt like I was watching a black and white episode on TV. I kept waiting to read, “Elementary, my dear Watson!”

Each story was so different. Each one has you going from the first few sentences and keeps you reading on for more. Each story almost has a moral to it.

I couldn’t give this collection anything less than 5 Stars.

The writing was excellent, the plots were so entertaining, and Lee Enderlin really hooked me when I wished they were longer.

I’m going to read The Dead of Winter next. It’s a full length novel. Just what I wished for!

The Dead of Winter

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College student Christy Brewer lives in a personal hell at home with an increasingly unreasonable and violent father while balancing school and a love life. Meanwhile, over a hundred miles away, in a small ski resort town, Police Chief Wayne Marski is suddenly dealing with a serial killer who is dispatching people in a particularly grisly manner. Worse, the few clues indicate that he is dealing with a human adversary.
Or is he?

Their stories coincide in a suspenseful and action-filled climax as a centuries-old curse comes home.

For more about Lee Enderlin and his books you can find him at Tales of Mystery and Midnight.

I love short stories and collections and was ecstatic when Donna published these! A Human Element still lingers with me and I’ve been waiting for a while now to read the sequel, A Hidden Element. The Dark Inside has me even more excited now. You get more of some of the old characters and are introduced to many new ones.

Check out the giveaway after my review.

The Dark Inside (A Human Element)

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The Dark Inside

These short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the soon to be released sequel, A Hidden Element.

The Well

It seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father’s eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.

When his hopes are crushed, he’s devastated. And then his mother goes missing.

She’s disappeared without a trace.

The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.

 The First Time

X-10 is not going to give in. He’s not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.

He’s scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he’s afraid he’ll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.

It’s the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?

Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.

But she’s a prostitute, he’s a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.

The Job

Felix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.

He’s never felt attracted to her before, but he’s made a mistake. He’s let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.

I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, ‘what the???’ moments. This is twisted fun. Can’t help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.

Frat Night

Tara’s so excited. Tonight she’s going to do it with Jonah. She’s been lying to him, telling him she’s a virgin, so he’ll woo her, romance her. But she’s ready now. Tonight they’ll finally be together.

It was a beautiful spring night.

Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!

The Tree of Sheltered Secrets

She was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.

She’d spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she’d been cut down too.

Someone had to pay.

I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!

The Beginning

They were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.

But that wasn’t enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.

He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.

This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn’t follow in his fathers dark footsteps.

A Lucky Strike

Ben is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.

As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it’s only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.

It’s time to flee, but has he waited too long?

I forgot this part in A Human Element. It’s disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.

I’m surprised he survived at all.

Excerpt – A Human Element ~ Ben

This is an excerpt from A Human Element. It’s another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I’ll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.

Ben had no business being in Hud’s Place.

“North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho’s that could be had around here.”

He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn’t have stepped into it with the Marines.

If he thinks the ass-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.

If it weren’t for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he’d be totally screwed.

Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.

I’m curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?

Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I’m connected with Ben.

I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be…..Ha! Not gonna tell ya!

The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.

Giveaway

For the giveaway I have five ebooks of The Dark Inside in any format.

This is International.

I also have one Paperback copy of A Human Element, Book #1 in the series to give away.

The paperback is for US/Canada Only. Sorry my International friends.

To enter, please leave your email address, state whether entering for e-book or paperback, and answer this question,

Why do you like short stories?

Giveaway ends March 28th.

Thank you for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

About the author

Image of Donna Galanti

Donna Galanti is an International Thriller Writers Debut Author of the paranormal suspense novel A HUMAN ELEMENT and the author of the short story collection, The Dark Inside.

If she couldn’t write she would bike, hike, and kayak every day. She was stationed in Pearl Harbor as a photographer in the U.S. Navy followed by a career in marketing. Donna dreamed of being a writer at seven years old when she fell in love with Narnia and Roald Dahl. She lived in England at the time, attending school in a magical castle where her imagination ran wild in an itchy uniform. (bowling hat and tie included). She now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, son,  and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again.

Her blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor?-ref+hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767306Donna_Galanti

Find all of her books here.

A Human Element

The Dark Inside (A Human Element)

Free through March 22nd!

Taken by Adam Light is free to download from Amazon

Go here to get yours now!

TAKEN

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I’ve already reviewed TAKEN, but figured I’d repost my review for ya.

I am thrilled to get my hands on this! While I don’t normally use the blurbs for a book, this one is so good I have to share it with you!

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.

Whoa. I bet that got your attention.

Jacks’s wired and tired. He’s on the last leg of an 18 hour burn and turn. Soon he’ll be with her. With his goddess. With Dianne.

“Dianne, Dianne. Oh sweet goddamn Dianne.”

At first he didn’t think he could go through with it. He’s not the type. But if he wants to go home, he better have his cargo. Can’t go home without it.

She’s all wrapped up, well,  taped up, nice and tight. She won’t be getting away. What Dianne wants with her, he hasn’t a clue. But he’ll know soon enough.

What really got me was how nervous and bumbling Jack was when he snatched the girl. It had me on edge,  hoping he’d get away safely. I was actually on his side. You know the story’s good when you’re pulling for the bad guy.

As for the victim. Well, lets just say she’s not a wallflower. She’s got a mouth on her and plenty of bravado. Jack had better be careful with this one. She’s a kick-ass chick and her one liner, you’ll know it when you read it, is every bit as good as Arnold’s, ”I’ll be back.

I could picture the author chuckling in evil delight when he was writing Taken. It’s psychological horror that messes with your mind.

Can’t wait for you to meet Dianne.

A short, wicked good read.

       

I’ve read all of Adam’s books.

Way Out Of Here

My Review

THE CONTINUANCE AGENCY (The Continuance Saga Volume One)

My Review

Vengeance By The Foot

My Review

Gone

My Review

TAKEN

My Review

Corpus Corruptum ~ Written by Adam & Evans Light

The Corpus Corruptum

Review coming soon.

About the author

Adam   Light

Besides being the best father and husband I can be, my ultimate goal in life is writing horror fiction that will knock people’s socks off.

I began the journey into writing for the public in the fall of 2011, and I have not looked back since. I admit that I got a late start on it, as I am pushing 40 now, but I believe that an eleventh-hour commencement is preferable to none at all.

I have self-published five short stories to date. The most recent one entitled THE CONTINUANCE AGENCY is the first chapter in a planned series still in progress. This one is a departure for me, and comes as a refreshing turning point in my writing. I look forward to writing longer works, my long term goal being to write full length novels.

I have been humbled and emboldened by all the positive responses to my stories, and thus encouraged to continue my quest. 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.

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Amazon

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Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary. Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

For my Freakin Friday post today, I have some awesome news!

Evans Light has his book, ArborEATum, free to download on Amazon

You can get it here from March 15th thru 20th!

ARBOREATUM

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I love Evans choice for the cover of his book. And the title. Oh, so true.

Many of the families refuse to follow Lemuel’s delusional demands about leaving the established route and taking the wagon train off to find the Garden of Eden.

wagon train photo: 2005 Ft Seward Wagon Train 1 wt1LargeWebview.jpg

The mad man sets off, taking Micah and his family with him.

Now all appears hopeless. They are lost on the prairie, there is little water, and no food. Looks like they will perish here and become a part of the sifting dust.

cow skull photo: cow skull cow-skull-2edited.jpg

Finally, when the sun is at its zenith, they see something shimmering in the distance. As the ground starts to slope upward they can see hazy figures standing in the glare of the sun. As they approach, the figures become clear. It’s  an old indian and three younger braves.

Beyond them is what looks like Eden. A lush valley with a sparkling lake, real houses, and huge trees.

redwoods photo: Redwoods Redwoods.jpg

The indians confuse them. Should they just go around them?

Micah’s father and Lemuel talk with the indians and harsh words are exchanged. The older indian refuses them entry to the valley. Lemuel loses all traces of sanity and murders all four of them. They quickly bury the bodies and descend into Eden.

Then things get really bizarre. Of course they do. This is a horror story, after all.

What would Eden be without a snake in the grass or a bad apple or two?

These poor folks. They are under the thumb of a man who believes murder is okay if it gets you into Eden.

I just knew things were going to get bad.

I didn’t think I could be surprised by horror anymore. I’ve read so much of it. But I did get a surprise with ArborEATum. I got more than one and shivered in delight.

Another great read from Evans Light.

5 Stars for giving me the jitters.

rotten apple photo: rotten apple rottenapple.jpg  rotten apple photo: rotten apple rottenapple.jpg  rotten apple photo: rotten apple rottenapple.jpg  rotten apple photo: rotten apple rottenapple.jpg  rotten apple photo: rotten apple rottenapple.jpg

More great news!

I have a message from Evans Light.

March is a brand new month, and with it comes a new free eBook!

For the entire month of March, The Mole People Beneath the City will be available as a free download from Goodreads.

EPUB/Browser Link: http://www.goodreads.com/ebooks/downl…

Amazon Kindle Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aammcsq4fcz…

Hope you enjoy it, and reviews are appreciated!

-Evans Light

I’ve read all of Evans Light’s books. Check out my reivews!

Payback

The Mole People Beneath the City

Whatever Possessed You?

Crawl Space

Dark Curtains ~ Reviewing soon

Stories, Inc. ~  Reviewing soon

written with Adam Light

Corpus Corruptum – Reviewing soon.

 Evans Light

Evans Light

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You can find all of Evans books here .

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To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World
10 Tales of Steampunk Silliness and Spookery

In the cozy seaside village of Steamville, New Hampshire, an unfaithful zombie, out of control werebots, succubi in corsets, and more wreak havoc in this short story collection from the author of Elemental.

Purchase
Just .99 cents

Praise

“Well written and very fast paced. You won’t get bored or find your mind wandering. I’d love to see a sequel to this collection and see what happens next. I give this book five out of five donuts.”

“This book starts off dipping its toe right into the heart of the story, not unlike Ms. White’s YA novel Elemental, and the story never really slows down to a lazy pace; making it a very easy and fast read.”

“Ms. White wonderfully succeeded in instilling humor into ten short stories about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and one mad scientist. Each story is brilliantly linked. The Victorian era setting delightfully adds to the humor.”

“This is a wonderful mix of Steampunk and Horror written in Emily White’s unmistakable brilliance and style. Does it get any better than that?”

About Author Emily White

Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice. She’s spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies. When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more. And when she’s not doing that, she’s usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

Also by Emily White

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Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/24/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go here.

Adam Light has another story for you!

And it’s free to download from Amazon March 11th thru March 15th!

Go here to get his dark,humorous, short horror story now!

Way Out Of Here

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Gordon Delanolan goes by the name  of Nolan. He’s one of those rare people. One of the lucky few. He struck gold, winning $50 million in the lottery. After doing right by family, sailing the world, and doing everything his heart desires, he’s bored. And unhappy. He wonders if he’ll every be truly happy.

You know that feeling you get, like something’s about to happen? Well, that’s how Nolan’s feeling.

It starts with the stomach cramps. So bad he’s wondering if somethings ripping him apart from the inside out, sending him to his knees to pray to the porcelain god.

When things seem to be calming down and Nolan is about to drift off into la la land, IT happens.

A voice comes out of nowhere, startling him awake.

“Nolan!” it said.

What the hell? Was he dreaming?

Then he hears it again!

“Nolan, go the bathroom,” it said.

Nope, he’s not dreaming.

At first he tries to ignore the voice. But it proves, with excruciating pain, to be impossibe. IT won’t be ignored.

I just love Adam’s mind. It takes you out there, way out there. I would love to see his stories as episodes on Twilight Zone.

Nolan has a voice coming out of his navel. Yep, his navel and that’s not all! I wish I could see the expression on your face right now. And also when you get to the “out of” part in this story. The voice is only the beginning of what happens to Nolan.

This story is like a dream. One you want to wake up from, but, at the same time, you want to see where it’s going. Know what I mean? It stayed with me for a while, like I just woke up and the feelings lingered.

5 Stars for taking me into the “out of.”

creepy eyes photo: creepy eyes creepyeyes.jpg  creepy eyes photo: creepy eyes creepyeyes.jpg  creepy eyes photo: creepy eyes creepyeyes.jpg  creepy eyes photo: creepy eyes creepyeyes.jpg  creepy eyes photo: creepy eyes creepyeyes.jpg

I’ve read all of Adam’s books.

My Review

My Review

My Review

My Review

Corpus Corruptum ~ Written by Adam & Evans Light

Review coming soon.

About the author

Adam   Light

Besides being the best father and husband I can be, my ultimate goal in life is writing horror fiction that will knock people’s socks off.

I began the journey into writing for the public in the fall of 2011, and I have not looked back since. I admit that I got a late start on it, as I am pushing 40 now, but I believe that an eleventh-hour commencement is preferable to none at all.

I have self-published five short stories to date. The most recent one entitled THE CONTINUANCE AGENCY is the first chapter in a planned series still in progress. This one is a departure for me, and comes as a refreshing turning point in my writing. I look forward to writing longer works, my long term goal being to write full length novels.

I have been humbled and emboldened by all the positive responses to my stories, and thus encouraged to continue my quest. 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.

Goodreads

Amazon

Related articles

By now, most of you know how much I love short stories and collections.

Kathryn Meyer Griffith has her Spooky Short Stories free to download from Amazon  right now through March 13th.

Go here to get yours. I got mine!

Spooky Short Stories

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Description

It’s a collection of four romantic horror/horror short stories about ghosts, werewolves, a banshee and a witch. Author of 18 novels, 2 novellas and 12 short stories, Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
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.

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.

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 on her, 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?

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?***

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I’m currently reading another of Kathryn’s books, Human No Longer.

Hooked me good:)

Human No Longer

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Jenny and Jeff Sanders become victims of a bizarre crime; leaving Jeff dead and Jenny in a temporary coma. She returns to her children. With Jeff’s death she must move back to her childhood home, a haunted farmhouse, in Summer Haven, Florida, where once they destroyed a family of vampires. Jenny has no appetite. She’s edgy. Her eyes hurt. She thinks it could be trauma or grief. Until one night she can’t resist the night woods or the overpowering urge to drink warm animals’ blood–and accepts the truth. Her attackers were vampires. Now she’s becoming what she once reviled. She can’t abandon her children but must find a way to live in the human world. At night she hunts, hides what she’s becoming and attempts to fit in. Then townspeople begin dying. Like years before. With her blackouts, she fears she may be the killer, or is it her vampire attackers? They find her and demand she joins them–or her family will die. She resists until they kidnap her children. Then she has to find a way to outwit and ultimately destroy them.

Can’t wait to finish it and tell you all about it!

I just recently read and reviewed another of Kathryn”s books.

You can read my review of Dinosaur Lake here.

Dinosaur Lake  (once titled Predator)

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Enter at your own risk. There be a huge freakin dinosaur here.

Kathryn has written many books. I couldn’t post all of the books in their covers. Would have taken so long!  Go here to see more.


I just love short stories and collections. They are a challenge to review!

Lee Enderlin has his collection Four Tales for Midnight free to download from Amazon March 9th thru March 13th.

Go  here to get it now. Got mine!

Four Tales for Midnight

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Four tales of extreme suspense and mystery aimed at getting the heart pumping. Hard. A soldier on D-Day finds an enemy soldier acting very strangely indeed; a jilted husband creates a grisly scavenger hunt; a marriage reconciliation service ABSOLUTELY guarantees positive results—the question is, how? And more!

Turn out the lights and enter a bizarre world, but remember—don’t go in the basement!

At only around 57 pages it should be a fast and fun read!

Psst!  Scary Sherry, it has a tree on the cover:)

For more about Lee Enderlin and his books you can find him here:

Blog

Goodreads

Amazon

To purchase the books, click on the covers.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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 The Dark Inside by Donna Galanti

The Dark Inside (A Human Element)

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This is a collection of stories. My tease is from

The First Time ~ X-10

Even in the garish light she was the loveliest thing he had ever seen.

He wanted to touch her, but was afraid of his urges.

To hurt and maim and kill.

I am eating these stories up like hot buttered popcorn, with extra butter, at the movies!

Can’t wait to tell you about these awesome stories!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me.

What better way to celebrate Emma Meade’s brand new release of End of the Line than with a giveaway.

Enjoy my 5 STAR review and enter below!

End of the Line

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Now available on Amazon and Smashwords

End of the Line

In the distance, the familiar white light appeared, cutting through the dark of midnight. She’d watched it come before, but always from the sidelines, imagining what it would be like to face such a beast.

Cassie drew in a shaky breath and steeled herself. Legs splayed, arms by her sides, fists tightly clenched, she waited on the tracks as the train approached. Her legs shook, and strands of hair licked her cheeks in the gentle night’s breeze.

She swallowed the fear threatening to overcome her. Hang in there, she told herself. Another sixty seconds, and it will all be over. No more drowning, murky thoughts, heavy dreams or stilted breathing. She lifted her head and stared straight ahead, willing her body to freeze.

Closer now, but not coming fast enough. She was scared. As much as she desired to have it all over with, the fear gained ground. Could the driver see her yet? No, still too far away. Why had time slowed down? An ache began in her ankles, spreading up her legs and winding its way around her thighs and into her clenched hands.

The feel of her fingernails scraping the soft flesh of her palms roused her, just as she became aware of the vibrations on the tracks.

Cassie stumbled into the grass growing beside the tracks and ran, tears running down her cheeks. She stopped as she reached the first line of trees and leaned over, resting her hands on her thighs, trying to get her breath back.

Damn it! She wanted to die. Why couldn’t she have stuck it out?

The train thundered by, unaware of the woman hunched over in the darkness, sobbing. She raised her head to watch the carriages pass, slithering alongside Wilkins Woods like a dark snake. In thirty seconds, the night was once again silent.

She’d try tomorrow night. Maybe pick up a bottle of Jack Daniel’s after work. Might help with the nerves.

Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, and she wiped the tears away. Cassie followed the edge of the woods the mile back to her dingy flat. She let herself in and headed straight to bed. One more day. She could make it that far.

End of the Line
Cassie wants to die. When midnight rolls around, she stands on the tracks waiting for the train to come.

She loses her nerve the first couple of times but returns to try once more.
After all, third time’s the charm.
Author’s Note:
Depression is still somewhat of a taboo subject, yet it has touched most people’s lives, either personally or among family and friends. In “End of the Line” Cassie can’t make sense of her despair. All she knows is that she’s had enough.

My Review

It’s midnight and Cassie stands on the train tracks waiting for death.  Here it comes. She will not jump out of the way, she won’t. Then she jumps.

Now she’ll have to come back tomorrow night and finish what she started, even if she has to use liquid courage to do so.

If she does meet death, will it be the end of the line?

What will happen if she doesn’t jump out of the way in time? If she lets the wheels of the train obliterate her existence? What if the end of the line isn’t the end?

I feel sorry for Cassie. She’s so sad, so lost. Failing each time, I wonder if she really wants to die, or if she just needs a reason to go on living? This one stuck with me for some time.

Emma takes a sensitive topic and breathes a supernatural “what if” into it. I was so captivated by the beginning, I was finished before I was ready!

I  urge you to hop on this train and meet some very interesting characters. They have things to tell you.

This haunting and deep story gets Five Stars from me.

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Giveaway

I have three e-book copies of this new release to giveaway!

International Giveaway. All are welcome!

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question:

“Have you ever hopped a train?”

Giveaway ends March 14th.

Thanks ya’ll and Good Luck!

More great news!

fundinmental is also having a giveaway for End of the Line!

Hop over here and enter for another chance to win and check out her view of this story!

Click on the titles below to read more of my reviews of Emma’s books.

Under the Desert Moon

Night Sighs

Awakening and Other Stories

Dead Beats and The Old Vampire

About the author

Emma Meade

Author of Nights Sighs, Under the Desert Moon and The Awakenings & Other Stories.

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

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