Posts Tagged ‘ghost story’

Bly tour banner

.

Today is my post during the blog tour for Bly by Kelsey Ketch. Bly is a standalone contemporary fantasy book with mystery and horror.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 20 September till 1 October. You can see the tour schedule here.

Bly

.
By Kelsey Ketch

.

Bly book cover

.
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/ Ghost Story

.
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: 22 September, 2021

Synopsis

.
I left the United States to find inner peace. Instead, I find myself confronting a malicious ghost.

Astyr Salt is a spiritual and emotional empath who moved to England with the intent to forget about a traumatic, supernatural event that occurred during her freshman year of college. However, when she takes a spiritual cleansing assignment in a haunted country home in Essex, she is isolated with all her own pent-up emotions.

These emotions energize the ghosts inhabiting the country home, helping them draw their own tragedies to the surface. Searching for the truth, Astyr is forced to relive the past. And the deeper she dives into the country home’s horrific history, the more the intertwined memories place her in the path of an evil and demented predator.

A blend of contemporary fantasy, horror, and mystery, Bly is inspired by Henry James’s classic novella, The Turn of the Screw.

Links:
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple
Google Play
Books2Read

.

Check out this peek inside:

.

My dream from the past several nights continues to haunt my every waking moment. My mind recalling the few details I can remember of the strange, old mansion. The structure consists of unusual hallways that lead to lavish rooms and staircases that dead end at the ceilings or lay sideways along the walls and floors. It reminds me of the Winchester Mystery House in San José, California combined with a M. C. Escher print. In the dream, I wander aimlessly, searching for Nolyn. I never really see Nolyn in the dream, except a glimpse at the very end, where he looks like a ghost. Meanwhile, a presence hovers around my shoulders and neck, hindering my search until I finally reach a dead end. A dark room.
For most, this would just be a repeating nightmare. Many blowing it off as an indicator of stress or anxiety over a possible budding relationship—like my friend and business partner, Kenya. Not for me. Dreams like this tend to be prophesies, and eventually, manifest in the real world. I had a dream repeatedly back in the United States, while I was working at my old job. Three months after I met my office crush, I started having dreams about him. In the dreams, we were sitting at one of the break room tables, trying to get away from the office Christmas party. He was talking about his baby girl and how he was trying to talk his wife into having a second child. At some point, his words became nothing but noise. Yet the words “you’re a great friend” still echoed vividly in my mind. Six months later, in real life, he’d married another woman in our office. And just recently, he announced the birth of their first child on Facebook—a baby girl.
At least those were happy dreams of a happy future, even if it didn’t involve me. As for my current dreams involving Nolyn, I’m concerned. In them, Nolyn is lost, and some force is preventing me from finding him. I wish I had more details. Anything to pinpoint a time or place of the event. Yet, like a labyrinth, it’s all muddled. I can’t find a clear path or any clues that might reveal Nolyn’s location. I’ve tried my seeing bowl, tarot cards, and my psychic tea blends. Nothing has helped.
Only time holds the key.
Returning to reality, I check the clock on the barren, brown wall of the office suite. It’s been an hour since I sat down in one of the stiff, cherry-red upholstered chairs. Half an hour since Mr. Hellings’s administrative assistant, Ms. Poole, placed some tea on the solid oak coffee table. Twinings English Breakfast. Steeped for five minutes in a warm tea pot. No milk. Just a hint of sugar to mellow out the robust flavor. Nolyn would’ve given me that seductive snicker of his if he heard the thoughts in my head right now. He knows I have a passion for tea, which amuses him. But knowing tea is a part of my business. Only my tea blends are meant for the promotion of emotional and spiritual healing, as well as other aspects of life: love, success, psychic awareness. As a practicing witch, the tea pot is my cauldron and the herbs are my special ingredients. Yet Nolyn, as much as he humors me, doesn’t believe in magic. Nor ghosts. Nor spiritual energy. In fact, Nolyn would think this meeting a joke and a waste of time. Especially, if my potential client causes me to be late for my lunch date with him.

.

Bly teaser

.

About Author Kelsey Ketch:

.

Kelsey
Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist and Data Analyst. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.

For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.

Author Links:
Website
Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Goodreads
Amazon
Bookbub

.

Giveaway

.
There is a tour wide giveaway during the blog tour for Bly. These are the prizes you can win:
– a signed copy of Bly and a lavender wand (US Only)
– 10 ecopies of Bly – through Bookfunnel (International)

You can see what the lavender wand looks like here.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

Bly square tour banner

 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Virtual Tour
Author: RJ Sullivan
Featured Book: Haunting Blue

HauntingBlueTourBadge

 

~~~~~

R.J.’s Bucket List (from the likely to the absurd)

 

My entire life I have always seen myself with one goal in mind–become a published author and build a reading audience. To that end, mission accomplished. So let’s just jump in and see what I can come up with.

 

10. To finally own a computer advanced enough that I don’t have to rebuild it every year. Come on, people. MS Word, Facebook, and the ability to watch YouTube videos, is this too much to ask?

 

9. “Six months on the New York Times Bestseller list.” Sigh. Sorry, what was I saying?

 

8. To live long enough to see Marvel re-acquire the rights to the film adaptation of Spiderman so that they can finally make a version that’s not for-gossakes an embarrassing atrocity. (And I’ll just add–a great Wonder Woman movie because the world needs a great Wonder Woman movie.)

 

Speaking of comics:

 

7. A comic adaptation of my own work: I’m a lifelong comic book fan. I grew up reading the adventures of Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and their SF and horror variants (Dracula, Star Wars to name two major ones) I would love to see Blue or Rebecca turned into a gothic comic book tale Black and white. With art inspires by Bernie Wrightson. Yeah! Or perhaps a full-color adaptation of Captain Sayuri Arai and the plight of her mining spaceship the Red Lotus. Hey, someone call me. Let’s do this.

 

6. Pay me for movies! Sure, why not? Or a TV series. Or neither. Maybe Haunting Blue becomes a Sy-Fy Channel original. Maybe they do an okay job. Maybe they completely butcher it. That’s okay. Notice this is not a wish list for a successful adaptation (though that would be nice, in spite of the odds against it) rather, to have an idea optioned by Hollywood that may or may never get made. A property that requires the studio to write a check every couple of years to keep renewing that idea. Or as I call it, living the life of Asimov. And I’ll be honest, should this unlikelihood come to pass, I will be a total mercenary. I will not be P.L. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, who fought Walt Disney every step of the way (and in spite of the claims of the recent bio-pic, completely hated the result). Make the movie. Make the TV show. Make it good, make it bad. As long as my books are around, I don’t care. Just put the check in the mail promptly.

 

The rest of this is a “if money were no object” and gets a little silly.

 

Shut up, it’s my bucket list.

 

5. Travel to Japan–the language barrier has always been daunting to me, and I am by nature a homebody. But if I were to go anywhere outside of the country, it would be the place that brought us all the awesome genre goodness of Godzilla, Speed Racer, Ultra Man, (the components of) Robotech, Battle of the Planets, and so much more incredible media sci-fi.

 

4. Acquire the rights to build my own amusement park: Warcraft World–Where Orcs and Night-elves walk side by side across cobbled paths and over those funky wooden spiral ramps and staircases to rides, merchandise, and simulations all in tribute to the world’s coolest MMORPG on the planet. Warcraft World–for those who find The Magical World of Harry Potter too mundane.

 

3. The ultimate home theater. With big screen, THX sound, reclining theater seats, my own popcorn machine and pop dispenser, and room for a couple hundred of my best friends. I guess I need a bunch of great movies to show, too.

 

2. Media Producer– Create the movies geeks want, done right. Let’s start with a proper I, Robot and help people forget about the Will “Ah hell no” Smith movie, along with Dragonriders of Pern, Elfquest, and a for-gossakes version of Dune that’s not an embarrassing atrocity.

 

1. Cyndi Lauper performing at my birthday party.

 

Shut up, it’s my bucket list.

~~~~~

Haunting Blue_Cover

1771e-addtogoodreadsblack

MY REVIEW

My favorite part of this story is Fiona Felicity Shaefer, aka Fi Fi, aka Blue. She’s spunky yet vulnerable, lethal yet loving. And she’s only 17 years old.

Blue’s mother is a successful lawyer with little time to play mom so Blue is left to her own devices, hanging with college kids in Broad Ripple.

A great opportunity for her mom has them moving to the small town of Perionne and Blue isn’t too happy.  With only 1 year left, she has to finish her senior year of school among strangers.

Her blue hair and attitude makes her the enemy of the school bully, but it doesn’t take long for the dark side of her nature to emerge and she pounds him good. That’s when she meets Chip, a computer geek with electrifying eyes and an easy-going attitude.

There’s an urban legend in Perionne. A local man, Gunther is purported to have robbed the bank and then disappeared without a trace. Most believe he’s dead and there have been numerous reports over the last twenty years of his specter being spotted.

When Chip coerces Blue into doing something crazy, they find out first hand if the legend of Gunther is real and they just might not survive to tell.

The author told this story in two different points of view. You’ll read Blue’s story, which takes place in 2010. And you’ll read Gunther’s story from 1990.

It’s easy to follow as the author flashes from present to past and present again. I would be reading about Blue and be totally engaged. Then I’d be reading about Gunther and be thus enthralled. Whether in the present or the past, I couldn’t wait to see what was coming and it made for twice the fun.

I was thrilled to learn this is the first book in the Adventures of Blue Shaefer. I’ll be sure to check out further adventures, and I hope the author writes about Blue’s years in Broad Ripple. I’d like to know how she became so lethal.

A great adventure, an urban legend, and a bit of clean romance await you. I’d recommend this book to all adventure lovers.

4 STARS

Haunting Blue Book Synopsis:

Punk, blue-haired “Blue” Shaefer, is at odds with her workaholic single mother. Raised as a city girl in a suburb of Indianapolis, Blue must abandon the life she knows when her unfeeling mother moves them to a dreadful small town. Blue befriends the only student willing to talk to her: computer nerd “Chip” Farren.

haunting blue Interior1_FINAL_WEB

Chip knows the connection between the rickety pirate boat ride at the local amusement park and the missing money from an infamous bank heist the townspeople still talk about. When Blue helps him recover the treasure, they awaken a vengeful ghost who’ll stop at nothing–not even murder–to prevent them from exposing the truth behind his evil deeds.

haunting blue Interor2_FINAL_WEB

Haunting Blue is Book One of the Adventures of Blue Shaefer.

Amazon Links for Haunting Blue:
Kindle Version ~ Print Version

~~~~~

About RJ Sullivan

RJSullivanPhoto

Haunting Blue is the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer. This is the 2014 revised edition by Seventh Star Press. Seventh Star also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second book in Fiona’s tale. R.J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith: Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His newest project is the Red Lotus series of science fiction novelettes.

R.J. resides in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks coffee from a Little Mermaid mug and is man enough to admit it. www.rjsullivanfiction.com

Author Links:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter

~~~~~

Tour Schedule and Activities
7/14 Jess Resides Here Interview
7/14 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
7/14 fuonlyknew ~ Laura’s ramblins and reviews Top Tens List
7/15 Deal Sharing Aunt Top Ten’s List
7/15 John F. Allen Writer Character Post
7/15 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post
7/16 The Rage Circus Vs. The Soulless Void Review
7/16 SpecMusicMuse Interview
7/16 Workaday Reads Post on Artwork of Haunting Blue
7/16 I Smell Sheep Character Post
7/17 Bee’s Knees Review Review
7/17 Library Girl Reads & Reviews Guest Post
7/17 Come Selahway With Me Guest Post
7/18 A Haunted Head Author Interview
7/19 Nerd With A View Top Tens Post
7/19 Coffintree Hill Guest Post
7/20 Willow’s Author Love Review

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Ghost VBT 2 Banner

In the mood for a ghost story? Great, I have just the one for you.

Check out my review of Ghost.

22299387

1771e-addtogoodreadsblack

Genre: Paranormal Romance

MY REVIEW

Jess slowly comes to. As her thoughts clear the pain sets in. Her head is killing her and she’s been bleeding.

What happened? What is she doing on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Why can’t she remember?

Pulling herself together she heads to the bathroom to clean herself up. A glimpse in the mirror reveals something behind her. What was it? It was there then not there.

Jess begins to see it more frequently. She just needs the apparition to coalesce, to become clearer. She’s sure she knows who it is. But she can’t remember.

Could the fall have knocked her senseless?. Is the apparition real? One question looms largest, should she be scared?

I was engrossed, reading away, and suddenly there was no more to read. I had to chuckle. I forgot this was a short story. I was having such fun I wanted it to be longer.

As I read the ending I had to reread it. I liked it that much.

This is a mysterious, scary, ghost story and a good introduction to the authors writing. I’ll be reading more of Dani-Lyn’s books.

4 STARS

~~~~~

Synopsis

After a head injury, Jess begins to see things she can’t explain. She starts to wonder if she’s hallucinating, losing her mind completely…or if something far worse might be happening.

~Excerpt~

A scream erupted from her throat, dragging her forcefully from the nightmare that held her captive. Heart pounding, chest heaving, she rolled over and reached to pull the pillow over her head. The lingering fear from the nightmare morphed into sheer terror when she realized she was no longer lying in her warm, cozy bed, but on a cold, hard surface. She froze, too afraid to move, and opened her eyes just enough to study her surroundings.

“What the..?” Although she laid in total darkness, Jess knew exactly where she was. The bumps and crevices of the rough terra cotta tile, combined with the lingering scent of potpourri, were unmistakable. How had she gotten here? Why were there no lights? Pain slammed through her head when she tried to sit up. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her, and she forced the bile back down. She lowered herself to the floor, gently resting her cheek against the cool tile. Maybe she could just lay here for the rest of the night.

Reality intruded, and she knew she had to stand. She moved slowly, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her forehead against them. Taking slow breaths and tentatively rubbing at the tender spot on her temple, she was surprised when her hand came away sticky. “Ugh…what’s on my hand?”

She struggled to her feet and slapped her hands against the wall to stop the room from spinning. Once the world came into focus, she padded to the kitchen, hoping to rid herself of the coppery taste that was threatening to choke her.

Pain exploded behind her eyes and took her breath away when she turned on the light. She grabbed a clean towel from the drawer, filled it with ice, and pressed it against her throbbing head. Elbows on the kitchen counter, she leaned into the cold of her impromptu ice pack. Numbness prickled her skin.

How had she ended up on the floor? How long had she lain there? Had she fallen? Passed out? The throbbing pain made thinking difficult. Aspirin. Aspirin would help. She reached for the bottle in the cabinet and then filled a glass with cool water. When she raised her head to drink, she caught sight of her reflection in the window above the sink.

With darkness pressing heavily against the glass, she was able to see herself quite clearly. The disheveled woman who met her gaze startled her. Her short, dark hair stuck out in all directions but, when she tried to run her fingers through the rat’s nest in an effort to tame it, she met resistance. The sticky mess had already started to dry, leaving her hair full of knots. She’d bled worse than she’d thought. The pink t-shirt she’d worn to bed was also blood splattered.

“What happened to me? Was I sleepwalking?” She sipped her water, but dumped the remainder down the sink when her stomach rebelled. Her heart pounded in her chest, keeping time with the throbbing in her temples. There has to be a logical explanation for this. Did I get up to go to the bathroom and trip? That didn’t make sense, even to her own confused mind. When her gaze returned to the window, she couldn’t fight the fear that clutched at her throat.

“Oh, my…” she told the woman who stared back from the window, but left the sentence unfinished when she caught movement from behind her in the reflection. Instinctively ducking to the side, Jess turned to find the room empty. Her heart thundered in her already constricted chest, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Tremors shook her body as she struggled desperately to fight off the impending panic attack. The hammering of her heart made it hard for her to hear anything else, but she strained her ears to listen.

The kitchen doorway led to the small living room directly across from the window. Had someone been moving through the room? Was that how she’d ended up crumpled on the floor at the bottom of the stairs? Had she been pushed?

Buy Links: Amazon   Crimson Frost Books

~~~~

~About the Author~

Dani-Lyn is a native New Yorker. She was born in Rome, New York, then moved to Rosedale, and finally to Long Island. She still lives on eastern Long Island with her husband and three children, ages twenty two, fifteen and three.

Author Links: Site   Facebook    Twitter

Ghost VBT Banner

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Spotted this over on Fundinmental and wanted to share with you.

.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL59TGGUdAY]

.

Go here to enter the giveaway.