Today's Author Spotlight is author Frank Winter!

Read on for the full interview.

Publication date: September 18th, 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

One last dance... Homecoming was going to be the best night of their lives for the students of Villa Vista High School, but instead it became their last. Love was in the air as several couples among the crowd found themselves at a crossroads. Expectations were high, but the future was less certain than they could ever imagine.

Death was not the end. The students found that Hell looks a lot like high school. The afterlife only offered more questions than answers, but one question took center stage. With grief and anger consuming them, the search for the killer began.

Now the accused must survive the wrath of their classmates, while continuing their own search for atonement and escape. Their Limbo could give way at any moment, and they have no idea how far down the Circles they might fall.

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What's your latest release? 

"Homecoming" is my debut novel. It's a 571 page, 196K word Thriller / Murder Mystery with strong Supernatural Romance themes. The Amazon blurb really gets the plot synopsis across.

Can you start out by telling us a little about your latest work? 

"Homecoming" is the story of several high school couples at a crossroads of their relationship when they are suddenly murdered a the titular high school dance. They must navigate the strange afterlife they wake up in to not only solve their own murder, but prove their own innocence to their vengeful classmates. As all that unfolds, they must escape from Limbo and find their killer.

It's "John Hughes meets Stephen King" or "'Heathers' meets Tim Burton". If you enjoy any of those creators, you should check it out.

Where did you get the inspiration to write this story?

One very specific and very real incident that happened to me back in high school. Our school was threatened by an *accidental* event, which if left undiscovered could have turned out like the disaster described in "Homecoming".

When you developed the characters, did you already know who they were before you began writing or did they develop organically?

I had a basic outline of who each of the characters were going to be, influenced somewhat by the part they had to play in the story and by some of the real life people and characters that inspired them. However, everything after that was much more organic. The nuances and quirks of their personalities showed up in the little interactions they had with everyone else.

Which of your characters was your favorite to write and why?

For "Homecoming", the main character, Blaire, for sure. I feel like I put small (but different) parts of myself into all of the main ensemble. In my high school days, and probably even now, I'd relate to her the most.

What was more important to you when you were writing: character development or plot?

Without sounding like I'm trying to have it both ways, the interaction of both. "Homecoming" has an ensemble cast so it cycles between five groups of two people (most of whom are couples). So the major plotline advances with the development of each of their individual/couple arcs. I do already have the basic story framework in place before they get fleshed out as characters though, so I would say plot, ultimately.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned (about your story, about yourself, etc.) while writing?

One thing I learned, which I already sort of suspected, is that my emotions can be heavily swayed by the seasons, and that my most creative writing months are in the ... Winter. That is actually only the fourth reason why I picked that pen name, but it's absolutely true. Between the Solstice and Spring Equinox I can churn out 25K words per week of raw manuscript.

The first chapter of "Homecoming" actually played out for me in a dream on Christmas morning 2020. It was the closest thing I've ever felt to divine inspiration. From that experience, I learned to simply "go with it.

In your opinion what makes a good story?

Probably a basic answer, but a good story is one that is compelling for you as a reader. A lot of subjectivity is involved. Taste in genre, length of the work, pacing, format (Book vs TV/Movie) all play a part in how its valued by you as a person. There are definitely some objective measures that come into play, but a great deal of what makes a story uniquely good are those qualities that are beautiful in the eye of the beholder.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Just the accomplishment of crossing the finish line was a big moral booster for me. While the seed of the idea came to me over a decade ago, actually transforming that into a finished novel has been a very gratifying experience.

Do you read your book reviews? What do you consider "good" /"bad"?

I definitely read my reviews, even the bad ones, at least once. It's like Pandora's Box. I have to look inside, even just that first time. Every author needs to learn to deal with negative criticism in their own ways. The key is properly processing constructive/legitimate criticism and filtering out the toxic or vacuous reactions which lay more in the personality or preferences of the reviewer.

And of course, you're not going to complain about good reviews. The best ones are the long ones, very drawn out explanations of exactly what someone liked about your work and how it was meaningful to them. Not only is it emotionally edifying, but it's a great indicator of what to keep doing in the future.

What led you to start writing?

I mention this in the book's Acknowledgements, but I had an English professor in my first semester at University who was very inspirational. She was a Ms. Frizzle type, very eccentric and enthusiastic. I started writing fiction on a weekly basis, even after I passed her G.E. class. Despite my dozens of engineering classes, she had the single most important impact on my life.

Do you have any writing superstitions?

I'm very paranoid about losing progress after a big writing session. I will email copies of the latest version to myself through several separate email accounts, and save local file copies to several different hard drives.

What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in?

I've always been a fan of Thrillers, the Supernatural, and Romance. In the case of Thrillers, my favorite author, and the one whom my writing style or "author's voice" is most heavily influenced by, is Michael Crichton. I was a dinosaur kid growing up, and the Jurassic Park film was the pinnacle of that childhood pastime.

In the case of the other genres, I've described "Homecoming" to friends and family as "John Hughes meets Stephen King" or "'Heathers' meets Tim Burton". All of those creators and properties were major influences on me as a writer and this novel in particular.

What is one of your favorite words? OR Is there a word you find yourself using too often?

"Absolutely" and "Of course" are turns of phrase I default to a lot. It's how I talk in my daily life, so it sounds like the most natural dialogue to me. I always have thesaurus websites open to mitigate some of those crutches. Plus I try to give each character their own default phrases to help individualize them better.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently re-reading one of my favorite non-fiction books. "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian Jaynes. It is a mindblowing collection of theories by the 1970's psychologist about how he believes consciousness manifested in Homo Sapiens. Anyone with a passing interest in Pop Anthropology or want to dig into something that makes you question your own humanity and agency should check it out.

A lot of authors have a soundtrack while writing. Are there are songs you had on repeat?

Yes, definitely. Music is a big part of my life, almost as big as writing. I'm always listening to songs, soundtracks (such as film, TV, & video game scores), and a variety of other things while I write. With this first book, "Homecoming", I have a playlist of nearly 300 tracks that could almost be considered an unofficial OST.
I also commissioned a theme song for the novel which will play prominently in the audiobook , but can already be heard in the promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E56VcaH42Y8

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Self-publish something sooner. Just take the shot, give it a try and put something out there.

What are a couple of your favorite movies to kick back with to relax?

I love vegging out to old 80s and 90s TV shows and movies I watched as a kid. I'm currently re-watching The X-Files.

Which animal would you say is your spirit animal and why?

We did a family tree history once, and found that our family name was once associated with the stag (hooray House Baratheon). More specifically, the reindeer. That definitely played into the pen name. As far as my personality goes, I think its a wise animal. You have to have the strength to fight if the need arises (with 8-point antlers in this case), but you can be smart enough to run when it isn't necessary.

It's like the Sun Tzu quote: "He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight."

Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or a cottage surrounded by fairytale creatures?

Haunted mansion. The ghosts would be much less annoying.

What is something about the genre that annoys you?

I think the issue with any genre that an author focuses on is genre norms and expectations. Often you can have a lot of fun with those, by subverting tropes or exploring them in unique ways, but they can be limiting if you color too far outside of the lines. With my stories, I mostly write them as they come to me and then apply the genre labels at the end. Settling on a BISAC code took me a while.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I don't really have an ideal "writing hour." Just like my sleep schedule and many other things in my life, I'll write pretty much whenever the inspiration (and energy) come to me. That can be in the evenings, midnight, the witching hours of 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., early mornings, or afternoons. It really all depends, and I've never noticed any difference in my writing quality or variety regardless of when it was penned.

Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you? What are your links?

My main hub is going to always be my website: www.frankwinterfiction.com. I have a blog there that I'll update every few weeks. It's worth subscribing to, but I won't spam you.

Then I have a Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrankWinterFiction

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankWinterFict

And YouTube channel with the fantastic "Homecoming" promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E56VcaH42Y8

Do you have a favorite line that you've written? What is it and why do you like it?

I think my favorite lines from stories are the very quotable ones that you would expect to hear in a trailer or read on a promotional poster. While I didn't use this line for either of those kinds of advertising, one of my favorite ones from "Homecoming" is: "Life will usually give you a second chance ... but never a third."

How that figures into the story is where the real depth and meaning come into play though.

What advice would you like to pass on to aspiring writers that is unconventional but true?

Don't second guess yourself too much. Just write something down, even if you think it's bad. By just "fighting through the pain", not only will you keep making progress, but the inspiration to improve that bad section will come to you eventually and you can go back to fix or reinforce things.

Do you have a WIP? If so, can you tell us anything about it?

Yes. My plan since college was to eventually reach the point of releasing an annual novel. 2022's novel is already well underway with 50K words and 150 pages. I really love the character ensemble so far. I think fans of "Homecoming" will really enjoy it once it's finished.

Frank Winter is a native of Northern California who was born into a wonderful family that supported his passions and aspirations. He grew up loving the performing arts, inspired by the animated musicals of the 1990s. During his university days, he dabbled in local theatre as well as productions put on by his church. At the same time, he expanded his interests to include creative writing. This quickly evolved from lyrics to short stories to long-form fiction.

After graduation he pushed forward in his career as a mechanical engineer while continuing to moonlight in writing and music. Following years of honing his craft, he finally decided to pursue an old story idea to be released as his debut novel.

"Homecoming" is now available on paperback, and releases for Kindle on September 18th.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Publication date: December 10th 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Ten frightful, shocking and bizarre short stories for those with a taste for the weird.

Among these sordid tales you will find an abandoned factory full of eccentric squatters, a group of thrill seeking swingers drifting through the cosmos, a drifter who speaks only in poetry, an A.I judge with a passion for justice, and many more mind warping absurdities guaranteed to get you screaming in your sleep.

Are you ready to hold...The Hand That Pulls You Under? 

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James Flynn’s artwork has taken on many forms over the years. For as long as he can remember he’s always been an artist in some way or another, but the nature of his work has always shifted and changed. As a child he enjoyed drawing faces, and although this particular pleasure would return later in life, his teenage years led him into a very different corner of the art world.

During the late 1990’s James got lured into the thriving London graffiti scene. This huge art movement, which had spread out from New York in the 1980’s, completely engulfed him and changed his life. His childhood portraits gave way to edgy, letter-based designs, and spray paint became his preferred medium. Getting his artwork up across the walls and train lines of the south of England was the only thing that mattered to him for many years, spurring on a new stage of his artistic evolution, but his participation in this underground scene could not last forever. Graffiti was turning him into a criminal, and after a few brushes with the law (as well as brushes with death whilst walking along busy train tracks at night) he decided to turn his attention back to more traditional (and safer) forms of art.


After focusing on letter-based designs for so long he was craving the more intricate nature of portraiture once again, and in his early twenties he began creating a new body of work. Combining all of his learned methods into one, he developed his style and execution in a big way. From around 2008 to 2016 James produced countless portraits, and even began to branch out into figurative work. This was an immensely creative time for him, but another evolutionary step was about to take place.


With so many ideas running through his head, James was beginning to feel frustrated by the limitations of visual art. He had so many visions that he wanted to portray, so many things that he wanted to express, but the medium he was using simply wouldn’t allow it. It was during this creative crisis that he decided to start writing. As James recalls: ‘Visual art can portray a hell of a lot, anyone who’s ever “lost themselves” in a painting can definitely vouch for that, but it still has less dimensions than writing. My creative streak was on overdrive and I needed an outlet for it, I needed a way to express it, and a book seemed like the only way to do it.’ His debut novel was published in early 2017, and at the time it was his biggest ever artistic pursuit. Conservation, a work of SF horror, contains James Flynn’s own blood, sweat and tears, and the book also symbolises the broadening of his artistic passion. Conservation changed the direction of James’s art, and now he has several books in the pipeline. His second book, The Edge of Insanity, is due to be released in 2020, and will be full of new drawings and sketches to accompany the stories that it’ll contain.

Although certain works are available for purchase on this site, James’s primary motivation for creating art is far from commercial. When working on a drawing, painting or book, his only intention is to make something of unique quality. ‘Selling my work is nice,’ he recalls, ‘but even if I knew that I’d never sell a single book or drawing, I’d still create them.’ Much of his work is dark and macabre in nature, focusing on the unpleasant aspects of existence. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s become a trademark for James now, attracting a loyal niche following.

James Flynn’s artwork has taken on many forms over the years. For as long as he can remember he’s always been an artist in some way or another, but the nature of his work has always shifted and changed. As a child he enjoyed drawing faces, and although this particular pleasure would return later in life, his teenage years led him into a very different corner of the art world.

During the late 1990’s James got lured into the thriving London graffiti scene. This huge art movement, which had spread out from New York in the 1980’s, completely engulfed him and changed his life. His childhood portraits gave way to edgy, letter-based designs, and spray paint became his preferred medium. Getting his artwork up across the walls and train lines of the south of England was the only thing that mattered to him for many years, spurring on a new stage of his artistic evolution, but his participation in this underground scene could not last forever. Graffiti was turning him into a criminal, and after a few brushes with the law (as well as brushes with death whilst walking along busy train tracks at night) he decided to turn his attention back to more traditional (and safer) forms of art.

After focusing on letter-based designs for so long he was craving the more intricate nature of portraiture once again, and in his early twenties he began creating a new body of work. Combining all of his learned methods into one, he developed his style and execution in a big way. From around 2008 to 2016 James produced countless portraits, and even began to branch out into figurative work. This was an immensely creative time for him, but another evolutionary step was about to take place.

With so many ideas running through his head, James was beginning to feel frustrated by the limitations of visual art. He had so many visions that he wanted to portray, so many things that he wanted to express, but the medium he was using simply wouldn’t allow it. It was during this creative crisis that he decided to start writing. As James recalls: ‘Visual art can portray a hell of a lot, anyone who’s ever “lost themselves” in a painting can definitely vouch for that, but it still has less dimensions than writing. My creative streak was on overdrive and I needed an outlet for it, I needed a way to express it, and a book seemed like the only way to do it.’ His debut novel was published in early 2017, and at the time it was his biggest ever artistic pursuit. Conservation, a work of SF horror, contains James Flynn’s own blood, sweat and tears, and the book also symbolises the broadening of his artistic passion. Conservation changed the direction of James’s art, and now he has several books in the pipeline. His second book, The Edge of Insanity, is due to be released in 2020, and will be full of new drawings and sketches to accompany the stories that it’ll contain.

Although certain works are available for purchase on this site, James’s primary motivation for creating art is far from commercial. When working on a drawing, painting or book, his only intention is to make something of unique quality. ‘Selling my work is nice,’ he recalls, ‘but even if I knew that I’d never sell a single book or drawing, I’d still create them.’ Much of his work is dark and macabre in nature, focusing on the unpleasant aspects of existence. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s become a trademark for James now, attracting a loyal niche following.be to everyone’s taste, but it’s become a trademark for James now, attracting a loyal niche following.

Publication date: July 18th 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Flirting with evil will be the ruination of her soul.

Goodness is much easier to corrupt than it is to hold on to. And for Natasha, a woman reeling from the pain of losing a loved one, evil is all the more tempting. Luck or misfortune spirits Natasha away to the foreign Court of Velaris in a quest for a suitor but instead secures her a place among Velarian royalty. Craving revenge, Natasha makes use of this opportunity to enact her plans as she navigates the lush court where aristocracy is a double-edged blade. But when she befriends her soon-to-be husband Mikhail, the Beloved Prince, Natasha makes a deadly mistake. She captures the attention of the debonair Darkling Prince; a villainous man meant to ascend the Velarian throne.

Enamored, the Darkling Prince charms Natasha, and soon the two feel a forbidden emotion captivate their stoic, scabrous hearts. But with the existence of a violent rebel group capable of cataclysmic damage, there is little time for love. With war brewing amidst the enigmatic kingdom, the royals must become all the more cunning and devious if they wish to triumph over their adversaries. What draws the insidious line between right and wrong when it comes to a battle of survival? For Natasha, nothing is too far, too light, too bloody, too evil.

Soon, the only reflection Natasha sees in her mirror's beveled glass is that of an Evil Queen. Often, the cost of survival is more frightening than the beasts of death. But that's what gives the Queen of Shadow's beauty an edge: she wears her darkness adorned about her throat like the grandest of all diamonds, ebony, and bloodred in shade

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Publication date: September 2nd, 2021

Tales from the Midnight Forest is an enthralling collection of unusual shapeshifter stories you won't want to miss!

Enjoy five hauntingly suspenseful stories that will leave you guessing until the end.

Amberflame

Take a midnight walk with Willa to meet her lover. But keep an eye on the sky, or you might not make it home.

Amélie

A castle under siege. A magic amulet. Amélie is on her own. She knows that the enemy has come a long way and will take no prisoners.

Artemis' Wings

Cross the cursed lake with Artemis to face an evil sorcerer. But beware. Something is lurking in the dark waters.

Aura

Breitenau is in flames. Marielle can’t control the fire. Who will she turn to for help when there is no one left to trust?

Anguish

Enjoy an evening in the gardens of Asterbury Hall with Mary. But careful! The creature in the hedges has teeth, and it will bite.

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Silently gliding down from the hill, the crimson dragon was so close, its mighty horn-tipped wings whispered against the treetops. It was a wonder the beast didn’t see Willa on the narrow road below.

Ingunde’s cat disappeared into the undergrowth, and Willa froze, unable to move, unable to breathe as she listened to the hoarse sound of Amberflame filling her lungs with air as she slowed her advance. Then, a bellowing roar shattered the night, and the sky lit up as the dragon’s first firebolt hit the church belfry, killing the slumbering guard.

The little steeple exploded in a red-hot blast, and burning debris rained down on the bridge. A molten clump of iron – the remains of the bell – came down in the river with a thud, smashing the ice on the water’s surface.

At last, Willa came to her senses and bolted, arms up to protect her head. She took cover behind the woodpile Ingunde kept beside her cottage. Why was this happening? Why tonight? The dragon rose, doubled back, and dipped once again, spewing another gush of flaming bile at the church. The force of the flare took what remained of the roof clean off, and the whole building was ablaze.

Amberflame ascended and circled, and moments later, another explosion ripped through the air, but Willa couldn’t see where. There was too much smoke, and it bit into her lungs. Something touched her shoulder, and she screamed, realizing a second later that it was only Ingunde. Deathly pale, barefoot, and in her nightgown, the old woman looked like an apparition.

“Come on!” the midwife yelled, dragging her to her feet. “We have to get away from the house!”

Willa knew she was right, but at the same time, doing so probably played straight into the dragon’s strategy: Amberflame destroyed buildings to draw as many people as possible out into the open, where they would either become easy targets or get to watch the carnage.

Willa moved through the trees, following Ingunde as though in a dream, running for her life without feeling the soles of her feet touching the ground. The sensation only wore off when they reached a rocky alcove some way into the forest and she regained some sense of direction.

The alcove was protected from three sides, and a cluster of too-densely grown young beeches

and bare hazel bushes provided cover near the opening. The narrow cavity in the hillside had once served as one of two entrances to a silver mine that had collapsed over a century ago.

It had been blocked so children wouldn’t wander inside, but the honeycombed earth was always shifting here with the autumn rains and the winter storms. A gap in the wall had widened sufficiently to allow the two women to crawl inside one after the other just as the dragon’s next blast of fire hit.

For a second, golden shafts of light speared into the mine’s entrance, illuminating the claustrophobic space around them. They both knew the monster had aimed for Ingunde’s house.

The only other building this far up on the hillside was the hunting cabin near the top. Willa’s stomach lurched.

“No,” she whimpered. She was about to turn and inch back out the way she’d come, but Ingunde grabbed her around the waist.

“Don’t!” the midwife hissed. “Stay here!”

“Let me go!” Willa’s eyes filled with tears.

The cabin wasn’t far, and she had to warn him. She’d be there in no time if she scampered straight up the slope instead of taking the path, but Ingunde didn’t have to tell her that this would be suicide. 

– excerpt from Amberflame

Lisa Hofmann's debut novel, Stealing the Light, received top star ratings and reviews on the Writer's Digest and Publisher's Weekly platforms for independently published works.

Lisa is a European-based writer, born in 1975. She was educated in the nerd factories of Germany and the mystery moors of Ireland. Before she began writing medieval and shapeshifter fiction in her late thirties, she worked internationally as an interpreter, translating specialized publications on early education and literacy.

She is a genuine Dr Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde: a teacher of multilingual children by day, and producer of character-driven fantasy novels by night. Since Stealing the Light, she has published three other novels and several shorter works. She writes predominantly in English and works with a weather-proofed Pennsylvania-based American editor.

Lisa lives in Germany with her husband, their three outrageous children, and a house full of exceptionally vocal pets. Whenever she finds herself teetering on the brink of boredom, she will generally resort to exploring old towns and castles, walks in the woods, and reading anything that other people throw at her.

Publication date: June 3rd 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

The first letter seemed harmless enough. Possibly even just the result of a mistaken delivery. The second one drew concern, and paired with the unexplained visions of something darkly unsettling, Sam Morris finally caves. The 'everyman', safe world he lives in is about to take a drastic and dark turn. He quickly falls into a world of insanity, the morbid and the macabre. He's drawn into a darkness that is just as deadly as it is mysterious. A darkness that dwells in a house that could ony be conjured up by a mad brain.

It is a house that calls you. A house that haunts you with its ghosts. They'll scratch and claw through your fragile hide, bringing madness bubbling to the surface.

Come see the ghosts for yourself...if you dare.

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Scott Donnelly is an indie author based in Grove City, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, three children, and labradoodle, Maxwell. Scott writes in a variety of genres to keep his ideas fresh and different; they range from horror, to science fiction/adventures, and action thrillers. Scott is known for KILLER SCARECROW, THE WHOOL, THE MILK BOY & THESCOUT BROOKS SAGA.

Scott has also contributed a short story to "The Elements of Horror" series from Red Cape Publishing; his story "Scorched" is featured in "Book Three: Fire". He also has a horror story called "The Devil Stirred" in the anthology, "Tales of the Weird and Strange" (2020), and has debuted a science fiction-serial series in "Pulp Reality #2” entitled “Kings of the Crustaceous Period: Part 1: The Clamoring of the Crabs”.

Sequels to THE WHOOL & KILLER SCARECROW are in the works. As is the final entry of THE SCOUT BROOKS SAGA, and a new gothic/horror novella entitled OF A MAD BRAIN.

  

Publication date: November 10th, 2020

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Charlie Tate has just begun living his smashmouth, slightly deranged dream as a cage fighter when he meets Vivienne Quick, the woman who will be both the love of his life and its utter destruction. She's harboring a secret, one her whole family shares, a history with a distant world called Pan Luminous, the crossroads of the cosmos. Upon that hallowed ground and no other, the different sentients of the universe mingle and come away forever changed. Once bound to Viv's clan by blood, Charlie will find himself facing opponents he never expected, including a ferocious monster the Quick children call Kissyface, a disturbingly well-endowed robot, and Viv's uncle Sid, a toy maker with his own reputation as a fighter, albeit under a very different name... Cosmic horror and human perversity collide in this epic tale of absurd adventure and inevitable heartbreak.

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Publication date: July 26th, 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Publisher: Inked in Gray

Victory at all costs. Even at the price of our own life, the desire to survive transcends all rational thought.

What Remains brings together fifteen tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. From sacrificing loved ones or oneself, to doing what it takes to keep them alive, these stories shake the soul, rip out its insecurities and flay them on the page.

Careful who you trust. Some quandaries have no right answer when we cannot save what we love most—or when isolation, desperation, and betrayal leave you no choice.

Take the journey with us to see What Remains when civility, decency, and sanity have all but fled.

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Authors:

R.A. Busby

About the Author: An award-winning literature teacher and die-hard horror fan, R. A. Busby is also the author of “Bits” (Short Sharp Shocks #45), “Street View” (Collective Realms #2), “Not the Man I Married” (Black Petals #93), “Holes” (Graveyard Smash, Women of Horror Anthology, Vol. 2), and “Cactusland” (34 Orchard, forthcoming).

“I was always instructed to write about what I know,” she states, “and I know what scares me.” In her spare time, R.A. Busby watches cheesy Gothic movies and goes running in the desert with her dog.

She can be found on Twitter and at RABusbybooks.weebly.com

David-Christopher Harris

About the Author: David-Christopher Harris’ fantasy publications include “Olam Ha-Ba” in speculative fiction and poetry magazine Arsenika, “Last Call” in The Arcanist Magazine, “Falselight” on PageHabit, and “Children of Ozymandias” in 50WordStories, among others. He received his M.A. in Medieval Literature, which he uses exclusively to teach his cat Latin. He is currently querying.

He can be found on Twitter and at www.dcharriswriting.com

Andy Dibble

About the Author: Andy Dibble is a healthcare IT consultant who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He has supported the electronic medical record of healthcare systems in six countries. His work appears or is forthcoming in Writers of the Future, Star*Line, Sci Phi Journal, and others. He is Articles Editor for Speculative North magazine.

He can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and andydibble.com.

LT Ward

About the Author: LT writes mostly speculative fiction shorts and novels while spending her days raising her children and satisfying her never-ending thirst for knowledge through reading, meeting people, and first-hand life experiences. She has short story publications with Dancing Lemur Press, Me First Magazine, Jazz House Press, and forthcoming with Black Hare Press and Cardigan Press. She currently volunteers with WriteHive, a nonprofit literary organization.

She can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and at ltwardwriter.com.

Ben Armstrong

About the Author: Ben is a young author who has been writing stories for over six years now. Recently he has been published in his town’s newspaper.

Maxwell I Gold

About the Author: Maxwell I. Gold is a Rhysling Award nominated prose poet, focusing on weird and cosmic fiction. He is a regular contributor to Spectral Realms, edited by Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi and his work has also appeared in Weirdbook Magazine, Space and Time Magazine, Startling Stories, Baffling Magazine, and many others.

His debut prose poetry collection, Oblivion in Flux: A Collection of Cyber Prose is forthcoming this August from Crystal Lake Publishing.

Maxwell can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and at www.thewellsoftheweird.com

Damir Salkovic

About the Author: Damir Salkovic is the author of novels Kill Zone and Always Beside You. His shorter work has been featured in the Lovecraft eZine, Dimension6 Annual Collection 2020, and in multiple horror, science and speculative fiction anthologies.

Find him on Goodreads and at his blog, Darker Realities.

Lawrence West

About the Author: Lawrence J West has been on his writing journey since he was fourteen years old and has always been drawn to fantasy, sci-fi, and horror because of the way these genres allow for the exploration of human experience in unique ways. Since becoming a husband and father he has also found that his writing has a greater degree of empathy and insight.

Lawrence can be found on Twitter.

Sharon Frame Gay

About the Author: Sharon Frame Gay is an award winning author whose work has appeared in many anthologies and magazines, including Chicken Soup For The Soul, Typehouse, Fiction on the Web, Literally Stories, Lowestoft Chronicle, Thrice Fiction, Saddlebag Dispatches, Crannog, and others. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee.

A collection of her short stories, Song of the Highway, was released in August, 2020.

Sharon can be found on Twitter and Amazon.

Timothy Johnson

About the Author: Timothy Johnson is a writer and editor living outside of Washington, D.C. His published work includes the novels The Pillars of Dawn and Carrier as well as short fiction appearing in various professional and semi-professional markets. He is an MFA candidate in George Mason University’s creative writing program and an affiliate member of the HWA.

Find Timothy on Twitter and at timothyjohnsonfiction.com.

DL Shirey

About the Author: DL Shirey lives in Portland, Oregon, where it’s probably raining. Luckily, water is beer’s primary ingredient. His stories and non-fiction appear in 60 publications, including Confingo, Page & Spine, Zetetic and Wild Musette.

You can find more of DL Shirey on Twitter and at www.dlshirey.com.

Dan Eveloff

About the Author: Dan Eveloff is a lawyer and sports agent living in Chicago, Illinois with his dog, Reuben. He studied accounting at the University of Kansas, and subsequently earned his law degree from Northwestern University. His short fiction “The Price of Recompense” has appeared in AHF Magazine, “Shakespearean Justice” in Aphelion Webzine, and “Prevenge” can be found in Close to the Bone Magazine.

His social media presence can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Valerie Hunter

About the Author: Valerie Hunter teaches high school English and has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her stories and poems have appeared in publications including Cicada, Storyteller, Edison Literary Review, Other Voices, Room, and Wizards in Space.

Find Valerie on Instagram.

Nicholas Barner

About the Author: Nicholas Barner has farmed, cooked, and written variously in Oakland, Chicago, Maine, and Los Angeles. He lives with his partner, Shelby, and their Dog, Nuni.

He can be found online at nicholasbarner.com.

Thomas Canfield

About the Author: Thomas Canfield lives in the mountains of North Carolina. His phobias run to politicians, lawyers and TV pitchmen. He is still trying to plumb the logic of the sales pitch; The more you buy, the more you save. It never quite seems to work out that way in the real world. Canfield occasionally reviews books on Goodreads.

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Blog Tour Schedule

July 26th

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

Sue’s Musings (Spotlight) https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/

I Smell Sheep (Review) http://www.ismellsheep.com/

July 27th

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

Scarlett Readz & Runz (Spotlight) https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/

Behind the Paged (Spotlight)  https://www.behindthepages.org/

July 28th

Lecari’s Live Journal (Spotlight) http://www.lecari.co.uk

Auto.Erraticism (Spotlight) https://www.autoerraticism.com/

Cats Luv Coffee (Spotlight) https://catsluvcoffee.com

Stine Writing (Review) https://christinebialczak.com/

July 29th

Ashley Loves Books and Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

@dreaminginpages (Review)  https://www.instagram.com/dreaminginpages/

July 30th

Misty’s Book Space (Spotlight) http://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com

@mischiefmanaged_04 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/mischiefmanaged_04/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

Blog Tour Organized By:

Publication date: July 20th 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Claire, gifted with the ability to see through time, predicts a horrific disaster to drastically change the world five years from now. "Dark times" isn't enough to describe what will happen, but it accurately describes the present for the specialist investigators Maria, Nikki and the twins known as Alex.

A serial killer wielding magic appears to return from the grave. A man-made monster runs rampant through the streets. People across the country fall into comas. An influx of drugs threatens to shift the power of the city's underbelly. Maria and her group find themselves somehow involved with the threats to the city's fragile peace, where beliefs will be tested, friendships lost - and that's only if they're lucky enough.

When all is said and done, the survivors will know the answer to an age-old question: does the end justify the means?.

Read now

Hey! I’m F.M. Mayhem!

I come from Australia, love metal music, my favourite author is Charlotte Brontë, I like to sleep a lot.

And now for the stuff you might actually be interested in! I love writing, specifically stories that I’d want to personally read.

My favourite genre to write is Fantasy, mostly because you get to create the world and laws from scratch.

Even within the fantasy genre, I tend to focus my work towards Dark Fantasy, bringing the evil and twisted to the front for all kinds of fun!

You’ll probably begin to see pretty quickly how my stories are more character driven than not, which probably speaks to my influences more than anything. Maybe I’ll disclose those influences one day.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find my works in paperback, but you should be able to find them at your favourite ebook stores.  

Publication date: July 9th 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

A young couple's weekend foray into the woods turns into a night of unimaginable terror…

When Jacob, a Princeton PhD student with an insatiable hunger for fame and fortune, convinces his best friend, Caleb, to shoot a documentary on the Jersey Devil for their DeBunkers YouTube Channel, the boys persuade their girlfriends, Hannah and Blake, to join them on a weekend getaway. The following morning, the group sets out for the Pine Barrens in search of the folk legend, bringing with them camping gear and recording equipment.

Upon their arrival, Jacob receives a text message from GenX-82, an anonymous member of a local film crew who had shot footage of the Jersey Devil six months prior. In exchange for an interview, GenX agrees to take them to the Blue Hole, the site where the entity was last seen. However, halfway through their hike, Caleb is seriously injured, and the group loses contact with the outside world.

With tension mounting as the night sets in, Jacob's trek through the Barrens soon becomes a descent into madness…

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Joseph grew up in a small town off the coast of southern Maine. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Georgetown University. He currently resides in the Bay Area.  

Publication date: February 11th 2021

Links: Amazon | Goodreads

While landscaping his backyard, ever-conscientious Paul Prentice discovers an iron door buried in the soil. His childhood friend and perpetual source of mischief, Jay Lightsey, pushes them to explore what’s beneath.

When the door slams shut above them, Paul and Jay are trapped in a between-worlds place of Escher-like rooms and horror story monsters, all with a mysterious connection to a command-line, dungeon explorer computer game from the early ’80s called The Between.

Paul and Jay find themselves filling roles in a story that seems to play out over and over again. But in this world, where their roles warp their minds, the biggest threat to survival may not be the Koŝmaro, risen from the Between’s depths to hunt them; the biggest danger may be each other.

Read now

 About the Author

Ryan Leslie oversees research for a large health system, where making stuff up is generally frowned upon. His creative outlet has always been writing fiction. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, children's author Lindsay Leslie, and their two sons.

Website | Twitter

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Publication date: February 10th 2021
Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Fed up with playing by the rules, recent university graduate/ex-cum laude/ex-soccer star Kera MacDonagh changed her life forever when she read How To Be A Badass Witch. Much to her surprise, the spells actually worked. 

Within the first few weeks of on-the-job training, Kera’s new powers attracted all sorts of trouble. Now hunted as a magical vigilante, Kera stalks criminals in the darkness of Los Angeles while attempting to hide the signature of her supernatural powers. Kept safe by the trusting and kind Kim family, Kera decides to “come clean” to her boyfriend regardless of the consequences. 

With her world turned upside down, Kera struggles to balance her sanity. Will magic be enough to help her come out on top? She hopes so because the other way lies madness. 

About the Author 

MICHAEL ANDERLE has sold over 4,000,000 sci-fi/fantasy books worldwide either under his name or as a collaborator with other well-known authors. Anderle is the founder of LMBPN® (London, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, New York) Publishing, which publishes sci-fi/fantasy fiction by authors from USA, Australia, England, Canada, and various countries around the world. An “Amazon Top 100” ranked author, Anderle is popularly known as the creator of 20Booksto50K® on Facebook. He launched the group with the goal of sharing industry knowledge that helps independent authors to achieve their publishing goals. As a child growing up in Houston, Texas, USA, Anderle read books in the high fantasy and sword-and-sorcery genres and eventually developed a love of urban fantasy and sci-fi. At the age of 47, Anderle began writing full time and has since become a well-known author in the community. Michael Anderle resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. To learn more about Michael Anderle and LMBPN®, visit lmbpn.com.