Guest Post || D.M Shepard, Author of The Dark Land

A dark tale of legendary creatures stalking the isolated trails of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in the deep cold of winter.

Lured by her high peaks and vast forests, adventurers swarm to the siren call of Alaska’s backcountry. Her harsh bite scars many. Some never return.

Please find my son’s remains…

Haunted by the last request of her foster mother, experienced outdoorswoman, Rose Long, skis into the Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness to search for clues surrounding the missing man. Concerned about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the older woman’s death, her childhood friend, Ulrik, joins the quest to protect the woman he secretly loves.

Ancient evil seethes in the ice-locked boreal forest, watching their every move during the long northern nights. The legend of the Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. The Dark Land’s hunger for flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter—and it has marked Rose as its next victim.

Review || Food Fright by Nico Bell

High school junior Cassie Adler just wanted the bullying to stop. She thought gaining a spot on the varsity soccer team would whip up instant friends, but it isn't until the popular girls need Cassie's help that they acknowledge her presence. Cassie reluctantly agrees to participate in a prank that turns sour fast. Now with blood on their hands, she and the popular girls race to cover their tracks. But something savage knows what they've done, and it's hungry for revenge. Can Cassie redeem herself before it's too late, or will her deadly sins ketchup to her?

Review || Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess

The summer of 1989 brought terror to the town of Shadows Creek, Florida in the form of a massacre at the local carnival, Cirque Berserk. One fateful night, a group of teens killed a dozen people then disappeared into thin air. No one knows why they did it, where they went, or even how many of them there were, but legend has it they still roam the abandoned carnival, looking for blood to spill.

Thirty years later, best friends, Sam and Rochelle, are in the midst of a boring senior trip when they learn about the infamous Cirque Berserk. Seeking one last adventure, they and their friends journey to the nearby Shadows Creek to see if the urban legends about Cirque Berserk are true. But waiting for them beyond the carnival gates is a night of brutality, bloodshed, and betrayal.

Will they make they make it out alive, or will the carnival’s past demons extinguish their futures?

Review || Benny Rose, The Cannibal King by Hailey Piper

Blackwood, Vermont has one legend to its name—Benny Rose, the Cannibal King. Every local kid knows him and tells his stories, especially on Halloween. When a new girl moves to town in the autumn of 1987, the legend inspires high school junior Desiree St. Fleur and her friends to pull a Benny Rose-themed prank. A few laughs and screams, and they’ll have a Happy Halloween.
But a vicious storm crashes into Blackwood and interrupts the festivities. Soon the girls find themselves trapped and hunted in a strange neighborhood where no one will help them. There’s nothing made-up about Benny Rose this Halloween night. The truth is coming, and it's hungry.

Review || To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger

What does carrion taste like? Andi has to know. The vultures circling outside her home taunt and invite her to come understand the secrets hiding in their banquet of decay. Fascination morphs into an obsessive need to know what the vultures know. Andi turns to Dr. Fawning, but even the therapist cannot help her comprehend the secrets she’s buried beneath anger-induced blackouts.

Her girlfriend, Luna, tries to help Andi battle her inner darkness and infatuation with the vultures. However, the desire to taste dead flesh, to stitch together wings of her own and become one with the flock sends Andi down a twisted, unforgivable path. Once she understands the secrets the vultures conceal, she must decide between abandoning the birds of prey or risk turning her loved ones into nothing more than meals to be devoured. 

Review || Howl by Renee Miller

Three friends, an empty fuel tank, a desolate dirt road, and a hike through the woods in the middle of a snow storm; what could go wrong?

Only everything.

A mysterious beast stalks Fred and his friends through the snow, forcing them to seek shelter with two strangers in a remote cabin.

And so begins a waiting game. Food dwindles, tempers flare, and survival of the fittest becomes more than just a saying as the beast closes in.

Review || Uncle Billy's Chicken Hut and Salvation Emporium

West of the bustling metropolis of Phoenix, along Interstate Highway 10, is the magnificent and mystical desolation of the mountains of Southwestern Arizona. It is as alien as the planet Mars, and just as foreboding. Yet hidden away between the peaks & valleys and desert vistas, is a most incongruous edifice – part diner, part carnival atmosphere, with equal measure of whimsy, and just a smidge of nightmare. And it lay smack dab between the Eastern boundaries of imagination, and the Western shores of spooky. You can’t get to it by car or plane; and you won’t reach it by helicopter or even horseback. Nor is it on any map in existence. In fact – you won’t find it at all. 

Unless you’re dead. For this is Uncle Billy’s Chicken Hut & Salvation Emporium. Welcome. You say your spirit can’t move on until you find that 1995 issue of Jugs Galore with Miss February – before your wife does? Come on in! Never got a chance to see the dream realized of eating oysters on the half-shell? You’ve come to the right place! Not quite sure you’re actually in the dead mode? Uncle Billy will steer you on the right path! You know you’re dead, but you’re not quite sure how it happened, or where to go? Uncle Billy will set you straight!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading? #25

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

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It's Monday. What Are You Reading? #24

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading? #22

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

Review || The Tunnelers by Geoff Gander

When a traumatized mining foreman is placed under the psychiatric care of Dr. Vincent Armstrong, the doctor thinks he has started just another shift. But as the victim begins to remember what drove him temporarily insane, Armstrong’s interest becomes personal, and he makes a series of discoveries that threaten to tear apart his carefully constructed scientific view of the world, and show in horrifying clarity that his patient is anything but delusional. 

As Armstrong’s world falls apart, his recovering patient learns that he has not escaped the horrors he encountered underground, and that no place on earth is truly safe from the “Tunnelers.”

Book Blitz || Storm & Fury by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin

New Pittsburgh, 1898 – a crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from
the ashes of devastating fire, flood and earthquake, the city is
ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the swarming
streets, people of a hundred nations drudge to feed the engines of
progress. The Department of Supernatural Investigation was set up to
take care of those things that live below, that go bump in the night…
those odd cases that go beyond ‘standard’ investigation.
Nicknamed ‘Storm and Fury’, Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich
are two of the more creative agents, working in New Pittsburgh and
obeying the rules – when they have to.

A collection of short stories and novellas set in the world of the Iron
& Blood novels and the related Storm and Fury
Adventures.

Includes:
Airship Down, Ruin Creek, Resurrection Day, The Hunt, Grave Voices,
and Rogue. Plus two bonus stories: Ghost Wolf and a Steampunk fairy
tale: The Patented Troll

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Excerpt

The Hunt 

“I wish Falken would quit sending us out to look for agents that vanished,” Mitch Storm grumbled.“Maybe he’s hoping we’ll be the next ones to disappear,” Jacob Drangosavich replied. He shifted his tall frame to get more comfortable in his seat as the rail car swayed. “If you hadn’t let Kesterson get away, Falken wouldn’t have had a reason to send us to the godforsaken far north.”“I had a sighting inside the building, and the dynamite brought the roof down. That should have stopped him cold. How was I supposed to know he’d gotten into the storm drain?”Mitch Storm was average height, with a trim, muscular build. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a five o’clock shadow that started at three. Mitch was exactly what a penny-dreadful novelist would imagine a government secret agent and former army sharpshooter would look like.Jacob, on the other hand, was tall and lanky, with a thin face, blond hair, and blue eyes that spoke of his Eastern European heritage. He and Mitch had been agents for the Department of Supernatural Investigation since they had returned east after the rancher wars.The click-clack of iron wheels on the rails confirmed that they were making good time. Outside, the Adirondack Mountains were covered with snow. “How long do you think Falken will keep us on probation?” Jacob asked.Mitch shrugged. “It was four months the last time, two the time before that. So I wager we’re up to six months.”“Why did you use dynamite?” Jacob asked, in an off-handed tone.Mitch rolled his eyes. “I was improvising.”“Might it be possible to improvise a little less… enthusiastically next time? Sooner or later, Falken will give up on suspending us and just convene a firing squad.”“The Department doesn’t use those anymore,” Mitch replied. “I checked.”Jacob thought of a dozen arguments, but he knew Mitch was unlikely to heed them. He dropped back against his seat. “At least we got a sleeper train and a private cabin. Where do you think Kesterson will go next?”“Not really our concern, is it? Falken made that pretty clear.” Mitch was quiet for a moment. “But Kesterson had some family in New England. Since we’re all the way up here in the New York hinterland, I figured we might poke around a little after we finish our assignment—strictly off the record.”

Gail Z. Martin
discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories
in elementary school. The first story she wrote at age five was about
a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At
age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science
fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history
sites.

Larry N. Martin
is the author of the new sci-fi adventure novel Salvage Rat. He is
the co-author (with Gail Z. Martin) of the Spells, Salt, and
Steel/New Templars series; the Steampunk series Iron & Blood; and
a collection of short stories and novellas: The Storm & Fury
Adventures set in the Iron & Blood universe. He is also the
co-author of the upcoming Wasteland Marshals series and the Joe Mack
Cauldron/Secret Council series.

The Martins have
three children, a Maltese, and a Golden Retriever.

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Review: Reaper by Jonathan Pongratz

Gregory and his little sister Imogen love spending Halloween with their parents. But this year is different. If he proves he can take care of Imogen all by himself, he’ll finally have the allowance he’s dreamed of. 

That was before the basement door opened on its own. Before the strange door appeared in the basement and Imogen was taken from him by the monster. 

Now everyone in town is blaming him for her disappearance, but no one is listening to his story. Where did the door come from? What was that creature? And most of all, can he find his sister before it’s too late, or will he bury his memories of her along with his parents?

It's Monday. What Are You Reading? #21

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

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Trifles and Folly by Gail Z. Martin - Guest Post and Giveaway

A collection of nine adventures: Buttons, The Restless Dead, Retribution, Coffin Box, Wicked Dreams, Collector, Bad Memories, Shadow Garden, and Spook House. 


Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them and along with her business partners Teag, who has Weaver magic and Sorren, a 600 year-old vampire, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats. An extension of the Deadly Curiosities book series.

Revised Edition 2, 2018. Includes an updated cover, minor edits and the BONUS section with three stories chronicling Sorren’s early days: Vanities, The Wild Hunt, and Dark Legacy.

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It's Monday, What Are You Reading? #20

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

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A Vacation From Hell by Kathy Dinisi - Tour and Giveaway

Hell Bound is the first Novella in a post-apocalyptic series.

How far would you go to save your family?

Sam and Mathew finally get a chance to go on a train ride to the Grand Canyon-- alone. Leaving their two kids back in California, they are excited for a weekend of rest.

When a zombie Apocalypse breaks out, the couple must try to fight their way back to California to see if their kids are still alive. In this harrowing story of love and survival in a world that is crumbling by death and destruction, we follow Sam and Mathew through their struggle to reunite with their children.

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #18

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by The Book Date. 

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Hard Time by Erec Stebbins

A harsh and punishing world. 

The remnants of humanity, Synths, and Trunes battle each other and an unforgiving landscape. Survival is the meaning of life. 

Hard Time is a collection of six SCIFI novellas 
(Metal, Longhorn, Cult, Trune, Synth, and Deity) 
that form a short series to tell a single story. 

Out Behind the Barn by John Boden and Chad Lutzke

The boys crept to the window and watched as Miss Maggie carried the long bundle into the barn, the weight of it stooping her aging back. Rafter lights spilled from the barn doors and Davey saw an arm fall from the canvas-wrapped parcel. He smiled.

“She got someone!”

Both children grinned and settled in their beds, eyes fixed to the ceiling.

This was family growth.