Happy Thursday to all! Move over Nancy Drew as Angela Hardwicke is back in HOT ASH by Russ Colchasmiro. Read on to find out more.
Hot Ash
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery
Intergalactic private Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring spy for hire…
Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims.
As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation puts them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.
In Hot Ash, Russ Colchamiro’s most action-packed Sci-Fi mystery yet, Angela Hardwicke must grapple with the worst pain of all—that the people we love are the ones we should fear most.
And don’t miss the first two books in the series, Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives!
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.
Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and crazy dog Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13,TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Camelot 13, and Brave New Girls.
Three days to Halloween, the paranormal ghost story Fountain Dead is getting a stunning new cover for its audiobook edition! Joining with R&R Book Tours once again, I REVEAL THE COVER!
Fountain DeadExpected Publication Date: Fall 2022Genre: Mature YA/ Paranormal/ Ghost Story
Mark is uprooted from his home and high school in the Twin Cities and forced to move with his family into a Victorian in Nowhere-ville. Busy with the relocation and fitting in, Mark’s parents don’t see what’s unfolding around them—the way rooms and left behind objects seem alive with a haunted past. Of course, Mark keeps his ghostly encounters to himself, all the while sinking deeper into the house’s dark, alluring, and ultimately terrifying history. As romantic entanglements intensify, the paranormal activity escalates. Past and present come together. Everything is connected—from the bricks in the walls to the hearts beating in their chests, all the secrets of Fountain Dead are finally unearthed...
Coming Soon!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Theresa Braun has a Master’s degree in English literature and lives in South Florida, where she has been teaching literature and writing for over 20 years. Traveling, ghost hunting and all things dark are her passions (when she is not coming up with romantic subplots). She has presented at HWA conferences, as well as Utah Quills Conferences. Her published works include novels and short stories in various horror fiction publications. In 2018, she was included in a Best Speculative Fiction anthology.
It is Halloween week, and what a TREAT! We have a double-spook feature book spotlight for you! Welcome to Defilement, a terrifying collection of short stories by Jesse Nolan Baily! Perfect for tucking yourself in on Halloween night! Open the cover if you dare!
DEFILEMENT and Other Stories
Publication Date: October 10th, 2022 (Exclusively through Barnes and Noble)
Genre: Horror/ Short Story Collection (TWs will be provided before each story)
A boy and his father find impossible fossilized bones in their backyard…The disturbing contents and origin of a mysterious magazine conjure paranoia…Neighbors welcome a new couple by bragging about a miracle doctor who works from his garage…Memories from childhood fail to reconcile an old photo featuring an unidentified cryptid…Archaic gym equipment proves treacherous…A teen boy is plunged into a nightmarish realm known as Eden…
In these six stories, evil abounds, ready to defile.
Enthralled by the magic that written stories contain, Jesse Nolan Bailey has always wanted to be an author. With his debut novel, THE JEALOUSY OF JALICE, and his shorter fiction, AMETHYST, released to the masses, he can now claim such title with relief. He lives in Durham, North Carolina, where he has embraced the equally gratifying lifework of hosting a trio of spoiled cats and two mini-aussies.
Nothing better than curling up on All Hallows Eve with a good book. On Book Spotlight Thursday, we are spotlighting a creepy one for you in a brand new horror novel, Come One, Come All by E. Gilliland, as I am hopping on the blog tour hosted by R&R Book Tours.
The Pied Piper Circus lures in the lost, the lonely people who wish to be stronger or faster or prettier…but once you join, you can never leave.
Louisa knows the dangers of the traveling carnival, but she cannot afford to stay away. Not if she wants to get rid of the white owl that’s been haunting her, invading her dreams. Not if she wants to know about the dark, sinister mark in her eyes that convinces people to follow her every whim, no matter how terrible. Not when she fears what she might do with that power.
Ringmaster Amos Cain has the answers Louisa seeks, but like everything else in the Pied Piper Circus, they won’t come without a price. And there’s something hungry living in the heart of the carnival that will never be satiated, no matter how many lost souls She consumes.
Louisa had thought the Pied Piper Carnival looked surreal in the scant photographic evidence she’d managed to piece together in her search, but if anything, it was even more bizarrely gaudy in person, tinged with the smell of desperation. Look at me! The freaks and contortionists all but shouted from their faded, patched tents; and from the pretty girls with their barely there costumes fraying at the seams, Love us!; and underneath it all, a whisper so faint it could barely be noticed under the glitz of the peeling-painted signs and the shriek of the dissonant, jarring music: Come.
And people did. In droves, they answered the call of the traveling show, stumbling up to it as if they scarcely understood why they were there but were drawn all the same. Embarrassed at first but lured in by those too-bright lights.
At least all of her fears about sticking out like a sore thumb had been in vain. No one here seemed inclined to gawp at any of their fellow voyeurs—not even those, like she, with hair shorn so close to the scalp that bits of skin poked through. It had been an impulsive decision made once the adrenaline from nearly jumping off the roof had worn off, and she’d decided, for better or worse, to come on this bizarre journey she could not quite explain, even to herself—that was if there’d been anyone left to explain it to.
The owl made me do it, she thought wryly to herself, running a self-conscious hand over her freshly buzzed hair. The tinsel dress had been replaced with a flannel shirt two sizes too big, jean shorts, and a sensible, sturdy pair of boots so heavy that if the moon drifted off and took all the gravity with it, there she’d be, still rooted to the earth. The only concession to any kind of glamor was the heavily-coaled eyelids that were not so much an invitation as a warning. Come too close, and I’ll bite.
Despite the rather strange figure she cut, people were too caught up in the shoddy showmanship around them to notice or care. Something about the flashing lights and blaring music distracted them from the blatant disrepair: the signs hanging off their hinges, the pockmarks plastered over with pancake makeup. Simple minds and all. Still, scoff all she liked, Louisa had to stop herself more than once from leaning in toward a shiny bauble or taking an outstretched palm.
“Pretty lady looking for a good time with a handsome fellow?” one of the popcorn vendors leered at her as she passed, scratching at the dark tendrils of hair protruding through his unbuttoned shirt.
Louisa knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help herself, truly. “Yeah.” She took in a step closer, all big-eyed innocence. “You know any?”
At once, the grin dissolved into a gleaming snarl. “Think you’re funny, huh? I’d watch my back if I were you.”
But Louisa only smirked to herself as she drifted back into the faceless crowd. Just try it, she dared him silently. We’ll see who walks away from it smiling.
“Happy hunting.”
She swiveled to see a woman sitting in a tassled, red velvet-upholstered booth, the hand-painted sign overhead reading ‘Madame Kassandra, Soothsayer.’ Underneath it sat a woman, so ancient her skin had begun to shrink in on itself. Her eyes were a milky, unblinking white, her hair a platinum bob cut just below her chin. She stared straight ahead, not seeming to see anything, though Louisa could not shake the feeling that the old crone was looking straight through her.
Curiosity finally winning out, Louisa ventured another step closer. “You talking to me?”
Madame Kassandra beckoned her even closer with the crook of a gnarled, veined finger. Once Louisa was directly in front of her, she cupped a hand over her mouth, giving a hot, exaggerated whisper. “I know what you’re looking for.”
Oh, this ought to be good. “Do you, now?”
“Three.”
Despite herself, Louisa felt a chill course down her spine. But that was the way these shoddy carnival tellers worked, wasn’t it? Trail little breadcrumbs of generalities mixed with a healthy helping of bullshit make people believe you could peer into their souls.
“Three what?” she bluffed as if the number meant nothing to her, though she caught herself holding her breath as she waited for the answer.
“One for each of the ones you took.” Madame Kassandra’s small, withered hand was surprisingly strong as it encircled her wrist. “But you should have kept running, Lovely Louie. This place is gonna gobble you up.”
Elizabeth Gilliland mostly believes in ghosts and other supernatural spooks, but she has a standing agreement with them to keep a respectful distance. When she isn’t writing, she is most likely sneaking classic Gothic novels into her class curriculum or arguing why we need to value adaptations as art. She is also the author of the Austen University Mysteries and lives in Alabama with her husband and son.
It is the spooky season, so I am joining R&R Book Tours again this Thursday, spotlighting this new thriller Division X by August Hill! Read on if you Dare!
Publication Date: October 20th, 2022
Genre: Supernatural Horror/ Lycanthropes
Publisher: Brother Mockingbird
TriggarWarning: 80’s slasher gore in chapter one.
Twenty-four years old, no job, and kicked out by her parents, Randi Matheson is living at her aunt and uncle’s trying her hardest to complete a novel she can’t seem to start when a carnivorous monster interrupts her middling life on a full moon night. Attacked during an ordinary family dinner, Randi’s relatives are murdered, and she is bitten by the beast. Surviving the slaughter, Randi returns home to her distressed family only to become a monster herself under the next full moon. Nearly devouring her younger brother, she is stopped by the intervention of Division X, a company devoted to the killing and capture of paranormal threats. She awakens in a containment cell the next morning to be given an ultimatum… work for them as a new weapon in the fight against evil or be dissected. A cure to her lycanthropy is promised along the way, and with real motivation to stay alive, Randi pushes herself to the brink to return to her normal life. Small town horrors lie in wait with even smaller heroes to stand against them. Can Randi save them and herself, or will everything crumble to the wills of evil?
Excerpt
I’m not me when I kill people. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I wake up, and I know I’ve done something horrible. My hands are covered in blood, my clothes are gone, and my stomach feels full. I don’t remember what I did. All I remember is the pain. It’s impossible to forget.
It starts with the fur. It spreads like fire, melting me. My bones go next, shifting, changing, breaking. I always cry, always scream, but I can live with the pain. I can’t live with what comes next. Something takes control and pushes me into the dark. I sleep a dreamless sleep, and when I wake up, the nightmare begins.
I don’t know them, the people I’ve killed, the ones I’ve eaten. But I do know they weren’t all bad. I live with the pain because I deserve it.
After receiving an education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, August Hill started writing Division X, a supernatural horror filled with dark humor, adventure, and sinister creatures that leap off the pages.
His love for all things spooky and scary was unleashed when he discovered Jurassic Park and the R. L. Stine Goosebumps collection in elementary school at four years old. He greatly appreciates 80’s horror and is partial to fun, dark, and witty ensemble casting with younger heroes. Some of his favorite influences include The Lost Boys, Aliens, Gremlins, and An American Werewolf in London, to name a few.
Hill’s knack for writing fiction emerged at an early age when he wrote stories for his own enjoyment. He is a collector of horror films and is a board game enthusiast. When not writing, he can be found walking trails with his dog, enjoying movie nights with friends, spending time playing video games, and camping in Maine.
Joining with R&R Book Tours for a stunning book blitz for The Kingdom of Jior Series. The series has a new look, and these covers are BEAUTIFUL! The bonus is the series, and their new look is available now! Here is a look at Book One.
Of Demon Kind (Kingdom of Jior #1)
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
He’s heir to a dark throne. She’s a gentle healer. Will their forbidden attraction be the key to mending his broken soul?
Prince Lorn just wants to be left alone. Drinking heavily to numb the despair of failing to prevent his evil father’s horrific defeat and his own inability to conquer the humans, the devastated half-demon has spent the last five years exiled in a drunken stupor. But when he’s falsely accused of kidnapping a beautiful noble and other atrocities, he emerges vowing to fight to clear his name…by becoming her white knight.
Princess Lililaira longs to be free. Imprisoned in a sorcerer’s tower, the courageous woman is startled when a gorgeous winged man flies in through the window and offers rescue. Seizing the opportunity to escape, she places her trust in the fierce warrior’s arms in a daring flight to freedom.
Desperate to avert another brutal war, Lorn draws nearer to his lovely companion while wrestling with the sins of his past. And though Lililaira is happy to help her intriguing savior prove his innocence in return for his aid in evading her cruel father’s rule, her growing love demands she stand beside him as they set off into an unknown future.
Can they break away from eternal torment and claim their destiny together?
Of Demon Kindis the thrilling first book in theKingdom of Jior romantic fantasy series, followed by:
Wendy L. Anderson is a Colorado native and mother of two boys. She has an English Degree from Regis University and writes books, short stories, and poetry. Wendy is a devout reader of the classics, fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction. She has decided it is time to write down the fantasies from her own mind. Writing about everything from fantastical worlds to the stuff of her dreams, she takes her stories along interesting paths while portraying characters and worlds she sees in her mind’s eye. Her goal is to deviate from common themes, write in original directions and transport her reader to the worlds of her creation.
During the month of Amira, the silver moon emerges, and the kingdom of Zyra comes alive with anticipation for its annual ball. Mellana Goodwick, finally at the rightful age of sixteen, receives her first invitation, but when unexpected events take place, immediate regret sets in. Mellana finds herself caught in a strange storm-casting down green lightning and filling the sky with ear-splitting thunder. To make matters worse, the kingdom comes under attack by Prince Lorian, a man removed from the line of succession for murdering his sister, the future queen, and her newborn child.
After escaping the attack with her best friends, Mellana stumbles upon a box left by a woman named Rose. With the power to see glimpses of the future, Rose warns Mellana of hidden powers the kingdom has covered up and Lorian’s desire to unleash them all. Rose instructs Mellana to gather the sacred article from each of the seven kingdoms before Lorian and his deadly group can gain access to them. Together, the items unlock a barrier that is meant to stay shut.
In Secrets of a Rose, Mellana will discover remarkable abilities that stir around her and some that even rise within. In order to keep what she loves, she must embark on a race against the person who dares to threaten it all.
“It is a death sentence you have damned us to. If there was a way to pay this debt with your blood, I would cut you this instant and spill every drop.”
The very thought of her words slice just as viciously had she carried out her threat.
Prince Verren, eldest son of the High Whimsy King, sits slouching over the desk of his study. Some of the last words spoken to him by his wife play on a torturous loop in his head.
He envisions silver locks, the touch like satin sheets between his fingertips gliding down her back. In his mind, he brushes the dimples of her smile, gentle enough to stop a war, but he smirks, knowing she carries a temper that can easily start one.
Despite the beauty of the bustling golden streets just beyond his window and the diamond-dusted buildings that reflect all of Melzy, his heart sits hollow. What he won’t give to find his wife. Blood pools into his knuckles; he knows it’s not at the hands of another but because she wants it this way.
After she ran away, he went straight to the castle’s mixer. Someone capable of crafting a mix powerful enough to extract the pain.
The man had suggested a sleeping mix, for agonizing nights, or even a forgetting mix, so that Verren would never remember what she had done.”
Adina Chiles is a fantasy author who loves taking her readers on whimsical adventures. She adores stories with endearing friendships, people who possess unique powers, and witty banter.
She lives in Northern California with her family. When she is not writing, she is buying books she knows she doesn’t need or experimenting with new baking recipes.
Adina has partnered with Midnight Tide Publishing to bring you the young adult fantasy series Royal Blood.
It’s fall! Today on Thursday, Book Spotlight, I am joining R&R Book Tours to spotlight the fourth installment in the Birth of Fae Series Kingdom Come (Birth of Fae #4) by Danielle M. Orsino ( BTW, Birth of Fae #3 was highlighted on Indie’s Review).
Read on for more details and a chance to win a FairyLoot Crate!
Kingdom Come (Birth of the Fae #4)
Publication Date: May 30th, 2022
Genre: Fantasy/ Fae
All is peaceful in the Veil, which is usually when everything falls apart… Queen Aurora of the Court of Light and King Jarvok of the Court of Dark have fallen in love despite all odds. A relationship of political convenience has turned into something real and tangible for the two monarchs. After centuries of conflict and mistrust, the two Courts are about to unite as one: the Court of the Fae. But not every Fae is happy about the impending union. Queen Aurora’s most trusted advisors have never lost touch with their old Angelic ways. These bishops still believe that Virtues and Power Angels were never meant to mix. According to them, Queen Aurora is no longer suitable to rule. As they mount a complex coup d’état to grasp the throne, a new threat to the monarchy makes their move. Will the entire foundation of peace crumble with one last act of betrayal? Or will the Court of Light and Dark bond prevail in the face of danger?
Danielle M. Orsino is a fantasy novelist whose lifelong vision to create whimsical realms that her readers can escape to. Her compelling word-weaving pays homage to a multitude of personal muses, from Chris Claremont and George Pérez (both famous comic book writers) to Anne Rice and Wonder Woman.
The creative spark of storytelling has been with Danielle ever since she was a child, but martial arts and her nursing career took center stage into adulthood. Then, on a day like any other, it was reignited during the most unexpected of moments: while treating one of her patients. Seeing that they longed for a distraction during their arduous treatments, the floodgates of inspiration soon burst forth. So, Danielle took it upon herself to tell them a story; a fantastical narrative that would leave the confines of that IV room’s walls and land upon a page. Before she knew it, what started as an imaginative tale to pass the time, turned into book, followed by an entire series: The Birth of Fae. This awe-inspiring series includes Locked out of Heaven (Book One), Thine Eyes of Mercy (Book Two), and From The Ashes (Book Three), all of which are published by 4 Horsemen Publications, Inc. And with an unwavering passion for cosplay and comics, it was a unanimous decision to place her on the cover of each book in all her Fae cosplay glory. The Birth of Fae also features Los, an affable chameleon dragon inspired by her fun-loving Yorkie named Carlos.
When writing wasn’t at the forefront of her mind, Danielle was a successful Martial Artist. Some of her achievements include “1999 World Martial Arts Hall of Fame Inductee”, “Female Martial Artist of the Year”, “WKA World Champion Silver Medalist 2008”, and numerous more. She has also garnered hundreds of martial art tournament wins, various other national and world titles, and features on big-name channels like TLC and CBS. She even had the rare opportunity to perform for former U.S. President Bill Clinton and collaborate alongside Vincent Lyn and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. From there, she pursued her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, and she is now a Licensed Practical Nurse who focuses on Lyme disease research.
This “New Queen of the Fae’s” unmatched world-building and masterful Fae-origin retellings have led to an ever-growing queendom of “Fae-natics”. To begin embarking upon a quest in an epic world unlike any other, visit Danielle M. Orsino’s official website at http://www.BirthOfTheFae.com. You can also connect with her on Instagram (@BirthOfTheFae_Novel) and Twitter (@BirthOfTheFae).
“After summoning this world into existence through an imaginative force of will, Danielle has scoured every inch of the landscape several times over. Critics often praise a story’s world-building by saying that it feels “lived in.” Well, the world of the Fae certainly seems like that because Danielle herself has happily lived there for years as she worked to put all of this together… My favorite part of this story is that it is gloriously depicted in vibrant images.”-Clete Barrett Smith, New York Times Bestselling Author of If We Were Giants, Aliens on Vacation series, and Magic Delivery
Happy Thursday! Happy to be joining R&R Book Tours today for their blog tour of Short Stories for the Long Haul by John T. Buckley. To find out more, read on down below!
Short Stories for the Long Haul Expected Publication Date: August 12th, 2022 Genre: Anthology/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi/ Crime Fiction & More A collection of short stories that explore the human condition. Everything from a self-absorbed wannabe quarterback who gets his shot to a woman who marries her dog…
John T. Buckley is a 47-year-old writer from Maine who’s been writing most of his life. He also loves to paint and seeing the world. He studied at University of Southern Maine as well as at SMTC in Cape Elizabeth. Fun fact, John T. Buckley was once the lead singer in a band called Mammyth.
Today’s spotlight is for the crime fiction mystery lovers. Introducing GROUNDERS by Leonard Love Matlick. Enjoy this stop on R&R Book Tours for GROUNDERS!
Grounders
Publication Date: April 30th, 2022
Genre: Police Procedural/ Crime Fiction
Grounders is cop slang for easy open and solved cases. A husband kills his wife, a bar-fight with a knife or a gun, and cases are quickly solved in two or three days. Cops love this and get credit for promotion for easily solving cases. In Grounders, the NYPD cops find that this murder of a cook is much more than a simple grounder. It involves the Chinese Tong gangs in NYC, Peruvian rebels who want to overthrow their government by using “magic rocks” that were left from an alien civilization like Stargate in Machu-Picchu, and a love story between a detective and a Tong leader’s granddaughter. Grounders combines everything; murder, love, greed, drugs, and rebels amid the backdrop of detectives trying to solve a murder mystery.
Leonard Love Matlick is an engineer, writer, and life coach. He works designing and maintaining NYPD police precincts. He has previously published Cops lie! and The success and confidence manual.
Freelance Writer Janny(Jan Marie)C 