Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Mad Cruel World A Dystopian Romance Anthology

 



Mad Cruel World
A Dystopian Romance Anthology


with stories by:
Katia Rose, Victoria Ellis, T.L. Anderson, Cady Verdiramo, J.R. Rogue, Kim Deister,
Amanda Richardson, K Leigh, D.S. Wrights, Amanda Cuff, A.M. Johnson, Caitlyn Fournier




The world as we knew it was gone...
And we were the ones left to pick up its pieces.


Mad Cruel World


As the world began to recover from a global pandemic, an unknown event caused the planet to go dark. No phones, no cars, no hospital equipment, no electricity whatsoever. The world is now a wasteland through and through. Disease, famine, and war spread like wildfire. Some are lucky enough to have found refuge, and some have been left to fend for themselves.


Some have lost their husbands, their wives, their best friends…


Will they ever see them again?


Mad Cruel World asks the question: what happens to love in a world gone dark?
All of the stories featured in the Mad Cruel World Anthology are meant to be read as complete standalones and are not continuations of each other.


Goodreads * Amazon



Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


$10 Amazon Gift Card, 
 Paperback (a thriller) 
and swag from Victoria Ellis
 – 1 winner! 



Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Secrets of the Dead Lost Souls Series Book 1 by Shiela Stewart Genre: Paranormal Romance

 

 


Secrets of the Dead
Lost Souls Series Book 1
by Shiela Stewart
Genre: Paranormal Romance


Jessica Coltrane is a diehard sceptic who believes ghosts and paranormal activity are nothing more than a figment of an overactive imagination. That is until she finds herself locked inside a haunted house with the enigmatic paranormal investigator C.J. Dowling.

Born with the ability to see and speak to the dead, C.J. Dowling thought investigating a haunted house would be a job like many others. He’s prepared for anything—except smart and sexy Jessica.

Working together in close quarters, C.J. and Jessica discover it isn’t only negative tension between them but sexual as well. Giving in to their desires seems like a good idea until they wake and find the spirits thought otherwise. They are trapped with the ghost of a child long forgotten, an amorous entity threatening Jessica, and a powder keg of a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried.






Shiela Stewart is a paranormal suspense author with a writing history that stems back to her youth.  Always a dreamer, wondering if her stories would ever reach an audience, she was finally published in 2006 and hasn’t stopped since.  It is rare to find a stand-alone book as she prefers series stories. Her longest running series to date is her Darkness series, which is a vampire romance.

Her joy for scary suspense is evident in each of her books. She has had several accomplishments, including fighting for the top spot in the rankings with author Stephanie Myers, receiving glowing reviews as well as interviews on local television and reviews and interviews in The Romantic Times Magazine.

When not writing, Shiela spends her time with the love of her life, William, and their children and grandchildren. Her strong affection for animals is evident in the many cats she cares for.
Her favorite time of the day is at sunset.





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$25 Amazon 
 

Love on the Pier Perfectly Stated Series by P. Sawyer Genre: Contemporary Military Romance

 






Callie
I didn’t expect to fall for the mysterious man down the beach from me. No. I was in Tybee Island for a reason. Recovery and healing. The death of my fiancée left emotional scars too deep to discuss, yet I find myself drawn to him- the man shut off from the world. When my dog gets loose and finds his way into his yard- the chance encounter sets us both on a path of healing and of love. Who thought a dog could save us both.

Logan
I haven’t set foot out of my house in six months. The trauma from what I saw in Iraq has left me scarred and emotionally drained- until I meet her. A chance encounter when her dog wanders into my yard leaves me yearning to know her, discover her secretes, and find out what left the darkness in her eyes. Maybe just maybe she can heal me in the process.
Can love overcome loss and save them both?


**Only .99 cents!!**











P. Sawyer is a romance author that loves to read as much as she loves to write! Fascinated with bringing the "real" version of love to readers, P. strives to show how messy love can be and how happily ever afters aren't always what they seem.
P. grew up in New England and currently lives with her husband, two children and dog in CT. When she is not creating less than perfect love stories, she can be found reading or watching Hockey.






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Monday, March 29, 2021

The Soul Warrior Book One by Adrian Spear Genre: Historical Romantic Fantasy

 

About the book/characters

 My book was inspired by many things including some well-known books, movies and television shows. I was a huge fan of True Blood when it came out on HBO in 2008. But what I loved even more was the Sookie Stackhouse novels they were based on. It was from this wonderful series that made my love of vampires and vampiric lore come alive. Besides being sexualized creatures, they are also seemingly misunderstood beings because of how intricate and complex an actual vampire would be. Imagine living for centuries and experiencing the highs and lows that come with being a vampire. They love but also can’t bear to love because it’s almost torture, especially to love a human. They also must experience the sadness of immortality with all their memories, regrets, and dreams to boot. It was from this idea, from this train of thought that produced the beginnings of The Soul Warrior. I knew I wanted a vampire love story but what I didn’t know was how my vampire characters would evolve.

Believe it or not, my book was originally going to take place in the 1850’s with Lorrain’s soul traveling to the future from the 1700’s. But that changed when I decided to take a stab at redeveloping my vampire characters, Xavier and Queen Dahlia. At first, Xavier was just a regular vampire from the time period and not Native American. Queen Dahlia was also not Native American, and she was one of four original Kings and Queens that I later decided didn’t fit into my new storyline. It wasn’t until I began rewriting (again!) and decided to make some changes. I thought making Xavier a Native American would provide a means of tension between Lorrain and him. Then the thought of making Xavier Queen Dahlia’s son came to be and the rest is history- and their stories are revealed much more in my book.


The Soul Warrior
Book One
by Adrian Spear
Genre: Historical Romantic Fantasy


Follow the adventures of Lorrain McGregor, a young woman whose soul is chosen for a great purpose. When her body dies in 1851, her soul survives to go back in time...to the year 1631 in Jamestown, Virginia. She is faced with many obstacles but there are magical creatures just waiting for her to arrive. Lorrain will realize as a Soul Warrior she has the ability to change the course of history. But for what and why was her soul chosen? As a strong woman who embraces her power and newfound supernatural friends Lorrain demonstrates what a true femme fatale is. Is this a second chance to make right her wrongs? Who will tame Lorrain's heart? Can she survive what this new life has thrown her way? Come along and find out...




This is Adrian Rose Spear, author of The Soul Warrior. I was born in Sacramento, California where I had quite a rollercoaster of a childhood. By the time I was 15, I had been in foster care for eight years and was lucky enough to reunite with my biological parents. I worked in grocery stores for most of my working career and doing so helped put me through college. in 2019, I graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a BA in History. Recently, my husband and I moved to eastern Virginia where I have had the pleasure of working at some amazing living history museums. My love of history made an impact on this novel. I truly wanted to make it authentic as possible, with room to allow for the fantasy of course. I have always considered myself a strong, independent, and hardworking woman who has overcome many things and I am delighted to share my imagination with the world!





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon gift card, 
Print Copy of the Soul Warrior
 – 1 winner each! 

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Fanboy Cruisin' Around Series by Rebecca Lovell Genre: Contemporary Romance



Fanboy
Cruisin' Around Series
by Rebecca Lovell
Genre: Contemporary Romance



Scoring a ticket on the OceanTides Adventurer would have been exciting enough, but it’s even more special for the fans of the hit show “Paranormal.” For the first time ever OceanTides is holding a fan convention on a cruise ship and Matt Tucker managed to get his hands on a ticket.
A surprise encounter on a forum with his favorite author leads to their planning to meet up on the ship, and Matt can’t imagine a better way to start off his cruise. He doesn’t know that his perfect vacation is going to end with him falling in love and finding strength he never knew he had.
Jessica Weaver has been burned by the entertainment industry before. She hides her writing behind a screen name, though she can’t hide her popularity. After taking a chance to meet a sweet fanboy, she finds herself wondering if it’s all right to love someone again.
As their relationship blossoms on the water, neither of them expect that danger from Jessica’s past is strolling the halls, and it will take everything they have to hold on to one another and their love.




Rebecca Lovell was born and raised in Texas and has loved learning about history since she first visited the Fort Worth Stockyards. She has been writing since she was a teenager, and is living proof of the fact that anyone’s writing can improve if they practice hard enough. Historical fiction is one of her favorite genres to read as well as write because she loves learning about new culture and eras, especially ones that she hasn’t read before. Though she traveled the country extensively, she currently lives in Texas with her high school sweetheart husband and a number of vocal and pushy cats.





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$10 Amazon 

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Chantara's Song Children of Chaos Series by E.S. McMillan Genre: YA Supernatural, Coming of Age

 



Chantara's Song
Children of Chaos Series
by E.S. McMillan
Genre: YA Supernatural, Coming of Age




Who said fate has the final word?
Born to sit on the throne and reign, Chantara is not your typical siren. With the voice of an angel and the kiss of death, she is poised to be the deadliest siren this world has ever seen.

Taught the ways of the ocean by her older sisters and equipped with a predestined plan of attack, Chantara is ready to claim her crown on her sixteenth birthday.

Will Chantara fulfill her destiny or will love intervene?





E.S. McMillan is a self-proclaimed Superhero. She is a mom to 4 amazing boys. Married to one of her best friends and has plans to take the world by storm.

E.S. was born in California, raised in New York, and now resides in Connecticut.

E.S. is a lover of the written word and cannot remember a time when there was not a book in her hand or an open notebook waiting to be filled with her stories.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon 


Friday, March 26, 2021

Short Stories of Love and Entanglement by Andy Houstoun Genre: Contemporary Romance

 



Short Stories of Love and Entanglement
by Andy Houstoun
Genre: Contemporary Romance



A short collection of hauntingly beautiful love stories.
"It has a lovely kind of jazz storytelling feel that I've never encountered" Audio podcast Tall Tale TV.
"Andy Houstoun’s stories of love feel so real they hurt – and heal!" Kelly Mack McCoy, author of Rough Way to the High Way.
"The prose aches; it is felt" Expat Press.
"This is beautiful. I love having my heart broken perfectly" Elizabeth Victoria Aldrich, author of Reckless Little Things.




Andy Houstoun is a philosophy teacher. He lives in England with his wife and four children. His short stories have been published in a range of magazines based in Australia, the USA and the UK.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


$10 Amazon 
 

The Half That You See Genre: Horror Anthology Edited by Rebecca Rowland

 

Every Story is a Ghost Story

by Alex Giannini

 

I love scary stories, but, man, it’s the horror that really gets me. And the horror lies in the truth, usually, or the thing closest to the truth, at least. 

I mean, sure, it’s scary when Michael Myers pops out from behind the bush with that look of his. But it’s horrifying to think about how bad a doctor Loomis is (just ask Ben Tramer, yeah?), and how badly every societal structure failed when dealing with such a deeply disturbed individual as ol’ Mike. 

Sticking with the slasher theme for a moment, I’ve always been frightened by scenes of outright gore and body horror, so even the thought of a chainsaw in the hands of a masked maniac is enough to get my hackles up. But actually seeing, onscreen, the rusty belt ripping through tendon? I mean, yeah, I’ll keep watching, but the momentary scare of the thing will be gone just as soon as I unsee it. Just as soon as it’s off the screen, it’s out of mind. 

But, like. The thought of the thing? The hint of what’s about to happen? Now that’s horrific. 

Take my neighbor, for example. See, he’s got a chainsaw, too, and he’s been really pissed at me lately because I planted these trees that are “blocking his view,” whatever the hell that means. And I like to take long night walks with my dogs and, honestly, I have my headphones in and I listen to podcasts or rage-listen to the news, and sometimes it’s hard to hear if a biker or a jogger is coming up from behind me. And my neighbor-—he wouldn’t start with the chainsaw ripping, right? He’d know from watching my nightly routine that I typically get back to the house at just around 8:45, and I let the dogs in through the side door and then go out back to the garbage cans, alone, to throw away the poop bags. 

Out back, by the garbage cans, where the orange-tinted garage light doesn’t quite reach. 

So he’d get as close as he could, my angry-about-the-trees neighbor, knowing I’ve still got the headphones in, and then he’d let rip on the chain and the night would shatter with the noise of it all and he’d walk away, dripping wet but satisfied, to the sound of dogs barking from inside my house. 

Now that horrifies me, and it’ll maybe have me walking the neighborhood with one headphone popped out. For a few nights, at least. 

When I write, I like to lean on the things that are gonna carry over into the real: into the apartment lobby, the public library, the garbage cans next to the garage. But you don’t need a classic trope of a setup to make something truly horrifying. That sound outside your living room window? It’s probably just tree branches on glass, sure, and that’ll stop when the wind calms down. But that stack of bills on the kitchen table? That stack isn’t going to blow away by itself. Lovecraftian beasties are uncaring in their vastness, and hey, so’s the mortgage company. 

I lean into those things that we fear, maybe not-so-deep down, and I try my damndest to plant them in my stories and to dot my characters’ lives with everyday stresses and paranoia. That’s how I approached “Safe As Houses,” and here’s the thing about that story in particular: It’s true, mostly, except for the parts that are only a little bit true. 

“Every story’s a ghost story,” just like Will says, echoing the words of the dearly departed (and much-smarter-than-Will) David Foster Wallace. Every story’s a ghost story, at least in my head, and every night is dark and stormy and everything ends exactly the way it’s supposed to. And that’s what really frightens me about “Safe As Houses.” 

The true parts of the story are the ones that keep me up at night, that have kept me up nights. Some of the things in the story didn’t happen in real life until after I’d written it and sent it off and was so fortunate to be accepted by Dark Ink and Rebecca Rowland, the anthology’s amazing editor. 

            The things that happened later did happen, though, and it’s sometimes hard to think about the veil between fiction and reality and what comes next. So I don’t, mostly, and I just try to write the next thing and ignore the pink chunks of mouse poison sitting beneath the vents in my living room. There’s comfort in that—in writing the next thing, I mean. This year especially—it’s still 2020 as I clack away at this post—there’s something to be said about taking comfort in horror. 

            I’d always shake my head at that line: taking comfort in horror. It wasn’t until this year that I really understood it, though. 2020 was a whole lot of things for a whole lot of people, but it was most certainly a watershed year for horrors, both real and imagined. 

            And I realized, I read a shit-ton of horror. I always knew that, of course, but in 2020 I read (and bought, with the intention of reading) more horror than ever before. It wasn’t even close. I dove into those stories willingly and gave myself up to them wholeheartedly. I found comfort, there in the depths of the horrific. 

            I don’t think “Safe As Houses” is a scary story. It’s not going to make you jump out of your chair. But I do hope it makes you (metaphorically, at least) unpop that headphone as you take its little, true horrors with you into the night. 

Alex Giannini's story in The Half That You See, "Safe as Houses," follows married couple Carrie and Will as they move into a new home and a new phase of their lives…with all the horrors that it brings. You can follow Alex on Twitter @alexjgiannini.            


The Half That You See
Genre: Horror Anthology
Edited by Rebecca Rowland

Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”
-The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)

Poe’s classic tale told of a state of the art hospital boasting a curiously experimental treatment, but things were not as they seemed. In The Half That You See, twenty-six writers from around the globe share their literary optical illusions in never before seen stories of portentous visions and haunting memories, altered consciousness and virulent nightmares, disordered thinking, and descents into madness. Take a walk down the paths of perception that these dark fiction raconteurs have tunneled for you, but keep a tight grip on your flashlight: the course twists and turns, and once you’re on route to your destination, there is no turning back. That which creeps about in the poorly lit corners of the human mind has teeth, and it’s waiting for you.


"Chalk" by Elin Olausson
A young man rents a room at a bed & breakfast and meets a girl who sleepwalks during the day and is only herself at night. 


"Winnebago Indian Motorhome by Tonka" by Eddie Generous
Chasing down nostalgia, Josh Dolan buys a vintage Tonka Winnebago, but it isn't quite like the toy he'd had as a kid; this Winnebago knows the future and it knows Claire Dolan's secrets.


"Sepia Grass" by Sam Hicks
A young man begins to question the recurrent visions he has always believed to be flashbacks to a childhood drug overdose.


"Prisoner "by T.M. Starnes
Kidnapped prisoners sometimes survive, but that's when their terror truly begins.


"Turn a Blind Eye" by Kelly Griffiths
An explosion leaves an ornery pharmacist with shards of mortar in his eyes and disturbing changes to his vision, especially when he looks in the mirror.


"Falling Asleep in the Rain" by Robert P. Ottone
A man recounts his youth through a dream, revealing as a young boy his experiments with love for another boy, only to face the ire of his murderous father.


"Black Dog Blues" by Luciano Marano
In a story inspired by an actual urban legend popular among American truckers about a spectral black dog that appears to drivers just before a lethal crash, a haunted man recounts his own devastating encounter with the creature and sets out for revenge with a hapless hitchhiker reluctantly in tow. 


"Imaginary Friends" by Nicole Wolverton
Julie Strawbridge is called in to see the principal of her nephew Augie's school after he is expelled for selling imaginary friends to his classmates for a dollar.


"Boogeyman" by Susie Schwartz
One boogeyman; two perspectives, and the horror of mental illness that torments them both.


"Safe as Houses" by Alex Giannini
Carrie and Will moved into a new home, into a new phase of their lives. But every love story is a ghost story, and theirs is no different. 


"The New Daddy" by Scotty Milder
A crumbling marriage and a new home is filtered through the eyes of its smallest witness.


"Cauterization" by Mack Moyer
A woman on a methamphetamine binge harbors a dark secret from her past that begins to manifest in vivid waking nightmares that may, or may not, be real.


"The Tapping at Cranburgh Grange" by Felice Picano
When an American couple leases and then buys a manse in England, they become aware of a strange noise only some people can hear. 


"Elsewhere" by Bill Davidson
Colin lives a stressful life in an overcrowded flat with a sick daughter and a mother with dementia, in the middle of crammed and noisy London. More and more, however, he is elsewhere.


"Daughters of the Sun" by Matt Masucci
A retired homicide detective living in Florida finds that a past case investigating a dark nature cult twists into his reality.


"The Coffin" by Victoria Dalpe
A young woman still grieving a recent loss discovers an exhumed coffin on the street. 


"Old Times" by Mark Towse
A man suspects his wife is cheating on him, and when she leaves for the evening, he considers the possibility over a bottle with an old friend.


"Lonely is the Starfish" by Lena Ng
Many people have pets, but one lonely young man becomes too close to his pet starfish.


"Hagride" by Justine Gardner
A cormorant speaks, and Josie tries not to listen as it begins to resemble ghosts from her past.


"Raven O’Clock" by Holley Cornetto
A man seeking shelter from the tragedies of his life finds more than he bargained for in a mysterious cabin.


"Officer Baby Boy Blue" by Douglas Ford
An eye injury and a grotesque gift from a police officer in a hospital emergency room ultimately leads a young man to special properties of sight.


"The Intruder" by Lamont A. Turner

Suspecting someone has invaded her home and the homes of those close to her, a woman struggles with delusions that may not have originated with her.


"Alone in the Woods in the Deep Dark Night" by Edward R. Rosick
Trapped in his cabin by a howling snowstorm in the desolate wildness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Gary Chandler finds that freezing isolation is only the beginning of a descent into bloody madness.

"Mesh" by Michael W. Clark
A regular guy wants too much control in the modern global community: over both his home and his wives.

"Der Hölle Racht" by Laura Saint Martin
A victim of domestic violence embarks on a drug-fueled journey and rampage.

"The Red Portrait" by Mahlon Smoke
A frustrated artist spies a forgotten portrait in a shop and finds himself consumed by its beauty.


**Get the anthology for $5 off or get $10 off the book/candle set HERE!**

Goodreads * Amazon





The Half That You See is written by twenty-six authors from five different countries, including Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award finalist Felice Picano, Feature Writer of the Year recipient Luciano Marano, and honorees from Ellen Datlow’s most recent Best Horror of the Year, Bill Davidson and Sam Hicks. Editor Rebecca Rowland is a dark fiction writer whose previous Dark Ink anthology curation work includes Ghosts, Goblins, Murder, and Madness and Shadowy Natures: Stories of Psychological Horror. Dark Ink Books is the proud home of UnMasked, the best-selling memoir of horror legend Kane Hodder, and Savini, the special effects icon’s coffee table biography.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon giftcard, 
Mystery Box of Books
 – 1 winner each!