See issue: https://mystericale.com/current-issue/
Author Snapshot column: https://mystericale.com/article/some-books-for-winter-reading/
Somehow I missed this!!
Loki, once a god, now nothing more than a stage magician in modern-day
Chicago…
…his enemies from a
thousand years ago have long memories.
Victors wrote the history, and Loki
was blamed for the sins of the Norse gods. They can’t let him live in peace.
He has to set aside his new life to
settle old grudges while coming to terms with what it means to be a man.
And a god.
If Loki fails, the nine realms will
fall.
This is not superhero fiction. Mischief
Maker breathes new life into Norse mythology, reinterpreting the legends
through Loki’s modern lens.
* Find the author at: Facebook - - Goodreads - - Instagram
Author Guest Post - On Writing Mischief Maker:
Every author has their own process. Mine is to write the story, beginning to end, focusing on the plot. Once that is done, I go back through and layer in other aspects.
For example, in Mischief Maker, I went through the entire book and made sure Manny was present everywhere he needed to be and had something fun or important to say.
Unfortunately, he was an easy character to forget. On another pass, I went through and added the pranks that Loki played on everyone. It's really easy to get caught up in the plot and forget to maintain things like this, so I take care of them with subsequent passes.
Review: An interesting, original take on Norse mythology. While the action could have been sped up at times, the scenery and situations Loki finds himself in were engaging, as were the characters. And the pranks added a fun aspect! 4 stars
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Giveaway:
Bwaaaahhhhh! What's lurking in the deep recesses of those bookstores for your scary reading pleasure?? Let's see what we can find to scare the bejeebers out of you! LOTS of good reading here! (And I've been adding more as I find them until this was published!)
Read with the Lights ON! haaa!
Ghosts
Ghosts of Brookhaven, Jack Wallen - During its heyday, the Brookhaven Asylum suffered a steady stream of Tuberculosis deaths, horrible passings, gruesome to witness. This refuge for those dying souls became the perfect environment for spirits to congregate. Some deceased strive to serve a higher purpose; some simply want to exist in peace. Betsy Potts is one such spirit. Crossing a threshold into the present, when the noble hospital has become a home for the Marchbanks family, the young victim of TB is not only faced with expelling a group of malevolent ghosts from the Brookhaven of old, but protecting a newfound friend from a different malignancy...one growing from within.
The Haunting of Dr. Bowen: A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River, C.A. Verstraete - Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim? Companion novella (without zombies) to the Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series. Bonus: For however long it lasts, the price of the paperback is cut to $7.69! Get it while it lasts! Kindle sale 99 cts!
Halloween & Horror & Monsters, Oh My!
American Freakshow, The Terrible Tale of Sloth Boy, Steve Niles - Bizarre and cruel story of a sideshow freak seeking redemption (maybe) and murder (definitely) in a Florida trailer park. Original graphic novel by 30 Days of Night co-creator. (also in Kindle and comixology.)
Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances, Lisa Morton - Follow the history of necromancy and talking with the dead, from Homer's Socrates to the famous Fox Sisters who enthralled seekers with their 'spirit rappings' at seances during the Victorian period. Fine art, ouija boards, the odd friendship between Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and more...
Creepy Cross-Stitch, 25 Spooky Projects, Lindsey Swearingen -All kinds of cool and spooky designs to cross-stitch.
* Free download through Halloween! Monster Brawl - Assorted authors - Monsters battling monsters! (* Was free at time of writing.)
Pandemica, Jonathan Maberry - A shadow government prepares to launch "purity bombs" for ethnic cleansing, but there are things worse than death... Designer pandemics are colliding and mutating... Graphic novel, 123 pages, Kindle and comixology, 106 pgs.
Past the Glad and Sunlit Season, Poems for Halloween, K.A. Opperman - Journey deep into October's heart with a few tricks, and some tricks, to those brave enough to follow the Jack-O-Lantern's grin into the night. Poems with eerie illustrations by "weird" artist Dan Sauer.
Suburban Gothic, Brian Keene & Bryan Smith - Crossover sequels to Keene's Urban Gothic and Smith's The Freakshow. Home is where the severed heart is... The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining monument to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen-an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn't as empty as it seems and the residents have sinister obscene plans for them
The Devil's Instinct, Robert W. Walker - Dr. Jessica Coran, Medical Examiner and forensic profiler is called in on a case in Marietta, Georgia to help track down the elusive Eye-Snatcher, a gruesome serial killer who leaves his victims to choke to death on their own gouged out eyeballs.
Under the Dead Lady's Corset, A Dr. Jude Avery Thriller (Killing Time Book 2), Robert W. Walker - His latest thriller has the Chicago M.E. investigating mysterious deaths from previous eras, the remains found in Chicago's underground tunnels. Might the killer be a fan of Edgar Allan Poe's obsessive fear of being... buried alive? (See book 1: Under the Dead Man's Hat.)
Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark - How the Mistress of the Dark came to be who she is. Run-ins with Elvis, Sinatra and others.
Haunted and more Haunted
Haunted, (Arnaud Legacy Book 1), Lynn Carthage - Moving to my stepfather's English country mansion sounded so promising. But the Arnaud Manor is neglected and unwelcoming, and I get the feeling it isn't exactly uninhabited. Something wants to hurt us--especially my little sister, Tabby. The gorgeous guy I just met tells me terrible stories about the infamous Madame Arnaud who lived here long ago, and about missing children and vengeful spirits. The kind of stories that are impossible to believe--until you're living in one of them, fighting to protect everyone you love...
Haunted, (Harrison Investigation Book 1), Heather Graham - Matt Stone doesn’t believe in ghosts. But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house. But Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery from the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast paranormal investigator Darcy Tremayne into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.
Haunted: An Epic Supernatural Thriller, Tony Marutano - Their therapist told them that a mutual project would be useful. That it would help them reconnect. Heal. That’s why when Marco Battista inherits a highly desirable property perched on a clifftop location in the idyllic fishing village of Porthcove, he and his wife see it as the perfect opportunity to turn their lives around. The plan is simple. Move-in, renovate, and get the property sold before deep winter. Now, they just need to survive the terror inside.
Horror Stories
Generation Slayer, Sylvester Barzey - Kindle Vella is a new serial story experiment that stars with several of the early serials free, and then you buy segments with tokens. (Check top right of serial page to get 200 free tokens.) Can Raven keep her secret while saving her city from the bloody fangs of the Reapers - and not die in the upcoming war against the vampires?
In Darkness, Delight: Fear the Future, Penn Jillette and others - Book three in the series. Twenty-two original tales offer "visions of horrifying futures that await us all" by Bram Stoker winners and others including Lisa Morton, Sheldon Higdon and more. Renowned magician Jillette's story, "The Pain Addict," was adapted for a sci-fi anthology TV series and is in print for the first time.
Night Terrors & Other Tales, Lisa Morton - Creepy stories run the gamut from an abused child finding comfort in Frankenstein's monster, to a wealthy man searching for his fate as he rots from within. Read with the lights on!
Sliced & Diced 2: A Collection of 13 Dark and Twisted Short Stories, Joan De La Haye - A hunter hunted, a typewriter causes havoc, a glimpse at the true cost of real estate in Hell and more...
The Hypno-Ripper, Donald K. Hartman - Hypnotism - and Jack the Ripper? Second volume in the Hypnotism in Victorian and Edwardian Era Fiction series. Two stories originally published during the time of the Ripper killings have the Ripper as an American who travelled to London to commit the crimes under the influence of hypnotism. It also includes an interesting biography on one of the story authors, Edward Oliver Tilburn a man of many faces including accused embezzler, self-proclaimed medical doctor, snake oil salesman, past editor of the Rand McNally Publishing Co. in Chicago and a former World's Fair secretary.
Review: **(The stories can be rambling at times as Victorian fiction can be sometimes, but they keep you reading. Interesting stories and a fascinating bio. Worth the read!)
Zombie
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2: The Axe Will Fall, C.A. Verstraete - The story continues past the trial. Now Lizzie and the citizens of Fall River must battle a new surge of flesh-eaters, this time with a heartbreaking twist: the infected creatures are friends and family, hidden away by their grief-stricken caregivers. When her sister Emma becomes a pawn in the growing war against the undead, Lizzie has no choice but to pick up her axe again. With the help of her charming self-defense instructor, Pierre, she vows to end the horrific zombie menace, once and for all. But can she overcome her personal demons and the rampaging monsters, no matter the cost? NOTE: There are spoilers if you haven't read book 1.
Run From the Dead, Angry Eagle Publishing- A dozen new zombie stories. *** Includes my new story, "Of Life, Death and the Krieg." Makes you wonder - are zombies really undead or are they something else? Other links: UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K6PYV2H - CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09K6PYV2H - AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09K6PYV2H
** For another viewpoint, see The Fun of Writing Zombies at my website blog. **
The Hidden Dead: Zombie Word Search, Ian Woodhead - Word search words from various zombie books by indie authors. Fun idea! 59 pages, paperback.
Zombie Coloring and Story Book for Kids and Adults, Red Mountain Books (Ian Woodhead) - Zombie author offers a new format, coloring and read a story! 69 pages, paperback.
* Links are Amzaon affiliate links which may offer some compensation.
About the Book:
A betrayal, a prophecy, a kingdom in the balance. Sixteen years ago the evil Dahlia overthrew the kingdom of Roshall Grove, the heart of the Fairy World.
A
prophecy foreseen by Edwina, a powerful enchantress, remains the only hope to
topple her iron-fisted rule. Now, Lina, a simple peasant girl, learns her
future is linked to this prophecy. Edwina brings Lina to the Fairy World to
fulfill her destiny—conquering Queen Dahlia. Separated from the enchantress by
agents of the dark queen, Lina begins a perilous journey to join the Resistors,
who await her return to mount their attack. Thrust into this strange world,
Lina must navigate relations with a host of different fairies and animals,
never knowing who seeks to help or to thwart her.
Finally
reunited with the Resistors, Lina must find the strength to lead her people and
fulfill the prophecy. Meanwhile, Dahlia prepares for the battle, which will
ultimately decide the survival of her reign, while reflecting on the path that
brought her and her foe to this moment of reckoning.
A fairy
tale with an ending twist, A Prophecy of Wings is loosely based on Thumbelina
by Hans Christian Andersen and examines the ideas of predestined fates and the
subsequent, sometimes unforeseen, consequences.
Author Interview:
What inspired the story?
The story is a retelling of Thumbelina. I remember taking a copy
of Thumbelina out of the library over and over when I was little. On the cover,
the tiny girl was sitting inside a flower and it simply fascinated me. Though I
loved the story, the ending never quite satisfied me so I decided to do my own
take on it.
My favorite part was telling the story from the antagonist Dahlia’s point of view as a parallel to Lina’s, the protagonist. Many times, the villain’s story is unknown and her motivation seems only out of pure evil. I wanted to make Dahlia more dimensional for the reader. I hope it gives more insight into the decisions each one makes.
The Fairy World in A Prophecy of Wings can be a daunting place. Lina finds several places of refuge, my favorite of which was with the rabbits. I would choose this place for its comfort and hominess.
I like to write strong female protagonists with enough self-doubt to resonate as authentic with readers. My Not Every Girl trilogy has a heroine, Olivia, who is brash right from the start. Lina from A Prophecy of Wings needs time to develop her strength over the course of the story. My aim is to create characters young adult readers can see part of themselves in and provide a feeling of connectedness with the world.
How much of your own life inspired the story and how?
Well, I was certainly no heir to a lost throne. In fact, my childhood was filled with some unfortunate tragedy. This led to my love of reading, especially fairy tales. They offered both an escape and a belief in the hope that things will work out in the end. I hope my writing provides the same.
Before writing, I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over ten years and then became a stay-at-home mom. The pharmaceutical job helped prepare me for the business side of publishing, which is a critical piece in being a successful author. Being a mom helped prepare me for multi-tasking, unwanted disruptions, and limited time—all issues writers must deal with when authoring any kind of work.
My next work is another retelling of the lesser-known Italian fairy tale, Biancabella and the Snake. I stumbled upon it a while back and felt a strong connection to the story. I am also working on a Greek mythology retelling. Stay tuned for more details.
Adversity makes you grow either kinder or crueler—the choice is yours.
**********************
Giveaway: 2 winners will receive an authographed copy of A Prophecy of Wings. See https://woorise.com/thebookreviewcrew/a-prophecy-of-wings
Find the author at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jane-McGarry-Author/712005068914626
https://instagram.com/janemcgarryauthor/ @janemcgarryauthor - https://twitter.com/JMcGarryauthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13857680.Jane_McGarry
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jane-mcgarry
See more of the stops via Instagram:
Run From the Dead: A Zombie Anthology features a dozen new stories with layers of horror and the depths some people go for survival. BONUS: A world scavenger hunt! Each stoiry contains a certain set of words. Can you find them?
In my story, "Of Life, Death, and the Krieg," a man "wakes" to a new, nightmarish world amid a horde of zombies. Is he alive... dead... or something else?
BUY: Kindle & Print /US - Amazon UK
Amazon CA - Amazon AU
Stories include:
Project:Seize by Angela R. Watts
Where the infected are more than a horror but a product of ... Was it a mistake?
Undying Love by Ben Black
An ending you never saw coming.
Popping the Cork by Teel Jame Glenn
Where there are more than one kind of zombie and these are terrifying.
Pursuit by J.J.Y. Sharpe
The most fearsome of the zombie world... the ones that think.
Mud and Blood by C.A. Moll
A horrible account of trying not to be seen by the ravenous horde.
Tastes Like Chicken by C.A. Moll
Did zombies always crave human flesh?
When One Door Closes by C.A. Moll
Can Matt make it home?
Gifts from the Sea by S.P. Oldham
A master of the horror and zombie genre this story leaves us with a feeling of wonder.
Of Life, Death and the Krieg by C.A. Verstraete
Makes one wonder if zombies are really undead or if they are something else.
Monstro by Philip Harris
What happens with zombies crash the party is anything but funny.
Darcy and the Horde by S.E. Griffin
A regular in the Angry Eagle Anthology books S.E. Griffin does not fail to bring it in this latest gust of horror.
Wrath by DJ Cooper
Prominent author of the apocalypse DJ tries her hand at zombies. A mother faced with the unthinkable. Could you?
I'm cross-posting since I have different audiences on my two blogs.
Some Big News!
Recognize this logo??
Well, I just got word, my short Christmas mystery titled so far - "Killer Christmas Cookies" was accepted in Woman's World Magazine! (You know, the newstand mag?!!) It's kind of a cute, funny, quirky story.... Hey, I don't write dark and zombies all the time. ha!
So far it'll be in Dec. 20, on sale Dec. 9-15. I'll post more news and the cover when I get it.
I am just so tickled!! This was a fun story I got a quick idea on. I seem to do best with holiday mysteries, it seems, and was working on a Halloween one, but it was too late, so I got a Christmas idea instead. So... just so happy!!! Now I'll have to think of another one. I can't wait to see this in print!
Flash of Halloween!!
* Enjoy a fun, spooky, even scary Halloween story every day in October! Thanks to author Jack Wallen for organizing this!
Oh, you had to know that I would somehow figure out a way to include a creepy dollhouse in a story!
** My new story, "The Dollhouse," will be up (check after 7:30 a.m., central time) today, Thursday, Oct. 21 here - https://monkeypantz.net/the-dollhouse.
** Follow along every day to Oct. 31! All stories will post here on Jack's website: https://monkeypantz.net/ **
* For more details & the next stops on the Blog Tour, see the BookReviewCrew page.
About the Book:
A future where offline privacy is illegal. A lethal plot permanently deleting people in power. One determined genius caught in an assassin’s sights.
2037. Dr. Cole Westbay is proud of having helped eliminate crime. Groomed to take over the company that makes the surveillance chip everyone is required by law to have, he’s alarmed by a series of suspicious deaths the hardware caused. And after launching an investigation, the brilliant scientist panics when he awakes with his mandatory neural link ripped out and his recently recorded memories erased…
Arrested for the federal crime of failing to have his life fully documented, Cole struggles to get back online and clear his name. And as his paranoia grows while the bodies continue to pile up, he fears government enforcers, friends, and even his fiancée may be in on the scheme to set him up for a deadly fall. Can the embattled scientist crack the conspiracy before his enemies hit CTRL+ALT+DEL on his life?
Interview with Author Hieronymus Hawkes:
What inspired the story?
I read the blog of Charlie Stross, a Scottish science fiction writer, and he talked about the keynote address he gave to the USENIX 2011 conference in Boston on what the future is going to look like up through the next 500 years. He talked about lifelogging and how it will be a disruptive technology within 20 years.
If you had to live in this setting, what would you choose and why?
It’s only 15 years from now, so most of us will be living in this setting potentially. The only real difference is the neurochip in my story, but similar technology is already being developed, so who knows. I would likely embrace the neurochip, since I’m usually an early adopter of technology.
What were the hardest and
easiest parts of writing this book?
The hardest part was making the main character relatable/likeable, which are two different things. I wanted to write about a person that is dealing with anxiety disorder, but not make them come off as too whiny. I don’t think I accomplished that in the first iterations. I ended up doing a gender swap for most of the characters and it opened my eyes to how I was depicting a few of the characters and it really informed my rewrite.The easiest part? Probably writing Kasia, she has a real attitude, and she was really fun to write. I am playing with the idea of doing another novel centered around her.
What do you want readers to know about your characters?
I tried to give them
all depth. Nobody is one thing, all good or all bad. My antagonist is presented
more one-sided, though. I had originally written him with a softer side, but I
think him being more menacing works. He does have a mother, though, and he
loved her. =)
How much of your own life inspired the story and how?
I used some of my own
life experience to inform the characters life choices. Especially Cole, as he wanted
to get married early. I did too. It didn’t end well for me.
I had written a book, quite badly, by the way, and had some friends be honest with me and let me know how bad it was, so I decided to go back to school and get and MFA in writing. This story was based off my thesis novel, although it barely resembles it now. I learned a great deal. Certainly, and MFA is not necessary for everyone, but I had been out of school for more than twenty years and hadn’t paid that close of attention in my English classes, so it really helped get me back to where I needed to be. I was lucky to get a really talented mentor as well.
What's next?
I’m working on a space
opera trilogy…vampires in space. The first book is basically done, and I am
writing the second book as we do this interview.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
Effacement isn’t
really designed to send a message per se. the idea is to entertain. But, hopefully
we learn to take personal privacy seriously going forward into the future.
Social media is a very important part of so many people’s lives now, especially
among our youth, and I can see where we can go off the rails if we don’t pay
attention.
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