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The Man in the Black Top Hat by Ju Ephraime

25/9/2017

 
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1) Tell us about your book

This book was written based on a true story that was given to me by a woman I was acquainted with. Some of the activities by the ghost are exaggerated, but it carries the gist of the story. For example, the woman did donate the hat to her local church, the only difference is, she never went back for it. She left it there to find another home.


2) Who is your main character?

My main character is the woman who gave me the story. She's a strong, independent woman, who manages her household without much help from her husband. Therefore, the fact that she didn't tell him what was going on with the ghost is because that's the way she took care of most things in her house.

3) Is this a standalone or part of a series?

This is a standalone and not part of a series.


4) What is next for you?
​
I just finished, this month to be exact, a western historical romance. Currently, I'm working on a Native American Romance and a memoir novel that’s with the editor.
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Haunted House Harbor by Roma Gray

23/9/2017

 
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1. Tell us about your book 

Haunted House Harbor: Humanity’s Hope (book 1): The world has just been struck by the “Perfect Apocalypse”: Nuclear bombs, disease, famine, zombies, killer bees and many other hidden terrors. As the world crumbles, a group of survivors discovers there is only one safe haven: the mysterious town of Haunted House Harbor. For some reason, all of the unleashed perils cannot penetrate the city limits. But there’s one problem—Haunted House Harbor has its own dark side. Suicides, mass murders, and insanity have plagued the town for over a hundred years. Is Haunted House Harbor humanity’s last hope, or is it in fact, their ultimate doom?
 
That is the core concept behind the book. Essentially, the situation is rock or hard place – make your choice.
 
In most zompoc books, the authors explore not only the world’s shock and horror at being thrown into a zombie apocalypse, but they also explore man’s inhumanity to man. Certainly plenty to explore there, but I wanted to take the genre in a new direction.
 
You see, I’ve always thought, if zombies turned out to be real, doesn’t that imply that perhaps other creatures that go bump in the night are real as well? And if they are real, what if they decide to take advantage of the situation?
 
In this case, we have The Amityville Horror meets The Walking Dead. Most people remember the famous final scene in the movie where the Lutz family members are running for the front door as all hell breaks loose, (similar final scene in Poltergeist too, for that matter). Well ask yourself, would they have run out that door if they knew zombies were waiting for them on the front porch? Maybe not. Maybe the Lutz family would have decided bleeding walls and a disembodied voice that growls “Get out!!” were livable conditions. But of course, the question becomes, for how long? How long can you be trapped in a frying pan before the fire starts looking pretty damn good?
 
The real difference between the two choices is the hell outside of HHH is pretty brutal and in your face. Inside HHH, well, this town has been tormenting people for over a hundred years; it’s subtle and insidious. Kind of that scenario with the frog sitting in water, not noticing that someone has turned up the heat; you don’t get how much trouble you’re in at first. And as time goes by, what will you put up with to avoid the zombies? What price are you willing to pay?
 
In regards to the “Perfect Apocalypse”, I wanted the situation to evolve into something bigger than a simple zombie apocalypse. Take special note of the line “many other hidden terrors”. I don’t reveal all of the dangers right off, not even in the first book. Trust me when I say, the apocalypse will escalate inside and outside of the town.
 
 
2. Who is your main character and what can you tell us about him/her? 
 
Like in most zombie books, there is a wide range of individuals who get thrown together, but the main character is a seventeen-year-old girl by the name of Norma Kershaw. She has Asperger’s which is a form of autism (high-functioning) and also suffers from agoraphobia (the fear of going outside). When the apocalypse hits, she’s at home with her mother who is in a wheel chair.
 
I got the idea from another marvelous book Queen of Bones written by Gregg Zimmerman, where the main character is also in an apocalypse and has a problem with her hip. From reading this book, I became fascinated with the idea of what someone with a handicap would do during an apocalypse. You will see I took it a few steps further by exploring different handicaps (spread across several characters).
 
I especially wanted to explore this concept during a zombie apocalypse, because most zombie books have military men save the day. Well what if you don’t have combat training? Or what if these military men show up and aren’t the saviors you thought they’d be? This has certainly come up many times in other Zompoc books. The way I see it, no matter your state of combat readiness or physical, mental, or emotional challenges, you’d be doing everything in your power to save yourself and your family. And I believe people are capable of doing amazing things when the occasion calls for it. I’ve known many individuals with handicaps (including three teenage girls with Asperger’s) and I believe people who face challenges in life are sometimes better equipped to handle changing situations than other people.
 
 
3. Is this a standalone or part of a series?  

Well, I have an odd answer for you. It’s part of two series, actually.
 
The Haunted House Harbor series has three books: 1) Humanity’s Hope, 2) Humanity’s Horror and 3) Humanity’s Hell. There are only three books in the series because I ran out of H words to use (haha).
 
So why all of the damn H’s? What the “H” is my obsession with the letter “H”?
 
Because that’s what this book was supposed to be, it was meant to represent the letter “H” in project 26 (p26) being put out by J. Ellington Ashton Press. The publisher, Catt Dahman, came up with the idea last year for our press to publish 26 books, each one representing a letter in the alphabet that in turn stood for a horror concept. She offered me four letters, J for Jurassic (my other novel this year is Jurassic Jackaroo: Jasper’s Junction), Q (Quarantine, an anthology), N (Nocturnal Nightmares, an anthology) and H (for haunted house).
I was thrilled with all of them, but I had to admit, H had me shaking in my boots. I’ve always wanted to write a book on haunted houses, but I couldn’t think of anything original to do with this concept. As always, I took my dog for a walk to think it out. Being the Czarina of Fusion Horror, I came up with this idea after about an hour. I knew the characters, the situation, and even how the book series would end.
 
I asked the publisher if she was surprised with the direction my novel took. She said that little surprises her anymore (in the horror genre, I wouldn’t doubt that for a second) but that she was very proud of how this book turned out and the creativity involved. A very high compliment from a very talented lady. Thanks Catt Dahman!
 
4. What are you working on Next? 

The sequel to the Hunted Tribe series, The Hunted Tribe: Rocket’s Red Glare
 
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The Dead of Night by Jean Rabe

23/9/2017

 


Mystery
Date Published: September 1, 2017
Publisher: Imajin Books

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As Sheriff Piper Blackwell rushes to a clandestine meeting with an aging, paranoid veteran who believes spies are trailing his every move, she is caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Pounding rain drums against the bluff, washing away the earth and revealing a grisly secret someone tried to bury a long time ago.

Putting a name to the skeleton on the bluff, and searching for the thief who robbed the old veteran of his life’s earnings, sends Piper delving into the sleepy towns that dot her rural county. Now she’s digging into pasts perhaps best left alone.

Accompanied by Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg, Piper seeks to expose a truth someone wants to remain forever hidden. The investigation may have started with a thunderstorm, but Piper aims to finish it and find justice. Uncovering fragments of Spencer County’s history could prove more dangerous—and deadlier—than she ever expected.

About the Author

Jean Rabe is the author of thirty-eight novels, more short stories than she cares to count, and has edited magazines and anthologies. She’s new the mystery field, as her earlier works were in fantasy and science fiction. The Dead of Night is her second Piper Blackwell book, an uncozy-cozy with a big dash of police procedural thrown in. The first, The Dead of Winter, was released in 2016. Jean attends game conventions, works as a mentor for graduate-level writing students, and tosses tennis balls for her dogs in her spare time. She makes sure she has spare time for three or four toss sessions a day. You can find her website at www.jeanrabe.com.


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Unorthodox by S. Peters-Davis

15/9/2017

 


Unorthodox
A Kendra Spark Novel
Book One
S. Peters-Davis

Genre: Paranormal Suspense-Thriller Romance
with a good dollop of Supernatural

Publisher: Books We Love Publishing

Date of Publication: September 15, 2017

ISBN 978-1-77362-303-0
ISBN 978-1-77362-304-7
EPUB 978-1-77362-300-9
Kindle 978-1-77362-301-6
WEB 978-1-77362-302-3

Number of pages: 153 pages
Word Count: 63,000

Cover Artist: CoverUp.Net

Book Tagline:  Kendra’s ability of communicating with the dead is requested by her FBI criminal analyst friend to stop a killer from murdering agents.

Series Tagline: Kendra sees ghosts, and then her BFF, Jenna, becomes one. The two friends and FBI agent Derek Knight fight for justice to the victims of heinous crimes.

Book Description:

Kendra Spark, suspense-mystery romance author and communicator with the dead, is requested to hop on the first flight to D.C.

Jenna Powers, FBI criminal analyst and estranged best friend of Kendra, gets ghosticized in a fatal accident before relaying all the details of the FBI killer case.

Derek Knight, a dedicated FBI Special Task Force agent, takes lead on the case.

The investigation into the FBI agent killings continues as Kendra, Jenna – yes, even after death – and Derek work together on the case before Director of the Special Task Force Jackson Powers’ number is up. He’s Jenna’s father and the end-game of the killer’s target list.

Somehow the elusive killer remains undetected, until Kendra’s unique ability produces results and a final possibility at stopping his killing spree before it’s too late.

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Excerpt:

From the Author Review Copy: The scene – Derek has Kendra in a casual interrogation room inside the FBI building – D.C. location

The door opened and Jackson Powers entered before I could respond.
He glanced around the room stopping when he saw me; his red rimmed eyes spoke volumes. I clearly remembered his presence, a straightforward man, full of confidence and direction, but in this moment he appeared like a man broken. I rose and reached for a hand shake. Instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a big bear hug.
“I’m so very sorry about Jenna. Sorry for your loss, for my loss…” Muscles tensed around my vocals and cut off the words.
Tears spilled from both of us. Derek stepped out of the room, clicking the door closed.
“Jenna told me she was meeting with you today, going to show you the city sights.” Jackson held me for a few more minutes, patting my back and telling me it wasn’t my fault.
The thought of the accident initially being my fault had never entered my mind. Why would that thought cross his? I stepped back. Obviously he hadn’t received the latest details of the accident, but even so why would he consider that I’d feel responsible. Even if I questioned that maybe I could have done something to stop her in some way, she did save that boy. “Not sure what you mean…in thinking it could be my fault?”
His eyes widened, maybe a little startled at my blatant question. “I assumed Jenna ran after a little culprit that grabbed your purse or something much worse. She must have gotten caught up in the chase to run in front of on-coming traffic.” His face softened. “Kendra, I know Jenna, there was nothing you could have done to stop her. She’s always been head-strong…was always
head-strong,” he corrected himself, then his voice cracked, and suddenly something occurred to me.
Jackson isn’t privy to Jenna and Derek’s manhunt for the FBI killer, nor the reason I’m here. Of course. Jenna had tagged along to certain crime scenes while she was still in college, but from all that I remembered, Jackson wanted her profiling cases strictly inside the building. She had access to all the crime scenes from pictures and files on her laptop. At least she always used to complain about his restrictions, and I couldn’t imagine he would allow her in the field on a serial killer task force, unless things had changed in the last couple years.
There’d been a few close calls on other cases, some of the agent’s family members being abducted or being used for negotiation, leverage. While in college, Jenna told me all the rules her father had enforced if she were to join in any of the FBI cases. He protected her, and now she had returned the favor…to her demise.
Jenna and Derek were hunting the serial killer behind Jackson’s back.
There was a tap on the door and Derek stepped in. His brows were drawn close, eyes narrowed, perhaps his expression of concern. “Sir, I thought Kendra might be hungry. She hasn’t eaten all day.” He smiled at me, and then looked back at Jackson. “I’m headed out for a late lunch and thought I’d take her with me.”
Jackson’s lips pressed together. He finally lifted his chin toward me. “Well, of course. We certainly wouldn’t want anyone going hungry now, would we,” more of a statement than a question. He patted my shoulder. “Go on, Kendra. We can continue our talk later. I’d like to hear exactly what happened to my daughter from someone who was there to witness it.”
Derek grasped my elbow and led me toward the door.
Instead of following, Jackson released a long breathy sigh and sat on the couch. “Shut the door behind you, Derek. And tell Darla I don’t wish to be disturbed.”

My heart swelled huge behind my ribcage, again the confining weight pressing in on my ability to breathe. I couldn’t imagine the emotional maelstrom Jackson was going through. I knew only my own turbulent ride. Now I needed to get some facts straight; it was my turn to interrogate Derek.

About the Author:

S. Peters-Davis writes multi-genre stories, but loves penning a good page-turning suspense-thriller, especially when it’s a ghost story and a romance. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she’s hiking, RV’ing, fishing, playing with grandchildren, or enjoying time with her favorite muse (her husband) in Southwest Michigan.

She also writes YA paranormal, supernatural novels as DK Davis.

Website – http://suda788.wixsite.com/spetersdavis1     

Twitter – https://twitter.com/spdavis788   

FB – https://www.facebook.com/susan.petersdavis

BWL Author Page – http://bookswelove.net/authors/peters-davis-s/

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The Witch's Handbook to Hunting Vampires by Amy Boyles

12/9/2017

 


Paranormal/Witch Cozy Mystery
Date Published: September 5, 2017

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Andie Taylor is your average single mom. She's got a beautiful toddler, a great job at the local preschool, a neurotic best friend and one huge secret—she used to hunt vampires. Now retired, Andie would much rather be wiping kid snot off her clothes than stalking the undead.

But after a meteor rips through her small town, strange things start happening—like the school janitor is found dead with fang marks in his neck.
Andie's retired, it's not her problem.

Until vampires attack Andie on her front lawn. Now she has to figure out who the head bloodsucker is and stop him from taking any more victims—all while juggling single motherhood, a crazy great aunt, and Andie's own lust for a fallen angel. Can she solve the mystery before the vampires claim someone else? Or will she become the next target of the bloodsuckers?



About the Author


Amy Boyles grew up reading Judy Blume and Christopher Pike. Somehow, the combination of coming of age books and teenage murder mysteries made her want to be a writer. After graduating college at DePauw University, she spent some time living in Chicago, Louisville, and New York before settling back in the South. Now, she spends her time chasing two toddlers while trying to stir up trouble in Silver Springs, Alabama, the fictional town where Dylan Apel and her sisters are trying to master witchcraft, tame their crazy relatives, and juggle their love lives.


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Cover Reveal for Hexen's Cross by J. Kowallis

9/9/2017

 
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Hexen’s Cross
J. Kowallis
(Hexen Series, #1)
Publication date: February 1st 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal

The magic calls her.
A prophecy binds her.
The ancestors guide her.

Dr. Taran Grim, a young professor of occult studies, knows the written history of witches better than anyone in her field. And she should. She’s one of them.

After a mysterious stranger arrives at her office inquiring about the mythical staff of Woden, Taran’s curiosity reveals a millennia-old prophesy directly tied to her. The answers wait in Bryden, England and the only person who can help her gain access to the hidden valley is the descendant of Ruhmactir, and a member of the shape-shifting Geri clan: Collens “Coll” Donovan.

But the Donovans have secrets of their own, and Taran’s underdeveloped magic is wreaking strange havoc on her life. If she can’t manage her magic and strike a truce with Coll, they’ll fail to prevent the prophesied event known as Deireanhexe: the end of the hexen race.

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Author Bio:

J. Kowallis, the only girl of four children, grew up in northern Utah with a head full of wild stories (most often unreal). At the age of 9, she wrote her first poem, a dedication to E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. It was so intriguing, her Third Grade teacher requested to keep the original (THAT is a true story!). Between living in fictional worlds, she managed to graduate from Weber State University’s creative writing program. She now lives in Utah with her Mini Schnauzer, Etta, and spends most of her time still bouncing between this world and the fantastical while enjoying delectable über-dark chocolate and lavender baths. She enjoys dreaming about, flying to, and writing about distant lands (real or unreal).

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    Nowhere Left To Run (Road To Nowhere Book 1)

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    About the Author:

    S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland.

    “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
    ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
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