Horror and the Wild West – A guest Post by Maynard Blackoak @MaynardBlackoak #horror #darkfiction #author @Sotet_Angyal

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author, collection, dark fiction, Eerie Trails of the Wild Weird West, Haunting, Horror, Maynard Blackoak, Short Story

Horror and the Wild West

Maynard Blackoak

Horror by definition is a very strong feeling of fear, dread, and shock or something that creates those feelings.  Why is it many only focus on horror in the usual or contemporary settings?  From Shelley to Poe to Stoker to King, most classic horror literature tends to remain within the constraints of its own genre.

Picture Dracula moonlighting as a homicide detective.  Could the Frankenstein monster have had a second career as a Hollywood stuntman?  Do those sound humorous?  It they do, might I recommend Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.  Comedy and horror blend well together.  The trick is, a writer needs to be proficient writing in both genres, or it comes out reading like an observer making jokes about a tragic plane crash.

The one genre, which tends to work best with horror, is science fiction.  The two are so closely related, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between them.  Oftentimes, the line is blurred to the point a film or story is classified as sci-fi horror.  This combination tends to be easier to write than comedy and horror.  For many, it is easier to be terrifying with science gone awry than to be funny.

There have been other genres, which have worked well with horror.  I would be remiss if I failed to mention the success of Anne Rice’s vampire novels.  She, more than any other author, romanticized the vampire, splendidly casting them in dreamy, gothic light.  Love them or hate them, the Twilight series also accomplished the same thing, albeit with a teenage angst angle.

All this brings me to my collection, Eerie Trails of the Wild Weird West.  Two of my greatest passions are horror stories and the cowboy way of life.  I grew up watching the old classic horror movies from the silent era and the golden age of Hollywood.  When I learned to read, some of the first real novels I read were the classic tales of horror.  While it would be arrogant of me to put my writing on the level of a Poe or Shelley, I would like to think some of their style rubbed off on me.

Growing up in Texas and Oklahoma, I was exposed to cowboy songs and literature.  My dad was a HUGE fan of authors like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour.  He listened tomusical acts such as Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers, Marty Robbins, and Gene Autry.  While I failed to appreciate his taste in books and music as a youth, they did grow on me.  In my later teen years, I developed an appreciation for some of his literature and songs.  It was also during that time I became a big fan of classic western films and the music of Chris Ledoux, all the while maintaining my love of classic horror.

One day as I spun the splintered windmill in my mind, pondering an original storyline, I came up with the idea of a marriage between westerns and horror.  As I processed the notion further, my thoughts were flooded with several dusty trails my story could take.  I decided no single story could satisfy the craving to tell a tale of my two favorite genres.  The idea of a western horror novel became an anthology of fourteen tales; I think my readers will find a unique telling of the wild Old West.

From Brethren to The Guns of Clay Allison, Eerie Trails of the Wild Weird West will take you on a bizarre ride of cowboys and Indians versus monsters, myths, and legends.  So saddle up your horses, partner and experience a telling of the Wild West like you have never heard.  Tell all your friends, neighbors, and kinfolk to pick up a copy.  I would sure like to write a second volume of these tales.

Eerie Trails of the Wild Weird West

A Short Story Collection
by Maynard Blackoak

Eerie Trails… of the Wild Weird West

In this collection of fourteen strange tales from the wild west, Cowboys and Indians face down supernatural beings of all varieties – from vampires and werewolves; to ghosts and vengeful spirits; to mythological creatures.

Saddle up cowboys and ladies alike, once the journey begins, Eerie Trails of the Wild Weird West will take you down a strange and bizarre path though the old west that you’ve never been on before.

Available from:

Amazon (eBook): US | UK | Canada | Australia | Germany | France | Spain | Italy | Japan  

Mexico | Brazil |India | The Netherlands

 

Amazon (Print): US | UK | Canada | Australia | Germany | France | Spain | Italy | Japan 

Mexico | Brazil |India | The Netherlands

 

Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

 

CreateSpace (Print)

***

About the Author —

Maynard Blackoak is a freelance writer living in the backwoods of Pawnee County, Oklahoma. He draws upon the sights of neglect and unusual sounds around him for inspiration. A bit of a recluse, he can often be found strolling through an old, forgotten cemetery or in the woods among the twisted black oaks and native elms under the light of the moon.

Twitter: @maynardblackoak
Facebook: Maynard Blackoak

OPEN SUBMISSION: The Sirens Call – Issue 24: Lost Souls – #horror eZine; Short #Stories, Flash #Fiction, #Poetry @sotet_angyal

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eZine, fiction, flash, Free, Horror, open call, OPEN SUBMISSIONS, Poetry, short stories, Sirens Call Publications, The Sirens Call

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce it’s next call for our bi-monthly #FREE eZine – The Sirens Call.

For this issue of The Sirens Call, we’re looking for stories of ‘Lost Souls’.

The ‘other side’ can be a terrifying place for souls who have passed, an unimaginable place where all sorts of horrors occur. Are these lost souls stuck in Purgatory, forever running from whatever may be trapped there with them? Do they cling to our plane of existence desperately trying to communicate, or malevolently causing harm? Perhaps your story doesn’t speak of the after, but tells of death itself and the soul’s encounter with a Reaper.

Tell your tale from any perspective you’d like – just make sure it features a lost soul and some bite. Remember, this is a horror eZine you’re writing for.

Previously published pieces are most welcome.

***

Submission Deadline: December 5, 2015

Short story word count: 1,000 – 2,500

Flash fiction word count: 300 – 1,000

Poem length: minimum 10 lines; maximum 50 lines (with a limit of five submitted per author)

Drabbles: 100 words (limit of five submitted per author)

Reprints are acceptable as long as you currently hold the copyright.

All submissions MUST be submitted to: Submissions@SirensCallPublications.com

As per our standard guidelines, there will be no stories containing pedophilia, bestiality, or graphic rape accepted.

Full details can be found on www.SirensCallPublications.com 
on our Open Submissions page.

The Cornelius Correspondence: The Cradle Book Tour: Letter 4 of 5 – #horror #novel #Cradle @JoshuaSkye1

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The Cornelius Correspondence: The Cradle Book Tour:
Letter 4 of 5

by Joshua Skye

Dear Joshua,

One hopes one’s letter reaches you while in a pleasant state of mind. If you’re not, so be it. Someone or something has been scratching at the chamber door for hours this evening, so one finds oneself without much concern for your emotional well-being at this time. Oh dear, did that sound catty, in any way unkind? Allow me an hour’s reprieve.

Two hours have passed and still the scratching continues raking cat-like claws across one’s back, down the spine, sending frosty fingertips over the whole of one’s body. One realizes this is a rather eerie opening to a personal letter, but perhaps your Muse has taken form in this, our correspondence. Please, feel free to use this unnerving discomfort in some future story. Don’t forget a wink or a nod in the dedication.

You might ask why one simply doesn’t fling open the door and investigate, and the answer would have to be a resounding: one doesn’t know. Imaginations run wild and fear becomes addiction after a while. One likes it, like a dog to a bone, moth to a flame, an obsession to a fetishist. Ah, one’s latest fixation… fear. Rather ironic, wouldn’t you say? A Shadow fetishizing shadow. Or maybe it’s just fittingly amusing. Like your Muse, the boogeyman, Krampus, or your favorite porn star, one exists to arouse you, nothing more.

One does admire that you love your characters, even those of unredeeming quality. It makes your stories exponentially more disturbing. How could anyone love a mother… or, more distinctively, Scotty’s mother in the wake of her ghastly neglect? Are you the victim of some sort of variant of Stockholm Syndrome, a childhood pathology that crafts a bond with such a vile parent regardless of said parent’s shortcomings? In fact, your “mommy issues” seem a regular motif in your writing. The relationship between Kincaid and his mother in The Angels of Autumn was dysfunctional as well, though in a resplendently dissimilar way. Love takes on many guises, most of which are just plain unsettling in your world. How bravely and incestuously gothic of you, Joshua.

We’ve corresponded about your main characters, what compels you to bring them to life in all their dysfunctional grandeur, the fact they have eerie similarities to the people you know, but allow one to ask you of monsters. Do they too have origins in entities around you? Your fiends in Angels were truly horrific. I was spellbound by your graphic depictions of those oceanic monstrosities and the vivid transformations from their human forms. What made you deviate from revisiting them in Cradle, though it takes place in the same nightmarish realm?

Dreaming,
Cornelius

---

 

Cradle
Joshua Skye

In the deepest vale of Crepuscule’s Cradle, in the cul-de-sac at the end of Direful Hollow Road, is a once grand Folk-Victorian home known as The Habersham House. It’s a place haunted by far more than rot and neglect – evil dwells here, an evil that craves children.

Eight-year-old Scott Michaels-Greene has a fascination for tales of the strange and unusual, especially local folklore. His favorite story is the one about Habersham House; a ruined old place where many curious children have disappeared.

Hours away from Crepuscule’s Cradle, in Philadelphia, author Radley Barrette has just lost the love of his life to a random act of violence. Amongst his endowments from Danny’s estate is an old house in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Habersham House. Though grief stricken at leaving behind the only home he and Danny had ever known, he knows he cannot remain in the city. Besides, the isolation may be just what he needs to clear his mind of the writer’s block he’s suffering from.

Crepuscule’s Cradle is not as he imagined. The locals are inhospitable. The skeletal forest surrounding it is as unwelcoming as the town. And the house itself – there is something menacing, something angry inhabiting it with him, and it’s hungry. Radley’s world slowly begins to unravel; the fringes of his reality begin to fray. In the midst of his breakdown, a local boy with an unhealthy fascination for Habersham House begins sneaking around and the evil residing within has taken notice.

Blending fantasy with horror, Crepuscule’s Cradle is the darkest of fairy tales. The morbidity of classic folklore and contemporary style weaves a web of slowly encroaching unease. Radley Barrette’ winter bound home is more than a haunted house, and Crepuscule’s Cradle is more than a mere horror tale. It’s a bedtime story that will pull you into its icy embrace, lull you into a disquiet state, and leave you shivering in the dark.

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Cradle is available online at:
Amazon: US | UK | Australia | Canada | Germany | Italy | France | Spain | Japan | Mexico | Brazil | India | The Netherlands

Barnes & Noble (Print & eBook) | Kobo | iTunes | Smashwords

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About the Author – Award winning, bestselling author Joshua Skye was born in Jamestown, New York. Growing up, he split his time between Pennsylvania and Texas. Ultimately he settled in the DFW area with his partner, Ray – of nearly two decades, and their son Syrian. They share their lives with two dogs, Gizmo and Gypsy, and a chinchilla named Bella. Skye’s short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies including Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed, and periodicals such as The Sirens Call. He is the author of over ten critically acclaimed novels, among them The Angels of Autumn that takes place in the same nightmarish universe as Cradle.

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An Interview with Julie Barnson, #Author of ‘Go Gentle’ in Beyond the Wail – @JulieBarnson1

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Anthology, Beyond the Wail, Blog Tour, ghost, Go Gentle, Julie Barnson, Short Story

An Interview with Julie Barnson, author of ‘Go Gentle’ in Beyond the Wail, plus a ‘just for fun’ list!

How did you come up with the concept of your story?
I was thinking about the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia.  I had just heard other stories like it, and randomly googled fiddle folklore. I learned some really awesome things, and I decided to use what I learned in a story.

What is your preferred writing genre?
I love ghost stories.

Who is your favorite author?
Neil Gaiman

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?  
When I was in third grade.  Then I became an adult and decided that I didn’t have anything to say.  Recently my children have been growing up and leaving home, and I’m starting to realize that maybe third grade me had the right idea.

Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?  
A lovely custom office at home that didn’t have access to the internet so I couldn’t distract myself with Facebook.

What is your writing drive? The power that keeps you going when your writing gets difficult?
I don’t know yet.  I’m still discovering me as an author.

How does writing impact other parts of your life?  
I’m a professional storyteller, and I’m hoping to use writing to tie in to some of my performances and to define who I am as a storyteller of the oral AND the written word combined.

What activities best give your brain a break?
I’m a solitaire addict.  This is actually a bad thing, because I play solitaire on the computer.  If I lose a game, It could be awhile before I can get back to writing, because I have to play again.

What are some of your other published works?
I have a CD that I self published, and have stories in two other cd’s that were produced by the Utah Storytelling Guild.  Beyond that and a few contributing recipes in local recipe books, this is my first foray into the publishing world.

What is your advice to writers?
I don’t have any advice to writers, except to keep doing what you love.  To aspiring writers, be courageous and bold and just do it.

What’s up next for you?
I’m putting together an anthology of Victorian ghost stories.  I have been learning to tell them for shows, and I want to put all of my favorites into one place.

What is your favorite snack while writing?
Diet coke

If you had three wishes, what would they be?
Oh no, I’m not falling for THAT trap.  There’s always a catch when you make wishes in the ghost stories and horror novels.  Monkey’s Paw, anyone?

Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you?  
I love to play dress up, but not as any particular character, so I’m not really a cosplayer, more a costumer.  I ADORE Halloween.  It’s my favorite holiday. I love to cook.

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Julie’s Just for fun nerd list:
Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars
Hunger Games or Divergent? Hunger Games.
James Bond or Jack Ryan? Jack Ryan
Sherlock: Robert Downey, Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch? Benedict Cumberbatch, absolutely
Spock: Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto? Leonard Nimoy
X-Men or Avengers? Avengers
Aliens or Predators? Aliens
Minions or Penguins? Neither
Batman or Superman? Batman
Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean? Yes.

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What is it about fear and the unknown that pulls so passionately at the human heart? Perhaps we are drawn not to the darkness itself, but to the resolution, the overcoming of what we most deeply dread. After all, the more terrible the struggle, the greater the victory when it comes at last. Presented in this anthology are twelve remarkable stories of the darkness that overshadows us, and the resolution that may be found beyond them. They are stories of fear and oppression, but ultimately stories of hope, stories that will take you BEYOND THE WAIL.

GO GENTLE by Julie Barnson: After the death of her boyfriend, a young musician uses her talents and a fabled violin to stop the fatal accidents at a dead man’s curve.
Blog: Tales by Julie
Twitter: @JulieBarnson1

Available on Amazon >>>

Seven FREE Downloads available on Amazon! – #free #fiction #story #Amazon @Sotet_Angyal

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Amazon, Aspen deLainey, Asylum, Bent Metal Nina D’Arcangela, betrayal, Brent Abell, dead, fiction, Free, ghost, Greg McWhorter, Horror, Maynard Blackoak, Mystery, Not Another Messiah, Paun M. Feeney, Phrenic Press, short stories, Snapshots of Hell, The Dead at Penderghast Manor, The Possession of Nina Grey, The Testimony of HJ Pembrooke, The Weight of the Ocean, tragic

Phrenic Press is offering its entire library for #FREE
June 25th to June 29th!

The Testimony of HJ Pembrooke, by Brent Abell

It’s the turn of the 20th century in Baltimore, MD, and as the gas lamps burn brightly, madness lurks in the shadows…

When school teacher, Melisa Jameson, mysteriously disappears, famed detective H.J. Pembrooke is called in to investigate. As he sits before the local Constable to give his testimony concerning the events that transpired, what unravels is a twisting account of transcending love, loss, and insanity that intertwines to deepen the mystery of Melisa’s disappearance.

What happened to her on that fateful day and why is Melisa so familiar to our detective? Delve into The Testimony of H.J. Pembrooke to find out where fact ends and the lines of reality begin to blur…

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/TestimonyPembrooke

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Bent Metal, by Nina D’Arcangela

Where does reality end and dreamscape begin?

Woken each night by the sounds of screams and twisting metal, Lauren must relive the panic and fear of discovering her brother’s broken body on the asphalt. But each morning, she finds it’s only a dream… One she doesn’t want to keep having.

At what point does a dream become a nightmare, and what if the nightmare was more than a figment of her subconscious?

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/BentMetal

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The Possession of Nina Grey, by Maynard Blackoak

Love is an obsession; possession it’s one true desire. If you found your lover to be unfaithful, what would you do? Would you seek revenge? Perhaps confront them reasonably to discuss the truth behind such infidelity? Or would you take matters into your own hands… or in Nina’s case, your own mind?

Where the heart beats the strongest, the psyche sometimes slips into abysmal madness prompting one to perform heinous, unthinkable acts. What drives Nina that one step too far? Perhaps the answer lies in the shadows that lurk between genuine adoration and insane jealousy – the grey areas.

Not all cheeks can be turned the other way, and not all truths are what they seem.

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/PossessionofNinaGrey

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The Weight of the Ocean, by Paul M. Feeney

Casual conversations, playful moments, two friends bonding over things that mean nothing, until one day they mean everything…

Paul has a love for the ocean, but has never had the will to learn to swim. Jess draws him to the water, helping him overcome his fear. In the rocky brine, Paul finds more than courage; he finds love in its truest form: Jess. But the scars she carries hidden deep within won’t allow her to love. After a beautiful but short lived courtship, she ends their relationship.

The Weight of the Ocean, much like the pain she hides, is simply too much to bear.

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/WeightoftheOcean

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The Dead of Penderghast Manor, by Julianne Snow

What would you do if you knew the Dead could talk?

For Chester Penderghast, it’s not the easiest of questions to answer…

Ensconced in the basement of his family’s mortuary business is the last place he wants to be, but when the conversation starts flowing, Chester’s the only living person who can hear it. What do the Dead want, and why is he the only one who can hear them?

This is not your average zombie tale—the Dead don’t want to eat your brains, but they will chew your ear off!

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/TheDeadofPenderghastManor

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Snapshots of Hell, by Greg McWhorter

John Evers had been propelled to fame through his legendary photographic exhibits in the posh galleries of New York City.

Moving himself and his wife to England for professional reasons, John now finds his personal success fleeting. In order to recapture his fame, he takes a gamble on a single lot being auctioned off rather dubiously. As fortune would have it, John is lucky enough to gain possession of the lot he is seeking: LOT 466-8 CAMERA AND UNDEVELOPED FILM FROM THE ESTATE OF ALEISTER CROWLEY.

John can’t believe his luck at acquiring undeveloped rolls of film once belonging to Aleister Crowley, one of England’s most famed Satanists. Believing this good fortune to be his salvation, John unknowingly releases an evil from beyond the grave that will not rest until it ravages both his mind and his body.

Will John and his wife discover a way out of their personal torment before it’s too late? Or will their life become another collection of ‘Snapshots of Hell’?

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/SnapshotsofHell

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Not Another Messiah, by Aspen de Lainey

All men are created equal, or so it is said…

In a Mental Asylum that has earned infamy for its successful governing of patients suffering from a Messiah Complex, what happens when a ward of twenty-one prophets is introduced to a twenty-second? How do prophets worship what they believe to be a Messiah in their midst? Do they treat him with distance, trepidation, reverence, or perhaps adoration? Or do the men who speak directly to their own gods want more than a life of confinement as a reward for their blessing?

Is it not also said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him.”

Amazon link: http://mybook.to/NotAnotherMessiah

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Why not grab them all?

DRAGON BORN: New from Ela Lourenco – Book 1 of the Dragon Born YA Series @ElaLourenco

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Amazon, book, dark fiction, Dragon Born, Ela Lourenco, fantasy, novel, release, YA

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce the release of Dragon Born —

the first book in a Young Adult Fantasy series from author Ela Lourenco!

Dragon Born

by Ela Lourenco

Far in the distant reaches of the universe is a world called Azmantium. A planet with lilac skies, jade green seas and fiery red suns. A planet where everything, from the tides of the sea to life itself, is rooted in magic. Children are assessed at an early age and trained according to their unique magical talents.

Lara, an orphan who has no memory of her true origins, is unaware that she has a vital role to play in the ancient prophesies that are about to begin coming true. Older than most who are just beginning their magical training, Lara will soon find out that destiny waits for no one, especially when the fate of the world rests on their shoulders.

With the help of her new friends, Lara will learn that in order to save the future, she must journey into the past – to a time when Dragons ruled the world!

***

Available on:

Amazon: US | UK | Canada | Australia | Germany | France | Spain | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Brazil | India | The Netherlands

Smashwords
CreateSpace (Print)

***

About the Author — Ela Lourenco lives in Scotland with her two daughters and husband. She has been an avid reader since childhood and has long enjoyed mysteries, mythology and anything related to the paranormal/supernatural/mystical/science fiction. She loves nothing more than making up stories about faraway people and places (helped somewhat by a mind that just won’t grow up!). When she isn’t nose deep in a book or writing herself she can be found dancing around the kitchen whilst baking. Her biggest wish in life is to infect others with a passion for reading.

‘STRUCK’ – The 1 Year Anniversary Tour of Clarissa Johal’s Novel @ClarissaJohal

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book, Clarissa Johal, Gothic, Horror, novel, paranormal, Sapphyria's Book Promotions, STRUCK

Welcome to the blog tour celebrating the
1 Year Anniversary of the release of the
Paranormal Gothic Horror Novel

STRUCK
by Clarissa Johal

Follow the tour to read new reviews, interviews with Clarissa,
and exclusive excerpts.

“The shadows hadn’t been waiting. The shadows had been invited.”

About STRUCK

After a painful breakup, Gwynneth Reese moves in with her best friend and takes a job at a retirement home. She grows especially close to one resident, who dies alone the night of a terrific storm. On the way home from paying her last respects, Gwynneth is caught in another storm and is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of being rescued by a mysterious stranger. Following her release from the hospital, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a gift–one that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something more sinister… for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.

Book Details:

Title: STRUCK

Genre: Paranormal Gothic Horror

Author(s): Clarissa Johal

Publisher: Musa Publishing

http://www.musapublishing.com/

Cover Artist: Kelly Shorten

ISBN: 978-1-61937-690-8

Number of Pages: 255

Price: $4.99

Purchase Links:

 

 Amazon Author Page

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Exclusive Excerpt:

They perused the aisles of clothing together, Fenten carrying a mountain of clothes to try on and Gwynneth with two T-shirts.

“Pick something else, Gwennie,” he complained. “A dress or something that looks hot.”

“Where am I going to wear something hot, Fenten?” she scoffed. “I’m sure all the residents would appreciate that.”

“Not for work, girl. For going out.”

“I don’t go out.”

“Maybe you should. When’s the last time you and Seth went out for a night on the town? Dancing or clubbing? You two need to get drunk together.”

She felt her cheeks warm slightly. It was stuffy in the clothing store. “I don’t know of any place to go.”

“In San Francisco? Honey, there are more places than you could cover in a lifetime. Next time I go out, you’re both coming with me.”

She didn’t say anything to that. The idea of trolling the singles clubs scared her more than she cared to admit.

“How about this?” Fenten held up a red dress.

“It’s nice.”

“Nice? There’s no nice about this dress. It’s hot, is what it is. You’d look great in it, too. Try it on.” He tossed it at her.

She sighed, exasperated. “It’s too fancy. I don’t think it will look good on me.”

“Go.” He gave her a little push toward the changing room. “Just try it on. And give me those.” He grabbed the T-shirts from her. “Enough with the T-shirts. Think grown-up clothes. You’ve got a body underneath those poor excuses for fashion. You need to find it.”

“Fine, I’ll try it on,” she said. “You can be so pushy, seriously.”

She checked the corridor of changing rooms. They were all empty, save for the one at the end, which seemed to have some movement in it. She started for the first door and found it locked. She tried the second and again found it locked. All of them, except for the changing room next to the one occupied, were locked. Exasperated, she set the dress hanger on the post of that one and closed the door. Shimmying out of her jeans and T-shirt, she unzipped the red dress and slipped it over her head, carefully navigating her burn. She decided not to zip it up and then checked the mirror. It was a beautiful dress. Really it was. “It’s just not me,” she murmured. “Too fancy.”

Gwynneth stared at her reflection and frowned. It was getting darker in the store. She looked up. Over-bright fluorescent lights glared down at her. “What the hell?” Her T-shirt slipped from the peg. As she bent to pick it up, something dark shot out from under the changing room beside her and snatched it. “Hey!” She knocked on the wall. “Hello? That’s my T-shirt!”

Silence.

She peered under the short wall that separated the changing rooms. The room next to hers appeared empty. I swear there was somebody in there a second ago. Maybe they’re standing on the chair. “Hello?” She knocked again. Hesitant, she stepped out of her changing room and tried the perpetrator’s door. The light overhead flickered, and the door swung open.

The dressing room was empty. Her T-shirt lay on the ground. She bent to retrieve it and caught what should have been her reflection in the mirror. But it wasn’t her reflection. The mirror was completely black. Gwynneth froze in horror. Something was watching her from the other side. She could feel its presence, poised and waiting to spring. A hissing whisper made its way into her ear and trailed away. She backed out of the dressing room and fled down the corridor.

“Okay, now you look hot, Gwennie,” Fenten remarked as she joined him.“The fact that you didn’t zip it up? Even better.”

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Praise for STRUCK:

Lovely Reads

“This book grabs you in right away and hold your attention…I so loved this book and didn’t put it down until the very end.” Read More ~ Lovely Reads

Bex ‘n’ Books

“This is a spooky thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You won’t be able to put it down because you must finish it to see what happens, even if it keeps you up late at night to do so.” Read More ~ Bex’n’Books

Bibliophilic Book Blog

“STRUCK will get beneath your skin from the very beginning. Gwen’s a likable character with a difficult past and tenuous future after meeting Julian. I liked the secondary characters, especially Fenten and Poppy. The characters were definitely all well-developed and engaging.” Read More ~ Bibliophilic Book Blog

Straight from the Library

“The characters are well drawn and likable….The action is fast paced– I read the book in one sitting.” Read More ~ Straight from the Library

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About the Author:

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.

*Member of the Author’s Guild

Coming May 19, 2015 from Permuted Press

VOICES, a paranormal psychological horror

 

STRUCK, a paranormal gothic horror

(2014) Musa Publishing

*Indie Book of the Day Award

*Nominated for the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2014

BETWEEN, a story of the paranormal

(2012) Musa Publishing

*Second place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012

*Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats

PRADEE, a young adult fantasy

(2010) CreateSpace

*Second round finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award Contest 2012

Short stories:

PIGEONS, published in the literary journal Susurrus

THE ROPE, published in the literary journal Susurrus

Non-Fiction:

A WAY OF LIFE, published in The Sacramento Bee

 

Find Clarissa Online:

Author Website
Amazon Author Page

Author Blog

Author Facebook Page

Twitter

Author Goodreads

Pinterest

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

 

How did you come up with the idea for STRUCK?

Some stories begin as random scenes, some as characters, and some are born from asking the question, “What if?” I was hit with the idea of STRUCK while running on a forest trail near my house. It was during a thunderstorm and I wondered what it would be like to be hit by lightning. I write about ghosts and things that go bump in the night and in essence, those entities are energy. What if a portal was opened by a lightning strike? And what if that portal allowed the energy from those entities to escape? The idea was intriguing and I went to bed still thinking about it. That night, I dreamt I stood in a field, with lightning striking the ground all around me. But the lightning wasn’t just releasing electrical energy, the lightning was releasing negative entities from the Otherworld. I woke from the nightmare in a panic, thinking those entities had somehow attached themselves to me. And so a story is born.

I went on to research the effects of being struck by lightning, interviewed several lightning survivors, and began writing STRUCK. I’m continually amazed how a, “What if?” idea can expand into a novel.

What first inspired you to become a writer? And what compels you to continue your career as an author?

I wrote my first short story in grade six. I was asked by the teacher to read it aloud to the class, which terrified me. After I was finished, I realized that I actually had everyone’s attention! I was shy and we moved every year, so I was always the new kid. When you’re in that situation, it’s kind of like being invisible. Finding my voice through story-telling made me realize how powerful writing could be. As far as continuing—truthfully? I think I’d go nuts if I didn’t write.

What made you choose the genre of paranormal gothic horror?

I started out writing fantasy fiction. I was working on the second installment to my PRADEE series when there were two characters that kept showing up on the page, over and over. They didn’t belong in fantasy novel, nor did they belong in my story! But their backstory came to me so vividly, that I set aside my series and wrote my first paranormal novel, BETWEEN. I’ve been pulled into the Otherworld permanently now. The ideas come faster than I can write them down.

Tour Presented by:

Tour Schedule:

January 1: Tour Kick-Off http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
January 2: Exclusive Excerpt http://ifeeltheneedtheneedtoread.com/
January 4: Review http://www.carolynspearromance.com/blog
January 5: Review HorrorMade.blogspot.com
January 7: Exclusive Excerpt http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
January 9: Exclusive Excerpt http://aliciajoseph.com/
January 12: Review https://twitter.com/peach83352
January 15: Exclusive Excerpt https://darcnina.wordpress.com
January 17: Review http://mullenarmyfamily.blogspot.com/
January 19: Exclusive Excerpt http://sloanetaylor.blogspot.com/
January 20: Exclusive Excerpt http://www.babsbookbistro.net/
January 21: Interview http://ifeeltheneedtheneedtoread.com/
January 23: Exclusive Excerpt https://fillingspaces.wordpress.com/
January 26: Interview http://karengreco.blogspot.com/
January 28: Review http://neutiquamerro.wordpress.com
January 31: Reviews (by 3 different tour hosts)
1) http://ifeeltheneedtheneedtoread.com/
2) http://www.themoralofourstories.com
3) http://hello-booklover.tumblr.com/

Guest Post by Carson Buckingham, author of Gothic Revival. ( @59CarsonBuck )

Tags

Amazon, Blog Tour, Carson Buckingham, Gothic Revival, Horror, novel, paranormal, Rafflecopter

The Frankenstein Monster or His Bride?
Gender Bias in Horror

Carson Buckingham

Gender bias in the horror genre? I honestly don’t think so—not in present times, at any rate. Women are stepping right up and competing… though I don’t even know if ‘competing’ is the correct word. I don’t think the writing of horror, or anything else, for that matter, has anything to do with what’s between a person’s legs. Folks reading the submissions at publishing houses are only looking for a well-told tale… period. They don’t care if you’re Joe Schmo, or Josephine Schmo. They want to sell books. Send them an extraordinary story and they will buy it.

Someone once brought up the fact that my name could be used to hide my gender, which is female; though Carson McCullers, a fabulous author, is female, as well. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Though my real name is much more obviously feminine, I chose the pseudonym ‘Carson Buckingham’ as an ongoing tribute to both my Russian- and Lithuanian-born grandparents and my Aunt Mary, Uncle Lee, and cousin Lois. They resided on Carson Avenue, which was off Buckingham Street—therefore, Carson Buckingham. So my name is really an address, not an attempt at camouflage. Those five people were there for me and treated me with kindness and love, which allowed me to cope, to a better degree, with my childhood and the living nightmares who were my mother, stepfather, and half-brother. They were all alive when my work began to be picked up by publishers, but I never told them about it, because they wouldn’t have cared, anyway, and I didn’t believe in setting myself up for yet another disappointment where they were concerned.

For the most part, I believe that claiming gender bias is little more than an excuse to make oneself a victim. And self-made victims rarely pick themselves up by the bootstraps and make the diligent effort required to improve their work. Just my opinion, however. I refused to declare myself a victim as a child, when I had every reason and right to do so, and I refuse to make myself a victim as an adult. The torturous time I lived through made me the strong, self-validating person I am today, so perhaps a little good did come from it, after all.

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Gothic Revival
by Carson Buckingham

Alex and Leo Renfield are a husband and wife contractor team who’ve recently moved to the village of Woodhaven, Connecticut to escape the chaos of life in New York. Pretty close to broke, they meet Theodora Hamilton, a somewhat unsavory and odd individual, who offers them an astronomical amount of money to repaint the first floor of her family home.

But along with the huge paycheck comes a set of unsettling rules that must be followed explicitly if they are to accept the offer; one of which is they must reside on the property having no direct contact with the outside world until the job is complete.

Is Theodora Hamilton just an eccentric woman with a peculiar way of doing things, or is there a more sinister agenda that Alex and Leo are unaware of? What exactly does she have in store for this down-on-their-luck couple who have no choice but to accept the offer and the strange requirements that come along with it?

Gothic Revival can be found online at major retailers including:

Amazon: US | UK | Canada | Australia | Germany | France | Italy | Spain | Japan | Mexico | India | Brazil

Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Amazon Print, iTunes

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 WIN A FREE DIGITAL COPY OF THE BOOK!

Win 1 of 5 digital copies of Gothic Revival by Carson Buckingham!
(click to enter)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carson Buckingham knew from childhood that she wanted to be a writer, and began, at age six, by writing books of her own, hand-drawing covers, and selling them to any family member who would pay (usually a gum ball) for what she referred to as “classic literature.” When she ran out of relatives, she came to the conclusion that there was no real money to be made in self-publishing, so she studied writing and read voraciously for the next eighteen years, while simultaneously collecting enough rejection slips to re-paper her living room… twice.

When her landlord chucked her out for, in his words, “making the apartment into one hell of a downer,” she redoubled her efforts and collected four times the rejection slips in half the time, single-handedly causing the first paper shortage in U.S. history.

But she persevered, improved greatly over the years, and here we are.

Carson Buckingham has been a professional proofreader, editor, newspaper reporter, copywriter, technical writer, comedy writer, humorist, and fiction author. Besides writing, she loves to read and work in her vegetable garden. She lives in the United States in the state of Arizona.

 Twitter | Facebook | Blog

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