Guarding the Healer by Gabriel Beyers

 Kindle Price: $3.99

 Available from: Amazon Kindle , Barnes & Noble , and Smashwords

 Authors Website: http://www.gabrielbeyers.blogspot.com/









When Silas Walker is endowed with the power to heal, he soon discovers that no gift comes without a price.

A man possessed by an ancient evil is taunting the healer with photos of victims brutally murdered and marked with the crude image of an angel . . . and for Silas the slain are growing more familiar.

After he is given an ominous warning and an unbearable ultimatum, Silas sets out to draw his enemy away from those he loves, and discover the true purpose of his gift, which leads him inexplicably to a troubled young drifter named Tommy.

The Stalker is close on the healer's trail, bringing with him an army of demons. Silas's only hope rests in the hands of a guardian angel he doesn't even know exists.

The Guardian is doing all within his power to save the healer, but he is certain Silas is heading into a trap. Time is running out. War is at hand.

But there is no turning back.

For even an angel can't alter a man's destiny.

Bio: Gabriel Beyers lives in Bloomington, IN with his wife, two children, and two lovable yet destructive dogs.

You can find his stories haunting such publications as Midnight Times, The Edge of Propinquity, Cat Tales 2, and a few others. He has worked many years in construction and it is still in his blood. He is always looking for a new project around the house. Someday, when he can find the time and money, he'll start tinkering with marine aquariums again.

Gabriel's novel, Guarding the Healer, is his first adventure as an "indie" author. While most of his work tends to have an element of the strange to it, it isn't fair to describe everything he writes as simply Horror. A nice blend of genres tends to make a better novel.

Excerpt

The train house had been abandoned for years, but was no less inhabited than a corpse infested with grave worms. Nothing protruded from the plain rectangular building except a small covered porch with limestone columns supporting the tattered eve. Tall slender windows, with ancient glass full of runs, circled both the top and bottom floors. The paint had at one time been a bright yellow, but most of it had peeled away to reveal the rotted wood siding underneath. The columns were hidden in a thick mat of poison oak that vomited its web up over the roof. The dirt road leading to it and the railroad tracks before it were both long unused; the forest had reclaimed the ground, threatening to swallow the train house, as it had the few orphaned houses that were now little more than piles of debris. What had once been the center of travel in Belmount, Indiana now stood dark and silent like a fallen soldier, forgotten by the world.

Nassarius waited for the three young men to emerge from the trees.

Eli Morris, Bill Carter, and Frank Burlin.

They were close now. He could feel them coming. The leaves crumpled and the small brush cracked. He caught their scent in the air; heard their hearts pound in arguing rhythms. Then they emerged, creeping from the forest as clandestine as mice trying to avoid the owl, and scampered onto the porch of the derelict train station. There were two more already inside – a feral beast named . . . Rick Babeneau, and a tiny, frightened child named . . .Sierra Wettel.

Nassarius made to follow the young men, but stopped. Something else was coming.

Out of the trees came several dark shapes, moving with the stealthy pace of hunting lions, and when Nassarius saw them, he understood why he had been called to this place.

The dark creatures were fashioned as men, except for the enormous wings protruding from their hips. They were as black as obsidian glass, with no features – eyes, ears, mouths – other than their basic shape. The grass didn’t crinkle beneath them, the leaves didn’t sway at their passing, neither did they create a breeze by their movements. The light of neither the moon nor even the sun gave them a shadow, for that was their nature.

The Fallen. Demons. Shadow Angels.

Interview with Gabriel Beyers

What will readers like about your book?

Guarding the Healer is a nice blend of horror and suspense combined with Christian mythology. The main character isn't just in physical danger, but also must fight through emotional and psychological dangers as well.

Why did you self publish?

I spent a great deal of time learning how to travel the traditional path. I got some serious looks from agents, but they passed because it wasn't what they were looking for. I grew more and more frustrated by the breakdown of the whole system, and the obstinate stance publishers were taking to the problems. With self publishing I could take my book to the readers -- instead of the gatekeepers -- and let them say if it was good or not.

What is your writing process?

Before my two kids came along I would try to write 2,000 words a day. Now that I'm a father, I just try to write when and where I can.

How long does it take you to write your first draft?

Typically between three and six months.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

One day I got to wondering what guardian angels would think about the people they protect. What would they say about us? How would they feel about the job entrusted to them? What if the angel had to guard someone very special; someone with an important task to accomplish. That's where Guarding the Healer came from.

Hitchhiker---A Suspense Thriller (As the Darkness Falls) by Tim Kizer

Kindle Price:
$0.99
Available from: 

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Author's websites:
www.horror-suspense.com

When a serial killer hitches a ride one sunny day in a beautiful California valley, he does not suspect that he may have met his match, who is dead set to take another life. The battle of wits begins and only the most devious mind will survive.
Bonus: suspense thriller "Intoxication." In this disturbing tale of derangement, a young psychopathic woman is slipping into madness as she fights an enemy that may exist only in her imagination. She has to resort to desperate measures when she realizes that a gun, security cameras in her apartment, and constant vigilance will not be enough to survive.

About Tim Kizer

Tim Kizer is an author of several novels and numerous short stories in the suspense and horror genres. He resides in Southern California and is currently working on his new novel "Judgment Day."

Excerpt 

He was staring at the body of a young tanned man lying in front of him in the thick grass. He had stabbed this guy twice in the chest three minutes ago and now was making certain that the good-looking stranger was actually dead. So far he had not noticed any signs of life, which pleased him very much. Squatting, he searched the dead man's pants pockets and spent a while studying his findings. According to the driver license, his twenty-six-year-old victim's name was Devon Hill. 

Well, you picked the wrong day to hike alone in the woods, Mister Hill.
Besides the license, the wallet contained a few plastic cards and about a dozen dollar bills; he put the cash in his jeans pocket. He decided he would burn Devon's cards and ID when he got out of the forest. With all these CSI wizards around, you could not be too careful and mere shredding was not enough. Then he pocketed the coins he had dug out along with the wallet. It was eight state quarters: Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Arkansas, and Delaware. As he wiped the bloody knife blade on Devon's T-shirt, he looked around, cautiously, as if the danger of being spotted was real. Well, there was no human being as far as the eye could see. Before rising to his feet, he tossed his knife, Devon's wallet and keys in the bag. He could neither keep these three items, nor leave them near the corpse since they were evidence now. He would throw the potential prosecution exhibits in a pond or a river on his way out. 

One hour later he was standing on the side of the freeway, waiting for a tender-hearted driver to give him a lift. It was not too long that he saw an oncoming car, a graphite metallic Chevrolet Malibu, and started waving. He was a bit surprised when the vehicle pulled over and the driver asked him where he was heading.
Well, let's hope it is going to be a fun ride.
"You can put your bag in the back of the car," instructed the driver.
"Okay." He carefully placed his bag on the rear seat and shut the door.
"So you are going to Redding?" the driver said, pressing the gas pedal. He appeared to be around thirty and wore blue washed jeans and a grey short-sleeved shirt.
"Yeah, Redding," he answered.
"My name's David." The driver offered his right hand for a handshake.
"Ron," he replied and shook David's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ron." The driver flashed a sincere smile, which gave Ron a tingling warm feeling in his stomach and chest. Ron thought it would be difficult to make himself murder this guy without some sort of penitence.
He could kill him when they made a stop at an uninhabited spot down the freeway. He could arrange that stop easily: he would say he badly needed to pee or throw up.

Interview with Tim Kizer

What will readers like about your book? 

This book includes two titles: suspense thrillers "Intoxication" and "Hitchhiker." They are both fast-paced page-turners, filled with twists and just the right amount of gore and violence. I think readers will appreciate the subtle suspense and the fresh take on the psycho/mass murderer sub genre. If you like reading about psychopaths and serial killers, this book is for you! And remember: events described in "Intoxication" could happen in any workplace, including yours.

Why did you self publish?

Self publishing gives a writer a lot of control over every aspect of the publishing process. It is the fastest way to reach readers.

What is your writing process?

When I come up with an idea, I start writing scenes that are crucial to the story and will definitely be part of the book. These scenes can be from the beginning, the middle, or the end of the book. I think it helps me make sure that all these three parts are equally strong and give the reader the maximum amount of entertainment.
How long does it take you to write your first draft?
It usually takes about two months to write the first draft of a novel. Novelettes may take two weeks.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

"Intoxication" was inspired by an article about a woman in the state of New York who had gotten her coworker fired for being a witch. It made me wonder: what other outrageous suspicions could people have about their coworkers?
I wrote "Hitchhiker" because I wanted to write about a serial killer in distress. There are not many books on this subject, so I decided to make my contribution.

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Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Kindle Price:
$2.99 (regular list price: $3.99
Available from:
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Author’s Website: www.cherylktardif.com
Blog: www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cherylktardif
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Kaye-Tardif-novels


Reviews:"A chilling and tense journey into every parent's deepest fear." --Scott Nicholson, author of The Red Church

"A nightmarish thriller with a ghostly twist, CHILDREN OF THE FOG will keep you awake...and turning pages!" --Amanda Stevens, author of The Restorer

"Reminiscent of The Lovely Bones, Cheryl Kaye Tardif weaves a tale of terror that will have you rushing to check on your children as they sleep." --bestselling author Danielle Q. Lee, author of Inhuman

"Ripe with engaging twists and turns reminiscent of the work of James Patterson...Children of the Fog possesses you..." --Kelly Komm, author of Sacrifice, an award-winning fantasy



YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:
Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die.
Choose!

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces".

When Sadie's unfaithful husband stumbles across her drawing of the kidnapper, he sets into play a series of horrific events that sends her hurtling over the edge. Sadie's descent into alcoholism leads to strange apparitions and a face-to-face encounter with the monster who abducted her son--a man known only as...The Fog.

About Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Cheryl Kaye Tardif is an award-winning, bestselling Canadian suspense author. Her novels include Divine Justice, Children of the Fog, The River, Divine Intervention, and Whale Song, which New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice calls "a compelling story of love and family and the mysteries of the human heart...a beautiful, haunting novel."

She also enjoys writing short stories, which has resulted in Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories (ebook) and Remote Control (novelette ebook).

Cheryl recently detoured from suspense with her debut contemporary romantic suspense novel, Lancelot's Lady, written under the pen name of Cherish D'Angelo.

Booklist raves, "Tardif, already a big hit in Canada...a name to reckon with south of the border."

Excerpt

She walked down the hall and stopped in front of Sam's room. Her toes tingled as a draft teased her feet. She shivered, then opened the door.

The window that Philip had replaced gaped open―black and hungry―like a mouth waiting to be fed. The curtains flapped in the night wind, two tongues lashing out.

She frowned. Philip hadn't left the window open. He'd gone to work early, without a word to either of them. And Sam couldn't have opened it. He wasn't tall enough.

Did I leave it open?

She crossed the room, barely looking at the mound in the bed. She reached for the window and tugged it shut. The lock clicked into place, the sharp sound shattering the stillness.

Then she glanced at the bed.

Sam hadn't even stirred. But then again, he never did. He was almost comatose when he slept and nothing could wake him early, short of a sonic boom.

She tiptoed to the bed and touched his hair. Then, closing her eyes, she leaned down, kissed his warm forehead and breathed in his sweet child scent. He smelled of chocolate and sunshine.

"Snug as a bug," she whispered.

She stepped back, her foot connecting with something soft and furry. Reaching down, she fumbled in the dark until she found the stuffed toy dog that Philip had given Sam the night before. She moved quietly toward the closet, inched the door open and tossed the toy inside. Then she stepped out into the hall, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

Her gaze flitted to the far end of the hallway, where shadows danced between silk trees that stood in the alcove. Beside the trees―two-thirds up the wall―was a small oval window, and through it, a new moon was visible. It hung in the cloudless sky, a pearlescent pendant on invisible string.

It was a beautiful night, one that was meant to be shared.

Loneliness filled her, but she shrugged it off and plodded down to the kitchen to get a glass of juice. Five minutes later, she went back upstairs, with every intention of crawling into bed and ignoring the fact that Philip hadn't even bothered to call on the night of their son's birthday party.

As she passed Sam's door, a flicker of light beneath it caught her eye. Then she heard a soft thud. Sam must have fallen out of bed again. He had done that on two other occasions. Usually he woke up screaming.

She opened the door and sucked in a breath as her gaze was captured by something that made no sense at all.

The window was open again.

She blinked. "What the―?"

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the bed. It was empty.

"Sam?"

She reached for the light switch.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

At the sound of a stranger's hoarse whisper in her son's bedroom, she did the most natural thing.

She flicked on the light.

Interview with Cheryl Kaye Tardif

What will readers like about your book?

I think readers will like that I have taken a terrifying premise, one that any parent can relate to, and turned it into a "what would YOU do in this situation?" kind of read. Sadie O'Connell is a proud mother of a young boy. Her son Sam is mute, but very bright, and he is her everything. They have such a sweet relationship, something that any parent would treasure.

One night, something horrifying happens. A serial kidnapper breaks into Sadie's house and attempts to abduct Sam. Sadie tries to stop him, but she is overpowered. Not only that, the faceless kidnapper holds a gun to her son's head and tells Sadie he will kill Sam before her eyes if she doesn't let him take Sam.

What would YOU do? And what if he says he'll send your son back in pieces if you tell a soul or describe the abductor? Do you tell?

Readers will also enjoy the moody, isolated setting and the children that come to visit Sadie in CHILDREN OF THE FOG.

Why did you self publish?

I started my writing career as a self-published author back in 2003. I successfully self-published three novels. Then in 2006, my debut novel WHALE SONG was picked up by a small traditional publisher and re-released. I learned a lot from that experience. I was a strong marketer and I absorbed everything I could about the publishing business. Then ebooks came into the picture. It blew traditional publishing models out of the water, and the entire industry shifted.

When I left the traditional publisher, I went back to self-publishing and plunged into ebooks as soon as it was open to Canadians. I've never looked back. My novels have all made various bestsellers lists on Amazon, and WHALE SONG is a national bestseller in Canada. Some of my novels have won small awards. And I'm not finished; I have other books I plan to write.

What is your writing process?

I allow a story plot to ferment in my head for a few days. If it's strong enough, the plot will build almost on its own. That's when I know I have something. I almost always have the title right away. I'll open a folder on my laptop and make notes on the story plot and characters. Then I let it sit until I'm ready to work on it.

When I start writing a novel, I dive in. But I don't rush. I spend a lot of time on the very first sentence. I want it to grab your attention and lure you in. Next, I work on a gripping first paragraph and first page. I like to leave my chapters on a hook or cliff-hanger, something I hope will compel readers to turn the page and keep reading.

I don't write from an outline, but I do use my notes. They usually comprise of an opening scene, a few middle scenes and the ending. From there, I allow my characters to show me where they need to go to complete their journey. They've never led me completely astray from my plot notes, though they do sometimes take me on interesting detours.

I often have editing days where that's all I do. Every time I sit down to write, I edit the last couple of pages to get me "in the mood" and so my characters know I'm there. Yeah, I know that sounds kind of crazy, but that's how I feel. J

How long does it take you to write your first draft?

For CHILDREN OF THE FOG it took about 6 months. Since I don't really do "drafts" as I edit along the way, that is 6 months to write it and edit it to the point that it's ready for a professional editor to do the final touches and catch all my dyslexic mistakes, typos and continuity errors.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

I am inspired by fear, by things that terrify, and sometimes my fears find their ways into my novels.

Though my daughter is now 21, when she was a child, I worried that something would happen to her. This fear was strengthened by the fact that I had lost my first baby―a son who was born after a perfect pregnancy, but died 4 hours later from a fluky brain stem hemorrhage.

So when Jessica was born, I spent the next 18 or so years worried that something would happen to her. Abduction was something I had nightmares about. I'd often wake up and check on her because I was scared someone had crept in and taken her while I was sleeping.

Thus, CHILDREN OF THE FOG was born.

 

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Reunion by Jeff Bennington

Kindle Price:
$1.00
Available from:
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Authors Website: www.jeffbennington.com

Blog: http://thewritingbomb.blogspot.com 

Twitter: @TweetTheBook
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jeff.bennington

Twenty years after surviving a school shooting, Tanner Khan and his fellow classmates reluctantly agree to hold a reunion. Although they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, they come back to their hometown and reunite in the defunct school building. Old flames are rekindled, fears are ignited and their lives are about to explode in a whirlwind of memories, haunted by the spirit of David Ray, the troubled teen who killed many of their classmates. 

Once inside the old school, they discover that a dark entity has joined them. It has come to collect a debt, long overdue and someone has to pay. Will Tanner and his classmates overcome their fears and put the pieces of their lives back together, or will they be consumed by their worst nightmare? Find out in this groundbreaking suspense thriller that is frightening and powerfully moving.

About Jeff Bennington


Jeff Bennington is the author of Reunion, Killing the Giants and The Rumblin’. Jeff lives in Central Indiana with his wife, four children and two stray cats. He teaches a creative writing class for a home-school co-op and has consulted small publishers regarding author platform building and ePublishing. Jeff grew up in Aurora, Ohio,  settled in Central Indiana and graduated from Indiana University in 2001 where the seeds of his writing career took root. Mr. Bennington blogs weekly at The Writing Bomb about writing and publishing and contributes to the blog, Criminal Minds at Work. 

Excerpt: 

David Ray stood in front of his mirror, dressed to kill. I look good, he thought, like the real deal, like a real killer. He narrowed his eyes, grit his teeth and unfolded his checklist. Sharp blades of black hair dangled in front of his face, covering the brownish rings that encircled his eyes. He peered at his scribbled writing and read the list as he felt his insides tense with hatred.

This is it, he thought. No room for mistakes. 

David had learned over time that life needed to be carefully navigated to avoid pain. He had come to the conclusion that the only way to control his life was by controlling the lives around him. The list helped him stay on track. He paced back and forth, quietly going over the details of his plans as his adrenalin increased.

He slouched down at his desk, clenched his hair as it draped over his eyes and pondered how the neglect and abuse he’d suffered had snuffed the music from his soul. David longed for old, familiar melodies to bring him comfort and laughter, but found only the clamoring sound of an off-tempo dirge. Although he tried to arrange the chords and time signatures in a way that was intelligible to his ear, he stepped out of time, his notes were flat, and those around him cringed and laughed. He was humiliated and he hated them for it.

He glanced at a picture on the desk of his mother holding his hand as a young child. It stood in a bright red clay frame; a misshapen art project from the fourth grade. Neither of them looked happy, and a lot had happened over the past eight years. Smiles were a rare commodity in their household. He turned the picture face down and stood up.

David walked to his small window. He pushed the roll-up blind to the side, peeked through the glass and watched the fog sinking into the sage-covered valley to the east. He observed the sun stretch its arms over the rocky hilltops to wake the ponderosa pines and heard the mountain bluebirds singing in the distance. For the last time, he witnessed the river in the valley, flowing downward in search of rapids and lower ground. He stared into the gorge with cold and unfeeling eyes. The sight reminded him of the time when Bill, his stepfather, had taken him down there and let him shoot his shotgun just for fun. David knew the activity was meant to keep him silent, a form of hush money.

Peering through the dirty glass, he thought about his plan to finally get even with everyone who’d taunted and bullied him. Today was the day they’d finally get what they had coming to them. Today the world would sit up and take notice of David Ray. Those kids and their families would be sorry. Now they’d know some of his misery. They could kiss goodbye their happy days of Mom’s cookies, home-cooked meals, and playing ball with Dad.

A sliver of sunlight struck his eyes. David squinted and released the window blind. He preferred the darkness.

Interview with Jeff Bennington

What will readers like about your book? 


Reunion is a mixed genre fiction with elements of suspense, romance, horror and the supernatural. Readers and reviews have enjoyed the fact that Reunion is rounded, emotionally engaging, frightning, moving with a twisted and unexpected ending.

Why did you self publish? 


Indie publishing makes sense to writers who are growing their readership and are willing to work extra hard. An author with a list of well written books has the potential to be very successful without the demands of an industry that cares little for the author and more about the investors. I care about my readers. I work hard. I get my work professionally edited. I offer full distribution and my books are returnable. That's as good as a traditional publisher and I'm happy with that.

What is your writing process? 


I play a thunderstorm on my ipod, and start writing stuff. Actually I use a basic plot outline and characters sketches, nothing extravegant, and make up the rest.

How long does it take you to write your first draft? 3-6 months. After that, I obsess over the details...another 3-6 months. After that I put it away or send it to an editor. Eitherway, I've learned that fresh eyes make fresh material.

What inspired you to write this particular story? 


Have you ever wondered what becomes of the students who have been traumatized by a school shooting? Or have you puzzled over what might cause a child to intentionally murder his or her peers? Have you questioned what the long-term effects might be on the victims? How would their lives change? Who would make the most of their journey after the shooting? Who would lose their faith? Who might find it?

        I did.

Over the years, I’ve wondered if the survivors would be able to return to the place where they watched their friends and classmates suffer, and die, at the hand of a crazed teen? How would they perceive those memories twenty years later?

These are the questions that have swirled through my mind every time I’d learn of yet another school shooting. I cringe when I hear that another young person has gone off the deep end and killed his classmates, leaving this world a darker and colder place with every bullet fired. The fact that it happens forces us to question what is wrong with our society—that this is even possible. The arguments are endless. But I didn’t write this story to discuss politics. I wrote this story because I was interested in finding the answers and because I actually do care about the future of these victims.

 

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Bloom's Desk by Jeffrey Littorno

Kindle Price:

$6.99

Available from:

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Author's websites:

thingsofhorror.weebly.com

Following several years of teaching abroad, Glen Davis and his wife Christine have settled into a comfortable life in Northern California. Glen enjoys his teaching position at a local high school. Christine is studying at community college. Then the voices start... A long-dead serial killer named Robert Bloom has chosen Glen as the one to continue his deadly hobby.
 

About  Jeffrey Littorno
In addition to having taught English in Northern California and abroad, Jeffrey Littorno has always been attracted to the horror genre in both books and movies. “Even from a young age, I can remember gathering around the television every Friday night for Creature Features with Bob Wilkins. I think I still have an autographed picture of him around here somewhere.” Littorno’s enthusiasm for horror has resulted in a recently published novel, Bloom’s Desk. The novel upon which he is currently working is tentatively entitled Soul Hostage and also includes elements of horror.

Excerpt:

The thought of going back to the classroom was absent from his mind until a voice from nowhere placed it there with a whisper. “Go open your desk.” The idea made no sense to him, and Glen brushed it aside as just one of those ridiculous thoughts that pop into your head from time to time. Those thoughts like telling your boss what you really think of him or throwing a rock through the church’s huge stain-glassed window were impulses that might very well come to anyone. However, sane people paid no attention to them. Glen certainly counted himself among the sane and paid no attention to this thought. That is, until it was repeated.

The male voice had a slight European accent, “Go open your desk.”

Without giving it a conscious thought, Glen began walking slowly back across the parking lot toward the school. Just before he reached the curb of the sidewalk separating the rough pavement of the parking lot from the smooth sidewalk and lawn of the campus, Glen asked himself just what exactly he was doing. That was certainly a good question. Why was he heading back to his classroom in the middle of the night to look inside of a desk?

Before he could find an answer to that question, Glen found himself surrounded by bright light.

Interview with Jeffrey Littorno

What will readers like about your book?

Bloom’s Desk is at its heart an old-fashioned ghost story. Who doesn’t love a ghost story? There is a good deal of humor in the book, and much of it comes at inappropriate times. I hope this keeps the reader engaged in the story and trying to figure out what is going to happen. The best compliment I got regarding the book came from my father who read the manuscript before it was published. Halfway through it, he told me, “I have no idea where the story is going, but I want to find out.”

Why did you self-publish?

I decided to self-publish out of impatience. I remember the months of waiting that I experienced when trying to get some short stories published many years ago. I didn’t want to go through that again. Plus, the more I read about self-publishing, the more it appeared to be a great way to publish without giving up all the control over the finished product.

What is your writing process?

My writing process consists of writing as much as I can when I can. Of course, the “when I can” part doesn’t always come when I want it. I have had days when I spent hours working on one page or maybe just staring at a blank page. Then late at night when I want to go to bed, the ideas start coming fast and furious not allowing me to go to bed. I wish I could say that my writing process involved coming up with carefully considered outlines or storyboards. But that would be a lie. Maybe more comfortable, but still a lie. With Bloom’s Desk, as strange as it sounds, I really feel like the writing took me in the direction it wanted to go. The story idea that I had when I started the book turned out to be very different from the finished product. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure exactly how the book was going to end until about three days before it was finished.

How long does it take you to write your first draft?

Well, from start to finish, the first draft probably took a little over a year. But there were many weeks during that time when the story sat inside my computer, and I wasn’t sure that I would or even wanted to finish it. In some ways, I have the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to thank for getting it finished. And no, I wasn’t locked up. I was working as a teacher at a prison in Southern California. Whenever there was any problem in the buildings, teachers were not allowed to visit inmates or conduct classes. This left lots of free time, which I filled by working on the book. So it could be said that Bloom’s Desk was written during lockdowns.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

I have always been a big fan of Stephen King and Peter Straub, so I never really considered writing in any other genre. As I mentioned earlier, I had a very different idea of the story in the beginning stages. However, as far as inspiration, I have to admit that a great deal of the story is taken from my own life. Like Glen, I spent time teaching abroad. The two of us also share the fact that we married Korean women. We both taught high school in Northern California. And we both hear the voice of a dead serial killer telling us to do terrible things. No, forget that last part, but the other details are from my life. The story’s wilder twists and turns simply came from somewhere inside my head. That fact certainly doesn’t make my wife feel comfortable. To tell the truth, she seems to be looking at me quite differently since reading this book.


 

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Darklands: a vampire's tale by Donna Burgess

Zombified (Episode 2: Yankee Heights) by Matt Di Spirito

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Matts Website.

Welcome to Yankee Heights.

Matty is on the way to Colonial University when the first harrowing
events in a night of terror unfold. He can't even enjoy the carnal
pleasures of a frat party without the undead showing up. Zombies swarm
into the upscale city, overrunning the dormitories, university campus,
and suburban sprawl. Matty is determined to survive.

Clinical Lycanthropy by Tim Garrity

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Mark Enos arrives in his native Massachusetts fresh off a tour of duty in Iraq a broken man. Destitute, drug addled and racked by recurring nightmares, Mark sinks deeper into darkness and despair until one night he is attacked by a strange beast. In an instant Mark’s life begins to turn around; physically he feels stronger, the nightmares disappear and he begins to pick up the pieces of his broken life. Though seemingly blessed with a second chance at life Mark begins to question his ‘gift’ as his injuries heal at a preternatural rate and he begins to encounter a series of strange happenings. It isn’t long before Mark feels that the beast that set upon him that fateful night was no ordinary animal and that its bite transformed him into something monstrous and terrible. Mark’s fears of being cursed are only intensified as a series of grisly murders occur around town and all clues seem to lead to him. As Mark is forced to run from the authorities the panicked townsfolk are left to wonder as the full moon rises just what stalks their streets and prowls their backyards, a disturbed young man or a savage beast?

Salt Bowl Death by Cypher Lx

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In 1876 on the Salt Flats of Utah, a prehistoric bacterium came to life when it entered the bloodied wounds of a small posse of lawmen and spread like wildfire. Two years later, the territories are overrun with the walking dead. Salt Bowl Death begins with a bounty hunter called The Reaper by those who have encountered him. Dressing in all black and riding a steed with a hellish spirit, The Reaper cuts down the undead population…for a price. No normal person feels at ease around him, whether it’s due to his reputation or the fact that he keeps his face covered. The town of Fortuna, Arizona becomes the one place where he finds that he is not alone in his quest.

Zombified: Episode 1: Wooneyville (Volume 1) by Matt Di Spirit

Classic zombie horror comes to Wooneyville! Joey wakes up to a bone-chilling call from his girlfriend, Dana. She is a nurse on the front lines as the dead and dying develop a hankering for human flesh. Joey grabs his gun and heads off to find her before the undead overwhelm everyone. He has a plan: meet up with his childhood buddy, save his girl, and hold up in his parents' well-stocked house. Nothing ever goes has planned, however.

Mental Shrillness by Todd Russell

About Mental Shrillness

The Mental Shrillness ward will shock you with six twist ending horror tales: experience a showdown between a ramshackle mansion and a soldier's painful, recurring war memories, a spouse's gruesome betrayal, intense love and loss inside a haunted bathtub, marriage devotion warped into sadomasochism, a compelling voice with self-mutilation intentions, and a nightmarish struggle at a carnival between good and evil.

Dead Mech - Jake Bible

Hundreds of years after the zombie apocalypse decimates the world, human civilization has put itself back together again. Their secret weapon against the zombie hordes: the Mechs. Massive robotic battle machines.

But what happens when a mech pilot dies in his mech and becomes a zombie?

Hell on earth is unleashed...

Prepare for a high action, fast paced, hell ride through a futuristic wasteland as Mech Base Commander James Capreze and his crew of mech pilots battle zombies, cannibals, religious cults and worst of all, the Dead Mechs, all to try and save the human race one last time.

Jake Bible's Dead Mech:

The future may not be completely dead, but it's on its way...

Asylum Lake - R. A. Evans

The State's second largest Psychopathic Hospital opened in 1917 on 600 wooded acres overlooking a small lake near Bedlam Falls, Michigan. Through its doors came the weak and the weary, the disabled and the discarded, the frail and the forgotten. But an open door is an invitation, and some visitors, once invited, are loath to leave. The hospital abruptly closed in 1958 under a cloud of mystery. It has remained empty and silent, save for the memories trapped both within its walls and far below the surface of the nearby lake that bears its name. At the bottom of Asylum Lake, the unremembered are growing restless. Brady Tanner is trying to outrun memories of his own. After the sudden death of his wife, Brady retreats to the small town where he spent the summers of his youth. But he soon learns small towns can be stained by memories…and secrets, too. As Brady is drawn into unearthing these secrets, as he discovers a new love in an old friend, he is also drawn into the mystery of Asylum Lake and the evil that lies submerged beneath its sparkling surface. What is the source of this evil - and what does it want with Brady Tanner?

Going to the Sun - Dan Spencer

Craig and Trina Boddicker take a sudden, secretive vacation. Relatives are alarmed; Trina is in the advanced stages of ALS disease. Her sister frets. A psychic senses danger. But the authorities won't intervene.

Enter Mo Choate, a widower and retired FBI agent who is curiously indebted to the psychic. He investigates the Boddickers' unconventional lives and grows suspicious of their intentions. Then Mo pursues the husband and wife on a macabre journey across the American Midwest.

The Well - Peter Labrow