From the Depths-Multiple Authors

So, after a long hiatus accompanied by multiple day job changes which resulted in massive life disarray, I am making my triumphant return with a review of an excellent anthology that seems to have been overlooked by the masses.

Lydia Prime edited this anthology and also has a story within its pages. The incomparable, Ramsey Campbell, introduces the stories inside with an insightful foreword.

The writers were asked to come up with stories that expressed who they are as authors. Many of them explore the true demons that haunt humanity. Alcoholism, death, lost love, and cowardice are themes that many of us have experienced first hand. Horror as a genre often utilizes monstrous beings to represent our greatest fears and weaknesses.

Some of these stories, like a great many horror stories, straddle the lines of horror/sci-fi/dark fantasy. This is one the things I love most about horror. It colors outside the lines.

There is a Stephen Kingish, leave you guessing, element to many of these tales, which is another thing I love about this genre. It encourages deeper thought after the story ends and I think many writers are drawn to it because of that. There is always more to the story, thus more that can be written.

I highly recommend this book, a five star read for sure!

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Watchers-by Dean Koontz

So I finally read a Dean Koontz book. I started with Watchers because several people in my circle said that it’s his best. Well it is entertaining, but incredibly simplistic. Everyone is too wonderful in this book. Well, there’s one guy that’s so awful that I would cringe when he showed up, but all the other wonderful people make up for that one guy. There’s a guy that’s sad that his wife died to the point of being suicidal, but he gets over that pretty easily. And a girl who was basically locked up from society her entire childhood and early adult life by a crazy aunt, but she gets over that pretty quickly too. Oh yeah, and of course she doesn’t realize how beautiful she is… Then there’s a guy who’s marriage is suffering, but not because he’s having affairs or anything. He just works too much. But forget all that simplicity and just read it for the dog, the wonderful dog!

I don’t get why people categorize Dean Koontz with Stephen King. Maybe because they’re both rich horror writers? Stephen King doesn’t allow any of his characters to be this wonderful and sappy though. Even the heroic ones have bigger issues than just being introverted or workaholics and such. It’s like how holy roller Christians group Satanists and Athiests. Not the same thing at all.

Anyway, I’m not giving up on Dean Koontz yet. I acquired this whole collection of his books from a friend:

Anyone want to suggest which one I read next?

As for Watchers, I give it 3 stars. It gets that many because it is a very entertaining read and if you’re a dog lover, you’ll love it just for the awesomeness that is Einstein, the Golden Retriever! Oh and of course there is a cool monster, but I feel sorry for him. Kind of like a Frankenstein’s monster sort of scenario.

Darkness Calls: Tales From the Shadows-by Alyson Faye

This anthology was my first excursion into the wonderful and brilliant mind of Alyson Faye! I will definitely be looking for more from her! It was right up my alley, with deadly angels and ghost children and the like. I especially love ghost children!

I was reading, “All the Lost Children” (in broad daylight on my patio) and then heard children laughing outside in the distance and nearly jumped out of my skin!  Horror writing at its best!!!

All the stories are awesome in this anthology and she hits the ground running with everyone’s favorite anti-Santa, Krampus.

I loved every story but shoutout to, “All the Lost Children” and “Shadow Children” because, well, ghost kids, and “Fallen Angel” because angels aren’t supposed to be nice! I also loved “Dream Catcher” and would love to see a whole novel spring from that one!

Buy it here for your Kindle on Amazon, guys!

Darkness Calls: Tales From the Shadows

Hantu Macabre by Jill Girardi

Hantu Macabre is a thrill ride from start to finish! Jill Girardi takes us on an awesome trip through the landscape and ancient mythology of Malaysia. The main character, Suzanna Sim, is a tough, but down on her luck private investigator of black magic and occult crimes. She’s had a rough life after being abandoned at a very young age, but she never lost her heart. Her assistant is a toyol, which is a supernatural creature capable of sneaking in and out of places unseen by the inhabitants. A very useful skill when investigating other worldly crimes!

There are so many twists and turns in the novel and surprises right up until the end. The book leaves the reader wanting so much more and I can’t wait til Jill give us another glimpse into the life of Suzanna Sim!

This is for sure a 5 star read because it’s story telling at it’s best, with no dull moments.

Buy it here!

Twisted: Tainted Tales by Janine Pipe

Just finished reading this delightful romp through the mind of the extremely talented, Janine Pipe! I had read her stories before in the women of horror anthologies published by Kandisha Press and loved them, so it was a no brainer to purchase this little ditty! As usual, she wows the reader with her creativity by presenting this collection as lost papers of a semi-famous author written as an 80s mixtape, complete with titles of 80s songs for each story. Since my partying days long, long, ago were in the 80s, I was drawn to that. But then again, who doesn’t love 80s music?!

Each story is so well done and fires up the reader’s imagination and anticipation immediately upon entry. Many of them leave the reader wanting more, much in the same style as shorts by the illustrious, Stephen King. The collection is permeated with ghosts, legendary creatures, folklore; a buffet of all things horror.

I also love that she put author notes at the end of each tale. I love getting a glimpse into the writer’s mind. And of course I’m drawn to her writing because much like me she is heavily influenced by the TV show, Supernatural.

Janine Pipe with her awesome range when it comes to writing horror, is on her way to being a force to be reckoned with in the horror writing community. I give this anthology 5 stars!

Here’s the link on Amazon:

Twisted: Tainted Tales

The One That Got Away-Edited by Jill Girardi

The One That Got Away is a wonderful romp through the minds of women of horror! This third anthology by Kandisha Press is loaded with stories for every horror pallet imaginable. It hits the ground running with the very first story, “Heavy Metal Coffin” by Amira Krista Calvo and never lets the reader up for air throughout. Be prepared to miss a few days of work, for this one. Maybe plan ahead and take a vacation! 🙂

I enjoyed all the stories, but some of my favorites were, “The Incident on Asteroid 4 Pandora” by Stevie Kopas, “The Lady Crow” by Lucy Rose, “Rippers” by Ellie Douglas, and as always, Carmen Baca’s work is spellbinding in “Atla’s Journey”. I really loved, “The Last Thread” by Paula R.C. Readman; such an unexpected twist with that one! And “Dear Meat” by J Snow; dystopian terror at it’s best! Catherine McCarthy hits the mark again with, “Lure”! “The Letter” by Lydia Prime is crazy creative and dark humor at its best! Last but not least, “Should Have Gone to Vegas” by Janine Pipe is loaded with delicious, visceral, horrific gore!

This is the best anthology yet from Kandisha Press! This anthology is loaded with every horror lover’s dreams: monsters, dystopian futures, the undead and so much more! Much like real life, nothing is as seems; in the suburbs, on fishing trips, in space and everywhere in between!

The One That Got Away is another 5 star offering by Kandisha Press! Make sure your lights are on and doors are locked when you read it!

Here’s the link:

The One That Got Away

#AmReading #Horror

I’m back on track with both reading and writing. My current read above, The One That Got Away, is another winner published by Kandisha Press! It’s the third installment of horror anthologies written by women. I’m loving it and will write a full review when I’m finished.

So far it’s loaded with delectable monsters; an evil goddess, an alien monster, robotics gone terribly wrong and so much more! But sometimes, man is the worst monster of all. Be careful who you make this statement to guys, “We never said we were exclusive. I’m sorry if you thought we were.” Yikes!

I’m also hard at work on a new horror short, “The Light”. It’s a stand alone story, but will also act as the next chapter of, Darkest Timeline.

The idea for the story was inspired by this photo:

Happy reading and writing everyone! Hope everyone is staying well and safe!

Tremble by Nikki Freeman

Tremble is a fun ride! A page turner for sure, or button pusher if you’re reading on Kindle. 🙂 I could hardly catch my breath as I read it, and almost lost my job because it was so hard to put down!

It’s both a psychological and paranormal thriller! The suspense and surprises along the way keep the reader on her toes. The main character, Becca, has been recently widowed, but thought she had found love again with someone she had considered a friend. It turns out that her friend/lover has a very dark side which he was expert at hiding from everyone, as truly sinister people often are. She returns to her childhood home to escape him, in spite of the the tragic memories of an abusive mother that she had escaped so many years before. But the haunting of memories in the old house is nothing compared to the actual haunting that she had forgotten about. Her childhood imaginary friend, was not so imaginary it turns out.

Becca manages to find true love in the form of a helpful neighbor soon after she returns to her childhood home, but she and those around her are in constant danger from her psycho former lover and the supernatural. Nikki Freeman even delves into the mind of the serial killing ex-boyfriend as he relentlessly pursues Becca by any means necessary.

I’d like to think Ms. Freeman is a Supernatural fan like me because at one point a ghost hunter in the story says, “Son of a bitch! That’s awesome!” Seems like she’s paying homage to Dean Winchester there! 😉

I loved this book and there’s even a twist at the end, which I really love! Sequel maybe?! Tremble by Nikki Freeman is a 5 star read for sure!

Here’s the link for Tremble published by Hellbound Books:

Tremble by Nikki Freeman

Graveyard Smash-Multiple Authors

My very own copy of this awesome anthology!

This is the second horror anthology I’ve read from Kandisha Press and I’m about to start the third. This publisher with Jill Girardi at the helm are experts in finding the best horror stories I’ve ever laid eyes on and they are all written by women! Jill Girardi noticed that most stories in horror anthologies are written by men, so she found her niche in publishing, supporting and promoting women horror writers. I just love a good horror story and I don’t care who writes it, so I have been thrilled with the talent that is compiled in these anthologies put forth by Kandisha Press!

The reader is immediately sucked in by the first story, Holes, by R.A. Busby. It’s a page turner and draws you helplessly into the entire anthology. The stories that follow provide tales of ghosts, djinn (one of my favorite mythical creatures), zombies, a mummy, ancient gods, etc… supplying something for all horror tastes! There’s even one with monster hunters, and I can’t list the title because it gives away the big twist in the story. I was particularly drawn to that one because, yes, that’s right, (say it together, my small bevy of blog followers) I love Supernatural! (Or I guess you guys would say, she loves Supernatural!)

I give 5 stars to this anthology and to every author! As with the first Kandisha Press anthology, Under Her Black Wings, I almost lost my day job because it was so difficult to stop reading the exciting, suspenseful and entertaining stories between its covers and get a little shut eye! Not to mention the lingering, haunted feeling one feels when reading great horror!

Here’s the link for Graveyard Smash:

GRAVEYARD SMASH

And for Under Her Black Wings:

UNDER HER BLACK WINGS

And for the new anthology, The One That Got Away, that came out just in time for Women in Horror Month:

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Arbitrium by Esther Howard

Arbitrium is a noun which means, the power to decide. The three tales contained in this volume are all about choices and the consequences of said choices. These are haunting stories that will keep you thinking long after you finish them.

Esther Howard is an up and coming writer who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. She is currently working on her PhD in Victorian Literature with a sub focus in British Caribbean Colonial Studies. Esther brings a diverse background and extensive knowledge of classical literature to her writing. She is also a big Marvel fan, because, well, who isn’t?!

This is a five star effort from a future household name! Can’t wait to hear her interview on NPR one day!

The book is available on Amazon for 2.99 for Kindle and free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Here’s the link:

Arbitrium by Esther Howard