M.M. Hudson's Blog, page 24
October 19, 2022
That Which Cannot BE Undone edited by Jess Landry: Multiple Authors #giveaway #spotlight #Halloween #horror
That Which Cannot Be Undone
An Ohio Horror Anthology
edited by Jess Landry
Beneath Ohio’s congenial midwestern facade lies a dark underbelly of urban legends, cursed sites, and unseen terrors. From a woman drawn to an underwater town haunted by its last resident to a killer desperately seeking to experience new life through the teeth of his victims, these eighteen stories all take place in the Buckeye State, some drawn from already-known accounts of strangeness and infamous settings, others completely the author’s invention.
Edited by Bram Stoker Award-winner Jess Landry, That Which Cannot Be Undone features works from new and established voices in horror, including Bram Stoker Award-winners Gary A. Braunbeck, Tim Waggoner, Lucy A. Snyder, Gwendolyn Kiste, and Kealan Patrick Burke, and New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Megan Hart.
The Editor, Jess Landry is a Canadian screenwriter, director, editor, and Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including ALIENS VS PREDATORS: ULTIMATE PREY, and she co-edited the Bram Stoker Award- and British Fantasy Award-nominated anthology, THERE IS NO DEATH, THERE ARE NO DEAD.
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$20 Amazon
October 18, 2022
Spidersight by Tirzah M.M. Hawkins #giveaway #horror #Halloween
Spidersight
by Tirzah M.M. Hawkins
Genre: Horror
Have you met Fred? He's the imaginary friend of 5-year-old Missy. Missy insists to everyone that Fred is real. No one believes her until Fred starts doing horrible things.
Missy seems like any other 5-year-old except that she believes that she sees spiders that no one else can. Her parents are only mildly worried because every 5-year-old has a big imagination. But bad things start happening wherever Missy goes. People start dying.
Come along for this paranormal, creature horror, and you just might end up more afraid of spiders after you finish reading.
Amazon* Apple* B&N* Kobo * Bookbub* Goodreads
Tirzah M.M. Hawkins is an author of all things dark including horror, fantasy, and snippets of sci-fi. She began writing stories when she was ten years old. Some of her favorites at that age were The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia.
After watching too many horror movies at a young age, she has only recently been able to start sleeping with her feet uncovered at night.
She lives with her husband and their many fur (and feathered) babies including at any given time dogs, cats, horses, goats, pigs (that have happy lives until they are eaten), and chickens (who are only around for eggs).
Her favorite hobbies are reading, writing, researching, school (she currently is board certified as a holistic health practitioner and is enrolled in a doctorate of natural medicine program), singing, and listening to music.
Newsletter* Facebook* Twitter * Instagram* Bookbub* Amazon* Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
October 17, 2022
The Dark Unicorn by N. Jane Quackenbush #giveaway #middlegrade #unicorns #Halloween
Middle-Grade Fantasy
Date Published: 08-31-2021
Publisher: Hidden Wolf Books
The Mulberry Mansion harbors more than one peculiar mystery. Vintage circus freak decor, oddly decorated bed chambers, and sensational sandwiches are just the beginning of the phenomena. Deep within the attic, twelve-year-old Cloette and her brother, Rocco, discover a twisted glowing blanket fort magically hovering, luring them to enter. From within, they uncover the "Ticklish Tome", an enchanted ticklish book that sucks them away into the eerie realm of Neverwood.
The remarkable land is under an unusual incantation from the wildly wicked Wretched Harridan and is in need of help only the siblings can provide. But the reluctant heroes doubt their abilities to help against such a devilish fearsome foe. With their one chance to break the spell quickly approaching, the race against time is quickly vanishing.
Will Cloette and Rocco discover their own powers in order to save the enchanted realm of Neverwood?
Can they rescue Prism, the most magical dark unicorn in existence?
Will they have any hope of ever returning home?
Will they ever taste sensational sandwiches ever again?
About the Author
Nancy Jane Quackenbush is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida. She enjoys being outside, observing curious habits of our natural world, stargazing, playing games, imagining quirky realities, talking to strangers, eating gobs of chocolate and is amazed by all the wonders of the universe. For more information, go to www.hiddenwolfbooks.com
Contact Links
a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 16, 2022
October 15, 2022
October 14, 2022
Surrogate For A Vampire by Nina R. Schluntz #Vampires #Giveaway #Halloween #spotlight
Every vampire has one goal- to find a surrogate human strong enough to birth their heir.
Surrogate for a Vampire spans three vampire love stories entangled around the fate of one man, who refuses to be a human, a traditional surrogate, or a vampire.
Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today.
Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves into the science fiction and fantasy realm. Their three cats are always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration, whether it is a howl from the stray born in the backyard or an encouraging bite from the so called “calming kitten.”
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
</
October 13, 2022
#Spotlight: Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley #cozymysteries #bookseries #Halloween
Synopsis:
Paige and her adventurous Aunt Glo inherit a country inn from eccentric GeeGee. They pack up and hit the road, arriving at the charming place they both loved since childhood. Finally! They can get into the secret room in the basement that GeeGee kept locked! They discover it’s a wonderful library filled to the brim with mystery books. But more than the room was a secret – it’s a magical place that houses enchanted books. Paige and Glo find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a murder mystery, along with a motley group of book club friends. The club will need to work together to solve the case in order to get out of the book and back to their home.
Book Details:Read an excerpt:Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Published by: Indie
Publication Date: July 15th 2022
Number of Pages: 210
ASIN: B0B3WLF7CW
Series: Magical Mystery Book Club #1
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said the locksmith. He took a step back and scratched his head. He’d been at it for twenty minutes and still hadn’t opened the door. “It doesn’t make sense. This takes a skeleton key. It should be a simple task. People can do it with a couple of Allen wrenches. I’ve even done it with a pair of paperclips.”
“So, what do we do now?” Glo asked.
“Best thing is to contact a carpenter. Since the hinges are inside, he’ll have to drill the lock. It’ll destroy the lock and damage your door, though.”
“We don’t have much choice. We want to get into the room, so we’ll have to do it,” I said.
After the locksmith left, we looked up a couple of local contractors, but any openings were days away. We texted Theo but hadn’t heard back from him yet.
We decided to start the day by sorting out the kitchen. There were plenty of dishes and dry goods, but the organization was an absolute mess.
“How in the world did she work in this disaster?” Glo mumbled. “You’d spend half your time searching for things!” She was emptying out a cabinet. She pulled out an odd assortment of dishes, pots, cleaning supplies, and canned goods. She started to laugh and held up a hundred-piece puzzle in one hand and a shoeshine kit in the other.
“Now this makes perfect sense.” She was snorting. “Make dinner, clean up, shine your shoes and do a puzzle.”
I held up a few treasures from the cabinet I was working on. “And here you go. In case you need a spare pair of socks, a stack of plastic containers – no lids – and printer ink.”
“It’s like a treasure hunt! It’s good for us to sort through all this anyhow.”
“True,” I agreed. “Then we’ll know what we’ve got. Let me find some paper and a pen and we’ll start a list of things we need.”
I began to sort through the typical drawers most people would use for things like pens and scratch paper, then groaned. “You know what’s in her junk drawers? Talcum powder, coffee creamer, clothespins, and aha! The soup bowls!”
“Where’s the very last place you’d look for a pen and paper? Try that first,” snickered Glo.
“Probably the bathroom,” I joked. “I’ll just make a list on my phone.”
I opened another cabinet and groaned at the stack of boxes and plastic containers jammed into every inch. They were filled with random stuff. I took them to the table and dumped them out.
“Holy Toledo! Glo, look at this!” I stood up and did a little dance around the kitchen. I shimmied over to her, then held up a very old-looking skeleton key.
~ ~ ~
“I feel like we should have a drum roll or a trumpet fanfare—”
“—or fireworks!” laughed Glo. “At least a countdown. Five … four … three … two … one! Blastoff!”
I turned the key and heard the click as it unlocked. “Houston, we have liftoff.”
I twisted the knob and pushed the door open. There was a set of stairs to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs was another door. We opened it. Impossibly, there was another set of stairs. At the bottom of those stairs was yet another door. It required a skeleton key to open. I stared at the key in my hand. “You better work,” I told the key.
The key worked smoothly, and I opened the door.
Our jaws dropped and neither of us spoke. You could have heard a cotton ball drop.
Finally, Glo broke the silence. “Holy macaroni! This is insane!”
“How could she have kept this secret our whole lives?” I wondered.
“WHY did she keep this secret?” Glo added.
“This room is the size of the entire house! It’s enormous. Ginormous!” I whistled.
“This secret space is underneath the inn! How is it two stories high? Is that even structurally sound? This is bizarre.”
The room was indeed two levels high, connected by a brass spiral staircase. In the front area, where we were glued to the spot, was a large seating area with eight cozy floral patterned armchairs. A beautiful wooden coffee table sat in the middle. There was an antique globe on a brass stand, and a stone fireplace like the one upstairs. This one had an intricately carved wood mantle and a stone hearth. A large statue of a woman holding a book was centered on the mantle.
“Look at all these books!” exclaimed Glo, spinning in a circle.
“This is the library GeeGee referred to in her will! Remember? She said she’s putting us in charge. That it’s priceless!”
“I am beyond confused, Paige. How is this even possible? GeeGee was just a sweet little innkeeper. She was the lady who baked us cookies and homemade stew. And she was hiding all this right under our feet?!”
***
Excerpt from Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley. Copyright 2022 by Elizabeth Pantley. Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Pantley. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Elizabeth Pantley says that writing her Mystery and Magic book series is the most fun she's ever had at work. Fans of the series say her joy is evident through the engaging stories she tells. Elizabeth is also the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, a beautiful inspiration for her enchanted worlds.
Catch Up With Elizabeth Pantley:www.NoCrySolution.co
Get More Great Reads
October 12, 2022
A Feast For Pleasant Beasts by J. T. Bird #giveaway #childrensbooks #kindness #Halloween
A Feast For Pleasant Beasts
by J.T. Bird
Genre: A Children's Picture Book about Friendship, Kindness and Manners
It’s not only bears that cherish a secret picnic…
Every July beasts gather in the forest for a feast and plenty of fun, but if you wish to attend then you need to have marvellous manners. Whether you’re a troll, a yeti, cyclops, or pungent monster - it really doesn’t matter so long as you’re reasonably pleasant. But - surprise surprise - things don’t always go according to plan.
From award-winning author and comedian JT Bird comes a delicious blend of Where the Wild Things Are and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. This is a joyous tale about friendship, kindness, and oodles of creamy desserts. Perfect for early readers - it will teach children about tolerance and good old fashioned values, whilst sparking a few giggles too.
(And it’s just the ticket for fans of peculiar creatures)
J T Bird is an award-winning stand-up comedian from North London, where he lives with his wife and child. His humble abode sits neatly between the former homes of HG Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson...so there's no pressure to write something utterly successful and wonderful.Bird was actually 'The Chosen One' that prophets foresaw would rescue the world from all the powers of darkness - however, he opted for a career as a clown and author instead...Website
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
October 11, 2022
A Hill To Dye On by Rebecca McKinnon #giveaway #Spotlight #Cozymysteries #Halloween
Cozy Mystery2nd in Series
Setting – A small town in the Rocky Mountains
Independently Published (October 13, 2022)
Number of Pages: 250
Digital ASIN : B0B6D7BXL4
About Rebecca McKinnon
Summer has made its way up the mountain to Clear Creek, and with the new season, the town is offering a slew of summer classes at the community center. Happy to participate, Jemma and her yarn shop sponsor a fiber-dying class taught by her oldest friend, Kitty.
When a mysterious man walks into class, something about him pulls Jemma into a tangle. Learning Kitty once knew him, Jemma has questions — but her friend is staying mum. Then Jemma goes on an early-morning walk and discovers the man dead.
This time, Jemma’s determined to stay out of the investigation — until she learns that because of a past she’s been hiding, Kitty is the main suspect! Unwilling to turn her back on her friend, Jemma starts looking for a dropped stitch.
Because somewhere, there’s a person with dye on their hands.
Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.
Author Links
Purchase Link – Amazon
October 10, 2022
Vampire Musings Compiled by Bertena Varney #vampires #Halloween #shortstories
Vampire MusingsArticles and Short StoriesCompiled by Bertena VarneyASIN : B0B2QJ5FQCPublication Date: May 29, 2022Print Length: 259 pagesBook Description:
Join 16 vampire fans and writers fromaround the world for their musings onvampire music, movies, fun facts, and evenmesmerizing short stories. This book willmake you feel like you are in a room withfriends discussing the various vampires thateach of you love spanning from aristocraticvampires, to primal monsters, to theTwilight vamps. So, sit down in yourcomfy chair, turn on the vampire music provided in this book, pick up that BloodyMary, and escape to a world full of vampires.There is a recount of the life of Anne Rice, reviews of books, movies, andtelevision shows, a look at vampires as religious figures, romantic stories, andtraditional stories of the vampire.
Each of these stories holds intrigue for fans of creatures of the night.Contributors include: Audrey A’Cladh, Azurdee Garland, Bitten Twice, BertenaVarney, Carrie Rogers, Isabella Gibbons, Jacqueline Gibbons, Kathryne LeFevre,Kyle Germann, Mary Jackson, Matthew Banks, Phaedra Walker, Roxanne Rhoads,Selah Janel, Simon Bacon, and Stavros Cockrell.
These contributors range from a 12-year-old actress, to college professors,librarians, paranormal romance authors, and even those that live the life of avampire.
The cover art was created by Stavros while showcasing the model Xamie wearingfangs from Kaos Kustom Fangs, LLC. The model is both alluring but dangerous.She is a great representation of the book and the various stories that are told within.
Amazon https://amzn.to/3aIUIHhAmazon https://amzn.to/3meXFC3
Consumed by Carrie Rogers
1909In late March London, I decided to begin a new life. All of the people who Icared for were gone. Headed off to find something new, I made my way throughthe busy streets. Beggars lined the route to the Atlantic transport.Stepping to the ticket window, I asked, "where is the boat headed?""America," He answered."One, please!" I said, handing the man my money. He gave me a ticket andasked my name."Randis Blackburn." He wrote my name along with the other shippassengers."Age?""22." seems like a good number. After all, my age was unbelievable.I was waiting for my turn to board the ship. Watching the ship's two giantsmokestacks as they puffed angrily. Parents said goodbye to their children,knowing they might never see them again. A child smiled, waving frantically. I
waved back. Her smile was sweet, intentions pure. The feeling of life surgedthrough me. Would I have the strength to leave if I had a child?"Excuse me," a quiet voice said, breaking me from my thoughts. I steppedto the side, apologizing for being in her way. “Is that yours?" she asked, lookingdown at an old worn brown trunk that sat at my feet."No," I answered, gazing into her deep green eyes. I was frozen in place bythe depth of her stare. There was something familiar about her; I couldn't say what.She bent down, picking up the lock in her hand. She turned the key, opening thelock. She let out a sigh of relief as she pulled open the trunk.The smell of wild roses filled the air around me. She turned and smiled atme quickly before shutting the lid. The scent of roses hit me once again. Lockingthe trunk and standing to her feet, she held her lacey gloves that she had taken fromthe chest in her pale hands. With a smile, she said,"Good day, sir.""Please, Call me Randis," I stuttered out."You are?" I asked as I took her hand, slowly lifting it to my lips and kissingher warm hand gently. I looked up to see her rosy cheeks. I had made her blush."Sarah." She said in a nervous voice."Nice to make your acquaintance, Sarah." Holding her hand in mine, I said,"Safe journey.""Same to you, Randis," she said, pulling her hand from mine.As she walked away, I felt that a part of me was now missing. I felt so alone,more alone than I ever had, as she disappeared into the crowd.
The Alp by Kyle Germann
Nightmares have haunted the sleep of men and women since the beginning.These kinds of dreams can cause people to awaken very suddenly in the night,sometimes accompanied by screams of terror. In cultures all over the world, peoplehave long believed that there are supernatural entities that are responsible for thesehorrifying dreams. In Germany and Austria, these beliefs have coalesced into a
very frightening (and very confusing) entity that feeds upon the blood ofunsuspecting women while they sleep. The German people know this vampiricspirit as the Alp, and it is one of the most dangerous of all supernatural predators.Nobody seems to be quite sure what the Alp actually is since the spirit isperceived differently in different areas. Generally speaking, the spirit is almostalways male, although, in some accounts, it is portrayed as female (Bane 10), andit is believed to have only one eye. In some areas of Germany, it is believed to bean elemental, much like a gnome or a tomten. In parts of Austria, it is described asa malicious spirit of the dead. Other people believed that the Alp could appear as asmall elderly man, while others thought the spirit was a shapeshifting wizard ofgreat power that would roam the countryside in the form of a bird or a cat (Curran18). And that’s not all: some legends say that the Alp is the returned spirit of a manwho died a horrible death, while others say that the entity is the vengeful ghost of achild that died before it could be baptized (Maberry 14). And still, others say that itis a male child who died as a result of a particularly long and agonizing childbirth(Bane 10). Then again, the Alp could be a voracious bloodsucking demon from thedeepest pits of Hell. To reiterate, nobody is really sure. And in that same vein,nobody seems to know what the Alp looks like either. This may be because the Alpis usually invisible and is capable of assuming a number of different forms andmay, thus, have no true form (Bane 10). However, what is known about the Alp isthat it is a predatory entity that feeds on the blood and the breast milk of sleepingwomen, glutting itself on those fluids while weakening the victim and deprivingher baby of the food it needs to survive and grow at the same time (Maberry 14).The Alp has a variety of supernatural powers at its disposal. When it takeson a physical form, the Alp possesses unnatural strength and speed and is able tofly in any of its myriad forms (Bane 10). The Alp is a notorious shapeshifter, ableto assume a wide variety of different forms. It can become any sort of animal that itwants, although the entity seems to prefer the form of a dog, a cat, a bird, a pig, asnake, a vole, a wolf, a moth, a white butterfly, a monstrous black dog withlecherous tendencies, and even an icy mist (Bane 10; Curran 18-19; Maberry 15).For this reason, the Alp is often linked to stories of werewolves in folklore,especially in Cologne, Germany (Bane 10). Interestingly, the Alp is always said towear a hat called a tarnkappe, which literally means “cap of concealment.” Thishat gives the spirit the power of invisibility and some other unspecified magicalpowers (Bane 10). This tarnkappe is usually a soft, old wide-brimmed hat, but itcould also be a simple cap made of cloth or a veil designed to hide the entity’s facefrom its victims (Curran 18). But the spirit becomes even more formidable whenwielding the power of its Evil Eye, a sinister spiritual ability that is feared all overthe world. The Evil Eye allows a person to curse or inflict misfortune and evendeath upon others with a glance or an intense stare. In the Alp’s case, the Evil Eye
allows the spirit to manipulate the wills and, especially, the dreams of sleepingvictims. With this power, the entity is capable of creating horrible nightmares thatfrighten its victims nearly to death and can also cause bouts of sleepwalking,seizures, and fits while they’re sleeping (Maberry 14; Curran 19). Thesenightmares, in turn, can lead to severe insomnia, and if this goes untreated for longenough, it will cause insanity and eventual death. The Alp must take great care toprotect its eye from any kind of damage. Without it, the spirit cannot torment itsvictims with nightmares (Bunson 5).
About Bertena Varney:
Vampire Musings is the 11 th vampire book written, compiled, and/or published byBertena Varney, M.A., M.Ed. This book is an anthology of articles and shortstories from academics and fans from around the world. The topics range fromAnne Rice’s Life Chronology, vampire detectives, vampire art, vampire films,modern short stories of vampire romance and traditional gothic reads of torturedsouls.Bertena is a former Assistant Professor of Sociology and is still working in highereducation.She has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Morehead State University insociology, criminology, history, and education. She spent these educational yearsstudying pop culture.She has been a guest speaker for multiple conventions including:- Pop Culture Association National Conference in Washington DC- Pop Culture Association Regional Conference in New Orleans- Conjuration- A Harry Potter Convention in Atlanta, GA
