S.J. Budd's Blog, page 22
March 23, 2017
Spells and Persuasion: Nine Stories of Dark Fantasy by S.J.Budd
Welcome to the first collection of short stories by S.J.Budd. A compilation of nine dark tales of darkness, revenge, terror, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Come and be entertained for an hour of two.
Hear the depraved tales of a desperate junkie with a terrible secret who will do anything to escape her past. A young woman consorts with the occult full of desire for someone to notice her and experience the maddening passions of true love. Charlotte is buckling under the perfection of her dead best friend and seeks to punish her. Greenheart a powerful witch is desperate to save a young girl from being sacrificed to the old ones. Edward is hiding a terrible secret from his wife and the Knocker is coming to pay him a special visit.
Out now on Amazon
Spells and Persuasion: Nine stories of Dark Fantasy by S.J.Budd
Welcome to the first collection of short stories by S.J.Budd. A compilation of nine dark tales of darkness, revenge, terror, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Come and be entertained for an hour of two.
Hear the depraved tales of a desperate junkie with a terrible secret who will do anything to escape her past. A young woman consorts with the occult full of desire for someone to notice her and experience the maddening passions of true love. Charlotte is buckling under the perfection of her dead best friend and seeks to punish her. Greenheart a powerful witch is desperate to save a young girl from being sacrificed to the old ones. Edward is hiding a terrible secret from his wife and the Knocker is coming to pay him a special visit.
Out now on Amazon
March 1, 2017
Dead Over Heels by Theresa Braun
I really enjoyed Dead over Heels. I admit I'm not a big fan of romance novels but this one had the perfect blend of romance, comedy and horror. In this tale we're introduced to Veronica who is trying to find her soulmate. It's not been an easy journey and soon she turns to magic for a helping hand.
After spending painful hours trawling through dating sites she finds Sebastian, even before meeting she thinks there is a genuine connection that goes beyond hooking up with each other.
Veronica has battled with loneliness since her mother walked out and her father died. She's never had a happy childhood and longs for her own fairy tale ending.
Sebastian arrives into her life and unlike all the others before he seems really genuine. But their connection goes deeper than Veronica could ever have imagined. Can their blossoming love affair survive the journey on which they must embark? Will they both make it through?
What's also great about this tale is that it's relatively short so you can easily read it in one go, and you'll want to as its really gripping and fast paced.
About the Author
"Theresa Braun was born in St.Paul, Minnesota and has carried some of that hardiness with her to South Florida where she currently resides with her two fur babies, who are her creative sidekicks. She enjoys delving into creative writing, painting, photography and even bouts of ghost hunting. Perhaps growing up in a haunted house in Winona, Minnesota is to blame. It it's haunted, it's on her "to visit" list. Travelling is one of her passions-in fact, her latest adventure took her to Romania for a horror writers' workshop where she followed in the steps of Vlad the Impaler.She writes horror fiction and the occasional romance - they definitely have things in common, right? She also likes to guest blog about writing, television shows, movies and books, mostly in the horror genre. Her short story "Shout at the Devil" appears in Under the Bed Magazine and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in Hindered Souls.
www.theresabraun.com
How a Ghost is Born
Great news! My latest tale, How a Ghost is Born, is out now at the wonderful aurorawolf.com: A Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
In this tale Jessica dies way before her time and devastated to have lost her daughter but she refuses to go on without her cherished baby for a mother's work is never done. Can she find a way back to her daughter? Can she defeat death itself?
February 15, 2017
Dying Valentine by Calvin Demmer
Horror writer, Calvin Demmer returns with another triumph Dying Valentine, his latest installment for his dark celebrations series.
It's Valentine's Night and this is a n extra special one for Daniel, he's meeting Julia's parents for the first time tonight and he's anxious for it to go well. He's been seeing his girlfriend for six months but he really loves her and wants to be accepted into the family fold.
However he forgets the roses and chocolates in his haste to get there on time and decides he must return to his house for them. He can not arrive empty handed even if he arrives late.
But then in his panic he revs up his speed and knocks over a mysterious young woman with long black hair in a deathly pale dress. She puts him in an impossible situation in which he has no choice but to help her, even at his own cost as he's a nice guy. Long live the nice guys!
All Daniel wants to do is to get round to his girlfriend's house and enjoy this special night with the woman he loves.
Yet another great tale by Calvin Demmer who provides the perfect antidote to those who find Valentines a bit too sweet and sickly. What I love about Calvin's tales is that you can never predict what's going to happen next. They are fast paced tales that take you right into the story with truly memorable characters.
The good news is, if you enjoyed this too then there are lots more to feast on. Hungry Ghosts, Labor Day Hunt, Thanks Sinning, Trick or Death, Three Dead Men and Happy Dark Year are all available to buy for 99p or 99$ on Amazon.
About the Author
Calvin Demmer is a crime, mystery and speculative fiction author. When not working, he is intrigued by that which goes bump int he night and the sciences of our universe. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including Under The Bed, Deadman's Tome, Siren's Call, Sanitarium Magazine, Morpheus Tales, Devolution Z and many, many more.
You can find out more about Calvin Demmer at https://calvindemmer.com/
Twitter @CalvinDemmer
It's Valentine's Night and this is a n extra special one for Daniel, he's meeting Julia's parents for the first time tonight and he's anxious for it to go well. He's been seeing his girlfriend for six months but he really loves her and wants to be accepted into the family fold.
However he forgets the roses and chocolates in his haste to get there on time and decides he must return to his house for them. He can not arrive empty handed even if he arrives late.
But then in his panic he revs up his speed and knocks over a mysterious young woman with long black hair in a deathly pale dress. She puts him in an impossible situation in which he has no choice but to help her, even at his own cost as he's a nice guy. Long live the nice guys!
All Daniel wants to do is to get round to his girlfriend's house and enjoy this special night with the woman he loves.
Yet another great tale by Calvin Demmer who provides the perfect antidote to those who find Valentines a bit too sweet and sickly. What I love about Calvin's tales is that you can never predict what's going to happen next. They are fast paced tales that take you right into the story with truly memorable characters.
The good news is, if you enjoyed this too then there are lots more to feast on. Hungry Ghosts, Labor Day Hunt, Thanks Sinning, Trick or Death, Three Dead Men and Happy Dark Year are all available to buy for 99p or 99$ on Amazon.
About the Author
Calvin Demmer is a crime, mystery and speculative fiction author. When not working, he is intrigued by that which goes bump int he night and the sciences of our universe. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including Under The Bed, Deadman's Tome, Siren's Call, Sanitarium Magazine, Morpheus Tales, Devolution Z and many, many more.
You can find out more about Calvin Demmer at https://calvindemmer.com/
Twitter @CalvinDemmer
February 2, 2017
Office Mouse by S.J.Budd
It seems like Spring really is finally here after a very long and cold winter winter. I've just had my first story of 2017 published. It's called Office Mouse and goes out to all the lovely people out there who've ever had an office job they've hated!
You can read it here for free at www.FreedomFiction.com
January 29, 2017
Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor
Our Cornish drolls are dead, each one;The fairies from their haunts have gone;There's scarce a witch in all the land,The world has grown so learn'd and grand.
Poem by Henry Quick
You might think that it's just the Irish who have a rich history of spinning tales around the fire, but the Cornish too have their own wealth of celtic tales that have been passed down through the centuries.
By reading Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor you'll discover the true history of Cornwall, of piskies, giants, trolls mermaids and unruly demons and how they once ruled the land. In these pages you'll learn how places really got their name and why it is that Cornwall has so many saints. You can find out all Lyonesse; the lost city. Learn of the strange ties between King Arthur, his birthplace, the location of his last battle and the lake in which went the sword Excalibar.
The book is written about an old droll, a story teller, Anthony James who was a real person. Sources say he was born in the late 1700's in Cury and spent his youth in the armed forces, he also played the fiddle and was a prolific story teller. He was blinded during service and after leaving he lived in Stoke Military Hospital in Devonport during the winters months but as soon as the weather grew fair he would travel all over Cornwall telling his tales in exchange for supper and shelter.
In this tale Anthony James travels the land with his young companion Jamie one summer. The writing is utterly charming and Mike O'Connor sure knows how to spin a tale. These fantastic tales have only been preserved through the efforts of people like Robert Hunt and William Bottrell who made it their missions to capture these tale sin print so they could be enjoyed forevermore.
About the AuthorMike O'Connor has been awarded an OBE for his services in Cornish instrumental music, he has also been made a bard of the Gorseth of Cornwall an honour bestowed on people who have contributed outstandingly to Cornwall's ancient culture, history and language. He is also a prolific storyteller and regularly performs all over the British Isles.
Poem by Henry Quick
You might think that it's just the Irish who have a rich history of spinning tales around the fire, but the Cornish too have their own wealth of celtic tales that have been passed down through the centuries.
By reading Cornish Folk Tales by Mike O'Connor you'll discover the true history of Cornwall, of piskies, giants, trolls mermaids and unruly demons and how they once ruled the land. In these pages you'll learn how places really got their name and why it is that Cornwall has so many saints. You can find out all Lyonesse; the lost city. Learn of the strange ties between King Arthur, his birthplace, the location of his last battle and the lake in which went the sword Excalibar.
The book is written about an old droll, a story teller, Anthony James who was a real person. Sources say he was born in the late 1700's in Cury and spent his youth in the armed forces, he also played the fiddle and was a prolific story teller. He was blinded during service and after leaving he lived in Stoke Military Hospital in Devonport during the winters months but as soon as the weather grew fair he would travel all over Cornwall telling his tales in exchange for supper and shelter.
In this tale Anthony James travels the land with his young companion Jamie one summer. The writing is utterly charming and Mike O'Connor sure knows how to spin a tale. These fantastic tales have only been preserved through the efforts of people like Robert Hunt and William Bottrell who made it their missions to capture these tale sin print so they could be enjoyed forevermore.
About the AuthorMike O'Connor has been awarded an OBE for his services in Cornish instrumental music, he has also been made a bard of the Gorseth of Cornwall an honour bestowed on people who have contributed outstandingly to Cornwall's ancient culture, history and language. He is also a prolific storyteller and regularly performs all over the British Isles.
January 24, 2017
Pseudotooth by Verity Holloway
In the tale of Pseudotooth we find Aisling Selkirk,a young girl stuck in that strange period of our lives where we all endure the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It's something we've all been through, being deeply unsure of what it is we're supposed to do with our lives and just what is laying in wait around the corner.
But Aisling is what you would call - extremely farsighted - and can see beyond the sphere that everyone sees. As a result she suffers mental trauma which presents itself in the physical manifestations of strange blackouts and seizures which no doctor can explain.
Beverly, her mother soon tires of her daughter's condition being deeply embarrassed that her daughter is a social pariah and hampering her own efforts with fitting in. After a brief stint in a psychiatric ward which has done nothing to sort out her condition, Aisling is sent to deep rural Suffolk to stay in a grand old house with her great aunt Edythe. Aisling's mother mother hopes that a bit of peace and quiet will soon have Aisling back to normal. It sounds so peaceful and idyllic but it doesn't take long for her formidable Aunt to find her secret journal with her clandestine visions of Feodor...
Events spiral quickly in the house, first there are unwanted visitors and then Aisling stumbles across an ancient Tudor priest hole down in the cellar which sends her world upside down. She meets a dashing young man named Chase who takes her away from everything she knows and hates.
At first the story feels very cramped and claustrophobic giving you an insight into Aisling's unique perspective. As I read the first part I felt it was taking too long to get going, but with hindsight I see that it was necessary so that we could feel and see what Aisling feels. It is a great adventure story and very unique to anything I have ever read. I hate it when you can easily predict what's going to happen next in a story but there is none of that in Pseudotooth.
This is a tale about outcasts and misfits, each character is an outcast either through choice or destiny. There's not one character in here you could call normal which makes for a captivating tale. Even Beverly the mother goes through strange rituals such as relentless dieting in order to fit in and Aunt Edythe is a woman trapped i within her own strict rules. Pseudotooth reminds me of the saying, "We're mad in our own little ways," and examines the fight and struggles people will put themselves through to feel accepted within society.
I have to admit this is a very strange book, but I really enjoyed it. I would describe this as being speculative fiction that errs on the side of literary fiction. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I usually don't go in for high brow literary fiction. For me it's all about delving into a great story that grips you instantly taking you off on a great adventure, but this book did just that as well as exploring many themes such as loneliness, acceptance, revenge and finding peace. There is a very strong dreamlike style of writing which really adds depth to the tale. I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it to others. This is a brilliant debut and I'd love to see more books from Verity Holloway.
Pseudotooth by Verity Holloway is currently scheduled for release in March 2017 from Unsung Stories you can find out more here at www.unsungstories.co.uk
About Verity HollowayVerity Holloway was born in Gibraltar 1986 and grew up following her Navy family around the world. She graduated from Cambridge's Anglia Ruskin University with a First Class BA IN Literature and Creative Writing and went on to earn a Distinction Masters in Literature.
Her short stories and poems have been widely published with her story, 'Creating Imelda' being nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2012 she published her first chapbook, Contraindications. Her novella, Beauty Secrets of the Martyrs, was released in 2015. Her first non-fiction book, The Mighty Healer: Thomas Holloway's Patent Medicine Empire (Pen and Sword), a biography of her Victorian cousin who made his fortune with questionable remedies, was published in 2016.
To find out more head over to her website www.verityholloway.com
January 11, 2017
Danse Macabre by Laura M Hughes
I came across this novelette completely by chance after the author kindly giving it away for a limited period on twitter. A free book? How could I resist?
I'm so glad I saw that tweet as this little story was simply exquisite, a real treat to read from beginning to end.It is deeply atmospheric despite having an unknown setting and as the title says, it is truly macabre. I have to admit it took me a while to figure out what was going on but I didn't mind being led down the rabbit hole as I was too busy enjoying the ride.
The tale centres around a young child who's innocence is in start contrast with Him, and that's all I can say. I don't really want to delve too deeply in the plot and risk spoilers for those who haven't read the story. It is a really well crafted and thought out story which offers something really different. Each word earns it place in this tale and I love all the really clever clues scattered around. Once I had finished reading this, I began to read it again. Even once finished I couldn't put it down. It was on the second read that I saw how clever it was!
This is the perfect reading for those dull periods when you find yourself in between books. I really hope that we'll see more great works from Laura.M.Hughes in the not too distant future.
About the Author
(Bio taken from author's website - http://lauramhughes.com/
Laura M. Hughes dwells beneath the grey, pigeon-filled skies of northern England where she reads and writes for Fantasy-Faction and Tor.com. When she isn’t absorbed in playing Dragon Age or working on her first novel, you’re most likely to find her trying to convince unsuspecting bystanders to read The Malazan Book of the Fallen.Hughes encourages like-minded folk to seek her out on Twitter @halfstrungharp and to check out her horror/fantasy novelette, Danse Macabre , on Amazon.
