Christopher Coleman's Blog, page 3

Sneak Peek from Anika Rising (Gretel Book Four)

Anika crouched on the porch, gripping the beam that jutted out from the wall in between the two center windows. The support beam ran from floor to ceiling and formed a vertical barrier behind which Anika could hide and wait, only the right half of her face exposed in the window as she peeked down through the trees at the still water from which she’d just emerged, anticipating some investigative scene to unfold. They would be coming shortly, no doubt, The System men, to dredge the lake or send in divers with cameras and the brightest of lights. They would search diligently for her corpse, summoned by Mrs. Klahr, Anika’s docile neighbor who had been captured in the crossfire of Anika’s madness and taken hostage. She’d seen the whole episode from only a few feet away, including Hansel’s death blow, which had landed flush on Anika’s temple and had sent Anika toppling to her death under twelve feet of murky water.

But when they didn’t find her? When the bottom sediment of the small, regional lake rendered nothing? What then?

Only a few years ago, The System wouldn’t have spent ten seconds debating whether to send an officer all the way out to the Back Country upon news of a missing corpse, and certainly not when it involved an obscure family like the Morgans. But things had changed significantly since then. The Morgan family had become infamous in the Southlands and beyond, thrust there unwittingly by the life, death and rebirth of Marlene. And the Back Country was now a steady beacon on the radar of  The System.

But their interest went beyond just Anika and her family’s notoriety; they had lost officers in the unfolding of the terrifying story, men who had been corrupted and murdered by the Witch of the North. Any news of a death at the lake behind the Morgan property would not be taken lightly by System authorities.

Anika waited in her position on the deck for what must have been an hour, and then, seeing no signs of an impending investigation, stood and began to pace the deck, constantly extending her left arm in front of her as she did to avoid bumping into the room’s furniture. Her left-eye blindness would take some getting used to.

She walked to the porch screen now and looked out across the lake to the Klahr house. She thought of Hansel, and as the vision of her son rose in her mind, she collapsed to the floor and began to weep. The feelings of love and longing and protectiveness suddenly felt brand new, as if she’d never experienced them for anyone before. It was as if the continuous months of addiction had destroyed her ability to feel anything resembling caring or devotion. The potion had consumed her to the point of total immersion.

Anika closed her eyes now and let her thoughts go fully to the potion, exploring in the depths of her cells whether the addiction still existed. She visualized ingesting one of the thin vials of liquid which she had so delicately measured out and then handed over to Hansel for him to dispense. The decision to cede this power to her son had made him an accomplice to her addiction, and she’d always known it was a monstrous thing to do, but there was no doubt it had kept her alive. Had she controled the potion for the duration of her addiction, she’d have been dead early on. That would have been a good thing, perhaps, she considered, but there it was.

I’d love to know what you think. Comment below or click HERE to leave a comment on my Facebook page.

Pre-order ANIKA RISING

For your chance to win a paperback of all THREE books in my Gretel Series, Click HERE

Good luck on the contest!

What inspired me to write The Sighting?

What inspired me to write The Sighting?

Like a lot of people, I’ve always been kind of captivated by things like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster and other cryptozoological creatures.

But what was always more interesting to me were the people who claimed to have had close encounters with these creatures.

Of course, I’ve no doubt many of those people were just making up the stories–probably the vast majority of them–but certainly not all, right?

Some small percentage of those men and women truly believe they saw something beyond what’s known to exist on Earth.

And, maybe, just maybe, they even did. So for those people, those who are convinced that they know to be true what the rest of the world thinks is legend, how must their lives have been altered from their experience? That question was the inspiration for The Sighting.

AMAZON

What makes a good horror story? What scares you?

What makes a good horror story? What scares you?

For me, the basic characteristics of a good horror story don’t differ much from any other kind of story: I want to be able to visualize the setting and feel the tension. If I can ‘see’ the scene, I feel immediately connected to the story, and if the angst of the characters resonates, I feel invested.

Horror, of course, has to include the threat of death to the main character as a result of someone or something malevolent. So, in addition to setting and tension, any good horror story has to include a terrific monster.

Why does the horror genre lend itself really well to short stories and novellas?

Why does the horror genre lend itself really well to short stories and novellas?

I think one reason horror stories work so well in short form is that the main goal of horror is to scare, and back story and character build-up aren’t as critical to achieve that end. We might start reading a story about a girl lost in the middle of the woods at night, who suddenly hears the sound of footsteps following her and the raspy wheeze of heavy breathing.

Those details could all be established in the first couple of sentences, and from there to scare can be a pretty short trip; the reader simply inserts him or herself in the position of the girl and then internalizes that fear.

A great short horror story, though, will elicit more in readers than just fear. It will take us beyond just identifying with a scary situation and will create sympathy for the characters within. In that case, the great short story, may be just as difficult to write as any other.

They Are Watching You: A Horror Thriller Bundle

Today, I published They Came with the Snow and The Sighting as a bundle titled: They Are Watching You: A Horror Thriller Bundle. I did this because I know many of you prefer bundles or boxed sets rather than individual single stories or books. The bundle is free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

If you have read They Came with the Snow or The Sighting or both, I’d like to ask you to please leave a review for the bundle on Amazon. You can review one story or both; it’s up to you.

And if you haven’t read either story, I do hope you will take a chance and download the bundle today.

Click on the links below to download They Are Watching You and start reading today.

US ➜ click here

UK ➜ click here

They Came with the Snow is on sale for 99 cents!

For a limited time, They Came with the Snow is only 99 cents on Amazon. Grab it and start reading this short and creepy story today.

When a mysterious blast goes off in a small college town, triggering a blizzard, the few survivors must decide whether to stay or leave and face the monsters who came with the snow.



They Came with the Snow is a chilling and scary read, reminiscent of Stephen King’s, The Mist, and a must-read for true science fiction and horror fans. If you’re looking for a creepy short read, They Came with the Snow is for you.

Praise for THEY CAME WITH THE SNOW:

“Better than Stephen King. My only complaint about this book? It ended! I wanted to read more and more and more. Very well written, suspenseful, and entertaining. ”

“I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The story is short and unbelievable. It is a GREAT HORROR story.

If you are into horror stories this is one you need to read.”

“Reminded me of Stephen King’s The Mist. Chilling and scary enough without having to go into great detail. I could picture what these “things” might look like. Left me wanting more!”

“From beginning to end just…WOW, Excellent read and a MUST read for all horror fans, you will not be disappointed.”

“Thought provoking, draws you right in. Left with the thought, could this really happen?”

As a bonus, They Came with the Snow includes sample chapters from The Sighting, a gripping horror and psychological thriller.

READ NOW FOR 99 CENTS or FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED 

Win a Kindle Fire!

Win a Kindle Fire! To celebrate the upcoming release of Anika Rising, the fourth book in the Gretel Series, I am having a giveaway!

Prize: Fire 7 Tablet with Alexa, 7″ Display, 8 GB, Black – with Special Offers

Host name: Christopher Coleman



Winner: Randomly selected after Giveaway has ended, up to 1 winners.


Requirements for participation:

Resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia
18+ years of age (or legal age)

Click HERE to enter!

Pre-order Anika Rising today.

Are you in Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime?

If you have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime, you can read Gretel, the first book in the Gretel Series free with your subscription. You can read all of my books free with Kindle Unlimited.

Click on the links below to download them all and start reading today.

Gretel➜ click here

Marlene’s Revenge ➜ click here

Hansel ➜ click here

The Sighting ➜ click here

They Came with the Snow ➜ click here

Gretel is Free with Amazon Prime

Did you know you can now read GRETEL, the first book in the GRETEL SERIES, free with Amazon Prime? If you have Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited, read Gretel for free!

Download GRETEL today FREE with Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited

Win a paperback of Dean Koontz’s WATCHERS!

To celebrate the release of my latest book, THE SIGHTING, I am having a giveaway.

Win a paperback of Dean Koontz’s WATCHERS!

Open to US and International contestants.

For your chance to win a paperback of WATCHERS, follow me on  Amazon or share this post via email or on your social media sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc) and comment below when you have done so.  For fun, let me know if you have bought and read a copy of THE SIGHTING. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest.

Click on the social media and email buttons at the end of this post to share. Click the + sign to view more sharing options.

Giveaway closes on December 27, 2017.

Follow me on Amazon

Good luck! Make sure you comment below so I can enter you in the giveaway.

P.S. Did you know you can now read GRETEL, the first book in the GRETEL SERIES, free with Amazon Prime? If you have Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited, read Gretel for free!

Download GRETEL today FREE with Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited