Steve Stred's Blog, page 94
January 25, 2019
New blog post, new sharesies.
Happy Friday friends! This is gonna be a longer blog post, as I’m going over a few things! So hang in there!
This is blog #1 of how things are gonna be ran around here! If you don’t like it… uh… sorry? 
January 21, 2019
Please Share this Blog!
So this blog post is a bit different than most of my other ones.
This was going to be the big ole exciting “PREORDERS ARE OPEN!” blog post that I had planned for this coming Friday. I’ve decided to push it up.
Why?
A friend and his family need help.
If you have followed my literary career (my short, just starting literary career), there have been a few key players throughout. Folks who have, time and time again, stepped up and gone out of their way to help me, give me advice and guidance and who’ve always wanted me to succeed.
Justin M. Woodward has been there since day 1.
If you haven’t followed me (and that’s totally fine J) you may recognize his name from his releases; The Variant, Candy and Tamer Animals.
Now before I get too far into this – I just want to make it abundantly clear, that I have discussed this with Justin already, and was given my blessing to post this. I would never do something like this without getting his consent first.
So – yesterday the news began to trickle out that Justin’s mother Tonya has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 Bone Cancer. This was discovered after she had an MRI. News like this is devastating. We all know someone who has been touched by Cancer in some way, some reading this may have already battled it. She begins radiation today in fact, January 21, 2019. The goal with the radiation is to reduce her pain and prolong her time with her family and friends.
That brings us to this blog post. On February 28, 2019, my next harrowing release arrives; The Girl Who Hid in the Trees. And pre-orders are now live! In fact, they’ve been live for about a week already but Amazon was having some issues with my display image, so I waited until it was cleared up to share. Gavin at Kendall Reviews (who wrote one of the most fantastic and nicest forewords ever!) shared it on twitter, but I wanted to make sure things looked good. So far there’s already been 9 pre-orders! Which is insane. Technically 10, but the first one was mine J
I want to help Tonya, Justin and his family out. To that end, I want to let you all know that (with Justin’s blessing) all of the proceeds from the pre-orders will be going directly to Tonya and their Go Fund Me. The United States unfortunately is a place where people can rack up medical expenses quickly, so I want to help out and try and reduce any financial burden. As well, all of the paperback proceeds from the first month will be going their way as well.
Additionally – if you feel that you just want to go ahead and donate directly through their Go Fund Me page, if you donate $50 or more, I will send you a 5 Ebook package, which will include my Novel Invisible, my three Novellas; Jane: the 816 Chronicles, Wagon Buddy and YURI and my first short story collection Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery.
Below you will find the links to the Go Fund Me, and the pre-order links for the book for Canada, USA and the UK.
I will be rolling out the promotional machine as planned, to try and get the pre-order links in front of as many folks as I can, but I would really, really appreciate it, if you all could share this blog post and let’s help keep Tonya and family smiling.
GO FUND ME
https://www.gofundme.com/help-tonya-beat-stage-4-cancer
Canada Pre-order: https://www.amazon.ca/Girl-Who-Hid-Trees-ebook/dp/B07MJ851BH
USA Pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Hid-Trees-ebook/dp/B07MJ851BH
UK Pre-order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Who-Hid-Trees-ebook/dp/B07MJ851BH
January 18, 2019
Abraham, Look to the Sky
Here we go friends! As we get closer and closer to the February 28th, 2019 release date for The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, I’ve promised to continue to give you some sneak peaks and other goodies!
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees has been receiving some fantastic buzz already over on Goodreads! I’m so happy with the kind words. Truly blown away. Next week, on January 25th, I’ll officially be launching the pre-order links! If you look closely though, you just may find that they already exist….
January 15, 2019
Review: Dark Things – Joe Zito
Hey gang! Check out my 4.5/5 review for Dark Things by Joe Zito. This is a grimy collection of short stories and vignettes!
http://kendallreviews.com/now-comes-the-darkness-joseph-zito-kendall-reviews/
January 4, 2019
Prologue Teaser
Ok friends! So this will be a little bit of a longer post today! Yesterday over on Twitter and my Facebook Author Page I ran a poll asking what you would like to see as a teaser today, for the my upcoming release The Girl Who Hid in the Trees. This coming-of-age, urban legend tale is already garnering a bit of buzz from the pre-release reviews and I am over the moon with delight!
So today (after counting the votes!) I’m sharing the Prologue as a thank you. In two weeks, on Friday January 18th, I will share the first bonus short story Abraham, Look to the Sky. That story is a gritty, cosmic-horror, flash fiction piece and I think you’ll all like it!
So please keep reading, and enjoy the Prologue!
Prologue
August 5, 1884
“Abigail, don’t stray too far, ok?”
Abigail heard her mom but ignored her. After all, she was now seven years old, and could take care of herself.
She walked through the deep grass beside McConnell’s Forest, plucking petals from the daisy she had picked.
“He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not,” she sung as she casually strolled away from their camp site.
It wasn’t until she had plucked all the petals off the flower and discarded it over her shoulder that she realized she had wandered down the path into the woods. She turned around and around, scared, finding she was lost and unable see her mom.
“Mom?” She called out feebly.
“Mom? Please mom?”
She heard a noise close by.
“Hello?”
Abigail took a few steps towards the sound, and spotted yellowed eyes watching her from behind a bush.
“Who’s there?”
She watched with awe as a girl close to her age danced out from behind the foliage and smiled at her. Her teeth matched the color of her eyes, yellow and dark. Her dress was caked in filth and mud. But the girl smiled and waved.
“Hello, who are you? Can you help me find my mom?” Abigail asked.
The girl giggled and turned, walking down the path away from Abigail, the morning sun cascading a bright aura around her.
“Please, please help me,” she cried out, rushing towards the girl.
Then she was gone. Disappeared.
“What? No, where did you go? Please help me?” She called out.
From behind her the voice sang out.
“Help you? But no one helped me. Now we count, one, two, three.”
Abigail didn’t feel any pain as the girl ripped her spine from her body.
The girl left Abigail there in the path and disappeared into the trees as though she’d never even been there.
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees will be unleashed on Thursday, February 28th, 2019 and will be available in both ebook and paperback format. This fast paced novella will feature a foreword by Gavin Kendall from the horror site Kendall Reviews, as well as three bonus tales; Abraham, Look to the Sky, The Tooth Collector and The Navajo Nightmare.
The cover artwork has been done by Mason McDonald once again, who has previously created the covers for Wagon Buddy, YURI, Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, Dim the Sun, and the new cover of Invisible.
I’m working to get pre-orders up asap!
For more information, including a full synopsis and pre-release reviews, check out the Goodreads link below!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43255766-the-girl-who-hid-in-the-trees
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January 2, 2019
Upcoming Release: The Girl Who Hid in the Trees by Steve Stred.
Check out this great run-through of my forth coming release ‘The Girl Who Hid in the Trees.’
Thanks to Steve Stred for sending me an e-copy of his soon-to-be-released short story, The Girl Who Hid in the Trees. It will release in ebook and paperback formats on February 28. It will also feature three bonus short stories from Steve.
I hope you enjoy your stay in McConnell’s Forest as much as I did.
The children who live near McConnell’s Forest know better than to risk going into the woods, or at least they should. Years ago, when Jason was a little boy, he lost his older brother when he entered the forest to deflate an ages old urban legend.
Now that Jason is a teenager himself, he wants to learn what happened to his brother and what is really going on in the forest first-hand.
He persuades his group of friends to camp in the forest overnight so they can figure out this legend and try to…
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December 21, 2018
‘Poppa?’ – new short story at Kendall Reviews
Hey gang! The great blog Kendall Reviews (where I contribute some reviews!) has been doing a Christmas at Kendall Reviews feature all month.
Today, happens to be my contribution!
So please enjoy my bleak tale ‘Poppa?’
December 19, 2018
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees Announcement!
Hey friends and book fans! Today is an exciting day!
Today I officially announce my first release of 2019! You’ve seen me tease it a little bit on my various social media platforms, but here it is!
My first release is titled The Girl Who Hid in the Trees.
This is an urban legend, coming-of-age tale that is novella length. This is a brutal, bleak, dark and fast horror read. This is my darkest offering yet, which if you’ve read any of my stuff, is saying something!
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees will be officially released on February 28, 2019 as an ebook and a physical book. It will also feature three bonus short stories that have been festering in a cave, deep in the mountains of my grim mind.
Attached is the cover art and the synopsis. The cover was once again done by my buddy Mason McDonald (author of Mona, The Last Line That Shall Be Crossed, Masks and This Life). He has previously done the covers for Left Hand Path: 13 more tales of black magick, Wagon Buddy, YURI, the new Invisible cover, and Dim the Sun, my recent release of dark poetry.
The tale will once again be edited by David Sodergren (author of The Forgotten Island) who has previously edited Wagon Buddy, YURI, and re-edited Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 more tales of black magick.
As of this time I am hoping to once again get J.Z Foster (author of Witch Hunter: Into the Outside, The Wicked Ones and Mind Wreck) to format it for release. He has previously formatted Frostbitten, Left Hand Path, Wagon Buddy and YURI for me!
Lastly, this novella will feature a fantastic foreword by Gavin Kendall, who runs the amazing Kendall Reviews Horror blog!
Once we get closer to release date, I will update you all with pricing and ordering links!
Cheers!
Steve
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees Synopsis
Something lurks just beyond.
Centuries ago a heinous act created a ripple that still haunts the residents to this very day.
Now the kids who reside near McConnell’s Forest live forever in fear.
Jason lost his brother when he was young. He left with his friends to ‘debunk’ the urban legend and never came back.
Now Jason and his group of friends are fed up and want to discover what is happening, what is the real cause of the terror holding their small town hostage.
But something is waiting for them. She may look sweet and innocent, but the friends are about to find out that pure evil can exist in the smallest of packages.
She’s out there. And while you may not know her name or what she looks like, the local kids will tell you if you ask, that you should fear for your life from the girl who hid in the trees.
Goodreads link;
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43255766-the-girl-who-hid-in-the-trees
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December 17, 2018
Left Hand Path Free this week!
Hey friends and fans!
As you know, Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick has recently been re-edited, re-formatted and re-released! As a thanks, the kindle version is free all week! That’s right!
December 17th to 21st, you can snag a copy for free!
Thank you all!
US link here, CAN link in the main menu under collections!
December 14, 2018
It’s ALLLIIIVVVEEE!!!
Well it took some time friends, but I’m pleased to announce officially that Left Hand Path: 13 more tales of black magick has been resurrected and is back from the poorly edited grave!
MASSIVE, MASSIVE, MASSIVE thanks to Mr. David Sodergren (author of The Forgotten Island, seriously read it!) for taking the time to edit all of the stories, and MASSIVE, MASSIVE, MASSIVE thanks to J.Z. Foster (author of Wicked Ones, Witch Hunter and Mind Wreck, seriously read them all!) for re-formatting it for me!
Now if you’ve purchased the book and want the updated edited version, please email me and I can send you the pdf or kindle copy. Sorry I’m really not financially able to replace everyone’s books! If you’re a reviewer and have a physical copy, let me know and I can also send you the pdf or mobi/epub version! I will be running a free promo of this asap, once Amazon allows me to, as a thank you!
I believe I have emailed everyone whom I have previously spoken with regarding an updated copy, but please if I’ve missed you, message me!
Finally, if you were waiting to buy, I have dropped the kindle copy by $1 and the physical copy by $2 as a thanks as well!
Cheers, and thank you all for your patience!
Steve
