Yolanda Sfetsos's Blog, page 28

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER by Edgar Allan Poe

 

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been meaning to read this story for ages, but have no idea why it kept escaping my attention. So, this afternoon I decided it was finally time to check it out.

After he receives a letter from his old friend, our unnamed narrator decides to visit the ill Roderick Usher. What he finds is a house that seems as sick as his friend. And when Roderick's sister, Madeline, dies everything gets so much worse...

I have to admit t...

WAIF by Samantha Kolesnik

 

Waif by Samantha Kolesnik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Weird. Strange. Bizarre. These are all words I would use to describe this novella. Unique. Unexpected. Unpredictable. Are also words I would use for this unflinching and very disturbing tale about a battered woman who's had enough.

This story starts out normal enough: a trip to the grocery store to get away from an abusive partner. But soon turns into SO MUCH more when Angie starts obsessing over a stranger.

By the way, this is as much as I'm goin...

IT DOESN'T GO AWAY by Wendy Dalrymple

 

It Doesn't Go Away by Wendy Dalrymple
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today's novella pick was another fantastic story! And I'm not surprised, because I loved Wendy's White Ibis.

'Barb' has decided to hike the Appalachian Trail by herself. This isn't her real name but she doesn't want anyone to know who she is, so this becomes her trail name. Something awful happened several months ago and she feels that this might be the best way to purge all the horrible memories and move on. But when she finds herself ...

THE GROWTH LIVES! by Adam Hulse

 

The Growth Lives!: A Horror Novel by Adam Hulse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the explosive first novella, I've been looking forward to getting back into this apocalyptic world to find out how it ends.

Not only has the UK been ravaged by The Growth, but the gas the military used to try and kill it has turned people into mindless killing monsters. And that's before considering the despicable religious freaks targetting the few survivors...

Just like the first one, I enjoyed the hell out of this ...

HEARTBURN by Damien Casey

 

Heartburn by Damien Casey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today, I was in the mood for a novella, and I'm really glad I picked this one because it's a blast!

Dana is unlucky in love, so she signs up to the Ten-in-Ten app. Ten blind dates in ten days. Sounds like a great opportunity to find someone. Or a recipe for disaster...

OMG. This story is SO MUCH FUN!!

It's a modern romcom packed with very familiar pop-culture references and real-life frustrations, all wrapped up in a lighthearted zany humorous pac...

THE BLACK CABIN by Wayne Fenlon

 

The Black Cabin by Wayne Fenlon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I started reading this amazing book this afternoon and finished it this evening. Why? Because I couldn't stop reading. This is the kind of story that hooks the reader in right away. The more you read, the more you have to keep going. I only put the book down a few times, and I couldn't wait to get back to it.

This thriller/horror hybrid is told in the alternating POVs of Eric, a delusional man haunted by his tragic past. Evelyn, an over...

March Revision Update!

Hey! How are you? Is everyone ready for the weekend? I know I am.
I spent all this week working on the final read-thru of Tuesday.
This is the novel I wrote during NanoWriMo 2022. It's a dark tale about a complicated family who live in a small Australian town that has as many secrets as the residents. It's told in two POVs, one set in the past the other set nowish. I originally planned to revise it last month but a lot of life changes happened and I pushed it back to March. 
Here's how I did t...

The Revision Continues...

 

Hey! How are you today? 😊

Well, this week I got stuck into the third draft of the novel I'm currently revising and not only did I reach the end tonight, but I also had enough time to take care of the changes/additions list. Yes, there's always a list leftover. It wasn't a long one this time, but I took care of everything.
That means I get tomorrow off. Yay.
Anyway, this is how this week's numbers looked: Monday: 85/237pgs (87,948w)Tuesday: 146/237pgs (87,573w)Wednesday: 218/237pgs (87,050w)Thursda...

It's Revision Time!

 

Hey! How are you today? Great, I hope.
The last few weeks have been a bit strange. Draining and sad. Asides from losing Loki and getting used to hubby's new working hours, we got our next Pfizer booster on Friday. So we were feeling pretty crappy last weekend. That Covid shot sure makes you feel like shit, but it's worth it. And the effects wore off by Monday. Phew.
Well, it's been a while but this week I got stuck into a bit of revision. That's right, after finishing my outstanding Revision Proj...

Saying Goodbye to Loki

LOKI 2007 - 2023

I've been meaning to write this post for almost a week now, but couldn't bring myself to do it because it was too sad and very painful.

Last Monday we lost our beloved cat, Loki. 😥💔

Calling Loki a cat doesn't seem right. He was my writing buddy, our companion, a little comedian, our familiar, and a sassy boy with a huge attitude. He was the king of the castle. He knew what he wanted and because he was so cute, adorable and loud, he always got his way.

He turned 16 last month, but sho...