Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 102
January 31, 2022
Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran #Horror
Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore Mark W. Curran
Genre: Horror/Speculative Fiction Publisher: NMD Books Date of Publication: Sept 15, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-936828-51-7 Number of pages: 300Word Count: 83,365Cover Artist: Robert Gonzales
A Collection of Contemporary Horror Fiction
Book Description: Werewolves... vampires... swamp beasts... zombies... even a Jersey Devil... all of these chilling creatures and more await you in this haunting collection of 11 contemporary horror fiction stories by Mark Wesley Curran. Uniquely set 'down the shore' in South Jersey's Cape May County, these scary tales are sure to terrify and entertain both adult readers as well as young adults.
The spooky offerings include:
- An abrasive radio talk show host is stalked by an angry werewolf in 'Werewolves of Dennis'
- A Fun Pier boardwalk worker falls under the spell of a strange attic dwelling girl in 'The Girl In The Attic'
- An ancient sailing ship filled with bloodthirsty zombies crashes into the Jersey Shore in 'Night of the Wildwood Dead'
The cornerstone of the collection is 'The Witches of Wildwood,' the harrowing and suspenseful tale of a witch-hunting preacher hell-bent on killing four teenage sisters determined to destroy the world from their Wildwood boarding house.
This collection contains: The Girl In The Attic - Dante's Inferno At Castle Dracula - Neptune's Revenge - Night of the Wildwood Dead - Captain Harvey's Wildwood Seafood Palace - Showdown In Anglesea - The Fortune Teller Machine - Jersey Devil - Werewolves of Dennis - Swamp Beast of Grassy Sound - The Witches of Wildwood [novella].
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/-fHOAUbK0xc
Custom Autographed Clothbound Edition with Gold Tassle Bookmark
Excerpt:
Dante snapped out of his flashback in a startled daze.
He tried shutting the images out of his brain as he swam through the smoke and flame – peering forward as the shaft of white lantern sliced through the smoky darkness. As he walked the creaky floorboards, he heard the groaning and falling of smoky timbers in the unseen floors above him; he knew the ceiling could give way at any moment. His radio crackled with warnings to exit the building immediately. He reached down to his radio, switching it to off, then fought his way through the haze and flame.
He fought hard against the images; the memories as ghosts floated around him; he saw visions of his father, a fifth-generation firefighter, his tough, angry face floating disembodied on a thin veneer of white smoke. Then the image of his father: lying in a casket in a Northeast Philly funeral home, looking like some strange wax figure from a horror movie. The embalmers and makeup people had done the best they could but there was only so much that could be done with burn victims. It had been a fire in Manyunk, a section of Philly, that had taken his life.
Dante fought against the exhaustion and inertia he’d been feeling for months now; tried putting it all out of his mind; the divorce from Kathy; losing the custody battle; losing their home to the mortgage crisis. Guilt and depression had dogged him for the better part of his life, but a man had to remain strong, to fight his way through it, that’s what his parents and friends had told him.
It’ll pass, they said, in the meantime, man up.
But they could not know the debilitating effect of depression, how it freezes you and turns your life into a living nightmare of psychic pain. He’d tried sleeping it off, twelve hours a day; he’d tried drinking it away but it only made matters worse.
Snap out of it, they all said. Tough it out, Petrillo, suck it up. Yeah, he thought, if I don’t snap first.
The roar above his head was an angry crescendo; it sounded like a thousand railroad trains thundering over his head. He pushed forward into the oily black smoke and the ominous arms of orange and yellow flames that reached out all around him like angry beckoning spirits.
There was crashing overhead as sections of the burning roof fell into the floor above him. It did not slow his resolve or lessen his courage, he simply pushed the fear down below the surface He heard voices ahead of him. He stopped dead and tried to ignore the ghosts. Ahead of him in the glow of flame and smoke was Gracie-Lynn, his mother – the strong, silent pillar of strength that had endured so much before she’d died.
For years she’d dealt with his father’s unspeakable anger, the deep bouts of depression, the unexplained rage that would erupt in a split second into violence.
Mark Wesley Curran is a writer of contemporary fiction, specializing in the horror and suspense genre. Born and raised in Suburban Philadelphia, he spent many summers living and working in Wildwood, New Jersey during its heyday. He now resides in Los Angeles where he enjoys creative pursuits as a writer, filmmaker and musician. He moderates the Horror Fiction Central website and edits the weekly horror fiction Newswire, resources for fans of horror fiction.
Website: http://www.witchesofwildwood.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkWesleyCurr1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WitchesofWildwood/
Horror Fiction Central: www.horrorfictioncentral.com
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican #UrbanFantasy
Blood and FireAlpha and OmegaBook OneKim Mullican
Genre: Urban FantasyPublisher: Syn PublishingDate of Publication: 01/17/2022ISBN: 978-1-942632-39-9ASIN: B09NN4GLTZNumber of pages: 160Word Count: 62kCover Artist: Get Covers
Book Description:
I am Maia Delacroix and I hunt people and relics. My life does not lack excitement or danger. I have it in spades.
Then the Mageri surprised me with an orphan...yes, an orphan. I can’t even keep a house plant alive, let alone a kid. It turns out that I’m her only living relative, and even though we’ve never met, I’m her only hope. Great. Can I feed her after midnight? What does she eat? I have no idea what I’m doing.
They tell me this little witchling will need care for a few years until she comes of age. The bizarre fire leaking out of Elaina’s hands is a pretty good indicator that she is no witch.
Then the coven comes—they want her back. Necromancers show up, turning my vampire friends into enemies. If that isn’t bad enough, I have a demon problem now too.
Join me, and see if we can make it out alive!
Amazon
Excerpt:
She leaned into me and sobbed.
I didn’t know her but damn if I didn’t suddenly feel responsible for her. How in the hell had that happened? Because I lost my mother too? Because this poor kid had big blue eyes and pleaded for me to help her? Damned if I knew.
She wiped her face on her shirt. “We should probably get some groceries.”
And we did. While she did buy some junk food, I was a little surprised at how much healthy stuff she put in the cart. She even claimed she knew what to do with it.
When she grabbed a box of Earl Grey tea, I laughed. “You liar!”
She looked slightly embarrassed. “My mom drinks it,” she looked down at the box, “she drank it.”
I snatched it out of her hand and threw it in the cart. “If nothing else, we’ll brew it just to sniff.”
She blinked back tears before grabbing a bag of coffee. “Sounds good.”
The bill at checkout nearly gave me hives. Did teenagers eat this much every week? The paperwork the attorney left did show a nice monthly allowance for necessities, but if the grocery bill was this much each week, I’m not sure how much would be left.
I tried to hide the shock from Elaina. My poker face must not be as good as I thought, however.
“Don’t worry, we had to get a lot of staple items this week. We won’t need this much each time.”
Smiling, I started piling bags in my truck. “You noticed my mini-stroke?”
She laughed. “I’ve never seen a mage turn white like that. It was like a vampire had sucked you dry.”
After returning home, she helped me put all the groceries away then volunteered to start making dinner. I poured a glass of wine and leaned against the counter, watching her. Something was niggling at the back of my head.
“I wanted to ask you about that awesome fireball you made earlier.”
I noticed the pause in her movements before she went back to work. That spoke volumes.
“Cool, huh,” she said, keeping her back to me.
“What kind of magic is that?” I asked. “I’ve never seen a witch make a fireball.” I studied her movements while she worked. Her hands started to shake a little. The topic made her nervous. Interesting.
Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “As it turns out, I’m not a witch. I turned twelve and mom put me through all of the usual tests. Nothing.” She shook spices on the meat in the pan.
“Wow, that must have sucked.” I was trying to stay on her level to keep her comfortable.
“Not really. She didn’t make a big deal out of it. I helped her with her projects, learned about ingredients, spells, and relics. Last year, I felt something.”
She turned and looked at me. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like a switch flipped and I could feel something here,” she said pointing just below her sternum.
“Warm and kind of moving?” I asked.
She nodded. “Exactly, except sometimes it feels icy too.”
Warm and cold? Was this kid defective?
“Anyway, I told my mom. We were close and she was just, awesome. I always knew I could tell her anything. She said it was excellent. So, we went into the woods and tried several things.
Nothing I tried worked. Then she said to do what felt naturally. That’s when I cupped my hands and made a tiny light ball. It was the size of a marble.”
This made no sense. It didn’t sound like any magic I knew.
About the Author:Kim Mullican is a cross-genre author with over 20 novels under her belt. She enjoys the farm life in Northwest Indiana with her husband. Between chasing chickens and herding cats, she and her husband enjoy gardening and old episodes of Top Chef.
Website: https://kimmullican.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hgbPUn
TikTock: https://www.tiktok.com/@kimmullican
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKimMullican
January 28, 2022
A Bewitching Friday
On Stephen King from Mark Curran #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/zJry50HGoKO
The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/skj450HGoIw
Discovery of the Five Senses The Urban Boys Series Book One K.N. Smith #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/HLjm50HGoG7
The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews [Tour with Excerpt] #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/2RRW50HGoH6
Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican - Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/ZO1H50HGoEV
Ink Well--One writer’s process explained for the reader with horror author Jaydeep Shah + giveaway
http://www.ismellsheep.com/2022/01/in...
INTERVIEW WITH KIM MULLICAN (Blood and Fire) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/NswV50HFno2
Author Interview - Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/BF5m50HFnvF
January 27, 2022
A Bewitching Thursday
Ink Well--One writer’s process explained for the reader with horror author Jaydeep Shah + giveaway
http://www.ismellsheep.com/2022/01/in...
INTERVIEW WITH KIM MULLICAN (Blood and Fire) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/NswV50HFno2
Author Interview - Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/BF5m50HFnvF
The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/nBlC50HFnqc
Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith Tour Stop & #Giveaway #YA #UrbanFantasy #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/8c1A50HFnoW
The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPSUihu2Me/
In the Kitchen with Andrea Matthews - Recipe for Bread Pudding #InTheKitchen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/bT8t50HElK2
INTERVIEW - URBAN FANTASY - BLOOD AND FIRE (Alpha and Omega, #1) by Kim Mullican #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/m1aL50HElFl
Guest Blog- The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewithingbooktours http://ow.ly/LC0w50HBhnj
January 26, 2022
A Bewitching Wednesday
In the Kitchen with Andrea Matthews - Recipe for Bread Pudding #InTheKitchen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/bT8t50HElK2
INTERVIEW - URBAN FANTASY - BLOOD AND FIRE (Alpha and Omega, #1) by Kim Mullican #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/m1aL50HElFl
Discovery of the Five Senses The Urban Boys Series Book One by K.N. Smith - YA Action-Adventure, YA Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Mystery/ Thriller - Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.
https://jbbookworms.blogspot.com/2022...
Witches of Wildwood by Mark W. Curran [Tour with Excerpt] #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/9Ty550HCkcH
Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived. Follow five friends on a mysterious adventure as they struggle to understand their new sensory super powers in a race to save mankind! #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/jzfp50HElI0
The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah - Horror - A spine-chilling story in which adventurers struggle to survive on the land of a cold-blooded psychopath who enjoys slashing humans. #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/wi1H50HElN7
Guest Blog- The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewithingbooktours http://ow.ly/LC0w50HBhnj
January 25, 2022
A Bewitching Tuesday
The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews - Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/eCr450HCk5L
Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican Virtual Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/v0v650HCk09
Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah @imjaydeepshah ~ #HOrror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/N8Mg50HCk8C
Witches of Wildwood by Mark W. Curran [Tour with Excerpt]
https://www.westveilpublishing.com/?p...
Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHk28rOFIE/
Guest Blog- The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewithingbooktours http://ow.ly/LC0w50HBhnj
Guest Post: Blood and Fire (Alpha and Omega) by Kim Mullican ~ #BookTour #Excerpt
http://angelsguiltypleasures.com/2022...
January 24, 2022
A Bewitching Monday
Guest Post: Blood and Fire (Alpha and Omega) by Kim Mullican ~ #BookTour #Excerpt
http://angelsguiltypleasures.com/2022...
Guest Blog- The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewithingbooktours http://ow.ly/LC0w50HBhnj
Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHk28rOFIE/
Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/ksOM50HBhsa
The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah - Book Tour + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/LNea50HBhqH
The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance #bewithingbooktours
https://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com...
The Cross of Ciaran by Andrea Matthews #timetravelromance #celticromance #paranormalromance
The Cross of CiaranThe Cross of Ciaran Series Book OneAndrea Matthews
Genre: Paranormal RomancePublisher: Inez M. Foster Date of Publication: June 18, 2020ISBN: 978-1-7333375-1-9ASIN: B08BJ1QRGMNumber of pages: 362Cover Artist: Jenny Quinlan
Tagline: Can a fifth century pagan priest find love with a twentieth century archaeologist or will his secrets shatter their future together?
Book Description:
When a fifth century pagan priest is unearthed in Ireland fifteen hundred years after being entombed, archaeologist Caitlin O’Connell is convinced it’s the find of the century. The body is in perfect condition, right down to the intricate tattoos adorning the Celt’s skin. In fact, if scientific data hadn’t proved otherwise, she would swear he hadn’t been interred more than a few hours.
Eager to discover more about the mysterious Celt, Caitlin accompanies the body back to the New York museum where she’s employed, but before she has time to study him, the priest disappears without a trace. Rumors surrounding the event begin to circulate and result in the excavation’s benefactor pulling the plug on the entire expedition.
The rumors are not far off the mark though. After being buried alive for betraying his goddess and his priesthood in the dawning age of Christianity, Ciarán wakes to a strange new world. Alone and frightened in an unforgiving city, he stumbles upon the only thing familiar to him and seeks sanctuary within the church walls. With the help of the parish’s pastor, Father Mike, Ciarán slowly grows accustomed to his surroundings, though he’s plagued by dark dreams and the disturbing sensation that an evil from his past has followed him into the future. But a more immediate danger lurks on his doorstep.
Caitlin is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery concerning her missing Celt, and when she meets her Uncle Mike’s new handyman, Ciarán Donnelly, she’s convinced the handsome Irishman knows more about the theft than he’s letting on. Yet, even she can’t deny the attraction between them, simmering below the surface and blurring the lines between her personal and professional life. But will Ciarán’s secrets draw them together or shatter their future forever?
Amazon
Excerpt:
Ciarán stumbled along beneath the twisted canopy of blackthorn shrubs, their prickly branches entwining with those of the hawthorn to form a mystical passageway. Though only a dim grey light pierced its knotwork, intermittent flashes of lightning broke through the tangled vines to sketch eerie patterns across the moss-covered path. His robe caught on the spiny bramble, and he stopped for a moment to free his sleeve, but a sharp shove from behind thrust him forward once more, the sudden movement ripping a jagged hole in his fine linen robe.
His temper flared, and he turned to object, though it did no good. Another quick jab to his shoulder spun him back around and thrust him out into the lakeside clearing. Slender stone columns stood in a semi-circle around its perimeter, each one facing the sacrificial altar. He rested his hand against the one to his side, steadying himself as the reality of the situation washed over him in a wave of nausea. There would be no escape.
As if in agreement, a bolt of lightning ripped across the horizon, followed by a crash of thunder so loud it caused the breath to catch in his throat. The goddess was angry.
Out of nowhere, thick grey clouds had formed to conceal the morning sun and cast ominous shadows over the secluded enclosure. The urge to fall prostrate before his goddess mother gripped his innards, tearing at his stomach with a fiery knife, but he could not find it within his heart to do so. A black-robed cleric propelled him further into the temple confines, forcing him to his knees beside another of the slender gray columns. The decision to kneel had been made for him, though it was an empty gesture on his part.
Trying to retain his composure, he gazed around the quiet glade. Towering thorn bushes encircled the clearing, concealing the sanctuary from the outside world and providing a perfect setting for worshipping the goddess of their tuath. The bile rose in his throat, for he knew the requirements for admission all too well. Entry to its sacred confines was only granted to those within the priesthood and those about to die.
About the Author:
Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History, an MLS in Library Science, and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen-hundred-year old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Long Island Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.
Website: www.andrea-matthews.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMatthewsAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreamatthewshistoricalromance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreamatthewshistoricromance/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19718311.Andrea_Matthews
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andrea-matthews
January 21, 2022
A Bewitching Friday
Author Interview - The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/9P2o50HzKZe
Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Discovery of the Five Senses: The Urban Boys Series, Book One by K.N. Smith @knsmith_author ~ #YA #Action #Adventure #Thriller #UF #Mystery #BewitchingBookTours http://ow.ly/Hbcr50HzKXT
Blood & Fire by Kim Mullican #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/Vi1A50HzKWK
Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran
https://www.facebook.com/bookpimpette...
January 20, 2022
A Bewitching Thursday
An Excerpt from Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican
https://theshadowjournals.com/2022/01...
The Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY9QaPpOQgl/
Discovery of the Five Senses
https://www.facebook.com/FangtasticBo...
The Haunting of Black River Forest by Jaydeep Shah
https://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/202...
Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith - Book Tour + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/GCiQ50HxPPP
INTERVIEW - THE HAUNTING OF BLACK RIVER FOREST by Jaydeep Shan #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/meMz50HwKCJ
Author Interview - Witches of Wildwood: Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark W. Curran #Horror #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/9lP550HutYk
