Phil Giunta's Blog, page 5

By Your Side – Countdown to Release!

To celebrate the upcoming release of my paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side, I will share random samples of the story each week from now until July 22 when the book goes live.

Click here for more info on By Your Side and to pre-order the ebook for $2.99 from Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Nook, or Smashwords.

I hope you enjoy the following excerpt from Chapter One – Night at the Zoo

On the opposite side of the zoo, Miranda and Amy made their way to the Reptile House by the light of the lampposts. It was a long one-story brick building with four windows along each side. During their guided tour earlier in the evening, Stanley had promised to keep the place unlocked until their investigation was over. No sooner had Miranda touched the handle of the glass door than her flashlight dimmed for a moment before going dark.

“Mine, too,” Amy said. “And these are new batteries.”

Miranda unclipped the walkie-talkie from her belt. The LCD display was off. She twisted the power knob to no avail. “Check your radio and mini DV.”

After a moment, Amy shook her head. “Same. What the hell? There’s no way everything could shut off at once.” As if on cue, the closest lamppost winked out. “I stand corrected. I don’t scare easy, but this is creepin’ me out.”

It was a popular theory among paranormal investigators that as spirits attempt to manifest, they draw energy from their surroundings. In doing so, they can drain batteries, as well as any heat in the immediate vicinity. Amy shivered as a chill wrapped itself around her. “Oh, my God, Randy, did you feel that? I think we have a cold spot.”

Something flashed in the pale moonlight that crossed the entrance to the reptile house. Amy realized she was alone. “Randy?” She stepped up to the door and pulled the handle. It was cool to the touch, but refused to budge. She cupped her hands around her eyes and pressed her nose to the glass. It was impossible to discern any details inside, save for the reflection of moonlight on various surfaces. A shadow passed in front of a window on the opposite side of the building.

“Randy!” Amy pounded on the door to no avail. She backed away until the air was warmer, and pulled her radio from her belt. It was still dead. She considered making her way back to the security office but couldn’t bear to leave Miranda alone. The question was, how long could Amy bear to be alone?

***

In the blink of an eye, moonlight through the windows brightened into the amber rays of the afternoon sun. Straw crunched beneath her feet. Somewhere behind her, a woman called her name.

Amy? The barn door slid aside, stopped midway, then continued as if requiring great effort to open. The silhouette of a young boy appeared. He held an oil lamp in one hand and in the other, a leather strap that led to the halter of a brown horse, young and sturdy. Except for a white patch between its eyes, it had no other markings.

“Come on, Bluff,” the boy said. As he drew near, Miranda estimated his age at ten, perhaps eleven. “It’s too hot out today. We’ll ride tomorrow.”

Miranda went unnoticed as the boy led the horse past her. He placed the oil lamp atop a wooden barrel and used his free hand to unlock the stall door and swing it open. At that moment, there was a loud thud from the hayloft, startling both boy and horse. Bluff jerked his massive head to one side as if preparing to retreat through the barn doors. The boy stroked the horse along its taut neck, but this only served to aggravate it all the more.

“It’s okay, Bluff. It was nothing. Probably a squirrel or a bird.” He pulled on the strap as hard as he could to turn the horse back toward the stall, but Bluff wouldn’t have it. The horse reared up, yanking the strap from the boy’s grasp and whipping him against the door of the neighboring stall.

The boy shrank away and for a moment, Miranda hoped his fear would keep him frozen in place, allowing the horse to bolt freely from the barn. Instead, the boy charged forward.

“No!” Miranda cringed as Bluff’s left hoof slammed down on the boy’s head, knocking him to the floor in a crumpled heap. The horse then bucked, kicking the barrel with its hind legs. The oil lamp tumbled to the floor, igniting a patch of dry hay. At that, Bluff bolted from the barn, leaving the boy unconscious and helpless against the spreading flames.

Within minutes, the fire had consumed the stall and the boy with it. The entire right side of the barn was soon ablaze. There was nothing Miranda could do. She was merely a spectator in this vision of the past, a dark and immutable event in the land’s history.

On the hayloft, an older boy gazed over the edge on his hands and knees. He appeared to be drowsy and disoriented, as if he’d just awakened from a nap. At the sight of the flames, he pushed himself to his feet and swatted bits of hay from his hair and clothes. The fire had spread beneath the loft, scorching the underside of the wood. He had barely taken two steps toward the ladder when his left leg punched through the floor. His face contorted in agony from the pain of the jagged wood that sliced into his calf and the flames that singed his bare foot and ankle.

Miranda knew he had no chance. He sat back on the floor and pulled his leg up through the hole. He crawled toward the ladder, but the floor could no longer support him and gave way, sending the boy plummeting to his death in the inferno below.

Miranda dropped to her knees and wept, ignoring the fire that raged out of control around her. Above, wood beams cracked and groaned. She threw her arms over her head as the roof collapsed.

When she opened her eyes a moment later, Miranda found herself in the Reptile House once again—along with the two boys. The room was oppressive, as if it still retained the inferno’s heat.

“We didn’t know anyone could see us,” the younger boy said.

His older brother stepped forward. “We’ve been trying to get through to people for a long time, but no one would listen.”

“I’m listening now.” Miranda wiped the sweat from her nose and chin.

“We’re lost. We don’t know how to get home or where our parents are.”

She took their hands. They were cold, but she gripped them and spoke in a soft tone. “You never left. The farm is gone. There’s a zoo here now. You—”

The younger boy’s eyes widened. “What happened to our mom and dad?”

“They moved on.”

“To where?” he demanded.

His brother placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “Please, can you tell us where to find them?”

Miranda nodded, failing in her attempt to hold back tears. Discussions like this were never easy, especially with children. “Yes, I can.”

***

All the lampposts turned on at once.

Amy shot forward on a park bench beside the Reptile House, nearly sending the video camera tumbling from her lap. She caught it and noticed the red glow of the power light. Flipping open the screen, she aimed the camera at the light of the lamppost. It worked, but not for long. The batteries were nearly dead.

“Amy.”

She whirled to find Miranda leaning against the side of the building. “Randy, what happened? You’re drenched in sweat. Are you okay?”

Miranda swallowed hard before finding her voice. “The barn was here. Whole thing burned down. Those boys died right where I’m standing, not back there.” She waved in the direction of the Weeping Willow Garden.

“You had a vision.”

“I need to sit down.”

With some help from Amy, Miranda lowered herself onto the bench. She rocked her head back and closed her eyes. “Hot in there.”

“You were only in there for a few minutes.”

“A few minutes in Hell.”

“There you are.” Eddie emerged from the shadows along the trail. “What happened? We’ve been trying to get you on the rad—whoa, Randy, you okay?”

“Just peachy.”

“She had a vision,” Amy said. “All of our equipment lost power. Even the lampposts went out.”

“No freakin’ way.”

“She’s not lying,” Miranda confirmed. “It’s been a few years since I’ve had a vision that powerful.”

Eddie took a seat at the edge of the bench. “So what did you see?”

Amy sneered at him and shook her head.

“If you feel up to talking about it, that is.”

“Stanley was partly correct,” Miranda said. “Although his location was off. The brothers did die in a barn—”

“—but the barn was here.” Eddie finished. “Right where that Reptile House was built.”

“How did you know?” Amy asked.

“Google.”

Miranda chuckled.

“Seriously, you wanted me to research the history of the area, right?” Eddie said. “I found a website of some local historian and he had all the details of what happened here, so your vision was accurate. Though it sucks that you had to watch some kids die. Oh, and as for the mother, Nellie, she didn’t hang herself from a tree, she died in a nursing home seven years ago at the age of eighty-nine. The father, Leonard, died from a heart attack eleven years before that.”

“Nice work,” Miranda said.

“Maybe we should send two other people back here,” Amy suggested. “Set up video and audio inside the Reptile House. We might catch those speakers turning on by themselves like Stanley said.”

“I’ll stick around,” Eddie patted his jacket pocket. “I got my digital voice recorder in case those dead kids have something to say. Just send someone back with fresh batteries in the video camera.”

“‘Those dead kids?’ You’re so rude.” Amy turned to Miranda. “You feel up to walking back?”

“Absolutely.”

The women started off along the trail toward the security office. Before they were too far away, Miranda turned to ask Eddie if he was sure he’d be all right by himself for a few minutes. It was, after all, against the rules to go anywhere alone. But Eddie was speaking into his voice recorder. This was not unusual. It was common practice to provide a brief introduction, so you know what you’re listening to later when you review the evidence.

What was unusual were the ghosts of the two boys seated on opposite sides of him. They waved at her before vanishing.

“You worried about leaving Eddie alone?” Amy asked.

“Nah. He’ll be fine. There’s nothing to fear in the Reptile House, aside from that albino crocodile that was eyeing me up for its next meal.”

***

Stay tuned for another sample chapter next week!

Child Abuse Prevention Month Followup

Following up on a fundraiser I ran during April for Child Abuse Prevention Month. As promised, all proceeds from the sale of my novel Testing the Prisoner were donated to Prevent Child Abuse America . It’s a modest sum, but my gratitude to everyone who purchased a copy of Testing the Prisoner is enormous.

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About This Writing Stuff…

This month, we begin with author marketing and branding with Good Story Company’s Michal Leah. From there, Anne R. Allen weighs in on the value of blogging vs Substack (and newsletters in general).

These days, of course, we can’t avoid the digital elephant in the room known as AI, especially as related to copyright infringement. Check out the latest on that from The Authors Guild and Sidebar Saturdays.

We conclude our lineup with a variety of fantastic articles covering such topics as crafting effective dialogue and unforgettable opening scenes to exploring your character’s taboos and writing compelling inner conflict. Enjoy!

DIY Author Marketing 101 by Michal Leah

Substack Newsletters vs. Blogging: Should Authors Quit Blogging and Join Substack by Anne R. Allen

No One Buys Books by Ellie Griffin

Authors Guild Supports Groundbreaking Bill to Create AI Transparency Between Creators and Companies 

Big Tech’s Disregard for Authors: AG Responds to Tech Companies Harvesting Books 

Artificial Intelligence Generated Work – Copyright Protection and Infringement by Matt Knight

Why Should I Bother with an Outline? by Kristen Overman

Dig Into Your Character’s Taboos by Kathryn Craft

Labeling Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle

Shaping the Sound of Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle

Pacing Your Dialogue by Chris Winkle

Avoid, Persevere, Endure, Fight: 4 Goals for Unforgettable Opening Scenes by Ayesha Ali via Jane Friedman

Upmarket Fiction: Everything You Need to Know by Louise Tondeur

Why Trains Make the Perfect Thriller and Mystery Setting by Debbie Babbit

How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict by Angela Ackerman via Jane Friedman

Book Review: Toxic Candy by Weldon Burge

Mix together a heaping cup of crime drama, a pinch of paranormal, a motley assortment of monsters, and a dash of creepy comedy and you get Toxic Candy, a thoroughly enjoyable and diverse collection of quick, fun stories from veteran suspense writer Weldon Burge. A few of my favorites include:

“The Old Man on the Porch” – An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.

“Melvin and the Haunted Mansion” – Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?

“To See the Elephant” – During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.

“Vindictive” – A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.

Book Review: A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

What happens when the illegal drug you’re taking splits your personality? That’s exactly what happens to Bob Arctor, a dealer addicted to Substance D, street name “Death.”

Fred is a narcotics officer assigned to monitor’s Bob’s activities. Only one problem. Bob and Fred are the same guy. Arctor’s situation becomes even more complex when the police set up holographic surveillance equipment in his house where he lives with two other junkies, Barris and Luckman.

Meanwhile, Arctor continues to buy Substance D from a young woman named Donna Hawthorne in hopes of getting to her dealer, but instead, falls in love with her. Eventually, Arctor’s addiction destroys his brain and lands him in a rehab center engaging its own nefarious activities.

While not my favorite Philip K. Dick novel (that’s a tie between Ubik and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said), he does a phenomenal job of portraying the brutal reality of drug addiction and its devastating effects on the mind and body. Dick’s invention of the “scramble suit” is a clever plot device that allows Fred to go unrecognized among this fellow officers and eventually, to Barris who attempts to betray Arctor to the police in Fred’s presence. Buckle up for a wild ride.

After Action Report: 2024 Write Stuff Conference

Another Write Stuff Conference has come and gone all too soon.  Although the convention is three days long, I was only able to attend on Friday and Saturday.

Friday’s full-day session was divided into two sections, both taught by NYT bestseller and five-time Bram Stoker award winner Jonathan Maberry. The morning class was a three-hour crash course on creating a saleable novel while the afternoon was all about creating compelling characters in fiction. Jonathan’s advice was compelling, entertaining, poignant, and direct.

Photo credit: Joan Zachary

It wouldn’t be the Write Stuff without the Friday night social event from 8:30-10PM. In recent years, cosplay has been encouraged with people dressing up as characters from short stories and books. Our first cosplayer who started years before, however, was con-chair Charles Kiernan as Mark Twain seen here with Laurel Wenson as Sister Katherine from Michael Daigle’s series of detective novels starring Frank Nagler.

Photo credit: Christina Dunbar

Saturday was a full day of hour-long presentations by our faculty including Jonathan Maberry, Amy Deardon, Jordan Sonnenblick, Laurel Wenson, and Melissa Koberlein.

Melissa Koberlein presentation on Writing Romantic Comedies

Given the fact that I’ve had a romantic comedy idea bouncing around my head for several months, I attended Melissa Koberlein’s wonderful presentation on writing rom-coms (above) and left with a list of elements that comprise a good rom-com and a few book recommendations.

I remained in the room for Jonathan Maberry’s talk on crafting the perfect pitch. At one point, he asked the audience for a title, character name, and logline for a story. Armed with that info, he instantly created a verbal pitch for the book, summarizing both the plot and the protagonist and naming comparable titles. He did this without stammering, hesitating, or reconsidering a single word of his pitch. Stunning.

At that point, I decided to set up my table for the afternoon book fair and managed to sell a few books before lunch while chatting with fellow writers Laurel Wenson, Michael Daigle and Jon Gibbs.

By the time I made my way to Salons A& B for lunch, the joint was packed. I found a seat in the back corner table with friend, writer, and editor Weldon Burge and his wife, Cindy. I had suggested Weldon as a presenter, having worked with him when he accepted and edited my story for A Plague of Shadows anthology in 2018. Weldon and I have also had stories in three other anthologies over the years. He is an experienced presenter, small press owner, and a good friend.

Over dessert, Jonathan Maberry delivered an encouraging, delightful, and uplifting keynote speech that was part advice and part anecdotes from his writing career.

Phil & Jonathan Maberry Weldon Burge on Writing for Anthologies

After lunch, I attended Weldon’s back-to-back presentations on writing for anthologies (above). After that, it was time for the book fair. My hottest seller was the second edition of my first paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner, which had won three awards since November, including two just days before the conference. I also sold four anthologies before the end of the day. By 5PM, it was time to call it a day, pack it in, and say goodbye to Weldon, Cindy, Jonathan Maberry, and my fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group who did an amazing job of organizing the conference yet again.

Weldon & Phil at the Book Fair

To add a little more literary fun to this weekend, two items arrived in the mail, one on Friday and other on Saturday. The first was the pack of award stickers from The BookFest Spring 2024 competition in which Testing the Prisoner took second place in the Horror\Ghosts & Paranormal category.

BookFest Stickers for Testing the Prisoner

The second item was the 12×18 poster for the second edition of my second paranormal mystery novel from 2012, By Your Side. The new edition is available on preorder in ebook format now with the paperback to follow next week.

Posters for Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side

By Your Side Redux

I’m pleased to announce that the second edition of my second paranormal mystery novel from 2012, By Your Side, is now up for preorder in ebook format for $2.99 from all the major resellers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. The paperback will be added to preorder next week so stay tuned!

This edition has been re-edited and given a new cover by comic book artist Scott Barnett.

Purchase:        

The official release date is July 22, 2024. The book will be launched a few days later at Shore Leave 44 SF convention in Lancaster, PA.

Stay tuned for further updates!

Testing the Prisoner Takes Second Place in The BookFest Spring 2024 Competition

On the heels of the PA Press Club award earlier this week, Testing the Prisoner wins another one! Second place in The BookFest Spring 2024 competition. Third award since November. Always grateful for the recognition.‌ Congrats to all of the Spring 2024 winners listed here (use the drop down list to view First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mentions).‌As a reminder, April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Testing the Prisoner will be donated to Prevent Child Abuse America from now until April 30.  Thank you for your support!‌‌

Testing the Prisoner Takes First Place!

Excited to announce that my paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner , took First Place in “Books-Fiction for Adult Readers” category in the 2024 Pennsylvania Press Club Communications Contest.‌All first place entries are forwarded to the National Federation of Press Women for a second round of competition against other state affiliates. Winners in that round will be announced in June during NFPW’s annual conference in St. Louis, MO. The top three winners in the national competition receive cash awards.‌As a reminder, April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Testing the Prisoner will be donated to Prevent Child Abuse America from now until April 30.  Thank you for your support!

Child Abuse Awareness Month

My friends, I know we’re all besieged by charities seeking donations and our funds are limited. I hesitated to add one more, but this one’s close to my heart and you’ll get something in return for your participation.

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and from now until April 30th, I will donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Testing the Prisoner to Chicago-based charity Prevent Child Abuse America. I believe in their mission to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children. You can learn more about PCAA by clicking here.

Why am I doing this? At its heart, Testing the Prisoner is a story of a child abuse survivor who escaped and built a better life for himself but soon learns that the emotional pain lasts for years and can manifest when the right buttons are pushed. When a series of hauntings pushes those buttons and unravels our hero’s idyllic life, he is given a choice to forgive his abuser and find peace in himself or allow his rage and bitterness to destroy him.

Both in person and through their reviews, a number of my readers opened up about their own experiences with child abuse and  how Testing the Prisoner helped them address their own pain, take steps toward forgiveness, and find their own inner peace. What more could I ask for as a writer? Click here to learn more about Testing the Prisoner.

It doesn’t matter where you purchase Testing the Prisoner—Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, Bookshop.org, Smashwords, Kobo, or your favorite independent bookshop. Once I make the donation to Prevent Child Abuse America in May, I’ll follow up with the total here. Thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.