C.A. Verstraete's Blog, page 35

New #Zombie Blurb Video!

Great new blurb video for Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter  with a great announcer from No Compromise Media. Pretty cool (the name pronunciation will be changed yet. )

Check it out here.

Christmas Reads! #zombie #mystery #thriller

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Get some more great books for that quiet time after the presents are opened! Still time to get a new read you'll love!
 (See my December Reading List 1  for more great books!)
** Check out the December new releases at Sci Fi Fantasy Bonanza!





Based on Real Life



 The Burning, JP Seewald - Based on true events with fictional characters, the short novella tells the story who's worked hard to avoid the coalmines that shortened his father's life. Now a slow-moving catastrophe threatens everything. How far will he go to protect everything? Will he realize what really matters before it's too late?
Christmas - Comedy - Critique

 Christmas Carol Critique Collection (Critiques and Parodies of Christmas Classics), Donald J. Bingle -  Start the holidays right with a humorous critique of your favorite Christmas classics.







Dark Fantasy


Black Bells, Dawn Napier - Megan Campbell has just lost her younger sister, a troubled woman who Megan could never quite reach. Heartbroken and shattered, Megan's imagination turns to a happier time, when she and Denise spent their childhoods telling stories and going on adventures in the fantasy world of Far Faraway. Almost as much as she misses her sister, Megan misses that magical world and their mischievous guide, Jack Benimble. But the fairytale world they once knew has been shattered and twisted by a terrible childhood event Megan only thinks of as the bad thing. And now Megan and her family are threatened by the darkness that has crept out of the Dungeon Deep and spread across all of Far Faraway.
 Calico (The Covenant of Shadows Book 2) , Kade Cook - After surviving a near fatal kidnapping, Gabrian is determined to pick up the sordid pieces of her life or at least she is trying to. But somewhere in the chaos something has gone awry. Her ability to turn off the cravings is broken—leaving her victim to a body meant to run on instinct for survival, a body constructed to reap fear within the Realm. Now Gabrian must test the strength of her will—harness in the unrelenting urge to feed in order to secure her Elders trust or risk becoming the monster that lurks within. Dystopian
Feed 3: A Dystopian Collection with Reality TV , Nicole Grotepas White - (Releases Dec. 15.) Ramone has surrendered himself to the Director and the Kirkwood Broadcasting corporation. Now a prisoner, he must negotiate how much of his integrity to give up in order to stay useful. And alive. There is hope, however, because despite suffering terrible losses, the resistance grows. Can Blythe, Marci, and Ghosteye use the motley band of untrained fighters to help their friend? If Ramone isn’t careful, there’ll be no one left for them to save. 


Feed 1: A Dystopian Collection with Reality TV   (The Fookoo Series, Nicole Grotepas White - (See how it starts, free) Seven years after the nanocameras switched on and the feeds began, nanoengineer Samuel Ramone becomes the subject of an addictive reality feed. As his heart sinks further into the crush he's been nursing, his popularity rises. When it comes to the new world of the feeds, Enforcers are nothing but a rumor. But the Editors . . . they're real. Now he is hunted by an Enforcer. Running is pointless. But staying in one place means learning the rumors aren't just rumors.


HISTORICAL MYSTERY 
  New!   City of Lies, (inspector Ransom Series #4), Robert W. Walker - The latest in this popular historic series set in 1896 Chicago has Inspector Ransom behind bars waging the battle against those who want to see him hung for the murder of a cleric. Double jeopardy prevents it, though the Chicago Archdiocese would still see him pay. But Ransom is soon on a case of a horrific serial killer and is closing in on what really happened at the Haymarket Riot, in which he was maimed years ago.  Hypnosis and old-fashioned police work begin to focus Ransom's search for answers to both the crime in Chicago history and the current series of brutal murders terrifying all of Chicagoland.
* Sale ends today! 12/18  The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, C.A. Verstraete - ** Kindle Sale,  99 cents - Dec. 11-18.  Was Lizzie Borden's doctor haunted by what he saw that fatal day? Was he haunted by Fall River's bloody past?


MYSTERY 
New! Hardboiled Horror, editor, Jonathan Maberry - Fifteen original tales of noir mystery shot through with elements of horror and the supernatural. Occult detectives, paranormal investigators, seedy P.I.s, amateur sleuths and ghost hunters tackle the cases no one else can handle. Stories by Heather Graham, Kevin J. Anderson, Rachel Caine, Scott Sigler, Seanan McGuire Alethea Kontis, Jonathan Maberry, Chris Ryall, Dana Fredsti, Jim Beard, Jacopo della Quercia, John Gilstrap, Jon McGoran, Josh Malerman, Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Collins, Lois H. Gresh and Nancy Holder.


The Dead of Night - Piper Blackwell Mystery 2, Jean Rabe - ** Kindle Sale, $1.99  Dec. 15-Jan. 7 **  - New Sheriff Piper Blackwell settles into the job in book two, solving recent and old mysteries!


Short Stories - Horror
 Killing it  Softly 2: A Digital Short Horror Fiction Anthology (Best by Women in Horror) - Thirty-eight female authors give you a glimpse of their inner demons.  Sci Fi, fantasy and steampunk intertwine with horror. Includes stories by Tonia Brown, Chantal Boudreau, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Lindsey Goddard and others.


Zombies!

New! Demon Fallout: The Return   (A Michael Talbot Adventure), Mark Tufo - In his 30th novel, zombies are a nightmare of the past; the Lycan wars are over. Mike feels that he can finally settle down after 200 years of war until he hears an impossible message from beyond. Tommy, his adopted son, is in trouble and there is nothing in Heaven or Hell that will stop Mike from helping him.



2017 marks the 125th anniversary of the Borden murders... What if everything you knew about the murders wasn't true? 

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, C.A.  Verstraete - ** Kindle Sale, $1.99  Dec. 15-Jan. 7 **  -  Every family has its secrets…One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?


New! Paxton vs. The Undead, Kristen Middleton - Paxton's survived a plane crash and now knows he has to leave his home to survive the zombies, despite his agoraphobia-- especially since Corbon's no longer delivers. (Dark humor, violence, profanity)

New Lost & Found Pets #Mystery, The Lost Macaw

Just Released!

Today I welcome B.L. Blair, author of The Lost Macaw, A Lost & Found Pets Mystery!

In my view, you can't go wrong with those two words - pets and mystery!





The Lost Macaw is the fourth novella in the Lost and Found Pets series. Alexandra Prescott is a licensed private investigator specializing in finding missing animals. Reuniting pet and owner is more than just a job.
A former client hires Alex to find her lost parrot. The bright colored bird has flown away before, but this time there is evidence that Molly was kidnapped. The demand is simple—the bird for the pictures.
When her client suffers a stroke, Alex is left with a ransom note, a missing bird, and some very incriminating photos. She is in a race against time to solve the mystery of the lost Macaw.
BUY:Amazon  -- B&N  -- iBooks -- Kobo -- Smashwords  
Excerpt
“Your little old lady is quite interesting, Alex,” Halie said.   “What do you mean?”   “She didn’t exist until about thirty years ago.”   “What?!”   “I did a preliminary background search on her. In general, she is clean. No debt. The house is paid off as is her car. The one thing that jumped out at me was the fact that she had a safe deposit box at four different banks.”   Luke raised one eyebrow. I got a sinking feeling. I had noted the bank accounts but hadn’t really given them much thought.   “Yeah,” I said, “I saw those.”   “So why does an eighty-year-old woman need four safe deposit boxes?”   “Why does she need more than one?” Luke muttered.   “Exactly,” Halie said. “So I dug a little deeper.”   “What did you find?”   “About thirty years ago, Joseph and Trudy Kearns purchased the house on Carriage. Back then, it was a new neighborhood, and the prices were cheap. They paid cash. They also opened a bank account, and Joe got a job working for the city. Those are the first records I can find for either one of them.”   “Trudy would have been fifty at that time. Her husband probably a few years older. What about birth certificates? Social security cards?”   “They had them, but conveniently, they were issued from a small county in Virginia where a massive flood destroyed all their records. The county office was in the process of moving the old paper records to electronic when the flood hit.”   “Let me guess. The Kearns’s records did not survive the flood.”   “Nope.”   “So the only records for them are the ones they had in their possession.” I paused a moment. “Do they look real?”   “Yes,” Halie replied.   “So they could be authentic.”   “Or really good forgeries. In some ways, it was easier back then.”   “Anything else?” I asked.   “Not really. Like I said, she’s pretty clean. Lives on a fixed income of social security and a small pension from her husband’s job. It isn’t much because he only worked for the city for twelve years before he had to retire.”   “This isn’t looking good.”   “I’ll keep digging. See if anything else turns up.”   “Okay, thanks Halie.”   After ending the call, I looked a Luke. He had a perplexed look on his face that I had a feeling mirrored mine.   “Who the hell is Trudy Kearns?”
About the Author

B. L. Blair writes mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Holton Romance Series, the Leah Norwood Mysteries, and the Lost and Found Pets Mystery Series. She enjoys reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family. Visit her at Facebook, Twitter, or chek out her Blog . 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Like #Historical #Mysteries & Lizzie Borden?

If you like historical mysteries with a touch of the paranormal, then here's your chance!

My novella,  The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River..., is on sale for the first time!  
Get it now - 99 cents, Dec. 11-18.Please leave a review when you're done reading. I'd appreciate it!
The story started with my wondering, was Dr. Seabury Bowen, Lizzie Borden's doctor and neighbor, haunted by what he saw that August morning in 1892? And were other spirits from the past at work in the city?

The book is part mystery, part love story, with some light horror. Nothing too gory and no zombies this time as in Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter , but I think you'll enjoy getting another viewpoint on the historic Borden murders. 

 About  The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River...

Was Lizzie Borden's doctor haunted by what he saw that day?

Gruesome deaths haunt the industrial city of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. But the retired doctor insists that neither greed nor anger provoked the recent sensational axe murders in Fall River. Rather, he believes the city is poisoned by bad blood and a thirst for revenge dating back to the Indian and Colonial wars.

Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hey it's my birthday today!!



So get me something good. ha! My Kindle books will be on sale soon - get a copy and I'd appreciate your reviews! 



The Haunting of Dr. Bowen goes on sale for 99 cents, Dec. 11-18

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter will be $1.99, Dec. 15-Jan. 7.

Thank you! Enjoy, and I look forward to your thoughts!

December Christmas Reads 1! #zombie #mystery #horror & More!

Happy Holidays!


While you're waiting for Santa or to celebrate other holidays, take time to curl up with a good book! Here's a selection to make the days brighter (and the nights more frightening!) 

(* See the Christmas Reading List  on Dec. 18 for more great books.)
*************
A December Book Bonanza!!* Check out The Crime, Mystery & Thriller Book Fair & Giveaways! Dec. 5-14.** Find December's new releases at the Sci Fi Fantasy Bonanza!************

Mystery

 Frame Shop: Critiquing Another Writer Can Be Murder , Donald J. Bingle - Poor Harold. He thinks his cat mystery is the best ever, then a NYT bestselling author joins the writing group and wows everyone. Harold agrees to help his new mentor with research, which soon leads to murder... and more murder. 



Grand Lac, Carl Brookins - Sam Black is accused of murdering a member of a small group of investors who have purchased large lots on a mountain outside of town in northern Idaho. His mother believes the young stock day-trader stumbled on some shady city officials’ illegal activities. When he’s indicted, cousin Edie and her special investigator-partner jump feet first into a strange town of guns and civic corruption in a complicated effort to save Sam from prison, or worse







The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River , C.A. Verstraete - (Sale! 99 cents, Dec. 11-18)   Was Lizzie Borden's doctor haunted by what he saw that fatal day? Was he haunted by Fall River's bloody past?




Sci Fi - Horror
The B Movie Bundle , Monsters, mayhem, mad scientists and more! Get 10 weird and wondrous ebooks by a collection of authors including J Mooney, Steve Saville, Stephen Sullivan, Don Bingle and others.
Supernatural Thriller


 Never Again, (Paranormal Detectives series),  Lily Luchesi - In WWII, not all monsters were human. Vampire - Fantasy
Before These Wings  (Wings Book 1), Wendy Knight - New! Vampire
Phoenyx and Cole survived the end of the world. The alien invasion that took out most of the population and crippled any form of government—they’d fought that, and they’d survived.Hope is hard to come by, but when they need it most, it does come—in the form of a different alien entirely—beautiful, with the wings of a fairy, the voice of a siren... And the teeth of a vampire. Sometimes hope is most devastating of all. Never Trust Beautiful Things.  

Witches
 In the Company of Wolves (Of Witches and Werewolves Book 2), Cory Barclay  - In 1592, Europe is in chaos. Religious factions have torn the region apart and witch-hunts have become a part of everyday life. As each of three travelers searches for individual answers, these three seemingly separate stories converge in a place which may hold the key for them all. Based on true events involving one of the deadliest witch trials in European history, this tale of adventure, mystery, and the search for truth reminds us that, ultimately, no one is safe . . . in the company of wolves.





Women's Lit
The Scars of Survival  (Scars Series Book 1), Tyranni Thomas - Love becomes a nightmare when Krishna Bauer, born to an era unaccepting of her kind and trying to find her sister, ends up on the wrong side of the Gestapo in a concentration camp.


Zombies
  
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter,   C.A. Verstraete - (Sale! $1.99 Dec. 15-Jan. 7)   Every family has its secrets…  One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become… zombies?

New Mystery Series, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!

Today I welcome author Mary Cunningham, who's talking about her latest release and first book in the new Andi Anna Jones mystery series, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder.

About the book:
Andi’s stepmother is a real piece of work! But is Ruby a murderer?
Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will lead to the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby will be the main suspect.
Excerpt:
    “Tell me what’s going on. Slowly, and about fifty decibels lower. Why are you in jail?”    “Well, honey, I’m not sure. Oh, I know what they’re saying, but I didn’t do anything. I swear. Well, at least nothin’ I can remember. You see, it all started on the cruise ship dance floor, quite innocently, mind you.”     “What started?” I located my slippers and shuffled to the bathroom.     “As I was saying before you interrupted, it all started on the dance floor. You know, they play such romantic music on these cruises like, Shadow of Your Smile and Mandy. Oh, don’t you just love Manilow? Well, anyway, Lenny and I were having a lovely time, and he was obviously enamored, if you catch my drift.”    I knew this was a mistake. Still, I asked, “Lenny who?”    “Why, Lenny La Mour, of course!”     I drew a blank.    “Lenny La Mour,” Ruby huffed, “The famous Las Vegas performer? He’s the reason I picked this cruise. He had his own humongous nightclub and everything. Oh, Andi Anna, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of him. Why, women my age swoon at the sound of his voice. But, I suppose your generation only has eyes for that Bon Ami person.”     “Uh, are you, by any chance, talking about Bon Jovi?”    “Well, you know who I mean.”
Get it at:Amazon - B& N Nook - Smashwords -  GooglePlay -  Kobo 
Inspiration behind the Andi Anna Jones Mysteries:
Did you ever wish you could take a horrifying job experience and turn it into something positive? My latest character, Andi Anna Jones, is my way of coming to terms with a short-lived, yet disastrous career as a travel agent. Oh, yes, I was truly awful, and often wished, during that time, I could disappear into the life of a fictional confident protagonist who could think on her feet. Unfortunately, my crowning achievement was pretending to be invisible when customers walked through the door.
Which brings me around to my determination to write Andi’s story. One of the first bits of advice I received when I became serious about writing books and getting them published was, “write what you know.” I followed that advice with Andi, the South Florida location, and even Andi’s assistant, Ellie. It was a priority when writing the story line to pay tribute to the real agent who saved my backside in Miami more than once: the very efficient Ellen from Tennessee who made my Southern Indiana accent sound like I grew up in New Joisey.
I suppose it was a bit mean to make Andi go through some of my trials and tribulations, but it was a cathartic experience for me. Fortunately, I went on to teach travel and the airline reservation system with much more success. Still, this series will go far in finally exorcising those ghosts!
My favorite quote? Oh, there are so many! This scene speaks volumes about Ruby and her ill-fated cruise connection.
“I’m okay. As long as I don’t think about poor Lenny. Ohhh! My poor, sweet Lenny!”
That did it. I grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. “Snap out of it! You barely knew the guy!” Her tears shut off instantly. “Well! You don’t have to be rude.” She dabbed at streaks of mascara, and tried, unsuccessfully, to straighten her flea market hairpiece.
Review Blurbs for Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!
“If Evanovich's Stephanie Plum were a travel agent, she'd fit right in working this case alongside Andi, a wanna-be detective readers are sure to love.” —Regan Black, USA Today bestselling author of the Escape Club Heroes and Knight Traveler novels.
Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder... WOW. Snappy dialogue, quirky characters, opens with a curious bang and yanked me through the pages. A fun, fantastic read. —Jean Rabe, USA Today Bestselling author, Piper Blackwell Mysteries.
“Grab a margarita and hold on tight; you're in for a wild ride.”—Karen MacInerney, Agatha Award nominee and author of the Dewberry Farms Mysteries
“An intoxicating mix of laughter, kooky characters, and a yummy setting.”—Joanna Campbell Slan, bestselling/award-winning author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series
“A zany murder mystery with a touch of romance and a handful of humor.”
—Nancy J. Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries
Meet the Author:
 Facebook author page - Twitter - Pinterest - Goodreads 
 Mary Cunningham, grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.
Childhood experiences, and a recurring dream about a mysterious attic, inspired characters, Cynthia and Augusta Lee, for her award-winning, five book middle-grade series, Cynthia's Attic, set in her childhood home in Southern Indiana.
Andi Anna Jones, travel agent/amateur sleuth, was inspired by Cunningham's own horrifying stint as a travel agent and more rewarding experience teaching travel and tourism. She is now writing book two, along with another middle-grade series, The Adventures of Max and Maddie, a historical time-travel.

Get Your Read On!

Looking for something new to read?

Got all kinds of great books and deals for the December SFF Book Bonanza! 
Sci Fi - Fantasy - Dark Fantasy - Horror & More! Be sure to check it out!

Including: 

My books will be on sale soon - 
 Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter goes on sale $1.99, Dec. 15 - Jan 7
The Haunting of Dr. Bowen goes on sale - 99 cents Dec. 11-18

Cyber Monday! Some Great Reads! #mystery #horror #romance #thriller

I'm featuring a bunch of books today for the Cyber Monday Sale!
If you're into horror, don't forget my two takes on the historic Lizzie Borden murders of 1892. Read more about her at my website. Keep scrolling for more great reads!



 I follow the trial and include actual news, inquest and trial transcripts in my book,  Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter

Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become... zombies?
 About  The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River...

Was Lizzie Borden's doctor haunted by what he saw that day?

Gruesome deaths haunt the industrial city of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. But the retired doctor insists that neither greed nor anger provoked the recent sensational axe murders in Fall River. Rather, he believes the city is poisoned by bad blood and a thirst for revenge dating back to the Indian and Colonial wars.

Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim?

****************Click on any of the book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel, as well as the Buy Links! 
(** If the links don't work, see the books here.)
** Don't forget to enter the Giveaway below!









a Rafflecopter giveaway

Talking #Horror at The Horror Tree

 I'm talking books, horror, zombies and a little of everything. And I answer that burning question, why am I drawn to horror? 

* Check it out over at The Horror Tree Presents...