Michele E. Gwynn's Blog, page 17

Outre 1.0 Premieres to Lovers of Art and Literature!

I'm fortunate to know many amazing and talented people...like Dutch photographer and artist (and Jack of all creative trades), Marc Susan. His book, Outre, is now available, and let me tell you, it's over 400 pages of incredible art, poetry, and short stories from talented artists and writers from around the world, both undiscovered and renowned! Marc asked me to write the back matter and blurb for this work of art so I got to see it all before you (rubbing that in a little) so I could write my impression of it all. It was fantastic. And now, art and literature lovers everywhere can order their own copy. Please check it out. You will be drenched in such beauty, and will experience culture like never before. Some stories written in French, English, Dutch, and more.

I find even the contrast of a black and white cover to the amazingly colorful images inside enticing!

Purchase Your Copy (in Digital, Magazine, Paperback, & Hardback) Here. Price is in Euros. Cover
Back Cover

To Paris, With Love

Today was a horror for many. Again, extremists tried to terrorize the world, but all they succeeded in doing was two things: One, they killed innocent people, a tragedy of horrific proportions. And two, they united the global community against them. They've changed nothing --- they failed. We will not be terrorized. Sending my thoughts out to the people of Paris who have suffered the loss of loved ones.

Nominations Needed!

It is time for the Read Freely TOP 50 Indie Books for 2015, and they are accepting nominations! So, which of my books is YOUR favorite? Stop by and fill out the form. Let me know which of my books you loved and why. Check it out, this is the best way to give me a big CYBER hug! I need them. Yes, that might make me supreme goofball, but hey, I have no problem admitting it.

Pop over and let Read Freely know you think I'm awesome! And thank you! You guys rock and I am so happy to have you out there reading my work. (P.S.  Only the books published after Dec. 1, 2014 qualify so that means Harvest (the dark blue one below) can't be nominated or Camael's Gift. All the rest qualify).

NOMINATE MICHELE E. GWYNN BOOKS (UP TO 3) FOR INDIE TOP 50 OF 2015.

A FREE Download for Angelic Hosts fans

In honor of the release of Sophie's Wish (Nov 1st), the third installment to the Angelic Hosts Series , I am offering book two, Camael's Battle, FREE Sunday the 8th through Tuesday the 10th. Grab your FREE download, and pick up books one and three for only $0.99 each through the end of November. Challenge your beliefs!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE KINDLE COPY OF CAMAEL'S BATTLE HERE!

The Closet of Memories

She sat staring out of the window watching the clouds roll in. It was going to be a stormy day according to the weather forecast. It was a day for quiet contemplation, a day to evaluate life, and review past choices. Liz could see her reflection in the glass. Gray hair dominated her head, but there were still bits of the reddish-brown hiding amongst the frost. They were like dying embers in fire banked by snow, oddly comforting - a hint of the flame that once burned brightly.Her mind wandered the closet of her memories picking and choosing this moment and that friend, accessorizing them around her like a favorite outfit. In her early years, the closet was full to bursting with friends, so many moments captured in pictures, postcards, and memorabilia like saved concert ticket stubs, receipts from train rides in foreign countries, and trinkets. It was a messy closet, but what fun to go through it on days like these!As the years passed, she weeded out the old, the unused, the ‘no longer trendy’ people, but kept the tried and true. The small room in her mind got a little cleaner. She could actually walk through it without tripping over something or someone who should no longer be there. Time marched steadily forward sprinkling dust on some memories, and covering others in cobwebs. The people still visible in her life were visited often and new memories were added to those. But Liz grew. Her open mind accepted new ideas. Her experiences altered her beliefs, and shaped the person she continued to evolve into. Still, she kept her favorites pristine upon their shelves telling them often how much she loved them, showing them constant care while neglecting herself.Another season, another growth spurt, and Liz’s circle shrank further. As she grew older, she knew she didn’t need as much, was in absolutely no rush to be anywhere. In fact, she’d slowed down quite a bit and wanted simply to stand still. In those moments of quietude, she heard herself. That sound was loud and clear. Be who you are, it said. Don’t give away all of yourself to others, and do not back down from your beliefs to please someone else. It was within that bubble of consciousness, that second of clarity that Liz fully embraced her own soul. It was then she could see the holes in herself – the missing pieces painfully cut away because someone she loved and trusted told her they were no good. Don’t do this, Liz. Don’t say that, Liz. It’s not what I believe, Liz, so you cannot, either. The wind whistled through each gaping wound with the force of a hurricane. But they could be healed. They just needed tending.The mental compartment was once again decluttered. Out went the harmful remembrances and the people connected to them. The space was now organized with only the most important moments arranged neatly, easily accessible. The room was so clean, she noticed for the first time the windows in the walls. Without all the hoarded memories, warm sunlight shone through, and Liz could see out into the green fields and gardens. She could see the world she once missed like the forest for the trees. She could see…herself, reflected back in the glass – an old woman now where once upon a time a young girl stood excited to fill her closet of memories. She smiled at her reflection, and accepted the journey that brought her to this point. The wind died down as the holes filled in, disappearing slowly as the rain began to fall.
Original prose by M.E. Gwynn, 2015 (C) All Rights Reserved. This material may not be copied in part or whole without the permission of the author.

October & November Newsletter Goodies

Want to be part of these great giveaways? Sign up for my monthly newsletter at right. 

Vampires, Angels, and Aliens, Oh, My! View this email in your browser The Vampire Has Landed!Happy Halloween! As we all tread carefully on this day when the veil between the living and the dead is lifted, my first vampire novel has published. Darkest Communion is now available on Amazon.com along with two new releases: Sophie's Wish (Book III in the Angelic Hosts Series) will launch after midnight and The Harvest Trilogy (Anthology) has arrived containing all three chilling tales of First Contact all inspired by one true event. This is your chance to win an ebook copy of each! So, Trick or Treat, babies. See how you can enter below for your chance to win! Darkest Communion
$2.99

Win One of 3 Copies
Reply back with "Bite me!" Buy Now Sophie's Wish
$0.99

Win One of 3 Copies
Reply back with "I wish!" Buy Now The Harvest Trilogy
$0.99

Win One of 3 Copies
Reply back with "I believe!" Buy Now November and December will see the completion of book three in the Kriminal Erotic Series, The Redemption of Joseph Heinz, and a psychological thriller short story for inclusion in a box set with PaperGold Publishing out of Ireland (to include many amazing horror and thriller authors), titled Split.

Hope you are all enjoying fall, and that everyone has a very happy Halloween.

~ Michele Copyright © 2015 Author Michele E. Gwynn, All rights reserved.
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New Release: Darkest Communion Takes Vampire Romance Old School Again

Squeeeee!!! It's LIVE!!!! It's LIVE!!! (Doing my best Dr. Victor Frankenstein impression)

Happy Halloween! I'm so excited to bring you my first vampire romance novel, Darkest Communion.

DC goes Old-School:

No sparkly day walkers in this book. No, sir! (Not that we don't all love Edward Cullen!). My foray into the world of the paranormal needed to begin where such tales began, in Eastern Europe, specifically, Bucharest, Romania. This tale rides on the dark side and takes a spin through gypsy culture, curses, and romantic rivalry that ends in tragedy. The legend of Strigoi is taken very seriously by the Romanian people, and while some may have a negative view of gypsies, the Veleru family you will meet inside the pages of Darkest Communion are quite tolerable people. But I can't say that for all the gypsies between these pages...

DOWNLOAD YOUR EBOOK COPY TODAY FROM AMAZON
Mark Anghelescu had lived 800 years wondering what happened to the love of his life, Mihaela. He'd lost hope of ever finding out, but when a beautiful American exchange student arrives at the University of Bucharest, he can't believe his eyes. It's her! But how? Feeling as if he's been given a second chance, he pursues Meghan Hartley in her dreams, seducing her. The problem is...he's not the only one. An old nemesis reappears set on claiming Meghan as his own and settling old scores. Darkest Communion is a seductive journey into superstition, gypsy folklore, and dark desires...

Paperback Giveaway on Amazon!

ONE HOT PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY ON AMAZON.COM!
COME AND ENTER TO WIN 1 OF 3 PAPERBACK COPIES OF CELLULOSS, BOOK II IN THE HARVEST TRILOGY.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER
This contest is for U.S. residents only.

See this #AmazonGiveaway for a chance to win: Celluloss (Harvest Trilogy) (Volume 2). https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/d7e5778... NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends the earlier of Oct 28, 2015 11:59 PM PDT, or when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules. Giveaway Summary: Title: Flu Shots in Schertz, Texas have an Alien Kick!
Entry Message: Welcome to Book II in the Harvest Trilogy, Celluloss. Ex-Govt. conspirators have been experimenting on Schertz residents since 1962...
Duration: Oct 22, 2015 1:06 AM PDT - Oct 28, 2015 11:59 PM PDT
Prize: Celluloss (Harvest Trilogy) (Volume 2)
Number of Prizes: 3

A Month of Spooky Goodness and New Releases!

October is my favorite month. I kid you not! Tonight, I'll be painting kooky, spooky faces on tiny little pumpkins to place around my house. I've already set the DVR to record the BBC America live stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show next Saturday. I'm going ghost hunting, too. It's awesome!

You know what else is awesome? My two new releases this month; Census , the third book in the Harvest Trilogy that goes off the beaten path and begs the question, what happens when you pair blend alien DNA with a cannibalistic serial killer? You get a juicy recipe for terror! Census is now available exclusively on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback.

For fans of UFO/Alien contemporary horror, you can now Pre-Order The Harvest Trilogy Anthology which will publish on October 23rd. Ebook only, fans can now get all THREE stories in one set for a great price! Check out this series inspired by a true event. 



And coming Halloween, Darkest Communion. This is my first paranormal vampire novella, and it is not your typical vamp romance. Marku Anghelescu, known in the modern day and age as Mark Angel, has lived 800 lonely years wondering exactly what happened to the woman he loved. Mihaela disappeared on the night they were to run away together and be married, defying his father's will and walking away from the arranged marriage between himself and the daughter of his father, Dragos', dearest friend. Marku knew of only one person who would stand in the way of his happiness -- Petre Petrescu, a filthy gypsy peasant in his eyes, and the ex-fiance of Mihaela. She fears him, and with good reason. Petrescu is petty, domineering, and cruel. But as the son of a noble landowner, and the landholder of the very place the Curarya gypsies called home most of the year, Marku was the law. He made the rules. He decided their fates, and he chose Mihaela as his own just a surely as she chose him. Denied his prize, Petrescu seeks out help from the village shaman, an old gypsy woman with undeniable power. Everything changes that night. Mihaela disappears, as does Petrescu as tragedy strikes Marku. He awakens confused, broken-hearted, and an filled with an insatiable thirst!

After spending eternity trying to solve the mystery, and resigning himself to never holding her in his arms again, Mihaela reappears in his life.

Meghan Hartley arrives in Bucharest, Romania, excited to begin her year as a college exchange student. When a creepy sociology professor begins pursuing her, she seeks the help of her new friend, Dana Veleru, a mathematics instructor, and to Meghan's delight, an honest to God gypsy! While the new friends bond over good food and better wine, another suitor makes his presence known. Dana grew up on stories about the Strigoi, the dark ones, as told by her gypsy grandmother, but never truly believed them...until that night. As handsome as an angel, the man sets his sights on Meghan, and offers a warning to Dana! His message comes through loud and clear; Do not get in my way...gypsy!

Loyal to a fault, Dana ignores his warning and seeks the help of her family to protect her new friend. As the situation escalates, Mark makes a surprising discovery -- Petrescu is alive, and he wants Meghan!

A suspenseful and thrilling love triangle, Darkest Communion enters the realm of supernatural nightmares where love is twisted, dark, and deep, and the hero bites! (no link yet to share, but coming soon!)

Meet the key players in Census

So what's the next horror/science fiction novel you're going to read and fall in love with? I'd wager it's Census , the third book in the Harvest Trilogy. Now LIVE on Amazon.com.

Chapter 6 Excerpt:


“Are you Danny Edwards?” “Yeah, so?” He stood defiantly, shoulders squared, chin up. Otis relaxed his stance and tried offering a smile. “Son, I’m actually looking for you.” He saw the kid begin to speak, but held up his hands in a gesture indicating he should hold on. “Now wait a minute. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’m not here to harass you, son. I need your help.” He turned to point at Jack and Nina in the truck. “We need your help. Do you think you could spare us a moment of your time?”Danny peered around him at the couple inside the truck. “Who are they?”“That’s Jack Callaghan and his wife, Nina. They live in Marion. Now, they’ve called me in to help them with some rather strange goings on, and from what I can tell so far, it has something to do with happened here in Schertz about a month ago. Possibly, it goes further back even than that. I just want to ask you a few questions, because as far as I can tell, you’re the only witness I can find.”Danny stared at him. It was clear he was thinking hard, considering what Otis said. Finally, “If you’re FBI, how is it you don’t know those answers already?”“That’s a good question. I looked it up, and, Danny, it’s all classified far beyond my pay grade. My division covers financial fraud. I was actually looking into the retirement checks your granddad has received since he out-processed in ’63. A request to stop came in almost immediately after the Schertz underground gas explosions, but I have found no record of his death, no report of him missing, and here you are, mowing his grass. Is he around? Can I speak to you both?”Danny’s face fell. The defiant look in his brown eyes turned haunted. “No. He’s not around.” He took a deep breath. “There’s no way he could’ve survived.”Jack heard this and got out of the truck walking up onto the grass. He held out his hand. “Hey, Danny. I’m Jack.”Danny hesitated, and then shook his hand. Jack didn’t let go, but held the boy’s hand in a firm, comforting grip. He reached out and touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather. We didn’t know.”A tear clung to the corner of Danny’s eye. “No one knows. Not the whole truth, anyway. I can’t even tell my mom…” The tear slipped loose of its mooring and ran down his cheek.Otis came forward with Nina. “Is there somewhere we can talk? There’s quite a few people going missing, and I have a gut feeling you might hold an answer or two that can help.”Danny looked around, eyes shifting up and down the street. “I don’t think I can. They told me I couldn’t ever—““Who told you?” Roger pressed.“Guys like you, and some military.” “Did they threaten you, son?” Danny shook his head. “Not me directly. They said if I ever spoke of it, any of it, bad things would happen to my mom and stepdad. My friends, too.”“Danny, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Or your mom and stepdad. I promise you that. Whatever you tell me, I will keep with me. I won’t drag your name into it, but if you have any helpful information, you could help save lives.”Danny glanced up and down the street again. Otis’s heart broke for the boy who was no more than eighteen. “No one knows I’m here except for my supervisor and these two.”Danny bit his lip, then nodded. “You can come inside. I’ve been taking care of grandpa’s house. I sleep here sometimes, but I think once mom is convinced grandpa is really gone and not coming back, she’ll sell it.”Danny led them inside the small house. Everything was just as Trent Wilkins left it that fateful day, except that Danny’s mom had come through on a weekly basis to dust and vacuum. He pointed to the couch. Jack, Nina, and Roger all took a seat on the worn plaid upholstery. Danny sat in the dark blue recliner, his grandfather’s spot. “So what do you wanna know?” Danny looked at Otis.“What happened to your granddad? What happened here in Schertz that day because I’ve checked around, and there’s no way there was any underground gas pocket explosions?”Danny mulled it over. He’d experienced trauma beyond what any kid should go through. Things, creatures straight out of a child’s nightmares had attacked, and in the attack, he’d lost his beloved grandfather. He rubbed his hands over his face, then got up, went to the kitchen, and reached inside pulling out a box of Jimmy Dean breakfast biscuits. He came back into the living room with it. All three visitors exchanged confused looks until Danny reached inside and pulled out a ziplock baggie. Inside the plastic bag was a small, square shape wrapped in an old red bandana. He unraveled it. Inside the cloth was a cell phone.He began to speak. “There were explosions, but they weren’t from gas pockets. They were from alien ships attacking us.”Jack’s mouth fell open. Nina uttered a sound that could only be described as shock, and Roger Otis sat forward listening. “Go on, son.”“We were attacked. It happened over several days, and the military cut us off from power, from satellites, and they surrounded the town. No one could get in or out. My grandpa knew why, and he was the only one who knew how to stop them. Colonel Rhames and the Army National Guard helped. Grandpa told them how to stop the creatures. And when it was over, they were nice at first. The Colonel was nice to me, anyway. But the people he took me to after, they’re the ones who told me I couldn’t say anything, not to anyone, and if I did, they implied that accidents could happen to my family...to my friends.”“What were they really hiding, Danny?” Roger waited.“It all has to do with the shots,” he said.“What shots?”“The vaccinations, the ones they give here to everyone each year. They told us they were flu shots with vitamin boosters. We all get them, have gotten them since we were kids. But now they’re spreading from town to town in Texas. I saw on the news that Entrophic Pharmaceutical is now mass producing Celluloss. That’s what they call it.”Jack spoke. “I don’t get it. What’s Celluloss?” He looked at Nina, both remembering the flu shots from the day before.“The guy who invented it can explain it better than I can.” Danny plugged the phone into the wall, turned it on, and found the recording he and his grandfather made of the original tape. In a moment, the voice of the deceased Dr. Andre Troyevsky came across the speaker. “Sergeant Wilkins, I hope you never have cause to listen to this recording, but if you do, if that time comes, it’s because they’ve returned. They’ve come back for their own. Sergeant…Trent. I’m sorry about all of this. I’m sorry for what the military put your through. It wasn’t your fault that you got caught up in the middle of this mess. However, you’re probably going to be the only hope mankind has if they come back. Those involved won’t help, won’t be able to help. They’ll be targets. That includes me. If they come back, if they are there with you now, I’m probably already dead. If that’s the case, I need you to know two very important things. One, they aren’t friendly. One thing we learned is that they came here initially on a scouting mission, to seek us out and discover our weaknesses. Instead, they crashed. Instead, we did to them what they intended to do to us. The others, its ‘people’ if you will, won’t be happy about this. What we did to that creature, the one still left alive, was beyond inhumane. It was torture. But what we discovered was invaluable. Their DNA contains cures to more human illnesses than I can convey in this recording. The mapping of it is like nothing I’ve ever witnessed nor will witness again. We’d hoped to use it to help people, cure heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. That day when the military bombed the bunker, I thought we’d lost it all, but then I found out later that Colonel Reed instructed the bomb specialist to grab the research before he set the explosives and came back out. He smuggled them under his hazmat suit, can you believe it? Those documents were handed off to your superior, Sgt. Haus, who kept them until the FBI went back to D.C. From there, Reed and I continued to run experiments. Some of the results were disastrous. We found out that only children could handle the serum we manufactured. Since their bodies are still in a state of flux, still growing and changing, the alien DNA can integrate into their systems, subtly changing it, building antibodies that fight off diseases, keeping metabolism within healthy norms. But that wasn’t the case for the adults. The adult specimens couldn’t handle it at all. By adulthood, the human body has already gone through all major physiological changes, and the process of obligatory asymmetric replication of somatic cells slows down. The alien DNA attacked these cells escalating the aging process, and bringing about death much sooner than they otherwise would experience. It also tore down their immune systems allowing all manner of bacteria and viruses that would usually not be harmful to a body to become as dangerous as being exposed to massive amounts of radiation and disease all at once. Their deaths were horrific, painful to watch. Knowing this, and finding no way around it, we developed a serum that can only be administered to children. Once they have it, they can receive it for life. But not adults. If they weren’t exposed as children, giving them the serum is the equivalent of a death sentence.” The voice on the tape paused before continuing.“Reed is running with this. He says we’ll be rich, but I just don’t know at what cost. There is still a side-effect even in children administered this serum. It completely alters their own DNA at the deepest cellular level. They become…alien. If these creatures return, they’ll recognize their own, but I don’t know how they’ll react to the hybrids we’ve created. The next thing I need to tell you about, Trent, is their weaknesses. They do have them. So listen carefully, because this might just save your life, and the lives of those you love. But be warned, I have no idea how this will affect those who’ve been changed by the serum.”The rest of the recording explained how to defeat the alien creatures. Danny hit the STOP button. “Are you freaking kidding me?” Jack asked out loud to no one in particular.Otis took a deep breath. “This is far worse than I thought.”Nina looked at Danny. “This is incredible, but it still doesn’t answer how so many keep going missing? Did the military get them all, these aliens?”Danny shook his head, appearing tired and older than his years. “I think so. We haven’t had any sightings since. But it does sort of explain it. I mean, if it’s affecting some people in a way that’s altering their DNA, then maybe something is happening to them. I’m not going to take those shots anymore. I was sort of hoping that would mean whatever is in my system might go away.”“That’s possible, Danny. I hope so.” Otis steepled his fingers and pressed them to his forehead. He sat that way for a moment, head bent low, thinking. “What happened to Wilkins, Danny?”The haunted look returned to the teen’s eyes. “One of the creatures got him. It took him onto its ship over by the old Starlite Theater off FM 78. I watched it happen. There was fire everywhere, and it took grandpa through the flames. Next thing I saw was the blue orb coming out of the blaze, and two Apache Helicopters firing at it. It exploded.” He stopped, tears falling freely from his eyes as he tried to wipe them away. “My grandpa was on board.”