Jeffrey Kosh's Blog, page 8

Spirits and Thought Forms: Tales from Prosperity Glades

Today I've published my second book. It is an anthology of short stories set in the same town of 'Feeding the Urge'.
It's about spirits and their influence on that weird Floridian hamlet. Will be available in paperback and eBook formats.
Many of the tales add or clarify some events which happened in the novel, and I'll be happy to discuss on these topics with all readers.
My Best

SPOTLIGHT ON: THE LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN THIEF

I’m in love with Halloween; that’s not a secret. I’malso in love with folk legends.Now, let’s combine the two and you really get me. Remember that fantastic story Washington Irving wrote? TheLegend of Sleeping Hollow?I was so charmed as a kid by that short tale; eventoday I can’t help daydreaming about the Headless Horseman striding along theedge of that tiny hamlet, surrounded by carved pumpkins and scarecrows.Halloween inspires all kind of stories; I remember one, penned by none-otherthan Isaac Asimov himself, about a murder mystery connected with October 31st.Or what about a Babylon 5 episodefeaturing an alien celebration (the Brakiri’s Night of the Comet) similar toAll Hallows Eve, completed with falling barriers between the word of the livingand that of the dead?
And I grew up watching Michael ‘The Shape’ Myersslicing people every darn Halloween in the 80s. One of my first (unpublished)stories was ‘31st’, a stupid slasher flick about a group ofteenagers being stalked by a couple of inbred – and incestuous - siblings (maleand female) on that magical night. I also wrote two sequels – Another 31stand 31st: The Legend – of which I’m still ashamed today. When I wasa Game Master for Role-Playing Games, no matter the genre we played in, Ialways reserved a special ‘horror themed adventure’ for that night: my playinggroup was pleased to face Count Strahd Von Zarovich (Dungeons & Dragons:Ravenloft) on more than an occasion.
That’swhy I’m pleased to present you:



THE LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN THIEF by Charles Day
Buy it at Amazon
From the back cover
As the townsfolksleep, something creeps into the neighborhood. Hidden in shadows, its presenceis as old as time itself, its intent not born of goodness.

Nick, a teenager who fancies himself a detective, wakes to find his carvedmasterpiece missing. Now a mystery is afoot, and Nick has his first assignment,to find out who or what is snatching up the town’s pumpkins and why.

Unfortunately, as with all great detectives, obstacles stand in Nick’s way—theneighborhood bully and his cronies, and the strange old lady and her dog whoshare the run-down house at the end of Nick’s block. As Nick investigates, anurban legend unravels . . . .

The Legend of The Pumpkin Thief.

Nick fears the legend as he embarks on the most dangerous adventure of hisyoung life. Collecting clues, getting ever closer to the true nature of evil,he learns that curiosity comes with a high price.
My Review: 5 out of 5 stars.
Charles Day (and his Evil Little Jester) delivered oneof the most funny and enticing tales I’ve ever read. In the style of American folktaletradition, he developed a mystery story full of symbolism and what it means togrow up. The titular boogeyman deserves to be added on the ever-growing list ofseasonal villains, and his main character (Nick) can stand shoulder-to-shoulderwith other renowned young detectives of YA novels.
Day’s style grabbed me from the start, transporting meinto his believable fantasy world with an excellent suspension of disbelief.I’m sure one day our kids will read this fantastictale to their kids, along with Irving’s classic,or maybe, they will download it directly into their brain at Halloween.
Some praises for ‘The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief’
"CharlesDay's The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief should be every Halloween-crazykid's favorite book—and a lot of us adults will love this wonderful taleas well. Part mystery, part fantasy, and part perfect Halloween scarystory, it all adds up to 100% sheer delight. Bravo to intrepid youngdetective Nick, that black-suited Pumpkin Thief, and Charles Day forputting them together in this sweet-'n'-spooky novella."~Lisa Morton,four-time Bram Stoker Award winner and author of The HalloweenEncyclopedia.
‎"Charles Dayhas unleashed a brand new boogeyman for Halloween. The Pumpkin Thief is ascary, scary man. Luckily, for this small town, Day has also given us a hero inNick that is up for the challenge. Add Legend of the Pumpkin Thief tothe list of future Halloween classics for all ages."~David C. Hayes,author and director of Blood Moon Rising, The Frankenstein Syndrome.
"The Legend ofthe Pumpkin Thief is an enchanting tale about a teen who wants to be adetective and the mysterious Halloween legend he needs to solve. With thisengrossing cross between classic Hardy Boys tales and contemporary YA fiction,Charles Day grabbed my attention on page one and didn't let go until theend."
~Peter Giglio, author of Anon and Balance.
"A fantasticride encompassing all the best elements of both the season and YAstorytelling."~David Dunwoody,author of Dark Entities and Unbound and Other Tales.

Charles Day's Website
Charles Day A.K.A, the evil little Jester, is the Horror WritersAssociation's Mentor Program Committee Chairperson, and a member of the NewEngland Horror Writers Association. He's published 14 short stories withvarious small press publishers.
His biggest successes to date are the recent sales of his first YAwestern horror trilogy "KYLE MCGERTT, DESTROYER OF THE INDIAN CURSES, BOOKONE: THE HUNT FOR THE GHOULISH BARTENDER (Blood Bound Books Nov/Dec 2012) hishorror novel, DEEP WITHIN (Twisted Library Press, summer 2012), and a mysterynovella DEADLY WORKOUT (Dopamavoli Books, spring 2012).
His published works available now are his YA horror novel, LEGENDOF THE PUMPKIN THIEF (Noble YA Publishers LLC.), his mystery novelette THE PLAN(Naked Snake Press) and his horror novella LOCKDOWN (Included in Hannibal's Manor, Wicked East Press) whichreceived an endorsement from four-time Bram Stoker award wining author, LisaMorton.
He also edited his first anthology TALES OF TERROR & MAYHEMFROM DEEP WITHIN THE BOX (Wicked East Press, winter 2012) compiled with 24terrifying stories by amazingly talented authors, including four-time BramStoker nominated author Jeremy C. Shipp. Includes the debut, never before toldstory of just how his alter ego, the evil little jester became so damn evil,titled THE GIFT, by Charles Day, edited by Hollie Snider & Jessica Weiss.He is the founder/owner of Hidden Thoughts Press- Non fictionworks where the primary focus is mental wellness collections- and Evil JesterPress, a fiction imprint.
He's proud to mention that owes much of his success to the littleguy in the Jester's box, his alter ego, his muse, his best friend. Welcome tohis twisted world. You can visit them at charlesdayfictionwriter.blogspot.comor on facebook.

RAPE IS NEVER JUSTIFIED

I’d like to talk about something serious, for once. As you can see from my writing, I’m very concerned on a topic: rape.
I’ve noticed obscene demotivational posters circulating on the web, mocking rape and looking at women as tools. I can’t stand that. Really.
Rape is a serious thing, folks, and it's not just about sexual assaults, it's about minds, too. Many women are turned into slavery by their ‘mates’ (I know some) or by their parents or relatives. In my novel and in my short stories, rape, in all its disgusting forms, is often featured as something worse than death. And all those perpetrating it suffer a brutal demise, at least in my fiction.
I’m not telling you why I detest so much this kind of bestiality.
I’m a supporter of this organization:


http://rapeisneverjustified.tumblr.com/

Pay a visit, read some interesting articles, and get a feeling for the phenomena.
You won’t regret it.
My Best. 

SPOTLIGHT ON: JESS C. SCOTT

I'm glad to host author JESS C. SCOTT on her virtual blog tour. She's a writer of Erotica fiction with a different bend; in fact, she writes about relationships and sex.
Here's her guest post, an essay on her writing style. Enjoy!


Relationship-Based Erotic Fiction (by Jess C Scott / jessINK)
As an independent author, one of the things I enjoy the most is being able to write anything I like. A writer doesn’t necessarily need to conform to certain genre conventions if they want to try something that’s not been done before (or something that isn’t commonly done on a mass market, commercial level).
That being said, I didn’t realize how much of a problem writing “erotic fiction” was going to be. I’ve had taboo-themed works banned, and received complaints of how my “erotica [was] not explicit enough to be called erotica!!!”, though I guess I’ve always kept an open mind while trying to learn as much as I can along the way (that’s my basic approach to both life and writing).
My erotic fiction was never about the number of explicit/graphic scenes, because I never intended (and still don’t) to produce pornography (where the primary purpose is to make a commercial profit via arousal).
I recently co-authored a book with Matt Posner, who wrote in a joint interview that my style of erotica was “relationship-based.”
I guess that’s the label/genre I’ll be sticking with from now on (thanks, Matt).
To me, love and sex going together is the ideal. Sex without love is fine for some people, though without the emotional intimacy of sexuality, sex becomes all about satisfying physical desires (i.e. lust). Sex and the erotic life can offer so much more than lust and “explicit details,” which is why I’ve always enjoyed writing stories that combine both relationship and erotic elements.
The passion and purpose behind writing stories in this genre, is partly fueled by my own exploration and navigation of my sexual wants and needs. Some might call that narcissistic (and that’s fine), though it is my hope and aim to encourage others to feel free and unafraid to explore the unknown too.
I suppose I like to maintain some level of morality too (in terms of consent, responsibility for others’ emotions, etc.). I think a materialistic life gets in the way of the real values that a person can develop for themselves (especially with regards to their approach to love and sex), because a materialistic lifestyle emphasizes the material/financial gains in life while reducing spiritual fulfillment (and things get even more warped when materialism is seen AS the one and only true way to “spiritual fulfillment”).I guess the themes of love and sexuality will always feature throughout my projects (erotic as well as non-erotic projects). These are driving forces that are too precious to be treated as mere commodities (or to be “dumbed down” for the purpose of financial profit).
Via my work, I enjoy doing whatever I can to present fresh/engaging/unique perspectives on two of the most fundamental forces that make us human.

Jess is a professional non-conformist with a fresh, youthful world view. She is an author of relationship-based erotic fiction (and other unique projects, including one that features “cyberpunk elven thieves”). She’s cool, supportive, and writes with both intellect and a lot of emotion.

She has most recently co-authored Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships with Matt Posner (Spring 2012). For more info, please visit http://jessink.com/teenguide.htm

Jess can also be found on jessINK, Facebook, and Twitter.

SPOTLIGHT ON: AUTUMN CHRISTIAN'S GIVEAWAY!

Author Autumn Christian

This young promise is certainly going to smash all records very soon and I'm glad to promote her latest masterpiece. I'm in love with Horror intruding into Science Fiction (I dream one day being able to finish my 'Echoes of a Faraway Star', myself) and I'd like to see more in the genre. Here's your chance to win a free copy:

Autumn Christian is givingaway 10 copies of her dystopian horror e-book The Crooked God Machine. 
 - In The Crooked God Machine, Charles lives on the black planet, aplace where plague machines terrorize citizens with swarms of locusts andrivers of blood, salesmen sell sleep in the form of brain implants, and Godappears on the television every night to warn of the upcoming apocalypse. WhenCharles meets Leda, a woman who claims to have escaped from hell, he begins tosuspect that the black planet is not at all what it appears to be. After Ledadisappears, Charles sets out to find her with help from his stripperex-girlfriend, the deadhead Jeanine. Along the way he will uncover the truth ofthe origins of the black planet, and discover the source of the mysteriousvoice that calls to Leda from the ocean waves. -
CROOKED GOD MACHINE
Justfollow and tweet @autumnxtian with the hashtag #CGMgiveaway for a chance to winThe Crooked God Machine.
Describedas "a young Flannery O'Conner," and "most likely to kill usall," Autumn Christian is a dark fiction writer with a strange name andstranger fiction.Youcan also follow her at her website, on Twitter, by email at AXTIAN , on Facebook and at Goodreads.
The CrookedGod Machine can be found on Amazon and on Smashwords

Introducing Myself

Hello, I’m Jeffrey Kosh.
You surely recognized me as the author of the novel ‘Feeding the Urge’.
No? You do not even know what I’m garbling about?
Well, you’re right. My novel is around by just a month, and let's say ... I'm a newcomer.
I must admit feeling uneasy staying shoulder-to-shoulder with such giants as Rebecca Besser and Billie Sue Mosiman; it’s just like being invited to a party where everyone is an accomplished professional and you feel should be serving cocktails to these people, not having conversations.
David Brin says that he feels like a shaman, creating images and alternate realities in other minds.
That fits my way of writing; I summon stories from another place, they’re already there ready to be told. The matter rests in the author’s skill to convey it. I figure that had Jennifer Chase or Gary Starta encroached on Axel’s story before me, they would surely weave it in different ways. My specialty involves inner feelings and how they affect the individual. I'm crazy about human behavior.
Well, feel free to ask whatever comes to your mind - about Prosperity Glades (all my stories are going to be set there) or Urban Legends (I collect them) - yet be warned; I'm a talker, once you start me it gets difficult to shut me up.

INTRODUCING: NIGHTSCAPE PRESS

Mark C. Scioneaux and Robert S. Wilson, founders and co-editors of Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology, have teamed up with Jennifer M. Wilson to form Nightscape Press. Nightscape press is a horror press that will publish novels, novellas, and occasionally anthologies with a strong focus on variety and quality over quantity. Along with this focus will be a firm concentration on nurturing and promoting our greatest resources, the author and their work.Nightscape Press will open to submissions on April 2nd, 2012 immediately following the World Horror Convention.They are serious people, with an ample experience in the field, respectful of authors and readers alike.
I'm very glad they have joined forces to create this new publishing reality.Mark C. Scioneaux is the author of "Faye Believes," "Riser," "The Wanderer," and "How Stopping a Zombie Invasion Will Get You Grounded." His short story, "The Demon in the Water," is published by Severed Dead Press. His newest short story, "How Slappy Ended Christmas," appears in Dead Christmas: A Zombie Anthology. He is also the author of the thrilling zombie novel, Hollow Point, and the editor of the anthology, Bigfoot Tales. His smash-hit novelette, "The Glass Coffin" is available for download on Kindle. Robert S. Wilson is the author of Shining in Crimson, book one of his dystopian vampire series: Empire of Blood. His novella, The Quiet, appeared in the anthology Not in the Brochure: Stories of a Disappointing Apocalypse. He is currently working on book two of the Empire of Blood series and is co-editing the anthology, Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology. 


Jennifer M. Wilson is director of proofreading for Nightscape Press. Having been through eight years of Advanced/Honors English coursework, she has a sharp eye for grammatical detail and takes a solid critical approach to style and the mechanics of prose when proofreading. http://www.nightscapepress.com/