A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 32
April 23, 2024
Hidden in the Shadows Blog Tour and Giveaway #Thriller #Mystery #Suspense
Never trouble Trouble, ‘til Trouble troubles you,
for if you trouble Trouble, Trouble’s sure to trouble you.
Hidden in the Shadows
by A.D. Vancise
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery
“All I can ever think about is murdering her.” -C.B.
Twenty-three-year-old Evie Day never dreamt she’d be back in Woodsville Arkansas, a small town in the middle of nowhere, after having left five years earlier, but the death of her grandfather called for her return. After discovering a photo from 1933 of a mysterious woman standing next to a tiny wooden box, a strange vial of blood wrapped up in a handkerchief in the pocket of her grandfather’s overalls, and a key hidden in his desk drawer that belongs to a secret safety deposit box, Evie is unwittingly thrown into a world of evil where those closest to her are the ones to be the most feared and danger lurks around every corner.
Hidden in the Shadows by A.D. Vancise shines a light on the darkness and reveals the underlying players that have been hunting in plain sight.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The survivors of satanic rituals and child trafficking inspired this book, along with a photo I found in my grandfather’s family photos of a mysterious woman standing beside a tiny box. My grandfather died with the real story of what happened. He was a police officer.
I knew I had to take this story down a dark path once I heard the victims’ stories and those who never believed them. The killer’s POV is based on true testimonials of survivors. These horrific acts happened and continue to happen to kids worldwide.
Having said that, I feel the importance of noting a trigger warning for intense graphic material such as child trafficking, sadism, occult rituals, sexual and physical abuse, violence, and murder. If reading this material evokes memories of or PTSD from abuse, please contact professionals or a safe person immediately. This novel is in no way meant to sensualize or exploit these serious events. It requires courage to read this story meant to bring awareness to these heinous acts and give a voice to the children who no longer have one. It’s to shed light on a darkness that has plagued this world for far too long. I am awed by all those who can receive this information and want to help the children. We all need to give them a voice. Thank you for being brave enough to read this story.
Sincerely,
A.D. Vancise
Reviews for Hidden In the Shadows
“Writing with crisp efficiency, mordant wit, and bursts of searing terror, Vancise whets the novel’s escalating puzzles and portents with an edge of queasy uncertainty.” -Editors Pick, Booklife.
“If you’re looking for a spine-tingling read that will leave you wondering who to trust, what dangers are lurking beneath the surface and when the next twist will come, then Hidden in the Shadows is the book for you.”-Booktrib.
“Hidden in the Shadows
by A. D. Vancise is a thrilling mystery that keeps readers in suspense from the first clue until the end.” – Five Stars. Literary Titan.
“A.D. Vancise excels in crafting a dark, atmospheric story.” -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“If you are a reader who is tired of reading the same old books that are lackluster and forgettable, then take a chance with this one…you will not be disappointed.” -The Red-Headed Book Lover.
“The author vividly informs your mind’s eye.” – Five Stars. Readers’ Favorite.
“Dark, disturbing, and gripping.” -Five Stars. Bookview Review.
“A grim but exciting and compelling mystery even in its most disconcerting moments.” Kirkus Review.
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A D Vancise lives in Canada. When she’s not writing, she’s taking care of her three dogs, her cat, two ducks and some chickens. Her daughter is her inspiration for all things wonderful in the world.
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April 21, 2024
Check out the Legacy of The Mask Series
Award-winning #historicalfantasy based on the #PhantomoftheOpera.
Echoes of a Song:
A dozen tumultuous years after the dramatic events at the Paris Opera House Raoul, Comte de Chagny is still haunted by the mysterious Opera Ghost – the creature of legend who held staff at the Opera House under his thrall, kidnapped Raoul’s lover and murdered his brother. In Raoul’s troubled imagination the ghosts of the past are everywhere, and strange and powerful music still calls in his dreams.
Madness, obsession and the legacy of the past weave their spell in this short, tragic tale based on the Phantom of the Opera.
Best fantasy 2019 on reviewer site NN Light Book Heaven!
Available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and many other stores on the link below.
Universal Link https://books2read.com/Echoesofasong
Tears and Crimson Velvet
Madame Giry finds herself embroiled in the tragedy unfolding at the Opera house; mystery and murder stalk the corridors and, it is said, a ghost haunts the place. Giry knows the truth, for she recalls the caged man she met so many years ago. This is her story, their story.
When murder and mystery begin at the Opera House one woman knows who is behind it, and what really lies beneath the mask. Secrets, lies and tragedy sing a powerful song in this ‘might have been’ tale.
Winner of the 2020 Best Short Story award on NNLight Book Heaven
A short, tragic tale based on characters from Phantom of the Opera.
A Legacy of the Mask Tale.
https://books2read.com/TearsandCrimson
April 20, 2024
Check out my Author Promotional Services
Great value promotion for indie authors, editors, audio narrators and cover designers.
Author services are provided by A.L. Butcher – fantasy author.
Do you want an author or character interview? Check out what I offer here:
https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/contact-inf/
April 18, 2024
Caves of Glass Blog Tour #Fantasy
Rion’s prophecy gives him hope through his bleakest years, while Ginny’s prophecy haunts her….
Caves of Glass
by C.A. Gray
Genre: Epic Fantasy
The illegitimate son of a peasant, Rion of Tryferos has very limited prospects with only one remarkable talent: when he plays the lyre, he ushers in the supernatural balm of peace to all who hear. This turns out to be his ticket into the palace, where he nightly plays for the restless, rejected king. King Hector of Tryferos is paranoid, because he knows his days on the throne are numbered. What he doesn’t know is that his anointed successor is Rion.
Princess Genevieve is a spare to the throne of Mageia, shunned by all but her mother out of fear of her magical gift: she possesses the power to manipulate the thoughts and desires of those around her. But Ginny would do anything just to be normal. When a fulfilled prophecy of her mother’s untimely death also foretells that Ginny will ascend the Mageian throne, Ginny wonders whether she has any control over her own fate at all, or whether everything is predetermined.
Both Rion and Ginny are drawn to the forbidden Caves of Glass at the icy pinnacles that border their two perpetually feuding nations. According to legend, the Caves are either a place of strange forbidden magic, or else a place where all deception is stripped away, leaving only clarity and truth in its wake. As Rion flees for his life and Ginny struggles against her destiny, in the Caves of Glass, they find both each other, and themselves.
*Maincrest Media Award Winner
C.A. Gray is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD), with a primary care practice in Tucson, Arizona. She has always been captivated by the power of a good story, fictional or otherwise, which is probably why she loves holistic medicine: a patient’s physical health is invariably intertwined with his or her life story, and she believes that the one can only be understood in context with the other. For freebies, giveaways, and new release info, sign up for her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/F3rof.
Her favorite fictional tales have always been epic battles of good versus evil, with a strong tendency towards parable. An idealist herself, she has always been convinced that these stories have something deeply true to tell us about the human condition, and that is why we love them so much… or at least that’s why she does.
She still wants to be everything when she grows up. She moonlights as a college chemistry teacher (she has a degree in biochemistry, with minors in Spanish and Creative Writing), does theater when she gets the chance, sings, plays piano, was once a personal trainer and in coffee shop management. She is blessed with exceptionally supportive family and friends, and thanks God for them every single day.
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$20 Amazon
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April 17, 2024
The Harleigh Sinclair Series – Blog Tour #UrbanFantasy
Finding lost artifacts? Not a problem.
Doing it with a too-cocky billionaire? Impossible.
Harleigh Sinclair and the Raiders of the Lost Ankh
The Harleigh Sinclair Series Book 1
by Tamara Grantham
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Adventure
Getting confessions from notorious serial killers? Easy.
Stealing priceless Egyptian artifacts? No problem.
Doing it with a cocky, too-handsome-for-his-own-good bad boy? Impossible.
My name is Harleigh Sinclair, and I’m a Neotact. That’s a fancy word for a person who has special powers using touch. My special power? I can touch a person, see into their mind, and find any object they’ve physically contacted. Comes in handy when you’re employed by San Antonio’s wealthiest entrepreneur who’s in the business of finding lost relics. However, my job description does come with a few hitches.
My most recent client is a man named Jagg Ransom. He’s arrogant and too attractive for his own good. My mission is to purchase an ancient Egyptian ankh from him and deliver it to my boss. Sounds easy, right?
But Ransom refuses to cooperate, so I have no choice but to break into his apartment and steal the location of the amulet from his mind. Bad idea. Like, really bad idea.
I find out that this relic happens to be the relic that gave five percent of Earth’s population Neotact powers. I also learn that Ransom isn’t who he says he is, and I’m forced onto a path that will take me from my home in Texas to a hidden dungeon of a Scottish castle, and then into the heart of a deadly Egyptian desert. Finding the ankh is hard enough. Fighting my feelings for Jagg Ransom is worse.
If I can’t find the ankh in time, not only will I be out of a job, but I’ll lose everything I value—including my own life.
Harleigh Sinclair and the Ice Crusade
The Harleigh Sinclair Series Book 2
Finding lost artifacts is my specialty, but when an Inuit artifact is hidden in the wilds of Alaska, finding it could be more difficult than I’ve bargained for.
My name is Harleigh Sinclair. I’ve been using my abilities as a Neotact to find ancient relics with special powers. After teaming up with a man named Jagg Ransom—a Crimson Knight with a mysterious past—we’re on the search for five lost artifacts with immense powers.
Our current quest takes us to a remote village in the Alaskan wilderness. But when we arrive, we’re greeted by angry villagers who blame us for the disappearance of one of their trackers. He’s been kidnapped by my former coworker, and the two are on the path to find the relic before us.
If we can’t find the relic first, the object will fall into the hands of an evil organization called the Blood Raiders. Worse, we’re not alone. The Inuit artifact is guarded by a giant beast of lore—one that would rather see us dead than accomplish our mission.
But failure isn’t an option. If the Blood Raiders succeed in obtaining the relic, they’ll use it in a plot to destroy the world as we know it.
Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series, the Shine novellas, and the Twisted Ever After trilogy. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon with over 200 five-star reviews.
Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. She has been a featured speaker at multiple writing conferences, and she has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.
Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks–which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds–and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. You can find her online at http://www.TamaraGrantham.com.
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What is the Secret of Blossom Rise?
When a young nurse takes a job at an old military hospital she finds the answers to an old family question – what is the secret of Blossom Rise Hospital? Who is the long-dead man who walks the grounds?
#Ebook #Audiobook #Paranormal #Ghoststory
April 16, 2024
Liars In Hell – Blog Tour and Giveaway #HistoricalFantasy #Fantasy #PerseidPress
In Hell, everyone’s pants are on fire.
Liars in Hell
A Heroes in Hell Anthology
by Janet Morris
Genre: Dark Fantasy Anthology
In Hell, everyone’s pants are on fire.
Hell is a real place. Anyone who has broken a commandment winds up there. That’s pretty much everybody.
Satan is the boss. You’re okay until you’re not. But never fear, all your friends are here. As well as everyone you’ve ever heard of.
For what they have been up to lately, be sure to check in. Thrill to new stories by Hell’s damnedest: Janet Morris, Andrew P Weston, Michael H. Hanson, S. E. Lindberg, Joe Bonadonna, Chris Morris, and Richard Groller.
The Seven Degrees of Lying – Janet Morris & Chris Morris
The Liar, the Witch, and the Ward Robes – Andrew P. Weston
Bait and Switch – S.E. Lindberg
Fibbers in Hell – Michael H. Hanson
The Münchhausen Trilemma – Richard Groller
Hell’s Bells – Joe Bonadonna
School of Night – Janet Morris & Chris Morris
**On Sale for Only $2.99 until the end of the month!**
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris. He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
choice of print or ebook copy of Liars in Hell,
$10 Amazon giftcard
– 1 winner each!
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What is something unique/quirky about you?
We breed Morgan horses. We consult with Morgan breeders to help them choose breeding combinations to achieve a desired result.
We are also song writers; Janet plays bass guitar and Chris sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Janet wrote her first book in 1975 and Chris was the first one to read and comment on it. Their marriage survived. A routine emerged where Chris would read aloud all the new drafts and we would make edits on the spot. After a few books Chris’ ideas became frequent enough that we agreed he should have credit for writing, whereas before we had kept separate Janet’s storytelling and Chris’ songwriting. The rest, as they say is history.
Who is your hero and why?
Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it. Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. We’ve worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.
Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
All of them. We write cinematically, our books are vivid adventures undertaken without knowing the destination. I, the Sun, The Sacred Band, Outpassage and M.E.D.U.S.A. are particularly suited to film. The Threshold Series is a feast of opportunities for today’s special effects creators.
What inspired you, to write School of Night?
We are trying to change what many people think hell is. In other words, we don’t believe in a hell below when people right here and now are struggling to address all sorts of social ills. So in a way, we’re just showing in our stories that no matter where you are in life, you have to learn to deal with people and situations that are very different from your expectations. Of course people are suffering torments, many of which are self-generated from failing or refusing to understand what’s going on. What inspires us is the notion that even the devil needs rehabilitation, perhaps more than any of the damned souls. In our last story in Liars in Hell, the spymaster Frances Walsingham is forced to explain to a plague god that human souls are totally misunderstood by the likes of angels, demons, and that that misunderstanding is the root of all suffering.
Convince us why you feel Liars in Hell is a must read.
Liars in Hell is a collection of stories by different authors expressing different viewpoints about handling difficulties which at times seem to threaten everything we hold dear. Amazingly, writers from different backgrounds converge on main themes that are sure to strike a chord with readers who simply love a good tale.
Who designed your book covers?
Most of our covers, including Liars in Hell, are realized by Roy Mauritsen, a gifted graphic artist.
Advice to writers?
As for advice to writers, here is all we know: write the story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop. Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that makes the reader choose to continue; if you, as the writer, can’t feel what it’s like being there, your readers can’t either. So close your eyes, look at your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell me what you see. Tell me what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If you lose touch with it, wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes to you, and from you, to me.
Meet the Kitchen Imps
Ever wondered where your socks go in the laundry, or why you can’t find your keys? The Kitchen Imps have the answer.
The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales – six short tales of mayhem and mischief.
Winner of the 2018 best fantasy on NN Light Book Heaven.
Naughty imps, missing socks, cunning thieves and baffled gods feature in this collection of short fantasy fiction.
Universal Link https://books2read.com/KitchenImps
April 14, 2024
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure – Blog Tour and Guest Post #HistoricalFiction
It’s a romp in the swamp!
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure
by Alan Lampe
Genre: Historical Fiction
It’s a romp in the swamp of historic proportions!
Eager young reporter Jimmie Rains is assigned to write an exposé on the treatment of elderly residents of Our Lady of Sorrows Nursing Home. He soon finds that all the residents speak in awe and hushed tones of the life led by legendary fellow resident Bill Valencourt.
As a teenager, Bill was sent to work for his cranky and demanding uncle who ran a bordello on the edge of the swamp. His girlfriend, Anne Marie, was less than happy with this arrangement. As the granddaughter of the famous swamp witch Marie Laveau, she believes her magic is strong enough to keep Bill from straying. She seduces him, believing the taking of his virginity will bind him to her for all time.
When his uncle is murdered by the wife of an angry patron, Bill’s destiny is irrevocably changed, leaving him the new owner of the cathouse and setting him on the path to both riches and ruin. When he falls in love with one of his girls—the beautiful and curvaceous Ariel—Anne Marie vows revenge.
Alan Lampe has been writing down tales and stories since the second grade. Over the years, his writing matured and was recognized by The National Library of Poetry. They published six of his poems in their anthologies in the late 1990s. Jotting down ideas and cranking out numerous short stories off and on throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century, he focused on his writing in 2011 instead of Super Bowl XLV.
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is the brainchild of Alan and his former girlfriend. The first nuggets of this romp in the swamp were hatched eight years ago. Between workshops, critic groups, and conferences, he polished his prose in the following years. Wanting to leave no detail unchecked, he traveled to Louisiana to capture the essence of Cajun life.
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Guest Post – Meet the Author
I recall the beginning of Isaac Asimov’s biography in his Foundation books where it says he “was born in the Soviet Union to his great surprise. He moved quickly to correct the situation.” At the age of three, he stowed away in his parent’s baggage when they emigrated to the United States.
To many people’s surprise, I was born in Connecticut. I don’t have grand or fond memories of my time there. My family moved to Arkansas six months after my birth. I grew up a southern boy and enjoyed writing from an early age. The earliest recollection I have of writing for pleasure is a second grade writing contest. I placed second. I can’t remember if the contest was school wide or district wide, but I do remember where I finished. The prompt was “If you were stuck on a deserted island, what would you bring with you.” I wrote a fine masterpiece, one I’m sure the Smithsonian will treasure for years when they obtain it. My composition related how I would take a magic book with me and use it to conjure up the necessities and a flying carpet to leave the island. Welcome to the world of my writing.
I continued to write stories throughout junior high and high school. I wrote a science fiction series in colored magic marker, where each character was represented by a different color. Even at that young age, I found a way to remove the unnecessary tags. I believe there are over a dozen twenty-page stories in that series. I wrote a couple of science fiction trilogies, one included a comical slant. I even designed a worksheet with the mysteries of Dr. Investigator for my little sister to solve. Like a good author, I kept all these treasures. Maybe one day I’ll revise them and share them with you.
I entered the Air Force after high school and journaled my experience. On the last Sunday of basic training, at the church services, your flight is allowed to say a few words. I wrote a poem for my flight. It was read by another flight member. I still have those journals and interesting stories abound within them.
After the Air Force I continued to improve my craft. I wrote a novella and published it monthly in the newsletter of my local Society for Creative Anachronism group. That, as well as the work I did on the newsletter itself, allowed me get my Award of Arms, a lordship, within the SCA.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s I focused on poetry. During this time I lived in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Teen drug overdoses were frequent and my poems drifted to telling their story. I have a poem in each of the following The National Library of Poetry anthologies.
A Prism of ThoughtSoaring with the WindA Picture of EleganceOutstanding Poets of 1998Blossom in the DawningAmerica at the MillenniumOne of my post powerful poems, The Measure of 0.16, I wrote after a drunk driver killed four Brock High School students on December 19, 1998. 0.16 was his blood alcohol level and the event helped reduce the legal limit in Texas to 0.08. I’ve written over 80 poems and most fall into the “Tragic Poems of Life” chapter in a Word document where I keep them.
On April 20, 1999, the Columbine Massacre occurred where two students killed twelve classmates and a teacher. The school shooting dominated the news that week. It also led me to launch a memorial website, www.Columbine-Angels.com, where I tracked acts of school violence for the next ten years. The site has over 2000 entries, the most of any site that I know of. I also provide extensive data as to when and where the attacks occur. Many people from around the world visited my site and several asked for permission to use my data in their research. I wish I could have continued the site in perpetuity, but the ever-growing numbers, nearly 300 in one calendar school year, is just too much for one person. Keeping the site updated became a second job. Although I received great response from the site, I couldn’t continue to dedicate that much of life to it. From 2010 to 2015, I updated the site with acts of school violence I saw in the news. Those are fewer, but if you research diligently and consistently (i.e. twice a day like I was), you will see how violent are kids truly are. Early in 2016 I posted my last update to the site.
My former girlfriend and I developed the essence of Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. We truly enjoyed our time in Bayou Cove. After we separated I built our escapades into a full length novel. This historical fiction romp takes place from 1939 to 1969 in the swamps of Louisiana. Bill works at his uncle’s bordello and is in love with a descendant of the infamous Marie Laveau. Things change and he falls for one of the soiled doves under his uncle’s employ. After World War II, he and her live in Amsterdam. When they return to Bayou Cove in 1950 he builds his grand Cajun House of Pleasure. Staying informed of world events via WFUX-TV, he and his women are able to play politics with the lieutenant governor’s wife. In the ’60s the sexual fun continues to roll when a few artist stop by and find what they need to be successful. It’s a fun story with adult language and sexual situations. I hope you enjoy it.
I am currently developing my next story. The new tale is set in medieval times on a different planet. It’ll be a fun romp as my characters travel across the continent. Highlights along the way include stops in Hack, where the Hackers live; Pee-On, where the Pee-Ons live; Dead Oak and their solution to depositing their dead on a cart to be hauled off; and more.
April 13, 2024
Love Mom – #Audiobook Event #Giveaway – May 2024
Do you want the chance to win some awesome audiobooks? The check out the Mother’s Day Love Mom event on Facebook 9-10 May 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1089741445603340
For further details as to what is on offer – check out the links here
Join us for a chance to win #audiobook #prizes
https://uviart.blogspot.com/2024/04/mothers-day-audiobook-party-love-mom.html
Join us for a chance to win #audiobook #prizes
https://uviart.blogspot.com/2024/04/meet-my-author-friends.html
I’m offering copies of The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales and Echoes of a Song.
