A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 36
October 20, 2023
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
October 15, 2023
Swift Six Character Interview – Kirin Aradhya
Character Name: Kirin Aradhya
Which book/world do you live in? Second Eight – The Three Rings
Tell us about yourself: Hmm, not much to tell really. I like being outdoors, fishing, collecting. I like to eat, a lot. I recently found out that I was a Nephilim, so that’s kinda cool.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? I’m pretty carefree, which could go under both of those categories, I guess. I’m hella strong when I turn blue – when I alter Nephilim. I’m pretty much indestructible too, which makes me a pretty effective meat shield for our team.
I can be pretty impatient, but Master Fudo is helping me with all that.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
Director Travis, I mean he raised us all.
Marcus is my best friend, and roommate.
And I guess Captain G. He’s kinda like my father, even though he isn’t.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you? Looking out for the little guy. Especially since I used to be the little guy.
What do you think of your ‘creator’? I think he and I would get along. I’d like to take him fishing.
Give us your favourite piece of advice: Be still. That’s what Marcus and Master Fudo tell me when I get angry. If I can just calm down and breathe, everything will be OK.
Book Title: Second Eight – The Three Rings
Social Media:https://www.facebook.com/groups/546850003663157
https://www.instagram.com/thesecondeight/
https://www.thesecondeight.com/
https://a.co/d/9rqdIxf (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brian- Byrom/author/B0C4V7DQ7T?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true (Amazon author)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34370933.Brian_Byrom
Excerpt Sunday – The Secret of Blossom Rise #Horror #Halloween #Ghosts
Excerpt from The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story – A. L. Butcher
It was all a sham. All of it – civilisation, decency, morality – had been tested, and found wanting. His own father had been killed in Ypres and his mother forced to raise five children on a widow’s pension. He’d gained extra money and food poaching – knew how to use a gun. Eyes closed, he saw his mother’s face as he went to war – the fear, the regrets, and the sadness. Such emotions mirrored in his wife’s younger face.
“It’s my duty,” he’d said. “We cannot let the likes of Herr Hitler control Europe. It will be over soon enough.” He’d believed that then.
Leo laughed. But there was no mirth. Four long and terrifying years of war had proven Hitler was not a man who would give up his wicked machinations easily, and Britain would stand against him, alone if she had to. Neither side would capitulate until the enemy was in the streets and at the door.
The world had gone mad with slaughter in the War to End All Wars a generation past – but that had been a lie as well. Politics, death and lies entwined as the casualties grew. Freedom exacted a terrible price. Leo knew that as the bodies had piled up around him in that small French town – now little more than a shell. He’d led what was left of his men into battle, when their captain had been slain and pushed back the enemy, gaining some useful intelligence for his pains. But it had all been futile when the next regiment of panzers rolled in and he and his men found the landmines as they’d tried to retreat. The blood still flowed when he closed his eyes.
Leo dreamt of the faces of the men he’d shot or bayonetted behind the fluctuating German lines. Men like him. Simple men who had been sent to war or signed up unknowing of the horror. Politicians made war, but soldiers died in it far removed from the seat of their government. In this war, civilians lived in fear of the blitz from the sky. Even the clouds were not safe in a world of madness and blood. Was this the end of days? The final judgement for Man’s sins? Leo did not know, and his faith in a good divinity had bled away on the fields of war.
He longed to be far away, on a picnic blanket in the Cotswolds with Mabel. Home with his wife, Audrey, and his daughters, his conscience said. He’d lost much of that conscience in this war.
What was adultery, when man sinned the ultimate sin for his country, for freedom, every single day?
Ostensibly Blossom Rise had been a private sanatorium for those sons of the wealthy who needed tending in a small country hospital, and then when Europe had been ripped by war it had become half a dozen wards used to treat those who had returned from the Great War broken or insane. After the Great War, the unit had fallen into disrepair – forgotten or ignored like so many of the unfortunate soldiers who’d passed through but left still clinging on to half a life. There had been a few in-patients – usually those persons whose families wished for them to be out of sight and mind, but not actually neglected. It was full of ghosts, so some whispered. And he knew the nurses gossiped. Once he’d have dismissed such talk as nonsense, irreligious and foolish, but he’d seen men he’d known to be dead walk the wards. Men from his dreams.
His friend James Cameron, half his face burned away, and one arm nothing but a stump had succumbed to death after a heroic but futile struggle.
Leo had seen James only last night limping the ward in the half-light – a shell of a man ravaged and hollow. But stalking like he’d once done – searching and alert.
A nurse had tried to usher the bandaged form back to his bed, but James had vanished when she returned with his medication. Disappeared. In some ways it had been a mercy, his friend had been so badly wounded and what life would he have – no face, one arm, partly crippled and more than half-mad? He had not wanted to live like that – a burden for his mother. Later Leo asked himself if James had really been at the hospital or was lying burned and maimed in that awful town. Was he just a memory, a guilty horror?
They’d talked, or at least Leo thought they’d had, in the small hours of the morning when the pain was too much to sleep, and the morphine hadn’t clouded their minds. But it was all so vague, so confused. Reality turned on its head in war, and time in this hospital – fluctuating between pain, medication and sleep was strange.
Synopsis
When a young nurse accepts a job at a former military hospital, she unearths a family secret and finds the spectral occupants a little too familiar.
A short ghost story.
Ebook and audiobook
https://books2read.com/SecretBlossomRise
October 14, 2023
Swift Six Author Interview – Brian Byrom
Name: Brian Byrom
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so): I was born and raised in Southeast Texas where I nurtured (and continue to nurture) a lifelong passion for world mythology, philosophy, theology, and folklore. This, along with my love of nature and reading, led me to create my own universe that I could fill with characters and relics, mystery and lore. Writing has become one of the most enjoyable parts of my life, and I sincerely hope that you get a sense of that as you dive into my stories.
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short) Second Eight – The Three Rings is a fantasy novel set in Texas in the 1980s. In short, this is Demons and their minions vs. Angels and their human allies, primarily the kids at St. Alexis. The Devil wiped out these kids’ families and they want revenge.
When did you start your writing adventure? About four years ago. What was the inspiration for it? The inspiration was a sever lack of quality content at the time. I thought, “I can do better than that.” So I decided to try.
What writing plans do you have for the future? Second Eight will be five or six books when complete. I am also working on two spinoffs and an update to the midevil bestiaries.
What do you like to read? Everything but smut. Sci-fi, fantasy, theology, philosophy, western, mystery, drama, manga, horror…
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you’d started your writing adventure? Writing will consume your world, so don’t get in if you aren’t willing to allow that to happen.
Author bio and book synopsis
Author Bio: I was born and raised in Southeast Texas where I nurtured (and continue to nurture) a lifelong passion for world mythology, philosophy, theology, and folklore. This, along with my love of nature and reading, led me to create my own universe that I could fill with characters and relics, mystery and lore. Writing has become one of the most enjoyable parts of my life, and I sincerely hope that you get a sense of that as you dive into my stories.
Quick book description: In short, this is Demons and their minions vs. Angels and their human allies, primarily the kids at St. Alexis. The Devil wiped out these kids’ families and they want revenge. But they are kids and are going to need some help. Their parents’ old friends, some demons looking for redemption, and a pile of mythical weapons just might do the trick. Its fun, scary, philosophical and enlightening.
In Hell, Lucy’s been plotting her revenge for centuries. It’s almost time for her to make her play for the throne, but she has a few loose ends to tie up before she can strike. Step one is eliminating the kids at St. Alexis.
Once the fighting begins, the kids will discover that their greatest weapons are their faith in and love for each other.
Links/Social media
https://www.facebook.com/groups/546850003663157
https://www.instagram.com/thesecondeight/
https://www.thesecondeight.com/
https://a.co/d/9rqdIxf (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brian- Byrom/author/B0C4V7DQ7T (Amazon author)
Além do Espelho Quebrado
Uma pequena coleção de poesia sombria sobre os horrores da guerra, a loucura política, a natureza, os caprichos da vida e a introspecção distorcida.
https://books2read.com/Beyond-ShatteredM-Port
#poesia, #europeia, #geral
October 11, 2023
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
October 10, 2023
Out Now – Legion Press – Anthology #HeroicFantasy
Legion Press Anthology – Edited and with an introduction by Shebat Legion, this brand-new anthology also features stories by Andrew Paul Weston, EV Emmons, Gustavo Bondoni, Kg Blaettler, Victoria Adams, Joe DeRouen, Gregg Chamberlain, Robert Allen Lupton, Samuel Peralta Charles Barrouch, John A. Frochio, John Kiste, Karen Ovér, James Harper, Margaret R Blake, Mike Casto, Ann Stolinsky, Erica Ruhe, Theresa Nyenhuis, Kaahlira Sea, Faith Marlow, and Shebat Legion.
https://books2read.com/LegionPress
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3rGsOEA
The Legionpress is a grand press, shiny and sparkling, ever on the ready to produce, to put the word into the universe, and to feed, as any good press will do, on the crunchy letters and punctuation marks edited out of the stories and poems the press encounters.
Many work with The Press, and we are pleased to share our tales of speculative fiction. Enjoy.
October 8, 2023
Book Spotlight – The Second Eight #Fantasy /Mythological
Title: Second Eight – The Three Rings
Author: Brian Byrom
Genre: Fantasy, Religious/mythological
Main character description (short). Marcus Byrne – Stoic. Kind, compassionate, loyal, trusting, smart. People like Marcus, and are drawn to his underlying leadership ability. His personality is governed by his father’s philosophy, largely based on the writings of Marcus Aurelius.
Synopsis: In short, this is Demons and their minions vs. Angels and their human allies, primarily the kids at St. Alexis. The Devil wiped out these kids’ families and they want revenge. But they are kids and are going to need some help. Their parents’ old friends, some demons looking for redemption, and a pile of mythical weapons just might do the trick. It’s fun, scary, philosophical and enlightening.
In Hell, Lucy’s been plotting her revenge for centuries. It’s almost time for her to make her play for the throne, but she has a few loose ends to tie up before she can strike. Step one is eliminating the kids at St. Alexis.
Once the fighting begins, the kids will discover that their greatest weapons are their faith in and love for each other.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
Chapter 42
Something about the way Aayo was moving struck Byrne as odd. He was advancing, but slowly, reluctantly, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to attack or not. Byrne was prepared to defend himself nonetheless, but about ten feet before he would have made contact, another monster exploded out of the water and took Aayo over the side of the boat, into the black water.
“What… was that?” He looked behind him at Furfur only to see that he was just as shocked as he was.
“That… isn’t possible.” Said Furfur, rain steaming off his flaming body.
The Oni was gone, but the threat from the sky remained. Byrne looked up and shouted, “Incoming!” as hundreds of sigbin descended from the clouds.
Furfur reacted quickly and bounded through the air with lightning speed. He bounced from vermin to vermin, igniting each one he touched.
Byrne followed suit, cutting them down by the dozen as the ones that got past Furfur swarmed around him, gnashing at him with their long claws and their abnormal, asymmetric teeth. Through the swarm Byrne saw the second clone making another dive toward the boat. He had already made it past Furfur, who was climbing higher and higher into the sky as he torched the flying rats. This one’s all mine.
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
Readers should buy Second Eight – the Three Rings if they are looking for a fun, clean, fast-paced fantasy that isn’t a difficult read. It doesn’t get bogged down in massive world building or dozens of characters, making it a light, easily enjoyable weekend book. (It is also appropriate for anyone over 12.)
Links etc.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/546850003663157
https://www.instagram.com/thesecondeight/
https://www.thesecondeight.com/
https://a.co/d/9rqdIxf (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brian- Byrom/author/B0C4V7DQ7T (Amazon author)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34370933.Brian_Byrom
Excerpt Sunday – The Watcher #Horror #DarkFantasy #HistoricalFiction
Excerpt from The Watcher – A Jack the Ripper Story @A.L. Butcher
There she was, that whore. Once more. There she was.
Beneath the flickering gas lamp at the corner of Dorset Street, Whitechapel, she strode, grinning a seductive smile at a passing sailor, just ashore and looking for company. He, as bad as the bitch whose breasts he felt and whose ear he nipped with yellowing teeth, the unseen Watcher thought. With eyes burning hatred and a menace previously unseen and misunderstood. It was, he thought, a righteous hatred, and they blaze all the brighter for it – the beast within told him so. For he was the beast, and he was its creature, at once the same.
She could have been twenty or forty; the Watcher neither knew nor cared. She’d not see another year, another week, another night. The dim streets grew ever wickeder to those of her sort spreading around their sin, their poison. Defiling this town, this land, defiling HER. The Watcher shook his head; no more whores and this place would rise like the jewel it was. Not jaded and dull but glorious and fit for a queen. The beast within whispered in his head. “Cleanse this town, make it fit again.” And so, he did. A knife in the darkness, once more.
Geneva liquor and poverty aged a person far better than mere passing of the years. In the greatest Empire on Earth, they blighted the land. Gin palaces, opium dens, and hash houses aplenty gave heaven and hell to those with money, and those without. Life was cheap, and oblivion cheaper. The Watcher knew these unfortunates dropped their drawers for a taste of it, panting and moaning beneath the bridges and in the alleys, with their grunting men, and their penny a tumble.
The sailor moved on. He’d had his pleasure with another of her kind and spent his last pennies in the tavern, and she was here to work. Nothing was free in her line of employment. Except for death.
So, there she was, alone. Death walked these streets – and tonight it watched the red-haired whore, who sang and smiled and patted her new bonnet. There she was. The whore. Alone.
The minutes passed, creeping towards death; ebbing away from heaven and him ever closer to immortality. The whore did not know it. Of course, she’d heard the tales, everyone had. Screamed by newsboys on every corner “another ‘orrible murder” but rent still needed to be paid. And so, she plied her trade. Afraid. Denying it would be her turn this night. A whore, alone.
Another night, another customer. Fear curled in her belly; these streets were streets of blood, four of her sisters slain in just a few weeks. But hunger was the greater force. Desperation made Mary-Jane brave – so she walked the streets, as she had often done. It wouldn’t be her, she thought. As they had. It couldn’t be her. Besides the police watched the alleys and the thoroughfares. The streets were largely empty, save the desperate and the foolhardy, and those too much in drink or lust to know or care. The Watcher stood, beyond the pool of light from the gas lamp. This night was his. She would be his. This woman wasn’t as much a drab as some of her sisters-in-sin. Lust rose, entwined with his loathing. Two joined as one, desire and disgust, powerful and compelling. He’d never understood why they went together, but then he was a simple man, not one of the mind-doctors who had been so influential of late. The beast within did not care.
Book Info
The year is 1888, and the place is Whitechapel, in the very heart of London. But the heart is bleeding. A mysterious killer is stalking women of the streets – his true name is unknown, but his legend will go down in history. This is a short tale of Jack the Ripper.
18 rated for scenes of violence.
https://www.books2read.com/TheWatcherJTR
October 7, 2023
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
