K.R. Rowe's Blog, page 4
July 31, 2014
What The Hell?
Here’s to you
Those seeking to engage my mental fog
Picking at my grey matter
Working it into an even duller shade of confusion
My skull is hurting and I scratch my scalp
Have I figured it out?
But no, the meaning eludes
Like the Chupacabra or the Holy Grail
What the hell?
Like a test I didn’t study
Or a sea of Chili Pepper lyrics
It’s garbled and just doesn’t rhyme
But it does sometimes
Will I ever know the meaning?
Will they ever find Bigfoot?
Some things are not meant to know
The imagery sharp
The prose crisp and clean
But I have to ask
What the hell does it mean?
July 27, 2014
Regenerate
Evil descends, dealing death beneath my protection; spitting crimson onto cobblestones, staining their age worn surface.
Thunderheads swell in the thick midnight sky; belching anger from their gullets, cleansing the time-honored ritual.
Pulsing beneath the damp stone surface, latent life resides, drinking the remnants of death, gathering and spreading strength.
A telltale flicker, a street lamp breathes. Flushing rust from its cast iron skin, it blackens, splashing healing light across the wasting stones, pushing youth into their haggard grey pores.
Renewing.
Shadows scatter across a building’s façade, fleeing over decayed trim, darting between shards of shattered reflections.
High above the pursuing light, they seek sanctuary. Spilling through the aperture’s void, his mass reforms; rising from scraps of blackened mist, driving light from his core.
Satisfied, he lingers only for a moment.
His offering accepted; he drops into darkness.
July 1, 2014
Blood is Blood
Her stomach brushes the new fallen snow. Translucent breaths roll in bursts across the forest floor. The cool night air brings the odor of prey, and with it, a gnawing hunger. Nostrils pull the scent to her tongue. Tasting her meal on the cusp of the wind, her mouth waters—but there is something more.
Sharp yellow eyes scour the night. Shadows blacken her sleek tawny coat, her agile form obscured, motionless. Her deep growl swallowed by the crisp winter wind, she remains hidden.
She senses him.
Across the clearing, the trail turns cold. He pulls his nose from the ice packed earth; luminous black, it tests the sterile night air.
His prey lost; the hunt ended.
Weighting the ends of his dusty grey coat, beads of iridescent ice glow between slices of tenuous moonlight. He raises his muzzle, calling to his brothers. In the distance, an eerie lonesome song returns.
Unaware, he steps into the clearing; paws crunching, drifts of snow slowing his movements.
Crouching lower, she prepares to strike.
Her prey lost; she still hungers.
Blood is blood.
It all tastes the same.
-K. R. Rowe
June 27, 2014
Death
DEATH
Cold breath pulls me from slumber
Extinguishing light from my soul
You pass me into your blackened existence
I step away from the stench of my own demise
Stumbling from life into nothing
The past falls away
-K.R. Rowe
May 13, 2014
Review of The Dead Lands by Dylan J. Morgan
One hundred years after nuclear war devastated Hemera, its President sends a distress signal to its sister planet, Erebus. Hemera’s president has awakened and needs help. Lane, a government hit man, is forced into a military mission to Hemera to find and rescue the president. Lane is thrown into the mix with twenty other soldiers, many of whom despise him–including a former love interest.
Told the planet was uninhabited—no life existed—the soldiers stepped foot on its surface to find they were not alone.
Mankind existed–but so did something else.
Morgan nailed it with The Dead Lands. This book has everything: great characters—both loved and despised, a touch of romance, a touch of humor, a whole lot of blood, gore, guts, brains, and my favorite—bone fragments.
The action was almost nonstop, and absolutely teeth-clenching and nail-biting. The author added just the perfect amount of down time between action sequences to allow the reader to take a deep breath and get ready for more.
Morgan’s writing is beautifully descriptive. Not only is he well versed in describing carnage, some of the scenes he paints for the readers are absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite lines was, “Water droplets fell like stars discarded by the arrival of early morning sunlight.”
Simply poetic …
The author has an uncanny knack of pulling the reader directly into the mind of his creations. I wanted to cry, puke, and pee my pants right along with the characters.
The Dead Lands is a shining example of how excellent writing and a great plot come together to make a fantastic book.
Guys, this has everything you’ll ever ask for in a book. Ladies, there is a love story hidden in its pages.
I give this one 5 stars. If I could give it more, I would.
The Dead Lands is now available! Grab your copy!
Learn more about Dylan J. Morgan at http://dylanjmorgan.wordpress.com/
April 28, 2014
Review of Treed by Craig McGray
McGray hacked open the pages of this short story, shoved in a load of gore and depravity, and sewed it up tight with the threads of freakin’ awesome.
Treed is a mini story with maximum punch. When a deal between two psychopaths goes sour, the deadly duo find themselves stuck in a twisted alliance and haunted by the same gruesome specter. While in the forest attempting to cover up their latest despicable deed, the two men find that this time, they are not the ones creating the nightmares, but in fact they are forced to face the demons of their own.
This story took me about an hour to read. It is well written, well thought out, and very descriptive. It was gross, disturbing, and a little stomach turning–as it should be. The dialogue was very nicely done and refreshingly foul, the story original, and I enjoyed the slight touch of humor here and there.
One line I particularly enjoyed was, “… moving her was like moving a plank of wood-a bloody, sticky plank.” I have to admit, that gave me bit of a chuckle.
I’m looking forward to reading more of McGray’s work. I have no trouble recommending this one.
I give this one 5 stars.
You can buy Treed at:
Learn more about Craig McGray at: http://craigmmcgraywrites.blogspot.com/
April 22, 2014
IT
IT
It grows within, each heartbeat feeds
Controlling thoughts, distorting needs
Sanity, the first it takes
The choice of will, the first it breaks
Digging in, it gains control
The parasite consumes your soul
-KRRowe
April 20, 2014
Review of Sam by Darlene Purcell
Sam is a touching tale of love, compassion, deceit, and survival. Set in the old west, we meet Sam Johnson, a dying man, whose sedated thoughts take us back to relive his unusual life. Sometimes hilarious, and always heartwarming, we get a glimpse of his poor but happy childhood.
The story then shifts to Violet. Desperate, crying, and nowhere to go, Sam takes pity on her and offers her a job and a place to live. Although Sam is not a good-looking man and his hygiene is atrocious, eventually Violet falls in love with him—but the feeling isn’t mutual. In a selfish act of deceit and betrayal, Violet tricks Sam into marrying her, forever destroying their friendship.
About half way through the story, we find that Sam has a secret.
Take a peek and find out why Sam can never love Violet the way she truly wants to be loved. I really enjoyed reading Sam. It was a very well written novel and I found myself reading every chance I had.
Some of the dialogue was a little hard to understand but once I got accustomed to it, it was fine.
I do not hesitate in recommending this book. I loved it!
I give it a five star.
You can buy Sam at:
January 23, 2014
Amber and Blue II Victory Release
Please stay tuned as it will also be distributed to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes and many other vendors in the coming days
Their love fated, their lives complete, Alex and Grace finally begin to plan a perfect future together. But their peaceful existence is soon shattered by the ghosts from their tormented past. Angered, the unforgiving family of the man Grace shot in self-defense demands retribution for his death.
Defeated and fighting his own demons, struggling with the pain of Grace’s rejection, Lucien slips back into the only way of life he’s ever known—that of a criminal. Danger lurks in the form of revenge and Lucien is disturbed when Alex ignores his warning. Torn between losing his own sanity and risking everything, a gnawing obsession soon burns out of control.
In an ultimate act of betrayal, Lucien unwittingly exposes Grace to a merciless world of violence and vigilante justice. Isolated and alone, Grace seeks solace in a group of new friends, but will her comfort come at the cost of her own mortality? Will Lucien and Alex destroy one another in a final deadly clash, or will a vicious man from Lucien's past return to destroy them all?
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Blue-II-V...
January 13, 2014
Amber and Blue II - Victory
Their love fated, their lives complete, Alex and Grace finally begin to plan a perfect future together. But their peaceful existence is soon shattered by the ghosts from their tormented past. Angered, the unforgiving family of the man Grace shot in self-defense demands retribution for his death.
Defeated and fighting his own demons, struggling with the pain of Grace’s rejection, Lucien slips back into the only way of life he’s ever known—that of a criminal. Danger lurks in the form of revenge and Lucien is disturbed when Alex ignores his warning. Torn between losing his own sanity and risking everything, a gnawing obsession soon burns out of control.
In an ultimate act of betrayal, Lucien unwittingly exposes Grace to a merciless world of violence and vigilante justice. Isolated and alone, Grace seeks solace in a group of new friends, but will her comfort come at the cost of her own mortality? Will Lucien and Alex destroy one another in a final deadly clash, or will a vicious man from Lucien's past return to destroy them all?
