Krista Clark Grabowski's Blog, page 2

Verto Publishing to donate a portion of In the Trenches sales to Authors Supporting Our Troops

For each copy (either Kindle or paperback) of In the Trenches that is purchased between now and the last day of November, Verto Publishing will donate $1 to Authors Supporting Our Troops, a program that collects author-signed books and sends them to soldiers in remote areas. If you'd like to learn more about the program, check out our recent interview with the man who runs ASOT, Armand Rosamilia.   “In the Trenches” is about wars spanning history and taking place all over the world. Killing without mercy, bodies blown to bits before your eyes; Physical and mental devastation. Peer into the heart, mind, and soul of a soldier during active duty and beyond. War forever changes men and women and impacts everyone around them. See through their eyes. View the horror of combat. See how it plays out when they come home to family and friends. 

"A brilliantly compiled anthology . . . From the pride of heroism, to the discretion of valor. This compilation has tales of horrific wounds, mental and physical both on and off the battlefield. Tear jearking acts of heroism." - Marianne

"This book turned out to be so much more than I could have imagined. Not only thought provoking and unique, the quality and variety of the selected pieces,(not to mention excellent editing and sequencing)set it apart. Verto Publishing has definitely pulled this one off." - Rodney Gardner

"What a great collection of stories! Some will make you cry, other's will make you laugh. They will all scare you and make you wonder. I loved this book and I'm sure whoever reads it will feel the same. We need more collections like this one." - Lisa Lowe

See more reviews and purchase your copy here.

Armand Rosamilia and Authors Supporting Our Troops

Armand Rosamilia has written over 150 stories in a variety of genres and hosts two podcasts. We will talk to him about his writing and podcasts another day, but today we're talking to him about Authors Supporting Our Troops. Armand runs ASOT which collects author-signed books and sends them to soldiers in remote areas.

Armand, this is such a great idea! What sparked this idea?
Author Joe McKinney had done a smaller version of it in 2013, sending a few boxes to a soldier he knew. In late 2013 I asked if he was going to do it again. When he said no because the soldier was back home I asked if I could pick it up.
  
How many years have you been doing Author Supporting Our Troops?
It started in January 2014 and I just put the word out, expecting to collect a couple hundred books. I started asking people for addresses of soldiers in remote areas of the world with little or no access to electronics. Men and women a book would be invaluable for. The first year we collected 3,000 author-signed books, right from the authors and publishers themselves. In 2015 we recently broke 3,100. The goal for 2016 will be 3,200 and see what happens.
 
Do you ever hear back from soldiers?
Yes, a few. Last year I was able to post pictures the soldiers sent back holding books and smiling. Unfortunately, most of that had to stop with security concerns. I still get a few privately but can’t share them. It is the best part: to see a soldier holding and reading a book we donated.
 
Do you get requests from soldiers? Do they request specific genres?
I don’t deal with a company or USO. I do this all myself (with help from my wife). The soldiers we get are from people who usually know them like friends and family, so it’s even cooler because we’re helping a friend of a friend in most cases. There are no specific genres they want as they’ll read anything they can get their hands on at this point. I try to give a good mix in each box I ship over. I usually put about 50 books in a box and send 2 boxes per address.
Describe the logistics of getting the books packaged and overseas. Do you do it all yourself or do you have people who help you?
I mostly do the heavy lifting myself. My wife will keep me organized since there are piles of books and boxes in my office and her office all year now. Once an author sends me a package of their signed books, I take a picture and tag them in it. I put it up on my personal Facebook page and the Authors Supporting Our Troops permanent FB page. It is a small thanks for doing what they’re doing to help. I then sort the books into boxes and when I get a box filled I tape it up, slap some #ASOT2015 stickers on the box and drive them down to Change Jar Books in Flagler Beach Florida, who have made the shipping part easy for me.
 
What if someone reading this loves the idea of sending books to our troops but isn't a writer? Do you take monetary donations?
We do accept monetary donations via PayPal. My address for it is  armandrosamilia@gmail.com and people have been very generous with donations. We will also do t-shirts again starting in January and all the profit from them goes towards the huge shipping bill, too. It costs about $25 per box to ship the books so it adds up quickly.
If you want more information feel free to send me an e-mail and definitely join the FB page to see all of the thousands of books we’ve shipped so far!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASOT2014/
Thank you!
Armand Rosamilia

Meet the Author - Michael Seese

Michael Seese's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a poem titled "Who Will Die Tonight?" It's a story of a madman, a man compelled to kill. You may read the opening lines below.

Michael has published three books, not to mention a lot of short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. He currently is shilling his latest work, a long short story / short novella titled Rebecca’s Fall From.... Other than that, he spends his spare time rasslin' with three young'uns. Visit www.MichaelSeese.com or follow @MSeeseTweets to laugh with him or at him.
Opening lines of "Who Will Die Tonight?"

A cloudy chill begins to find
The diseased confines of my mind.
A creeping madness I cannot fight.
I wonder who will die tonight.

Meet the Author - Misha Herwin

Misha Herwin Misha Herwin's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "The Governess", the story of a woman's haunting experience with her new charge, who has recently experienced the death of someone very near and dear to her. You may read an excerpt below.

Misha is a writer of short stories, novels and books for children and young adults. She has always been fascinated by the supernatural and her  latest book is "House of Shadows" where time slips and slides and past and present collide. She lives in the UK with her husband and a very demanding cat and in her spare time she bakes muffins. Excerpt from "The Governess" by Misha Herwin

     The bed was empty. The door to the landing open. Beyond it, darkness gaped. A deep and enveloping blackness that drew and repelled me at the same time. I seized a candle and thrust it into the dying embers. The wick caught and holding it high I stepped out into the corridor. My shadow leapt and loomed above me. Candlelight flickered, catching the glass mantles of the gas lamps, the smooth surface of the banister rail, and in the hallway below a white flutter of cotton and lace.
     The child stood at the drawing room door. As I hurried down the stairs, her hair glinted in the light of my candle, but her face was white as death, the eyes unseeing. I shuddered. I told myself she was only walking in her sleep, that there was nothing to be afraid of and yet there was something in her stance that was beyond explanation.
     She did not lift a hand, but the door swung open.
The room
beyond was bathed in a warm, golden glow.

Lori R. Lopez - New Halloween Release

Just published by Fairy Fly Entertainment- "The Dark Mister Snark" by Lori R. Lopez

​Description
There are those individuals we know little about who skulk and creep delightfully across page or screen. In reality, we are taught to avoid them. Sometimes, however, they may surprise us. The Dark Mister Snark is such a figure. Beware! 

"Candidly lurking in the shadiest of places, a fellow whose mask wore the gruesomest faces, the dark Mister Snark might be tiptoeing after — shunning the sun and the mirthfullest laughter, spying and shying from your backward stares, following to catch you in complete unawares!" 

Narrated by witty rhymes that spin the tangled threads of solitude and acceptance, this book tells the tale of a mysterious man prone to stalking through shadows. Is he misunderstood or mad? A villain or an anti-hero? 

His secrets will be revealed in humorous and touching verse, with Halloween and Edgar Allan Poe among the themes. You will not look at corn or crows the same. And once read, you could find Mister Snark watching you from every dark place! This illustrated print edition features peculiar artwork by the author, Lori R. Lopez.

Check it out on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016UFOUWC

Lori's short story "The Sea Spirit" was featured as a serial on the Verto Publishing website as part of our Halloween celebration. Click on the Halloween Celebration tab or click on her name under Categories to your right to read it!

Meet the Author - DJ Tyrer

DJ Tyrer DJ Tyrer's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "Hollenstein", the story of Johanna, who meets and falls in love with Dr. Otto Hessler who assures her he can cure her condition, a condition family and society find reprehensible. You may read an excerpt below.

DJ Tyrer is the person behind Atlantean Publishing and has been widely published in anthologies and magazines in the UK, USA and elsewhere, most recently in Amok!(April Moon Books), In Creeps The Night (J.A.Mes Press), State of Horror: Illinois (Charon Coin Press), Steampunk Cthulhu (Chaosium), Tales of the Dark Arts(Hazardous Press) and Cosmic Horror (Dark Hall Press), as well as in Sorcery & Sanctity: A Homage to Arthur Machen (Hieroglyphics Press), All Hallow's Evil andUndead of Winter (both Mystery & Horror LLC) and Fossil Lake (Sabledrake Enterprises), and in addition, has a novella available in paperback and on the Kindle, The Yellow House (Dynatox Ministries).
 
DJ Tyrer's website is at http://djtyrer.blogspot.co.uk/
 
The Atlantean Publishing website is at http://atlanteanpublishing.blogspot.co.uk/ Excerpt from "Hollenstein" by DJ Tyrer

     For a moment, I tried to rationalise his decision, thinking that, perhaps, it was for convenience, because of its size, for there was a large machine at the far end of the dungeon that, I guessed, probably generated the electricity. But, then, I saw that spikes of iron had been hammered into the stone and cables run from them. I tried to tell myself there was some logical, scientific explanation, but my thoughts kept returning to what Lisel had said about it being the capstone... Just what was going on? I didn’t like it.
     Otto and his manservant, Piet, were in the chamber below me.
     “Nearly ten,” Otto said. “Time to increase the power.”
     Piet nodded and took a swig from the bottle he was holding.
     “Must you?” Otto snapped at him. “I need you sober, this is delicate work.”
     “Little strumpet clawed me,” he slurred back.
     “Well, she’s out now,” Otto replied, nodding toward a table covered by a white cloth. With a start, I realised there was the swell of a body beneath the shroud.
     “Who is that?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice from quavering. “Who is under that sheet?”

Joseph Grant collection to be published by Literary Wanderlust March 2016

Joseph Grant's "The Conjurer" is currently being featured as a serial as part of Verto Publishing's month-long Halloween celebration. In March 2016 his short story collection Mexicali Blues - a collection of short stories that take place around the Mexico-California border - will be published by Literary Wanderlust. Advance praise includes comments that call Mr. Grant "an excellent storyteller . . . he gives voice to believable characters while writing vividly in a rich, deep style with a strong eye for detail and setting." Learn more about what early reviewers are saying at http://www.literarywanderlust.com/aut...​

Meet the Author - Dona Fox

Dona Fox Dona Fox's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "The Revenant of Shelby House," a story of spirits, family, and betrayal. You can read an excerpt below.

​Dona began writing in 1988 and published stories and poems in Eldritch Tales, Haunts, Thin Ice, Cemetery Dance (Issue #1), Beyond, and New Blood. In 1990 she began working at the State Public Defender’s Office, researching and writing the life history of the gentlemen on Death Row, from before the inmates’ conception through the events of the murder that caused a jury to give them the death penalty. At the end of Dona’s workday, she found she had her fill of horror. She didn’t write dark works again until the fall of 2013.
Recently, her work has appeared in James Ward Kirk Publishing, J Ellington Ashton Press, and Horrified Press anthologies. Dona also has a short story and a poem in JWK’s Terror Train anthology; the podcasts on YouTube provide the listener with an old time radio show experience. Excerpt from "The Revenant of Shelby House" by Dona Fox

     A chill gust of wind snatched the flame from his candle. The narrow tunnel beneath the garden turned as black as Aunt Esther’s sable cloak. Edward was trapped in the dark underground labyrinth between Shelby House and the chapel.
     Someone, or something, had opened a door at one end of the maze and let in the icy huff of air that blew out the candle. He waited; he would be brave, he would be quiet.
He held his breath and listened, but no door shut; no footsteps echoed in the tunnels. Then he heard it, faint at first, a rattling, like bare bones shuddering together. The sound teased the tender young hairs on the nape of Edward’s neck. His belly was tight; his breath was shallow–slow and quiet.
     All of Shelby House was darkened for the séance tonight. Skeletons from the family graveyard behind the chapel might be restless. Aunt Esther may have called up a body by the power of the séance Edward had just escaped.

Meet the Author - Brandon Ketchum

Brandon Ketchum Brandon Ketchum's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "The Grinning Cat" in which one man is compelled to investigate the circumstances surrounding another man's descent into madness. You can read an excerpt below.

Brandon Ketchum is a speculative fiction writer working out of Pittsburgh, PA. He attended the 2013 Cascade Writers Workshop and his work has appeared in a variety of publications. Excerpt from "The Grinning Cat" by Brandon Ketchum

     A shrill meow, full of disapproving impatience, snapped me from my awed reverie and back into the moment. The organ was blasting at my ears and the tabby was gazing at me expectantly. With a meek dip of my head, in apology, I strode forward and followed once again.
     The tabby sauntered past the bole of one of the looming trunks, leading me amidst the trees. I felt an inner peace, knowing I trod where I was meant to tread, but when I reached the center of the grove my limbs froze, rooting me to the spot. My sense of kismet fled. The cat stopped and looked at me, and I labored to breathe. I wanted to look away from the tabby, but its eyes had locked with mine and I could not break the gaze. The cat grinned, a lazy tugging at the corners of its mouth that bloomed into a
hideous, loathsome baring of its teeth. The cat knew. It probed the depths of my soul with its freakish green eyes, memorizing the nightmares of my subconscious being, and grinned. The music jolted to a halt, a blinding flash of light exploded in my eyes, and I fell unconscious.

Meet the Author - Flo Stanton

Flo Stanton Flo Stanton's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "Speech to the Prometheus League,"  the story of twin sisters and their psychic connection that transcends perceived barriers. You can read an excerpt below.

Flo’s prose, poetry, and artwork have appeared in the horror anthologies Traps, Tales of a Woman Scorned, A Pint of Bloody Fiction, Indiana Horror Review 2012, Whispers of Wickedness, Static Movement, Yellow Mama, Black Petals, and others. Her book reviews, literary articles, and true crime pieces have been featured in The Indianapolis Star, Castle Rock, Literally, True Police, Indiana Crime Review 2013 and2014, the Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine website, etc. She lives in Indianapolis with her writer/photographer husband John. You can find them stalking abandoned warehouses, factories, graveyards, and other haunted sites seeking macabre inspiration. Find out more about Flo atwww.3amblue.com or follow her blog at http://flo-stanton.blogspot.com/ Excerpt from "Speech to the Prometheus League" by Flo Stanton

     “That night after the service, as Edward and I prayed for Cassandra’s immortal soul and an easement of the suffering of her sister and a father who grieved alone, Camilla appeared at the top of the stairs much as she had that eventful night at Bath some years before, trembling with excitement, her eyes wide and bright, a nimbus again surrounding her hair.
     “‘It’s Cassandra!’ she cried. ‘She’s alive!’ and fell against the balustrade. Edward rushed up the stairs and would sweep her into his arms but she pushed him away. ‘No!’ she protested. ‘She will speak!’
     “And then, as her fingernails scratched a tattoo on the banister, she spoke in the unmistakable voice of her twin:
     “‘Camilla, Camilla... Hear me... I am alive... I yet breathe... Feel my thoughts... I am on this side... Come and rescue me... Honey dear, Camilla, you heard me when I was lost in the Wilderness and brought me home... Hear me now... Come for me...
     “‘I have not long... I am weak... I can't... My fingers are bleeding... Camilla... Camilla... What? You have heard me! You have come for me! I hear you digging above me. Dear Camilla! You are here! I am rescued!’
     “At this, when any other psychic agent would have collapsed, Camilla bolted down the stairs and flew out the front door. Edward ran after her to the stable and found her harnessing her pony for the trap. They mounted quickly and raced past me as I exited the house. I knew where they were going. The cemetery was not far."