What’s New Wednesday #37: Hello Again
Hello again! I hope you didn’t miss me too much over the past couple of months. ���� As I’m sure you know by now, I was on maternity leave (well, it turned out I couldn’t sit still, even with a newborn keeping me occupied, so I may have cheated and worked anyway), but I’m back now.��And��I have a little bundle of joy, too!
I’ll be honest, having kids isn’t a joke���a baby takes up so much time and energy (and they cost a fortune). Yeah, I was semi-prepared, but sheesh. I didn’t know just how much time, energy, and money babies could drain out of you. Sleep? HA! Sleep is for the weak. I’m running on a few (stolen) hours of sleep as I’m writing this post. But I love her with every part of my being and I’ll do it gladly to make sure she’s okay.
Jokes aside: I do miss sleep, though. And showers. And hot food. ���� Seriously, I miss��showers that are longer than 5 minutes.
Anywho, so I’ve been busy doing a bit of this and that, and I thought I’d share it with you guys in case you missed all the announcements lately. Apart from that, I do have some current obsessions. Whoohoo! So, let’s get into this week’s What’s New Wednesday!
AnnouncementsDark CountryIn case you missed the cover reveal for Dark Country, I’ve got you covered. ����
Too often people mistake monsters for gods.
When a ravaged corpse is discovered in Pretoria, South Africa, Esm�� Snyder���an occult-crime expert���is called in to investigate. But she doesn���t know the scope of what she���s up against. Esm�� is the target of a cat-and-mouse game with a serial killer who uses the paranormal to do his bidding, with the intent of becoming a god on Earth.
With assistance from her team���a brusque detective, eccentric millionaire, stoic priest, hawkeyed secretary, and handsome British forensic criminologist���Esm�� hopes to find the killer before he strikes again.
But the clock isn���t all that���s working against them. The media catches wind of the threat against the citizens of Pretoria, and their reported speculations promise a post-Apartheid Satanic Panic.
As the body count grows, Esm�� must figure out who is behind the heinous crimes before she ends up the final sacrifice.
Dark Country highlights the multicultural mythologies, magic, histories, beauty, and horror of living in pseudo-modern South Africa.
PRE-ORDER NOWBlack MariahBlack Spot Books’ first episode of the Black Mariah series is releasing on the 9th of July, 2021 and is written by Marie D. Jones. I’m so excited, because: 1.) it’s a really good kick-off story to this fun project; 2.) this is just the beginning of the shared-world series; and 3.) My episode will be launching soon (I’m episode 8 btw).
Planes come the day Jolene Riley decides to end her life, checkerboarding the sky with deadly white trails, and the fight for survival begins.
Still despairing the death of her young son, recovering alcoholic Jolene Riley is on the verge of putting a bullet through her temple when a neighbor asks Jolene to watch her daughter, Mags, for a few hours. It isn���t long before planes begin to fly overhead, dropping chemtrails that kill anything exposed. In a matter of moments, the rural Indiana town is wiped off the map while Jolene and Mags huddle in a storm cellar. Trained in disaster preparedness, Jolene becomes the unwilling leader of a small group of survivors���including Siri Queen, the woman who ruined Jolene���s marriage.
Jolene struggles to stay sober as her world begins to unravel, especially when word trickles in on her ham radio of more attacks on nearby towns. She wants nothing more than to put an end to her pain, but now she must fight for her own survival���and for the little girl she promised to take care of. When a mysterious voice on her radio known only as ���Crow��� claims to have inside information and a safe place for them to go, Jolene and her group question if he can be trusted ���and, even more terrifying…if the things he is saying are true.
PRE-ORDER NOW
Something I haven’t had the opportunity to pimp much is the Shallow Waters Vol. 8 anthology, which I edited for Crystal Lake Publishing. It’s full of some great flash fiction by established and emerging authors, so if you’re looking for something that’ll keep you entertained for a while, this one’s for you. ����
Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of��Shallow Waters���Where Nothing Stays Buried.
With 20 Dark Fiction & Horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.
Shallow Waters is the official monthly flash fiction challenge hosted by the multiple award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing (including the HWA���s Specialty Press Award). Every month a new challenge is issued online and via our newsletter. The best submissions are then posted on Crystal Lake���s Patreon page (an exclusive behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner every month.
What you���ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include the winners as well as the most popular of our finalists. Stay tuned for more volumes in this series, or find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to enter or vote on future challenges.
Volume 8 includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
Prior to Slaughter by AJ Franks (winner)
A Quick Trip to the Liquor Store by Denver Grenell
The Boohag by Linda J. Marshall
Monsters by Justin Boote
Mr. Giggles by Nikki R. Leigh
Natural Selection by Mark Allan Gunnells
The Riverfront by Jay Bechtol (winner)
Allie���s New Crayon by Red Lagoe (winner)
Roadside Believer by Ben Norris
Heart���s Break by Jonathan Winn
Dance Faster, Carmelita by Sunni Ellis
Hello by Karen Bayly
#Camping by Lee Smart
Gone Fission by Amanda Hard
Reaching Out by Jeremy Megargee (winner)
Double Feature by Denver Grenell
Preparation by Claire Brown
A Cunning Plan by R. B. Wood
Wifely Duties by D.C. Phillips
All We Endure by Grant Longstaff (winner)
Come Dive Beneath the Surface!
Proudly brought to you by��Crystal Lake Publishing���Tales from the Darkest Depths.
BUY NOWHello Again Obsessions!Books
Reading is a bit difficult with a 6 week old that’s constantly vying for my attention, but I’m currently reading Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group. I’m really enjoying the book so far, even if I have to stop-read-stop-read. The Final Girl Support Group is perfect for folks looking for an action-packed slasher-type of story with a strong female protagonist. So, get your hands on it if you’re having some horror withdrawal.
TV/Film
Feeding the baby at midnight can be a bit lonely … and boring, especially since I’m used to working with my hands a lot. So, most of the time I fill the silence with a show. I recently watched
Sweet Tooth
, which is a dystopian fantasy show that I��loved. The plot gripped me from start to finish. Also, the acting was great!Another show I’ve been watching is��Zoo (I’m seeing a trend here), which is an apocalyptic show where the animals are mutating and taking revenge on humans. It’s pretty cool. I’m on Season 2 now and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Just take note that it’s a bit formulaic.
Like reading, watching a movie in one sitting is not happening. Husband and I haven’t been able to enjoy a film without interruption since Samara came along. So far, it’s taken us 3 days to watch Fear Street: 1994 (and we’re still not done with it). It’s a good flick so far, but I’ll be honest and say it lacks the charm of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books.
And there you have it for this week. Not as full as usual, I know, but my life isn’t quite as interesting as always. Hopefully, next time, I’ll have more to share with all you lovely readers.
Have an excellent week!
Monique
