The Cult of Me - Interviews, Guest Posts, Short Fiction Contest and so much more!

[Michael]

Sarah Vistica joins us for today's guest author interview, discover more about her and her latest YA paranormal romance 'Whisper' here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In this week's Tuesday Tease you can read the prologue from Ken Doggett's epic science fiction novel 'Ship of Storms', check it out here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Gortoz A Ran from the Black Hawk Down soundtrack is this week's Thursday Tune:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

March's short fiction contest winners have been announced, discover the winning stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part!

[Michael]

We have a treat for science fiction fans in today's guest author interview, one of Britain's top sci-fi authors Neal Asher joins us to chat about his work, find out more here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

This week's Tuesday Tease features an excerpt from Brandon R Luffman's excellent horror novel 'Frostwalker':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Romance author Sheila Busteed joins me for today's guest author interview, discover more about her and her writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We're two weeks into April's short fiction contest, which means that there is only two weeks left for you to enter. This month's creepy doll has already inspired fourteen suitably spooky entries and I'm sure that there's many more to come!

It's easy to enter, you simply write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image. You then submit the story through the form on the competition page, you'll also find the rules for the contest there. If your story is picked as the winner then you'll win a £50 Amazon gift card, there are prizes for second and third places as well. You can enter the competition here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

The flip side to entering the contest is reading the great stories that are entered, if you haven't read March's winning stories yet then you should check them out at March's winners page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Feel free to comment about the stories on the page and also please share the links for the contest and the winners wherever you can, everyone's support is much appreciated.

For fans of short and flash fiction I've set up a Facebook group dedicated to stories in those forms, come and join the discussion here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/short...

[Michael]

Lisa Osina, author of 'A Wolf Song' joins me in today's guest author interview, find out more about her and her book here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We have a treat for horror and thriller readers this week with the opening chapter (it has one of my favourite opening lines from a book) for Shaun Jeffrey's 'The Kult':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Shaun]

Thank you, Michael :)

[Michael]

No problem, it's an excellent read, everyone should read it. Whether they like people dying or not :-)

[Michael]

Romance writer S.C. Ellington, the author of 'Unsettled' joins me for today's guest author interview, discover more about her and her writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

I'm setting up a new regular feature to highlight all of the great blogs out there. If you have a blog and would like to take part then drop me a line and we can set something up.

Naturally if you are able to reciprocate then that would be appreciated, but that isn't a prerequisite.

[Michael]

There's only one week left to enter April's short fiction contest. This month's creepy doll has already inspired 20 suitably spooky stories and you still have time to write and enter your own. It's easy to enter, write a story of no more than 500 words based in this month's image and submit the story through the form provided on the contest page:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

The winning story will receive a £50 Amazon gift card. If you haven't already you should check out the winning stories from last month's competition, you can find them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you're a fan of short and flash fiction and want to discover some great stories, come and join the Facebook group dedicated to those forms:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/short...

[Michael]

Jonathan Geffner, author of the intriguing 'Dummy Noir' mystery 'While the Village Sleeps' joins me for today's guest author interview, find out more here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In this week's Tuesday Tease we feature an excerpt from Newton's gothic tale of magic, mystery and shattered romance 'Set in Stone':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Today sees the start of a new feature on my blog, each week I shall feature a new blog for you to take a look at. The first blog to be featured is from Jim Webster:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you'd like to take part and have your blog featured then get in touch.

[Michael]

Chantal Noordeloos, author of the short story collection 'Deeply Twisted' joins me for today's guest author interview, discover more here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

May's short fiction contest has started and this month we return to the origins of story telling with the Moon as the inspiration for the new competition:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'll be announcing the winners to April's contest next weekend and as always thanks to everyone who took part. Please continue to help spread the word by sharing the link wherever you can. Your support is much appreciated!

[Rosalind]

I don't have a 500 word story, but do have a connection with you as The CultofMe in that my short story collection is Me_ Time Tales:Tea breaks for mature women and curious men. These are ironic short stories with a variety of women all self-obsessed in different ways. So self-obsessed, in fact, that they took over my blog, http://fictionalcharacterswriting.blo....

Anyway, I will keep an eye on yr blog in case I can become succinct enough for you.

[Michael]

Abby Vandiver has provided a guest post about the importance of research as part of the celebration of the release of 'At The End Of The Line':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

This week's Tuesday Tease is provided by Mark Anson from his sci-fi novel 'Acid Sky':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you would like to provide a tease then get in touch with me and I'll take a look, note that the tease needs to fall within my reading taste.

[Michael]

There's a name change to the Wednesday Blog feature, it will now be called Blog Shout Out, which is a bit clearer I'm sure you'll agree! This week we feature Dianne Harmen's blog, you can read all about it in her own words here.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you have a blog that you would like featured then drop me a line and I'll take a look.

[Michael]

Craig Furchtenicht, author of Dimebag Bandits joins me for today's Guest Author Interview, discover more about him and his writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

The winners of April's short fiction contest have been announced, congratulations to the winners and you can read the excellent winning stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Sign up for my mailing list and you can choose one of my released books for free, take a look here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Science Fiction author S. A. Check joins me in today's guest author interview to tell us about his novel 'Welcome to GreenGrass', discover more about him and his writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We have a treat for horror fans in this week's Tuesday Tease, noted writer Frazer Lee provides an excerpt from his novel 'The Jack in the Green':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In this week's blog shout out we visit Harold Titus' US Historical Fiction blog, discover more below. If you run a blog and would like to be featured then drop me a line and I'll take a look.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Horror author Kit Tinsley has provided a guest post for my blog called 'Synergy: How Influence Shifts From Page to Screen and Back Again', check it out here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you'd like to provide a guest post then drop me a line.

[Michael]

There's only two week's left to enter May's short fiction contest, this month's image is the moon on a cloudy night. This has been the set up for many a tale and I'm looking forward to reading the stories it inspires, there's already been some excellent entries. To enter the contest you need to write a story of no more than 500 words based on this month's image. You then submit it through the form provided on the competition page, there's no entry fee and you could win a prize of a £50 Amazon gift card. Enter the contest here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you haven't read last month's winners then check them out here, there's three excellent stories for you to enjoy:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Readers and writers of short and flash fiction are welcome at the Facebook group dedicated to those forms, come and join us here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/short...

There's more great stories for you to discover there!

[Michael]

Sunday Story is a new feature on my blog that revisits the winning stories from the short fiction contest, although there will be some surprises along the way! We start with the very first story to win the contest - The Young Kellar by John Mulligan:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In today's guest author interview I am joined by J. U. Scribe, author of Before the Legend, find out more about him and his writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Guy]

'The Cult of Me' is a great name for a blog!

[Michael]

Thanks, although the name came from my first novel :-)

[Michael]

Jason Jack Miller provides the excerpt in this week's Tuesday Tease from his excellent horror novel - Hellbender, take a look here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

This week's Blog Shout Out features David Wailing's blog, find out more here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you have a blog that you'd like to see featured then drop me a line and I'll take a look!

[Trish]

I'm just starting a goodreads blog. That is to say I've posted an article on Spain, which is subject of book. Trish Watson Author: Eternal Spain:crisis and corruption. Amazon.co. UK, it would be nice if someone read it. Best wishes with books. Maybe I could review them.

[Michael]

Send me a private message and we can look into it, I can only see one post on your blog though?



Terrence J Goodchild, author of 'DamHead Farm' joins me in today's guest author interview, discover more about him and his writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We're about to enter the last week of May's short fiction contest, I know many of you like to wait until the last minute, but you only have until next Sunday! The rules to enter are simple, write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image and then submit it through the form provided on the competition page. The winning story will win a £50 Amazon gift card, with prizes for second and third places as well. And unlike many competitions like this there's no entry fee, so there's no excuse to not take part :-)

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Even if you don't win, you'll have a story that you can share on your own site!

If you haven't read the winning stories from April's contest yet then you should check them out, There are three great stories for you to enjoy:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'd also like to thank everyone who has supported the competition, whether it is by entering, reading the stories, or by sharing the links. Your support is much appreciated and the stories deserve to be read by a wider audience so please continue to share the links.

[Patti (baconater)]

Always take great pleasure in sharing on Facebook, Michael. I know my shares are shared further.

[Michael]

Thanks Patti, I have a dream to make the competition the biggest one around. In an exclusive reveal, next months competition will change so that the winners can receive a PayPal prize rather than an Amazon gift card.

[Michael]

This week's Sunday Story is 'Out of my Window' by Lisa Williamson, the winning entry from September's short fiction contest:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

J. Thorn provides an excerpt from his dark novel 'Reversion: The Inevitable Horror', which is the first book in his 'Portal Arcane' series. I read this recently and enjoyed it a lot, the opening chapter is provided here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In this week's blog shout out we take a visit to Leanna Falconer's blog, discover more in her own words here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you'd like your blog featured then drop me a line and I'll take a look.

[Michael]

I'm joined by Maria E Andreu, author of 'The Secret Side of Empty' in today's guest author interview, discover more about her and her writing here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

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Welcome to the latest Short Fiction Contest here on The Cult of Me, this month sees the one year anniversary from when I first started the competition. In that year I've read some great stories and the competition has gone from strength to strength thanks to all you wonderful writers and readers!

To celebrate I'm making a few changes to the contest, the biggest change is that the prizes are now available via PayPal as well as Amazon gift cards, so the prizes are now:


First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal payment
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal payment
Thirds prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal payment

We've had quite a few horror themed pictures recently, so I've decided to take inspiration from my other love - science fiction - for this month's picture. Your story doesn't have to be science fiction though, it can be of any genre as long as it is 500 words or less and relates to this month's image.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

It's lovely day out there today and what better way to enjoy the sun than by reading a story with a cool drink? For this week's Sunday Story we journey back to October's short fiction contest and the winning story 'Achromic' by Colbey Pratt:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

In this week's Tuesday Tease we feature an excerpt from Bryce Allen's thriller 'The Spartak Trigger', take a look here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...