Showing posts with label paranormal thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal thriller. Show all posts

Monday, May 22, 2023

Series Spotlight: Ghost Hunter Series by Peter J. White


“Peter J. White and his Ghost Hunter: The Hollow Men should be at the top of that list and profiled on library book recommendation lists as a standout.”

 — Midwest Book Review

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Inside the Book

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Title: The Hollow Men
Author: Peter J. White
Publisher: Self/English Unlimited LLC
Pages: 496
Genre: Paranormal Vigilante Justice Thrillers / Classic Horror

When the ghostly victims of a small-town crime lord find him, ex-special forces soldier Max Sinclair realizes the only road to peace is to serve them the justice they crave.

But the Bannister clan has tentacles that reach from Eastern Washington into Mexico, trafficking women across the border and into their brothels. Haunted by visions of the dead, Max burns a swath through the Bannister empire, doing his best to set the dead free, but odds are he’ll be joining them before he’s done.

The Hollow Men is the first novel in the Ghost Hunter series about a vigilante who sees the dead—Max Sinclair. Haunted by visions and longing for justice and redemption, Max hunts down evil incarnate—his soul hanging in the balance as he walks the line between the dark and the light.

“Peter J. White and his Ghost Hunter: The Hollow Men should be at the top of that list and profiled on library book recommendation lists as a standout.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review/Editor, Donovan’s Literary Services.

★★★★★ “Gripping and Timely Page Turner: From the first line, this tale grabs you and draws you in. Human trafficking is the dark side of our civilization, the modern, brutal form of slavery. Mr. White takes this subject on with a hard punch and a supernatural twist that keeps you on the edge of your seat.“—Amazon Reader

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MUrlCK 

 

Inside the Book

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Title: Slouching Toward Tenancingo
Author: Peter J. White
Publisher: Self/English Unlimited LLC
Pages: 547
Genre: Paranormal Vigilante Justice Thrillers/Classic Horror

Max Sinclair is heading straight into the heart of evil: Tenancingo—center of the Mexican human trafficking industry. There’s a man down there that’s done someone he loves wrong, and Max aims at setting things straight.

On the way, he’s accumulated some powerful enemies—of the cartel variety—and attracted the attention of the Black Queen: Mexico’s most prominent priestess to Santa Muerte.

Hunted by the Queen, haunted by the dead, fueled by a fierce desire for justice, Max wages war against the evil that blackens the land. But with the Barrera cartel’s five million dollar bounty on his head, odds are he won’t make it to his final reckoning.

Slouching Toward Tenancingo is the second novel in the Ghost Hunter series about a vigilante who sees the dead—Max Sinclair. Haunted by visions and longing for justice and redemption, Max hunts down evil incarnate—his soul hanging in the balance as he walks the line between the dark and the light.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mFTFyh 

Inside the Book

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Title: Bangkok Redemption
Author: Peter J. White
Publisher: Self/English Unlimited LLC
Pages: 656
Genre: Paranormal Vigilante Justice Thrillers / Classic Horror

Back in Thailand, Max Sinclair is hot on the trail of a Thai gangster who killed the one he loved. But when a street child he’s befriended is snatched up by a ring of pedophiles, Max diverts his mission of vengeance to save her.

Max is thrust into a world of Black Magic, Spirit Doctors, human sacrifice, and The Ancient Ones: forces older than mankind who work to extinguish the light.

Meanwhile, he’s stepped right in the middle of a power struggle between a Thai Mafia kingpin and his counterpart in the Russian Mafia.

Caught in the middle of a triangle of powers seeking to dominate the land, Max doesn’t stand a chance of surviving.

But he will not be denied, no matter the cost.

And maybe, along the way, he’ll find the balance he seeks, and ultimately, redemption.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40hqZJr 

 

Inside the Book

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Title: The Bad Beginning
Author: Peter J. White
Publisher: Self/English Unlimited LLC
Pages: 614
Genre: Paranormal Vigilante Justice Thrillers / Classic Horror

Go back to the beginning of the highly-rated Ghost Hunter series with this prequel:

Max Sinclair, a former special forces officer, thought he could leave his violent past behind when he resigned his commission and moved to Thailand to train in Muay Thai.

But when the powerful and dangerous Amnat Meut, the Thai mafia, begins enlarging their grip on the world of Muay Thai boxing, Max’s peaceful retreat becomes a fight for survival.

As he battles to protect his beloved camp and the people he’s grown to care for, Max discovers a hidden ability to see the dead. But will his newfound gift be enough to save him from losing everything, including his very soul?

Ghost Hunter: The Bad Beginning is the gripping prequel to the series, delving into the dark past and supernatural powers of one man’s quest for redemption.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40kGCQr

Book Excerpt of The Hollow Men



Max killed the big Kawasaki Ninja.

A hot wind whistled, blowing sand and dust cross-wise. A tumbleweed the size of a large dog scratched its way across the road and into the desert.

He stepped up onto the old fashioned boardwalk, his boots clomping on the weathered wood, and made his way into Riker’s Bar.

Inside, the room was dim and smoky, despite laws to the contrary.

A few scattered cowpoke-looking men sat at tables with varying amounts of empty beer bottles in front of them, three men at the bar. 

No one looked. 

Max strode to the bar and threw a leg over a stool.

“Bushmill’s. Beer back,” he said.

The bartender gave him a long look, nodded, and turned to serve up the drinks.

Max put his elbows on the bar and used the mirror to scope out the room.

Just as he thought. 

He’d counted eight men at the assorted tables on his way in.

Now there were nine. And a woman in a red dress.

“A goddamn red dress,” Max said. “Shit.”

What the hell is it with dead women and red? Do women attracted to danger and bad men like red? Did their men dress them before they killed them

“Excuse me?” said the bartender.

Max looked away from the mirror.

“Nothing,” he said. “Thinking out loud.”

The bartender gave him another look.

“I seen you before?” he asked.

“Doubt it,” Max said. “Never been here.”

“Huh,” said the bartender, “I would’ve sworn....” 

“I get that a lot,” Max said. “Common type: Bald guy, goatee.” 

“Huh,” said the bartender again.

Max looked around the bar: booths against the wall, tables scattered at the periphery of a dance floor, some pool tables and actual pinball machines in the back. Standard. He didn’t imagine there was much need for anything to draw in customers: those who drank would come. 

“Bar’s been here a while?”  Max said.

The bartender leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Yup. Big times here in the old days.”

“It goes back that far? Oil boom days?”

“Yup. Black Callahan’s place, originally.”

Max frowned.

“Black Callahan. He the one that got himself hanged?”

Max scrutinized the man next to the woman in the red dress in the mirror. 

Big fellow. Old-fashioned fancy, shirt with a string tie, black leather vest, cowboy hat. Jet black hair, beady eyes, five o-clock shadow like sandpaper on his face.

The man’s gaze stayed fixed, riveted. Unnatural. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. 

Neither did the woman beside him.

She was a beauty. The red dress complimented her red hair. Fair skin, with a dusting of freckles. Bright eyes that never moved or blinked.  

The couple looked as if they’d been captured in amber, a static holographic image.

The bartender stepped forward.

“You know the history?”

Max nodded.

“Heard of it.”

The men in the room worked their drinks, their talk low. 

The couple at the table shifted.

The big man’s face colored and contorted, a mixture of rage and pain rippling across his features, bending them into the mask of a devil.

The woman’s bright eyes bulged, and the top of her head dented in, blood and brain matter running down her pretty face.

“Killed her right here in this bar,” the bartender said.

“Figured,” said Max. 

“Bashed her head in, that table over there.” The bartender gestured at an empty table in the back. “With a hammer.”

“Hmm,” said Max. “Looks more like the butt of a pistol, to me.”

“What?” said the bartender.

Max shook his head, looked away. 

“Heard different. That’s all.”

Max picked up the shot of Bushmill’s.

“Bottoms up.” 

He threw the shot back in a fluid motion, grimaced, picked up the short glass of beer and tossed that down on top of the whisky.

“Better,” he said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

“You sure I ain’t see ya before?” the bartender asked.

Max shook his head.

“I told you. I’m a common type, that’s all.”

The bartender’s eyes didn’t waver, “Nope. Something tells me there ain’t nothing common about you at all. Not a thing.” 

Max’s smile never touched his eyes. 

“So I’ve been told,” he said. “What do I owe you?”  

He reached back to pull the wallet from his pocket, and the bartender jumped a little.

“Easy,” said Max. “Just getting my wallet.”

“Sorry,” the bartender said. “Just feeling a little spooked, I guess. Been feeling that way since you come in.”

Max met the bartender’s gaze until the bartender turned to polish the glass in his hand.

“Yup,” Max said. “Get that a lot.”

He slipped a ten dollar bill out of his wallet and laid it on the bar.

“Keep the change,” he said.

The bartender offered him a nervous smile in return. “Thanks,” he said.

Max nodded, took a last look at the tableau in the mirror—the demonically twisted face on the big guy, the bulged eyes and brain matter on the face of the redhead—then turned to go.

Just eight men in the room.

“Right,” Max said.

He eased the door closed behind him on the way out, pulled it shut.

Boots on the boardwalk and back to his motorcycle.

“Shit,” he said. “Cannot get a break.”

He threw a leg over the bike, kicked it off its stand and started it up.

“Seriously.”

The bartender picked up Max’s shot and beer glasses, carried them to the sink as the rumble of Max’s motorcycle faded.

He spun quickly, shot a look at the room, relaxed a little, and turned back to the sink.

More...





About the Author

Peter J. White was born in Colorado and raised in SE Alaska. He has degrees in Education, French, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He taught ELL in Bangkok, Thailand for six years, and currently teaches high school English in Washington State. Hobbies, past and present, include writing, bicycling, mountain climbing, kickboxing, MMA, and yoga.

Website: https://peterjwhite.weebly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088706454075


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Thursday, August 30, 2018

First Chapter Review: Crossing Fire by Kim Baccellia


Today I am featuring a first chapter review of Crossed Fire by Kim Baccellia. This is a YA paranormal series.



BLURB:  Stephanie Stewart is a typical sixteen-year-old girl—she loves hanging out with her friends, going to concerts, and sipping mocha lattes. Yup. Just your average teenager . . . Except for one difference—she can see and talk to the dead. In fact, Stephanie helps dead girls who who’ve been murdered or killed, cross over. Just as Stephanie is getting used to her unique “gift”, her mom stumbles into some dangerous witchcraft that backfires and triggers similar abilities in Stephanie’s best friend Cura, and nemesis Hillary. Stephanie already has enough trouble trying to maintain a “normal” life between school and her cute boyfriend Dylan, who happens to have a supernatural talent all his own. But now she has to help her friend Cura and her “frenemy” Hillary cope with their new-found powers as well as cross over two murdered cheerleaders and battle an evil demon who wants to use Stephanie’s supernatural strengths as a free pass to The Other Side. And she needs to do it all while still getting her term papers in on time. She’s definitely going to need an extra-large mocha latte for this.

COVER: Love it! This cover is appropriate for the genre and catches the eye. Interesting that it is so different from the cover of the first book in the series, but I prefer it. 

FIRST CHAPTER: Stephanie, her best friend (Cura), and her frenemy (Hillary) are brought to an old sorority house by their mothers. When their witching ceremony unexpectedly triggers abilities in Cura and Hillary, it also brings forth another girl that Stephanie has to help cross over. 

KEEP READING: One hundred percent yes. Paranormal isn't the genre I typically flock to, but the blurb on this novel caught my eye and I'm familiar with the author, so I decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. Told in first person, Stephanie shares an incident that happened between Dylan, his grandma and her, before moving forward to the day the moms get the girls together at the condemned sorority house in the hopes of stopping any more strange events in town. Superbly told, this is definitely a book I want to read to the end. If you enjoy the paranormal, Crossing Fire should be on your "want to read" list. 

Excerpt:

Funny how a little thing like a dead chick showing up at a witching ceremony can really clear the room. Or in this case, a condemned sorority building. I’m sure there was a cheesy horror movie idea in there, but I didn’t want to stick around to figure out the ending.
Emily’s screams bounced down the staircase after me like a rubber ball from Hell. I dashed down the rickety staircase, on my mother’s heels. I almost toppled us both the rest of the way after I tripped on a loose board.

Mom yanked me out the front door and we ran to the car. Getting in, Mom quickly pressed a button and I heard the reassuring thwack of the door locks sealing us in. Whew. She gunned the engine of our Toyota Rav4 and sped away. I swear she must have left tire marks.
Neither of us spoke. I knew she had to be pissed at me for trying to “do my thing.” Well, whatever. I was pissed at her for lying to me.

After a few minutes, I peeked at her from the corner of my eye. Her face was a frozen mask that had nothing to do with her bi-monthly trips to the dermatologist. She didn’t look my way or comment on the mess back at the sorority house. They should have realized that they were playing with fire. I mean, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out I was one huge ghost magnet.



Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:
Books a Million:
IndieBound:
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/crossed-fire-book-2-crossed-series

I received a free digital copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions. This first chapter review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


Kim Baccellia has always been a sucker for the paranormal. She blames it on her families’ love for such things as having picnics at cemeteries, visiting psychics, and reading her mother’s copies of the daily horoscope. In middle school, Kim wrote a horoscope column for the school newspaper. It was a huge hit!

Kim’s other published YA fantasies include NO MORE GODDESSSES, GODDESSES CAN WAIT, and EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA. All are available on Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.

A member of RWA, Kim is currently revising a YA post-apocalyptic novel where a Latina teen questions her cult’s faith. She’s working on a romance set in Tuscany, Italy. She lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and Damon, her pet cockatiel.


Author links:



GIVEAWAY

Kim Baccellia will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Friday, November 4, 2016

Guest Blogger:Ken McGorry, Author of Ghost Hampton


Lyle Hall is a new man since his car accident and spinal injury. The notoriously insensitive Bridgehampton lawyer is now afflicted with an odd sensitivity to other people's pain. Especially that of a mysterious young girl he encounters outside a long-abandoned Victorian house late one October night. “Jewel” looks about 12. But Lyle knows she’s been dead a hundred years. Jewel wants his help, but it’s unclear how. As if in return, she shows him an appalling vision—his own daughter's tombstone. If it’s to be believed, Georgie’s last day is four days away. Despite Lyle’s strained relations with his police detective daughter, he’s shocked out of complacent convalescence and back into action in the real world.

But the world now seems surreal to the formerly Scrooge-like real estate lawyer. Lyle’s motion in court enjoining the Town of Southampton from demolishing the old house goes viral because he leaked that it might be haunted. This unleashes a horde of ghost-loving demonstrators and triggers a national media frenzy. Through it all strides Lyle’s new nemesis in high heels: a beautiful, scheming TV reporter known as Silk.

Georgie Hall’s own troubles mount as a campaign of stationhouse pranks takes a disturbing sexual turn. Her very first case is underway and her main suspect is a wannabe drug lord. Meanwhile, Lyle must choose: Repair his relationship with Georgie or succumb to the devious Silk and her exclusive media contract. He tells himself seeing Georgie’s epitaph was just a hallucination. But a few miles away the would-be drug lord is loading his assault rifle. Berto needs to prove himself.


My First Ghosts by Ken McGorry

For all of us, I think, our “first ghost” harks back to some of our earliest memories. Especially if you have older siblings keen to rattle you for being their spoiled little brother. Still, my first ghost memories are pretty benign. “Casper the Friendly Ghost,” a cartoon, actually comes with a peppy, kid-friendly theme song.

Then there’s “Topper,” the 50’s sitcom with Leo G. Carroll. Again, the ghosts were fun – George and Marion Kerby, formerly well-off, now dead, they remain the sophisticated and fun-seeking married couple they were in life. They’re carefree and never get old. And they have a ghost-pet, a big old Martini-drinking St. Bernard. Anyway, as a kid prone to asthma and bronchitis, I had lots of sick days I could spend with the family’s black-and-white TV and reruns such as “Topper.” I learned that there were two ways to go through life all dressed up: stuffy and bankerly, like Cosmo Topper, or stylish and mirthful like the Kerbys.

Soon after, I encountered “A Christmas Carol,” the regularly televised 1951 version of the Dickens classic starring Alastair Sim. There, finally, were at least two unhappy ghosts, quite capable of evoking fear and dread. The first was Jacob Marley. The name still can trigger a frisson. The miserable ghost of Scrooge’s former partner, over-acted by Michael Hordern (sorry, Michael!), definitely left a youngster with the impression that there was a lasting penalty for a life not well lived. Much later in the film, we see Dickens’s version of the Grim Reaper: a specter in a black, hooded robe who points a boney finger at – Scrooge’s own headstone (triggering Sim’s chance to over-act).

Someone once said, “If you’re going to steal, steal from the best.” I hope some of you will take a look at Ghost Hampton and forgive a couple of thefts that start things off – a former partner (he’s alive, but his role is part George Kerby, part Jacob Marley) and a headstone bearing a disturbingly premature inscription.

As for me, I’m aiming for George Kerby in the afterlife. Well-groomed and styled and really enjoying death to the fullest. After all, I have a wife and two sons to haunt.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble




Ken McGorry has been writing since third grade. (He learned in first grade, but waited two years.) He started a school newspaper with friends in seventh grade, but he’s better known for his 23 years as an editor of Post Magazine, a monthly covering television and film production. This century, he took up novel-writing and Ghost Hampton and Smashed are examples. More are in the works, like the promised Ghost Hampton sequel, but he’s kinda slow.

Ken lives on Long Island with his wife and they have two strapping sons. There are dogs. Ken is also a chef (grilled cheese, and only for his sons) and he enjoys boating (if it’s someone else’s boat). He has a band, The Achievements, that plays his songs (try https://soundcloud.com/ken-mcgorry). Back at Manhattan College (English major!), he was a founding member of the venerable Meade Bros. Band. Ken really was an employee of Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons one college summer, and really did mow Dan’s lawn.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS




Monday, August 29, 2016

Book Spotlight: The Veritas Deception by Lynne Constantine

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:21

Days after U.S. Senator Malcolm Phillips changes his vote on a bill he sponsored, he is murdered and his death disguised as an accident. He contacted one man before he died: investigative journalist, Jack Logan. He left Jack a single clue to help him uncover the truth and keep Phillip’s widow, Taylor, safe. But safe from whom?

Jack and Taylor’s desperate hunt leads them to a vast network of corrupt authority controlling everything from social media and television programming to law enforcement and US legislation. The key to unraveling a complex web of lies is a set of ancient relics, dating back to the time of Christ. But what do these relics have to do with a senator’s death?

Allies turn to foes when Jack and Taylor discover that those closest to them are part of the conspiracy, and that they too have been manipulated. How long has a puppet master been pulling their strings—and will Jack and Taylor trust the right people long enough to win what becomes a colossal battle for souls?


Genre: Thriller
Published by: Sailor Dance Publishing
Publication Date: August 2016
Number of Pages: 382
ISBN: 0997694211 (ISBN13: 9780997694215)

Links:


Excerpt:
Chapter One
Jack Logan had ditched his Catholic upbringing but kept the guilt. He hadn’t planned on blowing his entire afternoon listening to the woman he was interviewing talk about her dead daughter, but he didn’t have the heart to tell the grieving mother that he already had enough for the story. So instead, he bought her lunch and dinner, listening as she painted a picture of the girl she had loved and had failed to save. Now he was behind schedule and would have to work all night. Man, he hated the pieces involving kids. The parents got to him every time, and his attempts at comforting them were as effective as a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.
His phone was ringing as he approached the door to his apartment, and he jammed the key in the lock. Pushing the door open, he rushed over and snatched it, upsetting the bottle of Bass Ale and spilling the dregs on the table.
“Great.” He clicked the green button. “Yes?”
“Could you sound any more annoyed?” It was his editor.
“Sorry, Max. What’s up?” He sunk into the worn leather sofa and ran a hand through his hair.
“Tried your cell. Went right to voice mail.”
“I was interviewing one of the mothers.”
The sound of papers rustling came over the phone. “You already did your piece on the decision. What’s the angle on the follow-up?”
“The fall out, the casualties left in the wake of the decision to let the show go on.”
A sharp intake of breath. “You’re not saying they should have censored it?”
“No, no. Of course not. But their voices deserve to be heard.” This had been a particularly difficult assignment for him. He wasn’t much of a television watcher, but when the class action suit involving the production company behind Teenage Wasted reached the Supreme Court, he’d tuned in. At first it looked just like another of the ubiquitous reality shows jamming the airwaves—an eclectic group of teenagers allowing the cameras behind the scenes into their world. Within the first five minutes of the show, Jack had sat open-mouthed while a young man retrieved paraphernalia from under his bed, pulled up a porn site on his computer, and began doing what your average adolescent boy did behind closed doors. Cheap shock value but not much in the way of entertainment. It wasn’t until he put the noose around his neck that Jack’s shock turned to horror. So that was what erotic asphyxiation looked like up close and personal.
The blogosphere went nuts the following day, and YouTube videos of other kids demonstrating their own secret hobbies began to appear. When kids started turning up dead, that’s when it hit the fan. A class action suit was filed against Omega Inc., the entertainment giant responsible for the new show. The Supreme Court decision had been handed down a few weeks ago, and the parents were still in shock that they’d lost. The show went on—more popular than ever. Omega won under freedom of speech protection, which Jack couldn’t argue with, but still, what they were doing was disgusting—perverting the first amendment for their own profit. He was happy to do his part to help tarnish their reputation.
“All right, email it when you’re finished. You still coming tonight?” Max asked.
Jack grimaced. Sally Goldman’s retirement party. He had forgotten.
“Wish I could, but I’m too jammed up with this.” Sally was a great gal. He was sorry he’d have to miss it. He’d send her some flowers tomorrow.
He’d better get to it. He opened up his laptop and began to organize his notes. He was starving; he’d barely touched his dinner earlier. He picked up the phone to order a pizza when the doorbell rang. He made no move to answer it. Maybe if he ignored it, they’d go away. It rang a second, third, and fourth time. He slammed the phone down, jumped up and strode to the door, ready to tell whoever it was to beat it. The words died on his lips when he opened the door. Probably best not to piss off a United States senator.
From the first time he’d met Senator Malcolm Phillips, something about him struck Jack as off. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly: the guy’s manners were impeccable, his background impressive. Phillips was perfect. A little too perfect. Everything about him was so well rehearsed that Jack could almost believe there was an invisible teleprompter feeding him his lines. What surprised Jack most was how Phillips’s wife, Taylor, failed to see he was all wrong for her. Of course, he kept this to himself. His opinion didn’t mean anything to Taylor anymore.
He opened the door, and Phillips walked in.
Going no farther than the hallway, he began. “I won’t waste time with pleasantries. I need your help.” His voice shook, and his face was ashen.
“What is it?”
“I scuttled the vote. It was supposed to be a good thing. But he added a gateway. He has to be stopped.”
“Whoa, what’s going on?”
He handed Jack an envelope as he spoke in an uncharacteristically nervous rush. “Take this. You’ll need it to convince Taylor. I didn’t believe it. He told me he would do it. I didn’t believe him but…they’ll kill me.”
This was insane. He hadn’t seen Phillips in years—and now here he was, rambling like a crazy person.
“What are you talking about? Slow down and tell me what’s going on,” Jack said.
“No time. You’re the only one I trust. You’ve got to find Jeremy. Get Taylor to him. They won’t hurt her now, but later…I was so stupid…”
Phillips was pacing now, and sweat had broken out on his forehead.
“Who’s Jeremy? You’re not making any sense,” Jack said.
“Go to Taylor and show it to her.” He pointed to the envelope. “It’s a sealed letter, so she’ll know it’s real. Get Taylor and take her to the cabin.”
How did he know about the cabin?
“I’m the last person Taylor wants to see. She’s not going to go anywhere with me.”
Phillips grabbed his arm.
“They own me. And Brody Hamilton too. You’ll see when they kill me. Then you’ll know.”
“When who kills you?”
Phillips backed away.
“Promise me, you’ll get her to Jeremy.” He handed Jack a remote control. “This will get you into the garage. I’ve taped our address to the bottom.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Remember, Jack, no matter what it looks like, I’m not suicidal nor prone to accidents.”
He was gone before a flabbergasted Jack could respond.
Jack shut the door, began to walk away, then turned back and engaged the extra deadbolt. His eyes narrowed as he looked around, half expecting a phantom to appear.
What was Phillips talking about? Did someone really want him dead—someone powerful enough to own two senators? His head began to pound, and he leaned forward to massage his temples. What had Phillips done? Maybe he was nuts, early onset dementia. Jack could only hope. And now he expected Jack to play the hero to Taylor? He wouldn’t blame her if she slammed the door in his face.
He would do some digging. Try and make sense of what had just landed in his lap. He threw the envelope on the table, opened his laptop, and set a Google alert for Senator Malcolm Phillips.



Lynne is a twitter addicted fiction writer always working on her next book. She is the coauthor of CIRCLE DANCE, a family saga spanning three generations, that received an endorsement from Olympia Dukakis. She is also a social media consultant and speaker, working with authors to build their brand platforms. Lynne teaches at various workshops and has spoken at the Thrillerfest conference in New York. She is a monthly contributor to SUSPENSE MAGAZINE, and a contributing editor to THE BIG THRILL magazine.

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Interview with Paul DeBlassie III, Author of The Unholy


Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico who has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Dr. DeBlassie writes psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the dark side of the human psyche. In The Unholy, a young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. Native lore of dreams and visions lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.



I get the impression that The Unholy is a book only you could write, because of the setting, and because of your own background. Let's start with the setting. Tell me about Aztlan.

Aztlan is the mythopoeic realm of the mestizos (mixed bloods of southwestern United States). I am mestizo. Aztlan is New Mexico, especially the region of Albuquerque (southern Aztlan) and Santa Fe (northern Aztlan) and extends to the four corners area. Spirits, dreams, visions, and natural magic are woven seamlessly into everyday life.

Your protagonist, Claire Sanchez, is a curandera, a term which roughly translates as "Medicine Woman." What exactly is a curandera? What led you to choose this occupation for your heroine?

A curandera is a healer. She spoke to me as the story evolved, told me who she was and told me of her struggle to find herself. The path of a healer is fraught with danger. She dramatizes the life of so many women and men seeking to face their fears, find themselves, and walk the path of healing, natural magic, and life.

Faith and religion are central themes of The Unholy. You explore the abuse of religion and the conflict that can come from spirituality. What would you say is the central theme or message of The Unholy? What impact are you hoping to have on your readers?

The central message of The Unholy is Religion Kills. It is made explicit at the end of the tale. News media broadcast Religion Kills as they describe the battle between the evil Archbishop and the young curandera.

You live in New Mexico, in the general area where the novel is set. How has this affected the writing of The Unholy? How important was your knowledge of the places and people and culture? What kinds of personal knowledge did you draw on as you crafted your characters and setting?

New Mexico is Aztlan. My lineage reaches back for over three-hundred years in Aztlan, a long line of medicine people, healers. I live here, breathe its air, am sheltered under the canopy of its turquoise sky. The Unholy and the natural magic of the medicine women, forces of darkness and light, exist side by side in the daily, mythopoeic realm of Aztlan. I live here. It is my homeland.

How has your training and experience as a psychologist impacted your writing in general?

For over thirty years I have treated survivors of the dark side of religion. I chose to write a novel about this human drama. Stories cut to the chase. I’ve written three other books in psychology and spirituality, but there is nothing like stirring the imagination via story to set the mind working and the heart healing.

I know you've had some specific experiences in your role as a psychologist that led to your decision to write this book. Tell me about that.

Religion can be both terrifying and damaging. I help people to heal from the dark side of religion. Decades of such experience led me to write this book and the ones that will follow. Each phantasmagoric story, much like The Unholy, plumbs the dark and light sides of human nature and spiritual experience.

The cover image for The Unholy is striking and haunting, and it's not just some random stock photo. Tell me about that picture.

It is the Devil’s Throne, an actual site between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The evil archbishop performs atrocities there. The land has been contaminated by evil, women desecrated, the air itself befouled. It is the Devil’s Throne in the realm of Azltan!

PURCHASE



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island Book Blast


Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

PURCHASE YOUR COPY AT AMAZON!

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael Phillip Cash has always had a fascination with horror writing and found footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, Brood X. Earning a degree in
English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. Stillwell: A Haunting On Long Island is his second novel.


Connect & Socialize with Michael!


Pump Up Your Book and Michael Phillip Cash are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or a Halloween Party Pack for 18!


Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or the Halloween Party Pack.
  • This giveaway begins September 23 and ends October 25, 2013.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, November 4, 2013.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, June 17, 2013

Interview with Kevin Flanders, Author of Escape from Fear Village

It's not often I get a chance to feature a local author at my blog. Since I work in the online world, many of my contacts are from outside of Western Mass. I was introduced to Kevin's work through my son. I've been blessed with the opportunity to see some of Kevin's writing in pre-published stage. It's outstanding.  I highly recommend his novels to lovers of the horror and paranormal thriller genres.


A resident of Monson, MA, Kevin Flanders has written several short stories and is currently focusing on novels. He graduated from Franklin Pierce University in 2010 with a degree in communications, and he has spent the last three years working for various newspapers in western and central Massachusetts. He also serves as an instructor at many ice hockey goaltending clinics and still plays hockey on winter men’s league teams.

For more information about his short stories and novels, visit www.kmflanders.wordpress.com.

When did you begin writing?

I began writing fiction in college. I’d always loved reading and vocabulary, but it wasn’t until my first fiction workshop course in 2006 that I actually sat down and wrote a fictional story for an assignment. I wasn’t overly excited about it at the time (it just seemed like another homework assignment to complete), but I found myself fascinated by the characters and the plot I was creating. I started writing that night around seven o’clock, and by the time I looked up from my laptop, it was well after nine. And there was still so much writing to do, so many characters to introduce – I didn’t want to stop. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

I usually edit and do a little writing early in the afternoon, but my best writing always comes very late at night and in the early hours of the next morning (between ten p.m. and two a.m.). My scariest ideas come even later, around three or four while I’m trying to sleep. I’m not sure why that is – maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of my books are horror/paranormal thrillers and that everything seems so much scarier after dark. I never write in the morning after I get up – it seems to take my fiction mind a fairly long time to get revved into motion.

What is this book about?

Escape from Fear Village brings readers to Black Harbor, Maine, a community known for its annual Halloween festival in the center of town. Brothers A.J. and Mackenzie Gray attend the festival every year, and they’re starting to find it a little boring. But a new attraction awaits them this year, a camper trailer that none of the other guests seem to notice. Once they step foot inside that trailer, things will never be the same again.

Escape from Fear Village is the story of family and friendship, adversity and persistence, faith and freedom, and most importantly, good and evil. A.J. and Mackenzie have never known evil before this fateful Halloween weekend, but they are soon challenged by malevolence of the purest form – a fiend who turns I’ve Been Working on the Railroad into a song of horror and madness.

An extremely fast-paced novel, Escape from Fear Village has already received excellent reviews from early readers.

What inspired you to write it?

I was inspired to write Escape from Fear Village after my sister Kimmy asked a single question: What would happen if someone became trapped on a model railroad layout? The plot seemed to magically unfold from there, reminding me of the Nabokov quote about invisible words already written and clamoring to become visible. It took me only four months to write the entire novel.

Who is your favorite character from the book?

My favorite character in the book is Clara Reed, a thirteen-year-old girl who finds herself entangled in A.J.’s haunting adventure through Fear Village. There’s an element of mystery about her character that captivates readers right to the end, and she’s a very spiritual, uplifting character with instant likeability. She’s polite yet sometimes stingingly blunt, remarkably courageous yet not incapable of tears, and so humorous and charming that she brought a smile to my face during all five revision phases.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

The book can be ordered in print version and electronically on all major bookselling websites, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and Smashwords.com. For links to these sites and more information, visit www.kmflanders.wordpress.com. My marketing team is in the process of improving the site, which will soon include information about giveaways, author events, and monthly trivia questions. To contact me directly, send an email to flandersk33@gmail.com. My days as a reporter made me very diligent about answering every correspondence I receive, so it may take a little while but I’ll definitely get back to you.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

I would encourage all writers to just keep writing. No matter how much rejection you get or how many agents decline your manuscript, keep writing. I actually wrote Escape from Fear Village very soon after my previous manuscript, a book called Don’t Wave Back, received hundreds of rejection letters from agents and publishing companies. On the heels of such tremendous rejection, I became determined to write an even better, stronger, more inspiring and thought-provoking book than ever before (hockey has made me very competitive, and I love to succeed). Luckily, one of the very first publishers to read the proposal for Escape from Fear Village was interested. Now I’m in the process of revising Don’t Wave Back (which has a different name now) and other previously written manuscripts. Soon all of my characters will be in print, their trials and tribulations visible to readers around the world. If you work hard enough and keep writing, your characters will be out there as well. Who cares about the hundreds of rejections – all it takes is that one person who says yes.

What is up next for you?

I expect my next novel, a ghost story called The Inhabitants, to be published by the end of the year. This novel features my favorite character of all my books, Montreal native Jocelyne Leclaire, and I’m really looking forward to its release. Then, at the beginning of 2014, my third novel, a chillingly timely work called Inside the Orange Glow, will be available, followed by The Inhabitants II, Anathema, Laser Tag, and others. Thankfully, I never suffer from writer’s block – the ideas are endless, each book seeming more frightening than the previous one.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Grim by Joseph Spencer


In a gritty town rife with organized crime, dirty cops and corrupt politicians, Detective Adam White stands alone as the people’s symbol of justice and hope for a brighter future. He’s cracked the biggest cases, and stood up to the crime families who’ve torn apart Prairieville with their power struggles. He’s gorgeous, humble and incorruptible; a crime fighter so pure that the locals nicknamed him the White Knight.

What the people don’t know is their reluctant hero is cracking before their eyes. Ten years have passed since a pack of bank robbers gunned down his wife in the street. He’s relentlessly worked every case he could get his hands on since that night with the hopes of finding some link to her killer, but every lead always winds up a dead end. He made a vow on her death bed that he wouldn’t stop looking or move on with his life, personal or otherwise, until her killer was either dead or behind bars.

His obsession is starting to affect his work, including a new set of murders which are eerily similar to cold cases in which a gangland legend called The Reaper is the main suspect. A routine canvas of the area in which the bodies were found led Detective White to Heath Grim, a reclusive millionaire with grisly facial scars and a past which doesn’t quite add up. There’s something about his story which makes Detective White curious to dig deeper into his background.

Just as Detective White closes in on his killer, the mob hatches an elaborate scheme which could cost him everything. In his moment of need, an unlikely ally presents a way out of the plot against him and information on his wife’s killer. However, it leaves Prairieville’s paragon of justice with a moral dilemma. Can he abandon all of the heroic ideals upon which he’s based his life and become the type of man he’s hunted for so long to settle a score with his wife’s killer?

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE




As a boy, Joseph Spencer immersed himself in the deductive logic of Sherlock Holmes, the heroic crime fighting of Batman and Spider-Man, and a taste for the tragic with dramas from poets like Shakespeare and Homer.

Before Joseph took to spinning his own tales, he pursued a career in print sports journalism, graduating summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He covered such events as NASCAR’s Subway 500 race in Martinsville, the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago, the Junior College World Series, and Minor League Baseball’s Midwest League All-Star Game during a ten-year career throughout the Midwest. Now, he works as an emergency telecommunications specialist with an Illinois police department. The combination of years of writing experience with a background working with law enforcement professionals gave rise to his writing aspirations.

Joseph was married Dr. Amy (Waggoner) Spencer, an accomplished veterinary doctor, on March 14, 2012. He received word his debut novel was accepted by his publisher, Damnation Books, the next day. Joseph and Amy look forward to their honeymoon in Paris in September 2012. Murphy, a 15-year-old orange tabby, is perhaps the most vocal member of the family. The Spencer family enjoys reading Charlaine Harris, George R.R. Martin, Mary Janice Davidson, and most paranormal stories. The Spencers also enjoy quoting movie lines from “The Princess Bride”, “Rain Man”, “Bridesmaids”, and “Office Space”.

Visit his website at www.JosephSpencer.com.


Connect & Socialize with Joseph!

Pump Up Your Book and Joseph Spencer are teaming up to give you a chance to win one of TWO $25 Starbucks Gift Cards!

Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour.
This promotion will run from May 6 – June 28. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on June 29, 2013.
Each blogger who participates in the Grim virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win.
Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

Grim Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule


Monday, May 6 - Interview at Literarily Speaking
Tuesday, May 7 – Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Wednesday, May 8 – Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Thursday, May 9 – Book Spotlight at Dr. Pepper Diva
Friday, May 10 – Interview at My Book Addiction and More
Monday, May 13 – Interview at Blogcritics
Tuesday, May 14 – Book Review at Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, May 15 – Interview at Books Books the Magical Fruit
Thursday, May 16 – Interview at The Writer’s Life
Friday, May 17 – Book Review at Miki’s Hope
Monday, May 20 – Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Tuesday, May 21 – Book Featured at Inside BJ’s Head
Tuesday, May 21 – Interview at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Wednesday, May 22 – Book Review at The Paperback Pursuer
Thursday, May 23 – Interview at Examiner
Thursday, May 23 – Interview LIVE on Blog Talk Radio’s A Book and a Chat 6:30 p.m. eastern CALL INS WELCOME
Friday, May 24 – Book Trailer Reveal at Working for the Mandroid
Monday, May 27 – First Chapter Reveal at Offbeat Vagabond
Tuesday, May 28 – Book Trailer of the Week at Pump Up Your Book
Friday, May 31 – Guest Blogging at Waiting on Sunday to Drown
Monday, June 3 – Interview at Book Marketing Buzz
Tuesday, June 4 – Dreamcast Guest Post at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, June 5 – Interview at The Book Connection
Thursday, June 6 – Interview at Authors & Readers Book Corner
Friday, June 7 – Book Review at Hezzie-D’s Books and Cooks
Monday, June 10 – Book Trailer Reveal at If Books Could Talk
Tuesday, June 11 – Book Review at Authors & Readers Book Corner
Wednesday, June 12 – Book Review & Book Giveaway at Socrate’s Book Reviews
Thursday, June 13 – Guest Blogging at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, June 13 – First Chapter Reveal at As the Pages Turn
Friday, June 14 – Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Monday, June 17 – Book Trailer Reveal at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, June 18 - Book Review at The Top Shelf
Wednesday, June 19 – Book Review at Offbeat Vagabond
Thursday, June 20 – Interview at The Dark Phantom
Friday, June 21 – Guest Blogging at Parenting 2.0
Monday, June 24 Book Review at Jody’s Book Reviews
Thursday, June 27 – Interview at The Top Shelf
Friday, June 28 – Interview at Straight From the Author’s Mouth