Book Spotlight: The Witch by W.C. James

The Witch is a modern horror story set in rural Colorado in the early nineteen eighties. The story unfolds around a colourful cast of characters as they are confronted with a growing evil that is mustering around a haunted house; a little place the locals call The Witch. It turns out that The Witch has a dark history, and things get interesting when a mysterious cult arrives on the scene and starts stirring up trouble. It is a classic story of ordinary folks thrust into extraordinary circumstances and how they navigate the troubled waters of the supernatural. All of them react in different ways, but are all working toward a common purpose of defeating an evil foe that threatens to destroy their town and everyone in it.

Excerpt:

…the old man bolted up the hill as fast as his legs would move, calling out to little Paco. His shotgun was cocked and propped upon his hip. Junior finally reached the edge of the hill, breathing laboured, and saw that Paco stood frozen in his tracks. The old man was shocked to see that the mob had dispersed. Where the hell did they go? Junior mused. It hadn’t been five minutes since he placed his distress call, yet they had vanished. All that remained was a smouldering cross and few lonely embers glowing in the darkness. Junior and Paco edged closer to the cross, and some instinct inside of him was roused, and he began to feel a touch queasy in his stomach. The dog could sense something too as he started to whimper and whine. Junior and Paco took a couple more steps forward then stood still.

Suddenly, a small cloud of smoke started whirling about the base of the cross. At first, it was only a whisper; soon the smoke thickened and roiled in a black vortex. Paco started barking and growling and hopping around in nervous circles. Junior backed away - his eyes seemed to betray him as he saw two, glowing red orbs hovering inside the smoke. The old man stared in disbelief as moss-green flesh began to materialize around the orbs, and he could begin to make out the image of a hideous face. Paco took to yapping louder, but the dog dared get no closer to the ominous cloud. Junior turned and started running back in the direction of his house as Paco bolted past him. The old man stopped once he felt he’d put enough distance between himself and the cross, but his curiosity demanded that he take another look. There before him stood a living, breathing imp shining in the moonlight. The thing was proportioned much like a chimpanzee; three feet in length with powerful limbs and two stout legs. The creature was decidedly reptilian in that it had scales, and it reeked of a dead snake cooking on hot asphalt. It stood motionless, but then it started blinking and looking around with it’s horrible red eyes. It twitched two pointy ears and then it unfurled grotesque bat wings. The wings, outstretched, were six feet across. With a few powerful flaps, the demon then took flight. The creature circled overhead, fifty feet above Junior and his dog. With a hideous screech, the terrible creature dove towards them exposing a mouthful of jagged, rotten teeth and flexing two razor-sharp claws that resembled eagle talons.

Junior shuffled backwards and fired his shotgun; he let forth two blasts, the second clipping one of the wings. The creature let out a baleful moan, then listed drunkenly to its left. It quickly righted itself and - with a final screech - it steered westward into the mouth of Devil’s Canyon. That is when it occurred to the old man that the demon was flying in a very specific direction; the direction of the Witch…


Title: The Witch
Author: W.C. James
Publisher: Black Dawg Press
Length: 233 pgs
Sub-Genre: Horror

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W.C. James schooled at Colorado State University, where he graduated with a degree in creative writing in 1993. This latest book will be his forth work of fiction and his first attempt at the horror genre. James continues to work a regular job hoping and praying that someday, maybe, a bestseller will break through and free him from the corporate matrix, which at this time is destroying his soul.

Visit the author online at http://wcjames.com/

Guest Blogger: Diane McAdams Gladow, Author of A Journey of Voices: Stewards of the Land

A Journey of Voices: Stewards of the Land is the second book in Diane McAdams Gladow's nonfiction series about common, ordinary families who lived American history, and in some cases, helped to make it. This book tells the story of the Crume family by interweaving old letters, pictures, land documents, Bible records, and historical references with an account of the family's life and movement through seven generations. The story of this family is truly the story of American history from 1746 to 1946 and the story of American agricultural life and how it changed over two hundred years. Whether flatboating in the frigid winter weather down the Ohio River, building homes in the wilderness, fighting in the American Revolution, enduring the Civil War in a border state, dealing with Indians in Texas, surviving the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and experiencing the misery and uncertainty of two world wars, this family lived it all. Come see America's history through their eyes and voices as they struggle to build lives on the land in a bold new country.

Voices From History

by Diane McAdams Gladow

Old, yellowed, mouse-chewed letters can be fascinating reading as they open the door to the past, to a time which can usually only be visited in history books. Because most people do not particularly enjoy reading history textbooks, reading the handwritten letters of people who lived in another time period can be an eye-opening way to discover history - through the voices of the people who lived it. Because I inherited a collection of old family letters from my parents, I had the foundation for crafting a nonfiction book about a family’s history and its connection to the history of America. Actually, it has expanded into a series of books due to the amount of material available. Along with the letters, I included diary entries, Bible records, and memoir accounts. These “voice excerpts” were supported by public documents, historical background, geographical setting descriptions, pictures and maps. Pulling all these elements together, a family’s story is portrayed as they journey through seven generations and well over two hundred years of American history. This second book of the series is A Journey of Voices: Stewards of the Land.

The book is written using a narrator whose voice changes with age and who is as much a part of the story being told as the main participants. The participants interact with most of the major events in American history, whether it be building homes in the wilderness of Virginia in 1724, fighting in the American Revolution, flatboating down the Ohio River, connecting with the Abraham Lincoln family, enduring the Civil War in the border state of Kentucky, dealing with Indians in Texas, surviving the Great Depression, or experiencing two World Wars. They lived it all as farmers, connected to the soil, and their lives give us a unique look at our country’s history as we listen to their voices tell their own personal story.

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Born and raised on the desert prairies of New Mexico, Diane McAdams Gladow moved to east central Kansas after her marriage where she still resides with her family. She and her husband have three grown children and five grandchildren who consume a large portion of their time. In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling and being an avid sports fan. Always interested in history, she completed a minor in it at the University of Texas at El Paso and her Bachelor’s Degree with a major in English. She followed that with a Master’s Degree in English at the University of New Mexico. She taught English Composition at Emporia State University, was the voice of the Grammar Hotline, and coordinated the Emporia Literacy Program for some twenty-five years. Her work with family history began after she inherited her parent’s collection of letters and papers. She has written two previous books, one a memoir of her husband’s family, Rich Heritage, and second the first book in her A Journey of Voices series subtitled Chasing the Frontier. Living in the heart of the Flint Hills on the doorstep to the Great Prairies where history has been happening on a regular basis for hundreds of years is a constant inspiration for her writing. She is currently working on the third book in her A Journey of Voices series.

Visit the author online at http://dianegladow.com/

Guest Blogger: Troy Jackson, Author of The Elementals

Upon unifying the seven warring states under one banner, the First Emperor of China began solidifying power for what he envisioned as a thousand-year reign. Using those he conquered, the Emperor began a series of arduous projects, Including the first Great Wall, the Linqu Canal, and a national system of highways. Ignoring the physical and emotional toll exacted upon the people, his insatiable desire to further his own power has led to a growing, and secretive insurgency. One such organization is the Dragon's Spite who wishes to usurp control of the throne by nearly any means. But first they must marshal their forces strewn throughout the kingdom. More importantly they seek out three extraordinary girls who hold vast supernatural powers that can tip the balance in their favor. But do these unknowing heroines realize the talents that they possess? Will the Dragon's Spite reach them before the agents of the Emperor?

When history gets lost in… well, history! by Troy Jackson

Throughout each of our lives we have heard and read the same dry bits of history from textbooks and other means. If one positive can be found in this they will typically result in a restful nap that will leave you energized to go and do something else. Why does history have to be so…boring? Much like politicians, we could debate this for weeks on end and never sway one single person to your side. Is history important? Certainly. The human race has a tendency to learn the hard way in many aspects of life, and where better to look than in our own history? As poet and philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Touch a hot stove, and you hopefully have learned not to repeat the action again, and you can pass it along to others so that they do not duplicate your mistake. But some will not heed your words and find out the hard way, and thus the vicious cycle repeats itself once more.

So why must we learn history in such...a…dull…manner…? Perhaps if we could spice it up a little and make it not only informative, but also entertaining? It is a question I have asked myself countless times throughout the years. It is why I have always gravitated towards novels that fall into the historical fiction and historical fantasy sub-genres. My novel, The Elementals, can easily fall into those categories. I take a period in history that is known by very few and breathe new life into it. Actual events that occurred over 2,200 years ago in ancient China can leave a rather bland taste in one’s mouth. However, by adding my own supernatural twist I not only entice readers, but also dare them to read on. When vampires, werewolves, dragons, and magic and fictitious worlds are all the rage nowadays, an author has to separate his or herself from the rest of the pack. Why can we not bring the same excitement to a subject that most try and avoid like garlic to a vampire?

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Born in 1974 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Troy Jackson moved to the great state of Georgia with his family at the age of three where he has lived ever since. Currently he resides outside the city of Atlanta with his lovely wife and daughter. His passion for history, fantasy, and science fiction began at an early age with a little nudge from his older brother. Attending Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia he received a Bachelor's Degree in History and a Master's Degree in Teaching. In his spare time he enjoys being with his family, watching, and partaking in sports. Although new to the profession he intends on writing about subjects that have always fascinated him, including fantasy, adventure, science fiction, and history.

Visit the author online at http://www.tempestworks.com and his blog at http://www.tempestworks.com/tw-blog.html