I will get in contact with you, but if you don’t hear from me within the next 24 hours, contact me at becca @ rebeccabesser . com (without spaces) since sometimes internet contact can be tricky if we aren’t directly connected already.
***Winner was chosen randomly. Each entrant was given a random number. I then asked my son to pick a random number between those numbers (1-X). The number he chose was the winner, and he never set eyes on the list.***
Below is a full list, with links, to all the Halloween Blitz event posts so you can go back through and revisit something you loved or catch up on what you missed before its over!
Tomorrow I will be posting the last post for Halloween Blitz, in which the winner of the Black Kindle Fire 7 will be announced! Be sure to check back for that announcement.
I hope you enjoyed this event as much as I did putting it on. If you loved it too, share the event posts with your friends/followers and come back next October for more horror/Halloween fun!
Sonya Garret roams the bar scene hoping to steal the heart of an unsuspecting victim—literally…
Sonya, better known as Nurse Blood, is part of a team of lethal organ harvesters who seek out the weak to seduce, kill, and part out for profit on the black market. When Sonya meets Daniel McCoy, a young man recovering from a broken engagement, he’s just another kill to line her pockets with quick cash.
Agent David McCoy vows to find out how and why his twin brother Daniel disappeared…
Daniel’s body hasn’t been found, and the leads are slim to none, but it won’t stop David from dedicating his life to solving his brother’s case. When the evidence finally uncovers the shocking truth that Daniel’s disappearance is linked to organ harvesters, David knows his brother is most likely dead. But he’s determined to stop the villains’ killing spree before they strike again.
One last harvest is all Sonya and her team need to put their murderous past behind them…
A family with the rarest blood type in the world is the only thing standing between Sonya and retirement. David McCoy and the FBI are hot on their trail, though, and multiple targets make this the most complicated harvest yet. Will David unravel Sonya’s wicked plans in time to avenge his brother and save an innocent family? Or will Sonya cash in her final kill and escape for good?
Murder for profit stops for no man when you’re Nurse Blood.
Author Rebecca Bessers
Rebecca Besser is a horror/thriller author who resides in Ohio with her wonderful husband and amazing son. They’ve come to accept her quirks as normal while she writes anything and everything that makes her inner demons squeal with delight. She’s best known for her work in adult horror, but has been published in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a variety of age groups and genres. She’s entirely too cute to be scary in person, so she turns to the page to instill fear into the hearts of the masses.
House of Sighs by Aaron Dries (but only up to the 2nd)
This award-winning, psychological experience is back in print, and includes the exclusive sequel The Sound of his Bones Breaking, a novella that will leave you truly shaken.
Board for free. But the cost might be your life.
“This taut, grisly thriller reads like a sick and twisted extreme horror SPEED. You don’t know who, if anybody, will make it. Catch this bus at your own risk.” – Eric Red, The Hitcher and Near Dark
In House of Sighs, Local bus driver, Liz Frost, pulls the gun from her mouth and decides to live with her loneliness for one more day. She dresses, combs her hair, and goes to work. Nine souls board her route that fateful morning in rural Australia, nine souls who Liz drags back to her home against their will. She wants to build a new family from these passengers, men and women who are willing to kill to avoid becoming her kin. The bus leaves a trail of carnage in its wake as it rockets towards a house that has held its secrets for far too long, a place where crows now gather, ready to feed on whatever is left behind.
“Prepare to be blown away.” – Dread Central
Includes the sequel novella The Sound of his Bones Breaking:
Trauma has teeth. Big ones. And it’s always hungry for seconds.
Aiden and Danny down their beers in the open bar overlooking the road, legs brushing together, about as far as they let their public displays of affection go in that part of Australia. The warm breeze and pounding music—their last happy memory. Everything changes when the taxi pulls up and its drunken driver stumbles out, starting a street brawl that leaves Danny broken and bleeding on the ground. In an attempt to give his lover the space he needs to heal, Aiden accepts an employment opportunity in Thailand, and the two men set off overseas, their fates sealed air-tight within the confines of the airplane. But in the claustrophobic hush of their tiny Bangkok apartment, and while Aiden goes off to work, instead of mending, Danny’s old scars begin to sing.
The lonely walks. The woman cooking bones in a vat of broth, whispering at him to eat the parts that hurt. The flies nobody but Danny can hear.
A burning desire to trace his heritage of hurt back to ground zero, and there, find someone to blame.
The Sound of his Bones Breaking is the dread-infused sequel to House of Sighs.
“Aaron Dries is a master of emotional horror. And there is horror here, but it’s heightened by his authentic characters and their raw emotions. Dries makes you feel, makes your heart break. He also surprises you, taking the story in directions you’d never see coming.” – Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Asylum and Companions in Ruin
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Lost Highways, edited by D. Alexander Ward
It’s dangerous out there…on the road.
The highways, byways and backroads of America are teeming day and night with regular folks. Moms and dads making long commutes. Teenagers headed to the beach. Bands on their way to the next gig. Truckers pulling long hauls. Families driving cross country to visit their kin.
But there are others, too. The desperate and the lost. The cruel and the criminal.
Theirs is a world of roadside honky-tonks, truck stops, motels, and the empty miles between destinations. The unseen spaces.
And there are even stranger things. Places that aren’t on any map. Wayfaring terrors and haunted legends about which seasoned and road-weary travelers only whisper.
But those are just stories. Aren’t they?
Find out for yourself as you get behind the wheel with some of today’s finest authors of the dark and horrific as they bring you these harrowing tales from the road.
Tales that could only be spawned by the endless miles of America’s lost highways.
So go ahead and hop in. Let’s take a ride.
Line-up:
Introduction by Brian Keene
doungjai gam & Ed Kurtz — “Crossroads of Opportunity”
Matt Hayward — “Where the Wild Winds Blow”
Joe R. Lansdale — “Not from Detroit”
Kristi DeMeester — “A Life That is Not Mine”
Robert Ford — “Mr. Hugsy”
Lisa Kröger — “Swamp Dog”
Orrin Grey — “No Exit”
Michael Bailey — “The Long White Line”
Kelli Owen — “Jim’s Meats”
Bracken MacLeod — “Back Seat”
Jess Landry — “The Heart Stops at the End of Laurel Lane”
Jonathan Janz — “Titan, Tyger”
Nick Kolakowski — “Your Pound of Flesh”
Richard Thomas — “Requital”
Damien Angelica Walters — “That Pilgrims’ Hands Do Touch”
Cullen Bunn — “Outrunning the End”
Christopher Buehlman — “Motel Nine”
Rachel Autumn Deering — “Dew Upon the Wing”
Josh Malerman — “Room 4 at the Haymaker”
Rio Youers — “The Widow”
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Things You Need by Kevin Lucia
“Kevin Lucia is this generation’s answer to Charles L. Grant.” – Brian Keene
The things we want are so very rarely the things we need.
Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful.
But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you’re not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen.
Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new…
Until night falls once more.
Handy’s Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Sarah Killian 2 by Mark Sheldon
Have you ever woken one morning with a burning, insatiable desire to go out and kill someone?
Sarah Killian, a notoriously foul-mouthed and mean-spirited serial killer for hire, along with her cohort assassin Mary Sue Keller, are back on assignment for the Trusted Hierarchy of Everyday Murderers (T.H.E.M.).
After receiving an ominous warning from a mark-gone-wrong, it becomes clear that Nick Jin—Sarah’s former nemesis—is still at large and singling her out.
Sarah and Mary Sue are dispatched to Tennessee to discreetly kill off an accused family of KKK organizers, but their true mission is to lure Nick Jin into a trap. But will Nick—always several steps ahead of T.H.E.M.—see their bait for what it is? One thing is guaranteed: blood will be shed.
In the spirit of Sidney Sheldon, Dean Koontz, and Joss Whedon,The Mullets of Madness is a truly unique blend of horror, suspense and espionage.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M. Yardley
“Run, Star Girl.”
Bryony Adams is destined to be murdered, but fortunately Fate has terrible marksmanship. In order to survive, she must run as far and as fast as she can. After arriving in Seattle, Bryony befriends a tortured musician,
a market fish-thrower, and a starry-eyed hero who is secretly a serial killer bent on fulfilling Bryony’s dark destiny.
Mercedes M. Yardley’s Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy is a dark, lovely fairy tale with lyrical language and a high body count, and features a cover by Hugo award-winner Galen Dara. Pretty Little Dead Girls carries on the proud tradition of Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, and Aimee Bender
Includes “Oliver Bloom” by Ryan Johnson, a short story featuring characters from Pretty Little Dead Girls.
Author Mercedes Yardley
Mercedes M. Yardley is a whimsical dark fantasist who wears stilettos, red lipstick, and poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of Beautiful Sorrows, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy, Detritus in Love, and Nameless. She recently won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for her story Little Dead Red and was a Bram Stoker Award nominee for her short story “Loving You Darkly.” Mercedes lives and creates in Las Vegas. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Where Nightmares Come From, edited by Joe Mynhardt and Eugene Johnson
WHERE NIGHTMARES COME FROM
THE ART OF STORYTELLING IN THE HORROR GENRE
Book one in Crystal Lake Publishing’s The Dream Weaver series, Where Nightmares Come From focuses on the art of storytelling in the Horror genre, taking an idea from conception to reality—whether you prefer short stories, novels, films, or comics.
Featuring in-depth articles and interviews by Joe R. Lansdale (Hap & Leonard series), Clive Barker (Books of Blood), John Connolly (Charlie Parker series), Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King (IT), Christopher Golden (Ararat), Charlaine Harris (Midnight, Texas), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series), Kevin J. Anderson (Tales of Dune), Craig Engler (Z Nation), and many more.
The full non-fiction anthology lineup includes:
Introduction by William F. Nolan
IT’S THE STORY TELLER by Joe R. Lansdale
A-Z OF HORROR of Clive Barker
WHY HORROR? by Mark Alan Miller
PIXELATED SHADOWS by Michael Paul Gonzalez
LIKE CURSES by Ray Garton
HOW TO GET YOUR SCARE ON by S.G. Browne
STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES by Richard Thomas
HORROR IS A STATE OF MIND by Tim Waggoner
BRINGING AN IDEA TO LIFE by Mercedes M. Yardley
THE PROCESS OF A TALE by Ramsey Campbell
GREAT HORROR IS SOMETHING ALIEN by Michael Bailey
A HORRIFICALLY HAPPY MEDIUM by Taylor Grant
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CONNOLLY by Marie O’Regan
THE STORY OF A STORY by Mort Castle
WRITING ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW with Christopher Golden, Kevin J. Anderson, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia
HOW I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD LOOKING FOR MONSTERS AND FOUND POETRY INSTEAD by Stephanie M. Wytovich
BITS AND PIECES INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN MABERRY by Eugene Johnson
THE REEL CREEPS by Lisa Morton
THE MONSTER SQUAD by Jess Landry
WHAT SCARES YOU by Marv Wolfman
PLAYING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HAUNTED HOUSE by Elizabeth Massie
CREATING MAGIC FROM A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER: Del Howison interviews Tom Holland, Amber Benson, Fred Dekker, and Kevin Tenney
Z NATION: HOW SYFY’S HIT SHOW CAME TO LIFE by Craig Engler
LIFE IMITATING ART IMITATING LIFE: FILM AND ITS INFLUENCE ON REALITY by Jason V Brock
WHERE NIGHTMARES COME FROM by Paul Moore
STEPHEN KING AND RICHARD CHIZMAR DISCUSS COLLABORATING by Bev Vincent
CHARLAINE HARRIS DISCUSSES STORYTELLING by Eugene Johnson
WHAT NOW? by John Palisano
This collection is perfect for…
writers of all genres
authors looking for motivation and/or inspiration
authors seeking guidance
struggling authors searching for career advice
authors interested in improving their craft
writers interested in comics
authors looking into screenwriting and films
horror fans in general
those looking to better understand the different story formats
authors planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
artists trying to establish a name brand
authors looking to get published
Come listen to the legends…
Cover design by Luke Spooner. Edited by Joe Mynhardt & Eugene Johnson.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Ugly Little Things by Todd Keisling
THIS IS GOING TO HURT.
The eleven stories in Ugly Little Things explore the depths of human suffering and ugliness, charting a course to the dark, horrific heart of the human condition. The terrors of everyday existence are laid bare in this eerie collection of short fiction from the twisted mind of Todd Keisling, author of the critically-acclaimed novels A Life Transparent and The Liminal Man.
Travel between the highways of America in “The Otherland Express,” where a tribe of the forsaken and forlorn meet to exchange identities. Witness the cold vacuum of space manifest in the flesh in “The Darkness Between Dead Stars.” Step into the scrub of rural Arizona and join Karen Singleton’s struggle to save her husband from a cult of religious fanatics in “When Karen Met Her Mountain.” Visit the small town of Dalton in “The Harbinger” and join Felix Proust as he uncovers the vile secrets rooted at the heart of Dalton Dollworks. And in the critically-acclaimed novella “The Final Reconciliation,” learn the horrifying truth behind the demise of the rock band The Yellow Kings.
With an introduction by Bram Stoker Award-winner Mercedes M. Yardley and illustrations by Luke Spooner, Ugly Little Things will be your atlas, guiding you along a lonely road of sorrow, loss, and regret. This is going to hurt—and you’re going to like it.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Beatrice Beecham’s Ship of Shadows by Dave Jeffery
Beatrice is back to face her greatest threat since. . .well, the last time!
In Cooper’s Cove a hapless team of archaeologists unleash the vengeful spirit of a 16th Century witch on the sleepy seaside town of Dorsal Finn. Hexes and curses fly as Beatrice and her friends must find out what links the appearance of this incredible foe and The Spirit of the Ocean, a super-yacht hosting the biggest celebrity charity event the town has ever seen.
As the population of Dorsal Finn succumbs to witchcraft, so Beatrice must gate-crash the party with her motley-crew of friends and allies in the hope of stopping the witch’s sinister plan, and save everyone from endless oblivion. . . Again.
This novel is great for those who like their supernatural adventures laced with humour, sinister action and mystery. Fans of Stranger Things, The Goonies, The Librarians, The Monster Squad, Ghostbusters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nancy Drew will delight in the antics and adventures of Beatrice and her off-the-wall friends.
Murder. Mystery. Monsters. Welcome to the world of Beatrice Beecham!
Author Dave Jeffery
Dave Jeffery is author of 15 novels, two collections, and numerous short stories. His Necropolis Rising series and yeti adventure Frostbite have both featured on the Amazon #1 bestseller list. His YA work features critically acclaimed Beatrice Beecham supernatural mystery series and Finding Jericho, a contemporary mental health novel that was featured on the BBC Health and the Independent Schools Entrance Examination Board’s recommended reading lists.
Jeffery is a member of the Society of Authors, British Fantasy Society (where he is a regular book reviewer), and the Horror Writers Association. He is also a registered mental health professional with a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Health Studies.
Jeffery is married with two children and lives in Worcestershire, UK.
Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town.
Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit…off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he’s tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don’t discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process.
Father Ward reveals the story of a tortured man from the nearby town of Tahawus, who visited his confessional seeking solace from a cosmic horror he can never outrun: “The Man in Yellow” – Stuart Michael Evans has suffered from cerebral palsy all his life, but he’s made due. Sure, his preacher dad is always yammering about “the healing grace of God” and “God’s will,” saying all he needs is faith and someday he’ll be healed, but Stuart mostly ignores him. Life isn’t perfect, but it isn’t awful either, so Stuart figures he doesn’t need God to heal him, or do anything, for that matter. Everything changes, however, when a renowned faith healer – Reverend Alistair McIlvian – pays a visit to Tahawus’ annual Summer Vacation Bible School. Revival sweeps the town as Reverend McIlvian’s healing touch makes believers out of everyone. But where do these powers come from? God, or something…else?
Devourer of Souls carries on the classic tradition of T. M. Wright, Norman Prentiss, Mary Sangiovanni, and Ron Malfi.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts by Jasper Bark
A word of caution, gentle reader…
These tales will take you places you’ve never been before and may never dare revisit. They’ll whisper truths so twisted you can only face them in the darkest hours of the night. They’ll unlock desires so decadent you’ll never wash their taint from your flesh. Think Jack Ketchum meets Poppy Z. Brite.
“The kind of magic we’re looking for when we search the horror section in our local book store” – Jim Dodge, Mass Movement Magazine
All it takes is a single turn of the page and your taste in dark fiction will be transformed forever. So you have to ask yourself: ‘How daring do I feel…?’
“…a gloriously over the top and flamboyant thrill ride of depravity that will entice, titillate and disgust you in equal measures.” – Jim Mcleod, Ginger Nuts of Horror
Includes the following short stories:
Foreword by Pat Cadigan
Stuck On You
Taking the Piss
The Castigation Crunch
‘Ill Met by Moonlight’
How the Dark Bleeds
Mouthful
Haunting the Past
End of the Line
Dead Scalp
Afterword by John Llewellyn Probert
Acknowledgements
“…you’re never going to read something both horribly disgusting, and so brilliantly written, ever again. Ever.” – Colum McKnight, Dreadful Tales
“One of the most harrowing and entertaining pieces of dark fiction any of you are likely to encounter.” – Matthew Tait, Hellnotes
“To enjoy this book should be wrong, very wrong, but Jasper Bark has created something very special and it needs to be read.” – Lisa McCarthy, Dark Thoughts
“…gory, twisted and very, very bloody…” – The British Fantasy Society
Author Jasper Bark
Jasper Bark is infectious – and there’s no known cure. If you’re reading this then you’re already at risk of contamination. The symptoms will begin to manifest any moment now. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no itching or unfortunate rashes, but you’ll become obsessed with his books, from the award winning collections Dead Air and Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts, to cult novels like The Final Cut and acclaimed graphic novels such as Bloodfellas and Beyond Lovecraft.
Soon you’ll want to tweet, post and blog about his work until thousands of others fall under its viral spell. We’re afraid there’s no way to avoid this, these words contain a power you are hopeless to resist. You’re already in their thrall and have from the moment you clicked onto this page. Even now you find yourself itching to read the rest of his work. Don’t fight it, embrace the urge and wear your obsession with pride!
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
The Outsiders, edited by Joe Mynhardt
They’ll do anything to protect their way of life. Anything.
Welcome to Priory, a small gated community in the UK, where the only thing worse than an ancient monster is the group worshipping it. They’ll do anything to protect their secrets, especially with Charles Erich at the helm.
The question is, how much influence can a religious leader like Charles Erich truly have over his followers? If the time comes, would he ever allow them to leave? And is that which slithers below true evil, or does evil reside in the people of Priory?
Priory. A community of one mind and purpose. A place of order, commitment, peace, and service. A perfect world, building on mind shattering secrets from beyond the pale.
Enter…if you dare.
THE OUTSIDERS follows five shared-world stories by five authors, each one delving into the world of Lovecraftian cults, murder, indoctrination, and our quest to belong. If you dare follow this UK invasion of five prime authors as they each tell their own story of the people living behind Priory’s steel gates and high walls, you’ll quickly find yourself an outsider as well.
Featuring stories by Stephen Bacon, James Everington, Gary Fry, V.H. Leslie, and Rosanne Rabinowitz. Carrying on the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Book Haven by Mark Allan Gunnells
An eclectic mix of tales to entertain and engage the imagination!
Come peruse the dusty shelves of BOOK HAVEN. Scan the titles, study the strange trinkets that are lined up on display. Maybe pull aside the cobwebs and run your fingers alone the spines of the books, caress the artifacts. You will find many forgotten treasures and un-mined gems among the debris.
From the author of Flowers in a Dumpster comes a new collection of short stories to terrify you, to move you, to make you think. In the spirit of High Cotton by Joe Lansdale, Trigger Warnings by Neil Gaiman, and Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, this short story collection offers an eclectic mix of Horror, Scifi, Fantasy, and drama.
-The title novella features a futuristic landscape where the world’s literature has been lost, and a group of government agents are on the hunt for the mythological Book Haven, a vast secret library.
-In “C U Soon,” a girl dies in a car accident while texting with her boyfriend, but after her funeral he continues receiving mysterious messages from her.
-In “The Man Who Watched the Ocean,” a man mourning the loss of a past love decides to try and join her.
-In “Tanner” a man purchases a used tanning bed in which someone once died and finds that houses aren’t the only places that can be haunted.
-In “Human Bones in a China Cabinet,” a young man has an unusual collection hidden away in a china cabinet
-In “The Sandbox,” a friendless boy playing in a sandbox encounters a strange yet familiar old man who shapes the course of his life
-In “The Farm,” a horror fan visits the location of a cult classic
Some of what you find will be dark and suspenseful, some beautiful and haunting, but all of it is yours for the taking. We’re so glad you found your way here and welcome you inside BOOK HAVEN.
Author Mark Allan Gunnells
Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.
Free ebooks from 28th to 1st:
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Horror 201 Vol.1
The definitive guide to filmmaking and filmmakers by the best in the field.
Horror 201: The Silver Scream, the follow-up to Horror 101: The Way Forward (both Bram Stoker Award nominated non-fiction anthologies), delves into the minds of filmmakers to see what it takes to produce great horror films, from the writing and funding process, to directing, producing, and writing tie-ins.
That’s right, film legends and authors such as Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ed Naha, Patrick Lussier, Stephen Volk, Nancy Holder, Tom Holland, John Shirley, William Stout, and John Russo want to share their expertise with you through informative, practical, career-building advice.
These are the folks behind movies and novelizations such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Buffy, Resident Evil, The Stand, Critters, Tales from the Crypt, Child’s Play, Fright Night, Thinner, The Langoliers, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Horror 201 also entertains. You’ll see a side of your favorite authors, producers, and directors never seen before – combining fun and entertainment with informative career-building advice.
Horror 201 is aimed at arming generations of authors, screenwriters, producers, directors, and anyone else interested in the film industry, from big budget movies to the independent film circuit, as well as the stage.
Horror 201 covers:
Horror as culture
Scare tactics
The evolution of the horror film
Viewer desensitization
Watching your story come to life
Screenwriting advice
Dissecting screenplays
A production company case study
Tricks of the trade
Writing tips
Advice on Producing
Advice on Directing
Funding and distributing a film
Entertaining tidbits and anecdotes
And so much more!
Horror 201: The Silver Scream is perfect for people who:
are looking to delve into screenplay writing
want to write their first screenplay
are fans of the horror movie industry
like to follow the careers of their favorite directors
are planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
are looking to pay more bills with their art
are trying to establish a name brand
are looking to get published
are looking for motivation and/or inspiration
are seeking contacts in the film industry
The full line-up includes:
Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell, Ed Naha, Edward Lee, Patrick Lussier, Tim Lebbon, Jonathan Maberry, Stephen Volk, William Stout, Michael McCarty, Dan Curtis, William Stout, Graham Masterton, Harry Shannon, Jason V. Brock, L.L. Soares, Mick Garris, William F. Nolan, Lee Karr, Stephen Johnston, Aaron Sterns, Michael Laimo, Jonathan Winn, David. C. Hayes, Brian Pinkerton, David Henson Greathouse, Aaron Dries, Armand Rosamilia, Billy Hanson, Jack Thomas Smith, John Russo, Mark Steensland, John Shirley, Tom Holland, Adrian Roe, Dave Jeffery, James Hart, James Cullen Bressack, Jeff Strand, Nancy Holder, E.C. McMullen Jr., Richard Gray, Richard Chizmar, William C. Cope (interior artist), Tim Waggoner, Tom Monteleone, Nick Cato, Kevin Wetmore, Eric Miller, and Lynne Hansen.
Don’t let this opportunity slip through your creative fingers.
Horror 201- carrying on the proud tradition of Stephen King’s On Writing, Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing, and On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association. Don’t miss out on Horror 101 and Horror 201 Vol.2.
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon.
Shallow Waters Vol.1: A Flash Fiction Anthology, edited by Joe Mynhardt
Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried.
With twenty-two dark tales diving beneath the surface of loss, love, and life.
Shallow Waters is the official monthly flash fiction challenge hosted by the award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing. Every month a new challenge is posted online, with authors submitting via email. The best submissions are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page, where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner. What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include 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 one includes horror, thrillers, suspense, and stories of love lost, death, 2nd chances, the monsters within, and the beauty beneath it all.
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Closure on a Bed of Nails” by Chad Lutzke
“Fast Car” by Tracy Fahey
“Tears of Buddy” by Patrick R. McDonough
“Puzzle Pieces” by Armand Rosamilia
“Pretty Like Butterflies” by Tim Waggoner
“S1:E7” by Robert Ford
“Pain is Your Teacher” by Michael Harris Cohen
“Memory Lane” by Red Lagoe
“The Silence of the Sirens” by Loren Rhoads
“It’s Me Not You” by Jonathan Winn
“Sisters of Loss” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Talisman” by Jezzy Wolfe
“The Melting of Your Gods” by Mercedes M. Yardley
“Charms” by Dino Parenti
“Not Your Average Monster” by Kenneth W. Cain
“Where the Children Run in Darkness” by Guy Medley
“Tunnels” by Tom Over (winner)
“The Truth about Dani” by Joe Mercer
“Baby Savannah” by M.J. Sydney “Rats Scratched in the Linen Cupboard” by Dani Brown
“Raining” by John Boden
“The Death Experience” by L.A. Story
In this volume…
Taunted by a cactus, a man copes with grief after the loss of his wife.
Alondra DeCourval visits Franz Kafka’s grave to think about death.
A lovestruck woman strives to connect with a man she’s convinced is The One.
The perfect funeral for a child—all according to a Mother’s well-crafted plan. The exception is one small, unexpected development no one could have ever prepared for.
A short meditation on the haunting nature of love and loss, and the aftermath of both.
Victor’s sanity has been threaded together by the memory of his daughter’s voice, until now, when her laughter falls silent.
An adrenaline junkie believes he can take on the ultimate challenge—coming back from the dead.
Sisters share everything. The good…and the bad.
Sometimes being a hoarder is dangerous…
In our ever-changing world, what we view as a monster is constantly evolving…but at what cost?
Buddy’s heart aches for his family’s arrival.
Bright colors may be beautiful, but sometimes they can be dangerous.
Sometimes the darkness we harbor within is best left behind closed doors.
Rats scratch in the children’s ward.
A surprise wedding present from daughter to father, built over a lifetime, reveals his true nature to all his guests.
Can a mourning Mallory find comfort before she loses her mind?
While coming to terms with the death of his mother a man learns that he harbours a strange ability, one that could threaten to tear his reality apart.
A woman’s last letter to her abusive ex-husband returns the favor of his tutelage.
Lillian’s search for her daughter’s doll leads her on a journey through tragedy, loss, and madness.
The brutal murder a man’s only child leaves him burdened with a question only he can answer.
The winner has been chosen and will be announced Oct. 31st in the last Halloween Blitz blog post for 2019.
I’m giving away a Black Kindle Fire 7 for Halloween (a.k.a. Horror Christmas)! I will announce the lucky winner on October 31st in the last post for Halloween Blitz 2019 on my blog.
If you would like to enter to win this Black Kindle Fire 7, here’s what you do…
Go to my Facebook page, Author/Editor Rebecca Besser, and follow the instructions in the pinned post at the top of the feed.
OR
Comment on this blog post and tell me which of my books you’ve most enjoyed reading, want to read, or a picture of yourself holding one of my books (can be a pic of an ebook cover on a device).
Disclaimers (a necessary evil):
*Unites States residents only. (Sorry, international shipping is expensive.)
*You can only enter to win once, whether you comment on the blog or enter on Facebook, each participant only gets one entry total.
*Incomplete entries will not be counted. You are responsible to make sure your entry includes all requirements stated in the entry instructions to be entered.
*Winner will be chosen randomly.
*The Black Kindle Fire 7 is a brand new, unopened Amazon product. I, Rebecca Besser and Besser Books & Services, LLC, am not responsible for any defects or issues with the device and all problems should be addressed with Amazon directly.
*I, Rebecca Besser and Besser Books & Services, LLC, am not liable for any damaged, broken, lost, or otherwise harmed packages. I will provide the winner with the mailing/tracking information when the Black Kindle Fire 7 is shipped. Beyond that, I am no longer liable.
*There will be no exchanges, substitutions, or refunds. What is offered is the only prize.
*There is no purchase of any kind necessary for entry to win.
*This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Amazon, Facebook, or WordPress. By entering, you acknowledge they have no liability and release them from any and all responsibility whatsoever.
Crystal Lake Publishing’s 3rd annual fundraiser is live!
The campaign will run right up to the end of year, with plenty of perks and special offers catered for readers and authors.
As we near the end of yet another year of indie publishing, it’s time to look into the future and what 2020 has in store for Crystal Lake Publishing. If this year is any indication, there will be good times and there will be tough times for small presses, and we need to do what we can to ensure we always deliver the highest quality work and services to our ever-growing market of authors and readers. We actually want to offer even more going forward.
We still have a lot of perks and Xmas boxes to add (including more prizes in our Lucky Draws), so check back regularly or keep an eye on our #CrystalLake2020 hashtag on Facebook and Twitter during this time.
With your help we’ll hit the ground running in 2020.
8 Flash fiction stories and poems capture the spirit and author’s love of the season.
Come on a magical journey with John Grover as he weaves all original tales set on or around Halloween. It’s a landscape of jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, goblins, and crisp autumn nights. From pumpkin patches to haunted houses, step into a world that is forever Halloween. The spookiest time of year!
On sale for $0.99 from October 25th-October 31st, 2019!
John Grover is a fiction author residing in Massachusetts. He completed a creative writing course at Boston’s Fisher College and is a member of the New England Horror Writers Association.
Some of his more recent credits include stories in The Heart of a Devil Anthology by Fantasia Divinity, The Ancient Ones II Anthology by Deadman’s Tome, Best New Zombie Tales by Books of the Dead Press, and The Epitaphs Anthology by The New England Horror Writers.
He is the author the new Grimdark Fantasy series Knightshade and several collections, including his best of collection: Best of Shadow Tales—featuring reprinted works. Please visit his website www.shadowtales.com or his facebook page ((https://www.facebook.com/johngroverdarkfictionauthor) for more information.
A familiar small town. A wrathful, metamorphic killer with supernatural abilities. A young girl whose time has come—angel of life, and death—is the only one who can stop his unspeakable deeds.
Katie Franklin has turned twenty-one at last, and been released from the Ransom Sanitarium. And hell has been released with her. Now it’s back to the Val, where monsters are real . . .
Something evil is stalking the shadows of Blackwater Val, and it wants lifeblood and flesh. What she finds waiting in the unhallowed darkness there will forever haunt her—and you. Return with her if you dare. To see the dead children. Feel their torment. To face the old terror.
Author William Gorman
I grew up listening to macabre stories and dark yarns from my grandfather, a magician and former ‘mentalist’ during the last great, fading days of vaudeville, told to me in porch shadows on warm Illinois summer eves. My first book, the best-selling GHOST WHISPERS, was published in 2005 and spawned the immensely popular Haunted Rockford tours and cemetery walks now operating in my hometown. In 2016 my debut novel, a supernatural thriller titled BLACKWATER VAL, was released by award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing. A collection of short fiction and more books featuring murder, suspense, and the vengeful dead will soon follow. The magician may be gone, but the stories remain.
In my spare time I hang around with German shepherds and listen to classic rock & roll. Sometimes I search for old bookshops or magic museums and I linger there, waiting for Neil Gaiman to materialize from out of the dust.
From now until the end of October 2019, Undead Drive-Thru by Rebecca Besser will be on sale for $0.99 on Kindle!
Click on cover to visit title on Amazon!
Undead Drive-Thru
by
Rebecca Besser
When Kyndra, Colleen, and Jose apply for jobs at a diner that has seen better days and is undergoing renovations, they have no idea what they’re in for.
Aunt-B and John have a horrible secret, and when it’s unleashed on the unsuspecting employees of the diner, things get . . . complicated.
Bloodthirsty and dangerous, a zombie awaits the opportunity to feast on them all.
Who will be served first? Can any of them make it out of the Undead Drive-Thru alive?
*****
“A gloriously crazy, blood-soaked ride, Undead Drive-Thru is a gore-soaked slice of pure schlock horror. Eat or be eaten!”
– David Moody, Author of the Hater and Autumn series
*****
“Rebecca Besser’s Undead Drive-Thru is pure joy. Funny, character-driven, and deliciously scary with just the right amount of gore, this one is a favorite of mine.”
– Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Plague of the Undead and Dead World Resurrection
*****
“Undead Drive-Thru is a gory, bloody must read–sure to be a favorite of horror fans! Rebecca Besser is an author to keep your eye on. Great characters and killer story. What more could you ask for?”
– Kevin MacDonald, Award-winning director of the horror films BEG and The Witching Hour
Author Rebecca Besser
Rebecca Besser is a horror/thriller author who resides in Ohio with her wonderful husband and amazing son. They’ve come to accept her quirks as normal while she writes anything and everything that makes her inner demons squeal with delight. She’s best known for her work in adult horror, but has been published in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a variety of age groups and genres. She’s entirely too cute to be scary in person, so she turns to the page to instill fear into the hearts of the masses.
A collection of terrifying stories from the rising stars of horror, including Jon Michael Kelley, Jeremy C. Shipp, Rebecca Besser, David C. Hayes, Bruce Turnbull, Chris Samson, Aaron J. French, Eric Dimbleby, Frank Endert, Mark Taylor, Suzanne Robb, Matt Kurtz, Charles Day, Gerry Huntman, D.G. Sutter, Scott H. Urban, Doug Rinaldi, Tara Sayers, Scott Taylor, Craig Saunders, Steven Gepp, Hollie Snider, and Gregory L. Norris.
“Here’s the difference between The Evil Jester and a regular jester: When a regular jester pops open his box, out come ribbons and hours of fun. When The Evil Jester’s box pops open, the ribbons will choke you and the hours will quickly reach dusk. A startling collection of smiling-nightmare mayhem.”
-Eric Shapiro, author of The Devoted and director of Rule of Three
“With Tales of Terror and Mayhem from Deep within the Box, editors Day and Weiss have given us a diverse and entertaining bunch of stories by a selection of talented authors. The tales all involve those relics of childhood (dolls, balloons, clowns, the oh-so-sinister jack-in-the-box), but they are all wonderfully original and unpredictable.”
-Mark Allen Gunnells, author of The Quarry
Life With Words 