Paranormal Horror Romance Short Stories: Avenge Me by Tamela Miles + giveaway

Costly mistakes release wicked consequences that may have them paying for eternity…

Avenge Me
by Tamela Miles
Genre: Paranormal Horror Romance Short Stories
Costly mistakes release wicked consequences that may have them paying for eternity…

In the collection:

Hands Clean: Afterburner
A costly mistake, that set in motion a horrific chain of events, seemingly have Lili paying for eternity. One being, walking the world’s oldest streets and dirt pathways, has the power to save her - if there is any of her soul left to save.

Witch Bitch: Assassin
To the people in Mason’s world, Luna deserves every bit of sympathy as his grieving girlfriend. But does she, really? A long buried and probably best forgotten secret fuels the fire of a vengeance that keeps Mason alive and guarantees the demise of unfortunate others.

GPS
Zayne is having a bad week. He’s lost his girlfriend, his part time job, and he’s failing two classes. The only bright spot in his life is time spent in his car, talking with his technologically enhanced GPS. The navigation system seems to truly know and understand him. It also knows things, dark things, that may put him on the path towards an evil force that just won’t quit.

XO
Lauryn is not the girl she used to be. Her demanding life as a struggling, single mom takes its toll and leads to a night out with friends and poor choices - choices that open a door to an otherworldly force that’s straddling the fine line between not so good and ungodly.

Hotel Paper
Las Vegas is losing its charm, but Zach and Paris decide to stick around for one more unforgettable night of sin. He finds himself in her embrace in the darkest of ways and begins to question how well he knows Paris - and how well he knows himself.

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EXCERPT:
(from the short story, “Hands Clean: Afterburner”)
Perry, as he was better known, stood on a grassy hill, overlooking the expanse of the beach and the churning waves just past sunset. Warm fur rubbing against his ankles reminded him he wasn’t alone, and he looked down with a gentle smile. A black cat weaved her away around his legs, purring loudly and looking up at him expectantly.

“Calling you “Cat” sounds straight ridiculous, but you refuse to tell me your name.”

The cat meowed and he chuckled. “Fine. Just “Cat”, it is.” He lifted her into his arms and rubbed noses. “It’s not often I ask animals to do my dirty work, so I thank you and promise to feed you.” Perry locked eyes with the cat and spoke softly in her mind. “Do you remember the plan? Are you ready to strike? When you get to the bar, be sure to give me a visual.”

At her reassuring purr, he put her down and let her run to her destination. He kept his eyes trained on the huge wood door of the Blue Rose bar, which stood several yards from his position on the beach hill. Cat approached the bar’s entrance and sat on the walkway, patiently waiting, as she licked a paw. Soon enough, the heavy door swung open, and a laughing couple emerged from the bar. Cat darted inside the dimly lit front area and, within seconds, gave him the visual he needed.

Perry almost immediately spotted his target, seated at a table with a large man. She was unchanged, both in face and body, even after a millennium.

About the Author:
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Tamela Miles is a California State University San Bernardino graduate student with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and a former flight attendant. She grew up in Altadena, California in that tumultuous time known as the 1980s. She now resides with her family in the Inland Empire, CA. She’s a horror/paranormal romance writer mainly because it feels so good having her characters do bad things and, later, pondering what makes them so bad and why they can never seem to change their wicked ways.

She enjoys emails from people who like her work. In fact, she loves emails. She can be contacted at tamelamiles@yahoo.com or her Facebook page, Tamela Miles Books. She also welcomes reader reviews and enjoys the feedback from people who love to read as much as she does.

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All the Dark Souls (The Dark Souls Trilogy #1) by A.M. Dunnewin

We're celebrating the release of All the Dark Souls by A.M. Dunnewin, the first book in a new COMPLETED trilogy! 

All the Dark Souls (The Dark Souls Trilogy #1)
by A.M. Dunnewin
November 11, 2025
Genre: Dark Gothic Romantasy

• Strong FMC
• Morally grey MMC
• Found family
• Slow burn
• He falls first
• Gothic romance

The first book in a new trilogy set in the same world as The Benighted Saga.

Joss Brevyn is the last heir in a long line of executioners. Although a woman, the same rules still apply: kill the condemned within three tries, or be tortured and killed. Joss has yet to miss her mark, and even though she spends her free time as a healer, the town views her only as a deathsman. So when she and her assistant, Henrik, stumble upon a beaten man on the way home, both are hesitant to reveal who they really are. The only problem is, so is he.

Aric Kayden has seen better days. After failing to assassinate his last victim, he's left bleeding on the side of the road until he's found and taken in by Joss and Henrik, two seemingly innocent locals. Healing from his wounds, Aric is still haunted by the target he didn't kill, especially by those who paid him. Despite the undeniable attraction between him and Joss, Aric can't bring himself to tell the truth: that the masked figures who hired him knows where he is, and his original target is the mysterious prisoner who was recently sentenced to death. Forced to uphold the deal, Aric's only job now is to make sure the execution goes as planned and eliminate whoever intervenes.
Bound by their duties, both Joss and Aric assume this next kill will be easy. But then one of them has a change of heart, sparking a chain reaction that could leave one-or both-of them dead.

Triggers: Death and violence

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON & AT B&N

About the Author:
website
A. M. Dunnewin grew up with a taste for mysteries and thrillers, inherited ever so lovingly from her family. An affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association, A. M.’s own stories cover a wide range of genres that tend to take a dark turn when least expected. With a B.A. in Psychology, she’s a gambler of words, obsessed with chai tea, and addicted to books – everything from classical literature to graphic novels. Other hobbies include art, history, music, equestrianism, and a good classic film. She currently dwells in Northern California.

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The Shadowless (At the corner of Eden and Darkness #1) by RJ Garcia

Modern Faerie Tale Meets Murder

 

The Shadowless (At the corner of Eden and Darkness #1)
by RJ Garcia
Expected Release Date: November 26, 2025
Genre: Dark Romantasy
🥀 Modern faery tale vs real-life suspense
🥀 White and black magic
🥀 Family dysfunction
🥀 Hidden realms
🥀 He falls first
🥀 Twists and turns
Modern Faerie Tale Meets Murder

Mae Dawson returns to her family’s cabin in a mysterious forest to search for her missing sister. One night, she goes to sleep in her bed only to awaken in the depths of the woods surrounded by eerie and indiscernible voices that lead her to her sister’s grave.

A year has passed. Mae has pieced her life back together. She has a supportive boyfriend and is completing her first semester in college. However, everything begins to unravel when strange late-night calls come from the beyond, and a malevolent force begins to invade her friends.

Adding to her unease is the presence of a mysterious stranger, Brandon Sills, who seems to lurk in the shadows, watching her every move. Despite the warning bells ringing in her mind, Mae feels an inexplicable attraction to him.

As mortal and magical forces conspire against them, Mae must trust Brandon to uncover the secrets of the fae. Secrets that will change her life forever, that is, if she even survives.

Amazon

About the Author:
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R.J. Garcia is a wife, and proud mom of two smart kids. She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!

Excerpt: The Quest for Freedom (The Conquest Trilogy Book 1) by Matthew Devitt + giveaway

One man against the world

 

The Quest for Freedom (The Conquest Trilogy Book 1)
by Matthew Devitt
Oct 17, 2025
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Affer was once a peaceful planet, until a war broke out between its six inhabiting species. The humans, who were once the mightiest force on Affer, were massacred in droves, and the ones who survived the onslaught were reduced to mere slaves. The five other species divided the humans amongst themselves and returned to their respective kingdoms.

The years passed, turning into decades and centuries, without any change. Eventually, the humans had accepted their fate as slaves. All except one. Four hundred and seventy-three years later, Fletcher Rush starts his journey to free his kind...and conquer the planet. 

**Use the code “silver” for $3 off the paperback at The Author’s Website!**

 

**Only .99 cents!**
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Excerpt:
"Death is a part of freedom. Blood will be spilled whether we fight this war or stand down and stay as slaves. I'm trying to put humans back at the top where we belong. It's all I've ever thought about…freedom and victory. My only purpose in life is to rectify the disposition of this damn world, and I'll do whatever it takes to do that." - Fletcher Rush

“They should be here any minute,” Fletcher muttered.

They’d managed to take care of all the preparations Fletcher had planned, and now he was standing on the city wall by the main gate along with Ji.

“I’m surprised we finished everything,” Ji said, glancing across the field in front of them.

“Me too,” Fletcher admitted. “I think we have a good chance to win this fight.”

“We either win or we die,” Ji said, shuddering after he said it out loud.

“Or they capture us and enslave or torture us.”

“Not helping.”

“Just fight like your life depends on it, because it kind of does,” Fletcher said, casting his gaze out to the path.

“What if they don’t come?” Ji asked.

“Trust me, they’ll come. I might not have confirmation, but based off what that elf said, and Light’s temper, I would bet my life on them attacking.”

The two didn't say anything after that; instead, they just kept watch. The light breeze swayed the leaves and small branches of the many trees that dotted their vision. It had grown quite dark and was hard to see, but Fletcher and Ji still saw the dirt kicking up from the large convoy of vehicles headed toward them.

“Looks like that’s the elves,” Ji said, pulling out an arrow and notching it in his crossbow.

“This should be fun,” Fletcher said, taking the remote control from his pocket and getting ready to use it.

The vehicles got closer and the two saw truck after truck approach, stretching out as far as they could see, each of them packed with bloodthirsty elves.

“Hey, Ji, no matter the outcome of the battle, I just want to say thanks. I wouldn’t be here today without your help,” Fletcher said, turning to his friend.

“Don’t be getting sappy on me now, man,” Ji said, giving Fletcher a light shove. “But seriously, I feel the same… Thanks, Fletcher.”

The car in the lead started closing in and the two of them saw it had a large metal ram built on the front of it.

"Fuck, I think they're going to ram into the gate," Fletcher said, turning to the inside of the city where two dozen soldiers were waiting. "GET READY FOR THE FIRST TRUCK, AND DON'T LIGHT THE OIL UNTIL I GIVE THE ORDER!"

Fletcher turned back to look at the approaching army just before the truck slammed into the main gate. The gate exploded, sending splinters of wood flying in every direction and shaking the strong stone walls.

“Damn—” Fletcher said, getting thrown to the ground by the impact. He got up and looked at the inside of the city. Elves were already rushing out of the vehicle, drawing their weapons before advancing forward.

"I'LL HEAD DOWN!" Ji shouted, shooting off an arrow before he dropped the crossbow and ran down the stairs.

Fletcher turned his attention back toward the convoy that was approaching very fast.

“Wait…” Fletcher softly muttered to himself, his finger resting on the trigger to the makeshift bombs.

The sound of the engines grew louder as the cars neared the city, none of them slowing down in the slightest.

Just a bit more…

“SEE YOU, MOTHERFUCKERS!” Fletcher shouted as he pressed the button, causing the bombs to go off.

The ground ripped apart as the explosions detonated, making contact with the trucks milliseconds later and blowing them to hell.

A fire quickly took over the front lawn of the city as the explosions mixed with the gasoline in the vehicles’ fuel tanks. Over two dozen trucks were obliterated, another five had caught on fire, and the pathway had been completely destroyed. The cars that weren't affected by the blast stopped in their tracks, and the one in the front got rear-ended after stopping so fast, making Fletcher smile.

About the Author:

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I've always had a love for fantasy, and to this day LOTR and The Inheritance Cycle remain some of my favorite books. There are limitless possibilities when you're writing, but with fantasy, it's different. You don't have to adhere to rules or logic; you can create whatever type of world you want. Characters can live in a dystopian society, a grand futuristic city, a picture-perfect world, or a medieval wasteland. Time, technology, and magic are all there for the taking, and as a writer, you get to choose what defines your story.

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Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon + excerpt

While researching this book, I discovered just how much world history has culminated to give us what we now recognize as the icon of the Wicked Witch. Her evolution was absolutely fascinating to trace. We tend to think of witches in fiction as timeless villainesses who have “always” existed in a fixed way, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The figure of the witch reaches back to ancient civilizations—where she could be feared, revered, or misunderstood—and over the centuries she has been shaped by religion, politics, gender norms, and folklore. What struck me most was how, in the last hundred years especially, the witch has transformed from a symbol of evil into one of independence and feminine strength.

That journey mirrors so much of women’s history itself: the push from suppression to empowerment, from being silenced to reclaiming voice and agency. Even on the set of The Wizard of Oz, you can see this cultural tension at play in the contrast between Margaret Hamilton’s “wicked” witch and Billie Burke’s “good” one—both the characters and the actresses were shaped by typecasting, the misogynistic “old studio system,” unrealistic beauty standards of the Golden Era of Hollywood, and class perceptions of their time. This was heartbreaking, yet important for me to better understand, because we—so many decades removed from their era—tend to see everyone in films like The Wizard of Oz as glamorous stars, but in real time, there were studio system biases that caused great woundedness for many like Hamilton who dared to be different. The harmful stereotyping in bygone eras not only shaped the icon of the Wicked Witch, but actresses like Hamilton who portrayed her.  

Digging into these layers made me realize that the Wicked Witch isn’t just a fictional figure, she’s a cultural mirror. Every generation redefines her based on what it fears—or celebrates—about powerful women. That discovery gave the project a deeper meaning and made me fall even more in love with her story.

Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon
by Lona Bailey
October 2, 2025
Genre: Popular Culture in Social Sciences, Movie History, Literary Criticism & Theory
An empowering look at one of pop culture's most enduring feminist icons, The Wicked Witch of the West.

More than 125 years after her introduction, the Wicked Witch of the West remains an icon of popular culture. Known by many names-from “The Wicked Witch of the West” to Evillene, Elphaba, and Theodora-she consistently defies expectations and wields her power unapologetically. At the heart of her everlasting appeal is her embodiment of feminist ideals that resonate today.

In Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon, Lona Bailey explores the radical feministic undertones of one of the most enduring characters in popular culture. Introduced in 1900 through L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch has captivated generations as both a symbol of fear and empowerment. More than just a villain, she embodies rebellion and resistance, refusing to conform to the roles historically assigned to women. This book traces her transformation over the past century, highlighting how she has evolved through countless adaptations from The Wizard of Oz to the film adaptation of Wicked while maintaining her core identity as a powerful, defiant figure.

To understand why the Witch remains captivating more than a century after her creation, Bailey delves into the radical feminism underlying her character and examines how she has been reinterpreted since her debut. From the suffrage movement to the fight for reproductive rights, and from the #MeToo movement to ongoing battles against gender stereotypes, the Witch symbolizes the struggles and triumphs women face. Her presence transcends mere performance; she serves as a reminder that the fight for justice, equality, and autonomy continues. By exploring the Witch's feminist evolution, readers will gain insight into why her character resonates with generations of women.

Excerpt: 

It’s quite impossible to explore the icon of the Wicked Witch without acknowledging Margaret Hamilton’s unforgettable portrayal of the character, as she is widely credited with introducing her to the world in a way that has captivated audiences ever since. Was it the green skin, broom, cackling laughter, exaggerated hook to her nose, or sharp-tongued quips that embedded her into cultural consciousness? Perhaps all of those things and more initially made the world fall fast and hard for the fiendish character, but only in the context of Margaret Hamilton’s simply splendid portrayal.

“I was walking down Fifth Avenue in New York not long ago when a nice-looking young man called to me. ‘Miss Hamilton,’ he said, ‘you don’t know me, but I know you. You scared the pants off me when I was a little boy,’” Margaret Hamilton recalled.1 The barely five-foot-tall Margaret “Maggie” Hamilton has managed to terrify millions for more than eighty-five years in her characterization of L. Frank Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West. What began as a fairly one-dimensional antagonist with few descriptives beyond her general reputation for wickedness, was suddenly and frighteningly brought to life thirty-nine years after she was penned in Baum’s book and the legend of The Wizard of Oz truly began. In following suit with what “that little animation company” Walt Disney did in the successful film adaptation of the children’s fantasy story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, MGM bought the rights to adapt Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to brilliant Technicolor in 1938. The demigod of MGM, Louis B. Mayer, purchased the book’s rights in the fall of 1937 upon the suggestion of Mervyn LeRoy. Mayer saw grand potential in a musical version of the children’s novel and with LeRoy and Arthur Freed on board, revisions toward final production were initially promising. The script went through a merry-go-round of revisions from its initial draft to its on-screen presentation with cuts, edits, rewrites, and additions from legions of hired, fired, and rehired writers.

The only mainstays were the leading cast—well, sort of. Judy Garland was cast as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as the Wizard (and several other supporting roles), Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow/Hunk, Bert Lahr as the Lion/Zeke, Jack Haley as the Tin Man/Hickory, Billie Burke as Glinda, and Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch.

Originally, actress Gale Sondergaard was cast as the Wicked Witch, but being a bit too glamorous for such a haggy and undesirable part, Sondergaard withdrew from the production and Hamilton was offered the role just three days before filming began. Hamilton had appeared in several films for MGM by 1938, and with her distinct features and knack for spinster supports, Director Victor Fleming thought she was a natural choice for the queen of mean.

Whether or not Hamilton knew of Matilda Joslyn Gage as “the woman behind the curtain” of Baum’s novel, in her portrayal, she creatively matched the feministic intentions of the original story’s creator. While the Technicolor Wizard of Oz fostered the stereotypical image of what “witches” were believed to look like in the 1930s.

Witches were generally considered sallow, sexless figures whose rebellious and/or peculiar behavior had caused them to be ostracized by the general public. One early exception to this is Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene (1590) with the character of Acrasia, the enchantress who uses her beauty to seduce and corrupt knights. Unlike the longstanding, older, and malevolent image of witches, Acrasia is described as physically alluring and beguiling, using her appearance and charm as weapons to achieve her goals. Though still a nonconformist in Spenser’s story, Acrasia’s beauty masks her dangerous nature, a theme that has been echoed in later depictions of witches in literature and folklore, though most classic literature purports “witch” to be synonymous with “ugly.”

Nonconformist characteristics (described in horrid terms) usually included degrees of unsightly yellow or red complexions, unkempt, stringy hair, exaggerated facial features, and of course, warts. For example, William Shakespeare’s witches, the “Weird Sisters” in Macbeth, are described as dirty, haggish rebels who live separately from society and possess not only mystical powers but also distinctively masculine features such as beards. Any beauty that was ascribed to a witch before the postmodern reinvention of her image was usually only a magical cover for her “true” haggish nature, which she ruthlessly used to further her evil agenda. For better or for worse, MGM began the reinvention process of the witch, and Margaret Hamilton’s face was the canvas on which they painted—literally. With a hooked nose, green skin, pointy chin, crystal ball to spy on her enemies, and dressed all in black with a flying broom, Hamilton herself subtly fostered a more progressive approach to villainy in that inch of redemption she gifted the character through her own touch of feministic essence despite her convincing malevolence on screen.

Contrary to most villainesses in early literature, film, and television, the Wicked Witch was not a masculine character. Perhaps we wouldn’t call her “pretty” in the green paint and prosthetics, but still Hamilton brought a subtle, yet undeniable femininity to the role that changed the “look” of a “witch” in the general sense. The paradox of Hamilton’s portrayal in such a traditional era was that she brought both femininity and feminism to the characterization. Billie Burke, on the other hand, certainly brought femininity to “Good Witch Glinda,” and her delicate, docile characterization stuck closely by Baum’s original non-feministic “Good Witch.” Burke seemed to naturally exude a dainty energy and sense of glamour as Glinda, which is also what the role required, but as far as MGM was concerned, Margaret Hamilton’s subtle artistic strokes of feminism weren’t of importance just so long as she, as the “bad one” was scary and not too “pretty.”

About the author
website
Dr. Lona Bailey is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author and a leading researcher on the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her books include Uncredited: The Life and Career of Actress Virginia Gregg, Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story, Mrs. Radio: The Cathy Lewis Story, and Some Small Nobility: The Biography of Joan Banks Lovejoy. As a PhD and former therapist, Dr. Bailey is passionate about telling the untold stories of women who perhaps weren’t finished using their own voices during their earthly journeys. Her biographical works offer a balanced perspective on the multidimensional elements involved in feministic legacy maintenance, with particular interest in the preservation efforts surrounding the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Dr. Bailey's Voice of Villainy biography was a finalist in the 2023 International Book Awards and won the Gold Medal in Dan Poynter's Global Ebook Awards that same year. She has been featured on The Wolfe Den Show, in Film Daily, and The Los Angeles Tribune.

Dr. Bailey’s most recent books include Lead Thou Me On: Titanic's Countess of Rothes (Ambassador International) and The Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon (Bloomsbury), which Gregory Maguire praises as “a riveting analysis of one of the most fearful and beloved characters in our national psyche.” One of her upcoming books, Wasp Woman: Hollywood's Susan Cabot (Histria Press, 2026), is the basis for a recently completed docuseries with Embankment Films, set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.