New Release: Chaotic Cupids: When Love Goes Awry Anthology from Wordfire Press

Inside these pages, you’ll find tales where love has taken the path less traveled, to wondrous and unexpected destinations.

Where a romance can span 1,000 years and astronomical distances ...

Where a devil and a priest can fall in love, despite their most basic beliefs …

Where a man keeps the spirit of his wife alive through creative gardening …
You may think you know where these lovelines lead but be prepared to be delightfully wrong.

Chaotic Cupids: When Love Goes Awry
by C Marie Fuhrman, J.E. Birk, Sebastien De Castell, Kristi Charish, Kevin J. Anderson, Allyson Longueira, CL Fors, Meagan Friedman, Adelaide Halliday, Amy Liz Harrison
July 22, 2025
Love is in the air…or is it? When it comes to love, anything can go awry.

What if Cupid’s aim isn’t so perfect after all? What if the arrow finds the wrong target, or the right target at the wrong time?

Romance can blossom in an ancient castle, at a local café, or on an interstellar generation ship. But what happens when magic, technology, planetary alignments, or sheer bad luck turn romance into a disaster?
What if the meet-cute is not so cute?

What if the mystical globe crystals tell you that you have more than one soul mate?

Or what if you’re a robot who has downloaded feelings?

Here is your chance to free fall into a world where love, magic, and wonder can devolve into chaos and confusion. Upgrade your situationship with soul mates, arranged marriages, death personified, terraformers, and deals with the devil you know. These 23 original stories and poems take aim at your favorite romance tropes across galaxies, through portals, even into the afterlife…

Brought to life by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning editor Allyson Longueira—and their graduate students at Western Colorado University—Chaotic Cupids: When Love Goes Awry showcases the beautiful chaos of love in all its many and wondrous forms, with unexpected results, hilarious mistakes, and terrifying consequences. (Winged cherub optional.)
Once Upon A Time … Love got in the way. This wasn’t the plan, but the story might be better that way.

Amazon

 

https://wordfirepress.com/

 WordFire Press, a publishing company owned by New York Times bestsellers Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, seeks to publish quality works of fiction and nonfiction, while pioneering new models of cooperation and profitability among authors, readers, booksellers, and the publisher.

WordFire Press publishes works from such notable authors as Allen Drury, Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Neil Peart, Jonathan Maberry, Alan Dean Foster, Mike Baron, Carol Berg, Doug Beason, Mike Resnick, Jody Lynn Nye, Nancy Kress, Bill Ransom, Steven L. Sears, Rebecca Moesta, June Scobee Rodgers, Mario Acevedo, D.J. Butler, Bruce Taylor, Jay Lake, Ken Scholes, T. Duren Jones, Cat Rambo, Louis Moesta, Ray Kurzweil, Mercedes Lackey, Kevin O'Donnell, Jr., R. Michael Burns, Bill Fawcett, Jen Finelli, MD, M.B. Wood, Lucienne Diver, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Steven Savile, Steven-Elliot Altman, Rajnar Vajra, David Sakmyster, Edward J. Knight, Brooks Wachtel, Quincy J. Allen, and others.

WordFire Press is based in Colorado, US.

Midnight Lullabies: Unquiet Stories and Poems by Jonathan Maberry

Midnight Lullabies: Unquiet Stories and Poems
by Jonathan Maberry
September 17, 2024
www.wordfirepress.com
It's dark out there...and it lasts a long time...

Midnight Lullabies: Unquiet Stories and Poems is a collection of the horror short stories and poems-both old and new-by New York Times bestselling author and 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, Jonathan Maberry.

In the darkest hours of the night the natural world yields to the creatures who dwell in the dark. A serial killer who adopts orphaned children during the apocalypse; a heartbreaking reconciliation of two estranged brothers; a paralyzed MMA fighter receiving an offer he can't refuse; strange voices crying out from the heart of a collapsed mountain; a little girl who enlists the aid of the monsters in her closet to battle cosmic horror; a delicious revenge by a refugee from the death camps; rednecks battling zombies; a terrified child whose family has become monsters; Earth-borne horrors taking hold on an alien world; and more! Plus, new horror tales and eerie poems.

With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Joe R. Lansdale.

About the author:
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JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, editor, and comic book writer. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series. He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and action; for adults, teens and middle grade. He is the editor many anthologies including The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, Nights of the Living Dead, and others. His comics include Black Panther: DoomWar, Captain America, Pandemica, Highway to Hell, The Punisher and Bad Blood. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine, and the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. Website: www.jonathanmaberry.com Find @jonathanmaberry on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads; and https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.maberry.5/

www.wordfirepress.com

Great books. Great authors. Great readers.

New Release: The Haunted Zone: A Horror Anthology by Women Military Veterans

The Haunted Zone: A Horror Anthology by Women Military Veterans
by Sirrah Medeiros (Editor), Shad Meshad (Afterword)
4 April 2024
WOMEN WARRIORS HAUNT EACH PAGE
You've never read an anthology like this one! Not only are we highlighting twenty-one authors, but everyone involved in this project, including the artists, all are military veterans.

Within these pages of exceptional stories, poems, and art, you will find experienced writers alongside remarkable, fresh voices in horror. They bring to the page classic horror as well deeply haunting issues such as domestic violence, suicide, the trauma of war, loss, and the emotions entwined in these topics, weaving terrifying tales that bring us together in our humanity. Women warriors who express what we fear speaking about with others, carrying the pack of societal burdens, at home and on the battlefield of life.

Half of the stories have accompanying illustrations by U.S. Marine Corps veteran and combat artist, Elize McKelvey.

Are you brave enough to venture forward? Open the spine if you dare.

Featuring 26 stories and poems from:
Querus Abuttu, Rachel A. Brune, Pamela K. Kinney, K. P. Kulski, Rook Riley, Janine K. Spendlove, and many more.

 

Proceeds will be donated to the NATIONAL VETERANS FOUNDATION, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for their Women Veterans Resources and Support Programs. For more information, visit www.nvf.org.

Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe by Tim DeRoche (Author), Daniel González (Illustrator)

For fans of Lemony Snicket or Shel Silverstein.

Welcome to the tour for Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe by Tim DeRoche. Read on for more details!

Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe
by Tim DeRoche (Author), Daniel González (Illustrator)

January 24th, 2023 (In honor of Lewis Carroll’s birthday)
Genre: Children’s Humorous Poetry/ Grades 1 – 12
Publisher: Redtail Press
If your moral character is flimsy
Or your wit be rather slow,
Oh dare not read these tales of whimsy
For often do they end in woe.

Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe is quite possibly the most dangerous book of poetry ever written. Do you dare? It’s so good it will make you sneeze. What becomes of a girl who absolutely detests the color green? What about a king who joins a punk band? And the little boy who calls up God on the telephone? Monsters, bears, wizards, and talking vegetables―This book has something for everyone. Winner of the prestigious Baldersquash Medal, which honors the very best in highfalutin nonsense.

Tim DeRoche and Daniel González, author and illustrator of the best-selling Ballad of Huck & Miguel, return with a book of verse that will delight anyone who loves Lemony Snicket or Shel Silverstein.
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About the Author
Website
Kirkus Review
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Tim DeRoche emigrated to California to attend Pomona College, where he studied English literature. His first book, The Ballad of Huck & Miguel, was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, the LA Review of Books, and the Mark Twain Forum. It was also selected by the Pasadena Public Library as the “One City, One Story” book for the Summer of 2019.

He has served as executive producer and writer of the children’s science series Grandpa’s Garage, produced by Turner, and is a graduate of the PBS Producers Academy at WGBH in Boston.

Tim lives with his wife Simone and three young kids in the La Crescenta neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Twitter: @timderoche @RRBookTours1 #RRBookTours

IG: @timderoche @rrbooktours #rrbooktours #talesofwhimsyversusofwoe #poetrybooks #funnypoetry #childrensbooks #kidsbookstagram

Book Tour Schedule

June 5th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-off

https://www.instagram.com/thrillersandcoffee/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/ - Review

https://mamof9.blogspot.com/ - Feature

https://www.instagram.com/booktales_o_artistry/?utm_medium=copy_link – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/balancing_books_and_beauties/ - Review

http://www.thefaeriereview.com - Review

June 6th

https://aubreywynne.com/ - Feature

https://www.instagram.com/jaslikestoread/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/jlreadstoperpetuity - Review

https://www.instagram.com/seetaylorreview/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/froggyreadteach/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/louturnspages/ - Review

June 7th

https://www.instagram.com/Audreymckenzie_reads/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/get.outside.and.read/?r=nametag – Review

https://www.instagram.com/sogladtoreadyou/ - Review

http://www.ismellsheep.com/ - Feature

https://www.instagram.com/808bookdr/ - Feature

https://www.instagram.com/bookswithachanceof/ - Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

June 8th

https://www.instagram.com/onemoreexclamation/ - Review

https://onemoreexclamation.com/

https://www.instagram.com/libertylanecreative/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/magicalmushroombookshelf/ - Review

https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/ - Feature

June 9th

https://countrymamaswithkids.com/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/dany.alvy/ - Review

https://www.superkambrook.com/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/definitelynotreading/ - Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookishlykenia/ - Review

Book Tour Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

Poet LindaAnn LoSchiavo: The Importance of Writing the Historical Witch Poem

The Importance of Writing the Historical Witch Poem

Historical witches and suicides get a bad rap. Instead of media coverage exploring the human being’s life, the point of fascination becomes the gruesome finale. In the case of a suicide, the where and how to provoke the most curiosity. Pills? Drowning? Asphyxiation? As one example, singer-author Susannah McCorkle was accorded far more news coverage for her dramatic leap from her Manhattan balcony at age 55 than for her entire career.

So-called “witches” fared even worse since their lives were extinguished by others due to Britain’s Witchcraft Acts or the 1692 persecutions in Salem, Massachusetts when at least 200 men and women were on trial for practicing “the devil’s magic.” Twenty were executed.

In New England, the first locals to be called “witches” were Tituba Indian (c.1680 – c.1693?), Sarah Good (1653 – July 19, 1692), and Sarah Osborne (c. 1643 – May 10, 1692). All three females were considered to be social outcasts –though for different reasons. Tituba had been purchased as a slave in Barbados and brought to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.Sarah Good was the daughter of a well-to-do tavern owner who had committed suicide; when his lavish estate was divided among his widow and two sons, the law left seven daughters with a mere pittance. In contrast,Sarah Osborne was a wealthy widow who purchased the freedom of an indentured servant and wed him, an act that violated the town’s norms.

What saved Tituba’s life was her willingness to “confess,” giving testimony about “a coven” in Salem. Eventually set free and sold again, Tituba’s story ended. “She disappeared from the historical record from that point on,” according to historian Veta Smith Tucker.

Reclaiming the life history of long-ago witches is never an easy matter for researchers. Nevertheless, this has merit for its own sake and might even counterbalance the injustice. Poets, writers, musicians, and historical societies can make a difference.

Fortunately, others share my viewpoint about the need for legacy management.

Poetic lyrics of “Sarah Good” by the South Carolina metal band "Buried Voices" commemorate the 39-year-old woman who died in her prison cell instead of “confessing.”

Thanks to the Peabody Historical Society, the last two victims of Salem’s witch hunting, farmer Giles Corey (c. August 1611 – September 19, 1692) and Martha Corey (c.1619 – September 22, 1692) have their own memorial at Salem Farms (now Peabody). The 150-acre property the Coreys had once owned has been revitalized through a multi-year project completed in November 2018. In addition to a large fountain, two docks, a gazebo, and picnic tables, there are two memorial stones for Giles and Martha Corey along with new signage telling their life stories and explaining the unfair verdicts and cruel deaths they faced.

Perhaps ashamed about this miscarriage of justice, Salem judges decided they would no longer accept “spectral evidence” during a trial, which brought accusations to an abrupt halt in Massachusetts. And though magistrates in Connecticut and New York were disinclined to punish an adult accused of witchcraft, level-headed tolerance did not extend to townsfolk who were quick to shun or harass anyone who was outspoken, reclusive, or different– such as Hulda, known as “the Westchester witch.”

 

A plain-faced, unmarried Bohemian immigrant who lived alone in the woods, Hulda inspired gossip and awe throughout Westchester County. In the third paragraph of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (published in 1820), Washington Irving refers to her: “Some say that the place was bewitched by a High German doctor, during the early days of the settlement…”The foreigner’s keen knowledge of medicinal herbs and frequent trade with native indigenous tribes made her the object of constant speculation among the Dutch villagers. “He was a brave man who passed the cottage of the witch, even in the daytime,” wrote historian Edgar Mayhew Bacon in “Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow” (published in 1897).

Fortunately, even modern storytellers refused to let Hulda’s deeds go unnoticed. Her reputation grew with the popularity of current books such as Jonathan Kruk’s “Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley” (published in 2011), which devoted a chapter to the “witch of Sleepy Hollow.” Tourists would congregate at Old Dutch Church, puzzled that Hulda had no memorial there, irate that no sign was posted near her former cabin by Spook Rock.

Finally, the historical society made amends. According to The Times-Union newspaper: In 2019, a headstone, crafted in the style of an 18th-century monument with a winged soul soaring above her name, was erected at the Old Dutch Church burial ground, remembering “Hulda of Bohemia” who “died c. 1777. Herbalist, Healer, Patriot. Felled by British while protecting the Militia. Buried here in gratitude for her sacrifice.”
Take a moment to appreciate the irony herein.

Fictional witches come in many forms—good and bad, Witches of the East and Witches of the West, Baba Yaga, Sabrina, etc. — and yet all are appreciated because of supernatural abilities invested in them by wordsmiths. When a poem or story includes a witch, power is the key factor that sets the character apart. In contrast, society did Hulda and others wrong because they had no power.

In her article for Tor, Sarah Gailey expanded upon this concept: “When we write witches, we are writing about our expectations of women, and what we hope—and fear—they would do if they had access to power. Fictional witches act as ciphers that help us understand something that seems at once mysterious and brilliant and sinister: a woman’s ultimate, unlimited potential… realized.”

Bewitchment is also on the mind of Fire Lyte, a Simon and Schuster author who has interviewed self-identified witches as well as fairy experts, paranormal investigators, etc. on his podcast “Inciting A Riot.” In an article for Writer’s Digest, Fire Lyte explained: “The witch is typically portrayed as having eschewed societal norms and found power elsewhere that allows them to right wrongs and reach an equity they’ve previously been denied.”

Several poems on historical witches are in my manuscript, “Always Haunted.” The pen is mightier than life stories crumbled into anonymous dust. The act of writing resuscitates a historical witch. I encourage readers to dig into the archives, find your witches, and let them breathe, dance, and charm on the page.

Messengers of the Macabre: Halloween Poems
LindaAnn LoSchiavo, and David Davies
18th October 2022
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Nat 1 Publishing LLC
ASIN: B0B3NK7QG6
Number of pages: 49
Word Count: 6,400 approx.
Cover Artist: Benyamin Agum
Your portal to the dark side

All Hallows’ Eve, Samhain, Day of the Dead… during this interval, the barriers between the two realms are thinnest. Normal turns paranormal; what's natural becomes the supernatural. That's when the messengers of the macabre are in their rightful element.

Step inside this collaborative chapbook and embrace a haunted harvest of verses embracing bewitchment, boneyards, and all things that go... BOO!

Amazon-Amazon CA-AmazonUK

About the Author:
LinkTr.ee

Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoSchiavo, a Pushcart Prize, Rhysling Award, Best of the Net, and Dwarf Stars nominee, is a member of SFPA, The British Fantasy Society, and The Dramatists Guild.

Elgin Award winner “A Route Obscure and Lonely,” “Concupiscent Consumption,” “Women Who Were Warned,” and “Messengers of the Macabre” by Audience Askew [October 2022] are her latest poetry titles.

Up next: a tombstone-heavy collection in hardcover by Beacon Books.

She has been leading a poetry critique group for two years.

Her Texas Guinan film won “Best Feature Documentary” at N.Y. Women’s Film Fest (Dec. 2021).

Whimsical collection of poems and songs: Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia by Julia Hengst + giveaway

It's such a pleasure to share this beautiful book with you all! Songs from Mermaidia, by Julia Hengst, will delight kids and parents alike!

Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia
by Julia Hengst

May 14th, 2021
Genre: Children/ Songs/ Poetry/ Puns

36 pages

6 - 12 years
The magic universe of mermaids, full of laughter, song and delight: help your child discover self-confidence and find their inner flow by diving deep into the magical world of Mermaidia. Venus Underwater: Songs from Mermaidia introduces the underwater world of Mermaidia. This humorous and whimsical collection of poems and songs reveals how baby mermaids are made, what mermaid families are like, and how mermaids study magic at School of the Fish to become Sea Witches (not Sand Witches). Created by family therapist Julia Hengst the Venus and Her Fly Trip series helps nurture the whole child, promoting self-esteem, confidence and social/emotional/mental health in a fun, playful way.

Goodreads-Amazon

About the Author
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Julia Hengst is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an avid surfer, traveler and word nerd who resides in Maui. Passionate about psychology, spirituality and media literacy, she holds an undergraduate degree in Media Studies from UC Berkeley, a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology, and an imaginary degree from the University of Puns. www.venusandherflytrip.net

Twitter Tags:

@RRBookTours1 #RRBookTours #Mermaids #KidsBooks

IG Tags:

@venusandherflytrip @shannon_rrbooktours #songsofmermaidia #rrbooktours #mermaids #childrensbooks #kidsbooks

Giveaway: 

Win a copy of the book (digital or print) and a $25 Amazon e-gift card! (Digital for International Winners/ Print for US)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scifi Haikus For Mara’s Awakening by Leo Flynn

Hi, I'm Leo Flynn, the author of Mara’s Awakening. I write science fiction and poetry, but it never occurred to me to combine them!

Without further ado, I present a compilation of my attempt at science fiction haikus, inspired by my debut book. Enjoy!

Confined

in solitary

trapped here, for six years

she's slowly drowning

Scarred

forsaken woman

battles cut on her face

how did she remain

Locked Away

secrets she hides

in those weary eyes

forgot how to feel

Young Reptilian

serpentine boy

nobility defined

why is he here

Cybernetics

half silver, half flesh

she walks, hydraulics whine

part of her isn't hers

Change

something is wrong

the galaxy is changing

her bones feel it

Her State Of Mind

a stagnant river

a lost, listless entity

for eternity

Haunted

the demons and ghosts

that live inside her

relentless terror

Irresponsible

lackadaisical

ignoring the ugly chaos

she helped create

Plotting

she machinates

if only the woman saw

what was in store

How She Was

equanimity

they admired that in her

now, lost forever

Unyielding

she, refractory

the most feared inmate

they can't tame her

Betrayal

this thing, betrayal

she knows it like herself

she knows all too well

The first in an explosive science fiction series of short stories, this is an action-packed and addictive book from an emerging author.

Mara’s Awakening: Space Opera Adventure Novelette (Book 1 Of The Mara Files)

by Leo Flynn

Mara Keres. A trained warrior and formerly highly respected peacekeeper.

Note "formerly."

Once, she had her life under control. Once, she had the trust of the galaxy.

Now she rots in the same prison she used to sentence people to. Solitary confinement for six years. Would've brought anyone else to their knees.

Not her.

Then an offer resurfaces, almost too good to be true. Ghosts of her past and demons come back to haunt her, will she ever make it out alive?

Sometimes, facing your worst memories is worth the risk.

Featuring a badass anti-hero, secrets, betrayals, twists and turns, this gripping story will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.

Amazon-Goodreads

Mara's Choice: Space Opera Adventure Novelette (Book 2 Of The Mara Files)

Excerpt From The Book

The light faded

Like a starship jumping into hyperspace

It disappeared

Lost forever

————————————————————

Cackling laughter, a blinding flash, and screams of the dead and dying.

Distant starship gunfire lighting up the sky above. A small settlement in flames.

She awoke, body wracked with pain, sweat pouring down her forehead. A strangled scream erupted from her throat, her breathing heavy, haggard, and slow.

No... Just... another dream.

++++++++++++++++

Scratch. A single slash across a series of little straight lines. Bloody h*ll... already? Today marked her sixth year in prison -- six, long, years.

Groaning, she stood, shivers running down her spine.

Just a dream. Just a dream.

The shiny surface of the wall caught her reflection. Stopping, she stared. A dark-skinned, gaunt face, years of stress etched across her cheekbones and forehead. Hair going grey at the roots. To think she was only forty-something.

She dropped to the floor, jumping straight into an exercise routine. Stop thinking about it!

Coming into pushups, she struggled to do them in full. Bloody hand restrainer, useless for everything. Suppose that was what they wanted.

Sweat poured down her cheeks, arms shaking with the effort. Keep going.

++++++++++++++++

She slumped to the ground, exhausted.

Moments passed, and the woman dragged a loose stone out from the ground. Hands trembling, she pulled the precious object out, gently and slowly. The smooth fabric cooled her quivering, sweaty fingers.

A thick sash of red, gold, and green symbolizing both a triumphant and harrowing victory. They could take everything from her, but she would never forget what she'd done, who she was. She was a warrior -- a war hero. The only thing left of her former self, and she would cling to it forever.

Click, clack, clunk. Her head snapped up. Gears in the door turned, spinning faster as bolts thrust open.

What...?

Fumbling to hide it, she dragged the stone back across, evidence of a hidey-hole disappearing. Under her clothes went the prized object, warm and reassuring against her cold chest. She scrambled back, head thundering, eyes wide with anticipation.

Blinding light. A short, stocky figure with light brown skin, wearing a uniform covered in badges, stood over her. "Mara."

She rubbed her eyes. Was she hallucinating?

"Your behavior has improved. We have decided solitary confinement is no longer necessary."

She tried to form a reply, nothing came. She hadn't spoken since... Who knew? All her mouth could manage was a grunt.

"You shall be transferred to your new cell, effective immediately. Stand."

Her leg groaned under the sudden effort. No, come on! It whirred into life; she stood, towering over her Warden.

"Well?"

"Aye... Ma'am."

Her first words in years.

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
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Leo Flynn writes poetry & gripping, action-packed SciFi, like The Mara Files, his debut, an exciting science fiction short story series.

Other galaxies, reading, talking too much about writing and music consume his waking hours.

Characters write haikus about their author Dick Denny...

Three characters from Nick Decker Paranormal Private Investigator Mystery Series wrote haikus about their author, Dick Denny.

Nick Decker Haiku 

Author who writes me 

Is a really big piece of shit 

I need a good scotch 

Gretchen Haiku 

Author’s name is Dick 

He easily lives up to it. 

Ninja Stripper, sure… 

Jammer Haiku 

What’s a Taquito? 

It’s Spanish for Small Taco 

I like Taquitos

Paved with Good Intentions

by Dick DennyJuly 1st, 2019
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Cover Designer: Dawne Dominique
Editor: Steve Soderquist
Publisher: Foundations Book Publishing
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
“Just as HILLARIOUS and ACTION-PACKED as the first! Hold onto your scotch and taquitos, this one’s another wild, supernatural ride…”

When you do a job for Hell, Heaven expects the same.

When Archangel Gabrielle shows up at the door of Decker Investigations offering some kick-ass cars in exchange for a job, Nick takes it just to keep the peace. But finding the Spear of Destiny while dealing with the Teutonic Knight hit teams and Douchebag Demon Worshiping Academics is a tall order.

Good thing Nick and Jammer’s old buddy Switch is in town.

Bouncing between the halls of academia, upper crust parties, clandestine meets in a parking garage, a mall’s food court, and… as always… Sharky’s, the crew has their work cut out for them.

At least the gang gets to enjoy the world’s best meatball sub. And Nick and Gretchen finally squeeze in a real date.

But everyone seems to forget the road to Hell is… well, you know.

Paved with Good Intentions is Book Two of the Nick Decker series, a Supernatural Thriller Trilogy. Enter at your own risk!

Hell for the Company | Paved with Good Intentions

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Goodreads

A veteran of the 82nd Airborne and a graduate of Auburn University. Dick Denny is a disappointment to his family, a fun guy to be around, and a handy guy to have about in a pinch.

Book Review: Steam and Steel: Thirteen Riveting Tales Edited by D. M. Patterson

Steam and Steel: Thirteen Riveting Tales

Edited by D. M. Patterson

Contributors: Valentine Wolfe, David Lee, Michael Parodi, Matt and Lori DeLoach, S. A. Cosby, Jeanne Lark Wilkins, D. M. Patterson, Hunter Royall, Charlie Stayton, Stephen Chapman, J.M. Lee, Nicole R. Ordway, and Fred El Maafer.

December 1, 2017

190 pages
Publisher: HCS Publishing
ASIN: ISBN: 9781981189410
We invite you to find a comfortable spot and settle in for thirteen remarkable stories based on the imagination of the authors of HCS Publishing. This anthology focuses on our love of the Steampunk genre and each individual’s interpretation of bringing gadgets to life. Tales of time travel, war, mechanical mermaids, flying apparati, finding love, and losing loved ones, are all themes we hope will entertain and inspire you.

Steam & Steel: Thirteen Riveting Tales is a steampunk anthology. Not only are there thirteen stories and poetry, but illustrations, too. Be careful what you wish for when you think with time, you might be bargaining with the Devil in “The Morgan Aeronautical” by David Lee. In Stephen Chapman’s story, “The Crimson Curmudgeon,” an ill-tempered gun is used to capture a villain. Jill charges her landship into battle to recapture a well in D. M. Patterson’s reworking of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme into the story, “To Fetch a Pail of Water.” Valentine Wolfe leads the anthology in a lovely poem, “Taphophilia,” in finding beauty in death. In “Mabel” by J. M. Lee, a doctor replaces legs with mechanical fins on children and on adults (beginning with soldiers during the Civil War). The kids and their parents lived in an underwater colonization under the Chesapeake Bay, named “Atlantis” after the mythological city. Over the years, the doctor has noticed babies born without legs, making it easy to put on the fins. Mabel receives her tail for the first time, and each night in her dreams she swims, doing it in real time like a sleepwalker, only she was a sleepswimmer.


The stories I enjoyed were “Memories of Amethyst,” “Mabel,” “To Fetch a Pail of Water,” the poem, “Taphophilia,” and “Diebus Tarde.” The rest were either just okay, or they didn’t work for me.

If you enjoy steampunk, you might read these stories to fine new authors.

I give Steam & Steel: Thirteen Riveting Tales 3 1/2 sheep.

Pamela K. Kinney

Book Review: Best of Apex Magazine Edited By: Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner

Best of Apex Magazine
Edited By: Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner
January 12, 2016
Pages: 257
Whether wandering down endless stairwells, searching for answers in the desert, or reaching out to the stars, for more than six years Apex Magazine has entertained readers with stories that are strange, beautiful, shocking, and surreal. Now, for the first time, editors Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner are collecting the award winning and nominated stories, those chosen by readers as Story of the Year, and their own personal favorites into one anthology.

A Veil that wipes the experiences of war from soldiers’ memories. A witch who faces down both God and the devil to save a soul. A swaying dance that crosses the galaxy to transmit a message. A vampire caught in a web of politics and law by his responsibility to his family. Within this collection, you will find 21 stories that explore what it means to love, to regret, to be human.

With stories by Ursula Vernon, Ken Liu, Rachel Swirsky, Sarah Pinsker, Rich Larson, and more, Best of Apex Magazine: Volume 1 brings readers some of the best stories Apex Magazine has published so far.

Apex Magazine has put together a collection of Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner’s favorite stories throughout the years. The magazine was filled with many unique stories. Some I liked and some I didn’t but I think they were all well written. Here are a few of the stories I enjoyed with quick synopses of each. Since I can’t say something about every story I liked I do want to mention this is worth the read. You may find like I did that not all the stories are to your tastes but there are many in here that will grab your imagination.

Advertising at the End of the World by Keffy R.M. Kehrli is a story where advertisements are real and go door to door trying to sell something. After the death of her husband, the ads started to transform into looking like him to try sell things to Marie. Not wanting to look at a fake image of her dead husband Marie uses her retirement and life insurance money and moves to Montana. It had been quite a few years since the world ended when Marie wakes up one morning to find advertisements destroying her flower garden. After the world ended they had no direction and just wandered. I think the reason I liked the story so much was because it really shows how our lives are dominated by advertising.

A Matter of Shapespace by Brian Trent is a story where everything is consciousness and people live in a virtual world. Jacob lives in a stationary house which is a permanent fixture but if Jacob really wanted to spend the money he could have a mobile homespace where he could conjure it anywhere with anything. Items appear in the home by stating what you want and it’s conjured. Then the glitch happened. A pyramid appeared that he hadn’t requested. He thought he’d been hacked only to find it was his friend Jocelyn who had been serving time in cloudspace. The author really painted a picture of our world now and how we are slaves to so many things in our lives and the destruction around us.

Build-A-Dolly by Ken Liu is a story about dolls that can be anything their owner wants. The can be a baby, a friend, a parent, anything. But what happens when the child gets too old to play with dolls? This story is a quick story about the love a doll feels for its owner and where it goes to die.

Getting 4 sheep

Denise B

www.apex-magazine.com

https://twitter.com/apexmag

About the Editors:

Jason Sizemore

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Born the son of an unemployed coal miner in a tiny Kentucky Appalachian villa named Big Creek (population 400), Jason fought his way out of the hills to the big city of Lexington. He attended Transylvania University (real school with its own vampire) and received a degree in computer science. Since 2004, he has owned and operated Apex Publications. He is the editor of five anthologies, author of Irredeemable and For Exposure: The Life and Times of a Small Press Publisher, a three-time Hugo Award loser, an occasional writer, and usually can be found wandering the halls of hotel conventions seeking friends and free food.

Lesley Conner

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Is a writer, social media editor and marketing leader for Apex Publications, and Managing Editor for Apex Magazine. She spends her days pestering book reviewers, proofreading, wrangling slush, doling out contracts, and chatting about books, writing, and anything else that crosses her mind on the @ApexBookCompany Twitter account. Most of her nights are spent with a good book and a glass of wine. Her alternative history horror novel, The Weight of Chains, was recently published by Sinister Grin Press.

They Say the Sirens Left the Seas a book of poetry by James Hutchings + excerpt

A while back we reviewed a collection of poems and stories, The New Death and Others by James Hutchings (review). He has recently released another collection called They Say the Sirens Left the Seas. James was kind enough to share something from the collection. Take a read and check out both books. They are only $.99.

  

The Cat and the Toad

At the dawn of the world on a tree-sheltered road
an agreeable cat met a horrible toad.When the cat saw its neighbor it fearfully shook
for in those days all creatures would act as they looked
and the toad was all warty, and bulging, and slimy.
The trembling cat mewed a terrified "Blimey!"
(more vigorous oaths had not yet been discovered)
and looked at the evil made plain on the other
one hideous sin for each hideous feature.
"Oh please do not kill me, most wicked of creatures!"
it begged without hope. But the toad thought awhile
then it gave what might almost have been called a smile
and it said, "You may keep what you carry within
but if you are to live, you must give me your skin."
Now the cat had no choice, though it bitterly cried
but to take off its fur and to put on the hide
of the venomous toad, and no creatures had made
such a villainous threat, such a terrible trade.
Then the cat hopped away where it once would have strode
for the toad was a cat, and the cat was a toad.

This explains why the toad, though so utterly charmless
is gentle in nature and totally harmless
while cats appear graceful and splendid and good
but would murder us all in our beds if they could.

(Disclaimer: This only refers to other cats. Your cat is lovely of course)

They Say the Sirens Left the Seas
By James Hutchings

The last dragon faces his death...

A magician bases his life on a misheard word...

A teenager goes looking for his friends' girlfriends, none of whom have ever been seen...

46 poems by James Hutchings.

Amazon-Smashwords

About the Author:
website
James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia. He fights crime as Poetic Justice, but his day job is acting. You might
know him by his stage-name 'Brad Pitt.' His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly and
Wisdom Crieth Without among other markets. His ebook collection 'The New Death and others' is now available from
Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and DriveThruFiction.

both books are only $.99

can buy on Smashwords