I Smell Sheep

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Book Review: Out There Screaming Edited By Jordan Peele

Out There Screaming
Edited By Jordan Peele
October 3, 2023
Publisher: Random House
ASIN: B0BT72S8ST
ISBN: 9780593243794
The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.
The editor is Jordan Peele, director of the science fiction horror Nope and two other great horror flicks, Us and Get Out. He has brought together many great speculative fiction authors of the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. All the stories have black protagonists and antagonists. The last story is actually a script of a white boy character is taking a class and talking about white villains and black heroes that they are supposed to be.

The stories I particularly enjoyed were “Reckless Eyeballing" by N.K. Jemisin, where an African-American cop supposedly can see eyes in headlights that lets him psychically know who to pull over.

“Eye and Tooth” by Rebecca Roanhorse is about a sister, Zelda, and her brother, Atticus, who are hunters hired to take out supernatural horrors.

“Wandering Devil” by Cadwell Turnbull is about a man who never settles down, meets a woman he falls for and might even settle with until a musician called Black Billy tells him if he leaves her like his nature always does, he will go places he never dreamed of, and he does, just not where he truly expected to.

My favorite story was “Hide and Seek” by P. Djeeli Clark. Two boys, Jacob and Jamie, live with their mother. She inherited magic from her father, who was famous for being a magician. But unlike him, their mama cannot do it and uses leftover magic like a drug addict. Their father had been an addict like her, but his last taste of magic pulled apart his insides. The boys learn to run and hide from bad people, but when Mama, after taking another piece of magic she gets from a dealer called Sugar Man, is the bad person, the magic changes.

Many are great tales, although a couple did not resonate with me.

If you enjoy any of Jordan Peele’s horror movies, enjoy horror short stories, and like to learn of new authors you may not have read before, then this anthology is a good spooky autumn read for Halloween month, with a mixed collection of horror, from personal to scary to science fiction and more.

I gave Out There Screaming 4 ½ sheep

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:
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Jordan Peele is an Oscar and Emmy Award–winning writer, producer, director, and the founder of Monkeypaw Productions. His debut feature, Get Out, was released in 2017 to widespread acclaim, earning four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Original Screenplay for Peele. In 2019, Peele wrote, produced, and directed his second feature, Us, which instantly became a smash hit with audiences and critics alike, posting the largest box-office opening for an original horror movie ever. In the summer of 2022, Peele released his third feature, the sci-fi horror epic Nope, which also opened to number one at the box office. Prior to Get Out, Peele was the co-creator of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele. Across five seasons, the show’s unique take on sketch comedy became a viral sensation online. In 2012, Peele formed his film and television company, Monkeypaw Productions, to champion unconventional storytelling through genre.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Book Review: Dark Memory (A Carpathian Novel Book 37) by Christine Feehan

Dark Memory (A Carpathian Novel Book 37)
by Christine Feehan
October 3, 2023
Experience a connection that defies death in this captivating novel in Christine Feehan’s #1 New York Times bestselling Carpathian series.

Safia Meziane has trained since birth to protect her tribe, the family she holds so dear. All along she told herself the legends she was raised with were simply that. But now, she must call upon all of her skills to fight what lies ahead. Evil has come to their small town on the coast of Algeria, evil that Safia can feel but cannot see.

She is terrified she will not be able to protect the ones she loves. As her family’s “chosen one,” she has always believed she would face this task alone—until her family reveals she has been promised to a warrior who will join her. An outsider. A Carpathian. . . .

Petru Cioban is one of the oldest Carpathians in existence, and he has spent all that time without the soothing presence of his lifemate. For two thousand years he has waited for this woman to be reborn, only to find her in the sights of a monster he has fought before, a vampire risen again to finish a battle started centuries ago.

Now, Petru must face his greatest enemy and his greatest shame. He has no hope that Safia will forgive his betrayal once the memories of her past life return to her. But he will not make the same mistake again, even if he has to sacrifice everything for the woman who has claimed his immortal soul.

Amazon

This book started out incredibly slow with all the backstory about Safia's people and how her grandfather is the head of her tribe and has trained her to speak the Carpathian language for when she meets her lifemate. But he never told her that until recently and now she is not happy that the person she's supposed to marry is not someone from her tribe. Her grandfather also didn't tell her that this male she's been promised to is an immortal who drinks blood to live or that she will have to become like him in order to become his lifemate. Safia has been trained since she was very young to be the defender of her people against vampires and demons but she has yet to actually battle any. But her grandfather knows the time she will have to is fast approaching.

Safia is a warrior and when she has to face down vampires, demons and insects being controlled by evil who is out to kill her, she does so easily. She is also a tarot card reader and the cards tell her the future. When she finally meets Petru and the five Carpathian males that have accompanied him to help rid her village of the master vampires and demons that were sent there to kill her, she's not sure what to think of the male who is to be her lifemate.

This is not one of my favorites from this series because it's getting away from how this series started out with lots of Carpathians interacting with each other, nor did it bringing back characters from previous books. We don't see a lot of characters from previous books and that's a real shame, a missed opportunity right there. But I did like Petru, he was of course the typical Carpathian male who is bossy and likes to take charge but he saw Safia for the warrior she was and gave her the respect she deserved. So he at least had that going for him.

Towards the middle of the book it did pick back up and I found myself again very engaged in the story.

Dark Memory is book 37 in the Dark series by Christine Feehan, but I think it would be read as a standalone because we don't get a lot of backstory about the other characters from previous books.

I give this book 4 sheep!

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don’t mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I’ll get a certain reaction and they don’t do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

Author Anecdote - Supernatural Thriller Author Kateri Stanley + excerpt

My childhood toy foreshadowed my love for the dark and supernatural

You know, I think writing dark fiction has always been my calling. It started at a young age, before I even knew what writing was. One of the big quirks that foreshadowed this was my choice in toys.

This is Fang. He’s a teddy bear, but he’s a different type of teddy. You can turn his face inside out. He has a happy face, and an angry aggressive face, with fangs and claws.

According to my mom, I never had his face on the happy side, and he used to sit in my cot when I slept. I wonder if he was a furry gargoyle, keeping the bad spirits away. Bit ironic. I still have him to do this day and he sits at the top of my bed. My kitten is scared of him! XD

Thanks for the opportunity, Sheep. I never thought I’d write a guest blog about my favourite childhood toy. :D

Bittersweet Injuries (The Dove and Snake Series Book One)
by Kateri Stanley
Sept 28, 2023
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
ISBN: 979-8851416583
ASIN: B0C9V97SPH
Number of pages: 302
Word Count: 81K
Cover Artist: Kateri Stanley and Daniel Olah
Some secrets can last for centuries

Marcus Weaving is a retired psychology lecturer and therapist. Not a man to sit around, he volunteers at his local university. Years of clinical practice are put to the test when he receives a mischievous text from somebody called L.

Intrigued and unnerved, Marcus goes to the address provided and is welcomed by a beautiful blonde woman named Lily. Their story goes way back to his tumultuous youth when he had to flee from his abusive mother and other demons skulking around.

Timing for a romantic reunion could not be any worse. Marcus is about to become a grandfather and he has ongoing issues with his estranged, drug addicted son.

Why has Lily shown up after all of this time? And, why hasn't she aged a day?

Amazon

Excerpt Prologue

The rambler puffed and panted her way up the hill. What had started off as a pleasant morning in the beautiful rustic countryside had turned into a torrential disaster of an afternoon. She’d been strolling in a loose sweater with a fleece wrapped around her waist and now, she was thankful she’d packed the waterproofs before leaving the house.
She dug her heels into the mud, pushing on two walking poles, dragging her body towards the top. Rainwater dripped off the hood of her jacket. After several minutes of intense core strength, she managed to make it to the top of the hill and was relieved when she saw the warm lights of a nearby pub. She could take shelter and fill her stomach with cider, gravy and mashed potato.
She was not alone on the hill. Somebody else was there, mad enough to attempt to climb the rest of the mountain.

“Hey!” the rambler shouted. “I wouldn’t go up there if I were you, mate. The rain’s too heavy. You’d be better off waiting!”

The other rambler donned in the same hiking gear turned to face her. He had a druid beard which hid middle eastern features and hair so long that it spilled out of his hood. He raised his hand signifying a gesture not to be worried. Then he smiled, giving the rambler the thumbs up and continued to trudge upwards. He wasn’t wearing any walking boots. How strange. His bare feet would get cut to shreds or he’d catch some sort of infection in this weather.

The rambler glanced at the pub in a panic. She didn’t want to be responsible if the body of a man was found buried somewhere on the mountain, even though she’d tried to warn him. She turned back, the rain was hailing down. She could barely see the crown of the mountain. The strange thing was, the other rambler had vanished.
~

The coffee shop on the high street was one of his favourite places to unwind after a hard day's work. Jove acquired the booth by the front window, delicately sipping his large skinny latte. He enjoyed watching people pass by; it was humanity at its best. They were lost in their own little worlds, unaware of who was observing.

He peered at his watch, his former employee was late, whereas he on the other hand… was on time. After half an hour, he sensed a presence enter the coffee shop, then a soft manicured hand lightly brushed his shoulder.

“I think you should invest in a watch,” said Jove.

“You know I don't bother with that old fashioned garbage,” the voice replied, belonging to the woman standing before him.

Jove sighed. “I’d appreciate it if you could inform me that you’re going to be late. It’s called common courtesy. I have other places to be. You know this.”

The woman plonked her handbag on the opposing seat, disturbing the gentleman reading his newspaper in the next booth. She didn’t notice his annoyed expression, she didn’t care.

“Good place to sit,” she said. “You’ve got a keen eye. Watch my bag.”

She grabbed her purse and marched to the bar. Her sharp high heeled boots clicked and clacked on the shiny floor. Her provocative walk echoed dominance and confidence.

“Splashing out I see,” Jove commented when she returned with a large caramel macchiato and a plate of fruit toast.

“It’s a special occasion,” she replied merrily, sitting down. “Our meet-ups are important.

Oh, and by the way, it's Lucille when I'm in this skin. Respect my pronouns haha.”

“Fair enough,” Jove replied. “How have you been?”

She sucked the cream ravenously from her fingers. “Profits dropped slightly this month. I'm working on a strategy to increase the market.”

“And what is that?” he asked.

Lucille smirked. “You know I don’t part with my ideas.”

“Of course, I was just venturing.”

She wiped her hands with the napkin and began to lather the butter onto the fruit toast with a plastic knife. “You know, I truly think the modern world was made for me. The secrets, the scandals, the back stabbings. Souls willing to part with their shares for a couple of thousand followers, faking chronic illnesses for attention. Social media is a wonderful thing. It’s an all-you-can-eat-buffet of human depravity. I love it.”

Jove did not need the loaded information. He already knew about it, and it troubled him.

“How come you chose Starbucks?” Lucille bit into the toast, ripping it with her teeth, the way a predator tore into its prey. “I thought you were a Costa Coffee guy.”

“I felt like a change.”

“I agree,” Lucille nodded. “See that guy outside?”

Jove watched out of the window, noticing a tall man in a long grey overcoat with receding brown hair purchasing a Big Issue magazine.

“He sold me a share because his wife left him for his best friend. Oh, and that woman, and that fat bloke there. Infidelity is a real mood killer for passion.”

Jove caught sight of each person Lucille indicated. The crowds moved similar to a fast-pacing stream. Before he could hone in on her clients, they melted into the background of the city. A soul wafted past and he pointed at the window pane. “That girl broke her leg saving her brother from a house fire.”

Lucille rolled her eyes at his observation. “Whoop de doo. Good people, so boring. Anyway, how's everything down your way, or should I say up your way?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Does anyone ask after me?”

“Your name pops up, now and then. Not in the most civil terms, I might add.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. I'm glad I gave in my notice, no offence.”

Jove frowned. “From my recollection Lucille, you were... cast out.”

Her gaze hardened. “I walked, actually.”

“I’m not here to argue. But, if you cleansed your heart, I'd let you back in with open arms.”

“That’s sweet, but I love being my own boss.” She wiped her mouth with the napkin, careful enough so she wouldn’t smear her lipstick. “I think all of you have your wires crossed. My job isn’t much different to yours. It’s not... bad. It’s not evil either. I collect and punish the wicked and sinful. Isn’t that a good thing?”

About the Author:
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Kateri Stanley is a dark fiction author. Her books include bestselling horror debut, FORGIVE ME and fantasy thriller, FROM THE DEEP. She lives with her partner and her cat in the Midlands, UK.

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Some secrets can last for centuries
Bittersweet Injuries by Kateri Stanley
https://www.amazon.com/Bittersweet-Injuries-Kateri-Stanley/dp/B0CCCPKCSW
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Fantasy Romance: Prince of Never (Curse of Fate and Fae #1) by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade

We're celebrating the release of Prince of Never by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade, the first gorgeous book in their Curse of Fate and Fae series! Read on for more!

Prince of Never (Curse of Fate and Fae #1)
by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade
September 25, 2023
Genre: Fantasy Romance/ Fae
Destined to love him. Destined to own him. Destined to destroy him.
Only one thing stands between Tarian and his crown: a woman prophesised to be his downfall. He'd expected a formidable enemy, but what he found was a human librarian. One who seems to have a penchant for recklessness and a serious lack of self-preservation. One who poses a serious dilemma.

How to take his crown when he can't remove the one thing standing in his way?

Imogen has always fought to keep control. Control of herself, control of her life. Because when the world thinks you're crazy, you have to show you aren't. Especially when you're not sure yourself. But when a fae prince takes her to another realm, she's forced to face her biggest fears.

Was she right all along or has she finally lost her mind?

With a strange bond pulling them together and dangers lurking around every corner, will they find that love is a blessing or a curse?

Prince of Never is the captivating first book in the Curse of Fate and Fae series. If you like fated mates, political intrigue, and star-crossed love, then you'll love this seductive fantasy romance by Lorelei Johnson & Hailey Jade.

Amazon

About the Authors
Lorelei Johnson
Lorelei Johnson is an Australian romance author, primarily writing Paranormal Romance and Fantasy Romance. She graduated from Flinders University, where she studied English Literature and Creative Writing before she discovered her degree was useless and she hated studying in an institution. She went into administrative work where she learnt just enough business sense to start publishing her own books.
Lorelei is fuelled by caffeine and sarcasm, priding herself as a true 90's kid. She labels her self-publishing as anti-establishment, but really she's just a chicken who decided to avoid the gatekeepers all together and enjoy the freedom to write whatever the heck she likes. Through her writing, she likes to explore the many facets of love and revel in a little magic and a little smut, of course.

Hailey Jade
Hailey Jade has tried to quit writing, but alas, the characters who live in her head will not stop yammering. She’s hoping that building them ink-and-paper homes will make them pipe down long enough for her to get some sleep. She likes creating fantasy worlds populated by complicated, morally grey characters who try to resist their attraction to other complicated, morally-grey characters, but who inevitably fall in love, because everyone needs a Happily Ever After.

Hailey has completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Teaching at Flinders University, and spends her daylight hours trying to convince reluctant teenagers to love books. She lives in regional South Australia with her partner, bouncy baby boy, and feline overlord.

R&R Book Tours

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Funky Werepig Ep 24 Season 4 Premiere!

The Funky Werepig Show

Season 4: Episode #24

Season Premier

Hey but hey, howdy and Harroink!

Your Funky Werepig is back for big Season 4, and he's flinging all the moon pies. We got horror icon and old buddy COURTNEY GAINS in the No Pants Zone. The Boychilds favorite band VEER returns to raise hell. And Gretchen Bloom- Kinda Psychic is here to scare your children!

It was a long summer and this fall tastes like Zima. Are you ready to merge the wang with the chung? Season 4 kicks bahookie starting... Now!

COURTNEY GAINS

Actor/musician

American character actor best known for his portrayal of Malachai in the 1984 horror movie Children of the Corn.

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You can check out Courtney Gains new album and listen to the track "Look Out."

Releases Oct 2, pre-order HERE

Catch Courtney in his latest movie

VEER

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Watch their music video

"Red Tide" from their new album Soft Machines

**Make sure you don't miss the rest of the Werepig family**

-Kind of Psychic with Gretchen Bloom

-September I Smell Sheep comic book recommendation- Creepshow Volume 2 issue #1 from Image Comic!

-J.J. singing "Let's Make Love in the Glow of Your Cell Phone"

Watch the show HERE

The Funky Werepig

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Once a live internet radio show. Kind of like Animal House meets Larry King. Now a YouTube show. And no one knows what the hell Animal House or Larry King are. So throw your pants in the air like you just don't care!