True Fodder by S.L. Dearing – Cover Reveal

True Fodder
A Horror Short Story
by
S.L. Dearing

My latest tiny tale is that of terror, ladies and gentlemen.
It will be available to the masses on October 21, 2014.

When Jackson Montgomery and Miranda Stuart are partnered up during the company Team Building weekend, neither of them could be less thrilled. Out in the middle of a forest, paint-ball guns in hand, the duo set off to “take down” their peers. Yet in the process, they wander off course, and when they set off to find their way back, they run across a fairy ring, and temptation.

Things aren’t always what they appear and when these “frenemies” are pulled into a nightmare, can they put aside their differences and escape?

True Fodder is a Paranormal Horror Short Story.

Add to your reading list today!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23299378-true-fodder
But for the moment, here is my AMAZING cover,
designed by Rene Folsom at Phycel Designs… Enjoy

Welcome, Oh Wonderful October!! I have missed you!!

October!  The month of scary things. Monsters, Ghosts, Ghouls, Zombies, Witches… the list goes on an on.  It’s my favorite month.  It’s when the weather begins to cool down and fall makes it’s presence known.  I live in Southern California (many of you screaming “You  Have NO Seasons!!”)  Yes, we do… the temperature changes, we have trees like oaks and elms and the leaves change colors and fall off.  Just because it doesn’t snow, doesn’t mean we don’t have seasons, but I digress, I love the autumn!! it’s when you can smell the fireplaces kicking on, candy is in abundance and of course… Halloween!!

The first of the month starts off with 31 Days of Halloween.  What is that? That is a scary movie every day.  Find a Channel:  SyFy, AMC, TNT, Chiller… They are showing scary movies, documentaries, TV Shows.  It Halloween my favorite holiday.  Well, it’s one of them.  The other is Christmas.  But I love them the same.  The nostalgia and the joy they both bring are like nourishment for my soul.

As I write this, Friday the 13th is on.  A massive marathon of the terror known as Jason Vorhees.  Well, the whole Vorhees clan really… The original Friday the 13th came out in 1980.  I remember because I was 12.  And I was at horse Camp, for two weeks.  Well, one of the girls in my unit, her family came and she left for the day.  When she returned, We learned about everything that happened in Friday the 13th.  Why?  Well, mom and dad had taken her and her brother and sister to see it.  I heard the entire movie before I ever saw it… and I was in love.  We sat around her listening intently as she described every minute of the movie.  It was our campfire tale!!  I have always been attracted to horror and scary, still am to this day.  I look for well written or beautifully executed frights.  They are harder to find nowadays.  but we do find them on occasion.  Well, movies… I find some amazing new horror authors all the time.

Well, here you are, October and I’m so glad to see you!! Let’s have some fun!!

A Menu of Death by Lucy Pireel – Book Blast and Giveaway

A Menu of Death

A collection of stories centered around vengeance, obsession, cravings, and life.

Pick one item of the Menu or devour the entire buffet
Make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew
Read, but not with greed for
Death awaits, ready to come and collect its due

These eight short stories revolve around obsession, revenge, craving, love, and Death. Whether it be a woman in need of rescue, a man who hungers for his wife, a demon lost, or wishes come true, all characters want something. Badly.
But … You can’t always get what you want, but you might just get what you need.

Available at:
Amazon
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-menu-of-death
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/358650
Whitcoulls
iTunes
Barnes&Noble
Sony

About the author

Lucy Pireel is a writer who doesn’t let herself be restricted to any one genre. She loves to write in whatever direction her current story leads her.  When she’s not writing, or reading, she is practicing or teaching yoga, her other passion. Or she could be on a long hike somewhere in the beautiful British nature.

Being an author it is almost a given she has a great love for chocolate and coffee to live on while writing, but she doesn’t shy away from trying to prepare intricate dishes, for cooking is another thing she enjoys.

Should you want to follow her she can be found at:
http://www.lucypireel.com
http://www.lucypireel.wordpress.com
https://plus.google.com/u/0/105731497321102858244/posts
https://twitter.com/LucyPireel
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorpageLucyPireel
http://lucypireel.booklikes.com/
http://www.authorsdb.com/component/content/article/8-authors/874-lucy-pireel
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6536994.Lucy_Pireel
http://about.me/lucypireel

 Please Enter the Rafflecopter.  The Link is below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TWIST Reviews – One Story at a Time – Bloodlines by S.L. Dearing

Disclaimer: These reviews pertain to stories in the anthology – Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST.  I have a story in this book (Bloodlines – I won’t be reviewing my story ;), so many feel that I cannot objectively review other stories in the same book I am also featured in… that being said, to each their own, I know my own level of integrity.  Thus, people can choose to believe me or not.  I want to review them and give my opinion… so I am.

Synopsis: When two children witness the abduction of their mother by the Gestapo, they are whisked away to France, where in the safety of the forest, they discover who they really are…

Review: Nope!! This is my story, the one I won’t review… well, because it’s mine and I already know how I feel about it.  I love it, but I’m biased.  So instead, I have put an Excerpt below.  Hope you enjoy… and maybe want to know how it ends 😉

Bloodlines

“I didn’t ask you to find just any children, Lieutenant Henke! I want those children! Idiot!”

The SS officer bowed his head, clicking the heels of his black boots together.

“My apologies, General. I was led to believe these children would be taken to Birkenau at Doctor Mengele’s request… for the Twins project.”

The SS General looked at the young lieutenant with disdain. The fair-haired Aryan youth was rising in the ranks of the SS due only to his fanatical obsession with the Fuhrer and the influence of his father. The lines around General Heinrich Muller’s mouth deepened. Idiots…everywhere.

“It is not your concern why I want these children… just find them! These specific children! And when you do, you will come and tell me and I will retrieve them! Do you remember the names I gave you?”

“Yes, General! Sascha and Eduard Engel!”

“Good… then locate them immediately and return to me and me only. Now Go!”

The lieutenant nodded and raised his arm.

“Sieg Heil!”

Muller raised his arm and clicked his heels together.

“Sieg Heil!”

Lt. Fritz Henke lowered his arm and turned, promptly walking towards the giant, black oak doors. He opened them and exited, then spun around and closed them behind him.

Muller pushed his chair away from his desk and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked out at the dark streets of Berlin, watching the rain fall hard and fast on the unhappy passersby. The Master’s plan was almost complete. The Chosen were being eradicated from the planet and the sheep were following the puppet. The only thing left to do was to find the children. His face twisted into a grimace, his blood pumping furiously to his brain as he clenched his hand into a fist. He had been so close before, but that bitch wouldn’t tell him anything. They had somehow gotten the children to a new location. He began to sneer. He would find them… and when he did, no one would be able to save them.

The bright light of the moon shone through the little window above the bed of Sascha and Eduard Engel, illuminating the tiny room where they slept. Eduard breathed deeply, lost in the world of sleep as his sister lay quietly next to him. She stared at the sky through the glass, the tiny flakes of snow gently falling from heaven. She twirled an oval, bronze pendant in her fingers and smiled. She remembered her mother. Her mama had always told her that snow was God’s way of sending little pieces of heaven to his people on earth so they would remember Him. Sascha missed her. ~~~

Well, there you have a snippet of my story… unfortunately, if you want more (which I hope you do – Please…) you have to get the book. 🙂  If you’re interested in any of my other writings, they are below.  Nothing like a little shameless plug, right?  Thanks… one more TWIST review to go!!!

S. L. Dearing was raised in California and grew up in Arizona. Shannon attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, studying biology, then moved to Los Angeles where she spent several years studying at Los Angeles City College’s renowned Television/ Film program. She has worked on several film projects in many capacities, like First A.D. and Producer. She is a book reviewer for the Big Blend Magazine and has her own blog where she posts about life and books. Shannon has been writing since grade school, but over the years she has written several screenplays, poems and short stories. The Gathering is her first novel. Shannon currently lives in the No Ho Arts District of the San Fernando Valley of Southern California.

Follow Shannon Website: http://www.sldearing.com

Amazon Autor Page: http://www.amazon.com/S.-L.-Dearing/e/B00AWIC4JK

TWIST Reviews – One Story at a Time – Little Tchotchkes by Nicki Scalise

Disclaimer: These reviews pertain to stories in the anthology – Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST.  I have a story in this book (Bloodlines – I won’t be reviewing my story ;), so many feel that I cannot objectively review other stories in the same book I am also featured in… that being said, to each their own, I know my own level of integrity.  Thus, people can choose to believe me or not.  I want to review them and give my opinion… so I am.

Synopsis: What is a vampire to do when he has to feed?  He hunts, but the game of cat and mouse this vampire plays may be his undoing.

Review: This story was GREAT!!  Talk about a beautifully written exercise in terror.  Nicki Scalise has written a fantastic tale.  I can’t give anything away, but this was wonderful!  Seriously, well written, well thought out and what a TWIST!!  Definitely a 5 star read!!

Nicki Scalise has also contributed to Apocalypse: An Anthology by Readers & Authors.

Nicki Scalise is co-founder of A Thousand Lives Book Blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and menagerie of pets. When not sitting at her desk staring blankly into space she is hard at work on her first novel.

You can read her book reviews and general ramblings at:

Blog: http://www.thousandlivesbookblog.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ Pageturnersbookaddicts

TWIST Reviews – One Story at a Time – Number 18 by Michael Loring

Disclaimer: These reviews pertain to stories in the anthology – Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST.  I have a story in this book (Bloodlines – I won’t be reviewing my story ;), so many feel that I cannot objectively review other stories in the same book I am also featured in… that being said, to each their own, I know my own level of integrity.  Thus, people can choose to believe me or not.  I want to review them and give my opinion… so I am.

Synopsis: 

A horrible villain stalks a woman through a carnival, waiting for the right moment to strike.  A cat and mouse game that will end badly… but for whom?

Review:

I was very impressed by Michael Loring’s style and flow.  His images were vibrant and clear.  He beautifully executes the tension in this story, creating block after block of pressure as we anticipate what will happen next. I personally did figure out the TWIST in this story, but it didn’t detract from the read and that doesn’t mean you will figure it out.  It was a wonderful story and I look forward to reading other works by Michael Loring in the future.

Michael Loring is also the author of Dehumanized available at online retailers.

Michael Loring was born in Bristol, Connecticut, but has lived in a variety of places such as Florida and Tennessee. He likes to think of himself as an amateur Lycanthropologist, studying werewolves ever since he was eight years old when he first saw An American Werewolf In London. He currently resides back in his birthplace of Connecticut with a house full of women who like to drive him up the wall until he finishes his chores. Though they seem to avoid him during the night of the full moon for some unexplainable reason…

Follow Michael Website: http://www.michaelloring.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ pages/ Dehumanized/ 273293846073390

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ MichaelLoring

One Door Closes…

The saying goes… One door closes and another one opens.  That door closing can pertain to a lot of different things.  Love, jobs, opportunities in general.

Well, I know that in my life that has happened quite a bit and when it does, you forget that the other door will open.  It’s hard to remember that.  When you depend so heavily on one thing, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s scary.  It’s scary to be alone.  It’s scary to not have a paycheck.  It can feel like you’re wandering through a swamp.  Murky water and detritus everywhere you turn.  The giant trees obscuring any sunlight and at night, the dangers that live there become more prevalent.  It’s scary to wonder how you will ever get out of the hole you’re in, but you will.  The sun rises the next morning, breaking through a clearing in those mossy, great trees.  The grayness around you starts to burn off allowing the rays of the sun to warm your face and you can find a way to land and solid ground.  We all have to remember that hope will once again sprout before you like an orchid.  A beautiful flower growing in the darkest, dankest place.

Hope is that orchid.  A beautiful bright flower.  Most people think that they are delicate, but in reality they are a hardy flower that never really dies, but only goes dormant.  You just have to wait for the bloom to come back.  Sometimes it takes a few months, but it will return.  Hold on to knowledge that the bloom will return, just like good fortune.  When we lose something or someone that is extremely important to us, it can feel like we will never have that joy ever again, but it comes back and most of the time it’s better than before.  Don’t let the bad things that happen make you lose faith, because when our days are the darkest, it will be faith that gets us through.  Faith in family, friends and the knowledge that a small flower will bloom in darkness.

We need to remember that in the midst of despair, when that door closes in our face, that we have to start looking around.  The reason is because the door doesn’t always open itself.  Sometimes we have to open it.  One of those other doors is unlocked and waiting to be opened…. and on the other side is a meadow full of flowers and sunshine.  It’s full of hope and promise.  So don’t forget to check every door… an new adventure is waiting for you on the other side.

Necromancer by Scott Harper (Book Review)

The second book in the Wendy Markland Series is Necromancer by Scott Harper.  At the end of Predator of Prey, the first book, Wendy is reeling from the knowledge that vampires and werewolves truly exist and is attempting to recover from the death of her younger brother, Glen.  Necromancer picks up two years later and not too much has changed.  Wendy is still trying to track down any vampire she can find and destroy it, but it’s been a pretty arid two years, until she here’s about Pinewick, NJ and the walking dead.

I am quickly becoming a fan of Scott Harper and this series.  I loved the first book and I love this one equally.  I really admire the change up in this book, from vampires to other worldly “villains”.   Scott once again delivers fully fleshed characters and introduces us to a new band of allies that Wendy can ultimately depend on.  Wendy is beautiful and smart with an iron will, but she is flawed and vulnerable and this book definitely shows us those strengths and flaws.  Wendy is someone we the readers are rooting for and can also identify with.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading book 3, Vindicated.

More Changes…

My life is all about change and my difficulty accepting it… don’t get me wrong, I’m so much better than I used to be, but I know I still have short comings.  I get stressed out sometimes when everything is in upheaval (like now, we’re getting a new fridge… organized chaos at the moment – how’s that for an oxymoron?)

First change, my job will be ending soon, the company I’ve worked for the last eight years was sold, so it’s take over time.  The new company seems fine, but their offices are too far to commute and gas prices being the way they are, well…  Don’t worry, it’s a good thing, I know this.  It’s a little scary, but I’ve got a plan… or two, so no worries about that.  After all, it’ll give me time to write, time to market my novel, time to travel… it’s all ok.

One of the most significant relationships of my life is also changing… not ending, but changing.  It’s also sad and scary, but I know it’s the right path for both of us.  I know that we’ll always be there for each other and that we’ll still hang out and share each other’s lives, just not in the same way.  I hope he knows how much he means to me and how I wouldn’t have changed a thing, that I would choose him all over again, even if I knew the outcome would lead to now.   Our love has changed, but it’s still there and now we have to change with it.

Late last year I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  It was ok, because I was terrified I might have an enlarged heart.  You can’t fix an enlarged heart, but you can fix Type 2.  My diabetes was caused by my weight (which is… well, I’m a big girl).  An over abundance of cortisol due to excessive adipose tissue and eventually a tolerance to insulin, causing the pancreas to over produce the hormone until the body becomes so resistant that it just doesn’t produce it anymore… diabetes.  I caught mine early and although I was technically diabetic, I was still producing.  Good news, through diet and exercise and a great doctor who stayed on me and still does, I’ve reversed my diabetes.  I’m still on the long road to getting healthy, but I’m taking it day by day.  It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and this dog is no exception.  But again, I am trying and detirmined to shed the pounds and all that goes with it.

The most significant change was losing my dad last year.  My best friend, my mentor, my hero.  That one turned my world upside down, but like the Black Pearl, even when I was upside down, I eventually found myself upright again.  It’s hard to focus sometimes, but I’ve been working on some projects that are getting me back on track.

Change comes to us all and every moment I am learning to embrace it, no matter how painful or sad or frightening it might be.  It can only make me a better person, teach me more about myself and help me grow and learn.  Time here is short.  We all need to make it the best time we can… and embrace the change.

The 2nd novel… OOOOO SCARY!!!

Well, yeah, it is.  It took me over 7 years to write my first novel, from idea to published product.  I took the advice of learned writers before me and I tossed several incarnations of the book.  The first was in the wrong place, the second was full of the wrong kind of dialogue, the third, I kept writing chapters that ended no where, but in the end, I had the book I wanted.  I love my book.  I love everything about it.  It’s a little bit of everything.  Fantasy, adventure, romance, thriller, horror… it covers them all.

Some people criticize the number of characters, but I think they are all needed.  I’ve had a lot of positive feedback and reviews, and some negative.  I have some of my fans who are screaming for the 2nd installment.  Thus the title of this post… the dreaded 2nd novel.  I always thought it might be somewhat difficult, but I had no idea the kind of pressure we put on ourselves as writers when it comes to a second book.  It’s not that I don’t want to return to Lia Fail and my beloved characters, I do.  I know where they are and what they’re doing for the most part (they will really get talking soon ; ), nor is it getting lost in their stories.  It’s not the hours of solitude (I actually love that part).  It’s the readers… the ones who loved my book.

The scary part is in the potential to disappoint them.  Something that scares the hell out of me.  I know I have two choices.  I can stop writing altogether (sucky option) or I can just man up and get it done.  Well, not writing anymore isn’t going to happen.  It’s part of me and who I am, like breathing.  I have to do it.  So I guess, I just need to man up.

It’s not like I’m out of ideas, those keep coming, actually piling up in my head.  Actually, I should get them out, right?  Ok, time to be a grown-up and sit down and start increasing that word count.  Kind of like here.   Ok, so maybe it’s not that scary.  Maybe I’m being a big baby.  I guess there’s only one way to find out… jumping off again!!!  Oh, My Lovelies, be kind!!! ; )