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Horror Poetry – The Man Who Married Death

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Horror, Poetry

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Zylen LaRocque, a twenty-eight-year-old depressive, arranges to be taken by
Death, but his suicide fails, and he ends up proposing to the supernatural
entity instead. Death accepts Zylen’s heart and takes up partial
residence in his being, which allows Death to affect the tangible realm at
whim. Manipulated like a puppet, Zylen becomes entangled in Death’s
countless affairs and finds himself continuously washing blood off his hands
as his life, and everyone in it, descends into a whirlwind of mania and
slaughter.

Excerpt from Part I

For the Love of Death

Wedlock

A vast amoebic shadow,

He sifts between the snowflakes

Cascading over this mountain peak.

Beneath the moon’s bleak beam,

His silhouette deviates,

Casting a dozen twisting ribbons into the night.

Their tips fade,

As if reaching from the living dominion

Into the one after this—

The world that he calls home,

The world in which I’ll soon be.

I shiver and lurch in the storm wind,

But he glides steadily toward me.

Made of spirit, he is not moved by mortal things—

As I, a mortal, am.

Jealousy sears me,

Who yearns to be like him:

Solely spirit.

I ache to shed this prison of flesh and bone

Anchoring me to an earthly plane

That’s composed from strata of deceit and pain.

For twenty-eight years I watched my every love and intention

Gradually pollute until it shook and withered,

Then crumbled and dissolved

In this plane’s invisible, insatiable mouth,

Completely gone—along with the piece of my spirit it owned.

Lost, I wander meandering fruitless paths

With a hollow heart.

About the Author

Dripping blades, psychological experiments, bone homes, human bombs,
sanguinary sonatas, hungry straightjackets, supernatural lovers, fleshy
snacks—and so much more. Amy Langevin loves peering into chaotic
psyches, trying on their masks, seeing through their eyes, and writing their
stories. To her, there is so much more to every ‘evil’ character. Habitually
closing books with the gnawing desire to experience the story from the
‘bad guy’s’ view, she began writing such stories herself.
In so doing, she discovered reflections of their darkness in herself. It
felt as if her soul was calling out to be seen—for her to shatter her
shiny façade and explore herself in her full spectrum.

Amy’s first horror poetry collection is The Man Who Married Death
(2017), and her first novel is Spineless (2017). Her short story “Tied
in Love” was published in Thirteen Vol. 3 (Easkey Castle Books), and
“The Required Bits” was published in 100 Doors to Madness
(Forgotten Tomb Press).

Currently she lives in Los Angeles, in a strange man’s basement,
knowing one day she’ll escape.

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Action Adventure Fantasy – Realms of Edenocht: The War Wizard

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Action Adventure Fantasy

Date Published: March 2020

Publisher: Rosecrest Publishing

In a time of desperate measures, the Queen of the most powerful city in
Edenocht threw the world into a fallen and broken state in an attempt to
destroy the most powerful Necromancer the world has ever seen. The
once magically enhanced world is no more and the elemental beings that once
inhabited it are gone. The only thing strong enough to bring it back is the
ancient artifacts of the Sev-Rin-Ac-Lavah and the only one strong enough to
use them is The War Wizard.

Edenochts only hope is a War Wizard, but none have been born in a
millennium, until now. Hidden from the Necromancer in a time realm not his
own, the future of the world resides in a barely grown man’s destiny.
The War Wizards protectors did the best they could to prepare him without
the use and teaching of his magic and Shaz must now quickly learn his true
potential and battle the evils of the shadow world.

As a being which hold all the elements and the dreaded shadow magic, Shaz
must find the descendants of the ancient magical races and the artifacts
before the Necromancer does and the world of Edenocht’s future
succumbs to the evil Shadow.

About the Author

DS Johnson is an artist, illustrator, entrepreneur, and author of the
Realms of Edenocht series for Young Adults. With over a decade of writing
Young Adult novels and graphic design and an avid online role-playing gamer,
DS Johnson has years of experience in the art of fantasy make believe and a
love for the genre of role playing games and has endeavored to bring to life
in action adventure novel form the love of the game. With quotes like
‘WOW, now that was pleasantly unexpected!’ With the natural
sense of leveling up your character and developing your skills, DS Johnson
has successfully combined the art of fantasy and role playing in a
remarkable series for young and old readers. Even if you’re not a
role-playing gamer, you will find the books Realms of Edenocht utilizes the
traditional, but exciting story telling techniques with skill and flare all
readers will love. DS Johnson works from home and enjoys family life and the
creative process.

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Contemporary Romance – Falling for the Tycoon

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Anywhere and Always Book 1

Contemporary Romance

Published: December 2019

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

One wild and passionate Caribbean night leaves Annelise with amazing
memories…but what happens when her vacation fling reappears as a VIP
client?

Deserted by her fiancé only three months before their wedding, a
devastated Annelise decides to go on their Caribbean honeymoon alone in the
hope of thawing the deep freeze of her emotions. Tripping and landing on top
of the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen, a sexy French-Canadian
stranger, is as surprising as it is mortifying.

Rémy Gaspard is staying at his family’s remote tropical resort
to get some work done after a difficult visit with his sister, but instead,
he finds himself drawn to the sad young woman he sees from across the beach.
When she quite literally falls into his lap, he can’t believe his good
fortune.

Their passionate vacation romance is cut short by a troubling accident and
they part ways, but neither can stop thinking about the other. When they
meet up again in Montreal, seemingly by accident six months later, their
attraction is just as strong…or stronger. As they face the challenges
of misunderstandings, suspicions and a shadowy menace that won’t leave
Rémy’s family alone, one thing becomes clear. Their love
remains strong, anywhere and always.

Book 2 in the Anywhere and Always Series: Snowbound with the Billionaire is
Coming Soon!!!

Excerpt

She scrambled up as quickly as possible, but not before she pressed up
against the length of a tall, muscular man. He was warm and smelled of the
ocean and the wind—and also a bit spicy, like some of the more exotic
seasonings used in the local dishes. As she brushed herself off and stood as
swiftly as she could, she just had time to realize that he
smelled…incredibly good. For someone I apparently fell on like a ton
of bricks. Smooth. Real smooth, Annelise.

“I’m so sorry!” she apologized, feeling a hot blush rise
from her hairline to her ears and even onto her chest. She knew her cheeks
must be flaming.

The stranger, dressed only in faded board shorts that might have been red
once but were now a washed-out salmon, was covered in sand. It dusted his
tan, muscular chest and sprinkled his dark-brown hair. He might have looked
silly if he hadn’t been… Well, the only words that sprang to
her mind were ‘unbelievably gorgeous’. No, that wasn’t
true. She also thought ‘scrumptious’ and ‘hot as
hell’. Mentally recalling herself, she realized he hadn’t
responded to her apology.

“Do you speak English? Español?” Annelise hoped he spoke
at least a tiny bit of English, because her Spanish was abysmal. “Oh
my gosh, did I hurt you?” she continued, worried.

The man sat up with a little shake, and his mouth quirked into a wry smile,
making his dark eyes crinkle at the corners. “No apology needed. I
must have fallen asleep. I’m fine. No harm done.
Although”—he gestured at the empty beach—“it was an
unlucky coincidence that you should choose this one spot to walk
onto.” His accent sounded French, and his tone was compelling as he
spoke, inviting her to share his amusement, not only at their situation but
also possibly at life in general.

Annelise felt an unfamiliar smile tug at the corners of her lips.
“I’m so glad you’re not hurt. And ‘unlucky’
should be my middle name,” she answered, the words out before she
could recall them. It was totally unlike her to talk about her personal life
with a complete stranger. Alone. On a deserted beach. Totally alone. She
took an unconscious step backward.

The stranger didn’t look as though he’d been lying in wait to
trip unsuspecting tourists, though. He looked as if he belonged—and as
if he was mildly interested in what she was saying. If he’d looked too
interested, she might have shut down, but instead, she found herself
answering the questioning quirk of his dark eyebrow.

“I’ve…had a bit of a setback recently in my personal
life,” she said. It was the understatement of the century.

“Sounds like it was a bad one. Do you want to talk about it?”
he offered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just two
strangers watching a Caribbean sunset and talking about their personal
lives. It suddenly occurred to her that he was the first person besides the
unobtrusive security guards that she’d seen on the private beach this
entire trip. She’d actually begun to think she must be the only guest
at the cabanas. Her thoughts turned suddenly suspicious.

“What are you doing on this beach? It’s supposed to be private
and definitely a no-trespassing sort of place.” Her mind turned to the
prominent guns she’d seen the security guards carrying, and she
wasn’t sure if she was trying to intimidate or warn the
stranger.

The white of his smile on his tan face was stunning in the sunset.
“Thank you for the warning, chérie, but I am a guest
here…in the owner’s cabana.” He gestured with one long,
muscular arm and Annelise noticed a path she hadn’t seen before,
leading to what looked like a giant house. It was much larger than her own
spacious cabin.

“Oh, right. The owner’s French, isn’t he?” Annelise
answered, trying to recall the details she knew of the resort. She’d
learned about it from her colleague, and the owner was a big-time client of
the financial services firm where she worked.

“French-Canadian,” the stranger corrected, raising his eyebrow
again, “but I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“Sorry…I know there’s a big difference,” she
hastened to apologize. Great, she’d now offended a close friend of a
client who could get her fired.

The stranger shook his head. “I was teasing. I’m not so easily
offended,” he said, bending up his knees and wrapping his arms loosely
around them before motioning toward the soft-looking hollow next to him.
“Care to join me? You can’t beat the view.”

About the Author

Aurora Russell is originally from the frozen tundra of the upper-Midwest
(ok, not frozen all the time!) but now loves living in New England with her
real-life hero/husband, two wonderfully silly sons, and one of the most
extraordinary cats she has ever had the pleasure to meet. But she still goes
back to the Midwest to visit, just never in January. She doesn’t remember a
time that she didn’t love to read, and has been writing stories since she
learned how to hold a pencil. She has always liked the romantic scenes best
in every book, story, and movie, so one day she decided to try her hand at
writing her own romantic fiction, which changed her life in all the best
ways.

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Time-Travel Romance – Dreamland

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Time-Travel Romance

Date Published: 7/2/2020

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Dicen Burke had it all. As lead singer in the world famous rock band,
Dark Army, the world lay at his feet. But the path to super stardom
warred with a painful past and during a performance the demons haunting him
finally descended. Unable to stop the self-destructive path of alcohol
and drugs, when he fell, he fell hard.

He wakes up in a world he doesn’t know. The Twenty-first
century rocker is now in the 1920’s, lost and bewildered.
He’s taken in by Juliet Fox, a beautiful woman trying to be a positive
influence in her brother’s wild lifestyle among the Hollywood Motion
Picture elite.

Dicen does his best to adapt, and with Juliet by his side, he discovers a
world that offers him a clean slate. But when he’s pulled back
to the present, separated by time from the one person that gives him a
reason to live, will he find a way to push past his demons as well as find
Juliet again?

Excerpt

“Hey you,” a soft voice commanded. “Open your eyes
please”

He tried
to obey, struggling to push past the lingering darkness that clung to him
like a second skin. God, he felt horrible.

“That’s it,” she soothed. “Open your
eyes. Look at me.”

Finally,
he managed to raise his eyelids. An angel leaned over him, staring
into his eyes. She smiled at him so he smiled back. He had
always thought it would be demons that would come collect him when he died
so it amazed him that heaven was calling.

“Ah, a set of beautiful baby blues,” she murmured, stroking his
cheek. “Hello, handsome.”

He
opened his mouth to say something but the words wouldn’t come.
His tongue felt swollen, dry. He forced himself to swallow to try to
get some saliva flowing.

“W-what happened?”

She
cocked her head. “Bad hooch I’m thinking. Gotta be
careful of certain juice joints. Come,” she said, holding out
her hand. “Let’s get you sitting upright.”

He
hadn’t realized he’d been lying down but as she helped him up,
he realized the halo around her head had been nothing more but the
flickering of a street light accentuating the midnight hue of her
hair. When he was vertical once more, he finally saw all of the
woman’s features. Short bobbed hair held back by a headband made
of crystal beads while dark eyes watched him from under thin, perfectly
arched eyebrows. Her lips were a cupid’s bow, painted a deep
red. Her skin a flawless pale shade that contrasted sharply with her
heavily made up eyes.

“Like what you see?” she asked.

He
blinked. “I always like my fans. Where am I?”

One of
those thin eyebrows arched. “That hooch must’ve really
made you balled up. You’re off Hollywood Boulevard, of course,
belly up in an alley.”

He
looked around, completely baffled. How the hell did he get here?
Where was the stage? The screaming fans? Kieron, Van and
Tony?

“Do you have a name, handsome?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m Dicen Burke.”

He
waited. He waited for the name to sink in, for her eyes to widen, for
her to begin batting her eyes in an attempt to flirt her way into his
bed.

“Juliet,” she said. “Juliet Fox. I was looking
for my brother, Thayer, and figured I’d find him upchucking out here
and instead I find a keen big six. Say, you’re no drugstore
cowboy are you?”

“Excuse me?” Her lack of a response to his name, along
with slang he didn’t understand, threw him.

“You know, a guy that hangs around street corners looking to pick up
ladies. Just so we’re clear on the matter, I ain’t that
kind of girl,” she informed him, the smile on her face lessening the
harshness of her tone. “Have you seen another man out here, by
chance, throwing up?”

She
confused him. He shook his head and then wished he hadn’t when
it throbbed. “God, I need an aspirin.”

About the Author

I began reading my mom’s Harlequin Presents in the fifth grade, and
from the first story I knew I wanted to write romance novels. I like writing
about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my
heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate
highrollers. I try to write characters who aren’t cookie cutters and
push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to
resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love writing
characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who
find redemption through love. You can find me on the web at:

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Romantic Suspense – Zone of Action

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Romantic Suspense

Date Published: 7/27/2020

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Former terror cell expert Audrey Jenkins has seen enough death and
destruction to last a lifetime. When she uncovers her ex, Brett, a
higher-ranking officer in her unit, selling military secrets, she turns him
in and returns to the simpler life she has embraced since leaving the army.
CID Special Agent Cam Harris is a career military man with a strong sense of
duty. When a military prisoner who once saved his life in Afghanistan
escapes while in his custody, he requests the assignment to track him down.
Cam’s manhunt leads him to Audrey’s door. His prisoner—her
ex—will resurface here, he’s sure of it. The feisty woman wants
nothing to do with hunting down her ex, but when a terror cell she’s
all-too-familiar with launches a deadly attack on army intelligence soldiers
and officers, she knows it’s Brett. Helping Cam is the right thing to
do. But the attraction burning between them may be the mistake that gets her
and Cam killed…

Excerpt

Her tears had stopped. She should release him. But a new storm threatened. She hadn’t been with a man since Brett, hadn’t trusted her choices in companions. Brett’s defection, and subsequent courtroom nastiness, had cautioned her into remaining celibate. He’d been so far from what she’d imagined, she’d decided to swear off men. That had been easy, until Cameron appeared on her horizon.

His hot body in a uniform plus overall good looks had snared her attention at the court martial, as well as Elena’s. They’d salivated over him at the time, and then moved on. They’d returned to work, and she’d begun to pick up the pieces after Brett. She didn’t need a man to be fulfilled. Or so she thought. By the way she was reacting to Cam now, she realized her attraction from back then had only lain dormant. His kindness, gentleness, and quiet strength had awakened her desires. God, she felt protected in his embrace. Protected and aroused.

The arousal part scared her. Here she was, finding another soldier wildly attractive. If she was smart, she’d push him away, thank him for his kindness, and call it a night. He wouldn’t insist. He’d already proven he was a gentleman. He was nothing like Brett.

Since she’d met him a few days ago, he’d been only professional and understanding, quietly strong and reliable through the home invasion, the fire, and now their flight into the wilderness. He’d never come on to her, had simply offered opinions while listening to her explanations. She had no idea whether he looked at her that way or not. He’d make a great poker player, with no hint of what he was thinking visible to another person. Perhaps that was why she was getting more turned on as the seconds ticked by. She’d love to see him lose control.

Brett never had. He’d always been in full control in the bedroom, as well as in the war room. His orgasms had been quiet, disciplined releases, and she’d stifled her screams to match his restraint. She had no idea whether Cam would be the same. Maybe she was destined to only be attracted to cold fish.

She pressed closer to him and felt his arousal between them. So, not a cold fish. She raised her head and opened her eyes. His dark brown ones stared back at her, a glint of confused desire in their depths.

“What the hell are you doing, Audrey?” His voice was hoarse, questioning. He stepped back, arms dropping to his sides. And ran a hand over his face. She took a step forward. Their chests touched. His gaze never left hers. “What are you doing?”

Her heart skipped a beat. It had been a long, long time since she’d acted on a sexual attraction. Part of her wanted to turn tail and run to her room. It wasn’t too late. She could still keep face. A larger part of her wanted to remove Brett’s final hold on her. She didn’t want her last lover to be a traitor. She met his look head on.

About the Author

Cathy Skendrovich has always loved a good story, and spent her formative
years scribbling what is now called Fan Fiction. The current heartthrob of
the time featured heavily in all her stories. Unfortunately, once she went
to college, her writing took the form of term papers, written on typewriters
instead of computer keyboards.

Upon graduation, Cathy took a job as an English teacher in a middle school.
Along the way, she married her husband of thirty-six years, and had two
sons. Now an empty nester, she and her husband have embarked on their own
adventure, moving to Idaho to live overlooking a pond.

Romantic suspense has always been her favorite genre to read and write,
though she has dabbled in historical romance. Creating an unpredictable
storyline is her goal, and she hopes she has done so in her current and
previous books. Prisoner of Love is her first published novel, followed
closely by The Pirate’s Bride, The Pirate Bride’s Holiday Masquerade,
and Undercover with the Nanny. Zone of Action is her fifth book, and her
first military suspense. For research, she asks her son in Army Intelligence
for up to the minute information. Lately, he’s stopped taking her
calls.

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YA Paranormal Fantasy – Melissa & Kasho

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YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers

1958- 59 Florence Italy

Melissa, a shy parentally abused teenage girl, feels lost in a
transnational high society world that drives her to the depths of
despair.

But her attraction to the very human Kasho, who has snippets of philosophy
to impart, eventually enables her to develop her own strengths.

But Kasho doesn’t dwell physically on Earth.

Melissa’s realistic story traverses class, gender, and power dynamics. She
is expected to walk or is bullied into walking, a certain path required of
her class, including marrying a certain man.

It’s only when she connects with Kasho, a native man whose values are
in-line with hers, that she finds a kindred spirit who truly sees her.

In an age of bullying and teen suicide, the resonating lesson throughout
the story is “There is always a way of making your life
better.”

But how will she and her best friend, Daisy, find it?

About the Author

Camilla Chance has always been a writer. She was born in 1940 and lived in
London, where, when she was 18, her first novel was accepted by a then-large
publishing company for publication. Although her father forced her to
withdraw from this contract as she was still legally his
“property” until she was 21, the writing bug never left her. Her
family moved to Australia and she graduated in Arts from Melbourne
University. When she was 22, she became a member of the Baha’i faith,
and its spiritualism and acceptance have influenced her subsequent writing
as well.

Camilla has had many interesting and varied occupations. She’s been a
lyricist for an international performing group The Kuban Cossacks, a high
school teacher, and an editor for Faber & Faber Publishers in London.
Upon returning to Australia, she wrote book reviews for two prestigious
Australian newspapers – The Age and The Australian. And she also
married and became a mother as well.

Camilla has also been an advocate for Australia’s indigenous peoples,
in part because of her Baha’i faith’s belief in unity and also
because of her extraordinary 27 year friendship with Banjo Clark. Banjo
Clarke’s life and teaching were the crux of her best-selling
Australian book, Wisdom Man. Camilla took the highlights of her friendship
with Banjo and created a book that was an instant best seller in Australia,
and in its second edition won American USABookNews.com Award for best
multicultural work. It also gained Honorable Mention at the London Book
Festival. Camilla was also the first non-Aboriginal to receive the
prestigious Unsung Hero Award from Aboriginal people for her dedicated
friendship and work for them “behind the scenes.”

Melissa and Kasho,2018 and is a young adult novel set in the transition
period of 1959. It’s a fantasy, love story, with a heavy dose of rock
and roll, taking place in Florence Italy.

Currently, Camilla is at work on her autobiography, a companion piece to
the Australian Bestselling Wisdom Man, called WARRUMYEA: THE LEFT-HANDED
WOMAN

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Fantasy – Undercover Goddess

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Book 1 of the No Boundaries Trilogy

Fantasy

Date Published: July 24

Publisher: Blue Fortune Enterprises LLC, Lavender Press

In 2400 BCE Crete, 18-year-old Mave keeps the old spirituality alive,
primarily through her clay chips and the symbolic images she paints on them,
the original runes. She falls in love with Tear, a semi-divine being born
both male and female, and finds an ally in Inna, a former holy prostitute
kicked out of her communal home. The Gigante from the northern tribes marry
the holy prostitutes then replace the Goddess of the temple with a Sun God
who loves order and lighting bolts. Girls and women, formerly revered
stand-ins for the Goddess and her creator, the cave-dwelling Ssha, either go
underground with their beliefs or find a way to fit in the new culture. As
it turns out the old ways of the Goddess had its flaws, and this creates the
opportunity for the Gigante and their sun God to move in.

About the Author

Karen Cavalli, née Lound, writes fiction and non-fiction. Her work
has been published online and in books. Her work has won awards including
Outstanding Secondary Science Book. She is a graduate of Old Dominion
University where she earned a B.A., and The University of Alabama’s
MFA in Creative Writing Program where she studied with Margaret Atwood. She
has worked in technology for over 10 years. She taught a writing course on
the topic of psychological descent at the University of Minnesota and in
North Carolina. Her work in technology has taken her to India and China and
allowed her to work with individuals in Mexico, the United Kingdom,
Australia, New Zealand and the emirate of Dubai. She loves her local Savage
library and volunteers there. She can be contacted at
kcgoodguide@gmail.com

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