Book Spotlight: 24 Frames Per Second

Another book spotlight today for the latest Dark Tide anthology, 24 Frames Per Second (Dark Tide 21) with novellas by Tim Waggoner, Andrew Nadolny, and Gary A. Braunbeck.  Enjoy.

24 Frames Per Second (Dark Tide 21)

Step into the terrifying world of Hollywood horror, where the line between fiction and reality blurs, and the consequences of cinematic creation become all too real. In 24 Frames Per Second, three chilling novellas bring to life the darkest corners of the movie industry—where horror isn’t just confined to the screen.

“The Last Zombie Movie” by Tim Waggoner: A group of student filmmakers embark on a project to create a zombie holocaust script—but soon, their fictional nightmare begins to unfold in real life. As their imagined horrors come to life, they must face the terrifying reality of their own creation.

 “I Am the Rainbringer” by Andrew Nadolny: A woman is transformed into a serial killer by her father’s dying wish, and her husband turns her deadly past into a movie. But the ghosts of his parents—and her brutal history—soon rise to haunt them both, blurring the line between the living and the dead in a nightmare that can’t be escaped.

 “This Is Not My Movie” by Gary A. Braunbeck: After a movie theater is consumed by fire, the charred ruins become a nexus for ghosts and alternate realities. A haunting tale of how a beloved movie theater’s destruction births a dark, sentient force, trapping the souls of those killed in the blaze.

In 24 Frames Per Second, horror reaches beyond the screen and becomes part of the fabric of reality, where the true cost of creation is more horrifying than any fictional tale. Each novella is a unique exploration of terror, art, and the boundaries of reality, set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s darkest secrets.

Book Link: https://getbook.at/DarkTide21

About the Authors

Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001, and since then, he's published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's written tie-in fiction based on Supernatural, The X-Files, Alien, Doctor Who, Conan the Barbarian, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Grimm, and Transformers, among others, and he's written novelizations for films such as Ti West’s X-Trilogy, Halloween Kills, Terrifier 2 and 3, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. He’s a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and he’s been a two-time finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. He’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Andrew Nadolny

Andrew is a trans writer living in Ohio with his family and other assorted oddities. He looks forward to one day being devoured by his own mitochondrial DNA.

Bluesky: cyrelia-j.bsky.social

 

Gary A Braunbeck

Gary A. Braunbeck was born in Newark, Ohio (the city that serves as the model for the fictitious Cedar Hill in a majority of his novels and stories) where he graduated from Newark High School in 1978, briefly studied for the priesthood (until he didn’t), worked as a supervisor for developmentally disabled adults, then in the paste-up room at the Newark Advocate, as well as a bartender (numerous times), a janitor (again, numerous times), a dog groomer, a short-order cook, and a salaried actor for one season of summer stock, (he would go on to work as a professional actor for several years –including as an extra in the Robert Redford film Brubaker, and the mini-series Centennial.

He made his first professional fiction sale to Twilight Zone’s NIGHTCRY (selling three additional stories to the magazine after that), and went on to place work in other pro magazines such as Cemetery Dance, The Horror Show, The Blood Review, 2 A.M., and such anthologies as The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Borderlands, Masques, and Scare Care. His fiction has been translated into Japanese, French, Italian, Russian, German, Czech, and Polish. Nearly 250 of his short stories have appeared in various publications. His work has won the Bram Stoker Award 7 times, an International Horror Guild Award, and has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, The World Fantasy Award, and Le Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/gary.braunbeck/

Book Spotlight: Path of Totality

Another book spotlight today for the new horror novel Path of Totality by KN Gould, released by Crystal Lake Publishing. Enjoy.

Path of Totality by KN Gould

This world is a cruel and arbitrary place. Hope cannot last when it turns its gaze upon you.


With a simple phrase, Tucker Gibsen is taken back to the day when, as a child, he came face to face with a madman and barely escaped with his life. Now, as an adult, he finds himself embroiled in a decades-old grudge between two modern-day witches, putting his life, and the lives of those he cares for most, in danger. What chance does one ordinary person have when threatened by uncaring supernatural forces set in motion long ago?


KN Gould’s Path of Totality, an atmospheric novel of horror, despair, revenge, and fate, will leave the reader questioning how much control they really have over their own lives. Perfect for fans of psychological thriller books.

Book Link: https://getbook.at/PathOfTotality

About the Author

KN Gould lives in Oregon with his wife, children, and dog. He is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears and Van Halen (with Sammy Hagar).

His work has been included in more than a dozen anthologies, including Stories of the Dead: A Tribute to George Romero, Weirdbook #36, Krampus Tales, Grey Matter Monsters, and Cosmic Horror Monthly #41. His debut novella, Out of Whack, was published in 2024. 

Path of Totality is his first full-length novel.

Instagram: @k_n_gould

Book Spotlight: Dark Tide 20: Urban Legends

Another book spotlight today with the new Dark Tide anthology from Crystal Lake Publishing. Releasing today is Urban Legends (Dark Tide 20) with novellas by Nick Roberts, Leigh Kenny and Dan Franklin.

Urban Legends (Dark Tide 20)

Enter the world of terrifying urban legends where the lines between myth and reality blur into a nightmare of unexplainable horrors. In this spine-chilling volume, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and familiar fears are taken to unimaginable heights.

Features a foreword by Adam Cesare, the author of Clown in a Cornfield (now a feature film).

“Nesting” by Dan Franklin: 

Amanda can’t shake the idea that her newborn baby isn’t hers…and maybe isn’t a baby at all. 

Not even one full day postpartum, and Amanda can’t shake the certainty that the baby isn’t hers. The charts say he is, the nurses and doctor all agree, but in her heart she can’t help but know better. His hair is wrong. He doesn’t quite smell right…and he has a tooth.

“Knock on Wood” by Leigh Kenny:

 

If he knocks, it’s too late. He’s already inside.

The house on Hawthorne Avenue has an unfortunate past. The adults think it’s just bad luck. The kids believe it’s something worse. Sometimes truth is scarier than legend.

“Poltergeist Password” by Nick Roberts: 

“Have you heard of Poltergeist Password?”

A reporter presents the unedited transcript of the final episode of the Broadcasts from the Grave podcast in which three hosts test an urban legend known as “Poltergeist Password.” Whether it’s real or an elaborate hoax, three people remain missing. You be the judge.

Dark Tide 20 takes you on a terrifying journey through some of the most unsettling myths and folklore, where terror lurks in the shadows and urban legends come alive in the most horrific ways. Prepare for twists, fear, and truths you may not want to know.

Book Link: http://getbook.at/DarkTide20

About the Authors

Nick Roberts is a native West Virginian and a doctoral graduate of Marshall University. He is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Horror Authors Guild. His works include Anathema, The Exorcist's House, It Haunts the Mind & Other Stories, Mean Spirited, and others. He currently resides in South Carolina with his family and is an advocate for people in recovery from substance use disorder. Website: www.nickrobertsauthor.com.

Leigh Kenny was born and raised in the garden county of Wicklow, Ireland. She lives by the Irish Sea with the love of her life, two wonderful boys, a black Labrador, and a three-legged cat that hates people. She describes herself as being both feral and aggressively friendly and apologises in advance for swearing in front of your children. You can find out more about Leigh’s work and any upcoming releases at www.leighkennywrites.com.

Dan Franklin wrote his first attempt at a horror novel when he was seven. It was terrible. He has, since, improved. The Amazon best selling author of These Things Linger, Down Into the Sea, and The Eater of Gods, Dan Franklin lives in Maryland with his extremely understanding wife, his cosmically radiant children, and a socially crippling obsession with things that creep. Website: Danfranklinauthor.com.

Book Spotlight: Enough Time

Another book spotlight today with the new release from Crystal Lake Publishing, Enough Time by J. Edwin Buja. Enjoy.

Enough Time by J. Edwin Buja

What if every forty years you are murdered?

Every January, Emma Ranahan has horrible nightmares about torture and murder. At the Wycliff Point Library, Emma laments the arrival of January, when storms beat against the cliffs and horrible nightmares invade her dreams. By mid-month, terrible scars reappear on her body. The keloid along her neck will last the longest. She’ll wear a turtleneck so no one will see. By February Emma’s scars fade, and all she remembers are four words—Savior, Victim, Beast, and Friend.

Even Emma thinks she’s crazy. But when the Beast arrives at the Wycliff Point Inn, her nightmares come to life in crashing waves of memory—Emma’s dreams were real, and she is the Victim. But who is the Friend and how will she discover the Savior?

Imagine Somewhere in Time with lots of blood.

Book Link: https://getbook.at/EnoughTime

About the Author

J. Edwin Buja has spent his life surrounded by books. He discovered early on that researching and writing hold the key to happiness. Who else would think scanning through decades of microfilm to index an old newspaper would be a dream job? 

For more than forty years, he has been married to the most wonderful woman on the planet. Although he lives in a small village somewhere in Canada, his heart and second home reside with his horror family in New England. 

His novels include The King of the Wood (2019) and The Consort (2022). He has also had more than twenty short stories published. He is currently working on the final novel of The Wood series, and another novel based on concerts he attended in Detroit in the 1970s.

He also writes Young Adult novels under the name John Buja. His latest release is Coverdale (2024). In 2000-2001, he published two middle-grade time travel/history books.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.buja/

Book Spotlight: Demon Drink

Another book spotlight today with the new release from Crystal Lake Publishing, Demon Drink by Kris Ashton. Enjoy.

Demon Drink by Kris Ashton

A night out becomes a nightmare in this dark supernatural novel that blends demonic possession, occult rituals, and the chilling consequences of temptation. 

Times are tough in Black Wattle. Drought and forest fires have ravaged the town and its lifeblood, tourism, is on the wane. Nobody is feeling the pinch more than divorcee Shirley Goodsall, who is trying to keep the historic Ironstone Hotel afloat while quelling animosity between her ex-husband and their teenage daughter. So when the business manager for a microbrewery, Damon Prince, offers her a promotional deal that includes free kegs of beer, it’s a deal that seems too good to be true. 

And it is. Shirley’s elation soon turns to horror as she discovers she has unwittingly helped Prince unleash dark forces in her town. Black Wattle’s residents are plunged into a nightmare of infection and blood-curdling transformations. Shirley and a handful of survivors band together to try to foil Prince’s fiendish plot, but Prince is no ordinary man. He will stare into their souls and turn their most shameful personal demons against them…

Fans of King’s earlier novels such as ’Salem’s Lot and Needful Things will revel in every ghastly, page-turning detail of Demon Drink, a master class in small-town horror from Australian Shadows Award Winner, Kris Ashton.

Book Link: https://getbook.at/DemonDrink

About the Author

Award-winning writer and editor Kris Ashton has published several novels and nearly fifty short stories. He is best known for his tales of horror and dark speculative fiction and is also a noted essayist, taking out the Australian Shadows Award for non-fiction in 2023.

Kris graduated from Western Sydney University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in creative writing and literature. He has had a 25-year career as a journalist and is currently editor of Open Road, one of the most widely-read magazines in Australia.

He lives in the wilds of south-western Sydney with his wife, two children and a crippling mortgage.

Website: krisashtonwrite.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/kris.ashton.5

TikTok: @ashtontheauthor 

Instagram: @ashtontheauthor