Coffin Hop Winners and a Review of Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection

Today I linger a bit in the spirit of Halloween as I’ll be posting the winners of my Coffin Hop contest and reviewing the chapbook Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection by the wonderful poet Sean Theall.

First the review.

Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection

I first became acquainted with Sean’s poetry over on Facebook in a poetry group. He is a fellow poet of the dark arts, and recently I had the pleasure of reading one of his poetry books, Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection.

From the cover to the last word, Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection is infused with a Stygian splendour and wicked charm. The poetry didn't shy away from sinister, visceral imagery—yet avoided being repellent—and maintained an overall sense of delightful dread.

The author has a superb storytelling knack, weaving threads of shadows into a poetic tapestry of lustre. Each poem in the book tells a story, some macabre, some eerie, and a few even gruesome, but all imparted with words woven in a shadowy elegance and stylish spell. Two of my particular favourites were A Toast to Poe, a lovely tribute to the author and that famous grave visiting fan, and Angel’s Counsel, a quiet musing on the denizens of Heaven.

The book is bit like traversing through a mysterious cemetery of words, with shadowy surprises on each page. You can feel the Edgar Allen Poe influence in the poems—a very dark and deathly vibe—but there’s a certain raw beauty in the verse as well. Throw in a bit of serial killer, some bleak musings, and a touch of the paranormal for a well-seasoned mix of obsidian thrills and chills served in stanzas. Gothic Verses: The Halloween Collection is a must read for all fans of dark poetry.

You find out more about Sean and his books at these sites:

http://edgarallanpoet.com/Sean_Theall.html

http://mainstpoet.tripod.com/books.html

Okay, now on to the announcement of Coffin Hop winners.

First Prize (consisting of a Legends and Lore paperback and the two Killers and Demons ebooks) goes to: bn100

Please note: There was a small delay in shipping out the paperback of Legends and Lore from the publisher and it is still in transit to me, so there will be a short wait before can I can autograph it and mail it to the winner. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Second Prize (consisting of the potion bottles and pouch) goes to: Johanna Pitcairn

Third prize (consisting of the ebook copy of Killers and Demons II) goes to: Andrew Drage

Congratulations to the winners. I'll be contacting you by email sometime today.

I'd like to thank everyone who entered, and all the lovely people that stopped by to visit during Coffin Hop. And thanks as well to the wonderful organizers of the Hop and the fantastic bloggers.