Book Spotlight: The Thing in the Wind

Today I have a book spotlight for you on the horror book, The Thing in the Wind by Bill Mullen. Enjoy.

The Thing in the Wind 

A search party stumbles upon an unspeakable horror that threatens both their lives and sanity. 

In the heart of the Canadian wilderness, a harrowing tale of survival and psychological horror unfolds in this gripping novel. Amidst the vast, unforgiving landscape, a woman's world is shattered by the mysterious disappearance of her mother in the remote reaches of northern Saskatchewan. Along with her father and a small, determined search party, she embarks on a desperate quest for answers, only to encounter an unspeakable terror lurking in the shadows of the ancient forests.

As the group navigates the treacherous wilderness, their journey becomes a chilling fight for survival against not only the harsh elements but also a malevolent force that defies explanation. Haunted by eerie premonitions and the feeling of being stalked by an unseen entity, they begin to realize that they are facing a horror far beyond their wildest imaginations. 

This suspenseful narrative weaves together the threads of environmental horror and the mysteries of the unknown, crafting a story that is as thought-provoking as it is terrifying. With a strong female protagonist at its core, this novel explores the depths of human resilience and the bonds that tie us to the natural world.

For fans of the haunting wilderness narratives in Adam Nevill's The Ritual and the psychological depth found in Paul Tremblay's works, this Canadian Wilderness Survival Horror Book is a must-read. It stands alongside books like The Terror by Dan Simmons, offering a unique blend of psychological thrillers and horror, imbued with the eerie lore of Wendigo supernatural horror books.

Dive into this gripping horror novel, where the beauty of nature collides with the darkest corners of the human psyche, and the hunt for missing people unravels a mystery that might have been better left undiscovered.

Book Link: https://geni.us/ThingInTheWind

About the Author

Bill Mullen was born in England and holds an MFA from the Bluegrass Writers Studio. He now lives in Kentucky where he teaches literature and writing at Eastern Kentucky University. His first novel, Red Nocturne, was published in 2016.

 

Book Spotlight: A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15)

 Another book spotlight today with the anthology, A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15). Enjoy.

A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15)

In uncharted and forbidden tracts of space, ancient evils awaken…

With its visceral action, escalating dread, vivid characters braving trauma and temptation, and startling feats of imagination, A Graveyard of Stars anthology will send the reader hurtling through space toward chilling revelations and breathless conclusions. 

In "The Temple," after an audacious crew of salvagers crosses into dangerous territory seeking otherworldly treasure, they discover an occult secret which could change everything.

In "The Station," the intrepid crew of the Argento encounters unimaginable horrors after discovering a mysterious, drifting megastructure in the depths of space.

And in the title novella "Graveyard of Stars," a routine maintenance job on the edge of the notorious Demon Star system goes terribly wrong, leaving the stranded engineers caught between the unfathomable forces of Algol and the lethal dangers of the encroaching defence net they are sworn to uphold.   

These three brilliantly inventive novellas combine in this compulsive sci-fi collection to explore threats lurking in a forbidden and blighted sector of space. Perfect for fans of Event Horizon, Alien, Dead Silence and Luminous Dead. 

Book Link: https://geni.us/GraveyardOfStars

About the Authors

Once Dan Soule was an academic, but the sentences proved too long and the words too obscure. Northern Ireland is where he now lives. But he was born in England and raised in Byron’s hometown, which the bard hated but Dan does not. They named every other road after Byron. As yet no roads are named after Dan but several children are. He tries to write the kind of stories he wants to read. His short fiction has featured in theGhostsSory.com, Disturbed Digest, Devolution Z and now Sanitarium Magazine among others. Five novels have spawned from his pen, including Neolithica, Witchopper, The Ash, Savage, and The Jam.

 

Lee Mountford is a horror author from the North-East of England. His first book, Horror in the Woods, was published in May 2017 to fantastic reviews, and his follow-up book, The Demonic, achieved Best Seller status in both Occult Horror and British Horror categories on Amazon.

He is a lifelong horror fan, much to the dismay of his amazing wife, Michelle, and his work is available in ebook, print and audiobook formats.

In August 2017 he and his wife welcomed their first daughter, Ella, into the world. In May 2019, their second daughter, Sophie, came along. Michelle is hoping the girls don’t inherit their father’s love of horror, but Lee has other ideas…

 

Joseph Sale is the critically acclaimed Amazon best-selling author of more than 30 books, including The Book of Thrice Dead, Virtue’s End, Dark Hilarity, and The Claw of Craving. Bram Stoker Award Finalist Ross Jeffery described Joseph Sale as “a gothic master”.

He has been published by Blood Bound Books, Crystal Lake, The Writing Collective, Nonbinary Review, Dark Hall Press, and Storgy Magazine, and his work has appeared in anthologies such as Tales From The Shadow Booth, Exit Earth, Burnt Fur, and Blood Bank alongside writers such as Richard Thomas and Neil Gaiman. In 2017 he was nominated for The Guardian’s Not The Booker prize.

Despite growing up in the Lovecraftian seaside town of Bournemouth, he now lives in Winchester (in the UK) with his wonderful family, where he obsesses over table-top RPGs, trading card games, book bindery, esoteric Christianity, and anime.

To read a free prequel novella in the critically acclaimed series The Book of Thrice Dead, visit Joseph Sale’s website: themindflayer.com

To follow him on social media, find him on Twitter / X @josephwordsmith 

Book Spotlight: One of The Dead

Another book spotlight today with the horror book, One of the Dead by Richard Farren Barber. Enjoy.

One of the Dead by Richard Farren Barber

Terror doesn't stumble and moan—it walks silently among us, cloaked in the guise of the overlooked.

Nick, burdened with the rare ability to see these dead predators for what they truly are, faces a nightmare when his girlfriend, Abby, becomes ensnared by their sinister intent.

These are not your typical undead. They blend in, their appearances mirroring the forgotten faces of society, making their predatory nature all the more chilling. A touch is all it takes for them to latch onto their prey, draining life in a way that leaves the body walking but the spirit doomed.

As Abby becomes the focus of such a being's obsession, Nick is drawn into a desperate struggle not just for her life, but for her very soul. Their fight for survival takes them from the deceptive safety of city streets to the foreboding quiet of a cemetery, where the boundary between the living and those claimed by the shadowy grasp of the dead becomes perilously thin.

One of The Dead weaves a tale not of a zombie apocalypse, but of a quiet invasion, a creeping horror that targets the heart. It's a story of love tested by unfathomable forces, of a battle against an enemy that never rests, never forgives, and never ceases its pursuit until you become one of its own.

You can find the book here.

One of the Dead

About the Author

Richard Farren Barber was born in Nottingham in July 1970. After studying in London he returned to the East Midlands. He lives with his wife and son and works as a manager for a local university.

He’s fairly confident people only read these bios to check the author isn’t a serial killer. (Spoiler alert: he’s not.)

He has over 80 short stories published, seven novellas: “The Power of Nothing”, “The Sleeping Dead”, “Odette”, “Perfect Darkness, Perfect Silence”, “Closer Still”, “All Hell.” , and “Twenty Years Dead.” His two novels are: “The Living and the Lost” and “The Screaming Dead” (Co-authored with Peter Mark May).

Twitter: twitter.com/rfarrenbarber

Facebook: www.facebook.com/richardfarrenbarber

Website:  www.richardfarrenbarber.co.uk

Book Spotlight: Dark Tide 14: F.U.B.B.

 Another book spotlight for you today with Crytal Lakes new entry into the Dark Tide series, Dark Tide 14: F.U.B.B. Enjoy.

Dark Tide 14: F.U.B.B.

Three authors who will shake your belief, three stories that defy belief, f***ed up beyond belief!

Church of the Splatter Spray Saints by Jasper Bark: Every city has them. A wasteland at the end of a long dirt road, where uncaught serial killers dump their victims. This is where the Brethren in Blood hold their tent meetings. Dubbed – the Church of the Splatter Spray Saints, this blood crazed cult is building a huge national following.

Cindy, Mark and Gerard from the One Light Ministry are on a covert mission to rescue a wealthy donor who has fallen into the hands of the cult.

George Harding hates and fears the cult members who slavishly follow him. He is one score away from leaving it all behind, he just has to get through one last gathering with his life and sanity intact.

Dmitry works for the Russian Mafia, the cult’s secret backers. He would like nothing more than to kill George. When a deadly biological weapon is smuggled into the tent meeting, Dmitry might just get his wish.

Tonight, all of them will receive communion in the Church of the Splatter Spray Saints.

Double Feature by Candace Nola: Friday night at the drive-in! Horny teens, hot dogs, and horror movies, but the locals have a special feature of their own going on behind the scenes!

Like the best of Ed Wood Lee, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Joe R. Lansdale, it’s a typical Friday night at the drive-in, but turns sinister when the locals show up for some fun of their own.

The Chatter of Night Bugs by Daniel J. Volpe: Duke, Tammi Jean and Raylynn make their money in the vilest of ways. But when they pick up a young woman thinking her to be an easy score, they unleash an ancient magic of vengeance. Deep in the Appalachian Mountains something stirs, something evil, seeking justice. And with it comes the bugs…lots of bugs.

Amazon Book Link: https://geni.us/FUBB

About the Authors

Daniel J. Volpe is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Plastic Monsters, Talia, Left to You, and many others. His love for horror started at a young age when his grandfather unwittingly rented him, "A Nightmare on Elm Street.". 

He can be found on Facebook @ Daniel Volpe, Instagram @ dj_volpe_horror , X @DJVolpeHorror , TikTok @danieljvolpehorror1

Candace Nola is a multiple award-winning author, editor, and publisher. She writes poetry, horror, dark fantasy, and extreme horror content. She is the creator of Uncomfortably Dark Horror, an indie press, which focuses primarily on promoting indie horror authors and small presses with weekly book reviews, interviews, and special features.

Multiple award winning author, Jasper Bark is infectious – and there’s no known cure. If you’re reading this you’re already contaminated. The symptoms will manifest any time soon. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no itching or unfortunate rashes, but you’ll become obsessed with his mind-bending books.

Then you’ll want to tell everyone else about his visionary horror fiction. About its originality, its wild imagination and how it takes you to the edge of your sanity. We’re afraid there’s no way to avoid this. These words contain a power you’re hopeless to resist. You’re already in their thrall, you know you are. You’re itching to read all of Jasper’s bloodstained books. Don’t fight this urge, embrace it. You’ve been bitten by the Bark bug and you love it!

Book Spotlight: Dark Tide 13: The Devil's Backbone

 Another book spotlight today for the newest Dark Tide anthology, The Devil's Backbone from Crystal Lake Entertainment. Enjoy.

Dark Tide 13: The Devil's Backbone

Join three of horror’s finest storytellers on a journey through the dark heart of Appalachia… 

AFOOT IN THE NETHERWILD by Ronald Kelly: When the children of Bowden Ayres mysteriously disappear in the woods near their homestead, he enlists the aid of Uriah Coldcreek, a seventh son and purveyor of mountain magic. Together, they travel into the deepest depths of the Devil’s Backbone, intent on locating a place known as the Netherwild… the realm of the Coveter, an otherworldly being who steals away the mountains’ youth for its own selfish needs.

SPIRIT COVEN by Laurel Hightower: For generations, Jude and her coven of witches have co-existed peacefully with the citizens of Arnett, providing them with remedies and top shelf bourbon, especially valued during the draconian days of Prohibition. But when too many townsfolk go missing and dead, trust is broken and the witches find themselves on shaky ground, facing threats from frightened families, from the mountain they protect, and the very magic they steward.

THE GATHERER by Red Lagoe: Gray Hollow lies at the foot of evil—a dark part of the forest home to The Devil’s Bathtub. Martin is skeptical of the local folklore warning of the dangers of dipping even a toe into its waters. However, after his brother leaves for Vietnam, more people fall victim to the water's summoning darkness, and Martin struggles to make sense of it all, determined to hold onto life's fraying reality.

Get it Today!

Dark Tide 13: The Devil's Backbone

Book Spotlight: The Bedmakers

 Another book spotlight today, on The Bedmakers by Chad Lutzke and John Boden. Enjoy.

The Bedmakers

After two elderly men tire of their homelessness in downtown Chicago 1979, they hop a train in search of work out west. But before their last stop, a traumatic event in an empty train car steers their once-hopeful journey into a path of chaos filled with deceit, murder, grave robbing, and dormant secrets.

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

About the Authors

Full-time family man, artist, musician, and ferret owner with twenty books under his belt, Chad Lutzke dips his toe into all things dark: Crime, thrillers, noir, slice-of-life and horror, every one smothered in heartache with the occasional sliver of hope. 

Some of his books include: OF FOSTER HOMES & FLIES, STIRRING THE SHEETS, THE PALE WHITE, SKULLFACE BOY, THE SAME DEEP WATER AS YOU, THREE-SMILE MILE, and THE NEON OWL series. Lutzke's work has been praised by authors Jack Ketchum, Richard Chizmar, Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen Graham Jones, Tim Waggoner, and his own mother.

He can be found lurking on the internet at www.chadlutzke.com

Twitter: @chadlutzke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChadLutzke 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chad_lutzke 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chad_lutzke/ 

John Boden was mostly raised in the mountains of Pennsylvania, in the small town of Orbisonia. He is a bakery manager by trade and finds a regular sleep schedule overrated. He currently resides with his beautiful wife and two sons, in a house sweetly haunted by the ghost of a beautician named, Darlene. He likes collecting lots of things and won't usually shut up about it.

His writing is fairly well received and has been called unique of style. His work has been published in the form of stories in several anthologies and as novellas. He plays well with others as is evidenced by collaborative works with Mercedes M. Yardley, Bracken MacLeod, Kurt Newton, Brian Rosenberger, Chad Lutzke and Robert Ford.

Twitter: JohnBoden1970 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.boden.33 

 

Book Spotlight: Dark Tide 12: Hunted Highways

Another book spotlight today on Crystal Lake Entertainment's new anthology, Dark Tide 12: Hunted Highways, with novellas by Carver Pike, Lucas Mangum and Rowland Bercy Jr. Enjoy.

Dark Tide 12: Hunted Highways

Embark on a journey into terror, where every mile is marked by suspense and horror. These three horror novellas transform travel into a treacherous adventure where the next stop could be your last.

B.I.R.D.S by Rowland Bercy Jr.: In B.I.R.D.S, a 2023 reimagining of Hitchcock's classic, a group of friends embarks on a cross-country trip, unwittingly stirring a vengeful avian onslaught. Raquel, Robert, Karen, and David face chaos and carnage, learning that appearances deceive and the price of their actions can be deadly. This bone-chilling tale weaves a narrative of suspense and consequence in a world where birds are not what they seem.

Dracula and the Devil Walk Into a Bar by Lucas Mangum: After a team of hunters raid their fortress, Dracula and Lucifer hit the road in search of a new place to call home. They stop at a roadside bar in an unincorporated locale to meet with a vampire named Mina. All three creatures of the night have the potential for violence. And none of them can resist the call of bloodshed. The people in this wood-paneled, neon-lit establishment are about to meet Hell itself.

Road Wrath by Carver Pike: For Melanie and her friends, this fun-filled trip to tour their favorite college campus is about to take a violent and macabre turn. If only they’d kept driving, if only they’d stayed far away from that rest stop, if only they’d been more polite when they encountered the creepy old couple. Now, it’s too late for apologies. Road Wrath is coming.  

Brace yourself for a ride into the heart of darkness. Grab your copy of Hunted Highways now and discover the chilling thrills that await at every turn!

Check out the Book:

https://geni.us/HuntedHighways

About the Authors

Carver Pike is a three-time Splatterpunk Award-nominated horror author. He hosts his own YouTube show called, First Chapter Freakshow, where he reads other horror authors’ books and talks about the world of indie horror publishing.
Pike wields his virtual pen and slings ink onto the page from his home in West Virginia where the people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous, and horror story inspiration is in every nook, cranny, and holler.
As a Christian, a man of faith who writes some pretty messed up stories, he wants to create some of the vilest creatures you’d ever imagine, so you and he can slay them together.

Find him on these social media sites: Website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky

 

Lucas Mangum is the author of nearly twenty books, spanning from splatterpunk and extreme horror to cosmic horror and dark fantasy. He lives in Central Texas with his family and their pet bearded dragon. 

Subscribe to his newsletter or check out his YouTube channel @LMHorror. 

Rowland Bercy Jr. burst onto the writing scene just three years ago, and has quickly established himself as a talented storyteller. His novella Unbortion was met with both acclaim and controversy, earning him top honors at the 2020 American Fiction Awards and a finalist spot in the 2019 International Book Awards. Readers who seek to push their own boundaries while delving into the darker aspects of life will find his work exciting and rewarding. Rowland’s writing experience has been a rollercoaster ride of excitement and uncertainty, taking him on an adventure unlike any other. Throughout his journey, he encountered numerous talented authors and many devoted fans who have motivated and supported him every step of the way.

He can be found on social media platforms like Facebook, and TikTok, as well as on his website: www.rowlandbercyjr.com

Book Spotlight: Master of Rods and Strings

Another book spotlight today, on the occult horror book, Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris. Enjoy.

Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris

Jealous of the attention lavished upon the puppetry talents of his dear sister—and tormented by visions of her torture at the hands of the mysterious Uncle Pavan who recruited her for his arcane school—Elias is determined to learn the true nature of occult puppetry, no matter the hideous costs, in order to exact vengeance.

Now Available on Amazon

About the Author

Jason Marc Harris teaches creative writing, folklore, and literature, and is the Creative Writing Coordinator at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. He graduated with a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Washington, and an MFA in fiction from Bowling Green State University. Creative work in journals such as Apex and Abyss, Arroyo Literary Review, Marvels and Tales, Midwestern Gothic, Psychopomp Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and Writing Texas. He's written two folklore books based on fieldwork—The Troll Tale and Other Scary Stories and Laugh Without Guilt (both collaborations with Birke Duncan)— and the critical book Folklore and the Fantastic in Nineteenth Century British Fiction (Routledge). He’s currently working on a sequel to Master of Rods and Strings (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2024). He’s also practicing the Dance of Outside while traveling the Astral Plane, polishing up some short stories, screenplays, and a novel, and contemplating sundry eldritch matters. 

Website: https://jasonmarcharris.com/