Showing posts with label Killers and Demons II: They Return. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Killers and Demons II: They Return. Show all posts

Monday, 14 October 2019

October Frights Day 5: Killers and Demons.


Today I'm showing off the new covers for my horror series, Killers and Demons.
I think they're spiffy.


Killers and Demons



Sometimes the villains win…

This time the heroes don’t rise, there are no knights in shining armor, and good doesn’t triumph. It is time for the villains’ story.

Craving a little blood or perhaps some horrific death? Slake your gruesome thirst for vicarious thrills with five chilling stories that go inside the twisted lives of serial killers and beyond to the dark, disturbing company of demons. Turn the pages and delve into the dark and murky world of evil.

The Tales:

A woman wakes up afraid, alone, and in complete darkness.
A collector of hearts stalks Valentine’s Day.
One man on the edge of being London’s most famous serial killer.
Hell has a bounty hunter.
Demon vs. knight with one soul as the prize.

Killers and Demons, where the macabre murderers don’t get caught and evil triumphs.
Come watch the blood drip slowly, sweetly from their fingers.


Killers and Demons II: They Return



Evil is back, with a greater appetite for death.

Killers.
Demons.
They lurk forever in the shadows, smile at you in the morning, and haunt your dreams at night. You can’t hide, you can’t run, and there’s no escape. You can only scream when they come for you.

Killers and Demons II: They Return is a collection of thirteen tales, blending short stories and flash fiction, tales where the blood lingers on your tongue or spurts quickly from the swift cut.

The Villainous Roster:

Wade, every parent’s nightmare.
Hannah and Mr. Greeley. Who is the victim and who is the villain?
Simon and Zoe, a married couple who are dying to be single again.
Norman and his "cookie" of a wife, Mabel.
Millicent and Jane, a delightful duo you shouldn’t invite to your Regency tea party.
Amanda, who literally has a skeleton in her closet.
Balthazar, the demon bounty hunter on the hunt once more.
Sarah, a young woman going through some changes and craving new tastes.
Emmeline, hanged as a witch, now back from the dead for revenge.
Gabrielle, a woman haunted by shadows.
The Dollmaker, she showers death, and an umbrella won’t help.
Nightmare Demons bent on driving a town insane.

And then there’s Alice, a little girl locked in the basement by her Daddy…

Together they form a spine-chilling cadre of predators. Who will survive and who will fall?




So that ends today's post. Be sure to hop on over and check out the offerings of the other participants as well. Here's the list.

Saturday, 14 February 2015

This Is The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop!


Welcome to the Bloody Valentine Horror Hop!

The place where Valentine’s Day is celebrated with heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, and where you find out what happens when the rose petals die, the candy melts, and lovers are looking for payback.

The bloggers that signed on are offering many delights in romantic misfortune, and you can check out the full list at the end of this post.
First up, though, is my contribution:

  • A creepy little story about lingering too long in a relationship
  • Some poetry — two poems written by me and another penned by special guest poet, Sean Theall
So read on…





Leaking Out


Drip, drip, drip.
The sound dances with the sunbeams streaming through the bedroom window. It’s a rhythm, a mind numbing vibration of liquid striking metal. Such a strange sound to hear in the morning, the drip, drip, drip of the tap.
Or is it the tap?
Maybe it isn’t a leak. Maybe it’s something else. Blood flowing through the veins of the house. Drip, drip, dripping someone’s life away. All oozing out over the sink. Or the floor.
I wonder why I thought that?

I smell coffee.
I’m in the kitchen.
How did I get here? I’m not sure. My memory plays tricks these days. Or maybe time is playing tricks. Either way, I’ve gotten used to it. Mostly. But the dripping noise is gone. Maybe it never was. Maybe it was in my head. Probably was. Too many things are in my head.
But I still smell coffee. And toast. He made breakfast. He always made breakfast when we were first married. Or maybe I did. No, that’s not true. He did. He was sweet in the beginning.
I don’t think he’s here anymore. I think he left. But I don’t know why. Why would he leave? None of this feels right. All I know is the house is empty. Shut up tight. It’s so quiet.
And there’s no breakfast on the table. Just dust.

We were happy.
I thought we were happy.
I must’ve been wrong.
Something must’ve been wrong.
Our happiness had cracks.
He didn’t love me.
Or he wouldn’t have… no, I won’t… he didn’t… couldn’t have… he left me?
No.
I left?

Drip, drip, drip.
I can hear it again. The wet noise.
It isn't coming from the kitchen. It sounds like it’s coming from the bathroom.
But it may not be coming from anywhere, except my head. It’s hard sometimes to know.
I’m standing outside the bathroom door now. But I was just in the kitchen. Wasn’t I? I think I was. Maybe not.
I don’t want to be here. Why? Why do I want to run? Something happened in there? I think it did. My hand is shaking.
I’m afraid.
But I can still hear the dripping.
I open the door.
The room is empty. A cheerless room.
I look down.
The stain’s still there. It’s been scrubbed and scrubbed, but it wouldn’t come out of the tile. Where the blood dripped into the widening pool of red. Bright, bright red. The stain’s more pink now.
It’s even kind of pretty. If I forget what made it.
Blood. Too much blood.
Painted on my memory. Scarlet and screaming, and all jumbled with questions. Whys and how’s. I don’t have answers. I’m not sure I want answers. I might not like them. I’d rather forget. I like it best when I don’t remember it at all. Those are the best days.
But that’s not today. Today’s not a day when I don’t remember.
Today I know what happened.
Someone died.
No, someone was murdered.
I remember.
My husband murdered me.




~*~

Though I Be A Fool…

Though I be a fool, I shall weep
for you, and what will never stay,
my fleeting, broken love so cheap.
Though I be a fool, I shall weep.
And I mourn, my grief wide and deep,
as the sun dims, and clouds grow grey.
Though I be a fool, I shall weep
for you, and what will never stay.



~*~

Murmur’s Echo

A fume of glacial breath
beside you,
in the graveyard

Ephemeral vapors wafting,
far adrift
across the moonlight

Prickles teasing at your ear,
spinal shivers
One voice whispering

Stay with me…
Stay with me…

For Eternity



~*~

And Now For Our Guest Poet...


The Last Commitment

Here my lovely let us have one last meal.
one more chance to be together and
tell you how I feel.
Upon the table in a vase
is a half-life rose, this meeting
is to see if we still have a pulse
and where our future goes.
Steak or chicken your personal
choice. recite your order in
that sweet tiny voice.
Trying to get a emotional reading
from your laugh and smile.
taking my emotions placing
them on a railroad track
with a train coming, and
still expect love back.
All you really want is my
blood and my heart, do away
with my husk a brand new start.
Not to mention the green
my leather case. will this lunch
end in death by broken vase?
I would like to attempt to
beat you to the punch, wanted
to see what we could salvage
this was the idea behind this
lunch.
It appears we must take on
different roles. I as the mongoose
and you as the snake there is only
so much of that hidden evil smile
I can take. dancing around the
truth maybe realizing too late
we can't live under the same
roof.
One final gesture from me
silently holding my breath.
handing you a glass of red wine
nervously waiting for you to
take sip and end our jointed
time.
Feeling lightheaded or woozy
my angel? let me put you to
bed. sleep off your hangover
and fall quickly to your death.
The authorities will not suspect
a thing. all they will see is
you sleeping soundly in bed.
only I will know the truth,
you are finally gone;
stone cold dead.

Copyright 2011
Sean C. Theall


~*~


About the Hop, and the Blogger List




We also had a last minute entry not on the official list, but well worth the read:


Saturday, 1 November 2014

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:




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.



Thursday, 30 October 2014

#CoffinHop Day 7: An Interview with Balthazar

A strange indulgence today Coffin Hoppers, as this odd transcript of an interview came into my possession, and I felt I had to share…



“Welcome everyone, to another Fireside Chat. I’m Richard Dale, your host. Today, the demon Balthazar (from the Killers and Demons series) has stopped by and kindly consented to talk with—”

“I have not consented to anything. I was ordered here by… never you mind who. I rather be anywhere else. Even watching one of those insufferable reality TV shows would be preferable to this torture.”

Unnerved, Mr. Dale fidgets. “Very well, then. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible—”

“Please do.”

Richard Dale frowns, but continues. “First, tell our audience a bit about yourself.”

“Why would I do that?”

“If you don’t answer, it will just prolong this interview.”

Balthazar sighs. “Oh, very well. If I must participate in this inane ritual, I must. I’m a demon, and a bounty hunter for Hell. I track down escaped souls and send the worthless wretches back where they belong. Satisfied?”

With a smirk, he replies, “Very. Now do you have any hobbies?”

“Killing, maiming, disembowelment, incinerating humans with Hellfire.”

A rather frightened look passes over Mr Dale’s face. “Um, very cheery pastimes. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?”

“Interviews.”

He swallows, turning slightly pale. “Which living person do you most despise?”

“Must I pick just one? I quite despise your whole race.”

Mr Dale weakly laughs. “Well, you must be fun at parties. Next question:  What do you consider the most overrated virtue?”

“Mercy.”

“Of course.” Richard Dale loosens his tie, smiles briefly and continues. “What is your idea of perfect happiness”?

“What kind of a question is that? Happiness is for weak humans… ” Balthazar pauses, and an unsettling smile crosses his lips. “Although, I rather miss my days as a pirate, during the early 18th century. Such good times back then. The smell of salty sea air mixed with blood, the cannon fire, the killing, and generally wreaking of havoc. Yes, such good times.”

Mr Dale pushes his chair backwards, away from his guest. “What is it that you most dislike?”

“Humans.”

A tiny gasp escapes Richard Dale’s lips, and his hands tighten around the arms of the chair where he is seated. “What one word best describes you?”

Balthazar snorts. “Where do you come up with this drivel? Who goes around describing themselves? But to answer the question, I’d use the word ruthless.” He smiles again.

Trembling, Mr Dale squeaks out a final query. “Last question. What is your first memory?

“Wonderful, it’s over.” Balthazar reaches down and pick up his hat. “My first memory is snapping the neck of a lesser demon and eating its bones. I was two years old by demon standards and my father was so proud. May I leave now?”

“Yes please do. I think I need a drink, anyway.”

“I recommend the whiskey. I had some before you arrived. Goodbye. I hope we never meet again.” In a cloud of smoke and the stench of brimstone Balthazar disappeared.

Richard Dale fainted.






I hope you enjoyed this adventure, and don’t forget to keep hopping for more fun. You can find the list of participants at  http://coffinhop.com/




And here’s my contest.



Friday, 24 October 2014

Crawl Out Of Your Graves, It’s #CoffinHop 2014

Welcome to the Dark Side!


It’s that time of year again, when the ghouls come out play and so do we horror writers. Yes, boys and girls it’s Coffin Hop Time

For those of you not in the know, here’s a brief explanation of what will unfold:  Every October a horde of horror writers get together for an annual event and turn the last week of the month into the spooky festival of terror called Coffin Hop. It is a Halloween and horror themed blog hop that runs from Oct. 24th until the 31st. We have stories, trivia, ghoulish delights, and tons of contests. You can check out the official rundown here: http://coffinhop.com/what-is-coffin-hop-2/

For my participation, I have daily posts planned, with two book spotlights, a dark poetry corner, an excerpt by guest writer Jennifer L. Gifford, a multi-author spotlight, some scary drabbles by guest author Michael Brookes, a interview with my character Balthazar, and a Poe inspired story for Halloween. In addition, my blog is part of Melissa Smith’s scavenger hunt, so be sure to check out her blog for details: http://melissasmithbooks.wordpress.com/

Plus, I’ll be running a Rafflecopter contest all week, with lots of great prizes (see the bottom of the post for the contest).

So that’s the scoop on Coffin Hop. And after you’ve read this post, you can pop over to http://coffinhop.com/ to find out who else is hopping by checking out the Linky list.




Now join in today’s devilish fun…

I’ve recently published my newest horror story collection, Killers and Demons II: They Return, a book that (as you may have guessed) focuses on villains. So today, I’m starting off the Hop with a book spotlight and a bonus Villain List.


Killers and Demons II: They Return




Evil is back, with a greater appetite for death.

Killers.
Demons.
They lurk forever in the shadows, smile at you in the morning, and haunt your dreams at night. You can’t hide, you can’t run, and there’s no escape. You can only scream when they come for you.

Killers and Demons II:  They Return is a collection of thirteen tales, blending short stories and flash fiction, tales where the blood lingers on your tongue or spurts quickly from the swift cut.









The Villainous Roster:

Wade, every parent’s nightmare
Hannah and Mr. Greeley. Who is the victim and who is the villain?
Simon and Zoe, a married couple who are dying to be single again.
Norman and his "cookie" of a wife, Mabel.
Millicent and Jane, a delightful duo you shouldn’t invite to your Regency tea party
Amanda, who literally has a skeleton in her closet
Balthazar, the demon bounty hunter on the hunt once more.
Sarah, a young woman going through some changes and craving new tastes
Emmeline, hanged as a witch, now back from the dead for revenge
Gabrielle, a woman haunted by shadows
The Dollmaker, she showers death, and an umbrella won’t help
Nightmare Demons, bent on driving a town insane

And then there’s Alice, a little girl locked in the basement by her Daddy…


Together they form a spine-chilling cadre of predators.


Find the book at:

Kobo


Plus, download the first book in the series for free at Smashwords until Halloween:
Killers and Demons






On to the contest. I have three prizes up for grabs:

  • First Prize: An autographed (by me) paperback of Legends and Lore and Smashwords copies of Killers and Demons and Killers and Demons II
  • Second Prize: Mini potion bottles and a pouch
  • Third Prize: A Smashwords copy of Killers and Demons II: They Return 

(Note: There will a small delay in delivery of the Legends and Lore paperback, as it is being shipped to me from the publisher before it continues on to the winner.)

Here's some photos of the prizes:








Now here’s that added bonus, a quick list of some of my favourite sci-fi/fantasy/horror villains on TV:
  • Crowley (Supernatural): He’s the ever-so charming King of Hell, what more do you need?
  • White Walkers (Game of Thrones): In a show simply overflowing with nasty types, these guys are downright chilling (pun intended).
  • Hydra (Agents of Shield): What could be better than mad scientists and ruthless sleeper agents.
  • The Daleks (Doctor Who): One word – Exterminate.
  • The Headless Horseman/Henry Parish (Horseman of War)/Moloch (Sleepy Hollow): With this trio, the coming apocalypse is in very malevolent hands.
  • Samaritan/Greer (Person of Interest): Creepy AI and his handler that are puppet masters for human security and covert spy operations. Nothing could possibly go wrong there.
  • Hannibal Lector (Hannibal): Suave, elegant, and totally creepy.

Feel free to add your own villain to the list in the comment section. And be sure to pop back tomorrow for a peek at the Legends and Lore anthology, full of gods, mer-people, Valkyries, and my own contribution, Arthurian witches.

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Killers and Demons II: They Return Contest Winners


The Killers and Demons II Blog tour is officially over, and I'd like to thank all the hosts for their great work, and the readers who viewed and commented. It was great fun for me, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it as well. I also hope you'll join me here on my blog from the 24th-31st for more horror fun when I participate in Coffin Hop.

Okay, now on to the contest. I have popped over to Rafflecopter and randomly chosen the winners of the three ebooks. And they are:

Ash Krafton
Irina Dimitric
Julianne Snow

Congratulations ladies, I've sent you all an email with the Smashwords coupon code for your free books.

So I leave you now, with a little quote from the book...

“I told you. I've been watching.” She twirled, her arms outstretched. “Watching, watching, watching.”

Sunday, 5 October 2014

The Killers and Demons II Blog Tour Begins Today

The week long blog tour for Killers and Demons II: They Return starts today, October 5th and runs until October 13th. I'm visiting some great blogs, and I have some wonderful guest posts, interviews, and book excerpts and spotlights lines up, so please stop by and enjoy. Plus there's a contest to win copies of the book.






Come one, come all, to a festival of murder and mayhem. 
We have killers, demons, witches and more, with bloody exploits galore.

Evil is back, with a greater appetite for death.

Sample what is offered, but be careful. 
What you nibble on may turn out to be somebody’s fingers…




Here are a list of the stops for my Killers and Demons II blog tour.


October 5:
The Cult of Me - Guest Post: Splatter and Gore vs. Psychological Horror

October 6:
The FlipSide of Julianne - Guest Post: Historic Settings for Horror 
Sheila Deeth's Blog - Guest Post: Nightmares
Dandilyon Fluff - 
Spotlight and Excerpt: Evil Returns  - What Fun!  

October 7:

October 8:
Ben Ireland's Blog - Interview

October 9:
Spreading the Writer's Word - Book Spotlight

October 10:
Joylene Nowell Butler, author - Guest Post: How to Write a Good Villain

October 11:
The Road to Nowhere... - Guest Post: Exploring the Appeal of Horror

October 12:
Pagan Spirits Book Blog - Guest Post: My Love Affair with Villains

October 13:
The Manicheans - Guest Post: Turning the Sweet, Sour



Saturday, 4 October 2014

The Release of Killers and Demons II: They Return

Today's the Big Day!


Killers and Demons II: They Return is officially released!



Evil is back, with a greater appetite for death. 

Killers.
Demons.

They lurk forever in the shadows, smile at you in the morning, and haunt your dreams at night. You can’t hide, you can’t run, and there’s no escape. You can only scream when they come for you.

Killers and Demons II: They Return is a collection of thirteen tales, blending short stories and flash fiction, tales where the blood lingers on your tongue or spurts quickly from the swift cut.

The Villainous Roster:

Wade, every parent’s nightmare
Hannah and Mr. Greeley. Who is the victim and who is the villain?
Simon and Zoe, a married couple who are dying to be single again.
Norman and his "cookie" of a wife, Mabel.
Millicent and Jane, a delightful duo you shouldn’t invite to your Regency tea party
Amanda, who literally has a skeleton in her closet
Balthazar, the demon bounty hunter on the hunt once more.
Sarah, a young woman going through some changes and craving new tastes
Emmeline, hanged as a witch, now back from the dead for revenge
Gabrielle, a woman haunted by shadows
The Dollmaker, she showers death, and an umbrella won’t help
Nightmare Demons, bent on driving a town insane

And then there’s Alice, a little girl locked in the basement by her Daddy…

Together they form a spine-chilling cadre of predators.


Available at:


And join the celebration on Facebook this afternoon at 2 PM EST: 

And as part of the launch event, here's some trivia about the book:


Killers and Demons II: They Return Trivia:

  • The book is a sequel to Killers and Demons, and the character of Balthazar appears in stories featured in both books.
  • Eleven of the villainous characters are female, or demons with a female appearance.
  • Five different time periods are represented in the book: Medieval, Regency, Colonial, Victorian, and today's Modern Era.
  • Two of the stories, Up From the Ground and Shadows, were inspired by pictures.
  • Relationships play a large part in the book. There are three stories about couples, one about a paid relationship, two with relationships that ended badly, and a strange tale of possession. Plus, there are some dysfunctional family matters peppered throughout the book. And of course, they all have a body count.
  • The original title for my story, "The Dollmaker", was "The Rain Child".





Also, for the month of October, I'm offering the first book in the series, Killers and Demons for free on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59000


Subscribe Now:

Search This Blog

Powered By Blogger

Monthly Pageviews