King’s. The Tower of London. Glass. What do these have in common?
Each is a famous menagerie.
While this Menagerie doesn’t focus on exotic animals, it does contain a collection of stories that explore various trials people face and how their reactions shape their worlds.
Survivors of a haunted bridge. Women who wait while their husbands fight a war. Former partners reunited to solve a cold-case murder.
These are just three of the thirteen stories in this compendium, encompassing past and present, natural and supernatural, legend and reality. The genres and timelines are varied, but there’s a little something for everyone who enjoys reading about simpler times and small-town life.
Our Review
From the complex premise of A Moment in Time to the mystery of The Homecoming, this wonderful collection of short stories enchanted me.
Each is a masterpiece of description, setting and storytelling that left me wanting each story to go on forever.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading them all, and every story brought something new and unexpected to my reading experience.
If I had to choose a favourite, it would be between Ghost Bridge and Storm Rider. Both of these stories appealed to my love of ghostly mysteries.
Joan Hall has always enjoyed reading or listening to stories about inexplicable events, so it’s not surprising she writes mystery and romantic suspense. A lover of classic rock music, songs often serve as the inspiration for her books.
When she’s not writing, Joan likes to observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and learn about legends and folklore. She and her husband live in Texas with their two cats. Learn more about Joan at her website, http://JoanHall.net.
An amazing start to the week as it is our turn to showcase The Last Drive, brilliantly written by our friend and fellow writer, John W Howell. Written as the sequel to Eternal Road, The Final Stop, The Last Drive takes us on another fascinating visit to the unknown.
Blurb
In the sequel to Eternal Road – The final stop, Sam and James are reunited to look for two souls, Ryan and Eddie. Ryan was killed in Afghanistan, trying to avoid a schoolyard with his crippled plane. Eddie Rickenbacker, Ryan’s hero, is to guide Ryan to his Eternal Home, and now both are missing.
The higher-ups believe that there has been some interference in Ryan and Eddie’s journey by Lucifer, so Sam and James have the task of finding Ryan and Eddie to get them back on the road despite the evil interference. Unfortunately, the machinations designed to prevent Ryan and Eddy from completing their journey takes the pair to horrifying testing grounds. The places visited represent the best work of the Devil. They are the trenches of World War I in France, gladiators at the Roman Coliseum, the sinking Titanic in 1912, Hiroshima 45 minutes before the bomb, and the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1943.
This book is for you if you like plenty of action, strong characters, time travel, and a touch of spiritual and historical fiction. So, join Sam and James as they try to find the missing souls while staying one step ahead of the Prince of Darkness, who is determined to destroy all that is good.
Buy Links
The Last Drive is available in paper and Kindle editions on Amazon. Here are the universal links. The Kindle edition is on sale for 99¢ through mid-February.
John is an award-winning author who after an extensive business career began writing full time in 2012. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. He has written Six other books that are on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Lakeway, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
The last drive, the sequel to Eternal Road, follows Sam and James on another mission to help the recently departed to get to their forever home. This time it involves Ryan Sanders, a pilot who died saving others.
Ryan has been assigned a guide to the Eternal Road, but when trouble intervenes in the shape of Lucifer, our heroes, Sam and James, are sent to sort things out.
What happens then goes from bad to awful as they are involved in visiting some awful situations, hoping they will break one of the rules.
This highly emotional story is brilliantly written. Sending Sam and James to these disastrous occasions is a ploy by Lucifer to make them break God’s rules so Ryan will be forced to forfeit his soul.
The major problem involves how easy it would be to warn people about these disasters, but of course, that would break the rules and cause chaos.
The ending was a surprise, and one of the best parts of this story for me were the chapters involving the Titanic. That has always resonated with me as one of the worst disasters. To go back there must have been emotionally debilitating and knowing they could not interfere must have been unbelievably tough…
A woman wronged. Her husband a cheat. Can she get her revenge without him realising he’s being punished?
Sharon Beesley, owner of Sharon’s Stores, discovers by chance the secret life her husband Eric is living, and once she begins to take her revenge, she finds she’s unable to stop. Meanwhile, their schoolgirl daughter Daisy follows the tempting trail of breadcrumbs left by a much older man. But when they meet, all is not what it seems. And no one knows where she is.
With Daisy in trouble and her parents distracted by their own problems, everyone is surprised when help comes from an unlikely place. As does retribution…
Shape of Revenge is a gripping domestic thriller. If you like character-driven action, suspenseful storytelling and unexpected twists then you’ll love this exciting novel.
Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. Following completion of the trilogy she was asked for more and so wrote a short story, The Joker, which is based on a favourite character from the series and the eBook is available to download for free at the retailer of your choice.
Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, encompasses crime along with Georgia’s usual blending of genre and its sequel, Loving Vengeance, has now completed The Ross Duology.
Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her passion for people watching and her overactive imagination.
She has also recently started running workshops and providing one-to-one support for those wishing to learn how to independently publish and you can find her, under her real name, at http://www.threeshirespublishing.com.
Following a long stint working in the law Georgia set up her own business providing administration services for other companies which she does to this day managing to entwine that work along with her writing.
Her busy life is set in a tranquil part of rural Cambridgeshire in the UK where she lives with her much neglected husband and dog.
Our Review
I remembered Sharon Beesley, the owner of the village shop, from the first book in the Shade Darker series. Here she is again, spreading her usual vitriol around the village like it was going out of fashion.
Someone is watching the shop from the shadows. Someone with an agenda, but who are they watching?
Eric Beesley, Sharon’s husband, has a secret, and I, for one, was happy for him.
Shame his wife already knew about it, though and was getting her own back in some secretive and diabolical ways. The toothbrush incident really turned my stomach!
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading Shape of Revenge, as that is entirely the wrong word for this riveting page-turner. Wonderfully written, it had me on the edge of my seat, praying Sharon would get her comeuppance!
People with a nervous disposition might want to think twice before opening this emotion-shredding book!
In this second book in the Fairies, Myths, & Magic series, step into a world where dark fairies and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by winter and the celebration of the winter solstice.
From autumn’s scary fairies to the forgotten female characters of Yule, prepare to embrace the magical winter solstice myths from around the world. Meet Frau Holle in the Wild Hunt, Befana—the Christmas Witch of Italy, and the Japanese goddess Ameratasu who controls the springtime. Prepare to embrace the Scottish trows, the Irish Goddess of Winter—the Cailleach Béara, and Snegurochka—the Snow Girl.
Learn how to make Yuletide rituals part of your celebration by embracing the symbols of Yule by decorating with evergreens and crystals.
Colleen M. Chesebro is a Michigan Poet who loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly poetry challenge, called Tanka Tuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of syllabic poetry.
Along with JulesPaige, Colleen is also a co-editor of “Word Weaving, a Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse,” at wordweavingpoetryjournal.com. The debut issue of this journal will publish in October 2021.
Colleen’s syllabic poetry has appeared in various other online publications. Recently, she created the Double Ennead, a 99-syllable poetry form for Carrot Ranch. Colleen’s poetry has poetry in various anthologies and journals including “Hedgerow-a journal of small poems,” and “Poetry Treasures,” and Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships.
Colleen published “Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry,” which illustrates how to write various syllabic poetry forms used in her Tanka Tuesday challenges; and a collection of poetry, flash fiction, and short stories called, “Fairies, Myths & Magic: A Summer Celebration,” dedicated to the Summer Solstice. She contributed a short story called “The Changeling,” in the “Ghostly Rites Anthology 2020,” published by Plaisted Publishing House.
Find Colleen at Word Craft Poetry at wordcraftpoetry.com, or her author blog at colleenmchesebro.com.
Our Review
The second book in the Fairies, Myths & Magic Series is a beautiful presentation from start to finish, full of fascinating information about Pagan mythology and the winter solstice.
Autumn and winter are my favourite seasons, making this lovely collection of poems and stories a joy to read.
Memories of those long months of illness and lockdown faded as I melted into the magical faerie world.
As with the first book in this series, I will purchase the paperback edition for my bookshelf, as I will be reading this enchanting book again…
A family massacred. A village in mourning. Can anyone sleep safely while a killer is on the loose?
Laura Percival, owner of The Stables, notices something wrong at her friend’s house when out on her morning ride. Further investigation reveals scenes she’ll never forget.
While the police are quick to accuse, Laura is less so, defending those around her as she struggles to make sense of the deaths. And all the time she wonders if she really knew her friends at all.
A chance encounter opens up a line of investigation that uncovers a secret life. One that Laura is much closer to than she ever realised.
A Killer Strikes is a gripping domestic thriller. If you like character-driven action, suspenseful storytelling and dark revelations then you’ll love this exciting novel.
Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. Following completion of the trilogy she was asked for more and so wrote a short story, The Joker, which is based on a favourite character from the series and the eBook is available to download for free at the retailer of your choice.
Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, encompasses crime along with Georgia’s usual blending of genre and its sequel, Loving Vengeance, has now completed The Ross Duology.
Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her passion for people watching and her overactive imagination.
She has also recently started running workshops and providing one-to-one support for those wishing to learn how to independently publish and you can find her, under her real name, at http://www.threeshirespublishing.com.
Following a long stint working in the law Georgia set up her own business providing administration services for other companies which she does to this day managing to entwine that work along with her writing.
Her busy life is set in a tranquil part of rural Cambridgeshire in the UK where she lives with her much neglected husband and dog.
Our Review
The first chapter sets the mood and asks all the right questions but doesn’t quite prepare you for what is to come.
Unusually, the main protagonist is not a detective, and it was interesting to see the case from a layman’s point of view. I loved the chapter headings too!
One by one, every character in the story comes under suspicion, but I never figured it out, and the ending was really surprising. I have often wondered how I would cope if the same situation happened to me.
A Killer Strikes is the author’s first brilliant foray into the world of the psychological thriller, and I am really looking forward to reading Shape of Revenge, the next story in the Shade Darker Series…
Today, it is our turn to host the amazing new story from our friend and fellow writer, Craig Boyack.
Over the years, we have read several of his lovely stories, and they never disappoint.
The Midnight Rambler, in our humble opinion, is the best yet!
Fabulous cover!
Our Review
Craig Boyack’s stories are always a good read, especially at this time of year, with plenty of wonderful characters and situations.
The Midnight Rambler story is the best, with one of the worst monsters!
Disasters follow Lizzie around, but this time she has extra help in the form of Ray C Adair. He is a very likeable character, and although he seems to need more help than Lizzie, I rooted for them both. I loved that he brought a little romance to the proceedings while helping Lizzie find a missing professor, a horde of menacing scarecrows, and of course, The Midnight Rambler.
They have their hands full in this dizzy adventure, chock full of the unusual and the bizarre.
Just the job for Halloween!
Over to you, Craig, and welcome to our blog!
So kind of you to lend me your space, Anita & Jaye. I’d love to have you over whenever you need a place to promote. I love this indie author community and this is just a small part of it.
I tend to write stories that are more toward the outrageous fringe of fiction. I orbit around paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy tales. Today, I want to talk about keeping readers grounded.
Before I get started, don’t forget to check out the cover and blurb. Those will give you more insight into what this story is about. I think it’s perfect for the Halloween season and hope you’ll give it a try.
Back to the topic of reality, I think it’s important to give readers a solid base to start from. The Hat Series is full of monsters and things that go bump in the night. I want readers to come along for the ride, but try really hard to ground them in things they can understand.
Lizzie St. Laurent is a twenty-something young woman who teamed up with a magical talking hat to fight monsters. That’s a lot to expect readers to swallow, so I try to include a lot of the real world. Lizzie struggles with things young people are experiencing right now.
She works multiple meaningless jobs to pay the rent. She has a small cover band that brings in a few bucks on the weekends. When her car needs attention, she doesn’t always have the cash to cover the bills. She has a Keurig in her apartment, which seems to fit a certain age group. Readers can relate.
In this story, she’s going to have to deal with the fallout from a major flood. Her life could take years to get back on track. These are things that happen in the real world, and I think they give readers a way to understand her while she’s dealing with monsters, like The Midnight Rambler.
Hoard some toilet paper and canned goods, bring your snorkel, and check out The Midnight Rambler. I think you’ll have a good time.
Cover Blurb:
Something evil is after the hat. The ageless enemies have battled many times, but this time Lizzie is wearing the hat. She’s also up against a ticking clock, in that if she can’t find the maker of her new friend’s medicine he will die.
The Rambler has kidnapped the only witch capable of making Ray’s medicine in an attempt to make the hat sloppy in his efforts. He’s also flooded the streets with deadly minions to impede any progress our heroes might make.
As if that weren’t enough, Lizzie is facing more of life’s struggles, both financially and mechanically. This all goes down in the middle of a huge flood event that she’s ill equipped to handle.
Join Lizzie and the hat as they battle the elements, the paranormal, and a being of pure evil. Lizzie might be battling some personal demons along the way as she and Ray grow closer.
A healer with the talent to unravel death. A stillborn child brought to life. A father lusting for vengeance. And a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose. A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she, too, learns to heal death. Denied a living heir, the widowed king spies from a distance. But he heeds the claims of the fiery Vicar of the Red Order—in the eyes of the Blessed One, Aster is an abomination, and to embrace the evil of resurrection will doom his rule. As the king’s life nears its end, he defies the vicar’s warning and summons the necromancer’s daughter. For his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade. Armed with righteousness and iron-clad conviction, the Order’s brothers ride into the leas to cleanse the land of evil. To save her father’s life, Aster leads them beyond Verdane’s wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a wilderness of dragons and barbarian tribes. Unprepared for a world rife with danger and unchecked power, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son.
My Review
I took my time reading this book, wanting to savour every word and emotion.
I was not disappointed.
The first intriguing chapters ensured that I would be enchanted until the end. Gone are the days when I could immerse myself in a book, forgetting all else until the end, but this story resisted being put down. The magic drew me in and would not let me leave.
The tension gradually increased until my nerves stretched to breaking point (I am desperately trying to avoid spoilers here), but by the end, I was sobbing like a baby.
A truly inspiring fantasy made real by such wonderful characters.
Definitely, one I will be reading again!
About the Author
A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.
Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.
Day three, and we get double the fun with two hosts for Ghost of a Chance. Jan Sikes and Colleen Chesebro, both wonderful writers, are sharing the centre stage to promote my story.
I’ve been an avid reader all my life. I can still remember the excitement that surged through me the first time I realized I could decipher words. There’s nothing I love more than losing myself in a story.
Oddly enough, I never had any ambition to be a writer. But I wound up in mid-life with a story that begged to be told. Not just any story, but a true story that rivalled any fiction creation. Through fictitious characters, the tale came to life in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books. Not satisfied to stop with the books, I released music CDs of original music to match the time period of each story segment. In conclusion, to bring the story full circle, I published a book of poetry and art. I was done.
Wrong!
The story ideas keep coming, and I don’t intend to turn off the creative fountain.
I love all things metaphysical and often include those aspects in my stories.
I am a member of the Author’s Marketing Guild, The Writer’s League of Texas, Story Empire, and the Paranormal Writer’s Guild. I am an avid fan of Texas music and grandmother of five beautiful souls. I reside in North Texas.
Rena Jett grew up inside the foster care system with her brother. I grew up in the same circumstances and identified with her every step of the way. I know how hostile and confusing her world must have been. It can confuse how you see the world, a world you never knew existed while inside a system that meant well but never felt like it did. The author has captured every confusing emotion and how they interact with a person’s life extremely well.
I especially loved Rena’s relationship with her brother, Sam. He tried so hard to be there for her and his constant caring and mysterious presence made this romantic and beautifully written story lovely to read.
Just heard that the second book in the White Rune series, Jagged Feathers is now available, and I cannot wait to read it!
Please follow Jan’s link to read more about Ghost of a Chance HERE
Colleen M. Chesebro is a Michigan Poet who loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly poetry challenge called Tanka Tuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of syllabic poetry.
Along with Jules Paige, Colleen is also a co-editor of “Word Weaving, a Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse,” at wordweavingpoetryjournal.com. The debut issue of this journal will publish in October 2021.
Colleen’s syllabic poetry has appeared in various other online publications. Recently, she created the Double Ennead, a 99-syllable poetry form for Carrot Ranch. Colleen’s poetry has poetry in various anthologies and journals including “Hedgerow-a journal of small poems,” and “Poetry Treasures,” and Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships.
Colleen published “Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry,” which illustrates how to write various syllabic poetry forms used in her Tanka Tuesday challenges; and a collection of poetry, flash fiction, and short stories called, “Fairies, Myths & Magic: A Summer Celebration,” dedicated to the Summer Solstice. She contributed a short story called “The Changeling,” in the “Ghostly Rites Anthology 2020,” published by Plaisted Publishing House.
Find Colleen at Word Craft Poetry at wordcraftpoetry.com.
These enchanting poems and stories are a joy to read and would make a truly beautiful present for anyone who loves the magical world of myths and magic. I had just finished editing my complicated mystery/thriller and wanted something to undo all the knots in my brain. I chose to read this delightful book written by Colleen Chesebro and it worked a treat! I was transported back to a time when I saw fairies everywhere, and the years simply fell away as I remembered those golden days of my childhood. Thank you, Colleen, for restoring the magical centre in my brain…
Please follow Colleen’s link to read a special interview with David Snow HERE
Our thanks to both of these ladies for taking part in the book tour for Ghost of a Chance!
Day two of the book tour for Ghost of a Chance, and we are visiting John W Howell, a brilliant writer and a good friend, sharing an excerpt of my book with you all today.
My favourite of John’s books is Eternal Road, The Final Stop.
James began a road trip alone in his 1956 Oldsmobile. He stops for a hitchhiker only to discover she is his childhood sweetheart, Sam, who disappeared seventeen years before. James learns from Sam that falling asleep miles back caused him to perish in a one-car accident. He also understands that Sam was taken and murdered all those years ago, and now she has come back to help him find his eternal home.
The pair visit a number of times and places and are witnesses to a number of historical events. The rules dictate that they do no harm to the time continuum. Trying to be careful, they inadvertently come to the attention of Lucifer, who would love to have their souls as his subjects. They also find a threat to human survival and desperately need to put in place the fix necessary to save mankind.
Our Review for Eternal Road.
The prologue to Eternal Road reads like any good murder mystery, followed by a quite normal beginning to chapter one, but that’s when normal left the building! Eternal Road is a beautifully written and unique story in so many ways. A love story, an exhilarating adventure, and variations of history all rolled into one. This story encompasses all your different emotions as it explores life and death, good versus evil, and considering the afterlife can be such a sad subject, I found no sadness in this story. On the contrary, I found the chemistry between Sam and James heart-warming as they try to make sense of their predicament and learn how to handle it. The ending was a surprise for me, being a lifelong romantic at heart, but I understood the reasoning behind it. And because of this, I feel there could be more from John Howell on this theme, and that’s fine by me!
All about John W Howell
John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His speciality is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the tension. The final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016, concludes the thriller series. John’s fourth book, Circumstances of Childhood, launched in October of 2017, tells a different thriller story of riches to rags, football, Wall Street, brotherly love, redemption, and inspiration with a touch of paranormal to keep you riveted.
The fifth book is a collaboration with the award-winning author Gwen Plano titled The Contract. Heavenly bodies become concerned about the stability of the Earth and send two of their own to risk eternal salvation in order to save the planet. The Contract achieved number one status in its genre. John’s latest book is titled Eternal Road – The final stop and launched in September 2020. In search of their eternal home, Sam and James discover a threat to human existence. They also encounter the prince of darkness. The question is can they save humankind and their eternal souls. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Lakeway, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
Thank you again for helping to launch Ghost of a Chance, John. It means a lot to me!
Marcia lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years and four big cats.
When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds to furry critters to her very favourites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.
Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfil 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?
I had been looking forward to reading Marcia Meara’s latest Wake Robin Ridge story, as I am a devoted fan of the adopted, delightful eleven-year-old star of the previous book, Rabbit.
This story is all about the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights, a very real phenomenon, something that has puzzled people for years and had Rabbit entranced. I wondered if he would end up discovering something connected to his own special gift, his ability to ‘read’ people and sometimes see the future.
Along the way, he becomes involved in a murder mystery, turning what I thought would be a light-hearted story into something more complicated.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Light. The quality of the writing, the wonderful cast of characters and the sublimely complicated plot left me in awe of the author’s talent.
Anita Dawes and Jaye Marie 