Awake… #Poetry

Wake up, you’re not dead
You’re dreaming
The ghosts you see had their time
My bones ache from walking
I see new faces through the fog
They smile, then vanish
It’s as if I’m walking from room to room
Families seated at their dinner tables
Then the screaming starts
Drumming against my ear
Then I could see the bodies, heaped in a pile
The screaming came from the women
Their mouths a giant O
Their eyes blank white orbs
I wake to my own screaming
So glad I was only dreaming…

©AnitaDawes2022

Shadows… #Poetry

Dark half entities
Day or night, reach across the land.
Breaking away from their hosts
Elongated, misshapen forms
Forests, great monuments.
We too have our own half-life
Following where we go
Bending its shape to the landscape
Stretching along walls, leading the way
Searching along the River Thames
Playing with the water
Dancing with the light
Teasing, find me, touch me.
I have watched the shadows 
Shrink back into themselves
As if frightened by a stranger form
They return to their host.
The land around is bright again
Lit by the sun.
When the time is right
Our own earth reaches into space
Like a dark searchlight.
I wait, hold my breath
watch Pac-man eat the moon
Until the dark shadow is complete...

©AnitaDawes2019

Passing By… #Poetry

Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay ~ Poem by Anita Dawes
Passing By

I go where the wind blows
Where dead bodies lie
Midnight passing with ghost in hand
Winters dying song
Bare branches, frozen fingers
Scraping frost
Waking imagination
Sound echoes on
Do you feel the hand on your back?
Should you run, leave winter behind
Forget the sound that calls your name…

©AnitaDawes2022

His Day is Coming… #Poetry

Image by ELG21 from Pixabay

One winter after the snow had fallen
Out at sea, thunder, and lightning raged
Telling of my coming.
Angels whisper of my birth
When magic ruled the land
And folk prayed, standing by the stones
Before they knew about the darkness to come
The pain that would follow them
through their lives, devastating families
Stepping between those that love
Turning love back on them,
tearing bits from each other
They become as walking lepers,
without the bell to ring
They are swallowed by despair
It’s the beloved he is after.
My training in the dark arts almost complete
I will be let loose on the unsuspecting fools
Take all they have accrued
This will continue
until one is born with the power of light
The kind that can destroy the likes of my dark ways.
His day is coming…

© Anita Dawes 2021

Dark Gods… #Poetry

Dark Gods

There are Gods that have no light
They live in darkness
Dwell on sorrow, feed on fear
They drop nightmares like rain
We never feel them enter our minds
We never see the dark shadow
that falls across our soul
Nor hear the dark composer of our thoughts
When fear calls, we stand to attention
Dark whispers scratch the mind
Push us forward when we should turn away
How hard is it, to just say no…?

© anita dawes 2020

#Throwback Thursday ~ Review for A Thousand Yesteryears by Mae Clair #ParanormalSuspense @MaeClair1

“Masterful, bone-chilling fiction…one intense thriller. A Thousand Yesteryears will keep you guessing, gasping and turning the pages for more.” —New York Times bestselling author Kevin O’Brien



Behind a legend lies the truth…

As a child, Eve Parrish lost her father and her best friend, Maggie Flynn, in a tragic bridge collapse. Fifteen years later, she returns to Point Pleasant to settle her deceased aunt’s estate. Though much has changed about the once thriving river community, the ghost of tragedy still weighs heavily on the town, as do rumors and sightings of the Mothman, a local legend. When Eve uncovers startling information about her aunt’s death, that legend is in danger of becoming all too real . . .

Caden Flynn is one of the few lucky survivors of the bridge collapse but blames himself for coercing his younger sister out that night. He’s carried that guilt for fifteen years, unaware of darker currents haunting the town. It isn’t long before Eve’s arrival unravels an old secret—one that places her and Caden in the crosshairs of a deadly killer . . .

Our Review

A Thousand Yesteryears – the first book in the Point Pleasant Series.

The opening prologue begins easily enough, schoolchildren discussing their missing friend and the rumours of a strange creature living in the swamps just outside of town.

What happened next ramps up the tension full blast, setting the theme for the rest of the story.

Fifteen years later, Eve Parrish, one of these children, returns to Point Pleasant after inheriting her family home. Will she be able to settle the property and go back home, away from the past and its memories?

Walking back into the past is not usually a good idea, especially when such pain and sorrow is there is waiting for you. Things are never quite as you remember them, and that goes for the people too.

Eve has a job to do, settling her aunt’s estate and making it fit to be sold, but someone or something doesn’t want her there.

A Thousand Yesteryears is a fantastic story. A murder mystery, romance and a psychological thriller that will set your nerves on edge while doing its level best to scare you to death!

Beautifully written and full of tension, I enjoyed reading this story and will remember it for some time, looking forward to reading the rest of the Point Pleasant Series…

Review for Viral Blues by C S Boyack #HumourousDarkComedy @virgilante

Someone knows about the hat. The creature from another dimension that helps Lizzie fight against the creatures of darkness.
They are summoned to a cryptic meeting with a secret society, where they meet other people with enhanced skills. It turns out someone, or something, has been tampering with the world’s vaccine supply. The goal doesn’t appear to be political or financial, but biblical pestilence.
Can this group of loners come together in time to make a difference when even the proper authorities are obstacles?
Check out Viral Blues, for your dose of paranormal adventure, with a strong sample of dark humor. And in recent superhero style, don’t miss the secret last chapter after the back material.

Our Review

I wasn’t sure about the premise for Viral Blues, considering the state of the planet right now. I thought it might be just a little too close for comfort, but the cast of characters soon grabbed me by my coat tails and pulled me into the story with wonderful enthusiasm!

Such an interesting idea, bringing all your favourite characters together in one book. They all fit together well, apart from the Hat, who, lets face it, has never been a team player but did his level best to rule the roost!

That extra chapter at the end was worthy of being compared to some of Hollywood’s best (and cringe-making) finales. It is extremely well written but nasty in the extreme, but villains should always get their comeuppance, shouldn’t they? And what happened to Danny O’Malley was poetic!