The Nazi Necromancer

A freaky and clever twist on an already notorious history

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Check this book out. A very different and clever slant on history. The author has done his research here and simply altered the roles of the various leading characters and thrown a horror/dark fantasy aspect into the mix which works perfectly with the already near perfect scenario of good versus evil.....and don't think you will know how it ends because I can guarantee you won't. I got it off Amazon and I think it is only available for E Readers at this stage.

Klat Categories: 
History
Military
Magic
Global/International

Concealed in the Darkness

Concealed in the Darkness by J.K. James

Some things are very real and need to be told.

The unseen things we feel watching us from the shadows in the corners of our eye.
Something unseen that hides and lurks within the very darkness of the shadows.
The quiet can become quite deafening in its haunting persistence.
Even in silence you can hear its faint whisper coming out of nowhere. A very distant and hushed sound that seems like it's far away, yet very close. Very close.
Close enough to touch you...too close.

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a fear of the dark.
I never dreamed my fears would be real.

Learning at an early age that there are unseen things that exist which are able to reach into our world from within the shadows. He spends his short life trying to avoid and ignore them until they finally force themselves on him, making him question his own sanity until he is finally pulled into the darkness himself and learns the truth.

Coming into possession of an artifact that he'd dreamt about years ago, things begin to really go sour as paranormal attacks begin to escalate in a variety of forms. A home life irreparably falling apart and forces him to flee from both an abusive home life and the ever increasing spectral attacks. He seeks refuge in a new start where his passion for a girl he secretly loves is crushed and mocked by the unknown. Devastated with no answers, he is drawn into the world of the occult which sinks him deeper into the shadows where he is finally confronted and discovers the secret of the dark shadows themselves.

They are called different things by different cultures.
But one thing that is the same throughout human history.
They are there.

They watch you now.

Watch the Trailer on Youtube!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs0Qs2ce1V4

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GNGAWSU/
Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/4530461

Klat Categories: 
Books

The Fury by John Reinhard Dizon

Now Available at Amazon!!!

The Fury is a supernatural thriller set in modern-day New York City that provides a historical subplot with a medieval European flair. Bridgette Celine, a private investigator, is hired to track down the daughter of Giovanni Rossini, a notorious Mob boss. Annabelle Rossini has made contact on the Internet with a fortune teller in East Harlem who offers her an opportunity to develop her psychic abilities. Bridgette is unable to refuse a huge financial offer and takes on a case that catapults her into a vortex of devil worship, drug dealing and murder.

Anna has moved into a three-story tenement run by Miss Goyette, a West Indian voodoo priestess who has rented the second floor to one of the most notorious crack gangs in Harlem. The third floor is occupied by Buda Sakumbe, an illegal alien from the Congo who rarely leaves the building. When he does, only its residents realize that horrible catastrophe follows in his wake. Bridge begins piecing the puzzle together, and she grows inextricably entwined with Anna in making her acquaintance and discovering the nature of her predicament.

Unknown to anyone but Mrs. Goyette, Giovanni Rossini is the descendant of a 16th century Italian nobleman who entered into a satanic pact with a French noblewoman. Their rituals of blood sacrifice ensure that their seed would establish an empire of vast economic and political power. Goyette has foreseen that the prophecy would be fulfilled through the bloodline of the Rossini Family and that of Bridgette Celine. Bridge becomes an unknowing pawn in helping Rossini make the connection with her family in New Orleans where the final link can be established.

The key to Goyette’s influence in East Harlem is Sakumbe, who is under a curse that causes him to turn into a hyena when a satanic demon called the Fury overcomes him. Goyette uses her mystical powers to control the Fury, which she can unleash through the force of her spells and incantations. The leader of the crack gang in the tenement, Kenya Kilmanjaro, has sold his soul to Goyette in exchange for control over the narcotics racket in Harlem. His exultation over his absolute rule is quenched as all of his rivals, real or imagined, are found torn apart by what authorities believe to be a wild animal.

Enter the Zombie Squad, an undercover NYPD black ops unit headed by Johnny Devlin.
He crosses paths enough with Bridge to bring her in as an informer, and eventually they discover that Anna is being sent to New Orleans by Goyette. Bridge makes herself known to Anna, and offers to accompany her on the trip. They end up staying with Bridge’s cousin Rebecca, on whose property lays the missing link to the Rossini prophecy.

A mystical amulet is exhumed from the family graveyard and brought back to Mrs. Goyette by Anna. None of them realize that Anna’s life is required as a sacrifice to consummate the satanic pact to establish the Rossini kingdom. This is a horror tale you won't want to miss.

Dark Ficiton/Horror

Just reaching out to all persons who are interested in reading dark fiction and horror stories. For an exculsive time, I am offering all interested parties an opportunity to read (in-full, & without charge) THREE of my short stories via my new web site: www.daoodbrown.com.....

Klat Categories: 
Entertainment

Grace Krilanovich, The Orange Eats Creeps

Difficult but fascinating.

This was a somewhat difficult book to read, for many reasons. But it was certainly an interesting book, as well. I have pretty high standards for books that keep my attention, and I read all the way through to the end on this one. That alone gives it a passing grade.

I was excited when I learned that The Orange Eats Creeps is set in the Pacific Northwest in the 90s, among street kids and runaways and junkies in Portland and Seattle and all points in between. Having lived through that era, it's a scene that has so much richness and untapped potential that has yet to be mined in the literary field. The idea of setting a story about a runaway teenage vampire in that time and place seemed most excellent.
 
Long story short, I was expecting Drugstore Cowboys, but I got Naked Lunch.
 
The book's biggest problem, as well as its most obvious attraction, is its hallucinogenic narrative which most reviewers dub "experimental." It is told in the first person, so the question isn't whether or not the narrator is unreliable. The question is exactly HOW unreliable she is. Does she really see a forest path lined with small brown birds vomiting up little blobs of goo? Is she really psychic, or is she just experiencing guilt-related hallucinations?
 
Once you start trying to tease out the truth, the whole thing unravels. There are very few things in the book that I would consider to be "facts." Maybe she isn't even a vampire after all. Maybe it's just a hallucination, or a metaphor, or ????? Is it just one long continuous drug trip? Or is this what life is like when you are a vampire?
 
At the very very VERY least, The Orange Eats Creeps gets major props for innovation. You have never read a vampire book like this before. You have never read a book that does to the traditional vampire story narrative what this book does. You have never read a vampire book with this particular perspective. And you probably never will.
 
The field of vampire literature is much of a sameness. For that reason alone, The Orange Eats Creeps truly stands apart from the rest.
 
Audiobook note: The narrator did what she could with this text, but it was a struggle not to slip into a monotone. A problem inherent to any narrative written in the first person perspective.

Joe McKinney

A Class Act On All Levels

The problem with being a writer is that self publicity is essential. We use our twitter and Facebook as soundboards for our latest novels, contests, etc. It's a necessary part of the gig. For most writer, it ends there. Joe McKinney goes far beyond the call of duty.

 

You may be familiar with his many published short stories and books including Quarantined. He lives in Texas and writes horror, crime science fiction all the while keeping his day job as a police officer. You'll notice that many of his articles feature a heavy police element. You write what you know, right.

 

McKinney is an amazing writer and he also likes to help out those beginning writers. Many of us are friends with him on Facebook and in between posts about his books, etc. he gives advice on writing and updates people about the life and times of Joe McKinney.

 

As a writer, his opinion and knowledge is invaluable. He's the writer we all hope to eventually be and that's not going to happen overnight. Any help we can get from the masters are greatly appreciated. He also is more than happy to talk about his personal life and the what's going. You begin to know Joe McKinney the man and he's a really good guy.

 

One day, I hope that I can offer the same kinds of advice to people and actually feel like I am qualified to write it. If you have the chance, friend him on Facebook and get know a wonderful human being.

Books vs. movies

Which are better?

Long before I ever read The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, I had seen the movie version Hellraiser on cable. Hellraiser was only one of several stories in the book, but it's what made me want to read the book. It went the same way with The Stand, Carrie, etc. I had always ended up seeing the movie first.

I guess as a child, I was a much more visual person because when it came to horror, the movies always came first. I soon came to realize that many of the movies I loved to watch were actually based on books or stories in books. I voraciously began reading everything I could by King, Barker, Koontz and others.

It wasn't long before I realized that the books were vastly different than the movies. The books had more details, more plot points and were much more thought out than the movies. Movies were like a shell of the books. Screenwriters took license with the plot and characters in order for them to fit within the time allotted and into modern conventions of movie magic.

I still don't know which one is best. I love them both for different reasons. It's like the Team Jacob and Team Edward dilemma. If I had to choose, then I would say that books were my preferred medium. There's something about exploring every aspect of a character that is appealing and you just can't do that in a movie. At best, a movie can truly focus on only couple of characters and everything else is background.

Are horror eBooks good gifts?

Missing the old paperbacks

As a writer, books are an important part of my life and often I would give books to people as birthday and Christmas gifts. I tried to fit the book with what I knew of their wants and interests. It served me well for many years.

I have many friends that love horror and since I have connections to many writers, I would often give them books from writers they've never heard of. Over the past few years, more and more writers have been going to eBook format and foregoing the paperback or hardback route altogether.

It just seems so anticlimactic to give someone a file instead of a physical book. It's like saying, “Here's your gift, just open up your Kindle Cloud and you'll find it in there." There's no smell of fresh pages and physicality to it.

Does that lessen the impact of the book? Does it seem like I care less because I send an eBook instead of a paperback? It's very possible that in the next 20 years, there will no longer be paperback books on bookstore shelves. Everything will be done online and electronically sent to your e-reader of choice.

Regardless of what sending an eBook as a gift feels like to me or the receiver, it's going to become the norm. I would rather provide a wrapped paperback or hardback book as a gift, but I guess a neatly folded amazom.com receipt will have to do. That doesn't mean I have to like it.  

Reading Horror With A E-Reader

It Just Isn't the Same

For me, reading has always been a visceral experience. Horror was always the choice for me because fear is a powerful emotion and I loved being scared as I became caught up in the story. There was something about the way it felt to hold a book and I couldn't wait to get to the next page.

 

Recently, I purchased an e-reader so I could read many of the books and stories sent to me by other writers. No one even bothers sending real books anymore. I will admit that the feeling I get when reading from an electronic device is far different than holding a book in my hand.

 

Books are tactile and the smell of the pages is intoxicating. I love it. I can squeeze the pages tighter as I become more engrossed in the book and at the end of the night, I can gauge my progress by looking at how much of the book is left.

 

I can't get that from an e-reader. The soft glow of the screen means I don't need to have the light on and if I need to I can check my e-mail without getting up from my seat. I can flip the digital pages and it even has the page turning sound, but it isn't the same. Maybe because its the alien feel of the e-reader or my own fear of change, but I can't get as engrossed as I used to.

 

No amount of gore or adjective laden prose can move me the way it had when I held a book in my hand. I know the world is becoming more digital and in 20 years there won't be a book on a shielf anywhere, but this is on advancement that I wish we could take back.

 

 

Anthologies vs. contests

Both have pros and cons

There are two primary ways a short story writer can get their name and stories out there in the world: a contest or an anthology. It's not easy breaking into the writing world and even if you have a book written, you're going to need a little street cred before sending it to an agent.

Anthologies are a great way to earn that street cred. Most of the time an anthology is written around a specific topic and you must write a story that fits with that topic. You then send it in and if it is accepted, then you not only get paid for it, but also get published. You may also get royalty payments from the sale of the book.

There are many anthologies out there every year from big and small publishing companies. They allow you to start getting a fan base and the more you get published, the more fans you get. Your fan base is always a consideration when agents look at your work.

Contests are much more loose and may not have a specific topic. Generally, there is an entry fee for each manuscript you enter with most of it going to pay the winner. In some of the larger contests, you can win thousands of dollars and have it published in a special anthology or in the magazine.

These are great because you can win money and earn respect. Some of these contests are major and can catapult you into cross hairs of agents and publishing companies.

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