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Preorder Blitz Malice and Forethought

May 4, 2020 Leave a Comment

Malice and Forethought cover

Malice and Forethought:

Short Stories of Malice and Murder

by Felicia Denise

Cover Design: perry elisabeth design

Genre: Crime Thriller / Suspense / Short Stories

Release Date: June 1, 2020

Malice – noun; mal·ice | ˈma-ləs
1 : desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another
//
2 : intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse
//ruined her reputation and did it with malice
Everyone is capable of malice and no one is immune to its outcome.
A Hint of Malice – When her last living relative commits suicide after having her identity and assets stolen, a grieving niece longs for justice.
Burned – When the masterminds behind a major drug operation get off with a slap on the wrists, a frustrated police detective warns them their wealth cannot shield them from everything.
The Marshall Sisters – After seeing her sister mistreated by far too many men, Leslie Marshall is proud of Paula for standing up for herself and accompanies her on a cold winter’s night to confront her boyfriend, but even Leslie isn’t ready for the new, assertive Paula.
The Watcher – Shamed into exiled by his family because of his sexual fetish and hanging on to the shreds of his sanity, a man plots the ultimate date night with his new neighbor.
What’s done in the dark always comes to the light.

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Malice 3D mockup

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About the Author
After writing as a hobby for most of her life, at the urging of a good friend, Felicia took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo in 2015, writing what would become her first published work, In the Best Interest of the Child. It was released in the fall of 2016. Free, a Novella, which began as a three-installment series on her website, was published as a short story in May 2017.
Currently working on projects in several genres, Felicia plans to release book 2 of In the Best Interest of the Child – Family Matters, as well as anthologies of her suspense and women’s fiction short stories in 2020.
A long-time blogger, she also features books by indie authors daily on her blog, Nesie’s Place.
Felicia lost her husband of nearly 36 years of May of 2019, and is a strong advocate and supporter of the National Kidney Foundation. She has three adult children, four grand-pups, and as one of nine children, she has too much extended family to even go into!
In her free time-when not reading-Felicia sews and enjoys experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen. She always has a cup of robust coffee and far too many pun jokes nearby.

~ Stalk Felicia on Social Media ~

Author Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Newsletter

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Book Review: Fallen Star Dust by Morgan Straughan Comnick

June 11, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Fallen Star Dust

Author: Morgan Straughan Comnick

Genre: Collection (Poetry, Short Stories, and more)

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

When I reached the point where adult life began to make its presence known right after high school graduation, I looked to the sky. I hoped to see a shooting star that would light my way and I wished that it would leave a trail of star dust behind to remind myself to stay young at heart. Thanks to writing, the enchantment of youth has never left me. In the next chapter of my life, I began college to follow my dream of being an educator. I developed my career, found out who I was an independent being, stopped hiding my passions, figured out my role in my lifelong relationship with my now-husband, and realized that it was okay to question the world. There was darkness that needed to be seen as well as the light. The poems, short stories, scripts, essays, and other works in this second collection are my everything: the shoulders I cried on, my joys, my bravery when the road became too twisty or too safe. It led me to a waterfall of creativity. That fallen star dust gave me the drive to become who I am today: a teacher, an author, a nerd, and a person of morals, love, and magic.

Fallen Star Dust is a collection of short stories, poems, and essays, by author Morgan Straughan Comnick. This book features stories and articles Morgan wrote during her college years, and is the follow-up to her first collection A Sweet, Little Dream, which featured literary works from during her middle school and high school years.

I quite enjoyed the collection. It’s not the usual subject matter I read, but reading about the author’s dreams and aspirations as she went through college reminded me a lot of myself and my own college years. It also allowed me to gain more insight into the author’s life and personality. Most of the poems had a short intro that explained why they were written and what inspired them, and I really liked that, it allowed me to see in the author’s mind.

This isn’t the kind of book you have to pick up and read it one sitting. Rather, it’s the type of book you have to cherish and enjoy slowly, savouring every part of it. You can pick it up, read a poem, and put it back, but the poem might haunt you long afterward.

I particularly enjoyed the short stories too, and how the author’s writing style changed and developed over the years. An intriguing collection that allows more insight in the author’s mind, and shows the creative process as it grows and develops over time.

Giveaway

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Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Book Review: The Big Jump by Shmuel Cohavy

March 19, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: The Big Jump

Author: Smuel Cohavy

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Age Group: Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A life in short stories

In The Big Jump, Shmuel Cohavi narrates charming and memorable moments from his life. The stories touch upon growing up in the young Israeli state, daily life in the Kibbutz, family relations, school and adolescence, love affairs and much more, covering the entire lifetime of the author.

Real-life stories that will touch you

Why did the Kibbutz youth laugh at their elders? What happens when two Kibbutz boys visit their family in the big city? Find out in these memorable anecdotes from the Kibbutz life, Israeli Defense Force service, university life, family gatherings and daily routine at work. All delivered with great charm and unmatched authenticity.

A humorous and charming picture of Israeli life

The short and precise stories in this book come together to create a colorful kaleidoscope. Prepare to meet unforgettable characters from Israeli life and delve into a lifetime of love, laughter and memories.

In The Big Jump, the author shares different short stories about important and memorable events during his life. The stories are about growing up in Israel, daily life in the Kibbutz (which I actually didn’t know what it was, until I read the book), family relations, love affair and more.

People who are from Israel or a similar culture as the protagonist will definitely enjoy this book, and immediately feel at home in this culture. For me, being from an entirely different culture, it took a while until I understood all the different traditions and relations, but I still enjoyed it. The short stories are perfect for if you don’t have much time but still want to read a story or two, and then pick up the book again later.

Filed Under: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Author Interview Guns, Gods and Robots

January 29, 2016 1 Comment

Today I’m interviewing Brady Koch, author of “Guns, Gods and Robots”. Welcome!

Author Interview

Guns_gods_and_robots_v32 smallestHow long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing fiction for about three years now. I’ve dabbled in it here and there before that time, but never to the point where I thought I’ve had anything complete enough to share.

What is your favorite genre to write?

I love what I’d call classic Americana science fiction: robots, trips to nearby planets and the apocalypse. What can I say? I’m nostalgic for Twilight Zone style stories.

Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I love nonfiction books, but can’t quite determine a good subject to tackle. I like the Mary Roach style of nonfiction book that’s a blend of journalism, research and first hand storytelling. Perhaps I can find something fun to tackle over the next year.

Please tell us about your book.

Guns, Gods & Robots is my first collection of sci-fi short stories and novellas. The diverse concepts may be unusual or disturbing but at the center of each story is a very human character faced with a set of really difficult decisions. As much fun as it was to write about automatons and living in a bunker, I really enjoyed trying to give these flawed characters some real emotions.

Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

My favorite in this collection is Cid’s wife Bess. Cid is trying to troubleshoot a very corrupted robot and not getting anywhere for his efforts. While he’s racking his brain though the majority of the story, she’s calm and collected and true to her beliefs. These kinds of steadfast characters may seem one dimensional, but I really like how she turned out and is the kind of person I’d like to have in my circle of friends.

My least favorite was Clint in Popular Mechanics for Young Widows. The first draft was much longer and I even shared it on Noisetrade. Reading it again, Clint came off as too villainous. Almost like he was twirling his moustache the entire time. I took the novella down from all stores and drastically reworked it. Clint was overhauled and his actions and intentions are more nuanced than previously. His actions are greyer than in the first draft, and I’m happier for it. Life is rarely black and white.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

I tend to write long then cut the stories down to the bone. This obviously results in a shorter story, but I like how condensed they are. Think of these as a collection of bonsai trees.

What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I typically write on the morning train to work and edit on the train back home. If I’m on a tear, I’ll write both ways then edit late at night after the family is asleep. The only thing I absolutely need to write is a seat on the train. It’s the worst when you board the train with a head full of ideas and discover it’s standing room only and

How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

This book took about two years. There were quite a few stories I wrote that didn’t make the cut for the final seven. Some I’ve published on my site and others I might revisit in a year when I’m assembling a new themed collection.

Can you tell us about your editing process?

My wife is my main editor. She’s incredibly direct with her feedback and it’s quite a help. My stories are the stronger for it.

Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Not a series per say, but there are shared worlds that these stories belong in. Numbers 16:32 and Timothy both have shared elements. I’m already outlining a novel that exists in the world of one of these tales.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Be brave and share your work with strangers. Try out a local writers group or a site like OpenBooks.com or Noisetrade.com. I talk to a lot of hobby writers, that never take their manuscripts public even through the book has been 99% done for years. Don’t wait for perfection.

Why should everyone read your book?

I would say that each of these stories is based on my own fears under the guise of science fiction. The characters make as many bad decisions as good ones, and I like hearing from readers who share with me what choices they would have made in similar circumstances. I remember one of my more detailed reader letters dissecting Valerie’s actions in Popular Mechanics for Young Widows. She honestly read more into the characters motivations than I’d intended, but it was still one of the best feelings in my life to get to initiate this long conversation through one of my stories. I invite all my readers to do the same.

This book is for the non-sci-fi reader as much as the fans of the genre. I typically get “I don’t like reading this kind of book, but this really kept my interest.”

If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

. . I always worry about meeting an idol and them not living up to my idea of them in my head. With that warning, I’d love to meet/have met Kurt Vonnegut, Brian K. Vaughn, and Bill Bryson.

What inspired you to write your book?

I always like daydreaming and thought it would be fin to see if I could write formalize some of the stories that would roll through my hear. I started writing purely as a challenge to myself. I wanted to see if I could follow through with it and then self-publish. It’s feels freeing when the story is done and out of your head. Like checking something off of a list.

Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I’m writing a quartet of novellas that all take place in the same high concept universe. Without too much away it’s about dreaming, blue-collar workers and hunting a serial killer who may not actually be serial killing.

About the Book

Guns: A girl’s birthday wish comes true when she gets to spend an afternoon on manhunt with her lawman father.
Gods: An old man discovers his crops aren’t the only dead things on his farm.
Robots: A heartless machine built for compassion malfunctions, leading its engineer on a hunt to fix the corruption before it spreads.
In Guns, Gods & Robots, Brady Koch, mixes and remixes three themes across this collection of stories and novellas that spans the range of science fiction and horror. The stories, collected here for the first time, range from the uplifting to the horrifying. Sure to spark your imagination, the seven stories in Guns, Gods & Robots will also keep you up at night.
ENJOY. 
If interested in reviewing, I am more than happy to provide the book in the eReader format of your choice. If there’s another way to send this to you let me know and I can accommodate.

If short story and novella collections are outside of your scope of review, but you are still able to support my work as an independent writer, I’m more than happy to participate in an interview for your blog. Please let me know if you are interested.

Guns, Gods & Robots Launch Press Release:  http://www.bradykoch.com/p/press-releases.html

About Me

Brady Koch lives in Westchester County, NY with his wife and children. Feel free to read over Brady’s shoulder if you see him working on a new novel or short story at the coffee shop, library, or commuter train into NYC. Despite his penchant for crime, horror, and the unusual in his writing, he’s actually a nice guy and welcomes your feedback. Brady Koch’s first collection of short works, Guns, Gods & Robots, is now available.

Website: www.BradyKoch.com

Twitter: @BradyTheWriter

Guns, Gods & Robots on Amazon

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: , , ,

Mini-Review: Unspoken, Covet, The Enchanted Truth

July 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Unspoken

Title: Unspoken

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Review: Kami Glass has always talked to a boy in her mind. This was an unique premise, and the book delivers easily on its unique plot. There was a lot of mystery, and it was rather complicated, which I enjoyed. I’m not sure if everyone is who they’re pretending to be, and I love that about a book.

Covet

Title: Covet (The Clann #2)

Author: Melissa Darnell

Genre: Vampires, Witches, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Rating: 2 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.

Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can’t believe Sav won’t even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.

A reckoning is coming, and not everyone will survive.

Review: I didn’t really like Crave, the first book in the series. I thought most of it was hilariously stupid,  but I decided to give Savannah another shot in this sequel. The book isn’t much better than the first one though. The pacing was agonizingly slow, Savannah is ridiculous, whiny, and pathetic. Tristan isn’t much better. Not recommended.

The Enchanted Truth

Title: The Enchanted Truth

Author: Kym Petrie

Genre: Short Stories, Fairytales, Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

In this humorous and insightful tale, a modern day princess finds herself single and asking for magical intervention to change her sorry love life. Rather than casting a spell to bring Prince Charming to her rescue, a savvy fairy godmother gives the tenderhearted damsel an unexpected gift. By entrusting her true thoughts and desires to an unlikely confidant, the young royal soon discovers that the person who could make her life everything she dreamed it would be has been with her all along.

As author Kym Petrie herself realized, every woman needs a froggy friend and a secret journal—and enough adventures with the girls to keep her heart pounding and her mind racing. Life is meant to be about happy beginnings . . . you can never have enough of them.

Review: A princess asks her grandmother for magical intervention to change her sorry love life. But things don’t work out like the princess expected. The tale is short, insightful and humorous. It’s inspired by the Frog Prince story. It’s funny at times, and a short read, so it’s over fast. An enjoyable book for everyone who loves fairytales.

 

Filed Under: Mini-Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Book Review: Adventures with Ragweed by Linda Lou Crosby

June 5, 2014 Leave a Comment

RAGWEEDCOVERTitle: Adventures with Ragweed
Author: Linda Lou Crosby
Genre: Young Adult, Humor, Short Stories
Age Group: Young Adult and Younger
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Whimsy – Humorous Tales of Adventure, Friendship and Outdoor Ventures For Young Adult Readers and those young at Heart Adventures with Ragweed is a collection of humorous short stories filled with adventure and family themes.

Ragweed is a tribute to the whimsical part of each of us. Follow this young teen and her best friend, Marney as they travel to Mexico for a fishing trip, where the family is to shoot a pilot for a television show, instead, find themselves in an unexpected sea storm.

Laugh out loud as Ragweed takes on the tennis elite at the country club or attempts to rearrange their perfectly cut lawns.

Always one to learn new things, this young freckled face gal with the unruly blonde hair, builds a float, rides a horse and grows a garden – always getting into unintentional trouble and conning her friends to partake. Each task done with her own unique vies of the world.

Light Hearted and Funny

These stories are meant to entertain. It’s difficult to narrow it down to one specific genre as the book is a collection of short stories suitable for young adults as well as for an older crowd with a sense of humor. Family Relationships, Friendships, Essays and Humor are categories all presented within the pages of this book.

If you like the outdoors you might enjoy reading about Ragweed’s horse riding exploits or her compost-creating stunts. She spends a great deal of time playing sports and in the garden. Most of the stories are based on the author’s own experiences when she was a young adult but some of us know that inner youth tends to follow us into adulthood – so if you have similar backgrounds, these tales will make you grin.

Beautifully Illustrated

Adventures with Ragweed is a different kind of book. It’s a humorous short story collection aimed at young adults, although I thought it would be more appropriate for a younger audience. The stories read more like shorts for middle graders, but the younger age range of young adults could enjoy it as well.

Ragweed, the main character, is a quirky, enjoyable heroine. She stumbles from one adventure into the next. All stories are complete with a good dosis of humor. They also focus on regular day to day things, like riding horses, or building gardens, but it makes everything sound like an adventure.

Great writing and beautiful illustrations too. Recommended for kids, and adults who want to feel like a kid again.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Humor, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,

Book Tours: Starter Day Party Adventures with Ragweed

May 15, 2014 1 Comment

ragweedbanner

I’m happy to host one final starter day party for today – that for YA humor / short stories collection “Adventures with Ragweed”. I”ll review the book on June 5. Visit the other tour stops in the mean time.

Tour Schedule

May 15th: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

May 17th: Book Excerpt @ Hollow Readers

May 19th: Author Interview @ Taking Time for Mommy

May 21st: Promo Post @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

May 23rd: Book Review @ Forever Book Lover

May 25th: Book Excerpt @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

May 27th: Author Interview @ The Writer’s Life

May 29th: Promo Post @ The Book Daily

May 31st:  Book Excerpt @ Bookaholic Ramblings

June 1st: Author Interview @ The Single Librarian

June 3rd: Book Excerpt @ Cajun Book Lover

June 5th: Book Review @ I Heart Reading

June 7th: Promo Post @ 365 Days of Reading

June 9th: Author Interview @ Endazzled Reading

June 11th: Book Review @  Bookish Madness

June 13th: Promo Post @ Majanka’s Blog

June 14th: Book Excerpt @ Books Direct

June 15th: Book Review @ Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock

Adventures with Ragweed

RAGWEEDCOVERTitle: Adventures with Ragweed

Author: Linda Lou Crosby

Genre: Humor / YA / Short Stories

Whimsy – Humorous Tales of Adventure, Friendship and Outdoor Ventures

For Young Adult Readers and those young at Heart

Adventures with Ragweed is a collection of humorous short stories filled with adventure and family themes.

Ragweed is a tribute to the whimsical part of each of us. Follow this young teen and her best friend, Marney as they travel to Mexico for a fishing trip, where the family is to shoot a pilot for a television show, instead, find themselves in an unexpected sea storm.

Laugh out loud as Ragweed takes on the tennis elite at the country club or attempts to rearrange their perfectly cut lawns.

Always one to learn new things, this young freckled face gal with the unruly blonde hair, builds a float, rides a horse and grows a garden – always getting into unintentional trouble and conning her friends to partake. Each task done with her own unique vies of the world.

Light Hearted and Funny

These stories are meant to entertain. It’s difficult to narrow it down to one specific genre as the book is a collection of short stories suitable for young adults as well as for an older crowd with a sense of humor. Family Relationships, Friendships, Essays and Humor are categories all presented within the pages of this book.

If you like the outdoors you might enjoy reading about Ragweed’s horse riding exploits or her compost-creating stunts. She spends a great deal of time playing sports and in the garden. Most of the stories are based on the author’s own experiences when she was a young adult but some of us know that inner youth tends to follow us into adulthood – so if you have similar backgrounds, these tales will make you grin.

Beautifully Illustrated

Author Bio

LL mugLinda Lou Crosby is a video producer, storyteller and former professional athlete. Like Ragweed, she has a unique approach to life. Ragweed is a part of herself she wanted to share with others. Linda Lou has a great sense of humor and likes to laugh and make others laugh too.

She currently lives with her husband in Montana and California where on clear days you can find her fishing, hunting or hiking.

Links

Website: For trailer promo and excerpts of book http://ragweedadventures.com/

Paperback: http://amzn.to/1iDHpDS

Kindle http://amzn.to/1iDGX8L

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, Starter Day Party Tagged With: , , , , ,

Book Review: DarkFuse #1 by Shane Staley (Editor)

March 25, 2014 1 Comment

20513038Title: DarkFuse #1
Author: Shane Staley (Editor)
Genre: Dark Fiction, Novella, Anthology
Age Group: Adult (18+)
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Anthology including the following short stories:
“She Sleeps in the Depths” by William Meikle
“Better Heard and Not Seen” by Michael Penkas
“Carrion Fowl” by William R. Eakin
“Jaws of Life” by E. G. Smith
“Netherview” by Gary McMahon
“Children of the Horned God” by Christopher Fulbright

This anthology of short stories by DarkFuse, the first in what I suppose is an anthology series that’ll reflect the quality DarkFuse has embraced in its novels and novellas, is a good start to an anthology series, although some of the stories suffered from a lack of originality.

Let’s start with “She Sleeps in the Depths”. This was one of the more original stories. A man starts hearing a weird noise. He’s unable to escape from it, and chases the noise out to the open sea, where he and a woman he meets along the way, discover a Lovecraftian type of monster slumbering in the depths. Strong writing, solid characters, and a brush of originality make this an outstanding story.

“Better Heard and Not Seen” tells a familiar story. A boy believes there’s a monster living in his closet. He tries not to wake up his Mom though, afraid she’ll get upset again, but when something crawls out of the closet, and gets in bed with him, and that something turns out not to be the monster…That’s spine-chilling. I loved how the author picked a familiar trope here, then added in this original elements, and left me scared to go to sleep. This was, hands down, the best short story in the book, and definitely the creepiest.

“Carrion Fowl” was…disturbing. For some unexplained reason, people start turning into cannibalistic flying monsters. The main character is turning into one of these terrifying beats as well. He’s already lost his wife to this strange illness that turns people into some type of dinosaur. The story is strange and surreal. The writing was okay, but didn’t really stand out. There was no real plot either, just the main character as we follow him during his descent into madness. It was an okay story, but not more than tht.

“Jaws of Life” is a traditional, yet horrifying story. A salesman’s car gets stuck upside down on an abandoned stretch of road. He’s found by gauntly-looking children. The oldest of them, who seems the nicest of the bunch, refuses to tell the grown ups that the salesman is there. While the salesman keeps begging, he’ll soon find out why the kid didn’t want anyone else to know. I found this story predictable, and it also lacked originality. Without trying to spoil things, I saw the ending coming from miles away, and it reminded me of those “lost in the woods” horror stories we see reworked in B-rated horror movies every now and then.

“Netherview” was simply confusing. A couple goes to look at a home showing at the site of an old asylum, and then get locked up. But why, to what purpose, and how, are all questions left unanswered. I’m okay with having some questions left at the end of a story, but if I’m still wondering about the most basic of things, that bothers me. However, it’s clear that the set up here, and the character’s fears and worries, and the choice they make at the end, is far more important than the setting and the reasons why. A nice try, and I certainly felt appalled by the end.

“Children of the Horned God” was meh. Some horned creature grabs a man’s wife, he starts to hunt for the creature, and finds out a bunch of secrets about his community he’d rather have left buried. Nothing too special, a tad predictable, not too scary.

All in all, the anthology had some definite top-notch stories, and some mediocre ones. None that were particularly bad though. I hope the next anthologies do a bit more thinking outside the box, and embrace new concepts in horror. I missed originality in some of the stories here.

Filed Under: Anthology, Dark Fiction, Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women

October 23, 2012 Leave a Comment

13587206Title: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women
Author: Marie O’Regan (editor)
Genre: Anthology, Ghost Stories, Horror
Publisher: Running Press
Publication Date: January 1st, 2013
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Review copy purchased by yours truly.

25 Chilling Short Stories by Outstanding Female Writers
Women have always written exceptional stories of horror and the supernatural. This anthology aims to showcase the very best of these, from Amelia B. Edward’s ‘The Phantom Coach’, published in 1864, through past luminaries such as Edith Wharton and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, to modern talents including Muriel Gray, Sarah Pinborough and Lilith Saintcrow.
From tales of ghostly children to visitations by departed loved ones, and from heart-rending stories to the profoundly unsettling depiction of extreme malevolence, what each of these stories has in common is the effect of a slight chilling of the skin, a feeling of something not quite present, but nevertheless there.
If anything, this showcase anthology proves that sometimes the female of the species can also be the most terrifying.

The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women is an anthology you have to own. One by one, I found the stories mentioned to be breathtakingly unique, and each of them deal with the subject of ‘ghosts’ in their own, distinct way. Some stories are pure horror, spine-chilling, offering goosebumps. Others are more mundane, and talk about the departure of loved ones. Others are set in a purely fictional world, with necromancers and warlocks.

Because of the length and the diversity of this anthology, it’s hard to say something about it as a whole, apart from the fact the editor picked strong, varying stories with interesting premises. The first story is “Field of the Dead”, which talks about a haunted cathedral and a pack of ghost busters trying to exorcise the ghosts and poltergeists. I thought it was an entertaining read with rather prosaic prose, very descriptive as well. “Collect Call” is the next story and one of the best in the anthology. Lee calls collect, and then makes a phone call to his Dad who promises to pick him up. But the call, and the desolate town Lee sees from across the street, may not be what they seem. This was an absolutely wonderful read, one that gave me chills at the end – I love a story that keeps me guessing, and this one definitely succeeded.

Next is “Dead Flowers by a Roadside”, by author Kelley Armstrong. It’s a short, but intriguing read. I liked “The Shadow in the Corner” better though. That story definitely had me spooked. It’s about a lonely, middle-aged man living in a large mansion where someone allegedly killed themselves plenty of years ago. When a young new maid comes to work for them, she has to spend the night in the room of the suicide…Deliciously creepy! “The Madam of the Narrow Houses” left me more confused than anything else. It’s about a self-proclaimed medium whose visited by spirits. A nice read, but like I said, it was a bit confusing.

“The Lost Ghost” was another awesome, spine-chilling read about a girl who goes to live in a house where a small girl died several years ago. Now the little girl’s spirit inhabits the house. This was my second favorite story in the entire anthology. The writing was not too flowery or descriptive, but it did give off that great, old-fashioned vibe. Next up is “The Ninth Witch”, which was, at least in my opinion not much of a ghost story, but more of a messed up fairytale. A girl is raised in a village where women are considered dirt. All eight of her sisters die, and she’s doomed to die herself, unless she manages to do something about it. It’s all told in a very fairytale-like way, but it’s a dark, wicked story with gore and blood flying off the pages.

“Sister, shhh” had a nice twist at the end, and the premise was highly original as well. It’s about a girl who runs away from a cult, to a new, vibrant city, only to be discovered. While that was a good one, the next story, “The Fifth Bedroom” went above and beyond that. Another nail-biting horror story, this tells us about Chloe Benn, retired supermodel and divorced from a billionaire husband who moves into the room of a former prima ballerina who lost her career when she couldn’t walk anymore. Growing into a bitter old woman, the ballerina occupied the fifth bedroom, a mysterious room Chloe can’t seem to find.

“Scairt” was a bit confusing, but not a very scary story. It was actually more a sweet story, although I didn’t like the prose that much with the Irish sentences here and there – for a non-native English speaker, those were annoying. “Seeing Nancy” was another shot in the rose for me though. The creepiness sipped in slowly throughout that story, about a house where people got murdered, and an author who sees her family change the longer they spend in the house.

“The Third Person” left me wanting to strangle someone. That story just didn’t work for me – what was real? what wasn’t? Usually I’m all for these stories, but at least they have to give me a hint. “Freeze Out” was a lot better – a mother has died, and her family is grieving – especially with the surprise twist at the end, one I didn’t see coming at all. “Return” was an excellent read as well. Not that scary, but touching, heartbreaking. “Let Loose” was nice, but not as good as some of the other stories in the anthology. It was about a guy who went into a crypt, unknowingly releasing an evil into this world. “Another One in from the Cold” had me at the edge of my seat. It was a beautiful, moving story, but deliciously frightening at the same time.

“My Moira” was probably my least favorite story in the entire anthology. It was fantasy, and the ghost only played a minor part. “Forget Us Not” was touching, and brought me on the verge of tears. Definitely an excellent short. “Front Row Rider” left me guessing till the very end, which makes me rank it highly in this anthology. It was a mysterious, but well-executed story, with a fast pace and some nice prose. “God Grant That She Lye Still” once again fell in the ‘scary’ category, and it definitely had me spooked. A Doctor meets a woman he might fall for, but she tells him she keeps on losing herself, and she can’t find the “Me” part of her. “The Phantom Coach” reminded me of many old, urban legends I once heard, when people get lost during the night and stumble upon a place where a terrible accident happened many years ago.

“The Old Nurse’s Story” was an excellent read. Delightfully frightening, the descriptions were so vivid I could practically imagine the ghosts standing in front of me. “Among the Shoals Forever” didn’t do anything for me though. Once again going on the more fantasy-like tour, I didn’t enjoy this story very much. “Afterward” was a nice read, although I figured out early on – as opposed to afterward – what was happening. Even though “A Silver Music” wasn’t scary at all, I did think it was an original story, with an unique premise, some nice protagonists and well thought-through.

All in all, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women proved a varying, intriguing read. Of course I liked some stories more than others, but the general quality of stories in this anthology is very high. I recommend it to all ghost stories fans.

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