Thank you to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting this month’s Dark Origins post about Daniel Defoe’s novel, A Journal of the Plague Year. It is written as a first hand account of a man of means living in London during the Great Plague of 1665 and is completely fascinating.

Dark Origins – A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe based on the Great Plague of London, 1665 #DarkOrigins #readingcommunity #history

What Amazon says

As she let her gaze drift around her, she saw that there were more birds. Perhaps a dozen or so, perched among the trees that stood on the edge of the clearing. And yet more were arriving, swooping down through the gap overhead and landing on branches that overlooked them. The birds weren’t threatening, yet the sight of them all coming together in this dark and isolated spot was unnerving. Tanya reached a hand out towards Martin, and was relieved to feel him take it. She felt him move in behind her. After the uncertainty she’d experienced with him in a similar position only a few moments ago, she recognised the irony of her reaction. His closeness offered security.

“You know what they are, don’t you?”

A stranger’s arrival in a small village coincides with a tragic accident. For the Gates family in particular it’s more than a coincidence, but their unease increases following a brutal attack. As tensions rise, a dark past returns to haunt them and others, while newcomers to the village are drawn into a mystery with terrifying consequences. And no one can explain why the ravens are gathering.

Ravens Gathering twists and turns as the truth is gradually exposed in a gripping thriller with a supernatural edge to it.

My review

Martin Gates suffers from a recurring nightmare. In the dream his 8-year old self is awoken by the call of the drums. He follows the sound to a clearing in the woods in his home village where he is confronted by a horrific and traumatic sight. Unfortunately, Martin is never able to identify the source of his horror. He has experienced the dreams, on and off, throughout his life but recently they have become more and more frequent. Martin feels he is being called back to his home village.
Martin travels home and is not given a hero’s welcome by either the people of the village or his own family. In fact, he is actively rejected by his family who do not want to see him. His unexpected arrival coincides with a terrible accident by a physically disabled member of the community and he becomes a suspect in the case.

Martin meets Tanya, the attractive but bored and resentful wife of an older man who bought one of the local farms and is building houses to sell on the land. Tanya invites Martin to stay in their guest accommodation. Martin’s presence in their home has the unfortunate result of drawing the unhappy couple into his investigation into the source of his dreams and the reason he felt compelled to return to his home town.

Martin is not the only recent arrival in the village. Someone far more evil has arrived and he is determined to carry out his own agenda and make the villagers suffer as much as possible.

I loved this book of just over 500 pages. I thought this was a well-written, entertaining and unique storyline and I was impressed that I did not get bored or skip pages throughout my reading of this book.

Martin is an interesting character and the author certainly leads the readers on a bit of a song and dance before revealing Martin’s more admirable character traits. I grew to like Martin more and more as the book progressed. Tanya was a spoiled and silly woman but, when the chips were down, she responded most sensibly and showed loyalty and love for her estranged husband.

This book is not for people who are sensitive as there are parts of this story that are very brutal and almost depraved. All in, I thought this was an excellent read and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good horror story.

Purchase Ravens Gathering from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Gathering-Graeme-Cumming-ebook/dp/B00AGIDQA2

Today’s book is a collection of eight chilling short stories, Chills & Creeps 1: Eight Scary Stories, by Nick Clausen.

What Amazon says

Eight Spine-Chilling and Supernatural Stories

In this collection, you’ll meet …

• Peter, who meets an upholsterer who really likes his skin.
• Mary, who gets a pet fish that will only eat human flesh.
• Daniel, who plays a game that becomes real in his dreams.
• Eagle, who suffers from a rare disease making birds attack him wherever he goes.
• Joseph, who plays tennis with a ghost.
• Nadia, who gets trapped in a house slowly filling up with water.
• Calvin, whose sister visits a hypnotist and becomes someone else.
• And Noah, who learns to control lights with his mind.Eight stories spanning horror, dark fantasy and science fiction, all set in everyday life while exploring the dark, the evil and the supernatural. Fans of Goosebumps will love these chilly stories! This is volume 1 of the series.

My review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of eight short creepy and chilling tales by Nick Clausen. The tone of his stories, and their unusual and clever twists reminded me of Roald Dahl’s style with his short story collections.

Under the skin features a young, red headed boy with freckly skin who takes shelter in a elderly strangers house one afternoon during a downpour. The granny is kindly towards him, giving him tea and cookies and drying his clothing, but she has her own frightening agenda;
Snapper the fish is a tale of the acquisition of a pet gone wrong. Mary is a spoiled girl who has recently become an older sister to a baby girl. Mary is jealous of the attention the new baby is garnering from her friends and family. When Mary acquires a most unusual pet, she makes a plan to use it for her own selfish ends;
Deadly dreams features the very topical world of gaming. Two boys are drawn into a popular game of human versus monsters. Despite various warnings that the game is dangerous to your health, it has gone viral. Daniel and Christian had better practice hard, they can’t afford to make mistakes;
All birds hate me gave me the greatest creeps of them all as I have a bit of a phobia about birds attacking people. Eagle is diagnosed with a strange disease. he is getting treatment, but is impatient to enjoy his life like everyone else his age. He decides to venture out of the safety of his home;
Ghost tennis is all about a young ghost who has an obsession with tennis. When a new family move into his historic home, he hopes that he will find a new tennis partner. If not, everyone will pay;
Drip-Drip-Drip shows what could happen if your own home turned against you. Unfortunately, it knows your deepest and darkest fears and is willing to use them against you;
When I snap my fingers is really rather unsettling tale about progressive hypnotism and what could come out if you delved into your past lives. Meddling with the mind is never a good idea;
Lights out is a rather unusual tale with a super power flavour of a different sort. It is never a good idea for one person to have to much power of nature.

Purchase Chills & Creeps 1: Eight Scary Stories from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Chills-Creeps-Eight-Scary-Stories/dp/1070427187

This week’s W3 Prompt #77 challenge is to write a dormasha – three variations on a shadorma syllabic format. You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2023/10/18/w3-prompt-77-weave-written-weekly/.

This is what came; thank you muse! My verses go 5/3/7/3/3/5 then 3/7/5/3/3/5 and 3/5/3/3/7/5.

Dad

A great role model

Is my dad

He taught me composition

And about

Proportion

Skills I use daily

***

Even now

He’s older and in poor health

He adds great value

To my life

Supportive

And encouraging

***

Spring planting

Decorative trees

Adorning

The pavement

His enthusiasm grows

As project takes shape

Today, I am featuring The Price of Atonement by Mae Clair. This is Book 1 in the Harbor Pointe series.

What Amazon says

he Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California’s cliffs for generations of Hawthornes. For some, it’s been a blessing. For others, a curse. Travel through two centuries of stories to discover the old inn’s secrets.

Some hauntings come from within.

Leviticus Sinclair has been a broken man since the murders of his wife and brother. Burdened by personal failures the night they were killed, he occupies himself by crossing the country, searching out departed spirits unwilling to move from this world to the next. His dead brother’s Bible and a pocket watch—forever frozen at the precise moment of his wife’s death—serve as grim reminders of a past he cannot exorcise.

Accompanied by Wyatt Resnick, a paid employee who fills the role of researcher and hired muscle, Leviticus arrives at the Harbor Pointe Inn amid rumors of a vengeful ghost. A phantom who may be the single spirit he has long sought, one capable of freeing him from his torment.

Set in the remote Pacific Northwest of 1887, The Price of Atonement is a story of jealousy, guilt, and one man’s relentless quest for absolution.

My review

Leviticus Sinclair is not alive. He is also not entirely dead. He is stuck somewhere in between and has been tasked with assisting troubled spirits who have lingered among the living, to cross over and claim their place in the afterlife. Many don’t want to go. They have unfinished business that requires resolution before they can find peace, and they have to be forced into capitulating which is exhausting work.

While going about his tasks, Leviticus also seeks to find his own path to redemption. This is his motivating force.

Having recently finished a particularly difficult assignment involving three ghosts in a love triangle, none of whom wanted to pass on and had to be forced, Leviticus and his assistant, Wyatt, set off to an inn at Harbor Pointe to find a troubled spirit who has ‘called’ Leviticus. On arrival, the pair discover that the inn is in dire straits due to a significant drop in visitors to the area. The inn is populated only by the inn keeper, his young wife and their small child, as well as a handyman. Their closest neighbours are the lighthouse keeper and his wife, who happens to be the inn keeper’s sister, and their eleven year old daughter.

Leviticus needs to find the ghost and discover the source of its internal conflict. The inn keeper and his sister are resistant to acknowledging the existence of a ghost. Left to investigate on his own, Leviticus runs into some dangerous trouble which causes him to pause, and look deeply into his own turbulent past.

Leviticus Sinclair is an interesting and complex character. Although this is a novella and not very long, he was nicely fleshed out and the subject of intrigue right from the initial description, as follows: “Leviticus slumped in the seat across from him, head angled against the coach wall. The high collar of his shirt gaped on either side of his neck, exposing the rope burn he was usually careful to hide.”

Wyatt is a sensible and kindly man, older than Leviticus, and who has developed a sense of responsibility and friendship towards his employer. Between the ghost and the determined protectiveness of Wyatt, Leviticus undergoes an interesting growth in his character and understanding of his purpose, which is very compelling.

A most entertaining darker short read.

Purchase The Price of Atonement on Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CCW59D94

Thank you to talented author, Marjorie Mallon, for hosting Sonia Pipkin and myself for this stop on the Midnight Roost book blog tour.

Blog Tour Midnight Roost: #Anthology #blog #tour #WordCrafterPress #MidnightRoost #ReadingCommunity #booklovers #whattoread #BooksWorthReading#halloweenreads @robertaeaton17 @GodsAngel1 @JosephCarrabis @PaulKaneShadow

Welcome to USA Today bestselling author, Jacquie Biggar, with her brilliant novel, The Beast Within.

What Amazon says

She didn’t expect to land in the crosshairs of a serial killer. 

Can two displaced angels save a woman from the clutches of a vicious psychopath?  

When Julie Crenshaw is offered a job as a news reporter on beautiful Vancouver Island she didn’t expect to land in the crosshairs of a serial killer. Connor O’Rourke has seen his share of human depravities during his 14 years as a homicide detective, but is still sickened by the murderer terrorizing his island shores and threatening his key witness.

As the stakes rise, can two people get a second chance at love? Or will a killer become the winner?

My review

I listened to the audio book version of this book. The reader had a pleasant and well paced reading style . There were a few places were the quality of the recording wasn’t good but it wasn’t invasive enough to be a problem.

The Beast Within is a unique and interesting story. It starts with the rather shocking discovery of a severed left foot by a young woman, Julie Crenshaw, during her daily walk on the beach. We soon learn that Julie is recently widowed and has moved to Vancouver Island to raise her two young sons. Life is not easy for a woman on her own with a full time job as a journalist and two kids. Julie hasn’t recovered from the horrific and unexpected death of her husband and grief still overshadows her life.

The discovery on the beach changes Julie’s life. She meets the very attractive Connor O’Rourke, the police officer investigating the murder case, who seems to be as interested in her as she is in him leading to a host of conflicting emotions for them both. Julie is embroiled in the case both as a key witness and in her capacity as a journalist covering the story with her team. What she doesn’t realise, however, is that she has caught the eye of the serial killer.

To make matters even more complex and emotionally confusing, Julie’s husband, Mike, and the man responsible for his death, have been sent back to earth as angels until such time as they can sort out their differences and come to terms with their fate.

I don’t read romance novels very often but this was more of a thriller with a romantic aspect. The romance runs parallel to the murder mystery and I found both threads of the story entertaining and interesting.

This book offers something for most reading tastes: romance, thriller, serial killer/murder and paranormal. 

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Within-Mended-Souls-Book/dp/B07BX446YX

Giveaway

A chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.

The story behind “Casualties of War” by Patty Fletcher

For years, the manuscript for The Blended Lives Chronicles Book One: Sides of the Order, which is where the story, Casualties of War originally came from languished in a folder. It went from computer to computer with me. Then, in early 2022 I woke at 3 AM with a soft voice whispering in my ear saying, “It’s time. Time for you to be brave and tell the tale.”

I threw off the covers, bumbled to the coffee pot, brewed a cup, and began.

Now, that manuscript is ready to be turned into a full-length book, but when I finished it, I knew there was to be more.

I get bored after I’m done with the main thrust of work where a manuscript is concerned, so one early morning, when I couldn’t sleep, the second book began.

Later that day, I saw a call to action from Kaye Lynne Boothe for the anthology Midnight Roost and I thought, “Well, since I’m not sure where this portion of writing belongs, why not turn it into a short story and see what Kaye thinks.

I worked on it all that day and the next too. Then, while holding my breath I sent it away.

I wish I still had the exact words Kaye wrote to me upon reading the piece, but the crux of it was, “I think this story has potential, I’d like to have it in the anthology, but it needs work. So, if you’re welling to put in the sweat, I’m willing to give it another read.”

I’ve never worked so hard on a story in my life. I wanted to make the cut. Furthermore, I wanted people to read this story as well as the books it came from because the message is one, we must spread everywhere.

About Patty Fletcher

Patty Fletcher is a single mother with a beautiful daughter, of whom she is enormously proud. She has a great son-in-law and six beautiful grandchildren. From April 2011 through September 2020, she owned and handled a black Labrador from The Seeing Eye® named King Campbell Lee Fletcher A.K.A. Bubba. Sadly, after a long battle with illness on September 24, 2020, King Campbell went to the Rainbow Bridge where all is peace and love. In July 2021, she returned to The Seeing Eye® and was paired with a Black Labrador Golden Retriever cross named Blue. You can find her at  https://pattysworlds.com/.

Patty’s story, “The Portal Brings Christmas Love” is featured in the 2022 Visions anthology from WordCrafter Press.

New Book Available for Pre-order by Patty Fletcher

I was so pumped when I saw Kaye’s call to action for Midnight Roost that along with my having just sent a related manuscript to my editors, I poured everything I had into the story.

Available for pre-order from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL8CRDH6

Casualties of War is the continuation of my first Full-length fiction The Blended Lives Chronicles. I just had to know what happened next.

Here’s the backstory.

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

IT’S COMING! IT’S COMING!

OCTOBER 2023 just in time for the Celtic new year.

The Blended Lives Chronicles:

A LADY MOONWALKER SERIES

BOOK ONE

SIDES OF THE ORDER

By Patty L. Fletcher

Independently published with assistance provided by

Dawn Blythe

Illustrations by Colleen Myles

Editing by Jo Pinto and Dawn Blythe

104 pages. 51441words.

Not long ago, while sipping a glass of white Moscato and talking on the phone with my editor and illustrator with their amazing help, I finalized the manuscript and discussed book covers. I could hardly believe it. We’ve worked on this project for so long. Now, my dream is becoming reality.

I’m so super excited!

I originally began working on this book in 2016. Over these many years, the manuscript languished in a folder, somehow surviving computer crash after crash.

The Blended Lives Chronicles: Book One Sides of the Order is dedicated to those who share the mission of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled.

And to the late Phyllis Staton Campbell.

Phyllis read the original draft of this book in 2016. When she was finished she said, “I believe you’ve got something here. It needs work but if you put your imagination to the test, I know you can do it.”

I cannot believe it’s almost here.

What am I shouting about? You ask.

Read below for more!

Synopsis

Lady Laya MoonWalker is a well respected author and magazine owner and a high priestess in the magickal community. After a drawn-out battle with the forces of dark magik, she has come into her own. She lives and works on Planet Korponious, where she is the owner and creator of an Interplanetary Magazine called “Blended Lives Chronicles.” Her mission is to blend the lines of race, creed, and disability that separate so many and to elevate the recognition of the training and ability of Service Animals of all kinds to a new level. She has just been accepted into the Blended Lives Federation and now hopes to continue her work in a way like nothing known to her before.

Laya has created allot of wreckage along the way through her dark journey into the light, and now she wishes to set this to right. She has just received her best break ever. Frank Prince, the CEO of The Blended Lives Learning Center, has invited her to the Celtic New Year Convention and Witches Ball as a reporter to write a story on the progress of The Blended Lives Planetary Federation. She will be their guest speaker at the opening ceremonies.

When Laya arrives at the Celtic Convention, she finds herself face to face with an old and dear friend, Blended Lives Learning Center Instructor and member of the Order of the Night, Derrick Gibbous. As they begin to connect, causing old sparks to reignite, they are tossed into a nasty battle from which not everyone will escape. People are not as they seem, and not everyone supports the side for which they appear to work.

As their love for one another grows, so does the battle. Despite everything, Laya and Derrick are determined to see their work to unite beings of all kinds succeed.

Being Mangled is Just the Beginning by DL Mullan

Mangled-
: severely injured or damaged by cutting, tearing, or crushing
: spoiled or made incoherent
-Merriam Webster

What if you could live forever? Television shows and movies have regaled us with bionic people, heroic mutants, and even moral immortals, but what if these innocuous forms of entertainment were the pretext for a darker agenda?

Mangled delves into the topics of human engineering through medical science and technology, and then says the quiet parts aloud. Gone are the days of looking at this phenomenon with rose-colored glasses. Transhumanism is not about piercings or tattoos; it is a brand of pseudo-scientific philosophy that places the human race in danger with its unethical behavior.

Problems arise as humans rely on technology more than their own innate abilities to discern their reality for themselves. People, including children, are plugged in, tuned out, and immersed by curated information, influence operations, and other psychological manipulations. If people had good boundaries and respected themselves, technology would be an asset, instead of being a crutch.

Mangled factors in these variables into a narrative based on a true story, historical fact, and an author’s intuitive imagination. As a writer and researcher, I have combined threads of information into a coherent supposition of cascading effects. This short story sheds light in the dark places that no one talks about for fear of reprisal. As I have learned from numerous whistleblower interviews, sometimes it is better, and safer, to tell the truth in fiction. I let my
characters do the heavy lifting while opening gateways into critical thought. We need these skills more than ever. Over a decade ago, reports of placing chips inside the brains of soldiers surfaced. Then confirmation that in order to work in certain ranks of the Pentagon that a soldier must have a chip implanted in their heads. That is a national security threat, but no one blinks an eye. As links between technology and animal brains have already been studied, clinical trials for humans are already being conducted. Not far into the future will humanity have to grapple with reality written in Mangled. In addition, it is true that a government contractor was given a black
tag and placed in a hallway to die after an incident in a foreign land. The podcaster survived, unlike her fictitious counterpart, Sarah Mitchell, to tell the tale. That is where the similarities end.

My short story follows the fictional account of Sarah Mitchell, a specialist in the United States armed forces. She is wounded by a roadside bomb, taken to a foreign hospital, and left to die at the end of a hallway. Although her injuries were fatal, she lives through the night against all expectations to the contrary.

Without her consent or knowledge, she is hooked into a virtual reality that is conjured by an artificial intelligence. She is lost and unprepared. Her tour of duty has not only been extended for an eternity, but she also has no autonomy. In this brave new world, Sarah must navigate her way to freedom. How she reclaims her independence and makes an ally, which guides her into untangling herself from this web, helps readers understand the lengths someone will go for their
liberty.

Do not take the author’s word for it, read Mangled for yourself. Just like Specialist Sarah Mitchell discovers: living forever has its consequences. Chose which eternity that you would like to spend
wisely.

Before someone else decides for you.

Sarah Mitchell Video

About DL Mullan

A writer at heart, Undawnted’s own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter at www.undawnted.com.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

DL Mullan’s story, “The Reality Hackers”, is featured in the 2022 Visons anthology from WordCrafter Press, and cover designer for the Midnight Roost anthology, also from WordCrafter Press.

About Midnight Roost

20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.

Tour Schedule

Monday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted

Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds

Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration

Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read

Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes

Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing

Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & other stories – Writing to be Read

Swamp Ghosts by Marcia Meara will chill you to the bone.

What Amazon says

Marcia Meara, author of the popular Wake-Robin Ridge books, sets her second series in the sleepy little town of Riverbend, Florida, where the most dangerous animal in the swamp walks on two legs.

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.

My review

I listened to the audio book of Swamp Ghosts and I really enjoyed both the book and the narrator. The narrator’s voice perfectly complimented the story and really added to my enjoyment of this book. 

Maggie Devlin is a beautiful but conflicted woman with a past. She has lived alone, providing for herself by running ecotours from her boat, for a long time. She is independent and she doesn’t get involved with men, particularly men who either work for her or who she works for. That is until Gunnar Wolfe comes into her life. Gunnar is a wildlife photographer who is looking for someone to help him in his search for a very rare bird that he is desperate to photograph. This will put Gunnar’s photography on the map. Maggie desperately needs the money that Gunnar is willing to pay and she soon finds herself teaching Gunnar how to paddle a canoe so that they can tour the river in search of this elusive bird. 

Swamp Ghosts is a lovely story of a scarred woman’s journey to finding love and faith but this romantic theme is woven between the excitement and horror of a terrible discovery by Maggie and Gunnar in the waters of a secluded part of the river. The pair soon find out that there is a serial killer on the loose in Riverbend and their idyllic trust is about to be challenged.

I thought this was rather a unique read with two such strong threads, one a romance and the other a series of murders, running through it. The author did a marvelous job of keeping the me on the edge of my seat throughout this book and also tied up all the loose ends beautifully at the end.

Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Swamp-Ghosts-Marcia-Meara/dp/1499778716

Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge for this week is black and metallic. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/10/15/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-black-and-metallic-at-home-and-beyond/

Twighlight

Sun leisurely sinks

Below the dark horizon

Rule of night begins

Encircling black silhouettes

Punctured by bright, glowing eyes