October starts out warm and sunny, but this is the month when everything changes. Mornings grow frosty, leaves change colors, and the breeze takes on a bite.
Summer dies.
It's a time for harvest celebrations. A boy loans a girl his coat. She snuggles a little closer and takes his hand. A riot of autumn splendor accompanies the farmer's market where they stroll.
But the vibrancy of daylight doesn't compare to the darkness of night. Is that chill on your neck the breeze or something else?
You walk a tad faster and look over your shoulder. The trees creak when the wind whips through their branches—at least, you hope that noise came from the undulating bows.
You check under the bed and inside the closet before climbing under the covers. Sleep doesn't come easy. The old house groans its complaints, and the night magnifies every innocuous noise until terror paralyzes you—because you know nefarious things go bump in the night.
Welcome to the Paranormal Bar & Grille Blog Tour
...where you can rub elbows with everyone from a gargoyle or vampire, to a creature from urban legend, to the ghosts from realms of myth. Step up to the bar, grab a booth. You never know what’s on the menu, or if you might end up there yourself.
Sound like your kind of hangout? Then you’ve come to the right place. We're a group of five authors who love nothing more than to trigger the chill that crawls up your back, the nervous glance tossed over your shoulder. We invite you to discover outstanding books and check out our awesome tour prizes.
Enter our $30 Rafflecopter giveaway here, then visit our blog StoryEmpire.com to participate in a scavenger hunt. Fifteen prizes are up for grabs on Story Empire, three from each author. You have the opportunity for 10 Amazon gift cards ranging in value from $15 to $10, plus ebooks from the participating authors.
Just be careful of what the bartender serves you. That heady brew may not be a beer, and witches can't be trusted to provide effective antidotes.
Supernatural Suspense/Mystery
Date Published: April 26, 2016
Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Underground
“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…
Mae Clair has been chasing myth, monsters and folklore through research and reading since she was a child. In 2013 and 2015, she journeyed to West Virginia to learn more about the legendary Mothman, a creature who factors into her latest release.
Mae pens tales of mystery and suspense with a touch of romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and numbers cats, history and exploring old graveyards among her passions. Look for Mae on her website at MaeClair.net
Contact Information
Twitter (@MaeClair1)
Mystery/Thriller
Date Published: November 2014
“Readers who like to curl up during the long winter evenings and feel the delicious chill of fear running up and down their spines need only turn to The Glade to have all their expectations fulfilled.
The Glade is a horror story in the mould of Stephen King, and rendered the more so by its faint echoes of Pet Cemetery and the even stronger resonance of the pervasive malignancy of It.”—Review by Brian O’Hare
This gripping, edge-of-your-seat mystery/thriller will have you thinking twice about booking that idyllic cottage in the country. Nothing in this woodland paradise within the Forest of Dean is what it seems.
The Wenstrops have it all: health, wealth, and happiness. Until everything falls apart. Helen gets arrested for murder, and yet is either unable or unwilling to give a defence. During her detention, vital evidence goes missing and tensions run high.
Meanwhile, in the woods, malignant forces gather power.
This sensational second novel by acclaimed author Harmony Kent will have you alternately laughing, crying, and gripping the edge of your seat as this roller-coaster ride of a plot unfolds. It will keep you guessing through its many twists and turns, and hijack your attention right up until you turn the final page. This book has it all: murder, intrigue, the supernatural, a broken marriage, a love affair, courage against impossible odds, suspense, and high drama.
“Expertly written, the book keeps you guessing at every turn. What can I say? You really have to read this book ... if you're brave enough!”—Review by Fantasy Queen
The Glade is an IndieB.R.A.G.Medallion honoree, and an Official Selection for the New Apple Book Awards 2015.
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Harmony Kent is famous for her laughter, and has made quite the name for herself … she’s also, um, a writer … and fairly well known for that too. She’s even won a few awards. Harmony lives in rural Cornwall with her ever-present sense of humour and quirky neighbours and refuses to admit to her age.
If you catch her at work, you’ll see that she also offers editing, proof reading, manuscript appraisal, and beta reading services. Not to mention being passionate about supporting her fellow authors.
Contact Links
Twitter: @harmony_kent
Paranormal/Young Adult
Date Published: March 13, 2015
There is something evil up Bergamot Holler, and it's been targeting the Hall family for generations.
Patty Hall is fifteen years old. She loves stargazing, science fiction, and all things related to space exploration. This leaves her perfectly prepared for the wrong problem.
Patty is afraid her mother will send her to a care facility if she tells her what she's seen. If she doesn't figure things out soon, she's going to join her father in the Hall family cemetery plot.
Patty has to come to grips with her own physical handicap, survive the wilderness, and face an ancient evil all alone if she's going to survive.
Will O' the Wisp is suitable for young adults. It involves strong elements of suspense, and is set in the mid 1970s.
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I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I'm not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.
I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.
I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.
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Paranormal Romance
Date Published: April 2, 2016
A cold stone heart breaks more easily than it beats. Than it loves.
Damien was a loyal warrior, killed in battle in 1203. Because of his true heart, he was given the option to pass on to his eternal reward or exist in another state of being as a protector… until the time came when he could resume living the life he’d been cheated of.
A soldier by nature, he chose the latter. And he waited centuries—as a gargoyle—growing increasingly bitter about his choice. Then he sees her.
Rina is a hard worker and loyal friend. She just has the worst luck. One night, after saving her best friend from a violent assault, she finds herself at the attacker’s mercy. Then out of nowhere, a savior comes and rescues her.
With only an angel to guide him, Damien must make the right choices to win Rina’s heart, or be forever damned as a grotesque mockery of the guardian he once was.
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Staci Troilo has always loved fiction, ever since her parents read her fairy tales when she was little. Today, her interests are much more eclectic. She loves getting lost in sci-fi battles, fantasy realms, horror worlds, suspenseful intrigues, and romantic entanglements.
As goes her reading, so goes her writing. She can’t pick a single genre to focus on, so she doesn’t even try. She’s proud to say she’s a multi-genre author.
When she’s not reading or writing, she’s spending time with family and friends, possibly cooking for them, or maybe enjoying an afternoon in the pool. To learn more about her, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Contact Links
Paranormal YA
Date Published: October 18, 2015
My name is Zoe Tempest. Just let me say, I had no intention of becoming a vampire hunter. My world revolved around the trendiest clothes, the boy of the week and shopping. My parents were well-off and indulgent. I was the center of their universe. I’m afraid I took that for granted. My life was as close to perfect as a seventeen year old can get. I had everything. Then my parents were murdered and my world came crashing down.
After their funeral, I went to live with my uncle Julian Kilmer. That’s when everything changed. In a manner more terrifying than anything I could have imagined.
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Sandra writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal and Historical Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee or a latte and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.
Contact Links
Twitter: @ Sandra_Cox
Excerpt
We stood in the
dark gloomy hall of his mansion. As thunder boomed, the lights flickered.
Moments later a streak of lightning, visible through the long narrow window,
hit nearby. The floor shook. Outside
something screamed in the night. In spite of the room being hot and stuffy,
goose bumps roughened my skin. I rubbed my arms.
He leaned
toward me. His shadow loomed menacingly across the floor engulfing me in black.
Before I could
stop myself, I took a hasty step back and bumped against the door. The cool
knob pressed hard into my back. He might be my uncle, but he was a stranger and
a scary one at that.
With his index
finger, he pulled down the sunglasses and looked over them. I gasped. His eyes
were the same distinctive cobalt as my own. But where my eyes only added to my
Barbie doll appearance, his sucked me in like a vortex. As if he could suction
every thought right out of my head just by looking at me.
A trace of
unease flickered across his face. “You aren’t sick are you?”
“No. What makes
you think that?”
“You’re white
as a sheet. Goose bumps are standing up on your arms like a plucked turkey.”
Being a
vegetarian, the mental image wasn’t a pleasant one.
I gathered my
courage and asked “Why can’t I go out?”
“Because I said
so.”
I barely
refrained from rolling my eyes.
He shifted his
weight, his expression impatient.
Cold clammy beads
of sweat trickled between my shoulder blades. I twitched my shoulders.
“Now there’s a reason.” I fisted my hands on
my hips.
“Because it’s dangerous,” he said curtly.
“What do you mean?”
He raised a
black, slashed eyebrow. “What about dangerous don’t you understand?”
“This is the
Bahamas. How dangerous can it be?” I challenged, straightening my shoulders and
lifting my chin.
“This is a remote, unknown, island in the
Bahamas.” He flicked an imaginary piece of lint off his black silk shirt.
“Does this
remote island have a name?”
His cobalt gaze
locked with mine. The deep black flecks in them flickered like tidal waves.
“Vampire Island.”
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