Fireside stories - a very spooky collection...

(TAKEN FROM THE OPENING INTRODUCTION TO FIRESIDE STORIES)

"For the month of October 2017, J. Ellington Ashton Press, on their Wicked Little Things blog-talk radio show, broadcasted a series of stories for Halloween. These “Fireside Stories” (as they were called) were a big hit with the listeners, and the decision was quickly made to publish these tales of terror into a kindle/paperback/audiobook anthology. The stories selected for our Fireside Stories segment came from a variety of popular JEA anthologies or short story collections (Quarantine, Within Stranger Aeons, Fear of the Dark, The Thicket, Vampz vs Wolvz, New England Weird, and Autumn Burning just to name a few) and were written by some of JEA’s top authors (Catt Dahman, Jim Goforth, Mark Woods, Michael Noe, Essel Pratt, Amanda M. Lyons, Michael Fisher, Toneye Eyenot, Kitty Kane, and Roma Gray). Some of the audio recordings were borrowed recordings from the existing audiobook Celebration of Horror 1: The Best of Roma Gray. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed writing them."  

Late last year, horror author and good friend, Roma Gray approached me with a proposition. She was putting together a collection of spooky stories to be broadcast on Halloween, and wanted to know if I had a favourite story I wanted to hear narrated.

I chose the story, Night Swimming, which appears in the short story collection, Nocturnal Nightmares, but Roma had another idea. She wanted to use the title story from my own collection, Fear of the Dark.

To say it was weird hearing a story I had written being read by someone else is a bit of an understatement, but all in all I was very pleased with the result and the person chosen to do the narrating did a very good job. (I forget his name right now, forgive me, but I'm sure Roma will remind me later.)

Much more recently, I finally got around to reading the rest of the stories also featured on that night, and I thought I would share with you my thoughts...

The book begins with a piece of poetry, written by the author, Kitty Kane, especially for Vampz Vendetta, one of the many Project 26 books that was released last year, but, as I have no doubt said before in the past, I don't really have much of a clue when it comes to poetry so I must confess there's not really that much I can say about this.

Next up is my story, Fear of the Dark, and of course, as it would be wholly unprofessional to review my own work, all I can say about this is that it was a lot of fun to write and largely inspired by one of my favourite Iron Maiden songs. (See if you can guess which one!)

The Pumpkin Man is next up and, as the first piece of work I have read by Michael Noe, I have to say I was very impressed. In this story, Noe takes the familiar concept of a slasher film and then gives it his own unique twist resulting in a neat little story that is a lot of fun to read.

Hope springs infernally eternal comes next, and again is another neat little story.

This one is written by the woman who first encouraged me to write, Catt Dahman, and is a clever little tale about a haunted hotel that ends up taking you in directions you would never expect, proving yet again - should proof be needed - that she hasn't lost her touch and is just as capable of shocking her readers now as she was right back at the start of her career.

October Night is the next offering, and once again is a piece of poetry but this time written by J.E.A veteran, Amanda M Lyons - an author with whom I have shared many an anthology in the past.

Again, as with Kitty Kane's poetry, unfortunately I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a pass on reviewing this as it could be the best poetry in the world and I'm afraid I simply could not judge, but what I will say is that Amanda is a very good writer and certainly well worth checking out.

Next up comes a little something from editor and author, Roma Gray - someone of whom I am a great admirer - with a stand-alone tale set in the same world as her Hunted tribe series and featuring her big bad, The Grishla.

This is a great little story, and a welcome addition to Roma's Grishla mythos that both thrills and entertains and is a very welcome filler until the next Hunted Tribe story comes out. (Hint hint)

Quarantine Query is up next, and is Scott Essel's Pratt story from the P26 anthology, edited by Miss Gray, that is funnily enough also titled Quarantine. This was one of my favourites of that anthology and a welcome addition here and is very clever in the way that it finds lot of imaginative uses of the letter Q during the course of the story, along with a neat little twist at the end. 

Nightscapes is next, and is another piece of poetry by Amanda M Lyons, and so, once again, for the reasons I have already mentioned, I will skip over reviewing this, but after that comes yet another story from editor and author, Roma Gray.

This time around the subject is Easter, but if you're expecting a cute, cuddly tale of the Easter bunny, then I suggest you think again. What we get here instead is a very scary tale of a sinister cult and an ending that I fully expect to stay with me for ages. 

If you're looking for a prime example of the kind of stuff you can normally expect to find, emerging from out of the pen of author, Roma Gray, then this one is about as good an example as you are ever going to get. As with many of her stories, Roma here exhibits a particularly mean streak and all I will say is I'm glad I'm not a character in one of her stories...

Michael Fisher comes next, and his story is taken from Within Stranger Aeons and is a story of one of Lovecraft's lesser known Old Gods.

Fisher, as always, spins a frightening tale and all set to the backdrop of yet another sinister cult.

Jim Goforth writes next, and though is better known for his work editing the Rejected for Content series, is also the author of Plebs - his debut novel which has already spanned a sequel in two parts with yet another book in the series due out at some point in the not too distant future.

Jim's story here is entitled Road Kill, and just as nasty as anything else you might have read from this author, just as you might expect.

 Quad is the final story in this anthology, and once again is taken from the P26 book, Quarrantine. 

Toneye Eyenot is the author of this one, which funnily enough was another of my favourites from Quarrantine and does a good job of wrapping everything up with a very different take on the apocalypse and what very well might be the last man standing.

Toneye Eyenot is a brilliant writer, and doesn't let the reader down here with a very chilling story guaranteed to send a chill down your spine.

Overall, this is a neat little collection.

Though occasionally it reads like a J.E.A greatest hits, this book provides a perfect chance to get to know a few of the press's most talented authors, and is a great little book to read late at night with lots of perfectly chilling tales to thrill and entertain you.

And I'm in it too, so what more could you ask?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fireside-Stories-Halloween-Special/dp/B077XQD2YM

 

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

Already finished my first book of 2018, Survivor by Matt Shaw and Michael Bray.

When a plane goes down, one passenger survives but is injured so bad it leaves her unable to leave her seat.

As darkness falls, predators start emerging from out of the jungle and begin feasting on the dead.

With little hope of any rescue, Nadia knows it’s only a matter of time before they start coming for her - but just how far will she go in order to survive?

I really liked this, even though it was a bit short.

I thought the label of extreme horror was a little misleading as I’ve read much nastier books than this one, but it was well thought out and conceived and I absolutely loved the shocking ending.

4/5 stars

Going to do something I've seen suggested on Goodreads and put £1 in a moneybox every time I finish a book, so that's £1 in the book bank.

Anybody else want to join me?

Featured author of the month: Dani Brown

"With your forehead pointed towards the mirror, you squeeze. Pus sprays. Surprisingly, some gets in your hair. You ignore it and squeeze out a large green lump, which splats onto the mirror. Shortly followed by some smaller green pieces oozing out and dripping down your forehead. The pus feels warm and sticky on your face. The green lumps scratch. You can feel your skin breaking in the places exposed to them..."

So begins one of the opening chapters of Broccoli by Dani Brown, the self-proclaimed Queen of filth and my first Featured author of the month.

Broccoli is one of those most bizarre of books that seems to defy all description.

I suppose the closest I can come is by labelling it Bizarro, for it is certainly not extreme horror - there is no actual horror involved here, only physical repulsion - and the story tells the tale of one person who, through the course of the narrative, begins hallucinating and experiencing all manner of fever dreams, even as their body continues to break out in pus filled boils as they constantly continue to foul themself.

Right from them get-go, this book never pulls any punches.

The graphic, and often too-detailed, descriptions at first paint a grisly picture and though to begin with the reader finds themself feeling physically sick, after a while, the further you progress, the more numb you slowly begin to feel until finally you slowly start to realise something - this book is surprisingly actually very well written.

Dani Brown herself describes this as an 'experimental piece' and in her own words, says it was written 'to break as many writing rules as possible' and this she certainly achieves for, at times, this is a very hard book to read, but there is something compelling about it and it is this that keeps the reader reading to the end.

Told in the rarely-used second person narrative (so YOU did this, YOU did that), the book at times almost feels like an exercise in just how many ways you can describe bodily fluids, but at the same time manages to be a riotous trip as it follows the path of someone so ill, they actually find themselves starting to believe, and become convinced, that what they are seeing is real and that the things they are experiencing - however bizarre - are all actually happening to them.

One thing I always ask myself when I finish a novel is would I reccomend this? And the short answer to that question here is no, probably not - not because it is a bad book, because it isn't, but more because I'm not really all that sure what sort of reader I would recommend it to.

If you like having your boundaries pushed and your limits of taste tested, then this book is probably for you.

Everyone else should probably approach with caution.

I, for one, am going to go climb in the bath - because if there's one thing this book left me feeling, it was dirty and honestly, I think that was the point.

Certainly, judging from this at least, Dani's title as Queen of filth is well deserved and, for now at least, perfectly safe...

I'll be posting more about Dani later this month....for now, I'm just going to go scrub myself clean while I gently rock myself in the bath and try to forget everything I just read.

 

Santa Klaus as you've never seen him before...

Santa Klaus is real, but many of the stories told about him are not - something we find out very quickly in this very original and novel little tale that takes us all the way to the North Pole and Santa's secret workshop.

Santa's elves are falling sick and the town doctor doesn't know how to treat them, but little does Santa know, the illness is something he has seen before - just in a different form.

As undead zombies begin rising from the dead, Santa reveals a little secret of his own about himself - he wasn't always the benevolent bringer of gifts that he is now, and he may be the only one who can stop the outbreak.

I loved this, found it a short, fun read and would definitely read more by this author. 

Can't wait to see what happens next...

A lot of festive horror fun.

Losing your marbles...

Marbles the clown is a homeless drifter who finds himself drawn to the circus life - the first place he has ever been accepted - but things take a turn for the worse when he encounters a feral boy in the woods.

As Marbles falls ill, the circus is forced to move on without him until finally, a few days later Marbles awakes in the morgue with an appetite that seemingly can only be sated by the taste of human flesh.

Determined to return to the only home he has ever known, Marbles sets off after the circus but along the way, begins to undergo a startling transformation over the next few days that sees him turning from man into beast...

The latest guests to the circus have no idea what is coming for them....

I liked this latest book from Toneye Eyeknot.

Yes, it's a bit short, and yes, this never gives you much chance to really sink your teeth (excuse the pun) into the characters, but it's also lots of fun and a wholly original take on the werewolf legend.

Definitely one to look out for...

Camera shy...? You will be after this...

Who is the mysterious camera man? Why has he been following Jess all her life? And what does he want?
These are the questions the main character in this spooky little tale finds herself asking when Jess finds herself being stalked by someone apparently only she can see.
On the few occasions someone else DOES see him, something bad always happens.
Is she crazy? Or is there more going on than meets the eye?
This was the first book I’ve read by Amy Cross, and I really enjoyed it.
There are some interesting themes explored here and it was a fairly short, snappy read that certainly delivered on the spookiness by playing on all our fears of being watched
Good fun, and one not to read too late at night!

Reminiscent, in parts, of an extended version of The Twilight Zone...definitely worth checking out and FREE at time of purchase...

Project 26: Haunted House Harbour...

     

I've kind of gotten behind reviewing the books in JEA's Project 26, so just ahead of the new year, I've decided to pull my finger out and start posting more of my reviews...

Haunted House Harbour is the latest book by Roma Gray, of Hunted Tribe fame, and starts yet another series off - her third to date. A group of building inspectors sent to the mysteriously named Haunted House Harbour to finalise inspection of a new housing project that is just being finished, soon realise that by some strange quirk of fate, they have manage to discover one of the only safe havens from looks like the end of the world.

Roma Gray here throws everything but the kitchen sink at her protagonists, as all across the globe different threats start appearing, one after another, that threaten the whole of humanity. 

A strange, mysterious group of figures - that seem to represent the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - appear to be the ones responsible, but what they don't realise is that one amongst them is not as willing as the others to watch the whole world burn...and as the end of the world draws ever closer, it soon becomes clear that only those who can reach Haunted House Harbour will be the ones with the best chance of survival.

I really enjoyed this book, but for me it ended too soon. Just as things start to happen, Roma finishes the book on one of what is swiftly becoming one of her trademark cliffhangers.

I would have liked to see more, and this book merely acts as an amuse-Bouche, or a hors-d'ouerve, for what inevitably you know is going to have to follow.

Still, if you like being left hanging while you wait impatiently for the next installment, then this book will be right up your street.

This book has a lot of potential, I only hope Roma doesn't keep us waiting too long before she fills in what happens next....

A tangled web by M.L.Sparrow - a review

Due to be released on February 1st, I was lucky enough to be given a preview copy of this interesting and intriguing short little novella by M.L.Sparrow recently in exchange for an honest review. 

This was the first thing I've read by this author and I have to say, it was an absolute delight to read.

Set just before, during and after the 2011 tsunami that devastated Japan a few years back, the book follows the life of young teenager, Taiyo, who becomes caught up in a web of lies when she finds herself torn between two boys - twin brothers with whom she has been friends with for most of her life.

As Taiyo finds her lies becoming ever and ever more involved in her bid to avoid hurting anyone's feelings, her world is quite literally rocked by one of the biggest natural disasters in all Japan's history as Taiyo finds herself coming close to losing everything she loves...

This was a short read but one that was nonetheless highly intense. The characters were highly believable, memorable and well crafted, and it is a testament to Miss Sparrow's writing that after only a few pages, I almost felt like I knew them - so quickly was I absorbed into their world.

If I had one complaint, it was that I thought the book was too short and I thought that at some points, M.L Sparrow could have gone into more detail about the tsunami and it's after effects considering they play such a crucial role in the story, but this was a small aside. Also, I would have liked to know about what happened to the characters after the story ended, but the truth is, Miss Sparrow here has managed to do what so many authors spend their whole career trying to do and then miserably failing - leaving her audience craving more.

Like I say, this was the first thing I had read by Miss Sparrow - who describes herself as an author who refuses to restrict herself to one specific genre, instead choosing to write whatever she feels like at the time - but you know what, I'd happily read her again and in the end, who can ask for a better recommendation than that?

A Tangled Web is available from Amazon on February 1st.

Meanwhile, if you want to know more about her, here are her links...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tangled-Web-M-L-Sparrow-ebook/dp/B01MRU67AN/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484253404&sr=1-1&keywords=a+tangled+web+m+l+sparrow

https://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Web-M-L-Sparrow-ebook/dp/B01MRU67AN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484253439&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Tangled+Web+M+L+Sparrow

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33280451-a-tangled-web

https://www.facebook.com/mlsparrowauthor/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

https://twitter.com/MLSparrow1

https://plus.google.com/u/0/104871428938669723117

http://mlsparrow.wix.com/mlsparrow

What I have been watching...

So, as you know, I have this perchant for nasty little movies that I like watching late at night, and one that I have discovered recently is a little little known Aussie gem from 2009/ 2010 called The Loved Ones.

Lola is a bit of a social misfit. She is also the unpopular one at school, so when she finally plucks up the courage to ask the guy she fancies to their end of school prom, inevitably he turns her down.

Brent has his own issues - he was partly responsible for his dad's death in a car accident - and besides, he's going out with one of the hottest girls in school and already taking her to the dance.

Unfortunately, as is often the case in such movies, Lola is a bit of a nutcase. Alone out in the wild, taking some time out for a bit of manly brooding and a crafty smoke, Brent suddenly finds himself being attacked and subdued and when he wakes up, he is being held prisoner - by Lola and her dad.

If Brent won't take her to prom, she'll bring him to her own prom. 

Though dancing is the last thing on her mind...

What follows next is what can only be described as 'torture porn' as Lola begins mentally and physically abusing Brent, along with assistance by her father. Though not as extreme as some films that I have seen, nonetheless there are more than a few bits that make for uncomfortable viewing in this rather stylish and often fun horror thriller.

A side-plot featuring Brent's best friend and his own date with the school goth never really goes anywhere other than providing a little bit of light entertainment and comic relief, but overall, this is a pretty neat film with one or two clever twists and the kind of dark humour that Australians seem to do so well. 4/5

The other film I've been watching is Contracted, Phase 2.

Following on from the first film, this time we follow Riley - the guy who had unprotected sex with Sam, the infected girl, towards the end of the first film. 

Following her subsequent death -spoilers - Riley goes to get himself checked out by his brother-in-law, a doctor to make sure he hasn't contracted anything himself. Despite being given a clean bill of health, he still begins to panic - especially after extracting one of Sam's finger nails from underneath his skin where she scratched his back during sex back in the first film.

Much as in Contracted, we see his condition gradually worsening, but this time we we also get another person's perspective thrown into the mix as we follow a police officer trying to track down the person who started off the virus in the first place.

This sub-plot is one that is only ever partially explored and that is one of the main downfalls of this sequel. For when the movie finally ends, even during the end-credits sequences, we, the viewer, are still left with more questions than answers. 

I liked this film and it has some very nice uncomfortable - and often very nasty - scenes including one (spoilers again) that sees Riley pissing blood, but the problem is it all feels a bit too much like what has come before. It is more of a traditional zombie film than the first one with reports of the outbreak spreading across the city whereas the first film offered, at least in my opinion, something a little different.

Inevitably it was always going to be difficult to repeat the success of the first film but, for me, I don't think this sequel really works and it all ends up being a little disappointing. 

Which is a shame because I had such high hopes for this!

The critical response means we probably won't get a third instalment, and hence any real kind of answers, and they is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Rec 4 suffered from trying to go on too long (3 was good, 4 just felt pointless) and probably it is a good thing that the Contracted series ends here - but I still out have liked a few more answers. 3/5

One thing I am looking forward to is the imminent release of my friend, Kathy Denver's debut book.

Ever since discovering the likes of Christina Engela and Christopher Burch's The Icarus Void, I've been looking out for more bold, new reads and from the looks of it, Kathy Denver's book, The Guardians, looks like it might well fit the bill. 

More fantasy than horror, here is the blurb:

 "Eli a warrior witch, faces off against a race of entites known as the D'thseh, whose intent is to feed of the pain and misery they inflict on non-magical humans. 

When a member of his coven is brutally murdered, Eli and his friends must prepare themselves for a battle like no other they have faced before. 

With the resurfacing of the Dark Ones, a faction of witches that practice dark magic, Eli must not only face the on coming storm he must also face the demons of his covens past. 
One they may not survive."

If you want to check it out, the Amazon link is here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guardians-Forest-Ancestors-K-Denver-ebook/dp/B01FPOYSR6?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_udp_api_2kmoxb8WZ04QT

And you can find her release party, being held this weekend, here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1737001629918048/?ti=icl

Feel free to stop by and meet the author...you might even win some prizes!!

Until next time, ciao...

Toneye or not Toneye, that is the question...

When I first stumbled across author Toneye Eyenot on Facebook,  a couple of years ago, I really wasn't sure what to expect. With his constant deliberate mis-spelling of certain words on his posts (such as eye instead of I) I was left kind of thinking, 'who IS this guy?'

Since then, however, we have become firm friends and one of the things I have discovered is that Toneye is not just loyal to a fault to those he considers his friends, but also that he is not just a thoroughly downright decent bloke (even if he is Australian - joke!) but also a consummate professional when it comes to both his writing and editing skills.

So, as you can no doubt well imagine, when I had the pleasure of reading the first two books in his Sacred Blade series recently for review, it came with a certain sense of trepidation. 

What if they were no good? I asked myself. What if I didn't like them?

Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about...

The sacred Blade series begins with The Scarlett Curse and deals with Scarlett, the chosen carrier of the Sacred Blade - a weapon with a mind of its own that has a thirst for blood that must be regularly sated. The blade has chosen it's next target - a local nobleman named Joshua Melkerin - but when Scarlett moves to take his life, things do not go as planned and in return for her failure, Scarlett is forced to pay a penance that soon ends in tragedy.

Joshua's Folly, the second book in the series, is more of a prequel than a sequel and instead of continuing the story, instead takes us back in time to show us what happened prior to the events in The Scarlett Curse, depicting all that came before leading up to Scarlett's failed attempt at Joshua's assassination. This second book goes into more detail about The Sacred Blade, and sets everything up nicely for a third instalment, leaving the reader with many questions that are yet to be answered...

With these two books, the first two instalments in what looks like will possibly go on to be a much bigger series, Toneye Eyenot introduces us into a world that is scarily all too believable. It is a world where magic has not yet died, and one where mankind, it seems, plays only one small part in a much bigger battle between forces we cannot hope to understand.

These two books together are amongst one of the strongest openings to a fantasy series I have yet had the pleasure of reading. They are best described as High Fantasy, written in a not dissimilar style to George R R Martin or Robin Hobb, though with a much darker hue hanging over them that threatens to only get darker as the series progresses.

From conversations with Toneye, I am led to understand that are plenty of times when he nearly gave up on writing The Scarlett Curse and, at times, thought it would never live to see publication. I, for one, am very glad if did and think this has the potential to be one of my favourite ever fantasy series.

Toneye has an easy style and personally, I can hardly to read book 3 - due out at the latest, early next year.

If I had one comment, it would be that perhaps you might like to read these books out of order. 

Though Joshua's Folly was obviously written much later, given the extra detail it goes into regarding the background behind The Scared Blade and its creation, finishing it, I found myself wanting to re-read The Scarlett Curse to remind myself what came next, even having read both books close together. 

Joshua's Foly essentially is the set-up for The Scarlett Curse, so to my mind reading that first makes more sense than reading these in the order they were written.

Regardless of which order you chose to read them in however, one thing is certain - if you haven't read Toneye Eyenot yet, you are certainly missing out and this could well be the series you are looking for while you're waiting for your next George R R Martin fix...

And I think we all know how long that may take....

Dn't let the sun shine down on me...

Greg Zimmerman's Queen of Bones is best described as a refreshing new take on the usual post-apocalyptic/ dystopian fare that has kind of saturated the market in recent years. Set in a indiscriminate near future - it could be tomorrow, next week, next month, who knows? - the novel takes a very plausible and credible threat - Solar storms that regularly scorch the planet with their ferocity - and throws into the mix a feisty, young female lead, through whose eyes the reader witnesses events as they continue to unfold.
Sara is a born survivor - suffering from crippling arthritis, she kind of has to be - but it is this very affliction that makes her so valuable - her arthritis acting as an early warning system whenever another solar flare is due, hence providing her and whoever is with her ample time to try and find some cover.
Constantly on the move, Sara is trying to make it to Seattle where she has heard some kind of civilisation is attempting to be rebuilt, but before she gets there, there are a hell of a lot of miles between her and Seattle and these are dangerous times.
Along her travels, Sara will have to keep her wits about her and employ every trick in her arsenal if she wants to survive...
Having received a copy of this book in exchange for review, and having read a lot of positive and good things about this book already, I was kind of expecting to be left feeling underwhelmed - expecting it to be a case of the book not being able to match up with all the hype - but I am pleased to report I was pleasantly surprised.
Zimmerman here has attempted to do something very different and does so by giving us a hero who, by rights, normally, most people would no doubt expect to be at a disadvantage in the event of an apocalypse - only to then surprise us by cleverly turning everything about quickly on its head. Sara, the main character, is about as unconventional as you can get and Zimmerman does a great job of telling the story through her eyes to the point that, reading this, I almost fancied I could hear her telling me the story as each part of it happened.

By avoiding many of the usual tropes and attempting to do something a little different, Zimmerman has taken a bit of a risk and created a very clever and unique novel that fully deserves to be a resounding and outstanding success.
Reminiscent in places of Cormack McCarthy's The Road, Queen of Bones is a much more positive and uplifting read and one I can fully recommend...

 Buy it here:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Queen-Bones-G-Zimmerman-ebook/dp/B01DMPDXVM

                    http://www.amazon.com/The-Queen-Bones-G-Zimmerman-ebook/dp/B01DMPDXVM

Cool waters...

 Cool Green Waters is the third book in the Shades of Midnight series, written by Amanda.M.Lyons - an author who has made something of a name for herself in recent years with her original and often thought-provoking short fiction.

I came into this series blind, having not read the previous instalments, but found a lot here to like and will definitely be picking up the earlier volumes to catch up on what I've missed!

Miss Lyons' take on the vampire mythos is an interesting one that comes across a bit like the illegitimate child of Ann Rice and Nancy.A.Collins. All of the vampires depicted here, although granted the gift of eternal life, still seem to be carrying their own personal issues and burdens - indicating that perhaps, just maybe, being a vampire might not be quite as glamorous as other writers make out - and this only serves to make the whole story even more realistic and believable. 

Amanda's characterisation is stronger than ever, and each of the main protagonists she introduces to us here has his or her own personality, their own problems to deal with, only some of which are resolved in this latest chapter.

The book ends on the twist of a knife, leaving the reader hanging and waiting for more.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and found it every bit as impressive as all the rest of her writing that I have read so far. 

Why only the three stars then? 

Well, quite simply, it is because I can't give this 3 1/2 stats on Amazon, and because if you haven't read the books that come before this one, you might find yourself feeling a little bit lost at times.

Even so, I fully recommend picking this up - just remember, it's the third book in a series, not the first, and you'll be fine!

Circle Vs Circle Jerk...

So, for the past few months I kept seeing this film on Netflix and every time I was all like, 'nah, not really in the mood for that tonight,' until one day last week I finally gave into the temptation. 

The premise sounded kind of interesting - 50 strangers wake up in a circle and, one by one, slowly start to realise that they have been abducted and that each of them is about to be killed in turn. 

But the process isn't random.

By voting with their hands, they can decide between them who is going to be the next of them to die.

There are only two rules - you cannot vote for yourself, and if you attempt to leave the circle, then you yourself are killed and you become the victim for that round.

The problem I had was that I kind of felt I had seen all of this done before - and done better - by Catt Dahman in her novel, Circle Jerk.

In Catt Dahman's book, a group of apparently random strangers all wake up to find themselves in cages, handcuffed to the person in the next cell and in order to be rewarded with food, or weapons, or luxury goods, they all have to undergo a series of grisly tasks - which normally involves some kind of mutilation, either self-mutilation or on the person in the next cell along! The idea being that they are all being forced to undergo the ultimate psychological experiment, designed to investigate just how far they are willing to go in order to survive.

My main problem with the movie, Circle was that it all just seemed to go on for way, way too long.

About half way through, I started to lose interest and I no longer found myself caring about who lived and who died anymore.

This probably had a lot to do with the film having such a large cast to begin with.

Where Catt Dahman's book is better is that we only start off with a handful of characters. This gives you ample chance to get to know the characters and form some kind of bond with them. 

With Circle, there are several characters who never even get a chance to speak before they are bumped off - and the process of death comes across as far too clean and clinical. A laser, firing from the centre, dispatches each of the contestants in turn as they lose their vote, only for their bodies to then be whisked away into darkness. 

There are some interesting moments - don't get me wrong, the film isn't all bad - namely when the group start trying to decide how to choose which of them will be the next to die. One guy comes up with the idea of picking off all the older people as they have less of their lives ahead of them, but soon the voting becomes even more strategic as people start pairing off in different factions. It is painfully obvious right frontman start that this film is less about the violence and more about asking deep, philosophical and often moral questions but watching this, you are often left with the feeling that the director is less pointing those questions at you, rather more forcing them down your throat.

Circle Jerk, on the other hand, is far less subtle - it is another of Catt Dahman's books intended solely to shock and disturb you, and both in equal measure - and so makes no bones about trying to be clever; instead wanting only to provoke a reaction in much the same way as movies such as Hostel and the Saw franchise.

It is probably unfair to compare Circle and Circle Jerk, not least because they are two very different media, but even the film, Would You Rather - which I reviewed recently in an earlier post - was better than this drab and uninspiring offering.

The ending of Circle, when it comes, is disappointing and leaves you with few answers and very little satisfaction - in contrast, both Would You Rather and Circle Jerk provide much more closure and so end up being a lot more satisfying to enjoy.

Circle gets a very average 3 stars out of 5.

Catt Dahman's Circle Jerk, however, gets a much more impressive 5/5.

An awesome, awesome review of my own book...Fear of the Dark

So, an author friend of mine just got accepted as a contributor for Comicbooked.com and decided to write an awesome review of my latest release, Fear of the Dark.

Fear of the Dark collects together several of my already published short stories along with a few new  pieces of fiction, never seen before, that appear here exclusive to this collection.

Whilst helping to tidy a elderly neighbours loft space, a young boy discovers a photo of the old man in his much younger days. Sitting him down, the old man recounts the story behind the photo - the story of the night he and five of his friends got together to tell each other scary stories - with all too tragic results.

The link to the article in question is here: http://www.comicbooked.com/mark-woods-short-story-collection-fear-dark-nightmares/#comment-214039

And it's fair to say, I am not just impressed, I am speechless!!!

The hunted tribe: declaration of war by Roma Gray...when the hunter becomes the hunted...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunted-Tribe-Book-Declaration-War-ebook/dp/B01CUMUZI2/ref=la_B00UP2CU1U_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458732849&sr=1-4

When I first read Roma Gray's short story collection, Grey shadows under a harvest moon, I was a little disappointed and I'll tell you why - it was because all of the stories were related to future books she had in progress and reading the stories felt more like reading excerpts of those books rather than short stories in themselves. I continually found myself wanting...more...and then feeling frustrated when the stories ended with, for me, no real sense of closure. It's not that the stories weren't good, they just felt a bit to me like they were a little incomplete - as a taster for her potential future novels this kind of  works, it just wasn't for me.

The Hunted Tribe: Declaration of war is the first of Roma's books to be released, the first part in a new series, and I have to say, a very impressive debut from Miss Gray. 

Quite simply, I couldn't put it down. 

For generations, the Native American Indian Dwanake tribe have been hunted. Hunted by a demonic animal spirit that is determined to wipe every last one of them out because they once tried to control him...and failed. For hundreds of years, they have been running scared, systematically being slaughtered one after another as the ferocious beast tracks them down.

But not any more.

Now they have hope.

Now they finally have a slim chance at fighting back.

Sean is your typical dysfunctional teenager. Sent away to his grandmas for messing in witchcraft and possibly even being responsible for causing a fire that nearly burned down his home, he soon discovers he has a much bigger destiny.

For, unbeknownst to him, Sean is an uber-witch - and the only hope his family and ancestors have of fighting the Grishla and finally defeating it once and for all.

If he can only learn how to control his powers first...

The hunted tribe starts with a bang - thrusting us right into the heart of the action as we witness one of Sean's ancestors, back in the past, attempting to flee his nemesis and carry his daughter to safety - and from then on, the pace never lets up for a second.

Even during some of the quieter, more reflective moments of the novel, the threat of the Grishla continually hangs overhead and Roma never lets you forget its presence for a moment.

I really loved this book and found Roma Gray's style of writing to be both highly engaging and addictive. I never wanted this book to end and in fact, if I had one criticism, it is for me that it all co Es to a close just that little bit too soon. Just as things really start to get going, the story stops, and does so with a shock revelation that will no doubt leave you, like me, hungry for more!

I'm hoping Roma gets the next book out in the series quickly because it is painfully obvious from what we see here that there is a much bigger story to tell, and that everything might not be quite as clear cut as it at first appears...

Roma is a great writer, this is a great book, and I look forward to reading more by her in the future. 

4/5 stars.

I caught up with Roma and asked her a few questions...

1) How did you get into writing? 

At Halloween time I used to check out spooky anthologies from the library. I really loved them, but the library only bought a couple new ones each year, so it didn't take me long to read through them.  This forced me to start writing my own stories. 

2) You mention in The Hunted Tribe that the Grishla is based on a monster invented in your childhood, is there any more of your childhood fears we should look out for in future works? 

Hmm...interesting question. I've sort of been purging all my childhood terrors into my current stories, not sure what's left. The pit in The Hunted Tribe is actually one of my terrors. It doesn't take much imagination to know that's going to lead to a disturbing situation. Another one is in my story A T-Rex for Xmas that is in the JEA anthology Jurassic Attack! That was my take on the famous scene from the movie Trilogy of Terror. Yet another one is in my story in an upcoming anthology, Twisted Tales Tea Party, called Trapdoor. It's based on giant trapdoor spiders.  It also takes place on Christmas, which makes me wonder if deep down I'm afraid of holidays, haha. 

3) Two of your characters in The Hunted Tribe are vegan. Are you vegan, and are any of the dishes you describe real or ones you have had experience of? Asking because I'm a chef and I found the descriptions of some of the food really interesting.

Yes, I am vegan and a few of my friends are as well. All the dishes in that book are real, and I ended up making each dish while writing the book. The food in my book killed me! I was hungry all the time! But...I had to add the food. That's how grandma's bond with their grandkids, right? If I didn't add that, it wouldn't feel like we were at grandma's house, would it? 

The vegan part was important to the bigger story, which you will see in the 2nd book. That's why I added it. Also, I have to admit, I added vegans because part of this book addresses the issue of bullying. When I first became a vegan, I ended up being ridiculed and essentially bullied by people I thought were my friends (people I'd known for over ten years.) I'll never forget how confused and betrayed I felt . The vegan characters helped me tap into that hurt and anger.

4) Do you have any tips for future aspiring writers? 

Read a lot and analyze what you read. Notice what you like and don't like in stories, every detail, right down to the sentence structure. Decide what's you and what isn't. Your writing will improve tremendously. Also, practice with writing games. One of my favorites was to make a list of words, pick two, then write a story based on those two words in one hour. 

5) What can we expect to see from you next? 

Everything and anything creepy and spooky, it would seem. I have 11 short stories scheduled to come out this year (two are already out in books Jurassic Attack! and New England Weird, while a third is in an anthology Twisted Tales Tea party which should be released in another few weeks.) In other media, one short story of mine is being considered for a made for TV movie in England right now. I'm working on an audio book version of The Hunted Tribe, and this book is also being considered for a movie by an American film company. In novels, this year I'm working on the sequel to the Hunted Tribe as well as three other books: Radio Silence (a dino book with Keith Olsen), Jurassic Jackaroo (a Grishla story set in the old West), and Haunted House Harbor: Hope for Humanity. It will be a busy, busy year.

6) Do you ever experience writers block? Do you believe it is even a thing? If so, how do you deal with it?

It doesn't really exist for me and therefore not a thing in my life. Granted, in my case, I may have conditioned myself out of writers' block, spending many years working on writing exercises. I think it all comes down to lots of practice and giving your brain a license to play. 

7) Did you do any research for The Hunted Tribe or about Native American Indians? Or did you just fudge it? Be honest, lol. 

Hahaha! Lots and lots of fudging.  Although, a funny thing happened. For a short story on the Grishla (my story Maples and Tall Grass in the recently released anthology New England Weird), I needed to involve an old Native American tribe called the Croatoan. To my utter surprise, they really did have a witch whose job it was to communicate and negotiate with the animal spirits. It worked so perfectly for my story, it was creepy!

8 ) Who are some of your favourite writers - who inspires you and who would you want to be compared to?

Douglas Scott and Lincoln Child wrote my favorite book Relic. I particularly love Lincoln Child's writing style. Their stories are different, though, and typically don't have a supernatural element. I'd probably name my biggest inspiration for the type of stories I write as the ones found in Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and Night Gallery, although they are not books but television shows. 

9) What is the secret to being a good writer do you think?

Read a lot, write a lot. Analyze what you read, and push yourself to write about new things. In fact, all you writers out there, here are two words: vampire and blind. Write a story. Now! You have an hour.

10) what scares you? What's YOUR biggest fear?

Humans. Humanity's inhumanity is so ghastly and horrific I find it more terrifying than any monster or creature in the animal kingdom (yes, even spiders). That's why I typically don't write serial killer books. It's too real. Completely freaks me out.

Thank you Roma, good luck with your success...

The woods are dark...

As some of you may know, I have a bit of a thing for 'found footage' films - Cloverfield and {rec} remain two of my favourite films of all time - so when I read about this, I knew I just had to see it.

And boy, was it a ride!

A young couple are making a documentary about the famous Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot footage and decide to explore the local area in the hope of discovering...something. After talking to a few of the locals and getting mixed responses, the couple set out to find the actual location where the footage was filmed, despite being warned to 'stay away' by an angry, weird ass redneck who turns violent when they refuse initially to turn around and drive away.

Determined not to be dissuaded, the couple find another entrance into the local woods and set off to film around the same locations where Patterson and Gimlin are supposed to have filmed Bigfoot.

Unfortunately, as always in these films, things start taking a turn for the worse when they become lost and can't find their way back...

Willow Creek utilises many ideas seen before in 'found footage' films, including some of those employed by one of the original 'found footage' films, The Blair Witch Project, but uses them to much fuller effect. The first act is all about getting to know the couple, warming to them, starting to like them, so that when things do go wrong, the viewer feels that they can empathise with what is happening to the characters and actually cares what happens to them and this is handled very effectively. 

By the time things all start going pear-shaped, you can almost feel as though you are right there, out there in the wilderness with them. 

One of the highlights of the movie comes towards the end.

I won't spoil anything, but needless to say there is about twenty minutes of footage that was fully improvised, filmed in one take, and that features the young couple cowering in their tent, often in the dark, while scary noises break out all around them. 

This one scene really shouldn't work, but it does - playing, as it does, to all of our most primal fears. Who of us, after all, hasn't been in that very same position at some point in their life whilst on a camping trip? Hearing strange sounds outside your tent and not knowing what they are, being petrified with fear and paralysed with fright?

I watched this in the early hours of the morning, with the lights out, and let me tell you, that twenty minutes very nearly freaked ME out!!!! Let alone the actors...

If it all gets a bit predictable and inevitable towards the end, that can easily be forgiven because the film until that point, hits every target.

 I really loved this, and thought it to be an awesome movie. It scared the shit out of me at one point and left me on tenterhooks and shy film together can do that deserves quite rightly to score highly!

A very strong 4 stars out of five then!