All posts filed under: excerpt

Flash Fiction! Dream Killer

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We welcome Jamie K. Schmidt, of The Graveyard Shift! She’s created some original Halloween flash fiction for our Halloween Spooktacular (below). But first, here’s a bit about the paranormal romance anthology, The Graveyard Shift, including an excerpt. The Graveyard Shift A Paranormal Romance Anthology Jamie K. Schmidt Genre: paranormal romance Date of Publication: 6/26/16 ISBN: 1534805680 ASIN: B0177E5Z8S Number of pages: 173 Word Count: 54,000 Cover Artist: Jamie K. Schmidt Book Description: Erotic, Sexy and Sweet tales of vampires, ghosts, mages, shifters and dreamers of dreams. In this anthology, you will enter an adult bookstore run by two vampires and partake in the bloodletting and sex, see a witch accidentally summon a vampire who gains power through love making, and then go clubbing with an urban vampire. But vampires aren’t the only supernatural beings in this compelling collection of stories. Ghosts jam with their favorite rock bands. A Grail Maiden helps protect Arthur’s cup, and a paralyzed cyber mercenary finds love inside virtual reality. Amazon  Excerpt: DEIRDRE WAS A EUROPEAN PRINCESS whose lineage, no one dared question …

What is Western Gothic?

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By Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall, noted (at least by each other) authorities in the field of Western Gothic studies Western Gothic is a fairly narrow but very deep and wildly entertaining literary genre. We say that as recognized (by each other) experts in the field of Western Gothic Studies, a field and (and likely a genre) we created, and with all the confidence an exhaustive, seconds-long Google search can bestow (see sidebar). So what is Western Gothic? It is a style of fiction that transplants the moody, death-obsessed themes of classic gothic fiction (think Castle of Otranto or, of course, Dracula) to the wide open, inspiring vistas of the modern west (Riders of the Purple Sage, or All the Pretty Horses). We’re pretty sure we invented the genre with The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection, a series of four books set in the modern west and featuring sexy, brooding vampires bent on world domination. We wrote the first book — The Cowboy the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance — in 1999. Our fourth and …

Welcome to Otherworld

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Hello, I’m Jane Godman, author of the Otherworld Series. Otherworld is a magical realm existing just beyond mortal sight. The Otherworld Series tells the stories of the compelling heroes who fight to protect this beautiful place from the battles threatening to tear it apart. I hope you’ll join me on my journey into this mystical realm. Share this on Facebook>>> But what, and, perhaps more importantly where, is Otherworld? I’m fascinated by the ancient Celtic idea of an ‘otherworld’ that is situated, not in some distant, unknown region of planetary space, but here on our own earth just out of sight and within our grasp…if we really believe in it and want it enough. Frequently, in faerie-lore, Otherworld was a subterranean world entered through caverns, hills, or mountains, and inhabited by many races and orders of beings, such as demons, shades, faeries, and gods. This magical world was divided into districts or kingdoms each with its own ruler, just like the world of mortals. Sometimes, the Celtic Otherworld was located in the middle of the …

Native American Myths and Legends

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Hello, my name is Jeffrey Stagg and I am the author of A Campfire Nightmare. I’d like to take a moment to thank my hosts for letting me guest blog on their site and I hope I can really fulfill their expectations with my thoughts. ParaYourNormal has asked me to discuss Native American paranormal myths and legends, to which I am excited to share my thoughts and processes. Share this on Facebook>>> For those of you who haven’t read my book, my narration takes place on a Native American reservation in western Montana and, during one night, one of my characters shares a legend about a war between werewolf like monsters and a tribe of Flathead Indians. I actually wrote this while I was on the reservation, just along the shores of Flathead Lake, so the thoughts and feelings of nature were there. So, when someone talks about paranormal myths or legends, the vast majority of people will instantly jump to the classic European ghosts, vampires, monsters and the lot. Very few would find themselves …

paranormal San Francisco

Subversive San Francisco

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Guest blog by author L.J.K. Oliva. First off, thanks so much for having me back on this blog! It ranks as one of my favorite online urban fantasy haunts, and I’m thrilled for another chance to contribute. Share this on Facebook>>> When I was first approached with the topic “paranormal San Francisco”, I had to take a few days to think. I realized there were a couple ways I could approach it. The first way would have been to talk about the actual paranormal community in San Francisco (there is a sizeable one) – the vampire tour guides, the corner-shop clairvoyants, even ghosts, if you believe in such things. That would make for an interesting post, but it’s not one I feel qualified to write. The other option is to explore why I believe San Francisco is the perfect setting for my Shades Below series (of which I just released Book 2). Surprise, surprise, this is the option I’ve decided to go with. I grew up in the Bay Area. I’ve lived within easy driving …

Excerpt and Cover Reveal: The Ghost Rebellion

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The Ghost Rebellion The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book Five Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris Genre: Steampunk Publisher: Imagine That! Studios Date of Publication: 6/10/16 Word Count: about 100,000 Photography by Michael D. Ward of Go ForWard Photography Design by Starla Book Description: The chase is on! After the destruction of the Diamond Jubilee, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire. Meanwhile Brandon Hill and Bruce Campbell travel deep into Russia hunting down ingredients to save Queen Victoria’s life. Amid the cold they uncover a new threat from the revitalized House of Usher . All the agents of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences will find their allegiances in question, and their mettle tested as a new dastardly …

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum

What’s Inside a Paranormal Museum?

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My new book, The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, will be launching on March 8th. Though it’s traditional to provide an excerpt of some singularly exciting moment in the story, I decided to break tradition and provide an excerpt about the museum itself. Share this on Facebook>>> This was my first real chance to examine the museum. The walls were white-paneled, their ornate moldings painted shiny black. Two doors in the right wall led to other rooms. Opposite hung that plastic barrier, and the gap in the wall that led to the tea room. The floor was a white and black checkerboard of linoleum tiles. A rocking chair stood in one corner. Glass-enclosed shelves filled with haunted objects lined the rear wall.  It looked like an undertaker’s ice cream parlor. The only thing that could have completed the grim effect would have been Christy’s chalk (or taped) outline on the floor. But chalk outlines were for the movies. Today’s police had cameras to record the scene. GD Cat made a Slinky of himself, dropping from a …

The Crow Box: Playlist

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The Crow Box Playlist (The Shadow & Ink Series, Book One). Guest post by author Nikki Rae. The small wooden box is dirty, the size of a human fist, and sealed with wax. When Corbin takes it upon herself to clean it and break the seal, a voice she has tried to ignore gathers strength. Shadows play on the walls at night, and with a family history of mental illness, Corbin fears the worst. But the voice tells her it is real. That its name is Six and it will prove it in time. Share this on Facebook>>> Drawn to this mysterious entity, Corbin isn’t sure what to believe and the line between reality and her imagination blurs more every day. Some doors should not be opened; can this one be closed? Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/jitYSz0-9LU Amazon Here’s its Music Playlist: Purity Ring—Sea Castle Gnarls Barkley—Crazy Beach House—Other People AFI—A Deep Slow Panic She Wants Revenge—Tear You Apart Bosnian Rainbows—The Eye Fell In Love Foals—2 Trees The National—Abel Daughter—Smoke Phantogram—Nothing But Trouble Playlist link here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLofE5FnND1-emZKfTpLqHZfGkg33ctsph …