Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Diary of a Sorceress: Dark #Poetry by Ashley Dioses



Diary of a Sorceress

by Ashley Dioses

Genre: Dark Poetry


The young poet Ashley Dioses has already established herself as a leading
voice in contemporary weird poetry. Known for her meticulous use of
rhyme and meter, her deft melding of the strange and the erotic, and
her novel treatments of such age-old themes as the vampire, the
witch, and the ghoul, Dioses now gathers the best of her recent
poetry into her first collection—a scintillating assemblage of
nearly 100 poems short and long, published and unpublished.

With this single volume, Ashley Dioses takes her place as a worthy
successor to the long line of California Romantics, beginning with
Ambrose Bierce, Clark Ashton Smith, and Nora May French, and carrying
on with Donald Sidney-Fryer and K. A. Opperman (The Crimson Tome),
with whom she has worked closely. 



Ashley began writing at the age of 12. Upon discovering the macabre work of
Edgar Allan Poe, she took a borderline obsessive interest in writing
horror and dark fantasy poetry and even a few fantasy novels. Her
favorite authors of horror and fantasy at that time were Stephen
King, Dean Koontz, J.R.R. Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and Brian Jacques
who also influenced her work.

She wrote up until her senior year of high school and then took a break
before starting up again after college in 2011. With a nudge from a
new friend, she discovered a new kind of horror, dark fantasy, and
weird work from authors such as Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft,
George Sterling, Donald Sidney-Fryer, and David Park Barnitz.

With this new treasure trove of horror and weird authors, she began to
broaden her writing.

Aside from writing, her other passion is martial arts. When she was 12 she
started practicing a shotokan Japanese karate mix (called 'American'
karate) and Judo at Red Dragon until she reached 3rd class brown belt
at 15. At 18 she started practicing Soo Bahk Do, a Korean karate,
where she stayed for four years, getting her black belt and taught as
an instructor for a brief period of time before leaving.

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Scenes of Mild Peril: #Sci-Fi #Horror Short Stories by David Court



Scenes of Mild Peril

by David Court

Genre: Horror/ Sci-fi / Satire , Short Stories


Across thirty disquieting stories, we'll encounter such tales as,
"Sovereign's Last Hurrah", featuring a team of retired
super-powered villains embarking on one last caper with their
legendary super-hero rival.

"A Comedian Walks into a Bar", in which a hungry and ambitious
amateur learns that the fabled secret of comedy may come at too high
a cost. "83", where the interview for a dream job
becomes a nightmare, and "In Vino Veritas, In Vino Mors",
where a dying wine collector takes part in a very special tasting
session, courtesy of a very special visitor.

You'll encounter possessed little fingers, magic swords, sanity-defying
factories, stranded astronauts, lovecraftian librarians, virulent
plagues, and pork scratchings ... all with a twist in the tale,
courtesy of the equally twisted mind of David Court.



Check out the podcasts here!




David Court is a short story author and novelist, whose works have appeared
in over a dozen venues including Tales to Terrify, Strangely Funny,
Fears Accomplice and The Voices Within. Whilst primarily a horror
writer, he also writes science fiction, poetry and satire. 

His writing style has been described as "Darkly cynical" and
"Quirky and highly readable" and David can't bring himself
to disagree with either of those statements.

Growing up in the UK in the eighties, David's earliest influences were the
books of Stephen King and Clive Barker, and the films of John
Carpenter and George Romero. The first wave of Video Nasties may also
have had a profound effect on his psyche.

As well as being a proud VIP writer for Stitched Smile Publications,
David works as a Software Developer and lives in Coventry with his
wife, three cats and an ever-growing beard. David's wife once asked
him if he'd write about how great she was. David replied that he
would, because he specialized in short fiction. Despite that, they
are still married.

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Monday, 11 February 2019

Five Gems: A #YA #Fantasy #Adventure by E. Kaiser Writes



Jeweler's Apprentice
Five Gems Book 1

by E. Kaiser Writes

Genre: YA Fantasy Adventure


On her first visit to the palace, sixteen-year-old Fia stumbles upon a
court intrigue. To keep the secret safe, the Chancellor sends her off
as apprentice to a famous, reclusive, mountain jeweler...

...And straight into adventure.

Discovering gems with deep secrets and
new friends with the same, Fia learns a whole lot more than just
making jewelry: when to trust a stranger, and when not to, why not to
try stealing from gem thieves; what heroism is; what royalty ought to
be; and that the mountains themselves can sometimes be the greatest
danger of all.

Is the legend of the Sunlight Stone true?

Will peace ever come to the war-torn neighboring kingdom?

And what is the stable boy hiding...?

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Traitor's Knife
Five Gems Book 2


Secrets. Sabotage. Murder. With Olayin House temporarily turned into a weapons
factory, Fia is confronted with the care of three refugee children,
an ill-timed visitor, a perplexingly brash messenger that she isn't
quite sure what to think of, all while trying to keep her friend’s
secrets safe. But when dangerous accidents start to happen, the young
apprentice begins to tread a fine line of suspicion. Are saboteurs
out to nix the weapons works... and is the incognito crown prince in
mortal peril? Winter in the mountain house isn’t as cozy as her
apprenticeship was expected to be. 

**Only .99 cents!**


King's Ward
Five Gems Book 3


With her wealth of loyalist secrets, Fia’s position at Olayin House is
compromised. Now a potential danger to two countries, she is made a
ward of the king and sent away yet again; this time into the
grassland kingdom of Erlandia, but
her journey amongst the horse folk takes unexpected turns.

Trapped under siege, she faces two men from her past... one she fears might
murder her, and the other may die of plague unless she wins the
battle for his life.

And with the Sunlight Stone traded for troops, how long will Erlandia’s
peace last?

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E. Kaiser Writes was born into a family of readers, and got started on
storytelling around the age of four when her older siblings prompted
her into recounting an absolutely ridiculous account of a parallel
childhood. It was good for the family's general entertainment, and
she discovered the thrill of making people laugh.

At the age of seven her mother read the Hobbit aloud, and a fascination
with beautiful fantasy was born. At nine she came to the decision
that she wanted to be a writer, and set to reading rabidly to learn
the art. At thirteen she attempted her first novel, and it was eaten
in a computer's demise.

Afterward, during her teenage years she tried very hard at various times to stop
writing all together.

Not succeeding, she at last gave in to her addiction, and wrote "for
fun".

Her first novel, Jeweler's Apprentice, is a light-fantasy adventure for
teens. The shy, bookish heroine is thrust out on the first step
toward the adventure that awaits, and growing up. More books in this
series are expected.

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