WordCrafter News: Calls for Submission & an Upcoming Release
Posted: January 27, 2025 Filed under: Book Release, Books, Call for submissions, Dark fiction, Story Bundle, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press | Tags: 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Call for submissions, Midnight Oil, Story Bundle, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press 1 Comment
Call for Submissions for Midnight Oil
The Call for Submissions for the Midnight Oil anthology went out on January 1. Submissions which submit the required $5 entry fee will be entered in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest for a chance to be featured in the anthology, which is the third book in the Midnight Anthology Series from WordCrafter Press and display the winner’s badge on your site. The deadline is April 30, 2025.
You can find submission guidelines here: https://wp.me/pVw40-9SL
Looking for Books for Story Bundles
In 2025, I hope to currate a couple of Story Bundles. Specifically, I’m looking at one Supernatural Fantasy bundle, and one Paranormal bundle. However, I still don’t have enough authors interested to make it work. So, I’m looking for authors with books in these catagories who would like to be considered for the bundles. If you are one of those authors, I’d like to1 hear from you. You can contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and put “Story Bundle Submission” in the subject line.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles to be released in March
The second book in my Time Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Oulaw 2: Seeing Doubles, will be coming out in March, and I’m really excited about it. If you thought the first book was crazy, this one will blow your socks off. Amaryllis and LeRoy are back after the disastrous jump in time which seperated them, along with most of the characters you came to love or hate in the first book, and a few new ones. With multiple story lines, multiple time loops, and multiples of the characters. This book was so much fun to write, and I know that you’ll enjoy reading it.
About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles
In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. When Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.
In 2030, Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past, when she wakes up in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not be born.
She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.
When they cross the other time loops, already created, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended.
Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things start to get wild.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.
A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.
In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.
In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.
LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.
They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw
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Book Review: “Stiffs and Stones”
Posted: January 10, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Dark Humor, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Zombie Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Dan Shamble Zombie P.I., Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin J. Anderson, Stiffs & Stones, Writing to be Read 4 Comments
I’m a big fan of the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, so when I got a review request for the two latest books in the collection, you know I couldn’t turn it down. All opinions stated here are my own.
Other titles I’ve reviewed in the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. Series
- Horn Dogs: https://writingtoberead.com/?p=37841
- Bats in the Belfry & Heart of Clay: https://writingtoberead.com/2023/12/29/book-review-bats-in-the-belfry-heart-of-clay/
- Zomnibus: https://writingtoberead.com/2018/07/27/zomnibus-two-zombie-detective-novels-in-one-book/
- Double Booked & Bump in the Night: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/07/22/book-reviews-double-booked-bump-in-the-night/
About Stiffs and Stones
Dan Shamble, zombie P.I. is back from the dead and back on the case in this new collection of eight wacky adventures with enough plot twists and stomach turns to keep you guessing, and chuckling, until the very end.
My Review of Stiffs and Stones
I requested a digital revew copy of Stiffs & Stones from Kevin J. Anderson’s Reader’s Club. All opinions stated here are my own.
Stiffs & Stones, by Kevin J. Anderson is a collection of eight Dan Shamble, P.I. short stories, some which were published earlier, so I chose to focus my review on the stories I hadn’t read and reviewed previously. This collection of undead stories will keep you laughing until the last page.
- “Hand Job” is the tale of a disembodied hand who has been framed for a robbery it didn’t commit and it’s up to Dan Shamble to prove its innocence. If there’s one thing the zombie P.I. doesn’t need with this case, it’s a hand. (Although these stories are filled with it, that corney humor is my own.)
- “Bull Runs” is the tale of the Meter Maid Minitaur with tummy trouble. It’s up to Dan Shamble to discover the reason the Minituars are all falling ill and stop the debilitating illness before the big charity race.
- “Mystery Meat” is the case of the giant Momma Fly with missing baby maggots. This case takes Dan Shamble into the backstreets of the Unnatural Quarter where he uncovers the source of the new and delicious mystery meat being served while searching for the missing tots.
- “Holy Balls” is the tale of a warlock whose witchy wife is after his (crystal) balls, and it’s up to Dan Shamble to protect them. But the witchy wife is relentless, and Dan Shamble must use the highest security measures he has to protect the warlock’s balls.
- “The Eyeball at the End of the Rainbow” is the tale of an inebriated Leprechaun who has misplaced the eye of the Centuar stoner, leaving him blind and straight until Dan Shamble can solve the case and find the missing eyeball.
Also included are “Bump in the Night”, “Fire in the Hole”, and “Heart of Clay”.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
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WordCrafter 2025 Dark Ficton Contest – Call for Submissions
Posted: January 1, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Dark Fantasy, Dark fiction, Dark Humor, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, Supernatural, Suspense, WordCrafter Press, Writing Contest | Tags: 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Oil, WordCrafter Press 5 Comments
It’s time for the annual WordCrafter Press short fiction contest. This year’s entries will have a chance of being featured in the third volume of the WordCrafter Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares. The theme is dark fiction, but it can be dark fantasy, dark science fiction, dark paranormal, dark humor, or horror, as long as it is dark and scary or thought provoking. I like stories that make me think. The contest entry fee is $5, and the submission deadline is April 30, 2025. You’ll find the submission guidelines below.
Submission Guidelines
WordCrafter Press is looking for original short stories with dark elements. Previously unpublished stories only.
Genres: Any genre as long as the story is dark.
Length: up to 5000 words
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2024
Pay: Royalty share
Rights: First Anthology Rights and audio rights as part of the anthology; rights revert to author one month after publication; publisher retains non-exclusive right to include in the anthology as a whole.
Open to submissions from January 1 through April 30, 2024.
Submit: A Microsoft Word or RTF file in standard manuscript format to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com
If you don’t know what standard manuscript format is, review, for example, https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/
Multiple and simultaneous submissions accepted.
Find some helpful tips for submitting short fiction here, but mainly just follow the guidelines.
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Submit your story with a cover letter to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com with “Submission: [Your Title]” in the subject line and pay the $5 entry fee below.
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Contest Entry
Enter the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest for a chance at an invitation to the Visions anthology, with a small royalty split.
$5.00
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This Call for Submissions is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 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. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
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Book Review: “Horn Dogs”
Posted: December 27, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Dark Humor, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Zombie Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Dan Shamble Zombie P.I., Horn Dogs, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kevin J. Anderson, Writing to be Read 6 CommentsI’m a big fan of the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, so when I got a review request for the two latest books in the collection, you know I couldn’t turn it down. All opinions stated here are my own. ( You can catch my review of Stiffs & Stones on Friday, January 10th, 2025.)
Other titles I’ve reviewed in the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. Series
- Bats in the Belfry & Heart of Clay: https://writingtoberead.com/2023/12/29/book-review-bats-in-the-belfry-heart-of-clay/
- Zomnibus: https://writingtoberead.com/2018/07/27/zomnibus-two-zombie-detective-novels-in-one-book/
- Double Booked & Bump in the Night: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/07/22/book-reviews-double-booked-bump-in-the-night/
About Horn Dogs
Dan Shamble’s most pointed case, with murdered unicorns,frog princes, corporate fairy godmothers, and lagoon creatures, all looking for a fairy-tale ending in the gritty streets of the Unnatural Quarter.
My Review of Horn Dogs
I requested a digital review copy of Horn Dogs, from author Kevin J. Anderson’s Reader’s Group. All opinions stated here are my own.
Everyone wants a happily ever after, and Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. is determined to make it happen.
The unnatural characters and their crazy antics in the Unnatural Quarter after the Big Uneasy, are what keep me coming back to the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, and Horn Dogs is no exception. In addition to all my favorite characters, such as Dan Shamble and his ghost girlfriend Shyenne, his human partner Robin, his vampire half-daughter, Alvina, and his best human friend Officer McGoo, this volume brings us frog demons, evil wizards, fairy godmothers, and unicorns and their pet horn dogs spreading magic and warm fuzzies throughout the Unnatural Quarter.
When Prince Dirk is changed into a frog by the evil wizard, Oorgak, he falls in love with a frog demon, RRita, heiress to the successful local pool service in the Unnatural Quarter. But Oorgak had an epiphany after seeing a unicorn, and reversed all of his previous evil deeds, and now the happy couple isn’t happy, especially when their illegitamate tadpoles are held hostage by the swamp monsters who own the new swamp water park.
And when someone dognaps all the unidogs, and unicorns are being murdered, the Secret Society of Horn Brothers and Horn Sisters must come out of hiding to employ Dan Shamble’s services, too. Can this zaney zombie P.I. save the unidogs and tadpoles, and reunite the unhappy couple, giving everyone the happily ever after that they’re looking for? You’ll have to read Horn Dogs to find out.
A fun and silly read, I give Horn Dogs five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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This post is sponsored by WordCrafter Press with a reminder that all WordCrafter Press books are currently 50% off in the SmashWords End of Year Ebook Sale, only in the SmashWords store: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/
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Reviews Coming in for Midnight Garden
Posted: November 9, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Review | Tags: Book Review, Midnight Garden 1 Comment
A great review for Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow on Carla Reads.
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“Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour Giveaway Winners!
Posted: October 17, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Giveaway Winners, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 2 Comments
We had a great tour for the release of Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow and now it’s time to announce who the lucky winners of the giveaway are.
And the winners are…
(Drum roll please)
- Chris Hall
- Annette Rochelle Aben
- Gwen M. Plano
Congratulations ladies, and thank you for following the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour. Your support is appreciated and I know you will enjoy this dark story collection. Happy reading!
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Midnight Garden stories now on Joseph Carrabis: “Grand Ture”
Posted: October 15, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Dark fiction | Tags: "Grand Ture", Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Garden Leave a commentShare this:
Midnight Garden stories now on Joseph Carrabis: “The Tomb”
Posted: October 15, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Dark fiction | Tags: "The Tomb", Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Garden Leave a commentShare this:
Final Day on the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 14, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Exchange", "The Tomb", Anthology, Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 5 CommentsThis is the final stop on the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour and we’re wrapping up with a guest post by contributing author Joseph Carrabis about the inspiration of his story, “The Tomb” and a reading of his story “The Exchange”, which are both featured in this deliciously dark anthology, Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow.
About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow
17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest Midnight Garden… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
Reading of “The Exchange” by Joseph Carrabis
Inspiration for “The Tomb”, by Joseph Carrabis
The Tomb
The Tomb was originally written in the late 1970s. and no one was interested in it. What you read is the last major edit, circa 2011. The original version – and much of what’s in the published version – came from a dream.
The story is personal to me as I was blind – technically “limited eyesight” and legally blind – until about four years ago. I was considered for some experimental surgeries back in the late 1970s and one thing or another dropped me from consideration. Finally, in 2020 – yep, the year of Covid – Technology caught up to what I needed it to be and several operations later, I can see.
In case you’re curious, going from an auditory landscape to a visual one is not easy. Susan (wife/partner/Princess) got a chuckle out of my staring at something while I matched what it looked like to the sound it made (and which I recognized).
The story itself deals with the fact that “seeing” means seeing everything, some of which isn’t pretty, and some, which others might consider ugly or horrid, is beautiful simply because it can be seen.
About Author Joseph Carrabis
Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school, and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He’s been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels. You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com.
Excerpt From “The Puppet Men”
Excerpt From “Self-Mutiny”, by Zack Ellafy
Giveaway
Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit. If you missed a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below.
Schedule
Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game”) & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes
Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz
Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read
Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration for “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica
Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted
Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces
Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb” – Writing to be Read
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
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Midnight Garden stories now on Joseph Carrabis: “The Exchange”
Posted: October 13, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Dark fiction | Tags: "The Exchange", Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Garden Leave a comment
