Book Review: “Bewilderness”
Posted: March 13, 2026 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Review, Science Fiction | Tags: Bewilderness, Book Review, Jonathan Maberry, Science Fiction, Writing to be Read 6 Comments
About Bewilderness – To be released August 11, 2026
Dr. Abby Corman has a bold idea: open a stable doorway between our world and an uninhabited parallel Earth. A new world we can use to mine resources to end poverty, grow enough food to end all hunger, and allow for population growth to end overcrowding. What could be a more noble aspiration for a brilliant young scientist?
But the path to hell is paved with good intentions…
The Gateway is in a secure lab in a huge office building in New York. Ultra-modern, totally secure, impenetrable by industrial spies or foreign agents. Once it goes into lockdown for the Gateway test firing, it becomes the world’s largest and most unbreakable vault.
Locked doors, though, can do more than keep bad things out. They can trap bad things in.
The Gateway spins completely out of control, sending infinite Earths onto a collision course with ours. Now, our reality is cracking apart, allowing creatures from Earth’s distant past and monsters from parallel worlds to emerge, turning New York into a hellscape.
Abby Corman did not open the Gateway, but she is the only one who knows how to close it. But an alien Hunter and her pack of deadly hellcats have stepped into our world, and they will stop at nothing to kill Abby. Because in a universe of parallel worlds, one Earth’s savior can be the worst criminal other Earths have ever known.
Purchase Link: https://wordfirepress.com/products/bewilderness?_pos=1&_psq=Bewilderness&_ss=e&_v=1.0
My Review of Bewilderness
I received a digital copy of Bewilderness, by Jonathan Maberry from the publisher, WordFire Press, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
I chose to review Bewilderness because Jonathan Maberry is the author, and I know his stories are of a quality to be admired. In this, I was not disappointed. Mayberry has created a first-rate science fiction novel and a situation where literally anything is possible. This story has cinematic potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in theaters in the future. The book is a solid, well written, well thought out story with fleshed-out characters and almost non-stop action to keep those pages turning.
Abby Corman is a scientist of the highest caliber, assigned to a top-secret government funded project, called Gateway. Only, she’s not just assigned to it, she created it. They are preparing for the test run of the Gateway machine, which cab tap into uninhabited parallel worlds, offering unlimited resources to replenish Earth’s dwindling supplies, and ending world hunger. But when their funding is threatened and her partner panics and fires her, locking her out and bringing in another scientific mind, who may understand the project, but has no regard for safety protocols, and they fire the Gateway, bypassing the test run. Something goes terribly wrong, leaving the Gateway cycling through thousands of strange parallel worlds, and allowing creatures from those worlds to enter this one, turning New York into a pre-historic disaster zone. It’s up to Abby to set things right, making her way through a veritably impenetrable fortress turned upside down, and running from an alien huntress and her pack of hell cats, who is determined to stop her.
Cutting-edge suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Abby in her quest to save the world. I give Bewilderness five quills.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Everyone is a Critic: The Running Man – Then & Now
Posted: March 9, 2026 Filed under: Everyone is a Critic, Movie Review, Movies, Review, Science Fiction | Tags: Action, Everyone is a Critic, Kaye Lynne Booth, Science Fiction, The Running Man, Writing to be Read 5 CommentsToday we’re going to take a look at two versions of the same movie: The Running Man, based on the novel by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman. It’s been a long time since I read this book, since it was released back in the 1980s, but I can tell you now that the movie which just came out with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin is definitely closer to the original story line of the book. That puts it higher in my opinion than the 1987 movie with Arnold Swarzenhegger and Richard Dawson, although the first movie is a good story in its own right.
In the reality TV show The Running Man, the only objective is to stay alive.
This “slam-bang action suspense” (Gilbert Cruz, Vulture) from Stephen King is now a major motion picture from Paramount.
Ben Richards has no job, no money, and a young daughter who urgently needs medical attention. Desperate, out of options, he signs up for The Running Man, “the biggest show in the country.” It’s an ultraviolent competition where the stakes could not be higher. Ben must stay alive for thirty days while an elite strike force, trained to kill, hunts for him. If he can survive for a month, he wins a billion dollars. No contestant has ever lasted longer than eight days. Can Ben Richards win this ultimate game of life and death?
The Running Man (2025) with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin
Ben Richards is a man with a conscience and a family, and when he speaks out against the networks in this futuristic world where the networks run the show, he falls from the group of haves, into the category of the have nots. Blackballed from working for the networks, with a sick child to care for, he tries out for the reality shows as a way to earn the money for the much-needed medicine to save his daughter’s life, and is cast in a spot on the deadliest game of all: The Running Man. Contestants must survive for thirty days, evading the Network Hunters, with everyone in the city out to collect the bounty. The running man has no friends because to help him is to risk their own livelihood. The Network is everywhere and ratings are everything.
If you read my descriptions of these two films it may sound like the big difference between these two films is the fact that Richards is a willing contestant in one and is forced to play on the other. While this is one big difference, the 1987 film also differs in the game playing field. While the book and the 2025 movie play the game out in the real world and members of society may earn prizes by reporting contestants’ whereabouts, the 1987 film veers from the plotline with a contained playing field and sensational hunter characters to be cheered by members of the audience.
Author of the original story says the differences in the character of Ben Richards, played by the two actors is the biggest difference between the two films, in a U.S. A. Today article, “Stephen King, Edgar Wright explain why ‘Running Man’ is the new ‘Die Hard’ – Exclusive“:
“Arnold didn’t look like somebody who had been missing many meals. He was ripped,” King says. Also, “he doesn’t seem like an Everyman. He seems like Arnold. And Glen seems like a regular guy: You would believe him in this part. He’s handsome, but he’s not a Clark Gable, big movie star kind of guy. He’s a regular guy who’s just better looking than most of us.”
The Running Man (1987) with Arnold Swartzenhagger and Richard Dawson
Ben Richards (Arnold Swarzenhegger) is an ex-military good guy who defied orders and refused to kill innocent, unarmed people. When he is sent to prison for his alleged crimes and makes a spectacular escape, he catches the attention of Network Executive Damien Killian (Richard Dawson), who sees his rating potential. In this futuristic world, where the Networks run the show, (pun intended), you don’t sign up to be a contestant on the reality shows, and after his recapture, Richards is forced to play The Running Man, a reality game show, where the hunters play for keeps, and the networks will do anything for ratings.
I think the 2025 movie actually has more nonstop action than the 2005 film, each has its own merits.
Both versions are good stories. Both are entertaining. And both are full of surprises. As a huge fan of the story’s original author, I lean more toward the version that is closer to the storyline in the book.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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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 “Everyone is a Critic” is sponsored by the Time Travel Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
When a Girl with a Guitar Meets a Man with a Gun, It’s Time to Travel
Back the Kickstarter campaign now to get signed print copies and more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/the-rock-star-and-the-outlaw-2-double-visions
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WordCrafter News: March Release – “The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions” and the 2026 Read an Ebook Week
Posted: February 23, 2026 Filed under: Blog Tour, Book Release, Book Sales, Books, Fiction, Kickstarter, romance, Science Fiction, Smashwords, Time travel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press | Tags: 2026 Read an Ebook Week, Book Blog Tours, Book Release, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kickstarter, Kickstarter campaign, Smashwords Sale, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, Time Travel Adventure Series, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing to be Read 1 Comment
March Release
After many delays, the long-awaited release of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions will finally arrive on March 24, 2026. I’m going all out to launch this book with both a Kickstarter and a blog tour, run simultaneously. It’s such a wild and fun story, I’m really hoping to see it do well. The Kickstarter campaign will run March 1 through 28 and the tour will run March 23-27.
About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions
In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.
She wakes up in 2030, in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not have been born. Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past.
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.
Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things begin to get wild.
When the time loops are crossed, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended and pretty soon, everybody is seeing doubles.
Purchase Link:
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions Kickstarter Campaign
It’s almost here! The Kickstarter campaign for The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions starts Sunday, March 1. The campaign goal is $500 and we’ve got lots of rewards and several tier levels to choose from. Of course, you can get early digital copies and signed print copies of the second book in my Time Travel Adventure series at considerably less than offered through distributors when the book comes out on March 24th. Book 1 will also be available for less than retail as an add on, as well as several digital books from my catalog. But the really fun stuff is the Time Travel Adventure Series Poster and the Rock Star & The Outlaw Goodie Bag, offered at the highest tier level. But you don’t need to spend a lot to show your support, with the lowest tier level is only $5.00 and add ons are as low as $2 each.
Backing a Kickstarter campaign is a great way to show support for your favorite authors, because it’s similar to direct selling, cutting out retailers, and allowing the author to keep more of the profit from their book. You can back the Kickstarter by picking a reward tier and making a pledge. Only after the campaign funds, do you owe the money pledged, and if it doesn’t fund, you don’t owe a thing. And, if the campaign does fund, you’ll get all the cool items included in your reward tier, plus any add ons that you chose.
By clicking on the link below and indicating your interest, you will be notified as soon as the campaign goes live on March 1, so you can back the project at the reward level of your choice. Digital rewards will be fulfilled immediately after the Kickstarter campaign ends, and tangible rewards will be delivered by the end of May. Your support is appreciated. Together we can make The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions a huge success.
The WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour
The WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour will add the final send off for The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions at the end of the Kickstarter campaign, March 23-27. Meet my main p.o.v. characters and learn about the writing of the series in my guest posts, hear excerpt readings from the book, check out the reviews, and catch my review with DL Mullen on Undawnted. Of course, we’ll have a giveaway, three digital copies and one signed print copy.
Looking for Reviewers
I am looking for dependable reviewers to post reviews of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, (ideally, on the day of release to push the book up in the ratings). Reviews can be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and even on your own blog. If you send me a copy or a link before the blog tour starts, I can include them on the tour, as well. If you are interested, let me know in the comments and I’ll send you a digital copy for review.
2026 Read an Ebook Week on Smashwords
March 1 – 7 is the 2026 Read an Ebook Week on Smashwords. Select WordCrafter Press books will be discounted 25% – 75%, with many WP titles offered for free, only on the Smashwords Store. Below you’ll see a list of WP titles and their discounted prices. But, hurry! The sale lasts only one week. That’s one week to get these great WordCrafter Press titles at these great discounted rates.
- Behind Closed Doors: A Collection of Unusual Poems, by Robbie Cheadle – $2.99 (25%)
- Feral Tenderness: Poetry and Photography, by Arthur Rosch – $2.99 (25%)
- Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili – $5.54 (25%)
- Baiting the Hook, by Chris Barili – Free
- Hidden Secrets, by Kaye Lynne Booth – $1.99 (75%)
- Last Call and Other Short Fiction, by Kaye Lynne Booth – Free
- Small Wonders: Reflective Poems, by Kaye Lynne Booth – .99 (75%)
Women in the West Adventure Series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
- Delilah – $2.49 (50%)
- Sarah – $3.49 (50%)
Narrating the Paranormal Anthology Series
- Whispers of the Past – Free
- Spirits of the West – Free
- Where Spirits Linger – Free
- Lingering Spirit Whispers set – $3.49
Ask the Authors Writing Reference Series
- Ask the Authors – Free
- Ask the Authors 2022 – Free
Poetry Treasures Series
- Poetry Treasures – .99 (75%)
- Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships – .99 (75%)
- Poetry Treasures 3: Passions – $1.99 (50%)
- Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature – $1.99 (50%)
- Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures – $2.99 (25%)
The Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series
- Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Tales – $1.74 (75%)
- Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow – $3.49 (50%)
- Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares – $5.24 (25%)
Themed Anthologies
- Curses: Chronicles of Darkness – $2.99 (25%)
- Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy – $2.99 (25%)
- Once Upon an Ever After – $2.99 (25% off)
- Visions – $3.74 (25% off)
- Refracted Reflections – $2.99 (25% off)
About Author Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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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.
________________________________
This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need,WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
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A Birthday Wish in 2026
Posted: February 20, 2026 Filed under: Book Release, Books, Fiction, Kickstarter, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Kickstarter, My Birthday, The Rockstar & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, Writing to be Read 6 CommentsMy birthday is March 3! And this year, I have a birthday wish that you can help to fulfill.
After two long years of waiting, the second book in my Time Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions is finally ready to release. I’m doing the launch for this one a little different and run the book blog tour simultaneously with a Kickstarter campaign. Buying through the Kickstarter is better, because you can get digital copies much cheaper than you can through retailers, or exclusive items, like signed print copies and merchandise that isn’t available anywhere else. And, when you buy through the Kickstarter, I get to keep more money from the sale than I do when they sell through retailers. My funding goal is $500, but I wouldn’t cry if we exceeded that by far.
I haven’t run a Kickstarter in a couple of years, so it feels good to get back in the saddle. It is wonderful to watch those pledges rise, and there is nothing like the feeling of success once your campaign funds.
So, that’s my birthday wish; to successfully fund The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions Kickstarter campaign. And while I doubt that it will fund in only two days, (it would be nice, but doubtful), if it funds before the end of the campaign, on March 28th, I will still consider my birthday wish fulfilled. You can help give me my birthday wish by clicking on the link below and indicating your interest. Once I have at least ten followers, my following will be shown publicly. All you are doing now is expressing interest. Then, you will be notified when the campaign launches on March 1, and you can show your support at the reward level of your choice.
You can back the project for as little as $5, and every little bit counts when the pledges are building. You don’t need to pay your pledge until after the campaign ends, and if it doesn’t fund, you owe nothing. But my wish is that the campaign funds and maybe even exceeds the goal, which is why I’m asking for your support.
Won’t you please help give this old gal the best birthday ever?
About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions
If you read the first book, you may not need any coaxing to buy Book 2. But in case you haven’t, let me tell you a little about The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions. This is a ‘gotta have it’ time travel story; a truly wild and crazy ride.
In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.
She wakes up in 2030, in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not have been born. Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past.
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.
Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things begin to get wild.
When the time loops are crossed, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended and pretty soon, everybody is seeing doubles.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
___________________________________________
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.
_________________________________________
This post is sponsored by the Time Travel Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
When a Woman with a Guitar Meets a Cowboy with a Gun, It’s Time to Travel
The Rock Star & The Outlaw: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Star-Outlaw-Time-Travel-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CJBRRCN1/
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles: Coming in March 2026
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WordCrafter News: February – Writing Month: “The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions”
Posted: January 26, 2026 Filed under: Book Promotion, Books, Fiction, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: First in Series Promotion, The Rock Star & the Outlaw, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, Time Travel Adventure Series, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentIf you follow Writing to be Read, then you know that I was a big NaNoWriMo participant each November for several years now. I found that it offered an opportunity to get a good start on a novel in a thirty-day period, and I enjoyed the more structured writing regime, although I don’t think I could keep it up over a longer period. It is just too rigorous.
But in November of 2025, there was no more NaNoWriMo, and so, I had to decide how to proceed, since I had the month set aside to start writing the third book in my Women in the West adventure series, Marta. The solution I came up with was to run the challenge for myself. I didn’t have the fifty thousand words by November first, but I was very close. I crossed that threshold on December 3. Not too bad.
Doing it on my own, proved that I didn’t need a fancy digital counter to keep track of my progress, or fancy digital badges to tell me I was doing good. It proved that I had the discipline to get the words to page and determination to follow through. 50,000 words is a good start on a novel and Marta is now at over 55,000. But doing it on my own also taught me that I like cranking out novels in this manner. So much so, that in my 2026 production schedule, I’ve set aside two months to be writing months, and February is one of them.
For this February, my focus will actually be on putting the finishing touches on The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, the second book in my time travel adventure series. This book was originally scheduled to release in 2025, and the story is written. Computer issues prevented me to complete it on time, so I’m really happy to finally be able to set it up for publishing. I will be doing a final read through and edit, adding the extensive playlist for the second book (with more viewpoint characters in this book, there are more than two playlists for this one), and do all the formatting to make it publishing ready.
Perhaps I should call this a production month, rather than a writing month, since my focus will be on publishing preparations and promotion. Whatever I call it, there is no doubt I’ll be busy. I’m planning to launch Double Visions with the usual blog tour, but I’m going to do it during the additional Kickstarter campaign for the book, so the two will run simultaneously. There will plenty to do to set all of that up, I assure you. There are blog posts to write, excerpt readings and book trailers to create, and rewards to set-up, as well as organizing tour hosts and soliciting reviews.
About Author Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
______________________________
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.
________________________________
This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need,WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
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WordCrafter 2026 Dark Ficton Contest – Call for Submissions
Posted: January 1, 2026 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: 2026 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Call for submissions, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Madness, WordCrafter Press 2 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 fourth volume of the WordCrafter Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares. The theme is dark fiction, but it can be dark fantasy, dark science fiction, 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, 2026. 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, 2026
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, 2026.
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.
Contest Entry
Enter the 2026 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest for a chance at an invitation to the Midnight Madness anthology, from WordCrafter Press.
$5.00
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
Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil
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WordCrafter News: January Release – “The Ones Who Stayed With Me” & What’s Ahead in 2026
Posted: December 29, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Book Sales, Dark Fantasy, Dark fiction, Debut novel, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Memoir, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Time travel, Western, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: 2026 Publishing Schedule, Happy New Year, New release, Nurse Sammy, The Ones That Stayed With Me, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press 12 CommentsThe Ones Who Stayed With Me, by Nurse Sammy
I’m pleased to announce the release of a collection of true-life stories from the career of an L.P.N., written by a debut author known only as Nurse Sammy on January 13, 2026. I am so excited to be partnering with Nurse Sammy on this book and publish it through WordCrafter, because my own experiences in the health care field makes Nurse Sammy’s accounts ring true. Some stories will make you laugh. Others may make you cry. But there’s never any doubt that these stories come straight from the heart.
Chronicles of the journey into the medical field as a young nurse and beyond, told with raw sensitivity and compassion. The Ones Who Stayed with Me offers small glimpses into the world of an L.P.N. put in difficult, often touching or humorous, situations—and Nurse Sammy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all. In these pages, Nurse Sammy tells her story and that of those she met along the way.
What’s Ahead in 2026
WordCrafter Press has a busy year planned for 2026, with a book release almost every single month, and two months designated to the writing of my own works, I may find little time to breathe. But, I’m excited about the new works by rising authors that are scheduled, including the one above, by Nurse Sammy, a paranormal romance by B.T. Clearwater, and two novels by rising author Lindsey Martin-Bowen, as well as a nonfiction work on a new approach to treating diabetes, by Daniel Cox, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
We’ll also be publishing two themed anthologies which are by invitation only, as well as our annual short fiction contest and the resulting anthology, which will be book 4 in the Midnight Anthology Series.
February: Writing Month
I’ll be using this month to finalize the second book in my Time Travel Series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, which will be scheduled for release in March. This book was originally scheduled to release in 2025, but due to unforeseen technical difficulties, (my laptop died), I was unable to make those deadlines, so I’m excited to be releasing it at last.
March: The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions – Book 2 in the Time Travel Adventure Series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
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.
April: Poetry Treasures 6: Seasons poetry anthology
The annual WordCrafter poetry anthology, Poetry Treasures will be released in April in celebration of National Poetry Month. 2026 brings us volume 6 in the Poetry Treasures anthology series with a theme of ‘Seasons’. The contributors for this anthology are selected from the guests on Robbie Cheadle’s “Treasuring Poetry” blog series in 2025.
May: The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder, by Lindsey Martin-Bowen
A Romantic Comedy set in Boulder, Colorado, in the late 1970’s. Charli Erickson is a “rock poet” who’s a bit “flippant.” Each chapter will be music to your ears.
June: Smothered, by B.T. Clearwater
A paranormal romance by B.T. Clearwater.
June: Diabetes: How to prevent or treat it with a new and effective approach that does not involve supplements, weight loss or medication, by Daniel Cox Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
Personalized, research based, practical, empowering, effective workbook. For individuals who want to take control of their diabetes.
July: Marta – Book 3 in the Women in the West Adventure Series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
Marta is a woman trying to make a new start in hostile territory.
Marta is not the timid Mormon woman, who was abducted by Utes as her husband and children were killed in the raid. Now she is determined to make her way as an independent woman, after her partner tried to cheat her out of her share of a gold mine.
Determination and inner grit bring this strong and spunky heroine into the company of a cast of colorful and unique female characters and together, they face down banditos, Comancheros, and angry husbands and fathers, as well as Marta’s disgruntled partner as they travel the rugged desert landscape to unruly border town of El Paso, Texas.
If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love Marta.
August: Legends anthology
A WordCrafter themed anthology
September: Deep City in Times Roman, by Lindsey Martin-Bowen
A “Roman Clef” based upon the Moony movement, popular in the 1970s and ’80. Set in the 1980s, Lynette and Shirley are quite angry at the Reverand Yun Sung Ghunne, who has separated their husbands from them as he is forming his Ghunies movement. This story spoofs the Mooney movement, or any movement that is mainly designed to dupe persons into supporting the leader and building his wealth.
October: Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares dark fiction anthology
Volume 4 of the WordCrafter
Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series
November: Writing Month
This month I’ll be working on revising what I have of my Playground for the Gods science fantasy series. (It’s been a while since you heard about this one. I bet you forgot all about it, but I didn’t.) Originally planned as a massive four-book series, I now plan to release this entire series in serial installments on Ream.
This series started out as my thesis project for my first M.F.A. degree. I left off with the first book completed, and part of the second, as well as a few chapters for the third. Once these have been revised, which is planned for the month of July, I should be ready to take off with new chapters and continue the saga. Look forward to seeing this series released on Ream as a serial in 2027!
December: The 12 Dark Nights of Christmas anthology
‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the crypt
Not a body was stirring
Not a single bone twitched.
The corpses were nestled in eternal beds
While visions of the macabre lurched through their heads.
The Spirits were restless and flitting about
In anticipation of mayhem when the demons came out.
Twelve dark stories that prove Santa isn’t the only thing stirring on Christmas.
Happy New Year – Have a Great 2026!
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WordCrafter Holiday Book Bash
Posted: December 8, 2025 Filed under: Book Promotion, Book Sales, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Stories, Time travel, Western, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Baiting the Hook, Chris Barili, Danari Lai series, Delilah, Hidden Secrets, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sarah, Shadow Blade, The Rock Star & the Outlaw, Time Travel Adventure Series, Women in the West adventure series, WordCrafter Holiday Book Bash, WordCrafter Press 3 Comments
Starting Black Friday, November 28th and running clear through December 25th, for those last-minute gifts.
Click on the book title to go to the landing page. Then, select the distributor of your choice.
WordCrafter Novels
Women in the West Adventure Series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
•Strong Female Protagonists
•Fictionalized Historical Characters
•The Western Frontier Brought to Life
Delilah – $1.99 – Delilah is a woman haunted by her past.
Her homecoming from prison quickly turns into a quest for vengeance when she is brutally raped and left for dead, and her fourteen-year-old ward is abducted. Sheer will and determination take this tough and gritty heroine up against wild beasts of the forest, Indians and outlaws to Leadville.
Can the colorful inhabitants of the Colorado mining town work their way into Delilah’s heart, offering a chance for a future she thought she’d lost along with her innocence?
If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love Delilah.
Sarah – $2.99 – Sarah is a young girl trying to make a place for herself in the world.
Sarah is not the young girl stolen away from Delilah anymore. Now she is Hair of Fire, mate of Three Hawks, even as she blossoms into a young woman and tries to make a place for herself among the Ute tribe.
When she is stolen away from the life she’s made, she struggles to survive in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A streak of stubbornness and determination take this tough, feisty heroine up against wild beasts of the forest and the rugged mountain landscape to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where she receives a less than welcoming reception by some.
Will this young woman find her way back to the Ute tribe, which she’s come to think of as family, or will she discover a place among the colorful inhabitants of the Colorado hot springs and mining town?
Follow along on her journey to learn who she truly is and where she belongs in this rough, and often hostile frontier.
If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love Sarah.
Marta – Coming in 2026
Time Travel Adventure Series, by Kaye Lynne Booth
The Rock Star & The Outlaw – $2.99 – 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.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions – Coming in 2026
Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili
Shadow Blade – $5.99 –
The Denari Lai: An order of religious zealots who control their assassins through an addiction to magic.They haven’t failed in over one hundred years.
Ashai Larish: An unstoppable Denari Lai assassin sent covertly to kill the Pushtani king and his daughter. But he falls in love with the princess and finds himself, despite struggling withdrawal symptoms from his magic, as they flee from a second assassin and the King’s guard.
Makari: A beautiful and unconventional princess seeking to change the laws of her father’s kingdom when she learns Ashai’s true identity.
Pachat: A Pushtani slave who unknowingly sparks a slave rebellion all along the border between their nations.
Will Pachat gain the revenge he so lustily seeks?
Can Ashai kill the second assassin, win back Makari’s love and return her to the throne that is rightfully hers?
Short Fiction Singles
Baiting the Hook – Free! – On the ice-polished rooftops and the otherwise dark allies now choked with snow, Tabe Ge Nishi, the past pursues the future, old chases young. The Chargh Lai—leader of the brutal assassin’s guild, the Denari Lai—searches for the perfect leader to take over the order when he passes on. But the boy has other suitors and wishes only to be left alone. Betrayals have made Ashai cautious, and just as he rebuffs the advances of a street gang, he also rejects the Chargh Lai’s offer of constant brotherhood. But “no” is not an answer the Chargh Lai is used to hearing. And he pressures Ashai to join him. And meanwhile, another assassin hunts them both.
What will Ashai choose? The camaraderie of the Denari Lai, or freezing alone on the streets? The final battle will determine the fate of both men, and an entire nation.
Hidden Secrets – $.99 – Cassie wants nothing to do with the legacy her grandmother wants to hand down to her.
She doesn’t believe in all those Native American legends anyway.
She and Tony are to be married and start a family. They’re returning to her ancestral lands now to tell her grandmother to pass the tribal legacy on to someone else, along with the cursed gold that goes with it.
When she forces herself to go out on the lake where her parents drowned, she discovers the cave which holds the tribal treasure and the lake takes another life. Now Cassie must rethink all that she believes. If the treasure is real, could the curse be real, too?
Can Cassie find a way to stop it before Tony becomes the next victim?
November 28th – December 25th, 2025
Get your copies today!
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WordCrafter News: Holiday Book Deals
Posted: November 24, 2025 Filed under: Adventure, Book Sales, Books, Children's Books, Collection, Dark fiction, Fiction, Holidays, Poetry, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Time travel, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Behind Closed Doors, Christmas for Kids Sale, Feral Tenderness, Hidden Secrets, Holiday Book Sales, My Backyard Friends series, Poetry Treasures Series, Shadow Blade, The Gift of Poetry Sale, The Rock Star & the Outlaw, Women in the West adventure series, WordCrafter Holiday Book Bash, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press 2 CommentsHappy Holidays!
WordCrafter Press is running some great holiday sales this season, because I believe that to give a book is to give a gift of love. All sales run from Black Friday, November 28, all the way through December 25th to help out with those last-minute gifts.
Christmas for Kids Sale
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend – $2.50: https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jelly Beans – $2.50: https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Finds a New Home – $2.99: https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
The Gift of Poetry Sale
The Poetry Treasures Collection – $2.99 each
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/PT3Passions
Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures: https://books2read.com/PT5-SmallPleasures
Behind Closed Doors: A Collection of Unusual Poems
by Robbie Cheadle – $2.99
Feral Tenderness: Poetry and Photography
by Arthur Rosch – $2.99
WordCrafter Holiday Book Bash
Women in the West Adventure Series
Delilah – $1.99: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1
Sarah – $2.99: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West
Marta: Coming in 2026
Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili – $5.99
The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions – Coming in 2026
Hidden Secrets, by Kaye Lynne Booth – .99 cents
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WordFire Wednesday – Weird Tales: Best of the Early Years 1926-27
Posted: November 12, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Book Sales, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Stories | Tags: Anthology, Book Deals, Jonathan Maberry, Kaye Lynne Booth, Weird Tales: Best of the Early Years 1926-27, WordFire Press, WordFire Wednesday Leave a commentClassic science fiction and horror: H.P. Lovecraft, Seabury Quinn, E. Hoffman Price, A. Merrit, Grey La Spina, Edward Hamilton, Frank Belknap Long, Jr., H. Warner Munn, August W. Derleth and more.
Price is valid November 12 – 18 via the link below.
