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 Comments
Happy 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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Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “Midnight Oil” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 31, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Giveaways, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, Supernatural, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Initiation", "The Vanishing", Dark fiction, Denise Aparo, DL Mullan, horror, Midnight Oil, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 12 Comments
Today is the last day of the WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour. This week we’ve been celebrating the release of Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, volume 3 in the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series. We’ve got a great group of contributing authors and you’ve met a few and we’ve shared excerpts from all of their stories.
Today, we’ll finish up by meeting the last of the fourteen contributing authors, and the author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo, and we’ll learn a little about the winning story, “The Vanishing”. But first, let me tempt your literary taste buds with excerpts from “The Price of Beauty” by Rebecca M. Senese, and introduce you contributing author DL Mullan with a reading from her story, “The Initiation”, followed up by an excerpt from Mario Acevedo’s “Villa’s Gold”.
“The Price of Beauty”
Meet Author DL Mullan
DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multigenre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research background is woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also a record label owner, an electronic musician and award-winning poet.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.
Reading Excerpt from “The Initiation”
“The Initiation”
Meet Author Denise Aparo
Denise Aparo is an author with four published short stories in the horror/supernatural genre in the WordCrafter Midnight Anthologies. Her Midnight and Curses Series stories are written under Denise Aparo and are edited by Kaye Lynn Booth, through WordCrafter Press.
As a native New Englander, she lives with her husband Joe, spending much of her time writing, reading, gardening, making crocheted blankets, and crafting with her grandchildren.
She loves the paranormal historical fiction genre and has recently completed edits on her first novel, a historical fiction titled Crossbows, which will be self-published in the near future.
She has a Master’s Degree in English – Fine Arts/Creative Writing with concentration in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). And a member of five honor societies with leadership recognition.
She is published in several newspapers and magazines—special interest articles, along with poems and short stories that have been published in print and digital format. She is a member of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) and the author of a WordPress writing blog, The Write Voice.
Denise has three short stories in the horror/supernatural genre in the Midnight Series, through WordPress. These short stories are published under Denise Aparo. The third and last of the Midnight Series, Midnight Oil: Stories To Fuel Your Nightmares. Her story, “The Vanishing”, was the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest.
A short story published in another anthology is titled Curses: Chronicles of the Darkness,is titled “The Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond,” a horror/supernatural genre based on curses. This anthology is also edited by author, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors created 23 paranormal stories of horror. Creepy tales that give you goosebumps! Her short story is “The Pines.”
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors crafted 21 eerie horror stories. Her short story is “Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book.”
Interview with Author Denise Aparo
Why do you write? What is your inspiration?
I began journaling from a young age. Writing has always been the best way for me to communicate my emotions. I wrote poems, songs, and stories about my experiences when I was younger. Now I love to write fiction. I weave my characters and stories into authentic history.
I believe my inspiration comes from history, events, myths, and/or legends, from the past. I love to read about American History and then find ‘holes’ in time, where a story is either lacking, or has no account of what had transpired in the past. Then, I fill in the gaps. I insert my characters into the loop-holes of a timeline and create my fictional story either with actual historical people or I will place my own characters.
What is the best piece of writing advice that you have ever received?
Stephen King advised writers to “Rewrite!” Also, to “sit in the chair (or where ever) and just write. Eventually, the story will come.”
Your story, “The Vanishing”, was the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest and is now featured in Midnight Oil. Did it surprise you to learn that your story won?
I was definitely surprised! I feel honored to have been chosen this time, amid all of the other very talented authors. I have learned so much from my editor and fellow authors through their stories and interviews.
Would you tell readers a little about “The Vanishing”?
I love to watch YouTube instructional videos about science, science fiction, legends, myths, health/wellness, and medical marvels. I remember a video about an actual syndrome that a few pregnant women have experienced, called The Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS) is a miscarriage that causes a pregnancy involving twins to become a pregnancy involving one embryo. It occurs when one of the embryos detected during an ultrasound stops developing and the viable twin is thought to ‘absorb’ its sibling. VTS can’t be treated or prevented.
I found it fascinating and eerie. I did further research on the subject and created questions, such as; what would happen if the viable twin had either memory or sense about the lost twin? What if the cells merged and carried the soul of both newborns—two souls occupying one body? What if the surviving twin had experiences involving the lost twin, or if the twin had an extrasensory perception and actual knowledge about the lost twin—communicating throughout their lives? Lastly, what if the twin, who had not survived, was in control of the body without the knowledge of the surviving twin?
I created a story taking into consideration all of the subject matter in mind and created “The Vanishing.”
You now have had stories featured in all three Midnight anthologies from WordCrafter Press: “The Vanishing” in Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares; “The Pines” in Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Tales; and “Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book” in Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow. Your story, “Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond” is also featured in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. All of these stories are dark fiction. Are they written by an equally dark mind? (I bet Stephen King hears that one all the time. 😉)
I hope not! However, I believe that I definitely have an imaginative mind! I’ve always been curious, inventive, and love creating things. I love making crafts and crafting stories! My favorite thought when creating a story is “Okay—things are supposed to be this way. But, now, what if?” And, then I write from that point!
Which of these stories was the most difficult to write? Why?
Actually, I have a lot of fun creating stories. I didn’t have too many difficulties with them, but I suppose the one that took me the longest to craft was “The Pines.” It was my first published short story. I agonized over every detail!
I find that the most difficult process in my writing can actually be my plot structure! I love to research and usually have lots of it scribbled onto a page. Then, I need to sort it all out—giving proper measures to the story’s motivation, inciting incident with a crisis, and then crafting my resolution. I usually end up cutting a lot out and then focus on my main objectives. I do a lot of rewriting!
In real life, I am a person who always avoids conflict, at all costs. Therefore, I am always revisiting/rewriting to include more conflict.
You have a new novel which you are planning to release. Is it dark fiction, as well?
Yes, it has dark aspects, but it is countered with light. My novel, Crossbows, is a historical fantasy. (I say fantasy instead of fiction, because I have time travel, a mystical tome, magic, monsters, and creepy legendary characters!)
I have dark antagonists, and very spiritual protagonists. It is definitely a mix in this hero’s journey.
What other outlets do you find for your creativity besides writing?
I crochet blankets for all sizes—couch, beds, lap covers, and make baby blankets. I also crochet doll blankets with shams, and many accessories such as hair ties, scrunchies, key-chains, wristlets, hats, and plan to try making Amigurumi toys this winter.
I have a large craft room over my garage where I do scrapbooking, paint on canvas with acrylics and water-colors, and craft things out of common household items, such as mason jars and wire hangers. I make decorative containers and rag-wreaths, swags, or garlands. Depending on the season I try anything trending.
Where do you hope to see yourself as a writer in ten years?
My dream is to become an experienced and seasoned author, selling stories that will ignite passions and make readers want to read more, know more, and maybe even write their own stories! I hope to become an author who will inspire others.
Please tell my readers how they can find you online, if they’d like to learn more about you and your books. (Include links here.)
My social links are:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/denise.aparo?_
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/deniseaparo/?ref=xav_igxfb
WordPress – https://gravatar.com/tometamer?utm_source=hovercard
“The Vanishing”
“Villa’s Gold”
About 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.
Contributing authors include Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senesse, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Christa Planko, C.R. Johansson, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, and author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil
Book Trailer
That wraps up today’s tour stop and it also finishes up the WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour. Thank you all for joining us in sending off volume 3 of the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares.
The Giveaway
You can follow the links in the tour schedule below to visit any stops that you’ve missed, and be sure to comment at each stop, for a chance to win one of five digital copies WordCrafter Press will be given away in a random drawing following the tour.
Tour Schedule
Day 1– Poetry by Mich, Masticadores Phillipines & Hotel by Masticadores – Christa Planko Guest Post/Excerpt “Sangoma, Zombie Elephants, & Tokoloshe, Oh, My!” & “Cattails”
Day 2 – Writing to be Read – Joseph Carrabis Reading – “Jeremiah”/Excerpt “The Boy Who Loved Horses” & “Them Doore Girls”
Day 3 – Book Places – Roberta Eden Cheadle Guest Post/Excerpt “Darkness Tolls” & “The Snow Globe”
Day 4 – Carla Loves to Read – Paul Kane Guest Post/Excerpt “Inside Out” & “The Stairs”
Day 5 – Writing to be Read – Denise Aparo Interview & DL Mullan Reading/Excerpt “The Price of Beauty”
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
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“Curses” & Robert White on “Joseph Carrabis”
Posted: October 5, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, Supernatural, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Longspeth Curse", Anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Dark fiction, horror, Joseph Carrabis, Paranormal, Robert White Leave a comment
Meet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
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“Curses” & Kaye Lynne Booth on Joseph Carrabis Again
Posted: October 4, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, Supernatural, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "Caverna Del Oro", Anthology, Cave of Gold, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Dark fiction, Joseph Carrabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentMeet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
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Book Review: “Dying Time”
Posted: February 21, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural, weird western 2 Comments
About Dying Time
How many Agents of Death does it take to save the world?
If it’s Ginny Sutton, just one.
After barely surviving her confrontation with the Sinful Six, Ginny spends the winter hiding out, adjusting to her new job as an Agent, and honing the powerful gifts bestowed by the station.
Spring brings her to Dodge City where she finds her new boss Death waiting with an urgent assignment spurred by a foretelling of his brother War. The Vampire Council has an agenda for world domination that includes turning Ginny into one of their kind to harness her Agent powers for their evil plans. Worse yet, they’re targeting other beings of power and magic for the same purpose: to turn them and use their gifts to create a vicious army of super vampires. Ginny must become the hunter before ending up as prey, or the entire world will descend into darkness.
The vampire threat is personal, but bigger than one woman’s life. Ginny’s only hope is to abandon working alone and recruit a team—steadfast friends both old and new, along with her trusty mount Horse—to defeat the Council before their dark forces are unleashed upon humanity. It will take luck, skill, and determination to win the day, but as Ginny learned long before becoming an Agent:
HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.
From the author of Blood Follows Blood comes the second book in this supernatural western series where legends walk among us, and the line between hunter and prey is never clear.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dying-Time-Legend-Ginny-Sutton-ebook/dp/B0DVSM2VKJ
My Review of Dying Time
I requested a digital copy of Dying Time, by Julie Jones in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Dying Time is book 2 of The Legend of Ginny Sutton series, by author Julie Jones. Last year, I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that I had to ask to review the second as soon as I learned she was writing it. You can see my review of the first book and interview with the author in this segment of “Chatting with New Blood”. Ms. Jones did not disappoint.
In book 1, Ginny Sutton was called upon to be an agent of Death. In Dying Time, Death calls upon her once again, this time to rid the west of a vampire army which threatens to destroy all humanity and other creatures, both natural and supernatural, in their path. Bestowed with supernatural powers of her own, Ginny is commissioned to enlist some of her friends, which were introduced in the first book and are just as likable in this tale. Poker Alice, her Native American friend, Maggie, and Sheriff Ed Hayes join forces with Ginny to rid the west of a terrible evil which could mean the end of humanity.
You never know what will happen next in this world where supernatural beings walk the American western frontier, but Ginny Sutton is ready to face whatever life, or Death, throws her way. I give Dying Time 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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Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – Ghost Train by Natalie Anna Jacobsen and a Japanese cooking class #Japan #bookreview
Posted: February 12, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Read and Cook, Recipes, Review, Supernatural | Tags: Book Reviews, Read and Cook, Recipes, Robbie Cheadle, Writing to be Read 59 Comments
Ghost Train by Natalie Anna Jacobsen
What Amazon says
“A haunting and immersive read.” – Eva Wong Nava, author of The House of Little Sisters. “With lyrical prose that evokes the mystique of 19th-century Kyoto, this meticulously researched narrative weaves together historical authenticity with the ethereal allure of ‘yokai’ folklore.” – Jake Adelstein, journalist and author of Tokyo Vice and The Last Yakuza
Set in 1877 Kyoto during the early years of the Meiji “Restoration” Era, Ghost Train tells the story of Maru Hosokawa, a samurai daughter who is thrust into a life opposite how she grew up. Her father has surrendered his sword with other samurai, assimilating into a role as a civilian merchant. As his work takes him further and further from home, she is left to find work of her own to help rebuild the family wealth — and protect herself, “just in case,” her father says. But during the summer festivals, ghosts begin appearing before Maru. Unsure of where to turn or who to trust, Maru fends for herself, facing an abusive employer, unreliable friends, and insecurity at home. In the search for answers, a kitsune offers to help in exchange for Maru’s aid in confronting a demon rampaging Kyoto at night. As summer passes on, more ghosts appear, plagues sweep through the city, and a stench of blood in the streets, and rumors of a samurai rebellion obscure reality, driving Maru to make a choice against all instincts, to save herself, her father — and Kyoto. Inspired by true historical events and based on myths of yokai, this story began taking shape first in 2010. With guidance by historians both in Japan and the US, subject matter experts in geisha, kimono, and samurai life, and countless beta readers and supporters, Natalie Jacobsen has carefully crafted this historical fantasy to reflect 19th century life during the tumultuous, society-altering leadership of Emperor Meiji… just with a few more ghosts.
My review
Having recently visited Tokyo, Japan, and being exposed for the first time to the concepts of Japanese Yokai and other supernatural beings, this book immediately caught my attention. During my short time in Japan, I also learned a little bit about the coming of the Black Ships to Japan in 1853, which marked the beginning of the end for the Tokugawa shogunate, and the last Shogun. This book, set in Kyoto in 1877 during the Meiji Restoration Era, addresses both of these fascinating aspects of Japanese history and culture.
The story revolves around a young girl, Maru, the daughter of a former-samurai, and her journey to understanding and acceptance of the end of the reign of the samurai and transitioning of her city (and country) into a new era of progress under the ‘young’ emperor.
Maru’s father has gone away, theoretically on ‘business’ and left her in the care of the geiko of an okiya – a traditional geisha house, in the role of shikomi, a junior position to the geiko and maiko of the house. Maru clearly dislikes her new role and is struggling to make the adjustment from the daughter of a former-samurai to her new life having to survive as a woman in a misogynistic, male dominated society where women were either wives, geiko/meiko (entertainer of men) or oiran (prostitute). The fate of women, in the new society under the Emperor, was worst than before and many girls had no option but to resort to prostitution in order to survive. Maru clings to the thin hope that her father will soon come for her and her life will return to how it was in the past.
Maru is traumatised by scenes of death and destruction from the past during the period of the demise of the samurai and daimyo, and has blocked out memories relating to her father and his decisions in order to adapt to her new situation. She is also surrounded by anxiety in the general population as people, especially women, struggled to integrate their superstitions and beliefs of the past with a new society including technology like trains. Maru hears stories about yokai and disappearing girls, and is conflicted about strange metallic smells caused by rain on the new electrical wires and which are reminiscent of blood. Many people believe the train and electrical wires are killing girls and feeding on their blood as well as causing general illness. All of this anguish and mental strain ultimately manifests as visions by Maru of various yokai and also kitsune, foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. Maru meets a kitsune which has the ability to shapeshift into various forms but which is ‘damaged’ by the new technology and needs her help to survive.
Maru must walk her path alongside her kitsune manifestation to find acceptance of her father’s decisions, her own rejection by her former friends and acceptance of her new life and progress in general.
This is an exciting tale with an abundance of amazing historical information and Japanese folklore woven throughout. There are exciting scenes of conflict and a grand finale which, the way I understood this story, are effectively all part of Maru’s spiritual and mental healing, in other words, in her imagination.
This is a clever and well research story, the history is fascinating, and the folklore mesmerising. It is a complex tale that requires attention throughout and the understanding of Maru’s mental state and internal conflicts for the story to pull together effectively.
An excellent book for people who are interested in Japanese history and folklore. It helps to have some knowledge and understanding of this era of transition and cultural shock in order to best appreciate the historical nuances and information presented.
I wrote this review as a member of Rosie Amber’s book review team. You can find out more about Rosie’s reviews and review team here: https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/.
Purchase Ghost Train from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Train-Natalie-Jacobsen-ebook/dp/B0DHSXH8FM
Cooking Sun Tokyo
During my recent trip to Japan, TC and I attended a 10-course Japanese cooking class. It was great fun and the food was delicious.
The basis of Japanese cooking is dashi stock made with water and 1 – 2 kombu strips (dried kelp seaweed). The cold method for making good dashi stock is simple. Put water into a bottle with the kombu and let it steep overnight.
The dashi is used in all the recipes of which I am sharing two here.
Dashimaki Tamago (rolled egg)
Ingredients: 1 egg, 1 TBsp dashi, 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
Method:
In a small bowl, whisk the egg, dashi and light soy sauce.
Heat the prepared Japanese rectangular egg pan after drizzling the pan with a little cooking oil. When its hot, pour half the egg mixture into the pan ensuring the egg covers the full surface. Once the egg is starting to set, use cooking chopsticks to roll the egg to the far end of the pan. Pour the rest of the egg mixture into the pan. Allow it to go under the rolled egg by lifting the roll using the cooking chopsticks. Once the fresh egg mixture sets, roll it up over the previous rolled egg to make a bigger role. Remove from the pan and place on a bamboo mat. Shape the egg roll into a rectangular shape with patterns.
Grilled stuffed lotus roots with chicken
Ingredients: 30 gram portion of lotus root, 30 grams of minced chicken, finally diced Japanese leek, finally diced carrot, a little fresh ginger, 1 tsp sake, sprinkle of salt, 1/2 tsp potato starch, 1 TBsp dashi
Method:
- Dice Japanese leek and carrot and mix into chicken mince. Add the grated ginger, sake, salt and potato starch.
- Powder one side of the lotus root with additional potato starch. Stuff the meat mixture into the lotus root holes and layer the rest of the meat on top of the lotus root.
- Heat the frying pan and place the lotus root into the pan, meat side down. Cook for approximately 3 minutes. Turn the lotus root over, pour on the dashi and steam in the pan with the lid on for about 5 minutes until cooked.
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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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 post is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
Get Your Copy Now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
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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: Day of the Vikings & A Thousand Fiendish Angels
Posted: December 3, 2023 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Dark fiction, Fiction, Review, Supernatural, Thriller, Women's Fiction | Tags: A Thousand Fiendish Angels, Book Review, Day of the Vikings, J.F. Penn, Supernatural Thriller, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout Day of the Vikings
She has been called many things: murderer, madwoman, monster. She will become only one thing: a god.
The Crone. A woman of legend, a creature of blood. A Valkyrie. She has tortured, murdered, maimed — performing all the rituals needed to call forth the power of Odin himself and summon Ragnarok. She just needs one more thing: the staff of Skara Brae, and her plans will be fulfilled.
But the staff is already in the hands of Morgan Sierra. An agent of ARKANE, the British agency tasked with protecting the world from supernatural crises, Morgan knows that giving up the staff could spell the end of all things.
Now the Crone has taken dozens of staff members, visitors — even children — hostage at the British Museum, demanding that Morgan turn over the staff. Willing to kill, possessor of powers beyond anything ARKANE has yet encountered, the Crone seems unstoppable.
Morgan’s only advantages are her wit, her skill… and Blake Daniel (of the best-selling Brooke and Daniel crime thriller series). Cursed with clairvoyance, Blake’s powers may be just enough to help Morgan turn back the Crone and stop the end of the world.
But the Crone has her own secrets. Able to weave illusions, to wield fear, even to call forth the dead Vikings of old. She is the most powerful adversary Morgan has ever faced. But will she be the last?
The Crone beckons. Ragnarok looms. And it is up to Morgan and Blake to deny them both.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Vikings-ARKANE-Book-5-ebook/dp/B00K49B3X0/
My Review of Day of the Vikings
I received a free digital copy of Day of the Vikings, by J.F. Penn as a bonus from her newsletter. I am not very familiar with Viking lore, but I do like supernatural thrillers, so I thought I would give it a go, and I’m glad that I did.
Morgan Sierra is an ARKANE agent out to protect the world from ancient evils of the world. When she visits the British museum to examine the Viking Relics housed there, a group of well organized neo-Vikings seize the museum in search of the ancient staff of skara brie, in a fiendish plot to recreate the brutal ritual sacrifice, the Blood Eagle. The Blood Eagle ritual opens the power for them to locate The Eye of Odin and use it to summon Ragnarok and destroy the earth and it’s up to Morgan to stop them.
Day of the Vikings is a fast paced supernatural thriller with a solid plot, although the characters were rather unremarkable. Although allowed small glimpses into the characters, I never got a real sense of who they were. There is Blake Daniels, who holds the potential to become a very interesting character, if allowed, but then it sounds like he has his own series. Even Morgan’s character seemed a bit flat compared to the bigger than life Valkyrie and her terror mongers and their onslaught.
Keeps you reading. I give Day of the Vikings four quills.
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About A Thousand Fiendish Angels
Three dark short stories inspired by Dante’s Inferno, linked by a book of human skin passed down through generations.
Sins of the Flesh:
When the mutilated corpse of a wealthy author is discovered, the police officer sent to investigate finds a curious diary amongst the occult objects at the scene.
Will he uncover the author’s secret at the ruined chapel, and is he willing to pay the price that it demands?
Sins of Treachery:
On the death of their grandfather, twin brothers Simon and Gestas are left a map covered in alchemical symbols that could lead them to great wealth and power.
But they find more than they expected in the frozen wastes of the Arctic north …
Sins of Violence:
In a brutal post-apocalyptic world, a young girl is about to be taken to The Minotaur for a Blessing that will end her innocence.
Can her sister gain access to the fortified city of Dis in time to stop the ritual and avenge her own lost youth?
Purchase link:
My Review of A Thousand Fiendish Angels
A Thousand Fiendish Angels, by J.F. Penn is a triology of short tales with the common theme of sins. Written for a challenge to write three interlinking stories, using the symbolism of Dante’s Inferno, these short tales explore the depths of the human soul. Sins of Flesh, Sins of Treachery, Sins of Violence; each tale explores a different aspect of sin and the human abilities to resist and weaknesses to give in, and the consequences. These stories are well thought out and well written, leaving me with much to ponder.
Thought provoking short fiction with a theme, but there should have been seven, instead of stopping at three. I give A Thousand Fiendish Angels 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 here.
