Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Curses” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 2, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Book Sales, Dark fiction, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "Roadkill", "The Longspeth Curse", Anthology, C.R. Johansson, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Dark fiction, Robert White, Roberta Writes, Short Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press Leave a comment
For the first stop on Day 4 of the WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Roberta Writes, where Robbie Cheadle introduces contributing authors C.R. Johansson and Robert White, with a guest post about the inspiration for his story “The Longspeth Curse”. Please join us in sending off Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, from WordCrafter Press. Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of the anthology, and then drop by our second stop to catch DL Mullan’s interview with Robert White over at Undawnted.
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Welcome to the WordCrafter “Curses” Book Blog Tour!
Posted: September 29, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Guest Post, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Death Clock, "The Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond, Anthology, Curses, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Dark fiction, Denise Aparo, Kaye Lynne Booth, WordCrafter Press 2 CommentsWelcome to the opening day of the WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour. I want to thank each of you for joining us in the send-off for this themed dark fiction anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. All contributors have worked hard on this to bring you eleven quality stories about… well… curses.
We have a great tour planned, featuring guest posts, readings and/or interviews from six of our contributing authors. On this tour, you will have the opportunity to meet and learn more about Denise Aparo, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Robert White, Danaeka Scrimshaw, and Molly Ertel and their stories. And, of course, we’ll have a giveaway for 5 digital copies of the anthology, one for each day of the tour. You can follow the tour through the links at the bottom of this post.
Giveaway
We’re giving away 5 digital copies of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
All you have to do to enter is
follow the tour and leave a comment each day.
The Authors of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness
WordCrafter Short
Curses: Chronicles of Darkness releases tomorrow, September 30, but it is available for pre-order now. We have a great group of authors, including myself, who contributed to this anthology. I’m pleased to be able to bring them to you via this blog tour. Like live tours, blog tours bring readers closer to authors, and we will be introducing you to at least one or two authors each day on this double-stop tour.
Each day will feature one stop along the blog tour route where you will be introduced to at least one of our contributing authors and we’ll share a little about each story, then a second stop over at the Undawnted blog, where DL Mullan will interview one of the authors featured that day. Undawnted does not support comments, but you can leave them on the other host sites, or here, on Writing to be Read. And you’ll want to be sure and do that, because your comments are what enters you in the giveaway, and we will be drawing one winner per day. (Authors may also be available to respond to those comments to create a more personal experience.)
About Curses: Chronicles of Darkness
There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.
Pre-Order and Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/CursesChroniclesofDarkness
Meet Kaye Lynne Booth (That’s Me!)
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.
About “The Death Clock”
My story, “The Death Clock“, is about a curse placed on an Ormulu clock in the sixteenth century, placed on it by its maker. I got the inspiration for this story, after the call for submissions for Curses went out, from an episode of Pawn Stars, where Rick explains why they call these clocks death clocks. After watching this, I thought Boy, if anything would be cursed, one of those clocks would be.
Ormulu clocks are gilded gold clocks which were commissioned with the most skilled clockmakers by members of the aristocracy as symbols of prestige. (In my story, the clock was commissioned by Napolean, himself.) During the gilding process, the gold is gilded to the bronze clock housing, by covering the housing with mercury and then, pressing the gold into it by hand. Then, the piece was fired to burn the mercury off, leaving the gilded gold. Many of these clock makers then suffered from insanity or death as a result of their labors. Hence the name “Death Clock”.
“The Death Clock” takes place in present day and is about one woman’s efforts to break the curse when she accidentally inherits an Ormulu clock with the house she and her husband just purchased.
Meet Denise Aparo
Denise Aparo is an author with four published short stories in the horror/supernatural genre in the WordCrafter Midnight Anthologies. All of her stories are written under Denise Aparo and are edited by Kaye Lynne 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 Bachelor of Arts 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 and the third and last of the Midnight Series will be released on September 30, 2025.
You can learn more about Denise and her story, by visiting the second stop on today’s tour, over at Undawnted, in Denise’s interview with DL Mullan. Remember to leave your comments or questions here for both of today’s stops.
Denise Aparo’s story in Curses is “The Mohawk Montser: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond”. A tale of an ancient Indian curse which stands over a diamond mine in New York and the surrounding land, including the diamonds in the mine.
Inspiration for “The Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond”
The Curses: Chronicles of Darkness story prompt was a curse(s). My short story, “The Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond,” is a brief prequel to my recently completed novel, Crossbows, which I plan to publish soon. My novel actually began with an untold curse by a New England, Native American Goddess.
I thought it would be a great way to tell the story about her curse on a New York Community, Herkimer County, which is near the New England setting in my novel. The Goddess Komorkis was deeply saddened by the murders of the band of warriors she kept watch over. The sacred warriors, The Shadow Wolves, protected an ancient Tome, The Tome of Life with a sigil. The tome and the Sigillum Dei Sigil, has miraculous power over all creatures. This short story takes place at the Herkimer Diamond Mine in New York.
The why the story came about was because of my childhood memories of my dad. My father was a rock collector, who traveled to many mines and quarries, collecting rare and semiprecious rocks and stones. One of his favorite places to hunt was at the Herkimer Diamond Mine. He had collected many Herkimer Diamonds throughout his life.
Because I write historical fiction about New England, I am always researching unusual places, people, and things. The Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining is a unique Herkimer Diamond mining location set in a dense forest within the remote farm town of Sprakers, NY. I remembered how the place has many rare and unusual crystals. One of the largest known crystals is the Herkimer Diamond, called The Mohawk Monster. It was labeled this due to its large size and found in that mine, which is located in the Mohawk Valley.
Since the name of the diamond has the word “monster” in it, it prompted me to write a story about it for the Curses Anthology!
You can learn more about Denise and her story, by visiting the second stop on today’s tour, over at Undawnted, where you can catch Denise’s interview with DL Mullan.
Don’t forget to leave your comments and questions for both tour stops here for a chance to win in today’s giveaway drawing for a copy of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
Tour Schedule
Day 1
- Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – About the Curses Anthology & Meet Denise Aparo
- Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Denise Aparo
Day 2
- Stop 1 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Kaye Lynne Booth & Joseph Carrabis with Readings of “It’s a Man’s World” & “Grafton’s Ghost-Child”
- Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Joseph Carrabis
Day 3
- Stop 1 – Poetry by Mich – Meet Abe Margel & Paul Kane with a guest post about the inspiration of his story “The Weeping Man”
- Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Paul Kane
Day 4
- Stop 1 – Roberta Writes – Meet C.R. Johansson & Robert White with a guest post about the inspiration for “The Longspeth Curse”
- Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Robert White
Day 5
- Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – Meet Kaye Lynne Booth, Danaeka Scrimshaw & Molly Ertel with Inspiration Video about “Clover’s Mirror Box”
- Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Danaeka Scrimshaw
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WordCrafter News: Happy Halloween! Spooky October Releases & a Halloween Book Event.
Posted: September 22, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Horror, Paranormal, romance, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press | Tags: B.T. Clearwater, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Dark fiction, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Oil, New release, paranormal horror, Paranormal Romance, Smothered, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press 4 Comments
I’m posting this month’s “WordCrafter News” early because the first of three spooky WordCrafter Press releases come out next week. In fact, promotions have already begun over at JosephCarrabis.com, where you can learn a little about each of the stories in our themed dark fiction anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. Technically, it’s a September release, but it is dark fiction, just in time for the Halloween season. Halloween was my son, Michael’s favorite holiday, (and mine, too), so I always go all out in October.
Curses Release
Curses: Chronicles of Darkness will be released on September 30th. This themed anthology has stories which all pertain to…, you guessed it – curses. It is currently available for preorder, so reserve your copy through the link below. (This link is a UBL, Universal Book Link, which allows readers to choose to purchase through their favorite distributor.) This link can also be used as a purchase link once the anthology is released.
About Curses
There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.
Preorder/Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/CursesChroniclesofDarkness
WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour
The WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour will run September 29 – October 4, 2025. It will be an exciting tour, with a double stop each day, which we’ve never done before. The original stop will host readings and guest posts from contributing authors, and the second stop of the day will be over at Undawnted, where DL Mullan will interview a few of the anthology contributors. We’ll also be running a giveaway, offering chances for one of five digital copies of the anthology in a random drawing at the end of each day. I do hope you will join in the fun, follow the tour and meet the contributing authors. If you follow the tour and leave a comment each day, you will have five chances to win a copy of this original, themed anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. Drop by to join in the fun and help us send this collection of curses off right.
Midnight Oil Release
At long last, the third volume of the Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, is scheduled for release October 28th, just in time for Halloween!
About Midnight Oil
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.
WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour
The WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour will run October 27 – 31, 2025. We’ll have readings and guest posts from contributing authors and maybe a few interviews where you can get to know contributors better. Of course, we’ll be running a giveaway for digital copies, too. Drop by and join in the fun, follow the tour and help us send off this dark fiction anthology right.
Halloween Facebook Book Event
We’ll be promoting all of the above books at the annual Halloween Book Event on Facebook, hosted by WordCrafter Press and Sonoran Dawn Studios on October 31, 2025. WordCrafter Press and anthology authors will have takeover slots on Friday, the 31st, promoting both Curses and Midnight Oil, as well as other works by the authors. Watch for more information on this as the holiday gets closer.
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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 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 News: “Curses” Coming in September
Posted: August 25, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, C.R. Johansson, Curses, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Dark fiction, Denise Aparo, Joseph Carrabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, Robert White, WordCrafter Press 5 CommentsI’m excited to announce the coming release of the Curses anthology from WordCrafter Press on September 30. Naturally we’ll be launching this collection of stories featuring curses: cursed places, cursed objects, cursed people with a WordCrafter Book Blog Tour September 29 – October 5, where you can meet a different contributing author and learn more about them and their story through guest posts, readings and interviews. I do hope you’ll all join us as we celebrate with the authors and promote the anthology’s success.
About Curses
There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which we bring upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Ten tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.
On The Home Front
September is always a hard month for me because it is in September that my son, Michael died. I try to keep it a pretty quiet month, with not a lot of deadlines or other obligations to meet. It’s also the month that he was born and needless to say, I usually spend a lot of time thinking about him during September.
He’s been gone now for sixteen years. That’s a long time. So, for me, the month of September is kind of a month of mourning, but it’s also a month-long celebration of his life, even after all these years. I drag out all my old photos and think a lot about the memories they represent. I talk to Michael all the time, but during September, we have one-way chats at least daily, and sometime, even more.
But Michael was my biggest fan when he was alive, and although you may not hear a lot from me on social media in September, the wheels of production will go on, because he would have wanted it that way. He was always interested in what I was writing and even wrote short stories and poetry of his own.
The end of the month will see the release of the Curses anthology, so I’ll be working on blog tour preparations. And looking forward, I’ll also be editing and compiling the stories for Midnight Oil, the third book in the Midnight anthology series, which will include my story with the working title of “Elephant Zombie”, and will be released in October. Lastly, I’ll be preparing Smothered, a paranormal romance by B.T. Clearwater, which will also be released in October.
Wow! Now that I put it all down here, I guess I may be pretty busy in September after all.
Other Posts About Michael Daniel Lee
“We Miss You” (9/21/2010): https://writingtoberead.com/2010/09/21/we-miss-you/
“A Tribute to My Son” (9/19/2016): https://writingtoberead.com/2016/09/19/a-tribute-to-my-son/
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” (9/10/2018): https://writingtoberead.com/2018/09/10/wake-me-up-when-september-ends/
“September Blues” (9/15/2021): https://writingtoberead.com/2021/09/15/september-blues/
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 her Time-Travel Adventure novel, 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. 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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Writer’s Corner: Dark Fiction
Posted: June 2, 2025 Filed under: Anthology, Books, Dark Fantasy, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, Writer's Corner, Writing | Tags: Anthologies, Dark fiction, Short Stories, Writer's Corner, Writing to be Read 11 Comments
I’ve been drawn to dark fiction from a very young age. In my teens, I read Carrie and The Hobbit at the age of 13, The Shining at 14, and by 16,I was devouring anything I could get my hands on by Stephen King, John Saul, or V.C. Andrews that I could get my hands on, and of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. From there, I moved on to Dean Koontz, Peter Straub and Jonathan Kellerman.
One day, while reading a King book, I think it was Salem’s Lot, or maybe Christine, or Cujo, I discovered that what I liked about that type of book was the fact that they often didn’t have a happy ending. But I didn’t tell anyone that fact about myself, because, well… what kind of person doesn’t love a happy ending? So, mum was the word.
But you see, it had been my experience that real life seldom had a happy ending, and I had a hard time buying into the happy-sappy life is so beautiful stories that adults felt were appropriate for my age. To me, dark fiction felt more realistic than romance, or western, or fantasy, even when it dealt with very not-realistic subject matter like vampires, or monsters coming out of the fog, or ghostly presences. Like a young girl who was attracted to bad boys because they made her feel a little naughty, a little sinful. That’s what I liked about reading dark fiction.
So it should come as no surprise that dark fiction is what I like to write, too. However, growing up the adults around me frowned on my reading that sort of thing. I was told at 13, that I was too young to read Bless the Beasts and the Children, by ( ). I had to get my mother to sign a permission slip, before my language arts teacher would allow me to read it, giving me the feeling that it was not nice to read such things, making it feel as if I was doing something a bit naughty. As an almost adult, reading Stephen King and the other dark writers felt kind of like that.
So, it made sense that as I began to explore the craft of writing, my attentions often turn to darker genres, and darker subject matter. I had to work my way into it slowly, starting with a few paranormal short stories, and working my way up to supernatural, dark fantasy, and horror tales. But first, I had to work my way through the stigma of feeling naughty and bad about myself because I wanted to write that kind of thing. I didn’t want to write my heart out and then, let my stories sit unread in a file, but if I put out this dark stuff for people to read, what would they think of me? Would they think me evil or deranged?
I knew people who believed this type of content was sinful and evil. I’d heard of authors who’ve been boycotted because a group of people believed their work inappropriate or distasteful. I’ve never been one to write to market, because I am compelled to write what is in my heart. And one thing Russell Davis told me once kept running through my head. “Know who you are writing for.”
Those people who would disapprove of my subject matter or content are not the people I’m writing for. They are not in my target audience, and because of that, it is highly unlikely that they would even come across my writing to notice it at all.
And, I came to the realization that not everyone will love my writing, and that’s okay. Not everyone is a Stephen King fan, and he has plenty of folks who say he has a sick mind, but he doesn’t let that stop him. Those folks won’t read his work anyway, and there are plenty more who will. Those are the ones he focuses on.
Today, the short fiction that I’ve written is mostly dark. I don’t worry about what people will think because I surround myself with like minded authors in the anthologies I publish through WordCrafter Press each year. And I promote to a dark fiction market, people who are looking for dark tales.
Once this year’s two anthologies are published, I will have over a dozen stories published in WordCrafter anthologies, listed below.
Paranormal Series
- Whispers of the Past – “Woman in the Water”
- Spirits of the West – “Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs”
- Lingering Spirit Whispers – “The People Upstairs “
Midnight Anthology Series
- Midnight Roost – “Melina”
- Midnight Garden– “The Puppet Men”
- Midnight Oil– “The Tokoloshe and the Zombie Elelphant”
Stand Alone
- Once Upon an Ever After – “The Story Witch”
- Refracted Reflections – “The Not So Perfect Prince” and “The Devil Made Her Do It”
- Visions – “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
- Tales From the Hanging Tree – ” ” and “The One That Got Away”
- Curses – “Death Clock” and “Caverna del Oro (Cave of Gold)”
I’m the type of author who must follow my heart. I write because there are stories inside me crying to get out. I write to be read.
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About the Author
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 her Time-Travel Adventure novel, 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. 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 “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by the Robbie’s Inspiration blog site, where you can find ideas on writing and baking with hostess, Robbie Cheadle.
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Book Review: “Dark Isle”
Posted: April 18, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Gothic, Horror, Mystery, Review | Tags: Book Review, Curses, Dark Isle, David Longhorn, Ghosts, Gothic Mystery, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
About Dark Isle
Mark Stine is an American academic enjoying his year as a visiting professor at Cambridge University. But when he starts researching the long-dead English writer, Monty Summerskill, he quickly discovers that truth is stranger than fiction. Turns out Summerskill’s ghost stories were based on horrifying reality. One that caused the author’s shocking death.
Mark’s journey takes him to dark places, where he finds himself haunted by a ghost from his troubled childhood. But that’s nothing compared to the terrors that await as he heads towards the Dark Isle, where the solution to an ancient mystery lies.
Something far more terrifying than any ghost is on his trail. Awakened after decades of hibernation, it is deadly, unstoppable and hungry.
Hungry for blood.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Isle-Paranormal-Supernatural-Horror-ebook/dp/B01MRQZZL0
My Review
I purchased a copy of Dark Isle, by David Longhorn through FreeBooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
It is interesting that I picked Dark Isle up now, while I’m in the midst of developing three stories about curses for the Curses anthology, scheduled to come out in September. As it happens, this story features ghosts, an ancient curse, and an ancient evil. I felt Longhorn did a spectacular job of putting readers in a dark and ghostly mood in the gloomy English setting. There are ghosts a plenty. Add to that the awakening of an ancient evil curse, and Dark Isle turned out to be just what I was looking for.
I loved the way the weather in the English countryside sets the perfect tone of doom and gloom, creating a lovely, eerie background mood throughout. The tale is built around a rich history of Mark Stine’s predecessor, Montague Summerskill, who met his demise under mysterious circumstances while traveling the area by bicycle in an attempt to solve the mystery and write a first rate paper to gain acclaim. What he discovered is an evil curse which Summerskill inadvertently uncovered in his travels, which has now been passed on to him. How does one thwart an ancient evil curse is then the question foremost in his mind, and Longhorn comes up with an interesting solution. No spoilers here though. If you want to know what happens, you’ll have to read the book.
A gothic mystery that will make your spine tingle. I give Dark Isle 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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Book Review: Draakensky
Posted: March 14, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Ghost Stories, Gothic, Horror, Review | Tags: Book Review, Draakensky, Gothic Horror, Paula Cappa, Writing to be Read 4 CommentsAbout Draakensky
**Readers’ Choice Book Awards Finalist
Jon R. Meyers at The Horror Zine writes “Draakensky is a powerful, timeless piece of dark fiction . . . beautifully haunting. A book that is unique and stands out loudly from the rest. Highly recommended.”
A murder. A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. In the shrouded realm of Draakensky Windmill Estate—where magic dictates destiny—reality and the supernatural blur.
THE MURDER: Heida Mead is found dead in the thrashing Mianus River in Bedford, New York.
THE WIND SORCERER: Jaa Morland is the reclusive spinster of Draakensky estate, a commanding wind-witch and deeply attuned to ghosts—and, she knows the meaning of owl sorcery.
THE DARK SPIRIT: A ghost hurls whispers into the fabric of Draakensky, stirring up secrets of river magic and untold horrors.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Draakensky-Supernatural-Tale-Magick-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DCKBVQTV
My Review of Draakensky
I received a digital copy of Draakensky, by Paula Cappa in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This story has ghosts and witches and everything a gothic fantasy story needs, but the thing that captivated me the most about Draakensky is the owl imagery and lore. Cappa does an excellent job of weaving owl symbolism into the story, adding meaning and driving the story forward.
When Heida Mead is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Charlotte Knight is commissioned to complete the illustrations on the book of Rilke’s poetry that she had been working on under the direction of Heida’s sister, Jaa Moorland. She accepts and comes to the Draakensky windmill, in Bedford Village, New York, in hopes of launching a new path in her career, away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago and a cheating boyfriend.
But Jaa is difficult to deal with, at times seeming deranged and unreasonable, with Charlotte’s career hanging in the balance. With nothing left to go back to, Charlotte is determined to stick it out, even as strange events begin to occur which could be downright dangerous. Voices in the cottage, a foreboding groundskeeper, a strange white wolf, menacing owl attacks, and speculations about the murder around every corner. There is magick in the wind, and in the river, and in the very soil of Draakensky, and it controls the animals and the elements, even from beyond the grave.
An outstanding gothic horror mystery. I give Draakensky 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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Everyone is a Critic: “Tale of Tales”
Posted: March 10, 2025 Filed under: Dark Fantasy, Everyone is a Critic, Fantasy, Film Review, Horror, Movie Review, Movies | Tags: Everyone is a Critic, Fairytales, Movie Review, Tale of Tales, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
Three kingdoms. Three horrific tales, braided into one tragically horrendous fairytale in the classic tradition, Tale of Tales is a skillfully crafted triple fairytale. Fairytales were used to frighten children into behaving themselves in days of past. They are supposed to strike fear in readers, or in this case, viewers, so the element of horror is no surprise here. Everyone knows fairytales are tales of tragedy and don’t always have a happy ending. Even when they do have a HEA, the characters must face gruesomely frightening trials to reach that point.
A King (John C. Riley) and Queen (Selma Hayak) of the kingdom of Longtrellis are barren and will stop at nothing to have a son. The Queen summons a necromancer to make her wish come true. Upon his instruction, the King slays the sea monster, but loses his life. None-the-less, she eats the sea monster’s heart and bears a son, Elias Christian Lees, with alabaster skin and hair. At the same time as the cook bears a son, Jonah (Jonah Lees), who looks enough like Elias to be his identical twin, and the two boys grow up to become fast friends who are inseparable. Enraged after the boys fool her, the Queen sends the cook and her son away, but the boys’ bond is stronger, and when her son, Elias, fears his friend is in trouble, he runs away to go to his aid. Desperate for the return of Elias, the Queen summons the necromancer once more. She will have her son back, but at what price?
The King of the kingdom of Strongcliff (Vincent Cassell) becomes lustful when he hears a beautiful voice and must have the singer as his wife. But the singer is one of two sisters, aged spinsters, Imma (Shirley Henderson) and Dora (Haley Carmichael), who fool the King and he unwittingly takes Dora to his bed under her insistence that it be in complete darkness. Enraged upon waking and discovering her true appearance, the King has his guards throw her from the cliffside castle window, but Dora survives and is found by a witch who suckles her, giving her back her youth. The King and his hunting party found the beautiful young woman (Stacy Martin) laying on the forest floor and he falls in love and makes Dora his Queen. But Imma is lonely and longs to have her sister back with her, threatening to reveal Dora’s secret. Dora turns Imma away, leaving her alone to suffer a tragic end.
The King of the kingdom of Highhills (Toby Jones) becomes fascinated with a flea and makes it a pet that grows to gargantuan proportions. When his daughter, Violet (Bebe Cave), wishes to be married, he develops a plan to make her happy without risking losing her by placing the fleas hide on his wall and promising her hand to any suiter who can guess the creature that it came from. But it leads to the loss of his daughter when an ogre (Guillaume Delaunay) guesses correctly by smell, and he is forced to give Violet to the ogre, who takes her to his cave in the side of a high cliff. She’s recued by a family of acrobats, but the ogre slays them all and Violet fools the ogre and slits his throat. She returns to the kingdom, to find her father ill, and presents him with the head of the husband that he chose for her.
Official Clip: https://images.app.goo.gl/pAFnUmGSwCHFgcXo6
The three kingdoms and their tales are brought together at Violet’s coronation, where representing Longtrellis, Elias is in attendance, as well as the King of Strongcliff and his new Queen. But the witch’s magic wears off and Dora loses her youthful appearance and sneaks away unnoticed.
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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 her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, her the first three books in her kid’s book series, My Backyard Friends, her poetry collection, Small Wonders, and her writer’s resource, The D.I.Y. Author. 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. 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 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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Everyone is a Critic: “Yellowjackets”: Seasons 1 & 2
Posted: February 10, 2025 Filed under: Everyone is a Critic, Horror, Television review | Tags: Everyone is a Critic, horror, Writing to be Read, Yellowjackets 1 Comment
I hesitated watching Yellowjackets because the weird cover image, so I passed it by several times . I thought it must be a pretty dumb horror movie where everyone gets attacked by killer wasps or something, and I had no idea what the weird image of a person with horns and netting over their head could have to do with it. But for a lack of anything better to watch which I hadn’t seen, and an urge to sooth my hankering for horror, I decided to give it a try. And boy, am I glad I did. I’m usually not a binge-watcher, but with the recent cold weather in Colorado keeping me inside, I found myself watching four to five episodes per day. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I must declare this series totally binge-worthy.
The Yellowjackets are a girls soccer team bound for Nationals when their plane crashes deep in the Canadian mountains. In addition to the team members, Coach Ben Scott (Steven Kruegar), Coach Martinez(Carlos Sanz) and his two sons, Travis (Kevin Alves), and Javi (Luciano Leroux), and the student team manager, Misty (Samantha Hanratty). For a year and a half no rescue comes, and something terrible happened in those woods during that time, but the survivors aren’t talking. The Yellowjackets are winners, each determined to achieve their goals, but at what cost?
25 years later, the survivors are still haunted by the experience. Whatever happened, they have vowed silence about it, and no one is talking. But there’s a freelancer poking around and stirring things up, and the survivors are being blackmailed with a threat to expose all of their secrets. They band together to find and eliminate the threat, but they still harbor secrets, both old and new, and some have hidden agendas, as the story of what really happened out there in the wilderness is intermixed, and slowly revealed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Everybody has secrets, both then, and now, 25 years later. And strange things are happening which stir memories of thier time in the woods for the survivors, drawing them together once more. Or maybe, it’s something deeper…, darker that is calling them. How far will they go to keep their secrets buried?
This series keeps you guessing. And just when you think you have it figured out, they throw in yet, another twist. Something happened out there in the woods, something horrific, and those who return to civilization are not unscathed. What happened back then affects each of the survivors in their present day life, no matter how hard they try to forget, and each is messed up in their own way.
This is a powerful series, featuring a vast cast of characters, with both teen and adult versions of several team members, as well as intrinsic storylines for each. Although a majority of the main characters are teenagers, the series deals with many adult issues and situations, as well as adult language. There are graphic scenes with blood, but it’s not slasher bloody. And I would not recommend for young children. It is a horror flick, after all.
I kept wondering how they were going to drag this story out over two or three seasons, but they did a great job of it, weaving the past in with the present, so that both storylines unfold simultaneously. The adult and teen actors are matched well and portray their complex characters consistantly to the characters’ experience. Season 2 ends on a cliff hanger, so I’m glad I chose to watch this series now. I don’t have long to wait for the new season. Season 3 premieres on February 14, 2025 on Showtime.
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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 her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, her the first three books in her kid’s book series, My Backyard Friends, her poetry collection, Small Wonders, and her writer’s resource, The D.I.Y. Author. 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. 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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This segment of “Everyone is a Critic” 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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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
