Final Stop on the Wordcrafter “Midnight Roost” Book Blog Tour

Tour Banner
Spooky graveyard background with one-eyed bird roosting in a tree.
Foreground: Print copy of Midnight Roost and WordCrafter logo
Text: Wordcrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Midnight Roost Weird and Creepy Stories, Contributing Authors, Zack Ellafy,Chris Barili, Joseph Carrabis, DL Mullan, Christa Planko, Paul Kane, Sonia Pipkin, C.R. Johansson. Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Patty Fletcher, Keith J. Hoskins, Denise Aparo, Isabel Grey, Rebecca M. Senese, Mario Acevedo,Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Robert Kostanczuk, M J Mallon
WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour

It’s the final stop on the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour and today we’re going to wrap things up with a reading by contributing author Denise Aparo from her haunting story, “The Pines”,and some excerpts from stories from authors who weren’t able to participate in the tour. So, kick back and enjoy the reading and peruse the excerpts, meet the authors and join in the discussion by leaving a comment and earn a chance at a free digital copy of Midnight Roost.

Meet Author Denise Aparo

Denise Aparo is a new WordCrafter Press author, so I’m just getting to know a little ab out her, too. Her story, “The Pines” wasn’t the winning story in the short fiction contest, but I still felt that its dark parnormal feel would fit into the anthology. Now that the book is compiled and I can see the finished product, I think I made the right decision. It is a perfect addition to the Midnight Roost collection. Listen to the reading below and see if you don’t agree.

Reading from “The Pines”

Reading from “The Pines” by Denise Aparo

About Denise Aparo

Denise Aparo is a New England native, born and raised in the clockmaking city of Bristol, Connecticut. She lives with her husband, Joe, and they have five grandchildren. She is also a freelance writer who spends her time working on her novel and writing short stories. She also spends her time gardening, crafting, and crocheting.

Denise likes to write Paranormal Fiction, genre of Historical Fantasy. She recently completed her first novel, Crossbows. She has a Masters of Arts in English and a Fine Arts/Creative Writing with concentration in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and a member of Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, and The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi, with SNHU.

She is a member of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) and the author of a new WordPress writing blog, The Write Voice, The Write Voice | The write voice at the write time, a blog that boasts, “Like multiple genres, there are many cultures – each with an individual voice.”   Denise is a new addition to the WordCrafter Press authors.

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Excerpt from “Melina” by Kaye Lynne Booth

Dark and Scary Graveyard in the background. One eyed owl and print copy of Midnight Roost are perched in branches of old, scraggly trees.
Text: From WordCrafter Press, "Melina" by Kaye Lynne Booth - "Not gonna do it," Ralph says, crossing his arms and planting his feet. "No way, no how. That's Augie's corpse floating in the pool. Uh-uh."
Melina had thought Ralph might come to her aid, yet now it seems he would be the one to block her escape. But she can't let that happen. Not when she is so close. Her skin is searing in a fiery rage. She must get out of this pool now.
She raises her head and opens her mouth, letting her siren song pour out. Ralph's eyes glaze over, as Augie's had, and he turns and starres directly at her. A blank stare crosses Eddie's face, and he turns toward her , as well. Did not expect that.

Excerpt from “She Shed Galleria” by C.R. Johansson

Dark and Scary Graveyard in the background. One eyed owl and print copy of Midnight Roost are perched in branches of old, scraggly trees.
Text: From WordCrafter Press, "She Shed Galleria" by C.R. Johannson - "You're an artist." He sipped some of the wine, surprised by its fruity flavor. His wine experience went only as far as a box of bitterness from the corner grocery store.
"It's a Zweigelt," she said as if reading his mind.
He looked at her. Something in her gaze. He fidgeted in his seat. A sudden twinge of panic rushed through him, driven by a primitive intuition deep within him, driven by a primative intuition deep within him, and like a dog who squeezes in between the washing machine and the wall only to find itself trapped. He suddenly wished he hadn't got in the car.

Excerpt from “House on the Plains” by Zack Ellafy

Dark and Scary Graveyard in the background. One eyed owl and print copy of Midnight Roost are perched in branches of old, scraggly trees.
Text: From WordCrafter Press, "House on th Plains" by Zack Ellafy - “I just needed somewhere new and quiet, away from drama. I saw this was a place out of the way and the houses were cheap. Oh, sorry - I hope I didn’t offend you.”
“Oh, no ma’am. We like it that way. You married? Husband didn’t come in with you?”
“No. No husband. Recently divorced, but nope,” Madison said. 
“Really? I don’t want to alarm you, ma’am, but why is there someone sitting in your car?” Jeff asked.
“What?” Madison said as her head turned towards the large windows at the front of the store. There wasn’t a perfect line of sight to her car, so she slowly inched back for a better view. A chill ran up Madison’s spine - she could make out someone sitting in the backseat. His back was turned, but she thought she could make out some sort of hat on his head. It can’t be him, she thought. I covered all my tracks. No one except my family knows I’m even here.

Excerpt from “Take Two” by Rebecca M. Senese

Dark and Scary Graveyard in the background. One eyed owl and print copy of Midnight Roost are perched in branches of old, scraggly trees.
Text: From WordCrafter Press, "Take Two" by Rebecca M. Senes - Sondra handed her mother a mirror.
“What do you think?”
Her mother caught her breath, mouth opening a little. “Oh my,” she breathed. “I never… I had no idea.”
Sondra grinned. “Want to learn how to do it?” 
Her mother glanced up, almost sheepishly. “Could I?”
“You sure could,” Sondra said. She turned to the camera. “What do you think of Florence’s new look? Let me know in the comments! And join us in future videos where I teach Florence, and you, how to achieve this look. It’s easier than you think. Until next time!” 
She waved and turned off the camera.

Excerpt from “A Visitor Comes to the Window” by Robert Kostanczuk

Dark and Scary Graveyard in the background. One eyed owl and print copy of Midnight Roost are perched in branches of old, scraggly trees.
Text: From WordCrafter Press, "A Visitant Comes to the Window" by Robert Kostanczuk - This time, the winged thing was in the center windowpane, middle row. As it stalked about his window, the glass seemed to move with slight waves—undulate—as the mysterious thing methodically crawled from pane to pane.
It was an odd, mesmerizing visual. He felt a pane that was not occupied by the bug, but there was nothing abnormal; the surface was smooth. Then, the vision of the interloper on an adjacent pane caught his eye. The surface seemed to ripple ever so slightly.

That wraps up today’s stop, and the whole tour. I hope you enjoyed meeting Denise and the excerpts from the other stories. Be sure to visit any stops you missed through the links in the schedule below for more chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost. I will announce the winners in next Monday’s “WordCrafter News” post, here on “Writing to be Read”

Giveaway

A chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop. Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.

Tour Schedule

Monday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) & Joseph Carrabis (Reading) – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted

Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds

Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration

Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read

Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes

Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing

Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & excerpts from other stories – Writing to be Read

About 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.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!


Join us for a Midnight Roost

It’s coming! Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories to be released October 17, 2023 and is available for pre-order now!

About the Midnight Roost

Book Cover: Dark and Scary graveyard withone eyed bird roosted in old crooked tree Text: Midnight Roost Weird and Creepy Stories, A WordCrafter Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

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.

Preorder Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l

The Contributing Authors

  • Zack Ellafy – “House on the Plains”
  • Chris Barili – “Shaken”
  • Joseph Carrabis – “The Beach”, “Blood Magic”, and “Binky”
  • DL Mullan – “Mangled”
  • Christa Planko – “The Easterville Glass Ghost”
  • Paul Kane – “The White Lady”
  • Sonia Pipkin – “Once Upon a Time”
  • C.R. Johansson – “She Shed Galleria”
  • Roberta Eaton Cheadle – “The Behemoth”
  • Patty Fletcher – “Casualties of War”
  • Keith J. Hoskins – “Teddy”
  • Denise Aparo – “The Pines”
  • Julie Jones – “Night of Terror”
  • Isabel Grey – “Rabbits Can’t See Pink Firework” and “Red Door House” (Winning story in 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest
  • Rebecca M. Senese – “Take Two”
  • Mario Acevedo – “Immediate Intervention”
  • Kaye Lynne Booth – “Melina”
  • Michaele Jordan – “Afterward”
  • Robert Kostanczuk – “A Visitor Comes to the Window”
  • M J Mallon – “The Cull”

Upcoming Book Blog Tour

Tour Banner Spooky graveyard background with one-eyed bird roosting in a tree. Foreground: Print copy of Midnight Roost and WordCrafter logo Text: Wordcrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Midnight Roost Weird and Creepy Stories, Contributing Authors, Zack Ellafy,Chris Barili, Joseph Carrabis, DL Mullan, Christa Planko, Paul Kane, Sonia Pipkin, C.R. Johansson. Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Patty Fletcher, Keith J. Hoskins, Denise Aparo, Isabel Grey, Rebecca M. Senese, Mario Acevedo,Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Robert Kostanczuk, M J Mallon

To celebrate the release of this wonderfully weird and creepy anthology, join us for the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour October 16-23, starting right here on Writing to be Read. Meet the contributing authors, find out about the inspirations behind the stories, read excerpts, meet the characters, listen to readings from the stories, and get chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at each stop.

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