New release: SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine

Imajin Books is proud to release SHADOW MASTERS, a new horror anthology by some masters of suspense, along with some new talent in the genre. I am especially excited about this release as it includes all original, never-before-published shorts stories, including mine, DREAM HOUSE.

Featuring a haunted house cover designed by cover artist extraordinaire, Ryan Doan, SHADOW MASTERS has released to rave reviews, including a major plug from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD co-writer, John Russo, who says, “This anthology is chock-full of wonderfully horrific stories from noted authors as well as talented unknowns.”

Fear casts a long shadow, and shadows take many shapes…

From award-winning editor, Jeani Rector, who brought you the terrifying anthology, WHAT FEARS BECOME, comes a wicked brew of spine-tingling fiction. Featuring never before published works from best-selling authors such as Bentley Little, Yvonne Navarro, Scott Nicholson, Melanie Tem, Elizabeth Massie, Earl Hamner, Simon Clark, Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Ronald Malfi, Lisa Morton, Jeff Bennington, JG Faherty and many others, this chilling collection of works also includes a foreword from Joe R. Lansdale.

From classic horror and exciting suspense to Twilight Zone-type speculative fiction with twisted endings, SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine delves into the darkest corners of our nightmares and delivers the shivers.

And here's a sneak peek at my short, DREAM HOUSE...

The day we moved into our dream house was the beginning of our nightmare. And it all started with five fortuitous words…

“I want my dream house,” I told my husband.

We stood in the poor excuse of a kitchen in our rundown Boston bi-level. I was stuck between the open oven door and a cupboard on the other side, while Ray unloaded the dishwasher and tried not to bump into me.

“This kitchen is ridiculous,” I said. “Whoever designed it must have been a size zero anorexic who lived on her own.”

I was neither a size zero, nor an anorexic. I wasn’t willing to give up my bacon cheeseburgers and DQ Blizzards. So the scale tipped a little further—not in my favor. Oh well.

“Two weeks, Christine,” Ray said. Then his psychiatric training kicked in. “Are you sure you’re not substituting the new house for something else?”

“I just want space. If that makes me crazy, then…” I shrugged, “so be it.”

Fact is, I’d fallen in love with the idea of buying and renovating an old home. You know, one of those period mansions with hefty wooden doors and arched hallways. Where the ceilings are ornate...

* * *

SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine, edited by Jeani Rector, is now available in ebook and paperback editions.

The Kindle edition is ON SALE for a limited time for only $0.99 USD. 

The trade paperback is $17.99 USD.

Amazon.com - ebook
Amazon.com - paperback

Amazon.ca - ebook
Paperback coming soon!

Amazon.co.uk - ebook
Paperback coming soon!

Createspace - paperback

What if you were given 10 seconds to either let a kidnapper take your son or watch your son die?

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:

Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die. 

Choose! 

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul.

This is the premise of my international bestselling thriller, CHILDREN OF THE FOG.

Just over a week ago, a representative from Amazon contacted me to ask if I'd consider putting CHILDREN OF THE FOG, my bestselling supernatural suspense, in a special promotion. So after a few emails back and forth, I of course said YES. I'd be foolish not to take them up on some free advertising and exposure.

For the month of July, CHILDREN OF THE FOG is listed on the 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less page on Amazon, in the Deals section and under the Mysteries and Thrillers category.

So for all of July CHILDREN OF THE FOG is on sale for only $0.99 (list price: $3.99).
An international bestseller & Top 100 Amazon bestseller (was #4 under The Hunger Games trilogy).

Do You Read Mysteries While You're Writing One?

There are some mystery writers who say they never read mysteries while they are writing one. Of course the reasoning is they don't want to borrow something from another author's work sub-consciously.

If I didn't read any mysteries while I'm writing, I'd never get any reading done. I don't read anyone's work that is anything like what I write. Lately I've been reading James Lee Burke. Wow, I'd like to write like him, but I never will. I don't write about the brutal crimes and crazed and warped people like he does. (Sure wish I could write descriptions like he does though.)

My books border on being cozies--I had one reviewer say my Rocky Bluff P.D. series was like a soap opera because of the way the private lives of the cops are depicted. To me, what is happening to them and their families at home is as important as what's going on in whatever crimes they are trying to solve. (Actually the review was quite flattering and had much more to say than that.) I have lots of characters and POVs in this series. The setting is a beach community and I love writing about the kind of place I used to live in.) Angel Lost is the latest one in that series.

In my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries, Tempe is the main character and usually the story unfolds totally through her point of view. Her "side-kick" is her preacher husband and he often helps her a lot--and in Bears With Us, the latest, he is right there to assist her in chasing bears out of people's houses.

I say borders on being cozies because the cases are solved by law enforcement officers rather than amateur sleuths as what is the usual case in a cozy. However, I don't much bad language and you don't see much in the way of blood and guts, though both do get spilled. An Axe to Grind began with a beheading. Though my characters are normal they do have sex, but usually it happens behind closed doors. So I do have some of the ingredients (or lack thereof) that are required in a cozy.

I do read cozies, but I tend to like the ones best that are a bit edgier than the norm. Frankly, I'll read anything that comes my way--the only thing that holds me back is time. I read horror, thrillers, any kind of mystery, and occasionally non-fiction.

But when it comes to writing, though I've written other genres, right now I'm sticking to my not-quite cozy mysteries.

How about your? What do you read while you're writing?

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Today on The Russell Show: Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

What would you do if a kidnapper told you you had 10 seconds to make a decision: let him take your child, or watch your son die?

A special thank you to my friend Russell Brooks for always being so enthusiastic about my books. Check out his narration from my bestselling supernatural thriller, CHILDREN OF THE FOG.

CHILDREN OF THE FOG is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and more.

A Special Criminal Welcome to Author Jeff Bennington

Today, Criminal Minds at Work welcomes another slightly twisted mind into our crime lab (aka blog) -- Jeff Bennington, author of REUNION. I've seen Jeff around on various blogs and social networks, and was recently asked if I'd like to be featured on his blog -- The Writing Bomb. Of course I said yes (yeah, my middle name is "shameless" after all), so you'll soon see me featured there.

When I checked out Jeff's site, I realized this was the same author who had asked for book cover input a while ago, and I believe I had a couple of suggestions for his new novel cover, which I have to admit is very striking and well done.

Here's the description for REUNION:

David Ray killed eight students and then turned the gun on himself. He thought the shooting and suicide would fix his world. It didn't. The massacre threw Tanner Khan and the other survivors into chaos.

Twenty years later, Tanner and his fellow classmates reluctantly agree to hold a reunion to lay the past to rest. Although they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, they come back to their hometown and reunite in the defunct school building. Old flames are rekindled, fears are ignited, and their lives are about to explode in a whirlwind of memories, haunted by the spirit of David Ray.

Once they're inside the school, they discover that a dark entity has joined them. It has come to collect a debt, long overdue, and someone has to pay. Will Tanner and his classmates overcome their fears, putting the pieces of their lives back together, or will they be consumed by their worst nightmare?

You can check out REUNION on Amazon and other retailers.

www.jeffbennington.com

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

"Divine Intervention captivated me"

"Para-psychic, Para-psychotic, Para-captivating! Ditto on the previous reviewers who loved the scenery, intricate plot lines with twists and turns...Divine Intervention captivated me and I think it will turn out to be better than the movie!"

--Yale R. Jaffe, author of Advantage Disadvantage

Read the entire review on Amazon.com.

(Note: No movie deal at this time. Film rights are available; email Cheryl.