THE RACK: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks, edited by Tom Deady

The Rack: Stories Inspired By Vintage Horror Paperbacks by Tom Deady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this awesome and packed anthology. I have to admit that I took my time with it, savouring a handful of stories a night.

Here's what I thought of each story:

BLACK PAGES by Cynthia Pelayo: Great story and I really liked the ending.

OTHER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED by Ronald Malfi: This little odd and awesome tale delivered in many ways.

FUZZY SLIPPERS by Jeff Strand: As much fun as it was ridiculous. Poor Grandma.

THE RAFT by Stephen King: Always cool to read a King story.

THAT CHEMICAL GLOW by Larry Hinkle: I enjoyed this creepy little tale.

I AM A HOUSE DEMANDING TO BE HAUNTED by Mercedes M. Yardley: Whimsical. Grotesque. Macabre. Beautiful.

URSA DIRUO by Kristin Dearborn: Really intriguing small-time horror tale with an unexpected and cool ending.

A DEVIL WE USED TO KNOW by Johnny Compton: I found this one a little hard to get into.

IRISH EYES by Bridget Nelson: A total fever dream and a hell of a freaky ride.

THEY LOOK BACK by Candace Nola: Yikes! Didn't expect the twist in this one, but when it hits... creepy.

BLOOD OF MY BLOOD by Christa Carmen: A fun wedding story featuring a very different spin on vampires.

THE KEEPER OF TASWOMET by Errick Nunnally: I REALLY enjoyed this one. The main character really carried this creature feature.

THE LAST CALL OF THE CICADA by Gwendolyn Kiste: A whimsical and lovely, horrific tale about a small town. And cicadas. So many cicadas.

MIGHTIER THAN BULLETS by Laurel Hightower: This story takes the awful real-life horror of school shootings and gives it an unbelievable twist. SO freaking GOOD.

LOUD AND CLEAR by Max Booth III: Interesting tale.

BETTER BY YOU, BETTER THAN ME by Rebecca Rowland: What a fever dream this one turned out to be!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM LANE by Richard Chizmar: Hooked from start to finish!

THE VISITOR by Philip Fracassi: So creepy. Another one I enjoyed immensely.

LIPS LIKE A SCYTHE by Steve Van Samson: Not bad.

WHITE PAGES by Clay McLeod Chapman: Very nostalgic.

As I said above, this book is jam-packed full of nostalgic, fun and super creepy stories that I enjoyed. A lot. And there are quite a few that will stay with me for a long time.

I want to thank Erin Al-Mehairi for sending me a copy.


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Cover Reveal!

If you're on social media, then you've probably already seen this absolutely beautiful cover made by Ruth Anna Evans:

It's so bright and absolutely perfect because the imagery captures Chester's struggle in the book SO well.

Speaking of that, here's the story synopsis:

SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE.

THE MONSTER IS ALREADY INSIDE HER HEAD.

Chester is no stranger to hearing voices, but after her mother disappears without a trace, the demonic voice trying to consume her is getting stronger every day.

The threat of possession might be her biggest problem, but it's not her only one. Chester's confidence in the stepmother who is trying to keep her safe is now unstable. The safe and comfortable connection with her very supportive stepbrother is slowly becoming a tangled mess that threatens their strong bond.

When Chester stumbles on her mother's precious journal, she hopes to find some answers about what's happening to her. But what she really wants to uncover is how to find her missing mother. And the answer to that mystery might come from the most unexpected source. Herself.

NUMB will be released on September 30!

You can already pre-order a copy:

Amazon | B&N | Anuci Press Website

ADD TO GOODREADS

And yes, I named this book after a Linkin Park song because it totally fits Chester's story... Also, I named my main character after Chester Bennington.

Thanks for reading! 

August Update!

Hey, how are you today? How's August treating you? Can you believe it's almost over? Yikes.

A lot of good and one not-good thing happened this month. It started with an incredible announcement: signed a contract for my first short story collection with Cemetery Gates Media, and the release of a very cool and unique anthology edited by Lauren Carter.

And then I found out a book that I got my rights back for (at the end of June) had been published anyway. I mean, WTF? That wasn't a fun experience, but with the help of Amazon and Ingram, I was able to sort everything out. I was amazed and so glad for their help while dealing with this copyright infringement. And now the book isn't available anymore. Anywhere. Which is what should've happened in the first place. Sometimes, if you want something done properly and professionally... you have to do it yourself.

On a much better note, the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. Only problem is that we seem to be skipping right to summer temps. Good thing I love summer. 😅

So, what else have I done this month? Well, I've been enjoying the weekends with my husband, and making decisions about my homeless novellas/novels. I've subbed some things, proofread others, updated a whole bunch of computer files, and even decided to change Wings of Sorrow to another title. In fact, I've decided to rewrite/rework the 46k-word story into a novel. I have some new ideas and additions I want to make, and a few changes. I refuse to let one terrible experience ruin my enthusiasm for Thera and Hector's story, but it's not ready to face the world yet.

I'm also excited about a few things that I've been working on and sorting out with another story. Plus the announcement that was made yesterday made me smile: My novel, FALLEN DESTINY, will be published by Brigids Gate Press late next year. This is a cozy/urban fantasy about a demon who's hired by a mysterious nun to find an angel. Yeah, lots to unpack there. But I'm super excited! 😁

This week we watched the series finale for two of our favourite shows. EVIL is a fantastic show that, IMO, ended prematurely and that was definitely reflected in the finale. It was SO disappointing. Betrayed the character arcs and motivation they took so long to establish. Oh well. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, however, was brilliant. I loved every minute of the final season and the finale broke my heart, but it totally worked. There was no other way for things to turn out for the Hargreeves siblings. I'm gonna miss them.

So, I started the month with some great news, had to deal with a shitty situation in the middle, and am ending on a nice note. I really hope that September is a great month, packed with good weather, awesome news, and exciting writing projects.

My husband's having two weeks off during the middle of September, so that's a good start.

Have a good one!

Check it out!

 

I have some fantastic news to share today!

I'm VERY excited to announce that my first short story collection, MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS, has been contracted by Cemetery Gates Media and will be released early next year. Yay. 🥳

The collection contains 17 horror stories. Can't wait to share these characters and macabre tales of woe with you.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Cemetery Gates for giving my dark delusions a home. 

Popping in to say...

OMGosh, I just realised that it's been quite a while since I last posted something that wasn't a book review.

So, here I am! ☺️

How are you? How's July treating you? What's new? Anything exciting happening in your life at the moment?

I have to admit that in some ways, this month hasn't been the best. Well, some things have been great because spending time with my husband, and going on suburban adventures with him, is always fun and exciting. Not to mention that July is my birthday month. And we got a new fancy washing machine!

We've also been watching The Boys (great finale), Evil, and discovered some 90s episodes of Columbo on Prime! Which are totally addictive. 😅🔍

Winter has hit really hard, which I don't like. I can't wait for the longer days to come back...

Between the stress of routine health checks and what happened online, I've been dealing with a lot of stuff.

Anyway, I don't want to get into the nitty-gritty details because if you're on social media you probably already know what happened, but a bunch of my books are no longer published/coming soon. If you've taken a look around my website you probably already noticed.

And I'm once again really sorry if you pre-ordered Wings of Sorrow because it wasn't released as previously scheduled. 

Yep. I now have a bunch of homeless horror stories, but that's okay. I think my hard drive is the best place for them at the moment.

Although it's taken me weeks to clear my head enough to really deal with what happened, I'm finally ready to think about what to do next. I have to admit that the experience has been hard on my mental health, has left me with some trust issues, and a lot of disappointment. It's funny (weird, not haha) how situations like this can bring out the worst or best in people. And I've taken note because I don't forget gaslighting or being tossed aside for no reason. 🫤

But I'm not here to dwell on any of the uncomfortable things I've gone through lately because the routine tests came back good, and I had a great meeting with my Film/TV agent the other day. 

I just want to move on from all the other stuff. It's time to think about the future.

Well, that's it. Just thought I'd pop in and say a few things about how the last two turbulent months have affected me. And I also want to say that I'll keep you posted on what's next for my stories.

Watch this space. ☺️

Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!