It's Release Day!

Happy Halloween!

Today is the day...

My first self-published book is now available! And you can grab a copy from Amazon right now.

To say I'm excited doesn't even begin to capture the way I feel about this book being out in the world again.

This particular story has gone through a lot, and I'm not even joking when I say that. The first version (which is only the first part of the book) got caught up in some pretty nasty business earlier this year, but I refused to focus on all that crap and instead forged ahead to put together a novel in two parts, that tells the story some of you might already be familiar with. As well as the continuation in the Roscoe family curse.

I want to thank my husband, Eugene, because this was his idea in the first place, Erin Al-Mehairi for doing the final copy edit, and Adrian Medina from Fabled Beast Design for not only the perfect cover, but also for the book's awesome interior.

This has been a wild ride and I hope you'll revisit, or take a look around Brittle for the first time. I'm not sure if you'll Suffer or Surrender, but I hope you enjoy it.

THE DARKNESS IN THE WOODS BECKONS HER...

A bleak tale about a cursed family and the mother trying to keep them together. The Exorcist meets Hereditary in this small-town horror story that will force you to embrace the darkness.

SUFFER

Kae Roscoe’s daughter vanished sixteen months ago and all she wanted during her absence was for Molly to return. But when her daughter comes back, she isn’t the same.

Molly hardly speaks and refuses to eat. The only emotion she displays is violence.

As much as Kae hates to admit it, there’s definitely something wrong with Molly, and her reappearance sets off a dark turn of events that threatens to tear the town apart.

SURRENDER

Summer Urbina has finally graduated from college and is excited about spending time with her mother. But as soon as she gets home, everything feels odd.

When her best friend sends an ominous text, Summer decides to trek across the country to make sure he’s okay.

She might not understand why, but the town of Brittle seems very familiar. The darkness calling her from the woods threatens to consume her entirely, and she’s not strong enough to resist.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Thank you for reading!

Thinking Time...

Hi, how are you today? I hope this week treated you well. I've been doing a bunch of different things.

A lot of thinking. And sorting. Some spring cleaning. Plenty of reading.

For most of this year, I've been so consumed with my own writing/planning and other stuff that reading has taken a bit of a backseat. If you check below, you can see what I read the last few days. One novel. One short story. One novella. All awesome and very entertaining.

Asides from enjoying some cool stories, I also continued what I started last week: revisiting novels that I thought were already done. Until I decided they weren't. LOL. 

Well, the longer novel was finished (again) last week, but not the shorter one. That story required a lot more thinking. So much that I decided to chat to my husband about it. He's very good at listening and offering great insight when I feel a bit lost or stuck, plus talking to him always helps me figure things out. And this time was no different. While discussing the issues I had with this story during one of our river walks, something very obvious clicked into place.

The reason why I couldn't stop thinking about this particular novel turned out to be very simple. In its current state, it doesn't work. And I quickly realised that attempting to fix all of the issues I have would require a complete rewrite. Something I just don't have the enthusiasm for right now.

There's only one thing left to do. I'm going to shelve it. I don't know if it'll be forever, but this version is back to sitting on my hard drive as a WIP. I might return to it in the future, but I might not. If I do, a complete rewrite is the only way to salvage the best parts. If I don't, it was a learning experience.

Either way is fine with me. Some stories work and some don't. But it feels good to have made a decision so I can move on to other projects. 🙂

And that means that I can now daydream and brainstorm my next WIP. This is a vampy story that's been renting space inside my brain for months. I love these characters and the snippets inside my head. I'm looking forward to joining their adventure soon.

Well, that's it for now. We've got a three-day weekend, so I'm very excited.

Have an awesome day!!

REALITY BUT MORE FUN by Madeleine Swann

Reality But More Fun by Madeleine Swann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that the cover is absolutely fabulous. And the story intrigued me so much, I got stuck into it last night and didn't want to stop.

Jade and Louise are sisters staying in the surreal Belle Epoque theme park with their mother. They're not supposed to stay there long, but can't remember how long they've been there, and stranger things than usual start to happen...

Peculiar. Bizarre. Awesome.

I found this story to be utterly delightful in its quirky weirdness. It's quite the trippy ride and the imagery is bright and beautiful with a very dark veneer. I love stories where everything seems perfect and lovely, almost to the point of being a sugary utopian experience... but the ugly truth slowly pushes its way through.

First, it's a simple glimpse at the utter confusion about what's really going on, but it doesn't take long for the eerie truth to become clear.

The sisters were quite charming. Louise is married and trying to do the right thing by her mother. While Jade longs for adventure and finds herself in the clutches of an unsavoury individual with questionable intentions. I also really liked Samir and Gillian because they're quite the problem-solving duo.

I had a LOT of fun reading this charming slice of strange, and loved the descriptive writing style.

 

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SOXORCIST II by Jamie Kort

Soxorcist II by Jamie Kort
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I have to start by thanking the author for sending me a copy of this depraved slice of horror. It's the fourth erotic sock puppet story I've read, and it's certainly turning into Jamie Kort's subgenre. 🧦🪡

Anyway, here are my thoughts:

The Soxorcist needs help. She's sick and something is stirring inside her stomach, but what she finds is a terrifying nightmare worse than her memories...

O.M.F.G. The stories in this series might be short but require a lot of brain bleach. That doesn't ultimately work because the dark and gross imagery weaves its way so deep that the filth seeps too fast to stop.

In usual fashion, this story is as weird as fuck. Bizarre in too many ways to list without spoilers. Also very addictive. The writing is engaging and I didn't stop reading until I reached that very violent and disturbing end because I always want to know how it's going to end.

I also really like the addition of Sam the Raven.

If you enjoy being grossed out, but at the same time, intrigued by a storyline so strange that you're sucked right in... then definitely check this out. You won't regret it. Or maybe you will. 😅

 

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SWEETPEA by C.J. Skuse

Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've had my eye on this for a while, and when I found out a new show based on this book was coming out, I wanted to read it before watching.

Rhiannon is a bored editorial assistant caught in an unfulfilling relationship. She has an adorable dog she loves. She's also part of a group of friends she barely tolerates, and has an unhealthy addiction to making kill lists. But these aren't her biggest secrets...

Well. Rhiannon is really something, isn't she? She's certainly a flawed character, and quite unlikeable in many ways. She's full of insensitive opinions, isn't exactly nice, and has quite a few skeletons in her closet.

The journal/diary storytelling style really worked for me. It dragged me into the events that were unfolding very quickly. I also like how Rhiannon conveniently drops clues about the bizarre situations she finds herself in. Some details aren't clear right away, but it doesn't take long to figure out what this sweet little psycho is up to.

She certainly has a way with words. And men. And with insults. Lots of politically incorrect assumptions and judgements are made in this tale of murder, deceit, and how a violent past can morph someone's way of thinking forever.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Rhiannon's insane adventures. But like I said, she's not the nicest person in the world, and that's fine because while she's obviously a disturbed individual who constantly attempts to justify her despicable behaviour, there are a few glimmers of goodness that shine through. Occasionally.

Great start to the series, and that cliffhanger ending... 😳!! Good stuff.


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