INTERVIEW WITH KIM MULLICAN (Blood and Fire)

 

I don't know about you, but the days are starting to seem longer in his hemisphere and that's a good thing. More time to stop and chat. Today we have author Kim Mullican in for a few minutes. Welcome, Kim!

SC:Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

KM: Maia Delacroix is a Jameson-guzzling-foul-mouthed bounty hunter who never really grew up. That all changes when she’s ordered by the Mageri to take in Elaina, an orphaned teenage witch. She has to grow up fast if she’s going to protect Elaina from falling into a coven who wants to harness her power for themselves.

SC:Sounds like my type of gal. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

KM: Absolutely. The law of conservation of energy says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. That means when we die, our energy goes somewhere. I once lived in a haunted house. Things moved on their own. Doors open and shut on their own. We had cold spots and shadows. I was a kid and that house terrified me.

SC: Transformation is the key. As a child, that must have been scary for you. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

KM: Book 2, Blood and Bone, is nearing completion of the 2nd draft and headed to edits. Book 3, as yet untitled, is underway.

Thank you for having me.

SC: Stop by anytime. Let's take a look at today's book now...

Blood and Fire

Alpha and Omega

Book One

Kim Mullican

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Syn Publishing

Date of Publication: 01/17/2022

ISBN: 978-1-942632-39-9

ASIN:  B09NN4GLTZ

Number of pages: 160

Word Count: 62k

Cover Artist: Get Covers

Book Description: 

I am Maia Delacroix and I hunt people and relics. My life does not lack excitement or danger. I have it in spades.

Then the Mageri surprised me with an orphan...yes, an orphan. I can’t even keep a house plant alive, let alone a kid. It turns out that I’m her only living relative, and even though we’ve never met, I’m her only hope. Great. Can I feed her after midnight? What does she eat? I have no idea what I’m doing.

They tell me this little witchling will need care for a few years until she comes of age. The bizarre fire leaking out of Elaina’s hands is a pretty good indicator that she is no witch.

Then the coven comes—they want her back. Necromancers show up, turning my vampire friends into enemies. If that isn’t bad enough, I have a demon problem now too. 

Join me, and see if we can make it out alive!

Amazon

Excerpt:

She leaned into me and sobbed.

I didn’t know her but damn if I didn’t suddenly feel responsible for her. How in the hell had that happened? Because I lost my mother too? Because this poor kid had big blue eyes and pleaded for me to help her? Damned if I knew.

She wiped her face on her shirt. “We should probably get some groceries.”

And we did. While she did buy some junk food, I was a little surprised at how much healthy stuff she put in the cart. She even claimed she knew what to do with it.

When she grabbed a box of Earl Grey tea, I laughed. “You liar!”

She looked slightly embarrassed. “My mom drinks it,” she looked down at the box, “she drank it.”

I snatched it out of her hand and threw it in the cart. “If nothing else, we’ll brew it just to sniff.”

She blinked back tears before grabbing a bag of coffee. “Sounds good.”

The bill at checkout nearly gave me hives. Did teenagers eat this much every week? The paperwork the attorney left did show a nice monthly allowance for necessities, but if the grocery bill was this much each week, I’m not sure how much would be left.

I tried to hide the shock from Elaina. My poker face must not be as good as I thought, however.

“Don’t worry, we had to get a lot of staple items this week. We won’t need this much each time.”

Smiling, I started piling bags in my truck. “You noticed my mini-stroke?”

She laughed. “I’ve never seen a mage turn white like that. It was like a vampire had sucked you dry.”

After returning home, she helped me put all the groceries away then volunteered to start making dinner. I poured a glass of wine and leaned against the counter, watching her. Something was niggling at the back of my head.

“I wanted to ask you about that awesome fireball you made earlier.”

I noticed the pause in her movements before she went back to work. That spoke volumes.

“Cool, huh,” she said, keeping her back to me.

“What kind of magic is that?” I asked. “I’ve never seen a witch make a fireball.” I studied her movements while she worked. Her hands started to shake a little. The topic made her nervous. Interesting.

Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “As it turns out, I’m not a witch. I turned twelve and mom put me through all of the usual tests. Nothing.” She shook spices on the meat in the pan.

“Wow, that must have sucked.” I was trying to stay on her level to keep her comfortable.

“Not really. She didn’t make a big deal out of it. I helped her with her projects, learned about ingredients, spells, and relics. Last year, I felt something.”

She turned and looked at me. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like a switch flipped and I could feel something here,” she said pointing just below her sternum.

“Warm and kind of moving?” I asked.

She nodded. “Exactly, except sometimes it feels icy too.”

Warm and cold? Was this kid defective?

“Anyway, I told my mom. We were close and she was just, awesome. I always knew I could tell her anything. She said it was excellent. So, we went into the woods and tried several things.

Nothing I tried worked. Then she said to do what felt naturally. That’s when I cupped my hands and made a tiny light ball. It was the size of a marble.”

This made no sense. It didn’t sound like any magic I knew.

About the Author:

Kim Mullican is a cross-genre author with over 20 novels under her belt. She enjoys the farm life in Northwest Indiana with her husband. Between chasing chickens and herding cats, she and her husband enjoy gardening and old episodes of Top Chef.

Website: https://kimmullican.com/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hgbPUn

TikTock: https://www.tiktok.com/@kimmullican

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKimMullican

COVER REVEAL: ICE FLOE (Melissa Birling)

 

Melisssa is sharing her new cover with us today. What do you think? Melissa is sharing her first few chapters for you, at this link: 

Sample the First Four Chapters for Free at www.icefloeseries.com

Ice Floe

Ice Floe Series 

Book One

Melissa Birling

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR 

Publisher: Purpance Publishing

Date of Publication: April 28, 2022

Number of pages: 320

Word Count: 87,000

Cover Artist: Thea Magerand

Tagline: Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.

Book Description:

Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.

When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.

About the Author:

Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.

The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.

Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.

SPOTLIGHT: OMITTED PIECES (Stephanie Hansen)

 

Omitted Pieces

Transformed Nexus 

Book Two

Stephanie Hansen

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Publisher: Fire and Ice YA and Tantor Audio

Date of Publication: 03/01/22

ISBN: 978-1-955784-21-4

ASIN: B09MMF5QLQ

Number of pages: 268

Word Count: 67,302

Cover Artist: Caroline Andrus

Tagline: The amazing conclusion to the Transformed Nexus duology explores uncharted territory with dangerous compassion.

Book Description:

In “Omitted Pieces,” the conclusion of the Transformed Nexus duology, the year is 2164 and the new Sierra is on a new planet with a new problem. The mad scientist Cromwell has kidnapped her mother and set up shop on planet Scepter. In order to save her, Sierra will need the help of friends in this place of glowing leaves and a floating capital. Back on Vortex, Al has shut down the old facility, but will he be able to make it to Scepter? What about those who made it to Earth? Can they all work together or are they closer to danger than they realize?

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/D7UtD6OJeHg

Amazon     iBooks     BN     Linktree

Excerpt

I awake hungry and thirsty. Is this what the afterlife is like? I never expected Dr. Cromwell to follow through on his promise to put my conscience and memory in a qualified body. Hunger pains me again and I rise to find myself in a tropical forest. I’m surrounded by lush green, but the color is unlike any I’ve seen before. It’s as if the leaves are neon shining off of their surroundings. My body knows what to look for, even though I don’t. Where am I? What planet have I been transported to? Where’s Mom? I look down at it, this hourglass figure. I’d never been blessed with such curves in my sixteen-year-old body. I wonder if my dad will recognize me in this new one. I wonder if Al will still love me after everything? I also try to map out how to get home, but it’s all too much for this newfound body and I quickly find myself napping under a sea of green.

I’m roused by a series of clicks and identify the circular metal in front of me immediately out of place as it may be.

“Vex, how’d you get here?”

“I told ‘past’ you your mission was full of danger, Sierra.”

“How long has it been since I lost consciousness?”

“I calculate two weeks and five days since the ‘new’ you left Planet Vortex.”

“What? How have I been out for that long? Where’s Al? Did the shuttle make it to Earth?”

There’s a stream of beeps. “My universe data scan shows that the Al you’re asking about still has a pulse. It’s the Al ‘old’ you met on Planet Vortex, right?”

My heart warms, it beams. “Yes. Wait, your universe data scan, what’s that?”

“The World Government equipped all clopils with new scanners and applied all Counter Friction strings when the Planet Vortex revolution hit the news. The scan also shows that everyone who had been on your scheduled shuttle made it to Earth. The processes at the medical facility ended, too, but more on that later. We need to get to your mother.”

Mom, are you okay? I try to reach her telepathically, the way I had back on Vortex.

I’m fine. Just need to figure out where I am exactly.

“Sierra, there’s much at stake. We must embark on our journey at once,” Vex says.
Sunrays stream through openings in the canopy of leaves above us as we hike. I keep having to reassure myself it’s me when I look down and see someone else’s smaller feet. At least Cromwell dressed this body in proper attire. I don’t know what I’d do without these boots. Vex, on the other hand, is not well equipped for this terrain at all. He was made for modern city living.

He’s used some of the tools he brought to lengthen his arms in order to help, but I keep assisting him, wishing he’d move faster. I think being locked up in the Vortex facility for so long gave me a sort of cabin fever. Now, being out in the open, I want to stretch my (these, no my, oh whatever) legs and cover the ground between us and Mom as quickly as possible.

Also, the weight’s gone. My legs had felt like they were filled with lead because of the guilt. But now, now that Viscerous and Albina are alive and safe on Earth; now that Pixie’s where no more harm can be done (well, no more harm than a painful exam in the graduate mathematics program at Stanford); now that Dad is free and no longer having to save Cromwell’s subjects, my legs feel light as air.

Mom, we’re headed to you. How are you doing?

I wait for what seems like an eternity, but she doesn’t respond.

About the Author:

Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft and Global Book Award Winning Author. Her novella series, Altered Helix, released 2020 and book one of the Transformed Nexus duology, Replaced Parts, released 2021. Her short story, Break Time, and poetry has been featured in Mind's Eye literary magazine. The Kansas Writers Association published her short story, Existing Forces, appointing her as a noted author. She has held a deep passion for writing since early childhood, but a brush with death caused her to allow it to grow. She's part of an SCBWI critique group in Lawrence, KS and two local book clubs. She attends many writers' conferences including the Writing Day Workshops, New York Pitch, Penned Con, New Letters, All Write Now, Show Me Writers Master Class, BEA, and Nebraska Writers Guild conference as well as Book Fairs and Comic-Cons. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community.

https://twitter.com/hansenwriter

https://www.authorstephaniehansen.com/

https://www.facebook.com/writer.stephaniehansen

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https://www.tiktok.com/@stephaniehansenauthor

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K.N. SMITH'S "DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES-THE URBAN BOY SERIES"

 

Discovery of the Five Senses

The Urban Boys Series

Book One

K.N. Smith

Genre: YA Action-Adventure, YA Thriller, 

Urban Fantasy, Mystery/ Thriller

Publisher: Two Petals Publishing

Date of Publication: September 15, 2021 

ISBN:ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0989474755 

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0989474757

ASIN: B015ZS01MI

Number of pages: 340

Word Count: 53,490

Cover Artist: Pauline Malt

Tagline: Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.

Book Description:

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory superpowers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys be able to defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late?

Amazon     BN     IndieBound

iBooks     Kobo     Smashwords

Book 2 Coming Soon

Excerpt Chapter Eleven -Mixed and Mashed

As one would imagine, a mysterious forest might offer deep, eerie chills, especially at night.

Instead, the forest cast a rich glow, and the environment was beautiful and serene.
Walking slowly with their eyes absolutely feasting on the horticultural delights, the boys were approached by something they weren’t sure was real. It floated effortlessly, lighting up in a sporadic pattern, but had neither sound nor discernible shape, other than being somewhat clear and round.

Its fluttering wings suspended it in the center of their disbelieving huddle. All eyes were on it, but what it was provoked more mystery than the forest itself. It bounced in a cheery, beckoning fashion, flashing its stunning wings, drawing the boys into a never-ending waltz. They were transfixed, unable to glance at each other, prevented by the daze each silently battled.
The little glowing being carried about, moving closer to their faces. It moved in and out of trees, spewing sparkle and splendor, then floated away from the boys, yet stayed close enough to continue the enticement.

Contributing to the amazing glow ricocheting from sprawling fronds to soaring trees and fallen leaves, the being’s creativity advanced in a display of twirls and spins, astonishing the boys. And they followed their little friend further and further into the forest.

Deeper ahead, the visual spectacle beautifully intertwined with the clicking noise, which grew louder and more defined, moving up the scale into high notes. The repetition of the noise mesmerized the boys, equating to an invisible lasso.

The friends grouped together, looking ahead and behind. Their stomachs tightened as the tension grew.

What they saw next would pale in comparison to their little, wondrous friend, who steadily bounced around several curvy pathways.

The small creature led them into an area deep within the preserve housing two large, floating, clicking balls of light. The boys instinctively covered their eyes, yet still tried to peep through their fingers.

The light balls began spinning wildly and grew louder, with their tops spitting out free-falling shavings of light like fireworks.

The sputtering light bounced off the dirt only to end up against a tree or one of the boys, then back down and up again.

Slowing down, the beings moved in between the boys. Too scared to move and struggling with reality, the boys’ eyes locked onto the radiant balls.

And with a striking force, the five friends were encased by a bright, piercing light as the balls exploded, emitting their energy onto the boys.

Mixing and mashing north, south, east, and west, bright waves covered the soil, spreading across trees, rock, and all plant life. The forest fell silent, frozen like an inhale without an exhale. It was dark and quiet, except for the liquid energy dripping from the huge, wavy leaves.

Being subjected to drifts both in and out of reality, the boys succumbed to the lure of a vacant black space within the deepest parts of their minds. They fell to the ground unconscious, laying in this forbidden domain in the center of a place they had been warned not to approach.

And from some distance toward the other side of the preserve, a draped shadow had been looking inward and saw this mysterious incident.

The curve of his black hood was loose enough for him to witness the unthinkable. But it also shrouded his expression, which was impassive.

This figure, a dark stranger, had been watching the boys for a period of time and saw the explosion of light. He knew it had exposed them to a grave risk in this place of both awe and fear. He realized time would now take the reins as a master guide for these stricken young men, all of whom would need hope as a rod and stamina as a spear on the long journey ahead.

Knowing the veil of normalcy would need to be maintained in order for this inconceivable episode to be minimized, the Dark Stranger drew upon his strength to physically move each of the boys to Rhee’s house.

He knew familiar surroundings would ease them as they roused, barely able to comprehend their predicament.

For he knew much, and every step, every footprint left an indelible impression on the path leading to the studio in Rhee’s backyard. Indeed, footprints providing a window to the past meshed with hope for the future.

And like a laser, the Dark Stranger steadied his gait, hurling each one up and over his powerful shoulders.

As he absorbed the totality of the scene, he breathed deeply. His head hung in a manner to which only trauma could relate. But in a sign of resilience, it swiftly sprung back.

Under the circumstances, he knew time would not be patient nor friendly.

Welcome or unwelcome. Fate had arrived.

 

About the Author: 

K.N. Smith, winner of the “Best of” in the category of “Outstanding Young Adult Novel” at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author, screenwriter, and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. She lives in California with her family.

Visit K.N. Smith at 

Website: www.knsmith.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/knsmith_author 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorknsmith 

SPOTLIGHT: WITCHEST OF WILDWOOD (MARK W. CURRAN)

 

Nice to welcome author Mark A. Curran back to the blog. Let's see what he has in store for us this year!

Witches of Wildwood: 

Cape May Horror Stories and 

Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore  

Mark W. Curran  

Genre: Horror/Speculative Fiction 

Publisher: NMD Books 

Date of Publication: Sept 15, 2017 

ISBN: 978-1-936828-51-7 

Number of pages: 300

Word Count: 83,365

Cover Artist:  Robert Gonzales 

A Collection of Contemporary Horror Fiction 

Book Description: 

Werewolves... vampires... swamp beasts... zombies... even a Jersey Devil... all of these chilling creatures and more await you in this haunting collection of 11 contemporary horror fiction stories by Mark Wesley Curran. Uniquely set 'down the shore' in South Jersey's Cape May County, these scary tales are sure to terrify and entertain both adult readers as well as young adults.

The spooky offerings include: 

- An abrasive radio talk show host is stalked by an angry werewolf in 'Werewolves of Dennis'  

- A Fun Pier boardwalk worker falls under the spell of a strange attic dwelling girl  in 'The Girl In The Attic'

- An ancient sailing ship filled with bloodthirsty zombies crashes into the Jersey Shore in 'Night of the Wildwood Dead'  

The cornerstone of the collection is 'The Witches of Wildwood,' the harrowing and suspenseful tale of a witch-hunting preacher hell-bent on killing four teenage sisters determined to destroy the world from their Wildwood boarding house.   

This collection contains: 

The Girl In The Attic - Dante's Inferno At Castle Dracula - Neptune's Revenge - Night of the Wildwood Dead - Captain Harvey's Wildwood Seafood Palace - Showdown In Anglesea - The Fortune Teller Machine  - Jersey Devil - Werewolves of Dennis - Swamp Beast of Grassy Sound  - The Witches of Wildwood [novella].      

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/-fHOAUbK0xc

Amazon     BN     Kobo     iBooks     Walmart

Custom Autographed Clothbound Edition with Gold Tassle Bookmark

Excerpt:

 Dante snapped out of his flashback in a startled daze.

He tried shutting the images out of his brain as he swam through the smoke and flame – peering forward as the shaft of white lantern sliced through the smoky darkness. As he walked the creaky floorboards, he heard the groaning and falling of smoky timbers in the unseen floors above him; he knew the ceiling could give way at any moment. His radio crackled with warnings to exit the building immediately. He reached down to his radio, switching it to off, then fought his way through the haze and flame.

He fought hard against the images; the memories as ghosts floated around him; he saw visions of his father, a fifth-generation firefighter, his tough, angry face floating disembodied on a thin veneer of white smoke. Then the image of his father: lying in a casket in a Northeast Philly funeral home, looking like some strange wax figure from a horror movie. The embalmers and makeup people had done the best they could but there was only so much that could be done with burn victims. It had been a fire in Manyunk, a section of Philly, that had taken his life.

Dante fought against the exhaustion and inertia he’d been feeling for months now; tried putting it all out of his mind; the divorce from Kathy; losing the custody battle; losing their home to the mortgage crisis. Guilt and depression had dogged him for the better part of his life, but a man had to remain strong, to fight his way through it, that’s what his parents and friends had told him.

It’ll pass, they said, in the meantime, man up.

But they could not know the debilitating effect of depression, how it freezes you and turns your life into a living nightmare of psychic pain. He’d tried sleeping it off, twelve hours a day; he’d tried drinking it away but it only made matters worse.

Snap out of it, they all said. Tough it out, Petrillo, suck it up. Yeah, he thought, if I don’t snap first.

The roar above his head was an angry crescendo; it sounded like a thousand railroad trains thundering over his head. He pushed forward into the oily black smoke and the ominous arms of orange and yellow flames that reached out all around him like angry beckoning spirits.

There was crashing overhead as sections of the burning roof fell into the floor above him. It did not slow his resolve or lessen his courage, he simply pushed the fear down below the surface He heard voices ahead of him. He stopped dead and tried to ignore the ghosts. Ahead of him in the glow of flame and smoke was Gracie-Lynn, his mother – the strong, silent pillar of strength that had endured so much before she’d died.

For years she’d dealt with his father’s unspeakable anger, the deep bouts of depression, the unexplained rage that would erupt in a split second into violence.

About the Author:

Mark Wesley Curran is a writer of contemporary fiction, specializing in the horror and suspense genre. Born and raised in Suburban Philadelphia, he spent many summers living and working in Wildwood, New Jersey during its heyday. He now resides in Los Angeles where he enjoys creative pursuits as a writer, filmmaker and musician. He moderates the Horror Fiction Central website and edits the weekly horror fiction Newswire, resources for fans of horror fiction.  

Website: http://www.witchesofwildwood.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkWesleyCurr1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WitchesofWildwood/

Horror Fiction Central: www.horrorfictioncentral.com 

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INTERVIEW WITH JAYDEEP SHAH (THE HAUNTING OF BLACK RIVER FOREST)

 

The Haunting of Black River Forest

Jaydeep Shah

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Jaydeep Shah

Date of Publication: 12/14/2021

ISBN: 978-1-7349826-3-3

ASIN: B08V4ZY7QY

Number of pages: 86

Word Count: 8611

Cover Artist: Jaydeep Shah

Tagline: A spine-chilling story in which adventurers struggle to survive on the land of a cold-blooded psychopath who enjoys slashing humans.

Book Description:

A forest of blood and corpses. The land of a cold-blooded psychopath.

In Black River Forest, it’s best not to wander too far off the beaten track. There’s no telling what you might find.

Mia and Oliver have long wanted to explore the forest, and one cold, rainy October day, a week before their fifth anniversary of the day they met, they finally make the trip.

But they’ve heard the rumors as well. The haunting. A psychopath hidden somewhere amidst the towering trees. Too many missing. Too few answers.

It’s only rumors, though. Stories. And stories can’t hurt you. Yet as Mia and Oliver venture deeper into the Black River Forest, they’ll soon discover that there’s more haunting this quiet woodland than hikers and bears.

The psychopath is very real. And he’s excited to meet them.

From Jaydeep Shah, author of Tribulation, the first book of the Cops Planet series, “The Haunting of Black River Forest” is a bloody, spine-chilling story best read with the lights on.

Kindle US      Kindle UK    Kindle CA      Kindle AU

Nook      Kobo      iBooks      Google Play

Excerpt 2:

After walking for three or four miles, the trio hadn’t found a way out of the forest.

Their hearts were beating in fear and their legs were tired from walking.  

“When will we find the way out of this creepy forest, man?” asked Mia, her arm linked with Oliver’s.

“I wish we hadn’t come here,” said Oliver. “But we have no choice except to keep trying to find the path.”

“I just hope we get to the right path before . . . he finds us,” said Jany.

“That’s what I’ve been praying to God for this whole time,” said Oliver. “I don’t want to encounter him.”

“Right. I just want to escape,” said Mia. “However, if we do meet him, and if he tries to block our path, I will kill him with my axe.”

“You must be kidding!” said Jany. “Please don’t say that again. I’ve seen enough horror.”

“What did I say wrong?” said Mia. “If he finds us, we must fight him and kill him. Otherwise, he will kill us.”

Walking, walking, and walking. Eventually, the trio reached a divide in the path. Following Mia, they took the left.

The trio walked for one more mile, until they saw something that stopped them in their tracks.

Skeletons. Hanging on almost all the trees ahead, as far as their eyes could see. Not one, not five, not ten, but at least a hundred skeletons, swinging on the trees in the breeze.

Jany gaped at them, her eyes filling with tears.

Oliver felt a chill furling through his body.

And Mia stood completely petrified; somewhere inside her, a voice said: My heart may stop beating if I let the horror possess my senses.

About the Author:

Jaydeep Shah is an avid traveler and the author of gripping horror, thriller, and romance stories. As a bachelor’s degree holder in Creative Writing, he aims to entertain as many as people he can with his stories. He is best known for Tribulation, the first book in the “Cops Planet” series.

In addition to those books, The Shape-Shifting Serpents’ Choice, Jaydeep’s first young adult flash fiction written under his pen name, JD Shah, is published online by Scarlet Leaf Review in their July 2019 issue. Currently, he’s endeavoring to write a debut young adult fantasy novel while working on a sequel to his first apocalyptic thriller, Havoc.

When Shah is not writing, he reads books, tries new restaurants, and goes on adventures.

Website: https://www.jaydeepshah.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imjaydeepshah

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jaydeepshah

Newsletter Signup: https://www.jaydeepshah.com/newsletter

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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jaydeep-shah

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imjaydeepshah

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jaydeepshah

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