Publication date: October 12th 2020 Links: Amazon | Goodreads F rom the multi-award-winning author of Everyday Enchantments: Musings on O...
Review || Hungry Business by Maria DeBlassie
Publication date: February 2nd 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads T he time has come for Kai and her friends to make a final stand, and as the ...
Feature Fiction || The Hollow World by Tracy Auerbach
Publication date: February 2nd 2021
Excerpt
Too many missing coefficients.
Raven ran her ungloved hand over the smooth, cool metal of the missile. She needed it to shatter the barrier—opening the way down so that she could destroy the Science Council. She knew enough about terminal ballistics to be able to calculate its exact impact on the crystal tube that led to the Science Council’s underground lair when it struck. The only problem was that the makeup of the tube was so unique…
“It’s a thing of beauty, Raven,” Sayers commented. He stared at her hungrily from his spot amongst her people, seeking approval.
“Yes, it is,” she offered, and he smiled.
“The only problem is, because the substance we’re striking has never been studied, there’s no way to tell if it will work without testing it. Our likelihood for success is still low.” She glanced around the interior of the Dome of Artifacts, taking in the relics from the original Earth with an appreciative eye. “And I’m not willing to risk destroying all of these artifacts by blowing up the whole place when the chance of it failing to destroy the tube is unacceptably high.”
Her soldiers stood around her, silent, waiting for her suggestions. She’d been trying to puzzle this out for three weeks, and the answer was painfully obvious: a last straw plan. And yet, she hesitated, because there was a small part of her that wanted to try every other possible scenario before resorting to what she knew would work, even though she knew that wasn’t logical.
Damn my weakness.
“We’ll need something softer,” she said at last. “Something that will turn to mush on impact rather than ricocheting off the crystal and taking out this whole place. Also, we’ll need something much bigger… heavier.” She scrutinized the crystal tube housing of the elevator platform that had, thus far, been impossible to penetrate.
“Would you like us to try crafting a hollow missile that’s twice this size?” asked Larson. “We’d have to melt this down first.” He gestured toward the missile they’d taken three weeks to craft and painstakingly calibrated.
“No.”
The time to divulge her last straw plan was now. She knew a missile wouldn’t work. A rain of bullets wouldn’t work. But she happened to have a special tool—a former friend who could run at the speed of a bullet and who was close to two hundred pounds.
A human body hitting the tube at that speed would spread adequate weight over a large enough surface area to crack open the entryway to the Science Council’s underground world like an egg. Also, a body would explode upon impact, resulting in a mostly liquid byproduct, causing minimal damage to the artifacts.
Finn’s sacrifice would save the planet.
About the Author
Publication date: February 11th 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads T he first season of Sole Survivor has aired, a traumatized December Foss...
Guest Post || Zachary Ashford, Author of Sole Survivor II: Drop Bears on the Loose
When the Ark release the drop bears from captivity, all hell breaks loose and December must face them again. This time, though, they’re on her turf. This time, it’s personal!
Book 23 in the Rewind-
or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
In coming up with this list, there were a few rules I had to set myself. I didn’t want to feature the same creatures more than once. Seeing as I love crocodile movies, that would rule out a whole bunch of films about everyone’s favourite man-eating reptiles from the Mesozoic. I also didn’t want to worry about the laws of physics or reality and limit myself to real creatures you might encounter. The ‘koalas’ in the Sole Survivor books are actually drop bears, and even then, they’re twisted away from what the general public might see as a drop bear here in Australia. You can find out about the ‘real’ ones here.
The other thing I tried to keep in mind was that I had to have seen it recently enough to actually remember it. I remember loving movies like Congo and The Ghost and the Darkness when I was a kid, but I really can’t remember them well enough to talk about them although I should probably revisit them soon. Oh, and finally, they needed to be horror, whether loosely or firmly. So, as brilliant as I think Life of Pi is, I couldn’t include it.
Without further waffling, let’s have a look at what we’ve got here.
Night of the Lepus:
Razorback:
Rogue:
It’s not easy to pick a crocodile (or alligator) movie as a favourite. I love the genre, and when you consider the creatures don’t even need to be exaggerated to create real scares, they make brilliant horror movies. So, although I enjoyed Crawl, I could easily have slotted Black Water or another older Aussie creature-feature Dark Age in here, but Rogue is the one I’ve gone for. It uses the familiar trope of the US journalist coming to Australia to taste the local colour, but for this guy, the boat ride through Kakadu doesn’t end well. Halfway through the ride, a giant crocodile tips the tour-boat and leaves our cast of characters stranded on an island in the middle of a tidal flat. Needless to say, there’s blood, there’s carnage, there’s suspense, and there’s an American to save the day. Sort of. Mostly, though, there’s a humongous crocodile that generates real tension and will have you on the edge of your seat. Recommended.If you’re like me and you love a good old-fashioned bit of creature carnage, you’ll probably dig the killer koalas in this one. Mutated and bloodthirsty, they’re let loose on the mainland, and as always, the result is chaos. It’s loaded with huge kills, tonnes of action and loads of fun.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, my newest Australian creature feature, Sole Survivor II: Drop Bears on the Loose comes out on February 11. The sequel to Sole Survivor (go figure), it features an army of killer koalas and a desperate fight to survive their onslaught. They’re both part of Unnerving’s Rewind or Die line.
You can pick them up from the links below.
Sole Survivor
Sole Survivor II: Drop Bears on the Loose
I’m also down to my last five paperbacks. If you’d like me to sign one and put it in the post, they’re only $15 US plus postage. DM me on Twitter or email me through my website to make it happen.Zachary Ashford earned his writing chops as a journalist covering heavy metal bands for street press magazines and as a copywriter for a rock n roll radio station. Since those days, he’s done plenty, including operating as a freelance copywriter and editor. Nowadays, he writes fiction and teaches English and Literature in a high school.
You can find some of his nonfiction writing at Nerdbastards and Ozzy Man Reviews (under the name Chuck Steinway).
His fiction has featured in:
Dark Moon Digest 32/33
Kyanite Press Halloween Edition
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-StlgtJA1PJiJqVvdFTwNnazuPqmlwcAKfTeQlG80cAkl8Z_ocAKYLK-NNYGKgj_8l_km-U2ABK3swNaPyld9vh6dHzXq9jQhZwvgMXiR4j7ThAN1_wDWSGWPgwx-0wPHNPdUHxMF4Ca/s320/rsz_line_divide.png)
Thanks so much for being a guest today, Zachary!
Be sure to check out his Sole Survivor and Sole Survivor II: Drop Bears on the Loose. You can read my review of Sole Survivor here!
An uninhabited island… Several hundred hidden cameras… Ten contestants who think they’re stranded… One man employed to thin their numbers…
One predatory species determined to feed…
For the contestants of television’s latest prime-time reality show, the plane crash is a mere inconvenience on their way to fame and fortune. Unfortunately, there’s no rescue coming. Instead, the producers have other ideas, like watching them find the island’s killer creatures for themselves…
Like watching them die.
Tune in and discover who will be the Sole Survivor!
Book 6 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
Publication date: January 25, 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads B lair Graves’ father went missing seven years ago. The legal death of he...
Feature Fiction || The Haunting of Soloman by Marnie Vinge
Publication date: January 25, 2021
Read Now
She first started writing at the ripe age of 7, creating a science fiction horror story about a monster that lived in seaweed off the coast of Corpus Christi. Since then, she's stretched her wings by writing urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and horror.
To check out Eerie Okie, search your favorite podcast platform. If you're an Oklahoma ghoul who loves the morbid and macabre, it's the podcast for you.
Publication date: April 15th 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads A surfer who becomes horrifyingly one with the sea. A new mother’s devas...
Feature Fiction || Coralesque and Other Tales to Disturb & Distract by Rebecca Fraser
Preorder
What does a horror fan love more than finding a chilling new release? Here is my roundup of the month of love's anticipated horror rele...
This Month in Horror: February 2021
What does a horror fan love more than finding a chilling new release?
Here is my roundup of the month of love's anticipated horror releases!
Today's Author Spotlight is horror author Matthew R. Davis! Read on for the full interview. Publication date: February 29th 2021 Links...
Author Spotlight || Matthew R. Davis
Today's Author Spotlight is horror author Matthew R. Davis! Read on for the full interview.
Publication date: February 29th 2021Links: Amazon
What's your latest release?
Can you start out by telling us a little about your latest work?
Where did you get the inspiration to write this story?
When you developed the characters, did you already know who they were before you began writing or did they develop organically?
What was more important to you when you were writing: character development or plot?
What was one of the most surprising things you learned (about your story, about yourself, etc.) while writing?
What books or authors influenced your own writing?
What attracted you to the genre you write in?
What are you currently reading?
A lot of authors have a soundtrack while writing. Are there are songs you had on repeat?
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
What are a couple of your favorite movies to kick back with to relax?
Do you have a WIP? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you? What are your links?
Matthew, thank you so much for being a guest on Cats Luv Coffee Book Reviews!
Bring on the cakes, balloons, cakes, gifts, cakes, and…well…cakes. It’s time for Grier’s baby shower! Grier is ready to smile for the camer...
Review || How to Rattle an Undead Couple by Hailey Edwards
Bring on the cakes, balloons, cakes, gifts, cakes, and…well…cakes. It’s time for Grier’s baby shower!
Grier is ready to smile for the cameras, rip open the presents, and finally taste that lemon chiffon cake, but it’s just not meant to be. The Grande Dame is MIA, which turns the big event into an even bigger search party. And that delicious cake? It’s going right back in the fridge.
While Grier doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother-in-law, she’s determined her child will grow up with one living grandparent or else. Even if it means wiggling into maternity jeans, putting on actual shoes, and waddling over to Lawson Manor to investigate the potential kidnapping.
Just as the investigation turns a corner, Grier pays the price for her stress. The baby wants out ahead of schedule, and it has a unique way of making its desires known. Unique and terrifying. Now the race is on to find the Grande Dame before the baby makes his or her first appearance.
What do you get when you cross a goddess-touched necromancer with an Eidolon?
Linus and Grier are about to find out firsthand. Now they just have to survive parenthood.
Publication date: September 1st 2020 Links: Amazon | Goodreads C amille’s father just inherited the family manor from his estranged un...
Guest Post || Liz Butcher - Why Horror?
Horror is one of those genres that people seem to either or love or hate—and as
someone who’s enjoyed all things horror since I was a little girl (strange, I know) I’d never really questioned why I love the scare so much. When you think about it, fear sounds like a strange thing to enjoy! Yet, the way I see it, there is an escapism in reading horror novels and watching scary movies. It provides us with a controlled environment to experience that fear with the knowledge that we can turn it off or put it down at the end and walk away. Sure, the masked figure stalking us through the streets or the dead girl crawling out of the television are terrifying, but we know that we’re safe and out of harms way no matter how caught up we get in the story. So why do we do this to ourselves? Because the real world can be scary—and I don’t think we’ve seen any better example of that than this recent year. With so much ugly hatred and violence, sickness and uncertainty, to say the past twelve months or so have been horrific is an understatement. Even if you live in a country that hasn’t been as directly impacted by these events as others, there’s no escaping the ripples.
We all feel it. See it. Fear it. And so in fictional horror, we find an outlet to allow us to process those emotions with the knowledge that we’ll be okay once it’s over. Even if we need to go to sleep with the light on, we know that there isn’t really a boogeyman under the bed or an entity lurking in the shadows… Or is there?
As the death toll skyrockets, Jonah and his two best friends, the siblings Tristan and Ava Carter, find themselves at the epicentre of inexplicable phenomena—a stranded ferry transforms into a barge headed for the Underworld; young girls levitate to whisper ancient riddles; technology across the globe is controlled by some unseen hand. And it all seems to lead back to the woman with red hair. When a stranger finds them in the midst of a thunderstorm and offers his otherworldly assistance, Jonah finally unravels the truth about who he really is. And what it means for the rest of humanity.
Liz Butcher resides in Australia, with her husband, daughter, and their two cats. She’s a self-confessed nerd with a BA in psychology and an insatiable fascination for learning. Liz was previously the former Executive Assistant at the Horror Tree, which is a mainstream resource for authors and has published a number of short stories in anthologies including her own collection, After Dark, in 2018. Fates Fury was her debut novel and LeRoux Manor, her stunning new novel set for release, September, 2020.
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