Blog Archives
Darkness and Blight
The story follows Lydarc, a shaman whose survival in the hostile wasteland of the bitterwood feels both desperate and defiant. Her battles with carrion ghouls, her visions, and her fraught ties to her tribe form the beating heart of the book. Alongside her are figures like Wayland, Rapha, Leisil, and Sitka, each carrying their own griefs and secrets. The novel shifts between past and present, weaving together brutal survival, strange magic, and an undercurrent of looming doom. It is a tale drenched in blood, pain, and flashes of tenderness, set in a world teetering on collapse.
The writing is harsh and unflinching, sometimes even grotesque, but it never feels hollow. Author Dap Dahlstrom has this way of dropping you right into the mud and gore, then undercutting it with dark humor or an intimate confession. I loved how Lydarc’s voice carried such bitter resilience, even when she teetered on madness. The story doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of survival, and I enjoyed that. Sometimes the violence was relentless. Every chapter bleeds. Still, I couldn’t look away.
The ideas behind the story fascinated me. The notion of peri-souls and spirit animals, the fractured world of “afterarth,” and the endless tug-of-war between survival and humanity gave me plenty to chew on. Sitka’s transformation into the bear was one of my favorite moments, both raw and oddly uplifting. And Leisil’s chapters hit me hardest. Her childhood trauma, her brutal induction into the Resistance, all of it felt painfully real under the fantasy trappings. I found myself angry, sad, and unexpectedly protective of her. The slang language was sometimes heavy, but it added character to the dialogue.
By the end, I came away impressed and strangely energized. This book is for readers who don’t mind being dragged through blood, madness, and despair if it means glimpsing strange beauty on the other side. If you like your fantasy dark, twisted, and uncompromising, you’ll find a lot here. I’d recommend it to fans of grimdark fantasy.
Pages: 372 | ASIN: B0FGK5NFPN
Once Upon a Safehouse
The story begins in Dobbs Ferry, New York, in the early 1960s, when Ivy Halliday receives a letter out of the blue from Argentina. Her uncle, a wealthy banker, has passed away and left her a sprawling fortune, a mysterious house called Casa Florencia, and a legacy she never expected. What starts as a thrilling surprise inheritance quickly spirals into something far more complex. As Ivy, her husband Glenn, and their two children travel to Buenos Aires to claim the estate, they’re drawn into a web of secrets connected to the aftermath of World War II, old family mysteries, and unsettling ties to the shadowy presence of Nazis who fled Europe after the war. The book unfolds with a mix of domestic charm, suspense, and lurking danger that creeps in through hidden doors, whispered rumors, and strangers who may not be what they seem.
I found myself pulled into this one almost immediately. The writing has a warmth to it, especially in the early chapters with Ivy’s family, that made me want to sit at their breakfast table and listen in. The descriptions of Buenos Aires were lush and inviting, and yet every time the narrative turned toward the darker threads, like the Nazi fugitives, the shadowy history of Casa Florencia, I felt my stomach tighten. That balance between light and heavy is tricky to pull off, but Quinn manages it well. At times, the prose leans a little old-fashioned, but that suits the period setting. I liked that it didn’t try to be flashy. It let the story carry the weight. The mystery around the wallpapered door in the mansion had me grinning like a kid, and the way tension built slowly but surely kept me hooked.
What really got me, though, was the emotional undertone of Glenn’s memories from the war. Those scenes were haunting, and they gave the book a gravity I wasn’t expecting. I could feel his reluctance to face Argentina, knowing the place had become a hiding spot for men he once fought against. As someone who loves mysteries, I appreciated that the danger didn’t just come from some masked villain lurking in the night but from history itself pressing down on the present. The family scenes sometimes lingered, and I caught myself itching to get back to the secrets. But when those secrets came forward, they delivered. The mix of personal drama, historical shadows, and good old-fashioned hidden-room intrigue made for a rewarding read.
Once Upon a Safehouse is the kind of book I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys mysteries laced with history, family drama, and just a touch of gothic atmosphere. If you like stories about ordinary people stumbling into extraordinary secrets, this will hit the spot. Fans of historical mysteries or readers curious about how World War II echoes could ripple into later decades will find plenty here to sink into.
Pages: 174 | ASIN : B0FPHQG2CQ
My Own Take On Elden Ring
Mercy: Tears of the Fallen follows a cast of broken warriors, seers, rebels, and rulers as they claw through violence, political upheaval, and their own personal demons. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The primary questions I asked myself when setting out to write this story were:
What if Aragorn lost everything after the War for the One Ring?
And what if Sam had to kill Frodo in order to save Middle Earth?
Taking those into my story as I explored my newly crafted world helped me identify key themes and modes of that very exploration.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
Inspiration for the setting came primarily from Elden Ring. There are so many deeply minted stories hidden in the Lands Between. And I truly wanted to create my own world with Elden Ring being a primary influence. I played a lot of World of Warcraft growing up, and so geographically as far as the continents and factions/races are concerned, one may find several similarities or at least be able to identify the inspiration there.
As far as the darkness of the setting goes though, Elden Ring has to take the biggest nod.
When creating the dynamic characters in this novel, did you have a plan for their development and traits, or did they grow organically as you were writing the story?
I had a plan for where each of the main ones started and where I wanted them to end up at the end of the four-volume epic. Other characters introduced themselves to me and I decided to explore their personalities and thoughts and mannerisms to really bring the life out of the story. Everybody is the hero of their own story—and I felt the need to put that on full display each time I entered a character’s perspective.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
The next book (MERCY: ILL IS THE FATE) is slated for release on March 31st, 2026. The cover reveal is September 25th. In this second installment, fans can expect a close-out of a lot of the questions I raised in the first volume.
This being a four-volume series, books one and two serve as a single “arc” just as books three and four will serve as the second “arc” of the story. And I’m very excited to share what’s in store (Already 10,000 words into drafting the third volume). And if anybody is curious as to more of the story, I have the “Blood Rebellion” Short story and the first four chapters of Tears of the Fallen available through my newsletter on my website!
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A paragon left for dead, Alevist Lightseeker sought peace—but peace had other plans.
Thirty four years past, the blade he buried must rise again. As he hunts the ones who shattered his world, another exile awakens—Erevayn. A man drunk on grief and bound by blood. A minstrel must bring the two together in a war against a rising ill fate.
Viyala, a lost love, unexpectedly returns and sparks a fire in Erevayn—but will it be enough to quell his thirst for vengeance? And will the world unfolding around her offer the chance for the future she has long desired?
Salasmir, Blade of the Reckoning, must answer the call of duty once again.
Hayde and Neera, twins of the Stained, hunt for sacred artifacts for their false king. Steyvin and Ilatu must travel across the Sundered Sea in order to do the same, but for their once wise father—who holds damning secrets of his own.
The Tears awaken—and call to the broken.
Two men, one path, and no Gods left to help them.
Some martyrs stay dead. Others—become legend.
The Raven Moonstone
When I think back on The Raven Moonstone, the first thing that comes to mind is the mix of everyday teenage struggles colliding with sudden tragedy and then spiraling into strange, magical chaos. The story follows Noah Farmer, a lanky high schooler who loses his parents in a bizarre accident and stumbles into a world where ravens seem to watch his every move and dusty old books hold actual spells. Goats, clowns, bullies, and oddball townsfolk all swirl together as Noah tries to deal with grief, responsibility, and this creeping sense that his life is turning into something both terrifying and extraordinary. It’s a coming-of-age tale wrapped in fantasy, but grounded in small-town life and the pain of loss.
Some of the early chapters felt slow, almost like the story was meandering around Noah’s world. But then, the weirdness started seeping in, and I couldn’t look away. The librarian turning into a goat had me laughing, and the recurring image of ravens circling overhead gave me chills. What really hit me, though, was how raw Noah’s grief felt. The anger, the guilt, the numbness, they all rang true to me. I’ve read plenty of fantasy where characters lose people and move on in a page or two, but here the pain lingers. It weighs down the story, and that made me care about Noah in a way I didn’t expect.
Some passages soared, pulling me straight into Noah’s mind, and others dived into description or dialogue. Still, I kept turning pages. There’s a quirky charm in the way goats keep showing up as both comic relief and accidental victims of Noah’s magic. The book has that mix of dark and light that reminds me of small-town ghost stories told around a campfire. You know it’s a little ridiculous, but you’re hooked anyway. And the author isn’t afraid to let things get messy, whether it’s family tension, awkward friendships, or magic that never quite works the way Noah hopes.
The Raven Moonstone is entertaining. It’s full of heart, strangeness, and some genuine emotional punches. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy young fantasy that doesn’t shy away from grief or from being a little weird. If you like stories where magic collides with everyday life, where humor and sadness sit side by side, this book will be right up your alley.
Pages: 291 | ASIN : B0BMZD2S2M
Mind The Blinds
Mind the Blinds follows Elyas, a seventeen-year-old boy living in Nigeria, who struggles with alexithymia and antisocial personality disorder while navigating a life marked by family violence, peer pressure, and dangerous encounters. What begins as a portrait of a boy hardened by neglect and abuse quickly turns into a tense psychological thriller. Elyas gets pulled deeper into violence, secrecy, and survival, while detectives and other students circle closer to the truth. The story balances the harsh realities of growing up in a fractured home with the moral and emotional weight of choices that can never be undone.
I found the writing bold and unflinching. It didn’t shy away from difficult moments, whether it was domestic abuse, corruption, or the chilling matter-of-factness with which Elyas recounts his killings. At times, I felt unsettled, almost claustrophobic, because the story is told in a way that makes you live inside his head. The raw honesty of his voice made me both want to recoil and lean in closer. It’s rare to see a book explore a young narrator with such a cold lens and still leave space for flashes of vulnerability, especially in his care for his younger brother.
Long descriptions of school life, conversations, and side characters slowed down the story as the tension was building. Still, those slower parts gave the book a certain rhythm, like a calm before the storm, and when the violence returned, it felt even more jarring. The contrast worked.
By the time I closed the book, I felt both rattled and impressed. It’s not a story that leaves you with peace of mind, but that’s the point. Mind the Blinds is best for readers who like dark psychological fiction, stories that question morality, and books that sit with you long after you’re done. If you’re willing to be disturbed, challenged, and even a little haunted, it’s well worth the read.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B0DK6MVGG7
The 7th Dimension (The 21 Tattoos Series Book 2)
Derek Hollinger, a plastic surgeon, finds himself at a crossroads. Life weighs heavily on him, and when inexplicable tattoos begin to spread across his body, he takes them as a sign of cosmic upheaval. Suddenly, his world feels orchestrated by hidden forces. A teenager’s brutal assault, a cryptic old woman, and a dying gang member capture his attention, each thread tugging at a larger mystery he cannot ignore. Convinced these events intertwine, Derek embarks on a perilous journey to reclaim control of his life. Along the way, he must outwit Spider, a ruthless criminal bent on destruction, and uncover a path toward the divine.
The 7th Dimension by Monica Broussard is a taut thriller, reminiscent of The 9th Gate and infused with echoes of Dan Brown’s bestsellers. Though it is the second installment in a series, Broussard skillfully provides context, allowing new readers to immerse themselves without confusion. The novel is an eclectic fusion of genres, melding the grit of Elmore Leonard’s crime tales, the intrigue of religious thrillers, and the structure of a police procedural.
At the center stands Derek, a layered and compelling protagonist. The tattoos mark more than his skin; they symbolize a reckoning with the very core of his existence. To shed them, Derek must confront his misplaced values and the moral rot threatening his soul. Yet the danger is not solely internal. The malevolent Spider stalks him with equal menace, ensuring that Derek is besieged both from within and without. This dual conflict heightens the suspense, drawing readers deeper into his desperate struggle. The more we discover about Derek, the more his plight elicits pity, and the more we long for his release from the curse he bears.
Broussard demonstrates remarkable control over atmosphere and tension, driving the narrative toward a searing climax in the book’s final act. Her dialogue rings true, her pacing sharp, her tone deliberate and assured. The 7th Dimension delivers a chilling, thought-provoking tale that cements Broussard as an author capable of balancing imaginative concepts with gripping execution.
Pages: 230 | ASIN : B0DC1R9XTV
A Fresh Start For Humanity
Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One follows the last survivors of humanity who have, for generations, drifted through space and now, after their ship is sabotaged, are forced to land on what they now call Earth 2. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
What a great question! Thank you for asking it.
I live very near a beach in Wales called Freshwater West. It’s a beautiful beach and I walk on it pretty much every day. Whilst walking on this one beach in Wales, I will see the debris of humankind. Our rubbish. Manmade items that have no place in the natural world. I am constantly being shocked by what I see in this very small corner of the world and this is just one beach. I’m sure you could walk on every beach in the world and experience shock and horror at what we’ve done. And what I see is of little consequence to the bigger picture. What is the rubbish made of and where do we get the materials to make the rubbish in the first place, that’s the bigger picture. And, of course, I’m only scratching the surface here… So, to keep this short, I find myself gasping on the same question every day: imagine how beautiful this planet would be without humans?
I’m a novelist and my tools are words, so the story evolved upon the question: imagine if we were offered a new, uncontaminated planet and a fresh start, how would I, as an author, wish to see humanity move forward…?
And I wanted the main character to be an individual in perfect harmony with the natural world, so through that character I could play with scenarios and ideas about what it must feel like to be truly in harmony with nature and with all my fellow natural beings.
One of the things that stands out in your novel is the complex relationships of the survivors as they try to rebuild a life on this new planet. What aspects of the human condition do you find particularly interesting that could make for great fiction?
I like your use of the term ‘human condition’, because we live in societies where we are conditioned to live in particular patterns and aspire to particular goals. I could go on, but let’s keep this simple. On the spaceship, everyone was forced to live together in a sterile, confined space. They knew no different, so it wasn’t really a problem, that is, until they were exposed to the hope or the opportunity to explore their own dreams and aspirations. They land on a planet without any experience of how to live in the ‘real’ world. They are completely innocent, except for information and data they have with regard Original Earth. So I asked myself the question: where do these people begin to build a community into a free-thinking society? To begin to answer that question, I reflected on a passage in a previous novel I’d written called Delphian. In the novel there is this relevant passage:
For some reason his thoughts always ended up at the same questions: society and establishment; two words describing the maze of structure created to protect and enable the vast variety of people to live in apparent harmony. His mother had put it perfectly when she’d said: ‘People are different shades of colour, darling, and too often the colours clash.’ She was so right. Different shades of colour. Beautiful. Different shades of personality in a rainbow of dreams, aspirations, hopes and desires… It is we, collectively, who accept terms like human resources, for instance. It is we who put up fences labelled ideology and either stand on one side or the other and proclaim this is right and that wrong…
As an author, I’m hugely excited to explore this landscape. No spoilers, but in books two and three you see those colours naturally coming together and blending, whilst other colours clash and pull apart. I leave that very much to the characters to play out. I’m in discussion with a film producer at the moment, not for Original Earth, but another story, but he complimented me on the fact my scenes breathe. I know what he means, but I don’t create that, the characters do.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
That’s an easy question. The damage we have done to planet Earth. The damage we have and are continuing to do to ourselves, because, whilst we poison the planet, we also poison ourselves. And the damage we have done and continue to do to the planet and all other life forms with whom we share this space has to stop, because we only have this one planet. I write fiction so can imagine exploring different worlds, but will humanity survive our collective suicide in order to really explore other worlds?
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
Anu grows closer to Sonri and together they will explore the universe. You already see that in books two and three and in all the planets Anu visits you’ll see a reflection of humans on Earth. For instance, in book three Anu visits a planet run by a humanoid species governed by a repressive, authoritarian ideology similar to Afghanistan and the Taliban – Anu, of course, liberates the women in that society. In book four, the novel I’m currently writing, Anu returns to Original Earth about 150 years in our future. Planet Earth is unrecognisable.
I think in the back of my mind, I always had the idea I’d like Original Earth to evolve in a similar way the stories of Star Trek must have for Gene Roddenberry.
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Now, armed with some knowledge of the complex relationships that exist between both fauna and flora – all life with whom we share this incredible planet – what lessons have we learned?
This is a story about a new beginning…
Anu has a gift: her personal vibration is in perfect harmony with the natural world.
Pandemic Hacker 2
Pandemic Hacker 2 picks up with Martha recovering in a secretive clinic in Mexico City, her body rebuilt after brutal surgeries that make her unrecognizable. What begins as a personal transformation quickly escalates into a battle with an extortion group exploiting patients who change their identities. At her side is Zoe, the AI she created, who takes on human personas like Aunt Tilly, Angela, and Andy to shield its true nature while navigating the human world. Together, they weave through deception, hacking, and survival. The book blends the gritty details of Martha’s physical recovery with the tension of digital warfare and the looming threat of being hunted, creating a fast-paced thriller that never lets up.
The descriptions of Martha’s surgeries and recovery were raw and vivid. I could feel her pain, her frustration, and her determination bleeding through the page. The way the author wrote her interactions with Zoe was fascinating. The AI was curious, literal, and sometimes naïve, and that contrast made their conversations both touching and eerie. The hacking sequences and background-building explanations were interesting, but occasionally slowed the momentum with heavy detail.
What worked for me the most was Martha herself. She is flawed, stubborn, and relatable, yet her resilience made me root for her even when she pushed people away. I liked the dynamic with Merisel, the nurse who reluctantly became part of Martha’s world. Their relationship brought in much-needed warmth and humor. It often felt like I was catching my breath only to be thrown headfirst into the next storm. That rhythm created suspense, but it also left me wanting a deeper pause to connect with Martha beyond her mission.
Pandemic Hacker 2 is a gripping and tense continuation of the series. It’s not light reading, but it’s engaging and thought-provoking. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy cyber-thrillers, stories of reinvention, or tales that merge high-tech intrigue with raw human grit. If you like protagonists who refuse to give up no matter how much the odds stack against them, this book will hit the mark.
Pages: 284 | ASIN : B0FNRWGBRZ
LITERARY TITAN 