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The Shackles of Time
Jesse Rosenbaum has an extraordinary knack for storytelling that feels electric and fresh. The Shackles of Time is a wild ride through a kaleidoscope of twisted realities, blending horror, sci-fi, and suspense. But it’s not just the genres that make this collection shine. It’s the way Rosenbaum pulls you into the scenes. Every moment unfolds vividly, almost like you’re watching a gripping movie play out in your mind.
The stories grip you with their intensity and originality. In “Eighty-Six,” Carmen grapples with her haunting past inside a desolate diner where the relentless rain seems alive with secrets. Then there’s “Downtime,” where time freezes mid-chaos, leaving you questioning what you’d do in such an unthinkable moment.
Rosenbaum doesn’t just tell tales; he throws you curveballs that leave your mind racing and your heart pounding. What truly sets this book apart is the characters. They feel raw and real. Carmen battles guilt and trauma, while Jankowski wrestles with a boss’s arrogance in a haunted theater basement. Their flaws make them human, their fears make them relatable, and their resilience makes them unforgettable. These are people you feel like you know.
The book’s atmosphere is an artful blend of retro and modern. It channels the eerie charm of The Twilight Zone but wraps it in today’s relatable complexities. Rosenbaum’s pacing is also excellent. He builds tension like a DJ holding the beat just before the drop, keeping you hooked until the final, unexpected twist.
If you love stories that challenge your mind and stir your emotions, The Shackles of Time is a must-read. Jesse Rosenbaum creates immersive experiences that linger with you long after the last page.
Pages: 306 | ISBN : 978-1304544285
The Loneliness of Miscommunication
The Curse of Balar follows the inhabitants of a decaying town starting with the murder of a young woman and leading to a sequence of vengeful events.What was the inspiration for this collection of stories?
I was working on another Gothic Horror novel (coming soon). For inspiration, I went back to the classics of the genre (e.g. Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.) and discovered that there might be unexplored aspects of the genre. The roles of female characters – for instance – were often limited. They were forced to accept what the male characters did to them – this did not seem right to me. All the stories flowed from this idea of subverting some of the tropes and seeing what came out of it.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Humans are contradictory animals. The angel of the mind is always at odds with the ape of the body – in some sense. For me, there is story (and to some extent, horror) in this inner conflict. We are capable of feeling great guilt, but we are not so capable of avoiding the cause of that guilt in the first place. Furthermore, we have sophisticated means of communicating (what other species has a writing system), yet we are doomed to misinterpret each other or hide our true feelings behind euphemisms and lies.
This has become a feature of my writing: the loneliness of miscommunication. This is perhaps a battle only literature can win. But for now, it is what interests me most and what keeps me coming back to the keyboard.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Scary stories stay with you. They stayed with me from childhood – a childhood in which I was given free rein of a library. I wandered into sections that were meant for older readers. I guess strange things happen when you finish all the Goosebumps and move on to Stephen King.
Furthermore, the unknown is scary – the unknown is a mystery (by its very definition). An unanswered question is what keeps me reading for all good books have a sense of mystery about them. Horror seems to embrace this aspect better than any other genre. Balar was my first step into this realm as a writer, and I hope that I instill that same sense of awe and curiosity in my readers.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am working on the rest of the Balar series. I am writing the next two installments concurrently. The first one is The Doom of Balar which I hope to release somewhere near the end of May 2024. There is a murder mystery at the heart of this short story collection, as Inspector Skender discovers a rather strange body left on display just outside the town. As he follows his leads, we discover more stories about the doomed residents of Balar.
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Beasts stalk the woods, the dead rise from their graves, and not all is as it seems. Everyone carries a secret — a secret that can either be a blessing or a curse.
Welcome to Balar, a secluded town in the Carpathian Mountains. With the turn of the Twentieth Century looming, the townsfolk cling onto old traditions and superstitions while the world around them steadily marches into a new age. But all is not well in this backwater, for paranormal killers stalk the streets, strange creatures wonder the woods, and a mysterious resident has moved into the ruined castle on the hill.
Now, strangers arrive in town in search of lost treasure, destiny, and blood. Will they find what they seek or will they — like many before them — succumb to the Curse of Balar.
Thirteen stories of supernatural horror await the bravest readers in this, the first of a series of stories exploring the many secrets of the cursed town of Balar.
Warning! This book contains adult themes of violence and sexual conduct. +18
No AI was used in the creation of this book.
Horror And Paranormal Stories
Twisted Tales from the Darkside – The Devil’s Playground is a collection of short stories that involve characters who have encounters with the devil or demons. Where did the idea for this collection come from?
I have always loved horror anthology TV shows, I had roughly six chapters of a novel written which had mixed ideas in it that did not make sense together, and I was having trouble with having enough material for a full novel at the time so I decided to pull two of the ideas out from those chapters and write short stories from them instead and add more into a published collection. All six of the stories in the collection followed the same theme, so that is why this one is subtitled.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Horror and paranormal hold a place in my heart and mind and have since I was very young. What intrigues me about these genres is the way one can make the unknown familiar and then rip us out of our comfort zone and creep us out or scare us enough to resonate with the memories of horror and paranormal stories told well whether on paper or onscreen.
What were some books or movies that you think were your main sources of inspiration for this novel?
My inspiration for this collection came from the quirky horror anthologies on TV: Creepshow (Shudder series and movies of the 80s), Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, and Outer Limits.
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 collection?
Yes, this is the first book in a series of 3 that I have planned. The second book is scheduled to be completed and published in October 2024.
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All six of the shorts in this collection installment involve characters who in some way, shape, or form brush elbows with the devil or demons.
Titles include:
Evil Rises
You Better Watch Out
The Devil’s Playground
In Evil Rises, the sole beneficiary of a funeral home uncovers a strange key in the office of his recently deceased father and learns a deadly lesson.
In You Better Watch Out, a spiteful twelve-year-old is kidnapped by a horrific Christmas Demon who puts Krampus to shame!
In The Devil’s Playground, a petty burglar happens upon an unlocked house in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen district and finds himself fighting for his life against a three-headed beast.
LITERARY TITAN 