Blog Archives
Stuck That Way and Other Quandaries
![Stuck That Way and Other Quandaries by [Julie Kusma]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fxTNNhTYL.jpg)
Stuck That Way and Other Quandaries by Julie Kusma is a collection of short stories that are delightfully unnerving. Ranging topics like beastly transformations, death curses, and demon hunters are all masterfully crafted to create raw emotion. Quick warming: These stories do have violent and disturbing scenes that I don’t think are appropriate for children.
My favorite story of the bunch is probably “By Induction”, a story about a woman who fully believes that she can curse people to their deaths by putting their name in a jar and putting that jar in her freezer. When her curse strikes again, she has a change of heart and decides to curse another. No spoilers, but it is a great short story.
Another great one is the titular story, “Stuck That Way.” A father is showing his young boy how to create a corporeal form in parts, but the mother warns against it, because she does not want him to become trapped inside a body and disappear from their plane of existence. It’s quick, unsettling, and a commentary on human life. Fantastic work.
The writing is very strong overall, and Kusma does well to develop setting and motivation for her characters before twisting the reader’s expectations and toying with the seemingly inevitable ends. She also does well by making the characters think and act very logically. It’s pretty easy to understand why the characters make their choices, even if the results are not positive. If there was a weakness in the writing, I would say that the rare moments of action are sometimes not clearly described, but these clear up quickly and efficiently.
I’ll be looking forward to more work from Kusma, and I hope that the next set of stories are just as chilling and unsettling.
Pages: 83 | ASIN: B088JT34CT
Unleashed Chaos/A Novel of the Breedline Series
Unleased Chaos takes place after the Breedline Covenant destroyed the Chiang-shih demon that had possessed Sebastian Crow, half-brother to Jace and Jem Chamberlain. Jace and Jem plan for their futures with their mates. But they have to contend with the possibility that Sebastian’s mate, Eve, is pregnant by the demon. There’s also the fact that Sebastian is still on the loose and has hooked up with his twin brother who is working with the scientists who have been experimenting on Breedline individuals.
Shana Congrove’s writing style makes this deep fantasy novel easy to read. Her characters are unique and well developed as well and I enjoyed the emotional turmoil around the mates. And through all of this the Breedline Covenant struggle to accept Eve’s and Sebastian’s twins. Will they accept the twins into their lives? This was something I was on the edge of my seat for. There are several events that happen after the twins are born that kept me engaged with the story.
There is a lot of conflict throughout this dark urban fantasy story. There is a lot of moving parts to the story and a lot of events that take place. Luckily the straightforward writing keeps us on track and always sure of what’s going on, which is a good thing because these are people going in all directions in this novel. I felt like this was the climax to a series finale of The Vampire Diaries, where a lot of the tension built up is released to entertaining effect.
While I did enjoy this story, I felt that Steven found himself trusting the Covenant a little too easily. With everything he’d been through with the scientists experimenting on him, I felt that it should have taken him longer to trust people he just met. But this is a gripe born out out of my connection to the character, as author Shana Congrove knows how to get you invested in what is going on.
Unleased Chaos is full of stirring characters inside of a realistic world, or as realistic as a paranormal action drama can get. Readers will be left wanting more of the drama and more of the conflict.
Pages: 329 | ASIN: B08WN4RHP7
What Life Throws At Us
A.G. Flitcher Author Interview
Boone and Jacque: Saddleton Haunting follows three kids who set out on a perilous quest to restore order and peace to their haunted town. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
This installment of the series concludes the three characters youth. In which I explore their mental growth. As for inspiration, I thought about my own troubles as a teen and child. Feeling like I had to grow up by myself. My father and mother taught me a lot, but I learned a lot about myself through my own reflection.
Secondly, I wanted to show how a person can learn about themselves throughout life without the influence of peers and parents. Sure we take lessons from all people, strangers or those we know well, but ultimately, it’s what life throws at us that makes us grow.
Boone, Shammy, and Jacque are interesting characters that are fun to follow. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Boone’s development had to do with untethering himself from the bad memories of his parents. Specifically when they started drinking and becoming neglectful. In addition, he had to learn how to deal with grief even though no one taught him how to do it in a healthy way.
Luckily Shammy was there to help him. However, she had her doubts about him because he wasn’t really showing any emotion until he decided to put his guard down and let the grieving process take over him.
Because she wasn’t meant to be a central character, I kept her development a little more internal. That way the readers can still her growing without overshadowing Boone and Jacque. She was unsure of her sexuality due to feeling distant from Boone. But once he started opening up, she realised it wasn’t her sexuality she wasn’t sure of. It was her trust and bond to Boone.
Jacque was unsure of his sexuality because he, nor the others, was taught about sexuality. He could be seen as gay at first, but he’s actually pansexual.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Sexuality, Greed, Power, Grief, Love, Feminism, Trauma, and Fear.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on the fourth installment of Boone and Jacque.
The subtitle was originally The Arnaud Murder, but I decided to change the title.
The story focuses on a murder of Jacque’s uncle, but the story runs far deeper than the mystery of a murder.
It will be out late 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
A strange being looms over Saddleton. Boone, Shammy, and Jacque must restore the balance in power and peace in this haunted town. However, just like in the beginning, there is no telling what will become of them in the end. Not even those in power and the sheep that follow them.
Born From A Dream
In the Beast’s Cage follows immortal Lord Blake who must stop an exotic game smuggler without revealing his dark secret. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My debut novel, In the Beast’s Cage, was born from a dream I had in 2016, the complexity and vividity of which still astonishes me today. So that I would not lose it back to the realm of sleep from whence it had come, I jotted down its essence before going back to sleep. A few years later, I would begin work on a short story, which is all that I thought the dream warranted, however, it quickly became apparent that I was dealing with something a great deal more complex than I had anticipated. In 2018, much to my own surprise, I had completed the first draft of a full-length novel.
The characters in your story were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I believe that, absent a proper backstory, the characters lack the depth needed to justify their actions in the story. If someone is evil without explanation, then what does that say about humanity? I have more faith than that and believe that those who do terrible things are driven to do so by some past trauma. To tell their stories humanizes them, and allows readers to sympathize with them while simultaneously rooting against them. It makes for a more authentic experience, especially when juxtaposed with those who have never known great loss, and their life choices and situations reflect the ease with which they have so far lived. Uncorrupted, but perhaps a bit unfair, too.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Good & Evil, and how the line between the two is often blurred and subjective. Blake, after all, was a murderer too. Also sacrifice (Blake refusing to jeopardize Ginny), friendship, and the importance of community in our individual successes.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on a religious satire that gives a (fictitious) historical account of biblical events. It is Science Fiction, generally speaking, but has deeper implications. I have written roughly 50K words and am probably at best half way through the first draft. I hope to have it completed within the next year if I can find the time!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
As Blake’s relationship with Ginny blooms, he finds himself involved in the insane zoo project and, when Bruce Kelly, an exotic game smuggler from South Africa, arrives in town on the eve of the grand reopening with a plan to rid the zoo of its valuable animal species, it is up to Blake, Hugo, and the old man to stop him, without revealing the terrible secrets of their pasts.
“Altgelt’s writing is beautifully lyrical, evoking the Victorian literature that seems to inspire his title character… A fresh and imaginative paranormal tale.” – Kirkus Reviews
Mac Altgelt is a risk management executive and investor in Texas. He is also a writer, short-film maker, musician, composer and world traveller. In music, he’s released two full-length albums and two EPs. He is the author of one humour book entitled, 101 Tips and Revelations from a Modern-Day Cynic (Black Rose Writing, 2017). This is his debut novel.
Got Me Fired Up
The Accidental Psychic follows a young woman who’s suddenly given supernatural abilities and becomes the target of an evil priest. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
This story has been a long, long time coming. I’m almost 64 years of age and throughout my extraordinary, and busy life I have always remained an ardent believer in the Afterlife and Spiritualism—which has grown stronger through researching the subject. Then about 20 years ago I was given a healing crystal that had been handed down through the females in my lineage, from as far back as 1820. It turned out, that my Great Grandmother was a well known psychic and healer and had had the crystal handed down to her.
I always knew that I was an intuitive and an empath, and my connection to other psychics from my ancestry got me fired up to write a fictional story about it. Also my daughter who is also and empath—and has the most extraordinary Aqua coloured eyes, had to be my protagonist, Annie Prior, and my front cover image.
The evil Priest, the antagonist, came from my unhappy days at a convent school 50 years ago. Although the Priest back then wasn’t evil, he still frightened the bejeebies out of all us school girls, so I used his looks and persona—although embellished slightly, as one of my main characters.
Annie is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
As previously explained, Annie Priors character was modelled on my daughters looks and persona, with the same long red hair and stubbornness to match. But the character’s many traits and experiences came from my journey through my younger years. In fact many of the characters are people I have met along the way, and their names are taken from my ancestors.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The Main theme is obviously spiritualism and psychic abilities, which I whole heartedly believe in—because I have received so much evidence which cannot be disputed.
An important theme was also the afterlife. What I really wanted to do was to get across to my readers that dying is not to be feared, but to be embraced as every part of our life should be. Also, that when a person dies they hold onto that same character over on the other side, and even come through with messages of humour, wisdom and revelations. Another theme I was adamant to get across is that although bereavement is a normal reaction to loosing a loved one, and will always remain with us which is right … but we need to realise that they are still there through a fine veil watching over us, and sometimes they even manage to get through with messages via clairvoyant mediums, to prove their existence to ease their devastated loved ones.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on the sequel, ‘The Eternal Psychic’ which is the second in ‘The Annie Prior Series.’ I knew when I was halfway through with my first book, that Annie had so many more adventures left in her. She remains the best Clairvoyant Medium in the country, and continues to give messages to the bereaved. She also morphs into becoming a Psychic detective with the help of DI Dan Watts from the Met. But the link she has to her ancestors proves too much, and she goes just a little too far in finding out where her abilities originate from.
‘The Eternal Psychic’ is due out April 2022.
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
After being rescued in more ways than one by a dark haired stranger from the train, two fatalities from the accident return to haunt her; and as Annie’s new Clairvoyant and Mediumship abilities grow, she is immersed into a realm of both needy and malevolent souls.
Despite an ongoing battle with her narcissistic family, and a boss with a dark past which continues to plague her, Annie comes to realise her strange new powers are there for reasons beyond the present.
She embarks on a life journey helping both the living and the spirit world to gain closure.
But, not all are happy with Annie’s new vocation.
The Dark Age Chronicles Book Two: Eve of the Hunters – Book Trailer
Stranded on an elusive island in the middle of nowhere, Eve and the others try to survive the island’s thick jungle. As they explore their surroundings they find what looks like an Aztec pyramid built in the center of the island. They soon learn that the island’s inhabitants are far from what they think, and it sends them in their darkest fears as they race for their lives against creatures hell bent on consuming them alive, and a family of sadistic hunters out for fun. Together they must pit all their survival skills to outwit their newest prison: a Labyrinth full of deadly traps…….meanwhile, unopposed, Nyx unleashes mankind’s greatest foe….the Ancient Enemy.
Nightmares Were Inspired
The Condemned follows a college kid who starts to have horrific dreams and discovers a chilling new underworld. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I started writing this story when I was in college in 2000, so the main character was inspired by myself at that age as well as my experiences at that time with regards to the college experience, social interactions, etc. The dreams and the landscapes that they take place in, were inspired by books like Dante’s, Inferno and Richard Matheson’s, What Dreams May Come, but also from some of my own nightmares. For example, the jungle and city environment nightmares were inspired by dreams I had in similar locations. My goal, when I started writing this, was to mix the current environment that I found myself in everyday as a college student and then delve deep into some of the more dark, horrific places that my imagination would take me.
Michael is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
When I started writing Michael as a character, I tried to channel some of my own personality into Michael. At that point in my life, I was dealing with a fair amount of stress. A friend of mine named Walter had recently crashed his car and died, all my close friends had moved away, I broke up with my high school girlfriend, and my parents were getting a divorce. I was in a very emotional and lonely place with an uncertainty weighing down on me. I tried to channel that emotion into Michael as a character as he goes through the story and reacts to the events unfolding around him. My hope is that many readers will see a bit of themselves in Michael and feel his humanity, love and struggle as he responds to the world around him.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I really wanted to tap into themes like the bonds of friendship, emotions like fear, isolation, as well as loss with regards to losing people close to you as well as your own self, but also examine strength. Specifically, how someone deals with finding their own strength in challenging situations. I also wanted to explore vampires, but in a unique way while trying to tie to some more common mythology. That desire to do so comes from my love of the horror genre as well as vampires. I do believe that I found a unique way of approaching that, which readers have told me is refreshing to see.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I actually have several projects in the works right now. There is a podcast episode that I wrote for The Bane podcast, which is the premium content podcast for The Grey Rooms podcast, and that story should be coming out toward the end of this year or the beginning of 2022. I don’t really have any insight into the release date yet, but once I know, I will be announcing it. As for my next book, I am in the process of finishing a short story anthology, which at current will contain eleven or twelve stories. I have two publishers interested in that anthology and I have to review the final details before deciding on which publisher to work with, but based on my discussions, it would be due out during the spring or summer of 2022. After that I will continue work on my next full novel, which is a horror story about a group of amateur paranormal investigators who get in way over their heads in Texas. I have already written three chapters of that and have done extensive research. I also have some ideas for more podcast episodes that I will submit to some shows that I really like.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
In every dream, I see this…figure. I’m drawn to it by some unknown desire, but regardless of how close I try and get, I can’t make out what it looks like. It’s wrapped in shadows, hidden from the light. And each time I see it, my mind screams to run, but despite my best efforts, I can’t. I stand there frozen with fear, surrounded by all this anguish, torture, and death, but this figure’s voice cuts through all the misery. Its voice is clear and surprisingly soothing as it says to me, “I will become of your world.” With each dream, I feel this figure pull me closer. It needs me for something, but what? Why does it keep showing me these things?
In the Beast’s Cage
![In the Beast's Cage by [Mac Altgelt]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qIViv8z3S.jpg)
In the Beast’s Cage is an intriguing paranormal thriller written by Mac Altgelt. The story follows multiple characters as their lives intersect and collide, from the mysterious Ainsley Blake to the gentle Virginia Harrison, as well as others, whose part in the story become clearer throughout the pages. Arriving in a small coastal town in Georgia, Blake sets off a chain of events that none in the town could have predicted, and one that surprises him as well.
The characters were absolutely riveting, with personalities and quirks that made them feel like real people. I had a particular affinity towards Ainsley Blake, whose story was revealed to the reader in small bursts that made his character each time clearer and more definite, akin to a sketch being slowly polished into a painting. But ever side characters are granted their own moment in the sun, bringing the story to life.
While I enjoyed the story and the characters, I felt that the number of characters and locations made the the story a bit hard to follow at times. I think this has more to do with the scale of the story. If you like deep and complex stories then this is definitely the novel for you as I can tell that a lot of care went into crafting the details of this story.
I also liked how mundane things, often overlooked, are given importance throughout the story. Books are a prominent example of this: throughout the story, they move from being mundane and common, to being prized and beloved. This romantic view of the mundane, of love and friendship, was well incorporated.
In the Beast’s Cage is a suspenseful supernatural story with a satisfying ending and was thoroughly enjoyable. The story has some creative supernatural elements and an organically high level of intrigue that will satisfy any fan of dark fantasy.
Pages: 176 | ASIN: B09819FRZP
LITERARY TITAN 