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Abyssal Echoes
Mustafa A. Nejem’s Abyssal Echoes is a sci-fi horror epic set in the crushing blackness of Earth’s deepest ocean trenches. It follows the crew of the submarine Pacifica on a research expedition that quickly spirals into a confrontation with ancient ruins, alien technology, and horrors not of this world. What begins as a scientific survey becomes a descent into madness, mystery, and metaphysical dread, as the crew uncovers evidence of an extinct, hyper-advanced underwater civilization and awakens dormant forces that seem bent on rewriting evolution, and maybe even reality itself.
The writing is brisk and cinematic, and Nejem has a knack for making even the most impossible sci-fi ideas feel grounded. I was hooked from the first dive into the hadal trenches. There’s a real sense of awe and dread that reminded me of the first time I watched Alien or The Abyss. The science fiction is chewy enough to be thought-provoking but never gets bogged down in tech speak. And the horror is not cheap scares. It creeps up on you. The chapters unravel like found footage or a lost logbook, giving the whole thing an eerie realism I didn’t expect.
But what I really liked was the way the book handles its ideas. There’s something ancient and cosmic at play, something that brushes against theology and philosophy without being preachy. The alien race, the Aen’Bri, aren’t just another version of us, they’re genuinely other, and their technology is so advanced it borders on magic. There’s a grim warning running through the whole book: that curiosity has a cost, and that some doors, once opened, can’t be shut. That theme, of knowledge becoming its own curse, resonated with me. I didn’t always love the pacing; a few segments toward the middle got repetitive with rescue missions and creature encounters. But those were small bumps in a book that otherwise kept me fascinated and creeped out in the best way.
Abyssal Echoes is perfect for readers who enjoy sci-fi that leans into horror. Think Event Horizon, The Thing, or Annihilation. If you like stories about the unknown, especially the unknowable, this book is for you. I’d especially recommend it to fans of deep-sea horror, cosmic dread, or anyone who enjoys fiction that makes them feel both tiny and terrified in the face of the universe.
Pages: 159 | ASIN : B0CQFP6WB5
Side Quest: Stories
Jalyn Renae Fiske’s Side Quest is a spellbinding short story collection that threads together the fantastical, the bizarre, the sorrowful, and the hopeful into a vivid tapestry of speculative fiction. Each tale feels like its own little world, yet they all orbit the same sun. Stories about transformation, identity, and the human ache to find meaning in magic, or at least something just beyond reach. From haunted boxes that hold hearts to candy that can bend reality, Fiske’s writing thrives in liminal spaces where myth rubs up against memory and childhood wonder is soaked through with grown-up grief.
Fiske writes like she’s pulling you by the hand into each scene, whispering truths you’re not sure you’re supposed to know. The imagery is lush and often strange in the best way. Raw, dreamlike, sometimes grotesque, but always beautiful. Her story “Soul Candy” was one of my favorites. It dances between sci-fi satire and horror with a slow burn that leaves a pit in your stomach. It’s not just about mood-altering sweets; it’s about how easy it is to surrender yourself to illusion when reality offers so little warmth. And then there are stories like “Heart Box” that broke me open quietly, like a poem with a knife tucked between the lines. Fiske writes grief with a tenderness that hurts. She captures children in these moments of impossible emotion and makes them feel completely real. And she never talks down to her characters or her readers.
A couple of the stories leaned into allegory or felt like exercises in style rather than fully lived-in worlds. But even then, the writing kept me in it. Fiske knows her craft. She’s playful, she’s weird, and she’s sharp. I also loved the way she framed the whole collection as her “side quests,” which made me think differently about short stories, not as detours but as power-ups, each one leveling up the voice of a writer who’s still growing and pushing herself.
I’d recommend Side Quest to anyone who loves speculative fiction with a soft heart and a sharp edge. Fans of Kelly Link or Carmen Maria Machado stories will feel right at home here. If you’ve ever wanted to disappear into a story that feels like it a dream, this collection is a must.
Pages: 227 | ASIN : B0DKCYY7LG
Literary Titan Gold Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
Crimson Hearts by Susan Reed-Flores
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
I Wanted To Write A Ghost Story
The House on Chambers Road is a haunting novel about a grieving widow drawn to a mysterious colonial house where the past refuses to stay buried and grief takes spectral form. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
First of all, I wanted to write a ghost story. But not one that depended on jump scares and malevolence. I wanted it to be about the characters and their journeys. And since I love history, the story had to feature some element of the past that is connected to the present, that is still alive. Old houses fill that role nicely. The old house in the story is very much influenced by Historic Waynesborough, an 18th-century property where I’m a tour guide. Every time I walk through the door there, the past washes in around me. It feels close and immediate.
How did you approach balancing historical accuracy with supernatural elements in the 18th-century timeline?
I had already done a lot of research for my last book, Clara in a Time of War, set during the Revolutionary War, so I had lots of good material from that regarding time, place and culture. And having grown up just outside of Philadelphia, I was steeped in history, especially the 18th century. Also, I love old objects and wanted to incorporate them into the story. But I wanted them to have their own histories and to illuminate character and emotion. They weren’t to be just old things. They had to have mystery to them, to have meaning to the people who owned them, and to echo through time, in fact travel through time.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Love, loss, and grief, for sure. And guilt. It’s the part of loss that rarely gets talked about. It feels so uncomfortable. In this story the element of guilt is heightened for both main characters. And with that goes a desire for redemption. How do we find a way to forgive ourselves and move on? Navigating relationships, with all their complicated facets, was also a theme. Marriages and friendships form the crux of the characters’ lives, and just as with an old house or object, they have histories. The good, the difficult, and everything in between.
What was the most challenging scene for you to write?
The scenes having to do with the haunting were challenging. I didn’t want to overdo them. They needed to be measured, to build one upon the other, and to have an element of fear but not too much too soon. The other difficult scene was Libby’s final realization of what happened in the house and how it tied into her own experience. How would she react in a way appropriate to the moment and circumstance? It’s an epiphany, and a vital one. How would she process it?
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C.J. McGroarty blends the gothic touches of a good ghost story with the rich, evocative details of historical fiction in this tale of love, loss, and redemption.
Interior designer Libby Casey desperately wants to move on from her grief and the painful secret that has plagued her since her husband’s death. When she buys an 18th-century house on the outskirts of town that she feels inexplicably drawn to, she thinks she has a chance to do just that.
But soon after moving in, she finds she’s not alone. An ominous voice whispers in the night, mysterious objects appear and disappear, and odd scents waft from the old kitchen garden.
Looking for answers, she digs into the history of the estate and the man who built it, Hugh Peter Jones. Like Libby, Hugh harbored his own troubling secret. But will this secret hold the key to banishing her ghost for good? And will Libby finally find the peace she desires?
The House on Chambers Road: A Ghost Story
C.J. McGroarty’s The House on Chambers Road is a haunting and richly layered novel that weaves historical fiction, supernatural mystery, and emotional healing into a single narrative. It’s the story of Libby Casey, a grieving widow who stumbles across a colonial-era Georgian house that seems to call to her in unexplainable ways. As she peels back the layers of the house’s past, she also confronts the secret weight of her own guilt and sorrow, both of which refuse to stay buried. The novel dances back and forth in time, from present-day Pennsylvania to 18th-century colonial life, slowly knitting together the lives of those long gone with the living.
Reading this book felt like stepping into a fog and watching ghosts take shape—slowly, deliberately, with elegance and dread in equal measure. McGroarty’s writing is lush without being showy. Her descriptions pull you in gently and don’t let go. I loved the way the house became almost a character of its own, whispering through the walls, sighing through the floorboards. There’s something beautiful and sad about the way McGroarty captures grief—how it lingers in quiet rooms and unfinished conversations. Libby felt real to me in a way that made her struggles hit close to home. Her grief isn’t tidy. It’s jagged and painful, and that’s what makes her story compelling.
Some scenes stretched a beat too long, and I found myself wanting the plot to move faster, especially during moments of introspection. But then McGroarty would reel me back in with a sudden, eerie detail—a glove that doesn’t belong, a name whispered in the night, a dream that bleeds into memory. These small, chilling touches reminded me why I was hooked in the first place. The historical chapters, in particular, were vivid and emotionally resonant. Hugh and Miranda’s story added a quiet gravity, grounding the supernatural in something relatable.
The House on Chambers Road is a gentle, unsettling, and beautifully told story about memory, loss, and the way the past lingers just beneath the surface of the present. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy ghost stories with depth, character-driven fiction, or novels that explore the thin veil between history and now. If you’ve ever loved a house so much it felt like it loved you back, this book is for you.
Pages: 286 | ISBN: 1956615490
Readers Wanted More
Rise of the Hunter follows a man who was thrown into a pit and supposed to be dead, who escapes, igniting a war between good and evil. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was prepared to end the series with the previous book in the trilogy but over 150 readers sent me emails wanting to know more about what could’ve happened if the Tall Dark Man had more of a role. Readers in my Blood Prophecy Saga love the Tall Dark Man and after thinking about it, The Dark Prophecy Series in the saga was born. Rise of the Hunter is the first installment of the Tall Dark Man’s Trilogy in which he could be seen as the protagonist from the villain’s perspective. I tend to love my villains in all my books so this was a perfect way to bring evil back to life in the Blood Prophecy Saga.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s Tall Dark Man’s development?
The main idea about the Tall Dark Man is that you will never get a complete description of his face. I will bring out bits and pieces of certain characteristics but because evil can come in many different forms, this was a perfect way to bring him to light. In the next book, Fate of an Angel, readers will learn that he looks different to different people. Evil has many different forms. The Tall Dark Man is also a man, but an evil one. He is not a supernatural being but can possess supernatural abilities. The premise of evil and how it evolves is what gives the Tall Dark Man his edge, his nature and the persona that my readers embrace.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
I never know how my story will begin or end. I just tend to write and let my characters do the talking. The twists and turns come naturally to me, allowing my creativity to dominate. I can’t sit down and plot my stories, but I definitely do research and travel to locations I write about.
Where does the story go in the next book and where do you see it going in the future?
Fate of An Angel is the next book in the trilogy, The Dark Prophecy Series and will focus on the relationship between the Tall Dark Man and Zaraquel, the Avenging Angel. She is under his spell and faces the turmoil of giving into evil to be with him or to choose the light and save her family. Together, they embark on a journey that the Tall Dark Man learns could be his undoing or his success in overthrowing the queen.
There will also be novellas on the Tall Dark and his witches, just like I had done in the Blood Prophecy Series.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
The queen and her friends threw me into the dark pit three years ago, and I sought a way out, having used the power and life force of the others who were also thrown in. Today, I am free and planning my vengeance against her and the others.
In a supernatural world filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, and angels, I will have my revenge against them. I am the epitome of evil and didn’t die like they thought. There’s a third prophecy with a nice little catch! This prophecy is meant for me; my revenge will turn the tables on the queen and her friends. I will turn them all against her, and according to the prophecy, the avenging angel be mine. Forever. As for the others, they will serve me.
It’s time for me to rise, beginning with the birth of a new hunter, new demons, and an angel that will be mine. Vengeance against the queen will be mine.
Rise of the Hunter is the fourth book in the Blood Prophecy series and is the first book of a new trilogy for the Tall Dark Man. It is full of dark magic and vengeance with a twist of good vs. evil but will good win this time? This supernatural book is set in the modern-day world between supernaturals to control the world and unleash evil as the world prepares for peace.
Creating a Unique Creature
JaqueJaw follows a broken, brilliant man with childhood trauma, a twisted fascination with chaos, and unchecked scientific ambition, who creates the ultimate predator and unleashes it on hikers and townsfolk, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup of the story: I had an image of one of my characters pop in my head before writing. Benji Crudry. I saw him talking to a group of scouts in my mind and the JaqueJaw was peering through mangled brush, as they were sitting upon logs around a campfire in the woods. In the final draft of JaqueJaw though, Crudry talks to Albie and Nathan and they see the JaqueJaw weave in and out of view. So, slight change.
Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
I am generally happy with the characters I’ve created. This being noted, I think there could be room to delve deeper into each character and possibly create stories based upon the individual characters e.g. more of their lifestyles, their dreams/interactions, pre and post. There could be offshoots in other words depicting their minds and associated attributes including their various flaws/dysfunctions. The impetus of the story or the skeleton of the story, if you will, originally revolved around the premise of writing a simple type trope where a monster i.e. the JaqueJaw attacks a variety of people and kills them off mercilessly. I realized later on that I needed a type of storyline and other characters that could serve to embellish the story and flesh it out more to better entertain.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The theme of revenge seems to be embedded in human nature via jealousy and hate/rage. I am interested in understanding why people and why my characters do what they do and perhaps more importantly, how they do what they do, all in all. The theme of social interaction is big on my list as well to explore. How are the characters interacting with one another? What motivates them to act, and how do they treat one another based on their flaws and attributes in general? Additionally, another theme I found important to explore was/is the idea of JaqueJaw and how to make it frightening to readers. Consequently, I found that Bardd needed to be portrayed as having a type of “hypnotic romantic” relationship with JaqueJaw in terms of subjective creation and exploration of creating a unique creature, which even though frightens Bardd, still makes him proud and protective of his creation because he created it. So, in this way, there is a type of egomania and moxie in Bardd and also a curious contradiction here. That is, there’s an equation of fear and love that Bardd has for JaqueJaw, but also a willingness, especially towards the end, to give up and forget about his creation and even Darla, his sister, in the end. These aspects serve to provide David L. Bardd with more complexity I feel.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m working on a romance story now. It’s too early for me to pin a date of release. To provide some context, JaqueJaw and A Love Refracted In A Stream took me about seven years to write(I started them both circa 2017) So, it will depend upon a couple of things, in terms of actual writing and editing. Also, the preparation and “finalization” of the manuscript (with a publishing group) may be an issue.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
LITERARY TITAN 