Hey all! So this weeks Friday Blog Post is for the readers!
I tweeted out asking for authors having anything for Black Friday for Kindle type deals and got a good response! Please find them here.
All links are US (except page links) and prices are subject to change – so apologies – I’ve done my best to list them correctly! ** As always Amazon can sometimes be uncooperative.
ART
over on Instagram user Retech_org will be having an art sale. Take a look and see if anything catches your eye! Various discounts, but could make for a great Xmas gift for a loved one ; Instagram.com/retech_org/
PACKAGES
Hunter Shea has some amazing Hellion packages for sale – signed books, pins stickers etc. email him at huntershea1@gmail.com for details!
GIVING TUESDAY
The amazing Sonora Taylor is having a Giving Tuesday donation event. On Tuesday, December 3rd, for every copy of her books sold she’ll be donating $1 to the DC Central Kitchen (https://dccentralkitchen.org/) and for every copy of ‘Please Give’ sold she’ll donate $2. Fantastic initiative and Sonora is an amazing author!
West Virginia University Press is having a 30% off sale with discount code Holiday19. This also includes Valerie Nieman’s Appalachian Horror release!
Cody Tuff’s release Ration will be a part of that Apex Book Company Black Friday Sale, but if you are looking just for it;
V. Castro’s fantastic vampire story ‘Maria The Wanted and the Legacy of The Keepers (The Keepers Series Book 1)’ just turned one and in celebration she has it on sale for $0.99
The third book in Beverley Lee’s Gabriel Davenport series ‘The Purity of Crimson’ is on sale for $0.99!
‘The Cult Called Freedom House’ by Stephanie Evelyn will be free for five days starting on Black Friday!
‘Dead Aware: A Zombie Journey (Dead Aware Book 1)’ by Eleanor Merry will be $0.99 all weekend!
Michael Clark’s ‘The Patience of a Dead Man’ is free!
Kelly Evans has some of her books on sale for $0.99 including these two;
Alyson Faye’s ‘Trio of Terror – Supernatural Tales’ will be free on Friday and Saturday!
Eve Harms ‘The Secret Name (Kendra Temples: The Demonic Diaries Book 1)’ is available for free!
A.C. McDowell will have ten free copies of their novella ‘OFF.’ Message direct on Twitter. If you miss out, you can still snag it on Amazon.
Kevin J. Kennedy will be having his three Xmas Horror Collection’s for 99P which I think works out to be about $1.30
‘The Portable Horrors of CJ Bow’ by CJ Bow is on $0.99 deal. Definitely a must read!
The always fantastic Glenn Rolfe has three of his books on sale for $0.99 right now. He’ll also be doing a Q & A over at the Facebook page “Books of Horror,” so go check that out!
E. Reyes will have both his collections for $0.99 on the 29th!
Probably the biggest Black Friday sale I’m seeing for an author is the amazing Michael Patrick Hicks! All of his ebooks are only $0.99 including the fantastic ‘Revolver,’ ‘Broken Shells,’ ‘Mass Hysteria,’ and ‘The Resurrectionists.’
Aiden Merchant has announced his collection/omnibus ‘Nineteen’ will be on sale for $0.99. Almost 700 pages for short stories. Amazon is taking it’s sweet time to publish it, but as of right now it’s available on Barnes & Noble
David Sodergren has both his fantastic books – The Forgotten Island and Night Shoot on sale for $0.99 this weekend!
Last, but not least – ME! I have two Kindle freebies for you as thanks!
And as always – Ritual is only $0.99
If anything comes up on my radar today or tomorrow morning, I’ll add it to the list! Otherwise enjoy and thanks for checking this out. I just wanted to put something together to make life easier for everyone and hopefully folks won’t miss out on some good deals!
As you may have previously seen – I’d had planned for ‘Piece of Me‘ to come out on December 1st. Due to some happenings (which I wish I could say more of – but can’t just yet!) I’m pushing it back to the 15th. You’ll know exactly why in the next weekish here and it’s a great reason!
So let’s chat a bit more about ‘Piece of Me.’
Piece of Me
Prepare to return to the world that first appeared in ‘For Balder Walks.’
I had an idea pestering me for some time after writing Balder. I wanted to expand upon the world that I’d created and bring some life to the ‘other things’ that might inhabit that world.
I also found that as time went on, I wasn’t really writing any strong female characters. Maybe it’s my comfort level of writing male based stuff, but the only female based characters I’d really created were Rose, Jane & Penny from ‘Jane: the 816 Chronicles,’ and a lot of people seem to really love those characters.
So, I took some time and created my character first. I jotted out Kari in as complete form as I could. What her childhood had been like, her family, her life arc. Then I started to fill in the details. Then, in true Steve fashion, I took some time to create something devastating for her. And thus the path was laid before her about what this story would be about.
There has been some really stunning pre-release reviews from people already. I have to say – it’s made me pretty emotional seeing this one come together and then finding out other people are getting just what I’ve attempted.
“This story is akin to an adult fairy tale that melds horror with wonder, sparing no details of violence or trickery. Ultimately, it forces the main character to face irreversible hard choices, which she confronts with aplomb. Reading this book is like watching an epic movie in your head.” – Janie C – Goodreads review.
At it’s heart – Piece of Me is a story that follows a woman who will do absolutely anything to be reunited with her family. A decade ago, her husband and son left on a hunting trip – wanting to pad their food supplies before the winter arrived. They never came home.
So, now Kari waits for them.
This is a dark, epic fantasy with hard horror leanings. There are creatures that live in the dark, there are predators that hunt humans and there are other humans who want to stay alive when food is dwindling in such a harsh climate.
“Stred not only wove this beautiful, harrowing story of friendship and deception and sacrifice, he also built an entire world full of desolate landscapes, terrifying and hideous beasts, this world, the world beyond, and the realms between. He crafted his story so we, the readers, do not just read the feelings and emotions of the characters, of the world.” – Lauren, Goodreads review.
Before I’d wrapped up ‘Piece of Me,’ I’d actually written another short story set in the same world.
‘Poppa?’ was something I’d had in a short form for some time, trying to execute into a longer narrative. I ended up editing and modifying it for feature during last year’s Christmas Celebration at Kendall Reviews.
Both ‘For Balder Walks,’ and ‘Poppa?’ will be included with the release of ‘Piece of Me’ as a bonus. For Christmas at Kendall Reviews this year, a third short that takes place in that world will also be available, one that tells us a bit about a character in ‘Piece of Me’ that we never find out what happens to them. See keep an eye out for that.
“The world that MC Kari lives in is a brutal, frozen, cold and unforgiving place! The landscape is filled with valleys, hills, mountains, rivers and forests that during the winter months are frozen, windswept and covered in snow measured by the foot! Creatures inhabit these forests, creatures of the night!” – Valerie, Goodreads review.
As for the release of ‘Piece of Me’ – it will be available in ebook and paperback again. At this point, I’ll only be doing these two versions, but will absolutely be doing a limited hardcover at some point. The cover is gorgeous.
This was created by my usual artist Mason McDonald. My father in law – Peter Lush took a stunning photo of his fire pit for me in Fort McMurray, which I then had Mason modify and adjust to be used.
“Piece of Me is a tale of the all consuming darkness of grief and what it does to the person or persons it touches. Stred has done a fabulous job in showcasing this without pandering to stereotypes or being overly sympathetic – this is not a pity party. But due to his fresh and bold approach at detailing grief, Stred has created a tale that is unlike anything you would have read before.” – Ross Jeffery, Author of Juniper
The ebook will be a last celebration for you all. This year has been an absolutely outstanding year for me both on the writing side and on the reviewing side – but more importantly – on the personal side. I’ve connected with so many great people and forged fantastic friendships. I love helping to support everyone and build folks up – and to everyone who does that to my stuff – thank you!
I never want price to be a barrier to enjoying my stuff. Yes, I need to be paid for my work – all artists should, but as things grow and expand, I can still offer some discounts where and when I can.
So for the first two months – from December 15th, 2019 until February 15th, 2020 – the Piece of Me ebook will be $0.99 US as a thanks. After that it will return to the usually $2.99 rate that I usually have all of my ebooks set at!
“Kari is a great protagonist: pitted against a largely male cast of men and monsters, all of whom harbor their own plans for her, she knows and relies on her own beliefs and talents.” – BP Gregory, Author of Flora & Jim
“While I’ve given you a starting point of the plot, this piece has depth I can’t begin to describe without spoilers. You will enjoy the pull of magic, a trip into other realms and planes of existence, and more wonderful, hideous creatures than you know what to do with.” – Zen Bookworm, Goodreads review
As for the paperback, I’m not sure on the pricing yet. I always try and keep them fair and low, but with this cover, I may need to a gloss finish (like Invisible) and let it pop!
“I’m ever amazed by this authors huge imagination to bring stories to life, characters you cry over and the emotional response he brings to you.” – Kim Napolitano, Goodreads review
A lot of the mythology in ‘Piece of Me’ was inspired by Norse and Scandinavian history. I did use my author imagination to modify and adjust as needed – so apologies, no offence is meant to anyone from those regions.
To say I’m excited for this release is an understatement. It’s a story that I absolutely adore and I think the character of Kari may become my all time fave character – both a character I’ve created, but anyone who enjoys my stuff will fall for her.
I hope you all will enjoy.
Ritual
I just want to touch on Ritual a bit, because it’s the little train that could. This thing is still chugging along and I’m really surprised and pleased with the response. I’ve said it a few times – but I expected a lot of 1 and 2 star reviews for this one because of the depraved content. That most seem to think it was a fun read, says a lot about just how diverse the horror reading world is!
So thank you!
Remember – it’s always a $0.99US ebook!
Lastly – I want to touch on some music I’m digging and what’s up in life!
Music;
If you’ve read my blog or followed my tweets or even enjoyed my Tunes From the Crypt feature on Kendall Reviews – you’ll know I love Hardcore.
Well – the godfathers of Hardcore have a number album coming out and they’ve just released a new song – and it crushes.
Agnostic Front – Spray Painted Walls
Gatecreeper – Everlasting
These guys just pummel and the new album is ferocious. Would love to see them live!
Dimmu Borgir – Mourning Palace (Live)
One of my fave Borgir tunes, this band was played in heavy rotation while writing Piece of Me. One thing I love about this video is the one orchestra member who is clearly a Dimmu fan!
Cradle of Filth – Blackest Magick in Practice.
Another stunning song from a band I love. This was also in heavy rotation during the writing. Dig it!
To wrap this longer post up – life has been great, if not hectic. I’m still getting over the remnants of a head cold and we’ve been hit with snow! Mr. Man is now getting excited for Christmas stuff – the lights, Frosty and Reindeer, so I think this holiday season will be really neat.
So, yesterday over on our Kendall Reviews group Twitter message, we were brainstorming about Christmas content ideas for the blog.
I was bored, in between stuff to do at work, so I jokingly said I’d submit an erotic poem instead of a story. If you know me, I don’t really stop unless told to with ideas I run on with, so no one said otherwise.
So I wrote a 300+ erotic Santa poem on my phone while standing by our one orthotic grinder.
I’m posting it here for two reasons;
1 – I ran a poll on Twitter asking if people would want to read it. An amazing 86% of respondents said – Yes, ya perv – they wanted to read it.
2 – The second is that this gives you the specific choice if you actually want to read it. If you don’t that’s fine – it’s highly inappropriate, juvenile and best left on the wall of a washroom stall at a rest stop. But I didn’t want to share it as a tweet on Twitter and randomly offend someone who was scrolling and came across it.
*I did change a few random words from the original, simply to make it more readable ie matter versus mattered etc. It was written off the cuff so I wasn’t worried about spelling errors etc. Fixed those here as well.
SO YOU’VE BEEN FOREWARNED!
TURN BACK NOW OR FACE CERTAIN DEATH
FOR THE PATH BEFORE YOU… AH HELL, IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ IT – STOP NOW!
Last chance!
Ok – here’s my highly inappropriate Santa Clause erotic porn poem
Enjoy.
XXX-Mas Poem
It was the 24th of December and all was not well
Santa’s candy cane shaft was swollen as hell
Mrs. Clause had him refused any relief
So Santa went searching for an elf under a tree
The halls had been decked
The cookies did crumble
When Santa’s sack finally exploded
The entire earth – it did rumble
The reindeer waited, nibbling on carrots
Hoping the elf wouldn’t come out and share it
They’d been at the receiving end one too many times
The last, poor Rudolph nearly lost his good eye
When Santa returned he had a pep in his step
The elf’s face showed he was out of his depth
But the people of earth all received quite a gift
Cuz instead of semen that poor elf swallowed piss.
So gifts in his bag and the sled onward home
I sat on the couch waiting for Santa’s foam.
My mom had just made a Costco trip
An industrial sized vat of lube was top of my list
So towels laid out and my pants ‘round my ankles
I scooped out the goop and prepared to be mangled
I heard some noise near the chimney – oh yes,
So I got into position, my ass waiting for the best
Some soot and dust sprinkled the air
As the big man arrived and forcefully took a fistful of hair
“On knees, on fours, on Christmas eve,” he shouted
I saw a red hat thrown before me as I was mounted
Then from the stairs there came such a clatter
It was my mother and her friends who did matter
They all laughed and giggled at my predicament
You see, from their angle they could view my little friend
But before the man could finish and dash off into the night
My brother yelled “got ya!” and turned on the light
It wasn’t no big man delivering the goods
But our dog Brutus all slobbery, howling for food.
Hey all! Happy Friday! Out here, today we have freezing rain and a snow fall warning in surrounding areas! So Halloween left and things have gone all Pete Tong on us.
This week has been a tough one in the horror world. From an Edmonton Nazi being exposed after he threatened a female reviewer and then told her she should end her life, to the ChiZine explosion – it’s been horrible.
So – let’s be positive here, yeah?
I’m gonna run through a few things, but will try and keep it brief!
Exclusive Drabbles
Gonna share two drabbles here for you! Drabbles are exactly 100 word stories, not counting the title.
Father Time.
The man lay down on the ground, before the village elder and their council.
He lay there as the sands of time swallowed him whole.
Years went by, then decades. Eventually centuries had buried the man, his memory and the why of him being covered in the first place.
It wasn’t until the gnomes were digging out a new tunnel system, looking for their precious gems that a pick-axe did strike the man’s feet.
He let out a yell and struggled to sit up.
The gnomes helped him to get free.
“Thank you my friends,” he said with a smile.
Leprechaun
Dave had wanted to kiss Shannon since he was five years old.
Now it was just the two of them, here in the cemetery, watching the stars above.
“Shannon,” he started before a noise behind them caught their attention.
“What was that?”
They both stood, squinting into the dark.
Dave pictured a mad man rushing them then, chainsaw raised high, engine noise cutting through the silence of the night.
Instead, they heard another noise behind them. Whirling around, they saw a small, ugly creature standing on top of a tombstone.
“Boo,” it said before laughing and pouncing onto the two.
Ritual
Ritual is the novella that keeps on repulsing! Thank you to everyone who has checked it out, read it and reviewed it. Currently on Goodreads it has 50 ratings and 34 reviews! That’s insanity for me. It came out only six weeks ago!! Thank you thank you thank you!
If you haven’t grabbed it yet – it’s always gonna be $0.99US for the ebook!
Daisy’s House – Kendall Reviews Exclusive Halloween Fiction.
If you missed it, during the Halloween week, Kendall Reviews had a stunning array of features – from a fantastic short story by Andrew Cull, to amazing tales from Aiden Merchant and A.S MacKenzie, and really great offerings from Jen Sullivan and Miranda Crites. To finish it off we even got new fiction from Michelle Enelen and Tarn Richardson! There were great interviews, reviews etc. Gavin was also kind enough to let me offer up my story Daisy’s House. This is a really twisted Haunted House story. As it is almost 3000 words exactly, I asked if he’d prefer it split into three parts, which he felt would work great. So if you missed it;
Lastly on the Halloween front – my short story ‘The Next Taste’ was kindly accepted and featured in Aphotic Realm’s Halloween Edition!
What I’m Working On;
I’ve recently entered the Annihilation Radiation Short Story Competition hosted by Storgy. When you sign up, you will be emailed when your story is occuring; before, during, or after. I was assigned ‘during’ and am pretty pleased where this short is taking me.
I’m also working on a short story for a fellow author as part of his newsletter promo. My story relates to his biggest hit and takes place within the shared universe for it. There is myself and 3 other authors all contributing to this anthology, which will eventually come out as an ebook and paperback as well. Really exciting and I look forward to sharing more details as I’m allowed!
Acceptance!
Recently, I shared on Twitter that I had received an acceptance from one of my top 5 places I was always hoping to work with. I can’t wait to fully announce this! This group puts out some stunning stuff and I’m very proud to have a release included with the stable of authors they’ve worked with so far.
Giveaways!
Ok – I’ll wrap this up with notes on two giveaways!
The first – Kendall Reviews. The details have been finalized, now I’m just waiting for Gavin to host it. I recently passed 1500 Twitter followers (insane!) and had my 150th review hosted on KR (insanity!). So we’ll be giving away a US Walmart exclusive Hellraiser Chatterer Funko! Pop. Really exciting! Keep an eye on that.
Miranda Crites Giveaway!
Directly related to the above paragraph, when I passed 1500 my friend Miranda congratulated me. Miranda posts a ton of great stuff; shorts, poems, and amazing amazing artwork and photos. She’s even kindly helped out with some artwork for next years release ‘The Boy Whose Room Was Outside.’
I said we should get her to 1000 followers! She’s one of the most supportive Twitter friends out there!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for letting me check this one out.
If you’ve followed any of my reviews, or even read any of my work – you’ll know I have a soft spot for woods based thrillers/horror.
I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere in BC, Canada. Hunting was a part of life and my grandfather had a trap line for many, many years. It was a way for him to bring in some extra money when he was laid off from logging. The wild has always been something that I’ve been told to respect. Things can change in an instant, no matter how well prepared you are.
This is the case for Alex and his group. Part of a wilderness survival type group – Alex and the other’s head off far north, into the Canadian tundra, on a journey of a lifetime. Essentially 30 days of back country survival, living off of the land and testing their personal boundaries.
On day 29 – disaster. Alex is mauled by a grizzly bear. Now it’s a fight against time – against infection, the possibility of rabies as well as the land itself.
The book itself flows along nicely. We get some fantastic wilderness descriptions and the accompanying photos were a nice touch.
Some people might be put off that the ‘attack’ part isn’t a long section, but this is real life, not a movie. Grizzlies work to kill their prey quick, exerting as little energy as possible. Why Alex survived, who knows? But he did.
I really enjoyed the portion after the attack. We get to see the group band together and do what it takes to make sure their partner and friend makes it out alive.
I liked hearing the follow up at the end, how he was doing post attack. And while this may sound morbid – my only gripe were there were no photos of the attack damage. I think this would have really solidified just how phenomenal of an ordeal this was.
Really great read, made my heart hammer my chest when the bear arrived, but kudos on telling a very level survival story.
Steve Stred - The Official Website 