Author Extras: The Shroud Eaters by Alyx Shaw

The Shroud Eaters by Alyx Shaw


In this day of modern health and sanitation, few consider vampires more than
a charming myth, a sexy little fantasy for when we are home and safe, and
the street lamps and house lights keep away the night. But what happens
when the lights fail, and old horrors rise from the grave to show they are
no myth?

Deirdre has been a vampire since the 1600s, has seen a lot of history and
knows quite a bit about her own species as well. She knows that there are
many more types of vampires than the ones seen in movies and on TV. The
modern version of the vampire is not an accurate one, and she also knows
that being a vampire herself doesn't keep her safe from her own kind. A
whisper in a graveyard, a shuffling footstep outside the door, the low,
steady droning moan of the mindless undead are all warnings. For centuries
she has managed to stay safe, but when she chances to meet a vampire of her
own century, she is unaware that a monster is on his trail.

And now that monster is seeking her as well…

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=3825

Author Extra:

The town of Cumberland is my hometown where I grew up, and while it may not
be full of vampires, it is certainly full of ghosts and history, and the
tales told by the characters within the book are the tales as I heard them
growing up, and the cemeteries visited are still there, as are the lake and
the houses. The lake is an eerie place, and at night on perfectly still and
silent evenings it will crash as if there is a great storm. Just outside the
town proper, where once stood one of the largest Chinatowns in North
America, there are now silent fields, the houses sunk into the boggy ground.

Of the three houses I lived in when I was growing up in Cumberland, not one
was ghost free. The house on Penrith Avenue gave me relentless nightmares
about men in stovepipe hats dragging my mother to the clay basement. On
Dunsmuir Avenue, I was often too terrified to go to the bathroom at night,
as the house was frequently alive (unalive?) with spectral cats. To this day
I can clearly see then, utterly silent, dodging under furnishings and
vanishing. But the most frightening house was on Sutton Road. Stephen King
could not have created a better haunted house. It was small, built around
the 1920s, and the backyard, I kid you not, was a swamp. Three feet from my
back door was marsh water and skunk cabbage, and, oh yeah, mint. If mint tea
was your thing, you could harvest forty pounds of organic in about 20
minutes. But at night it was dead silent and dark and you could not help but
remember the last inhabitant of that cute little house died there, alone.
And you can’t help but believe in ghosts when something from under your bed
pulls your blankets off in the middle of the night. 

I don’t care if skeptics don’t believe in ghosts. I don’t believe in
skeptics. Ghosts? Oh yeah. Big time.

New Paranormal Release!

New From Prizm Books...

The Shroud Eaters
By: Alyx J Shaw

240 pages / 71000 words
$6.99
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=54
Blurb:
In this day of modern health and sanitation, few consider vampires more than a charming myth, a sexy little fantasy for when we are home and safe, and the street lamps and house lights keep away the night. But what happens when the lights fail, and old horrors rise from the grave to show they are no myth?
Deirdre has been a vampire since the 1600s, has seen a lot of history and knows quite a bit about her own species as well. She knows that there are many more types of vampires than the ones seen in movies and on TV. The modern version of the vampire is not an accurate one, and she also knows that being a vampire herself doesn't keep her safe from her own kind. A whisper in a graveyard, a shuffling footstep outside the door, the low, steady droning moan of the mindless undead are all warnings. For centuries she has managed to stay safe, but when she chances to meet a vampire of her own century, she is unaware that a monster is on his trail.
And now that monster is seeking her as well…
Coming Next Week...
Trace Evidence by Alexa Snow

Dragon Bound by JB McDonald

Tales of Leather (BDSM) Sips:

Tanny and the Cage by Sean Michael
Belladonna by T. Strange

Review Round-Up January 12 - February 24, 2013

Enjoy the latest Review Round-Up for Torquere & Prizm.  As always if you have a review we have missed please comment with the link so everyone can see it in addition to these.

Fallen Angel Reviews

Changing Jamie by Dakota Chase 

Joyfully Jay Reviews

Ink Anthology edited by M. Rode 
Ricochet by BA Tortuga 
The Dragon and His Knight by M. Raiya 

The Armchair Reader

Wrapped Up With Tinsel by Kanata Pierre 
Santa's Naughty Helper by Ari McKay 
Sparks by Tory Temple 
Caribbean Blues by Ari McKay

Love Romances & More

This Time of Year by Missouri Dalton 
Dragon Touched by JB McDonald

Literary Nymphs Reviews

What She Wants by BA Tortuga 
Adding to the Collection by BA Tortuga 
Beaten by Sean Michael 
Charming Monsters by Kannan Feng 
Sweet Cherry by Sean Michael

Mrs. Condit Reads Reviews

Heaven Sent by Sean Michael
Sweet as Chili Pepper by Veronica Sloane 
White Flag by Mel Spenser 
Charming Monsters by Kannan Feng 
My Sunrise by Ava Kelly 
When the World Was a Blank Page by Veronica Sloane 
Beaten by Sean Michael 
Ricochet by BA Tortuga 
Sharing Tomorrow by Michael Barnette 
Roman Dream by Vic Winter (posting 2/26)
Scarlet Blade by Jez Morrow (posting 2/26)
Outcast by Alex Douglas (posting 2/28)


Rainbow Book Reviews

When the World Was a Blank Page by Veronica Sloane 
My Sunrise by Ava Kelly 
Ricochet by BA Tortuga 
Fair Catch by Del Darcy 
Absolute Virgin by G.R. Richards 
Sharing Tomorrow by Michael Barnette 
Lust and Skin by Jamie Lowe 
Table 26 by Kanata Pierre 
Sweet Cherry, a Hammer story by Sean Michael 
Trick and Treat by Rob Rosen 
The Family You Choose by Ellen Bishop 
Truffles and Leather by Winnie Jerome 
Chocolate Coated Reunion by Berengaria Brown 
Fifty Gays of Shade edited by Kiernan Kelly 
Coming Home by Missouri Dalton 
Silent One by Kari Jo Spear

Confessions from Romaholics

A Watched Demon Always Boils by Katherine Halle 
Bonus by Liam Grey 
Luck in the Making by Kelly Wyre 
Moon Shadows by Neena Jaydon 
Popping the Cork by Julia Talbot 
Picking Up the Pieces by Mychael Black 
Swing Shift by H.J. Raine 
Want, Love, Need by Mike Shade 
Winter's Knight by H.J. Raine & Kelly Wyre

Long and Short Reviews

Shot in the Dark by H.J. Raine & Kelly Wyre 
Life on the Land by Vic Winter 
Masks Off Anthology edited by M. Rode 
The Secret to a Perfect Latke by Foxglove Lee 
Water Seekers by Michelle Rode 
Sugar Bush by Giselle Renarde 
Couched as a Question by Jane Davitt 
Biker Moon by BA Collins 
Nothing Better than Fine Leather by Katherine Halle 
Bindings by Lucius Parhelion 
Touch of Leather by Lorne Rodman 
Dead Cow Pants by Julia Talbot 
Heaven's Heretics by Katheryn Scannell 
Dapper Gentlemen by J. Rocci 
In His Corner by Charlie Cochet 
Slow Awakening by M. Raiya 
A Most Unusual Courtship by Nancy M Griffis 
Dromos by G. Arden O'feden 
The Wishing Book of Barnaby Sloan by Jenna Jones
Steam Heat by Ari McKay 
The Grass is Greener by Winnie Jerome 
Leather and Newfound Land by CB Conwy 
Delicious Smelling Leather Wallet by Dakota Dawn

Top 2 Bottom Reviews

Table 26 by Kanata Pierre 
Sweet Cherry by Sean Michael 

Sizzling Hot Books

The Dragon and his Knight by M. Raiya

Joyfully Reviewed

Emerging Magic by Angela Benedetti


Brief Encounters

Sweet as Chili Pepper by Veronica Sloane 
Knot in Your String by Kayla Bain-Vrba 
When the World Was a Blank Page by Veronica Sloane 
Ricochet by BA Tortuga 
The Dragon and His Knight by M. Raiya 
The Baby New Year by Rob Rosen 
Absolute Virgin by G.R. Richards 
Table 26 by Kanata Pierre 
Lusting Skin by Jamie Lowe 
Charming Monsters by Kannan Feng 
My Sunrise by Ava Kelly 
Oliver's Leather Adventure by Serena Yates 
Dapper Gentlemen by J. Rocci 
Home Fires by BA Tortuga 
The Family You Choose by Ellen Bishop 
Sharing Tomorrow by Michael Barnette 
Taking a Chance by A. Catherine Noon & Rachel Wilder 
Slayer by Pelaam 
Trick & Treat by Rob Rosen

Tam Reads, Writes & Rambles

Twice-Caught by Syd McGinley

Manic Readers Reviews

Wicked Gift by Sean Michael 
Gravity, a Hammer novel by Sean Michael
Switch, a Hammer novel by Sean Michael
Table 26 by Kanata Pierre

Hearts on Fire Reviews

Mannies Incorporated by Sean Michael 
Bindings by Lucius Parhelion 
The Dragon and His Knight by M. Raiya 
Sweet as Chili Pepper by Veronica Sloane 
The One That Gave by TC Blue 
Delicious Smelling Leather Wallet by Dakota Dawn 
I Hate Love by Foxglove Lee 
The Family You Choose by Ellen Bishop 
Caribbean Blues by Ari McKay


Elisa Rolle

Silent One by Kari Jo Spear 
Happy Halloween by Missouri Dalton


Blog Critics Book Reviews

Fair Catch by Del Darcy 
Silent One by Kari Jo Spear

Affair de Coure Magazine

Under His Wings
Anna Bayes
Torquere Press 
ebook
January 2013
*****


Bonnie met Matt in her coffee shop. She immediately becomes his lover but has only one problem. Matt is also lovers with Sean. After a long while during the new year the three finally meet and ring in the new year the right way.

This is a well done short. It is well paced and the story is not too much for the short page count. The manage element is also well done with the bisexual element.

Lenore Lovecraft


A knot in your string
Kayla Bain-Vrba
torquere press
ebook
January 2013
*****

Wyatt cannot produce an album to save his soul. He has lost his inspiration for love songs. In comes Bryce his old touring mate who might be able to teach him about love songs and love itself.
The record company just might have played cupid for this new year romance if Wyatt can give up his no string attached attitude toward love.

This is well done. There is a perfect mix of sentiment and sensuality. The pair of men are well developed and the story has just enough in it to be balanced.

Lenore Lovecraft


Sweet as Chili Pepper 
Veronica Sloane 
Torquere Press Publishers 
ebook
ISBN: 978-1-61040-415-0 
January 2013 
****1/2

Theo had a car fall on him and is lacking his zest for life. He can no longer smell or taste. In walks Jude into the diner and into Theo's life. Along the shared ride to New York they make a connection niether will forget.

This was a well done story. The pacing was perfect and the story itself was touching. Perhaps the best feature of it was the randomness of the reunion. As a fortune teller myself the tarot reader got me. It seems the only part that I could have done without is the part where he meets up with his ex and is all happy. 

Lenore Lovecraft

New Release Day

New From Prizm Books...

Echo
By: Amanda Clay
204 pages / 55000 words
$6.99
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=53
Blurb:
On the surface Emily Porter, aka Echo, has it all: plenty of money, a close-knit group of friends, permissive parents, a job in fashion. But what she really wants is less. Much less. Less food, less flesh, less fat, less of the body she sees as her captor and her cage. A chance to model in an upcoming Gothic fashion show is the perfect deadline, and Echo takes this opportunity as a challenge to achieve less -- a chance to reduce herself to nothing.
At first the transformation is effortless. Echo loses weight, meets a new boy, hosts the social event of the holiday season. But soon there are problems: weakness, temptation, blackouts, freak-outs, trouble with family and friends. What begins as diet and exercise soon turns into blood, pain, obsession, and as Echo’s mind and body begin to change so does her view of herself. She cannot see the woman in the mirror, nor the danger she is facing. Can she stop herself, see herself, before it’s too late?

Coming Next Week...
The Shroud Eaters by Alyx Shaw

Author Interview with Kari Jo Spear

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I live in northern Vermont, out in the country. I'm married and have two daughters. One just graduated from college as a voice major, and the other is in high school and has just been accepted into a dance college. My husband is a drummer, my father is a wood carver, and my mother is a poet. Between us, we've got the arts pretty well covered. I work in a high school with special education students. I have an MA in English, I've published some mainstream short stories, and I've published two YA fantasy novels with Prizm -- Under the Willow, and Silent One. I'm also a nature photographer and a passionate birdwatcher.

Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have a golden retriever named Ruby, who was given to me as a puppy by a teacher who couldn't handle her. She's calmed down into a very special dog who saved my life once by keeping me from walking into the jaws of a black bear.

I also have two cats I adopted from a shelter. Pumpkin is a long haired, orange and black lady who goes enjoys life in a cool, reserved manner. Whisper, seriously misnamed, is a little, energetic gray tiger who is always underfoot, in the way, causing trouble, and a great snuggler. He sleeps on my pillow every night (after displacing my head.)

Chips or fries?

Both, please.

Paper or ebook?

Honestly, it doesn't really matter. A good story is a good story no matter what form it's in. I like the feel of a book, but saving trees is a good thing, too.

Beach or mountains?

Beach, for sure. I love water -- it's my element. I have distant mermaid ancestry, so if I don't get wet at least once every day, I will grow a tail. I open our pool as soon as it won't freeze, and when we have to winterize it in the fall, I stay in until my husband starts taking the ladder apart. Spending the winter in the ice under a green tarp pushes the limits even for me.

I lived on the shore of Lake Champlain when I was a kid, so I spent a lot of time in boats, especially canoes, which is another thing I enjoy doing very much. I love to visit the ocean, but I don't feel like it's truly a part of me the way fresh water is.

If I can't get a shower in the morning, my family will attest that I'm simply not worth knowing that day. The tail is so darn hard to hide!

What is the last movie you saw in the theater?

The Hobbit

Silver or gold?

Gold. It's just prettier.

Apples or cherries?

Both of those, too, please.

What's on your refrigerator?

Magnets with the names of everyone in our family

Photos of my book covers

Photos of friends

A photo of my youngest daughter and her boyfriend at the prom last year

A postcard of Mark Breen, the meteorologist for Vermont Public Radio (I'm a weather-addict.)

A list of phone numbers to call myself and my daughter out sick from school (to prevent morning panic)

Magnets of favorite places we've been and things we've seen, like a sea otter from California, a fawn from New Brunswick, a pelican from Florida, a broken pot from Arizona, and lighthouses from Maine

Coffee or tea? Discuss.

Tea, definitely. I don't like coffee, any flavor, at all. I inherited that from my father, along with thick, wavy hair.

Do you have to think/work through the story or do characters "speak" to you and the story just comes?

The characters speak to me. I admire people who can work out a story in their heads before writing. I've tried -- not happening. I start writing with a little idea in my head, and the characters take over the whole thing and I chase them around, trying frantically to keep up. I get a lot of praise for my plot twists, and I always nod wisely, but in reality, when one of those twists happen, I'm frantically demanding that my characters tell me what the heck they're doing. They just tell me to trust them and shut up.

Naturally, writing this way requires a lot of revision, but it's the only way I can do it. And it's a lot of fun.

What works in progress do you have going?

I'm hard at work on a sequel for Under the Willow.

New writers are always trying to glean advice from those with more experience. What suggestions do you have for new writers?

Write what you love. When I was in college, fantasy was frowned upon, and m/m young adult wasn't even a remote possibility. I spent many years writing what teachers told me to write, and while I learned a lot, I wasn't enjoying it. Finally, I went back to writing what I was passionate about, and as soon as I started submitting, my career took off.

The perfect time to write, the perfect place to submit, the perfect manuscript will never happen. Just face whatever cliff is holding you back and dive off. When you first hit the water, it'll feel really cold, but it warms up fast, and before you know it, you'll be a dolphin. (Or a mermaid!)

Thanks for reading this interview! I had fun answering the questions. You can visit with me any time on my blog at karijospear.blogspot.com