Website launch - www.strangerwritings.com

A few hours ago I launched Stranger Writings as a website.

www.strangerwritings.com

As well as using this space to develop my own work, I'll also be quite prominent about highlighting the work of fellow Indie authors. At the moment I post my reviews on Cultured Vultures, which means I can't post them in full elsewhere. However, when I link to them from here, this blog actually gets a lot more views then the post on Cultured Vultures! Therefore, if the trend continues and the new site also picks up its fair share of views, the reviews will be posted exclusively here and on the new site. Better content and more views!

I'll also help promote other books by having a recommended section, as well as the best of a year, and anything else I can think of, like useful links and groups that have helped me.

There's always my flash fiction too; my odd forays into weirdness - and the great art that comes as a result! I need to figure out how to showcase this too!

Long time no see! A Life Removed finished.

Feels like months since the last post, but it's only a couple weeks. Some upheavals and other things getting in the way! I did find time to finish A Life Removed by Jason Parent however - it was pleasantly surprising, one of those books that got better and darker the more I read. A crime novel, it started mildly formulaic with your good cop/bad cop detectives, beat cop, and ritualistic murders, and I was even left wondering at one point if I should be rooting for anyone. In the end, I quite enjoyed the storyline that unravelled, and how morality lines were blurred within some characters. Not sure where I'd rank it yet in my top 10 indie reads, maybe after I've done the Cultured Vultures review I'll be able to settle.

I have a crazy amount to catch up on! Seems the blog is being linked from a variety of places now, meaning I'm getting more traffic and more review requests. All good, but please bear with me!

Vampire Wars by Perry Lake finished - list updated!

Perry Lake's Vampire Wars was something a bit different (at least for me) - certainly worth a read. Review incoming soon. Next up is something else a little different, In the presence of knowing by Valarie Savage Kinney - looking forward to its magic!

Shout out to Jason Parent and Duncan Ralston for sending me a couple of awesome sounding titles. Can't wait to get stuck in!

Now, if I can just stop getting wound up by this election....

Currently reading

In the Presence of Knowing (Secrets of Windy Springs Book 1) by Valarie Savage Kinney

Keisha is pregnant and on the run from an abusive ex-boyfriend. Hiding out at Windy Springs Renaissance Festival, she discovers a world of magic.
Stepping into new and unfamiliar territory, she finds herself among people different from any she’s met before. Though she feels she’ll never fit in, Keisha finds hope when she meets Rogan, who plays the troll. As friendship blossoms into romance, she soon discovers that Rogan, as well as others at Windy Springs, have abilities beyond the average individual – abilities that the child growing within her shares as well. When danger comes to Windy Springs, she’ll need the combined powers of Rogan and his friends to keep her and the baby safe.
In the Presence of Knowing is the first book in the Secrets of Windy Springs series. Grab your copy today and find out what mysteries await within the magical forest at Windy Springs.

Reading list

A Traitor's War: The Metaframe War: Book 2

After the desperate battle on the Boston docks, Anton Slayne finds refuge amongst the vampire hunters of the Order of Thoth.

Anton discovers the Order of Thoth harbors a traitor who could get his new friends killed. While a secret alliance between the Red Empire and vampire General Chloe Armitage, threatens to do the same.

With threats both within and without - will Anton be able to stay alive long enough to save his friends, or will his circling enemies destroy everyone he loves?

Celebrity Gulag Kindle Edition by Michael Alexander Rice

‘Celebrity Gulag: only the biggest, most famous, most watched show in the land. Imitated worldwide but never bettered, it is the biggest star vehicle known to humankind...’

Even in darkness, the megalopolis never sleeps.

The internet is gone, engulfed by the virtual flames of an online inferno.

In its place, tawdry tabloids titillate with tales of television talent shows where contestants are literally dying to be famous.

For Dr. Philip Bruno, an unassuming life is about to take a remarkable turn.

Hunted by a delinquent prince, an ever-present audience bays for blood.

How does a modest man survive stardom?

How does he survive Celebrity Gulag?

A Life Removed by Jason Parent

Detectives Bruce Marklin and Jocelyn Beaudette have put plenty of criminals behind bars. But a new terror is stalking their city. The killer’s violent crimes are ritualistic but seemingly indiscriminate. As the death toll rises, the detectives must track a murderer without motive. The next kill could be anyone… maybe even one of their own.

Officer Aaron Pimental sees no hope for himself or humanity. His girlfriend is pulling away, and his best friend has found religion. When Aaron is thrust into the heart of the investigation, he must choose who he will become, the hero or the villain.
If Aaron doesn’t decide soon, the choice will be made for him.



Under the Amoral Bridge by Gary Ballard

Artemis Bridge is the know-who, go-to guy, the amoral fixer in 2028 Los Angeles with the connection for any illicit desire no matter how depraved. You need it, he can get it without questions or judgment. He prides himself on staying detached from the depravity, untouched by the filth, untouchable by the law. When a young hacker is assassinated before his eyes, he is burdened with a scandalous video of the mayor on the eve of the city's most important election of the century. With digital assassins and murderous thugs dogging his every step, he has only days before the corrupt mayor is re-elected, handing the Chronosoft Corporation complete control of the city. Unable to sell the video, he is forced further into a complex conspiracy.



Indigo by DL Young

For over twenty years, Indigo Cruz has worked the markets of the Texas wastelands, hustling wares, cutting deals, and earning a hard-won reputation as a tough, shrewd trader. In a dangerous, brutal world, she's managed to carve out a comfortable, safe existence...

...until the day the Fundamentalist Church of Divine Wrath shows up on her turf, throwing her world into chaos.

Forced by the violent cult's leader to serve as a guide for a mysterious mission, Indigo finds herself trapped between factions warring for control of the Republic. But when she crosses paths with the runaway mind-reader Soledad Paz, will their chance meeting be the key to Indigo's survival or the final nail in her coffin?



The Method by Duncan Ralston

How hard would you fight for the one you love?

Frank and Linda's marriage is falling apart. When old friends tell them about an "unconventional therapy retreat" called The Method, they jump at the chance to attend.

Dr. Kaspar's Lone Loon Lodge is a secluded resort deep in the Montana wilds. The staff is friendly. The other couple joining them is intense. But when a death occurs events quickly spiral out of control, leaving Linda and Frank unable to trust anyone but each other.

Nothing is what it seems, and only one thing is certain: Love Is Pain.

Hallow Mass review in - recommended! Reading list update! Send me your books!

I just finished the below - I'll leave its details in the blog again as I enjoyed it and can definitely recommend it. My review is done and will be on culturedvultures shortly, followed by a short version on Goodreads and Amazon. 

Hallow Mass by JP Mac

Party-loving grad student Mercy O'Connor must set down the mimosas and grab a spell book if she hopes to check the diabolical warlocks of Dunwich, Massachusetts. This tale of magic realism pits the unready, unsteady Mercy against powerful supernatural forces aiming to annihilate all earthly life.

A paranormal thriller inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the story finds Mercy in a race against time, forced to confront her own skepticism, scornful colleagues, and friends who believe the horrors of Dunwich are only quaint folktales. Aided by a country & western-loving Zulu security guard, Mercy must dig deep to discover the confidence, then the skill, and finally the courage to battle her terrifying foes on Halloween night, and stop our planet from being drug into another dimension.

In awesome news, my proof for  Hereafter & Other Short Stories is in the post and I can't wait to get my hands on it and read all of my typos! Shortly after it'll be on preorder and I'll be offering Goodreads Giveaways, free copies for review and preorder bonuses a-plenty!

For self publishing success however, one thing is becoming increasingly obvious. I need to do a series. I'm currently working on a cyberpunk novel which was only going to be one story, but the world I'm building is so satisfying and bristling with energy I may well explore options to expand it into other books. Some advice there for fellow writers!

Speaking of fellow writers, my reading list is getting short. Send yours over!

Currently reading

Vampire Wars by Perry Lake

For thousands of years, ancient vampire lords ruled the Night. Their queen, the coldly beautiful, immortal, and all-powerful Lilith, ruled them distantly, ignoring their squabbles over territory and victims. Then came Vlad the Impaler, once history's most bloodthirsty fiend, now reanimated as an undead creature of the Night. Facing the vampire legions of the brutish Vardalekos, the loathsome Viy, the diabolical Jhiang-Shi, the monstrous Mmbyu, the cunning Erlik, and the seductive Nycea, Vlad Dracula seeks out allies, be they undead or lycanthropic or mortal.

You've read Bram Stoker's “Dracula”. Now see how Vlad the Impaler fought and struggled to become Dracula, the King-Vampire. A part of THE LEGEND OF DRACULA trilogy, this book is a collection of twenty short stories about the infamous Count and his undead legions as he strives for the ultimate goal—the throne of the supreme King of the Vampires!

Reading list

In the Presence of Knowing (Secrets of Windy Springs Book 1) by Valarie Savage Kinney

Keisha is pregnant and on the run from an abusive ex-boyfriend. Hiding out at Windy Springs Renaissance Festival, she discovers a world of magic.
Stepping into new and unfamiliar territory, she finds herself among people different from any she’s met before. Though she feels she’ll never fit in, Keisha finds hope when she meets Rogan, who plays the troll. As friendship blossoms into romance, she soon discovers that Rogan, as well as others at Windy Springs, have abilities beyond the average individual – abilities that the child growing within her shares as well. When danger comes to Windy Springs, she’ll need the combined powers of Rogan and his friends to keep her and the baby safe.
In the Presence of Knowing is the first book in the Secrets of Windy Springs series. Grab your copy today and find out what mysteries await within the magical forest at Windy Springs.

A Traitor's War: The Metaframe War: Book 2

After the desperate battle on the Boston docks, Anton Slayne finds refuge amongst the vampire hunters of the Order of Thoth.

Anton discovers the Order of Thoth harbors a traitor who could get his new friends killed. While a secret alliance between the Red Empire and vampire General Chloe Armitage, threatens to do the same.

With threats both within and without - will Anton be able to stay alive long enough to save his friends, or will his circling enemies destroy everyone he loves?