Alternative-Read.com: October 2010

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Today's Feature Post

Halloween Special SSSS + Interview with Demon


For all you authors and aspiring writers out there, here is the Sassy Sunday Story Starter, brought to you by our Author in the Spotlight, Laura Tolomei author of The Sex, which has been nominated for an EPIC 2011 award. 

“Going home early, too?”
He nodded vigorously. “After all that’s happened at the village, my father doesn’t want me to stay out late.”
“Yeah, I know.” I fumbled, whistling to my sheep to resume the path down the mountain. “It’s not like it used to be.”
“You can say that again. That…beast—or whatever you care to call it—is really making people afraid!” Angrily, my friend tossed his head back. “We’re not free to go out at nights or whenever we feel like it.”
###
EPIC eBook Awards Competition™ 2011 FINALIST
Fantasy Erotic Romance Category
 Virtus Book 1
By Laura Tolomei
GENRE: GLBT, Gay, Fantasy, Paranormal, Ménage, m/m, m/m/f, m/f
ISBN: 978-1-55487-516-0
LENGTH: 308 pages
HEAT LEVEL: 4 flames
RELEASE DATE: March 15th, 2010
PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books
COVER ARTIST: Angela White

BLURB
If Sendar stood a chance perhaps it would be thanks to the arbitrary twists and turns of a blind destiny. Or maybe someone would discover the truth about the ancient ways and compromise our peaceful existence forever. Either way, people needed a hero to shed new light on the age-old mysteries. And he was just about to answer their prayers.

BUY LINKS

 ###
Interview with Demon Chris Templeton (from The Virtus Saga series) 
Conducted by Sassy Brit 


Hi Chris. I feel I need to be very careful talking to you, because I am human and do not have your special powers. Can I trust you? 

Hey, I’m such a likeable fellow or so people tell me all the time, so of course you can trust me.

Please tell me what Virt is.
It’s what makes someone special, I mean besides his appearance. I was beautiful enough not to need a Virt, but the gods have been kind of generous and endowed me with the power to heal and remove memories, especially the unwanted ones. But the most powerful among us is certainly my lover, Sendar’s new leader, Prince Duncan Caldwell who can balance energy, even unruly ones like mine, without any effort.

What exactly are you and why is your Virt so different?
If you want to know whether I’m good or evil, I won’t answer because it’s for the readers to find out for themselves. Safe to say, I can be both, depending on who I’m with. As for my Virt, it’s so different because unlike everyone else, besides Ylianor I mean, I’ve known and used it since I was little. On our world, people usually learn of it in their adult years, so they have even less time to know how to use it properly. For me, it’s quite the contrary. Having known of it for the better part of my life, I know exactly how to use it.

Why does everyone who has the Virtus power need it? 
We need it because it defines us, at least once we know we have it. When I first discovered it, I was afraid of it, didn’t quite know how to wield it. Now after years’ practice, I couldn’t live without it for it’s a part of me, a very important part.

What would Sendar be like without the power of Virt to control it? 
Just another boring human society, I suppose.

What happens to the people you use your Virt on? 
Mmmm…you should ask Ylianor that, though in all fairness, she’s the one who’s gotten the worst of it so far. Concerning the other people, I like to cut them up, slice them to bits using my knife, listen to their desperate pleas for mercy, then fuck them until they shut up and finally I heal them, making them anew again, erasing their memories in the process, so they don’t remember a thing about the entire incident. Kind of convenient, don’t you think? Sex and blood without the harassment of guilt and reproach, what more could I ask for?.

Do you like having special powers or do you not see yourself and your powers as special? 
I LOVE having my special Virt, but it’s not something I go bragging about. In fact, most people don’t know I have it, a logical consequence of the way I use it sometimes, which is best not to promo if I want to keep doing it in all safety. Not even my lover, the person I’m closest to in all the world, knew I had these special powers, at least not until Ylianor Meyer had to stick her nose where it didn’t belong and ruined it for me.

How does using your Virt affect you afterwards, and why?
It makes me feel good about myself, mostly because I can get away with things that would be unfeasible for others.

What do you really think of Ylianor? 
Do you have another question?

Oh, er, um. Yes, Chris. How about this one? If you could pick one person to use your powers on, who would it be and why?
It would definitely be my father. He’s always scorned me, never accepting me for who I am, always belittling me and considering me less than my brothers. Well, I’m just itching to show him how powerful I am, what an incredible person I can be. I mean, who else has been up to my level, lover of two Council Leaders in a row, both of which adored me beyond a rational limit? Doesn’t that say something about me? But my father never seems to listen.

Thank you, Chris for such a revealing interview. I do hope we get to meet again. At a distance of course.

###
  About the Sassy Sunday Story Starter (Writing Prompts) 

If you'd like to have your prompt featured, please email it to us! We'd love to hear from you.

For full details of what to send, and for ideas of how writers can use these prompts please check out the SSSS guidelines by clicking here.

Check out previous prompts. Good luck and happy writing! If you are joining in with NaNoWriMo - have fun!

May the muse be with you! 

*Jedi Sassy* and *Darkside Devlyn*
:)




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October 2010

Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All giveaways open from Day 1 to Day 7 close by 1st November 2010 when the winners will be announced. Day 8 Giveaways will close Sunday 7th November 2010. Announced next day.

Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter

Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |

Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)

Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues


Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year 
Giveaway #2 Keith Knapp Horror in Print!

Giveaway #2 The Killer Valentine Ball with Muse It Up Publishing!
Day 8: Giveaway FINALE #1 Simon Holt's The Devouring with IHeartMonster! | Giveaway #2 Julie Achterhoff's giveaway!

*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*

Day 8 Giveaway #2 Real Ghosts with Julie Achterhoff!

By Julie Achterhoff

When I was a little girl of five or six I went travelling with my family in our travel trailer all around the southwest, including an Indian reservation in Taos. It was in a trailer park where my younger sister and I met a slightly older boy whom we made friends with at the playground.
The boy’s name evades me now, but he ended up inviting us to his trailer to “see something neat.” We followed him to his trailer, which was empty. I don’t know where his parents were, but I remember wondering why a boy his age was alone.
We sat in his living area for a bit when he told us to come look at his bathroom. We followed him in, and saw a regular, small trailer bathroom with a roll of toilet paper on the back of the toilet and a bathtub, along with a sink. Everything looked pretty normal. Then he told us to go back in the other room, which we did.
Then he told us to come back and look in the bathroom again. We did as he said, following him back into the bathroom, wondering why in the world he wanted to show it to us again. Well, the truth of the matter became clear as soon as I turned the corner and peeked into the bathroom once more.
Where there had once been a plain old roll of toilet paper on the back of the toilet was now the disembodied head of a real live ghost! I could see the face and also right through it. And in the bathtub was a full-bodied ghost! They looked just like the ghostly apparitions you see at the Haunted House at Disneyland. I don’t remember if they moved or not, but I sure did. I and my sister ran back out to the living area of the boy’s trailer as fast as we could. I looked back to see if the boy was coming out, too. That’s when I heard a strange moaning sound. I was terrified. But I couldn’t leave when the boy was still in there.
Moments later he came running out with what looked like white cream of some kind all over his face, and finger trail marks in it. He ran screaming out of the bathroom and straight out of the trailer, never to be seen or heard of by me again. My sister and I ran out, too, all the way back to our own trailer.
I remember trying to tell my mother about what had happened. I was very young, so she didn’t take me seriously, just telling me there was no such thing as ghosts. This story has stayed with me throughout my life. Sometimes I think there really were ghosts in that boy’s trailer; other times I think maybe his parents worked for Disney and had this trick set up in their trailer. I guess I’ll never know.

Have you ever seen a real life ghost, or know of someone who has? 
Julie Achterhoff
Author of Quantum Earth, Deadly Lucidity, Native Vengeance, and Earthwalker- Earth can be Hell for a VAMPIRE.

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October 2010
Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All giveaways open from Day 1 to Day 7 close by 1st November 2010 when the winners will be announced. Day 8 Giveaways will close Sunday 7th November 2010. Announced next day.

Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter

Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |

Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)

Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues


Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year 
Giveaway #2 Keith Knapp Horror in Print!

Giveaway #2 The Killer Valentine Ball with Muse It Up Publishing!
Day 8: Giveaway FINALE #1 Simon Holt's The Devouring with IHeartMonster!  

*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*

The Devouring iHeartMonster : Alternative-Spooks Giveaway! Day 8, Giveaway #1

I prefer this cover!
But this cover is beautiful and fits what is currently around in this genre

Thanks to IheartMonster, we are able to offer a print copy of The Devouring by Simon Holt to one lucky reader... Just answer the question in comments for a chance to win ;)

Happy Halloween!

Here's the gossip:

Fifteen-year-old Reggie doesn’t know who penned the mysterious journal about the Vours, wicked creatures that inhabit children’s bodies on Sorry Night, the darkness of the winter solstice. Once inside a human, the Vour assumes the victim’s personality, banishing their soul to a dark netherworld called a fearscape. Frightening, but thought to be only the musings of an anonymous lunatic...until a midnight game awakens an ancient evil.


After playing with the journal’s incantations on Sorry Night, Reggie and her best friend Aaron discover the story of the Vours is all too real. When a demonic force consumes Reggie’s little brother, Henry, she must race to save him. Slowly, she uncovers the truth: Vours have existed since the dawn of mankind, feeding on humanity’s fright. Reggie acquires the ability to enter victims’ fearscapes, psychic prisons sculpted from pure terror. Once inside, she must empower victims to conquer their fear and destroy the Vours that have enslaved them.

Together with a small band of believers, Reggie wages war against an enemy she cannot touch or reason with, creatures powerful enough to enslave human bodies and steal souls without detection. The Vours gorge themselves on human fear-feeding their guile, their cruelty, and their power. A cataclysm called “The Devouring” approaches, and only Reggie Halloway can stop it.

Question: Which cover do you prefer and why? 

Giveaway closes November 7th - winner announced Monday 8th, 2010.

Visit Iheartmonster and show some love! 
Simon Holt's The Devouring Website









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October 2010

Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010

Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All giveaways open from Day 1 to Day 7 close by 1st November 2010 when the winners will be announced. Day 8 Giveaways will close Sunday 7th November 2010. Announced next day.

Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter

Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |

Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)

Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues


Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year 
Giveaway #2 Keith Knapp Horror in Print!

Giveaway #2 The Killer Valentine Ball with Muse It Up Publishing!
Day 8: Giveaway FINALE #1 This one + more!!  

*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*



The Killer Valentine Ball : Day 7 Giveaway #2 Alternative-Spooks!

Alternative-Spooks Giveaway Bash continues! Daily giveaways!

The Killer Valentine Ball by C.A. Verstraete released this month:
http://tinyurl.com/KillerValentineBall
by MuseItUp Publishing

Very kindly donated by editor Lea Schizas
(Light horror suitable for YA and up!) 


Blurb:  
A party at a day camp; a blind date on Valentine's Day. Can you say loser?, Jess thinks. But this is no ordinary party. The Killer Valentine Ball has more thrills than Jess ever expected--or will ever forget.


Excerpt:  

As they walked into the shadows, Jess noticed that things weren't quite as they appeared. Sections of the room lightened for a moment before being cast again in deep shadow. What Jess thought she saw in that split second made her heart race. On the dance floor, the same three couples stood, clasped to each other. Jess stared. She swore they never moved.

The music played quietly in the background. When the shadows brightened, Jess caught a quick glimpse of one of the couples. The young man's mouth gaped open. His partner's gown glistened with streams of dark ribbons. The light flashed again and Jess gasped. Those weren't ribbons! The girl's dress shone with dark glimmers. Like-like blood, she thought. No, it can't be! She looked back at Dylan, who shook his head and urged her on.

"Light tricks," he whispered. "It's not real. It's Halloween stuff, like the movie. Don't worry."

Question:  

How many couples clasped each other? Answer is above in the excerpt! 

How to enter:  

Just answer the question in the comments below. 

Extra Entries allowed? 

Yes, with each Tweet it's an extra entry. So is 'liking' our Facebook page, which can be found in sidebar on the right ---> 

Good luck! Hurry, this closes 1st November.

Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All close by 1st November 2010 when the winners will be announced. 

Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter

Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |

Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)

Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues


Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year 
Giveaway #2 Keith Knapp Horror in Print!

Giveaway #2 This one!+ more!
Day 8: Giveaway FINALE #1 Coming soon!  

*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*

Lexxie Couper Twitter Giveaway! Big-girl pants definitely required.


Enter this quickie giveaway! 
Just tweet to enter -- 
Check out http://twitter.com/Sassy_Brit 
@Sassy_Brit

If you don't have a Twitter account leave a comment right here. The more times you comment and tweet the more entries you gain. Simple. Fun. And you could WIN! 


Good luck and hurry - giveaway ends 1st November!

About Timeless Wrath: Going Down Under:

A book in the Going Down Under series. Beatrice -Ricki- Sullivan is every man's fantasy. Drop-dead gorgeous, she exudes a sensuality none can ignore. More than just a stunning face and body, she's intelligent, kind, gentle-and madly, inexplicably in love with Evron, a man she's known mere hours. Evron McKenzie is troubled, struggling with undeniable anger that scorches through his veins. And the irrational feeling he is someone else, something more. Someone rich, powerful-someone to fear. But in Ricki's arms, Evron may have finally found his place in the world. At last he is at peace. So who is the seductive redhead who invades Evron's dreams? Why does she urge him to touch a mysterious sculpture-a sculpture that seems to radiate death and sin? How can she make him hornier than he's ever been in his life with just a look, and at the same time turn his anger into bloody, murderous rage? And, more frighteningly, why can't he resist her? Reader Advisory: Sex and violence abound in this terrifically intense tale; big-girl pants definitely required.


Visit Lexxi Couper's website:



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October 2010
Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All close at the end of 31st October. Winners announced 1st November 2010. 

Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter
Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |
Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)
Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues
Day 5: Giveaway #1 Keta Diablo (Win book of your choice!)
Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year | Giveaway #2 Keith Knapp Horror in Print!
Day 7: Giveaway #1 This one!!
Giveaway #2 Coming soon!
Day 8: Giveaway FINALE #1 Coming soon!  

*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*

Day 6 Giveaway #2 A mysterious and evil presence has taken a hold over Alternative-Read

It began with a power outage. A power outage that went beyond lights and televisions. Clocks stopped telling time. Cell phones no longer received signals. Cars became dead relics that wouldn't start.

As the world around them becomes darker, so do the inhabitants of the small town of Westmont, Illinois. A mysterious and evil presence has taken a hold over the village, making the once peaceful town a place of violence and despair.

A small group of individuals, untouched by this presence, must uncover the mystery of why they remain normal and discover what - or who - is taking control of their town, one soul at a time.

Because the Man in the Dark Coat is out there. Hunting them.

And not everyone can remain untouched forever.


Keith Knapp
Publisher

Win! Win! Win! 
For a chance to win one of TWO copies of Keith Knapp's Moonlight, just post a response to the question below in comments!


If you had a superpower what would it be?

Just comment (answer the question) for a chance to win!
For extra entries:  Tweet / RT It should show up on the blog in comments when you do!
                             :  Join our FB page in the sidebar -->


October 2010
Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways
All close by 1st November 2010 when the winners will be announced. 


Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter

Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |

Day 3: Giveaway #1 Lexxi Couper (win a series!)

Day 4: Giveaway #1 What's on your ALTAR ? (not desk this time! LOL) Chérie De Sues


Day 6: Giveaway #1 Marion Webb-De Sisto Abbadon is Hell this time of year |
Giveaway #2 Today!

Day 7: Giveaway #1 Coming soon! 
Day 8: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!  


*All giveaways are open to all WORLDWIDE unless otherwise stated*

INDY PUBLISHER NEWS: ebooks and film options

Things are buzzing around New Pulp Press. Another one of our titles has been optioned to become a film. Vantage Films recently optioned Jackson Meeks's nihilistic novel While the Devil Waits. If you haven't read this one, give it a shot. A little Charles Willeford, a little Albert Camus, a lot of violence. It certainly features one of the oddest narrators you'll ever encounter. So that makes two of our titles headed for Hollywood (The Disassembled Man was optioned earlier this year).

Okay, so I know this economy is a drag. You're selling stocks and you're selling blood. Want to read our books, but feeling a little light in the wallet? Go the cheap convenient route: ebooks. Several of our titles are now available as ebooks over at Smashwords. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/newpulppress and download to your heart's content.

We've also got a new book trailer up at Youtube for Pete Risley's macabre novel Rabid Child
Listen to warning at the beginning! LOL

I'll be back soon to give you updates on releases from Dave Zeltserman and Gil Brewer. Thanks again for your support of indy publishers. Feel free to check us out on the web at www.newpulppress.com. And always feel free to shoot me an email with any questions you may have.

Cheers,
Jon Bassoff

HALLOWEEN WEEK: Angelic Chronicles Trilogy | Abbadon (Print Copy) GIVEAWAY!


GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY

As Halloween draws close, our thoughts turn to dark creatures that we trust do not really exist. Tales of them in books and movies have scared us when we were young, and even now in adulthood. Recently, vampires, werewolves and demons are being portrayed as having certain saving graces. Some are even adopting the role of hero or heroine. However, in my Angelic Chronicles trilogy the demons are definitely evil and most unsavory. Let me introduce you to Shedim, the leader of the demons in Abbadon/Hell. If the following excerpt intrigues you, this demon’s vampirism is later explored in chilling detail, but don’t despair, there is also romance in the underworld. 

A print copy of my novel Abbadon is up for grabs in Alternate-Read’s Halloween Week. Just comment (answer the question) / Tweet / RT etc for a chance to win! If it shows up here in the comments you've been entered! (One comment. One tweet. RT. = Additional Separate entries!) 

ANSWER THIS QUESTION:-->  If you were a child now, which scary character would you want to dress up as at Halloween, and why would you choose that one?

Excerpt from Abbadon: Book Two of the Angelic Chronicles.

Shedim entered the room and the first archangel reflected on how much he had changed since his creation. Then he was a daemon with several legs, a tail and a number of horns and eyes. After drinking the essence of more than one angel during the earlier battle against Michael and Gabriel, he had grown in stature. In addition, all but two of his legs had been discarded and he now possessed only one large horn that sprouted from the middle of his brow and extended upwards above his head. Two cruel eyes were evident below the horn and there were an additional two positioned at the back of his hairless head. His hands and feet were big and their brutal talons made them appear even larger. Instead of keeping his tail wrapped around his body as before, he now encircled one or the other leg with it. The many sharp teeth were present, but they no longer protruded and were only visible when he opened his vicious mouth. The advantage of wings meant he could journey quickly wherever he wished to go. Unlike angelic beings, Shedim possessed two pairs, one set high on his shoulders and a second pair located immediately below the first. They were not the glorious appendages that archangels and angels owned, but rather ugly expanses of etheric scaly skin. Lines of scales and spiny growths were also criss-crossing his maldor torso and extending along his limbs. In all, the demon presented a most repulsive figure.
“Demon, you have kept me waiting.” Samael placed his hand on the sheathed light wand that lay slung across his left shoulder. This action implied an intention to draw the crystal.
Shedim’s eyes narrowed as they followed the archangel’s hand movement. He gave a servile bow and replied, “My apologies, master. This shaitan was merely enjoying a tasty daemon.” His explanation was followed by a wicked grimace.
“Ah, yes, I forgot about your penchant for the little imps.” His hand moved back down to his side. “But tell me, Shedim, does the taste of a daemon compare with that of angelic essence?”
The demon’s mouth opened slightly and his long tongue suddenly appeared. He slowly licked his thin lips and his eyes became glazed with a dreamy expression as he answered, “No, master. There is nothing that is equal to that delicious elixir.”

=======
October 2010
Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
=======
Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
=======
Win with Alternative-Read.com!

Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
*All giveaways are open to all unless otherwise stated.





Boo! And Happy Halloween From Alternative Read (and Keta)


A Mixed Trick or Treat Bag of the SCARIEST Books Ever . . . .

With Halloween soon approaching again, I headed to the Internet to find the "scariest" books ever written. What I discovered was a mixed bag of opinions, but several of the books below appeared on all the lists: King's "It", Anson's "The Amityville Horror" and Blatty's "The Exorcist".

Let's take a look at the list again. Notice something? The authors are male, every single one. I don't know if that says our most talented horror authors are men or rather men have the weirdest minds. I'll leave that answer up to you.

Hope you enjoy the list!

It, Stephen King
The amazingly prolific King returns to pure horror, pitting good against evil as in The Stand and The Shining. Moving back and forth between 1958 and 1985, the story tells of seven children in a small Maine town who discover the source of a series of horrifying murders. Having conquered the evil force once, they are summoned together 27 years later when the cycle begins again.

Ghost Story, Peter Straub
For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past -- and get away with murder. Peter Straub's classic bestseller is a work of "superb horror" (The Washington Post Book World) that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time -- and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival" one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes.

The Amityville Horror, Jay Anson
George and Kathleen Lutz were aware that the house had been the scene of a mass murder -- Ronnie DeFeo, 23, was convicted of shooting his parents, brothers, and sisters. But it seemed an ideal home for them and their three children, and the price was right. On the day they moved in, a priest invited to bless the house was told by an unseen voice to "Get out!" At his rectory, he began to suffer a series of inexplicable afflictions. Meanwhile, alone in their new home, the Lutz family were embarking on the most terrifying experience of their lives. It began when their five-year-old daughter boasted of her new playmate, someone -- or something -- named "Jodie."

Skull Session, Daniel Hecht
A stunning psychological thriller from the bestselling author of PUPPETS When Paul Skogland, who suffers from the mental disorder Tourette's syndrome, agrees to take on the repairs of the magnificent hunting lodge owned by his wealthy, eccentric aunt, little does he realise exactly what he's taken on. Inside the lodge lies a scene of almost superhuman destruction: a violence mirrored by a series of disappearances and grisly deaths haunting the region. As Paul delves into the wreckage, he can't help but wonder what dark passion - and what strength - could cause such chaos. Escalating events lead Paul deeper into his family's past, and as Paul faces the darker aspects of his own nature, he must brave the possibility that in saving those he loves, he might well destroy himself.

Salem's Lot, Stephen King
Stephen King's second book, 'Salem's Lot (1975)--about the slow takeover of an insular hamlet called Jerusalem's Lot by a vampire patterned after Bram Stoker's Dracula--has two elements that he also uses to good effect in later novels: a small American town, usually in Maine, where people are disconnected from each other, quietly nursing their potential for evil; and a mixed bag of rational, goodhearted people, including a writer, who band together to fight that evil.

Swamp Thing: Love and Death by Alan Moore
Don't let the mediocre Swamp Thing movies fool you, this book is filled with sophisticated suspense and terror. Created out of the swamp through a freak accident, Swamp Thing is an elemental creature who uses the forces of nature and the wisdom of the plant kingdom to fight the polluted world's self-destruction. Swamp Thing . . . the only one who can save mankind.

The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty
Blatty fictionalized the true story of a child's demonic possession in the 1940s. The deceptively simple story focuses on Regan, the 11-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C.; the child apparently is possessed by an ancient demon. It's up to a small group of overwhelmed yet determined humans to somehow rescue Regan from this unspeakable fate. Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is "just a story." The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience.

Red Dragon, Thomas Harris
Lying on a cot in his cell with Alexandre Dumas's Le Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine open on his chest, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter makes his debut in this legendary horror novel, which is even better than its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs. As in Silence, the pulse-pounding suspense plot involves a hypersensitive FBI sleuth who consults psycho psychiatrist Lecter for clues to catching a killer on the loose.

Books of Blood, 1-3, Clive Barker
Barker's first hardcover appearance in America, gathers together 16 stories in one volume as the author originally intended and contains eerily effective illustrations by fantasy artists J. K. Potter and Harry O. Morris. The tales are of varying quality and will please mostly readers who like their horror bloody and graphic. An occasional reliance on hokey set-ups and deus ex machinas, and the frequent shifting of intention in mid-story are jarring qualities, however. Further, a pervasive misanthropy colors the narratives and makes them unpleasant in a way the author probably didn't intend.

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Keta Diablo writes erotic romance and gay fiction for numerous publishers. You can find her on the web at the links below. Leave a comment here and you'll be eligible to win your choice of one of Keta's books (visit Keta's Haunt bookshelf to see what's available).

Now, tell us about the scariest book you've ever read and why it frightened the bejeezers out of you! Two winners will be selected to receive a PDF copy of the first novella in Keta's best-selling CROSSROAD series. (Think private investigators, ghosts and communing with the dead). * Warning: this series has elements of intense and graphic man love.

You can find Keta here on the Net:
Keta's Haunt (Author Home) http://www.ketadiablo.com
Keta's Keep (Erotic Romance Blog) http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com
The Stuff of Myth and Men (Gay Fiction Blog) http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!

Tell me about the scariest book you ever read and why it scared you! Winner will be drawn from among those who leave a comment and SCARE US!
What do you win? A book of your choice from my catalog: Go here to see what's available: http://www.ketadiablo.com

Sassy Brit will select the winner and announce it here on the blog right after Halloween on the 31st! Good luck!

Diva's Bookcase: Spooktacular Halloween Bash Guest Post and Giveawa...

Come read all about my paranormal experience. Follow my blog, then go to Diva's Bookcase and follow hers and then leave a comment.

Diva's Bookcase: Spooktacular Halloween Bash Guest Post and Giveawa...: "It's day four of my Spooktacular Halloween Bash. Today, I welcome author Brita Addams to the blog. Sometimes the Strange isn't so Strange"



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October 2010



Author in the Spotlight
Laura Tolomei
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Join our AFFILIATE AUTHOR Thursday Chat over at the
Yahoo Chat & Promo group!
(and claim your free e-books!)
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Win with Alternative-Read.com!


Win a copy of Diana Ruhino's A Bloody Good Cruise! Closes 9th Nov, 2010
Halloween Alternative-Spooks Giveaways : All close at the end of 31st October. Winners announced 1st November 2010.



Day 1: Giveaway #1 Chuck Collins | #2 Nix Winter |
Day 2: Giveaway #1 Theda Black |
Day 3: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!
Day 4: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!
Day 5: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!
Day 6: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!
Day 7: Giveaway #1 Coming soon!

*All giveaways are open to all unless otherwise stated.
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