Poseidon’s Daughters: Reckoning by Reign Reeves Pearson #SciFi #Thriller




Poseidon’s Daughters: Reckoning
Poseidon’s Daughters
Book 1
Reign Reeves Pearson

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Date of Publication: March 21, 2025
ISBN: B0DZNZ6QPC
ASIN: B0DZCKJBGX
Number of pages: 262
Word Count: 62,400
Cover Artist: Reign Reeves Pearson

Tagline: They wanted a ghost, she’ll give them a reckoning

Book Description: 

They trained her to be a weapon. Now, she’s turning the blade on them.

Eirianwen was Poseidon’s crowning achievement—until she walked away from everything. She’s evaded them for years, carving out a life in the shadows, leaving behind the bloodstained world they forced her into. Now, the past she’s been running from has finally caught up. A storm-wracked night. A breach in her sanctuary. Someone is watching. Someone is waiting. And this time, they don’t just want her dead—they want her to doubt herself. They want the world to believe she’s lost her mind.

They’ve been watching her. Manipulating her. Preparing for her downfall.

Now, the elite organization that built her is coming to collect. Not to kill—to control. They don’t need to break her. They just need to make sure no one believes her when she starts screaming.They want her to understand that her escape, her freedom, was all an illusion.

Erased. Discredited. Untouchable.

But Eirianwen has spent her whole life surviving. And when the walls start closing in, she doesn’t run. She hunts.

Poseidon wants her desperate. Unraveling. Helpless.

They’re about to learn just how dangerous she can be.

Amazon

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/hpJsOfvRKxI

Excerpt 

Eirianwen ripped out the earpiece and slammed it onto the desk. Panic swirled at the edges of her mind, but she forced it down. Now wasn’t the time. She grabbed a larger bag from under the desk, slung it over her shoulder, and stormed out. In the closet, she set the bag aside, pressing a hidden panel on the side of her bed. A drawer slid open, revealing her arsenal. Her hands shook as she armed herself, snapping a knife into its sheath and loading a handgun with quick, practiced movements. Now, to find them. Moving swiftly, she ran through the house, slipping out the back door and straight into the storm-charged air. Sullivan’s workshop. If she was going to do this right, she’d need a shovel. She yanked open the heavy wooden door, eyes darting over the mess inside.Where the fuck is it? Why is this place always such a goddamn disaster?

A glint of metal under the workbench caught her eye. She crouched, snatched up a spade, and bolted back outside. The rain had started in earnest, cold drops slicing through the thick humidity. She sprinted to where the trackers last pinged, her boots sinking slightly into the softening earth, almost tripping thanks to a low spot. Looking back at the spot, it was all wrong. She knew something was buried there.

Gripping the shovel tightly, she drove it into the ground. The soil gave easily...far too easily. The clay should have been a nightmare to dig through. Someone had already done the work for her. Within moments, her blade hit something solid, and dread curled in her stomach. She dropped to her knees, clawing at the loose earth with bare hands until the objects were free. Her breath hitched. Six trackers. All of them. Cold, useless, and buried like a mockery of her own paranoia. Eirianwen sat back on her heels, mud caking her fingers as she stared at the pile in her hands. Someone knew.

Her cheeks burned hot, but the rest of her body felt frozen. Tears welled, spilling silently down her face as the questions flooded in. Why? Why would Sullivan do this? Had he done this? He wouldn’t put the kids in danger—would he? Where were they? How long had he planned this? Her stomach twisted. Then, her phone buzzed—a single notification. Hands trembling,  she wiped her palms on her pants and yanked it from her pocket. Wi-Fi restored—a new alert. Someone had just crossed the perimeter.

“It better be Sullivan and the kids.”

Eirianwen exhaled sharply, swiping at the sweat and tears streaking her face. Standing, she brushed the dirt from her clothes as best she could, shoving the useless trackers deep into her pocket. She locked her phone and steadied herself. If the kids were with Sullivan, she needed to stay calm. Normal. They couldn’t see the weapons strapped under her clothing. At least the incoming storm gave her an excuse to rush them inside. She’d get them safe first—then she’d deal with Sullivan. She turned toward the tree line, heart pounding in her throat. The property was massive, and she had built the house at its farthest edge. Finally, headlights cut through the gloom. A vehicle emerged. Not Sullivan’s truck. A cold, electric jolt shot down her spine. Every instinct screamed at her.

No one came out here. No one. She had made sure of it. For years, she had meticulously crafted the illusion of a perfectly ordinary life. She knew everyone in town—just enough to avoid suspicion, but never enough to invite curiosity. A delicate balance of friendly but distant. She never gave anyone a reason to visit. She didn't even use their real address! She picked up all of their mail and deliveries in town. So who the hell thought they had the right to pull up to her house? The SUV slowed to a stop, tires crunching against the gravel. The doors swung open in near unison, and two men stepped out. Sheriff Ford. Deputy Pines. Ford adjusted his jacket, his gaze steady, unreadable. Pines lingered a step behind, eyes sharp, scanning. Ford closed the gap between them, and gave Eirianwen a curt nod.

 

About the Author:

Reign Reeves Pearson is a writer, storyteller, and chaos enthusiast based in Houston, where she lives with her husband, four kids, and three cats who may or may not be plotting world domination. She thrives on Kopiko, rainy days, and an endless love for Final Fantasy VII and Dungeons & Dragons.

 

She’s been writing for as long as she can remember. But in 2019, a health scare forced her to take a hard look at her life, and the answer was clear: writing wasn’t just something she did. It was what she was meant to do.

 

Her debut novel and series, Poseidon’s Daughters: Reckoning, is her first and only planned adventure into sci-fi. Going forward, expect Southern Gothic chills, cosmic nightmares, and nostalgic ‘90s horror—all infused with her signature mix of heart, humor, and a touch of the macabre.

 

When she’s not writing, she’s probably dreaming up elaborate D&D campaigns, getting emotionally wrecked by Final Fantasy VII (again), or staring dramatically out a window while it rains.

 

Follow her chaotic creative journey at:

 

https://reignvox.com/

 

https://x.com/notorious_rrp

 

https://www.twitch.tv/ReignVox

 

https://www.youtube.com/@notorious_rrp

 

https://www.instagram.com/notorious_rrp/

 

https://www.instagram.com/reignreevespearson/

 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/48135392.Reign_Reeves_Pearson

 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Reign-Reeves-Pearson/author/B0DZDDF88T





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Halloween Flash Fiction by Valerie Storm



“Don’t eat too much candy,” Kari warned weakly.

          “Ah, let them enjoy themselves!” Ari said with a laugh.

          Kia stood next to Valia and Lucien, her closest friends. She was dressed in feline ears and tail—something her Uncle Guine found distinctly hilarious, which made her happy—while Valia donned a mask lined with fake flowers and Lucien wore a dark cloak and sharp fangs.

          “We’ll be fine, Mama!” Kia said.

          “Guine said he’d watch us,” Lucien added innocently.

          “That’s part of what I’m worried about,” Kari muttered.

          “Go, have fun.” Ari looped an arm over Kari’s shoulder and pulled her close. “This is what the Night of Masks is for; dressing up and enjoying the cool nights.”

          “And the candied foods!” Lucien squealed.

          Valia smirked. “Yes. Those too.”

          Kia hopped once, then spun around. Her little fake cat tail—so much longer than her real, wolf one—flopped behind her. “Let’s go!”

          Valia, Lucien, and Kia scampered down the road into the thick of Freehaven. Fellow demons and humans meandered and ran up and down the roads, all adorned in costumes—scary, eye-grabbing, or simple. Stands were setup where the locals offered free, homemade foods and sweets. With her enhanced wolfish nose, Kia smelled candied apples, sweet roasted corn, savory legs of chicken, frozen cream, and more. Lucien lifted his nose toward the apples while Valia leaned for the chicken.

          Kia glanced between them and grinned. “Come on, let’s get some food!”

          The lines were long, so they split up: Valia went to get three legs of chicken while Lucien offered to buy them each a candied apple. Kia teetered between the options before finally choosing a stand offering honeyed cinnamon tea. The scent carried on a stray breeze, pulling her closer. She dug in her pocket for the meager money she’d saved for the Night of Masks—and barely had enough for two cups.

          Even so, Kia stepped forward. There was no one in line, after all, and the seller perked up as she approached.

          “Welcome!” they said in a croak of a voice—boyish, yet not one Kia recognized. Their face was covered by a crow mask.

          “Two teas, please. Is that honey and cinnamon?”

          “Only the best for a young wolf demon,” Crow Mask said. He ducked and shuffled around before producing two cups and a pot of steaming water.

          Kia watched as he poured the water into the cups, then added tightly packed bags of sprinkled herbs. Something about him noting that she was a wolf demon felt strange—not that it would have been very hard to notice she obviously wasn’t a cat demon, but most people in Freehaven did not make that distinction.

          Even so, Kia took the two cups when Crow Mask offered them.

          “Five silver,” he said with a smile that cut along the edge of his dark mask.

          Kia extended her hand. The silvers glittered in her palm—

          And then someone grabbed her by the wrist, someone tall and quite suddenly by her side.

          “Kia, put that tea down,” Guine said.

          “Uncle?” Kia gasped.

          Her Uncle Guine was a tall human—the tallest in Freehaven by far, she thought. He was also a legendary master of magic. He had shown Kia tons of tricks, yet she knew he had so many more things up his sleeve.

          The lower half of Crow Mask’s face flushed. “What is the meaning of—”

          In the blink of an eye, Guine snatched the cups of tea out of Kia’s hand, dumped them, and tossed them aside. “There’s been some word of hooligans slipping odd herbs into drinks to see what happens to the victim. Freehaven’s Council has been investigating, but hasn’t come up with any leads. So Kari requested my help.

          “And of course you’d show up on this night, when everyone’s excited and willing to buy just about anything for the festivities,” Guine growled.

          Crow Mask froze. Kia looked at him, then at Guine, then back at Crow Mask.

          Then the boy behind the stand flung bags into the air. Dust exploded, blinding Kia; she turned, covered her face with her arm, and coughed.

          “Don’t inhale too much!” Guine shouted. “Get back, find your friends! I’ll handle this.”

          Kia stumbled away, eager to do as he bid; her uncle would handle this. She just wanted to find her friends and maybe head back home. Her vision was blurry, her nose stung; she rubbed her eyes.

          She made it barely four steps before someone grabbed her by the arms. Valia’s cool hands encircled her biceps.

          “Kia! Are you okay?”

          “We heard a crash at that tea stand,” came Lucien’s voice.

          “Fine,” Kia mumbled. “Something about someone selling faulty tea. My eyes burn.” She rubbed them again.

          Valia gently pulled her hand away from her eyes. “Let’s go home. Your dad will have something for that.”

          “Here.” Lucien placed a clay bowl into her hands. “I got us apples!”

          “At least these are safe,” Kia said as she munched on a juicy, sticky, sweet slice of apple. “How could someone try to trick me like that?!”

          “People are strange,” Valia said, which was something she said often.

          “It’s okay,” Lucien said. “We have the whole rest of the night for the Night of Masks. Once your dad fixes your eyes up, we can head back out—and not try any strange teas.”

          “Yeah…yeah!” Kia agreed with a little more hop to her step.

          In the distance, her sharp ears picked up the sharp sounds of someone pleading forgiveness before their whines cut off. She was sure Uncle Guine wouldn’t seriously hurt someone, but she knew whoever they were, they wouldn’t make a mistake like tonight again.

          


Fate of the Storm
Demon Storm 
Book Eight
Valerie Storm

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
Date of Publication: 5/13/2025
ISBN: 9781956883343 
ASIN: B0F4BD7X8Y
Number of pages: 374
Word Count:  97,896
Cover Artist: @Ginkahederling

Book Description:

The shadows have retreated with Raven's downfall, but darkness still curls at the edges of the world. For a moment, though, Kari and Ari have a moment of peace. There is a glimmer of light that threatens to wash away the darkness as they finally bind their fates together in a formal ceremony.

But Raven hasn't given up, and there's an older, crueler foe who hasn't forgotten Kari - the Lord of Demons, the very one who crafted the Catalyst which Raven sought to control, still trapped in an ancient Tree.

Kari's moment of joy comes to a halt as the world shakes and Taris is ripped apart.

Velthas has risen.
Bewitching Exclusive Excerpt: 

Zina scoffed. “If I had not treated you as an anomaly—if I had not taken the prophecy into consideration and been blinded by my own fool goals, would we be here?”

Kari approached her and leaned against the wall beside the window. “Something would have guided us here eventually,” she said. “That’s what Guine said. You really are arrogant if you think it’s all on you.”

Zina laughed, though it was tired and desperately lacking any amusement. “Maybe the Catalyst would have followed its fate. I certainly am not so full of myself that I would take all the blame for the wiles of destiny, if such a thing exists. But the fact is I made great leaps in the wrong direction not because I thought it was right, but because I was selfish.” She turned and looked at Kari with shadowed, gray eyes. “I am sorry for everything my actions put you through, Kari.”

Kari’s heart twisted. She cleared her throat. “An apology, from you?”

Zina smiled wryly. “You won’t get another.”

Kari’s tail twitched at the way she said that. “Thank you, Zina. I forgive you.”

Zina closed her eyes and turned to the window again.

“Zina…” Kari hesitantly started. “If there is something you know, something you think you have to prove…well.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “We saw your letters to Nova. We know you’ve been talking to the angels,” she said quickly before she could regret the words. “If Kinera—the Seraph of Nalmi—told you to do something…” Kari exhaled an annoyed breath. “Listen, we’re all in this together. Every single one of us has a task, and every single one of us is going to celebrate tomorrow after we’ve won. But that means we have to rely on each other, trust each other.”

Zina was quiet. Kari was afraid their talk would be over, replaced with defensive anger.

At last, Zina hummed. She dug her fingers into the window and shoved it up, allowing a freshly cool breeze to whip her hair out of place. “You always hated my secrets, Kari. I regret to inform you I rather enjoy them.” She smirked and a glint came to her gray eyes, a liveliness Kari hadn’t seen since they’d come back. “You will know everything you need to when it’s all over.”

“That’s not enough, Zina,” Kari insisted. “Whatever she’s asked you to do, you don’t have to. Or we can help you. I can—”

“If you could help me with this, I would gladly let you,” Zina said. “However, this is a burden I have carried for a long, long time. I have no regrets now. Do you understand, Kari?”

Kari opened her mouth, then closed it. She bit her lip. “Zina…”

“Whatever happens tomorrow,” Zina said firmly, “I have no regrets. Do you understand?”

She repeated the question in a tone made of steel; Kari had not heard her talk so since the days of her training.

“I understand,” she muttered. “But if I find an alternative, I’m taking it.”

Zina’s lips twitched into an almost-smile. “I expected nothing less.”

 

About the Author:

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children and children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.











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Halfway to Halloween Expo

 

I'll be at the Halfway to Halloween Expo

Saturday May 10

11 am to 6 pm


Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds

5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd 

Ann Arbor, MI 48103


Over 170 Unique Vendors: 

Explore a wide variety of vendors offering everything from decorations, costumes, masks, and prosthetics to handmade crafts, props, wet specimens, oddities, home decor, jewelry, clothing, baked goods, books, and so much more. It’s the perfect opportunity to find truly one-of-a-kind items!

Collaborative Haunted Walkthrough: 

Experience a spine-chilling haunted walkthrough created by the talented teams from The Scream Machine, Erebus Haunted Attraction, Nightmare Realm Haunted Attractions, Haunting In The Hills, Deranged Haunt, St. Charles Haunted House, and Nightmares from Hell haunted attraction. Get ready for plenty of screams and scares, giving you a taste of what awaits during the haunting season!

Hearse Car Show: 

Enjoy a showcase of unique hearses on display.

Charity Raffle: 

Participate in our charity raffle for a chance to win exciting prizes.  All proceeds will benefit Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.

Live Performances: 

Enjoy captivating live entertainment throughout the day.

Costume Contest: 

This is a fantastic opportunity to show off your creativity! Categories include:

- Most Original

- Best Overall

- Scariest

- Best Movie Inspired

- Best Group (2 or more)

Kids' Costume Contest (ages 12 and under): Categories include:

- Funniest

- Scariest

- Cutest

- Most Original

Food Trucks: 

Savor delicious offerings from 13 different food trucks, including:

- Schultz Concessions.LLC

- Twisted Sugar Bubble Bar

- Quick Bites LLC

- DSR BBQ

- The Food Bandit

- The Grilled Wrap

- Double B’z Freeze &Tea’z

- Little Caesars Pizza Truck

- 734 And More Food Truck

- Funk It Up Fries

- Fuller Farms Mini Donuts

- Shawarma Chef

- Professor Butturbeer

Networking Opportunities: 

Connect with fellow Halloween enthusiasts, makeup artists, and creators in the community.

Community Atmosphere: 

Celebrate Halfway to Halloween in a lively environment where fans can come together to share their passions.

Tickets: 

Just $5 in advance and $10 at the door grants you access to all the excitement, including the haunted walkthrough! Plus, children aged 12 and under are free!

Purchase tickets here:

 https://app.hauntpay.com/events/halfway-to-halloween-expo-1/event_times/1531455

Release Day Blitz Dark Shadow of Guilt by TM Smith #Romantasy #PNR #Fantasy


Dark Shadow of Guilt
Winged Assassin Series
Book One
TM Smith

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: April 18, 2025
ISBN: 978-0-3695-1163-8
ASIN: B0F2XZZ55K
Number of pages: 377
Word Count: 96,146
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Book Description:  

Dominion, a guilt-ridden Immortal who is the black-winged assassin of the OneCreator, rescues Madeline, a mortal who has been thrust into a world she never existed knew. Kidnapped, she was brought to Angor in OneWorld and tortured. As her path intertwines with Dom’s, she grapples with her evolution and newfound gifts. 

Theirs is a tale of doubt and forgiveness, forbidden love, sacrifice, and conflict that threatens the existence of OneWorld. 

Packed with puzzling occurrences and twists and turns, this is a story that will mesmerize readers from start to finish. Amidst chaos in OneWorld, their love is put to the ultimate test against looming threats that threaten the fabric of existence.

Amazon       Apple      Smashwords      BN      Goodreads      Books2Read

Excerpt:

 

Madeline dragged a fork through her potatoes, eventually shoving a bite into her mouth. When she finished chewing, she broke off a piece of crisp bacon and popped it in, licking her lips. “I was thinking about going home, but when you came into the kitchen, I realized how much help you need around here. You probably don’t pay enough attention to yourself. Like eating regularly. Your laundry. Cleaning house. I could organize stuff. Take care of your place.” She winked again. “And you.”

She tilted her chin, a strand of hair feathering across her cheek as she slipped him an irresistible smile. He followed the sweep of her tongue across her lower lip again.

Damn. Things were taking a definite turn toward strange.

Finished, Dom pushed his plate away. He gripped the handle of his coffee mug, taking a sip. Good. Brewed just right. He cleared his throat, searching for something to say. Conversation wasn’t part of his skill set.

Madeline scooted closer, thigh to thigh, a hand caressing his shoulder, floating down to clasp his bicep. “Don’t you like having me here? I could be very convenient to have around.”

When her breast brushed his arm, his heart pounded against his ribs. She was coming on to him.

Dom escaped her grip and moved out of boob range. “Be careful, little female.”

As she leaned close, her whispery breath puffed across his ear. “I’m not so little.”

“Uh-huh.” He swallowed hard. What the hell was she doing? She’d gone from scared to distrusting to cautious acceptance. Now this? Was this typical human behavior?

She inched nearer again, heat radiating off her body. He never turned down an offer from a female, and this one was cooking more than breakfast. But Dom was cautious. He didn’t like not knowing the game.

Madeline tilted into his chest and crushed her lips to his.

To hell with caution.

Not about to allow her to control the situation, Dom yanked her onto his lap, her legs straddling him. He took over, forcing her mouth open and caressing her tongue with his. As she melted against him, his cock got with the game.

 

About the Author:

T. M. Smith is the award-winning author of the Blood Coven Series paranormal romance novels and the spin-off Blood Coven World novellas. Her current release is a new romantasy, in the Winged Assassins Series, Dark Shadow of Guilt. She draws upon her imagination to craft stories about strong women and powerful but flawed men in a richly detailed magical world. After retiring from a career as an educator, Smith settled in to write something more creative than lesson plans on split infinitives and inner-school memos on noise in the hallway. She is now living in the Pacific Northwest with vampires, demons, ylves, mages, and winged beings who keep her awake at night with their tales of love and adventure.






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Haunting Joy by A.L. Hawke #SupernaturalRomance


Haunting Joy
A.L. Hawke

Genre: supernatural romance
Publisher: Phantom Heart, LLC
Date of Publication: March 19, 2025
ISBN ebook: 978-1-953919-77-9
ISBN paperback: 978-1-953919-80-9
ISBN hardcover: 978-1-953919-78-6
ISBN audiobook: 978-1-953919-81-6
ASIN: B0DZMNPQHL
Number of pages: 204
Word Count: 53,000
Cover Artist: Mirella Santana

Tagline: Peace ends in the spirit of joy.

Book Description:

Alec was seeking a respite from city life. He thinks he has discovered it on Plymouth Crest, a manor overlooking the forest and a beautiful lake, golden in the sun. But Alec was warned the house is haunted by a murdered pop singer and Hollywood star.

Footsteps and howling winds soon disturb his sleep. One night, he finds an intruder, Joy, standing barefoot among broken glass in the kitchen. He chases her out. But she returns, enchanting him with laughter and boundless energy. It’s not long before Alec falls in love.

Joy ends when a belligerent character shows up and claims ownership of the house. Alec and Joy have a plan to evict him and bring some resolution to past horrors. If they fail, Alec’s dreams will crumble, and Joy might be subjected to a fate worse than death. But if they succeed, Alec and Joy might be separated forever—and so may end joy. To save Joy—and also have hope of being together—they need a bold plan, bringing them face to face with evils buried in the past, and finding a path to a shared future.

Amazon     BookFunnel


Excerpt:

With the sun’s rays shining between the green leaves of the trees surrounding the windows of his glass house, Plymouth Crest was enchanting. Gilded light shone through the leaves and branches creating yellow prism-like effects. And with all the green moss and thrush, it was enchanting—as if Alec lived in an English fae forest or Camelot, which he loved as a writer.

That was what happened during the day. But upon nightfall, all those large windows turned black. And then those same leaves and branches that covered the sunrays blocked moonlight. Then his house became very dark.

But not so quiet…

By the second week, he started hearing noises. At first, it was just stray creaks and cracks from the wood, and Alec figured it was simply the sound of an old foundation. But as time passed, he heard unexplainable things. Stray shouts and screams that sounded as if they were coming from the terrace outside. Doors opening and slamming shut downstairs. Kitchen cabinets left open. Plates and glasses being rearranged on the kitchen table. Doors left open all night. One morning, he even found the couch in the living room had been moved a couple feet. That was the creepiest. On yet another night, he awoke shivering. The glass balcony door of his bedroom was wide open. He was certain he had locked it.

As days passed, the noises only grew louder. One night a wooden chair tipped over downstairs in the dining room. Then another night, a plant was thrown from one of his tall cabinets in the foyer into the living room.

He began to not sleep. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but he couldn’t deny the noises.

Tonight, for hours, he had just stared at the white ceiling over his bed in silence. He had stared long enough for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. And after a while, the darkness made the faint moonlight that shone through openings in his dark mahogany velvet curtains seem bright.

His body jumped. His muscles reacted mechanically before he recognized the noise. It was glass shattering. Something had broken into pieces downstairs. It was so loud that he leapt out of bed and his hands scrambled along the walls to switch on the light. But the light wouldn’t switch on. That was weird because his old clock on the nightstand still read one-thirty-two in red digital letters, and the clock didn’t have back-up power. Electricity was another quirky thing about his house.

He opened the drawer in his nightstand by the bed. In his old house, he had always left a small flashlight by the bed. But the flashlight wasn’t there. It was probably still in one of the boxes in the garage. And he had left his cellphone downstairs.

There was more opening and closing of cabinets and drawers. This time, it wasn’t just stray noises, it seemed to be every few seconds. This didn’t sound like the usual cracks and creaks of some phantom haunting his place. He was worried there was an actual intruder.

He rushed along the inner balcony. Most of his downstairs could be seen from here, but his furniture—his couch, end table, and chairs—were cast in shadows by moonlight.

“Who’s down there?” Alec cried. “Show yourself.”

He was answered by another crash. That made him move faster, darting across his dark, empty living room and running straight to the source of the noise—in the kitchen.

He was wearing only underwear and felt a breeze before seeing the open kitchen door. After doors being left open frequently over the past week, he was sure he had checked the lock on this door before going to bed. He rushed over to shut it.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was home.”

Alec whirled around. That made the intruder on the other side of the kitchen island cover her mouth and snicker.

They stared at one another. Then she drew the apple up to her nose.

“What are you doing here?” Alec snapped.

“Eating an apple.”

“No, what are you doing in my house?”

 

About the Author:

A.L. Hawke is the author of the bestselling Hawthorne University Witch Series. The author lives in Southern California torching the midnight candle over lovers against a backdrop of machines, nymphs, magic, spice and mayhem.

 

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Guest Blog with Author Eli Rainwater - Creative Costumes for Halloween




Halloween is, hands down, my favorite holiday. 

Yes, there’s trick or treating, ghost stories, and candy, but for me, I love the intoxicating magic of being able to dress up however I like, put on masks (or take them off), and celebrate a time when we shift from the end of the harvest season to the start of reflection and introspection. I spend each year planning my costumes and looking forward to the excitement that comes from watching people try to guess what I am. 

Not everyone can afford to buy or make expensive, elaborate costumes each year. I personally love a good punny costume–  which also lends itself well to dressing up on a budget. Here is a list of the top ten costumes I made or saw over the years.  

1. Dr. Frankenstein: Wear a lab coat, scrubs, and stethoscope with a frankfurter (hot dog for those who are unfamiliar) in a beer stein. I got a lot of groans over this one and had to explain it quite a bit, so maybe use it for a literary party. 

2. Boston Cream Pie: You can’t get much simpler than this, but the groans and laughter it got when this particular Red Sox fan walked into my pub one Halloween were worth it. Wear a Boston hat (if you’re outside of the Northeast, then a Red Sox or Celtics hat is the most recognizable), carry a can of whipped cream, and draw, sew, or attach the Pi symbol on your shirt. 

3. A Bun in the Oven: When I was pregnant with my daughter, the only costume expectant mothers had available to them were jack o'lantern sweatshirts. So I enjoyed coming up with this idea. Paint a box or a garden center yard waste bag white and draw or attach felt “eyes” on top. Cut out the center and line it with plastic to look like a door, and now your baby is a bun in the oven! 

4. A Clockwork Orange: Decorate an orange shirt or sweater (or an actual orange costume if you can make or find one) with clockwork pieces. You can find packs of them on Etsy or through craft shops. It’s time consuming to attach dozens of tiny gears, so look for larger ones if you want to speed things up. 

5. House W(h)ine: I did this one year when I managed a pub. Wear a white shirt and carry a pack of sharpies. Let people write their “whines” on your shirt. This can actually be very cathartic as a work costume, especially once the writers get out their initial grievances and start getting silly. 

6. Sleep over: Pajamas, attach “ZZZZZZ to a headband or hat, and you’re a sleepover; also known as the “I just want an excuse to wear comfortable pajamas in public” costume (yes, I did this one more than once)

7. Gone with the Wind: Attach a portable fan to a backpack or jacket and keep moving away from anyone who tries to interact with you; make sure to yell that you’re sorry, but you’re gone with the wind. Excellent for when you reach the point of overstimulation in a crowd. 

8. Stonehenge: Group costume– take tall moving boxes, distress them and paint them gray, cut arm and face holes out of enough for the group and carry one more. Each time you stop, the empty box gets laid across the rest. I once watched a group of college kids make their rent for the month of November by winning every costume contest in town with this idea. 

9. Bright idea: There are a couple of ways to do this. Cut light bulbs out of reflective paper or UV paper or fabric and attach them to a shirt or dress. You can also wrap a short strand of fairy lights in the shape of a light bulb and attach them to a shirt or dress. If you use the lights, be aware of how much heat they give off. LEDs work best. I’ve seen it done both ways, and UV paper and reflective paper worked best in a club environment while fairy lights stand out at house parties.   

10. Spring cleaning: Pin slinkies or springs all over an article of clothing or find a way to wind a metal wire around your torso to look like a spring and carry a feather duster, broom, or mop. If you do the metal wire, be very careful not to poke yourself! Attaching springs to your clothes make the costume more recognizable but is time consuming.


Being punny and costuming on a budget can be a lot of fun! Let your creative juices flow and open your mind to the possibilities. You never know what small, innocuous object you have lying around your house that can help transform your costume to a witty centerpiece.     


Welcome to Jessie’s
The Witch’s Bar Chronicles 
Book One
Eli Rainwater

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Eli Rainwater Books
Date of Publication: August 8, 2022
ISBN: 979-8-218-05342-0
ASIN: B0B8YMLBRM
Number of pages: 340
Word Count: 82.981

Cover Artist: Photo by Juliana Finch

Tagline: A vampire, a ghost, and a fairy walk into a bar

Book Description: 

When Jessie, one of the oldest and most powerful witches in the world, joined the Witch Council over a thousand years ago, she was embroiled in politics, saving the world, and trying to keep the supernatural world a secret from humans. 

Now supernaturals are out in the open and a tentative alliance between the fae, cryptids, humans, and witches is underway. Jessie finally gets to leave the intrigue and drama behind to own a bar in a small town north of Atlanta where the most annoying thing on her plate is making sure the vampire groupies don’t wind up as someone’s dinner. 

Then a gargoyle is killed in her bar. It‘s not just any gargoyle though– he was the secretary for the European cryptid ambassador to the Alliance. Finding herself in the center of an international– and interspecies– nightmare, Jessie has to rally her allies to stop a power-hungry cabal from starting a war and destroying life as she knows it.

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Excerpt:“No one will ever love me again. I shall die alone with naught to mourn my passing.”

Jessie MacCaverty stopped wiping down the bar top to raise an eyebrow at the chestnut curls belonging to the adorable and devastatingly handsome yet extremely annoying, melodramatic vampire who flounced through the door in a swirl of early autumn air and leaves before dramatically collapsing on a stool in front of her. Her bartender and apprentice Caroline rolled her blue eyes before going back to pouring beers for the amused regulars at the other end of the bar.

“Get your head off the bar. I just wiped that spot,” Jessie tucked a long, silver-gray curl behind her ear, completely unsympathetic to her friend's plight, whatever it was this time.

Nicodemus shot up on the stool, outrage and wounded betrayal reflected in his honey gold almond shaped eyes. The younger of two vampiric siblings, he was as beautiful in death as he had been in life as a long dead king’s military advisor and member of a noble family.

“You! You who are supposed to be the one I hold most dear, the most treasured of my bosom companions, have you no mercy on my poor soul? My wounded heart?”

“Not when you start talking like the bastard child of a Hallmark card and Harlequin romance, I don't.” Jessie was extremely unimpressed-- and unsympathetic.

“So be it,” he huffed, slumping back down to prop his elbows on the oak bar top that had been lovingly polished over the decades until it gleamed forever. “Take away my poet's soul. See if I care.”

Jessie beamed. “See, isn't that better? Now, do you want a drink while you calmly and sensibly tell me what's going on without all the histrionics?”

He scowled before relenting. “Fine. But none of those weird, fruity, sweet things the kids are drinking everywhere! Those colors should never have been put into anything consumable,” he shuddered in disgust.

“Caroline, make him a Manhattan, will you?” Jessie called over her shoulder.

“Sure thing, boss,” Caroline replied cheerfully, tossing her long, blonde, curly ponytail over her shoulder as she deftly flipped a martini glass over and grabbed the bottle of rye.

Nicky studied Jessie as she settled down next to him. She was tiny. Long gray curls framed a slightly oval shaped face, high cheekbones, and huge, piercing blue eyes. She lived for broken in jeans and obscure band or bar t-shirts that were so soft and well worn, they were one stitch away from falling apart. Like all witches, she stopped aging in her mid forties and was eternally in that stage of beauty when the laugh lines enhanced the late summer glow of youth.

“Now. What happened this time?” she asked, settling in for the long haul.

He heaved a melancholy sigh that sounded like it came from his toes. She resisted the urge to follow Caroline's eye-rolling example.

“I thought I met the one. He was so perfect. The gargoyle of my dreams!” Jessie choked on her tea.

“I'm sorry, the what of your dreams?”

He looked affronted. “Gargoyle! I told you about him last week!” ”

Jessie barely managed to hide a guilty look. To be fair, when he started on the love interest du jour, it could get a little... repetitive. It wasn't her fault if it was easier to tune him out and concentrate on inventory. Bits and pieces of his hours-long recitations of adoration started to come back to her.

“Oh, right! That gargoyle!”

Jared, Jessie's other apprentice and barback, a tall, young man with impeccable style and skin the color of dark chocolate and who had lined up a promising career in role playing game production, stopped with the ice bucket in midair to stare at Nicky.

“Dude! How does that even work?” He demanded, fascinated.

“Well, if you must know,” Nicky drew himself up haughtily, “Gargoyles are only stone by day when they revert to their... less attractive but more widely known visages.”

“So, what, at night they're hot?” Sometimes talking to Jared was like talking to the blunt side of a hammer and about as subtle.

“If you must put it that way, yes, they can be. Are. Usually are.” Nicky would have blushed if blood pumped through his veins. Jessie realized that he hadn't fed recently. He must really be enamored with this guy.

“Did he ghost you?” Caroline asked with a sympathetic glance. “No offense, Charlie!”

“None taken.” Charlie was the bar's resident ghost. When Mary Jo Sutton, who was still the town’s most beautiful and seductive succubus at the age of fifty, had propositioned him in the bathroom, he had neglected to mention that he had a heart condition. He swore the resulting heart attack was worth it. She still felt guilty about the whole thing.

“Ghost me? Ghost me??” Nicky was stunned, floored, flabbergasted that anyone could even consider such a thing. Jessie gave in to the urge to roll her eyes. Trying to hold back was exhausting.

“Focus!” she slapped her hand on the bar harder than she planned and instantly regretted it. “Where were you supposed to meet?”

“Well, here, tonight actually. I wanted him to meet you.”

Jessie blinked at him.

“So you're telling me that you just waltzed in here and immediately went into hysterics without even bothering to see if he was here first? I mean, we're not exactly balls to the walls over here, but it's not like we're dead either! No offense, Charlie.”

“None taken,” Charlie replied with a burp. One of Jessie's neatest (in his opinion) little pieces of spellwork involved creating a mug that acted as a portal that gave whatever it contained the ability to exist on the spiritual plane. At the moment, that happened to be beer. No one was entirely sure if the belching was necessary, but not even Jared was willing to ruin Charlie's contentment by asking and possibly ruining the experience.

Nicky looked faintly abashed. “I don't see him though! That's understandable, right? I mean, I even came late on purpose!”

Jessie dropped her head in her hand and shook it with the long suffering patience of one who realized a long time ago that their friend genuinely did not have a clue how personal relationships should go.

Nicky squirmed on his stool.

“Well... it seemed like a good idea at the time. But he didn't stick around, so it doesn't matter! And besides, I was only about fifteen minutes late!”

Jared shook his head as he walked toward the back to put away the ice bucket.

“Man, even I know better than that, and I can't keep a girl around to save my life. No offense, Charlie.”

“None taken,” Charlie replied with equanimity. He had never realized how many turns of phrase involved life or death until he himself switched from one side to the other.

“Hey, Jared, check the bathroom for trash and toilet paper on your way back, please,” Jessie called before turning back to the matter at hand.

“Admittedly, I don't really remember seeing a stranger hanging around tonight. What does he look like? And what’s his name? Also, have you tried calling him or do you have a picture, she asks, knowing that of course you didn't, you just immediately broke down into hysterics and started talking like you came off the cover of the best selling romance novel of the decade?”

Now Nicky rolled his eyes. Jessie felt herself get twitchy as she resisted the urge to pop him on the arm.

“I do not talk like that,” he protested.

“Well, no, not when you remember what year it is,” Jessie replied. Nicky pulled out his phone.

“His name is Warsaw, and unfortunately, I can't take a picture. Gargoyles turn into stone in front of a camera,” he showed her a picture of him kissing a stone... lion? dog? on the cheek while gazing coquettishly at what was obviously a phone camera perched at the end of a selfie stick.

“You carry a selfie stick? Of course you do. Why do I even ask?” She snorted in amusement.

Caroline snickered, grabbing the phone,“You're such an adorable couple! Do you think your kids would have your eyes or his density?”

“Ha ha!” Nicky glared as he snatched the phone out of her grasp. “You're so funny.” He tried-- and failed-- to regain some control of the conversation. By this point, Caroline was giggling uncontrollably, and Charlie laughed himself through his stool.

“Okay, okay, let's calm down,” Jessie grinned. “Try to call him. See what happens.”

“Fine, if it will get you all to stop cackling like a pack of hyenas,” Nicky huffed as he hit a button and held the phone to his ear.

“Wait, did you hear that?” Caroline switched from hilarity to alert in seconds. Jessie was way ahead of her.

She met Nicky's eyes with a growing sense of dread. Out of nowhere, a phone had begun to ring, a muffled sound that could only come from behind a closed door.

At the same time, they heard Jared's scream and the thud as he fell over backwards, scrambling away from the bathroom. Inside was a lifeless body that once belonged to a shy, love struck creature who had, for one brief, shining moment, thought he could have everything his heart, which would never be stone, had ever longed for and found in the deep, deep love of a whimsical, sometimes overly dramatic, slightly narcissistic vampire.


About the Author:

Eli’s love for reading started at an early age when her mother taught her to read almost as soon as she learned to talk. She discovered the fantasy genre and fell hard for it when her brother let her sit in on his D&D sessions and then lent her his collections of Dragonlance and David Eddings books while he was away at college.

Eli wrote short stories and poetry in school, but like so many of us, she never really pursued her passion as an adult. Then, COVID hit. After two years of being in “go mode” while she managed a pub, she spent a week reading in a yurt in the mountains. When she came home, she wrote and self-published her first book.

Now, Eli gets to write stories she loves and travel to conventions and events where people are nice enough to let her talk about her books and the world she created for hours on end.









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