Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Beneath the Surface

Photo by Kevin Charit (kevin_charit) on Unsplash

Beneath the Surface

Messias Robertsen wished he’d chosen a career in any field besides archaeology. He rued the day he found the hieroglyphs carved into the Altar of Rock at the Farms of the Vanquished on the shore of the River of Rust. Since that day, he’d been plagued by sanity-scarring nightmares.

Messias gazed out the tavern window at the row of volcanic islands extending across Turtle Bay Harbor. He looked at the sketch of the creature that had been haunting his sleep. His dreams told him the thing would rise from the sea near The Sleeping Skerry on the next full moon.

notes

I submitted this story to Dragon Soul Press for potential inclusion in The Damned horror drabble anthology, but it didn't make the cut.

That's all right, five of the drabbles I submitted did pass muster. Plus, you'll also find more great drabbles by other talented authors.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5RSJS5M

Sunday, July 9, 2023

On the Shore of Blueberry Beach #8Sunday

Book: The Damned

Stories: The Drain, The Enforcers, The Fog, On a Spring Day, and The Trial.

ASIN: B0C82RQFSZ

Publication Date: September 23, 2023

Genre: Flash Fiction, Horror

Buy Link: http://books2read.com/DamnedDrabbles

Price: $1.99 ebook (Pre-order price)

Book Blurb:

Bite-sized horror stories are brought to you by thirteen authors. From creepy crawlies to the seemingly normal pets. From hideous monsters lurking in the dark to charismatic people showing their true colors.

Each tale is precisely 100 words and leaves a long-lasting chilling effect. Some will make you question the security of the world around you, and what’s more terrifying than that?

Featuring drabbles from Storm Lomax, Jonathan Reddoch, Zari Hunt, Kellee Kranendonk, Andreas Flögel, Simon Clarke, Jacek Wilkos, Ferenc K. Zoltán, Vanessa Bane, C.L. Hart, Natascha Eschweiler, Angela Zimmerman, and J.E. Feldman.

Pre-Excerpt Information

I submitted the following drabble for possible publication in the anthology, but it was not selected.

So, why in the world am I sharing it?

Because there are approximately 13 weeks until the anthology is published. My contract stipulates that I can't share more than 500 words from the anthology prior to publication. That's all five of my selected stories. So, what in the heck would I share during the other eight weeks?

The other drabbles that didn't make the cut for this anthology, of course!

The following drabble may be similar to other drabbles that did make the cut. It's pretty cool in its own right.

Photo by James Dimas (jamesdimas) on Unsplash

On the Shore of Blueberry Beach

Some things are awful enough to shake the foundations of even the most fervent believers. What Magdalene Khachaturyan found washed up on the shore of Blueberry Beach at the start of summer was not the sort of thing a sensitive-minded thirteen-year-old girl or anyone else should be exposed to.

Maggie’s happy world became a dark and uncertain place. She lost her faith in the gentle God she believed in throughout childhood. Rather than being welcoming sanctuaries, churches now seemed like austere academies presided over by strict schoolmasters. The placid face of Jesus was usurped by the abomination from the deep.

About the Author:

C. L. Hart, the owner and sole employee of Naughty Netherworld Press, is spoken of in hushed tones. She is described as The Mad Scribe of the Northeastern Colorado Plains, The Terrible Old Woman, and The Author That Should Not Be.

When not penning sanity-destroying works of dystopian fiction, Lovecraftian fantasy, or old-school horror with the occasional sweet romance thrown in to upset the cosmic apple cart, Ms. Hart enjoys creating baked goods she hopes will be considered palatable.

Ms. Hart shares a home in a remote rural town of 134 souls with her adult son and three cats. Her sense of fashion is best described as Early Twenty-First Century Unmade Bed. This disabled former nurse can usually be found arguing with herself about subplots or rehabilitating eldritch horrors.

Follow C. L. Hart

C. L. Hart Amazon Author Page

https://bit.ly/CLHartAmazonAuthor

Naughty Netherworld Press Blog

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Books

https://bit.ly/NNPBooks

Naughty Netherworld Press Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com

Readers Roost Book Blog

https://bit.ly/ReadersRoost

Readers Roost Facebook