Showing posts with label Middle Grade Horror. Show all posts

Friday, March 4, 2016

Blues Bones by Rick Starkey

BLUES BONES

by Rick Starkey

Leap Books, LLC

Middle Grade Horror

ages 9+

119 pages

RELEASE DATE:

MARCH 7th!!!

Thirteen-year-old Rodney Becker has found the perfect cure for stage fright. Voodoo!

Armed with the stolen finger bones of a dead blues guitar player and a mishmash of voodoo spells from the Internet, he and his best friend enter a graveyard at midnight to perform their ritual. Now, all that stands in his way of winning a local guitar competition is the power of RETURN – a side effect of the voodoo that spells disaster for Rodney.

His cure has become a curse. How else can he explain jamming his finger so bad he can’t hold a guitar pick, his part-time dad stealing his guitar, and his mom getting into an accident that could have taken her life?

How much is Rodney willing to risk to achieve his dream of being a guitar legend?

Leap Books

Goodreads

Smashwords

Amazon
B&N
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All about. . .

RICK STARKEY!!!

Rick Starkey is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. His main interest is writing novels for middle grade. Rick has sold short pieces to Highlights for Children including a game, magic tricks, and a short story. Knowing that most writers often wish that they had started their career earlier in life, Rick teaches a basic course for the Talented and Gifted Program (T.A.G.) at Walter’s State Community College in Morristown Tennessee. Rick’s students learn the basics of magazine submissions including cover and query letters, market research, and manuscript preparation. The T.A.G. program is for students grades 5 – 8 and come from seven counties in East Tennessee.

Rick lives in a 200-year-old log cabin in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where he and his wife, Betty, own and run Make It Magic, a magic shop and craft store. A day in Rick’s life includes recommending and performing magic tricks for customers of all ages, carving a bear from a log with a chainsaw, and working on his next novel.

Author Links:
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Facebook
Website
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Monday, December 14, 2015

Happy Book B-Day and a Review: Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty

BROKEN DOLLS

by Tyrolin Puxty

Curiosity Quills Press

December 14, 2015

Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky

Middle Grade Fantasy

ages 10+

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Ella doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human - after all, she’s lived as a doll for thirty years. She forgets what it’s like to taste, to breathe…to love.

She helps the professor create other dolls, but they don’t seem to hang around for long. His most recent creation is Lisa, a sly goth. Ella doesn’t like Lisa. How could she, when Lisa keeps trying to destroy her?

Ella likes the professor’s granddaughter though, even if she is dying. Gabby is like Ella’s personal bodyguard. It’s too bad the professor wants to turn Gabby into a doll too, depriving her of an education…depriving her of life.

With time running out and mad dolls on the rampage, Ella questions her very existence as she unearths the secrets buried in her past; secrets that will decide whether Gabby will befall the same fate…

MY TIDBITS

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this a couple of weeks before Halloween, so needless to say, I was in the mood for something a little creepy.

Broken dolls has just the right amount of dark to make a person shift uneasily in the chair, glance up at unexpected bumps and feel a slight chill. But at the same time, there's a slight ray of hope and sweetness. It's a delicious mixture, which fits well in the line of Coraline, Adams Family, Beetlejuice and so on.

Ella is a doll, and we quickly learn that she was once a real girl, who due to mysterious and horrid circumstances (which neither we nor Ella are aware of) has been turned into a doll by the 'Professor'. She's mostly satisfied with her situation, which already adds a sad tinge to the story. She's naive in so many ways that it's hard not to want to race to her side and help save her. . .whatever that might mean.

The story quickly picks up pace as the Professor introduces a friend, Lisa. Unlike Ella, Lisa does remember her past and is not glad that the professor 'saved' her by turning her into a doll. Lisa takes this knowledge as a reason to destroy Ella and thwart the professor. But as a reader, it's not clear why Lisa becomes so violent in her mission to physically damage Ella. This dash of horror definitely adds to the tension, though.

When the first human rushes in, Gaby, it feels like a desperately needed fresh breeze. The friendship which develops between Gaby and Ella adds so much hope and really gets Ella's character going. We also gain a great feel for the professor, although not completely positive. The mixture of girl and doll sets off a heart-warming companionship but maintains a melancholy air.

There was no way I could set this book down once I got into the pages. It took a bit for me to settle into the slightly disturbing world, and the entire way through, it felt like an off place to visit. But that's the point, and it's very well done.

Summed up, this is a great gothic read for an upper middle grade audience. It carries just the right amount of disturbing and creepy moments while maintaining enough golden warmth to help cradle a reader through.

And here she is. . .

TYROLIN PUXTY!!!

I’m a Jack, or more accurately, a Tyrolin of all trades. In my 23 years, I have walked the red carpet for song nominations, was awarded Australian of the Year in 2014 for Music and in 2015 for the Arts, worked as a qualified paralegal, appeared in TV Shows, hired for product photography, modelled, became a Justice of the Peace, started my own club for school children interested in the arts, worked for a successful magazine company, published a book, hugged a koala and had a show ride collapse on my head.

Find Tyrolin Puxty Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.

Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Cover Reveal: Fright Before Christmas with Giveaway

FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

13 Tales of Holiday Horror

Leap Publishing

Middle Grade Horror

It's the most wonderful time of year...or is it?

Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows and they're not the least bit jolly or merry. Let's just say some presents are better left unopened.

‘Tis the season to be screaming along with our thirteen tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more!

This Christmas, be careful what you wish for...

Author List:
Richard Ankers
Jackie Horsfall
Boyd Reynolds
Lea Storry
Ally Mathews
Laura Pauling
Ty Drago
Jessica Bayliss
Judith Graves
Andrea Stanet
Patrick Hueller
Dax Varley
Medeia Sharif