Calling All Book Reviewers!

So, with Halloween just around the corner, prolific author Kathryn Meyer Griffith would like to let everyone know that most of her sixteen (soon to be twenty) Audible audiobooks are traditional horror. She recommends that you try reading (or, in this case, listening to) Evil Stalks the Night: Revised Author's Edition, The Last Vampire: Author's New Revised Edition or Winter's Journey in honor of the Halloween Season. Or you can email her to request a free code for the audiobook of your choice. If you'd agree to write a brief but honest review on whichever of Ms. Griffith's books you choose, she'll love you forever! :) You can contact her at rdgriff@htc.net.

The entire list of Ms. Griffith's released audiobooks (up to this point) can be found here: http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_at_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith&x=17&y=16 - Go check 'em out!

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Evil Stalks the Night: Revised Author's Edition by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2012)

Length: 222 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Evil Stalks the Night: Revised Author's Edition Blurb:

Twenty years ago psychic Sarah Summers fled from the evil that lurked in the woods behind her childhood home after it killed most of her family, but a nasty divorce and financial hardships forced her back when nothing else could have. With her son, Jeremy, she returns to her grandmother’s dilapidated house and tries to begin a new life. She meets a police detective, Ben, who falls for her, and she prays her fresh visions of bloodshed and death deep among the dark trees are not true.

Then the murders begin again and Sarah is hurtled back into the familiar nightmare that has haunted her her whole life. The evil in the woods is awake again…and this time it wants her last remaining brother, Jim; her son…and her. With Ben and Jim’s help can she defeat it this time…and live?

The Last Vampire: Author's New Revised Edition by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2010)

Length: 283 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

The Last Vampire: Author's New Revised Edition Blurb:

Author's new revised edition...never before released as an ebook! The earthquakes with their falling ash, the global floods and the devastating fires arrive first. Then the worldwide plague with its stench of death. And as mankind suffers and dies out, vampires, their numbers dwindling, struggle and fight fiercely among themselves to survive in a world where there aren’t enough humans to prey and feed upon. As the weeks go by they become fewer, more desperate and more ruthless.

Emma, as the world disintegrates around her, finds herself alone, family all have perished…and fending off an unnatural hunger as she becomes one of the undead. Fighting her unwanted destiny she’s determined to resist the bloodlust she feels, the need to kill and feed on humans, of losing her humanity, for as long as she can bear it…but she’s so hungry…and the night calls.

Winter's Journey by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2011)

Length: 218 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Winter's Journey Blurb:

Was the man she loved an enigmatic hitchhiker or a murderer?

To keep the bank from repossessing her eighteen-wheeler, Baby Blue, and putting her and her daughter, Tessa, on the street, Loretta Brennan takes a dangerous job driving it into Wyoming with a winter storm approaching. All alone she worries if she can make the deadline and navigate the roads since her driving partner husband died the year before in an accident.

On her way, she feels sorry for and picks up a hitchhiker. Sam Emerson. Charismatically handsome, his moodiness hides a dark past that includes a dead girlfriend and a murder charge.

Snow, a series of trucker murders and a sinister truck begin to haunt them on their route.

She suspects Sam’s aligned with the killer even as she experiences feelings for him. Is Sam a good man down on his luck or is she falling in love with a murderer?

In the end it’ll take a heroic show of love to prove to her that he is who he claims to be.

May you read well and often

Calling All Book Reviewers!

So, with Halloween just around the corner, prolific author Kathryn Meyer Griffith would like to let everyone know that most of her sixteen (soon to be twenty) Audible audiobooks are traditional horror. She recommends that you try reading (or, in this case, listening to) Witches: Author's Revised Edition, Scraps of Paper - Revised Author's Edition or Four Spooky Short Stories in honor of the Halloween Season. Or you can email her to request a free code for the audiobook of your choice. If you'd agree to write a brief but honest review on whichever of Ms. Griffith's books you choose, she'll love you forever! :) You can contact her at rdgriff@htc.net.

The entire list of Ms. Griffith's released audiobooks (up to this point) can be found here: http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_at_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith&x=17&y=16 - Go check 'em out!

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Witches: Author's Revised Edition by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)

Length: 290 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Witches: Author's Revised Edition Blurb:

There are witches in the world...some are good and some of them are downright evil.

Amanda Givens is careful how she uses her powers. She doesn't want the people of Canaan, Connecticut, to know they have a witch among them... even a good, white witch. For years, she's lived quietly in a remote cabin in the woods with Amadeus, her feline familiar.

When she's wrongly blamed for a rash of ritualistic murders committed by a satanic cult, she knows she can't hide any longer. She's the one the cult's after. More than that, she’s the only one who can stop them and prove her innocence. 

In doing this, she's drawn back in time by the ghost of the malevolent witch, Rachel Coxe, who was drowned for practicing black magic in the 17th century. Now, as Amanda tries to rehabilitate Rachel's reputation in an effort to save lives, as well as her own, she has to rely on a sister's love and magical knowledge, and a powerful sect of witches called the Guardians, to help her get home safely.

 Scraps of Paper - Revised Author's Edition by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)

Length: 192 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Scraps of Paper - Revised Author's Edition Blurb: 

Abigail Sutton's beloved husband walks out one night, doesn't return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of a long ago crime. It's made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.

Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna's younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.

But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play. 

Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why...but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer.

Four Spooky Short Stories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)

Length: 103 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Four Spooky Short Stories Blurb:

Four contemporary spooky short stories:

Ghost Brother

So what happens after you die? Do you go to heaven, or hell? Or do you go to a special place fashioned just for you based on the life you'd lived in the real world? Based on how you treated people? What you did to them?

And do ghosts exist? Do they roam the earth and plague the living, persuade them to do things they shouldn't do?

Two brothers and their tale follow; their journey through life and death.

Do you believe in ghosts? Some do.

Running with the Train

Sarah has always been lonely. Searching for a love she's begun to believe will never come. Her family and friends depend, need her, but they can't give her what she wants. True, eternal love. Like the wolves have.

So she goes on an adventure of a lifetime to the Grand Canyon; rides the train from Williams to the South Rim and sees these huge wolves running alongside in the evening twilight; scurrying unbelievably below on the Canyon's ledges among the trees. She's told there are no wolves but she hears their haunting cries. No one else sees or hears them. Just her.

Has her loneliness made her crazy?

The Banshee and the Witch

What would you do to live forever, stay young forever? To find true love again?

And if you were a white witch with the magical powers to make it happen...and the secret of how to do it, would you?

So when the banshee comes calling for you one rainy dark night you'll do what you have to do to get what you desire the most. More time.

Too Close to the Edge

Artist Penelope had been looking forward to going with her husband, sister and brother-in-law to see the Grand Canyon...even though she was terrified of heights and, when she got there, couldn't bear to get too close to the edge. She watched people balancing on one foot, acting foolish, taking photos, oblivious of the death waiting below them. It scared her.

Especially when a woman relates a story of a small child that fell into the Canyon the day before. Over the edge.

Then she sees a young girl go over the rim and no one will believe her.

For there was no child that had died - that day anyway.

Was she seeing things that weren't there, or was there another explanation?

 Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2012)

Length: 451 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Dinosaur Lake Blurb:

Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it's been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he's about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin, people begin to go missing, then there's some mysterious water creature that's taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it's not only growing in size, it's aggressive and cunning and very hungry.

And it's decided it likes human beings. To eat.

And it can come up onto land.

So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann; a young paleontologist named Justin; and a band of brave men, must not only protect his park and his people from the monster but somehow find where it lives and destroy it before it can kill again.

Now Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* in their Suspense/Thriller category.

May you read well and often

Cheryl Kaye Tardif - Divine Sanctuary

48. Divine Sanctuary by Cheryl Kaye Tardif (2014)
The Divine Trilogy Book 3
Length: 209 pages
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Started: 21 August 2014
Finished: 27 August 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Dorothy at Pump up Your Book for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 June 2014
Why do I have it? I like paranormal mysteries and Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a new author for me.

Located deep in the woods of Mission, BC, behind wrought-iron gates, is the secluded compound known as Sanctuary. For many lost souls, Sanctuary represents a safe haven of acceptance and understanding for those who consider themselves rejected by society. Led by the charismatic Father Jeremiah, the inhabitants of Sanctuary willingly shun the outside world to follow his teachings and live a seemingly idyllic lifestyle. 

However, something insidious lurks behind the controversial cult's insulated existence. A lethal hunter is on the prowl, and his prey is the weak who call Sanctuary their home. When a newspaper reporter suddenly disappears while investigating Sanctuary, her frantic friend turns to CFBI Agent and Pyro-Psychic, Jasmine McLellan and the Canadian FBI's top-secret team of psychic investigators for their help. 

In this stunning finale of the Divine Trilogy, the suspense and heat is tripled when Jasi McLellan finds herself caught in the middle of three separate mysteries: finding and rescuing Emily, the little ghost girl who haunts her dreams; identifying her own mother's killer; and uncovering a murderer who is intent on playing a carefully orchestrated game of cat and mouse - one that guarantees the most casualties.

So, along with the other extremely talented members of her team: Victim Empath Natassia Prushenko, Psychometric Empath Ben Roberts and Special Consultant Brandon Walsh, Jasi pursues three divergent trails of clues that lead her to one terrifying but inescapable conclusion: home is not always the safest place on earth.

Before I say anything else, I must say that I just acquired Divine Intervention by Cheryl Kaye Tardif in July of 2014. I haven't had the chance to read the first book in this trilogy yet, and despite the warning at the beginning of the story that states this trilogy should be read in order, I read Divine Sanctuary first. Now that I've gotten that admission off my chest, may I just say how much I loved this book! 

In my opinion, the characters were so well-developed; the story was intriguing and well-written. I have always enjoyed reading mysteries that have paranormal aspects to them, and while this is the first book by Cheryl Kaye Tardif that I've ever read, I'm absolutely sure that it won't be my last. I give this book an A! and will certainly keep my eyes open for more books by Ms. Tardif.

A! - (90-95%)            
 
May you read well and often

Melodie Campbell - Rowena and the Viking Warlord

47. Rowena and the Viking Warlord by Melodie Campbell (2014)
The Land's End Series Book 3
Length: 184 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Started: 21 August 2014
Finished: 25 August 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Dorothy at Pump up Your Book for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 June 2014
Why do I have it? I like paranormal romance and Melodie Campbell is a new author for me.

With her loved ones in peril, College instructor and accidental time traveler, Rowena Revel - the last hereditary witch of Land's End - casts a spell to turn back time in order to save them. While doing so had the desired effect, Rowena was completely unaware of the consequences. As Rowena's distant cousin and feared husband Cedric - the new Earl of the House of Huel - fights battles to the south, she unwittingly rides into an enemy camp and is taken prisoner by her old friend Lars, who is not what he seems.

Yet Rowena is certainly not helpless. After all, she is an half-trained witch with incredible fount of magic within her. Too bad she doesn't know how to use it. Escaping from the camp, Rowena begins the hazardous trek back to Huel, managing to botch up spell after spell along the way. Soon, her student and fellow time traveler, Kendra, joins her on the trek to Huel, along with her latest magical mistake - a flame-burping dragon named Cinders.

When war eventually comes to Land's End, it brings with it the one man who threatens to conquer everything in Huel - including Rowena's heart. Now she must make the biggest and hardest decision of her life. Will she return through the wall to the safety of present-day Arizona? Or will she stay in Land's End and fight to save her people from the Viking Warlord?

I will say that while this book was certainly very interesting, and I liked it immensely; I would probably have preferred to read the first two books in the series, before I read this one  Even though I read the prologue and was caught up enough on the plot to continue reading, and found this story really enjoyable; I still would have liked to read the first two books in this series to fill in any elements of the story that I may have been missing. I give Rowena and the Viking Warlord by Melodie Campbell an A! 

A! - (90-95%)
           
May you read well and often

Blog Tour For The Donor Part Three by Nikki Rae From September 20, 2014 to October 10, 2014 - Come Join Us!

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that Nikki Rae will be touring the blogosphere to promote the third part of her horror novella The Donor. This virtual book tour is being hosted by the author herself and will last from September 20, to October 10, 2014!

Ms. Rae is also doing an awesome giveaway - she is giving away a signed paperback copy of The Donor (for the U. S. and Canada only) and signed swag to one lucky winner at the end of her Blog Tour. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

The Donor Part Three Blog Tour Information:

Meet Nikki Rae

Nikki Rae is a writer who lives in New Jersey. As an independent author, she has appeared numerously on Amazon Best Seller lists and she concentrates on making her imaginary characters as real as possible. Nikki writes mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.

Connect and Socialize with Nikki!

Goodreads * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter * Become a Donor

About The Donor Part Three:

Casey may have not known what was in store for her when she met Jonah Black on MyTrueMatch.com, but now that she’s with him, life has become even more unexpected. She's discovered someone else in the picture and now she cannot figure out how she fits into the puzzle.

Convinced that he doesn’t need her, Casey is torn between giving up and doing whatever it takes to help her family. But Jonah, it turns out, needs her more than she knows.

Time is something neither of them have.
Can they hold each other together as the clock runs out?

Blog Tour Giveaway of the Full Donor Novella and a $5.00 Amazon Giftcard Ends October 30, 2014.

The Donor Part Three Book Publicity Tour Schedule:

Monday, September 22: So Bookalicious!
Tuesday, September 30: (Release Day Blitz!!!) ALL THE BLOGS 
Wednesday, October 8: Kayla's Place
Friday, October 10: Best Chick Lit
Friday, October 10: Best Chick Lit

May you read well and often

Introducing Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton!

 Meet Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate - not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

 Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton (2014)

Length: 227 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Tortured Souls Blurb:

Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts - and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before - a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

May you read well and often

Our Library Visit For August

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Saturday? I'm doing just fine. :) Last week, Mom and I discussed whether we could fit in a visit to our local library - to raid the perpetual book sale! LOL! :)

Well, we finally decided that, as Mom's birthday is next week, today would be her birthday visit to the library. It turned out absolutely wonderfully! We spent about two hours - from 11:15 A. M. to 1:15 P. M. - at the library, and stopped to get sandwiches from Arby's. We brought everything home with us.

Between us, we bought 27 hardcovers and 47 paperbacks. We spent a whopping $56 for a total of 74 books. A pretty good haul, if I do say so, myself. :)

At the moment, I'm reading two books - Autumn in Carthage by Christopher Zenos and Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton. I'm currently in the middle of Chapter 2 in the first book, and just started the second book - an ebook - this afternoon.

May you read well and often

Enid Blyton - The Wishing-Chair Again

46. The Wishing-Chair Again by Enid Blyton (1950)

The Wishing-Chair Series Book 2
Length: 185 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Started: 10 July 2014
Finished: 13 August 2014
Where did it come from? This was a birthday present given to me by a friend when I was six years old.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 1984
Why do I have it? I like fantasy and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

The children who possess the fabulously magical Wishing-Chair are back and are ready to have some more thrilling and fantastic adventures to far away lands. Mollie and her brother Peter come home from boarding school for the holidays and, after they hug their parents and see their rooms and toys again, they rush down to their playroom at the bottom of the garden. The children have a splendid secret that they've been keeping to themselves ever since their mother's birthday: they own the most terrifically magical Wishing-Chair ever!

Their friend Chinky the Pixie takes the Wishing-Chair to his mother's house to look after it, and when Mollie and Peter come home, they and Chinky go on all kinds of unusual adventures together. In this book, the children meet some of Chinky's family members; like his somewhat anti-social cousin Sleep-Alone, and his magical great aunt Quick-Fingers, as well as Chinky's cheery and rather rotund cousin Pipkin. They also meet a very naughty Brownie named Winks - a trouble-maker who wants to leave his own boarding/reform school and join Mollie, Peter and Chinky on their various adventures.

I don't know if I've read this particular book before, I don't think so; although I may have read a different book in The Wishing-Chair Series. I loved Enid Blyton as a child; she was one of my favorite authors! I still have perhaps five or ten of Ms. Blyton's books stowed downstairs in the 'Glory Hole' - the storage room under our stairs. In fact, I may have kept more then ten of Ms. Blyton's books; I'm not sure.

I've kept quite a number of the books that I read as a child - mostly just my absolutely 'gotta-keep-'em-or-else' favorite books from childhood. I give The Wishing-Chair Again by Enid Blyton a definite A! and will certainly be keeping it on my bookshelf.

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Kathryn Meyer Griffith - Four Spooky Short Stories

45. Spooky Short Stories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013) 
Length: 103 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 25 January 2013
Finished: 28 January 2013
Where did it come from? From Amazon 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 August 2014
Why do I have it? I just wanted to consolidate all four of my reviews for these short stories into one single review and I have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

I read Four Spooky Short Stories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith separately in January of 2013. Now that these stories are collected together in one volume, I thought that I should post all my separate reviews as one, so here they all are!:
 
Kathryn Meyer Griffith's Spooky Short Stories Book 1: Ghost Brother - So what happens after you die? Do you go to heaven...or hell? Or do you go to a special place fashioned just for you and based on the life you had lived; how you had treated people...what you did to them during your time on earth? And do ghosts really exist? Do they roam the earth and torment the living, persuading them to do things they shouldn't do? Two brothers and their tale follow...their journey through life and death. Their ultimate reward for the lives they'd lived.

I have to say that I haven't read that many short stories before. So, when I was able to, I decided to splurge and treat myself by buying two of the four stories in Kathryn Meyer Griffith's Spooky Short Stories Series for Kindle as a Christmas present for myself. These stories were originally released in September of 2012 in celebration of the Halloween season.

I like Kathryn Meyer Griffith's writing style and the characters that she creates. I have read seven books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith so far, and have many more of her books waiting on my TBR shelf. I am avidly looking forward to reading them as soon as I can.

Overall, I enjoyed this story very much. The characters were sympathetic up to a point and I never could pinpoint when Gerald - the 'Ghost Brother' in the story - had actually died. I know that both brothers had gone off to fight in Vietnam together, but it was never entirely clear - at least to me - if Gerald returned physically, or as a wraith from Vietnam to haunt his brother Bobby. I give this short story an A!
 
Kathryn Meyer Griffith's Spooky Short Stories Book 2: The Banshee and the Witch - What would you do to live forever, stay young forever? To experience true love once more? And if you were a white witch with the magical powers to make it happen...and the secret of how to do it, would you? So when the banshee comes calling for you one rainy night you'll do what you have to do to get what you desire the most...more time.

I have to say that while I completely understand the witch Cleona's motivations to do what she did...and while nothing that she did was technically black magic, I think, I would perhaps say that Cleona practiced 'gray' magic - not actually harmful to herself or to other people, but certainly self-serving and focused on her own personal desires.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found it to be well-written, but it did leave me with one last unanswered question on my mind: once you get what you most desire, will you truly be content with it? I give this story an A! and am looking forward to reading the two other stories in this collection.
 
Kathryn Meyer Griffith's Spooky Short Stories Book 3: Too Close to the Edge - Penelope had been looking forward to going with her husband, sister and brother-in-law on a road trip to visit the Grand Canyon. As an artist who was going through a temporary artistic dry spell, Penelope hoped that seeing the majestic Grand Canyon would enlighten her spirit and give her possible ideas for future paintings. Penelope was willing to try to overcome her terrifying fear of heights to go on this trip with her family. And Penelope was certainly looking forward to the vacation until she got there and couldn't bear to get too close to the edge.

She watched in terror as various sightseers balanced on one foot, acting foolish, taking photos - completely oblivious to the certain death waiting below them at their feet. Their careless antics made her dizzy, took her breath away. Scared her. Especially when the woman beside her relates the tragic story of a small child who fell to her death into the Canyon the day before.

Many people died that way - falling over the edge of the Grand Canyon. Many people also died down inside the Canyon - hikers and other people who are disoriented by the triple digit temperature, people who drowned in the river going through the rapids. Then Penelope witnesses a young girl fall over the edge of the Grand Canyon and no one believes her frantic account. For there was no child who had died - that day anyway. Was she seeing things that weren't there...or was there another explanation?

I really enjoyed this short story. The characters were well-crafted, and I felt that the story's ending wrapped up any loose ends very nicely, in my opinion. I give this story an A+!
 
Kathryn Meyer Griffith's Spooky Short Stories Book 4: Running With the Train - Sarah has been lonely most of her life. She's been searching for a love that she has begun to believe will never come to her. Her family and friends back home depend on her, need her...but they can't give her what she truly wants. True, eternal love. Like wolves have.

So, as a solitary traveler, desperate to try something new and get away, Sarah goes on the adventure of a lifetime to the Grand Canyon; rides the train from Williams to the South Rim and sees several huge wolves running alongside the train. Sees them in the evening twilight scurrying unbelievably along the ledges of the Grand Canyon among the trees. She's told that there aren't any wolves living in the region anymore but at night she hears their haunting cries.

No one else sees them and no one else hears them. Just Sarah. Have her senses left her; her loneliness made her crazy? For these are wolves...unearthly prowling creatures that follow and achingly call to her...and in the end Sarah must decide what she will do when she finally comes face to face with one of these phantom wolves.

I enjoyed this short story very much. Like all of Kathryn Meyer Griffith's stories that I have read, I found that the characters were well-drawn and very believable. If I did have one problem with this story, it would be that the ending was almost too quick and easily wrapped up for me. I give this story an A! and I am eagerly looking forward to reading more books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith in the near future. 

A! - (90-95%)
  
May you read well and often

Nikki Rae - The Donor

44. The Donor by Nikki Rae (2014)
The Donor Series Book 2
Length: 27 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started/Finished: 9 August 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Nikki Rae for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 5 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like short stories and have read and enjoyed The Donor by this author in the past.

Casey Williams, a recent high school graduate, has left her sick and impoverished parents and moved to Boston. In an effort to earn enough money to help her family - to secure their financial future in the face of her dire medical diagnosis - Casey had turned to the website MyTrueMatch.com; and to the mysterious Jonah Black; willing to do almost anything for him. For the past several weeks now, she has lived in Jonah's Boston apartment - suffering from an inoperable brain tumor of which her parents know nothing.

During her time with him, and despite the fact that Casey signed a contract which effectively allows Jonah full access to her body - to do whatever he wishes - Jonah Black has conducted himself like a gentleman around Casey. When she joined MyTrueMatch.com, she never expected to meet someone who would help her pay her bills, and who still treated her decently. She finds herself actually liking Jonah. Quite a bit.

As Casey's nose bleeds eventually progress to worse symptoms, she can't help the feelings she's developing for Jonah, despite how he may never return them. And Jonah's been keeping secrets from her. Big secrets. Such as how he makes his money. And the identity of the little girl in the framed picture. With the clock ticking, can Casey find the answers she's looking for?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. In my opinion, Jonah Black is not quite as frightening as he once seemed, although he still is just as mysterious. I can't wait until September to read the final part of this story; as this part ended in a cliffhanger that had me champing at the bit to learn what happens next. I give The Donor Part Two by Nikki Rae a definite A!

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Calling All Book Reviewers!

Alright, so I realize that Halloween is a little over two months away, but I don't think that you can possibly start the celebrations too early! LOL!!! Especially when there's the distinct potential that my wonderful readers will definitely receive a free ebook from author Kathryn Meyer Griffith. ;)

Kathryn Meyer Griffith will love you forever if five kind people could possibly read and write an honest review of her Four Spooky Short Stories? I have it on good authority that there will be a free Amazon Kindle download coming up during the Halloween Season if Ms. Griffith can reach 18 posted Amazon reviews. Imagine that, ghosts, banshees, witches and werewolves - what more can you possibly hope to read about, during the scariest time of the year? Grab your copy while it's available!!!

I had the pleasure of reading all four spooky stories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith - separately, of course - over three days in January of 2013! Here are my reviews of Ghost Brother, The Banshee and the Witch, Too Close to the Edge and Running With the Train. Now is your chance to own all four stories together in one volume - I say go for it! You won't regret it! :)

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Four Spooky Short Stories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)

Length: 103 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Four Spooky Short Stories Blurb:

Four contemporary spooky short stories:

Ghost Brother…

So what happens after you die? Do you go to heaven, or hell? Or do you go to a special place fashioned just for you based on the life you’d lived in the real world? Based on how you treated people? What you did to them?

And do ghosts exist? Do they roam the earth and plague the living, persuade them to do things they shouldn’t do?

Two brothers and their tale follow; their journey through life and death.

Do you believe in ghosts? Some do.

Running with the Train…
Sarah has always been lonely. Searching for a love she’s begun to believe will never come. Her family and friends depend, need her…but they can’t give her what she wants. True, eternal love. Like the wolves have.

So she goes on an adventure of a lifetime to the Grand Canyon; rides the train from Williams to the South Rim and sees these huge wolves running alongside in the evening twilight; scurrying unbelievably below on the Canyon’s ledges among the trees. She’s told there are no wolves but she hears their haunting cries. No one else sees or hears them. Just her.

Has her loneliness made her crazy?

The Banshee and the Witch…
What would you do to live forever, stay young forever? To find true love again?

And if you were a white witch with the magical powers to make it happen…and the secret of how to do it, would you?

So when the banshee comes calling for you one rainy dark night you’ll do what you have to do to get what you desire the most. More time.

Too Close to the Edge…
Artist Penelope had been looking forward to going with her husband, sister and brother-in-law to see the Grand Canyon…even though she was terrified of heights and, when she got there, couldn’t bear to get too close to the edge. She watched people balancing on one foot, acting foolish, taking photos, oblivious of the death waiting below them. It scared her.

Especially when a woman relates a story of a small child that fell into the Canyon the day before. Over the edge.

Then she sees a young girl go over the rim and no one will believe her.

For there was no child that had died - that day anyway.

Was she seeing things that weren’t there, or was there another explanation? 

May you read well and often

Paul DeBlassie III - The Unholy: A Novel

43. The Unholy: A Novel by Paul DeBlassie III (2013)
Length: 200 pages
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Started: 31 July 2014
Finished: 4 August 2014
Where did it come from? I originally downloaded a copy of this book for free from Netgalley; although, many thanks to Dorothy at Pump up Your Book for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 9 August 2013 from Netgalley; Since 26 June 2014 from Dorothy
Why do I have it? I like paranormal mysteries and Paul DeBlassie III is a new author for me.

Claire Sanchez is the director of Mental Health Workers and Natural Therapeutic Services at the Ecclesia Dei Hospital. She is also a curandera - a medicine woman - trained by her people in the ways of natural magic, dream interpretation, visions and shapeshifting. From a very early age, Claire has at times embraced and rejected her heritage; having witnessed her mother's murder at the hands of a mysterious cloaked figure. Now, at age twenty-five - the same age as her mother was at her death - Claire suffers from inexplicable night terrors, awakening drenched and shaking with only vague recollections of her nightmares.

When one of her patients - a good friend of her mother's - suddenly attacks her while in the midst of a psychotic episode, and is later found dead on the grounds of the hospital; Claire becomes intent on uncovering the secrets of her past. She is absolutely convinced that the disturbed woman's last words to her: "Face what is yours to face," are a warning and not a threat. Her ensuing journey will lead her into a life-and-death struggle against a malevolence which she cannot comprehend - an evil Archbishop who will stop at nothing to ensure her death.

Claire is subsequently drawn into a web of mystery and deep despair, which will ultimately lead her on to a path through the twilight realm of discovery and decision. I found this to be a very intriguing story, full of sympathetic and multi-layered characters. I was completely caught up in the story from the first page, and found myself sympathizing for Claire and hoping that she would overcome the various difficulties in her life and find some kind of peace and tranquility. I give this book a definite A! and am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

A! - (90-95%)
 
May you read well and often

Introducing the Cover For The Donor Part Two by Nikki Rae!

Meet Nikki Rae

Nikki Rae is a writer who lives in New Jersey. As an independent author, she has appeared numerously on Amazon Best Seller lists and she concentrates on making her imaginary characters as real as possible. Nikki writes mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.

 The Donor Part Two by Nikki Rae (2014)

Length: 39 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

The Donor Part Two Blurb:

When Casey joined MyTrueMatch.com, she never imagined she would meet a man who not only helps her pay the bills, but has been nothing but a gentleman.

As the nose bleeds make way for worse symptoms, Casey can’t help the feelings she has for Jonah, despite how he may never return them. And he’s been keeping things from her. Big things. How does he make his money, and who is that girl in the picture? With the clock ticking, can she find the answers she’s looking for?

[Disclaimer: This is a serial novella that will be told in parts about the length of a short story (20-30 pages).]

The Donor Part Two Cover Reveal:

May you read well and often

Reading Wrap-up For July at Emeraldfire's Bookmark

 

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Emeraldfire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog.

Anyway, I started out July with about two hundred unread books lying around the house and ended the month with...umm...uncountable amounts of books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from authors and Amazon.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- If That Looking Glass Gets Broken by Karl Drinkwater

- The Donor by Nikki Rae 

- The Dancing Boy by Michael Matson

- The Last Ancient by Eliot Baker

- Total Titanic: The Most Up-to-Date Guide to the Disaster of the Century by Marc Shapiro

- Guardians Inc.: The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- The Merry-Hearted Boys, Liam Clancy, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem by Ronald L. Leonard
- Divine Intervention by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- If That Looking Glass Gets Broken by Karl Drinkwater

- The Donor by Nikki Rae

- The Last Ancient by Eliot Baker
- The Cat Who Lived High by Lilian Jackson Braun
- Guardians Inc.: The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me, considering. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 6

Pages Read: 1,217

Grade Range: A+! to B+!

So, there you go! The reading month that was July. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)