I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author James L. Hill shares a powerful collection of short stories in the book “The Moth and Other Tantalizing Tales.”
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The Synopsis
From the dark distant past to the far-flung fantastic future comes crimes of passion and hopeful heroes.
The world has fallen back into a more deadly Covid-19 pandemic. A journalist, Baron Beard, risks everything to uncover government secrets exposed by an internet troll known only as Veritas.
Harry, a brilliant but naïve computer hacker, finds himself drawn deeper into the underworld like a moth to a flame. Of course, there’s a woman holding the torch.
Dr. Energy has plans to save the world but only if he can avoid destroying it first. He’s 99% sure he can. Well, maybe 85%. But he still likes his odds.
You will be intrigued as you turn the pages and the plot twists in these eight amazing stories of mysteries, thrillers, and dystopian science fiction.
The Review
What a compelling and gripping collection of short stories. The pacing and world-building the author poured into the collection were astounding, with each story giving readers a chance to connect with the characters and feel the emotional weight of its consequences. The powerful imagery in these stories helped bring the grandiose, sci-fi elements to the narratives, while the character development grounded the characters, making for a truly balanced reading experience.
Yet at the heart of each story was a strong, thematic narrative that really stood out. The stories explored everything from man’s attempts to rewrite nature and the role of science versus religion, to a slave’s desperate escape to freedom and the cost that comes to those who enslave others, and so much more. The blend of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that the author introduces throughout the collection helps cement these characters and adds emotional depth, allowing the reader to invest in them so quickly.
The Verdict
Captivating, enthralling, and thrilling, author James L. Hill’s “The Moth and Other Tantalizing Tales” is a must-read short story collection. The twists and turns in each story, the heartfelt and compelling emotional beats each one hits, and the thought-provoking themes these stories encompass will stay with readers long after the collection ends, leaving them eager to explore more from this amazing author. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
James L Hill, a.k.a. J L Hill, is a native New Yorker from the South Bronx, Fort Apache, of the turbulent 60’s. He earned a degree in computer programming, his other love. A multi-genre author, his experiences seasoned his novels and the worlds he imagined. James started RockHill Publishing LLC to publish his own work and give others access to the literary world.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A group of youths must rally together to stop an unstoppable evil in author Seth Voorhees’s “The Interim.”
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The Synopsis
In Cooper, South Dakota, the so-called “interim” lasts from October 20 at 10:05 p.m. until November 1 at 5:42 a.m. To Cooper’s residents, this chosen span of time makes sense as 10:05 was the time of the monster’s capture and 5:42 was the time of his death. Now, they are haunted by said creature, but only over the span of the interim.
The rest of the year in Cooper is utopia, but it’s paramount that its citizens remain isolated in their homes during the interim in accordance with rules over a hundred years old. All that is about to change. On a hot day in July of 1999, five children—Randy Larkins, Ty Thomas, Vin Dellowinsk, Darlene Ren, and Betty Clammin—form a bound.
Living in Cooper, their struggles are something more than those of the average adolescent. Due to social engineering, they’ve lived their lives in line with the threat of a terrible beast. With the interim looming, they band together. The children have had enough of the old ways. It’s time for the young to stand up and face the curse and defeat the monster that haunts their town.
THE REVIEW
Instantly, I was drawn to the rich characters and haunting world-building. In the wake of Stranger Things’ incredible finale and the need to fill the void it left behind, this story does an excellent job of capturing the dynamics that bring these young people together to face an overwhelming and terrifying force. The atmospheric nature of the evil these kids face, Leopold, and the way this small town became a character in its own right made the story feel vibrant and alive on the page, even in its deadliest and most haunting moments.
The relationships between the core cast of characters and the rich mythos the author builds for this small rural town, and Leopold was the true heart of the novel. The way these characters came together after facing a life on the fringes and found not only a bond but also a will to face unimaginable horror and stop a centuries-long horror that preyed upon their town was both enthralling and heartfelt, allowing readers to bond with these characters throughout the novel. The use of history and experimentation also gave the reader a chance to see how these kids’ minds worked and how far they would go to protect the town, its people, and each other.
The Verdict
Haunting, compelling, and entertaining, author Seth Vorhees’s “The Interim” is a must-read horror novel. The vibe and atmosphere of the novel, a Stephen King’s IT meets Stranger Things meets 30 Days of Night, will send chills down the reader’s spine, and each twist and turn of the story will have the reader on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next shoe to drop. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Seth Voorhees is a Black Hills Author. Living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He enjoys drawing from his experiences as a social worker, particularly in adolescent development and mental health, to shape his characters and their journeys through human morality and challenges. He identifies himself as a dark fiction author because his writing spans over several genres. He resides in Rapid City with his partner and stepdaughter. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in sociology and psychology from Black Hills State University.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Humanity’s survivors attempt to reclaim the surface world but find new threats emerging in author Jason Kristopher’s “Beginning”, the third novel in the Dying of the Light series.
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The Synopsis
The triumphant finale of the series called “the best since World War Z!”
He awoke and, for the first time in almost twenty-five years, remembered who he was.
Twenty years after Z-Day, humanity’s remnants prepare to reclaim the surface from underground bunkers. But as survivors venture upward, they discover a chilling truth: the world above has changed in ways no one anticipated.
When a new threat emerges that could trigger a second Z-Day, Eden Blake and the remaining heroes of AEGIS must make their final stand. In this race against extinction, the greatest enemy comes from within.
Heart-pounding action meets moral complexity in this explosive conclusion that fans of The Walking Dead and World War Z won’t be able to put down.
The Review
This was a compelling and gripping novel. The author did a fabulous job of creating a narrative that both allowed new readers into a harrowing world and paid off major storylines and character developments begun throughout the first two books of the series. The wealth of world-building and multiple POVs from various characters showcasing how humanity has divided and evolved in the years since Z-Day was both entertaining and thrilling, allowing readers to visualize the world the author created.
The heart of this narrative was the characters and their growth. From the first chapter, readers are on the edge of their seats as blasts from the past are revealed before the curtain is pulled back, taking them to a new time period to explore. The powerful imagery in the author’s writing style makes both the zombie and human threats the book reveals feel visceral, and the action more tense. The reader will instantly connect emotionally with the characters as they grow throughout the narrative.
The Verdict
Harrowing, enthralling, and compelling, author Jason Kristophers’ “Beginning” is a must-read zombie action and adventure thriller and a grand entry in the Dying of the Light series. The twists and turns in the narrative, the shocking revelations, and the emotional endings to many character arcs will stay with readers and leave them wanting more ways to dive into the vast world the author has developed. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jason Kristopher is the award-winning author terrifying readers with zombies in THE DYING OF THE LIGHT, thrilling them with 1940s noir in LOCO MOCO, and harrowing them with boy-meets-gryphon-meets-robot adventure in WHEN IRON WAKES. With the love of his life and the dog that rescued him by his side, he plots his next traumatizing stories from Florida beaches.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember. I grew up as a theatre and music kid – the sort who memorised Shakespeare before he could understand a fraction of the themes at play – and performing off-Broadway at thirteen probably quietly set my course. Writing fiction became the place where all my interests and obsessions converged. Even when I swapped the theatre performances for swordplay (I fenced at international level for several years), drifted through a series of martial arts, and later studied film and comparative mythology, I always returned home to the page.
I was sixteen when I began writing my first novel that would eventually see both completion and publication – oftentimes during maths lectures, which explains where I found the time – and I’ve never really stopped. These days I divide my time between several disparate fields – engineering in the family business, a new venture in agriculture and wine-making, and occasionally teaching writing workshops at university – but a love of storytelling remains the constant. It’s why I founded Endangered Poet Productions: a small, fiercely independent studio devoted to narrative art in all its forms. That’s the centre of gravity I always return to.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I began writing A Study on Falling while working on my honours thesis, drawing on narratology and comparative mythology, with a focus on the persistence of myth in contemporary storytelling. What struck me then is how little our myth-making impulse has changed, even in the increasingly secular culture of the modern West. We continue to shape our lives through narrative; allegory is how human beings construct meaning – it’s literally baked into the architecture of our brains. And we still reach instinctively for allegory whenever rote rationality inevitably fails to account for our fears, our griefs, or our sense of purpose.
That idea was the seed of the book. I wanted to explore the reciprocal relationship between fiction and the people who create and consume it: how stories shape us, and how we, in turn, inscribe ourselves into the stories that enter the cultural bloodstream. Filtering Henry Levi’s personal drama through the surreal metatext of The Shambling Lords felt like the most vivid way to show that exchange happening in real time; the author influencing the fiction, the fiction transforming the author – for good or ill.
My natural genre inclination leans toward the gothic, so some darkness inevitably crept in, but at its core the book is about something far simpler than the overt conflicts that unfold throughout: the human need to believe in something. To have a story to cling to, a myth to vest oneself in. The act of thought is a story told in the present tense; memory is a story told in the past; hope, fear, and anxiety are stories projected into the future. We build meaning through narrative. That gradual realisation was more than academic and it became the emotional engine that compelled the book into existence.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
The book is deliberately semi-open-ended, so I’m hesitant to prescribe a singular, overt lesson. If there’s something I hope readers come away with, it’s the idea that even when so much of life lies beyond our control, we’re never entirely powerless. We may not be able to choose the maze that we stray into, but we can choose how honestly we confront it.
One of the quiet touchstones for me was the Greek myth of Ariadne’s thread – the idea that there is always some guiding line back out of the darkness, if you’re willing to acknowledge the shape of the maze and depths of your descent first. Denial, fantasy, and self-deception only deepen the corridors. Clarity, however painful, creates orientation. The act of paying attention becomes an ethical choice.
At heart, the story suggests that meaning isn’t found by mastering the world, but by mastering the self. You can’t control the weather, the past, or the minds of others – but you can decide how you respond, what truths you refuse to look away from, and how you author the next page in the proverbial novel of your life. As meaning is constructed through allegory, it is through the stories that surround us that we learn how to refine our own in turn. That, to me, is where agency still lives.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’ve never been bound to any single genre. While I have a natural affinity for gothic horror, I’m also drawn to exploring other modes and the spaces where genres overlap. In this case, part of the appeal was precisely that I was blending distinct traditions rather than settling into one.
What interested me most was the friction between the two narrative layers. A Study on Falling functions as literary fiction and psychological drama, while The Shambling Lords is dark fantasy and cosmic horror. Allowing those disparate genres to coexist and inform one another became a meaningful part of the book’s structure.
In that sense, writing the novel was also an exploration of genre itself: how different narrative forms shape our expectations, and how testing those boundaries can reveal new ways of telling a story.
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5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I’d choose to sit down with Henry Levi – a bit like holding up a mirror to a part of myself I haven’t visited in a while. But I wouldn’t ask him about the events of the book – he’s already told that story in his own way.
What I’d want to know is what came after. Whether things truly worked out for him once the narrative wrapped up; whether he managed to stay out of the maze, keep the light burning, and live honestly with what he discovered about himself. Not in any grand, redemptive sense, but in the ordinary, everyday way that actually matters.
I’d also ask him for an update on what he’s writing next. Admittedly, even I’ve been curious. An advance reader copy wouldn’t hurt either…
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Social media has never been my natural habitat, and I’ve learned not to pretend otherwise. I’m an analogue person at heart, far more comfortable with books, margins, and long-form work than with feeds and algorithms.
That said, as a studio we’ve come to recognise its importance, and we’re in the process of rebuilding our online presence more thoughtfully. You may start seeing more of me there – though I suspect I’ll always approach it a little more reluctantly than most.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Read constantly and write more broadly than you think you should. Experiment, push yourself, try styles and voices far outside your comfort zone. Practical habits matter too. My personal work tradition: putting together a playlist that aligns with a project’s setting or emotional register. It helps to shut out distraction and keep you anchored in the work.
More broadly, I’d say learn to kill your darlings early, but also learn when not to. Listen to critique, but don’t let anyone talk you out of the plot, voice, or character that feels essential to you. A unique style is hard-won, so don’t compromise it lightly.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
My primary focus at the moment is the ongoing development of The Hollow Waltz – a long-form horror series conceived as a kind of “greatest hits” of the genre. Each entry stands alone, but together they form a subtle, shared mythology spanning different eras, cultures, and horror subgenres, from gothic and folkloric horror to cosmic, liminal and institutional dread. I have two exciting releases scheduled for February 2026, with another pair of brand-new titles already deep in development and nearing readiness for global distribution soon afterwards.
After that, I’m planning a brief shift away from horror to revisit Riftbreakers, a teenage and YA science-fiction comedy series I’m in the process of rebooting and re-releasing. It’s a project rooted in direct experience, aimed at that most elusive reader demographic of all: teenage boys. As a former one myself – and as someone with close friends who seem to have never really grown up – I’d sensed this gap for a while. More recently, through opportunities to mentor, teach, and simply listen, I’ve been able to ask teenage guys plainly why they aren’t reading. The answer is rarely hostility toward books themselves so much as it’s bewilderment. Much of what’s on offer feels either inaccessible, academically distant, or simply not written for them.
I understand that disconnect. I grew up on the classics, but I can see why works like The Odyssey or the Poetic Edda feel impenetrable as entry points for most young guys, just as I can see how much contemporary teen/YA fiction, centred on distinctly female interiority, just doesn’t appeal. Riftbreakers is my attempt to meet those readers where they are – with stories that are high-octane and unhinged – while still carrying the same foundational concerns about identity, responsibility, and higher meaning that have always shaped myth and literature.
Alongside the books, Endangered Poet Productions is also preparing to move further into interactive media later in the year. There are a few long-term projects in development that I shouldn’t divulge yet, but once our renewed online presence is up and running, we’ll be sharing previews and early material. Looking a little further ahead, we’re also exploring some unusual crossovers, like a fusion of literature and wine – because good stories and good shiraz are a match made in heaven.
All in all, it’s an unusually full creative season – and a very exciting one.
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About the Author
Gaelan Donovan Wort penned his first novel, The Nature of Predation, at the age of seventeen, driven by a restless passion for storytelling that has since deepened into a lifelong craft. Since that early beginning, he has followed the shadows that gather between myth and memory, reverie and ruin – threads that continue to weave throughout his stories. His fiction drifts between genres – gothic horror, mythic tragedy, psychological thriller, speculative drama, and satirical science fiction – but is always drawn to the liminal, the haunted, and the human. Whether eerie or elegiac, his stories linger where the rational frays – and the unknowable begins.
I listen to music when I write. This column for example is being created with the help of—or perhaps in spite of—a piece of music that seems to be an unfortunate blend of God Save the King and The Moldavan National Anthem. But creating my new supernatural thriller, The Great Dick: And The Dysfunctional Demon, a thriller that’s able to laugh at itself, (one reader called it “Horrifying and Delightful!”) required an even more horrifying type of music. Music like:
Dust by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac? Aren’t they much too pop for horror? Actually Dust was from an early incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, with no hits and lots of drug problems, not the later version of the group with lots of hits and even more drug problems. The lyrics to Dust come from a 1909 poem by Rupert Brook, who was no bundle of sunshine.
“When your swift hair is quiet in death And through the lips corruption Thrust to still the labor of my breath”
Midnight Mile by the Rolling Stones.
This haunting tune about a mad day on the road “with a head full of snow,” gets me picturing Keith Richards as the guitar playing, coked-up, walking dead. Perhaps not a huge stretch.
I Put a Spell on You by Screaming Jay Hawkins. Writing about obsession?
Here’s Screaming Jay screaming that he doesn’t care if you don’t want him. It doesn’t matter to him at all. He’s still yours. A non-returnable gift that threatens to keep on giving. She’s Not There by the Zombies
This one doesn’t make my list for the name of the group, but for the mood the music evokes. And the lyrics do have a touch of the sinister. In this British song, a mysterious woman is causing untold suffering, Like the singer, we can only wonder about how much she lied, with no way of telling “how many people cried.” I know what you’re thinking. But the song was released in 1965, considerably before Maggie Thatcher ever became Prime Minister. No Bravery by James Blunt
I thought this guy wrote love songs, but this one features shallow graves, burning houses, the odor of death, and dying families. I listen to this, then write horror to cheer up.
Tie a Yellow Ribbon by Tony Orlando. Not a horror classic, just a horrible song. I can’t listen to it without dreaming of tying a yellow ribbon as tightly as possible around Tony Orlando’s neck. And I understand the reasoning of a homicidal demon.
Last and in so many ways least, Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Apparently, Satan, with eyes of fire, is coming after the singer. That might explain the vocal. I think this one is from the Black Sabbath album Blue Skies, Sunny Days and Lollypops, or it may be from Kittens, Puppies and Other Easy Meals. To quote a key phrase, “Please, God help me.”
Take a listen. The singing sounds like a weasel caught in a meat grinder. The question this little ditty raises is more theological than musical. Namely: why would a loving God allow something like this to exist? And to somehow be a hit? When I first heard it on my car radio, I thought my transmission was disintegrating, but it was only humanity’s musical taste.
Check out Barry Maher’s dark humor supernatural thriller, The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon, onAmazon. Contact him and/or sign up for his newsletter at www.barrymaher.com.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A notable rock band tells a shocking story of stardom, murder, and the apocalypse in author Craig DiLouie’s “My Ex, The Antichrist.”
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The Synopsis
From rising star of horror Craig DiLouie comes a twisted tale of love, heartbreak, and the apocalypse. We all have bad exes. Lily Lawlor’s just happens to be the Antichrist.
“DiLouie brings his sharp mix of heart and horror to the end of the world with this clever story about rock and roll, relationships, and destiny.” ― Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author
1998: Lily Lawlor and Drake Morgan form a punk band. Drake inspires faith in some. Fear in others. Lily is a believer.
2010: At the height of her stardom, Lily walks into a police station and confesses to a murder.
Now: The band has refused to talk to the press about their riotous past, Lily’s confession, or anything else. It’s been over a decade, but Lily has finally agreed to an interview. And the band is following her lead.
What follows is a story of prophecy, death, and apocalypse. A story about love found and love lost. A story about the antichrist. Maybe it’s all true. Maybe none if it is.
Either way, this is their story. And they’re sticking to it.
The Review
Immediately, I was struck by both the literal and metaphorical relationship between religion and rock music that the author tapped into. The battle between these two concepts has been a longstanding tension that generations have fought over, and the author tapped into that tension easily through the characters, especially the protagonist Lily. The detail and compelling story the author developed played well into this theme and gave readers a solid foundation for the rest of the book to come to life.
What really became the heart of the story was the characters, both as the driving force of the narrative and as the unique POVs of several characters that moved the story forward. The way the story is set up to be told, as if reading interview transcripts, was so profoundly fascinating and gave the reader so much more insight into who these characters were, to hear the story from their own perspectives. This was especially true of Lily, whose characterization of Drake as both the guitarist and the figure he became not only spoke to the apocalyptic genre that the story took on with the supernatural twist, but became a solid storytelling device that spoke to the impact toxic relationships can have overall on a person’s life and how destructive it can be to themselves and those around them.
The Verdict
Haunting, compelling, and entertaining, author Craig DiLouie’s “My Ex, The Antichrist” is a must-read supernatural occult horror thriller. The originality and creativity of the author’s writing style, the enthralling nature of the story and its characters, and the depth of emotion retelling this story had on their character arcs made this one book readers will find impossible to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.
In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.
These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.
At www.CraigDiLouie.com, you can find all of Craig’s major works, interviews, and hundreds of interesting blog posts. Be sure to sign up for Craig’s mailing list so you can stay tuned on new releases.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Humanity’s survivors must find a way of surviving not only endless undead walkers but the threat of starvation in author Jason Kristopher’s “Interval”, the second book in The Dying of the Light series.
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The Synopsis
Return to the award-winning zombie series called “the best since World War Z!”
Becoming a zombie was much more painful than he had expected.
In a world devoured by chaos, survival hangs by a thread. Amidst the relentless onslaught of the undead, hope flickers dim. But beyond the horrors of the walkers lies an even graver threat. Massive bunkers crumble under unyielding assault, plunging into darkness.
Across icy wastelands, stranded scientists fight starvation’s cold grip. Can David Blake and the remnants of AEGIS rescue the salvation-bearing scientist from the frigid grip of Antarctica, or will humanity succumb to the merciless jaws of extinction?
Fans of The Walking Dead and Maberry’s The Dead of Night will love this action-packed, globe-trotting sequel. Don’t wait – grab your copy now!
The Review
This is a fantastic follow-up to the first book in this series, END, and capitalizes on the brutality and horror of the first book’s events by delving into the freezing depths of the Antarctic and the lengths humanity must go to survive. The balance the author finds in utilizing military protocol and language with the personal storytelling of the characters and their lives was as astounding as it was in book one, and the way the author explored how different militaries around the world responded to their own bases in the Arctic and how things advanced as the years wore on was so engaging from a reader’s perspective.
The world-building and action are so visceral and alive on the page, and the imagery is so compelling. The exploration of the effects the virus, aka the prion, has on the dead, mainly the reasons some become “runners” rather than “walkers,” is so enthralling. The way the author writes allows the pacing to feel punctuated and engaged in a fast-paced action thriller, keeping the reader invested throughout the entire novel.
The Verdict
Memorable, action-packed, and thrilling, author Jason Kristopher’s “Interval” is a must-read action horror thriller and a grand entry in the Dying of the Light series. The story is entertaining, the characters are relatable, intense, and emotionally driven, and the heartfelt, open-ended ending allows the reader to become fully immersed in this world and eager for the next entry in the series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jason Kristopher is the award-winning author terrifying readers with zombies in THE DYING OF THE LIGHT, thrilling them with 1940s noir in LOCO MOCO, and harrowing them with boy-meets-gryphon-meets-robot adventure in WHEN IRON WAKES. With the love of his life and the dog that rescued him by his side, he plots his next traumatizing stories from Florida beaches.
Please enjoy this special guest post from author Sherri L. Dodd
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When I began writing the Murder, Tea, and Crystals Trilogy, I wanted the story to be authentic, and realized that I would need to reach beyond my own insufficient knowledge of modern-day paganism. Luckily, I had met a couple of witches at my local crystal shop and had recently hosted a Halloween party where the tarot reader informed me that she, too, was a witch. Three to share, and the latter gave me a taste of the lifestyle. Not wanting to go alone, I invited her to attend a Samhain event with me. Her response was, “Oh no. I don’t go to those things because everyone is always trying to out-witch each other.”
So, I found with today’s witchcraft movement. Like the Christian denomination, to be a witch is a very general term. When you say someone is Christian, you know they believe in one God, and Jesus as the son of God sacrificed himself for mankind. Voila—neatly wrapped in a nutshell. But fine-tuning leads to disputes, such as Catholics believe that Mary was a virgin, 7th Day Adventists hold Saturday as the Sabbath, and the Christian Scientist enforces healing through prayer, alone. Look at the holy wars which have shown everyone thinks it’s their way or the highway. If you think that is chaotic, try putting Neo-Paganism into a tidy catchall box.
First, there are many core belief systems—Celtic, Greek, Norse, and Roman Pantheons, to name a few. A witch can worship anyone from Hekate to Brigid to Saturn to your favorite Marvel character; he, that carries a big thick hammer. Further, sometimes you worship more than just one God or Goddess. You can worship two, three, or ten. Occasionally the many different deities are from the same source—in Hindu’s case, Brahman. That means, one witch may worship Kali, yet, the witch worshiping Ganesh is tapping into the same Hindu divine power. Finally, the priests of the Salem Trials probably roll in their tombs knowing that some Christians consider themselves witches through their ability to heal or manifest. This, I know, because my mother has shared that when she was a teen, my devout Baptist grandmother proclaimed herself “a witch for Christ.”
To me, this is all quite fascinating. I have studied different religions and philosophies since my early twenties, so witchcraft falls aptly into the subject. BUT, for some reason—feminist witches blame the oppressive patriarchy—witchcraft remains taboo. Even today, if you put a book entitled Green Witchcraft II on your coffee table or a copy of Modern Witchcraft on your nightstand, your housecleaner may start rumors that you worship the devil or are a nutcase who believes in magick. Either way, I have found that to be a misrepresentation of the today’s modern witchcraft.
Another challenge when writing about witchcraft is the reverence factor. While I respectfully pursue this venture, I believe, as with all measures of spirituality, I can only graze another person’s truth when writing about core belief systems. No matter what is written, some will agree, and some will want to write their congressman about the spread of false information. Luckily, being a redhead since long before it was cute, I have learned to ignore what others think of me or what I write, and this includes my thorough study of witchcraft. I laugh off the derision. Actually, now, I cackle.
Book Summary
At the age of eight, Arista Kelly was frantically swept up by her parents and whisked off to an isolated town in the California redwoods. Two days later, her parents were gone.
Now at the age of twenty-three, she has settled quite nicely into an eclectic lifestyle, much like her great aunt, and guardian since childhood, Bethie. She enjoys the use of herbs and crystals to help her commune with the energy and nature around her and finds pleasure in the company of her beloved pet, Royal. Usually quite satisfied with her mundane life high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, life becomes unsettling when a new recurring vision of an ominous tattoo as well as increased activity from the ghostly presence within her own cottage invade her once-harmonious existence.
But life in this mountain sanctuary takes an even darker turn when the body of Arista’s former classmate is found in the nearby river. As other young young women fall prey to a suspected serial killer, Arista realizes that the terror is coming to her.
The Review
This was such a compelling, gripping murder-mystery-meets-witchy-supernatural-horror YA thriller. The natural fusion of genres was so well done in this novel, and the visceral imagery between the gorgeous Santa Cruz mountains and the chilling murders that drive this narrative forward, all come together to create a stunning blend of romance/fantasy meets YA supernatural occult horror read that is intense and inviting all at once.
The heart of the narrative is really the character dynamics. Arista is a compelling protagonist, taking the reader on a personal journey of growth as she goes from a studious, harmonious witch connected to the natural world around her to a strong, powerful young woman who is thrust into a shocking mystery and uncovers new abilities and secrets she never thought possible. The small-town setting becomes a character in itself, adding depth to the unfolding mystery and significantly elevating the tension and atmosphere with each chapter.
The Verdict
Thrilling, compelling, and entertaining, author Sherri L. Dodd’s “Murder Under Redwood Moon” is a must-read novel. The twists and turns this story takes, the slew of suspects that keep the reader engaged as the plot unravels, and the monster at the end of the book are all revealed. The compelling character dynamics will keep readers on the edge of their seats and eager for the next entry in the series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Sherri was raised in southeast Texas. Walking barefoot most days and catching crawdads as they swam the creek beds, she had a love for all things free and natural. Her childhood ran rampant with talk of ghosts, demons, and backcountry folklore. This inspired her first short story for sale about a poisonous flower that shot toxins onto children as they smelled it. Her classmate bought it for all the change in his pocket. It was not long after that her mother packed the two of them up and headed to the central coast of California. She has ping-ponged throughout the area ever since.
Her first real step into writing was the non-fiction fitness book, Mom Looks Great – The Fitness Program for Moms published in 2005, and maintaining its accompanying blog. Now, transmuting the grief of her father’s passing, she has branched into Fiction, specifically the genre of Paranormal Thriller with generous dashes of Magick Realism! Her Murder, Tea & Crystals Trilogy released book one – Murder Under Redwood Moon – in March 2024. Book two – Moonset on Desert Sands – released in March 2025, and the final book in the series – Hummingbird Moonrise – became #1 New Release in Occult Supernatural on Amazon in October 2025!
Join us as we celebrate the launch of the the first book in Sherri Dodd’s Murder, Tea & Crystals trilogy: Murder Under the Redwood Moon. Read an interview with the author and enter to win the whole trilogy. Two winners!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A king becomes desperate to save a kingdom caught in a blood plague that has warped everyone and everything in author Henry Levi’s “The Shambling Lords.”
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The Synopsis
Transience has come to the undying lands of Amelbaran.
A plague of blood cripples the once-immutable kingdom of Kelcarosa, replacing beauty with decay.
The advent of this calamity, like nothing the immortal kingdom has ever known before, distorts even the incontrovertible Nobles of the Scarlet Court, stealing away the righteous instincts of these great custodians, warping their sensibilities and making shambling monsters, debauched and dangerous, of those who had once been hailed as heroes.
Only the New King seems to remember the grandeur that once was theirs, and in reverence to all that was, he seeks to undo all that is.
This is the King’s requiem; the legend of the end of that which had been undying, the corruption of that which had been consecrated, the fall of that which had stood most high.
The Review
This gritty, dark-toned fantasy novel was the perfect blend of horror and dark fantasy, bringing a rich new world and kingdom to life in vivid detail. The visceral imagery and haunting atmosphere that the author exudes in the story, as this plague decimates the land and begins to creep into the once majestic city, is thoughtfully written into the narrative, effortlessly conjuring up a feeling of unease and despair that the characters are hit with, as well as a physical sensation of grime and grit in this chilling world.
Yet it was the fast pacing and impactful themes the story seemed to embody that made this narrative feel so engrossing. The King, an antihero in this story, is steadfast in his view of his people’s failure and the kingdom he once loved so deeply, and, through hardship and struggle, fights to make his mission succeed, no matter the cost. The story reflects the loss of what was once good in a person’s life, and sometimes the inevitable realization that it cannot be recovered. Instead, all we can do is move on from that loss and start anew, a fitting theme the King embodies as he sees the plague of mortality plaguing his immortal kingdom and the need to start over.
The Verdict
Viscerally written, compelling, and thoroughly enthralling, author Henry Levi’s “The Shambling Lords” is a must-read dark fantasy and horror novella. The haunting, atmospheric tale of betrayal, loss, and rebirth takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, and the depth of the world-building the author uses to convey this theme is remarkable. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Best known within the pages of other tales, acclaimed writer Henry Levi first made his name with the razor-edged prose of a bestselling crime thriller trilogy, though he has since outgrown the confines of any single genre.
In A Study on Falling, Levi emerged as the sharp-tongued voice behind the Alistair Black series, a sudden success that vaulted the then-unknown author into global stardom — only to be followed by a spectacular unraveling, marked by public feuds, private bitterness, and a much-publicized retreat from the literary stage.
Now, after a tumultuous hiatus steeped in further scandal, Levi returns: unapologetically eclectic and unfashionably sincere, having finally beaten back the jaded nihilism and acrimonious apathy that had once defined him.
Returned to writing on his own terms, Levi’s recent works are darker, stranger, and far more personal. The extent of his acclaim depends, as always, on who you ask. Whatever else may be said, he is writing again.
