Bewitching Holiday Extravaganza Oubliette: A Forgotten Little Place by Vanta M. Black

Have a Very Scary Christmas

This time of the year is often
happy, filled with cheer and the spirit of giving. For those who enjoy
something a little darker, though, there are plenty of thrills on the movie
front.

If you like things that are
twisted and dark, then here are the top five scary holiday movies you can
watch:

Jack
Frost

Nothing like a killer snowman
named Jack Frost to get you in the mood for the holidays, right? This 1997
thriller is a classic holiday romp you are sure to enjoy. The movie takes place
in the fictional town of Snowmonton, where a truck carrying serial killer Jack
Frost to his execution crashes into a genetics truck. The genetic material
causes Jack's body to mutate and fuse together with the snow on the ground. As
you can imagine, what happens next is pretty freaky and fun!

https://youtu.be/5JpO7iLAohQ

Gremlins

As cute as those little buggers
are when they are soft, fuzzy Mogwai, they are delightfully evil as Gremlins.
They wreak havoc during Christmas when a boy inadvertently breaks three
important rules about getting his new pet wet. This is a family favorite and if
you’ve never seen it, now it is the season.

https://youtu.be/zoK0BzYUTrU

Silent Night, Deadly Night

A slasher flick that brings us
all back to the 80s, this film is perfect for fans of serial killer movies.
It’s tehe story of an escaped maniac who returns to his childhood home on
Christmas Eve, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority
sisters one by one. There is lots of blood and gore, watch this one with the
lights low after the kids are in bed.

https://youtu.be/ph2qpWw7nZI

Krampus

Released last year, Krampus is
based on a German legend and takes the notion of St. Nick and spins it in a
whole new direction. It’s about a boy who has a bad Christmas ends up
accidentally summoning this festive demon to his family home. Lots of jumpy
moments make this a must-watch during the holidays.

https://youtu.be/h6cVyoMH4QE

The
Nightmare Before Christmas

Okay, this is considered a
Halloween flick, too, but it certainly crosses over and spans two of the best
holidays of the year. You see, Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town,
discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept. Can you
blame him? Tim Burton is a master and this film can be enjoyed by young and old
anytime during the season.

https://youtu.be/8qrB9I3DM80

Oubliette: A Forgotten Little Place

Vanta M. Black

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Paranormal, 

Historical Fiction, Genre-Fiction, 

New Adult, Horror

Publisher: Black Chateau Publishing

Date of Publication: March 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9964488-2-6

ISBN: 978-0-9964488-1-9

ISBN: 978-0-9964488-0-2

Number of pages: 566

Word Count: 247,912

Cover Artist: Black Chateau Enterprises

Book Description:

Veronica knows the monsters aren’t “just in her head”, but no one listens to the headstrong ten-year-old as they tie her to a hospital bed every night.

Years later, after being dumped by her business-partner/boyfriend, Veronica finds herself on the verge of bankruptcy. Then a late-night call promises the perfect solution — a job opportunity decorating a castle in France.

Will Veronica risk what little she has left to chase a fairytale?

When the shadowy things that once terrorized her come back, Veronica must decide how much she’ll sacrifice for them, for her sanity, and for her life.

This epic book consists of interwoven stories with paranormal twists. A horror-filled historical fiction adventure, it spans nearly two millennia.

You'll be transported to an ancient Pagan ritual, Roman-ruled Gaul, the bloody Inquisition of the Knights Templar, France as it's ravaged by the Black Death, the duplicitous Reformation, the Paris Catacombs, and the gory French Revolution, while you unravel Oubliette’s cryptic layers.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/y0NMLzBnxKg

Amazon    BN    Author Website

Excerpt One from Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place by Vanta M. Black - From the Prologue to Veronica’s Story

Veronica didn’t understand why they looked for the monsters in her head, that’s obviously not where they were. Instead of listening, the doctors stuck pads with wires to her temples and increased the dosage of an IV that dripped into her veins.

They also told the nurses to tie her down with thick, leather belts every night.

The tethers didn’t matter though, because when the monsters came, she wouldn’t be able to move anyway. The only thing Veronica could ever do was scream.

The doctors called them “night terrors”. The pudgy lady who talked funny –– she told Veronica it was her accent –– said they were “spirits”. Mommy used the term “shadow people”. Veronica just called them “monsters”, and wished they’d stop scaring her when she slept. 

They wanted her. Deep inside, on a primal level, Veronica knew the monsters –– or whatever they were –– craved her, and if given the chance, they would do something very, very bad to her. 

The little girl tried to explain this to the doctors, the nurses, the accent-talking lady, and her mother, but none of the adults really listened. Instead they argued and shouted at each other, and huffed in and out of the room –– but the thing that frightened Veronica the most, is when the adults would simply shrug their shoulders, and admit that they really didn’t have any idea what the monsters were at all.

About the Author:

Vanta M. Black, author of Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, enjoys uncovering the dark mysteries of our Universe.

In addition to writing,  she enjoys traveling to provocative places and studying all things esoteric.

Black has degrees in English, communication and art. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two pug-mix dogs, and spends her time in support of causes that empower women and advance science and technology.

http://www.vantamblack.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VantaM.Black

https://www.facebook.com/OublietteNovel/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14697666.Vanta_M_Black

https://twitter.com/VantaMBlack  @VantaMBlack

http://oublietteaforgottenlittleplace.tumblr.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/VantaMBlack/

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HORROR WRITING PROMOTION

 The Oh Lá Lá Oubliette Fan Fiction Contest gives writers the opportunity to win a trip to France! This is ideal for horror fans who love to read and write. 

The criteria is simple. Writers are asked to submit between 500 and 10,000 words. 

Any of the many story lines or characters from the book may be used for inspiration. A judging panel will evaluate fan fiction submissions on story structure, creativity, and authenticity to the book. 

Entries can be flash fiction, biographical, historical, poem, or 

nearly any other narrative format.

http://www.vantamblack.com/oubliette-fan-fiction-contest.html

release blitz for cozy mystery “Better Off Thread”

About the Book

Title: Better Off Thread

Author: Amanda Lee

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Santa finds himself in a stitch of trouble in the tenth in the series from the national bestselling author of The Stitching Hour…

Marcy is busy helping her customers make hand-crafted ornaments at her embroidery shop, the Seven-Year Stitch. But despite the yuletide bustle, when her friend Captain Moe asks for her help, she can’t refuse—especially when the favor is to play the elf to his Santa for sick children at a local hospital. Despite the ridiculous outfit, Marcy finds herself enjoying spreading cheer—until the hospital’s administrator is found murdered.

Although the deceased had plenty of people willing to fill her stocking with coal, evidence pins the crime on Moe. Now it’s up to Marcy, with the help of her police officer boyfriend Ted and her Irish Wolfhound Angus, to stitch together the clues to clear Moe’s name—before someone else winds up crossed off Santa’s list for good…

Author Bio

Gayle Trent (and pseudonym Amanda Lee) writes the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating series, the Embroidery Mystery series, and (as Gayle Leeson) the Down South Cafe Mystery series.

The cake decorating series features a heroine who is starting her life over in Southwest Virginia after a nasty divorce. The heroine, Daphne, has returned to her hometown of Brea Ridge to open a cake baking and decorating business and is wrestling with the question of whether or not one can go home again. She enjoys spending time with her sister, nephew, and niece, but she and her mother have a complicated relationship that isn’t always pleasant. Daphne has also reconnected with her high school sweetheart and is pursuing a rekindled romance while desperately trying to put her past behind her. Kerry Vincent, Hall of Fame Sugar Artist, Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show Director, and Television Personality says the series is “a must read for cake bakers and anyone who has ever spent creative time in the kitchen!”

Says Dean Koontz, #1 New York Times bestselling author, “One day I found myself happily reading . . . mysteries by Gayle Trent. If she can win me over . . . she’s got a great future.”

The Embroidery Mystery series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop. Marcy Singer left her home in San Francisco, along with the humiliation of being left at the altar, in order to move to Tallulah Falls and realize her dream of owning her own shop. She takes along her faithful companion, a one-year-old Irish wolfhound named Angus O’Ruff. She makes many new friends in Tallulah Falls, but she also makes a few enemies. Thankfully, her best friend Sadie MacKenzie and her husband Blake run the coffeehouse right down the street from Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year Stitch; and Detective Ted Nash always has her back.

Publishers Weekly says, “Fans of the genre will take kindly to Marcy, her Irish wolfhound, Angus O’Ruff, and Tallulah Falls. This is a fast, pleasant read with prose full of pop culture references and, of course, sharp needlework puns.”

Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Indiebound

Kobo

Giveaway

One winner will get a paperback copy of the book and a vintage Hallmark Sherlock bear ornament (US only). Three other lucky winners will get a paperback copy (or Kindle copy for international readers).

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Waiting for a Girl Like You by Gina Conkle

Waiting for a Girl Like You

Kissables

Book 1

Gina Conkle

Genre: Hot Contemporary Romance

Date of Publication: Dec. 13, 2016

ISBN:  978-0998305615

ASIN:  B01N3LCLJB

Number of pages: 225

Word Count: 56,000

Cover Artist: Rebecca of Dreams2Media

Book Description:

2 Stories in 1 Book

Proper Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart

Bookstore clerk Abbie is off-the-charts nervous her first night moonlighting in a sex-for-hire job. If she only kept her mouth shut…but nothing goes as expected, including the intense blue-eyed surfer who walks through her door. Mark wants to work out a few kinks —and leave the lifestyle for good. Past mistakes still haunt him, but sweet Abbie turns Mark’s plans upside down, and two broken hearts discover honesty is the hottest aphrodisiac.

Anything But Safe

Former trophy wife Jennifer wants to thrive again, but when her new life hits a speedbump, her unlikely hero is rough working man AJ. The woman AJ rescued is out of his league, but the two together are magic. Jennifer smooths his hard edges, and when she’s with AJ, her true, quirky colors show. A surprise threatens to derail the two who quickly learn…love is anything but safe.

Amazon    BN    Kobo

Excerpts:  Waiting for a Girl Like You (2 stories in 1 book)

The Proper Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart (story 1)

My cheeks burned but I stood taller. “I don’t know what Mrs. Smith told you but when she said ‘fresh face’ that was code for I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never done this before. Any of it. Not sex for hire. And certainly not BDSM. Much as I want to bolt, I need the money. So can we get this over with?”

Another dry chuckle. “You know how to get a man going.”

I glared at him through my bangs and hugged myself tighter. Music pulsed from the room next door, but I couldn’t say what the song was. Did they need a sound track to get going? The frazzled side of me surrendered to how little I knew about sex. Despite standing bravely, I was small and adrift on an unknown sea.

Surfer Man stepped within touching distance, his blue eyes on the verge of grey, lit with a strange mixture of hard shell and tender patience. A faint line traced the left side of his mouth like contempt came easy.

“First rule,” he said evenly. “You only talk when spoken to.”

“Then what am I supposed to call you?”

The question startled us both. I was throwing out the no names rule and for good reason. Something dawned on me. With the closed door, it was just the two of us. This square room was my island. Control could go either way. Surfer Man’s mouth opened, but an adrenaline rush took over and my hip cocked sideways. In the world of fight or flight, my body tensed with its version of fight.

“Oh, let me guess. You’re going to say Call me master or some crap like that. I work at a bookstore. I’ve read those please spank me Mr. Billionaire books.”

I liked a few of them. Reading the books was one thing. Living them was another.

One side of his mouth curved up. “Maybe you should tell me how you really feel.”

I exhaled slowly, blowing bangs off my forehead. No sense in telling him what I really thought. Talk about a mood killer. No man wanted to hear me say this place is for losers who can’t find a girl. Yet, this guy was no loser.

“Real billionaires don’t look like you do in those jeans of yours.”

He chuckled, his blue eyes flaring wider. “I’m no billionaire.”

Oh, but you are one hot man. Thankfully my filter worked and I kept that to myself.

“You know what it is? It’s the whole BDSM scene thing. Sex isn’t a scene. It’s sex. Two people being honest skin to skin.”

Sinews under his forearms flexed while music cranked louder in the next room. His hard shell scrutiny narrowed, and I cringed. Sneering at my customer’s preferences wasn’t a smart idea. How he got his rocks off was his business.

“Honest sex.” He let the words settle in his mouth. Surfer Man shook his head and made for his gym bag.

“What? Are you leaving?” My voice notched higher. I didn’t want him tying me up, but I didn’t want him to leave.

“This wasn’t a good idea.”

Scowling at me, he stood under the bulb, the red light pouring over him. How was it a nice looking man in his thirties paid a hefty price to tie a woman up yet he was the one getting all contorted about it? I was pretty sure he could get the average beach bunny to shed her bikini and play sex games for a night. Unless his tastes ran too dark.

I eyed the bag at his feet. Dust lined a few creases. “Maybe we could talk instead.”

He laughed harshly. “You’re naked. I paid for sex with a pretty woman.

Not conversation.”

“Want me to cover myself with the sheet?”

“No,” he said, his face screwing up like I wasn’t playing with a full deck. “I don’t want you to cover yourself.”

Feet planted wide, the bulge in his jeans was gone. The lost reaction bugged me. He didn’t find me attractive anymore? To add to the strangeness, my reversal irked me. I should be glad. I could run down the hall, grab my clothes and purse, and run out the door and never come back.

Red-tinged light cast shadows over his features. He set both hands on his hips, his raw voice reaching out to me. “Why do you want me to stay?”

Anything But Safe (story 2)

Tendons stood out on AJ’s neck. If she read him right, he was flummoxed by their sizzling chemistry. What made this different was liking each other so quickly. It was powerful. Overwhelming and mind-consuming. Conversation flowed naturally. She’d dumped her troubles at his feet last night without a second thought. AJ listened. And when things weren’t hot and heavy, he was fun. She needed fun.

His long legs stretched out under her old table last night did things to her. Her nerves shot to life when predatory blue eyes tracked her movement in the kitchen. AJ was different. Comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. And his thoughtfulness with the herbs? She wanted to kiss every inch of skin on his body.

“No need to glower at me,” she said. “You brought up how different we are last night right after I got into your truck.”

His mouth’s hard line softened. “That’s what’s bugging you?”

“It didn’t bother me. Not at first. Then, after Richard’s call, I wondered if I was making another bad decision.” Her voice faded. “You were a great listener, but it crossed my mind that you were after one thing and one thing only.”

AJ’s crystalline blue eyes pierced her. “Sex.”

The nicest shiver ran down her legs. “Yes.”

Hot sun beat down on the rest of the world. It was August. Standing under the pepper tree, AJ was a tall, cool drink of water. Stained coveralls didn’t put her off nor did his tattoo and the rough cadence of his speech. Under the gruff exterior was a real man with a good heart. He visually devoured her every time they’d crossed paths around town, and last night was no exception. But, could she be content with a sex only fling?

“Well, that’s a relief.” Faint sarcasm edged his last word.

“What is?”

His steady gaze never wavered. “I thought you might be going in a different direction.”

She cocked her head. “Did you think I was about to give you the ‘let’s be friends’ talk?”

“I thought you were about to give me the ‘let’s hook up for sex only’ talk.”

“Oh AJ,” she said around hiccups of laughter. Her cheeks burned. She shook her head, a little dazed. “I…I don’t know  what to say to that.”

“It’s not the first time a woman like you propositioned me.”

Eyes rounding, she laughed at the absurdity. “I’m not propositioning you.”

“Good because my answer would be no.”

She’d come for lunch and conversation of the talking variety. A kiss or two was more than welcome, but they needed to slow down, let things simmer. AJ’s forbidding frown told her some of Hidden Valley’s well-shod women had dallied with him, and he was having no more of it. The town was an eclectic mix of gated communities, small farm-to-table co-ops and wineries. A lot of working class people had lived here long before it was hip.

Hurt bloomed in her chest at the idea of any woman taking advantage of AJ’s goodness. Or his body. His past was likely more colorful than hers, but his flat out refusal to hook up intrigued her. He’d messed around in the past. What made him change his mind?

About the Author:

Gina Conkle writes Viking, Georgian, and contemporary romance. She grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, she love books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now Gina lives in Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons where she occasionally gardens and cooks. Living in snow gives her the perfect excuse to get lost in reading and writing.

http://ginaconkle.com/

https://twitter.com/ginaconkle

https://www.facebook.com/GinaConkleWriter/

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Samsung Galaxy Tab A Nook w/ 7” HD Screen.

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The Dragon in the Garden by Erika Gardner Blitz

Contemporary Fantasy

Date Published:  Eformats- 2/19/16, Print 10/21/16

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

There is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and, oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four hours. 

It’s time to find out why she has this power. 

Siobhan seeks out the Oracle and learns that only her Sight can help mankind navigate the travails of an ancient war. Our world is the prize in a battle between the dragons, who would defend us, and Lucifer’s fallen angels, who seek to take the Earth for themselves. Using her gift, she will have to make a choice that will decide humanity’s future.

Excerpt

The memory has haunted me for years.

In the middle of a bright California summer, dark days came. My mother and grandparents spoke in hushed, serious voice, arguing about my absent father. Was it my fault he left? A soft whimper escaped my throat and my eyes burned. I needed a hug, but no one paid any attention to me that day.  So I ran away to the refuge of my grandparents’ garden where I could hide among its statues and flowers.

My eyes lingered over the familiar garden ornaments. I passed the old birdbath, the statues of gnomes, and a cheerful squirrel. I ran one hand over the stone deer. Its brown paint had faded from years under the sun. Walking with quick steps down the gravel path, I made my way to the center of the garden, my special spot where my favorite statue waited.

       A gnarled apricot tree grew there.  Right now it was covered with tiny green apricots. Later in the summer the sweet fruit I loved would ripen. I would get to pick them with my parents, no, just with my mother. My lip trembled. My father wouldn’t be here.

The bright-green dragon lay curled at the foot of the apricot tree, partially covered by vines. My mother called the color jade green—the same shade as my eyes. As a child she talked to all the statues, but I only spoke to the dragon. I named her Daisy. Sitting down next to her now, the tears welled up at last, spilling over my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around my legs, making myself into a little ball of five year old misery.

“Child, why are you sad?” said a woman’s voice.

“Who said that?” I asked, wiping my cheek.

 “I did.”

“Where are you?” I stood and peered at the plants and statues around me.

“Right here.”

“Are not,” I retorted.

A soft laugh filled the air and the woman spoke again. “Perhaps you are right. Easy enough to fix, I suppose.”

The breeze picked up. The space beneath the apricot tree shimmered. Ripples warped the air like the heat over the barbecue when my father cooked. The sweet notes of wind chimes filled the yard. Grandma and Grandpa didn’t have any wind chimes. I whirled around to find the noise.

Under the branches appeared an enormous green dragon’s head.

About the Author

Erika is a sixth generation San Franciscan of Irish descent. She attended the University of California at Davis and completed degrees in Medieval History and Biological Sciences. A lifelong lover of books and a scribbler of many tales from a young age (her first story was completed at age five) she turned to writing full-time in 2011.

Erika resides in Northern California with her incredibly hot husband, their three amazing kids, and their chocolate Labrador named Selkie. To reach Erika regarding her books, wine recommendations, or to debate which Iron Maiden album is the best (clearly, it’s Brave New World), you can find her online at www.erikagardner.com.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter: @Erika_Gardner

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Purchase Links

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Cover Reveal - Hunt (Howl #2) by D.S. Wrights & Lilith Dark

Cover Reveal

HUNT (Howl #2)

By D.S. Wrights & Lilth Dark

Release Date: January 3rd 2017

After her family trip ends up to be her biggest nightmare combined with deepest desire, Lia has to find her place in a world she never imagined to be possible. While she is trying to fit in and connect with the werewolves that have taken her, Lia realizes that tapping into the locked away part of her is more difficult than she thought. And then there is the fact that an unknown and new for her threat is putting her on a leash, when all she wants is to know if her brother and father have survived.

Pre Order HUNT

HOWL

 

 What was supposed to be an extended family camping trip turns horribly wrong.

All Liala wanted for her 21st birthday is to reconnect with her long dead mother at the place her parent's met and they used to visit until her death.
Despite an old woman's warning the camp of her extended family and friends is eventually set up at a secluded little piece of paradise... and right in the middle of the local were-wolf pack's territory.

Howl is a horror/paranormal/erotica story and contains topics that are not suitable for minors or the fainthearted, such as gore, non-con, and borderline interaction.

Available Now!

D.S. Wrights was born and raised mostly in Germany. She speaks three languages fluently: English, German and Dutch. Her name is a pen name and she describes writing as her passion and calling.Two short stories were published during high school, one as a school project and one in a regional newsletter. Later she worked at a publishing house where she earned insight into the work, process and production of publishing books.In the last few years she has published several fan fictions to which the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The Beast And Me is her first published novel. D.S. hasn't always written stories like The Beast And Me and she is still writing stories from all kinds of genres that do not have horror aspects or are targeting adults only. Those stories are published with under a different name. So if you like her writing style but not really the genre, you might want to check out her other books, which soon will be published.Her name actually is a play on words and language. D.S. is put together from the initials of her internet name and Wrights simply has the same sound as writes. Before writing she prefers to bring herself in the right mood for the story, listening to specific songs, reading through what she has written before and especially talk about the story with friends and fans. So feel free to write to her.

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