Book Trailer: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for September. Watch the book trailer for this enchanting new novel and enter a world of love, joy, heartbreak, deceit and magic!

Harlan Coben Discusses His First YA Novel -- Shelter

New York Times bestselling author, Harlan Coben discusses his first YA title, Shelter. For a truly breathtaking ride, order the book below; it's available NOW! Check out the book trailer for Shelter below.

Short Story Review: The Mothman Isn't Real by Jason Thacker

The Mothman is one of the most mysterious cryptozoological creatures around. I mean, sure, there are hundreds of documentaries, movies, books and other media resources dedicated to the winged, red-eyed beast, but pretty much absolutely nothing is truly known about it. People can't even begin to speculate what it is. Unlike Bigfoot, Nessie and a few other heavy hitters, the Mothman is sort of a quiet, inconspicuous creature, not unlike Jersey's "Devil." No pictures exist of the Mothman, no video footage is ever caught, but one thing is certain - it scares the bejeezus out of anyone who crosses its path. And, it also happens to be one of my favorites.

So, you can imagine my delight when I get an email from author Jason Thacker to review his new short story, The Mothman Isn't Real. Before I started my journey into Pikeville, Kentucky (where the story takes place), I silently prayed for this variation of the Mothman mythos to feature a kick-ass, take no prisoner sort of Mothman.

I love it when prayers are answered.

Thacker's short story is a fast-moving, thrill-a-minute read that features a menacing, dangerously blood-thirsty Mothman. The characters in Thacker's short story are realistic and believable and that's oh so important, and even more so in a short story in my opinion. I blazed through this story and loved every minute of it. Full of action, suspense and mystery, The Mothman Isn't Real made for a fantastic early Saturday morning read. I highly recommend this fun and exciting story and give it ***** out of *****.

Pick up The Mothman Isn't Real for your Kindle at Amazon using the link below or visit Jason Thacker's page on Smashwords to get this story in another format.

Book Trailer: Night of the Living Trekkies

If this isn't the best book trailer I don't know what is! Read the book and pray for the movie!

Kindle Single Review: Mile 81 by Stephen King

You know, they used to describe Stephen King as the writer of all those vampire, werewolf and monster stories, but if you take a long look at his works, vehicles, possessed or otherwise, play heavily into his monster rotation too. Earlier works like Christine, Maximum Overdrive and From a Buick 8 all feature killer vehicles and so does his latest work, Mile 81.

Mile 81 is a short story originally released for e-readers, but it will be available in book and audiobook formats eventually. This tale takes place at an abandoned rest stop along the turnpike in Maine. It starts off with 10-year old Pete Simmons heading out to the old rest stop for a day of adventure only after his older brother wouldn't let him tag along with him and his friends. Armed with a magnifying glass and a half-empty vodka bottle he finds along the way, Pete enters the rest stop, peruses the left-behinds and ultimately gets a little woozy off a few sips of vodka. He eventually falls asleep, and while he's sleeping, outside all hell is breaking loose. You see, a mud-covered car has rolled up the ramp to the rest stop, and this is no ordinary car.

Reading Mile 81 is like listening to your favorite rock band do an acoustic set. All the necessary notes are still represented, and the songs still sound fantastic, but they're not quite the same. Taken as it is, Mile 81 is a fast-paced read and a highly enjoyable one, but it's not as deeply satisfying as long-form Stephen King.

Even still, I give Mile 81 **** out of *****.

Novella Review: Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz

Once upon a time, I was a huge Dean Koontz fan. I mean, he was up there with Stephen King in my opinion. That's how much I loved his books. Books like Darkfall, Twilight Eyes, Strangers and so many of his old classics, I pounded through them one after the other. Then, Mr. Koontz entered a phase where a lot of his books got a little too new-agey for my tastes and he sort of fell off my reading map for a while. But, I have to say I never did give him up completely. I still picked up a book or an audiobook of his from my local library just to check in with him to see how he's doing.

So, the other day I'm cruising around online and I discover this novella he's written, Darkness Under the Sun. I saw it was only $1.99 for the Kindle so I decided to give old Dean another whirl and man, am I glad I did!

Darkness Under the Sun is sort of a precursor to his novel, What the Night Knows. In this short tale, we are introduced to the horrific serial killer, Alton Turner Blackwood and this guy is one sick bastard - and one of Koontz's all-time best character creations! Alton befriends a young boy who is also disfigured and the two seem to share a bond. Unbeknownst to young Howie, Alton has some very sinister ideas, which will all too soon become realized.

Without giving too much away, Darkness Under the Sun is one of the very few stories I've read that actually works its way down your spine and into your gullet. This is a seriously creepy tale and one of Koontz's best. I couldn't stop reading this thing and once I was finished, needless to say, I went ahead and picked up What the Night Knows just to make sure Alton Turner Blackwood isn't seen in my neck of the woods. Yeah, he is that creepy. I give Darkness Under the Sun an enthusiastic ***** out of *****.

This is short story writing at its best and since Halloween is right around the corner, there's no better time to pick this one up, so do yourself a favor and order it by clicking the link below.

Book Trailer: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I might just be reading this one next. This book trailer left me spellbound!