6 more days!

 In just 6 days Chelsea Evan's Girls Vol. 4 will be released!

The pre-order is available now. This is the longest yet of the Evan's Girls series. Enjoy the couple excerpts. No spoilers :-)

Excerpt 1:

We stopped in the business hallway. It was located in the back of the school, several hallways from the crowded cafeteria. In the quiet hallway we settled against the wall, our tushes on the floor. I’d worn shorts and hiked my gown up so it wouldn’t collect the dirt. 

It was my moment to tell James everything from the last couple days. I wasn’t sure how he’d take it but I needed someone to confide in because I felt like I was about to burst like a balloon. He didn’t interrupt as I spoke, but didn’t hide his emotions either. They were painted all over his face as he narrowed his eyes in skepticism then widened them in concern with an upper lip quiver.

“Have you talked with your foster parents?”

Now that was a silly question coming from him. A guy who never spoke to his dad or had any confidence in adults. 

“No, you know how I am. I’d feel guilty. They’ve taken care of me. Do you know any other foster children that have it as good as me? They’re all packed into houses.” I thought of the trucks again and took a deep breath to force the image away.

“But not you. You ever wonder why?” he asked.

No, I never had. Not really. It was just a thing that I got lucky. “I was high maintenance.” It was an easy answer that was my way of diverting the focus.

“All kids are high maintenance and don’t give me the martyr bit. Look, they got paid for having you there.” He rubbed his hands along his jeaned legs, turning away from me.

“I guess so.” Silence persisted between us for a few moments before I spoke again. “The other child who got out – Tyrus - I want to meet him.”

He sighed and spoke low, “Why? What is he going to tell you?”

Pushing a curl behind my ear I said, “I don’t know, but we’re both victims. Maybe he remembers something.”

“He was rescued by a killer and you were left outside a burning home. He went back to his family and you to a life of foster care.” His words hit the nail on the head. That was exactly it.

I leaned forward and drew circles on the tile. “Yeah. Why him and not me? It makes me angry. I was three years old, drugged and left to die!”

“I get it, Chelsea.” He brought a hand to my chin and lifted my head as my eyes focused on the invisible circles my fingers drew on the tile. I glanced away and into his eyes. “You’re not doing this alone. OK, I’m coming with you.”

I gave him a quick hug. It wasn’t the response I expected but it was me and him against the world for a few years now so it shouldn’t have surprised me. If he wanted to find his mom, I’d be right there with him.

Excerpt 2:

He handed me the card. “That’s the officer. He asked you to call or come by the station if you saw anything out of place.” His tone one of questioning, as if he knew I spent the evening talking to someone who didn’t belong.

Like a stab to my heart. A pointed finger at the young man I’d spent the evening talking with. I didn’t know Leandra well. We’d had a couple classes together over the years and she joined the robotics club her sophomore year but left after a few weeks. We had a running inside joke as school twins because everyone mistook us for sisters, even occasionally mistaking one of us for the other. She had darker hair and neither of us saw the resemblance. 

So much for never an incidence at the grad party. I’d spoken too soon. James’s words of warning grew louder in my head. I left early, but what did the dangerously too hot guy I was talking with do? Did he stay? Had he lied to me? Who was he? James was in my head. He’d said something seemed off, like something was in the woods... 

Nonsense. The guy was easy to talk with and I felt good in his presence. Was he the kind of person that would attack someone, and why? What would he have to gain? There was no answer to that question or even a great excuse like those I made for my file not being where it should be. I knew absolutely nothing about him, not even his name, so I had nothing to offer the police.

“We’re glad you’re OK,” Judy said, her voice sincere and filled with unease.

I cradled the card in my hand. “If I think of anything, I’ll call, but there’s nothing I can think of. It was as normal as an alcohol party with a bunch of gradates could be; loud music, makeshift bars, and dancing.”

When I got to my room I took several deep breaths. All the little organized boxes in my brain were opening, their contents spilling out in a disjointed fashion. My breathing sped up as I collapsed against the closed door. The bed in front of me, moving closer, the walls closing in. I was having a panic attack.

Pre-order

Wings of Fire by Stephanie Mirro

I'm adding this to my all-time favorites list. It's worth a second read or more.

My Thoughts:

Wow! The writing, the characters and the plot are all fantastic! If I could give 6 starts I would.

I love the tension and play with the grim reaper from the DEA. The story is hysterical yet there's a solid mystery and a few twists. The author has the ability to string words together in a fashion that is enteraining and bulds character. This story caught my attention and kept it. I'm not one to read or listen to a story more than once but with this one I just might!

Amazon/Audible

The Ballot: Part 1

 Marie grabbed the keys from inside her purse as she glanced at the sky. Black clouds told her rain would come soon. In an attempt to beat the rain she opened her garage door, keys in hand and maneuvered around her red Hyundai as she walked at a quick pace to the mailbox. Slipping the key in the lock, it gave it's usual argument as she jiggled the lock and it opened. Inside was the precious letter she'd been waiting impatiently for.

Mail in hand, she inhaled the muggy air and quickly walked back to her house, her heart beating at a pace faster than normal. The leaves on the branches of the large shade trees swayed in the breeze, reminding her rain was on the way. She made it home before the first drop and slipped inside. Opening the letter she laid it on the table and opened the app on her phone where she'd stored the efforts of her research.

With confidence and a careful eye and hand she filled in the bubbles with a black pen. Double checking that she'd made the correct selections. Then slipped the ballot into the security sleeve and carefully slid the ballot into the envelope provided. She sealed it and check all the correct boxes and signed it.

Her heart finally returning to a normal pace but then another thought hit her. Should I mail the ballot? Under most circumstances she wouldn't have thought twice. But this year, this election was like no other and the security of the election had been threatened. The threats so far empty and what she considered a weak man and weak party attempts to control the population. Marie decided it was better to be safe than sorry and searched the Supervisor of Elections website and moaned audibly when the only ballot drop-off was 30 minutes away at the Supervisor of Elections office.

She made the decision to make the drive. It was Sunday and if she dropped it off today by tomorrow it'd be counted and she could breathe easy again.

Picking her keys off the table where she'd laid them in her excitement she thrust her purse over her shoulder and picked up the ballot. She laid the ballot on the front passenger seat as though it was made of glass and started the engine and exited the garage. Rain immediately washed over her windshield. The garage door groaned in its usual fashion as it closed and she reversed out of the driveway and into the street.

This was something she had to do, not only for her but for the country, for the people and for democracy. The drive was pleasant even in the rain. The rhythmic sound of the patter on her windshield drowned by We're Not Going to Take it by Twisted Sister. She couldn't help but see similarities in the song to her current position. She cranked it a little louder.

The rain eased to a drizzle as she entered the sleepy town by the river. Following her GPS it took on a path that weaved through a neighborhood. The oppositions signs planted in two's and three's in people yards as if decorated for the holiday. An eerie feeling clutched her gut as she suddenly felt unsafe and feared for the precious cargo on the passenger seat next to her.

It wasn't as if anyone knew her selections. There was no way they could. She wondered for a second if it would have been safer to mail it or even show up to an earlier voting site. Taking a deep breath she knew what her gut told her. It chanted for her to drop it off. The chant echoed in her head and in her heart. She was making the right choice. The only choice.

However the eerie feeling crept over her spine as she turned the corner, more opposition signs staring at her as if laughing. It was more the gun toting owners of the home she feared over the signs themselves. After all, they were plastic and metal, harmless on their own. It wasn't even the guns that bothered her but she knew the people who owned them and how unreasonable some were when it came to the love of their dictator. 

Any reasoning their mind once held was gone. They worked like a hive mind interpreting the ramblings of a man not only unfit to lead a country but with deep seeded hate for those who opposed him. It was his first action she remembered as the leader of the country in which he'd unAmericanized a young man publicly for using his first amendment rights of free speech and peaceful protest. He ridiculed the young man publicly and his followers played along. They didn't question what they were doing.

A shiver ran down her spine in memory. It was the first glimpse he was a man who craved control. At that time she couldn't have dreamt how far that need for control would go and how divided a once great country that thrived on differing opinions and diversity would fall.

That made her mission all that more imperative and she pulled her car into a spot, close to the ballot box. The silence of the town deafening as she opened the metal door and dropped the precious cargo into the box and closed the door. It seemed like time was never ending as she waited to hear it hit the other ballots in waiting. It's long journey and tink sounding plunk told her there were no other ballots in the box or not many. 

Satisfied, she sucked in a deep breath and walked to her car with confidence. She'd done it. Her ballot was in, now came the waiting game to make sure it was counted.

Copyright Elle Klass 2020

Zach's Cross by E.M.G. Wixley

Another page-turner by E.M.G. Wixley!



My Thoughts:
First, I'm going to say the sound effects are a pretty awesome touch!


Now for the story. Eve is stuck in a marriage going nowhere and turns to another man, Rubin. That gets interesting fast and both are dropped into the middle of a batte between good and evil. The story is fast paced, great descriptions and character building. Wixley never stops driving the plot. This is one that will keep you on the edge!

Amazon/Audible

Madhouse by Miguel Estrada

Great story! Like reading a nightmare.



My Thoughts:
Lucas runs away from his home to teach his parents a lesson. He soon meets a nice but strange lady who takes him home with her and soon he's steeped in her home of horrors. The sick and depraved situations this author thought to write into this story are very creative. I admire the talent and the twist at the end.

This is something of a cautionary tale but not for children to read. The story is a quick listen and flows well with a large helping of suspense at every turn.  I cringed several times and had a hard time pulling myself away until the book ended. The narrator does a great job with pacing and tone. The characters are vibrant, although, not the kind you want to meet.


This is an swesome horror thriller for the reader who craves twists! 

Amazon/Audible

Ancient Enemy by Richard A. Bamberg

So much mystery and suspense!



My Review:
A psychic, a monster, and a mystery!

Gretta and Virgil move into the family house after he is injured. Most of her family lives extremely close. Since she was a kid she's always had "feelings" or an extra sense but when her family starts dying from animal attacks that she see's her ability is ramped up a level. The deaths in her family aren't random but related somehow to a family curse.

What I loved best about this book wasn't the tight writing, plot line, great character building or suspense but that the author did all that and nailed the whole small town life and close knit family thing. It added so much depth to an already amazing story. And I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know more about the family curse and whatever was picking off the family.

A lot of credit goes to the narrator as well. She pulled off accents and further added depth to the characters. This is one you won't want to put down so carve out a long day and listen!

Amazon/Audible

Vindicate by Virginia Johnson

As twisted stories go this one is a hit!



Review:
I listened to this series backwards. I first read Expiate and realized that was book 2. Now that I've read Vindicate things make more sense.

This story is more erotic and at first I can't say I like Aspen in this one. Not at first. She has this thing for Ethan -- a womanizing pig. But she is every bit as sick. Its like they get off on their little cat and mouse game. The death toll is high. I loved it!

As the story and plot develop pieces of their history are dropped into place. They are the worst and best of each other. A match made in the pit of hell. 

This is not for the weak of heart or stomach but those who enjoy dark, dirty and mysterious!

Amazon

Daddy Darkest by Ellery Kane

Sooo this book is really twisted. I loved that and how the author puts it all out there. I have done that with my thrillers and in some cases taken back lash but there are those of us who love truly dark reading. I think that's what I enjyed most about it is the darkness that isn't sugar-coated.

My Review:
I love dark, twisted, intense stories but they can be difficut to find. Many authors smooth stuff over and tame the fear. This story puts it all out there. It covers nothing up or sugar coats it but keeps the plot thickening and the suspese rising.

The story is well written and the author's style is easy to follow along with. The images are painted well and so it the fear and confusion of the character -- Sam. Kristen James did an excellent job with the narration. Her character voices and pacing were excellent.

It starts out as Sam and her friend are on a trip. Two innocent young adults ready for a good time. What happens is mind blowing and takes Sam on a wild ride.


This story isn't for those who like fluffy or have suffered violence in their past and are easily triggered but if you like a psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages this is the book.

Amazon

The Hollow by Christopher Zaleski

A new author for me and a fantastic story!

My Review:
Carol gained incrdible intelligance about the time she started highschool but she's still a teen. The story begins with her preparing for college. Thee boy next door Matthew soon becomes her boyfriend and when she leaves for college in California she leaves him behind. Her entire family picks up and moves which I found a bit odd but after listening it was necessary for the story.

Along with her intelliigence comes something she calls The Hollow. It haunts her in a sense. The storry flows and has enough intrigue to keep me listening. I couldn't wait to hear what was coming next. The plot was unique. I read a lot of supernatural/paranormal and this was refreshingly different. The author has an easy to listen to and follow along with writing stylee and the narrator is perfect for the part. 


There's quite a few twists and turns. By no means is this a typical book but far more. I haven't heard of this author before but will be watching for more of his books in the future.

Amazon/Audible

The Hidden by Ethan Sandlow

Good story and especially loved the ending.



Review:
Amanda helps out at the local soup kitchen. She lives alone with her cat and otherwise seems to have a very boring existence until she meets a Lycan that changes everything. She's an empath and there's people after her. The Lycan takes it on himself to help her escape the madness and get away safely but around every turn is danger until the very end.

The story wasn't quite complete to me but then again it's a series. Maybe more light on why or who is chasing her. The action is great and the book is safe for any ages. The suspense factor is medium, not edge of the seat but curiosity piquing. I thought the end was cute, although, I'd expected it for quite some time. Either way it was still fun.


A good story.

Amazon

Grayson Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw

Excellent audio, excellent story!

Review:
Loved it! All the important elements were present! Suspense, mystery, great characters and p!of. Addison inherits a house when her mother dies. A house she never knew existed. She hires Jake to renovate it for her. They become close are the story progresses. Addison starts seeing things like when she was a child. Visions of the past and future. She and Jake find a hidden room and dress with blood stains.


There's plenty suspense and plot twists. The story moves quickly and is exciting start to finish!

Amazon

The Dwelling by Thomas S. Flowers

This book was great until it ended. The author has a talent for writing freaky scenes. Freaky enough they made my skin crawl.



Review:

I loved this authors writing. He does creepy, scary well. What I wasn't so sure about is the plot. John lost his Levin the war while he watched his best friend Ricky die before his eyes, powerless to stop him. Jake is a priest who watched a soldier die in front of him and Maggie is Ricky's widow. John and Jake see ghost soldiers. Maggie is distraught. Together they were the self proclaimed suicide squad. Then there's the house. It has a history of death through various eras. 

It wasn't explained how the characters, suicide squad and house fit together and the story ends abruptly. I love cliffhangers but this isn't a cliffhanger. It's an incomplete story. If the author had included a couple extra chapters tying everything together I'd probably be giving this book 5 stars.


My advice is to buy book 2 and read one after the next. I'm assuming/hoping how they're tied is in book 2.

Amazon

Serenity by Craig A Hart

A bit cliche but still entertaining!



My Review: 
Shelby is a retired divorced gentleman involved with a much younger woman. I really disliked his daughter. She was far too whiny but I liked Shelby OK. He finds himself involved in a mystery.

There is a good bit of suspense in the story, enough to keep me entertained. The author builds character and the relationships of those characters. The pace is steady, building as the plot comes to finality.

One of my favorite characters is Shelby's girlfriend. Loved her! I could see this being a very successful series based on the characters alone!

Amazon/Audible

A Field of Red by Greg Enslen

The jury's still out on this one.

My Review:
This book had a slower pace. Frank is an ex-cop who specialized in missing children yet he refuses tvbvo assist in a local case when girl's start disappearing. He's an alcoholic who'd rather have his lips to a bottle than help.

I didn't like Frank much. He seemed pretty worthless to me, eventually he helps. I hope that's not a spoiler but I think any reader who starts the story will figure that out on their own.
The mystery in the story was solid and kept me listening. There's sufficient suspense most of the way through.


The plot stalls at times but is easy to follow. It's a decent book and those who love cozy mystery will most likely enjoy the story.

Amazon/Audible

Prison of the Past is out!

Released Tuesday I'm a bit late in announcing this. My apologies. 

The final book is complete with all the suspense and excitement of the other books. Cleo wraps up loose ends and discovers more about herself in the process and finds a couple accomplices that join her in the final journey.

Amazon

iTunes, Kobo, Nook

All the other books in the series are .99 right now!

The entire series on Amazon!

All the books are available at iTunes, Kobo and Nook.

How do you buy your books?

Serious question, how do you buy books?

As of the past couple years I've gone almost exclusively to audiobooks. My writing time as an author eats up any time I might have used for paperbacks and ebooks. This year I've currently released 4 books with another, a Gothic horror, to be released in November and hopefully the final book in the Zombie Girl trilogy. All that doesn't equal much time to read, so I listen to audios while I'm driving and at night, instead of TV.

Taking all that into consideration and the fact that audible has increased audio upgrade (whispersync) prices I've gone to downloading free books and upgrading to audio.

First, I don't agree with the sudden increase in audio upgrades. They were $1.99 and $2.99 now they are $7.49. This effects me as a reader and an author. As a reader I download the free kindle. If the audio upgrade is still priced at $1.99 I upgrade. If it's at $7.49 I wait. It's discouraging. In the past, I'd pay for a kindle now I go with only free. As an author I hate it even more.

So I should love it, more money per book but that's not the case and I've voiced my opinion to audible. I'd much prefer at the very least that a customer could download the audio upgrade for the first book in the series for $1.99 or $2.99. My request wasn't ignored but I was told we have no control and will pass this along. For future audiobooks I'm considering other options and probably won't use ACX again. It's not just their unreasonable pricing terms but the lack of revenue when my audiobooks sell. Believe it or not I get roughly 20% from the entire sale.

Readers don't necessarily know that but what you pay for doesn't all go to the author and narrator. Everyone else gets paid first then the author and narrator so they bank very little. I've had statements selling hundreds of dollars in audio and received so little of it that I couldn't even buy a tank of gasoline.

I'm looking at my options as an author. As a reader I refuse to subscribe and pay monthly fees anywhere. It goes against my grain for someone to take money from my account. I prefer having full control over my bank accounts. That has a lot to do with my sordid past. I pay, no credit. That's me.

What I do now is grab free kindle books that have the audio upgrade. Audible can price what they want when they want. I get the freebie and upgrade when I'm ready to read it. I'm subscribed to several ebook newsletters. I truly hate this because I want my money to pay the author and narrator not all the middle men (there's quite a few). 

What to do? As an author I'm done with ACX and looking at my options. As a reader I wish more books were available on MP3. This all needs to change. If you're an audio reader don't hesitate to contact Audible/ACX if that's who you use and voice your opinion. It will take thousands if not millions for them to make any changes. In the mean time authors are hurt, their minute sales after all the middlemen drop even more  and you're paying more money.

So how do you buy your books?

My Amazon page

Asylum by Ambrose Ibsen

Great! What might happen in a closed down asylum that has past reports of experiments on patients? Many writer's have tried this and not as successfully. 

My Review:

I really enjoy this author"s work. His stories are one of a kind and have the perfect mix of scary, creepy, mystery and suspense. 

In this story we meet an adjunct professor who isn't pleased with his life and dismayed by the low pay of his job, teaching only one class. A student makes a proposal to him. She wants him to be the supporting teacher behind a ghost hunting club. He agrees because a nice bonus comes with it.

It doesn't take long and they're knee deep in a mystery surrounding an asylum. With the owner's permission they set out and explore the empty building. I won't give away anymore but let your imagination go wild.


The characters are as intense as the situations. The plot is deep and the overall story is compelling.

Amazon/Audible

Matanzas Moon: Ablaze by Elizabeth Raven

I brought you the first book and now I've read the second. It's just as amazing!



My Review:
An excellent sequel. I'm really enjoying this series and not just because it's setting is my favorite US city or the ghosts. It's well written, exciting and suspenseful. I cling to the pages and can't wait to see what will happen next.


Bridget and Nick's relationship is going well since their Halloween nightmare. They have gotten back from a vacation when ghosts strike again. An arsonist is on the loose and something happens to Bridget. Her entire personality changes and Nick is at odds and lost. Things get even more complicated when RIP is plagued by memories of a past love. He turns to drugs and alcohol then the spark between him and Bridget who is not herself ignites into passion. Things spiral out of control quickly and RIP has to find a way to save the day.

Not a dull moment!

Amazon

My autographed book!

My Tampa Audiobook Deals

The night before I left for my road trip to Tampa I bought a few audiobooks knowing I needed some entertainment for the drive. The following are what I found and the prices. All are whispersync deals.

I was craving gothic horror and ghosts and these all fit the bill, although, I don't recommend listening while driving through the boonies such as I did unless you really enjoy fear. 

Wicker's Bog by Mike Duran


Blurb:
Every autumn, when the weather turned and the wind came off the marsh, the dark waters of Wickers Bog gave up its ghosts and reawakened the old yarns. 

Julene Ella Haddan is about to be drawn into one of them.

It was a grey, joyless day, when young Julene heard the song of the siren and followed its melody into the enchanted swamp... a journey which led her into a tale of murder and deceit. It's only the fated who hear the siren. Yet Julene's fate now seems bound to the fabled Lady of Lisenby, the spectral gatekeeper of the Bog, queen of the haunted deep. However, is it justice the Lady seeks or is Julene the siren's next victim? 


Myth and mystery collide in this tale of Southern Gothic horror.

Kindle was .99 and I upgraded to audio for another 1.99

Angela by Adam M. Booth



Blurb:
"I left her when she was eight. Just a child. Too young to be alone. I killed myself because I could never atone for the things He made me do. There is something wrong with my family, you see. A fear runs through us, through our blood. A fear that circles above us, shredding the sky and clawing at our hearts, and now, from a deathless realm, I am forced to watch as my lonely daughter is tortured by the life I gave her to endure. No father should see the things I've seen, but then no father should do the things I did. 

Forgive me Angela."


ANGELA, a bleak and unflinching tale in which we meet a lonely, middle aged woman who must live with the legacy of her family's dark secret, the madness that grows in the absence of love, and a closet full of delicate skeletons.


ANGELA is available as part the collection TERMINAL by the same author.

I bought the Kindle for .99 and upgraded to audio for 1.99

Turn of the Screw by Henry James



Blurb:
Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Emma Thompson lends her immense talent and experienced voice to Henry James' Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw.

When a governess is hired to care for two children at a British country estate, she begins to sense an otherworldly presence around the grounds. Are they really ghosts she's seeing? Or is something far more sinister at work?


Having performed in films based on some of the greatest works in literature - including Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V - Thompson is no stranger to the classics, and she lends a graceful eloquence to this moody, macabre story. Joined by listener favorite Richard Armitage, who performs the prologue, Thompson reinvigorates this psychological thriller of life, death, evil, and the unknown.

The Kindle was free and I upgraded to audio for 1.99.

I can't guarantee these prices as they can change over time. Reviews for all these books coming soon!

Angela by Adam M. Booth

While in Tampa I did a lot of driving as I scoured the beaches. This is one I listened to during my drive.



Review:
This story was creepy to say the least and that's what I enjoyed about it. It's macabre, dark and twisted. Angela lives a lonely life with her birds. She has a thing for birds and a crush on her boss. At one point she finds a bird, an evil bird that shows her things and makes her do things. Her lonely life with the solemn birds changes as this one, dark and evil takes over her life.

Angela's life has always been one filled with sadness and death. The author builds the story bit by bit giving profound clues as Angela falls into insanity.The descriptions are full and gory, very prosy in some parts and they give the story an extra eerie feel.


If macabre is your thing, check this one out!

Amazon/Audible