Onward and Upward
Aug 02, 2025 5:01 pm
Well, it's August, and Fall is around the corner. That means... Halloween is coming!
Scary Season is on its way!
But fun aside, summer is winding down, and it's been lovely. The weather was nice, if somewhat on the hot side, Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge is out in the wild, editing has been going well, and I even got some formatting done; I'm stepping a toe into hardcover editions of two of my books. So, here are the updates.
Updates for August
- I've made significant progress with editing Tales of the Norse Gods, and it is still on track for a November release. I hope to have it ready for beta readers soon, so if you'd like to read and give your opinions on the book, let me know.
- I've almost completed the formatting for the Amazon hardcover editions of Visions and Nightmares and Fairy Tales and Nightmares. I'm starting small, using these two books as a test, but if it goes well, I'll be doing more.
- No progress on the final Heyward and Andersen story, though. That will be for next year.
- I'll be checking out Laterpress more thoroughly this month and hopefully dipping a toe into serialized fiction. There won't be anything major over there for a while though, but if things work out, I have plans to upload several of my current works in progress.
Book Tidbit
Did you know I modelled the cat in Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge in part on my orange tabby Max? Max sadly passed away several years ago, but a piece of him lives on in Taffy.
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The Shadows and Ink Podcast
July's podcast episode is a terrific interview with author Christopher Micklos where we talk about pulp horror and his novel Tick Town. Check it out at the link below.
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Giveaways and Books To Browse
Please note, with this month's offerings we have some mystery group giveaways, as I'm trying to get Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge in front of readers. I hope you'll click on these promotions and give these authors some support.
Free Fantasy & Sci-fi
Ends August 31st!
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Summer Sleuthing: A Collection of Cozy Mysteries
Ends August 31st!
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Detect A Good Mystery
Ends August 31st!
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Off-Beat Detectives: An All-Genre Giveaway for Mysteries with Quirky Characters
Ends September 1st!
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FANTASY
Sisters of Conjure Cove Series
by Sherry Hutchison
Series Page: authorsherryhutchison.com/scc
Sisterhood is strength, magic is real, and love may be the most dangerous spell of all...
Violet has always kept her magic and her heart guarded. But everything begins to unravel when a dark curse strikes the wizard Violet loves. Can she save her love, join forces with her sister, and battle the ancient magic threatening to harm all she holds dear?
Find out in book one of the Sisters of Conjure Cove series!
Only 99 Cents
Universal Link: books2read.com/sccbloodmoon
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B0F9TZDH2C
Direct Sales: authorsherryhutchison.com/sccblood
The Arcana sisters have opened their doors, raised their coven, and claimed their place in the magical world. But it won’t be an easy position to keep as the dark witch Melisandre returns with a pack of cursed wolfhounds, hungry for revenge. With spirits gathering and darkness on the rise, the sisters must stand together—or risk losing everything they've just begun to build. Return to Conjure Cove for book two in the Sisters of Conjure Cove series!
Check out the Pre-Order
Universal Link: books2read.com/sccbluemoon
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B0FH8PFRRF
Direct Sales: authorsherryhutchison.com/sccblue
HORROR
Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 1
Published by Crone Girls Press
A salesman pursues closing a deal until it costs him everything…
An ancient Duchess graciously invites you on a tour of her orangerie…
This is the world of Crone Girls Press. Here, the shadows keep their secrets and the moon hides from deeds cast in her glow. In these pages, the Fae walk as human, the dead burn with their anger at the living, the creatures that live in the dark places of the wrong zip code creep out of the shadows and into the kitchen. Stories We Tell After Midnight is a collection of short horror fiction from established names in the genre as well as a number of debut authors.
The List of Stories
Welcome by Rachel A. Brune
“The Orangery” ~ Jane Hawley
“L’appel du vide” ~ M. P. Giddings
“In Memoriam” ~ Elizabeth Donald
“Kitchen Spirits” ~ Nicholas Belardes
“Mirrors” ~ J. Summerset
“Gatekeepers” ~ Cristel Orrand
“Enter the Wolf” ~ Adam N. Leonard
“The Soul Within” ~ Jennifer Nestojko
“Gobbl’uns” ~ Thea Brune
“Have You Come To Let Me Out?” ~ Tina Riddle
“It Has to Cool First” ~ Carol Gyzander
“Creature From the Blue Lagoon” ~ Dexter Rowland
“Uncle Charlie” ~ Christy Mann
“Wrong Turn” ~ Adam Messer
A Costume for Kayla by Lyla Cork
Find out what happens when a housewife upsets the balance on Halloween in this flash fiction fantasy.
Death Sketch by Tobias Youngblood
A starving artist receives a life-changing offer. But at what cost?
When Paul Desmontes receives an invitation to join the Elite Illustration Society, his financial woes finally seem at an end. He can look past the firm’s bland, commercial style If it means food in his belly and heat in the harsh Northeast winter.
But when his assignment appears to change on the page, he may soon regret his decision. Because either he's losing his mind ... or he’s about to discover something far worse than poverty.
This is a free copy offered for review.
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My Merch Stores:
Vintage and artsy designs on a variety of products
Scifi, fantasy, and horror designs on a variety of products
My shop on Redbubble featuring a variety of products.
(with new Canadian designs)
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Find me on:
Website | Facebook Group | YouTube | BookBub
Instagram | BlueSky | TikTok| My Amazon page
Lemon Squeezy Store | My Books on StoryOrigin
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That's it for this edition. And I'll return next month with more updates.
