It is December, the end of 2024, where we look back, and forward into the new year. Things have changed considerably in this past month, especially politically (which I won't be talking about), and no doubt will continue to change. I will only wish everyone peace and safety in the coming year.

So here's what's been going on with me...

I've been editing Tales of the Norse Gods and made some good progress on getting the book finished. I'm taking it slow, but I'm feeling good about how it is coming together.

I've also finished the outline and plotting for my lighthouse ghost novel (which, alas, still doesn't have a title). It's going to be somewhat of a dual narrative (a present day story and a past mystery) and rather packed with ghosts, with at least three, and possibly a fourth. I've been wanting to write a ghost story for some time, so it's nice to start this project.

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And if you want a quick, free horror read, here's my latest story for Pen of the Damned. It's a dark dystopian tale...

Bleak

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Inside the Book

This month's tidbit is for a WIP, the aforementioned lighthouse ghost novel. The story idea was inspired by the true life disappearance of three Scottish lighthouse keepers (the Eilean Mor Lighthouse Mystery), but the setting is loosely based on Nova Scotia lighthouses (although is quite fictional).

If you want to see more about the Eilean Mor Lighthouse Mystery, check out this video from the Well, I Never YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsL0mEr2ZkA

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New Shop!

I've also started a shop over on Fourthwall. Right now it only has a few products, but I'll be expanding with more products and adding some of my digital downloads as well. You can check it out at the link below.

My Fourthwall Shop

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The Shadows and Ink Podcast

Episode 11 has aired with the second part of the Bestiary of Blood anthology showcase, with Jamal Hodge, Steven Barnes, and Nzondi. Also, be sure to check back on December 20th for our Holiday Horror episode with Lily Luchesi.

Shadows and Ink on Podbean

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Giveaways and Books To Browse

Magical Books of December

Ends January 2nd!

Check Out The Books!

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HORROR

The Other by Troy Young

It started as a typical day in a sleepy little coastal village. But little did they know everything was about to change forever.

Corporal Joe Mills of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrives at Gallou Cove, certain the reported ‘sea monster’ washed ashore would be nothing. What he found there on the beach chilled him to the core.

Dr. Adele Kramer, a marine biologist, shows up to categorize the find. The creature defies any known life found on Earth. At least, nothing originating on the planet.

So begins their introduction to ‘The Other’, the secret world of cosmic horrors plaguing humanity since before the dawn of time. They soon find themselves drawn into a plot many millennia-old to prevent the end of all existence in the universe. Can they survive the Crawling Chaos and prevent He Who Lies Dreaming from awakening?

This book is the first in a trilogy, containing six of eighteen linked novelettes and novellas meant to be read in order and set in H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

Read Today

In Shadows by D.C. Fergerson

The deepest secrets are hidden in darkness.

Jack Layton is recovering from a car wreck that took the life of his wife. Between guilt and grief, he isolates himself in their home. But when he finds a letter from his deceased wife, everything he knows comes into question. Something is haunting him in the darkness. As he digs deeper, his car crash may not have been an accident at all.

If he can face it, Jack must confront these nightmares and find out what's lurking in shadows.

Read Today

FANTASY

Trollsbane by Gregory Amato

The land spirits are panicking.

Ansgar the Skald knows how to listen to those spirits as he travels the wild lands of the North, and they’re telling him to watch his back. A vagabond viking with a unique approach to personal hygiene is looking out for him. Will one ally be enough? There are outlaws in the forest around them. And if the stories are true, there are trolls with a taste for human flesh not far beyond.

Which is probably just what those spirits are warning him about.

Trollsbane is a prequel story to Gregory Amato's Norse fantasy series Spear of the Gods, where the myths, magic, and monsters of the Viking Age are all real.

Read Today for Free

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My Merch Stores:

Avalon Art Designs

Vintage and artsy designs on a variety of products

A. F. Stewart Designs

Scifi, fantasy, and horror designs on a variety of products

Writerly Stuff

Writer and reader-based designs on a variety of products

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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 in the new year with more goodies.