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Dearest friends and readers, I wrote this blogpost in order to apologize to you guys. I recently realized my relative silence the latter half of this year has hurt some people. I feel awful for that. It was never my intention to make anyone feel bad or uncared for. I am so very sorry if I have. Those who know me, know that I tend to hermit when things are rough for me. When the lupus is kicking my ass, or life is kicking me in the teeth, I have an inherent need to hide away from the world to recharge. Also, I don't want to unload any negativity and pain on you guys (there's enough of that in the world already, I don't want to add to it) instead I isolate and analyze things. The hardest part for me is how much I miss when I hide away. In three months I missed so many birthdays, anniversaries, deadlines, weddings, births/pregnancy announcements, accomplishments, and deaths. There were so many deaths this year. In that regard, 2017 has kicked my ass on a scale rival on...

Ladies and Gents,  Today I turn my blog over to the talented and amazing Emerian Rich. Enjoy!  JJ  There’s nothing as horrifying as being betrayed by your family, but in Julien’s case, he’s been down-right tortured. You see, his father is the Devil. Not only was “Pa” a jerk during Julien’s childhood, but he also killed Julien’s mother, brother, and caused his sister to commit suicide. He tried to kill Julien’s girlfriend, but she put him down. How did Julien survive it all? He was protected by those above and is destined for something greater…they say. But how can he concentrate his destiny when he is consumed with grief over the loss of his one true love? In Dusk’s Warriors , Julien must try to pull himself out of a deep despair for the good of all mankind. And if can’t, his father just might kill us all. Excerpt from Dusk’s Warriors . Jespa. The name was both heaven and hell to Julien’s ears. She’d brought him to the pinnacle of bliss and...

Scares That Care was this past weekend and I finally got the chance to thaw out in the beautiful Virginia heat. (It was 107°F and it was glorious.) I was lucky enough to help run the Devil Dog table so we started the weekend by driving up and kidnapping my beautiful blue haired sister, Suzi Madron, from Pennsylvania and headed out for fun, and a weekend away from the kids. FREEDOM!!! (I jest, kind of.) The first person we met was Tim Majka (a new awesome author Devil Dog Press has picked up) and it was like meeting family. He fit right in with our brand of crazy. I think that's the thing I love most about DDP, we are very much a family. The folks I was most excited to meet for the first time IRL were (besides Tim) my brother Jack Wallen, Brent Abell (BC4L), Jeffrey Clare and Shannon Walters (congrats, you guys!), Meghan Hyden, Eric and Linda Shelman, Sheila Shedd, Pheebz Jackson, Joan Macleod, Anne Ellet, Ashley Wright, James Wallace, Christina Hargis Smith, James Dean, John...

Today I turn my blog over to the lovely and talented Emerian Rich who is here to talk about her latest release! Without further ado, HorrorAddicts.net Press presents… Clockwork Wonderland . Clockwork Wonderland contains stories from authors that see Wonderland as a place of horror where anything can happen and time runs amok. In this book you’ll find tales of murderous clockworks, insane creations, serial killers, zombies, and a blood thirsty jabberclocky. Prepare to see Wonderland as a place where all your worst nightmares come true. You may never look at classic children’s literature the same way again. Edited by Emerian Rich Cover by Carmen Masloski Featuring authors: Trinity Adler Ezra Barany Jaap Boekestein Dustin Coffman Stephanie Ellis Jonathan Fortin Laurel Anne Hill N. McGuire Jeremy Megargee James Pyne Michele Roger H.E. Roulo Sumiko Saulson K.L. Wallis With Foreword by David Watson URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544785518 Excerpt...

The amazingly talented and super kind Nina D'Arcangela has been doing a flash fiction project that has helped feed my fun in writing. She sends an image and we write a piece of flash inspired by the picture. I've really been enjoying it. I've been inspired to use this sort of flash on rough days to get my creativity flowing again. If I'm feeling blocked I'll find an image that sparks something in me and write a short 300-500 words just to get the mojo flowing. (Bless you, Nina!) Below is the image I used today and the story I created from it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is Michigan Central Station in Detroit Ghostly Passengers Jaime Johnesee The dilapidated halls echo in disconcerting ways and as I move through the ruins of the once grand Michigan Central Station I can almost hear the whispers of boarding calls from days long past.  A rat or cat, I can't tell which, runs by, startled by my presence.  ...

I know there's a lot of upset and anger going around so many places about so many things right now. I've seen some mostly calm people get heated and lose their temper at all manner of ills. I've also seen many volcanoes erupt. It's been a rough end to a rough year. Sometimes, when we are upset or angry about something we tend to forget that the people we are talking with also have feelings and that their opinions (even the wrong ones 😁) are just as valid as our own. We forget that because we don't see their faces when we call them Asshats (or hosers). We don't see the hurt that our words cause, we only get that rush of having the wittier comeback or the better meme. Occasionally we humans get so angry at that Super Wrong Asshat online we can forget that Super Wrong might actually be a decent guy. We don't look at the fact that we just see things differently on an issue or a few. We see it as they have attacked our whole person and, someti...

Today, I turn my blog over to a friend and author I enjoy reading; Lori Safranek. I love this series and the collection is one I am itching to hold in my hands. Sit back and enjoy this little taste of what's to come under the big top. As the tents go up and another side show prepares to open, images of the strange and exotic swirl through our minds. Posters give us a preview of a man swallowing sharp swords, throwing knives at a woman tied on a spinning wheel! A woman charming snakes to do as she commands! Watch the world’s fattest woman strut the stage, showing off her gorgeous 500-pound body with pride. Catch a glimpse of a hypnotist who wants to invade your brain and take over your life! And look over there! A tattooed man, whose tattoos fade away, and then randomly reappear somewhere else on his body! And last but not least, there’s a contortionist whose body twists and turns and ultimately fits inside a small box! Keep walking forward, past all the posters and take y...