Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: The Vanishers by R.G. Belsky

THE VANISHERS

by R. G. Belsky

June 15 - July 10, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Megan Foley knows she saw the little boy. So why does everyone at the perfect seaside house insist he never existed? The house was perfect. That was its first lie.

When Megan and her husband Patrick accept an invitation to spend the summer at a luxurious house share in Stone Beach, Connecticut, everything seems too good to be true. The rent is absurdly low. The host, Mrs. Monahan, is attentive to the point of unease. The other guests are pleasant — until they aren't.

One day, Megan sees a boy, Tommy, playing… and the next, Tommy is simply gone. Not moved. Not spoken of. Erased, as though he never existed. All the other guests at the house look at Megan blankly when she asks.

One by one, the guests succumb to long hours in front of the television in a glassy trance. Patrick grows cold and distant. Something stirs in the attic.

Megan alone seems immune — but for how long? As she begins to doubt herself and the house tightens its hold, she must confront the terrifying truth about Mrs. Monahan, the attic room, and the price of a perfect summer.

A chilling gothic thriller for fans of atmospheric domestic horror — available in Kindle Unlimited.

Book Details:

Genre: Paranormal Gothic Thriller
Published by: dp DIGITAL PUBLISHERS
Publication Date: May 7, 2026
Number of Pages: 298
ISBN: 978-1918343335
Book Links: Amazon | KindleUnlimited | Goodreads | dp DIGITAL PUBLISHERS

Read an excerpt from The Vanishers:

PROLOGUE

Hudson Lake, Michigan

I know everyone in this diner is looking at me like I’m strange.

Well, I’m sure used to that by now. It wasn’t always that way, of course. I mean I’m blonde-haired, just turned 30 and once – a million years or so ago before the terrible times happened – people said I was pretty. But now I realize that I look old beyond my years. I’ve lost a lot of weight, my face is pale and gaunt and I’m trembling noticeably right now even though it is the first real warm day of spring.

I make my way unsteadily over to a stool at the diner’s counter and sit there quietly, without talking, even when a guy comes over and asks for my order.

“What’ll it be, ma’am?” he smiles.

I stare at him with a confused look on my face. Nothing people say these days - even simple questions like that - seem to make sense to me anymore.

“Ma’am,” he repeats.

“Pardon?”

“My name is Danny. Danny Heller. I own this place. What do you want?”

I think about if for a second, then say: “Do you think I could have some tea?”

“Tea, sure.”

He walks over to the kitchen area, pours a cup and brings it back to me.

“How about something to eat?” he asks. “A sandwich. Some soup. Maybe a nice piece of pie. We got some nice pies today. Apple. Cherry. Lemon meringue.”

“Lemon meringue?”

“Sure. Want a piece?”

I nod. “Yes, that would be nice.”

Danny Heller cuts an extra large slice of the pie, places it onto a plate and carries it back to where I am sitting. I begin eating. Silently and without any emotion. Just like I do everything else now.

“Are you from around here?” he asks.

“No, not from around here.”

What’s your name?

“Uh, I’m Megan…

“Well, I’m glad to meet you, Megan. Are you just visiting around these parts?”

“I’m…,” I hesitate, because it’s painful to say the words., “I’m…looking for a vacation house.”

“Hey we’ve got some good ones. The lake this time of year is one of the prettiest spots in all of Michigan. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Have you looked at many houses?”

“Not here. Other places.”

“You’ve been traveling then?”

“Yes, I’ve been traveling quite a bit.”

The truth is I have been traveling for nearly a year. I started back east, moving from resort town to resort town along the New England coast. When fall came, I started moving down along the coast toward the winter resorts. Miami Beach. The Gold Coast. The Gulf Shore. Then, with the advent of spring, I had come north and inland to look at lake areas. Ohio. Minnesota. And now Michigan.

In all the places, I’ve done the same thing. Gone through ads for house rentals. Checked with real estate brokers. Driven aimlessly around shore areas looking.

Always looking.

Looking for the house.

The house I can never forget.

The house of my nightmares.

“We have some local house listings on that bulletin board over there,” Danny Heller says, pointing to a wall at the end of the counter. “People with a place to rent put stuff up there. Maybe you’ll find something you want.”

I get up from my stool and walk over to the bulletin board.

Looking through the ads posted on the bulletin board without really expecting to find anything.

But then I see it.

And I scream!

I scream so loudly that everyone in the diner stops eating and looks at me.

It’s a scream that keeps gathering momentum as it goes on like a runaway train, terrifying everyone there.

“What’s wrong?” Danny says, rushing over to where I’m standing by the bulletin board.

I point to a picture of a house in one of the ads.

“It’s here,” I whisper.

“What?”

“The house.”

And it is.

The house I’ve been looking for.

The house from Pleasant Street.

“I don’t understand,” Danny is saying.

“It’s the house,” I sob. “Oh, my God, it really is the same house…”

***

Excerpt from The Vanishers by R. G. Belsky. Copyright 2026 by R. G. Belsky. Reproduced with permission from R. G. Belsky. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

R.G. Belsky is an award-winning author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City. His newest mystery, THE VANISHERS, was published by dp DIGITAL PUBLISHERS. Belsky has published 26 novels. He also writes thrillers under the name Dana Perry. And he is a contributing writer for The Big Thrill magazine and BookTrib.

Catch Up With R. G. Belsky:

www.RGBelsky.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @dickb79983
Instagram - @dickbelsky
Threads - @dickbelsky
X - @DickBel
Facebook - @RGBelsky

 

Review:

5 stars!

Cancel your plans, grab this book! 

The Vanishers is a new thriller by R.G. Belsky, and you’re going to want to cancel any other plans you have once you crack this book open; it’s an absolutely gripping page-turner! With its engaging and sympathetic main character and riveting plot, you’re not going to want any distractions until you get to the bottom of this mystery. 

Megan and Patrick Foley are looking for a summer rental on the shore: a place to get away from the stress of their jobs and the city, and to devote time to each other and focus on their marriage that has become full of daily conflict. They find the perfect place on Pleasant Street in Stone Beach, Connecticut: a beautiful old home with plenty of spacious bedrooms for several summer tenants, right on the beach, and at an unbelievably low price. The older woman who owns the place, Mrs. Monahan, is pleasant, too, and eager to share her home with others for the season. Her husband, who is an invalid, stays secluded in his room on the top floor of the house, and the other guests, including the family with the two young boys, all seem nice. Sure, the boys argue, like brothers tend to do, especially when the younger boy’s Nintendo Switch goes missing, but the next day, when the younger brother doesn’t appear, everyone in the house claims there was ever only one child! Even Patrick is adamant he never saw another boy. Now Megan is on a mission to find out what happened to him and why everyone denies he ever existed, or find a psychiatrist to treat her delusion quick, fast, and in a hurry. 

What a page-turner! Megan Foley is the epitome of the typical young career woman balancing life with a spouse who is also working to succeed in his field. Patrick is a bit overbearing, ready to proclaim how Megan should do everything his way, often getting his way as she gives in to his demands. The goal of closing the gap between them as a couple is quickly disrupted when she is the only one who remembers the younger Beecham son, and all evidence of his ever having existed amazingly evaporates as well. The tension builds as Megan confronts Mrs. Monahan and seeks help from an investigator of the unexplainable. The rising suspense of the puzzling events kept me glued to the story from start to finish. 

I recommend THE VANISHERS to readers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.

Tour Participants:

Click through the other tour stops for can’t-miss reviews, insider interviews, exclusive guest posts, and more chances to win!

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The Only Thing Vanishing Here Is Your TBR Time

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Book Campaign & Giveaway: Hummingbird Moonrise (Murder, Tea, and Crystals, #3) by Sherri L. Dodd

 

HUMMINGBIRD MOONRISE

By Sherri L. Dodd

Paranormal Thriller / Fantasy / Magical Realism / Witch-Lit

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Pages: 304

Publication Date: October 9, 2025

SYNOPSIS

The past two years have taken their toll on Arista Kelly. Once an eternal optimist, now she has faced the darkness and must recalibrate what true happiness means for her. Meanwhile, Shane, her ex-boyfriend, is pulling all the right moves to help keep her sane from her heightening paranoia. But it doesn't help that Iris, her Great Aunt Bethie's friend, has disappeared.

Still, one additional trial remains. While searching for Iris, Bethie and Arista stumble upon a grand revelation in the eccentric woman's home. With the discovery, they realize their run of chaos and loss of kin may have roots in a curse that dates back to the 1940s-the time when their family patriarch first built Arista's cottage in the redwoods and crafted his insightful Ouija table.

This pursuit will not follow their accustomed recipe of adrenalized action, but the high stakes remain. Will the mysterious slow burn of unfolding events finally level Arista's entire world or be fully extinguished, once and for all?

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Amazon  ◆  Barnes & Noble ◆ Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sherri L. Dodd was raised in southeast Texas. Walking barefoot most days and catching crawdads as they swam the creek beds, she had a love for all things free and natural. Her childhood ran rampant with talk of ghosts, demons, and backcountry folklore. This inspired her first story for sale, about a poisonous flower that shot toxins onto children as they smelled it. Her classmate bought it for all the change in his pocket. Shortly thereafter, her mother packed the two of them up and headed to the central coast of California. Since that time, she has worked corporate, married, raised two sons, and now writes full-time creating atmospheric paranormal fiction. Her debut novel – Murder Under Redwood Moon – shot straight to #1 on Amazon, holding firm as a Best Seller in the Occult Supernatural genre.

WEBSITE ◆ INSTAGRAM  

BOOKBUB ◆ AMAZON ◆ GOODREADS

ENTER TO WIN!

To learn more about the book, look for #LSLLHummingbirdMoonrise on your preferred social media platform.

 

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE CAMPAIGN PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH REVIEWER PARTICIPATING.

  

Book Review: Hummingbird Moonrise (Murder, Tea, and Crystals, #3) by Sherri L. Dodd

Hummingbird Moonrise by Sherri L. Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Satisfying conclusion to this riveting, complex, and magical trilogy.

Arista Kelly and her Auntie Bethie have returned to Boulder Creek, California, and are settling back into a calmer lifestyle with their cats, gardens, tea, and magic, after their encounter with a serial killer and Arista’s Uncle Fergus the previous year. But just when they thought all that was behind them, the curse on the Kelly family rears its ugly head.

Hummingbird Moonrise is the third and final book in author Sherri L. Dodd’s riveting Murder, Tea, and Crystals Trilogy, and you couldn’t ask for a finer resolution. Arista and Auntie Bethie are a formidable pair, and no matter the twists thrown their way, they handle them.

There is a lot of story to wrap up, the plot is deliciously complex, so the action hits the ground running. I was all in right away, especially for what was going on with Iris: so many twists in her story! The curse her grandmother invoked against the Kellys takes center stage, though, and I was hooked on this book, eager to find out how it would all unfold. The author has quite a few surprises in store, yet still manages to create an ever-expanding cast of characters and craft a well-told, yet complex tale, with plenty of tea, crystals, folklore, and witchcraft to add to the delight.

The book is the culmination of many complex storylines that emerged over the course of the previous books; therefore, for optimal enjoyment, readers should complete those first. I recommend HUMMINGBIRD MOONRISE and the entire MURDER, TEA, AND CRYSTALS TRILOGY to readers of paranormal mysteries.

View all my reviews

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill: An Agreement of Souls by Amy Sampson-Cutler

Amy Sampson-Cutler's

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

OF

To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill:

An Agreement of Souls

Paranormal Fiction

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Publication Date: December 20, 2023

ISBN-10: 1685133428 / ISBN-13: 978-1685133429

Page count: 195 pages

SYNOPSIS:

In her past life, after causing the death of a little boy, Nikki was so devastated that her soul mate promised to murder her in their next life, to make her pay for what she had done. With no knowledge of this, Nikki lives for years as an addict, down on her luck, until she is rescued by Ken, who helps her with all aspects of her recovery. With the help of a few new friends and a cat named Destiny, Nikki turns her life around. What she doesn’t know is that someone out there is destined to kill her, and he is watching, his passion for killing her growing stronger each day.

The question is: Can an agreement made between two souls be broken, and how far will one soul go to keep a promise made in a desperate attempt to save the other?

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | BAM! | Bookshop.org | Indigo | Walmart |

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Sampson-Cutler, author of "To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls" and "A Shadow of Love," is a writer who earned her master's degree in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, Tales to Terrify, WOW! Women on Writing, The Pitkin Review, and more. She is the Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area, where she grew up skiing in the winter and dreaming up stories in the summer. Her favorite days are spent knocking around story ideas with her husband. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and a ridiculous amount of furry family members.

| Website | Facebook | Instagram |

REVIEW:

4 stars!

Suspenseful tale of past lives and past promises seeking fulfillment in the present.

 

To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill: An Agreement of Souls by Amy Sampson-Cutler is the suspenseful tale of past lives and past promises seeking fulfillment in the now. When Julie has a car accident that takes her own life and that of an innocent young boy, she is inconsolable from guilt and grief, and coerces her soulmate, James, into a promise to seek her out in their next incarnation and kill her. Of course, neither one has a conscious memory of their unholy agreement when they are reborn. Julie, now Nikki, has lived a tragic life of loss, drinking, drugs, and prostitution. But through the intervention of a special Narcotics Anonymous sponsor and a psychic medium, she uncovers her past lives, the terrible thing she asked of James, and the danger she now faces; and James, an unknown stranger, is out there somewhere with a contract to fulfill.

 

Nikki's story is a suspenseful one with loads of creepy paranormal aspects. She had sunk so low in this life and finally had come so far in getting her life back on track, I wondered if, maybe, the tragedies she'd endured would serve to fulfill the agreement she'd forced on James. She starts out as such a miserable person; her transformation was miraculous. I found myself completely in her corner and rooting for her to come up with an alternative resolution.

 

The story's tension builds as Nikki encounters her own personal losses and begins to realize how well camouflaged James and his threats are. The scenes with Melissa channeling the spirits of the dead were especially intense. Furthermore, there are some truly unexpected twists and turns in the plot that left me gasping with surprise, and the ending is not at all what I anticipated. Well done.

 

I recommend TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, TO LOVE AND TO KILL to readers of paranormal thrillers and suspense. 

Tour Calendar & Participants

October 6 @ The Muffin - Join us as we celebrate the launch of To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler with an interview with the author.

October 6 @ Tracey Lampley's blog - Visit Tracey's blog for a guest post by author Amy Sampson-Cutler on why she writes scary stories even though she's afraid of the dark.

October 7 @ All Things Writing - Visit Caitrin's blog for a guest post by author Amy Sampson-Cutler on finding time to write on a busy schedule.

October 12 @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog - Visit Anthony's blog for his review of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 15 @ Chapter Break - Visit Julie's blog for a guest post by author Amy Sampson-Cutler on how to turn everyday encounters into spooky stories.

October 17 @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion - Linda interviews author Amy Sampson-Cutler about her book To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill.

October 19 @ A Storybook World - Visit Deirdra's blog for her spotlight of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 22 @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read - Visit Karen's blog for her review of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 23 @ Knotty Needle - Visit Judy's blog for her review of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 23 @ The Faerie Review - Visit Lily's blog for her spotlight of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 24 @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog - Visit Anthony's blog for an excerpt from To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 25 @ Word Magic - Visit Fiona's blog for a guest post by Amy Sampson-Cutler on creating the perfect ambiance to write paranormal tales.

October 27 @ Lit World Interviews - Visit Ronovan's blog for his review of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill by Amy Sampson-Cutler.

October 28 @ Kaecey McCormick's blog - Visit Kaecey's blog for a guest post by author Amy Sampson-Cutler on tips on writing for your favorite genre.

October 29 @ Sarandipity - Sara interviews author Amy Sampson-Cutler about her book To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill.

October 30 @ Words by Webb - Stop by Jodi's blog for Amy Sampson-Cutler's guest post on her favorite books to read on Halloween.

October 31 @ Sarandipity - Visit Sara's blog for a guest post by author Amy Sampson-Cutler on creating the perfect ambiance to write paranormal tales.

November 2 @ Jill Sheets' Blog - Visit Jill's blog for her interview with author Amy Sampson-Cutler about her book To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill.

Book Review: Moonset on Desert Sands (Murder, Tea, and Crystals, #2) by Sherri L. Dodd

Moonset on Desert Sands by Sherri L Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was invested from start to finish!

Moonset on Desert Sands is the second book in author Sherri L. Dodd’s mystical and mysterious series, Murder, Tea, and Crystals, and I was invested in the story from its shocking opening scene to its close, wanting to know everything about these characters, their lives, and how they got to this point. After escaping a serial killer the year before, Arista is living quietly in Sedona, Arizona, but, nonetheless, finds herself the target of her Uncle Fergus. This story continues the plot from the series debut. For the best understanding and enjoyment, the books should be read in order of publication.

I really like the character, Arista, and enjoyed learning about the shop in Sedona, crystal lore, her use of teas, and right off the bat, her interest and growing skill in seeing and understanding auras. These topics are totally outside my wheelhouse, other than what I’ve encountered in other books featuring witches, so it was an interesting and fresh underlying theme for me. After the events of the previous book, Arista has healed quite a bit but is still dealing with her feelings and heartache. She is surrounded by other well-developed and diverse characters, who help create a vivid sense of her community and leave very strong impressions, both good and bad, depending upon their role. I easily became invested in their stories despite being at a disadvantage, having not read the first book.

The story grabbed my attention from the start with an exciting and shocking opening. The author’s descriptions put me smack in the middle of the action with all its accompanying foreboding and terror; I was hooked for the long run. The author weaves in references to the past throughout the current story, but I really had to tease these bits out to understand the current developments. However, with its non-stop action, robust descriptions, and engaging characters, I soon couldn’t put this book down, and, with its conclusion of possibilities, I plan on backing up and reading book one in order to be ready for the next.

I recommend MOONSET ON DESERT SANDS to mystery readers who enjoy stories with paranormal elements.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

View all my reviews

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Bone Pendant Girls (Andi Wyndham, #1) by Terry S. Friedman

BONE PENDANT GIRLS

by Terry S. Friedman

February 10 - March 7, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

THE ANDI WYNDHAM SERIES

 

Beware the Fisherman.

Andi Wyndham has communicated with spirits since she was a kid. When a bone pendant carved into the likeness of a girl's face calls to her at a gem show in Pennsylvania, she can't resist buying it and a sister piece. When she discovers the girls are missing runaways and the pendants are made of human bone, Andi is drawn into a mystery that will force her to confront her gifts, her guilt, and the ghosts haunting her.

Pendant Girls Mariah and Bennie urge Andi to find a man they call "Fisherman," a master of disguise. Teaming up with a handsome private eye and a South Carolina sheriff, Andi must find the girls' bodies and put their souls to rest, before the Fisherman casts his deadly net to trap Andi.

Praise for Bone Pendant Girls:

"Beautifully written, Friedman's lyrical style will lure you in and scare you senseless."
~ Annette Dashofy, USA Bestselling author of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries

"Friedman's fast-paced thriller is both heart-pounding and heart-wrenching."
~ Starred review Library Journal, March 1, 2024

"Full of paranormal twists, Bone Pendant Girls is a supernatural thriller about trust and acceptance."
~ Foreword Reviews

"This supernatural thriller provides an enjoyable wrinkle in narration. The audiobook doesn't feature a single narrator voicing all characters or a full cast with an individual narrator voicing each character. . . . Together, the three narrators provide enlightening perspectives on the hunt at the heart of this chilling production."
~ D.E.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2024]

Book Details:

Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Southern
Published by: CamCat Books
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Number of Pages: 496
ISBN: 9780744307931 (ISBN10: 0744307937)
Series: Andi Wyndham, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books | Goodreads | Audible

Read an excerpt:

Ginkgo leaves drifted down like butterfly wings outside the gem show. They made a yellow carpet on the walkway to the boarding school's gymnasium. Within the swirling leaves, Andi heard a voice. Hollow metallic vowels rustled like leaves in gutters. Consonants scratched and thumped like animals trapped in heating ducts. When the frantic skittering of syllables merged into words, a ghostly plea slipped into her consciousness. Trapped . . . help.

"You'll find your way to the Other Side," Andi whispered.

Some days, the spirits refused to leave her in peace. Turning off spirits' voices was like trying to keep a snake in a bird cage. The Shadows had been with her since she was four. Her mother had sent those spirits to watch over her. But the voice she heard today was not the Shadows. They rarely spoke.

Please . . . help.

Andi opened the door. "I'm not the one to help you," she told the young voice. "I attract bad men."

The ticket ladies took her money and stamped her hand. She scanned from one end of the gymnasium to the other. So many vendors. Where to start. Left past the fossils to a station called P&S Lapidary. They always had unique pieces.

Please . . . ma'am. The whisper had a faint Southern lilt.

"Aw come on. Hijack someone else's head. Go see my ex-husband. Convince him to give me all his money." Andi looked left and right to make sure no one had heard. No need to worry. Odds were good that at least one other person in the crowd talked to herself.

Andi made her way through thirty stations. Through bargain-bound women rummaging in bins of clearance beads, through vendors taking orders to set stones, through miles of bead strands, she searched for the perfect happy, shiny piece. Twice around the gym, and that whispering voice drilled its way into her conscience again.

Please . . . buy . . . me.

Cripes! The urgency of that sweet young voice. She heaved a sigh. "Hope you're not expensive. Where are you?" Her feet ached and the place was stifling hot. "Where?"

Over here!

She couldn't see a damn thing through the shoppers lined up two people deep at the stations. Up on her toes, down, from foot to foot, sideways. A tiring, annoying dance. Andi shivered despite the stuffy gymnasium.

Here!

Easing her way through the shoppers, she peered into a glass display case. Malachite beads, a red coral branch necklace, two strands of ringed freshwater pearls, and one pendant with a cameo-style face etched in bone.

The vendor with a bolo tie looked like her ninth grade geography teacher. "Let me open that for you. The face pendants are going fast. Only two left." He lifted the hinged glass cover.

Me! A loud whisper from the carved pendant with a girl's face.

Andi looked intently at it. Like most cameos, the face was a side profile. Tendrils of the girl's curly hair escaped an upswept hairdo, framing her face. At first, she appeared to be asleep. Then the girl's face turned and studied her too, eyes blinking as if she'd just awakened. Andi shivered. In the spirit world she'd inherited from her mother, voices whispered. Images in jewelry didn't move.

What now? She spoke silently. Subconscious to subconscious.

Hurry, ma'am! Buy . . .

A woman who reeked of Chanel No. 5 snatched the face pendant from the case.

"Excuse me," Andi said. "I came here to buy that piece. It called to me." There now, she'd admitted she was crazy. She gave a lopsided grin and a shrug. "Please could I have it?"

"Sorry, hon. I got here first." A condescending glance at Andi, and the lady wrapped her bratwurst fingers around the pendant.

"Not to worry, ladies," the seller told them. "I have another like this." He pushed the tablecloth aside, reached under the table, and pulled out a second pendant. "It's stunning with Namibian Pietersite accents. I could let you have it for the same price."

No . . . me. An adamant voice.

"I don't want the other pendant," Andi said. "I came here for the one in her hand." At the next booth, a woman holding a jade jar stopped talking and stared at her. Andi blushed, knowing she sounded like a petulant child.

Suddenly, Chanel Lady gasped. "Ouch! Awful thing cut me. It has sharp edges." A thin line of blood welled on her finger, and she dropped the pendant as if it had bitten her.

Andi caught it before it hit the floor. The silver bezel felt ice-cold. A young girl's eyes gazed up at her and blinked. Thanks, ma'am.

She stared at the pendant. Her mother had warned about spirits attaching to people. If spirits attached, she'd said, terrible things could happen.

Chanel Lady cradled the darker pendant. Not a word was uttered from it. Maybe the tea-stained piece believed in being seen and not heard. Its bone face was younger. Pietersite in the top bezel had chatoyancy, a luminous quality. Thin wavy splotches of browns, blacks, reds, and yellows swirled through the dark stone like tiny ice crystals in frozen latte.

"Yes. I like this one better. Excellent quality Pietersite," Chanel Lady said.

"If you don't mind, I'll take her payment first." The seller probably wanted to send the woman to another station before she started a fight with his customers.

"No problem. Is this ivory?" Andi asked. Whether vendors called it mammoth bone or not, elephants didn't deserve to be slaughtered for jewelry.

"Absolutely not. Wouldn't sell it if it was. Cow bone," he assured her.

A triumphant smirk aimed at Andi, and Chanel Lady made her way through the crowd. Subduing an impulse to give her the middle finger, Andi turned back to the pendant. She studied the heart-shaped face, turned it over and winced at the tiny price sticker. Was she insane? Andi couldn't afford that; she'd lost her teaching job.

"I'll need your address and email." The seller handed her a clipboard.

She'd fought over it and won, no changing her mind now. While he charged her credit card, Andi filled out the information for his mailing list. Then she weaved through the shoppers to find a quiet corner by the concessions stand.

What the hell. The pendant was a dose of credit card therapy. Unzipping the plastic sleeve, she lifted the piece by the bail. Two bezels set in silver. One disk held labradorite, a luminous blue stone with black veins, and in the second bezel, a face carved in bone. She shifted it in her palm, studying the details. Had light played with the image, making it look like the girl moved? It would warm at the touch of her skin.

Once more around the gym, and she left the show, slogging through the field toward her car, wondering how a whispering girl had convinced her to buy a pricey pendant. Yet, she had a sense that something other than her credit card bill had changed.

***

Excerpt from Bone Pendant Girls by Terry S. Friedman. Copyright 2024 by Terry S. Friedman. Reproduced with permission from Terry S. Friedman. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Terry Friedman is a writer and a rockhound. Her novel, BONE PENDANT GIRLS, a paranormal thriller, was published by CamCat January 30, 2024.

Terry began her writing career freelancing for a small newspaper outside Philadelphia. While raising her daughters Jessica and Chelie in West Chester, PA, she taught English for decades and traveled abroad with students. Terry earned an M.F.A. from Wilkes University and also graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy. Thirteen of her fiction and non-fiction pieces have been published, and she co-edited Delaware Valley Mystery Writers' short stories anthology. DEATH KNELL V.

She is an award-winning author. In 2022 the Southeastern Writers Association awarded her first place in their writing contest for her humor piece, second place for BONE PENDANT GIRLS in a fiction category, and an honorable mention for THE BANSHEE'S WAIL, an unpublished Irish novel. She is a Killer Nashville Claymore Finalist in the Supernatural category.

A Pennwriters Board member and a member of Sisters in Crime, she currently writes thrillers from coastal South Carolina. Terry has traveled the world from Fiji to Delphi and brings to her writing a solid respect for things that go bump in the night.

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Review:

5 stars!

A compelling and suspenseful tale of a woman who can hear the voices of the dead and a serial killer who stalks young female runaways. 

Bone Pendant Girls by Terry S. Friedman is a riveting story about a woman who can hear the voices of the dead and how she becomes the target of a serial killer. While at a local gem show, she runs across a hand-carved cameo bone pendant with a spirit bound to it, asking for help. The ghost is unable to make herself understood, but later, the woman realizes the cameo matches the likeness of a young teenage runaway. Gradually, she finds out that the girl was killed by a sadistic serial killer who is still out there stalking new victims. 

Andrea “Andi” Wyndham, mid-30s and freshly separated from an abusive spouse, is the main character. From an early age, she has been able to hear and communicate with spirits who are still hanging on to the Earthly plane of existence. While a naturally compassionate person, she’s reached a point of burnout with all the calls for help and the recent events in her personal life. However, she is compelled to seek out the voice of the young teen, which only she can hear, that issuing from the pendant, discovering the vendor has one more similar pendant, with several more already sold elsewhere. As the pendants, each with the likeness of a missing girl, could possibly link the missing girls to the pendant’s craftsman and serial killer, Andi soon finds she is his new target. 

The intriguing plot is well-paced and cleverly revealed through multiple points of view, including Andi, the girls, and the killer. I could feel Andi’s frustration as she tried to coax the newly minted spirits to talk to her more plainly. The dialogue between the two teen ghosts featured on the bone pendants is “spirited” and lively, which is one aspect I enjoyed most about the book. Plot twists kept me turning pages, especially as the stunning climax approached. 

I recommend BONE PENDANT GIRLS to readers of thrillers, suspense, and mysteries.

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Book Tour: The Caretaker by Regina Wixon

 

The Caretaker

Haunted Historical Mystery Series, Book 3

by

Regina Wixon

Paranormal Thriller

Publication Date: February 25, 2024

Page count: 169 pages

SYNOPSIS:

A blizzard rips through the Black Hills of South Dakota, as journalist Rachael embarks on a journey to Hawthorne House, a remote inn located deep in the frigid wilderness. As the storm rages on, Rachael finds herself caught in a gripping tale of mystery and intrigue, unsure of what lies ahead in the enigmatic world of the treacherous snow-covered landscape and the sinister forces that lurk within Hawthorn House. The icy snowstorm blurs the lines between reality and imagination as Rachael uncovers secrets and revelations that challenge her perception of the caretaker and the true nature of Hawthorn House.

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REVIEW:

4 stars!

A historic Victorian B&B offers more than shelter during a sudden blizzard. 

The Caretaker by Regina Wixon is the third novel in her Haunted Historical Mystery series that takes readers on a journey around the country in search of chills and ghostly thrills. The author strikes gold with this horror-filled tale of the Hawthorne House and the history of its former gold-mining owner. 

The main character, Rachael Wentworth, is a writer who arrives for her stay at the historic old house at the height of a massive blizzard. Her original purpose is to interview the long-time caretaker and watch for any of the paranormal activity the house is rumored to host, but after almost succumbing to the cold and snow while traveling there, her stay becomes one of recovery and survival. Rachael is a self-reliant character and an experienced features writer, and she came fully prepared to give this magazine puff piece assignment her best effort. I liked that she was a skeptic of supernatural phenomena, in general, but was open to being present for any odd occurrences that might change her mind. She gamely tries to make the best of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her arrival (i.e., the blizzard, no cell service, no electricity, and the loss of her purse, suitcase, and laptop bag under the drifts of snow in the front yard of the inn.) 

The plot is mesmerizing as things go from the mundane to worse to bizarre. While the situation at the Hawthorne House initially appears pretty average for an old home, readers are slowly clued into how wrong first impressions can be. The tension mounts from the moment Rachael is helped into the house’s front parlor and never backs off. The present-day story unfolds from Rachael’s first-person perspective, sometimes with a little too much detail in the telling. However, the backstory of the house and its original owner is revealed by the caretaker, Gabriel, and the narrative goes back to the mid-1800s and the era of the gold rush. The events that provide the foundation for the following horror story are plausible and tragic, and the twists in the plot are creepy surprises. 

I recommend THE CARETAKER to readers who enjoy mysteries with ghosts and horror stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Regina Wixon endeavors to take her readers on a journey around the United States to be fascinated by our country's history in a series of chilling books she hopes you will love. She blends a captivating blend of mystery, historical intrigue, and paranormal elements, her gripping novels, weaving together tales of secrets and revelations that span centuries. Her stories often delved into the hidden depths of history, uncovering long-forgotten mysteries and unsolved crimes that haunted the past. It was the paranormal twists that set Regina's work apart, adding an extra layer of intrigue and suspense that kept readers eagerly turning the pages until the very end. She continues to explore the darker corners of the human experience through her captivating storytelling.

Thank you for reading and please leave a review. Her next book will be coming out in the summer of 2024, The Haunting of York Hall. Any questions or comments? Please visit her website at reginawixon.com. or follow her on Facebook where she will keep you updated on upcoming books. Questions? Please email her at regina.wixon@gmail.com – She'll be happy to hear from you!

 

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Book Tour & Giveaway: Code of Reanimation by Lanie Mores

Code of Reanimation

Spin-off of the Father of Contention series

by

Lanie Mores

Paranormal Thriller / Science Fiction / Horror

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

Page count: 304 pages

SYNOPSIS:

Freedom is a state of mind.

Brigita Nowak has only ever wanted one thing—her freedom. Labelled psychotic and committed to a mental institution at seventeen, she missed the chance of a “normal” life. She never held a job, owned her own place, or experienced love. Until now.

After awakening sprawled on the common room floor—the hospital in ruins, the staff and patients missing—she realizes it’s her chance to escape. Seeking sanctuary with her sister, she meets “the boyfriend” Renner Scholz, a vile yet brilliant geneticist. He has developed a bioweapon, the Code of Reanimation, destined to destroy the world. Or so Brigita believes. She’s been seeing zombie hallucinations as of late, a sure premonition of the highly contagious bioweapon getting out of hand. Why the connection? Because the bioweapon reanimates dead organisms into bloodthirsty killing machines.

Brigita has typically experienced death-based hallucinations, blamed on her mental illness. She, however, always felt they were psychic premonitions. Convinced that Renner intends to release the bioweapon at a public fundraising event, she teams up with a handsome love interest to thwart the catastrophe. But, as Brigita’s visions kick into hyperdrive and timelines blur, she must determine which events are based on reality or delusional constructs of her subconscious mind...before it’s too late.

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Brigita’s blood boiled. Never had she detested someone so strongly—especially in such a short time. They travelled the rest of the distance in heated silence. After Renner decelerated in front of the apartment building, Brigita burst out of the car and dashed up the stairs, ecstatic to be free of his company… but he had other plans. He parked the car and killed the engine.

Drawing uncomfortably close behind her as she fumbled with the lock, he pushed her inside the instant the door opened. After stepping inside, he locked the door behind them.

 
“Where’s your medication?” he demanded, face grim, immovable.

 
Fear caused the hairs on her arms to stand on end. “I was planning on taking it at night. It makes me groggy,” she stammered. 

“You’re taking it now.” 

“But I don’t want to!”

“Brigita, I can stay here all day, if you’d like. I won’t leave until you oblige.”

 
Was he telling the truth? If she took her dose, would he leave? Or would he stay, her rendered weak and controllable by the medication?

 
After considerable thought, she went to the bathroom and returned with her pill bottle. Renner read the label, nodded, then poured two pills from the container onto his palm. Passing them to Brigita, she dry-swallowed them, acquiescing to another day of being weakened against the evil forces, unable to see them and protect her or Milena from their tricks.

 
Done taking her meds, she waited for Renner to leave, but he plunked down on the living room sofa, crossed his long, athletic legs on the coffee table, and clicked on the television.

Panic fluttered in her chest like a wild bird trapped in an attic. Escaping to the spare bedroom, she barricaded the door with a wooden bookcase. A sensation washed over her—déjà vu—yet it wasn’t her, but a bruised and beaten Milena barricading the door in a parallel situation. Foreshadowing? Strangely, this felt like it had already come to pass. Which made no sense, but her mind had grown fuzzy as grogginess swiftly crept in. The meds doing their job.

Would she be safe inside her room until Milena returned from work? She sure hoped so because her eyes were refusing to stay open, leaving her defenseless.

REVIEW:

4 stars!

A thrilling storyline with frightening concepts made all the more alarming because of the past pandemic.

Code of Reanimation is a science fiction horror novel and a spin-off from author Lanie Mores’s earlier work, Father of Contention; however, this new book can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone. With its creative and frightening plot, made all the more alarming by the world’s recent experience with a viral pandemic and its associated rumors, I was thoroughly absorbed into this very cinematic story from page one. 

Brigita Nowak is the engaging, sympathetic, but somewhat unreliable main character of the story. She is plagued by horrific and uncontrollable visions and has a tragic history of treatment for mental illness. The story reveals that the women of her family, including her sister, had the gift of sight, though the topics of each woman’s visions varied greatly from one to another. While her sister, Milena, had insight into matters of love and romance, all Brigita saw were premonitions of death and dying. Besides this cursed gift, her parents had her committed to a psychiatric hospital when she was seventeen rather than trying to help her develop coping mechanisms or rules for handling the awful knowledge these visions of the future handed her. Brigita is at this hospital for the story’s riveting opening, the place a shambles, and all the staff and other patients inexplicably missing. 

Now, Brigita’s only living relative is her beyond-beautiful sister, Milena, who has been working two jobs to pay Brigita’s medical expenses. She obviously loves her sister but is completely enamored of Dr. Renner Scholz, to whom she has recently become engaged. She, too, has visions but has allowed herself to be convinced that Brigita’s are a symptom of her schizophrenia rather than true foresight. While I thought the diabolic Dr. Scholz was a bit cartoonish and Milena was too conveniently in his thrall, Brigita does have a well-done ally in her next-door neighbor and boss, Amir. The chemistry between these two is fabulous, and I was all in on their relationship developing into a romance. 

The intriguing storyline is bolstered even more with twists and turns in the plot. Scenes are described so well that they feel cinematic. For those sensitive to such matters, be warned that there are some vividly detailed descriptions of horrible science experiments and decomposing zombies sprinkled throughout the text. 

The story is truly good versus evil, with edge-of-your-seat excitement, shockingly realistic horror, and some nicely done love scenes. I recommend CODE OF REANIMATION to readers of science fiction horror, zombie stories, and medical experimentation gone awry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lanie Mores is the award-winning author of the science fiction and fantasy book series, Father of Contention. She has an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree, a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, and she is an active member of the Canadian Authors Association. When she isn't writing, you'll find her reading, binge-watching Netflix, baking, and slaughtering zombies and other monsters on her Xbox. She lives in Ontario with her family and forever barking fur babies, Batman and Petri.

 

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