Bad Love, Undying Love: Bloody Valentine Horror Hop 2016 #giveaway

Glad you stopped by my stop on the 2016 Bloody Valentine Horror Hop! I hope everyone has their fill of chocolates and roses and sweet sappy love things. I'm going to help keep you from going into sugar shock :^)

While I am a great fan of almost all things romantic, I also love playing in the shadows. Don't dark sides make the light sides shine brighter? Isn't the dark night merely an omen of the coming dawn? And aren't monsters the most interesting people?

If you like your love stories to have a darker twist, then I hope you enjoy this story... "The Downside of Undying Love" first appeared in Jersey Devil Press. Great mag... check them out for more of the strange and beautiful.

The Downside to Undying Love
By Ash Krafton

We don’t talk much. I suppose not having functioning vocal cords is a big part of that but, honey, I don't blame you for our lack of communication. I just wish our relationship was a little different.
Even if you blinked once in a while to make me feel like we were connecting. Some tiny affirmation that you know I'm here.  I love you to the point of incineration, to the point where I can't breathe because the conflagration steals the oxygen from my lungs. It's why I did this all for you.
Stealing your body was no easy feat. You know I'm a good person, wouldn't hurt a fly (never mind commit a felony) but I did it. I had to. You lived a stony life, chasing death and begging for release but I know you didn't want to die. Not permanently--
So hiring a zombie priest wasn't as big a deal as I might have once thought. It was no different than finding a lawyer or a mechanic or some other necessary evil.
Maybe if I knew you were going to die, I could have interviewed a couple zombie raisers. You know, look into their portfolio, ask about their zombie philosophy, their success rate and refund policies. Stuff like that. Maybe I could have found someone capable of actually putting some animation in the animating. But I was in a bit of a rush and had a limited window of opportunity. It had to be done while you were still fresh. Not that I'm complaining--
Because you're here. I really do like that suit on you and you look so handsome with your hair combed like that. Today we'll do all your favorite things--we'll go for a drive and we'll sit on the front porch and we'll go for a slow walk in the moonlight. I'll even put in that Three Stooges DVD I found in your coffin.
That way you won't mind so much when I change your embalming fluid and scrape the mold from the back of your neck. Curly makes you laugh. I think it's laughing, anyway, that long hollow rasp like a splintering tree. You make that sound whenever the Stooges slap each other. I don't know why that sound upsets the dog so much because laughter is such a beautiful thing in and of itself--

We don't talk much. But I suppose that's still better than not being able to talk at all.

**~**~**

Feeling lucky? Comment to win a copy of
The Scent of His Feathers!

 

Glad you stopped by! A lucky commenter will receive a signed proof copy of The Scent of His Feathers: a collection of dark verses (US only; INT winner will receive ebook copy).

 

Tell me... do you have a favorite monster love story? And the term "love" is way open to interpretation. :) Share your darkest dreams with us! 

Bad Love: Bloody Valentine 2016 Facebook Party!

Come join the fun on February 14th, and dispense with the sappy romance. Embrace heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, hopefully with that little splash of humour and blood. It’s time to discover the Bad Side of Love.

All writers and readers are welcome.

Although this is an open event, in addition we will have special guests popping in with some darkly delightful Valentine goodies. There will also be free books be offered up as well.

I'll be giving away a signed proof copy of

The Scent of His Feathers:

a collection of dark verses

 

"...amazing things, sometimes light and sometimes dark. This is not to be missed."

--Amazon Review

 

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Featured authors scheduled to appear are:
Hostess With the Ghost-es  A. F. Stewart

Clarissa Johal
Ash Krafton
Nick Paschall
Miracle Austin
John Linwood Grant
Debbie Christiana
Steve Vernon
Cinsearae S.

 

Join the event HERE!

 

And stop back here on Sunday... I'll be posting a short story that has a different kind of happily ever after. With zombies, of course. *hearts* See you then!

 

 

CHARM CITY (The Demon Whisperer #1) #amwriting

CHARM CITY is thriving on Wattpad.com!

 

Over the past few weeks I've been uploading chapters of my WIP urban fantasy over at Wattpad.com. It's an experiment in more ways than one: I've never posted a full-length story on Wattpad before, let alone something that hasn't been scoured and shredded by my trusted beta readers. So why am I doing it?

 

I think it has to do with the impulsivity of it all. Over the years, I've gone from a seat-of-my-pants writer to someone who has learned (and will never know all of) the craft of writing and the business in general. Every book I published took me farther along the path. Since my first publication upon my return to serious writing (a poem back in 2009) I've learned so much... and I've developed a lot of good habits and methods.

 

However, a certain element of impulsivity was waning.

 

I often think back to the first novel I started, one I wrote in secret during stolen moments when the ideas felt like they'd blow out the side of my brain if I didn't write them down. Those passionate bursts of inspiration truly kindled my happy writing habits.

 

But with time and growth and knowledge and training came more planning, more foresight, more structure. Less seat-of-my-pants.

 

It's a mixed blessing.  

 

So... I'm giving myself a dose of impulsivity. (And it's so refreshing. Exciting. A little nail-biting, even.)

 

Unfortunately, I can't turn off the part of my writer's brain that is addicted to craves feedback. If you'd care to offer a comment on any of the chapters I've posted, I would really love to hear it. Really.

 

And if you like what you read, I hope you share it along.

 

 

CHARM CITY (The Demon Whisperer #1)

 

The darkness is rising and one man stands against it: the exorcist mage Simon Alliant. But in Baltimore, he finally meets his match...a part-mortal divinity with the power to whisper away demons.

Simon Alliant is an exorcist who battles demons, whether he wants to or not. Sometimes it's not so bad...he gets to play with magic, after all. But for Simon, magic represents a demon of another kind. He's addicted to magic and it takes more than a handful of charms to keep that particular demon at bay.

Chiara is part Light, part Dark, and stubbornly mortal. The woman has a way with words: she literally talks demons into abandoning their human hosts. Simon thinks that's not the only trick she has up her sleeve-and that's pretty high praise coming from a mage like him.

As intriguing as that may be, Simon has too many reasons to distrust her...one of them being his more-or-less partner, an angelic Watcher. Amidst all the celestial warnings of the rising dark comes a new prophesy that makes him wonder: is Chiara a threat to him and all of mankind?

Or will she be his salvation?