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!

 

 

Enter if you dare: NOR HALLOWPALOOZA Scavenger Hunt

I'm one of the sponsors of the Night Owl Reviews HALLOWPALOOZA Scavenger Hunt.

 

During this event I'm going to help you find some great new books. Make sure to check my featured title out along the way. :)

The grand prize is a $100 Amazon Gift Card. The total prize pool is $1,000 with 113 winners.

Contest begins October 1st and runs all the way through to Halloween so you have loads of time to get every single entry in the scavenger hunt. (I've participated before so I'll warn ya...some are pretty tough to find. Don't wait until the last minute to join in!)


Enter HERE:  https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Hallowpalooza-2015

 

And there's more...if you enjoy poetry with a dark, romantic theme, check out:

 

The Scent of His Feathers: a collection of dark verses

Free on Kindle through October 5th!

October Frights 2015: Paranormal and Horror Author Blog Tour

Halloween Blog Hop Time!

This year I'm participating in Clarissa Johal's October Frights Blog Hop! (And it's huge...just check out the link list down below)

I'll be posting throughout the hop with different activities so be sure to stop back often :)

This year, I'm thinking along the lines of Prize-a-Palooza:
Print copy of The Heartbeat Thief: historical dark fantasy
Print copy of Boxed & Broken: spec fic anthology
Print copy of M is for Monster: horror
And I'm pretty sure I have some Halloweenish things that would like to creep their way into your home. :)

(Question is, do you trust my judgment?)

Entries will be collected through comment during the duration of the hop. At the end, entries will be placed in a pretend hat and winners drawn. (Actually they'll be numbers and random.org will pick the lucky digits.)

Stop by each post throughout the hop and enter as many times as you please! There are a great bunch of authors participating and this is a great way to get to know everyone a little better...

Frightful Freebies

You might be too old to go door-to-door trick or treating, but that doesn't mean you doesn't deserve sweets. That's why during the blog hop I'll be offering free copies of two of my books on Amazon...grab 'em both!

Free on Kindle October 1-5: Ebook copy of The Scent of his Feathers
Free on Kindle October 6-10: Ebook copy of Blind Alleys

(Download your copy today. Everyone's a winner :)

SO let's get the ball rolling...today's a mixer so entry will be easy.

 

Since this is a paranormal and horror author blog hop, you're most likely either a reader or a writer (or both!) Leave a comment telling us which one you are, and tell us one of your favorite books or stories in the genres. That's all! Let's see who's here and what we're most fond of reading....

Stop back tomorrow for another chunk of Halloween Hop fun, but visit the other authors today!

See who else is frightening us:

THE SCENT OF HIS FEATHERS can be yours for a Tweet!

I'm trying a new promotion to help get news out about my first poetry chapbook, THE SCENT OF HIS FEATHERS...

 

By sharing a Tweet about this book, you'll get a coupon for a free copy in your choice of e-format.

Are you brave enough to try it? Just click the button!

 

About THE SCENT OF HIS FEATHERS:

 

Author AF Stewart calls it "superb"

 

"The thread of relationship, human connection, winds its way through this book creating a marvelous tapestry of broken hearts, searching souls, yearning spirits, lost hope, and hesitant faith. The thread coils its way through fascinating paths, intersecting darkness and death, connecting fantasy and reality, until it makes its way past starlight musings into universal truth."

AF Stewart, five star Amazon review

Bloody Valentine Horror Hop: Dark Poetry and the Downside of Love





 

Available for Amazon pre-order now:
The Scent of His Feathers by Ash Krafton

In between novels, my writing strays to more poetic endeavors.

As a writer, I see words everywhere--images and events aren't just creations of light or sound or scent. They are words waiting to be written. I'm inspired by the music I hear and the places I visit. That's why I'm never without a camera or a notebook (or, these days, my Windows phone, which serves as both). Sometimes I get struck by an object, a vista, or a misheard lyric and I JUST HAVE to write something down.

Otherwise, I'm haunted by those words that missed their chance.

A lot of my poetry focuses on the conception (or misconception) of death. See, I don't see death as an end to be feared--I imagine it's a doorway to something new.

Everyday life is full of tiny deaths: endings, losses, changes. Those deaths aren't final. They are just the beginning to something different.

The goddess Kali is often called the goddess of death, but that's only part of the truth. She is also the goddess of rebirth. She is the goddess of liberation in that she liberates us from the physical body and conquers the concept of ego.

And aren't those wonderful things?

My spec fic heart romanticizes the shadows and the darkness and the tiny deaths we endure, leading me to those poetic endeavors. My books are urban fantasy and paranormal romance, often with dark twists. Poetry is a way for me to overcome writer's block--I can sometimes better express an aspect I'm trying to write for a novel by exploring it in a poetic manner. Once the lines are out of my head, I can get back to work on my book. Sometimes, a poem is left behind, much like a pearl, pretty irritations as they may be.

THE SCENT OF HIS FEATHERS will be released February 20, 2015 on Amazon Kindle.

 

No better time to join a poetry hop, right?

 

Happy Bloody Valentine Horror Hop Day!

 

AF Stewart has put out a call for all the bad love we can muster today... so a bunch of us are getting together to share the stuff you'll never get on a Hallmark card. :)

 

In the spirit of good love gone bad, I'd like to share one of the poems from The Scent of His Feathers. It was originally published by Niteblade Fantasy and Horror and has always been a favorite of mine.

 

What’s for Dinner?

by Ash Krafton

 

She only ever smiles

and says, “Your favorite.”

 

And he beams at her, obviously thinking how lucky he is

to have such a doting wife

even though he plays around with the waitresses at the truck stop

and thinks his wife never finds out

and who cares, right? because those girls

never stay in town long enough to cause problems.

So lucky, lucky, lucky to have the best of both worlds.

 

She, on the other hand, is only too happy to

peel baby onions and carrots and pig potatoes

to put around the large, sumptuous roast

of questionable origins and morals

(roast beast, she said once, and laughed at her own joke,

earning a chuckle from the pandering bastard

as he cracked open his second beer. He hadn’t

even finished his salad yet, for chrissakes.)

 

This could never pass as a dish served coldly,

not when procured by such hot passions.

And she smiles—

she may not be his favorite,

but at least she's not left-overs. 

 

 

In honor of the Valentine's hop, I will give away copies of my new poetry volume to anyone who would agree to read and review it on Amazon. Then (because there is always a surprise) everyone whose review is live on Amazon by midnight Sunday following the release (that would be Sunday February 22) will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card, and the winner picked Monday February 23.

Are you in?

THE GIVEAWAY...

Enter the giveaway by filling out this form. Everyone who enters on this form will receive an electronic copy of THE SCENT OF HIS FEATHERS. You'll also receive periodic updates about upcoming releases, giveaways, and advanced reader copy opportunities.

On the Monday following the release, we'll pool all the readers who posted their review on Amazon and pick our lucky gift card winner!

 

WANT MORE BAD LOVE?

Click Here

 to visit other stops, including host AF Stewart.