Hi! My name is Gabrielle Ash, and I’m excited to be here today to share some details about my newest release, MURDER FOR HIRE, using the title challenge. It is the sequel to For the Murder, and the second book in the Murder series.   M is for murder of crows U is for urban fantasy R is for a resilient heroine D is for demons E is for the emotionally constipated hero R is for redemption   F is for fated mates (kind of) O is for opposites attract R is for romance (slow burn)   H is for healing magic I is for identity-crisis R is for rejection E is for emotional scars MURDER FOR HIRE by Gabrielle Ash If weeks on the run from creatures big, small, and ugly coming after the demon-killing blade, Sheturath, has taught crow shifter Diana Van Doren anything, it’s that being Lead Crow of a murder requires more knowledge and skill than she possesses. Worried she will get her companions killed because of her shortcomings, she’s ready to get out of the country. Sasha Sokolov, on the other hand, is still at war with himself. The clairvoyant committed many foul deeds to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE YEAR’S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR, Volume Three   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too-real . . . tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Stories from some of today’s finest writers of the fantastique—sure to delight as well as disturb!   3–When beginning an anthology how do you decide what “types” of horror and dark fantasy will be included? Both genres can be so broad. I don’t try to define either – it’s something I’ve addressed in introductions for the volumes since 2010. Generally, I look for stories that don’t necessarily scare so much as unsettle or disturb.   4–What kind of archetypal supernatural/horror character would you hang out with in “real life?” Not sure I’d consort with archetypical archetypes! Maybe fresh versions of them.   5–What are three words that describe what you are looking for in a horror and/or dark fantasy story?  Effective, revelatory, and entertaining.   6–What’s something you learned while acquiring the stories and editing this…

Excerpted from The Dark King, by Gina L. Maxwell. Entangled Publishing, 2022. Reprinted with permission.   As she emerges from the pool, she wrings the water out of her long hair, then fluffs and separates the strands so they fall in damp pieces around her shoulders. My eyes stay pinned to her as she walks to me and takes a seat on the next lounge chair over. She stays facing me but leans back on her hands and extends her long legs into the space between us. It’s not done in an overtly seductive way—her demeanor is casual, like it’s simply a comfortable position for her to be in—but it makes me want to devour her from her pink-painted toes to her pretty pink mouth. Looking back out over the pool, I say, “You should wear swimsuits with a little more suit to them.” “I packed two for a two-day trip, and if you’ll remember, I was forced to wear the other one as pajamas. I’ll admit I bought this as more of a dare to myself and didn’t really plan on wearing it, but beggars, choosers, yada-yada.” She glances down at herself, then raises her gaze again to aim…

The shade of the trees made her feel better almost immediately, although the headache didn’t disappear–just receded a little bit, like a fighter taking two steps back before charging in again with a flurry of punches. Still, she thought she might be able to get to her bike and make it home without fainting, which was the key thing. Lauren had almost reached the ghost tree and her bike when she felt it–a strange sort of shifting, although the shifting wasn’t anything external that she could tell. The trees all stood in their usual places and the wind rustled their branches like always and her feet were firmly planted in the ground and her stomach wasn’t even queasy any longer. But still–there had been something. A feeling that made her skin prickle and her left eye twitch and cold sweat pool at the base of her spine. She shook her head even though it made her headache feel like it was knocking from side to side inside her skull. Those were all things that happened to other people when they walked in the woods that bordered Smiths Hollow. They got spooky feelings and broke out in a sweat and talked…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present C.R. RICHARDS! Rabidly Reads and Writes: Heart pounding, spine chilling, emotion-stirring Dark Fantasy Novels About the Author: C.R. Richards loves dark fiction stories. She enjoys the sensation of sitting on the edge of her seat, intensely anxious to discover the next twist in a good book. Yes. She loves being scared, but not too scared. No slasher movies, please. In a secret confession, the author admitted she still watches reruns of Supernatural tucked under her covers. Richards makes her books all about the characters. She spends a great deal of time developing their personalities, desires and their failings. If the reader doesn’t care about the character, then what’s the point? What I’m Looking for In My Ideal Reader: Adventures with me won’t be comfortable or light-hearted. Expect journeys into the dark and creepy. My ideal reader will boldly embrace the unexpected, laugh in the face of danger and fortify their reading nook with the warm fuzziness of a loyal pet. I’m looking…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Tracy Townsend!  What do I write: I’m an author who looks at fantasy and science fiction and says, “This is great. I want to do all of it.” I love fantasy that dabbles with technology; futurism riddled with fun anachronism; big-concept genre plots with deep, personal, character-driven stakes; people who are almost monsters and monstrous beings that are almost people. I love writing that appeals to a sense of adventure and doesn’t give up on literary style to do it. My novels are set in a world full of washed-up mercenaries, crooked cops, charming criminals, scrappy pickpockets, cynical clergy, murderous trees, nightmarish ogres, and endless secrets and conspiracies. More about me: I teach science fiction and fantasy literature as well as creative writing, so you can bet I put story craft and knowledge of genre fiction at the front of my writing. Of course, there’s a lot of my background as a martial arts instructor and acting coach mixed in, too. I…