About the Book
What do a doctor, a vampire, a zombie cosmetologist, a traveling group of friends, a monster hunter, and the cunning folk have in common? They're all a part of this horrific collection of horror/horrorish short stories featuring strong queer characters escaping their fears. Prepare to be on the edge of your seats with the twists, turns, and cliffhangers throughout this journey. It will leave you wanting more.
SproutWhen an isolated village on the Noorbi planet is decimated, no survivors, Dr. Nadya Singleton and her team are ordered to go and discover the cause- whether it be biological or human-made. Nadya prefers her labs and her science complex, where things are routine and predictable. Her mission is complicated further by the addition of Regent Marcelo Duili, who seems to have an entirely different goal in mind. Soon terror and betrayal sprout, forcing Nadya and her team into a dangerous scenario. To survive and get her team back home, Nadya must put aside her fear of failure and predictability and venture into the unknown both within and outside herself.
Scavenger HuntIt's the last night of 1984, and Roderick Surrett is about to meet a first-time murderer on the breezy streets of Key West, Florida. What the killer doesn't know is that Roderick is a vampire. He's seen it all, done it all, and been it all before. Will Roderick and his new playmate clash, or will Roderick take the boy under his wing and show him how to survive the killing life?
The Case of the Haunted TiaraWaylon Jenkins, zombie, and makeup artist to the stars, is working on the stage production of The Tale of the Haunted Tiara. When someone kills the male lead and steals the priceless tiara from the prop room, Waylon must help solve the mystery before the police will let anyone leave the theater. Is the tiara really haunted? Or is someone clever enough to get away with murder?
7737A group of friends set out on the vacation of a lifetime, a train ride on Switzerland's Glacier Express. Things immediately take a turn for the worse when the sign of things to come rears its ugly head. Relationships are tested, fears are confronted, and the fight for survival is the only thing that can get them out of hell. Will they make it out alive?
FamilyA Skeeter the Monster Hunter Short StoryBubba the Monster Hunter's tech guru Skeeter teams up with ghost whisperer Lila Grace Carter to investigate a series of hauntings in rural South Carolina. Along the way they learn about a dark chapter in the upstate's history, but also find glimmers of light in the darkness that surrounds a tragic tale. Based on actual events.
Epitaph for the Burning TimesAs a child, Talla and her mother fled persecution, settling in the wheel, a secret community of women hidden away from the world of those who would burn them for the magic they possess. Now a grown woman and one of the cunning folk who keep the community safe, Talla works with her wife to heal hurts and protect the inhabitants of the wheel. Until one night when a knock on the gate reveals a trio- one woman and two men- who beg for sanctuary. Are they truly there as refugees- or does their arrival signal the end of everything Talla has worked to keep safe from the burning times?
About the Author :
Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called "a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Book Riot)." She's the recipient of the Ladies of Horror Grant, the HWA's Diversity Grant, and a two-time Palmetto Scribe Award Winner (2021 and 2022) for her short stories and her novella. She's written for Pseudopod, Apex, Fiyah, White Wolf, The Realm, Baen, Subsume, and MV Media. Nicole has over 50 published short stories, including her story, "The Way Home," in Marvel(R)'s Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson anthology from Titan Books.She has conducted workshops for Writer's Digest Online, Clarion West online, SAGA, and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. Nicole is a professional level member of SFWA and HWA. You can find her at www.nicolegivenskurtz.net. John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies' virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love. He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles, the Bubba the Monster Hunter comedic horror series, the Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter dark fantasy series, and many other projects. In 2016, John teamed up with several other publishing industry professionals to create Falstaff Books, a small press dedicated to publishing the best of genre fiction's "misfit toys." Falstaff Books has since published over 300 titles with authors ranging from first-timers to NY Times bestsellers, with no signs of slowing down any time soon. He is also the founder of the SAGA Genre Fiction Writers' Conference, where students hone their business and craft skills to write better books and make more money. In his copious free time John enjoys long walks on the beach, rescuing kittens from trees and playing Magic: the Gathering. John's pronouns are he/him. Jason Roach is an American Writing Awards award-winning finalist in LGBT+ Fiction & Thriller Fiction for his book The House on Dead Man's Curve - inspired by his personal paranormal experiences. His new M/M Vampiric romance series, The Vampire Crusades, launched in August of 2024. He is also the owner and editor-in-chief of Gold Dust Publishing, a new indie publishing company for LGBTQIA+ and allied authors. He has previously been a paranormal/Sci-fi/writing guest panelist or presenter at GalaxyCon, Jordancon, ConCarolinas, Congregate 9 & 10, Ret-Con, and Multiverse. Originally from Statesville, NC, he now resides in Winston-Salem, NC.When he is not working on the next big project or investigating the paranormal, he enjoys spending time with his family, their four cats - Lyma, Gandalf, Crooky, and Batman - and doggy Laylah. Concert-going, traveling, and a good paranormal investigation are the places he finds inspiration.To learn more about Jason Roach, visit his website, www.authorjasonroach.com, and Gold Dust Publishing at www.golddustpublishing.com.
