Death Packs and Demon Deals

 Need a book haul in your mailbox? I've got a deal for you! 

Now through October 31st you can order signed books direct from me. You can choose from three packs: The Death Pack, The Demon Deal or The Short Stack. Each dynamic deal comes with bookmarks and stickers and shipping is included in the price.

All books are personalized to order. Payment is accepted through Paypal, Cashapp or Venmo. 

1 Set: $25

2 Sets: $45 (save $5)

3 sets: $60 (save $15)

Email frankjedler @ gmail dot com with "Book Haul" in the subject line. Indicate which set(s) you are interested in purchasing, personalization preferences, and preferred payment format to complete your order.

Try on Uncomfortable Shorts

 

Uncomfortable Shorts is a collection of eight irreverent, irregular and irrational short stories. Try on these ill fitting tales that squeeze into horror, cosmic, comic and corny niches.

One size fits none. No refunds. No exchanges. No exceptions.

Pork Roll, Egg & Sleaze: A group of urban explorers find themselves on an adventure that turns into a horror movie.
My Date with the (Non)Word, Ans: An unlikely relationship with an autocorrected word.
Eat Sh*t and Die: An over-the-top tale of cosmic horror in a quiet New England town.
You Can Catch More Flies with Honey: There's more than one way to catch a fly. But which way is best?
There's a Frenchman in My Mayonnaise: A quirky tale of a hangry man who's attempt to make a sandwich sidetracks his entire life.
Conrad Lubbox is Out To Get Me You Stupid Idiot: You sure have a lot of questions about why I let Conrad Lubbox's dog outside.
Dick Sick: Preston isn't feeling well. He's sneezing, coughing and pooping penises out of every orifice.
Inflate: A Zen yogi leads the way to Nirvana (and not the Kurt Cobain kind.)

Uncomfortable Shorts is available now in paperback from Amazon.


The digital Uncomfortable Shorts eBook is available for only 69 cents exclusively through Godless dot com in your preferred file format. (.pdf .mobi & .epub)

Get Right with Godless

I have re-edited and re-released my first publication, SCARED SILLY, exclusively on Godless.com for just 89 cents.

If you're not aware of what Godless.com is, allow me to give you the pitch. Are you a fan of horror books? You need to get right with Godless. Do you wish you could support great indie horror writers but wish you could circumnavigate the Amazon juggernaut? You need to get right with Godless. Do you crave a community that is rabid for great, boundary pushing, over-the-top, and imaginative horror fiction? You need to get right with Godless. Would you be interested in making your horror fandom a multi-media experience? You need to get right with Godless!

I've moved SCARED SILLY off of the Amazon platform in favor of allowing it to be sold as an eBook exclusive through Godless.com. Its a great move for me, the writer as I receive a far higher royalty while being able to offer the book at a price lower than Amazon would ever allow. Getting your reading material through Godless is a pretty painless experience. When you purchase any eBook from Godless you get access to the .mobi, .epub and .pdf versions of the book so you can read them on your preferred eReader platform.

What's more, having SCARED SILLY available to Godless Horror let's myself and my work become party of an already robust and growing uber-focused community. People who are already reading Godless books are devouring them and loving them. And they are taking to social media and talking about these books like never before. Godless is an infection of passion for those who consume it.

I consume Godless books as much as I love distributing my own off the platform. I've discovered a ton of great new writers like Daniel Volpe, Simon McHardy, Aron Beauregard, BJ Swan and many others. I've grabbed up great, obscure releases from established writers like Armand Rosamilia and Jay Wilburn. 

Godless.com is a festival of horror fiction. I hope if you haven't already got right with Godless that you'll go to Godless.com and start up an account today. There are already lots of freebies and many, many books for less than 99 cents. 

Just like SCARED SILLY which is only 89 cents, now and forever, at Godless.com

3 Picks with Hunter Shea

 

It's time for 3 Picks! This week features a monster of a writer, Hunter Shea. Hunter Shea is the author of a library worth of books including Creature, The Montauk Monster and The Dover Demon to name a few. 

Up and down and all points in between, Hunter loves to write books about monsters. From his take on classic monsters to his vison of cryptids and on through unexpected monsters. Hunter knows monsters. So it's with that in mind that Hunter has been tasked to come up with 3 Picks of his favorite books featuring monsters.

When you have a passion for monsters, its difficult to whittle it down to just 3 choices but Hunter persevered. Here are his 3 Picks:

Pick 1: Night of the Crabs by Guy N. Smith - Covid-19 might have taken Guy N. Smith from us, but he left behind a hefty library of pulp horror (and softcore porn!) books to enjoy for generations to come. His giant killer crabs series is flat out fun. The man is a legend and his crab novels and short stories are the kind of glue that holds the genre together, along with a dash of bay seasoning. I can't recommend them enough...dipped in clarified butter.


Picks 2: The Ruins by Scott Smith - I grew up an enormous fan of Day of the Triffids, and I honestly thought I was never going to read or see another killer plant concept that could top it. Until The Ruins came to town. Many people smarter than me say The Ruins is one of the best horror novels of the past 20 years, if not all time. The movie kicks some serious chlorophyll, too. The human mimicking, carnivorous vines are some of the most terrifying monsters I've ever come across. Fuck lizard brain. Plant insanity knows no bounds!


Picks 3: The Bog by Michael Talbot - I just discovered this little gem from the 80s last year. Talbot only wrote a few horror novels before his passing, which is a huge loss for us fans. I've always been fascinated by archaeology (I plant to do it full time when I retire), and bog people rank up there with the top things I'd like to explore firsthand. In The Bog, an archaeologist moves his family to a strange old estate to spend a year pulling up and studying preserved bodies from a nearby bog. That would be enough for me, but there's also a creature out skulking around the bogs that has been terrifying - and eating - people for centuries. I don't know, something about this book got to me, and my heart beat just a little bit faster whenever the prey - I mean people - entered the bogs.

There you have it! 3 monstrous picks of monster books more classic than a Universal Monster. Is that even possible? You've gotta trust Hunter Shea on this one. He ain't the Monster Man for nothing.


You can find out everything there is to know about Hunter Shea and his work at HunterShea.com

3 Picks with Kenneth W. Cain

 

It's time for 3 Picks! The feature where a spotlight author shares their three book recommendations within a given category that they should know a thing or two about.


This week's 3 Picks features author and editor, Kenneth W. Cain. Kenneth is known books such as the dark fiction collection, Embers, best seller A Season in Hell as well as his forthcoming title, From Death Reborn.


Kenneth Cain also does tons of editing work for noted horror publishers Crystal Lake Publishing and Silver Shamrock Publishing among others as well. Kenneth knows a thing or two about story collections and anthologies. So, it is with that in mind that we turn to Kenneth Cain for his 3 Picks for Horror Anthologies worth their weight in gold.

Here's his 3 Picks:




Pick 1: After by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling - This anthology has a wide range of stories, many of which really hit the right tone and feel for what I like in horror, including some fun takes on well-used themes. “After the Cure” by Carrie Ryan was most excellent.


Pick 2: Chiral Mad 2 by Michael Bailey - If you know me, I’m quite fond of charity, and Bailey has worked hard to put out some incredible anthologies for a great cause. This one is chock-full of great stories by some of the best in the business, as are all of his anthologies. “The Great Pity” by Gary Braunbeck blew me away.


Pick 3: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill - I’m a huge Joe Hill fan, and not because of who is father is. This collection contains one of my favorite stories, “Pop Art.” There’s a lot of subtext in that story, and some great lessons in how to write a good story. So many excellent stories.


Honorable mention (and only because I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, despite having read many of the individual stories): The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. I stumbled upon one of Ken’s stories on a podcast I listen to, and it blew me away. So naturally I sought out his work, and I found a literal treasure trove of amazing stories. So, while I wouldn’t classify his work as being full-on horror, it has a quiet dark side to much of it I feel would qualify it as dark fantasy, which is good enough for me. “Paper Menagerie,” which has a paranormal aspect to it, is a favorite that I’ve read over and over.

There you have it, a treasure trove of horror anthologies that pack a lot of punch. Kenneth W. Cain has poured over many horror anthologies so he know's a good one when he reads one. Be sure to check these titles out when you need a fix of horror shorts.

What are your 3 Picks for must read horror anthologies? Let us know in the comments below!

To find out more about writer and editor Kenneth W. Cain visit kennethwcain.com

3 Picks with Frank Edler

 

Welcome to a special St. Patrick's Day edition of 3 Picks. This week's 3 Picks features blog host, me, Frank Edler. I will now refer to myself in third person to keep you abreast of my work. Frank Edler is the author of several books including A Death in Toledo and Catcoin: The Fictional History of a Cryptocurrency. He has also just release his first audiobook for Death Gets a Book.

Many people may not know this because its trivial knowledge to begin with but Mr. Frank is part Irish. Both of my grandparents on my mother's side of the family are off-the-boat Irish. So I grew up with a strong sense of my Irish roots. So since St. Patrick's Day has become a 2nd rate holiday celebrating Irish Heritage and giving the world another great excuse to drink to excess, I present to you my 3 Picks for Irish Inspired Books.

Pick 1: Ghosts & Lightning by Trevor Byrne. Trevor Byrne is a modern Irish writer. Ghosts & Lighting appears to be his only major work of fiction and it's stuck with me over time. Its gritty and real. The story of a young man finally struck off on his own, only to be called back home, to Dublin to deal with the family he was trying to escape. 

Pick 2: Irish Gothic: Tales of Irish Horror by Ronald Kelly. This new release from popular horro author Ronald Kelly is a collection of horror that utilizes classic Irish folklore to tell modern tales of horror. I can't believe a book like this hasn't been written before. Not the way Ronald Kelly writes it.

Picks 3: Leprechaun in the Hood by Cameron Pierce, Adam Cesare & Shane McKenzie. Its a horror comedy musical in book form about a Leprechaun. This is a tough pick because the book is out of print so if you want to check this one out you are going to have to scavenge your local used book store to try to get your hands on it. Maybe you'll get lucky and find it in your grandma's attic.

There you have it. 3 Picks for books to read while you drink a pint of green beer, enjoy a slice of soda bread and listen to Flogging Molly. And remember, if someone is wearing a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" shirt, they are not Irish and you shouldn't kiss them, even if it's your sainted mother. Slainte!

What are your 3 Picks for Irish based horror? Let us know in the comments below.

3 Picks with Todd Keisling

 

It's time for 3 Picks! This week features Stoker Award Nominee, Todd Keisling. Todd's novel, Devil's Creek, is nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards. Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors and The Smile Factory are also among the notable catalog of work Todd Keisling has written. 

Devil's Creek has consistently been well reviewed since it's release. Being nominated for the Stoker Award is an outstanding achievement that speaks to exemplary work Keisling has written. To win the highest honor for a horror novel would be the icing on the cake. But, being on the final ballot for the Stoker Award is an insane achievement in and of itself. Any piece of horror that makes it the the final list has already won something special. Let's not forget those special works that fell just short of winning an award but succeeding in being recognized as superior work and the cream of the crop.

So it is with that in mind, that Todd Keisling gives his 3 Picks for horror books that made it to the final list but fell short of winning the Stoker. Just because they didn't win doesn't mean they aren't winners.


Pick 1: CROSSROADS by Laurel Hightower – Preliminary Ballot for Long Fiction (2020)

I’m going to cheat with this one. It didn’t make it to the final ballot (and official nominee status), but goddammit, it should have. What Hightower accomplishes in this novella is something most of us struggle to do in a full-length novel. The story of a mother grieving the loss of her son is already emotionally charged, but Hightower ups the ante with every page, telling a tale of how far a parent is willing to go to see their child again. The emotional fallout is devastating. The best stories often are.


Pick 2: KILL CREEK by Scott Thomas – Nominated for First Novel (2017)

One of the better “haunted house” tales I’ve read. It’s a new take on an old trope: a small group of horror writers gather on Halloween at the Finch House, a place with a bloody past, for a publicity stunt. Strange shit ensues, and quickly escalates to violence. I went into the book expecting another rehash of Amityville or Hill House, but this one surprised me, and I had a blast reading it. This would’ve been my pick for Best First Novel that year.


Pick 3: OCCULTATION by Laird Barron – Nominated for Fiction Collection (2010)

One of the de facto collections of modern cosmic horror (although to be fair, all of Laird’s collections deserve that moniker). Nine stories, including the fantastic novella, “Mysterium Tremendum.” I’ve said this for years and will continue to do so: I want to write like Laird Barron when I grow up. If you want an education about the state of cosmic horror, start here. Definitely would’ve been my pick for Best Collection.

There you have it. 3 Picks for horror books that could have, maybe even should have, won the Bram Stoker Award. But, not everyone can win and not winning doesn't make these gems and so many others winners in their own right. If you haven't read any of these titles you, be sure to check them out knowing you will be reading stand out works of horror fiction.

And, whether Devil's Creek wins or doesn't at this year's Bram Stoker Awards ceremonies, know for certain that Todd Keisling has already won. Best of luck to Todd and all the rest of the nominees for this year's Bram Stoker Awards!

You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about Todd Keisling at https://www.toddkeisling.com/

What are your 3 Picks for horror books that fell short of winning the Bram Stoker Award? Let us know in the comments below.

3 Picks with John Boden

 

Its time for 3 Picks! This week featuring author John Boden. John Boden is known for his folksy roadhouse dark fiction tales like Spungunion and Walk the Darkness Down. In addition to writing some bad-assed books, John is a vertible encyclopedia of music trivia (particularly 80's era hard rock music.) From Roy Clark to Gilby Clark and Johnny Cash to John 5, you can't stump Boden when it comes to his knowledge of music and the musicians. 

So it's with that in mind that this weeks 3 Picks will focus on Joh Boden's choices for books centered around rock music. Not looking for rocker bio's or tell all testimonials. These are the books that are driven by the very music that shakes our souls. John even took the liberty of 'pairing' each pick with an appropriate album to listen to while you read each pick. 

Here are John Boden's 3 Picks for Rock Centric Reads:

Pick 1. THE SCREAM by John Skipp & Craig Spector. Along with Bradbury and King, these two left their greasy fingerprints all over teenage Johnny's want to write...it's still surreal that I know and call them friends now. But this fucking book. It's a Clive Barker-by-way-of SPARKS but way heavier and in strobe light masterpiece. It's Rock-N-Roll and it never forgets...or forgives.

Album to pair with: RIGGS- s/t



Pick 2. CORPSEPAINT by David Peak. This novel is bleak and brutal, an icy riff map from Chicago to the Ukraine, peopled with not-that-disparate characters, good and bad, but I'll be honest and tell you the good are just slightly less bad than the bad. A phenomenal novel.

Album to pair with: Celtic Frost- "To Mega Therion" (DISCLAIMER- I don't listen to Black Metal so my scope of reference here is quite limited, so I did what I could)



Pick 3. SKIN by Kathe Koja. I might be cheating here...this one doesn't exactly feature rock music as a main character but it's there. Goth-punk pioneers strive to create the ultimate in their art: a masterpiece of flesh and metal. This book is William Burroughs insane with Tetsuo The Iron Man caliber visuals...and while I love all of Koja's work this one will always be the cold steel spring in my heart.

Album to pair with: GOD IS LSD- "Spirit Of Suicide"




Those are John Boden's three rockin' picks for books that are driven on sex, drugs and rock n' roll! Have you read any or all of these titles? If you're missing any, better get on top of that. What are your 3 Picks for rock-centric books? Let us know in the comments.

You can find out more about John Boden at his website.

Mr. Frank's Avalanche of Audio

 I've got three announcements of an aural nature. Excited? I knew you would be. 

(Hey! Let a guy dream.)

First and foremost, DEATH GETS A BOOK is now an audiobook available on Audible. I decided it was time to get some of my work out there in audiobook format. I didn't expect the task of finding the right narrator for the job as daunting as it turned out to be. The process made me realize how much I value my work and when placing into the hands of someone else to care for, I wanted to be sure I had the exact right voice for the job. 

Well, I failed at that. What happened was I connected with a voice talent that exceeded my expectations. Ron Gabaldon, the narrator for DEATH GETS A BOOK audiobook, owned the story. He didn't just read the story, he owned the story. I don't hear him narrating the book so much as performing the story. DEATH GETS A BOOK is a vocal performance, entertaining from the first word to the last.

If you are an active audiobook listener, you need to check DEATH GETS A BOOK out. I'm confidant you'll be whisked away to the land of Grim Reapers I've created and Ron Gabaldon has brought to life. 

*(A special offer to those who read this blog: The first 5 interested parties to email me (frankjedler at gmail) will receive a free download code (US and UK) for DEATH GETS A BOOK at Audible.com)

The other two audio presentations I have for you are recent podcast appearances.

First, I found this great new horror focused podcast called The Horror Frequency whose host, Anthony, is a young, curious talent who produces a fun sounding show. You can check out my appearance on The Horror Frequency on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public and more. We talk about A DEATH IN TOLEDO, creepy places in New Jersey, unlikely books two horror guys are into and great kaiju movies.

And last, but not least, I made my triumphant return to Arm Cast, Dead Sexy Podcast. I have a fun conversation with Armand Rosamilia about why it was time to write a new Death book, adventures in marketing, what I'm doing to sell books in the pandemic era and I even coax a "Nice" out of Armand which is essential to claiming a great appearance on the show. 

There it is. More audio pleasures than you can shake a stick at. And, I don't know about you, but I can shake a stick at quite a bit of audio pleasure. Happy listening!

A

3 Picks with Kenzie Jennings

Its time once again for 3 Picks! This week, 3 Picks features author Kenzie Jennings. Kenzie is the author of the stomach-churning novel, RECEPTION and the Splatterpunk Award nominated, RED STATION, both available from Death's Head Press.

Kenzie enjoys playing in the gore. Maybe enjoying it a little too much. Where there's blood dripping, Kenzie is sure to be found. Who better to get 3 Picks for the goriest reads she can come up with?  If there's one person who can point you in the splatteriest of directions, its Kenzie Jennings. So let's check out her 3 Picks for Goriest Reads:

Pick 1. Full Brutal by Kristopher Triana. I like to think of Full Brutal as the "better" version of American Psycho in that Triana doesn't overwrite a damned thing. In a nutshell, the protagonist, Kim White, is a suicidal, wholly apathetic cheerleader who entertains herself by psychologically manipulating and tormenting various people in her life. She later discovers that it's a real turn on when she hurts her victims. Really hurts her victims. I don't know what's more disturbing, Kim and everything she gets away with, or the fact I kept turning the page, wanting to see what was next on her list of nasty deeds and...well, just how big she'd go. I wasn't disappointed. 

Pick 2. DOA III ed. Marc Ciccarone I’ll readily admit to not having caught up in this particular series of anthologies from Blood Bound Books, but then again, I’ve only recently joined the extreme horror community, so obviously, I’ve some catching up to do. Anyway, DOA III has a bit of everything for those readers who aren’t satisfied with the little dab of blood here and there in Stephen King’s work. From painfully nasty fetishes to demented acts of vengeance, this anthology won’t let the gore hounds down whatsoever. It not only contains work from masters of horror such as Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, John Skipp, and Bentley Little, DOA III will also introduce you to potential new favorites like Betty Rocksteady (her story, “These Beautiful Bones,” is probably my favorite out of them all), Shaun McKenzie, Kristopher Rufty, and Ryan Harding. Enjoy…but don’t eat anything while you’re reading. Trust me. 

Pick 3. Books of Blood (omnibus) by Clive Barker. Barker’s grotesque imagery alone is the stuff of surreal nightmares, and while I certainly could’ve gone with nearly any of his horror books, I think the entire collection of his short stories in Books of Blood would satisfy the most depraved of us quite well. My particular favorites include “Jacqueline Ess: Her Wiill and Testament,” “How Spoilers Bleed,” and “In the Hills, the Cities,” all of which contain some truly horrific body horror. A must for gorehounds and horrorphiles and everyone in-between. 

Honorable mentions for the total sicko in you: 

Suffer the Flesh by Monica J. O'Rourke. O'Rourke's novel cleverly takes a topical issue - in this case, weight loss mania and diet culture - and turns it into a batshit ordeal for her protagonist, Zoey Masterson, who finds herself roped into a weight loss "experience" the likes of which would have the Marquis de Sade running for the hills. Suffer the Flesh is unadulterated torture porn. There's no doubt about it. There are things in it you will never be able to "unsee." O'Rourke amps up the dramatic (and gory) tension halfway through the ride when she tosses in a twisty turn, and the novel instantly shifts into full-on survival horror.

 Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison. I just finished reading Morrison’s novella last night, and I think you’ll need to be in a certain, awful state of mind to get through it. It’s an… anti-love…love story about two hospital employees, a sociopathic security guard and an opiate-dependent obstetrician, who bond over their respective, twisted fetishes. Think of the sickest, most depraved things one can do in a hospital…dial it to eleven…and you’ll have Morrison’s premise in a nutshell. There’s absolutely nothing to redeem either of them, but you’re not there to witness these two monsters find redemption in their soulless lives. You’re there because you can’t believe what’s happening IS happening. It’s perfectly morbid in every way. 

See, Kenzie Jennings is so about the gore that she couldn't limit herself to 3 Picks. We'll let it slide. I don't wanna suffer the consequences of suggesting she broke the rules. After all, she also wrote gory stories worthy of being part of anyone's 3 Picks for Gory Reads. 

Follow Kenzie Jennings at kenziejennings.com  or Twitter: @kenzieblyjay and Instagram: kenziejennings2

Catcoin to the Moon: A Celebration of Bitcoin Reaching $50k

 

Catcoin Free Until 2/21/21

Bitcoin has reached the $50,000 mark and to celebrate, my cryptocurrency tech-adventure, CATCOIN will be free on Kindle eBook until Saturday 2/21/2021.

I've been somewhat of a cryptocurrency buff for several years now. So much so that I wrote Catcoin: The Fictional History of a Cryptocurrency. Catcoin is my homage to the story of Bitcoin... but with cats. I wrote Catcoin in an effort to help those less initiated but curious about cryptocurrencies and how they work. 

The result is the story of the first Catcoin, a cat named One, taken in from the streets by Catoshi Nakomoto, who invented Catcoin. Soon enough, Catoshi spends One to buy a pizza and One sets off on a globe-trotting journey as he's spent as currency in exchange for goods and services. 

If you haven't guessed, Catcoin is anything but serious. It's meant to be fun and funny. The story is as wild and wacky as a trip through a funhouse. You'll laugh as you learn about the history of Bitcoin through the eyes of a drunken cat. Yeah, there's a wrinkle with holding One as money. He needs wine, and lots of it.

See? Fun! So pour yourself a glass of wine and curl up with your free Kindle copy of CATCOIN. And invest you're savings on a few Catoshis of Catcoin today.

Catcoin: The Fictional History of a Cryptocurrency is free on Kindle eBook from 2/17 through 2/21. Grab your copy today!

3 Picks with Somer Canon

 

Its time for 3 Picks! This week with author and podcaster Somer Canon. Somer is the author of uniquely twisted books like Vicki Beautiful and The Hag Witch of Tripp Creek. Her most recent release from Silver Shamrock Press, Slaves to Gravity, co-written with Wesley Southard has been getting a lot of great buzz.

In addition to writing, Somer also enjoys podcasting. She is part of the round-table writing discussion podcast, The Ghost Writers Podcast (also featuring Mary SanGiovani, Matt Wildasen and Dave Thomas.) And Somer also hosts her own podcast called A Case for Classics in which she spotlights classic literature and tries to convince the listeners that the books aren't boring drivel to waste time in lit class but bona fide, accessible stories worth reading.

It is with that in mind that Somer shares her 3 Picks for must read Classic Fiction. They are all worth checking out. Somer should know, here's her case for the classics.

My picks for must-read Classics:  Since "classics" can be a very broad term including works published in the last decade, I'm going to make my list consist of "antique" classics, a.k.a. old books written by people who are now dead!

Pick 1: Dante's Inferno.  The Inferno is part one of a three part piece called The Divine Comedy and while I certainly wouldn't chase someone away from reading the entire work, The Inferno is my personal favorite part.  This story contains absolutely breathtaking imagery of Hell as well as a healthy dose of fourteenth century Italian pettiness.  Also be on the lookout for one of classical literature's best fart jokes.

Pick 2.   Beowulf--particularly the Seamus Heaney translation.  This is an important work in  Western Literature but it is important to know that it is a foundational work in modern Fantasy.  J.R.R. Tolkien was OBSESSED with Beowulf.  It has all the hallmarks of a great Adventure/Fantasy book including monsters and excessive bragging.  If you don't personally think Beowulf is great, don't worry.  His high opinion of himself surpasses any criticism from us low-lives.  

Pick 3. The Odyssey.  I had a Latin teacher in college who said that if she were stranded on a deserted island, as long as she had a copy of The Odyssey and a fresh water source, she'd be perfectly happy.  I might need a McDonald's on top of that, but I sort of agree.  This is a book that blesses its audience with new details and surprises on subsequent reads.  It has a relatable, but flawed hero as the main character and I've always loved the underlying plot of the Greek gods being passive aggressive with each other by both helping and sabotaging Odysseus on his journey home.  

Great picks from Somer Canon! I'm sure many of us were subjected to several, if not all, of these titles in our school years. They are all classics for a reason and that reason is they are great stories that appeal to humans of any age and any time. Check them out if you haven't already.

What 3 picks do you have for The Classics? Let us know in the comments!

You can check out all things Somer Canon by visiting https://www.somercanon.com/

3 Picks with Jay Wilburn

This week's 3 Picks features multi-talented, multi-kidneyed author, Jay Wilburn. Jay is the author of books for all ages including the Lake Scatter Wood Tales books for middle grades and younger readers, the middle grades book series Time Travel Academy, the Maidens of Zombie Kingdom trilogy for young adult readers, and many novels for adult readers including the Vampire Christ books. Jay Wilburn can be found @AmongTheZombies on Twitter, his YouTube channel is Captain Three Kidneys, and he livestreams his writing at Twitch.tv/JayWilburn on Twitch.

Jay is also the host of Matters of Faith podcast, part of the Project Entertainment Network. For four years, Jay has explored faith in relation to himself and faith as others experience it. It is a deep, non-denominational podcast and Jay expertly breaks down aspect of faith in an almost therapeutic manner. With that in mind, Jay has come to share his 3 Picks for faith based books.

These books that deal with topics of faith and Christianity are in order of descending reverence.


Pick 1. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
This is every Christian fiction reader's favorite book and author. It shows angels in spiritual warfare around the lives of struggling Christians. It follows a strict Christian worldview. Unlike most Christian fiction, it finds a way to make the story work and actually be good.


Pick 2. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Jesus's childhood friend is resurrected in modern times to write a version of the Gospel while held in a hotel room by an angel. It deconstructs the early life of Jesus and the message of the Gospels according to those other four guys. It is funny, but does not stick with the Biblical narrative accepted by the Church ... any church. Many Christians will not like it.


Pick 3. Saint Sadist by Lucas Mangum
This novel is irreverent and extreme. A girl runs from an abusive father and ends up with a religious cult. The novel explores religion, sanity, and reality. Only pick this up if you can endure the graphic and the extreme, but then definitely pick it up. Many, many Christians will not like it. Even the ones that were cool youth ministers in the 90s and said things like, "I think Marilyn Manson has an important place in the discussion through his social commentary," even they aren't this cool. Choose your reading with care because ideas can be dangerous to your worldview and your comfort.


Those are 3 awesome picks! Those books take on faith from several different angles. All great books to check out for anyone of any faith... or no faith at all!


If you want to believe in Jay Wilburn you can check out everything he's got going on at: JayWilburn.com

3 Picks with Chuck Buda

 

This week's 3 Picks are presented by author Chuck Buda. Chuck is known for his extreme dark horror series The Debt Collector and Gushers. But Chuck Buda is probably better known for his dark horror westerns, The Haunted Gunslinger series.

Chuck Buda's Haunted Gunslinger books have put a good deal of attention on him lately with a resurgence of interest in the genre, particularly with crossover style westerns. Since this is a genre on the rise once again, many people might not know where to start, even if they have an interest in exploring the books that are out there.

With that in mind, Chuck Buda is here to share 3 reasons he loves Westerns and 3 Picks for entry reading into the Western genre. 

What genre packs action, adventure, romance, suspense, thrills, humor and just about everything else into it? That is right. Westerns!

I love reading western yarns for 3 major reasons:

1) See the opening statement above.

2) Most western tales are told through series which I find most entertaining (or serials as we old-timers like to characterize them – just like the serials we watched on television as we grew up)

3) Nostalgia for simpler times when life was real and not doctored by technology or social media.

While the choices are vast, a few of my recent favorite authors and books are listed below. I highly recommend starting here if you wish to dip your boots into the dusty trails of westerns!



Pick 1: Lane R. Warenski – Grizzly Killer: The Making of a Mountain Man

Grizzly Killer is an epic saga of one man’s journey against bad guys and the hostility of nature. Strong characterization and expansive settings are the hallmark of this tale. Not necessarily a shoot ‘em up style of western but it frames up the importance of survival during the same period. Unforgettable!


Pick 2: Peter Brandvold - .45 Caliber Series

.45 Caliber reads like a hot bullet screaming toward its victim. Blood. Grit. Action. Just the right amount of good versus bad with lots of twists and gobs of shooting. Every facet of the West going wild within these pages. Read with your inhaler. Great fun!


Pick 3: Ron Schwab – Deal with the Devil (The Law Wranglers Series)

Deal with the Devil is like Law & Order set in the Old West. Lawmen and lawyers duking it out on the frontier, shaping the boundaries of the wild expanses. And still, there is time for love and sex and plenty of drama between characters. The pages turn quickly as you hurry to find out who does what to whom. Suspenseful!

Of course, you cannot go wrong with the classics by Louis L’Amour or Zane Grey, either.


If you are looking for some new ideas for escapism, pick up a Western and tell the author Uncle Cholly sent you! You will not be disappointed.

You can find out more about Chuck Buda at his website: authorchuckbuda.com

3 Picks with Tim Meyer

 

This week, 3 Picks features the horror author Tim Meyer. Tim is known for his gripping horror books like The Switch House and Limbs. He recently release Wormwood with fellow author Chad Lutzke and new release from Grindhouse Press (releases Feb. 5th, 2021) Paradise Club.

I'm Frank J. Edler, author of various horror comedies and voracious reader. Who didn't grow up in the 90s and not read R.L. Stein's Goosebumps series of YA Horror. There's a good chance Tim Meyer may have grew up to become a world-class romance writer had it not been for classic Goosebumps books. No doubt, Tim is still influenced by those books so I asked Tim what his 3 Picks are for adult horror with Goosebumps appeal.

Here's his 3 Picks:

Pick 1: Dream Woods by Patrick Lacey - I think I called this "a Goosebumps book on blue meth" (or something like that) when it first came out. It's about a sinister amusement park. That's all I'll say except go read it. Paired with: One Day at HorrorLand or Horror at Camp Jellyjam

Pick 2: The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper - Read this a few months ago and was blown away. It has a much grittier feel than anything R.L. Stine ever wrote, but wow...what a story. More adjacent to vintage Barker, but this one will definitely satisfy fans of those creature-feature Goosebumps tales. Also for fans of taloned monsters. Paired with: The Beast from the East and Calling All Creeps! 

Pick 3: The Handyman by Bentley Little - I feel Bentley Little's entire bibliography is a natural progression for any old-school Goosebumps fan, but this is one of those stories that took me by surprise. For fans of the more Twilight Zone-type Goosebumps titles. Paired with: Let's Get Invisible! and Piano Lessons Can Be Murder

Those are some great Picks Tim! Lots of people are talking about the Lacey and Piper books and Bentley Little is, well, Bentley Little. I haven't read any of these titles and I will be adding them to my enormous TBR pile.

You can find out more about Tim Meyer at: https://timmeyerwrites.com    

What are your picks for adult Goosebumps style horror books? How about your favorite classic Goosebumps title? Let us know in the comments!

3 Picks with Armand Rosamilia

This week, 3 Picks features the author of many horror, contemporary and crime thrillers, Armand Rosamilia. Armand is a Jersey Boy now living in Jacksonville, Florida. He's best known for his Dying Days zombie series, Belford Stories contemporary fiction series and Dirty Deeds crime thriller and mystery series.

I'm Frank J. Edler, author of various horror comedies and voracious reader. I'm a big fan of Florida crime fiction writer, Tim Dorsey. Tim Dorsey is best known for his Serge Storm series of crime caper books. The series numbers more than twenty books and counting. There are many great books in the series and all of them are laugh-out-loud funny. You don't even need to read the series in order to enjoy the books. '

I can't get enough of them. And that's why I'm asking Armand for his 3 Picks for books as good as Tim Dorsey's Serge Storm books.

Here's his picks.

Pick 1: Michael Wiley's Daniel Turner Mysteries trilogy, set in Jacksonville FL. Very gritty and noir. Great storyteller, and Michael is also a great guy.


Pick 2: Dawn Lee McKenna's Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series. Currently 10 books. Also a Florida series, and her characters are amazing. I could read 200 pages of them interacting and be happy. An actual plotline is a bonus.


Pick 3: Wayne Stinnett's Caribbean Adventure Series. Currently 20 books and... starts off in Florida. You sense a theme? Another author who creates amazing characters I can never get enough of.

Thanks Armand. They all sound like great reads! Not just great crime picks, great Florida crime picks! Bonus! You can find out more about Armand Rosamilia's crime fiction and more at ArmandRosamilia.com 

What are your 3 Picks for Florida Crime Thrillers? Let me know in the comments.

Death Goes To Bat

 A Death in Toledo is my latest release and a return to the world of Grim Reapers introduced in Death Gets a Book. 

A Death in Toledo is the story of a Grim Reaper, tasked to return the soul of Lawrence Nurdle. Lawrence is a dork who fancies himself a goth edge lord who, tries to win the favor of his ex-girlfriend, only to get himself killed by a coven of vampires. 

Its a simple enough task for Death until the leader of the vampire coven, Drokk, transforms Lawrence with the blood ritual. Lawrence is no longer dead, he's undead and that creates a problematic loophole for Death. Death can only escort dead souls to the River Styx and on to the Hereafter. 

Now, Death must convince Lawrence to kill himself so he can be brought to the end of his mortal journey. Drokk is not willing to give up Lawrence so easily, he's got plans for him as well. And it just may have to be settled over a game of the great American pastime, a baseball game.

Supernatural beings square off again competing for another lost soul in the all-new Death book, A Death in Toledo. 

This book is a stand alone set in the world of Grim Reapers I've created. You can enjoy reading it without having read Death Gets a Book. Or, if you've already enjoyed Death Gets a Book this a fun new story featuring a different cast of Grim Reapers set in the same world.

A Death in Toledo is available now in Paperback and Kindle eBook and is available to subscribers of Kindle Unlimited. It is just 99 cents for the Kindle version until Jan. 24th, 2021.