LILY CHILDS' FEBRUARY FEMMES FATALES - AN ANTHOLOGY

I am both pleased and thrilled to bring you some very exciting news.  Magenta Shaman author Lily Childs, the brainchild and driving force behind Lily Childs' Feardom and co-editor of Thrillers, Killers 'n Chillers has compiled some of the best dark fiction from the ladies of her February Femmes Fatales and released what is sure to be the 'talk' of 2014 when it comes to horror and urban fantasy -

- an anthology in e-book and trade paperback.

Do you like your horror so dark, dripping and visceral that you almost dread to turn the next page, and your telltale heart beats ever faster as your eyes devour the words in front of you?  I'll bet no pansy-assed crime is going to do it for you, right?  It's got to be so treacherous, gritty and suspenseful that you bite your nails to the quick, leaving little red smears on the pages.  Noir, you say?  Noir so steamy and sultry, a cold shower's the only thing to cool you down and save a 'not-in-the-mood' spouse/partner from a 'ravishing'?  Or, is it ravaging?

You're in luck!  My dear friend and mentor, as well as the 'grande dame' of horror and urban fantasy, Lily Childs, has released a new anthology, featuring dark fiction and poetry by twenty-plus of the premier female writers of the genre today.

Dark dames?  Here's twenty-three to thrill and chill you...

Where can I buy this nightmare-inducing, burn-candles-long-into-the-night book, you ask?

Psssst!  *whispers*  Come 'ere... *steps in to alley*

You look a decent sort... I suppose I can tell you.... as long as you spread it around, right then?

Lily's February Femmes Fatales is on all Amazon platforms.  Here are the main ones are:

Kindle version:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/February-Femmes-Fatales-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B00I8AHW2I
http://www.amazon.com/February-Femmes-Fatales-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B00I8AHW2I

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/February-Femmes-Fatales-Lily-Childs/dp/1494731878/
http://www.amazon.com/February-Femmes-Fatales-Lily-Childs/dp/1494731878/

Now... you'll keep your word, right?  Tell all your friends.  And... it wouldn't go unnoticed if you wanted to leave a few words on Amazon about the book.  Doesn't have to be a huge review, but it goes without saying... "I liked it."  isn't likely to get you a plate of cookies.

Just sayin....

What's that you say?  Do I have a story?  I am both thrilled and honoured to have been asked to contribute a story for Lily's anthology.  Thank you for asking.  Would you like a little peek at Soul Taker?  *opens trenchcoat*

I've already burnt through several candles - for some reason, I can't read this stuff in the light of day; it's got to be in that dark, silvery time between the witching hour and the pre-dawn - and more than once awoken my inamorata, having given myself a fright over reading these femmes fatales dark offerings.

Well, I'm off to the apothecary for some herbed candles... it's going to be a long night.

~*~

Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

16 February 2014

NEAR TO THE KNUCKLE PRESENTS: GLOVES OFF – AN ANTHOLOGY

Click on image to go to Amazon.com

When Darren Sant asked me to write a story for a new anthology he and Craig Douglas were putting together for their website, Near To The Knuckle (which was spawned from the eclectic Close To The Bone blog), I was absolutely thrilled!

"Wait a minute, Veronica... 'when Darren asked you...?"

Well, okay, so maybe he didn't exactly ask... I sort of snuck in when he was letting the cat out and after much pleading and a promise to bake cookies, he and Craig said they'd have a look at my story.

Now, I have been working on this 'noir' thing for a couple of years, trying to find a voice... a grit and darkness worthy of noir. I've had a few polite rejections... "it's a nice story, Veronica, but just a bit off from what we are looking for." ... I thought I just might have found that voice with The Way of Things.

 Darren thought so too... he accepted my submission and made a few editorial suggestions and next thing you know...

I'm rubbing elbows with some of the best talent in the genre today. I mean, look at these names....

Gareth Spark, Richard Godwin, Paul D. Brazill, Aidan Thorn, Pete Sortwell, B.R. Stateham, Brian Panowich, Ryan Sayles,Chris Leek, David Barber, Vic Errington, Graham Smith, Walter Conley, Tom Pitts, Allen Miles, Jim Spry,Mike Monson and Alan Griffiths.

We are talking MAJOR talent here, people!

I am totally chuffed to once again be appearing with two of my friends and mentors, Richard Godwin and Paul D Brazill... totally chuffed!

Thank you, Craig Douglas and Darren Sant, for your tireless efforts and all the hard work in putting this collection together.

And a special thank you to Steven Miscandlon over at Steven Miscandlon Book Design for the amazing cover art for Gloves Off.

Run, do not walk, over to Amazon and get your copy of Gloves Off today... you won't be disappointed! 

Click here for US Amazon.

Click here for UK Amazon

Thank you.


Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
28 March 2013
An undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest

100 HORRORS ANTHOLOGY - Tales of Horror in the Blink of an Eye - ON SALE FEBRUARY 20TH, 2012

100 Horrors Anthology is coming out on February 20th.  The anthology will be available for Kindle on Amazon and the trade paperback will go on sale at http://cruentuslibri.wordpress.com/.

Yes... I have a little slice of horror in this anthology... but I would be 'plugging' it anyway... there is a ton of amazing talent here. Some of you (me included) will be sleeping with your night light on! 

Bwaahaahaa!!

The Lost Children Charity Anthology - On Sale Now At Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble

I join my colleagues in a very heartfelt thank you to Thomas Pluck, Fiona Johnson and Ron Earl Phillips for their tireless efforts in seeing The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology to its fruition.

Two special thank you's - To artist and photographer extraordinaire Danielle Tunstall for her generous permission to use one of her photographs on the cover of the e-book as well as The Lost Children Anthology websites, and to Sarah Bennett Pluck for her incredible work producing the cover for this anthology.

"Some children are lost before they have even started living. Some children are a throw-away commodity like a burger box that’s left to blow down the street in the wind and rain." - Fiona Johnson

This is how it started.

A prompt on Flash Fiction Friday - A Community Writing Project.  Guest moderator, author Fiona Johnson, asked us to write a story about lost children.  Our inspiration was the heart-wrenching photograph by Danielle Tunstall shown below.

Thomas Pluck offered to donate $5 for each story submitted to PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.  Fiona in turn pledged to donate $5 to Children 1st, a children’s charity in Scotland.  Together , $600 was raised for the two charities, thanks to the generous and creative writing communities of Flash Fiction Friday, Fictionaut; as well as the crime fiction community on Twitter.

43 entries were submitted.  The flash fiction challenge was such a success that Thomas, Fiona and Ron decided to take it further... they would publish an anthology, with 100% of the proceeds going to the two charities PROTECT and Children 1st.

Ron, Fiona and Thomas chose 30 of the best stories to put in a charity anthology, all proceeds of which would go to PROTECT and Children 1st.

50% of the proceeds will go to Children 1st, which is a children’s charity based in Scotland – see http://networkedblogs.com/p0GhX for more information about the charity and how you can help.

The other 50% of the proceeds will go to PROTECT:  The National Association to Protect Children.  PROTECT is based in the United States - see http://networkedblogs.com/p13Gv for more about them and how you can help.

And finally, please see http://networkedblogs.com/p8p99 for a little background on my story, ‘LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’.  I am humbled and and honoured to have my story selected and to be part of this amazing project.  By buying the anthology, you too can help a very worthwhile cause.

Lost Children: A Charity Anthology is now available for purchase on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.  Please help us support these charities and help a child.  Thank you.