Tag Archives: amazon

October 15, 2024 · 10:18 am

The Cult of the Spider People pre-order )O(

Greetings darklings,

I am so happy! My debut horror novel is out for preorder. I am so happy and grateful to have made it to publication. There are many perks to this as well. One, I have an Amazon author page now. Two, it means I have arrived. I am so happy. I will include the link here to the page on Amazon where my novel is listed. The book is released on October 25th. It feels so good to have achieved publication. My novel is also the first in the Bone Chillers series. I am so proud of that. I hope my novel gets good reviews. 

The editor for Unveiling Nightmares and the imprint Bone Chillers had to step back from editing to take care of matters in North Carolina. Now Nora Peevy and I are reading submissions for the publisher. It’s been cool so far. I can’t wait to sign books for eager readers. I want to do a book signing at a local bookstore. I know I can’t have a big tour like  some authors but I am still over the moon happy. 

Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Cult-Spider-People-Bone-Chillers-ebook/dp/B0DJYJWKXQ?ref_=ast_author_mpb

I hope that you will consider buying a copy or leaving a review, my dear readers. I believe that I will now write the sequel to Cult of the Spider People. The publication of my novel now leads to new and better opportunities. I can try for a Bram Stoker award. I doubt I would win but it doesn’t hurt to try. There are other awards and honours I can apply for.  I can get used to this. 

I strolled down the nature trail yesterday on my way to my Mom’s for a thanksgiving meal. The nature trail was lovely. The trees were resplendent in many autumn colours. It was misty and overcast. It was perfect. I took a lot of pictures of the fiery coloured trees. 

My Arwen dress is slowly coming along. I figured out to work the sewing machine a friend of mine gave me. I have to buy more interfacing and finish the collar and then sew the sleeves next. Then I set in the sleeves and hem the dress and add the trim! I donated a Witch dress I had but I kept the bodice details and the ribbon. I want to make the bodice that goes with the dress and I might use the bodice trim for it. I am not lining the dress. I have the Tauriel grey dress from Holy Clothing. I am wearing that with it. Now I don’t need to line the dress. I want to complete sewing the dress by October 31st. I sewed the dress using knits and chiffon. I am never sewing a dress in satin or velvet because they are difficult fabrics to work with. Using the knit material means I can wear it more often. I will post photos of the dress once completed. I’m buying a dress form too. That will be a huge help!

The dress will be lovely. I took care to cut and sew carefully. The more care I take with it, the more beautiful it will turn out. I just can’t wait to have a dress form. That will make a huge difference. 

I will post more here about my novel and its success! I have to prepare for Samhain too. Till next time, my dear readers

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 11, 2024 · 11:49 pm

The Cult of the Spider People path to publication )O(

Greetings darklings!!

I am so excited! My novel The Cult of the Spider People is all set for release to the big wide Amazon jungle! This is more than I ever dreamed of. I was on the bus when I received the acceptance email from the publisher in May. I was on the bus tonight when I saw my book covers six months later. Today’s post is about my reflection on my path to publication. 

A lot has changed since then. I have changed since then. My book has changed so much since then. Everything has changed. For the first time in my life, everything that I wished for came true and fell into place.  I am so happy I followed my intuition and decided to submit to Unveiling Nightmares, a publishing company that I never heard of before.  I took the risk which clearly paid off as we can see here. 

I have often asked myself what made me create such a terrifying story. I have reflected on it many times. The only thing I can assume is that it has much to do with my narcissistic ex-boyfriend, a vampire and Satanist. He really broke my heart and I never planned on the witch coven I was a part of to betray and ban me from the coven. I was so hurt and I like to think it is what led me to write The Cult of the Spider People. I am convinced he is the villain Roth, leader and master of the race of the Arachnas in my novel. I am sure I am not the first author to pen a novel based on total heartbreak or passion. Wuthering Heights comes to mind. Great book. Jane Eyre does too. 

Wuthering Heights is still considered a classic to this day. My novel has themes of body horror and monsters but it has themes of love, hope and good overcoming evil, sort of. Looking back, I can’t believe that I penned a love story considering the heartbreak I endured. If I hadn’t endured all that, I may not have written this book. I don’t have too many regrets. 

Heartbreak aside, I have now arrived at this stage: waiting for my book to be released on Amazon and worldwide in bookstores. I can hardly believe it. It is a dream come true and it has been a dream of mine for a long time. I have to now look to the future because I have to help with promotion and marketing. I want my book to win awards too. That would totally rock. 

I printed a copy of my beautiful and sinister book cover art and I laminated it. It looks beautiful. I even printed out the pdf ARC copy of my book and bound it. I just want it to be special which of course it is. Seeing the book on Amazon is going to blow my mind. I have to wait for approval. 

My editor who I won’t name here endured a major disaster: a hurricane and flooding in North Carolina. I felt very upset for him and his family and all the people who live there and are still suffering and just trying to survive. The water is now toxic from the flooding and the hurricane. His boots even melted from the toxic compounds in the water. I feel a mix of joy that my book is published and guilt for knowing what he is enduring. The publisher took the reins, so to speak. That means that she has a lot of work to do. He even worried about my book being out by the release date. I really don’t want him to worry. 

It is unfortunate that some sadness was involved in the creation of my book. The editor is safe and well and so is his family. That is a huge relief. Knowing he is safe helps me to focus more now on the marketing and promotion which is the next step. 

I couldn’t have written this novel without the awesome and amazing support of my friends and people who are in the publishing industry: their wisdom and patience and always being there for me as I navigated my way around getting my book published. They are the ones who really should get all the credit for my novel. My acknowledgements page credits them all. I credit Stephanie Ellis, the editor of Bone Chillers, Fred Rayworth, the Horror Writers Association, and many other people. 

Now having a novel published changes the whole game. This opens a door for me which I was accustomed to being slammed in my face. I worked hard for it and earned it. I have much to do. One thing I know for certain is that I am ready for it. I am ready for change. For the longest time, I felt like I was not shedding an old snake skin but I felt trapped in it. I can throw that husk away, take a deep breath and now feel like I no longer have to secretly envy other published authors now that I am one of them. It must be why I keep crying. This truly is a game changer for me. But I say bring it on!

Dawn Wilson interviewed me for my book. I’m excited to see that when it goes live. Nora Peavy did receive her gift of the beautiful bewitching Witch House and is totally happy with it. I hope it is the first of many interviews, reviews and new opportunities to come my way. 

Tomorrow I am sewing my Arwen dress. I can’t wait to get started on that. I plan to leave the house very early to start sewing at my Mom’s. Sewing will maybe prevent me from checking to see if my novel is uploaded to Amazon every 5 seconds of the day. I need something to focus on and that is perfect. I must be distracted or I will drive everyone around me and myself to distraction. 

I had to improve the quality of my writing and the way I write. I took the time to improve my writing and yet it worked out. I am glad I did. I can’t afford to self-publish which means one thing: improve my writing. That is why I am so grateful for all the wonderful assistance I received. That includes my cat! 

Here is the book blurb:

‘Seventeen- year old Piper and her boyfriend Cory are held captive by horrifying spider cryptids in the savage dimension, Arachnall. The Spider King  tries to seduce her into ruling with him as his queen and makes Cory a soulless slave. Piper must make an impossible choice: help the beleaguered Spider Queen dethrone the Spider King and escape or turn into one of the bloodthirsty monsters.’ 

The Cult of the Spider People is listed as 2.99 for the Kindle and 6.99 for the paperback version. I think that’s reasonable. Oh I can’t wait to see my book on Amazon. This has all been such a dream come true. I am so happy. Clearly being neurodivergent didn’t prevent me from publishing a novel. Nothing will. 

This is only the beginning! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

#horror #halloween #horrormovies #art #horrorfan #scary #creepy #horrormovie #horrorart #movie #spooky #film #horrorcommunity #horrorfilm #movies #horroraddict #terror #dark #s #goth #thriller #gore #cosplay #horrorcollector #cinema

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June 24, 2024 · 2:50 pm

Litha

Merry meet all,

Litha is here! I love summer and I was happy to find more bean seeds in a seed package. That means I can plant more seeds. I know just the spot. My garden is graced by many lovely flowers including cosmos, marigolds, raspberry flowers and so many beautiful verdant green plants. 

I plan to buy a large compost box from Lee Valley. Once it is all set up, I want to add the compost I have created to the box. I can’t wait to get the new improved compost box going. True compost is black gold. Plants grow a lot better when compost is added to the soil. They grow much better which is why I am so eager to get started! I can add dried and fresh leaves, stems and other things like egg shells, mulch and herbs from tincturing to the pile. 

I’m waiting for the Advanced course textbooks to arrive. It is a long wait. I have to start the whole course over from the beginning. I am not thrilled about that. It was so much work to get through Units 1-8. I wonder if I can just breeze through the units I have already done to catch up to where I was before I transferred to the upgraded Advanced course. To me, that makes more sense. I know the content is different. Having the textbooks will make it so much easier. 

In other news, I now have the front cover art for my novella, The Cult of the Spider People. I am not certain if I can reveal it here but once I can, I will. I love the cover. It is so sinister. It features a person’s evil eyes and a large spider encircled in a web. The title of my book and my name also grace the cover. I love it. I can’t wait for October. 

I plan to celebrate big time in October. I have decided that I want my book on Amazon and in bookstores worldwide. I hope I can do both. If I go worldwide, then the local bookstores here may carry it and that might mean I get to do a signing! Oh my goddess that would be so exciting! 

Me bored? Nah not with all that going on. My herbal studies will certainly keep me busy, as well as caring for a pushy cat and my garden. I am enrolled in the Business course, and the Advanced and Clinical course. I plan to buy a laminator soon. Then I shall press flowers and leaves to my hearts’ content. I have already begun pressing flowers. The pretty punky blue Bachelor’s button flower will make a charming addition to my collection. 

I’ve changed my mind about selling herbal teas. I doubt that I would ever have enough herbs locally and prepared here to meet the demand. I know that that is a big focus in the courses from the Herbal Academy. It would be really hard to have enough without buying herbs in bulk. That means if I buy them in bulk, I would have to sell all the teas to cover that expense. Instead I want to sell greeting cards and write for magazines. I may even write a book. I already have several articles in herbal magazines. I shall browse through the library’s collection of magazines to see which ones accept articles from freelance writers – like me! It may help if I mention to the editors that I am studying at the Herbal Academy. 

Summer is a fun season brimming with possibilities in the gardens, the classroom or the coffee shop. I hope you are all having a wonderfully fun summer season!

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch 

 

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June 13, 2024 · 12:16 pm

Summer Reads

Merry meet all,

I am loving the sunshine. A deer has been visiting my garden but I don’t see any signs of damage yet. Summer Solstice is almost here! I love summer. I just hope the deer doesn’t eat my plants. 

I’m enrolled in the upgraded Advanced course at the Herbal Academy. I’m waiting for the textbooks via owl mail. I will study my heart out once the books do arrive. I have lifetime access now which is a huge relief because it is such a hard intense course. But I know I will love every minute of it. I am really enjoying studying herbalism. It is not what I thought it would be. That is what is so great about it. There is so much to learn it will take a lifetime. I have stickers to put in the textbooks once they arrive. I can’t wait. Also, studying with textbooks is much much easier because I am better with print than online. 

Jonathan Maberry is a favourite author of mine. The book Necrotic has just been released. I will provide the link to it below but I hope you all grab this book off the shelves or from Amazon as fast as you can!! Read this book!!! Here is the link: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0CLF7528S/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  

If you achieve nothing else in life, then do read that book!! You won’t be sorry. Stephen Graham Jones is a great writer, too. He is also worth checking out. 

Then once my book is published, you can get that on Amazon as well too! Of course, that won’t be till October but yeah. I will definitely post more about that when I know more about what’s going on. 

The publisher of Psycho Toxin Press wants me to write something for her. The publisher is a little under the weather now. I have to dream up another novella. It’s not that simple but I shall do my best. I imagine it would have to be quite different from Cult of the Spider People. However I do have something in mind. 

It is so hard to write a horror story when the sunshine beckons me outdoors and my cat begs for food. Well she does that year round but she’s a cat. A few things that have helped me to get into a dark space to write horror is music. I like to listen to dark music, of course. The soundtrack for the movie Alien was a huge help. My book Cult of the Spider People is very dark, and so that helped me a lot. I kept playing it as I wrote and edited. The darkness of the story was in my imagination. The dark soundtrack helped me bring the story to life. You can’t get any darker or unsettling than Alien. Great movie, too. 

I hope you all have a wonderful summer. Perfect time to relax on the beach and curl up with a good book!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

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December 2, 2022 · 10:57 pm

My fave horror authors!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I love my new spooky  shower curtain from Killstar. The curtain came with black shower rings for hanging it up. I could not ask for more. The bland white shower curtain I will give to my Mom. She likes white and I love black. We are so different. I mean very different from each other. I am waiting for a pair of Dark Lord slippers to be delivered today’s also bought from Killstar. The slippers arrived! The Dark Lord shall keep my feet warm this winter!!! 

I can’t wait for my slippers. My feet are shivering! Speaking of shivering, the Wheel of the Year turns to the Winter Solstice. I can’t believe it is that time of year. I have decided I will set up my goth tree.  I made some cute gnome ornaments last year. I want to dig them out this year. 

I totally binge watched the Wednesday series on Netflix. I was blown away by the show. Wow,  I love it. Let’s not leave out Krampus. 

I want to sew a lot of kitty catnip pouches and donate them to an animal shelter. I bought cute fabric the colour of pink or lavender. The fabric has a cute cat print on it and is made of flannel. I’m going to buy a huge amount of catnip to stuff the pouches with. I can’t wait to donate them. I plan to sew the pouches at my Mom’s. If I do it here, Penny will never let me get anything done. Yeah cats love catnip, which is why this will work. 

Giving is important at this time of year. I feel like Santa Paws, donating hand sewn items to an animal shelter. Every one of those cats (and dogs) wants a home. I hope to brighten their days they spend at the shelter, hoping against hope they will be adopted. I am sure the donations are appreciated by the staff and hopefully the kitties will love the pouches too. I may add some doggy bones for their canine pals too. 

I want to post about the horror authors I truly admire: Tim Waggoner. I love this author. Waggoner is contemporary and is so good, keeping horror at the forefront for readers and making horror relevant!!! I admire him very much, so amazing and down to earth. 

Tim Waggoner’s latest novel is titled We will Rise. I can’t wait to read it. I love books in print. I am not a Kindle chick. I will buy it on Amazon or Indigo. The book is about a ghost apocalypse. I am so intrigued! 

‘He’s the author of the acclaimed horror-writing guide Writing in the Dark, which won the Bram Stoker Award in 2021. He won another Bram Stoker Award in 2021 in the category of short nonfiction for his article “Speaking of Horror,” and in 2017 he received the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction for his novella The Winter Box. In addition, he’s been a multiple finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award, and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. In addition to writing, he’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.’ Credit given to http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

I have Tim Waggoner’s book Writing in the Dark which won a Bram Stoker Award. Writing in the Dark is an awesome textbook Writing in the Dark.  I  love it! He also did a follow up on Writing in the Dark with a workbook. I have both and I do use them for my own writing. If you are serious about writing, horror specifically, you will find these books most valuable. It is chock full of writing advice and tips you could find it hard to get elsewhere. He also offers advice from many other authors, not just him. I love that the other authors are included. Most books don’t offer that. This makes the book far more awesome. 

I am so happy that Waggoner authors are publishing books like these. I recently penned a novella. I hope to get it published. I nominated Tim Waggoner for a Bram Stoker Award. I believe he deserves it. He is so cool too. Maybe someday I can meet him. I hope he continues to publish such amazing books. Well I want that too. I think my writing path is easier and brighter with Tim Waggoner! We are all a global community and we can support each other in our writing. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

 

 

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September 16, 2021 · 12:39 pm

The Feminine Macabre Volume 2

Merry meet all,

I am very excited about the good news of the upcoming second volume of the all-female paranormal journal The Feminine Macabre!!!!! )O(

Have you gotten your copy of The Feminine Macabre Volume II yet? It’s 100 pages longer than Volume I with a foreword by Michelle Belanger and introduces you to 40 up and coming researchers in the occult, paranormal, and metaphysical.

Return to the world of The Feminine Macabre in Volume II of the all-female paranormal journal. Explore essays written by women from all over the world, highlighting their research and theories on witchcraft, hauntings, folklore, dark history, tarot, cryptids, and more.

With a foreword by Michelle Belanger, Volume II features the writing talents of Hannah Ahboo, Tiffiny Rose Allen, Chris Amandier, Gina Armstrong, Al Becker, Amy L. Bennett, Stephanie Bingham, Sarah Blake, Ashley Casseday, Kate Cherrell, Mallory Cywinski, Erica Gibson Delight, Deanna Erskine, Liana Gaffney, Kenzie Gleason, Claire Goodchild, Charlotte Grace, Jen Hall, Kristin Harris, Amanda Hellewell-King, Zo Jacobi, Heddy Johannesen, Lorien Jones, Melissa Lathrop, Donna Malmborg, Marianne McCarthy, Drea Mora, Morgan Moran, Victoria Mundae, Hilary Opiel, Roxanne Rhoads, Vanessa Rowan, Nicole St. Germain, Krista Schwimmer, Sarah Stream, Aoife Sutton, Victoria Vancek, Tamora L. Vang, Emily Wayland, Karen J. Weyant, Cherise Williams, and Amanda R. Woomer.

The editor, Amanda, interviewed me about my background in the paranormal and my story that’s published in the book. I know I posted about this before. I am just so excited I had to post it here again. I enjoyed doing the interview. The book is available on Amazon. Here is the link to it: https://amzn.to/3zsT1Fu. 

The interview will be posted on Sept.29th on Facebook. In other news, I am enjoying the Herbal Academy courses and the short story course. It forced me to write a draft about a female werewolf. 

I have a herbal apothecary now. I have jars and jars of all kinds of herbs, seeds, roots and flowers. I created a second air drying herb rack. I harvested mint, lemon balm, dill, chamomile and mullein! I love it! I am so enjoying learning more about herbs all the time. Lemon balm has a long history of use dating back 2,000 years. Mullein is a good lung tonic. Eleuthoro root is delicious in herbal teas. Chamomile is a great herb from the tiniest leaf to the root. It can all be used. The many benefits of chamomile have been enjoyed for thousands of years., “the star among medicinal species.” Chamomile is a good nervine and also a good analgesic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory,antimicrobial,  antispasmodic, antistress, good for gastrointestinal disorders, protects against polio, a sedative, and has wound healing properties. Wow. You get all that in one chamomile plant. That is not all it can even do but that lists some of its healing powers. 

I enjoyed a cup of lavender and chamomile tea last night before sleeping. I love herbalism. It’s an ancient tradition. Homeopathy isn’t related to herbalism. Homeopathy is a relatively new healing path. This may be a new career for me! Bring it on! I have two awesome books now about herbalism. One, Rosemary Gladstar’s book titled Medicinal Herbs, and two, Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition. The third book I recently acquired is Entering Hekate’s garden by Cyndi Brannen. The books are beautiful and jam packed with herbs. 

I own a ton of new apothecary supplies such as tins for salves, balms, amber coloured jars, muslin sachets, a kitchen scale. I love my kitchen scale. I feel all ready for a new year in herbalism!!

Mabon is almost here! Are you ready for it, my dear readers? I will post more about it as the date gets closer. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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October 24, 2019 · 2:24 pm

Handbook for the Dead

 

 

 

 

 

Merry meet all,

I am proud to announce that my chilling account of an encounter I had with a spooky entity is published in Handbook for the Dead. The Frightening Floyds produced the book. It was recently released on Amazon! 

This is a description of the book: “DON’T FORGET YOUR HANDBOOK…Welcome all spirits! The Frightening Floyds present to you, Handbook for the Dead – a guide to help all new manifestations realize their functional perimeters. Within this anthology, you’ll read paranormal accounts from individuals who have experienced phantoms and disturbances that have not only chilled them, but also left them with some new insight into the supernatural. Now, they want to share their stories and wisdom with you. That way, if you’re feeling a little flat, or even if you’re a lost soul, you won’t have to draw a door and knock. Handbook from the Dead is sure to please the strange and unusual in everyone, and we promise it doesn’t read like stereo instructions.”

I hope this entices you to buy a copy for yourself. I can’t wait to receive my own contributor copy by owl mail and read the other authors’ experiences with the paranormal!

I am so happy to be involved in this project. Here is the link to the Amazon page so you can get yourself or a friend a copy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733548262?fbclid=IwAR3J164Ky0nmiK4HazQPEQeupXia0kbOysJhR67Zl8gFt0Xc3Wwzq6JlWz4

This reminds me of the movie Beetlejuice! I look forward to reading it and adding it to my collection of true spooky accounts! After all, truth is stranger than fiction. And nowhere is that more true than in the pages of the Handbook for the Dead! So grab a copy today! The image above is the cover image of the Handbook for the Dead. 

I have another announcement to make! My short fiction story, The Grimm Pumpkin, is published by Irish Horse Anthologies in the book Samhain Secrets! It is not released yet on Amazon. I am eager to read that too. So far it is only released on Kindle. I found out I was in the book accidentally. But no harm done, I am thrilled to be included. That means it is my story’s 4th reprint. I am very excited and pleased about that. I will post more about that later. 

I hope you are all having a magical wonderful October. I know I am. I wish you all the best merry Samhain!

I myself am strange and unusual!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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