Mental illness and suicide are sensitive topics in our time. Imagine a story that involves both aspects in the late nineteenth century and think of the challenges these would pose.
This is where indie author, Sara Flower Kjeldsen, takes us in her book titled The Suicides. She introduces Alfred, who is driven to shine a light upon a community’s suicides. The thing is, his interactions with townsfolk strongly hint that they are not inclined to support his cause.
This story brings up the stark realities of the day and some which will likely never change. As the story develops, so do the mysteries that bind the characters, bringing them closer together while simultaneously tearing them apart.
Ultimately, this is a quick and compelling story which may just open your eyes. The last line of the book sums things up perfectly. May I suggest you will need to read the book to find out.
It is my pleasure to introduce The Van Helsing Incursion, the third installment of the Clara Grey Adventures, a Dark Fantasy series about a hunter who hunts things that go bump in the night! This is my fourth release in as many years, and while part of a series, I consider this book to stand on its own.
After a lifetime of hunting creatures that haunt our dreams, a flapper, turned fallen angel, gives a budding relationship the chance to grow. Should be a snap? Think again!
During the Roaring Twenties, Clara Grey hunted things that went bump in the night. On her final mission, she paid the ultimate price to rid the world of a powerful foe. As a reward, she ascended to Heaven and joined its ranks as an angel.
Hunting things that go bump in the night is child’s play when compared to juggling relationships.
Ninety years after her death, Clara fell to Earth intent on saving a soul. While her mission was a success, an act of self-defence barred her from returning to Heaven. Lost in the modern world, Clara was forced to seek out unlikely allies to navigate through those uncertain times.
Four months later, Clara has settled in with Elizabeth, a young woman she saved shortly after descending to Earth. For a gal who had sworn off anything that hinted at normalcy, she learns that being average is not as easy as it seems.
Alas, repercussions from choices made on that fateful mission have not been idle. Her enemies trigger a chain of events that will force our fated femme fatale to act. Is Clara prepared to deal with the fallout? Will her allies come to her aid? Or must she stand on her own?
Before reading on, be sure to consider: Hunting things that go bump in the night is child’s play when compared to juggling relationships.
The Van Helsing Incursion is also available in print on Amazon.com.
Even things that go bump in the night need a place to unwind
The Grand is officially out and available on multiple platforms, formats and even in print! From Amazon to Smashwords the eBook is freely available for your delight. So time to celebrate? At least get to enjoy the doughnut!
The Grand shown in multiple formats, including print
Now for a little something about the Grand.
Nestled atop a cliff overlooking a cursed valley and surrounded by foreboding mountains you will find The Grand. At this ritzy French palatial-style hotel where things tend to go terribly wrong for some. This hotel is not only for the rich and famous but a favoured destination for things that go bump in the night.
The Grand is a collection of Gothic horror stories that revolve around a town prosecutor who accidentally discovers a series of grizzly case files. Individual stories incorporate supernatural themes based in the Roaring Twenties to create a rich historical, linguistic and cultural backdrop.
Centred on victims of the Grand, each story brings a different point of view related to the hotel, their staff and esteemed guests.
Ghoul Hunters, a coda to The Grand Project has been revised and updated on both Google Docs and Wattpad. This is the first major revision of this chapter since they were consolidated into one work for an overall review. The Google Docs version allows for both comments and change proposals so readers are encouraged to use these capabilities.
Journey through the River of Belief has been updated on Wattpad and Google Docs. This completes the review of the Grand‘s core chapters and leaves the coda next!
As with previous reviews, this process is aimed to tighten up the writing so that it reads better. Once done with this initial run through, more review cycles will be done before getting the work professionally edited.
The Google Docs version of this chapter will allow you to propose corrections and leave comments. Feel free to make use of this collaborative tool!
Ethereal Nights has been revised and updated on both Google Docs and Wattpad. This is the first major revision of this chapter since The Grand has been consolidated for an overall review. The Google Docs version allows for both comments and change proposals so readers are encouraged to use these capabilities.
Upon doing a review of Ethereal Nights, I decided to split the story into two chapters. Part of Ethereal Nights was designed to precede the chapter, but at the time I felt it would ruin the surprise.
By moving the troublesome story to The Cheshire Cat’s Grin I hope it will be better placed within the overall work. A review has been done on the remaining chapter elements to keep the surprise intact.
While the above links are for Google Docs, you may also access these chapters through Wattpad.
For the past several months, I have been doing an initial review of The Grand. It has been a long process, marred by delays as other projects and commitments crop up. Tonight, I managed to complete my review of The Van Helsing Paradox, available on Wattpad and brings my overall review completion to 71% of the manuscript.
This chapter like the novel strays from the style used in The Portrait. In my previous work chapters were small. Designed to be quick reads, chapters within The Portrait are on average 3 pages of single-spaced writing.
The Van Helsing Paradox stands alone as 16% of the overall manuscript and is made up of over 10,000 words. This chapter also features a lot of dialogue, which was not prevalent in The Portrait.
The review process has remained the same. For now, I have 2907 separate corrections applied to the manuscript. These vary in scope and includes single word changes, to spacing corrections and the addition of new paragraphs.
In other words, there are 41 modifications done for each percent or 1.5 pages. This seems like a lot, but this improves dramatically when I do my second review, followed by a third and so on. I follow an iterative review process then introduce a pause to gain a change in perspective.
Stay tuned! There are still 3 chapters and a lexicon left.
