An unrequited crush. A break-in and near assault.Life wasn't going too well for Joyce Manning. Given her circumstances, it wasn't surprising that she was willing to accept the strange condition in the will of a heretofore-unknown relative. Joyce would inherit a house, and an income, if she lives in the property for two years. Joyce doesn't hesitate to leave Chicago for upstate New York. It's not until she's almost there that she begins to worry that the house might be a rickety shack with no lights or running water, and filled with feral cats.It's not. In some ways, it's worse. The house is like something out of a nightmare, crawling with gargoyles and grotesques. The nearest neighbor to the isolated house, depending on who you talk to, is a spa -- or a mental asylum.But it's not all bad. The interior of the house, thankfully, doesn't match the outside. Not one but two local men actively pursue Joyce -- more attention than she garnered in Chicago. And not having to work for a living is a dream come true.Things would be great, if it weren't for the odd occurrences in the house, and the changes on its outside that make Joyce wonder whether her imagination is too vivid or if she's losing her mind. Will Joyce realize that when something seems too good to be true, it usually is? Because the house has a horrifying secret, and there was a special -- and sinister -- reason Joyce was lured there.

    *** It sounds like just another urban legend -- a clock appears in your home, ticking backward to midnight, and when the twelfth chime rings, the recipient is gruesomely murdered. But when Kristen receives a clock of her own, ticking backward to her doom, she must unravel its mysteries. Mysteries that have their roots in her family, and that will lead her through generations of madness. The clock is ticking, and when it reaches midnight, Kristen will discover that some urban legends are real, and sometimes the dead do not stay dead. It's only a matter of time...

    Set high up a hillside overlooking the ocean, even David, her architect husband, falls in love with it. Determined that they should swap city for country, Dubliner Kate decides to try living her dream. Curiosity draws her to the ancient circle of standing stones at the end of the lane – stones that her elderly neighbour is strangely yet fiercely determined to keep everyone well away from. Little realising the grave danger she faces, Kate visits the stones at sunset and her life is set on a terrifying course that will bring her face to face with an ancient evil. As her dream of the country life rapidly turns into a nightmare, events at the cottage become more and more sinister. Why is the old lady so determined to keep people away? What does the Parish priest know that he isn’t telling her? Will Kate discover the secret to her personal haunting before it’s too late? Set in the ancient and atmospheric surrounds of rural Ireland in the winter time, this paranormal thriller will leave you reluctant to turn out the lights.

    He had played against some other kids in his lunch-room, and had lost his latest match. Eager to beat them, he starts to practice his staring skills. The boy trains against his own reflection in a mirror, hoping it can improve his ability to stare without blinking. After discovering a message board on the internet dedicated to the paranormal, he starts to worry about mirrors. He reads online that it can result in some supernatural things happening. The boy begins to fear that there might be something demonic.

    But nothing prepared him for Milkwood: a fat, ugly bastard who could take a beating like a government mule, but never, ever won. So when Malcolm risks his life to discover Milkwood's secret, he convinces the fighter to stop being a punching bag and to go for broke in the local tournament. Only problem? A beautiful woman called Lash who needs Milkwood for her own purposes, and a fouler creature on her heels known only as Dizzy Colt. But for Malcolm and Milkwood? Hell, it’s just another day of Blood and SawdustPRAISE FOR BLOOD AND SAWDUST!"With wicked, playful prose that blends the best of pulp with the supernatural, Jason Ridler’s Blood and Sawdust creates an unholy, hell-raising hybrid, the kind of tale Christopher Moore and Jim Thompson might swap after a long night of drinking, trying to one-up one another with acerbic absurdity." Joe Clifford, Author of CHOICE CUTS and JUNKIE LOVEPRAISE FOR THE WORK OF JASON RIDLER!"An exciting new writer." Lucius Shepard, multiple-award-winning author of HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN PRAYER. “Jason Ridler is kind of like a bull rider who’s tossed a saddle on a Tiger tank, and he’s riding that bucking sucker for all he’s worth, because, hey, no one told him that he couldn’t do it, did they? So here he is, the Man in the Barbed-Wire Straitjacket." Norman Partridge, Award Winning Author of DARK HARVEST. "Jason Ridler’s work is intense and taut, with incredible characters and plots that keep your mind buzzing long after you’ve reached the final page." Trent Zelazny, author of TOO LATE TO CALL TEXAS, and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY. ABOUT THE AUTHORJason S. Ridler is the author of BLOOD AND SAWDUST, the Spar Battersea thrillers (DEATH MATCH, CON JOB and DICE ROLL), the short story collection KNOCKOUTS, and has published over fifty stories in such magazines and anthologies as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Brain Harvest, Chilling Tales, and more. His popular non-fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Dark Scribe, and the Internet Review of Science Fiction. A former punk rock musician and cemetery groundskeeper, Mr. Ridler holds a Ph.D. in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Visit him at twitter at http://twitter.com/JayRidler, Facebook ,http://www.facebook.com/Ridlerville, or his writing blog, Ridlerville, atwww.jsridler.com

    Sherman’s death sparks one of the wildest, weirdest adventures he’s ever had… Upon Mr. Sherman’s death, Charles learns the rich old gentleman gave away all his money, leaving only his Victorian mansion and the huge library in the house. His will clearly stipulates the new owner must keep the library intact. Of course, with Mr. Sherman being dead, how would he know or even care about the library? It isn’t until Charles buys the house and discovers someone has stolen items from the library that he understands the significance of keeping the library intact. Mr. Sherman’s letter to the new owner shares the secret of the library—every item in the library is haunted! But how can Charles ever imagine just how deadly the library keeper’s job is…or the blood bath that will follow if he fails to “protect and serve” according to Mr. Sherman’s will?

    And Brian was already having one hell of a night. After a disastrous outing at a party full of snobs on the rich side of town, his girlfriend Alicia dumps him then promptly vanishes under suspicious circumstances. Searching for her in the dark of night while working his way through a backwoods maze and the outlandish characters that inhabit it, Brian instead finds an enigmatic dark-haired beauty named Jessica and a monster he hadn't believed existed outside his beloved horror films. But before the night is through, everyone and everything Brian cares about will be threatened by a creature that is all too real, a bloodthirsty beast lurking in the woods of Jefferson. Fighting for his life, Brian tries to uncover the truth about the evil stalking him and the mystery surrounding Alicia's disappearance, but time is running out. Welcome to a night in THE STICKS.

    

    

    The small town of Ocoee has forgotten much about what happened at that house so many years ago, its true past fading like ink on the brittle pages of history. But you know how the old saying goes… History likes to repeat itself.

    There’s something in his bag. Something silver and glistening, sparkling with hopes and dreams of a bright and beautiful future. The only thing standing between him and his soon to be fiancée Emma is his arduous, mind-numbing drive home. But something isn’t right. His phone, his hearing, the music, the traffic; everything just seems off and out of sync, and Riley can’t quite put his finger on it.All he has to do is keep his eyes on the road…All he has to do is take it slow…In this brooding and deeply moving short story by Jack Harding, buckle up and settle down for a journey that will stir your senses and pull on your heart strings, keeping you guessing right until the end of the road.

    Michael Black’s world has seen a lot of changes over the past year, and falling for a witch who chats with his animal patients has been the best one by far. He’s decided to make it official, so the men associated with the coven insist on helping him celebrate. Michael is popping the question to the woman he loves, the coven has only two trials to go before the prophecy is fulfilled, and the guys want to throw him a bachelor party. Sounds like a plan. And no demon is going to stand in his way.

    Humorous, touching, creepy, but most of all entertaining, this collection is superb." — Tracy Michelle Anderson *** If you're a fan of Roald Dahl or Gillian Flynn you'll love these unsettling stories with a twist in the tale.  Click now to start reading. ​

    By the time you finish book 4 you'll be begging for more!No cliffhangers, no cheating, and plenty of steam, this is the collection you do NOT want to miss!BOOK 1: Tempted BodyguardI shouldn’t want Celine …She’s vulnerable,pregnant by a vampire,and hunted by everyone, including my own clan.The difference is, I was sent to bring her here and keep her safe.Everyone else?The other shifters want to kill her, and the vampires …well, everyone knows that vamps can’t be trusted.But spending time with her, keeping her and her new baby safe, getting to know her and win her trust …I can’t help my growing feelings.Even though I know she’s strictly off limits.But despite her growing trust in me, she’s still wary of our Alpha’s intentions.Can I assure her that she’s safe with me no matter what?Or will her persistent distrust drive her out of my arms …and into danger?BOOK 2: Detective JackA killer’s on the loose …And help comes from the most unlikely source.Kit is the outside contact for the hidden ragtag shifter clan who’s sheltering my friend.When flashes of memories I can’t quite grasp filter into my mind, I seek her out, knowing she can fill in the blanks.With her network of information and access, she knows more than the average human.More than the average shifter, for that matter.With one foot in both worlds, I need all my wits about me to make sense of what’s happening.And Kit gets roped into helping me get to the bottom of a string of murders rocking the city.But with my attraction to her clouding my judgment, will I be able to crack the case?Or will giving in mean giving up everything?BOOK 3: Dark MagicSplitting my loyalties ...My first duty has always been to my clanuntil I got tangled up with her.I have no business getting involved with Leila.For one thing, she’s my Alpha’s sister.For another, she’s spoiled and flighty—everything I don’t want in a woman.But for reasons I can’t explain even to myself,I’m drawn to her.But where she goes, trouble follows close behind, and I find myself caught between flouting her brother’s commands and helping her heal an injured friendNow I’m faced with an impossible choice ...Betray my Alpha and keep the woman I love?Or turn her in and risk losing her forever?BOOK 4: Tiger's MateForbidden fruit tastes the sweetest …Which must be why I want Ahn, despite the fact that I’m supposed to bring her to marry my Alpha and secure an alliance to keep our pack safe.Her delicate beauty doesn’t hurt.Neither does her fierce strength and fighting ability, meaning she watches my back as much as I watch hers.If anyone knows how dangerous our journey is, it’s me. On my last mission, I was injured, maimed, and almost didn’t make it back alive.Bringing Ahn back is my chance to prove myself. So I can’t give in to my attraction to her, no matter how much I want to. Or how much she wants to.But fighting side by side bonds us, and attraction grows into something … more.Until only one question remains—Will I betray my pack?Or myself?

    As a way of coping with her grief, she keeps him 'alive' in her imagination - talking to him every day, laughing with him, remembering the good times they had together. She thinks she will 'hear' him better if she goes somewhere quieter, away from the hustle and bustle of her hometown, Brighton. Her destination is Glenelk in the Highlands of Scotland, a region her grandfather hailed from and the subject of a much-loved painting from her childhood. Arriving in the village late at night, it is a bleak and forbidding place. However, the house she is renting - Skye Croft - is warm and welcoming. Quickly she meets the locals. Her landlord, Fionnlagh Maccaillin, is an ex-army man with obvious and not so obvious injuries. Maggie, who runs the village shop, is also an enigma, startling her with her strange 'insights'. But it is Stan she instantly connects with. Maccaillin's grandfather and a frail, old man, he is grief-stricken from the recent loss of his beloved Beth. All four are caught in the past. All four are unable to let go. Their lives entwining in mysterious ways, can they help each other to move on or will they always belong to the ghosts that haunt them? From the author of the bestselling The Haunting of Highdown Hall.