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Sunday, March 25, 2018

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: Asylum III – Crowtree Manor By Matt Drabble

Asylum III – Crowtree Manor
By Matt Drabble
Genre: Thriller, Horror

Book Description

The next terrifying chapter in the multi award winning Asylum series. 13 tales of terror and the macabre all linked by a twisting arcing storyline that ties them all together.

It begins with an enticing invitation, a private preview for the first guaranteed haunted house tourist attraction.
Sceptical minds brought together in a building steeped in a bloody history, all with their own dark secrets to protect.

It had been a long time since this building was a private hospital and housed the most dangerous and deranged minds. Now it has a new owner and a new purpose

It is a house that feeds on darkness and only attracts the very worst in humanity. Stone floors and walls that have witnessed the brutality of man and has blood seeped into its very foundations.

The doors are open and the rooms are ready to receive its first guests, welcome to Crowtree Manor.



My Review:


Once again, Matt Drabble hits another one out of the park! In my personal opinion, Mr. Drabble is the master of his genre, that being the genre of horror. This newest collection of vignettes within the Asylum structure is among his finest work. This series of gritty, edge-of-your-seat thrillers are rich in terror, featuring beautifully textured character development, a melodic flow of verbiage that approaches poetry, and a touch of the funny and absurd, all designed to create a picture of words in your mind that transcend the page.  I love his writings and look forward to every new chance I get to reading his latest offerings. I rate this book my highest accolades, five stars, but it deserves six! My recommendation: go grab this book and read it, post haste!



Author Bio

Born in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek. I am a lover of horror and character driven stories. I am also an A.S sufferer who took to writing full time two years ago after being forced to give up the day job. 


I have a career high position of 5th on Amazon's Horror Author Rank of which I am immensely proud. I was also accepted as a full member of the Horror Writers Association.









"ASYLUM II" was also a UK & US Horror/Anthology #1 and is the 2016 Readers Favorite Silver Medal winner for Anthology Fiction. 

"THE TRAVELLING MAN" won an Indie Book of the Day award.

"ABRA-CADAVER" is the 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. It is also a 2015 Kindle Book Review Finalist, an Indie Book of the Day winner and the 2016 Book Excellence Award Winner for Horror Fiction.


Visit me at www.mattdrabble.com to download free short stories and the full length multi award winning novels "Abra-Cadaver" and "Double Visions" for free.


Monday, March 19, 2018

COVER REVEAL: Don't just travel to Cuba, experience Cuba like a local: The Ultimate Cuba Travel Guide By Talek Nantes

Don't just travel to Cuba, experience Cuba like a local: 
The Ultimate Cuba Travel Guide
By Talek Nantes
Genre: Nonfiction, Travel guide


Want to experience Cuba like a local? This is the guidebook for you. Talek Nantes, Cuban-American author and founder of the travel blog, TravelswithTalek.com, has traveled to Cuba numerous times. Her detailed explanations will guide you through all aspects of travel to Cuba and help you make the most of your time while in this unique and culturally fascinating country. 

Talek’s passion for Cuba is evident in every information-packed chapter from the classic Havana itineraries you cannot miss to the little-known gems pulsating under the radar in hidden Havana. Visit colonial military forts in Cuba’s eastern capital, Santiago de Cuba. Experience Cuba’s spectacular biospheres and animal preserves. Explore the French-influenced cities of central Cuba with their graceful architecture reminiscent of southern France. Sail the calm waters of underground rivers. Take salsa lessons, learn Spanish, cook a Cuban meal. It’s all here. 

Beyond a mere directory of attractions, this guidebook delves into the history of Cuba from the pre-colonial days through the present. Special focus is given to understanding Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain and the Cuban revolution of 1959 along with its key participants. 

This guidebook is packed with useful information, facts, and actionable tips:

  • Updated guidelines on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens.
  • All you need to know about currency conversion.
  • How to locate and reserve the ideal accommodation in any city.
  • How to save money and travel comfortably anywhere within Cuba.
  • Where and what to eat in Cuba from street food to top cuisine. 
  • Highlights of the major Cuban cities from Havana to Santiago.
  • Walking maps of the key Havana neighborhoods. 
  • Directory of restaurants, galleries, attractions and music and dance venues in all key cities. 
  • Current scams and how to avoid them.
  • Budgeting for your Cuba trip
  • Over 60 full-color photographs 

In addition to key tips and advice, this guidebook provides cultural insight gleaned from conversations with local Cubans from the bici-taxi driver to the attendant at a cemetery gate. Explore places and topics tourists rarely see like religious Afro-Cuban dance performances, the hottest jazz clubs in Havana, remarkable art museums and stunning natural beauty. 

This extensive guidebook will save you time and money and help you truly experience Cuba like a local. 


About the Author

Talek Nantes is an author, travel consultant and founder of the travel blog, www.travelswithtalek.com. She is a passionate travel enthusiast and enjoys sharing her travel experiences with others. In her blog, Talek shares information on unique destinations and provides actionable travel tips and advice to help travelers make the most of their time away from home. Her focus is on cultural immersion and interaction with local people to help travelers create their own unique travel experiences. Her work has appeared in several publications. 

Talek’s personal and professional background have led her to travel to over 100 countries. She has lived and worked throughout the world and speaks several languages. Talek is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and lives with her husband in New York City and Miami.


Links: 


Friday, March 16, 2018

INTERVIEW WITH: Colin Carvalho Burgess, Author of The Tetris Effect


The Tetris Effect
By Colin Carvalho Burgess
Genre: Urban Fantasy


Book Description

Gods, gaming and a reincarnating goldfish ... Lars Nilsson's life is about to level up.

A hacked-off gamer, an ageing spiritual scientist, a psychotropic-addled anaesthetist, and a reclusive RPG developer undertake an unusual quest.
An online gamer's escapist routine is mysteriously disrupted and his journey of self-discovery begins. He's sent spiralling towards a destiny where shadow animals patrol the street corners, gryphons command the purple skies, and an other-wordly force is determined to prevent him from discovering the true origins of his identity.

When a spiritual science experiment tears open a passage to the underworld, a deal is made with a mischievous supernatural being. The ancient immortal guardians of the afterlife have been displaced and the land of the dead is rotting in their absence. The clock is ticking to take back control of the afterlife, but a future tech company have a powerful ally and intentions for the land of the dead.




HOGWASH INTERVIEW

COLIN CARVALHO BURGESS
THE TETRIS EFFECT

What inspired you to write The Tetris Effect?

I’m always inspired while travelling. Locations and events seep into my storytelling until they eventually take on a life of their own. I was doing a fair bit of travelling in Asia while writing the first draft. I remember being in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Khmer New Year and it was utter chaos. There was a vehicle accident; a car driving at high speed down the main street alongside the Mekong estuary with a moped jammed under the front wheels, sparks literally flying. I didn’t see what happened to the rider. That particular event was in the first draft and inspired Lars Nilsson’s journey. Many other features were inspired by this incredible place – the ghostly, rusted-up ship in the river, the twisted golden shrine, the firing range armoury that Dr Vegas visits for his power-ups, the shadow animals. I’ve seen them. They’re real. OK, maybe not the shadow animals.

I found tales of Eastern mythology incredibly inspiring; the legends of Tengu, Kitsune and the Eight Immortals. I was intrigued by the idea of these ancient immortal beings with no concept of time just getting worn down, and eventually being tempted to stray from their ancient duties in order to sample a little sweet mortality.

There’s also a liberal loot crate of gamer and movie references in Tetris, some direct, others more subtle. I hope the reader enjoys how they’re used. Zack and Wiki would be my favourite.

Alongside travel and gaming, there’s the idea of going places online but never actually going anywhere; being stuck in a little cupboard room at the top of the stairs while maintaining an internationally famous reputation. I’m interested in how we hide behind these identities, and how maintaining a life online can be strangely fulfilling.



Do you have a favorite character?

It has to be Berry Butler. I wanted to write a strong, independent, female character with her own story. She’s clever, super quirky. She’s over complicated. She’s a pop culture leech. She’s totally addicted to sugar. She knows what she likes, but she’s also flawed. I’d like to hang with her, but I don’t think it would be very easy to get to know her. I can tell you that we’re going to learn a LOT more about Berry in books 2 & 3. I hope the reader enjoys trying to understand how she ticks. Also, shout out to Dr Vegas. He rocks.



In what ways do any of the characters represent you?

I’m not any of the characters in particular, but I think that’s when the story came together; when I could hear each of the characters as individuals, and they broke away to head down their own particular paths. The journey has just begun for many of these characters. They’re an interesting bunch, and they’re in charge of their own destinies now. I’m just the narrator along for the ride.



What surprises did you come across when writing the book?

As a debut writer, the biggest surprise was how many words ended up on the cutting room floor in order to keep the story in check and focussed on its end game. I probably wrote two books in order to get to the finish line. I guess I was surprised at the methodology of writing, and about how writing words isn’t necessarily writing the story. There are some exciting adventures that just had to be cut because they didn’t fit the plot development. I’m re-reading these at the moment for book 2, and the lead characters were once quite different people. My writing style has grown as the book got to know what it was.



If your book was made into a Netflix series or film, who would you like to play the lead characters?

How’s this for a stellar line-up? I’d watch for sure. How about you?

Lars Nilsson – “The office worker, energy drink slurper, married man who should really know better.” Played by James McAvoy.


 Berry Butler – “When she wasn’t dreaming, she lived in a small bedsit and existed for her video games and perfect isolation.” Played by Tessa Thompson.



Dr Vegas – “The chain smoking, hair growing, free thinking know-it-all of the afterlife.” Played by Jon Hamm.


Dr Tadashi Finjoto – “He leaned in with caution, as if trying not to provoke a startled snake to strike. ‘I have what you want,’ he whispered into darkness.” Played by Hiroyuki Sanada.



Professor Malcolm Van Peterson – “Once, Aldous wanted to borrow my bicycle for an LSD trip, but I had ingested a rather significant dose of the Peyote cactus so I refused.” Played by Max Von Sydow.



The Tetris Effect (The Tetris Trilogy #1) by Colin Carvalho Burgess is out now in ebook and paperback. www.otherworldbooks.com






About the Author


The Tetris Effect is Colin’s debut novel and is the first part of The Tetris Trilogy. When he isn’t writing, he can mostly be found playing open world computer games or binge watching cult television drama. He currently lives in London with his wife, and two pesky cats.

Links:

On Twitter: @CarvalhoBurgess


The author is giving away 5 ebook copies of The Tetris Effect & 1 x "Cash Stash" featuring: 1 x paperback copy of the book, an ebook copy, and an exclusive Tetris Effect extra large mug {6 WINNERS TOTAL}!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Direct link to giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/70954c79168/?