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Celebrating All Things Spooky 2017

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, My Stories, Writing  18 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 022017
 

Welcome back to another October’s worth of celebrating all things spooky! For its fifth year, we have new stories to look at, more horror games to discuss, and a new horror game giveaway!

I recently announced the reprint of my Lovecraft-inspired The Book at Dernier, available now in print from Amazon with an ebook version coming soon.

This year also saw the release of It Came Back my horror novelette (another story inspired by H.P. Lovecraft) published by The Book Smugglers this summer. It is available as an ebook.

Final Masquerade, which includes my horror story “The Artist,” has a fantastic new cover this year, and you can also pick up copies of “Sand” (in The Mad Scientist Journal) and “Rokurokubi” (in Wicked Words Quarterly).

And if you prefer something on the lighter end of the spectrum, my zombie comedy The Zombie Mishap, published by Griffin Publishers, is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

All of my stories available in print will be available at my book signings later this month, as well. You can find full information on all my stories here.

A Horrific Giveaway

Now, let’s move on to the giveaway! This year, I have a selection of horror games to give away, all Steam copies:

  • Dead Age
  • Lakeview Cabin Collection
  • Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location
  • Dead By Daylight

As with last year’s contest, this one isn’t random. Instead, it will be based on your participation in discussions on these blog posts. When October ends, I will tally the scores to determine the winner.

Rules

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between October 2, 2017 at 1:00 PM EST and November 1, 2017 at 12:00 AM EST will be counted.
  • Comments can be made on any post on this blog, not just Celebrating All Things Spooky posts.
  • 1 non-spam, non-anonymous comment = 1 point.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  • You must have at least 10 points at the end of the month to win.
  • The person with the most points will get their first pick of the four games. The person with the second most points will pick second, and so on, until all four games have been given out.
  • The winner will be contacted on November 2, 2017.

If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll clarify the rules. Enjoy your spooky October!

Celebrating All Things Spooky: A Night in the Lonesome October

 Books, Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 312016
 

a-night-in-the-lonesome-octoberHappy Halloween!

Every October, fans read A Night in the Lonesome October, which has one chapter for each day of the month in which it’s set.

(I read it in January and forgot about re-reading it this month, but that’s beside the point.)

A Night in the Lonesome October is an unusual and quirky novel. The overall plot, about a door to another world that can be opened on Halloween and the people who try to either enable this or prevent it, takes clear inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft.

Everything is told from the point of view of Snuff, a dog who belongs to one the “Players” trying to keep the door closed, Jack. Although never directly stated, it’s strongly implied that he is Jack the Ripper.

(In fact, according to rumor, the author wrote A Night in the Lonesome October because someone made a bet he couldn’t get readers to root for Jack the Ripper.)

But Jack isn’t the only familiar face. From “The Great Detective” to Larry Talbot, most of the cast comes straight from traditional stories. Part of the fun of reading it for the first time is figuring out who is who.

And Snuff isn’t the only animal. Every Player has a familiar. These animals are just as much characters as the humans, which adds even more charm to the story. Oh, and no one knows who is on which side.

Although many dark things happen during the story, it’s fairly light in tone… occupying a middle ground between the Lovecraftian stories we looked at earlier this month, Eternal Darkness (darker than dark) and Cthulhu Saves the World (outright comedy).

A Night in the Lonesome October is an enjoyable and mysterious story, all the more so due to its cast and themes. I’ve never read anything quite like it before. If you want to read something that’s a little bit spooky and all-around fun, look this one up and enjoy your night in the lonesome October.

Buy A Night in the Lonesome October from Amazon

Remember, today is your last chance to win copies of Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World! Read the guidelines here for more details.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Breath of Death VII

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video Games  1 Response »  Tagged with:
Oct 172016
 

Now that we’ve covered Eternal Darkness, let’s move on to one of the two games I’m giving away in honor of Halloween: Breath of Death VII.

breath-of-death-vii

If last week’s doom and gloom isn’t quite your cup of tea, this might suit you better, because Breath of Death VII (or Breath of Death VII: The Beginning, as the title screen calls it) is a parody. Even its name is a parody, a nod to classic RPG series like Final Fantasy that keep getting more and more entries.

It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by the undead, but despite this grim premise, it’s actually pretty lighthearted. The main character is a Skeleton Knight named Dem, and he’ll be joined on his quest by a ghost, a vampire, and a zombie.

Dem can’t actually speak, but his ghost companion can hear his thoughts, which she then relays to the group. Or at least, she relays her interpretation of them…

breath-of-death-screenshotBreath of Death VII doesn’t have the strongest plot, but the writing is funny.

If you want a game that pokes fun at JRPG tropes (among other things) while also paying homage to those games, this is the way to go.

The game is fairly short, about 5-10 hours depending on how quickly you play and how much you explore. It’s styled like an old-school JRPG with random encounters and turn-based combat.

However, there are conveniences like HP that refills after each battle and a limited number of random encounters per area (you can trigger battles manually if you want more), along with unique elements that set it apart. For example, enemies become stronger with each turn, so you want to defeat them as quickly as possible.

Breath of Death VII is a fun, humorous throwback to classic JRPGs. I highly recommend it… and don’t forget, every comment you make on this or any other Celebrating All Things Spooky post this October is a chance to win your own copy of Breath of Death VII!

Buy Breath of Death VII from Steam

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