Saturday, April 25, 2026

Review: GOOSEBUMPS: GHOST CAMP by R.L. Stine

 


Welcome to camp! Well, there was nobody at camp to welcome you. An empty camp? It was almost like a ghost camp. And the other kids were even weirder. Who sticks their hand in the fire?

 

At first, it all seemed like the kids were playing tricks on the newcomers with the howling, stabbing, and falling heads. Turns out though that the kids really were ghosts—dead spirits. Yikes!

 

Will Harry and his brother make it out of camp alive? A great read by the master of horror.

 

Rating: 4 stars

Review: GOOSEBUMPS: WEREWOLF SKIN by R.L. Stine

 


Welcome to Wolf Creek! Alex was spending a few weeks there with his aunt and uncle. Stay away on Halloween on a full moon…because something strange happens. And definitely stay away from the Marlings next door. Alex will get the shock of a lifetime with what he sees. A great story!

 

Rating: 4 stars

Friday, April 24, 2026

Blog Tour: STAY AT CASTLE DRACULA...AND OTHER SHORT STORIES by Jim Nemeth

 


I can scare and thrill you in only...100 words!


Stay at Castle Dracula…and Other Short-Short Stories

by Jim Nemeth

Genre: Horror Short Stories


Do you enjoy a good drabble? No, not America’s most popular word game—that’s Scrabble. No, not those cute, furry little creatures from Star Trek—those are tribbles. A drabble is a form of intense fiction writing consisting of 100 words. Not 100 chapters, not 100 paragraphs, nor even 100 lines. 100 words. Exactly.

 Author Jim Nemeth loves the format and is an accomplished dabbler in drabbles. “Whenever I explain to friends what a drabble is,” Nemeth relates, “I get the exact same expression of disbelief: ‘100 words?’ In fact, I took these reactions and wrote a drabble about it, “Impossible Assignment,” which leads off the collection.”

Stay at Castle Dracula and Other Short-Short Stories, a chapbook, collects 26 tales, 23 of which are drabbles. With the three other stories, the author “splurged” and indulged himself with an additional 100-200 words.

Other tales of five score words include “Disgruntled,” where a joyous family Christmas celebration turns horrific when a little boy doesn’t get the toy he wanted; “Love Potion” relates what happens when a witch’s magic works too well. And in the title story, another young English traveler debates his decision in staying in Count Dracula’s centuries’ old castle.

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads




It’s What’s Inside That Counts


“Why does Christy have to come over to play,” six-year-old Chloe asked in the petulant voice in which she exceled. “She’s ugly and I hate her!”

“Chloe!” the girl’s father shouted in reprimand. “Don’t talk like that. Christy may not be the prettiest of girls, but ‘beauty is only skin deep,’ as they say. It’s what’s inside a person that counts.”

Later that afternoon in her room, Chloe lay aside the dripping, red-drenched scissors with which she’d used to slice open Christy’s midsection. Closely examining its contents, she frowned in confusion. “I don’t see what’s so special about her insides…”





In 1993, Nemeth won first prize in a national magazine’s short story writing contest for which legendary authors Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch were judges. The award held special meaning for Nemeth, as Bloch remains his favorite writer and main literary influence. Nemeth is the author of two additional books: It Came From...The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Films and Robert Bloch: An Unconventional Bibliography, as well as being the webmaster of The Robert Bloch Official Website (robertbloch.net).

A long-time community activist, the author is particularly committed to the cause of animal rescue. He lives in the historic harbor town of Marblehead, MA.

 

Website * Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


Enter the Stay at Castle Dracula Giveaway Here… If You Dare…


Thursday, April 23, 2026

Blog Tour: SWEPT AWAY by Jo A. Hiestand


SWEPT AWAY
by Jo A. Hiestand

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GENRE: Mystery

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BLURB:

Dan Winter asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to discover what happened to his wife, Ellie, who disappeared on the third day of the couple's holiday on Bow Island. Dan thinks she was swept away by rough ocean waves. Perhaps, but after three weeks there is no sign of her, alive or dead.

McLaren's inquiry seems to be going along swimmingly until the police suspect Dan of killing Ellie and hiding her body. Now McLaren has to dive deeper for the truth. Was Ellie really swept away or did she disappear of her own volition, perhaps helped by a wildlife expert who knows all the hiding place on the island? Or there's the Chaucer-spouting war veteran who seems eager to help with anything. Or did Dan actually murder her?

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Excerpt Three:

"What do you think happened to Ellie? I suppose she was killed. I mean, with the sea it would be easy to...dispose of her body, wouldn't it? I heard Bow Island is desolate in spots." Melanie stared at McLaren, her face still holding its color, so there was no sign she would shy from the truth.

McLaren stretched again and grabbed her hand. His hand easily enveloped hers, and he held it as he answered her question. "I don't know how anyone's ever going to discover the truth, if I'm honest with you. I think there are four choices for the outcome. Pick your favorite, and it has as good a chance of being the right closing to her disappearance as any of the other options."

She nodded, waiting quietly.

"In no particular order and giving no weight to any of the scenarios, these are my ideas at the moment. One. She was accidentally swept into the sea and she drowned. Her body might wash ashore later, but until it does..." He stopped as he recalled Scott Forsyth's recitation about bodies, and swallowed before continuing. "Two. She met someone—a friend or one of her potential lovers, doesn't matter which—and was killed accidentally, and the person panicked and rolled her into the sea. Three. She met someone, and this someone murdered her on purpose for whatever reason. Could be robbery. Or there is the fourth choice. She left of her own volition and is living away from Dan, either living alone or with someone."  Quiet crept into the room again as the words hung in the air. "Does this help or just complicate the situation, knowing what might have happened to her?"



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries) and a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (Cookies & Kilts Mysteries) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.



Trade Paper - Amazon: bit.ly/3Z7ee6i

Hard Cover – Amazon: bit.ly/4tjqQVR

Ebook -



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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Jo Hiestand will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Blog Tour: My Friends and I Spot series by Thuan Doan



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. T.X. Troan will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, these interactive puzzle picture books encourage creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in these places? Get ready for unforgettable adventures filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!


Fantasyland (Book 1) Blurb:


Join Evan and Page on an enchanting adventure in My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland: A Puzzle Picture Book! From creepy spiders lurking in shadowy corners to shimmering butterflies fluttering through sunlit glades, this captivating search-and-find journey invites readers of all ages to step into a vibrant world brimming with delightful surprises and mysterious wonders.

Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, this interactive puzzle picture book encourages creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in this place? Get ready for an unforgettable adventure filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!


Review of MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT: FANTASYLAND 

Another fun activity book for kids! Can you find all the items on the list? If you enjoyed Highlights for Kids, you will love these picture search puzzles. Loved the colorful illustrations. A great way to keep kids entertained!

 

Rating: 5 stars


Time Travel (Book 2) Blurb:



Embark on an exhilarating journey with Jason and Mary as they navigate through unexpected challenges and captivating experiences.

This children's book combines fun dialogues with engaging search-and-find illustrations to offer young readers an exciting exploration of imagination and adventure throughout various periods and places in time. Each page will not only encourage reading but also develop observation skills and spark curiosity about history, science fiction, and the ocean's mysteries.



Review of MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT: TIME TRAVEL 

Can you spot all the items on the time travel list? I liked the colorful illustrations. The gravestone scene was the best. A fun puzzle book for kids! This book will take them places.

Rating: 5 stars





About the Author:
Thuan Doan is an award-winning author of the Sophia Freeman series. He conceived his first middle-grade fantasy novel, Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain, during a trip to Gabriola Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2013. Then he took his work and settled in a small town of Enderby, where it’s peaceful and quiet.

Thuan is writing under a pen name of T.X. Troan. “X” stands for Xu, his grandmother’s name who passed away. And “Troan” is a combination of his parents' names.

“No matter how this turns out, I want my family to be a part of this wonderful journey.”

Website: http://www.txtroan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TXTroan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/txtroan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18815756.T_X_Troan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07ML3W2WW/allbooks
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/T.X.%20Troan%20My%20friends%20and%20I%20spot
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/browse/0?facet=brand:T+X+Troan
BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-friends-and-i-spot-fantasyland-a-puzzle-picture-book/e050b9b6fdb1d79a