Category: New Releases

Uncollected Anthology #23: Supernatural Soirees

Enjoy the urban fantasy stories of the Uncollected Anthology: Supernatural Soirees now collected in this bundle.

Slip on your dancing shoes or read some fortunes. Enjoy some mix tapes and gather for the festival. Explore the charity ball and check out an after-hours club.

Get your copy of Supernatural Soirees at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books!

The Stories

“On the Other Side of Winter” by C. H. Hung

Winter deity Scotty survived Ragnarök, only to suffer a soul-crushing loss to a god-killing virus. Reeling, Scotty withdraws into her grief and avoids answering the demands of her role. Every prayer plaguing her consciousness reminds her of what she lost, and she is bone-tired of losing.
But the mountain town Scotty now calls home and the ski slopes it depends on for winter tourism are dry, and the mortals have gathered during Ullr Festival to call upon the god of skiing to deliver snow.

Except that the god of skiing is dead. And the only one left who can hear, much less answer, the mortals’ prayers is Scotty.

With the help of her only remaining friend—a fellow deity who happens to loathe winters—Scotty must discover a new path to walk in this new world… one in which she not only survives, but thrives.


 
 
“Happy Music and Dancing Feet” by Leah R. Cutter

Felicity keeps her dancing feet rolled up in her dancing shoes, like an extra pair of socks.

But what happens when your magic leads you astray?

 
 
 
 
 

“Last Christmas” by Dayle A. Dermatis

Former Hollywood party girl Nikki Ashburne sees ghosts. In fact, many of them are her friends. Okay, they’re kind of her only friends.

But when four 1980s British partiers disrupt her family’s Alpine Christmas—a holiday already fraught with tension—Nikki must play mediator, otherwise for someone, it might be their last Christmas.

 
 
 
 
 

“Doctor Rudolfo Puts his Foot Down” by DeAnna Knippling

Connor McDevitt has a talent: reading fortunes. It’s not exactly going to waste; on Saturdays he tells fortunes as Doctor Rudolfo at the local toys and games store. But it’s not like he can get a degree in fortune telling. He has to pick a path forward, a path that involves so-so high school grades, a little brother his mom can’t take care of alone, and no real interest in growing upand joining the “real” world.

And, oh yeah. The ability to see ghosts.

When Connor is invited to a party by his crush, he thinks it’s a date—but it might just be a chance to make the biggest decision of his life.

 
 

“Pact Breaker” by Stefon Mears

An elaborate private party, for the rich and beautiful. Names known throughout Portland, Oregon, and beyond.

Every one of them owes their wealth to a demonic pact. Their fortunes built on the suffering of innocents.

Tonight, one man invades their midst. One man, who would topple all they have.

If he can…

 
 
“After Hours” by Rebecca M. Senese

Given the honour of finding the Winter Solstice Queen for the Fae Court, Heiral arrives to search in the city.

Darkness looms, bringing dangers a faerie never imagined. But Heiral’s determination never wavers.

Not when a successful mission marks Heiral’s rise in the Court.

 
 
 
 
“Dance Hall Days” by Jamie Ferguson

Kelly and her friends went all out to match the Big Band Era theme of the local humane society’s annual charity ball. They decide to take a break from dancing and explore the old, quirky hotel the event is being held at, and are having a great time…until they watch a young couple walk past them and go right through a wall! Where were the ghosts heading? The answer lies behind the wall itself…

 
 
 
Find Supernatural Soirees at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books!

Learn more about the Uncollected Anthology at our website and Facebook page, and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about our authors and upcoming issues!

Uncollected Anthology #20: Crossroads Hotel

Consider the hotel: a place often found where two or more roads meet. Your home away from home. The place where business meets pleasure, where opposites attract, where the questions of the soul have no distraction but the mini-fridge and cable TV, and where the familiar gets stripped down to crisp white sheets, the smell of bleach, and a mirror that doesn’t quite reflect the same face it does at home.

A hotel can give the illusion of invisibility. What happens in a hotel, stays in a hotel…most of the time. A hotel can give the illusion of luxury. A concierge might bring you anything you want…as long as you pay for it.

And as long as you have a reservation.

Bring your baggage, bring your business, bring your hopes and dreams…
But don’t expect to leave the Crossroads Hotel in the same direction in which you arrived.

Get your copy of Crossroads Hotel at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books, and find the collection on BundleRabbit, Goodreads, and BookBub.

The Stories

“The Bolt Hole: Coin from a Dead Man’s Eyes” by Louisa Swann

A lonely hotel and a slew of lost souls. What could possibly go wrong?

Familiarity brews comfort, an adage the crew at the Bolt Hole hotel fully appreciates. Head clerk Mina Frank loves her daily routine and the souls that work for her. She’s even fond of the grumpy old chef who threatens to kill off all their clientele by serving them poisonous spiders.

Then a stranger strolls through the door and Mina gets that feeling. His arrival promises change but will that change prove useful?

Or will it destroy them?

“The Talent Show” by Leah R. Cutter

Edmund Alexander Montgomery, IV, works on the committee for the annual funeral director’s convention at the Crossroads Hotel.

His job? Handle any emergency the humans at the convention throw at him.
Even when Elvis and the Impersonators, the headliners for the convention, cancel.

He will survive this. Even if it involves funeral directors. Performing.
“The Talent Show” asks, and tries to answer that most serious of questions, what do you call a collection of funeral directors?

“Gap Years” by Dayle A. Dermatis

At 15, Quinn Jacoby disappeared from a Victorian B&B in Portland, OR. Three days later, she returned, but nobody believed her story of going down stairs into another world.

Ten years later, Quinn stumbles upon the same house, now empty and rundown. Something compels her to explore it. What she finds will make her question reality—and teach her she has a unique gift that will alter her life.

Tense and compelling, Gap Years is the origin story for Dayle A. Dermatis’s forthcoming Gap Walker trilogy.

“Memento Temporis” by DeAnna Knippling

It’s thirty years to the day that Jim lost the love of his life, Laina Jarvy, back in 1929. Now a colleague’s wife has a gift for him: a watch that will take him back in time to save Laina, and instructions on how to use it.

Jim’s willing to pay whatever price is necessary to save her–but the offer that he’s given in the past, at the mysterious Crossroads Hotel, smells more than a little like yesterday’s fish.

Is he about to save Laina?

Or get stiffed?

“The Language of Cats” by Stefon Mears

The Crossroads Hotel. A place between worlds. A place of magic and mystery.
Brice McCleary, fighting a hellish rainstorm from the driver’s seat of an old car. Trapped somewhere between Bakersfield and Flagstaff. Hungry. Tired. Stressed near the brink. His only passenger, a beloved cat named Pepperhead.

A passing semi nearly drowns them. Brice must chance an unlit, unmapped exit.

Pain, wonder, and transformation await him at the Crossroads Hotel.

“The Language of Cats”—a contemporary fantasy short story full of subtle magic, and heart. From Stefon Mears, author of the Spells for Hire series.

“Room 308” by Annie Reed

Magic comes with a price. Misuse it at your peril.

Claire’s been an entertainer all her life, and everywhere she’s traveled, a battered black suitcase went with her. When she performed as a stage magician/comedian, the suitcase held her props, each one infused with enough magic to make her slight of hand spectacular.

These days the suitcase contains something far more deadly.

Something dying to get out.

Twenty-five years ago, Claire made a promise in room 308. This Christmas Eve, she’ll return to room 308, unlatch the suitcase, and keep her promise.
Because what happens at the Crossroads Hotel doesn’t always stay at the Crossroads Hotel. When it does, it stays forever.

“Room Service” by Rebecca M. Senese

Deborah escapes to the Crossroads Hotel, wearing ill-fitting clothes, colouring her hair, waiting for a new life.

Searching for freedom.

Until a knock on the door forces Deborah to face her future, trapped within the hotel room walls.

Join Deborah in the contemporary fantasy “Room Service.”

 
 

“A Different Turn” by Jamie Ferguson

Angela has lived through five centuries of heartbreak, outliving husband after husband, lover after lover, friend after friend. She goes to the Crossroads Hotel to get a new identity and a new life—again. But this time, her life takes a different turn…

 
 
 
 
 

Find Crossroads Hotel at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books, and find the collection on BundleRabbit, Goodreads, and BookBub.

Learn more about the Uncollected Anthology at our website and Facebook page, and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about our authors and upcoming issues!

Uncollected Anthology #19: Silver Linings

Enjoy the 7 fantasy stories of the Uncollected Anthology: Silver Linings, collected in this bundle.

Discover how to negotiate with demons and survive a night on the street.

Sniff out a pesky ghost or hunt down a creature at night.

Attend a fairy ball, overcome inner darkness, or speak with the wind.

 

Get your copy of Silver Linings at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books, and find the collection on BundleRabbit, Goodreads, and BookBub.
 
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The Stories

“Unlocking the Devil” by Kelly Washington

Moira Rothrock comes from a long line of dark retrievers, a profession that requires regular interaction with demons and other-worldly beings, as well as frequent trips into Hell. It also means she’s on “friendly” terms with Lucifer, with “friendly” really meaning a love/hate/flirtatious relationship. It’s safe to say interacting with the Devil is interesting and complicated. And wildly dangerous.

However, when Moira’s new client turns out to be a local London priest, the handsome Father Basil Holt, their chemistry surprises her, but she’s more intrigued by his unusual request: his dying parishioner claims to have sold their soul to the devil and he needs Moira’s help in retrieving it.

As Moira spends time with the young priest while bickering with Lucifer about the technicalities of soul ownership, she realizes she might be in over her head. Father Holt gives her mixed signals, the dying parishioner refuses to tell the truth, and Lucifer happily throws obstacles in her way. What’s a dark retriever to do?

While Moira refuses to make a deal with Lucifer, she isn’t above playing dirty to get to the truth. As things begin to look hopeless, Moira wonders if the answer lies in unlocking the reasons behind why Lucifer wanted the soul in the first place.
 

 

“The Bright Side” by Rebecca M. Senese
Tara’s mother always told her to look on the bright side and Tara believed her up until she died. Leaving Tara to face life alone. Lonely.

And on the streets.

Until one night changes everything for Tara forever.
 
 
 
 
 
 

“Invitation to the Ball” by Leah R. Cutter

Janice still can’t believe it. She has an invitation to the royal fairy ball!

Finally. It’s her time. She can be…discovered.

Janice practices her model strut, perfects her makeup, and has a friend help her with coming up with the perfect outfit.

But will it be enough? Is it finally her time? Is her life about to change forever?
 
 
 
 
 

“The Listened Heart” by Robert Jeschonek

In a war-torn world of tomorrow, the warlord known as Paragon Hammer relies on Jocelyn, a mindreading “listener,” to ease his guilt and enable his atrocities. But visions of his downfall come to pass and upset the balance of power between them forever.

Trapped underground during an uprising, Hammer must overcome his inner darkness and learn to truly listen in order to save Jocelyn’s life and perhaps regain his kingdom. Will Hammer give up everything he’s fought for to find the love that’s been in front of him all along? Can Jocelyn help him find a new beginning, or will his violent ways tear them apart in the end?

Only by listening to the unspoken secrets of their hearts can they hope to bring the true passion between them to life.
 
 

 
 

“The Coffee Shop Ghost” by DeAnna Knippling

Pink-haired goth Tiff Cordero isn’t a witch. She’s a clairaliant, someone who smells spirits. And she’s been hired to sniff out a ghost who has recently started to give migraines to the patrons of a local coffee shop.

Only problem: nobody’s died anywhere near the building recently, no one has cursed the place, and the only odor Tiff can pick up is the smell of burnt plastic.

If she can’t solve the case, all the cool patrons will ditch the coffee shop—and it’s already in a neighborhood getting updated and plasticized out of existence.
 

 
 

“When the Wind Blows” by Jamie Ferguson
When Lani was a very little girl, she pretended she could speak to the wind, an understandable pastime for an imaginative child whose father had been carried away by a tornado, never to be seen again.

Many years later, caught in a fierce winter storm in the Colorado wilderness, she asks the wind for help out of desperation.

And the wind answers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“Hunter by Night” by Annie Reed

For some people, the silver lining comes before the storm.

Colton’s happy life shattered into a million pieces when a changeling kidnapped his pregnant wife. The police never caught the kidnapper—difficult to do when a changeling can shift their appearance to look like anyone—so now Colton scours the city at night, hunting for that one creature who robbed him of everything that made life worth living.

But what he hunts down this night will change his life forever.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Get your copy of Silver Linings at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books, and find the collection on BundleRabbit, Goodreads, and BookBub.

 

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Uncollected Anthology #18: Beasties

All sorts of things make their way into a city.
They come, they breed, they adapt. One day, you’re looking at a raccoon breaking into a garbage can.
The next day, you’re not sure what you’re looking at, but it has intelligent eyes, lizard scales, and tentacles.
Should you get rid of it, or try to tame it? Spray some repellant, set out cheese for a midnight snack, or set the whole city on fire?
Can you make friends? And if you can, will it be more trouble than it’s worth?
Or will it lead to something glorious?
Uncollected Anthology: Beasties features 8 stories of beasties big and small, the ones we can live with—and the ones we can’t!
Get your copy of Beasties at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books. You can also find the collection on Goodreads.

The Stories

“Wee Beasties” by DeAnna Knippling
Something’s going on in the new apartment building.
Something small…something blue…something that likes to steal things out of your kitchen trash can.
Not a rat, not a mole, not a vole, not a gopher…what?
The only way to find out might be to catch it!
“The Tommys” by Jamie Ferguson
Penelope heads out to the silver mining town of Leadville, Colorado after her cousin Bess’ husband is killed in an accident on his way back from his mining claim in the mountains.
Unlike Penelope, Bess didn’t inherit much in the way of witchcraft. But the one skill she has is detecting when someone is lying…so she knows that the miners who brought her husband’s body back to town aren’t telling the truth.
The only way to find out what really happened is for the women to head up into the mountains and investigate the mine themselves. But they find much, much more than they expected to…
“The Challenges of Raising Urban Chickens” by Leah Cutter
Dani loves the four proud and goofy chickens that she raises in the middle of downtown Seattle. However, there are always challenges with chickens in urban areas, like cats and raccoons.
And feathered serpents who decide to mate with her chickens.
Wait. What?
“The Challenges of Raising Urban Chickens” is a light take on issues that you might not realize are possible when it comes to raising chickens!
“Rise Up” by Rebecca M. Senese
While Doctor Miranda Malone struggles to keep her fledging veterinary clinic afloat, she discovers a sick bird abandoned in the reception. Despite not recognizing the species, she brings it in to try to save it.
Not realizing that she risks not only the health of her other patients but also her clinic.
And her life.
“Monsters of Ice Cream by Robert Jeschonek
WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!
A love of ice cream brings monsters flocking to a small-town soft-serve stand that never turns them away. But when the open-minded owner falls ill, a wolfman and his creature feature friends have to keep the place alive. Do they stand a chance when monster-hating locals threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for?
The secret society of werewolves, vampires, zombies, and ghouls might not survive without help from the most unexpected allies of all.
“The Uncanny Valley” by Angela Penrose
Darcy James, a Detective Sergeant with the recently-formed Uncanny Crime Division, always has more on her plate than there are hours in the day. Hysterical civilians are screaming “Magic!” every time they catch a cold or get a flat tire. Overdosing on a new uncanny drug called Turbo results in gruesome death. And what’s up with the dogs commuting into downtown every day on the train?
Somehow Darcy has to figure out what’s real and what’s not in a world turned inside-out, hopefully before anyone else dies.
“Big Bad Wolf” by Annie Reed
Carla hated blind dates.
Hard enough just living in the city and trying to fit in with a bunch of regular people who didn’t know she was a werewolf.
Why didn’t everyone believe her when she told them she liked being single? No attachments? No commitments? No one to accidentally disembowel when the moon was at its fullest and she wolfed out during a particularly vivid dream?
This particular blind date, though, might be too good to be true.
Right up until the lights go out, and everything goes to hell.
“Telling the Bees” by Dayle A. Dermatis
Some kind of weird Sleeping Beauty curse has hit a Portland, Oregon, suburb.
Sounds like a case for Hedgewitch sisters Holly and Willow, and Holly’s fae familiar, Cam.
But “weird” doesn’t begin to describe what’s really happening….
A new story in the spellbinding Hedgewitch urban fantasy series by the author of the Nikki Ashburne series.
Find Beasties at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and Goodreads.
Learn more about the Uncollected Anthology at our website and Facebook page, check out our series on Goodreads, and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about our authors and upcoming issues!