Meet My Guest Robert Herold And Read About His Paranormal Romance THE DEVIL'S DREGS, Nominated For The Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice Awards

Hi! I'm Robert Herold, author of three novels with The Wild Rose Press and five novelettes in the Seattle Coven Tales, self-published on Amazon. I love history,

horror, chocolate, jazz, theater, and ethnic foods.

Before going further, I have a very big favor to ask. My novelette, THE DEVIL'S DREGS, has been nominated for the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer's Choice Awards! The next step is a popularity contest. Please do me the very great honor of voting for my story! (They won't spam you or sell your email address. Any info they take is just to prevent people from voting multiple times.)

You don't have to have read it (yet!) to vote. If you like the cover, vote! If you don’t like the cover, vote! If you like chocolate or puppies, vote! Any promo helps.

Click Here to Vote

It's about halfway down in the list of nominees (in the novellas/shorts category).

Thanks heaps!

Here’s a bit about my story:

A witch has stolen Steven Metcalf's newborn son and intends to sacrifice the child to her dark lord. Steven and his two friends scour Seattle to rescue the infant, but the city has become infested with witches and their allies. Can Steven and company save the innocent before it's too late?

"The must-read paranormal series of the year." --  N. N. Light Book Heaven

My other work includes three novels, part of the Eidola Project series, and I’m currently working on the fourth. The series follows a group of 19 ^th-century ghost hunters who become entangled in deadly supernatural investigations. The team of ghost hunters includes Harvard psychology professor William James (a real-life ghost hunter), his female assistant, an African American physicist, a young woman who was a sideshow medium, and a traumatized Civil War veteran, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses. The books also act as a distant mirror, dealing with modern themes, such as women’s rights, racism, and drug abuse—while conveying a cracking good tale. (Each of these titles has won awards, too, as has the series!) This series is available through all major online booksellers and can be read as an eBook or as a paperback.

I also write The Seattle Coven Tales, set in the contemporary world. They follow a graduate student (in history, of course!) at the University of Washington and his sommelier girlfriend who are lured into a world of witchcraft and become targeted for sacrifice. Can they escape a world where murderous witches seem to be everywhere? This series has won awards, too, and is only available through Amazon. (Several titles are currently on sale, and all are free with Kindle Unlimited.)

The Link to All My Books on Amazon

Robert as Ghostbuster

Why do I write horror?  I come by it naturally. As a boy, I wanted nothing more than to be a werewolf. When snow occurred, it provided me the opportunity to walk out onto neighbors' lawns halfway and make paw prints with my fingers as far as I could stretch. I would retrace the paw and boot prints, then fetch the neighbor kids and point out that someone turned into a werewolf on this lawn! (They were skeptical.)

As a teen, I helped with the creation of a haunted house, mostly as a gofer, and got to be a werewolf (oh, the joy) once the place opened. This haunted house was sponsored by a local rock station and was not for kids. It had many a frightful room that we repurposed in an old home before it was to be torn down. I, as the wolfman, was in a room with Dr. Frankenstein and the monster, and we all jumped at folks and delighted in their screams. Then, toward the end of the evening, in a moment of werewolf abandon, I decided to jump up onto the wall and grab the bars on a window to howl at the moon. Much to my chagrin and pain, the iron bars were actually wooden dowels that broke off, and I crashed down onto my werewolf tailbone. I howled in pain. People loved it! I, however, too embarrassed to admit my pain and mistake, limped the two miles home that night instead of begging a ride from someone with wheels. My lesson: One must suffer for one’s art.

In the end, I realized writing about horror was considerably safer and even more fun. I hope my work gives you the creeps, and I mean that in the best way possible!

Best witches, er, wishes,

Robert Herold, Author

Visit My Website

To Kick Off Spooktober, Meet My Author Friend Alicia Dean and Check Out Her Latest Release CROW GIRL: 13 Stories, 13 Authors...Get Your Fright On

 

I always enjoy hosting Alicia, especially during the creepy season, and you'll see why...

Meet Alicia

At age 10, Alicia wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she enjoys reading, writing, MLB, NFL and watching (and rewatching) her favorite television shows like Dexter, Justified, and Breaking Bad. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.

Crow Girl ~ A Friday the 13^th Horror Short Story by Alicia Dean

I am in awe of how smart crows are. Crows can not only form affectionate bonds with people who treat them well (as did the little girl in the below Mr. Ballen YouTube video), but they can also hold grudges against those who don’t. A team from the University of Washington tested how well the birds could identify human faces using two Halloween masks (one resembling a caveman to be used as the aggressor, the other resembling Dick Cheney for the control).

At five sites, a scientist donned the caveman mask before catching and banding some wild crows. Getting trapped is never a fun experience, and upon their release, the crows loudly scolded their assailant with threatening caws. Seeing this, other birds swooped down to harass the captor. Over several years, researchers wore the masks on strolls through all five test spots. The crows—including many who’d never been captured or banded—scolded and dive-bombed the “caveman” while ignoring “Dick Cheney”.

The younger crows, who were born after the initial experiment, also scolded the “caveman.” The grudge had been passed on.

I went a bit further than simple grudges in my latest release, CROW GIRL, A FRIDAY THE 13th STORY. 😊

Watch Video on YouTube

About CROW GIRL

Ten-year-old Twyla Gillette was abandoned by her mother and placed in an abusive foster home. Teased unmercifully by her classmates, she has no friends—other than the crows. As a toddler, she shared her food with the birds and they befriended her, bringing her gifts and always looking out for her, protecting her.

When the teasing turns to vicious bullying, and her foster family’s abuse becomes more relentless, Twyla relies on the crows to make things right.

It’s not that she wants her friends to hurt anyone…but sometimes wicked people have to learn a lesson.

Excerpt

He was alone in the woods…with nothing around except the psychotic birds. They wouldn’t actually hurt him, though, would they?

He stumbled back and turned to run but tripped on a tree stump and went flying, landing on the ground with a painful thud. He was getting to his feet when something hit him from behind. He grunted and fell to his knees. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the birds…so many of them…swarming, diving, swooping at him. Then they were on him, pecking his face, his head, his chest. He tried to cover his face, but there were so many birds and…how were they so strong? They weren’t that big, but they were in some kind of vicious frenzy, and they were relentless.

One of the birds drove its beak into his ear. Warm, wet liquid dripped down the side of his neck, and agonizing pain ripped through his head. The fuckers had punctured his eardrum. The screeching caws rang out, echoing his terror, drowning out his sobs. Birds continued to attack…tearing him to pieces.

“Help!” he shrieked. “Somebody help me, please!” But he had a feeling only one person could stop this…and he’d locked her up and left her there…all alone in the dark. And now her friends were making him pay. If he could take it back, he would. But he couldn’t do anything except lay on the ground, sobbing and begging for mercy.

Find my story everywhere except Amazon 

(Amazon terminated my account due to false accusations they made against me) https://books2read.com/CrowGirl

Find All 13 of the Friday the 13th #5 Series Here

Find Alicia Here

 

Meet Bob Herold and Read About his Love Affair with Haunted Houses

 For my ongoing Spooktober blog exchange, meet Bob Herold, author of some creepy books and stories!

My Love Affair with Haunted Houses

By Robert Herold

            Haunted Houses and I go way back. I used to set up a haunted house display in my parents’ garage and enlist my brothers and friends to play the roles of various monsters as I, as a mad scientist, led other neighborhood kids through the chamber of horrors. The tour would end with me dissecting a monster in a serio-comic way, removing all manner of things from its abdomen (such as a pop bottle, an old shoe, and a dirty sock). At the conclusion, the creature’s arm would swing out at the other kids, courtesy of a little fishing line, and send the frightened kids running from the haunted garage.

            After college, I took a job in a nursing home as I dipped my claws, er, toes, into the writing life. At the nursing home I reprised my earlier passion for haunted houses and got other members of the staff and the management to buy into the idea of putting on a haunted house for the patients. People were encouraged to retrieve a treat from the bottom of a bowl of intestines (OK, it was pasta). There were opportunities for (geriatric) boys to meet ghouls, and gals to hang out with all sorts of unsavory monsters. The conclusion, once again, was me as a mad scientist werewolf (showing my true colors) who would operate on a monster and once again pull out various things from its abdomen (this time it included a bedpan – I’m such a wit). As an adult, I also jazzed it up with beakers of dry ice and colored liquid bubbling away behind me on repurposed bookshelves. The pièce de résistance was me (as the ersatz wolfman/mad scientist) throwing the breaker switch (OK, it was a sponge mop handle) and causing the creature’s eyes to light up. At this point, the creature’s arm would swing out, as before (remember the fishing line trick?) and grab one of the patients.  As I look back on my cavalier sensibilities, I realized I was damn lucky I didn’t cause a heart attack.

            When my older son was in kindergarten and first grade I resurrected the haunted house motif, this time for my son’s birthday parties. I used all the same ideas to great success, perhaps too great. After causing one little girl to pee her pants, I realized I had ridden this horror express perhaps a little too far.

The haunted house that left the biggest impression on me I encountered when I was in high school, I participated in a spooktacular haunted house that was sponsored by a local rock music station. I helped with the construction, mostly as a gofer, and got to be a werewolf (oh, the joy) once the place opened. This haunted house was not for kids and had many a frightful room that we repurposed in an old home before it was to be torn down. I, as the wolfman, was in a room with Dr. Frankenstein and the monster, and we all jumped at folks and delighted in their screams. Then, toward the end of the evening, in a moment of werewolf abandon, I decided to jump up onto the wall and grab the bars on a window to howl at the moon. Much to my chagrin, and pain, the iron bars were actually wooden dowels that broke off and I crashed down onto my werewolf tailbone. I howled in pain. People loved it! I, however, too embarrassed to admit my pain and mistake, limped the three miles home that night instead of begging a ride from someone with wheels. My lesson: One must suffer for one’s art!

Speaking of art, I have two series and a sale that might be right up your dark alley. N. N. Light Book Heaven recently declared that “The Seattle Coven Tales is the must-read paranormal series of the year.” The third in the series, “The Devil’s Dregs,” will be released today, Friday, the 13^th. To celebrate this, I have the first in the series, “Witch Ever Way You Go,” on sale until the end of October, for just $0.99. (All the Seattle Coven Tales are free with Kindle Unlimited.) 

All are available on Amazon

The Eidola Project Series follows a team of 19^th-century ghost hunters who become ensnared in deadly investigations of the supernatural. The Paranormal Romance Guild recently awarded these novels First Place as an Outstanding Horror Series. The books are available through all major online retailers, and bookstores may order them for you through Ingram Book Service.

If you would like a free short story, “Ghost Doll,” an early adventure by the Eidola Project team, contact me at

email@robertheroldauthor.com

Other social media links:

https://robertheroldauthor.com

Amazon.com: Robert Herold: books, biography, latest update

Bob Herold (@robertheroldauthor666) • Instagram photos and videos

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Meet My Fellow Wild Rose Press Author and Guest Robert Herold, and Read About His Horror Thriller MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU

MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU is Book Two of the Eidola Project series, and I've become an ardent fan after reading THE EIDOLA PROJECT and MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU. Meet Bob, read about MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU, and the creepy short story "Ghost Doll" -- and no, it's not about the infamous Robert the Doll in Key West, Florida.

Check out the Special Free Offer of "Ghost Doll"!

An early adventure of the award-winning Eidola Project series, “Ghost Doll,” is available for free until August 24 on BookFunnel (a safe and free way for readers to receive promo books and stories). 

Click here for the offer.

Now here's Bob!

I am honored to be featured by the talented writer Diana Rubino. I love her books! Here’s a bit about me and my writing:

Seattleite Robert Herold is the author of the award-winning Eidola Project novels, which follows a team of 19th-century ghost hunters who become ensnared in deadly supernatural investigations, and The Seattle Coven Tales, a series of novellas centered around Friday the 13^th. 

Find out more on his website, click here.

Synopsis of MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU:

Danger comes from all quarters when the Eidola Project investigates a series of murders in a Black community--rumored to be caused by a werewolf. Not only do they face threats from the supernatural, the KKK objects to the team's activities, and the group is falling apart. Can they overcome their human frailties to defeat the evil that surrounds them? *****The entire Eidola Project Series won 1st Place in the 2022 Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice Awards. Moonlight Becomes You is also a winner of two 1st place wins from the Southeastern Writers Association, including Best Novel! 

Excerpt:

Doc Curtis fought for every reserve of strength and managed to quicken his pace. He could hear them shouting behind him and dared not look back, fearing it might slow him just that much more.

At last, he made it through the field and emerged onto a rough access road running between the cultivated land on one side and the woods on the other. He dashed across the dirt road and through the weeds and scrub bordering its opposite side. The trees stood twenty yards ahead. He would make it, find a thick trunk to hide behind, and fire a warning shot. If he could drive them off, it would be best. If not, he would do what needed to be done. Life had reduced itself to its most fundamental terms: kill or be killed.

Just five yards from the trees, a gigantic black beast bounded from the woods and landed before him. The doctor skittered to a stop, and his feet went out from beneath him. The creature stepped closer, looming. Its eyes glowed red, and the skin around its muzzle drew back, revealing a mouthful of sharp canine teeth.

The Klan had come at him in two directions, the doctor realized.

He raised his pistol and fired into the snarling face above him.

Click here to purchase

How Did This Novel Come About? A Peek Behind the Scenes

I have always had a fondness for werewolves. As a boy, I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be one! When I was 8—12 years old, when it snowed, I’d walk out onto neighbors’ lawns and then make paw prints with my fingers as far as I could stretch. I’d retrace my paw and boot prints and then fetch neighborhood kids and point out that someone had turned into a werewolf on this front lawn. Few bought into this shaggy dog (werewolf) story. ☹!

I was a junior high/middle school history teacher for 36 years and so in this novel, I’ve combined my love of history with my love of werewolves. Many of the historical incidents and locations in the book are real. In fact, I sought the input of several professors for accuracy in details about train travel and the mental hospital used in this book. Also, William James (brother of the author Henry James), who leads the Eidola Project, is a historical figure and father of psychology in America. He was also a real ghost hunter. It’s my hope that the weaving-in of historical details contributes to the verisimilitude of the supernatural. 

My latest work is set in the modern day, The Seattle Coven Tales, a series of novellas set in 2015. They are part of a collection of stories written by 13 authors that come out on Friday the Thirteenth. My newest story, The Devil’s Dregs, is available for preorder on  Amazon.

Connect with Bob:

Feel free to contact me with any questions and (if interested) to sign up for my monthly newsletter, The Haunted House of Herold. email@robertheroldauthor.com

 

Meet Alicia Dean and Read About "You’re Invited: A Halloween Horror Short Story"

About Alicia

Alicia is a suspense and paranormal author in Edmond, Oklahoma. She wrote her first romance at age 10 (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. In addition to reading and writing, Alicia loves watching and re-watching her favorite television shows, among them Dexter, Justified, The Vampire Diaries, Ozark, Friends, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond.   

Connect With Alicia 

Email: Alicia@AliciaDean.com  

Website

Blog 

Facebook 

Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_  

BookBub 

About "You're Invited" : 

Morgan Michaels and her friends invite an unpopular girl from their high school to a Halloween party as a joke…but the joke backfires, and the girl ends up murdered.  

One year later, they receive an invitation to a mysterious Halloween party. It’s all fun and games at first, but Morgan soon discovers there’s a psycho in their midst, and he’s slaughtering them one by one, using a prop from each of their costumes.  

 

Now the killer is in hot pursuit of the remaining survivors. Can they unmask the maniac before they, too, meet an untimely end? 

 Excerpt:

WTF…where was he? She took her phone from her pocket. At least it provided her some light. She wished she’d checked the time when he left so she’d know how long she’d been waiting. And, she wished she had his phone number. She could text and see when he’d be back. Because she was really getting scared. And he’d been gone, like, forever. Screw this. She was going back. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get lost.

She stood and headed back the way she thought they’d come. There wasn’t really a path, Axel had just forged his own. And she hadn’t paid attention because her mind was occupied with other things. Was this the right way? She peered through the darkened woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of Axel’s house. Even with the fence surrounding it, she should be able to at least see some lights—

A crack sounded behind her, and she whirled, her heart diving into her stomach. She knew that was something…someone…?

“Axel?” Her voice trembled. Maybe he was back and couldn’t find her. “I’m over here. Sorry. I wasn’t sure you were coming back, so I—”

Something lunged at her from between the trees. She couldn’t make out the features, but it was definitely human—a man.

She opened her mouth to scream, but he grabbed her and clamped his hand over her mouth. A sickening horror rose when she felt him reach for the dagger in her pocket. She whimpered, begging…crying…but the sound was muffled beneath his hand.

 Purchase "You're Invited":

Amazon

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