From the two-time Splatterpunk Award-nominated author of the breakout collection A Bouquetof Viscera comes three grisly new tales—one sweet, one sour, and one spicy.
Sweet: In “Bark Off,” Arlo must battle an angry, vengeful spirit, but gets some surprising help from his lifelong best friend…Clyde the pug.
Sour: “Giggly,” tells of a deranged serial killer on the loose, who has a special affinity for a unique—and heinous—weapon.
Spicy: In "Rewards," Brad and Ty are thrilled by the completely unexpected sexual games their girlfriends Oaklyn and Isla want to play...until things go much too far.
Dive into this macabre literary buffet from Bridgett Nelson! It’s sure to satisfy every craving…
Review:
"I have some new friends I'd like you to meet."
A fantastic collection of short stories that will have you feeling all the emotions!
"Sweet"~ Softening you up...A vengeful, haunting ghost appearing from the realms of the dark. She is out for revenge from a past of unsettling occurrences. When she threatens a family, their sweet little pug protects them with all of his might. (I may have teared up a little!)
"Sour"~ Brace yourself...A serial killer with a heinous desire for extracting a womanly body part. (This one had me squeezing my legs tightly together!) Brutal and exciting read with a surprise ending.
"Spicy"~ Now some sex you can enjoy! (At first...) Two girls. Two guys. A weekend getaway with expectations of lots of sex and summer fun in the sun, but the girls have some very unexpected plans for their boys. These girls mean business and their boys will suffer through their darkest desires. ( Erotic and savage!) If you're not blushing, you'll be cringing!
From "oh so sweet to holy shit" these three short stories are super entertaining and darkly disturbing!
Sweet, vile, disturbing, and bloody disgusting. A book of horrific delights!
Bonus: Striking cover, wonderful illustrations, great formatting, and the included story notes.
Bridgett Nelson, the two-time Splatterpunk Award-nominated author of the hugely popular A Bouquet of Viscera, has three deranged stories to tell that all you freaks are sure to love!
In “Getaway,” four college friends go on a beach house vacation in an Outer Banks town. The allure is that it’s off-season and the town is completely deserted...so why is there a loud knock on the door in the middle of the night?
In “Scars,” a famous author holds a contest to have characters named after his biggest fans. But after the book is published, the fans begin to die in the same way as their characters...
In “Belong,” Briony has dealt with an obsessed stalker her entire life. Just when she thinks he’s finally gone, all hell breaks loose…and Briony is no longer the only victim.
So enjoy! But if you share this book with the normal people in your life, be prepared to hear “What the fuck was that?”
Review:
These three excellent, short stories will have you reeling in anticipation to find out the endings.
"Getaway" will take you on a dreamy vacation. Friends spending time together, enjoying their youth, sharing memories, and creating new memories. There purely for enjoyment and a good time. Strange things begin to occur and everything turns into a nightmare. A great slasher with a surprising, horrifying ending!
"Scars". The readers dream contest, chosen to be characters in a book written by their favorite author. Little do they know it was a huge mistake to enter. A myterious whodunit will want you figuring out who the killer is and the reasons why.
"Belong". Lifelong friends since kindergarten, their friendship bond is strong until those teenage years arrive. Those awkward years of trying to fit in, make new friends, and hormonal changes. Feelings change and friendships fall apart. What once was, no longer exists, life becomes a lifelong nightmare and a fight for survival.
"We'll always be together, and do you know why? Because you belong to me."
These were all so great and so well written. Each with there own unique story inside with shocking twists and surprising endings that were absolutely perfect.
Terrifying, darkly sinister, disturbing, and horrifyingly delightful in all the best ways!
Bonus: Fantabulous covers, wonderful illustrations, and excellent formatting!
What would you do if your body started to communicate with you after years of pain if it gave you the option to make it stop? Would you take it? This is the choice Calico Roberts has to make, after years of brutal torment from her own chronic health condition. If you were in this much pain, suffering this much...would you accept that this is your life?
A shocking body horror from the Author of 'What's Eating You,' and 'The Wilderness'. Comes a horror based on real-life event.
Review:
Witness a story about living with debilitating pain. The kind of suffering that no one can really understand unless they are going through it. It keeps a person from truly enjoying life as it holds the control over ones body. Never knowing when it is going to rear its ugliness and the hopelessness takes over.
The fight to get through it and not let the darkness take over. Longing for relief from the pain. Desperately imploring for help, feeling as if no one is truly listening or hearing the painful cries deep from within.
There is much to be admired for someone who pours their heart and soul into sharing a story of ones own suffering. It takes bravery and strength.
With that being said the story is fictionalized, as well. The character giving into the darkness, wanting nothing more than relief from the pain. Listening to the voice telling her to commit atrocious acts of violence and other disgusting, horrifying things. Longing for release from the pain, but paying a hefty price in the end.
"All I wanted was to be free of the pain and live a normal life. Find love, have children, be like everyone else."
His alter ego, The Widowmaker, was the monster heel all the marks loved to hate. Now, after a brutal encounter with two psychotic fans that left his face horribly disfigured, he's just a monster. Yanked from the spotlight and thrust into the shadows, these days Nick tries to live the life of an average Joe. He avoids mirrors. He's angry. He's alone. And he likes it just fine that way...
Until he receives a desperate phone call from a young lady he barely knows-his daughter.
For the first time in over thirty years, Nick returns to his hometown of Midnight, North Carolina. There he will come face to face with old demons, forge new friendships, and make enemies far more dangerous than those who ruined his face, all in a quest to save the granddaughter he's never met...and maybe find a little bit of redemption along the way.
Ugly As Sin is an electrifying tale of "white-trash noir," a taut page-turner that skates the razor edge of a familiar, horrifying reality. At times heartbreaking, funny, and terrifyingly suspenseful. Encyclopocalypse Publications is proud to bring one of Newman's best works back into print.
Review:
"I didn't just fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, right? I planted the tree, watched it grow, then one day the fucker fell on top of me."
At the top of his game, Nick was a big time wrestling star until that fateful day when he was brutally beaten and disfigured. Now, he is "Ugly As Sin", frightening to all encounter him, he now prefers a life of solitude. Estranged from his family for many years, he suddenly recieves a phone call from his distraught daughter pleading for his help. Not knowing what to expect, he meets with his daughter and learns some disturbing news. He must now fight to save the life of his granddaughter.
When I first started reading this, I wasn't sure how I felt about it as I am not a wrestling fan. But the wrestling is not the main focus of this thrilling and suspenseful story of revenge and redemption. There is rediscovering family, forming new friendships, and learning to accept ones self again. Action packed and full of mystery with moments of full on brutality, Nick's story is exciting. I was so invested in his character, rooting for him all the way. There are some character's in here that are deplorable, as well. The ones that you can't wait to see get their just do.
Do you ever have those moments while reading when you find yourself talking or yelling out loud at the character's? Well, that was me with this one. Mostly yelling at Nick, telling him, "Hell yeah, NIck, kick their ass!" "Those disgusting, creeps deserve it!"
What I loved most is the relationship developed between Nick and his granddaughter, warmed my heart and soul!
Horror, gore, shots fired, bodies hit the floor, laugh out loud bits, and a touch of compassion. Completely entertaining!
"Those who had next to nothing appreciated what little they did have. Those who had never known what it was like to go without took their posssessions for granted, too much was never enough, and the thrill of the hunt was like a drug to them."
For Alan Chambers, a jobless loner, it’s the answer to his problems. Or so he thinks…
Rejected by family and friends, and soon-to-be homeless, Alan makes his last desperate bid to discover the truth of this miserable reality by journeying to an occult brothel where it’s said the worthy might obtain passage to this fabled land of Carcosa.
Proving one’s worth is more dangerous than Alan could have imagined.
Prepare for an erotic and horrifying journey into the universe of the Yellow King…
The Claw of Craving is the first in the Books of Lost Carcosa series, an epic fantasy-horror that reimagines the astonishing mythos of Robert W. Chambers. Combining Clive Barker’s eroticism and fantasy with Stephen King’s pulse-pounding narrative, The Claw of Craving will please fans of Imajica, Weaveworld, The Dark Tower, H. P. Lovecraft, Eric LaRocca, and Alistair Rennie.
Review:
"Carcosa leaves its traces wherever those who have been marked by its beauty tread."
The lost city of Carcosa. Where is it and how does one get there? For Alan Chambers, it is his ultimate goal. Always having lived through a life of misunderstanding and unacceptance, he seeks that which he most desires. He must go through the "Ritual of Five" if he wishes to be granted entry. Will he endure the dangers and will it be worth it? Will he be accepted into the Yellow City?
The complexity of this haunting tale takes us on a journey of horrifying imaginings. A world full of chaos and terrifying orders. Lost and broken souls and the desire for power. Some choosing to revere the Gods and others choosing to follow the path of darkness amongst the demons.
The descriptive prose is breath taking and even through the darkness there is a shining light within the hearts of those longing for what is right and true.
With themes of eroticism, carnal desires, extreme horrors, and a city alive with chaotic magnificence, it will transcend you into a fantastical world of wonder. An experience that break the boundaries of the imagination.
"It was both body and tomb, asylum and palace, inner sanctum and outer space."
In the 18th century West Indies, stories hold the ultimate power. Sailors spin yarns about pirates. Newspapers tell tales full of half-truths. Myths spread like whispered wildfire.
East India Company sailor Nicholas Jerome has no patience for pirates, determined to leave his father’s thieving past behind. After a convict and an enslaved woman escape his grasp with the aid of an aristocrat’s mysterious wife, he faces one last chance to save his career. Finding an unexpected home with a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, the son of his wealthy captain and the grandson of Jamaica’s cruel governor.
But there’s a storm brewing in the Delacroix household. For René and his best friend Frantz, the Robin Hood tales about legendary pirate Ajani Danso and his famed female quartermaster are a lifeline amidst the governor’s abuse. Danso robs greedy merchants, frees slaves, and shelters queer sailors, inspiring the downtrodden across the New World.
When death and betrayal shatter the lives they knew, René and Jerome each face a choice: obey, or rebel.
A war for history’s favor begins, and as an uprising against colonialism erupts on the ocean, everyone must choose a story to believe in.
Sailing by Orion's Star is the origin story of The Constellation Trilogy, a familial epic spanning from 1695 to 1718. The trilogy pulls on the hidden threads of the past and uncovers the truth behind who pirates really were--people of color, poor sailors, desperate runaways, women, and queer people--an army of all nations who dared to fight for a better world.
Review:
"The sea is haunted. He’s certain of that. It is too ancient, and too many people have breathed their last out here for it to be otherwise."
Set in the late 17th century, early 18th century, Sailing by Orion's Star, sets us on an epic journey along with pirates, sailors, slave traders, and their family and friends.
A time when piracy and slavery was prominent, a time when many were forced to follow the legacies of thier heirs. Sailing the seas to deliver slaves to their new masters whether or not the captain and crew believed it was moral. Fighting for security during a time of upheaval and injustices. A time when a blind eye is turned against the brutality, cruelty, and the underbelly of government control. Hiding thier ugly secrets and justifying their actions, trying to survive and hold thier families together against the odds of inhumanity.
There is a light shining among the stars as there are those who sweep in and fight against the slave trade. Rescuing all they can and delivering them to freedom.Searching to bring families back together and hiding them from the cruel world they must fight to survive in.
Children enamored by the stories of pirates and seeing the world through thier innocence. Fascinated by stories passed from generation to generation. Children wanting approval from their families, slowly learning over time that all is not what it seems, their childhood innocence is lost as the ugly truths are revealed. Fighting against the realities, they are now forging their own path, strengthening their friendship bonds all while going against their families beliefs and iniquities. Fighting for their position in the belief that they can help make the world a better place.
The power of storytelling shines through the authors beautiful prose as there is powerful themes within. The golden, yet ugly age of piracy and slavery. Families grappling with the struggles of wanting to do what is right but forced to go against all things moral to survive in an ever changing world. Fit in or lose everything you have ever tried to fight for to build a lasting legacy. Loss and grief abound within the families as many are seperated, not only by the slave trade, but by the choices that are made and closing their eyes to the ugliness instead of fighting for what is moral and right. The strong bonds of friendships and the beauty that lies within those bonds throughout childhood.
I enjoyed this beautiful, yet often times heartbreaking journey. A powerful story bringing to light a portion of history and shining among the stars is the bonds of found family and the choosing of love over hatred.
Wonderful characterization and world building!
"Gemini shines bright above them through the dissipating rain, Castor and Pollux twinkling most of all, the pair of stars deriving their names from two brothers in Greek myth long considered the protectors of sailors."
Included themes: Piracy, slavery, racism, abuse, death, LGBTQ representation, grief, etc.
"On June 6th, 2006, three friends entered a pact with a succubus. Musical fame and fortune would be there's provided the women could fulfill the demon’s need for sexual energy with willing spirit spouses.
Both parties agreed, and Suck-U-Bus was born."
That’s what the website claimed. But it was just a gimmick to sell tickets. Or so Lisa Hummer thought.
After her brother gets a backstage bus-pass, she isn’t so sure. A strange woman warns them the succubus has marked Danny for more than sex, and it isn’t long before Danny goes missing.
Following the clues, Lisa uncovers a trail of chaos wherever the band plays. She can’t be certain if there is a nefarious plot or if it’s simply a bizarre series of coincidences.
Is the succubus real or is it all in her head?
Review:
"Tires on asphalt sounded like a laugh, mocking her pain, and the bus headed down the lonesome highway to the next show."
Danny and Lisa have always been metalheads, chasing those band concerts, and living the dream. A brother and sister that have always been close, living through the many trials of life. Circumstances out of their control. Adulthood separates them but Danny wants more than anything to rekindle what they once had and start chasing those bands again.
Following the newest sensation "Suck-U-Bus", Danny wants to be a chosen one. To be able to get a backstage pass and enter the bus with the "Mothers" and find out if all the rumors are true. Rumors of supertnatural occurrences, demon sex, and the mysteries that lie within.
When Danny gets chosen everything changes and Lisa must figure out what is happening to her brother. She is warned that Danny is in danger and when he goes missing, she follows the band only to discover that things are dark and sinister and lives are hanging in the balance. Danger and mysterious incidents ensue as the band plays on!
Curses and witches, demons, occult practices, metal music, erotic sexual experiences, head trips, family dynamics, sleep paralysis, and mystery and mayhem abound in this trippy novel!
S.C. Mendes and Nikki Noir have created one hell of a novel. The creativity in the writing, the characters, and the mystery of it all including the big surprise at the end made this whole book an exciting read!
I recommend grabbing a copy, this one is tons of fun!
S.C. Mendes is the co-host of Horror Business—a podcast dedicated to helping authors make a career of their writing. He is also the co-owner of Blood Bound Books—an independent publisher whose mission is to spreading hope through dark fiction.
About the Author
Nikki Noir writes erotic thrillers, extreme horror, and bizarre plotlines. Her fiction can be found on Godless and Blood Bound Books. Her visual art and love of all things spooky can be found at At That Spooky Beach on IG and TikTok.
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