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     It's May Day and Happy Beltane! This year is flying by, so we have to grab it by the horns and hang on.
     Along with Speculation Publications and LCW Allingham (cover art and design), I have updated the first two books in my series the Anastasia Evolution Series, originally published by Di Freeze at Freeze Time Media.
     Book One, Love and War, will be relaunching this June 8th. With Book Two, The Hollow, close behind leading up to the release of Book Three (title to be released) in late Fall. 

     Sign up for Spec Pub's newsletter with this link to get the first look at the new covers, special offers and to keep up with what we're doing. 

     

                           In order to Become, you must first come undone
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Book One: Love and War, and Eternally Damning Prophecies 

     "Anastasia Drusilla “Andru” Weber is a captain for the Vampire governed free-state Army, and her life is complicated.
      Still wounded from the painful breakup with her ex, Andru’s been trying to move on by throwing herself into her work, but her partner, vampire Captain Romeo, is distractingly attractive and too easy to provoke, and her boss, General Galen, leader of the vampire military, seems to be around every corner, watching her with ancient and irresistible eyes.           Maybe it could all lead to some sexy fun, but something more has been building in the shadows of Andru’s life. Something that threatens to blow up the facade she’s built to protect herself, her heart and her secrets.
     An unprovoked attack on Anastasia’s life sets off a chain reaction. As it proves to be less random than it first seems, Galen suddenly inserts himself in her relationships (and her bed).      This invokes jealousy from fellow soldiers, concern from friends and even more tension between her and Romeo, further isolating Andru. 
     As Anastasia’s thirtieth birthday draws near, and her complicated life spirals into chaos, the secrets she has kept hidden erupt to the surface. Fully exposed, her relationships, her life and her very identity ignite into flames." 

    

   
Hello, Hello, Hello! I'm Baaack! Quick update:
     
      🔥 Support Small Business! 🔥

    For the second novella of utter speculation we at Speculation Publications have decided on a brilliant lo-fi, queer, weird fiction novella in the vein of "I saw the tv glow" about the urban legends of the Polybius arcade cabinet and the men in black titled "Loading...the maching child."  I'll let TT tell you about it...


Letter from TT Madden, Author of.... LOADING...THE MACHINE CHILD
     
     Dear Readers,
                  
    The Utter Speculation series speculates about what is behind real mysteries and legends. The stories can be based on facts or complete fiction. They can be rooted in real world explanations or supernatural causes, but they need to answer the question, "what causes this?"
  
    I've always loved urban legends, and I've always loved video games (I may have another unannounced video game-related book coming out in 2026…) so Polybius made perfect sense, and I started thinking about how I could explain the truth behind an arcade cabinet showing up for a month in Portland in 1981 and somehow driving people insane.
  
    But there is a point where once the mystery is solved, it isn't so special anymore.
Which is where I think this book kind of cheats. Yes, by the end you'll figure out who was behind the creation of this arcade cabinet and why, but my hope is that you'll close the book still intrigued, still wondering, that what you read will spawn questions of your own.
  
    Now, obviously I won't give away the whole game here, but there were a few things I deliberately attempted to do with this story. Some were practical, like writing a story with less overt horror and gore so that my family members could actually read my writing. Like eliminating much of what I termed "stage direction" that was in my previous books; there always being something happening right in front of the readers' eyes as if it were a screen, and to have more happen internally. Writing in first person. Ways to challenge myself as a writer.
  
    But on another level, I wanted to write a story that said something without saying it, something that followed emotional logic over literal logic (though, don't worry, it's not as overtly Surrealist as some of my other work). Something that was about art and people's reactions to it.
  
    So I hope LOADING…THE MACHINE CHILD affects you, stays with you the way a great game can.
  
—TT Madden

    Does this sound like your cup of tea? Then follow any of the links, including this one LOADING...THE MACHINE CHILD, and support our fundraising goals, and please 🔥 Support Small Business! 🔥

🎉 🎉 ALSO, This is the perfect idea for a holiday gift that won't change in price after Black Friday sales are over!! Did you know you can put the gamer you love in a book about the ultimate game and support indie books while you're at it?! 

Check out our kickstarter and support small business and creators this season!

Thanks,
River! 

     OH MY! 
     Holy moly, I'm so far behind! Our third winter lore book Aurora: Tales of Winter Dreams was released on November 4th, and I still haven't written about it! There are a few things about our winter lore series that bring me tremendous joy. One is the beautiful covers creatively crafted and expertly executed by LCW Allingham Author. All three, stunning winter lore covers evoke the exact feeling of the theme and stories inside.
     Another thing I love is that all three books are filled with diverse writers from—not just the east coast or even the country—but all over the world. I think all the authors in the winter lore series are on the strange side, the fringe, the odd. The dreamers. The kinds of authors that stare at roaring fires and blistering embers, curling smoke and scrying mirrors. Writing what they hear and see and waiting for an opportunity to share that intricate web with the world.
     I'm incredibly proud of this series, and not only are they the perfect winter read/gift for the witch in your life. They are the perfect gift for the book lover in your life.


                              AURORA: TALES OF WINTER DREAMS...
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     "When the winter solstice tucks the land beneath dark covers, and the frost hovers at the edge of warm beds, it is time to slow, to sleep and to let our minds escape. The dream world in winter can be many things; a place of refuge, of exploration, a fantasy to pursue, or a journey to the truth. The gods speak, the worlds shift, and our imaginations are free to explore all snowy paths. Like the Aurora, it swirls across our sleeping minds, lighting up places we cannot see when awake.

     Tales of Winter Dreams is a collection of short stories and poems that rest in the scattered, strange, magical myths and folklore of dreams. Pieces of a person can be found and lost, connections to other worlds and other selves float on the edges of slumber, in the long cold nights of winter.

     With literature dreamed from cultures and traditions from around the world, as well as lessons, lore and rituals to welcome in a season of rest and reverie, this third fiction anthology in the winter lore series is a companion for prophetic projections, cozy contemplations and visions of shadow selves."

        CLICK HERE FOR OPTIONS TO BUY AURORA: TALES OF WINTER DREAMS 

     Hey all, 
     I was fortunate enough to be invited on William J Donahue's podcast TAMING MONSTERS WITH DIRTY ROTTEN BILL. We had a blast talking about the art and therapy of writing, horror and vampires and what parts of the human condition I like to write about. Go here to listen.