Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper – Book Review

I got the opportunity to read Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper as part of the Book Blogger Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) 2022.

It came in 5th place among the 10 finalists.

This review was supposed to go up earlier in May but life gets in the way… so, here it is.

 

Book title: Inheriting Her Ghosts

Publisher: Sleepless Sanctuary Publishing

Length: 120 Pages

Genre: Horror, Adult 

Publication date: 9 July 2021

Book Synopsis:

Inheritance often comes with strings attached, but rarely are they as tangled as those hanging over High Hearth.

When Eudora Fellowes learns she's the sole heir of her estranged great-aunt's seaside manor, she believes it will be the peaceful escape she's longed for.

What awaits, however, is a dark legacy shrouded in half a century of secrets, and it doesn't take long before Eudora realizes she's not the only one to call High Hearth home.

Add Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper on Goodreads.

 

Book Review of Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper

Inheriting Her Ghosts is my first read for S.H. Cooper and certainly not my last. It’s a horror novella of with a sort-of well-known premise. A woman inherits a mansion in the middle of nowhere but what she finds there isn’t what she expected.

The book opens with a strong and powerful statement:

“The house inherited me as much as I did it. We were alike, this house and I. Both filled with bones that creaked and dark hallways where memories lingered still.”

Eudora Fellows, 43, inherits her estranged great-aunt’s seaside manor, named High Hearth. She hopes it’ll be a peaceful escape from society. So, she packs up some of her belongings and takes her large dogs and heads for High Hearth.

But when she arrives there, she discovers that the people in town believe it’s haunted. They despise the house and its former resident, Eudora’s great-aunt.

Despite the fairly-traditional premise, Cooper draws you in with her writing. Her words flow on the page and you can’t put it down even if you’re not deep in the action.

“I awakened something in this house, and the more I sought to understand it, the more it resisted, resented, and in its anger, it took power.”

Though it takes a while for Cooper to get into the ‘action’ in Inheriting Her Ghosts, you still enjoy Eudora’s reflections, her descriptiveness. The book just flows…

“There is a darkness in High Hearth, one that has trapped the dead, and it stems from her.”

One of the things I liked about Inheriting Her Ghosts is that the main character isn’t the usual teen or mother, but a 43-year-old woman with a cynical, strong character.

“At forty-three, I was an oddity…there were expectations, and I’d failed to meet them all...I’d never much cared for the male species. Or, more accurately, the human species as a whole.”

There are many memorable quotes and lines in Inheriting Her Ghosts. I’ve mentioned a fair number in this review, but believe me, there are many more!

“Late was the hour of our arrival. High Hearth stood as a grand silhouette against the sky, its spires and peaks piercing upward and mall the more imposing by the night. The sight of it sent waves of cold washing down my neck, but they did not, could not, run deep enough to extinguish the firestorm within.”

 

Overall rating for Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper: 5 stars.

About the Author

S.H. Cooper is a Florida based, multi-genre author with a focus on horror and fantasy. Her work has been published by Sleepless Sanctuary Publishing, Cemetery Gates Media, and Brigids Gate Press.

In addition to short story collections and novels, she is also the writer for the horror comedy podcast, Calling Darkness.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing, talking about writing, or sleeping (wherein she dreams about writing). She is kept up and running through the tireless efforts of her extremely supportive family and coffee.

Connect with S.H. Cooper via her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

 

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  

If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter.

BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Find Inheriting Her Ghosts via Amazon Canada, Amazon US, and Amazon UK.

 

Takhayyal writing prompt 109: Oh the Horror! Artwork by J Edward Neill

Welcome HALLOWEEN! 

And welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, Fae, Zombies, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; WELCOME EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal!

 

Nothing like a little darkness to awaken the demons ahead of the 31st!

And this time, I'm featuring horror-writing and dark-artist J Edward Neill!

 

Now feast your eyes on this painting and let it inspire you…

 

By the way, Neill calls this painting "Forgotten Sanctuary" but don't let that stop you from sending chills up readers' spines.

 

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a means to get inspired and spark our writing once more.

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·  Use the image for inspiration and write your piece in the comments below or publish it on your blog and leave the link to it in the comments

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·     It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets or tag me @NadanessSobhi and I'll retweet you :)

 

About the artist from the artist himself

I’m J Edward Neill, fiction author, Coffee Table Philosophy creator, giant canvas painter, and mood-swingy blogger.

You’ve walked over the edge of the world. Thanks for taking the plunge.

A little bit about me: I’m an author, and I write deep, dark fiction, imaginative sci-fi, and thoughtful philosophy. Any day that dies without me putting in a few hours of writing is a day I didn’t really live.  I write the kind of stories I like to read, and I’m inspired by any book centered on the characters rather than the plot. My books are available here.

I also love to paint. The bigger the canvas, the better. My favorite subjects are clouds, trees, dark portraits, and cold, dark places. I twirl a ton of canvasses as companion pieces for my books. My favorite personal works are right here.

Follow J Edward Neill via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Goodreads. You can also follow Neill's weekly blog http://tesseraguild.com

Now, Let's IMAGINE! 

Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation by Francis H. Powell - Guest Post

Today, I'm featuring a spotlight and guest post for a book I couldn't pick up but I'm excited about.

Meet Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation by Francis H. Powell.

It's a collection of short stories from the Horror, Fantasy, and Scifi genres.

Synopsis:

What if the human race was considered irrelevant and then each being was just uploaded then locked away on hard drives called "brain pods" ?

What if a sub species was to come into fruition, then the human race turned on it, hunted it down before trying to annihilate it? Imagine you found out you were an ancient soul, who is reunited with another being from your former life?

Set in different times in a variety of settings and time periods, the past, the present and the future, the book explores the inevitable unknown that lies before us all "death". Death can arrive in a multitude of forms. Each part of the book explores different themes. There are characters who following their demises have to face up to their lurid pasts. There are some who face annihilation and others who are in a crazy pursuit of world destruction. We are living in an age in which it appears that the doomsday clock is ticking ever faster, as we teeter over the edge of world destruction. The book aims to contain some ironic twists. Even as young children we build up nightmare visions of what death involves. The reader is often left to distinguish between what is real and what is not, as stories reside within stories and the storytellers can never be fully trusted. Not all the book is doom and gloom, there are Elsa Grun's bizarre encounters with men and Shellys' hapless husband Arnie.

From secluded beach houses, to obscure motels, to visions of heaven, which takes the form of the Hotel Paradiso, to the world of the future death is always a wild adventure.

Guest post by author Francis H. Powell

BOOKS ON THE GO

How should an author work?

As a painter I would often work on perhaps, five or more paintings at the same time.  Maybe this is due to my style as a painter.  This links the works together, gives them a cohesion.  The paintings become a series, perhaps similar thoughts are in my mind, as I slap paint on each, in a feverish state.

What about stories?

Should a writer rigidly stick to one?  Go from start to finish? No distractions as to other works?

I was working on a project last year,  it is pretty much finished, it has to be rounded off. I have dedicated a lot to this book.  It has taken a lot of research, because it is set in Italy in the past.

However I haven’t worked on it in a long time.  It is gathering dust in my hardrive.

I feel sure to go back to it and hopefully with vigour.

Like with paintings, you can leave them for a long time, then go back to them and see new unexpected evolutions.

I went to my home country for Christmas and returned to where I live in France angry.

My anger was to do with politics and Brexit, a story that keeps  rumbling on, devouring hours of media time.

I felt impelled to write a book about the subject of Brexit, however a political  spoof.

It was remarks by family members that set me off.

Face to face I might be shouted down, but in a book I can express myself.

The book bares  some of the hallmarks of some of my previous work, but in other ways it doesn’t resemble my usual style.  I am usually writing short horror stories, but recently have a book published with elements of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

This book has become a bit of an obsession.

Last year my mind was a bit languid, perhaps a bit of “writer’s block” the beginning of this year has begun with a flourish  of ideas.

I don’t know how other authors work, perhaps in a more orderly way to me. or are they chameleon-like, with several books on the go?

Your thoughts please.

(Leave your thoughts in the comments section below this blog post)

Add Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation by Francis H. Powell on Goodreads.

Purchase the book via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

GIVEAWAY

This post is part of a blog tour organized by Silver Dagger Tours, so check out the rest of the tour HERE along with a giveaway!

About the Author

Born in 1961, in Reading, England Francis H Powell attended Art Schools, receiving a degree in painting and an MA in printmaking. In 1995, Powell moved to Austria, teaching English as a foreign language while pursuing his varied artistic interests adding music and writing. He currently lives in Brittany, France writing both prose and poetry. Powell has published short stories in the magazine, “Rat Mort” and other works on the internet site "Multi-dimensions." His two published books are Flight of Destiny and Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation.

Connect with Francis H. Powell on social media via his Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

Bellamy by Darcy Coates – Book Review

There was something wrong with Bellamy. [Leanne] had been running from it for most of her life. It had brought her home, though.  Perhaps it had always intended to. Perhaps no one ever truly escaped the building."

Bellamy is a creepy short story by author Darcy Coates. I think I downloaded this book when the author offered it for free for a limited time for newsletter subscribers. And I'm glad I downloaded it.

The story opens with Leanne who has returned to the orphanage where she and her brother were placed nearly 30 years prior. We later learn that her brother disappeared from the orphanage and was never found.

"The exterior was flat and grim, more like a warehouse than a home." – This is the first description the reader gets of Bellamy.

Bellamy is narrated in the third person but it's clear that the main view point is Leanne's, who has been struggling to forget about this so-called home. The reader quickly notices that Leanne wants no connection with the home, whereas the 'home' wants Leanne. It's as if she escaped when she shouldn't have.

"Thirty years should have been long enough to forget the home. Thirty years should have been long enough for the dreams to stop."

As the story progresses, Leanne goes back inside the run-down orphanage. However, there was a purpose to Leanne's visit; "she wasn't there just to call up old memories."

Both through memory and flashback, we're told that children were disappearing in Bellamy. I liked how Darcy Coates interweaved Leanne's memories into the story, giving the reader the perfect background about events that happened 30 years prior to the story being told.

When Leanne enters the once-upon-a-time home, she also enters the places she wasn't allowed to explore as a child and there Bellamy's secret or rather secrets are slowly revealed.

Bellamy scared me and I loved it! There were lots of twists that kept me on edge and that had me read the book/story in one sitting. I can probably read this novella over and over.

Overall rating for Bellamy: 5 stars

Add Bellamy by Darcy Coates on Goodreads.

Note: I originally meant to publish this book review October, aka my month of Halloween but the month flew by and obviously I didn't publish the review.

Update: Bellamy by Darcy Coates has made it to Nadaness In Motion's Top Books of 2019.

Fountain Dead by Theresa Braun - Book Review

"How could [Mark] tell his father the house was like the witch in Hansel and Gretel tempting the family with baked goodies before pushing them into the oven?"

Fountain Dead by Theresa Braun is a paranormal horror that runs on two levels and point of view characters over a hundred years apart.

Though the book in narrated in third person, the point of view character is Mark, who in the present day or in 1988, is forced to leave his home because his parents have gotten jobs in a small city in the middle of nowhere. There they live in a grand Victorian mansion, where things aren't as they seem.

And as soon as Mark sets foot in, he begins to see things that shouldn't be there. For the reader, other events are happening in the "Victorian" but in the 1800's. A family is moving to the Victorian to settle there and on the way, tragedy strikes, leaving behind Emily, the only daughter in a household of brutes, well minus one decent brother.

As the novel progresses, the two timelines slowly begin to collide, which naturally doesn't bode well for Mark.

"Unbeknownst to Mark, the Victorian planned his summer boot camp the minute he stepped onto the property."

In terms of characterisation, I felt there were a lot of characters. In the modern world, there is Mark, his sister, their parents, and their dog. In the past, there is Emily, her two or three brothers, father, and two recurrent guests. At times, I kept losing track of who was doing what. In addition, in the present day, Mark begins to see or rather sense spirits. I tried to connect the dots between which spirit was which person in the 1800's but often failed.

In the first few pages, I felt that there was some kind of distancing and shifts in the narration like "the father asked his daughter" and "wrapping his arms around his wife, Dad…" and the like. That could just be me.  

With two timelines in motion in Fountain Dead, we see each of the main characters struggling personally; Mark with feelings for Jack and leaving on a bad note, and in the late 1800s Emma is struggling with the death of her mother, and her brother Riley secretly blaming her for it.

"Following a drowsy blink, his sister was suddenly sitting up. The pipe Mom had found perched in Tausha's hand. Tobacco embers smoldered. Her eyes flamed red with malevolence, worse than any portrayed in a scary movie. "It's in the blood," she whispered.

Mark swallowed his heart and lost his balance.

With the next blink of his eyes, his sister slumbered just as before."

The book isn't divided into chapters but time periods. You can stop at the beginning of each shift in the timeline.

My biggest problem with Fountain Dead, and which is why it took so long to write this review, was with the ending. I felt confused. And now that several months have passed since I've read the book, I don't feel like I can review it well. My notes aren't helpful although I was able to connect some dots as I checked my notes.

I liked the setting in Fountain Dead, the Victorian mansion is the perfect place for horror and the house literally goes bump in the night. There are also several layers of horror here, the sections with Emily show the horrors of the civil war and her family of brutes. On Mark's end, there are several levels and instances of creepy. I really liked that.

Fountain Dead would make an interesting Halloween read and it will keep your mind working. 

Overall rating: 3 to 3.5 stars

Note: I received a free copy of Fountain Dead from its author Theresa Braun in exchange for an honest review.

My American Nightmare, a Women in Horror Anthology - Book excerpts

This post was originally meant to go up on 30 November 2018 but due to personal delays, I was unable to post it ahead of Halloween.

So here goes:

Today, I'm featuring My American Nightmare, a Women in Horror Anthology.

While, I don't know any of the names in this anthology, I like featuring horror authors on Nadaness In Motion.

I've previously featured interviews and reviews for women horror authors including but not limited to Theresa Braun and Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi. I've also done a detailed book review of Monsters Exist, which features a host of horror writers.

Anyways, for My American Nightmare I'll be featuring some excerpts from the short stories in the book. Stories are selected by Azzurra Nox. The book genre is young adult horror.

Synopsis:

For Fans of American Horror Story, Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Danielle Vega

America, land of the free, land of the brave, land of nightmares? A group of female authors come together in this collection of creepy tales and psychological horror stories to bring you chills and disturbing images that won't leave you long after you're done reading. From zombies to rural small towns, to the foggy New England to the glamour of Hollywood, each story focuses on a diverse aspect of living in America and the horror found in bullying, being the “new girl,” starting your first job, and navigating the murky waters of adolescence and all the terrifying changes that come with it.

Bold and haunting, My American Nightmare encompasses daring stories from new voices in the horror genre. This collection will unsettle your nerves and linger in your mind, demonstrating that women can show you a nuance of horror that isn't always evident from the male perspective.

Dare to take a walk on the dark side.

Stories In the My American Nightmare Anthology

Angela Sylvaine – The Ballad of Sorrow and Lila
Amelia Kibbie – We Kill The Skullman
R. A. Goli – Mr. Buttons' Tea Party
Jamie Kahn – The Poison & The Ivy
Rachel Bolton- The Girl & The Yellow Wallpaper
Hillary Lyon - Boys' Night Out
Nicky Peacock – She Looked Like Krystal Sparkle
Spinster Eskie - Angie's Change
Sheri Kreitner - The Pickman Sisters of Salem
Sierra Ryan – Volunteer
Kara Nelson - The Eye
E.F. Schraeder – Night Moves
Andrea Teare – 39 Days
Heather Miller - The Stars
Marnie Azzarelli – When Evacuating Pennsylvania
Erica Ruhe - Perle
Phoebe Jane Johnson - Ruby
Azzurra Nox - Whatever Happened to Peyton Rose?
Kara Dennison - Billson

From “The Girl & The Yellow Wallpaper” by Rachel Bolton

The faces in the flowers were more pronounced than usual that night. Big eyes, gaping and expectant, seemed to blink back at her. Lizzie dismissed the idea immediately. Paper did not blink. Nothing could move in the room, except her. But the yellow faces had a more human quality the more she looked. They were women’s faces. Lizzie found something feminine in the shape, warped as it may be. The heads in the wallpaper appeared to tilt to the side, violently, like their necks had been snapped.

Excerpt from “Perle” by Erica Ruhe

A muscle flickered in that clean-shaven jaw. “Step out of the vehicle.”

I hesitated. Another bang.

“I said step out of the vehicle.” Singer popped the snap on his holster. “I’m not gonna ask you again.” Dog whimpers urged me to comply.

My shoulders slumped. I released the latch and fought open the stiff door. It protested with a loud, long squeal.

“Now what is in the back of this truck?”

Still I hesitated, puckering my lips in a coy attempt at innocence.

“My stepdad.”

Excerpt from “Whatever Happened to Peyton Rose?” by Azzurra Nox

“Jesus,” she whispered, not sure if anyone could hear her. The dolls made her feel unsettled as they stared back at her with vacant eyes. Peering down, a scream escaped her throat when she realized that their plucked eyes were scattered on the bed. She pushed the comforter off of her. The eyes fell down, making a sound similar to marbles crashing to the floor as she ran for the door.

Frantic, she opened the door and stood upon the landing. She looked to and fro, not knowing what direction to run to next.

Don’t panic! She told herself. And yet, her hands were shaking.

Check out the My American Nightmare's book trailer. Add the book on Goodreads. Purchase via Amazon.

Need to know more about the book? Check out the rest of the tour, including reviews and excerpts. 

About the Author

Born in Catania, Sicily, Azzurra Nox has led a nomadic life since birth. She has lived in various European cities and Cuba, and currently resides in the Los Angeles area. Always an avid reader and writer from a young age, she loved entertaining her friends with ghost stories. She loves horror movies, cats, and a good rock show. She dislikes Mondays and chick-flicks. CUT HERE, her debut paranormal urban fantasy was inspired by a nightmare the writer had a few years ago. Some of her favourite authors include Anne Rice, Oscar Wilde, Chuck Palahniuk, and Isabella Santacroce.

Connect with Azzura Nox via her Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads