As a writer, it doesn’t get much better than seeing your name on the front cover! In this case, I’m proud to be sharing space with Chris Stanley, Sara Dobie Bauer, Leroy B. Vaughan, and many more cool writers. My story Turning The Tables is about desperate folks stuck in the diner from hell. Anyone who has ever waited…and waited some more, for their meal to arrive will appreciate this funny and creepy tale! ECONO CLASH REVIEW is packed with great stories and groovy artwork that has been carefully edited by J.D. Graves, who is a literary force to be reckoned with! Treat yourself to some “Quality Cheap Thrills” and grab a copy on Amazon.com today!

Here at the Skullcave there is excitement in the air as I prepare to read and review The Long Way Home by Richard Chizmar! As you can see, he’s brought some light to what is usually a dark and dreary space. This awesome collection of seventeen short stories, two essays, and a short script is massive! And I can already feel good story vibes seeking to burst out from beneath the cover. So I must make haste and begin my literary journey NOW! Stay tuned for a review soon! Be sure to visit the author’s web site Richardchizmar.com to find out more exciting news and if you have not yet read Widow’s Point a frightening collaboration with Billy Chizmar, I highly encourage you to do so!

The Peddler
Channing Whitaker
Off Speed Press
October 22, 2018
Reviewed by Brian James Lewis

When the proprietor of a leather crafting shop is harassed by some creepy goons, a gunslinger from the Wild West comes to his aid. When a victim of domestic abuse needs someone to save her, a Sikh Warrior just happens to appear in her apartment. An Internal Affairs investigator is saved by a powerful lioness in the middle of the city. What’s going on here?

Time for another one of Channing Whitaker’s excellent Black Band Shorts! These scenes come from his latest story The Peddler! This novelette is a well done combination of magical horror set in a present day city that could use a little help. Make that a lot of help! With its highly corrupt police force playing both sides of the field, men treating women badly, discrimination, and small businesses fighting to keep their doors open-This place needs a hero with big muscles, superpowers, and a snazzy costume!

How about a wheelchair bound homeless man instead? He’s blind and spends the majority of his time carving wooden figures that he displays on a crude table at the park. They might be for sale, or they might not. It depends on what The Peddler thinks of you. How about them apples? Much better than a super hero right? Right?

Before you say no, I will give you a hint: This old man in the falling apart wheelchair is much more than his appearance reveals. He also occupies the only green space in the city-A park that takes up roughly four blocks. In comparison to all the noise, concrete, and dirt the park is a sanctuary of sorts. But it can become a terrifying trap at night for the wrong sort of people.

Uniforms, no matter what kind, can be deceiving! You might assume certain people in police uniforms are good because they’re supposed to be. One might also think that a crippled man is powerless and someone to feel sorry for. But The Peddler by Channing Whitaker is going to teach you a different way of looking at things. This 5 Star read feels much bigger than its physical size. Great characters, believable location, and a super solid story line!

Get a copy of The Peddler from your favorite book retailer, today! When you look it up, also consider checking out previous Black Band Shorts The Remnant-A horror thriller, and Existence Augmented-An interesting Science Fiction tale that challenges the concept of reality. Want to know what this author is up to next? Follow him at www.channingwhitaker.com

I’m pleased to have a review of this recent release from Peter Mark May and Macabre Ink up on Hellnotes. This great book is intricate and intense beyond belief! Click on the link below to check it out!

https://wp.me/p2Ao65-aFp

The Toy Thief
D.W. Gillespie
October 6, 2018
Flame Tree Press
reviewed by Brian James Lewis

Being a writer is a tough job that one does almost an obligation to the rest of the world. These stories need to be told and some of us are marked for that vocation. For those writers, it’s not all about the money, glamour, or movie adaptations. Sure, we’d all like to be millionaires with multiple homes and all that jazz. But for writers like D.W. Gillespie it’s about feeding the fire, following the trail, and making things happen. The Toy Thief is an intricate labor of love. A twisted labyrinth with dark surprises around every corner. Some are gifts and some are terrors, but I guarantee that you’ll never feel bored or lonely while reading this amazing new release from Flame Tree Press!

The story is told to us by Jack, who was a young girl when the Toy Thief shattered the tenuous structure that her family balanced upon. It is a single parent family that was brought to that state by a blessed event that turned out horribly. This is a burden that Jack bears at some times and rejects others. Her brother Andy seems to be constantly seething about it, but appearances can be deceiving. Their father is a decent guy doing the best he can to hold everything together. These are regular, working-class people who take life as it comes.

Jack has a friend named Sallie who comes from a rich family, but enjoys the freedom of sleeping over at a house where the kids aren’t under strict adult supervision. It is possible that the girls would have eventually parted ways, but The Toy Thief makes sure of it when he steals Sallie’s doll. Not only that, but Jack sees him doing it! Trouble is, no adult is going to believe in the strange, skeletal creature that walks on ceilings. So Jack is stuck with trying to find her own solution to the problem. A little 9 year old girl isn’t much of a threat to something so huge and powerful, but when her brother Andy joins in, they might just have a chance.

When they do take the offensive approach, it seems uncertain how successful they’ve been. But then Andy disappears and Jack knows that he didn’t just wander off on his own. Regardless of his violent record and official title of juvenile delinquent, Jack doesn’t see him that way. He’s her smart and calculating older brother, who often seems like he’s merely an observer to his own behavior. Things just kind of happen when he’s around. When the police and even their dad have no idea how to find Andy, Jack is pretty damn sure she knows exactly where he is. But can she find The Toy Thief’s lair and save her brother without becoming a casualty in the process?

This is a powerful, Five Star read that will keep you reading long past your bedtime! The complexity keeps readers on their toes the whole way through and when you reach the end, there’s a good chance that you might cry. Not about some happy, sappy family that finally figures out that they love each other, either. No, you will feel the pain Jack bears in her heart for her father and her brother. Why did things have to go the way they did? Are they special or just a normal, screwed up family in an age when doctors prescribe Ritalin to hyperactive children as if they were Sweet Tarts? Is The Toy Thief a who or a what?

D.W. Gillespie’s writing is amazing in the way it pulls us in close, right into the center of things. He never sugar coats or shies away from difficult things and that is exactly as it should be. People need to come to grips with the difficulties of being human again. No electronics or smoke and mirrors here. The Toy Thief is bloody and frightening. It tackles big issues. It’s a cave on fire and you need to get a copy now to see just what I’m talking about! Something just slid my sliding glass door open and I need to check on it…Run! Save yourselves by going to www.flametreepress.com and purchasing The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie today! Also available from Amazon.com or your favorite bookseller. Ow! It burns!

Of Sound Mind and Someone Else’s Body
William Quincy Belle
BG Ltd.
September 22, 2016
Reviewed by Brian James Lewis

I can’t think of a better way to start this year than by reviewing a book that straddles a number of genres and does it with grace and style. William Quincy Belle’s novel Of Sound Mind and Someone Else’s Body is an amazing combination of Science fiction, medical suspense, humor, and even romance. Belle also spotlights the need for gender equality by pointing out that it is still a “man’s world” in too many ways. Let’s take a look inside!

Of Sound Mind and Someone Else’s Body opens in a very dynamic fashion. Rising financial whiz Alan Maitland hits the hay anticipating a crucial corporate deal and how that will lead to his success. But instead of sweet dreams, he’s rudely awakened into a nightmarish situation. Alan has become a woman in all the physical ways, but still has his regular man’s brain. What the hell is going on here? He’s not even in his own bed! In fact, he’s quite busy next to one. Yikes! What to do?

Fortunately Alan is a cool minded pragmatist, so his brain works even under pressure. He remembers that on the previous day he went to participate in a scientific research experiment. Hmm…Could there possibly be a connection there? Maybe there was a mistake and his brain was switched into the body of the beautiful woman he seems to be inhabiting? One Miss Hana Toussaint? Only one way to find out. He needs to track down his own body and see who’s inside of it. What if it’s also him? What if…

What if he gets his ass in gear? That has to be better than just worrying right? Well, yes and no. Alan discovers quite quickly how difficult it is to be a woman, especially a sexually attractive one. Guys don’t talk to his face and many have one track minds that aren’t interested in giving him directions back to his condo. Then there’s the whole challenge of walking in stiletto heels. You can’t pull the old manly lumberjack stride thing with these babies on! Unless you want to break an ankle or your neck, that is.

He finally makes it back home, only to find out that the worst is true. There’s a woman in his body and get this-she thinks the whole experience is a fun adventure. FUN? Hoo boy, this is getting more complicated by the minute! Both of them are at critical junctions in their lives, too. How is that going to work out? In today’s fast-paced world, no matter if you are a high priced escort or corporate numbers cruncher, it is frowned upon if you call in sick. Plus Alan and Hana really would like to get back into their own bodies ASAP.

So all they need to do is go back to the doctor’s office and get the person who made the mistake to fix it. Simple, right? Not exactly. When they get there, the person who did the procedure is missing and no one believes them. Soon they’re on a wild goose chase after a doctor who’s hard to track down. Did I mention that his lab has very erratic hours? Will Alan and Hana ever be able to return to their physical selves? How about their respective jobs? Things are not looking good. Will Alan learn to love being a woman? What if Hana runs off with someone else in his body? Man oh man! This is one book you will want to read because it is packed with suspense to the very end!

Of Sound Mind and Someone Else’s Body gets a 5 star rating from this reviewer! William Quincy Belle has done an excellent job tackling a lot of important issues while keeping the story moving and using humor to keep things light. Having his characters switch genders makes it easier to get the point, too. Why is being a financial whiz looked on much more favorably than being a highly intelligent sex worker who makes people happy in a safe environment? Why do humans ruin everything by applying so many rules and conditions? It’s not much of a mystery why people are so stressed out these days. Everyone makes so many assumptions that we often miss out on cool people and experiences. Read this book and see if you don’t feel better! Tell them Dr. Blackmore sent you.

William Quincy Belle is the author of multiple books. Including Death is a Many Splendored Thing, Salmagundi, and his newest release Metro Float New York a post-apocalyptic thriller! You can follow William and purchase his books on Amazon.com or check him out at http://www.WilliamQuincyBelle.com  You’ll be glad that you did!