Pint Bottle Press is proud to release a wonderful new children’s picture book written and illustrated by M.T. Weber that is absolutely perfect for any little girl this holiday season!
The competition is fierce at the local cooking contest, but a little girl named Betsy-boo serves a dish with a secret ingredient that makes all the difference in the world.
Pick up Cupcake Soup in paperback at Amazon today! (Soon to be available through Ingrams).
Whenever I read a good book from an indie press, I try to drop a review. These book reviews are long overdue, but I hope you enjoy them.
Black Heart Boys’ Choir by Curtis M. Lawson is a pitch-black story that won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s sharply written and rich with menacing character. A bitter teenager aims to end the world by performing a supernatural “cursed” song. The story is told with musical prose and an ambiguous plot structure that raises questions about the reliability of our psychopathic anti-hero’s first-person perspective. Despite its pervasive bleakness, the book kept my interest until the inevitable Grand Guignol conclusion foreshadowed in the prologue. Black Heart Boys’ Choir is bold enough to take risks as only indie press can in today’s overly cautious publishing climate, so give it a shot if you like your horror fiction grim and unflinching.
Wormwood, the dark thriller from Chad Lutzke and Tim Meyer, slid right under my skin, opening some very old wounds from back in my youth. As a coming-of-age story, it rings coldly true by tapping into the deep insecurity of a troubled adolescent on the brink of sexual awakening. As a horror story, it builds on that nervous tension to sickening levels with bloodcurdling impact. Wormwood is a tale of dangerous friendships, heartfelt longing, adolescent lust, and lost loyalties. I knew “that” girl growing up. I knew all those kids. I was one of them, and I remember those feelings, too. So will you.
Mark Matthews redefines the werewolf legend in The Hobgoblin of Little Minds, projecting his tale through the lens of psychology. Here, lycanthropy is an acute symptom of the bipolar disorder, with the manic phase likened to the heightened state of awareness experienced by a patient in the “wolf” state of hunting for prey, while the inferior human phase is associated with depression, dormancy and hibernation. It’s a clever concept that is convincingly realized through the engrossing drama of a close-knit family torn apart by mental illness. These poor souls are then exploited by a mad scientist obsessed with creating a new, superior form of human creature at any cost. Hobgoblin is a pervasively dark novel but skillfully crafted while shedding light on the struggles of mental health in a fresh and inventive way.
White by Bret Easton Ellis, author of American Psycho and Less Than Zero, is part personal memoir and part delicious screed against modern American cultural trends. This book is sure to tick off today’s speech police and the screeching offended class who demand conformity to their “enlightened” but authoritarian world view. Ellis’s book serves as an expertly articulated “F— you” to the hive-mind on behalf of those of us left who still believe in individuality, independent thought, and freedom of expression … you know, liberal ideas.*
*I realize the Ellis book isn’t an indie release.
– M. Weber
A new book review from Brian “Skull” Lewis is an ideal reflection of how I hope readers engage with the novel.
Check out this excerpt:
“Hello frequent readers, it’s your old pal, Skull with one hell of an excellent read to tell you about. Bobcats by Matthew Weber is without a doubt, a 5 Star read that fans of adventure and excitement will want to add to their libraries. So, if that’s all you wanted to know, Damaged Skull Reviewer highly encourages you to purchase this recent release from Pint Bottle Press. For more details, stick around!”
Click HERE to read the entire killer review!
– M. Weber
“If you’re into fast-paced stories sweetened with tension, gore, and an unexpected death or two, you’ll do well to pick this one up.” — CEMETERY DANCE
“A fun and violent ride. More vicious than a lot of C.O.A. I’ve read but still stitched with that nostalgic sweetness that is part what keeps fans of the sub-genre coming back time and time again…I really dug it.” — John Boden, author of JEDI SUMMER
“A suspenseful tale of true friendship and survival.” — WELL WORTH A READ
“Matthew Weber’s Bobcats succeeds as a coming-of-age horror tale not altogether unlike Ketchum’s Hide and Seek and King’s It.” — MELTDOWN MESSIAH
Buy BOBCATS in print or digital at Amazon!
Each anthology contains two killer stories from each author for twice the terror and entertainment. Order all three from AMAZON!
I’ve been reading. Here are some thoughts.
In the Valley of the Devil by Hank Early
The second entry in a series, this time we follow hard-boiled P.I. Earl Marcus into the cornfields of America’s Deep South, where a conspiracy of murder is at play that involves local authorities, crooked politicians, and a masked slasher known as Old Nathanial. The plot is a bit pulpier than the book’s predecessor, but as a fan of pulp fiction, that’s not a complaint. Instead of Earl battling his personal history and the family curse of his merciless father, he’s in a race against time to save the love of his life from the clutches of evil. In the Valley of the Devil is a gripping thriller that delivers a cool “horror movie” killer and socio-political commentary ripped right from today’s headlines (which I won’t spoil here). Recommended for fans of Southern noir and gritty mysteries.
SEAL Team 666 by Weston Ochse
If you’ve not heard of SEAL Team 666, it’s because—officially—it doesn’t exist. This elite platoon of American commandos engages top-secret black ops missions against a type of enemy that’s never mentioned on the nightly news—or worldwide panic would ensue. When demonic forces from another dimension threaten mankind, SEAL team 666 gets the call. New recruit Jack Walker is headed for the adventure of his life, as he and the team face an international threat of apocalyptic proportions while he struggles with some very real internal demons of his own. This book was fast-paced, imaginative and action-packed—and Weston Ochse’s personal military experience enhances the writing with a degree of authentic detail that brings it all to life.
A side note about Weston Ochse: In Atlanta a few years ago, I brought a box full of 50 copies of my first horror release to the very first book convention I’d ever attended. The guy sitting next to me introduced himself as Weston, and he was very friendly and affable. He had only brought one single book, so I’m thinking that either I’ve brought way too many, or he knows something that I don’t. I arranged an elaborate marketing display, while he placed his single copy on the table in front of him. The doors to the convention open. Throughout the weekend, my table space was No Man’s Land, while Weston routinely enjoyed a long line of readers at his table—and they’d all brought their own copies of his books for him to sign. Turns out that Weston Ochse is a noteworthy name in writerly circles, and there’s a rumor that SEAL Team 666 is now in development to become a major motion picture with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attached. Good for Weston Ochse. I’ll always appreciate what nice, down-to-earth guy he was to this clueless newcomer, and he’s a fine writer to boot, so I hope he achieves spectacular success.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
This was my first exposure to Joe Hill’s writing, and I enjoyed it. The plot revolves around a mail-order ghost. While that sounds kind of odd, it makes sense in the context of the story: Rock star Judas Coin, collector of all things macabre, is suckered into buying a “heart-shaped box” (a nod to the Nirvana song) that contains a dead man’s suit, and thus his ghost. As the story unfolds, we learn that this is no random haunting, and Judas has essentially been targeted for “otherworldly” assassination by the angry family of one of his ex-lovers. In truth, the plot meandered a bit more than I usually like, but there was a lot to love, and Hill conjures up some memorably creepy scenes. I particularly enjoyed the manner in which the evil ghost Craddock McDermott manipulates any radio within earshot of his would-be victims. While this was a good book, I thought Hill’s writing was stronger than the story itself, so I’m interested in checking out what he unleashes in the future.
— Weber
Free for Kindle this weekend only!
12 Twisted Tales of Psychotic Killers, Bloodthirsty Monsters and Ghastly Specters from Beyond the Grave!
FIVE STARS on Amazon!
Download the book here!: https://tinyurl.com/y8w2ha9j
And check out the new TEETH MARKS book trailer by clicking HERE!
Dear Kindle Readers,
Boy, are you in for a treat! This weekend beginning Friday (1/4/19) at midnight, Matthew Weber’s latest collection of short stories Teeth Marks will be available for FREE download!
12 Twisted Tales from America’s Deep South! Psychotic Killers, Bloodthirsty Monsters and Ghastly Specters from Beyond the Grave!
But don’t take our word for it — check out this new book review from The Ghastly Grimoire, where it’s touted as “a chilling collection of southern gothic horror.”
Check out a new interview with author Vic Kerry, hosted by the genre’s coolest website Ginger Nuts of Horror. Kerry talks about his writing process as well as his new novel Jubilee, out now from Pint Bottle Press! It’s like peeling open the writer’s skull to learn what makes Vic tick! Check out the interview, then buy the book!
My first short story collection, A Dark & Winding Road, is now free for Kindle until after Halloween!
Eleven Twisted Tales from America’s Deep South…
#spreadthehorror #freebooks #shortstories #darkfiction #splatterpunk #amwriting #amreading #KindleDeal #kindledeals #kindlebook #freebie #freebies #indieauthor #halloween
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