Killian Wolf's Blog

Portal to Store

YouTube Channel

Out of all the frightening books I’ve read since young to now, there are a few children’s books that will resonate with me forever. Here are three.

The Cat who Wanted to Fly

The Cat Who Wanted to Fly by Robyn Supraner

My mother has always shown a great amount of enthusiasm about Halloween, and she raised me to be the same. Every year on October first, she’d already have the house prepared with cobwebs, bats, and a witch who would rock back and forth in a chair at the front of the house, and would cackle any time a passerby would get near.

She bought me “The Cat Who Wanted to Fly,” by Robyn Supraner when I was probably five or six years old and would read it to me as a bedtime story. Even when I got a little older, I’d read it to myself every October, until of course I got to an age that my kid books needed to be replaced and given away. But now I reminisce and remember the little black cat named Midnight who wanted to fly despite the wishes of her owner, Maggie. She wanted to fly so bad that one night while Maggie flew away in her broomstick, Midnight went snooping around in Maggie’s spell books. She learned of a spell to torment her master when she got back and put her under a laughing curse. 

Maggie laughed so hard that she pleaded and cried for her clever cat to lift the spell. And in return, she took Midnight with her on a special flight, just for her. 

How cute is that!? And SO perfect for a little kid to get into the spirit of Halloween. 

The Green Ribbon 

A Dark Dark Room, and Other Scary Stories, retold by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Dirk Zimmer. 

One of my ultimate favorites was a morbid one indeed! This one is just a short story and I believe it helped develop my dark sense of humor. The Green Ribbon is found in a book called In A Dark Dark Room, and Other Scary Stories, retold by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Dirk Zimmer. 

Jenny was a young girl who always wore a green ribbon around her neck. When Jenny met Alfred, it was love at first sight and they dated. Alfred noticed that Jenny, never wearing any other necklace, never took the green ribbon off. He asked her why she always wore it, but Jenny always gave him the same answer: you have to wait to find out.

Well, Jenny and Alfred get married. And still, she doesn’t tell him yet. One day, while they were already old and near death, Jenny gets ill. While lying on her deathbed, she calls him near and says to him that she can finally reveal why she never took off the green ribbon. Slowly, Alfred unties the ribbon from around Jenny’s neck.

And her head falls off. 

Classic horror story! Still to this day, it is one of my favorite short stories ever told! And an easy step into horror for a young mind.

Spooky the Ghost Dog

This children’s book isn’t scary at all but more clever and cute. Spooky the Ghost Dog, by Elizabeth Ferrand wasn’t around when I was a child, but it was enjoyed by my younger siblings and some of my friend’s children. I just find it so cute I had to share!

Spooky the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Ferrand

  What’s the one thing kids beg for? Besides a later bedtime and sweets?

A puppy, of course!

This clever parent tells her children that if and only if they behave and do all their chores, will they be allowed to keep something that’s better than a dog. A dog that you wouldn’t ever have to feed, or clean up after, or even walk- only when they want to play with it. A dog that will still show them love, and will never die. 

That’s because Spooky is a ghost dog! 

With a soft summoning charm, the children’s mother shows them how to summon Spooky- but they need to be well behaved little children first, or Spooky won’t appear. In the end, Spooky becomes a real dog. Such a cute Halloween book!

Looking for some Halloween crafts to do with your little ones? Click HERE for some free coloring pages and finger puppets of the characters. 

You can get this book HERE.

Do you have a favorite Halloween book or story you read as a child? Please share it in the comments below!

A Rhyme of Dark Words by Jeremy Smith

I found myself immersed in this world and not wanting to leave. As one who writes about portals to other dimensions, I had fun stepping through to another era with the characters as they found themselves having to fight off an evil werewitch. 

Tilly Hart moves into a town called Witheridge with her dad, looking for a new beginning after the death of her mother. She meets two friends right away and their relationship is full of jokes, sarcasm, and a bit of romance. I enjoyed the snarky remarks from Beth and Wilf. They soon find out that their ancient village resides on top of another dimension with a haunting that seeps through. After exploring the house, Tilly finds herself possessing abilities of her own and she and her friends fall into a world where they end up having to save their friends. 

Truths about a secret romance found in a journal about a witch who lived in Tilly’s new house ends up saving them in the end.

For my American readers, this book is filled with British words and sayings which is a fun way to dive into the culture. Some words and phrases, you wouldn’t know to look up though, and might find yourself going with the flow and maybe a bit confused. For example, some of the easy ones are that biscuits mean cookies.

The characters aren’t just sitting around stuffing their faces with buttery bread buns (for lack of a better American biscuit description, apart from the infamous KFC biscuits).

Also, fancy dress means Halloween costumes! And one last thing, A moor, not necessarily only British English but not commonly heard in the US, means an open area of hills covered with rough grass, especially in Britain. This is crucial to know for the story, or you won’t have any idea how to picture their surroundings. 

I loved the author’s written spells and think that this book is very well written and look forward to reading the second book in the series: Rise of the White Witch.

If you’re looking for dark and suspenseful YA series to sink your teeth into, A Rhyme of Dark Words will carry you into a world where magic is in reach, you just have to know where to look.

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy trained and worked as a fashion photographer in London after studying design. He now lives with his family in a village in Oxfordshire, England, where he can often be seen trekking the wooded paths with his dog Jack, as he looks for inspiration. His passions lie in sci-fi, fantasy and YA novels. When not writing, he likes to bake cakes. He is a firm believer in, “write the books you want to read.” After all, who doesn’t like a book filled with adventure and romance?

It may
come to no surprise that I favor the horror genre, but this does not mean that
all of my favorite authors have been in horror.

Although a few may have inspired me, not all of them made it to my top five. I feel that despite whatever genre I write in, it is advantageous to read in every genre. There are things in which other authors dwell magnificently in, that I do not, and yet reading in that genre from time to time helps me. Romance, for instance, allows me to develop relationship aspects in my stories.

Having
said that, my top five influential authors did not write in the Romance genre,
however, were still able to add a bit of romance.

David Gemmell

The first David Gemmell book I ever read was Ghost King, and I must have been about 12 years old. My uncle had just passed away and in attempts to fill that void, I read his collection of books that he kept in his office. Gemmell wrote historical and heroic fantasy books. It probably wasn’t the most age appropriate selection of books, but it inspired me to start thinking outside the box in the realm of writing.

From magic teleportation stones, to an army coming back from the dead to finish off a war, he had me ignoring my homework because I was so infatuated with the characters he wrote. I knew back then that I wanted to be a writer, to develop worlds and characters that almost became part of my family. I went on to read Gemmell’s entire Drenai Tales collection and Druss the Legend was my favorite.

Druss the Legend
David Gemmell

I used to love how he would implement philosophy, chivalry, and righteousness in all of his scenes. Gemmell always had something to teach with his stories and it truly inspired deep thinking and philosophy in a young Killian’s heart. 

“Nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect. All these things have to be earned.” 

― David Gemmell, Shield of Thunder

As a child, I used to try and mimic his style of writing, creating war heroes, crafting fake battles, and paying close attention to details of weaponry and names of fabricated cities-just like he did. Even though my genre is different, I still try to create meaningful characters that have in depth backstory, and although not war heroes (at least not yet) I still try to create characters that are relatable and have deep messages that speak to me.

One of my most favorite quotes from Gemmell is:

“I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished, for without them we are no more than beasts roaming the land.” 

― David Gemmell, Shield of Thunder

2. Piers Anthony

Without a doubt, The Incarnations of Immortality books remain to be one of my most favorite book series of all time. I used to imagine myself in the role of Death, or of Gaia. Even the incarnation of War and Fate at times. Oh, and let me not forget the incarnation of evil, Satan! He pulled me into a world that I wished existed. To imagine that we could take upon certain immortal roles after we die is admittedly still a wish I have, thanks to Piers Anthony. 

On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony

He made
me realize that I enjoy reading about death and life after death with a certain
touch of amusement. We are all on our way to the inevitable so why not create
stories of it and make life a bit more bearable? Because of his books, a
character I created, Ambrose, is a reaper who visits Florida to collect a soul
and becomes smitten with the human experience. His time on Earth ends up being
much longer than planned. 

Being a
Floridian himself, Piers Anthony also wrote a series called Xanth, where
a magical world set in Florida exists. I myself was born and raised in Florida
and absolutely fell in love with his books. Since then, I like to create
magical worlds within already existing places. The first book in my series Reapers
of the Veil starts off in the Florida Keys. I can only thank Piers Anthony
for that inspiration. 

3. Robin Hobb

Assassin’s Apprentice
Robin Hobb

Robin
Hobb has probably inspired me to write my next series. Even though I picked up Assassin’s
Apprentice so many years ago (I honestly can’t remember when), to this day
I’ve wanted to create a world with a secret society akin to the one in that
book. I won’t give it away, read it. Mine of course will be far different; set-in
modern-day life, and not too different from the world we live in. He isn’t in
the horror genre, so mine will be darker. We all get our inspiration from
somewhere, and Hobb deserves mention as he has inspired me to create a key character
in one of my stories. 

4. Edgar Allan Poe

How can I leave out the madness of Poe from my top 5 inspirational authors list? Poe was my favorite author when I was in grade school. He was probably my first introduction to the horror genre. I want to say, he did not so much as inspire fear, as he was famous for crafting the most riveting psychological horrors. From the Raven, to the Tell Tale Heart, I used to go to sleep with his dark and dreary voice in my head. He was probably my first love when it came to short stories and he made me want to read.

No one else has ever been able match up to his fun and spooky thrills. He has always inspired me to keep reading and to keep writing. Even now if (and when) I ever hit writer’s block and am in need of a break, I open up my classical Poe collections book and flip through the pages. Annabelle Lee, being my favorite poem of his, is on my ‘go to’ pieces for this reason. 

5. Stephen King

Yes, I’ve left Stephen King for last. I first picked up Salem’s Lot when I was a teenager and fell in love with the paranormal and scare factor. I wasn’t convinced that I wanted to write in it though, because I never thought I could instil fear in people. Having been subject to the paranormal myself, very little things that go bump in the night actually frighten me. Unless of course that thing is a spider.

I had been a fan of Stephen King way before I ever read one of his books. When I was around 10 or 11 my dad made me watch the movie IT. You may call it tough love as most kids would be terrified of clowns after, but my dad knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t be clutching my seat and he wanted me to grow up strong and unafraid. I’m sure if I had been any other child, it could have gone terribly wrong.  

Salem’s Lot
Stephen King

Although
I’m not much into gore, I study his pacing and suspense for how he draws out
fear. He doesn’t only make it scary, he plays with psychological aspects of
horror. Just because I like Stephen King doesn’t mean I’m going to copy his
every form. If I’m not into gore, I won’t write it in. Simple. This doesn’t
mean I won’t at all if it is truly necessary for my scene though.

I do like
how King gives his characters dimension, makes them relatable in giving them
dark flaws. All of us have dark flaws, don’t we? Having us watch Danny Torrence
grow up with his shining and then giving him alcohol addiction always set a
reminder for me that our protagonists cannot be perfect. Take into account what
we’ve put them through and think about how it would affect a person in real
life. This is something that I really admire about his writing and something I
always go back to when developing my characters. 

What
authors inspired you growing up, and how? It doesn’t have to be in writing, but
they could also have inspired you in life.

Happy Reading,

Killian

Saints and Curses by Alexis Lantgen

This Anthology is like opening up a portal and dipping into different magical worlds all in one book. Alexis Lantgen does it again in her newest Anthology, Saints and Curses, with her ability to weave magical worlds, so detailed, that you could almost hear the music playing from within the pages, or taste the food being served at a festival. I can’t talk about all of them as there are eleven stories, but I do have a few favorites that I’d like to mention.

I love the balance between light and dark magic being used throughout the pages of this book. I think Alexis does a great job in portraying that magic comes in many different forms, and is not a one size fits all stereotype of black magic or white. I found the characters to be relatable and enjoyed how some of them were able to find an escape within a magical world of existence. Like in Elven Carols, where the main character is a struggling violinist, and completely over working in a mall during the holidays. When she gets invited to play at a concert, she jumps to the occasion, needing the extra money. She thinks she’s losing her mind when she gets picked up by a flying unicorn and taken to an enchanted world. This story was one of my top favorites, as I could imagine the Christmas town as if I were there experiencing it for myself. I found myself really wishing it was all real!

Grackle was another favorite of mine with a relatable character who had such a bad relationship with her ex boyfriend, he cursed her into becoming a bird. This story is a fantastic uprising of alchemy, as she brings herself to embrace her curse, although not at first, and transforms it into empowerment. The ending is heart felt and beautiful, but I won’t give it all away.

Switched is one that caught my attention because it starts off with every mother’s worst nightmare. It was eerie and frightening, and I could not put it down. The whole way through, I thought the story was taking me in a different direction with the ending, but it did not disappoint! Another story I’ll pick up again around Halloween is The Lost Cat. It reminded me of the book Bunnicula, (James and Deborah Howe) except this one is about a cat. Animals sometimes appear to us when we are in dire need of protection and a friend, and this little lost cat found its forever home. I’d love to read another follow up story about this as it left with a cliffhanger, and I’d love to know what happens next.

Not all of these stories end with happy endings! Snake Eyes was one that I loved because it was full of occultism and secrecy and I have an obsession with snakes. The fact that it was centered around a “temple of Serpents,” swallowed me whole. This story is about unconditional love and sacrifice. To be honest, I believe  this could become a full novel, and one that I would love to read.

Saints and Curses is perfect for the holidays! It is too difficult to choose a favorite as each story is unique in its own way, and I see myself picking it up again. I love short stories and I love reading about magical worlds and the occult. This anthology was right up my alley and I think Alexis does a fabulous job with drawing me into her imagination. And how cool is it, that just like one of her characters, she is also a classical musician, eh? Till her next portal of magical worlds come out, I patiently await…

Click here to read my review for Sapience, Alexis Lantgen’s science fiction Anthology.

Alexis Lantgen

Alexis Lantgen is a writer, teacher, and classical musician. She loves Renaissance Faires and all things science fiction and fantasy. Her first book, Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories, is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. Her short stories have appeared in the Gallery of Curiosities, Phantaxis, Red Sun Magazine, and Swords and Sorcery Magazine, and her nonfiction articles have appeared in Renaissance Magazine. She lives with her husband, her spirited five-year-old daughter, her toddler son, and two very patient cats in Texas.

From Love Triangle to Apocalypse, this Novel Keeps you Enthralled

‘Eden’s life is balanced…until her soul is bound to her enemy.

https://books2read.com/u/bPJL5z

Keepers (The Eden East Novels Book 1) by Sacha Black

Keepers opens up with a glimpse into the world of Truitinor, introducing magic and shape shifting needed in order to pass a final exam. The scenes were rich in detail and I could easily imagine myself there. In a world composed by fate, the main character, Eden East finds herself in a position where is she is bound to be with her enemy, while in love with someone else.

The premise alone is unique. Sacha Black has created a universe governed by the magic that fuels Earth- a world where those that live in it, are in charge of the fate of everyone in it. They keep the balance, they are the elements. Beautifully written, and bringing personification and real human dramatization of life events, this book takes on emotions at their rawest form.

I was pulled in from the start. I loved the snarkiness of the characters and sarcastic sense of humor. I like Eden East, the level headed but headstrong main character. She is believable as she feels emotional pain and betrayal, her reactions are warranted, all while keeping a level head. This book is witty and at times sexy, as Eden struggles to keep in her lustful feelings of her crush, a seductive siren, while managing to obey the order of their laws. I’m not always a fan of the first person narrative but in this case, it made me feel like I was seeing straight through Eden’s eyes.

Eden is fated to be with her enemy, an arrogant, yet conflicted shifter who made me cringe and hate him as I read on, however, I do confess that at times I found myself feeling sorry for him. For that, I must say he is a skillfully crafted antagonist and I cannot wait to find out more about him.

If you’re looking for a good YA series to get into that has shape shifters and sorcerers, I highly recommend this book. Emotional, heart felt, and adventurous, Keepers will leave you wanting for more. I’ll definitely be getting a copy of  Victor, the sequel in this series.

About the Author

Sacha Black https://sachablack.co.uk/

Sacha Black has five obsessions; words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories,  self-improvement, and breaking the rules. She also has the mind of a perpetual sixteen-year-old, only with slightly less drama and slightly more bills.

Sacha writes books about people with magical powers and other books about the art of writing. She lives in Hertfordshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son.

When she’s not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, blogging, sniffing musty old books, fangirling film and TV soundtracks, or thinking up new ways to break the rules.

On Writing
Stephen King

Some people might pick up this book and think, hell yeah, why not- who doesn’t want to take a glimpse into a day and a life of famous horror author, Stephen King. And yet, some might think…why read a book on writing? I want a Stephen King book that will scare me.
If you’re in the latter, then you are not a writer.

This book is written in his point of view, his humor, and his memories- he gives us a piece of his personality and it reads almost as if he’s having a conversation with his readers.

I won’t give it all away because it’s his story to tell, not mine. But I will let you in on a tad bit of insight. Not that Mr. King needs any persuading coming from my part- but he is one of my writing heroes and if you’re looking for a book review on this particular book- this is IT (see what I did there?). He makes a point that writing inspiration comes from nowhere. It’s all around us and not anywhere. It’s buried deep within our memories, and it lies in between the lines of our day to day lives. It’s up to us to learn how to make the connection.

In my personal opinion inspiration often hits me in the most inopportune times- like if I’m on the treadmill or elliptical machine, or in the shower- basically in places where I can’t just jump out to write something down. Then I run the risk of forgetting, so sometimes I do it anyway. Especially if it’s flooding in all at once.

So, I have to agree with you there Mr. KIng!

Also, if you’re wanting to pick up the book solely on writing techniques, I will let you in on another spoiler. Right in the very beginning of his book he recommends buying a book for proofreading called “The Elements of Style,” by William Strunk Jr. He calls it the no bullshit handbook to editing. And he’s right. It really is a great to the point manual.

Okay, one more spoiler! I promise this is the last one. I want to mention it because it’s something that I can relate to as a writer and I’m sure you probably can to. My mother also writes and while I was growing up, she always encouraged me to keep writing. She used to edit my work and would always advise me to never to throw anything that I’ve written away, even if I hated it. “Always save your work, you never know if you want to use it later,” she would say. Recently, I’ve heard from a few writers I know that if they feel like their piece of writing isn’t going anywhere, then its dead. And they chuck it.

King confirms my mother’s advice for me when he describes in one of his tales that he had developed an idea for a story, by using two clashing thoughts (won’t get into detail as not to spoil it). He wrote it as a short story and in the end, he didn’t feel like it spoke to him so he threw it away. Little did he know that his wife was going to go through his garbage and read what he had written! When he got home that day, the pages he had tossed had been unscrunched and stacked on top of the table. She told him that she believed he had something there, and to keep at it. So he did.

Thanks to Tabitha King, we can all enjoy the book and movie; Carrie.

This lesson hit me because sometimes I feel like my work is complete garbage. But this story will sit as a reminder to me to never throw them away. Save it for later, work on it with a fresh set of eyes, because one day, it might just be a hit.

On Writing is an insightful tool for writers, but it’s so much more than that. It gives us details into how Stephen King became one of America’s greatest authors of all time. I recommend picking it up and reading it over a weekend. You won’t regret it.

Sapience by Alexis Lantgen
A Science Fiction Anthology

While Science fiction isn’t my usual go to for an escape from reality- I do enjoy watching Star Wars so I decided to give this Anthology a try. I’m a huge fan of short stories, and after all- since they’re nice and short, what’s the harm?

I gotta say, WOW! Thanks to Alexis Lantgen this will not be the last science fiction I pick up. I really enjoyed reading these.

Maybe it was the Author’s method of writing in deep point of view, but she gripped me tight and pulled me into space. I’m no astrophysicist but I do feel that the stories in this Anthology answer questions regarding plausibility and is well researched. Reading these stories was truly an immersive experience. I won’t go into detail over all the stories or this review will be a long winded book report but I did have a few favorites that I’d like to mention.

Deep Ice, where a mother who had once gone into the deep uncharted ice of an alien planet called Europa became obsessed with what happened to a group of scientists who had ventured in and never returned. I enjoyed the pace of the story; it put me in the place of the character in wanting to do something for the mother, to make her feel whole again. The ending was heart wrenching, and made me wonder what I would have done if I were in the characters shoes.

Another I was drawn to was The Last Bird.   It has more of a dystopian feel to it, as birds were cryogenically frozen for preservation of the species. The story begins by a little sparrow laying on its side and dying. A young boy was told he could no longer ever make them out of paper- for paper was never to be used again and technology was being enforced for learning- nothing else. The Last Bird draws on the innovative skills of a young boy looking to create art to remember the things humankind leaves behind on Earth. To me it speaks of hope and has a heartwarming ending in a dystopian universe.

I won’t give it all away- but as far as science fiction short stories go, I will be revisiting Alexis Lantgen’s books. More up my alley is her next collection of short stories called Saints and Curses- if it’s as immersive as Sapience- you best believe I’ll be giving it a read.

About the Author



Alexis Lantgen

Alexis Lantgen is a writer, teacher, and classical musician. She loves Renaissance Faires and all things science fiction and fantasy. Her first book, Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories, is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. Her short stories have appeared in the Gallery of Curiosities, Phantaxis, Red Sun Magazine, and Swords and Sorcery Magazine, and her nonfiction articles have appeared in Renaissance Magazine. She lives with her husband, her spirited five-year-old daughter, her toddler son, and two very patient cats in Texas.

The Rogue Reaper is the prologue to my new book coming out- The Haunting at Paradise House. It’s the first in my series Reapers of the Veil.

By joining my mailing list, you’ll also get access to pre-published short stories and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on events and when I have any new books available. Also, as a thank you for joining, you’ll get an exclusive discount off the launch price of each book.

What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie?

Addison Brooke is on her own in Miami, FL- she has the apartment, the best friend, and the boyfriend who loves her, but she needs a job if she’s going to live on her own.- so she thought. When she gets offered the position of her dreams through a mysterious phone call, she rises to the occasion- only problem is she would have to move to the Florida Keys- in a mansion called, Paradise House.

Footsteps from playful ghosts, a room of killer dolls, and an all too intelligent owl lead her to the mysteries that lie within the house to reveal the real reason why she was invited. When dark forces get a hold of her and her patient, Addison is left with no choice but to take extreme measures of learning the art of Sorcery.

Will Addison be able to acquire the necessary skills fast enough in order to protect her patient, and defeat the evil entities that thrive in the mansion?