Michael Richan's Blog

Just an FYI…

I’ve consolidated all of my social media positing at Patreon. No more posting at Facebook, Insta, or Twitter.

As anyone who has ever posted a comment at those platforms will know, I suck at keeping up with them! So, to make things easier to manage, I’ll be posting news primarily at Patreon.

It’s free to join; you don’t have to become a member in order to read my new posts. Totally free. If you do decide to support me with one of the support tiers, that’d be awesome, but it’s not necessary to read about the new stuff or whatever I happen to share, like works in progress and cover drafts.

Thanks for your support over the years! It’s much appreciated! I’ll see you on Patreon!

Michael

Charlie glanced at the clock and saw that it was after 1AM. He listened to the sounds of the room and closed the book, about to place it on his nightstand when he heard the door creak. Fear instantly shot through his body as though the sound itself had injected him with a needle. Wanting to appear asleep, he placed his head on its side on his pillow, and watched intently as the door moved slightly.

Someone – or something – was pushing it open. Frozen in place, he observed as it filled the doorway, then stepped forward to enter, its head barely clearing the doorframe. It stood inside the room, dark and big. Charlie could hear it wheezing. It glanced around, centering on Charlie’s bed.

He closed his eyes tightly, terrified.

So begins the odyssey of ten-year-old Charlie, who discovers that his family’s neighbor invades their home each night, somehow passing through the communal wall of their duplex and attacking his mother and sister while they sleep. Charlie can see the wounds the attacks leave on their necks — but his family cannot, and they don’t believe him.

As the attacks worsen, Charlie realizes it’s up to him to defend his family from the vampire next door. But how?

One night, the ghost of a horrifically murdered boy appears to Charlie in his closet, leading him to the boy’s hidden phone. It’s the breakthrough Charlie needs, and it begins an unexpected adventure far beyond anything Charlie could have imagined, into a new world where he learns the skills he’ll need to successfully ward the vampire.

The Warder is a spine-tingling horror adventure in which a boy discovers a universe he never knew existed — where he sets a plan in motion to destroy the creature attacking his family and save them from an evil they cannot see.

Available for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback and hardbound editions.

Within the abandoned confines of Briarwood Manor’s enigmatic third floor, a malevolent riddle lies waiting. Eerie echoes resonate—unnatural footsteps, furniture that moves of its own volition, and a spectral presence that refuses to be ignored.

Meet Eliza, an unwitting summer tour guide, whose life takes an otherworldly turn as she delves into the manor’s storied history. Within these walls, ghostly apparitions materialize, including a ghastly doctor and nurse, forever entwined in a macabre surgical ritual. When Eliza’s friend and colleague disappears into the forbidden upper reaches of the manor, she’s compelled to embark on a harrowing rescue mission.

Empowered by her extraordinary gift, Eliza boldly ventures into the eerie depths of the manor, peeling back the layers of its cryptic past in her relentless quest to find her missing friend. As time ticks away, the manor’s malevolent history unravels, revealing a twisted connection between the sinister doctor, the ghostly nurse, and George Wayman, the owner of Briarwood—a man harboring a monstrous secret.

Click here to pick up your copy at Amazon today!

Eliza returns in The Haunting of Briarwood Manor, available October 27!

Something is very wrong on the abandoned top floor of Briarwood Manor. No one is allowed to go up there, but on the lower floors one can hear sounds from above – sounds of people walking. Furniture mysteriously moving. Lights appearing in the windows at night.

Eliza takes on a summer job giving tours in the historic building. Soon, she discovers spirits haunting the manor, including a ghostly doctor and nurse engaged in a grisly medical procedure. When her friend and co-worker disappears on the top floor, she decides she must try to rescue her.

Using her gift, Eliza explores the creepy manor to uncover its past and to find a way to save her friend. In time, the manor’s horrible history is revealed involving the doctor, the nurse, and George Wayman, the builder of Briarwood – a man with a terrible secret.

The Haunting of Briarwood Manor is a fast-paced paranormal mystery. The stakes are high and the characters are interesting and entertaining. It is a stand-alone novel, meaning no other previous reading is necessary to enjoy it.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

Pick up the new entry in The Dark River series! Available in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover formats.

Click here to visit the Amazon page for Malfunction 61.

Malfunction 61

Ex-cop Derick used to control the Dark River – a strange, Lovecraftian world only those with the gift can enter – but he abandoned it for the sunny beaches of Belize months ago. His time in the sun is cut short when a new mystery draws him back to face a mind-bending threat.

Leaving Deem in control of the Dark River has not gone well. After a long delay, treatments for the worms have finally rolled out – but the treatments are killing people, not curing them. When her boyfriend James goes missing, Deem secludes herself in Eximere, and no one has been able to reach her.

As Derick investigates what has gone wrong, he discovers new dangers forming in the wastelands of the Dark River, capable of massive destruction. Strange clues and bizarre pieces of evidence lead him to a confrontation greater than any the Dark River has seen before – one which he and A may not survive.

Malfunction 61 is Book Five in the Dark River series. It is a fast-paced paranormal adventure and continues the story told in three popular series, the first book of which is The Bank Of The River, published ten years ago.

Pre-order your copy today at Amazon!

My new novel Cloudcroft is available today. Formats include Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, and Hardbound. This new book explores the alchemy side of the River with new characters. This is a stand-alone novel which requires no previous reading to enjoy.

Wilson Cloudcroft finds himself trapped at a hostel in New Mexico. With one of the guests brutally murdered, the police are keeping everyone on lockdown until they can sort out the facts, and that’s fine with him – he’ll make good use of the time. Having collected Trinitite at a tour of White Sands the day before, he needs to process the material, and processing it requires a precise elevation – exactly where the hostel lies, located in the mountains above Alamogordo.

While stuck in the tiny town of White Rock, he learns the hostel is unpopular with the locals and the police force, so he finds plenty of people with motives to commit the crime.

Cloudcroft befriends a local cop who is also gifted. Their friendship leads them to new clues that normal detective work cannot discover: secrets hidden from view, and horrifying visions of murders yet to come. It will take the old ghosts of the town to help unravel the monstrous plans of the culprit, as well as Cloudcroft executing a terrifying ability he hoped he’d never have to use.

Cloudcroft is a fast-paced paranormal mystery involving ghosts, the gift, and alchemy – and the greed that drives people to commit unspeakable acts.

“There’s been a murder,” the cop said. “No one’s going anywhere!”

Wilson Cloudcroft finds himself trapped at a hostel in New Mexico. With one of the guests brutally murdered, the police are keeping everyone on lockdown until they can sort out the facts, and that’s fine with him – he’ll make good use of the time. Having collected Trinitite at a tour of White Sands the day before, he needs to process the material, and processing it requires a precise elevation – exactly where the hostel lies, located in the mountains above Alamogordo.

While stuck in the tiny town of White Rock, he learns the hostel is very unpopular with the locals and the police force, so he finds plenty of people with motives to commit the crime.

Cloudcroft befriends a local cop who is also gifted. Their friendship leads them to new clues that normal detective work cannot discover: secrets hidden from view, and horrifying visions of murders yet to come. It will take the old ghosts of the town to help unravel the monstrous plans of the culprit, as well as Cloudcroft executing a terrifying ability he hoped he’d never have to use.

Cloudcroft is a fast-paced paranormal mystery involving ghosts, the gift, and alchemy – and the greed that drives people to commit unspeakable acts.

Click here to pre-order your copy at Amazon today!

Pick up your copy of The Cultus Contracts, the new Steven and Roy novel, at Amazon today! The book is available in Kindle, paperback, and hardbound formats.

Jump back into the River series with this new novel arriving January 24, 2023! The pre-order price at Amazon reflects a 20% discount off the final price, so order today!

Things are going wrong – very wrong – in the small town of Astoria. Ghostly apparitions haunt the streets, tragic accidents are all over the news, and horrific deaths stump the police – all since Terrell made a terrible mistake and unwittingly unleashed a terror that had long been forgotten.

He pleads for Steven and Roy’s help. As they dig deeper into what has happened, they uncover hidden histories going back hundreds of years. They encounter ancient ghosts, shipwrecks, and Astoria’s terrifying destruction by fire before they finally discover the cause of the trouble – and find themselves neck-deep in solving it before the entire town is devastated again.

The Cultus Contracts is Book 17 in The River series and is a fast-paced paranormal adventure. This novel is stand-alone in most respects, not requiring previous reading in the series in order to enjoy.