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Death Drives A Semi
This epic short story collection by Bram Stoker Award Winner, Edo van Belkom is now celebrating its 25th Anniversary brought together by Stark Publishing and just in time for Halloween
25th Anniversary Edition arriving October 10, 2023 from Stark Publishing
The book is available worldwide in print and e-book edition across all retail and library platforms
Keep one eye on the road ahead and another on the rearview mirror.
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Because, like the legendary phantom semi of this book’s titular story, these stories will creep up on you and overtake you without warning.
Edo van Belkom twists his unique perspective and droll, black sense of humour into twisted observations of the sad, violent, and ironic sides of life in this special 25th anniversary release of a compilation of his most beloved horror stories.
With a voice and range that has drawn comparisons of Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Stephen King, van Belkom takes the reader down a most unique highway that breathes new life into classic horror tropes, all the while maintaining the essence of the best of a combination of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and the old E.C. horror comics of the 1950s.
https://books2read.com/deathdrivesasemi
The 25th Anniversary edition of Death Drives A Semi contains all the original stories, a revised introduction by Robert J. Sawyer, an additional new story plus all new ‘behind the story’ notes written by Edo specifically for this edition.
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| Edo van Belkom says, ‘For the original version of this book, published in 1998, it took about ten years to publish enough quality stories to make a book like this. But once I had the stories, I couldn’t have been prouder to put them all together in one place. This is my The October Country,’ van Belkom says. ‘The book I am most proud of and the book I most wanted to write when I decided on that career path so many years ago.’
Mark Leslie Lefebvre of Stark Publishing, who is releasing this new anniversary edition in hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook editions, says that when the original version of this book was published, he not only read and loved it, but he hand-sold countless copies of it as a bookseller. ‘Edo is the kind of author whose words grab and hold you, keep you mesmerized, to the very last exquisite word.’ Death Drives a Semi remains among my favourite short story collections of all time, and it’s one I’ve put into the hands of numerous readers, and writers, over the years. Readers relish in the tales Edo spins, and writers learn by witnessing a master at the top of their game. I am honoured that I get to help usher this fantastic story collection back into print so that readers and writers who have not yet experienced this amazing writer can benefit from that remarkable experience.’
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|  | Death Drives a Semi comes at you with a sparkle in its bloodshot eye, a happy twist on its pale lips, and a switchblade tucked into a back pocket of its faded jeans. These stories move with the brutal, crazed efficiency of a starved rat who has just spotted a half-eaten cheeseburger on the other side of the alley. Throughout, Edo van Belkom’s left-handed, almost surreal sense of humour aerates and elevates the proceedings by providing a constant ironic commentary, like a soundtrack composed by Frank Zappa and Spike Jones.
– Peter Straub, author of The Hellfire Club and Ghost Story
Edo van Belkom has crafted a collection of dark and macabre stories with the kinds of twists, turns, and slyly crafted endings that evoke the best of Serling, King, and other masters of the short form. Death Drives a Semi reminded me more than once of my teenage days of tearing through Ray Bradbury collections or flipping the pages of the brilliant EC comics. These are the kind of tales that give you chills while making you smile as you finish reading a story only to think to yourself, ‘maybe just one more before I turn out the lights’
– Jeff Davis, creator of Wolf Pack, Teen Wolf, and Criminal Minds
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More from Edo van Belkom:
Wolf Pack is the inspiration behind a new TV Series released worldwide by Paramount Plus in January, 2023
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| | Nothing gets between a wolf and its pack…
Most of the time, Noble, Argus, Harlan and Tora are like any other teenagers. Prowling the halls of their high school in search of new crushes and true friendships, all while trying to keep up their grades. Except these teens are anything but ordinary…
Discovered as wolf cubs in the wilderness of Redstone Forest, the pack knows their adoptive parents are the only humans they can trust with their shape-shifting secret. So whenever the siblings want to wolf around, they race to the forest to run—and relish their special bond. Until the terrible day a TV crew films their shocking transformation—and Tora is captured by a scientist determined to reveal her supernatural abilities to the world.
Now the brothers will do anything to get their sister back. Even if it means taking their powers to a whole new level by becoming werewolves for the very first time—something their parents warned them never to attempt. But once the teens go to the dark side, will they ever make it back to the only life they’ve ever known?
Wolf Pack eBook : van Belkom, Edo: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
Wolf Pack—Kindle edition by van Belkom, Edo. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
‘A well-plotted story. The plot moves quickly enough to hold interest and may appeal to reluctant readers.’ — School Library Journal
‘WOLF PACK is a thrilling ride from start to finish.’ — Canadian Children’s Book News
‘[A] great book to recommend to reluctant readers. ... WOLF PACK is a winner of the Aurora Award, Canada’s highest award for achievements in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. Recommended for YA and school library collections.’ — Monster Librarian
About Edo:
Edo van Belkom is a Canadian author from Brampton, Ontario and has written 35 books and over 300 short stories in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy and mystery. His short fiction has been published in countless anthologies such as Year’s Best Horror Stories, Year’s Best Erotica, Robert Bloch’s Psychos, the Hot Blood and Shock Rock series, as well as several anthologies based on RPGs. His stories ‘Rat Food’ (with David Nickle) won the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, and ‘Hockey’s Night in Canada’ won the Aurora, Canada’s top prize for speculative fiction. More recently, his young adult series Wolf Pack, has served as the inspiration for the new Jeff Davis supernatural TV series Wolf Pack starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, and premiered on Paramount-Plus worldwide in January.
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Scorch Mark, A Dark Dreams Novel
Releasing November 14, 2023
Book Three of the Award-winning series by critically acclaimed author, JP McLean
Gold Literary Titan Medal Winner
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Jane stands alone between a powerful artifact and the wrong hands. Jane Walker’s alarming dreams, in which she sees events that have yet to happen, have finally subsided. The man who killed her parents and kidnapped Jane is behind bars. So it’s the perfect time for Jane and her partner Ethan to set out on a road trip to unravel the secrets of her ancestry.
But their journey takes a spine-chilling turn when they encounter a gang of men who stare at Jane as if they recognize her. That can only mean one thing: they’ve met her in a dream she has yet to experience. When the gang begins stalking her, Jane realizes she must have witnessed a deadly event. But what could it be? She slips into hiding and waits for the disturbing dream to arrive.
And now her BFF, Sadie Prescott, is dating a cop whose curiosity about Jane leads him to unearth the mysterious deaths that litter her past. When his latest investigation crosses paths with Jane’s stalkers, Jane must intervene and turn the sceptical cop into a believer before he kills himself and causes the deaths of his entire law enforcement team.
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| Scorch Mark is JP McLean’s tenth full-length novel
Praise for JP McLean:
McLean’s writing is as ingenious as her protagonist, ranging from grunge to repartee to sophistication to laugh-out-loud snarks. Ghost Mark is gripping. You won’t put it down till it’s done. —Ottawa Review of Books
A captivating nail-biter that will leave readers thirsting for more! —InD’tale Magazine
Will keep you on the edge of your seat . . . an intense, riveting, and fast-paced novel. —Literary Titan
JP McLean continues to showcase her natural flair for originality, memorable characters, and deftly crafted plots replete with unexpected twists and turns in the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that keeps the reader’s rapt attention from first page to last. Highly Recommended. —Midwest Book Review
An exciting blend of action, mystery, suspense, and thrills with a supernatural kick that will leave you wanting more! —Ann Charles, USA Today bestselling author of The Deadwood Mystery series
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OTHER BOOKS IN THE DARK DREAMS SERIES
Blood Mark is the first in a new paranormal thriller series by JP McLean, author of The Gift Legacy series and whose writing has been described as ‘. . . deftly crafted, impressively original, and inherently compelling from first page to last.’
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IAN Award Finalist Paranormal/Supernatural
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The Reader’s House Editor’s Choice Award of Excellence
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Global Book Award – Occult & Supernatural
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Eric Hoffer Award Winner
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Chanticleer Paranormal Award for Supernatural Fiction Finalist
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Wishing Shelf Book Award Finalist Adult Fiction
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| About JP McLean
JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is a bestselling author of urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. She is an Eric Hoffer and Global Book Award winner and was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and the Independent Author Network Awards. Reviewers call her books addictive, smart and fun.
JP holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, is a certified scuba diver, an avid gardener, and a voracious reader. She had a successful career in Human Resources before turning her attention to writing.
Raised in Toronto, Ontario, JP has lived in various parts of North America, from Mexico and Arizona to Alberta and Ontario. JP now lives with her husband on Denman Island, which is nestled between the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. You can reach her through her website at jpmcleanauthor.com. |  |
| | OWARE MOSAIC
Nzondi’s Bram Stoker Award-Winning novel now being relaunched!!!!
Published by Crossroad Press
This title is available in eBook and in print worldwide |
| In the Metaverse, No One Knows the Dead Better than Feeni Xo
The story is set on alternate Earth and follows the life of Feeni Xo, a teenage enhuman girl who wants to become an investigative forensic coroner. Similar to vampires, ‘enhumans’ need human blood for sustenance but thanks to the creation of synthetic blood, don’t need to break enhuman laws by harming humans for survival.
One night, coming home from a party, Feeni seems to kill a young girl. Her brother, who is a police officer, helps her cover it up, but when Feeni retreats to the metaverse to play a virtual reality game that uses data from police cold cases, she discovers the dead girl in real life is actually the younger sister of her neighbour, who also happens to be a police officer.
Overwhelmed with guilt, she’s forced to help her neighbour investigate her sister’s death in a case that becomes ominous when they play the House of Oware game that’s been reprogrammed to kill every participant.
Amazon.com: Oware Mosaic eBook : Nzondi: Kindle Store
Oware Mosaic eBook : Nzondi: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
Praise for Oware Mosaic
‘He is a brilliant writer, one readers and critics should be watching.’ —Pete Nowalk, creator of ABC’s hit show How To Get Away With Murder
‘If you’re looking for a story that’s daringly imaginative, Oware Mosaic will scratch that itch.’ —Alma Katsu, New York Times bestselling author of Red London
‘I loved, loved, loved this novel by Nzondi! Breath-taking SF adventure!!’ —Linda Addison, author of How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend
‘Nzondi’s Oware Mosaic is real Afrofuturism, speculative fiction actually set on the continent itself. This is the future of SF, and the future is looking good.’ —Steven Barnes, author of Lion’s Blood
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Nzondi, Bram Stoker Award winning author and now Best-selling Musician!
It’s so strange, seeing you crawling on your knees
It’s a shame, last time we spoke you said that you hated me
Am I deranged for hoping things won’t be the same
Nothing’s changed, the only time I feel…is when I’m in pain
What the hell’s got into you? The world’s got teeth and it’s bleeding you?
Hey-Hey! Yeah, what’s new? You find something wrong with everything I do, ‘cause
You love, love hating me, yeah
Just because I’m a FREAK
And I bet you’re scared you’re like me
You love, love hating me
Just because I’m a FREAK
And you’ll never understand me
I really don’t care, I really don’t care, I really don’t care (repeat)
I’m so dumb, for thinking I could get rid of you
I’m so numb, that I no longer ask why life’s so cruel
Are you deranged for hating me ‘cause I’m not the same
You’ll never change, the only time you feel…is when I’m in pain
What the hell’s got into you? The world’s got teeth and it’s bleeding you?
Hey-Hey! Yeah, what’s new? You find something wrong with everything I do, ‘cause
You love, love hating me, yeah
Just because I’m a FREAK
And I bet you’re scared you’re like me
You love, love hating me
Just because I’m a FREAK
And you’ll never understand me
I really don’t care, I really don’t care, I really don’t care (repeat)
Find yourself trapped in the basement
Now who’s the entertainment (repeat)
Nah, nah, nah, I can’t hear you
Stop Screaming, nothing you can do (repeat)
I really don’t care, I really don’t care, I really don’t care
You love, love hating me, yeah
Just because I’m a FREAK
And I bet you’re scared you’re like me
You love, love hating me
Just because I’m a FREAK
And you’ll never understand me
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About Nzondi:
Ace Antonio was born Acemandese Nzondi Hall in Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. Hall received his BFA with a concentration in drama from C. W. Post, Long Island University. He is also the author of the Bram Stoker award-winning novel, Oware Mosaic (Crossroad Press), as well as the horror novels, Lipstick Asylum: Where the Dead Rise (Omnium Gatherum, September 2021), Confessions of Sylva Slasher, (Montag Press, April 2013) and a non-fiction book, Lord of the Flies: Fitness for Writers (Omnium Gatherum, April 2017).
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