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Stark Publishing is proud to announce the prerelease of THE BUTTERFLY’S STROKE AND OTHER STORIES, a short story collection by Arkansas resident Annmarie SanSevero. Each of these stories has won from honourable mention to semi-finalist with Writers and Illustrators of the Future, the largest international writing competition.
An Intricate and Harmonious Dance Between Humanity and Technology
Dive into Annmarie SanSevero’s gripping collection of speculative fiction, where suspense, mystery, and the supernatural collide with the frontiers of science. Each story pulses with themes of hope, resilience, and the ethical complexities of technological advancements.
Stories include: A former Olympic swimmer, now a quadriplegic, whose brain implant allows her to swim again, with unintended consequences; A supernatural investigator with a haunted femur as an assistant; A Psion who is kidnapped in order to restore shattered minds; A scientist who discovers he might be the solution to a plague affecting the terrorists who killed his daughter; A woman with a brain graft who starts having the memories of her murdered donor; and a young man with no family who finds purpose by rescuing others with the assistance of a semi-friendly monster.
Annmarie SanSevero grew up in New York City but was transplanted to the south in high school. She writes stories about hope, courage, and resilience in fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and mystery. She loves exploring the human experience and wants readers to feel like they can do more than survive. They can be world changers. Her fiction can be read in anthologies, magazines, and books. You can learn about her work on her website: https://asansevero.com/
The Butterfly’s Stroke and Other Stories
Paperback $14.99 USD, ISBN: 9781998331246
Ebook $4.99 USD, ISBN: 9781998331253
Stark Publishing September 2025
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She Looks Like Fun
The stunning debut thriller by film producer and author, Constantinos Koumontzis
The book is available worldwide in all formats by Whitechapel Trading Co
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Ann Bonny hides beneath the façade of an innocent schoolteacher in Chicago but spends her nights a call girl. She masquerades herself through an online escort service to carry out her violent desires. Her two worlds collide one night as her dark tendencies cross paths with her ‘normal’ life. Miss Bonny is about to spiral into madness while trying to keep her two lives from combusting.
She Looks Like Fun —Kindle edition by Koumontzis, Constantinos. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
‘Where has this author been. An enlightening commentary on our societal norms. I found myself routing (out loud) for the killer. Wonderfully written. Looking forward to the sequel or the TV series. A MUST READ!_’ A Book WR
‘This isn't the type of book I would normally read, I'm a little squeamish, but a friend suggested it and wow, this book is fantastic! The outrageous story of a female serial killer is entertaining and well crafted. The characters are intriguing and the descriptions are so meticulously detailed they jump right off the page. Koumontzis does a masterful job of keeping the reader engrossed in this wild ride of a gruesome tale. I thoroughly enjoyed and totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and thrilling read’_ Jennifer Lieberman, Award-winning author of Year of the What
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About Constantinos:
Constantinos Koumontzis graduated from DePaul University Chicago with a Creative Writing bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
He was awarded the Mary Zavada writing endowment and honed his craft while studying abroad in London at the University of Westminster.
He produced the short film ‘Touch’ in 2024 and currently lives and writes in Los Angeles.
His debut novel, ‘She Looks Like Fun’ is out now and available on Amazon, Kindle, Audible, and several major bookstores. More information about Constantinos can be found at: Constantinos Koumontzis | She Looks Like Fun
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|  | Justice for the Forgotten
A Steel Wheels Cold Mystery
The stunning debut thriller by author R. Weir
The book is available worldwide in print and eBook format
Readers' Favourite Bronze Medal Winner 2025
Best Fiction—Mystery-Murder Book
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Book One in the Thrilling new series from award-winning author R. Weir!!
Justice for the Forgotten: A Steel Wheels Cold Mystery
For widower Donnie Steel grief is a powerful emotion and a dynamic motivator. The retired police officer crafting an online blog Therapy to ease the anguish of his lost soulmate. Readers reaching out, requesting his help. While travelling in his RV, with his faithful K-9 companion, Kogel, he learns of a three-year-old cold case in Southern Colorado. The victim’s parents search for answers to their son’s death.
Upon further investigation, he discovers the case was purposely botched, those in power doing all they can for the solution to remain buried.
With relentless determination to go the extra mile, heart and soul worn on his sleeve, and his highly trained K-9, fighting by his side, Donnie digs deep to go beyond his emotional and physical pain to find Justice For The Forgotten.
Amazon.com: Justice For The Forgotten: A Steel Wheels Cold Mystery eBook : Weir, R: Kindle Store
‘Justice For The Forgotten by R. Weir is a must-read! The writing is engaging and filled with well-crafted dialogue that brings the story and the well-developed characters to life. I loved the mystery and how Weir utilised suspense to great effect, which kept me on the edge of my seat and looking forward to the events of subsequent chapters. This thought-provoking work also got me thinking about the criminal justice system and how sometimes access to justice can be denied. The plot flowed seamlessly, leaving no room for confusion, and the reader will also appreciate the excellent narration, which adds to the overall beauty of this work. This was an amazing read, and I look forward to reading something else by this talented author.’_ Frank Mutuma for Readers' Favourite
Justice for the Forgotten is not your average crime novel. While readers witness the investigation and possible conclusions, they also witness the emotions that are always wrapped up in murder cases. The author clearly portrays the heartbreak, desperation, and commitment the family has in getting justice for their child. Donnie Steel is a character that reminds us that we should never forget those who have been placed on the cold case shelves. Steel is also a character that brings hope for readers who may have had a similar experience.
Weir's Justice for the Forgotten is a thrilling, heart-wrenching page-turner. It is a crime novel with many layers. Readers will note the ease in Weir's writing style and how easy it is to relate to the characters he presents. Justice for the Forgotten is the first book in a new series by R. Weir, Steel Wheels Cold Mystery, and I look forward to reading his future work.’_ Ashley Hooker for Reader Views
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Award-winning Author R Weir lives in the Mile-High City with his family, where the Rocky Mountain High isn't always achieved with an herbal substance. When not glued to the computer, he relaxes by enjoying the outdoors and travelling in his motorhome. His writing delves into genres with gritty investigators exploring mystery, crime, suspense, and thrills, with involved plots and unexpected twists. Featuring former US Marshal Hunter Divine, a dire, determined man searching for salvation in his broken life. Private eye Jarvis Mann is tough and snarky, with as many faults as virtues. And his newest series featuring retired police officer Donnie Steel and his K-9 companion, Kogel. Characters exhibiting traces of his sense of humour, though he’s not nearly as tough and fearless. Though no evil stands a chance against his written word! |
| James Bows’s acclaimed New Adult urban fantasy The Night Girl
returns to delight readers in a new edition from Shadowpaw Press Reprise
Shadowpaw Press in Regina, Saskatchewan, is thrilled to announce the release on August 26 of a new edition of Canadian author James Bows’s acclaimed New Adult urban fantasy The Night Girl, originally published in 2019 by REUTS Publications.
Set in Toronto, The Night Girl tells the tale of Perpetua Collins, a young woman determined to make it on her own in the big city. When she answers an ad for a ‘night girl,’ she discovers there’s a whole hidden world of trolls, goblins, and more in Toronto. They’ve been in hiding for years, and now they’re getting restless…
‘I’m delighted that The Night Girl is back in print and with Shadowpaw Press, who will give this a good push throughout Canada,’ says Bow. ‘While I will always be grateful for the work my original publishers put into the book back in 2019, it’s nice to have the book come home, and I hope that Canadians will welcome it with open arms.’
‘The Night Girl is a fun, funny, heartwarming fantasy adventure, filled with memorable characters and topped off by a dash of romance—a Canadian story set unabashedly in Toronto,’ says Edward Willett, publisher of Shadowpaw Press. ‘I’m thrilled to make this new edition available under our Reprise imprint for a whole new legion of readers to discover and enjoy.’
More about The Night Girl
Perpetua Collins works for a real troll.
Well, technically a goblin, and it’s not as bad as it sounds. As the administrative assistant, she provides a ‘human’ face for an employment agency specialising in placements for goblins and trolls. It’s probably the most unusual job she could find in Toronto, but she’s grateful for it, having come to the city with $500 in her pocket and no support. Without it, she’d have no choice but to go back to the boring small town and overbearing mother she worked so hard to leave.
But as Perpetua settles into her new job, disturbing questions arise. And no, they’re not about the fact that goblins and trolls exist. She’s fine with that part. What bothers her is that the agency has no visible means of support. How does her boss manage to keep his ‘clients’ out of the public eye? They’ve been part of the city far longer than anyone thinks, and are growing restless under the burden of forced invisibility and financial poverty.
What will happen if the veil drops, and humans see?
More about the author
James Bow writes science fiction and fantasy for both kids and adults. He’s been a fan of science fiction since his family introduced him to Doctor Who on TV Ontario in 1978, and his mother read him classic sci-fi and fantasy from such authors as Clifford Simak and J. R. R. Tolkien. James won the 2017 Prix Aurora Award for best YA Novel in Canada for Icarus Down.
By day, James is a communications officer for a charitable land trust protecting lands from development in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. He also loves trains and streetcars. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with his two kids and his spouse/fellow writer/partner-in-crime, Erin Bow.
About Shadowpaw Press
Shadowpaw Press, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, was founded in 2018 by award-winning author Edward Willett. Shadowpaw Press is a member of Literary Press Group (Canada) and the Association of Canadian Publishers and publishes an eclectic selection of books by both new and established authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’s books, nonfiction, and anthologies, including new editions of notable, previously published work under its Reprise imprint. |  |
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Horror Maven Katherine Kerestman Pays Homage to Lovecraft in her New Collection of Weird Tales, Cultes des Goules
NASHVILLE, TN (August 7, 2025)—WordCrafts Press and author Katherine Kerestman are pleased to unveil Cultes des Goules, Kerestman's new collection of Lovecraftian horror stories, which released to retail on July 30, 2025, in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook versions. Cultes des Goules found an eager audience awaiting its release as it debuted at Number 54 on Amazon.com's Hot New Releases chart in the Occult Suspense category and at Number 72 on the Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Literary Fiction New Releases chart.
‘Life can be pleasurable, exciting, adventure-filled, and horrific. It ends in death, though—always,’ Katherine explains of her fascination with the horror genre.
‘There are times, when we are forced to face the inevitable: pain, fear, loss, and death. It is the natural order of things. Sometimes these dire things occur out of nature or chance—but unfortunately, sometimes they are the result of malignant human agency. People, I have found, tend to be scarier than the most horrible monsters, demons, or deities dreamt up by horror writers. The evil among us will sacrifice their fellow earthlings in a heartbeat, if they think there is something in it for them.
‘Horror stories oblige us to take time from the business of life to examine the darkness that dwells within our species and our world—in a very pleasurable way, for those of us who enjoy things that go bump in the night.’
As with many authors, Katherine says the tales she unfolded in Cultes des Goules were inspired by her real-life experiences and embellished by her fertile imagination. A seasoned travel writer, she says the Black Mountain stories in this volume were inspired by her trip up the dreaded White Mountain in New Hampshire, an adventure detailed in her travelogue, Creepy Cat’s Macabre Travels: Prowling around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards (WordCrafts Press, 2020).
‘The landscape is as isolated and remote in real life as in my tales,’ she recalls. ‘I rattled up the highest mountain in the eastern U.S. in an unheated, antique small-gauge train in a raging blizzard. Eighteen inches of snow had fallen on the mountain overnight, and power was out at the station, which was half-lit on generator-power. I felt that were the car to break down or I were to get lost in the remote country, it would be people whom I would have to watch out for, more than the wildlife.’
The novella, Lethal, evolved during the Covid pandemic and developed out of her horror at the manipulation of society and the rise of an oligarchical media and political dictatorship that co-opted decades of established medical protocol, relegating individual interactions to computer screens and electronic devices, devoid of human contact.
‘I watched the vibrant elderly shrivel into nonverbal husks, having been locked in their rooms in solitary confinement for a year. None of them were asked how they would like to spend the last year of their lives—attending a beloved grandchild’s wedding, or scratching off items on their bucket lists. I watched our population withdraw from relationships with other people, unless they were people on a digital screen. I shuddered as I witnessed people being taught, through fear, to believe every word that came from the mouths of the talking heads on their screens—and who were taught not to question, but to obey.’
As an added bonus, Cultes des Goules also includes Katherine's essays, ‘America's Stonehenge’ and ‘The Horror of Consensus: Nineteen Eighty-Four.’
Katherine Kerestman (.A. English and History, John Carroll University; M. A. English, Case Western Reserve University) is the author of Creepy Cat’s Macabre Travels: Prowling around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards (WordCrafts Press, 2020), Haunted House and Other Strange Tales (Hippocampus Press, 2024), and Lethal (Psychotoxin Press, 2023).
Furthermore, she is the Editor (with S. T. Joshi) of The Weird Cat (WordCrafts Press, 2023), Shunned Houses: An Anthology of Weird Stories, Unspeakable Poems, and Impious Essays (WordCrafts Press, 2024), and Witches and Witchcraft (Hippocampus Press, 2025).
More than 80 of her Lovecraftian and gothic poems, essays, and short stories have been featured in numerous anthologies, popular magazines, and academic journals. Katherine thinks Dracula and Wuthering Heights are the greatest books ever written, and she is wild about Dark Shadows and Twin Peaks. Her name is etched forevermore among the inscrutable glyphs of the Esoteric Order of Dagon and the Dracula Society.
She invites her fans to stalk her at: www.creepycatlair.com
Cultes des Goules is published in the US by WordCrafts Press and distributed globally by Ingram Content Group, the world's largest distributor of physical content.
Product Details
Hardback: 202 pages
Publisher: WordCrafts Press (July 29, 2025)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1967649204
MSRP: $29.99
Paperback: 202 pages
Publisher: WordCrafts Press (July 30, 2025)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1967649211
MSRP: $14.99
Ebook:
Publisher: WordCrafts Press (July 30, 2025)
Language: English
ASIN: B0FKNJ9QG3
MSRP: $5.99
Free review copies are available in all major ebook formats. For additional information or to request a review copy, please contact: wordcrafts@wordcrafts.net |
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