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 Celebrate Banned Book Weed - Read a Banned Book. Welcome to my annual rant on censorship. Banned Book week is celebrated the last full week of September each year. Founded in 1982 by First Amendment Activist, Judith Krug, it's goal is to highlight how important our freedom of speech and freedom of the press is to every American under the First Amendment. It's now sponsored by the American Library Association and the Center for Books in the Library of Congress. Conservative and religious groups voice their strong opinions, but the number one group(s) who challenge books are parents and School Board members. Each year, PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in School) releases a list of books that don't meet with their approval. The reasons books are banned aren’t shocking: The top five are sex, profanity, racism, the occult and homosexuality, including books with trans-gender characters. Are you thinking, "It's 2017, we don't ban books anymore." Well, you're wrong. While the government may not be forbidding certain books, many school districts are. In 2016 there were 323 complaints to school districts throughout the country. I know I'm broken record, but I strongly believe parents have the right to determine what they deem appropriate for their children to read, but not all children. The reason I say that is because if the challenge wins, the books are removed from the school library shelves or even worse, in some cases, off the public library shelves. Sorry, but the public library is a sacred institution to me, and everyone should be able to walk in, check out and read any book they'd like to. No permission needed from any parent, religious or conservative group! The award for the most ironic banned book goes to Fahrenheit 451 (the degree at which books will burn and one of my favorites) - a book written about banning and burning books. It was challenged because in the book, The Bible is one of the books that banned/burned. But it gets better, because in reality, The Holy Bible has been challenged many times and was one of the top ten book challenged in 2016. Read article here. To give you a sense of how many actual banned books there are, a Parthenon of banned books was built this summer on the site of Nazi book burnings in Germany. 100,000 books were used. 100,000!! You can read the full article here. It's not long and I recommend it. 
How awesome is that?? Each year the groups and librarians that sponsor #BannedBooksWeek ask readers to read a banned book. You might be surprised the number of classics that are on the full list, not just the top ten of each year. Last year I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I'd seen the movie and read excerpts. Mr. Wilde came from a different era and the writing reflects that, but wow, it was a great read. I urge everyone to look over the list and pick a book that you've never read. You might be pleasantly surprised.  "Always be kinder than necessary." J.M Barry
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I'm thrilled to be celebrating the release of SWEET SACRIFICE (a novella in the Soul Mate Tree Series) by my friend, awesome author and fellow lover of everything creepy and crawly, L.D. Rose.  Isn't that the coolest cover? What'a on the inside is just as awesome. Here's my review: I'm a huge fan of L.D. Rose's Order of the Sentry Series. Her newest offering, a novella in the Soul Mate Tree series, Sweet Sacrifice, did not disappoint. While the characters are a different breed - no vamps this time around, but angels and demons - Ms. Rose stays the course in her strong writing, creative world building and very human characters who are likable, yet flawed & vulnerable, who make emotional decisions, like all of us. The world where the angels dwell (and how they behave) is imaginative, strict and sometimes even cruel. These guys aren't floating around on clouds playing the harp, they have a job to do and they take the necessary steps to get their mission done. I don't rehash the blurb in my reviews and I don't do spoilers. Having said that, Sweet Sacrifice is a page turning, action packed paranormal romance that you shouldn't miss. The title is perfect as the ending is the sweetest sacrifice of all. **I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Blurb: Former Navy SEAL Sebastian “Bash” Lockard died in Afghanistan after leaping on a grenade to save his comrades. Little did he know his act of heroism would grant him a ticket into Heaven’s elite army as one of the few and powerful Archangels. Struggling with his new existence, Bash still retains his human memories, leaving behind a wife he loves with all of his heart. Although he’s forbidden to see her, he can’t resist her lure, or the mortal desires he harbors for her. As a young widow and nurse, Irene Lockard still mourns her husband two years after his untimely death. His absence is everywhere, and when her best friend weds, she hits an emotional rock bottom. As if summoned from the skies above, Sebastian appears before her, and they share an unforgettable night. But when he once again vanishes, she wonders if she’s truly gone mad with grief. The only way Sebastian can remain with Irene is if he makes the ultimate sacrifice. But will she overcome her fear of losing him again to another war? Hook: Heaven is hell without her.  Short snippet: Bash’s gaze caught on a couple on the dance floor, the sight of her sinking into him like hooks and bringing him to a standstill. With her dark curls springing over her shoulders, she spun across the hardwood, her pale gray dress flowing around her. Much like in his recent vision of her, she tipped her head back and laughed, beautiful, stunning, her smile as bright as the yellow calla lilies tucked in her hair. She swayed with a man in dress whites, a Marine, another fucking soldier she didn’t belong with. And as the rain of realization became a downpour of comprehension, he remembered the engagement, where Claude proposed to Lucille—at their wedding—right before Bash left for another tour of Afghanistan. “Bash?” Gabriel stepped in front of him, blocking his view, pale eyes narrowed. Bash’s hand slammed into Gabriel’s chest, pushing him away as he lurched forward. Gabriel reacted faster, though, snatching his arm and wrenching him back at least four feet. Bash lunged again and the Arc’s hand fisted in his white button-down shirt. “Don’t,” Gabriel growled, all humor draining from his angular face and setting his expression in stone. “Do not.” Bash’s heart punched at the angel’s fist, every fiber of his being burning with the urge to run to her, to wrap his arms around her and feel her body against his one more time. Envy, rage, longing, and sadness blasted through him in a toxic tornado of emotion ready to whip this place into oblivion. He nearly ground his molars into pulp. “Let. Me. Go.” “You are dead, Sebastian. You’re no longer part of this world. All you’ll do is bring her pain, bring yourself pain. Don’t do this.” Twin streams of air whistled from the Arc’s nostrils as he shook his head. “I should’ve never brought you here.” Bring him pain? More pain than he’d already endured? No. No. Grab your copy of SWEET SACRIFICE here: Links: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KJTJT8/ Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074KJTJT8/ Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B074KJTJT8/ Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/d/B074KJTJT8/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35912787-sweet-sacrifice Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/writerldrose/sweet-sacrifice/ Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/12150626565/playlist/4nG0R3mLB36hP2osulBBJp Bio: L.D. Rose is a neurotic physician by day, crazed writer by night, and all around wannabe superhero. She writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but she's been known to delve into horror, sci-fi, and medical suspense on occasion. L.D. Rose is a PAN member of the RWA, FF&P, NEC-RWA and CoLoNY. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her studly hubby, her hyperactive boxer, and her two devious cats. Sign up for her newsletter for the latest on the Senary, sneak peeks, giveaways, and other fun stuff: http://eepurl.com/bKvuXD. You'll receive a free horror short story with sign-up! You can also join her reader group on FB for more shenanigans. ;) DEVOUR THE NIGHT: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1544747369161573/ Where else to find her: Website: www.writerldrose.com Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/ldrose Facebook: www.facebook.com/writerldrose Author page: www.facebook.com/ldroseauthorpage Twitter: www.twitter.com/ld_rose Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/ldrose Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/writerldrose Tumblr: www.writerdoc.tumblr.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ld_rose/ BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/l-d-rose   Welcome to Creepy Camp Fire Tales A monthly blog series. This month's offering is from my good friend and awesome thriller, paranormal & horror writer, Melissa Groeling. Her story is so chilling the heat from the fire will do nothing to warm your trembling bones... Okay, so you guys know that diner off Route 9, right? Well, that’s where I work and that’s where I overheard this conversation and the things that followed. I’m not sure what–I don’t know, but just listen to what I have to say, okay? Two friends sat in the corner booth, arguing over a photograph. I’d seen them before–Lewis and Jimmy met every day for lunch and they couldn’t have been more poorly matched. Lewis in his three-piece suit and Jimmy in his oil-stained overalls and two-days’ worth of stubble on his jaw. But they had the ease of a long friendship, always laughing and poking fun so to hell with appearances, right? Until the day Lewis brought in the picture. It was an eight-by-ten, black and white from what I could see and when he showed it to Jimmy, he went white. Of course, I was instantly intrigued and tried to nonchalantly see what the photo entailed as I placed their lunch orders in front of them. But the angle was bad and I couldn’t get a good view without being obvious. So I was relegated to simple eavesdropping. From there, I listened to their conversation descend into an argument. “-telling you, it’s only a picture. What’s the big deal?” Jimmy shook his head. “If it’s only a picture, why are you showing it to me?” “Because you grew up in the house across the street from here, that’s why.” Lewis stabbed a finger into the photo that now lay flat against the table. Jimmy kept his gaze averted. His face was still white, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. “Where did you get this anyway?” he asked. “I found it.” “Where?” Jimmy insisted. “It’s not important. Now are you coming with me or not?” “Not.” “Jim.” “Don’t,” he said, the word almost a shout. It drew the attention of people sitting nearby. Jimmy wiped a hand over his mouth then leaned forward, his eyes drilling into his friend’s face. “Don’t do it, man. Don’t.” “Why not?” “You know why. You know the stories.” Lewis grinned. “Yeah, stories from when you were a kid, Jimmy and now, here you are as an adult and you’re telling me you still believe them?” Jimmy’s silence was answer enough. Lewis shook his head in disbelief. “Come on, man.” “They were never found, Lewis,” Jimmy hissed. That seemed to give his friend some pause. “Who wasn’t?” “Everyone. Anyone. Whoever was dumb enough to go inside that house.” Lewis still looked skeptical. “Whole families, Lewis. Gone. It’s been happening for nearly fifty years. Maybe more.” “Okay, so why is the house still standing? If it’s so bad, why hasn’t anyone bulldozed it to the ground? Covered it in salt, performed an exorcism or whatever?” “They tried.” “Who’s they?” “I don’t know.” “Well, clearly it didn’t work.” Lewis put down his coffee cup. “Look, buddy, you sound ridiculous. No offense or anything but really, you do.” “Yeah, well, no offense but you’re an idiot.” Jimmy slid out of the booth, threw some money on the table and walked out. Lewis scrambled after him. “Jimmy! Hey, man, come on, wait up.” The bell above the door jingled behind them. I cleared their table, irritated that all of this had transpired and I was no closer to finding out what was going on. Neither Jimmy nor Lewis came in for the rest of the week. The following week, I didn’t see them either. The week after that, the corner booth remained empty. I began to quietly panic. Almost two months went by before Jimmy walked through the door. He shuffled, moving like an old man crippled with arthritis, towards the corner booth. He stared at it for a moment before sliding into the seat. He ordered coffee, no lunch and stared out the window. Lewis never showed. After several days of the same, I finally conjured up the nerve to ask Jimmy where his friend was. Jimmy didn’t look at me. In fact, I wasn’t sure if he’d heard me. I drew in a breath to ask him again when he finally said in a voice that was broken and raw. “I told him not to go.” I stared down at him, feeling a small thrill go through me. Maybe now I’ll be able to find out what-– "He didn’t listen,” Jimmy went on, his fingers flexing against the table top. “He wanted to go inside, to go…I tried to tell him.” His voice trailed off. I sat down across from him. “What? What did you try to tell him?” I asked quietly. Finally, Jimmy’s eyes came away from the window and locked onto mine. I couldn’t stop the shiver that went through me when I saw his face. Drawn, pale and seeped in sadness. God, I thought. Was Lewis–Was Lewis…dead? I struggled for a tactful way to ask but then Jimmy was pulling something out of his pocket. He unfolded it and pressed it to the table. His fingers trembled. I looked down and saw that it was the picture. Trying not to seem too eager, I slid forward, craning my neck. He paused for a moment then turned the picture to face me. I reached for it. “Don’t,” he ordered. I snatched my hands back. “Just look,” he said. The picture wavered slightly, his grip unsteady. My eyes adjusted to what I was seeing. A hearth, black with soot. So black it was like a hole that fell into nothing. The floor in front of it showed a black smear that could’ve led to or from the hearth. It was impossible to tell. Something going in or something coming out? The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I leaned closer, so close, my nose almost touched the surface of the photograph because…because there was something else…within the fireplace. It was an outline, so faint and hazy, I wasn’t sure if it was even there. Perhaps a trick of light? It hovered just outside my range of vision like a creature swimming below your boat on a dark lake. You couldn’t see it but you knew it was there. With sudden clarity, I knew it was a face. A face that stared out from all that darkness. I squinted so hard, my head began to pound. “Do you see it?” Jimmy asked suddenly, drawing my attention away from the picture. “You see it, right?” “I–I’m not sure.” He snapped the picture down as if I’d somehow disappointed him. With quick movements, he folded it and returned it to his pocket. He made to stand up. I stopped him with a hand on his arm. “What happened to your friend?” Jimmy got to his feet. He wavered for a moment as if trying to catch his balance. “Everyone thinks he ran off with an old girlfriend.” He closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were red and glassy. I grabbed a napkin and held it out to him. He didn’t take it. “What do you think?” I asked carefully. “Do you think he’s-” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it. It was completely insane but the look in Jimmy’s eyes...… “I tried to tell him,” he said again. “I tried but he…” he sucked in a deep breath. “I was in that house once when I was a kid. It’d been abandoned, the family just…up and moved during the night, left behind all their furniture, all their clothes, dishes, everything. Didn’t bother locking up the place either so my friends and I, we just…went in. Decided to play hide-and-seek…” He stopped, swallowing hard enough to hurt then continued in a trembling voice, “I was in that room, with the fireplace. I remember thinking I should hide under the bed but that was always the first place people look. So I ducked into the fireplace. The back wall was…I remember not really being able to find it. It just seemed to…go on and on, like a tunnel or something. And then I heard it.” I had to clear my throat a few times to get my voice to work. “Heard what?” “This…scuttling sound. At first, I thought it was me. I was shifting around, trying to get comfortable but…it was coming from behind me, echoing but then closer. I kind of…froze. I was confused at first but then I saw it.” He stopped like he was seeing it all over again. I could feel my mouth slowly slackening in disbelief. His voice dropped to a croak. “This faint shadow just beyond where the light reached. It was almost…fluid-like, moving from one side to the other, I don’t know–I don’t know what it was, if it was anything. It could’ve been my imagination. Tried to tell myself that for years but–but it wasn’t possible. Not with all the stories surrounding that place and all the people who’ve disappeared. Something was there. It lives there.” By then, my jaw was in my lap. He was pulling my leg. He had to be. Nonetheless, I asked, “What–What happened then?” “I–I think it rushed me. I’m not–I didn’t see it but it felt like it, like a displacement of air, you know?” I nodded even though I had no idea what he meant. “I got out of there so fast. I’d never been so terrified in my life. I didn’t stop running until I got home and it was only then that I noticed my leg bleeding. I had puncture wounds, five of them, like–like something had grabbed me, tried to stop me from leaving.” He pulled his pant leg up and I could see the scars on his calf. Half-moon shapes, like fingernails. “Lewis didn’t believe me. He wanted to see it for himself.” A tear trickled from his eye. “I’m sure it was the last thing he saw.” I never saw Jimmy again after that. I heard he’d moved out west. I might’ve believed that if he’d left a forwarding address. But he hadn’t and I worry that maybe he never made it out there at all.   LIGHTS OUT by Melissa Groeling is a gritty, edge of your seat thriller. I loved it!! Seriously - click here for my review. **Not for the faint of heart... Even when the lights are out, he can still see you… Paul Holten’s profession doesn’t leave much room for doubt or conscience but he’s reaching his breaking point. The nightmares are getting worse, the jobs are getting harder to finish and the volatile relationship with his boss, Aaron, is falling apart. Now faced with the possibility of an impending death sentence, Paul makes the fatal decision to run. Drawn into one hellish situation after another, he’s forced to confront his dark past---and wonder if perhaps dying isn’t the better option. Grab your copy of LIGHTS OUT here: Amazon B&N Smashwords ARe Goodreads Stalk Melissa here: FB: http://www.facebook.com/melissa.groeling Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/stringbean10 Blog: http://melissagroeling.blogspot.com/   Melissa Groeling is a fiery redhead who grew up in New Jersey and now resides in the City of Brotherly Love. Only after she graduated from Bloomsburg University did she start to take her writing seriously. She’s a diehard New York Giants fan, loves chocolate and stalks cupcakes. Traffic Jam is her first young adult novel. Lights Out is her first dip into adult fiction. Her work also appears in the Women of Horror Annual Anthology and the Naughty Bedtime Stories Anthology: Four You.
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