FROM THE EDITORS
Another crazy week, but here we are again, actually keeping to a schedule like we know what we’re doing. New releases are out. Authors are ordering books to sell at conventions throughout the Halloween season. It’s starting to get spooky out, and we are absolutely here for that. Very excited about our new pre-order new release, and re-releases this week. We offer Submarine thrillers, the weird west, historical fantasy, and more. Don’t forget to subscribe, if you found this newsletter online, and please share this with friends, enemies – anyone who reads.
Let’s get to the books!
NEW RELEASES
Masquerade by John McCarty – The suspenseful tale of a vengeful criminal long believed dead, set against the backdrop of turbulent post-World War 1 France and Roaring Twenties Hollywood, where Universal’s super-production of a horror classic starring Lon Chaney is being sabotaged at every turn.
“Gets right down to business from the first page and rapidly develops into an inventive re-invention of The Phantom of the Opera. A mix of the real and the unreal, tied together with a magic thread, this is a must for lovers of both the classic story and silent Hollywood.” – David McGillivray, actor, producer, playwright, screenwriter and film critic
“This gripping fiction blends seamlessly with Hollywood fact in the 1920s as a tense murder melodrama centers around a psychopath long thought dead and the French inspector nemesis on his trail – with vivid bit parts for a feisty entertainment reporter, an innocent ingénue, and the “man of a thousand faces” himself: Lon Chaney Sr. A thoroughly enjoyable read.” – Elias Savada, co-author of Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, ”Hollywood’s Master of the Macabre”
“Masquerade is a wonderful thriller that transports you from Paris, France to Hollywood during the glory days of silent film. Only a movieland insider like John McCarty could convincingly introduce us to stars like Lon Chaney while maintaining an iron grip of unrelenting suspense. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, while loving every one of them!” – Joseph A. Citro, author of The Gore, Shadow Child, and Lake Monsters
John McCarty is a full-time author and filmmaker. His book Bullets over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to “The Sopranos” (Da Capo Press, 2004), was produced as a major documentary by the late Hugh M. Hefner’s Alta Loma Entertainment, for the Starz/Encore cable network; it aired in 2005 and 2006. He has authored and co-authored several books on classic horror films. Find his other books at the universal link below.
NEW PRE-ORDER
VISIT the PAPERBACK WARRIOR Episode featuring Greg and Pack Animals on YouTube
PACK ANIMALS – by Greg F. Gifune
Six men. One night. A ravenous evil. No way out.
Lost in a remote wilderness, a group of old friends trapped in a relentless blizzard are stalked and hunted by a pack of predators like no other. In one bloody and horrific night, in a dark forest of ice and snow, beneath an unforgiving full moon, the brutal fight for their lives against the elements and the evil, ravenous horde stalking them has begun…
Winter bites…
As the night unfolds and comes alive all around them, their fight for survival begins, and the realization of what they’re dealing with drives them deeper into the dark, frozen forest, deeper into themselves, their longstanding relationships, and the lengths they’re willing to go to survive not just for themselves, but each other. For any chance at survival, they must fight their way through miles of dark forest and treacherous frozen land, all the while being pursued and hunted by an enormous pack of predators that until then they have always believed lived only in folklore and fantasy. When they uncover the true nature of what’s happening, and the rituals and history behind those hunting them, it’s nearly too late to stop what has already been put in motion. What has existed in the shadows dating back centuries is not only defending their territory and secret way of life, but their literal hunting grounds.
PACK ANIMALS (similar to Gifune’s highly-successful novel of island terror, SAVAGES) is an homage to the survival horror novels of the ’70s and ’80s, and the exploitation films and drive-in movies of the same era. Classic survival horror, with a folk horror twist and a new take on a timeless archetype, it’s also a story of friendship and heartache among a group of middle-aged friends, a blend that makes it perfect for fans of such modern horror masterpieces like DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT
Greg F. Gifune is a best-selling, internationally published author of several acclaimed novels, novellas and two short story collections. Working predominantly in the horror and crime genres, Greg has been called, “The best writer of horror and thrillers at work today” by New York Times best-selling author Christopher Rice, “One of the best writers of his generation” by both The Roswell Literary Review and horror grand master Brian Keene, and “Among the finest dark suspense writers of our time” by legendary best-selling author Ed Gorman. Greg’s work has been published all over the world, translated into several languages, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus and others, is consistently praised by readers and critics alike. have been adapted to film. His novel THE BLEEDING SEASON, originally published in 2003, has been hailed as a classic in the horror genre and is considered to be one of the best horror/thriller novels of its kind ever written. Greg resides in Massachusetts with his wife Carol and two dogs, Dudley and Ozzy. He can be reached through his agent, Becky LeJeune at the Bond Literary Agency. And can be found on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
SPOTLIGHT
Author Charles D. Taylor is the bestselling author of fourteen naval action/adventure novels, primarily featuring the nuclear submarine service and the US Navy SEALS. After serving as a Naval Reserve destroyer officer in the Atlantic and Caribbean, he followed a career in both educational and literary publishing. He currently divides his time between summers in Wyoming and winters on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix.
All fourteen of Charles’s books are available through Crossroad Press in eBook and six in unabridged audio with more to come. They have hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads… Fans of Tom Clancy and our own Michael DiMercurio will love these.
COMPLETE SERIES RELEASES
THE ORDER OF THE AIR – Melissa Scott and Jo Graham – THE ORDER OF THE AIR is an original series, created by Melissa Scott & Jo Graham, loosely tied in to the past of the O.C.L.T. Series books. This is a series full of history, just before and leading up to WWII with cameos by famous figures like Nikola Tesla, airships, and a diverse team, bound by ritual magic, mutual respect and romance.
It all started with Lost Things, In 1929 archeologists began draining Lake Nemi in search of the mysterious ships that have been glimpsed beneath its waters since the reign of Claudius. What they awakened had been drowned for two thousand years. For a very good reason. Veteran aviator Lewis Segura has been drifting since the Great War ended, fetched up at last at the small company run by fellow veterans and pilots Alma Gilchrist and Mitchell Sorley, assisted by their old friend Dr. Jerry Ballard, an archeologist who lost his career when he lost part of his leg. It’s a living, and if it’s not quite what any of them had dreamed of, it’s better than much that they’ve already survived. But Lewis has always dreamed true, and what he sees in his dreams will take them on a dangerous chase from Hollywood to New York to an airship over the Atlantic, and finally to the Groves of Diana Herself…. The world is full of lost treasures. Some of them are better off not found.
The Five Book Series is available in eBook and trade paperback. Books 1 and 2 are available in unabridged audio with the other three to follow, narrated by the extremely talented Joshua Saxon.
There is a SERIES PAGE on Amazon – and below are the universal links for both authors, including links to this series, and the author’s other Crossroad Press titles.
Melissa Scott Universal Link Jo Grham Universal Link
RE-RELEASES – These include Universal book links to all available eBook markets
Blood Riders – by Michael P Spradlin – 4.4 Stars with 212 ratings on Amazon, 3.8 on Goodreds with 434 ratings. Weird Western fiction done right!
The Western Territories, 1880. For four years, Civil War veteran and former U.S. Cavalry Captain Jonas P. Hollister has been rotting in a prison cell at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His crime: lying about the loss of eleven soldiers under his command… who he claims were slaughtered by a band of nonhuman, blood-drinking demons.
But now a famous visitor, the detective Allan Pinkerton, has arrived with an order for Hollister’s release. The brutal murder of a group of Colorado miners in a fashion frighteningly similar to the deaths of Hollister’s men has leant new credence to his wild tale. And suddenly Jonas Hollister finds himself on a quest both dangerous and dark—joining forces with Pinkerton, the gunsmith Oliver Winchester, an ex-fellow prisoner, a woman of mystery, and a foreigner named Abraham Van Helsing, who knows many things about the monsters of the night—and riding hell for leather toward an epic confrontation… with the undead.
“The history of the Old West written in blood and laced with dark humor, all set against a backdrop of ancient evil and a struggle for survival…. You’re in for the ride of your life.” —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Colony
“Blood Riders is a novel like you’ve never read before — part Western and part horror and one-hundred percent sweet excitement. It’s vivid and high velocity, too. I couldn’t put it down.” — T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Jaguar and The Border Lords
“Blood Riders by Michael P. Spradlin is a thrill ride of a novel! I was turning the pages so fast I barely had time to catch my breath. Spradlin’s bold, fast-paced and engaging style makes Blood Riders a new classic!” — Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author of Goodnight Tweetheart
Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children, some of which have actually been published. He grew up in a small town in Michigan not far from the Indiana border, which may explain his irrational fear of Hoosiers. (Both the inhabitants of the state of Indiana and the movie starring Gene Hackman).
Surrounded by books in his formative years, he grew up loving to read, imagining himself the hero of numerous epic battles and indulging in his favorite pastime, which was smuggling fireworks across the Ohio border so that he could blow up his collection of Plastic Green Army Men and Matchbox Cars. Michael is the author The Youngest Templar trilogy, The Spy Goddess series, and several picture books including the award-winning Daniel Boone’s Great Escape. When not writing, he enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with his family and worrying over the fact that he really should be writing instead of doing other stuff. He lives in Michigan with his wife Kelly, son Michael, daughter Rachel and two dogs Willow and Apollo
NEW AUDIO
Black City Angel – Richard A. Knaak – Book 4 of the Black City Series. All four books are available in unabridged audio performed by Joshua Saxon.
Since he slew the dragon and unwittingly became the guardian of the Gate — the passage between our world and Feirie – Nick Medea, formerly St. George, has striven against tremendous odds to keep the darkness of either realm from crossing into the other. Despite an almost insurmountable task, Nick has succeeded in maintaining the balance, even with the dragon a part of him and ever seeking escape.
Yet, in Prohibition Chicago, where the Gate now stands fixed and unseen by mortal eyes at the edge of Lake Michigan, the former saint has discovered a steady flow of refugees from Feirie seeking escape from its mistress’s purge of those she believes not loyal to her ambitions. Someone has been enabling creatures of Feirie to secretly inhabit the city, risking both sides of the Gate. Worse, another power is making use of the chaos for its own goals, with Nick chosen to be the puppet that will bring it all to fruition.
Nick’s only chance may be to turn to a heavenly power that he has long resisted…but, in doing so, he might find the price much too high.
FREE AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOAD CODES FOR AUDIBLE
Here is our new list of books we are offering free download codes for. We are trying to build reviews, and while we don’t require a review for a free download, even just a rating on Audible or Amazon can make a huge difference in visibility. Beneath the new books are those from last week, because all still have some codes available for US and UK listeners. We will offer them to the first five who request them, and only one title per requester. To request a code send a note to crossroad@crossroadpress.com
THIS WEEK’S TITLES:
Snowglobe – Aaaron Gudmunsun – Performed by Shawn Compton
The Golden Room – by Irving Wallace – Narrated by Robert Ferraro
Institutional Memory – Narrated by Jon Mitchell
LAST WEEK REVIEW COPIES -Codes still available
Honeysuckle Moon – by Nancy Bacon – Performed by Melissa Kay Benson – Romance
Tulpas – by Rob MacGregor – Narrated by Fred Filbrich – a battle for reality with a parallel universe.
Dangerous Curves – Book 2 of the Rebecca Moore Mystery Series (this is a SERIOUSLY underappreciated series) – written by Judith Skillings and performed by Suzanne Barbetta.
There is a form on our website for requesting review copies of any of our titles, but you can also do so by emailing us at crossroad@crossroadpress.com – Let us know which of our many books you’d like to read and review. Provide us with the places you will post your review, and let us know if you’d like to be added to our list of reviewers to hear about all upcoming titles.
THAT’S A WRAP!