Title: Soul Games (Anthology)
Authors: Jamie Dougherty, Leah D.W., Deborah Noel, Monique O’Connor
James, Sacha Hope, W. H. Nielson, Carly Wallace, Alexia Purdy, Nadege Richards
Genre: Paranormal
Audience: YA
Formats: E-book and Paperback
Publisher: Bayou Brew Publishing
Cover By: Jamie Lynn Dougherty
Editor: Monique O’Connor James & Theressa M. Branham
Pages: 222 pages
Date Published: April 3, 2013
Blurb-
When
the "Higher Power" grows bored and restless games are made. Souls are
torn apart for fun, more souls are used in wicked collector games, and souls are
twisted in cruel destinies.
This
anthology is a collective piece of work to show different and beautifully
crafted ideas of the plight ones soul must endure. Simple love and life are
tainted and broken in these stories of love, betrayal, longing, and fate.
Book Links-
Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes
and Noble /
Excerpt-
“Get out of my way!” I shoved at the thick crowd, hearing others curse
at me as I pushed them to the side. I didn’t care if they were woman or man; I
needed to get through to find the one person who held the one thing that could
save me. It was my only mission, and I wanted it to be over, already. Centuries
of searching had left its mark on me. I was tired, and I longed for the end.
But she was gone, and I was left alone once more. Exasperated, I stood
at the edge of the sidewalk, letting the scorching breeze of the speeding cars
along the street hit me, sending my long blonde hair whipping in the air. One
step and I could end it. But then, she would win the prize. I had not gone
through all this pain—all this time—to let her win. I would never let her claim
the prize. It was mine. This I had known since the day we were born.
***
“I wasn’t the one who signed over your soul to that demon Olivia,” Kaiya
reached for her hidden blade in her sapphire dress. “You gave it up for power.”
“You banished me to that hell hole!” Olivia’s voice grew deeper. “We
could have been so powerful together!”
“I never wanted that,” Kaiya dodged another attack and pointed her
dagger at her sister.
Olivia hissed between her fangs that elongated and peeked out from her
lips. Kaiya felt her heart break. Her twin sister, once her best friend, had
become the very thing they used to hunt. They had been the best demon hunters
across the seven kingdoms.
***
“Drake, where are we going?” I asked.
We’re going to my vacation home in Half Moon Bay. I have a feeling that
Thaddius is on the hunt for you, and my place is close to the beach, secluded,
and safer than here. When you were with him, did you ever get the feeling that
he was off, as in—otherworldly—mentally unstable?” Drake glared at me,
apparently anxious for a response.
As I glanced up at him over the rim of my coffee cup, my response was
automatic, “Yes, on several occasions. But I just chalked it up to him being a
complete, pompous asshole. Why do you ask?”
“Because things don’t add up, Shilo. He has no footprints, and there’s
no record of his existence in any system. What gives? It’s almost as if he
simply appeared.” He tapped his fingers on the table, obviously unnerved by the
fact that he’d learned nothing about Thaddius from his investigation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*My Review: I received this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review
Soul Games is a YA anthology of paranormal short stories that are eerie, creepy, and just plain fun. My biggest complaint is that some of the stories are too short. They were so good I wanted more; some would have been more satisfying in novella form. Also, several of the stories were more like preludes to a novel rather than a completed short story.
It's been a long time since I've read short stories, and I forgot how satisfying they can be. I enjoyed every story in this book, some much more than others. There was one story I'd love to purchase if the author decided to elaborate into novel form.
I recommend this anthology to everyone high school and up that is looking for something different than the usual paranormal fare. There is some graphic violence and gore, as well as some minor sexual situations. I read this anthology in one sitting; I just couldn't help but move from one story to the next, eager for more.
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About the Authors:
Leah DW
I am 21 years old and currently
a journalism student at my local university. I live in South Africa in a town
called Bloemfontein with my family and two beloved dogs. I have been writing
since the age of 13 and my first published work is a short horror story titled
Dracula’s Mistress. I am busy working on a number of novels and I am an
editor/proof reader for Bayou Brew Publishing.
I love writing in the genres of
paranormal romance, fantasy fiction and historical fiction and I am a proud
bookworm with a mountain of reads stacked up in my room.
Facebook / Blog / Goodreads / Google + / Amazon
Page
Monique
O’Connor James
Monique is the
mother of two beautiful children and lives in a small community outside of
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She currently works full-time as an insurance agent,
but her favorite jobs are mother, wife, and author. On her ninth birthday, her
mother bought her a journal and said, "Write whatever you want. Just write." And so, a love affair with
words was born.
She wrote poetry and short
stories in high school and college, until 1993 when her mother was diagnosed with
breast cancer. After her mother's death in 1998, deep in depression, she found
herself unable to write. Nine years passed, and only on rare occasions did she
attempt to write. Finally, in 2007, under the urging of friends, she sat down and pecked out her
first novel. It was raw and unpolished, but the process had been unquestionably
cathartic.
The next three years were spent
filling her hard drive with seven complete manuscripts. At the beginning of 2011, Monique decided it was time to edit
the work and share it with the world. She hopes you enjoy the ramblings of a
truly southern girl raised in a state rich with heritage and love.
In June of 2011 her
first book, The Keepers, was published by Astraea Press and it has been a
whirlwind of excitement ever since.
Please check out her website and feel free to contact her at any time
via her email, facebook, or twitter.
Alexia currently lives in Las
Vegas, Nevada- Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing, or
playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and
she has been writing ever since she can remember. She love's creating
paranormal fantasy and poetry and loves to read and devour books daily. Alexia
also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian
food.
Feel Free to Come and Bug
Her!!!
You can reach her at:
Born in New York City and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadege has
traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the
world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she's never been to
France. Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she
hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or
fame. She wrote her first story about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has
had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her
biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of
the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.
Her debut novel, Burning Bridges, is her first completed
novel. It isn't her first attempt in the writing world, but it's a tale about
two lovers she hopes will change the way people view one another, in both big
and small ways.
Carly Wallace
Carly Wallace is a woman with a dream, living in Texas where
the sky is as endless as the heat. Carly pursues her dream of writing while
bringing new and talented Indie authors to the front line. She reads and
reviews independent books as well as writes promotional blurbs and marketing
material. The Paranormal Book Club, Alchemy of Anne's Anomalies, PDMI inc and
Injected Ink Publishing comprise her literary family. Carly is an ally and
great friend to the some of the best independent authors and freshest voices of
today.
Jamie Lynn
Jamie Lynn grew up in Southern
California, where she continues to live with her husband and two children.
Writing has always been a favorite pastime; recently she grew the courage to
self publish a piece of her work. "The Guardian's Kiss"
It is currently released in ebook format available at Barnes
& Nobles and Amazon. It can now also be found in paperback at Amazon. com
and Createspace. (https://www.createspace.com/3714180 )
Jamie is currently working on the second installment to
"The Guardian's Kiss" as well as a second series, "Hearts of
Sand"(Trinity Pierce Series). She will also be releasing a Young Adult
urban Fantasy book in late 2012.
Deborah Noel
Born and raised in North Eastern Pennsylvania, i
fell in love with writing at the age of 12. I have written plays, short stories
and poetry. Married at sunset on Hawii's Maui Island. I am still residing in
Pennsylvania with my husband Herb and our Jack Russell Terrier, Rocket. While
our demolition business slowed down in the year 2009 Herb encouraged me to
follow my novel-writing dream and Tangled Blood Lines is the result.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deborahnoelauth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tangled-Blood-Lines-written-by-Deborah-Noel/215210808506176
Hello I am Wendy Lovetiggi Nielson, or Lovetiggi to some. I am an avid supporter of the the arts. I have 3 Facebook pages: The first is for my reviews and to post fun stuff to, the second, I created just for authors to have a place to post their links to, and the 3rd is forStreet Team work! #I# recently creted another group on Facebook that combines reviews and author links called I Love My Authors.
I am also a Goodreads Librarian, and have a Facebook group
established for authors to post their issues in. It is staffed with more than
one librarian to help. Sometimes it takes a little bit to resolve an issue,
they do get resolved.
I have two blogs as well, First one is for my reviews
(Lovetiggi’s Book Reviews)and the second one (I Love My Authors) is relatively
new, I use it for Author Spotlights, Release Announcements, etc.
Giveaway!!