It’s time to launch the next installment in the #80sMetalMurder series.
And, there are SO many ways to join the celebration!
Devil’s Track, the fourth book in the Det. Mahoney Serial Killer Thriller series, will descend upon the world on April 27. This NEW book is a fresh start for this series. The first three books, Final Track, Acid Track, and Back Track, fit nicely together as a stand-a-lone trilogy. Set in the late 80s, the journey of Det. Mahoney spirals down a dark vortex as he hunts a series of serial killers. The soundtrack follows an 80s Metal, Acid Rock, Gothic Rock progression.
The NEW book, Devil’s Track, takes us on a jump to the late 90s. The detective is NEW, as we now take a deep mind dive into the consciousness of Stella Mahoney, our previous Detective’s daughter. Stella is a bourbon-heavy metal-sex addicted fireball with a deadly secret.
On a high from a Rob Zombie concert bender, Stella is thrust into the case of her dreams.
She follows the Satanic symbol branded into the flesh of the victim. It leads her to the Devil’s Track – an album of hypnotizing devilish chants produced by the Poison Sisters. The album takes a hold on her, leading her to murderous acts, threatening to reveal her deadly secret.
Will her murderous desires be revealed? Will she live up to her father’s legacy?
Will she catch a killer before another victim is burned alive?
Devil’s Track is currently on pre-order (e-book) for a killer price of $0.99. Print will be available on April 27.
Killers and Demons is currently offering author signed, glam wrapped books packs. Shipping available across Canada and the USA.
It doesn’t stop there! EVERY book pack purchase comes with a FREE ticket to the ONLINE serial killer themed launch party. Each party ticket comes with a LOAD of BONUS items.
It doesn’t stop there! If you are in Calgary, jump on in the 80s metal party book launch! It’s happening on April 27. The venue is killer. The band is legendary. You don’t want to miss this.
Happy Holidays to you! I hope that you have some time lined up to rest, to enjoy life, and to spend time with your loved ones. As I sit here with my morning coffee and a delicious eggnog biscotti baked by my mom, I reflect upon the year and realize how much I need a break. I promise to take my own advice and step back to enjoy the things that matter the most over the holidays.
A lot has happened in my author path over the last year. I took a deep dive into a massive makeover and overhaul of my books, my website, my newsletter…all of it. I now have the rebranded Track Trilogy along with a full ‘author toolbox’ behind it. I love how it all turned out. It reflects my voice, the essence of the books, and the core of what I write. I built a wonderful relationship with a cover design team along the way, and reflected the new look throughout my whole author presence.
With that said, I have realized that my custom designed ‘vintage’ print books also have a place in the world! I attended my first in person event since before lockdown, and was a little shocked but thoroughly excited to find a true audience for these creative projects that I poured my heart and soul into. Heavy Metal Horror has a place, and I’ve started to find it!
The most important thing that came out of this massive makeover, and my first in person event in years, was that found my voice. Actually, that’s not quite right. I had my voice. I just didn’t realize it. It was shining through loud and clear for years as I worked hard on writing and producing my books. All of the time spent on working and reworking covers, my newsletter, my website, and my social media streams came to a place where it all came together. People started giving me feedback, saying how Killers and Demons had such a clear look and feel – they definitely know something comes from it when they see it.
I guess then the biggest thing that came from this year was my awareness and belief in my voice. Thank you to all of you for reading my books, my blog, my posts, and supporting me along the way. Without you, none of this would be possible.
As a direct result of all of this, I had the courage to enter Final Track for an award. It came in as a finalist (Top 5) in the 2022 Kindle Book Awards for Horror/Suspense! It was also a semi-finalist for best cover, and it was included in the Readers Choice. This was a huge boost for my belief in my books. I have now entered books in multiple award contests, and will continue to do so. I didn’t have the confidence to do this before.
After the event, I was pumped up and keen to find other events where my books would be a good fit. I found a holiday market in November that fit the bill. I remember looking at my table after it was set up and realizing that I had more than enough books to fill a booth! This year has also brought author swag with a killer new sign, book bags, and pins!
The biggest highlight of my author year has to be my 80s metal party book launch that welcomed Back Track (the third book in my core series) to the world. It was a true collaboration between artists: an author (me) and a band (Lynx). They killed it! My local supporters had an amazing time, and copies of Back Track found their way into eager hands.
And…it doesn’t end there. I was asked to include a story in a special Halloween anthology from which all proceeds went to the Calgary food bank. It was a huge accomplishment for me to be invited to submit a story. Then, in November, I launched my first self-published novella, Dead End Track. Attached to the track series, this beauty stands perfectly on its own feet, and the entire process of writing and producing it provided massive validation to my entire book production process and how much it has evolved!
Some other great stuff happened as well. I took on a volunteer role as the local regional representative for the Crime Writers of Canada. I was able to facilitate a couple of local events where authors did some live readings and sold some books! It felt really good to see how comfortable I have become doing my own readings, and to support and encourage other authors.
As the year neared the end, I found myself deep into writing mode. Book four the the Track Trilogy is deep in the editing phase, and book five has been written (first draft)! 2023, and I have two more novellas in the works. 2023 will see the the track series continue and become more than a trilogy! On that note, 2022 also saw the birth and a complete revamp of the film script for the first book (Final Track). Who knows what will happen in the new year!
Thank you for tuning in today, and for reading my posts. This has been therapeutic for me, looking back on the year from the perspective of my author life. I do hope that you will do the same – take a look at everything you have done this year and be proud of yourself.
Now, it’s time to tune out and enjoy the holidays! Happy Holidays!
Where has the time gone? I mean, seriously, where?
I don’t know how long it has been since I sat down and enjoyed writing a blog post. I love my blog. And I love each of you for reading it. I apologize for neglecting it, and here I am to breathe new life into it! Thank you for your patience.
Since today is December 1st, I’m feeling festive. I love the Holiday Season. I dug out one of the lovely holiday mugs my dear mother gave me. I like this one. The fancy French look and pasteries is definitely reflective of the things I enjoy. Why not superimpose a photo of my website in the background, because what makes the Holiday Season even better than Holiday Horror?
It has been a busy time, in a good way. There has been a lot of great writing related things going on. October found me delving into the month of Halloween with enthusiasm, as always. There was pumpkin carving, creepy makeup (I pushed my limits this year), handing out of candy (and glow sticks), and horror movie watching.
October also saw the launch of October Blood, an anthology that I was honored to have a story (Candy Lady) in. It was a beautiful project executed by Hawke Haus, and all proceeds went to the Calgary Food Bank.
November was packed full and it was a lot of fun! I was able to get into a fantastic Holiday Market and sell some books! The vibe at the market was incredible. The other vendors were excited and friendly. The patrons were thrilled to be out and shopping for the holidays. I loved interacting with new readers and putting vintage print books into their eager hands. It was quite exciting for me to see how far my collection of books has come and how much my vendor booth has evolved.
November was also NanoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month). I use this month to put my writing at the topmost priority, and I join a community of writers in a super motivating over the top fun boot camp. We gather in the virtual space from all over the world and write together.
The goal is to write 50,000 words, thus finishing the first draft of a novel. I set my goal to finish the entire first draft of another book in the Det. Mahoney series. For me, that means writing closer to 80,000 words. I planned for Nano by prepping aspects of characters, settings, stories, and investigation in October. I also allocated chunks of time in November to allow myself the luxury of writing. I am thrilled to say that I wrote over 100,000 words. The novel came in around 92.000, and I pulled out a horror novella I’d been working on to blast through the 100 K line.
The first time I did Nano, I was struggling to finish my first novel. This year, I had so much fun and am really happy that I stuck to it, worked hard, and have improved my craft and my process.
Now that we are officially into December, I will leave you with a festive treat. I am running the Holiday Gift Guide by Killers and Demons for the entire month of December. It will be posted on my Instagram and FB streams (@killersanddemons). On Day 1, I share one of the most moving books I have ever read. Hope to see you on my socials!
It’s that time of year when we are looking for the perfect gift for our loved ones (or for ourselves). From Dec 1 – 25, stop on by here for some great ideas, and support authors, artists, and musicians while doing it!
On Day 12 I bring you Rave
It’s a book! It’s an album! It’s both! And it’s an award winner!
I read this one when it first came out, and thoroughly enjoyed the thriller page turner. Fellow slasher lovers, this one is for you!
It’s that time of year when we are looking for the perfect gift for our loved ones (or for ourselves). From Dec 1 – 25, stop on by here for some great ideas, and support authors, artists, and musicians while doing it!
On Day 11, I gift you with this amazing piece of poetry by a very talented woman.
Enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy this beautiful piece of writing (be sure to click on full screen).
We are only TWO days away from FRIDAY! But not just any Friday. THIS Friday, there WILL be fun!
I am SO excited. Join me for a fun filled livestream event to launch an amazing book. On Oct. 1, The Omens Call, a horror anthology, will be unleashed upon the world! Do join in for a celebratory toast with a horror themed cocktail, for your chance to win some great horror reads, for some creepy readings, and more!
This one is special. It was my first collaboration, and I had a fantastic fellow author to work with (Daniel Willcocks). It was such an amazing experience, I do hope that I will be able to work with him again to bring more scary books to life.
Don’t miss out. Jump on in the Horror Collaborative now, then watch the live stream on Friday.
During the first two years of writing fiction, and attempting to produce a full novel, the process was slow, for me. There were tears. There was a lot of sweat. And…maybe a little blood?
I declared the start of my fiction writing journey to be officially happening in the fall of 2017. There had been a gap between writing and producing my non-fiction work, I had continued to plunge myself into the local writing community, and just attended my favorite, local writing conference. With no particular goal, or project, in mind, I attended a plethora of presentations and discussions, all on topics that intrigued me. I met a local Detective, and was blown away by his presentation on principles of investigations. It stirred within me the passion for true crime books and shows that had been swelling within me for a long time.
I decided I wanted to know if I could write a novel.
I had no idea what that meant, really. But, I knew I wanted to try. It was a strong desired pulsing in my gut. I had to forge forth and let the journey unfold.
I did make a plan, of course. And that plan was derailed from time to time, of course. That is life. But if I’ve learned anything from the ventures and projects that I’ve thrown myself into, it’s how you respond to such derailments that really matters.
I remember the first year of researching and trying to write. At times, I could have sworn I was trying to extract blood from a rock. It took me a while to get it. To be able to let go, let my imagination run wild, and to write freely, words falling on the page. What a glorious moment that was when I realized I’d found my flow.
Now, looking back, and staring at my author page, I am grateful, delighted, hell, I’m ecstatic, that I have continued to set goals and to work hard, and to find my own writing process.
Today, four and a half years after declaring my fiction writing journey has started, I am thrilled to be able to share my author profile here. Eeeeek!!!
First line up: my core series. An 80s metal dark crime series, comprised of two full novels and a novella. The third in the series is planned for launch early 2022.
I have had two short horror stories published! Yes! Someone else loved my story enough to publish it in their works – TWO TIMES! I am also collaborating on a horror anthology that will be released in Oct (The Omens Call). I had no idea I would be working with others, and co-creating an anthology!
Share with me. What journey have you embarked on? Where are you at? What successes have you had? What are you struggling with?
I’ve been silent. Well, I haven’t exactly been silent, but I haven’t blogged.
I love writing my blog. I am so happy to be back doing it again.
As the new year opened up, I buckled down and focused. My second novel was basically done. Written. Beta read. Edited. Cover designed. Only the last push through the production side of things remained. It was nitty and gritty work…but it’s done!
I am hard on myself. I am sure a lot of you can relate. Thus, as I took my final peruse through my creation before unleashing it onto the world, I was delighted at how delicious I found it. Yes. Dark. Delicious. Infused with my stamp.
I present to you, Acid Track. A 70s acid rock laced serial killer vs detective dark tale. The sequel to my debut novel Final Track. I am proud of it, and thrilled to be rolling it out.
The cherry on top of the acid rock laced thrilling ride is the PARTAY that I am throwing to celebrate! YOU are invited. It may be virtual, but it will be a sweaty, head-banging rock out night! I hope you can join me from wherever you may be in the world. CLICK On the invite to sign up and participate. From costume contests to song requests for the 80s metal legends Nöize Böyz, there are plenty of killer ways to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime-80s-metal-infused-70s-acid-rock-laced-book-launch-partay (or at least until the next book release)!
Hello my little demons! How is your Halloween month?
Now that you’re here, with Demon Julie, it just got better! Why? Because I have a Halloween treat for you. Yes. A dark, delicious delight.
When I set up Killers And Demons, I was writing dark crime, thus ‘Killers’. My vision was to branch into horror, thus ‘Demons’. Well, I am thrilled to announce that it has happened sooner than expected. Sometimes in life, when something presents itself, you just need to dig your claws into it and go for it. When I saw a particular call for submissions for a horror anthology, something tingled in my gut. My whole body clenched with excitement. I didn’t know if I was ready, I didn’t know if I could do it, but I knew I had to try. And, my little demons, failure is not doing something and getting a less than desired outcome. Failure is not trying at all.
So – I thrust my entire being into writing the darkest piece of fiction that has ever come out of me (I think, but some might say my dark crime is just as evil). For days on end I thought of nothing else as my creation formed itself from somewhere within me. I would wake up in the night thinking about it. I would get up early and plunge myself into it. Day after day, I was filled with turmoil in creating the best horror story I could for the particular anthology. If I didn’t try, and I mean – if I didn’t try at 200% (or more), then I’d be a disappointed demon – in myself.
Once I released it, I let it go. I thought about it a lot. I allowed myself to think about it and to dream of being in the anthology. But I also moved my focus into my other work and the universe take the story where it was meant to go.
When I found out that my story was indeed to belong in this anthology, I don’t think I even believed it at first. I think I read the email over and over until I realized – yes – my story made it.
After reading the other stories in the book, I am honoured to be part of this amazing creation. And, I am here to tell you that you should TREAT YOURSELF to a copy now! It is a truly indulgent Halloween treat for you. After all, why should the kids have all the fun?
To join in the celebration with me, Demon Julie, on Oct 19, RSVP to the to the invitation to a truly horrifying celebration that will be sure to chill your bones. You don’t want to miss out on a chance to ask Daniel Willcocks, a modern horror king, your questions about his creation. You might even get your spine prickled with a creepy reading by Demon Julie. Bring a cocktail, and raise your glass to pushing limits and doing things that simultaneously terrify and excite!
The next time your nerves tingle, your pores bleed sweat, and your stomach clenches in response to something you REALLY want to do, but you have a mound of self-doubt over, think of Demon Julie taking a deep breath and plunging into a new world of story telling. If I can do it, so can you. Take a deep breath and do it (and then come back here and share your story in the comments)!!!
