Roxanne Rhoads's Blog

A Bewitching Monday

A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops


In the Kitchen with Floy Owens #InTheKitchen #Recipe #JägerschnitzelmitSpätzleundMöhrengemüse #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/iNKAf6p


The Chosen One’s Assistant by Kimber #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/3MpBV5b


Shades of Night by Floy Owens #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/pcHBAnM


Character Confessions: Shades of Night by Floy Owens
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/2...


INTERVIEW WITH KIMBER GREY (The Chosen One's Assistant)
https://supernaturalcentral.blogspot....

The Chosen One’s Assistant Kimber Grey 
Genre: Epic/High Fantasy, Sword and SorceryPublisher: GrayWhisper Graphics Productions (Date of Publication: 7/12/2023ISBN: 979-8851108464ASIN: B0C9SNG88JNumber of pages: 359Word Count: Aprox. 98,000Cover Artist: Kimber Grey
Tagline: Hilarious, Dark, and Epic! Everything you’d expect in a book with vampire weasels.
Book Description:
Never meet your heroes.
Outcast by every guild, starving, and left beaten and shamed in an alley, he was beyond desperate when the timeliest opportunity presented itself: The Greatest Hero of Men was in need of an assistant.
He was so eager to leave his old life behind, he didn't hesitate to accept the role of Tiberius, personal assistant to The Chosen One. The magically binding contract was signed, and the previous servant was out the door before the blood on the quill was dry. Tiberius quickly learned he was responsible for all of the hero's needs from mundane to absurdly ridiculous, and the hero himself was the most ridiculous of all. Woefully inexperienced as a quester, thrown into the hero's world of danger and debauchery, he could never have guessed how harrowing and frustrating this new position would be. Then he learned the God of Pestilence was holding a well-justified, 100-year-old grudge. Death, disease, and evil beyond any Tiberius could imagine awaited them on the path ahead, and The Chosen One had been called to stand against it.
How could Tiberius hope to survive his first campaign with the gods' champion against Trion, God of Darkness?

Amazon       Hardcover       Books2Read

Excerpt:

Ireturned to the room and knocked, entering at the direction of The ChosenOne... who stood in front of the mirror wearing nothing but his Chosenunderwear and the tyrian purple cloak wrapped around his shoulders. His chestwas puffed out, and his enormous, muscular limbs flexed this way and that as heposed himself in dramatic battle postures with his famous great sword. Everyinch of visible skin was hairless and glistening. He had worked up a sweatadmiring himself, and I could still smell the liquor on him.

"Um..."I mumbled, wondering if I should return at a more convenient—and lessembarrassing—time. Much to my chagrin, he didn't stop flexing on my account.

"Goahead and pack," he grunted as he clenched his stomach to make all of histightly bound abdomen muscles pop. "I'll wait for the pressedclothes." He turned to the side and threw the cloak over his shoulder sohe could admire his hips and backside, casting daring glances at his tinyembroidered face on the seat of his underpinnings through the polished brass.

Iwas certain my own face was scarlet as I skirted past him to gather upeverything and return the items to the trunks that seemed the most appropriate.The entire time I worked, he didn't break from his posturing, and I wondered ifit was a form of exercise for him, or if it merely exercised his ego. My workwas hastened by embarrassment, and when I was done, I silently took up thefirst Tome of Tiberius. I turned my back, ignoring his grunting and wheezing,and flipped to chapter 3, skimming for the most pertinent pieces ofinformation. I needed to know how to handle The Chosen One's finances.

Iquickly learned it was my duty to draw up contracts when The Chosen One agreedto take a deal, enforce the contracts, and collect the fees. It was my duty toarrange for appraisers, auctioneers, and moneychangers to convert any"spoils" of The Chosen One's labors—those that he did not keep forhis personal collection—to coin. It was my duty to ensure there was sufficientcoin for The Chosen One to live whatever lifestyle he chose and to fund anycampaign. Incidentals incurred as a direct result of a campaign—such as bribingfurious husbands—came from funds before they were deposited into a bank andTiberius' percentage was calculated. There was a list of "lifestyle"actions that came from the bank and were not considered incidentals; "donationsand women" were on that list. Thus, I assumed him throwing coins into thecrowd was not an incidental, either, but came from The Chosen One's own bankholdings.

"Youneed to plot a course for Vevesk," The Chosen One said between poses."They have vampire stoats."

"What,"I asked, slightly startled by the break in silence. "What is astoat?"

"Ithink they said it was like a long rat." He glanced over at me. "Findout. And find out how to kill it."

Istared at him until his self-admiration embarrassed me enough to look away."You don't know how to kill them?"

"Iassume I cut them up enough, they'll die," he quipped. "You need tofigure out how it happened so I can stop it. Evil wizard, ancient curse,typical vampirism, that sort of thing."

"Ihave to learn what caused this outbreak of blood-sucking long rats?" Iasked, incredulously. Surely he was jesting. That was his job.

"Chapter2," he said, stripping off the cloak so he could better admire hisshoulders.

Igrimaced and turned to the second chapter in the Tome of Tiberius. Thisdetailed how I was to conduct necessary research for a campaign andsuccessfully translate it to The Chosen One, for him to then implement thatknowledge to complete his feats of heroism. I sighed deeply. "There is nouniversity here to hold historical works, and many of the larger temples do nothave any books in them at all. I will need to visit the Wizards' Guild, theQuesters' Guild, and the Scriveners' Guild," I explained.

"Goquickly," he ordered without sympathy. "We leave soon."

Igritted my teeth and rose from my chair, throwing Tiberius' quill and a stackof paper sheets into my shoulder bag. It was all but impossible to do the kindof research this would require in only a handful of hours. So, I ran.

About the Author:
Kimber was born in the arid and alien land known as southern California. She began consuming fiction from an early age, and has ever been eager to emulate the works that dramatically shaped her heart and mind as a child. She began creating short fiction and poetry in grade school, and wrote her first (laughably bad) novel in jr. high. With a grandmother who is a writer and an editor, English teachers who encouraged her budding potential, and a husband with an even greater appreciation of the written word, Kimber has never lacked support in the pursuit of her bliss.
She published her first fantasy novel Quietus in 2009, and her second Seeking Destiny in 2012. The first three books of Faiden Reborn, Kingdoms Lost, Fallen Heroes, and History Forgotten were published in 2017. She has published two anthologies and four novellas, and her work has appeared in anthologies such as Missing Pieces IV, V, and VI; The Hapless Cenloryan-The Troubadour's Inn Book I (2017 Ed.), and On Wings of Steam: Ears and Gears. The Chosen One's Assistant, published in 2023 is her most popular yet, with it's heavy fantasy tropes and sharp wit.
http://www.Patreon.com/KimberGrey 
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kimber-Grey/author/B00BU84D7W 

Book lovers with a taste for the eerie and otherworldly are invited to step into the shadows at the Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair, happening Saturday, October 18, from 12–3 p.m. at Creative Cafe, 3318 Corunna Rd, Flint, MI 48503.

The event promises an afternoon filled with dark and paranormal romance, spine-tingling horror, haunting histories, and fantastical tales—the perfect mix for readers who like their stories on the spooky side. In addition to a wide selection of books, attendees will also find bookmarks, stickers, and other macabre merchandise to complete their haunted haul.

“Do you enjoy dark romances, haunted houses, and stories that send shivers down your spine?” asks event organizer Roxanne Rhoads. “The Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair is designed for readers who love to wander into the shadows of imagination.”

Whether you’re seeking your next paranormal love story, a chilling ghost tale, or simply a spooky souvenir, the fair will offer something for every fan of the macabre.

Event Details:

 Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair
 Saturday, October 18, 12–3 p.m.
 Creative Cafe, 3318 Corunna Rd, Flint, MI 48503
 Event Page on Facebook

Shades of NightFloy Owens 
Genre: ThrillerDate of Publication: 8/24/25ISBN: 979-8262133963 ASIN: B0FNN9D558Number of pages: 222 Word Count: 48,726 wordsCover Artist: Bryan Lauer 
Tagline: A Dark Psychological Serial Killer Thriller with Shocking Twists, Dark Secrets, and a Fearless Female Lead 
Book Description: 
When a successful bookstore owner is abducted by a meticulous serial killer, she finds herself in a sterile cage designed for torture. 
But as the captor attempts to break his victim, the roles of predator and prey begin to blur. 
In a deadly psychological game where survival means becoming the greater monster, she must confront her own dark history to not only escape, but to take everything from the man who trapped her.

Amazon

Excerpt:

The room is dim, shadows casting sinister shapes asViolet hangs suspended from the ceiling beam. The air is sharp, metallic. Herupper back is pierced by two thick, curved steel hooks, twisting cruelly intoher flesh, skin stretched unnaturally taut. The thick rope threaded through thehooks connects her to the beam. Blood seeps in thin rivulets down her sides,creating jagged streaks that pool at her underwear’s waistband, before droppingto the cold concrete below.

Her legs are submerged in a steel basin, the stoolbeneath it unsteady. The water, tainted with rust and streaks of her blood,ripples faintly. Her arms dangle, hands still bound together. Her head tiltsslightly forward, chin resting against her chest. She forces each breath toremain slow, even.

Erik crouches beside a car battery, his clean,collared flannel shirt tucked into dark jeans, sleeves rolled to the elbows. Hetightens the clamps on the terminals, sparks leaping at the contact.

“You know, I’ve read every page of your life.” Helifts the jumper cables, taps them together, causing a spark to ignite.“Medical files, police reports, case manager notes. Every sad word.” He shakeshis head, disgust feigned, setting the cables aside momentarily. “When you havemoney, nothing’s off limits, it’s sick really.” He moves to the basin,adjusting it beneath her feet. “I know exactly where you’ve been, what was doneto you, who did it.” Leaning in, his voice drops, almost intimate. “Nothing aboutyou is hidden from me.”

Violet’s lips curl in a half-smile, eyes sharp despitethe pain. “Then you must know how all this will end.”

Erik holds her gaze for a beat, then lowers bothjumper cables into the basin. Violet’s body seizes violently, legs kicking,sending ripples through the bloody water. The jolt rips through her, everynerve set on fire. Her jaw snaps shut, teeth grinding. There’s a rush of staticin her ears, then nothing but blinding white. She bites her tongue to keep fromcrying out. In the haze, she thinks she hears Erik counting under his breath.Her back arches against the hooks, fresh blood weeping from the wounds. Thewater bubbles and hisses as the current surges.

As smoke fills the Cage and the pain recedes, Violet’sawareness drifts. For Erik, each session in the Cage is a key, unlocking adifferent memory he has constructed from her files. He pictures another house,another set of wounds, another day when everything was already broken.

He sees it as clearly as the files he read. She wouldhave been younger then, thinner, eyes already trained on disaster. He picturesher entering a silent house, feeling the weight of what waits inside. It is notguesswork anymore. The details are always the same.

 

***

 

Twenty-One Years Ago

 

The house door creaks open. Violet steps inside,fifteen and all sharp angles, her backpack slipping from one shoulder. Shedoesn’t bother fixing it. The air inside is heavy with stillness, as if thehouse knew what it held and decided to stop breathing.

She does not call out. The house would not answer.

Dust drapes the furniture like snow. The living roomis quiet, dark in places it never used to be. A coffee mug lies on its sidebeside the couch, cracked and forgotten. The blinds are crooked. No breeze. Nomotion.

Nothing waits to greet her.

Fifteen years old. She walks into a nightmare.

She steps further in, sneakers whispering across theworn floorboards. Her eyes scan the room like she’s been here before andexpects what’s coming. Maybe she does. Girls like Violet don’t walk throughlife with surprises. They walk through patterns.

In the center of the room, her mother hangs.

The ceiling fan turns slowly, each rotation jerkingher body just enough to keep the sound going.

Creak.

Creak.

Her legs are stiff, toes pointed downward. A bruiserings her throat, buried beneath the cord. Her dress has slipped from oneshoulder. Her mouth is open.

The smell is subtle: sweet rot, sour perfume.

Her mother, tangled in her own mess.

Violet doesn’t cry. She doesn’t cover her mouth orrun. She just watches the sway of the body. The way the fan keeps spinning,mechanical and obedient. Then, without a word, she walks past it. No glanceback.

The kitchen has its own secrets.

Her father slouches in a chair by the table, necklimp, jaw slack. A bullet hole marks the center of his forehead like aforgotten dot on a test paper. The blood beneath him has dried into maroonshadows, seeping into the wood grain.

The table is chaos. A burned spoon. A twistedtourniquet. A cheap yellow lighter.

He never cleaned up. Never thought she’d come homeearly.

Her mother finally snapped. Maybe she couldn’t takethe guilt anymore.

Violet crouches beside the body. She looks at hishands, still dirty beneath the nails. At the way one boot stayed on while theother sits overturned by the fridge. At the stubble that never grew evenly.

She doesn’t touch him.

Maybe Daddy spent too much money on junk.

She rises again.

Moves down the hall, light as breath, like she doesn’twant to wake whatever still lives in the walls. At the end of the hallway, shelowers herself to the floor. Her back presses against the floral wallpaper, nowpeeling. Knees drawn tight. Arms locked around them.

She doesn’t shake.

She doesn’t blink.

Or maybe she realized her main source of income wasdrying up.

The older the girl got, the less she was worth. Mommyshot Daddy dead, then strung herself up.

The house is still now, except for the soft tick of aclock and the distant, endless turn of the fan.

Violet breathes evenly. Her face is blank. Not numb.Blank. Numbness implies a feeling that once existed.

This is not grief. It is recognition.

A girl walks into a house and finds herself orphaned.And somewhere inside her, she knew it was coming.

Some part of her always knew.

 

 

 

About the Author:
Floy Owens writes stories about survival, obsession, and the ways people change when pushed past their limits. The debut novel, Shades of Night, is a dark psychological thriller that dives into the mind of both captor and captive. When not writing, Owens is usually plotting the next story, fueled by strong tea and a curiosity about what makes people tick.
https://subscribepage.io/floy_owens
https://www.facebook.com/floy.owens.author/ 

A Bewitching Tuesday

A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops


SHADES OF NIGHT by Floy Owens
https://books0623.blogspot.com/2025/0...


Book Tour: The Chosen One’s Assistant
https://books0623.blogspot.com/2025/0...


Love twisty psychological thrillers? You need Shades of Night. A serial killer thinks he’s in control—until his victim turns the game on him.
Buy today & discover who the real monster is. https://a.co/d/2bfR5RN
#PsychologicalThriller #ThrillerBooks
#DarkThriller #DomesticNoir #CrimeFiction #SerialKillerThriller
#AmReadingThriller #BookRecommendations #MustReadThriller
#ReadersOfTwitter #BookCommunity #ThrillerCommunity


Hilarious, Dark, & Epic! Everything you’d expect in a book with vampire weasels.
#SwordSorcery #magic #heroes #underdog #medievallikesetting #necromancy
https://amzn.to/4mE2SQs


Roxanne Rhoads Bookshop Store
https://bookshop.org/shop/RoxanneRhoads

A Bewitching Monday

A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops


Gail Z. Martin's Favorite Haunted Locations #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/2VR9u4v


INTERVIEW - THRILLER - SHADES OF NIGHT by Floy Owens #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/eAemdo8


Roxanne Rhoads Bookshop Store
https://bookshop.org/shop/RoxanneRhoads


Hilarious, Dark, & Epic! Everything you’d expect in a book with vampire weasels.
#SwordSorcery #magic #heroes #underdog #medievallikesetting #necromancy
https://amzn.to/4mE2SQs

A Bewitching Thursday 

A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops

Blood Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/r7F6n8O

Joe Mack is back, solving cold cases and kicking demon butt. Times Change is a non-stop thrill ride full of paranormal action, found family, dark magic, and loyal friends #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/S6RwmXb

The Inspiration Behind Blood by K.T. Rose #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/CWcEDE0

Gail Z. Martin Playing with Yarn #Crafts #AuthorsandCrafts #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/8kkQMwe


Roxanne Rhoads Bookshop Store
https://bookshop.org/shop/RoxanneRhoads

“I gazed on her with terrible understanding. I had to try to stop her, but I knew, deep in my gut, that she was beyond my power. I was only human. She was not.” #nicolasolvinic
Excerpt from The Sister’s Curse by Nicola Solvinic from
@berkleypub PreOrder: https://bit.ly/4jBXbCc


K.T. Rose's Top 10 Favorite Dark Reads #Horror #DarkReads #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/GbqYyp1

A Bewitching Wednesday


A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops


The Inspiration Behind Blood by K.T. Rose #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/CWcEDE0


Times Change by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin #UrbanFantasy #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/XgRo73a


Gail Z. Martin Playing with Yarn #Crafts #AuthorsandCrafts #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/8kkQMwe


10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer with Lauren Carter #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/MofWSwN


K.T. Rose's Top 10 Favorite Dark Reads #Horror #DarkReads #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/GbqYyp1


Roxanne Rhoads Bookshop Store
https://bookshop.org/shop/RoxanneRhoads


“The Hunter’s Daughter is an incredible, dark novel about overcoming one’s past and seeking redemption through actions.” -
@fxbgadvance
https://bit.ly/3YDcQHB
#nicolasolvinic #thehuntersdaughter #mysteryauthor #crimeauthor #thrillerwriter #bookreview #FXBGAdvance

A Bewitching Tuesday


A Round-Up of Daily Virtual Book Tour Stops


Times Change (Joe Mack Shadow Council Files, Book Five) by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin ~ Urban Fantasy #UF @GailZMartin #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/7ELvtpw


Lakegrave School For Young Women by Lauren Carter #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/uhYFFDT


10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer with Lauren Carter #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/MofWSwN


K.T. Rose's Top 10 Favorite Dark Reads #Horror #DarkReads #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/GbqYyp1


Roxanne Rhoads Bookshop Store
https://bookshop.org/shop/RoxanneRhoads


In the Kitchen with KT. #InTheKitchen #TurkeyProteinBowls #bewitchingbooktours https://creativelygreen.blogspot.com/...


“The Hunter’s Daughter is an incredible, dark novel about overcoming one’s past and seeking redemption through actions.” -
@fxbgadvance
https://bit.ly/3YDcQHB
#nicolasolvinic #thehuntersdaughter #mysteryauthor #crimeauthor #thrillerwriter #bookreview #FXBGAdvance


Ghost Hunting Tips with Lauren Carter
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/2...


Gail Z. Martin Playing with Yarn #Crafts #AuthorsandCrafts #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/8kkQMwe


Lakegrave School for Young Women by Lauren Carter #bewitchingbooktours https://buff.ly/GxySKpE

Get it Free September 13- 17

Cable Girls meets Peaky Blinders meets Titanic


Armored HoursStephanie Hansen
The girls had forged a bond together like iron that could not be broken. Claudia, Kiersten, Lina, and Florian were on the brink of making history with their powerful feminist movement, but then they suddenly disappeared without a trace. Alexander was a desperate bootlegger who was willing to risk it all to search for them. 
Not only were they in cahoots with him to help smuggle feminist con-traband and forbidden booze, but Claudia had also unknowingly captivated his heart. He vowed to find them at any cost, but little did he know that their disappearance was part of a much bigger and sinister plot from the upper echelons of society. 
Set in 1920s Paris of the Plains, Armored Hours is a thrilling tale of love and mystery interwoven with hints of magical realism.
✨Light Romantasy set in the Prohibition Era✨Strong Female Friendships✨Magic Realism ✨Mystery ✨Found Family 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLZSLFNY/ 
#Romantasy #MagicalRealism #FoundFamily #HistoricalFiction #ArmoredHours #FreeBook #FreeRead #KindleFreebie