Erik Henry Vick's Blog

One thing our cross-country move last year taught me is to let go. Of things - yes, but also of shame/embarrassment/guilt too. We had lived in our home for 14 years and about 2 years into that time, Erik was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Things dramatically changed.

I work fulltime and with raising our son and dealing with Erik's illness, there wasn't a lot of time (or motivation, honestly) to keep up with everything. Things that should have been donated or thrown away were put in the basement for 'later'. Maintenance and upgrades to the house didn't always happen so when it came time to sell our house, we had our hands (and house) full!

We interviewed Realtors and we picked a team that was nonjudgmental and honest in what we needed to do to get it ready to sell. They even staged the house as part of their 3% fee. They had a handyman they recommended that we decided to hire. He was originally from Israel and the nicest man! He brought us fresh fruit every morning of the 2 weeks he came over to do various painting and installation jobs.

Erik and I spent our time purging the years of deferred decisions. It was hard work, physically and emotionally. We let a LOT go. I cried in the basement. Erik sold all the parts and tools in the garage from when he could still work on hot rods before he got sick.

I learned a lot through it all - but mostly just to 'let it go' when it comes to clutter and bad feelings.

-Supergirl

I asked Supergirl if she would write a few blog posts about our real lives. We’re calling it Hank and Jane IRL, and if you don’t get the Hank and Jane reference, you need to read the Blood of the Isir series.

The last time I wrote one of these posts was July 2020. For those who haven't seen these Hank & Jane IRL posts before, I'm Melissa aka Supergirl and I'm Erik's wife of 21 years. He gave me the Supergirl moniker after he got sick with Rheumatoid Arthritis and I needed to take on most of the things. He can say it better than me because, well, he's a writer and I am most assuredly not! I write software so most of these posts will be pretty short and if I could get away with it, I'd write them in pseudocode.

The last post way back there in July 2020 had me working from home and 'social distancing' like the rest of the planet. Our son was going into his senior year of high school and Erik was publishing his 10-book Urban Fantasy series, Claw & Warder.

We knew that once our son graduated that we wanted to move but we weren't sure where yet so in early summer 2021 with our vaccines secured and our son's diploma in hand, we planned a road trip to visit different areas to see where we might move to when the time came. The trip meandered through the eastern side of the United States with our destination being Erik's parent's house for a long overdue visit. We saw some nice places, spent time with them and then we headed back home. On our way home, we found the lake we think we'll eventually settle near. I say 'eventually' because we both came to the conclusion that we needed to be closer to family than we originally thought. We knew we would all benefit from it.

When we got back home from our trip, it was a blur for the next few months. We got our house listed and sold and a new one purchased by mid-September and we were all moved in by October 1, 2021. In the space of about 3 months we sold a house, bought a house and moved cross-country. As you can tell, we usually don't mess around once we have made a decision!

I hope you enjoy these posts and I'll try to make them more consistently. Feel free to drop me a line at supergirl@erikhenryvick.com

-Supergirl

P.S. This post is way longer than most will be - I had 2 years to brew it after all

I asked Supergirl if she would write a few blog posts about our real lives. We’re calling it Hank and Jane IRL, and if you don’t get the Hank and Jane reference, you need to read the Blood of the Isir series.

Last year we ran a bunch of polls in the Readers' Group about such things as a better name for my Readers' Group, favorite colors, and how we might build a stronger community. You gave us a ton of good advice, and we've been working our way through all of it and implementing things as we go. We asked about starting a Patreon page and were surprised--and unimaginably humbled--that so many of you wanted another way to support us. Today, Melissa and I are excited to announce that our Patreon page is up and running. Come check it out to see what kind of Patreon-exclusive goodies we’re offering!

https://ehv4.us/patreon

In celebration, we’re running a “Your name in a book” special for new patrons starting with the Hersir tier. For anyone who signs up before April 1, 2022, I’ll name a character after you in an upcoming series. Your selected tier will determine what kind of character you’ll get. So for those of you longing to be a dastardly villain, the loveable and goofy sidekick, or victim #3, this is your chance to be immortalized in one (or more!) of my books. Read more about it at Patreon:

https://ehv4.us/patreon

Another thing some of you asked for was a way to participate in all the fun new stuff without impacting your budget, and in these days of ridiculous gas prices, supply chain issues, and other methods of legal price gouging, we are happy to announce a solution. This new solution also addresses a growing concern we share with the direction Facebook has been heading, the random bannings of people in our group by Facebook bots with no recourse and without our permission, etc. Along with the new Patreon program, we've also set up our own community! We're using Discord, which you can use free on all platforms (a free account is required, like Facebook). Click the link below to set up your free account and check out our new digs!  (We are not abandoning Facebook, but will be shifting most of our interactions over to Discord).

https://ehv4.us/discord

We're very interested to hear from you about these new programs. We aimed for maximum inclusivity and hope to make the new community as fun as the Facebook group has been (without the random bot-bannings ;)). Everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you over there!

FRIDAY, 2/25/22

I'm back again with another deal, this time a debut book from new author John Black. Room 26 is a quick read and its setting is one that you don't read about very often--Eastern Europe. It's 99¢ (in the US and UK) or free in Kindle Unlimited (everywhere).

In other news, we are hard at work on Patreon! Expect to see news on that front very soon!

Now, on with John's new book! Please give it a look--John is one of the authors that supported the Devils Dance launch.

Is it all in his head?

There’s something to be said about the power of uncertainty and how it attaches itself to our deepest fears.

Game designer Tibi and his girlfriend Mia are looking forward to spending some relaxing days at a cozy mountain inn. A sinister sighting will change Tibi's life for the worse.

Room 26 is a standalone Haunting Mystery Novel set in Eastern Europe, mixing elements of occult, supernatural suspense and psychological thriller, with a hint of humor.

Grab it today on Amazon! https://ehv4.us/4johnblack

I'm back and I brought a friend!  Lee Mountford is running a sale on three terrifying reads, and he's asked me to share the sale with you (and in fairness, I asked him to share the A Rational Man sale with his followers).

What I've got for you is three terrifying novels in one collection from master of horror, Lee Mountford. The Demonic, The Mark and Forest of the Damned are now all available in one horrifying volume.

The Demonic - A woman returns to her childhood home to lay to rest the ghosts of the past. But in this house the ghosts are real, and evil has found a home.

The Mark - A satanic cult. A woman's brutal assault. Can one woman face her darkest fears before a demonic entity is unleashed from the depths of hell?

Forest of the Damned - A group of paranormal researchers investigate the infamous Black Forest, hoping to find proof of the afterlife and learn more of the infamous Mother Sibbett. But what they find is far beyond even their worst nightmares.

Buy The Supernatural Horror Collection now, and strap in for three terrifying tales of ghosts, demons, death, and fear: https://geni.us/supernaturalcollection

Review of The Demonic: 'The Demonic, by author Lee Mountford, is a horror tour de force...It is scary. Truly scary.' - Horrornovelreviews.com

Review of The Mark: 'There's a slow build-up of dread, as he builds the characters and atmosphere, and slowly unwinds the story. At times, he dangles you over the edge for a few moments before he plunges you over the edge. And this is where his storytelling is a cut above many of his peers.' - Intothemacabre.com

Review of Forest of the Damned: 'I find that it’s often the details we least expect that elevate a novel’s status in our mind, and keep it there longer. A great testament to Mountford’s skill as a writer, is that I can still vividly “see” many of the scenes in my mind, several books afterward. Highly recommended.' - Horrorafterdark.com

You can't go wrong with three books for less than a buck--especially from a talented writer like Lee Mountford.

A lot of my horror author pals are helping me promote the Devils Dance launch, and to repay the favor, I'm helping them promote theirs. In addition to the books I've already shared with you, I'll be sharing more great deals on some great--and terrifying!--books. Today I want to talk to you about a book by Anthony M. Strong. Many of you may already be familiar with the John Drecker Supernatural Thrillers. If so, you'll be happy to know book 9, Last Resort, comes out today. For those of you who aren't familiar, book 1, What Vengeance Comes, is on sale for 99¢ (and free in KU). It's an action-packed horror series full of wicked creatures and well-developed characters and I highly recommend it.

Here's the blurb:

Something terrifying has awakened in the bayou…

When a pair of moonshiners out on an illicit midnight delivery disappear, no one pays much attention. Until their truck is found abandoned on a lonely back road, and not far away, their mutilated bodies. Stumped, the local police chalk it up to a wild animal.

But the killer isn’t done.

Another attack swiftly follows. A pair of teenagers at a popular swimming hole. But this time there is a survivor, and she tells of a monstrous beast with yellow eyes and sharp teeth. A monster that should not exist.

Now, with the townsfolk up in arms and fearing yet more deadly attacks, Sheriff John Decker must hunt this impossible creature and bring it down before it can kill again. Because if he doesn’t, the next victim might be someone he loves...

To grab your copy for only $0.99, go here: https://geni.us/VoEsME

And remember that the Devils Dance Launch Promo Sale ends tomorrow (2/4) so be sure to grab the series before then (Wrath Child, book 1, is FREE worldwide. Black Bags, book 2, is $0.99 in the US and UK, and Devils Dance, the brand new book 3, is $0.99 worldwide) -- https://ehv4.us/4ddlp

Devils Dance launched last Friday, and I've put the entire series on sale--starting today (1/31/22)! For the first time--EVER--I've made Wrath Child available for FREE. In addition to that, I've marked Black Bags down to $0.99 in the US and the UK (limited by Amazon). And...

Devils Dance is just $0.99 everywhere!

These prices will last between 1/31/22 and 2/4/22 at midnight Eastern.

To grab your copies of the series, please visit: https://ehv4.us/4ddlp

Remember this sale ends Friday, 2/4/22 at midnight EST, so don't dither too long! Do it, do it, do it!

I really hope you enjoy this book--and the special surprise contained between its covers. Have a great week!

OUT NOW!

The Dancing Plague by USA Today Bestselling author, Jeremy Bates

Centuries after Strasbourg residents dropped dead after dancing for days straight, the bizarre dancing plague surfaces again in an idyllic Cape Cod town — but even more horrors await 12-year-old Ben Graves and his friends…

You can grab the Kindle ebook on Amazon (it's also available in Kindle Unlimited and as a paperback): https://ehv4.us/4bates

Check out all of Jeremy's books, visit his Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Jeremy-Bates/e/B007AX4IVM/

As a reminder, Devils Dance, Book 3 of my A Rational Man series (https://ehv4.us/4arm) will release on 1/28/22 and is available for preorder now. Check it out here: https://ehv4.us/4devilsdance

You remember David Viergutz? The new horror author who ran the big contest over Halloween that featured Wrath Child as one of the prizes? He's got a new series out, and I thought you might like to repay his generosity by giving it a look!

What kind of evil does it take to haunt a church?

John is trapped in a waking nightmare. Fired. Discredited. Buried under his mortgage and isolated in a west-Texas ghost-town. And it gets worse. A ghostly image of an old church haunts his dreams and plagues his waking hours. It’s behind every ridge and out every window, reminding him of his plight and calling for him to return…

What readers are saying:
“Straight from supernatural”
“Read at night, alone. I dare you.”
“This is the stuff of nightmares”

Today you can grab the series starter, Cracked Alter: St. Andrew's for just $0.99! Check it out: https://ehv4.us/4viergutz

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I'm well on my way to achieving my primary resolution (which is to tell everyone I know that I'm well on my way to achieving my resolutions).

Today, I bring you Abe Moss, and his series The Dread Void which can be found here: https://ehv4.us/4abemoss

Abe's newest addition to the series, Book 4: On the Bitter Horizon is already a #1 new release on Amazon! The tagline is: "Hunted by an otherworldly killer, teenage foster girl Nell is about to discover our reality is not what it seems... and neither is she."

Pretty slick, huh?

That's what I have for you today: four new books (or for those of you in the know about Abe's work, a new release) to devour before they devour you! He's running a killer sale on the series today, so be sure to grab any of the books you don't already have! Books 1 and 2 are only $0.99, and Book 3 is $1.99! Grab 'em all, Horror Fans!

The link you want: https://ehv4.us/4abemoss

Abe's a talented guy. I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do. Be sure to click the link above and check out the series!

As a reminder, Devils Dance is set to release 1/28/22 and is available for preorder here: https://ehv4.us/4devilsdance .