Tag Archives: dark

Nightmares in the Neighborhood by Rocky Leplin (Book Spotlight)

NIGHTMARES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is a sequel to HORRORS OF THE HOUSEHOLD.But is it SCARIER? Or does that depend on what page you’re on?

 

The DOORKNOB DEMON probably isn’t too scary, unless of course you’re trying to turn a doorknob. But what about other creatures FROM HERE TO THE CORNER? Here are three.

 

TREE TROLLS, TREE TROLLS, they’re hungry and they have no souls!
So should you want to hug a tree
Be sure it’s all there is to see.
Or Snap! (your spine), and Crack! (your back),
When the tree you’re hugging hugs you back.

 

THE SIDEWALK SERPENT
sucks your bones out through your skin
Till you’re narrow as a pin,
And doesn’t stop till the sidewalk
Bangs your chin.

 

THE LAMPOST GENIE
Lights its globe
In a manner quite insane:
It draws off the electricity
You use to light your brain.

 

HORRORS JUST A STROLL FROM HOME features some bad dudes, such as

THE PIGEON IMPOSTER
It looks just like a pigeon;
It pecks just like one too,
But after it’s through digesting its food,
It drops what’s left on you.

 

THE DUMPSTER MUMMY
Will shriek just for the shock,
Blasting foul breath in your face,
Then plunge you deep in the dumpster’s
Oozy, putrid, rank embrace.

 

THE APARTMENT BUILDING BORE
is never angry, never sore.
Its voice is never loud,
It doesn’t scream, it doesn’t roar.
It talks to you in monotones,
Its voice just drones…and drones…and drones…
Like the tones of ancient telephones
Or the moan of wind across dry bones.

 

And watch out for WEIRD WALLS,
When you’re snoozing in your bed,
Walls you breathe in through your nose
That tunnel through your head.

The closer to the edge of town you get,
The more challenging are the circumstances.

 

If you catch TUNNELITIS,
You’ll hear harsh noises in the dark—
A hiss, a howl, a growl, a bark,
A flutter of many wings, and then
The mutterings of mad old men.

 

In the GHOST MALL
Though the air feels motionless,
Drafts sigh through the holes
Of the donuts in the donut shop
Like the cries of long lost souls.

The male mannequins look lifeless,
But then you see what’s wrong:
Their chins sprout hair, and their fingernails
Are several inches long.

They rise up from their pedestals
And writhe around in the air,
As if they’re being tortured
By the clothes they have to wear.

 

I can’t expose to anyone reading this to the POPCORN PANIC, or the TRAINIAC. You’re probably too young!

 

Finally, farther than the edge of town, there is THE VISITOR.

They found it there one midnight
It had washed up on the shore
And no one ever said
That they had seen it there before.
But they must have all been waiting for it,
That’s how it looked to me—
For several days I’d seen them
Standing staring out to sea.

 

Read Nightmares in the Neighborhood at your own risk! The author is not responsible for the cost in time and treasure to revive someone who has fainted dead away.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

Rocky Leplin

Author of six books of rhymed verse, including the epic novel Humphrey’s Long Journey Away from the Sea.

In 2020 he was a winner of the Writers Digest Writing Competition for his story The Incredible Man-Eating Marshmallow.

In 2022 his wacky how-not-to manual A Psycho’s Guide to Animal Companionship— Instructions for the abnormal pet companion was a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

In 2023 he was a winner of the Writers Digest Writing Competition for his poem The Apartment Building Bore.

In 2024 he was a Finalist in the Humor category of the Next Generation Short Story Awards for his story The Tumultuous Tire Revolution.

He has written three novels, the musical The Purpose of the Moon and over 500 songs, many of which can be heard on this website.

His next publication is called Never Kiss a Crocodile, Never Slap a Skunk, a field guide to ominous animals.

 

Website Link
Amazon Author Page Link
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Rose: Future Heart by Jazalyn (Book Review)

A socially underprivileged rose witnesses unpleasant events and behaviors that threaten Her inner peace and is determined to set life and love aside in order to find Her true, pure and moral parts of character.

30 petals of MOOD and STATUS.

A society full of INJUSTICES and UNFAIRNESS.

A ROLE She doesn’t want to play.

A RAGE. A RAVE.

A PAST that leads to HATE.

A RARE SOUL.

A wishful CHANGE of HEART.

She AROSE and She ROSE.

From IGNORANCE to STRENGTH.

A FUTURE that should lead to LOVE.

But can there be LOVE?

A dark fantasy magical realism poetic novel that endures urban social issues and inequality, and challenges self esteem, self help, self improvement, self development, healing.

I never knew how to have
I’ve learned to live without love
And I can’t change all of a sudden
Something’s got to happen

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

 

Reading Rose: Future Heart was like riding on a merry-go-round that never stops. You go up (I want to love and be loved) and down (love escapes me, no one will ever love me). 

Jazalyn’s poetry speaks of love in different intensities, which usually piggyback on jealousy, tears, pain, feeling of shame and humiliation, and reasons why love eludes them. They speak of not becoming a lover until they find their “perfect fit” (“No Lover”). There is no perfect fit; we all have flaws. You might see these flaws as you date or move in together. Eventually, the imperfections will surface. Saving yourself for perfection is a goal that’ll be difficult to obtain.

The author discusses other reasons they can’t have intimate relations: OCD, mysophobia, and germophobia. I have OCD and am a germophobe, but “mysophobia” was new to me. Upon a quick internet search, I discovered it meant having an extreme or irrational fear of dirt and contamination. They feared disease entering their body. I get that, but unless a person with mysophobia wants a sexless life, they need to seek counseling for this condition.

 

Favorite poems:

“Entertainment Made Me Love Like That” – People indeed use many forms of creative outlets to help them cope with internal and external pain. I hope writing brings the author comfort and peace. 

“Sleeping Beauty (Life Back)” – I thought it was interesting writing about what’s going on inside the mind of the sleeping beauty. I’ve watched the movie many times, and not once did I stop and wonder what she was thinking or dreaming about. 

 

Overall impression: The collection was not my cup of tea. I was going to score it two, but upon reflection, I decided to score it based on how it would be received by others who struggle to find or retain love in their life – for those who are looking for their “perfect someone” to make them whole. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

About the Author

With 150,000+ engagements and 20,000+ followers that grow more and more across 7 social media platforms, Jazalyn is among the most-promising newcomers authors-poets.

Her books have sold in 4 Continents and have been featured on best-seller category-based lists on Amazon US, Amazon UK and Amazon AU. Soon she will expand in every corner of the Earth.

Jazalyn attracts all cultures and traditions with an audience from all walks and stages of life as a consequence of the universal atmosphere that encircles her themes.

Her innovative and versatile writing style stemming from abstraction and absurdness captivates mystery and suspense with words swimming in surrealism and magical realism.

Her imaginative and inventive narration unites the philosophical with the psychological and the scientific elements of both fantasy and fiction that create and solve riddles and puzzles.

In what results as a contemporary genre of cinematic (epic) poetry in slice of life-vignette expression which provokes thinking and eyes new horizons.

Her latest books vViIrRuUsS, Rose, Hollow signify Jazalyn’s transition towards literary magnificence.

 

Website Link

Twitter Link

Amazon Author Page Link

 

 

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