Getting Stuff Done...

Hello! How are you today? Hope you're enjoying the month of November. We've had a few temperature drops, but this spring is turning out to be quite warm.

So, what's new?

As you can see below, my latest book was released this week and I'm very excited. Yay!!! 🥳

FALLEN DESTINY is a cozy urban fantasy, with a good dose of horrormance, about an occult detective with abandonment issues, a found family, and a mystery that might reveal the burning questions she has about her past. I'm very proud of this novel and hope that it finds an audience, and that readers enjoy it.

If you want to know more, you can read more about it here. Or you can check out the excellent GET IT Kirkus review.

Asides from this very awesome news, I've also finished writing and revising two new short stories.

Final word counts: 2,423 and 1,327.

These tales were a bit of a surprise, especially the first one. Not only because it came out of nowhere, but what happens in this tale changes the fate of one particular character. The shorter tale is one I've had in mind for a while but even that turned out very differently. Love it when that happens!

So, here's the vampire world update: two novels, one novelette, and twenty-three short stories. The collection has now crossed 81k, and I suspect the short stories might finally be done. I think. Maybe. Except for one more thing that isn't a story but it's something that makes an appearance in the overall narrative and I've wanted to put it together since completing the very first novel. 😁

Something else that I'm very excited about is that we started getting back into yoga and have actually done two workouts already. There are so many health benefits so we want to keep this up. Fingers crossed.

I've also been reading, including this harrowing book. This was such an uncomfortable and disturbing story, also very sad.

Anyway, I'm trying to get stuck into the many books I have on my massive TBR pile. And I'm not just talking about all the hardbacks and paperbacks, I'm also talking about my Kindle and Kobo books. 😳

Well, that's it for now. 

Hope you all have an awesome week!!

 

It's Release Day!!

 Today is the day!

FALLEN DESTINY IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM BRIGIDS GATE PRESS.

Destiny isn't human and she has the horns to prove it. She's also damned good at blending into the human world.

That, along with her powers, has helped her forge a career out of locating supernatural beings and objects.

Got demon troubles? Need a mystical artifact found? Destiny's the one for the job.

All goes well for her until the day she's hired by a mysterious nun, and for the first time, Destiny's stumped.

How exactly does a demon hired by a nun find an angel?

Grab an eBook or paperback copy here:

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO

BOOKSHOP.ORG | WATERSTONES | BOOKS-A-MILLION

ADD TO GOODREADS

I'd want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Gwendolyn Kiste, Angela Sylvaine, Sonora Taylor, Wayne Fenlon, and Brian Bowyer for these amazing blurbs:

"I've been a fan of Yolanda Sfetsos for years, and whether you're brand-new to her work or you've loved her books for as long as I have, Fallen Destiny is an absolute must-read. This cozy dark fantasy takes you on a supernatural adventure with page-turning prose and characters you'll adore. Enjoy the ride."

— Gwendolyn Kiste, Four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Haunting of Velkwood and Reluctant Immortals   

“Fallen Destiny is a wicked urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of Kim Harrison. Sfetsos delves into the mysteries of heaven and hell while wrapping the reader in the warm embrace of found family. Move over Hellboy, there’s a new kick ass demon in town, and Destiny won’t be denied.”

— Angela Sylvaine, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Frost Bite. 

"Fallen Destiny is a fun, devious, supernatural mystery with lots of clever twists and turns. Sfetsos manages to create a large and fascinating world of amazing characters, all of whom I loved. Don't miss this one."

— Sonora Taylor, award-winning author of Little Paranoias: Stories and Without Condition

"A cosy blend of genres: infusing horror, folklore, and eroticism, with a hint of mystery. A detective story at heart. This one, like all of Yolanda's work, is another proper page turner. A great writer."

— Wayne Fenlon, author of The Black Cabin

“Sfetsos is simply one of the best, and Fallen Destiny—thrilling, intense, and filled with suspense—displays an artist at the top of her game.”

— Brian Bowyer, author of Metro Kinetic. 

"A lively and atmospheric occult mystery with a main character who’s as hellish as she is human."

—Kirkus Reviews, GET IT verdict

Read full review here

I'm SO excited about this new release and can't wait for readers to read my cozy urban fantasy book about an occult detective investigating a mystery that might lead to her past.

The beautiful cover art was made by: Alison Flannery

Thanks for reading!

Cover Reveal!!

Today, Brigids Gate Press revealed the cover for my upcoming novel, FALLEN DESTINY, and it's beautiful.

Check it out:

I LOVE IT!

 Alison Flannery made a work of art. Not to mention that she captured the main character, Destiny, perfectly!

Here's the synopsis:

Destiny isn't human and she has the horns to prove it. She's also damned good at blending into the human world.

That, along with her powers, has helped her forge a career out of locating supernatural beings and objects.

Got demon troubles? Need a mystical artifact found? Destiny's the one for the job.

All goes well for her until the day she's hired by a mysterious nun, and for the first time, Destiny's stumped.

How exactly does a demon hired by a nun find an angel?

The release date is:

November 11, 2025.

If you're on Netgalley, you can check it out HERE!

ADD TO GOODREADS!!

Have a great day!

Taking a Break

Hey! How are you today?

We've been enjoying a fantastic week. My husband had an RDO last Friday that led into a week off, and we made the most of our time off.

We went on a lot of shopping trips to different shopping centres we don't usually visit, which always leads to cool walking adventures. As well as finding bargains and trying out new places to eat. Very cool and a lot of fun.

There was also quite a bit of lounging around and watching movies, catching up on shows, plus playing ACNH every day.

Sometimes, we watch YouTube to keep up with the crap that's going on in the world, but there's only so much I can take, so I usually end up grabbing my phone and start sorting my writing files. Or pics, maybe a bit of research. I ended up writing two new pieces, and finished the story in verse I mentioned last week. I even revised all three and added them to my Paperwhite for the final read-thru next week.

The stories that I'm writing are set in the VampNovel1 and VampNovel2 world. The characters just won't shut up, and since I'm having a lot of fun telling their stories, I reckon I'll probably end up with enough shorties for a short story collection.

Oh, we finally watched POSSESSION. An 80s movie that I've wanted to watch for years. And wow, what an intense trip that turned out to be. The characters were over the top and their marriage was totally broken. Not to mention how their son got lost in the insanity, and how these two wanted to change each other completely. There was a lot of insanity, but I mostly enjoyed it. Glad we finally watched it.

The other movie we watched was THE GORGE. This one hooked me in because I found the whole Gorge secret intriguing. It was cool to get the answers hidden within such eerie imagery. And the connection between the two characters was great, but the ending could've been better, to make more of an impact.

Anyway, we're finishing up the week with a whirlwind of buying more bookshelves from IKEA, donating some furniture to Salvos, and now sorting everything out. Yikes! It's been a crazy 24 hours and we're both sore and super tired, but getting more shelves is always an awesome thing!

Well, that's it for now. Catch you later.

Have a great weekend!

The Revision Continues...

How are you today?

I hope this week turned out to be a good one for you! 

Here, in Sydney, the days got a lot shorter but I'm trying to stay positive. The fact I hung out with my husband every morning, that I went for my daily walks during the day (mostly sunny) and listened to my 80s Playlist (awesome) certainly helped. Not to mention that I spent every afternoon and night working on the third draft of my WIP, VampNovel1.

And I really lost myself in these words.

Seriously, I'm enjoying the hell out of this story and every time I sit down to work on it, I love it a little more. From the start, something about these characters and their world totally drew me in. Even when it was a small idea, slowly gaining momentum in my brain, I knew it would turn out to be a lot of wicked fun.

Vampires are just awesome. 😁

Anyway, this is my progress:

• Monday: 51/228pgs (90,436w)
• Tuesday: 103/230pgs (90,268w) 
• Wednesday: 154/234pgs (90,868w)
• Thursday: 196/235pgs (90,451w) 
• Friday: 236pgs / 90,042w

Yay! The third draft is DONE and I'm super excited. I worked really hard on this draft. 

As you can see, the word count went up and down every single day. I actually cut a lot of excess, but also added quite a few words. All things that strengthen the story and make sure everything ties up nicely.

Usually, after this stage, I'd do one final read-thru on my Paperwhite. But I'm doing things different this time.

And there are two reasons for that:

1. My husband is having three long weekends in a row this month (fantastic!)
2. I have VampNovel2 to consider...

So, I'm looking forward to spending some extra time with my husband during all these days off. And because there are two weeks when he'll work only three days, I've allocated those six days (ends up being two weeks) to work on VampNovel2.

Then I'll work on the third draft during the last week of April. So when that's all done, I can read one book after the other on my Paperwhite and make sure everything makes sense, pans out, and I can catch any last-minute typos, inconsistencies, etc.

Oh, and I also completed the third draft of the short story I mentioned last week. There were some plot issues I had to fix, several rep words that stood out, and have added it to my Paperwhite. Not sure when I'll do the read-thru, but the word count is now: 3,255.

It turned out to be quite a story-heavy week.

Okay, that's about it. I'm going to enjoy a nice mental break now

Have an awesome weekend!

MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS is now available!!

 Happy Release Day to my debut short story collection!

Yay. ☺️🎉

I'd like to thank Cemetery Gates Media for taking a chance on my first collection. Also for publishing and putting together such a lovely book. The end result is amazing! I'm SO excited and proud of this book.

Also, check out the beautiful cover, made by Luke Spooner/Carrion House, which captures the essence and melancholy vibes packed into these pages.

A dark gathering of 17 melancholy horror tales where mothers, lovers, friends and monsters intersect with disastrous and tragic consequences.

1. ALL MY PRETTIES

2. LOST IN TIME

3. GOLDSMITH’S ODDITY 

4. CLARA’S PHONE

5. SOMEWHERE TO BELONG

6. OTHER SIDE OF ME 

7. THE GIRLS DEVOURED BY THE WOODS 

8. SHORELINE

9. THE MAN IN THE RED SUIT 

10. OF YOU, THE END 

11. A PORTRAIT OF DEATH 

12. FADE INTO NIGHTMARE 

13. LADY OF THE HOUSE 

14. SLIPPING INTO 

15. ALLURE

16. STALKING THE SHADOWS 

17. FINDING SURVIVAL 

You can grab a copy right now:

Kindle | Paperback

 Bookshop.org

ADD TO GOODREADS

This collection includes stories that have been with me for many years. Some were previously published, others are new to the world, but all of them have been through several evolutions.

I really hope you'll give these tales a go.

Thanks for reading!

My Debut Collection...

Hey!

How are you today?

If you follow me on Bluesky, then you might have caught a glimpse of the 17 daily posts I've been adding this month. That's one for each of the stories in my upcoming debut short story collection...

MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS.

If you missed them, these are the graphics that I created for each tale:

 

And here's the 

Table of Contents:

1. ALL MY PRETTIES

2. LOST IN TIME

3. GOLDSMITH’S ODDITY

4. CLARA’S PHONE

5. SOMEWHERE TO BELONG

6. OTHER SIDE OF ME

7. THE GIRLS DEVOURED BY THE WOODS

8. SHORELINE

9. THE MAN IN THE RED SUIT

10. OF YOU, THE END

11. A PORTRAIT OF DEATH

12. FADE INTO NIGHTMARE

13. LADY OF THE HOUSE

14. SLIPPING INTO

15. ALLURE

16. STALKING THE SHADOWS

17. FINDING SURVIVAL

Plus, here's the blurb:

A dark gathering of 17 melancholy horror tales where mothers, lovers, friends and monsters intersect with disastrous and tragic consequences.

This beautiful cover was made by Luke Spooner/Carrion House and it's absolutely perfect.

I mean, look at the full paperback cover:

You can now pre-order an eBook copy, and the paperback will be available on release day, which is January 28.

A few very cool reviews have been added on Goodreads already.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll check it out!!

☺️

My latest WIP is done!

Hey! How are you? What's new? How's this unstable world treating you?

I have a lot of issues about the many things going on at the moment, and this week I decided to focus on one that's been bugging me lately. Although I'm just one person, I've decided to leave Threads and Instagram. I want to distance myself from Meta because I don't agree with all the bullshit/changes the disgusting owner is making. They're no longer going to do fact-checking, and are allowing users to call other people slurs with no consequences. Meta thinks misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and racism is okay. That's before you consider the Al bullshit, or how he's sucking up to Trump. It's disgusting and I don't agree with any of it, so I decided to do something about it.

I've already deactivated Threads and will delete Instagram this weekend. Sometimes you have to take a personal stand.

That means that Bluesky is now my only social media. I'm still on Goodreads and will keep blogging, but I refuse to stay in a place that is so invested in destroying others. Especially now that the Orange Turd is back.

Asides from making the above decision, I spent the week adding more words to my WIP.

Here's how it went:

• Monday: 84,164 (+4,941w)
• Tuesday: 90,554 (+6,390w)
• Wednesday: 92,542 (+1,988w)
• Thursday: 92,907 (+365w)

Well... the first draft is done! Yay. ☺️🎉

I'm super excited to have reached the end because in November I wrote a vampire horrormance first draft that sparked this book! It was a tale that I didn't plan or expected to write, but like the main character in that story, this one wouldn't leave me alone. So much that I ended up taking a one week break at the beginning of December and then got stuck into this one right away.

Not even public holidays stopped the momentum. I ended the year with this story and kept going into the new year. Something I don't usually do. But like my husband always says: if your muse is speaking, listen. ☺️

And I'm glad I did.

After spending most of last year revising and editing without writing a new story, I managed to write 182,016 words between November and mid-January. Very happy with that.

When I finished the last WIP, we watched the 4K Ultra HD version of The Lost Boys to celebrate, and had a blast. And will be doing the same this weekend!!

Anyway, that's it for now. Just wanted to post an update.

Have a great day!!

Word Count Update!

Well. It's Friday, and I thought I'd post an update.

No, wait a sec! It's past midnight here in Sydney, so I suppose it's technically Saturday. LMAO.

Either way, it's time to weekend. 😁

So, how are ya? What have you been doing this week? How's the new year treating you? I've been busy writing, but the world is such a fucking mess right now. Between people idolizing loser billionaires who have no fucking clue, greedy haters who can't mind their own business, and intense climate change events... I just don't know where the fuck we're going. Or WTF we're doing.

I really wish we paid more attention to history, instead of repeating the shitty parts over and over. Ugh.

Let me get back to the writing. I'm working on my current WIP and still having a blast.

Here's my progress:

• Monday: 58,120 (+4,521w)
• Tuesday: 62,584 (+4,464w)
• Wednesday: 69,251 (+6,667w)
• Thursday: 73,961 (+4,710w)
• Friday: 79,223 (+5,262w) 

Not bad, right? This was actually the first full week of writing I've had for a while after so many cool public holidays. And because I'm so caught up in what's happening, during every session this week I churned out high word count additions.

I stopped at a good spot tonight. The downward spiral to the end is going to be intense and very bloody. I can't wait to write it, but won't go back until Monday.

Also, if you follow me on social media, you might have noticed that this week I started posting graphics & small quotes from my upcoming short story collection. I'm having a great time sharing bits and pieces about each individual tale. There are 17 of them, and I've already shared five.

Oh! The first Goodreads review for MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS has been posted and it's fantastic! Check it out HERE! I absolutely LOVE it! Thank you, Rose Devours Books. 

One last thing, since a lot of crap has been going on with Meta—ranging from AI bullshit, removal of fact checking, allowing hate speech—I'm seriously thinking about signing out of the two social media accounts I have with them. I haven't decided yet, but I'm certainly getting sick and tired of fucking asshole tech-bros.

In the past two years I deactivated accounts at NaNoWriMo (gross behaviour with minors), Substack (gave nazis a platform), Twitter (destroyed by a dickhead) and Discord (nothing related to the actual app, more a bad association because of assholes). 

No matter what, you can find me on Bluesky, which is where I post the most. ☺️

Okay, that's it for today. Have a great weekend!!

Cover Reveal!

The other day, Cemetery Gates Media revealed the cover for my debut short story collection, MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS, and I think it's time to post it here.

Take a look at this beauty:

 Isn't it AMAZING? I think it's fantastic!

This gorgeous piece of art captures the essence of my short story collection, which features different characters leading strange and dark lives. But all of them find themselves in weird/bizarre situations.

Luke Spooner/Carrion House did such an awesome job, and I can't stop looking at it!

Today, I finished the final proofread of the ARC and I loved spending time with these characters in their bleak and nightmarish worlds.

The release date is: January 28, 2025.

I can't wait for you to read my 17 dark and melancholy, horror short stories.

Have a great day!

My WIP is done!

Hi! How are you? I'm pretty good. Even if I got caught in a downpour and got drenched during my walk.

So, my right side/lat muscle prob is still there but it feels like it might be getting a bit better. It's hard to tell because every day is different. But I've got my fingers crossed and hope that being patient helps. We did a yoga workout the other day that seemed to help, so that's cool.

Anyway, enough about that. Let's talk about writing.

At he beginning of the week I decided that getting to the end of the first draft I've been working on this month would be great. For several reasons: I wanted to finish by the end of this month, and my husband has an RDO on Monday so we have a long weekend together. Awesome!

So, how did I do? Here's how it went:

• Monday: 65,135 (+6,612w)
• Tuesday: 70.543 (+5,408w)
• Wednesday: 77,843 (+7,300w)
• Thursday: 83,063 (+5,220w)
• Friday: 85,411 (+2,348w)

The first draft is done & I'm SO excited! ☺️🎉

As you can see from the daily word count numbers, it really wasn't that hard to write the rest of this novel because this story has been eating my brain. All week, it's been waking me up. I've also been dreaming about the characters. And taking lots of notes as everything came to me while sleeping, walking, or just talking about it with my husband.

I've really talked his ear off during the writing of this book. He's also been very helpful. Sometimes just knowing that he was listening to my endless chatter about everything helped me. A lot.

Yeah, he's awesome. 😍

The idea for this story hit me back in April while listening to one of my favourite songs ever, Boys of Summer by Don Henley, and thinking about my fave movie ever, The Lost Boys. So yeah, it's been scratching at my brain for months, which might explain why it pretty much poured out of me.

Funny thing is, that as much as I knew about the story and what would happen, what I ended up writing was full of surprises. Of things I hadn't expected. Twists and turns that actually made everything even darker and better.

I love this vampire tale. It's dark. It's sexy. It's got some twisty stuff going on. And every moment I spent in this world with these characters made me happy. 🦇

Like I've said many times, writing is magical and I love every minute of it. And this story in particular is special to me because it's the first full-length draft I've written after a year full of publishing disappointments. And like Only Darkness, this book helped me deal with everything and find my way back to what really matters to me the most: telling stories.

Well, that's about it. I'm going to take a mental break and to celebrate, we're going to watch the 4K Ultra HD version of The Lost Boys. Can't wait.

Have a good one!! 😃

It's Release Day!

Happy Halloween!

Today is the day...

My first self-published book is now available! And you can grab a copy from Amazon right now.

To say I'm excited doesn't even begin to capture the way I feel about this book being out in the world again.

This particular story has gone through a lot, and I'm not even joking when I say that. The first version (which is only the first part of the book) got caught up in some pretty nasty business earlier this year, but I refused to focus on all that crap and instead forged ahead to put together a novel in two parts, that tells the story some of you might already be familiar with. As well as the continuation in the Roscoe family curse.

I want to thank my husband, Eugene, because this was his idea in the first place, Erin Al-Mehairi for doing the final copy edit, and Adrian Medina from Fabled Beast Design for not only the perfect cover, but also for the book's awesome interior.

This has been a wild ride and I hope you'll revisit, or take a look around Brittle for the first time. I'm not sure if you'll Suffer or Surrender, but I hope you enjoy it.

THE DARKNESS IN THE WOODS BECKONS HER...

A bleak tale about a cursed family and the mother trying to keep them together. The Exorcist meets Hereditary in this small-town horror story that will force you to embrace the darkness.

SUFFER

Kae Roscoe’s daughter vanished sixteen months ago and all she wanted during her absence was for Molly to return. But when her daughter comes back, she isn’t the same.

Molly hardly speaks and refuses to eat. The only emotion she displays is violence.

As much as Kae hates to admit it, there’s definitely something wrong with Molly, and her reappearance sets off a dark turn of events that threatens to tear the town apart.

SURRENDER

Summer Urbina has finally graduated from college and is excited about spending time with her mother. But as soon as she gets home, everything feels odd.

When her best friend sends an ominous text, Summer decides to trek across the country to make sure he’s okay.

She might not understand why, but the town of Brittle seems very familiar. The darkness calling her from the woods threatens to consume her entirely, and she’s not strong enough to resist.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Thank you for reading!

It's Release Day!!

 That's right!

Today's the day! ☺️🎉

My horror novel, about a teenager whose mother goes missing and she becomes a target for demonic possession, is now available:

SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE.

THE MONSTER IS ALREADY INSIDE HER HEAD.

Chester is no stranger to hearing voices, but after her mother disappears without a trace, the demonic voice trying to consume her is getting stronger every day.

The threat of possession might be her biggest problem, but it's not her only one. Chester's confidence in the stepmother who is trying to keep her safe is now unstable. The safe and comfortable connection with her very supportive stepbrother is slowly becoming a tangled mess that threatens their strong bond.

When Chester stumbles on her mother's precious journal, she hopes to find some answers about what's happening to her. But what she really wants to uncover is how to find her missing mother. And the answer to that mystery might come from the most unexpected source. Herself.

If you're interested, you can purchase an eBook or print copy from these stores:

AMAZON | B&N

ANUCI PRESS WEBSITE

You can also...

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

I want to thank Tony Anuci for proofreading this story and giving another one of my books a home, plus Ruth Anna Evans for the beautiful cover.

I'M SO EXCITED!

😁

I have some awesome news!

The other day Horrorsmith Publishing made this fantastic announcement:

My haunted house ghost story novel will be published under Horrorsmith's Fear Forge imprint next year.

I'm SO excited and can't wait to share my creepy tale about a hellish house.

Here's a bit about THESE STAINED WALLS:

The walls within Helston House are alive, and they're very hungry.

 

Matilda Ashbrooke has been uprooted from her family home and forced to isolate with her eccentric grandfather during the pandemic. But the creepy Helston House has many secrets, starting with the stain on the bedroom wall that seems to be getting bigger every day...

I'm so happy to have signed a contract with Horrorsmith and can't wait to share more info as we get closer to release date.

Yay!! 😊

Cover Reveal!

If you're on social media, then you've probably already seen this absolutely beautiful cover made by Ruth Anna Evans:

It's so bright and absolutely perfect because the imagery captures Chester's struggle in the book SO well.

Speaking of that, here's the story synopsis:

SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE.

THE MONSTER IS ALREADY INSIDE HER HEAD.

Chester is no stranger to hearing voices, but after her mother disappears without a trace, the demonic voice trying to consume her is getting stronger every day.

The threat of possession might be her biggest problem, but it's not her only one. Chester's confidence in the stepmother who is trying to keep her safe is now unstable. The safe and comfortable connection with her very supportive stepbrother is slowly becoming a tangled mess that threatens their strong bond.

When Chester stumbles on her mother's precious journal, she hopes to find some answers about what's happening to her. But what she really wants to uncover is how to find her missing mother. And the answer to that mystery might come from the most unexpected source. Herself.

NUMB will be released on September 30!

You can already pre-order a copy:

Amazon | B&N | Anuci Press Website

ADD TO GOODREADS

And yes, I named this book after a Linkin Park song because it totally fits Chester's story... Also, I named my main character after Chester Bennington.

Thanks for reading! 

Check it out!

 

I have some fantastic news to share today!

I'm VERY excited to announce that my first short story collection, MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS, has been contracted by Cemetery Gates Media and will be released early next year. Yay. 🥳

The collection contains 17 horror stories. Can't wait to share these characters and macabre tales of woe with you.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Cemetery Gates for giving my dark delusions a home. 

I have some awesome news!

Hey! How are you today?

Can you believe it's April? 😳

As you already know, last Friday I celebrated the release of my first Anuci Press book release. Yay! And today, I want to let you know about the next book that Anuci Press will release...

This story is my love letter to one of my favourite horror subgenres: demonic possession.

NUMB = THE EXORCIST MEETS SUPERNATURAL.

I'm really excited about this dark story, and can't wait for you all to meet Chester and Darwin.

I'll share more details as soon as I can. For now, here's the story synopsis:

SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE. THE MONSTER IS ALREADY INSIDE HER HEAD.

Chester is no stranger to hearing voices, but after her mother disappears without a trace, the demonic voice trying to consume her is getting stronger every day.

The threat of possession might be her biggest problem, but it's not her only one. Chester's confidence in the stepmother who is trying to keep her safe is now unstable. The safe and comfortable connection with her very supportive stepbrother is slowly becoming a tangled mess that threatens their strong bond.

When Chester stumbles on her mother's precious journal, she hopes to find some answers about what's happening to her. But what she really wants to uncover is how to find her missing mother. And the answer to that mystery might come from the most unexpected source. Herself.

Have a great day! ☺️

It's Release Day!

That's right!

Today's the day! ☺️🎉

My myth & monsters horror novel about a dysfunctional family with a lot of dark secrets, of mythological proportions, is now available:

 

Snakes and stones may break her spirit, but the truth can never hurt her.

Peg's twin sister vanished months ago and her mother has checked out. She's a mess and barely leaves her room. But Peg never gave up hope and expects Chrysa to return at any moment.

One night, after months of living a lonely life with only her cards and best friend to keep her company, Peg discovers a hidden room in their barn. An impossible place that shouldn't exist but leads her to an unfathomable discovery.

This revelation sets off a chain of events that will force Peg to confront the reality of who her mother really is, and what Peg will have to do to survive the ancient family legacy. But she can't do it alone. Not again...

If you're interested, you can purchase an eBook or print copy from these stores:

AMAZON | B&N

ANUCI PRESS WEBSITE

You can also...

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

I'd like to thank Tony Anuci for giving my book a wonderful home, Adrian Medina for the fantastic cover, and Katarina Yerger for editing.

SO EXCITING!

😁

Cover Reveal & Pre-order!

That's right!

The cover for my upcoming gothic horror novella was revealed today by DarkLit Press.

Check it out:

Isn't it beautiful?

It was made by SaberCore Art Studio, who is an amazing artist.

Also, this cover fits the story perfectly. I absolutely LOVE it.

So, what's the story about?

Here's the synopsis:

When Thera inherits a house on the cliff from her estranged aunt, her husband suggests they spend a week on the coast to sort through her family's belongings. But Hector has ulterior motives and hopes she'll fall in love with this gothic location.

Instead, these newlyweds find themselves trapped inside a house concealing an ancient family secret that might tear them apart before they get the chance to start their lives together.

Thera is slowly changing into someone—or something—else, but is willing to do whatever it takes to stop the curse.

Drawing upon the atmospheric backdrop of a cliffside house, Sfetsos intricately weaves a tale where the line between passion and peril is razor-thin. The story captivates with its raw portrayal of transformation and the lengths one goes to save love amidst looming darkness.

And here are some amazing blurbs from three fantastic authors:

"These characters will dig their talons through muscle and bone to nest in your battered heart, tormenting you long after the story is done." —Angela Sylvaine, author of Frost Bite

"For fans of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and THE CRANE HUSBAND, Sfetsos's book of sacrifice and torment will sure to haunt your mind." —Ai Jiang, Nebula finalist and author of LINGHUN and I AM AI

"Inherited trauma, dark family secrets, and terrifying psychological themes blend beautifully together to leave you with an ending that satisfies and terrifies. —Wendy Dalrymple, author of WHITE IBIS and ROSER PARK

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER WINGS OF SORROW RIGHT NOW!!

And don't forget that you can read the prequel short story right now HERE.

This is such exciting news! 😃🎉

This Novella is Done!

Hey, how are you today? What's new with you?

This week, I've been busy working on the final read-thru of my current revision project. That's when I sit down with my Paperwhite and read the story from start to finish. It's also when any weird sentences or  repetition really stands out. I get very focused on the nitty-gritty details and usually end up mentally exhausted by the end of the day. But it's SO worth it.

I ended up cutting quite a bit, then adding some back. There were a few things that needed to be tightened and had to match the previous story. But it's finished now! I wanted to get this draft done by the end of September and I did it. Yay. 😃

The final word count is: 30,037.

I'm immensely proud of how this little dark tale turned out because when the idea initially came to me, during one of my afternoon walks, I pushed it away. Didn't want to waste time writing it. To be honest, I didn't think it was going to work. Yet, the characters wouldn't shut up and pieces of dialogue kept appearing out of nowhere. That's not even considering how vivid the imagery was... 

Anyway, I'm glad I gave in. And now it's finished before the long weekend.

I'm looking forward to spending three days with my husband. It's also daylight savings time. I can't wait for the longer days. It's really starting to feel like spring around here. When it doesn't feel like summer. Yeah, we had a few really hot days last week.

Well, that's it for now. I think it's time to enjoy the fact that another writing project is wrapped up. Instead of sitting on my hard drive for years. 😅

Have a nice day!