COURTING DEMONS - IN PRINT!

Today I approved the print, proof copy of COURTING DEMONS - A COLLECTION OF DARK VERSE.

Published by my own imprint Ganglion Press at the request of those of you that don't own a Kindle, or have asked for a 'real' book, if I might be so kind, I spent a fair amount of time getting the book correctly formatted for print, and redesigning the cover before finally giving the go-ahead for distribution.

I held the proof copies in my hands for ages, and still haven't stopped stroking the cover with its beautiful demonic artwork by Loz Ranger.

And now - I'm so excited!!!! Such is the magic of CreateSpace that the book is already available to buy from:

• Amazon.co.uk - at £3.99, with free delivery (Super Saver)
• Amazon.com - at $4.99, FREE Super Saver Shipping (on orders over $25)

and will be coming soon to Amazon's other European platforms. Your comments and reviews would be very welcome but most of all I hope you enjoy these dark poems.

Listen to the Poems?

I'm considering reading and recording some of the poems for you to download, should you wish?

Thank you!

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The Hunger by A J Humpage - February Femmes Fatales

February Femmes Fatales readers have been treated to AJ Humpage's unique fiction throughout this and last year's showcase. The feedback you have given in response to her work just proves how impressive we all think she is, and how desperate we are to see her novels on the shelves of our actual as well as virtual bookshops.

But fiction isn't the end. I have had the pleasure of regularly reading AJ's poetry for several years now and it is as astonishing and disturbing as the stories that fall from her fingers.

The Hunger will draw you in, and expose the truth. I hope you're ready...

THE HUNGER

Fetid breath, she makes
Her noxious broth, like trailing threads
Raspy fingers on your flesh
A spider’s touch
Dissolute stench
Melting fast beneath the sun.

Cold expression, she spills
Her sunken eyes, like shrivelled fruit
Deathly glare to lure your gaze
A stony wince
Mouth agape
Smiling beneath a tarnished glaze.

Meaty souvenirs, she gives
Her plump grey carcass, like swollen clouds
Food for thought on your lips
A gamey hint
Unsweetened gristle
Filling bellies with her meat.

Putrid ground, she soils
Her leftovers, like a crown of bones
Her last moments, in your mind
A weary voice
Lost forever
Dissolving the memory of Buchenwald.

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Bio: A J Humpage has short stories and poetry published in anthologies like 6 Sentences, Pill Hill Press, Static Movement and many e-zines, and has completed her second novel.

She offers writing advice at http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com.

Her work can be found at http://ajhumpage.blogspot.com and you can find her on Twitter: AJHumpage

These Cold Bones by Anna Harris - February Femmes Fatales

The fiction that has been glittering in The Feardom's halls so far this month has impressed and astounded. Every tale hangs in a gilded frame on my red walls, suspended by black ribbon - the words ebbing in and out sight, of consciousness, of belief.

And now, something different is padding its soft feet across my Persian rugs to take its place on centre stage. A poem. A beautiful and disturbing poem that twists and turns.

These Cold Bones is written by our very first Femme Fatale in the 2012 showcase, Anna Harris. With these deft and chilling words Anna proves her versatility as author and poet. Please enjoy...

THESE COLD BONES

I'm cold to my coreless core
wearing skinless bones
the very ones
with which I hugged you
- the ones that stifled moans

Cosseted you,
pronounced you mine
when I was warm
and when I warmed you, too
- when we were fine

I used to radiate
some said, with love of life
a life of love
the love of you
- the perfect wife

Arsenic, a slab of marble
and cold hard clay
divides our bond
six feet apart
- by night, by day

Me down, you up
too far to touch
each alone
in solitary chill
- no fleshy warmth to clutch

Your poison seeped
in through my mouth, my skin
my blood, this casket
and now it feeds the earth
- that I’m encased within

You’re frozen to your spineless soul
a foreign chill to mine; worlds apart
But I’ll feast, take my revenge
when you take sleep
- my succour, your sucking callous heart

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Bio: The day cloning is as common as the garden variety cold, Anna Harris will abscond to a deserted tropical island with nothing but palm trees, her laptop and a vat of chocolate for company. She’ll let her team of replacement Annas stay home in Australia chasing their tails.

COURTING DEMONS - a Collection of Dark Verse

For a while now I've been collating my poetry - the darker pieces - into a collection. Finally, the Kindle book of thirty-two poems is available to download from Amazon. It's called COURTING DEMONS - a Collection of Dark Verse by Lily Childs.

COURTING DEMONS - a Collection of Dark Verse

You may recognise some of the poems from The Feardom, others have won competitions and still others were hiding in notebooks and folders. The book includes my notes on each of the poems.

The book is just 99p on Amazon.co.uk:

download Courting Demons here 

I have specified a price of $0.99 on Amazon.com but it is showing at $1.54 - still a bargain, I hope you agree!! Download, get a free sample or 'Look Inside' it on Amazon.com here.

The charming creature on the cover is a zinc etching called 'Venus', by Laurence Ranger. She's lovely.