Summoner of Sleep Update

Summoner of Sleep is approaching its one-year anniversary in July! If you haven't picked up a copy yet, here's what it's about:

A dark family secret—A town that doesn’t exist on any map—and a drug that will unleash an apocalyptic, transformational horror on the world.
 
Ryder Ashling’s world is turning upside down. He’s lost his job, wife, home, and now he’s doubting his sanity. Behind his descent are horrific nightmares so vivid that they follow him into the waking world. When he discovers his neighbor has been documenting his nightmares with scientific precision and leaving him vials of a drug called Summoner of Sleep, things get weirder.
 
His neighbor disappears and Ryder follows his trail to Marble Woods, a town erased from all maps after a historical atrocity. Now it’s whispered to be the home of marble-skinned demons, as well as the source of the plants used to manufacture Summoner of Sleep.
 
It's here in Marble Woods that Ryder will come face to face with the darkest of family secrets and be forced to make a decision that will change the fate of the world.
 
Rich in magic and occultism, fractured characters, and a taste of m
ystery, Summoner of Sleep is a fast paced, thrill-ride bursting with psychological terror.

 BUY NOW!

 Still not convinced? Check out these reviews:

"Dear reader I urge you to take a wild ride with A.I Winters' new novel. 'Summoner of Sleep' is one hell of a horror novel, written in such a captivating style, that guarantees you will lose sleep while trying desperately to reach the fantastic finale...The author managed to create a suspenseful, well-written, bone-chilling tale that will stay with you for quite some time after reading it."
-Pan Book Reviews

"A.I. Winters is the new Stephen King. Her book is mesmerizing. I loved every page. Hold on to the edge of your seat, Summoner of Sleep, is one wild but amazing ride of a lifetime."
-Urban Book Reviews

"I would love to see this book made into a movie. It is the product of a brilliant and vivid imagination that entraps you in its horrible and disturbing world that you somehow don’t want to leave until you figure out what’s really going on...The story sucks you in like a tornado and whips you around with increasing speed and intensity, becoming more terrifying, more vivid, and more complex with each chapter...I think anyone who enjoys reading horror, fantasy, science fiction and the like would enjoy this book, whether an uninitiated teenager trying out horror for the first time, or a long-time Stephen King veteran."
-Liz Stillwaggon Swan, PhD, Contributing Writer for Psychology Today magazine

"Summoner of Sleep is a fascinating and thought-provoking dive into the all-too-familiar world of tampering with human genetics and the consequences of power and control. Winters successfully diverges from her well-loved YA fantasy series into a whole new genre that captivates and entertains. 
—Christie Stratos, Author of Anatomy of a Darkened Heart


“A genuinely scary and disturbing treat akin to a modern-day H.P. Lovecraft story on speed.”
-Simon Paul Woodward, Author of Wearing Shadows

"I read this book in three days, couldn’t put it down. This author has an amazing imagination. Can’t wait for the next book."
-Amazon Review

"Wow. This is one crazy ride...I recommend this book if you love monster stories that probe the deeper reasons that drive us to do the unthinkable. It will keep you up and keep you thinking."
-Nicole Sallak Anderson, Author of Origins

"Superior character and world building that will have you hooked from the very first page...Winter's is a true asset to the Fantasy and Horror genres alike, and merges the two with expert precision."
-Dylan Butcher, Author of Eyes of Sleeping Children

"The creepy visuals of the monsters are something that will stick with me for a long time...If you enjoy shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Lovecraft County, this is the book for you. There are cliffhangers and twists and turns in nearly every chapter. It has the dark fantasy of Pans Labyrinth, the small town feel of Roswell, and the twisted sensibility of American Horror Story. Although we've seen movies and books in this genre before, I found this story to be one of a kind."
-Shannon Dee, Writer & Director for the Award-Winning Series, Not From Around Here

"This book is spellbinding...It reminds me of a mix of Nightmare on Elm Street meets Constantine...At one point, I looked up at the clock, just past 2 am, in a flash the situation reminded me of watching a scary movie at dusk...Chills!"
-Dennis D. Montoya, Author of Over the Dragonwall
 

 

 

JD Estrada's Review of A Darling Secret

JD Estrada reviewed A DARLING SECRET today, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! What a wonderful way to start the day. 

Here are some snippets from the review:

"Just GETTING to this realm is amazing."

"A terrific read through and through."

"Winters once again delivers a highly imaginative adventure to close out the Strange Luck series."

You can read the full review here. 

Thanks so much, JD! :)

Five Books You Need to Read for Halloween

Looking for some spooky stories? You’ve come to the right place. :) I recently shared my horror movie recommendations, and this week I’m sharing my favorite scary books. Before you start reading, here's what you need:

• A nightlight
• Funny show or movie queued up on Netflix to watch after 
• A good cup of tea (preferably chamomile) to help you sleep

Here we go…

In a Glass Darkly: I don’t know how this one slipped my radar for so many years, especially since it’s considered a classic, but now that I’ve picked it up, I can’t put it down! Although a bit slow at first, this book has developed into an extraordinarily creepy tale about a metaphysical doctor’s experiences with the supernatural. Each story creates an atmosphere of mystery and dare I say anxiety. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that I’ll never look at a monkey the same way again. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time. This quote pretty much sums up what to expect:

“My memory rejects the picture with incredulity and horror. Yet I know it is true. It is the story of the process of a poison, a poison which excited the reciprocal action of spirit and nerve, and paralyses the tissue that separates those cognate functions of the senses, the external and the interior. Thus we find strange bedfellows, and the mortal and immortal prematurely makes acquaintance.”

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children: I read this book before it became a sensation (and a movie). It’s an interesting concept and I love the creepy vintage photographs that accompany the story. The one with those twins in the white outfits on the back cover takes the cake for the scariest picture. For a brief time, I started collecting creepy Victorian pics too, but they freaked me out so much I had to get rid of them. Although I didn’t really care for the ending, it’s still worth a read if you’re looking for spine-tingling fantasy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone: This was a random buy, primarily chosen for its beautiful cover. The description about a devil’s shop of human teeth was equally as intriguing. This story is incredibly imaginative and descriptive, although at times, so descriptive that I felt a bit nauseous.

M.R. James Collected Ghost Stories: Considered to be the most terrifying writer in English, his classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which objects unleash terrible forces. Muhahaha.

H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of Horror: I know what you’re thinking. She’s recommending another thing of H.P. Lovecraft. Yes and no. This books is actually a collection of works that inspired Lovecraft. There are stories by Charles Dickens, Robert Luis Stevenson, and Edgar Allen Poe to name a few. I chose to include this book because it's an excellent collection of the masters of horror.

Have a scary book you're reading at the moment? Give me a shout below. I love recommendations. :)