If you would like to submit a review then kindly
enter it here and it will be posted on this page pending approval
from Barbara:
To read Night To Dawn reviews, click here!
Take the time to read this recap and review of Blood Moons and
Nightscapes...it gives great insights into the writing and the
stories!
Rating: 3 Cups
Bad Moon Rising
Private Martin is RA or Regular Army, better known as a lifer to
all company men. He makes Sergeant, and sees much of the world and
definitely too much death.
The men in his company are survivors. They live with fear as a
constant companion, but do their duty just the same.
Sergeant Martin is a veteran of the Korean and Viet Nam wars. He
has seen death up close and personal. Along the way he has lost
many, some friends, some not. To the enemy, they were all the same.
It does not matter if you have a wife and kids waiting for you – war
does not discriminate. The only real heroes are those that are able
to fight despite the fear that threatens to consume them daily. Some
men talk big, but when it comes time to fight, they duck and hide.
This is an amazing look into the life of a soldier. The
descriptive story telling of Tom Johnson allows the reader an
insight into one man’s journey. His fears, his laughter, and his
pain are wondrously laid out, and give you a glimpse as to what a
hero really is.
Chopper Down
Airman 1st Class Jim Stewart is going down. The chopper carrying
him and several others has just been hit.
The little gray man watches the scene with sad and soulful eyes.
His duty is about to begin. He is the soul stealer.
The pilot is shot, and the copilot as well as the rest of the
crew, have been ejected from the chopper. The only survivor is Jim.
Now he must make it to a rescue point before the men who shot them
down find him. Surviving in the jungles of Vietnam is no easy feat.
The snakes are as deadly as the Viet Cong. One bite, and Jim will be
dead in minutes. However the little gray man is there to ease his
suffering.
This one will definitely make your heart race. The action is
constant, and if you dislike snakes, this will only encourage that
feeling. The range of emotion in such a short story is remarkable.
Little Ricky’s Monster
As a young country boy Little Ricky is just as impressionable as
his friends. They struggle to hide any fear that may cause them to
look weak in the eyes of their friends.
Paula is a freak of nature. She is known as “The Monster” because
of her large stature and the hair covering her body.
Monsters are in stories not in real life, but Ricky swears he saw
one in the barn. Screwing up his courage, he goes to investigate.
What he sees frightens him, but the soft words spoken by the monster
calm his nerves. She is hurt, and he needs to help her. But she is
not the only surprise for young Ricky. The little gray creature
helping Paula has another one for him.
One can find a friend in the most unlikely places. Little Ricky
stumbles upon one such person. This story is sadly sweet, and shows
the kindness of a young boy without the prejudice of society.
Rebirth
Life has been very difficult for young Heather Raytzis. Her
mother’s death left her an orphan, and the neighborhood boys are
relentless in their harassment.
The worst bully is Mark Welsh. He got rid of Heather’s mother,
and now he has his sights set on Heather.
Heather misses her mother more than she can bear. Her mother was
her only friend, and although her foster parents are loving and
kind, they cannot make up for the loss. The horrible way her mother
died will be with her forever. Mark and his buddies decide to prove
once and for all that Ms. Raytzis is a vampire in a very deadly way.
Now Heather is left alone with only her memories, or is she?
This tale is dark and mysterious. It is the perfect combination
of suspense and horror with a touch of the paranormal.
I Saw the Light
Jerry Stone is the lead singer of the rock band, the Heavy
Stones. They are working their tails off to get recognized. This
means working in some venues that leave a lot to be desired.
The little gray lady has her eyes set on Jerry. She watches from
a dark corner, and only he notices her. It is almost time to meet
him.
Jerry is nervous, as he has seen the same old lady at several of
his shows. No one else has noticed her, and the uneasy feeling will
not go away. But they have a show to put on, and he sets his
feelings aside. The club they are playing in is a serious fire
hazard, and it only takes one bar brawl for things to get out of
hand. However it is the little old lady who is there to ease the
pain.
Spooky is what comes to mind with this story. Jerry’s concerns
with the building they are playing in, and the little old lady who
shows up for his last song will give you chills. You can almost hear
the eerie music playing in the background.
War
Sergeant Martin is with the 119th Infantry Regiment in Bardenburg,
Germany, leading a group of young soldiers against Hitler’s forces.
They are little more than boys, and it is his job to keep them
alive.
The unknown soldier is keeping watch over the young man. It will
soon be his time.
Sergeant Martin is concerned when one of his young soldiers
starts seeing people who are not there. But with weapons fire going
nonstop, he has little time to determine the problem. Many soldiers
crack under the pressure, and he fears that the young man is doing
just that. The nameless soldier will help many cross over in this
war, and easing their pain is what he does best.
It is a comforting thought to believe that there is help in the
end. The soul stealer is a relief for these men, and you can feel
their initial reluctance turn to peace.
A Lesson on Suffering
As a certified nursing assistant, Viola Gaunt has a promising
career. She is good at her job until one incident with a patient
leaves her with chronic back pain, and an anger that warps her
senses.
Dr. Chuck Walters is Viola’s surgeon when her back is badly
damaged. However it is her mind that concerns him most.
Viola takes her rage out on her patients. The frail and the
elderly never stand a chance against her evil. She systematically
drains their lives and their bank accounts. Dr. Walters is
ultimately her judge and jury. He is much more than just a doctor,
and he can take Viola to a place deserving of her kind.
This story will send chills up your spine. The main character is
evil incarnate, even more so because she is as human as she is
inhumane.
The Bag Lady
Police officer Francis “Frankie” Martin is in her element. She
patrols the streets of Chicago with her fellow officers, and is as
tough as the next guy. A fact she is quite proud of.
The little old bag lady watches as Frankie goes in after a fellow
officer. He has already met his maker, but her work is not yet done.
The creep that kills Johnny Morales gets away that night, but
Frankie receives a second chance. She is quick to determine his M.O.,
and takes up a position to stop him. He is not going to get away if
she has anything to say about it. The bag lady once again makes an
appearance, but only the deserving get a pain-free ride out of life.
The soul stealer is more of an angel on earth. Her arrival may
herald certain death, but it comes with peace and understanding.
Each of these stories is told in a unique manner and always gives
the reader a new perspective in the face of a tragedy.
Walter’s Matrix
Respiratory therapist Walter Mooney has a good life, a decent
job, and a loving wife. A dream changes all of that.
Frank Nunzio is the programmer of Walter’s life. He wants a life,
and if it means taking over Walter’s, so be it.
The dream leaves Walter feeling physical ill. However nothing
could prepare him for the terror to come. Upon awakening, Walter
steps into his own personal Twilight Zone. Nothing is as it seems,
and the final straw is his aged doppelganger showing up as his boss.
Walter learns that his life is nothing more than a programmer’s
pastime. Only now the programmer wants Walter’s life as his own.
The Matrix comes to life for Walter Mooney. His character is
spiraling into a vortex that ultimately leaves him really looking at
his life and his behavior for the first time. Quite a concept if you
can wrap your mind around it.
The Elevator
The man in the elevator is just like everyone else in his
building. He arrives and departs from his job at the same time every
day, and generally has no contact with anyone other than the
occasional hello or goodbye. They are all little more than robots.
The little gray person takes the same elevator as the man. They
do not speak, but the man is curious; the little man is so small and
frail, he appears to be ill.
The man taking the elevator finally hears the little gray man
speak, and strikes up a conversation. This is so rare, he really
surprises himself, but there is something compelling about the
little man. After hearing a disturbing news story on the radio, the
man is even more anxious to confront his new acquaintance. He gets
his chance.
This feels so real it is unsettling. How much of our lives do we
spend completely oblivious to our surroundings? Hopefully this is a
lesson learned that we must become actively involved in life, before
it is too late.
Roses for Elaine
Elaine struggles for every breath she takes. Her emphysema has
led to pneumonia, and it takes all of her energy just to suck in the
tiniest of breaths.
Paula Blaine is Elaine’s primary care nurse at the Silver Springs
Nursing Center. She takes great joy in watching people suffer, and
helps them along in any way she can.
Elaine teeters on the edge of life and death, but no matter how
bad it gets, she does not want to return to Silver Springs. The
threats made to her by Paula will only get worse. Going home with
her son Kevin and his wife is what she longs for. However she must
tell someone what she knows before any more people die. Even if it
means risking her own life.
The fact that there are people in the health care industry like
Paula is frightening but real. This story really hits home, by
showing how easily these patients can be mistreated.
The Naturalist
The Naturalist grew up in the sixties; hippy clothes, smoking
pot, and protesting the war were his life. It took a few years, but
he finally grew up and became an adult.
The little man stops by The Naturalist and admires his paintings.
The renditions are so real they look ready to step off the page. But
he is not here to admire artwork.
Painting wildlife is what The Naturalist does best. His work is
so lifelike that most people compare it to a photograph. He
especially enjoys painting in the mountains outside of San
Bernardino. He is just getting packed up when the little man shows
up on the lonely road. What starts out as a pleasant conversation
quickly becomes the dire realization that this may be the end.
Lives can take many twists and turns throughout the years. The
Naturalist was a hellion as a young man, and could have easily
chosen a life of sin. However he found his niche in the world and
prospered as an admired and talented artist.
The Storyteller
Big Jim Martin has lived a full life, and seen most of the world
in his fifty years. He can tell a good story, and is willing to do
so at any opportunity.
The small man enjoys listening to Big Jim’s stories. Getting to
know his clients always helps in the end.
Big Jim and his dog, Sugar, have hiked together many times. They
put a lot of miles behind them, and sometimes Jim gets lonely for
human conversation. He will talk to anyone who stops to listen, and
the little man who comes upon them on the trail is a great listener.
When the time comes for Jim to depart, the little man is more than
willing to help ease his way.
Big Jim likes to tell some pretty tall tales, but it is all in
good humor. You believe in his goodness, and his story will touch
your heart.
The Road Home
Emily Mayes is in the last stages of the nerve disease, ALS. She
has battled fiercely, but moving back to the city and into a nursing
home is out of the question.
Her son, Joe. understands his mother’s reluctance to go into a
nursing home, but he has never figured out why she refuses to live
in the city.
Serenity Springs holds so many memories for Emily, some good, but
also some that are horribly sad. The domed city would be so much
easier on her and her family, but she just cannot live there. Her
late husband comes into her thoughts with more regularity now, and
he wants her to return to the city. She must forgive herself if she
is to move on, and that forgiveness lies miles away in the frigid
cold and blinding snow surrounding Serenity Springs.
An old woman’s grief has crippled her life for decades, even more
so than her disease. However she can only move past this in her own
time. This story is achingly sad and tender.
Tom Johnson writes with a passion that is hard to ignore. His
stories are sometimes brutally honest and always emotionally
profound. I am a huge fan of his work and highly recommend it.
Barbara Custer has a flair for the unusual. She will take ordinary
people and twist them into the most bizarre and strangely compelling
storylines. The compilation of stories in this book varies greatly.
Some are fantastic, some are odd, but all are expertly written.
Lototy
Following is the review that
will be posted at
www.lighthouseliteraryreviews.com under July 2006
reviews. Â Thanks!
 Courtney
Review Coordinator for
Lighthouse Literary Reviews
FOUR AND A HALF BEACON REVIEW FOR TWILIGHT HEALER
by Barbara Custer
Leslie Taite has a learning dysfunction and even though
some believe with her impediment she might not have the
mentality to work as quickly as others, she is indeed a
good worker. Working as a respiratory therapist at the
Betsy Ross Hospital, the co-workers have a tendency to
be judgmental when it comes to her mother’s suicide and
one of her brothers sometimes feels the same. After one
highly upsetting incident she leaves the hospital only
to end up in an automobile accident. When she awakes,
she has a memory loss, but is thankful for Alex Wallach
who saved her. Â He not only becomes her protector, but
her friend as well as some strange things begin
happening in the hospital. As deaths begin rapidly
occurring in the hospital , she doesn’t know who to
trust when vampires begin to appear, as well as some
duplicates that bear an uncanny resemblance to her.
When someone named Hades plans to kill every vampire,
it leaves her wondering will she even be safe with Alex
as her protector after learning the real truth
surrounding him.
Twilight Healer is a mesmerizing page-turner. Leslie’s
character emits a wide range of emotions as she is
dealt a loaded deck in her life. I loved the part where
Alex was thinking about loneliness after Leslie’s
accident and he envisioned it as if it were in a
circle, comparing it to the way the bats circled a body
in Adria. The in-depth characters of Leslie and Alex
seasoned the story greatly. The way Ms. Custer pens her
characters and the plot is truly magnificent. Her
detailed descriptions allow the reader to visualize
everything in the story making it quite believable. For
a moment I almost felt those icy fingers of dread
touching my spine just like Leslie. Great dialogue,
intense writing and a turn of events that will keep one
on the edge of their seats, this is a fantastic read.
Reviewed by: Â Linda
Disilgold Soul Magazine salutes Barbara
A. Custer with the YOUnity Guild Best Debut Horror Website of the
Year Infusionary Award of Excellence 2005, YOUnity Guild Best Horror
Magazine of the Year Infusionary Award of Excellence 2005, and
YOUnity Guild Breakthrough Vampire Horror Author of the Year
Infusionary Award of Excellence 2005 . To contact Barbara A. Custer,
try the DSG Brown Pages YOUnity 5 Star Book Directory online
featured at pressreleaseblaster.ibuilder.com.
Book Information: Title: Twilight Healer
Author: Babara A. Custer Publisher: Author House Genre: Fiction
Horror ISBN: 1-4033-5446-4. (Paperback) Price: $15
Barbara, thank you for your Night to Dawn
newsletter. I received it Saturday and read most of the short
stories (?) before falling asleep. No, no nightmares. LOL As you
know, I'm very familiar with the supernatural genre. Marsden's
review of Vampire vs. The Werewolf was interesting. But I'm
surprised he didn't mention the myth about Lilith, allegedly being
the first female vampire after being expelled from the Garden of
Eden.
Publishing NTD is quite an accomplishment. Wow!
Minnie E Miller
www.millerscribs.com
Amnesia and work related hassles become the
least of Leslie's worries
when she discovers she has become a vampire. Though this has some
advantages, among them a healing gift, the need for blood and the
facts
that she is now part of a centuries old war with other vampires and
demonic deities of legend are drawbacks. To have the man she has
come to
love, to have a life, she must stop Drusilla, an otherworldy vampire
and
fight Hades.
This is certainly not the usual vampire novel. Bringing together
elements
never before mixed, Ms. Custer creates a unique setting in which
other
worlds are only a heartbeat away, or less if your heart no longer
beats.
Thanks for all your hard work. Let me know if you have any questions
Barbara
I was delighted to
receive my copies [of Night To Dawn] in today's mail. From PA to
the Badlands of New Mexico in only two days! The stories, art work
and poetry were great. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting,
just couldn't put it down. I especially enjoyed The Visitor and
Canopied In Darkness. I am already counting the days until October
and issue #8.
It's an honour to have
Rolf's first printed appearance among the pages of Night To Dawn.
Thank you, for giving the Chylde a home.
-Harrison Q.
Blackwood, http://hqb.8k.com
by Ginger Johnson, editor of
Detective Mystery Stories
Ms. Custer has a winner here. I was taken into her
world of vampires and the Undead.
Leslie Taite is a respiratory therapist who is mildly
handicapped, and is taunted by her co-workers and one of her
brothers, who blames Leslie for their mother's death. She is always
being called stupid or some other euphemism because she is "slow".
Leslie comes to blame herself for things that go
wrong in her life, especially on her job, and her mother's death.
Leslie
is employed by the Betsy Ross hospital, and tries really hard to do
the job at hand perfectly. She gets really upset when things happen
very fast and she doesn't completely understand the instructions or
doesn't get them done fast enough to suit her boss or co-workers.
This happens with one or her patients, and she leaves
the hospital in an upset state one night. She has an accident and
develops amnesia as a result of a head injury. She has selected
memories, but a lot of her recent memories are gone.
She is saved by a man that she knows slightly, who
later becomes her friend and protector, Alex Wallach.
During this time, there are some murders and attacks
on some of the hospital workers, and bats have been seen around the
hospital. They sit on window ledges outside Leslie's room. Leslie
is terrified by them and terrorized by her co-workers.
Ms. Custer brings out the best in Leslie and has her
becoming Undead/Immortal in this story. (Leslie finds out that Alex
is Undead, and he changes her into being Undead also, when she faces
actual death from being attacked by Drusilla, a vampire that hates
Leslie.) Leslie agrees to her "turning" Undead, as she faces certain
death otherwise.
Meanwhile, she falls with love with Alex and they
both face Hades and his minions so that they can survive.
Ms. Custer has a winner here. And I'm sure you will
enjoy this book. She makes vampirism and Undead believable. A must
read for the horror enthusiast.
Review By Ginger Johnson, editor of
Detective Mystery Stories
Read this review and interview by Delores
Thornton:
Click here to read (opens in a new window)
From PressReleaseBlaster.com-
“ Twilight Healer was one book I could
not put down without reading all 501 pages from beginning to end,
and missing any details. Barbara Custer may very well be one of the
hippest horror fiction writers to hit the literary scene, and just
in time for Halloween alongside your fireside. Get some hot
chocolate, a warm robe, cuddly slippers and your favorite reading
glasses, Twilight Healer has just brought back science fiction
intertwined with vampires, mythological creatures of the underworld
and reminiscent of the movie, The Twilight Zone, but fit for a
television series like the X Files.”
Leslie Taite is your ordinary worker at a hospital that administers
respiratory therapy to patients, but there is a big problem, her
boss, Daniel Crawdord, fails to issue adequate supplies causing
Leslie to accidentally kill a patient. On top of the death of a
patient, dead bodies are showing up in Pennsylvania leading people
to think Leslie is insane and dangerous. It does not help that she
has a learning impediment.
In the midst of Leslie’s struggles to overcome amnesia from a car
accident, she becomes susceptible to a parallel and dimensional
world that allows a murderous, and modern day vampire by the name of
Drusilla to transfer memories to each other. Now Drusilla wants
Leslie dead who harbors her thoughts and may lead Hades, ruler of
the underworld to find these vampires roaming the earth and sentence
them to eternal damnation. Leslie believes she is dreaming, and
refuses to believe that vampires are existent until she is kidnaped
by Drusilla and left in a cave to die without her IV. It becomes
apparent that Alex her friend, is a vampire as well, and does the
inevitable to save Leslie from death.
The plot twists and turns with suspense as Kentworthy, Drusilla’s
husband, and a 200 year old vampire is sought by Hades for seducing
his wife, Persephone. Leslie must bring Kentworthy to Hades to spare
her own life after costing a patient his life, and keep the dreaded
Drusilla away. All forces clash with horror, and graphic scenes that
make readers wish this book was a movie to watch.
What I enjoyed the most, was fact checking Barabara’s mythical
reminisces of fictional characters that were on point and made me a
believer that the author who apparently resides in Pennsylvania with
her husband is a serious contender for “Science Fiction Queen of the
Millennium!”
My only suggestion to bring this work into the mainstream market at
full force would be 1. to correct frequently underscored lines
evident throughout the book for italicized dialogue among the
characters due to a change in font by her print on demand company to
make her text fit margin guidelines for printing, and fortunately
can be fixed right away with a change in font. 2. modernize the
cover to make it more vivid, appealing, and possibly in hard cover
to compliment number of pages. Perhaps, the author’s own talented
drawing as exhibited in her Horror Magazine publication, “Night To
Dawn” instead of a manufactured cover by her printing company would
serve better. 3. Seek to promote this work to a big house publisher
for a book deal and make a mark in a genre this author is clearly a
leader in and may be on her way to branding her name in an arena
that has a lot of fans. 5 STARS!
-Review by Press Release Blaste
I finished Twilight
Healer and really enjoyed it. One of the strengths
was the fact that, though there was medical stuff in it, there was
no
jargon involved. In fact, I think a lot of people can relate to
those
medical situations. For example, I actually own a BIPAP machine
because I
have sleep apnea. I hope I won't have to wear that thing forever
though.
My grandmother had a situation with a nasty therapist during her 8
month
hosptal stay in 2003. It's funny because that same therapist has
gone on
to become a minister and is doing her co-op at our church, much to
my
grandmother's dismay!! haha. But it's neat that it would be in the
book
because it shows how there are those types of therapists out there,
even
if the behavior is unprofessional.
I liked the issues Leslie had with her brothers as I think a lot of
people will find it easy to relate.
Also, I have a colleague at the library who reminds me very much of
Leslie because of her learning problems and occasionally negative
treatment from peers.
One other thing.....I acquired some US postage the other day for
SASEs.
My neighbor was in Buffalo and picked them up, which is good because
George Dubbleyuh has made border crossing very difficult. Do you
think
one 37 cent stamp is enough for a normal sized envelope?
Later
DEREK
Love the site
- best of luck with book sales!
Sarah Richard
www.sarahvrichard.zoomshare.com
Dear Barbara,
Just got in from a long day at work to find #8 on my welcome mat.
Good
mag, and it was nice to see some others I'm working with like Nancy
Jackson in there as well.
Just to let you know that I will NOT be cashing my cheque. You see,
not
only is the first cheque I have received for a story, it is also a
very
fancy looking one. It is going in a frame for my office, hopefully
the
first of many!!
Can't wait for to see the vending machine in issue 10!
Yours, with dark gratitude,
Dan.
