PICTURE-PERFECT PORTRAITS IN HORROR, SUSPENSE AND MYSTERY  

Pop off the lens cap and take a look at the world through Brent Monahan's eyes and you'll never see things the same way. Lock your door and turn on all of the lights before you settle in to read this anthology of 15 stories across all of the genres that make you listen differently to noises in the dark: mystery, suspense, horror and science fiction. There's a fear for everyone, from creatures of the supernatural to the monsters in our midst...maybe one is your neighbor, doctor or that cute teddy bear sitting in the chair across from you. Bring what scares you into focus...if you dare.                  

GUN RIGHTS GO WRONG IN THIS POWERFUL NOVEL OF CORRUPTION

FBI Special Agent Nick Nettles is brought in to investigate the mysterious murders of high-powered Washington politicos. The links to these seemingly disparate acts of violence begin to grow once he finds himself on the trail of a weapons smuggling operation that leads him across the country and the world in search of answers. Together with his new partner, Nick uncovers a plot to undermine legislation on tighter gun laws and the public perception on gun rights – a plot that goes to heights that could bring them and the country down. The Stout Stick uses fiction to tell the real, frightening facts about our nation's dangerous obsession with firearms and the individuals and corporations fueling it.

WHO – OR WHAT – IS THE TRUE MATRIARCH IN THIS VAMPIRE SAGA?

In the third book in the critically hailed The Matriarch saga, Janiss Connelly, one-time college student turned vampire and administrator of the Cedarcrest Sanctum, faces her greatest test and most powerful adversary...but it isn't who she thinks they are. The lines blur between friend, family and foe, as Janiss struggles with her own future against the past of the entire line of vampires. This is no longer battle to save the lives of everyone and everything she holds dear in this life and the next, but for her very soul. With one book to go, now is the time to prepare for the end that is drawing dangerously near for you – and for Janiss.

A NOIR MYSTERY THAT SHOWS THE DEADLY SIDE OF THE JERSEY SHORE

The Jersey Shore of the 1930s is the setting of this engrossing murder mystery that finds one-time "specialist" turned bar owner Lewis Porter investigating a series of murders and disappearances in the sleepy surroundings of the off-season shore towns. When the investigation turns personal, Porter is plunged into an ever-growing and deepening web of lies and deceit that ensnares every level of the stratified society and threatens to kill reputations - and Porter himself. As the trail leads him from the beaches to the big cities and into the depths of the mysterious Pine Barrens, Porter hopes he can find the truth before it finds – and finishes – him.

A MAGICAL MYSTERY FROM MASTER AUTHOR BRENT MONAHAN

To Frank Spiegel, "Master of Illusion," there is no magic – no real magic. That is, not until he and his troupe uncover a sarcophagus reputed to have tremendous magical power. Trading their "most prized illusion," they gain possession of the artifact that could change their lives – only to learn that it could mean their lives. What follows is a mystifying and terrifying trip through time, mind and space as Frank and his troupe explore the greatest lies in life – the ones we tell ourselves when we think we have nothing to lose – while fleeing a dangerous rich backer and the magician who commissioned the sarcophagus.

WHEN YOU RUN FROM THE PAST, BEWARE YOUR PRESENT AND FUTURE

Today, Kell is a common street hustler trying to make a buck and satisfy his pimp's demands – but more was expected of him...when he was the "Little Phoenix." The young boy – the only survivor of a deranged kidnapper, child molester and murderer. Now, Kell finds himself reliving his childhood nightmare at the hands of two mysterious kidnappers bent on breaking him before killing him. Will he die before he breaks – before he learns the truth about his torturers, about his past and, most importantly, about himself? The only way to know is to journey with Kell – and JD Phillips – into the darkness in From Ashes.

FROM HATE THERE COMES HOPE - FROM DEATH THERE COMES CHANGE

New York had seen its share of hatred of and violence against homosexuals; but the brutality of the 1990 slaying of Jimmy Zappalorti, a gay Staten Island man, was such that it could not simply be just another statistic on a chart. Heinous in the extreme, it sparked protests that ultimately led to New York passing its first hate crimes bill in 2000. This is the true story of the troubled life and tragic death of Jimmy Zappalorti: his youth, his coming out while in the Navy, his life upon returning to Staten Island and his untimely death at the hands of two men who hated him for only one reason: he was gay. It is the story of a devastated family that channeled its pain into seeking change – to ensure that there was justice for Jimmy and for the entire LGBT community.

ANOTHER 5-STAR HIT FROM KEVIN RANSON

The story of Janiss Connelly from Kevin Ranson's 5-star "re-vamping" of the vampire mythos, The Matriarch, continues in his latest equally starred novel, The Matriarch: Guardians. Janiss is settling into her new "life" as the vampiric director of Cedarcrest Sanctum and tying up the loose ends from her former life, when a new threat appears on the horizon. The lines between friend and foe blur as Janiss must face a new enemy with the help from an unlikely ally, while battling the most dangerous adversary of all: herself.

"The Matriarch: Guardians is BETTER than the original!" Kelly Smith Reviews

IS THERE A DARK PLACE WHERE DREAMS GO TO DIE?

First published in 2006, JD Phillips' Tainted is now yours in this new Words Take Flight Books re-release. Follow the rise and fall of the rock band Nefarious, from the heights of success to the depths of the dark, dead pool from which all things spring...and to which they must return. Drink your hot chocolate, tea or coffee while reading it – but nothing will warm this dark, intricately woven story that treads the line between the psychological and supernatural, between the evil that is in our minds and in the place we all fear to go. Or are they the same?

Winner of the first runner up in the 2007 Best Book of Indiana awards, Tainted is now yours.

FINDING LOST FAITH IN THE (UN)LIKELIEST OF PLACES

At some time or another in our lives we have – or have had – a crisis of faith: whether it is in “Someone,” “Something” or in ourselves. Moments – some brief, some long – when our faith is so shaken that we are driven from our belief in the same by people, events or some combination. What do we do to get it back? Love, My Neighbor is the story of one man's attempt to "turn things around," to re-discover his faith so that he can believe again – and in the process gives others a crucial lesson about true belief. Ernest Love, new neighbor on Bunhill Drive, loses friends before he can even make them with his contrary and secretive nature. As his story unfolds and his life entwines with those around him, he, his neighbors – and you – will come to understand what it means to believe in anything.

A TALE FROM WORLD WAR II ABOUT WAR'S SMALLEST VICTIMS

Children are the most innocent victims of war - and sometimes trying to spare them leads to even greater heartache. From 1939-44, Finnish parents sent their children to live with their Scandinavian neighbors to escape the Russians and Germans – but not all found safety. Sunpath is a fictional tale of the Finska Krigsbarn – the Finnish War Children – that tells of the good and evil in all mankind. Aimo Kekkenen, his sister, cousin and the other refugees of his town are given sanctuary in Nilstad, Sweden. Some find a refuge – others, like Aimo, find that the horrors that they thought were far behind them were only the beginning. A story of tragedy and triumph, Sunpath is a book that you will never forget, about an event that must never be forgotten.

THERE ARE FAR WORSE THINGS TO BE THAN DEAD...

Five stars from Dark Media: "Ranson has effortlessly merged a mystery thriller with the allure of a vampire horror story. At every twist and turn, new revelations came to light and added even greater depth to the storyline."

Glenville State College student Janiss Connelly is preparing for her upcoming role as a student teacher, not knowing that her most difficult lessons in life are yet to come – and failure means something more horrible than death. Are you ready to learn why Dark Media and Amazon reviewers alike believe in Kevin Ranson's hypnotic tale – and why vampires don't believe in ghosts?

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY JOINS THE VAMPIRIC BLOOD IVY LEAGUE

"Monahan breathes new life into the vampire theme by discarding clichés and replacing Dracula by someone more closely akin to Faust. Horror fans will like it. Clever, thrilling and, above all, entertaining." Library Journal

Somewhere in the maze of stacks at Princeton University's Firestone Library rests an ancient document – and vampire Vincent DeVilbiss will stop at nothing to possess it. Brent Monahan's acclaimed novel pits curator Simon Penn and DeVilbiss in a battle of wits – with the beautiful Frederika Vanderveen as a pawn in the middle – in which the fate of mankind goes to the winner.

THE GRIPPING SEQUEL TO THE BOOK OF COMMON DREAD

"A heaven-sent vampire novel set in Princeton University, sequel to the smartly amusing The Book of Common Dread, which featured a 500-year-old, piano-playing bloodsucker whose great love was Bach…Vampire vitamins for the intelligently bloodthirsty." Kirkus Reviews

Following up where The Book of Common Dread leaves off, Monahan literally unleashes Hell on Earth, as Simon Penn, his changeling love, Frederika Vanderveen, and a Vatican priest face off against a millennia-old minion of Satan in a race across continents – and against time – to save their souls. And the world.

IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, DO YOU SAVE YOURSELF...OR YOUR SOUL?

Nathaniel Alan and Daniel O'Shea were bad men. Smugglers. Con artists. They played the game without reading or sticking to the rules – and didn't care who was hurt in the process. But when they came to London to sell "blood emeralds"a freak train accident transported them back in time to the city's darkest hours – the Nazi Blitz – and gave them front-row seats to watch what happens to the victims of those with little regard for the rules or innocent lives.

Saved by those with little to give – loved by some for whom love was all they had – Nate and Danny's struggle to escape their trap in time turns into a frantic fight to save their lives - and find redemption for their future deeds in the past.

Words Take Flight Books is proud to offer Time Step, the latest release from author Brent Monahan.

A MYSTERY IS SOLVED - BUT CAN THE SOLUTION BE SHARED?

Only one of history's most famous detectives – Allan Pinkerton – could investigate the death of one of literature's most famous writers – Edgar Allan Poe. In this fictional imagining of the events following Poe's death, Allan Pinkerton, a real-life embodiment of the famed writer's C. Auguste Dupin, literature's first detective, embarks on a journey into the life and mind of the author and poet to uncover the secrets of Poe's life and untimely – and mysterious – death.

Words Take Flight Books is proud to offer Brent Monahan's Nevermore as the first in a series of new releases from the author of The Bell Witch, later adapted as the major motion picture An American Haunting.

FRIENDS...FAMILY...JUST DON'T CALL THEM FREAKS

There was a time when the sound of an approaching carnival signaled a rare chance to see people and things only imagined of in dreams (or nightmares).

Dr. Sarcophagus and his Carnival of Dark Desires harkens back to a less informed and jaded era when there was more unknown than known, and the strange and unexpected caused equal measures of fear, fascination and revulsion.

The good doctor invites you to meet his very special "family" – all he asks for are an open mind and a few of your coins.

And, of course, your willingness to explore your darkest desires.