Showing posts with label Aidan Lucid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aidan Lucid. Show all posts

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Blitz & Giveaway for A Beast Within by Aidan Lucid

A Beast Within
Aidan Lucid
Publication date: November 10th, 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror

Have you experienced true terror? For three criminals, they’re about to face it head-on!

Fresh out of prison, Jeremy vows to steer clear of a life of crime and clean up his act. But he quickly realizes that to the world, he will always be an ex-con and plunges back into his old ways. The perfect opportunity presents itself in the form of his best friend, Stephen, and his spunky girlfriend, Natalie.

After a failed bank robbery, Jeremy and his accomplices’ identities are made. So, they find refuge in the home of a typical Christian family. Their getaway should have been smooth sailing…after all it was three armed criminals against the wholesome Boyd family.

But the Boyds are hiding dark secrets of their own…

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EXCERPT:

Malcolm looked in his rear-view mirror at the car and its driver growing smaller by the second. “I feel bad about leaving him there.” He slowed to a stop, then shifted the stick into reverse.

“What are you doing? This is insane!” Helena protested as he reversed the Wagoneer.

“Yeah, but if anything happened to him, I’d never forgive myself. Besides, I can’t just drive past him.”

“Course you can. Just press the accelerator and go.”

He brought the Wagoneer to a halt a few feet from the Buick and yanked up the handbrake. “I won’t be long.”

“Malcolm. Malcolm!” Helena hissed as he got out.

The stranger stood staring at the front left wheel, not acknowledging Malcolm’s presence.

“Howdy, sir. Having car trouble?” he asked the chubby driver who appeared to be in his fifties.

“Got a flat. Can’t change it with my back.”

“I can do that if you like? Got a spare?”

“That’s mighty kind of you, fella. Uh . . . yeah, in the trunk.”

“Let me get my wrenching nut.” Malcolm opened his own trunk and took out the tool. He kneeled down and began unscrewing the nuts. “You from around here?”

“The next town a few miles ahead. You?”

“We live about three hours away. Hartford Town. Ever heard of it?”

“Never, sir. Thanks for doing this. I’m starvin’, I’m just waiting for my brother-in-law to come. Lazy bastard probably hasn’t even left the house yet.”

Malcolm chuckled. “Got one of those myself. Just don’t tell her I said that.”

“Yeah, God I’m hungry. Good thing you came along.”

As Malcolm continued to unscrew the nuts on the flat tire, he noticed the driver walk a short distance away from him. Next, he heard the cracking of bones and popping sounds, as if joints were being dislocated. Low grunts soon transformed into growls.

Malcolm turned to look at the man but stood up, his jaw hung in terror.

“What…the…fu—” he uttered while retreating slowly to the Wagoneer.

The stranger’s shoulders grew wider as his shirt tore. Black fur replaced the man’s chubby stomach.

“Holy crap!” Malcolm exclaimed.

The only reply he received was a quick snarl as the man turned around, no longer bearing a human face but a wolf’s instead. Sharp, yellowed teeth dripped with saliva.

Helena’s screams confirmed she saw it too.

“Hurry, Dad, get in,” David cried, as tears streamed down his pale face.

Malcolm threw the wrenching nut, hitting the beast on the forehead. It staggered back, shaking its head, momentarily dazed.

Malcolm dashed into the driver’s seat, his trembling hands fumbling for the keys. He jumped when the creature let loose a feral howl.

“Come on, start the damn car! David, honey, lock both doors and get down,” Helena said.

The werewolf started walking towards the driver’s door as the engine roared into life. As Malcolm pulled out onto the road, the beast ran after them, leaping into the air. A thud let them know he was on their roof.

“Oh, Christ. Lose him,” Helena shouted.

Malcolm let loose a few expletives as an enormous paw smashed into his window. He swerved left and right to throw the monster off. Malcolm then slammed the brakes.

The beast rolled forward, digging his claws into the metal to keep himself on the car. Malcolm feared that they were so sharp, if the werewolf reached the windshield, it would slice or tear off the roof.

“Crap,” cursed Malcolm as he drove again, unable to loosen the monster’s grip and knock it off.

The tormentor crawled up towards the windshield. When it was on the hood, the creature went on all fours. He reached back his arm, ready to smash into the glass.

“Oh no you don’t.” Malcolm slammed on the brakes again, catapulting the beast off the Wagoneer. When it hit the ground, the werewolf tumbled and rolled around before coming to a stop, its left arm bent out of shape.

All the Boyds stared on in disbelief. Helena glanced down at her skirt; shame washed over her face as a circular patch of urine soaked her crotch.

Malcolm gave another quick glance in the mirror. David’s face was whiter than normal, his eyes wide in horror. Malcolm grabbed his own right hand to stop it shaking.

They all jumped when the beast grunted again and raised its head, his bright green eyes locked menacingly on them.


Author Bio:

Aidan Lucid began his author journey after a spiritual experience in 2002. Two years later, he sent several short stories, articles and poems to magazines and was published seven times that year. Having successfully completed courses in creative writing, writing for TV and radio, and freelance journalism, Lucid went on to have even more poems, articles and short stories appear in national and international magazines and anthologies over the years. Between 2019 and 2023, he published five books. Aidan is the author of a YA horror series titled, "The Hopps Town Series" and also a YA epic fantasy novel, - The Lost Son (Second Edition), the first in a YA fantasy quadrology - The Zargothian Saga. A few stand-alone stories have been released also. In his spare time, Aidan likes to listen to music (being a huge Elvis and Shakin' Stevens fan!), read, go for walks and see the latest cinema releases with his wife, Claire.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Sales Tour for The Lost Son by Aidan Lucid

Title: The Lost Son
Series: The Zargothian Saga #1
Author: Aidan Lucid
Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Release Date: October 20, 2022


A Magic Coin. A Hidden World. An Incredible Adventure!

When Henry Simmons unearths a coin with mysterious powers, it’s clear that his life is soon to change . . . but not how he expects. After using the charm to woo Tracey Maxwell, Henry finds himself launched to another dimension - a world in which the human race is mercilessly hunted down by creatures called Sadarkians. This hellish realm, Zargothia, could scarcely be less safe.

Transported together, Henry and Tracey meet two mysterious strangers and a garrulous cat. Pressing forward, they learn that they’ve been charged with saving the people of Zargothia, but freeing King Argoth along with his people means facing ruthless overlords and almost certain death.

Vastly outnumbered, can Henry and his fated friends surmount the odds? In such a realm of wicked magic, danger lurks at every turn . . . and nothing is what it seems.




Chapter One
November 5th, 1945

Many thousands of feet above the Bermuda Triangle, the TBF Avenger disturbed the blue sky’s silence. Captain Edward Johnson, aged forty, and his friend, Sergeant Conor MacCall, thirty-seven, crewed the dark-blue Torpedo bomber. They flew without a bombardier because they did not expect any action. This was a routine patrol for the naval air station in Fort Lauderdale, near Miami.

“It’s a good morning for flying. The one thing I haven’t missed these last two years is the miserable weather back home,” said Conor in his strong Glaswegian accent.

“I agree with you on that one,” Edward replied in his Oxford drawl, his brown eyes surveying the area around him. He had dark-blond hair and a blond moustache.

Sitting in the rear of the plane, controlling the turret gun and radio, Conor pushed back his carroty hair and turned his green eyes towards Edward.

“Do you ever think about home?” Conor asked.

“All the time,” Edward said with a slight trace of loneliness.

“What do you miss the most?” Conor pressed further.

Edward thought for a moment before answering. “I miss my parents. Every Sunday, Sandra and I would take the kids and visit my folks, staying for a few hours. Sandra loved my mother’s baking. Mum always fussed over the children.”

“I suppose you miss her baking too, sir, eh?” Conor chuckled as he asked this.

“Well, I suppose I do. But there’re better opportunities over here, so we had no choice but to move.”

“Aye, I’ll second that. I miss meeting the lads on a Saturday for a wee game of footie and then the few pints after. I’ll tell you this much, one thing I don’t miss is shooting down Germans over London.”

“True, true,” Edward agreed.

He scanned the area once more, satisfied that there was no present danger.

“I suppose we’ll head back,” Edward said. “Radio the station to all-clear the area.”

“Aye, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

Twenty minutes from base, a brilliant white light exploded out of nowhere, engulfing the sky as far as they could see. Sound burst around them, ricocheting with memories of bombing raids, flak and fire, the uncertainty of survival, deafness isolating each man in his real and recalled fear, never knowing if they would make it back. The light intensified, burning their retinas.

Shielding their eyes didn’t help much.

As suddenly as it arrived, the light disappeared.

“What in blazes just happened?” Conor said, blinking.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Edward replied.

Both Conor and Edward’s headphones suddenly burst with static as they received a transmission from base.

“Fort Lauderdale to FT-4, do you read me?”

“This is Fox Tare Four to Fort Lauderdale; we read you loud and clear. What’s the problem? Over,” Conor replied.

“You got two unidentified bogies closing in on your position. Three o’clock.”

Conor shook away the last of the retina burn and looked again. With a second glance, he saw them approaching.

“Roger that, Lauderdale. Bogies spotted. FT-4, out.” His headphones crackled as Lauderdale was cut off.

“Sir, I know this may sound strange,” he said, turning to Edward, “but they don’t seem to be planes coming towards us.”

“Of course they are. What else can they be?”

Conor shut his eyes and squinted, focusing harder. As he looked again, he became slack-jawed.

“I think they’re …” He swallowed the unreality of the thought. “They’re … black dragons. And there’s someone riding them.”

“This is no time for jokes,” Edward barked.

“I’m not joking. They’re gaining on us. Break left!”

“Don’t be daft. There’s no such—” Edward stopped as he, too, saw what Conor had seen.

“My God!” he exclaimed in awe. “Bloody hell, how’s this even possible?”

Edward snapped out of his momentary, shock-induced paralysis. “Hold on!”

The TBF Avenger swooped down. The dragon followed. Opening its large mouth, it belched fire and narrowly missed the TBF Avenger’s tail.


Aidan Lucid began writing in 2002 after having a spiritual experience. Since then, his works have appeared in national and international poetry anthologies, magazines and e-zines. Lucid first began working on The Zargothian Saga trilogy while recovering from a horrific accident in 2005.

Aidan released The Scavenger — a horror novella — in January 2021. The first book in the Hopps Town series, it received many positive reviews. He followed that up with Unlucky Charm in January 2022. Book three of the series, Dark Secrets, will be released in February 2023.

Mr Lucid is working on more sequels to The Zargpthian Saga.

In his spare time he likes to meditate/pray, listen to music and go to the movies with his wife, Claire.


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