Tag Archives: weldon burge

Book Review: Toxic Candy by Weldon Burge

May 12, 2024 philgiunta@ptd.net

Mix together a heaping cup of crime drama, a pinch of paranormal, a motley assortment of monsters, and a dash of creepy comedy and you get Toxic Candy, a thoroughly enjoyable and diverse collection of quick, fun stories from veteran suspense writer Weldon Burge. A few of my favorites include:

“The Old Man on the Porch” – An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.

“Melvin and the Haunted Mansion” – Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?

“To See the Elephant” – During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.

“Vindictive” – A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.

Blog, New Releases

Harvester of Sorrow by Weldon Burge

November 12, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

Harvester of Sorrow (An Ezekiel Marrs Thriller: #1)
Weldon Burge

Paperback and Digital Release $15.95/$4.99
(ISBN: 978-0-578-95444-8)
November 16, 2021

A whirlwind of tragic, terrifying events …

A vodoun priest is brutally slain in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

On American soil, a man stands atop his car—naked from the waist down—and suddenly succumbs to a mysterious death.

Within the silence of a state park, an abducted child is found dead, yet another in a series of similar slayings.

In the small city of New Warfield, ODs have skyrocketed from the use of cocaine laced with an undetermined substance.

Detective Ezekiel Marrs may just have the wealth of strength and skills needed to fight these dark forces, to uncover the facts behind these hideous cases and how they relate to one another. With his team, Ezekiel takes on the immense task of putting the pieces together, making the connections that will hopefully solve this puzzle and stop the seemingly endless death and destruction.

But when Ezekiel and his fellow police officers find themselves facing two of the most vicious adversaries they’ve ever encountered, more lives hang in the balance as they battle to survive a deadly, inevitable confrontation with unimaginable evil.

For publicity information, please contact John Raab at editor@suspensemagazine.com

“Burge’s debut thriller kicks down the door and comes at you with both barrels blasting.” — Ronald Malfi, award-winning author of Come With Me and December Park

“Harvester of Sorrow is an impressive debut novel from Weldon Burge, and an exciting first installment in what will undoubtedly be a successful series featuring Detective Ezekiel Marrs. Assured, gritty, expertly paced, and sleek as a bullet, Burge’s eerie and intense tale of grizzled detectives frantically searching for a ritual killer who may be far more than he seems is not to be missed. I could not put it down!” — Greg F. Gifune, best-selling author of The Bleeding Season and Midnight Solitaire

“Rich in description and tension, with a colorful cast of characters, Harvester of Sorrow starts with a bang and never lets up. Weldon Burge has done a masterful job of creating an exciting, entertaining tale. Highly recommended.” — Joseph Badal, Award winning author of The Carnevale Conspiracy

“Welcome, Ezekiel Marrs, to the hall of great detective heroes. In HARVESTER OF SORROW, we get a front-row seat as Marrs confronts a sadistic, unforgettable killer with a rare and terrifying background: the bloody, dark arts of voodoo. It’s a no-holds-barred run to the explosive climax where it’s not a sure thing that Marrs will even survive. Grab a drink and find a comfortable chair to enjoy this new thriller from Weldon Burge … but leave the light on until you finish.” — Matthew Iden, best-selling author of the Marty Singer detective series

“This story drew me in and built speed with plenty of twists and turns. A great ride!” — J. Gregory Smith, author of Final Price, Quick Fix, and Short Cut

“Harvester of Sorrow is one hell of a ride. Great pacing, well-drawn characters that positively jump off the pages! Move over, Stephen King!” — Carson Buckingham, author of Gothic Revival, Noble Rot, and Home

“Burge has successfully brokered an unlikely—and happy—marriage between police procedural and supernaturally tinged thriller that will keep you turning pages ‘til the end.” — Dana King, two-time Shamus Award nominee and author of the Penns River procedurals

WELDON BURGE

Author of the Ezekiel Marrs thriller, HARVESTER OF SORROW

Weldon Burge, a native of Delaware, is the debut author of the thriller Harvester of Sorrow, the first in the Ezekiel Marrs series published by Suspense Publishing. He is also a publisher and full-time editor. Weldon’s short fiction has appeared in many publications, including various magazines and anthologies (such as Crimeucopia, The Best of the Horror Society 2013, Pellucid Lunacy: An Anthology of Psychological Horror, Ghosts and Demons, Beach Pulp, and Scary Stuff, just to name a few). His stories have been adapted for podcast presentation by Drabblecast. Weldon is also a frequent writer for Suspense Magazine, often writing author interviews.

On November 16, 2021, Suspense Publishing will release Weldon’s debut thriller, Harvester of Sorrow, the first in the Ezekiel Marrs series. He is also currently writing a paranormal suspense novel that may also be the start of another series (but he hasn’t determined that yet). He intends to stay on the novel-writing rollercoaster for the future.

In 2012, Weldon and his wife, Cindy, founded Smart Rhino Publications, an indie publishing company focusing primarily on horror and suspense/thriller books, many of them anthologies. To date, the company has published 15 books, including Zippered Flesh: Tales of Body Enhancements Gone Bad, Insidious Assassins, Asinine Assassins, A Plague of Shadows, The Box Jumper, Broken: Stories of Damaged Psyches, and Green Tsunami.

Contact Information

Weldon Burge – contact@weldonburge.com

Website: http://www.weldonburge.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Weldon-Burge/e/B001KIVSDY

Bookbub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/weldon-burge

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/321854.Weldon_Burge

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weldon.burge

Twitter: https://twitter.com/weldonburge

Blog, Book Launch, Book Reviews

Book Review: Harvester of Sorrow by Weldon Burge

October 29, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

In his hometown of New Warfield, Detective Ezekiel Marrs faces a spate of illegal drug overdoses, ritual murders, and a malignant version of voudon religion resulting in a deadly contest of wit and willpower. Until Marrs can determine how all of these are connected, no one in the city is safe—man, woman, or child.

No stranger to the suspense genre, Weldon Burge is a seasoned short story writer and editor whose prowess is evident in this deftly crafted debut novel.

Blog, Conventions, Writing and Publishing

Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Recap

September 16, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net 2 Comments

A busy week resulted in a delayed after-action report of my first experience with Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity (C3). While this annual writers conference in Columbia, MD is geared toward crime fiction, mystery, paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction, all genres are welcome. This year’s keynote speakers were Hank Phillippi Ryan, NYT bestselling author and 37-time Emmy-award winning journalist and Sherrilyn Kenyon, NYT bestselling author of over 80 novels. Sherrilyn’s inspiring, poignant speech damn near brought many of us to tears.

Vaughn Jackson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Phil Giunta — With Vaughn Jackson and Sherrilyn Kenyon at Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con (C3).

Special guests included Kathleen Barber, whose novel Are You Sleeping was the basis for Apple TV’s Truth Be Told, and James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor, which was made into the classic 1975 Robert Redford film, Three Days of the Condor. I suspect the other three days were victims of Hollywood budget cuts, but I digress.

Phil Giunta with James Grady — With James Grady at Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Con (C3).

The conference delivered a fun and edifying variety of discussion panels and presentations on various aspects of writing and publishing, ranging from creating captivating characters and writing believable fight scenes to the value of deep listening and the elements of world building. I participated in the latter panel as well as another on writing in the paranormal and speculative fiction genres.

Friday night’s Noir at the Bar treated us to eight talented storytellers who read samples of their work from a breadth of genres including crime fiction, fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal.

It was a joy to meet and chat with several amazing writers throughout the weekend including Lanny Larcinese, Ef Deal, Glenn Parris, Vaughn Jackson, F.J. Talley, Frank Hopkins, Sharon Buchbinder, and former MMA fighter, J.R. White. A special shout-out to Weldon Burge on the debut of his first novel, Harvester of Sorrow. Weldon is also the owner of Smart Rhino Publications and had published my ghost story, “Bottom of the Hour,” in his anthology A Plague of Shadows in 2018. He and I have stories in about four different anthologies, each from different presses.

Speaking of anthologies, C3 produces a limited edition anthology available only to attendees of the conference each year. Although the book is not available to the public, it was no less exciting to see my Sherlock Holmes and Johnny Watson tale, “The Five-Day Killer,” in print for the first time since I wrote it six years ago. Perhaps it’ll become a valuable collector’s item if I ever hit the big time.

I carpooled to the con with fellow speculative fiction writer, Chris Ochs, who also happens to be the president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. After the con ended on Sunday, Chris and I drove to the Common Kitchen in Clarksville where we met several local friends for lunch before heading home.

My deepest gratitude and admiration to redoubtable C3 organizers Austin Camacho, Denise Camacho, Cynthia Lauth, Susan Henry McBride, and Jodi Schwartz for their Herculean efforts to make the conference a success!

C3 Conference Team — The C3 Team! (L to R): Jodi Schwartz, Cynthia Lauth, Austin Camacho, Susan Henry McBride, Denise Camacho

Blog, Gratitude, Writing and Publishing

Call Me the Tin Man…

March 24, 2019 philgiunta@ptd.net

Anniversaries have been on my mind over the past few years. Last September, my wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary while November marked my 25th year as an IT support tech—a career that I hope to change as soon as humanly possible before it destroys my health.

Traditionally, each anniversary is symbolized by a specific, unique material. Appropriately, these materials increase in strength, resilience, or value with each passing year. For example, first anniversaries are associated with paper, fifth with wood, 25th with silver, 50th with gold, and so on.

Tenth anniversaries are marked by aluminum or tin. That being the case, you can call me the Tin Man in 2019, although I’d like to think that I have a heart.

As I reach my first decade as a published author, I am immensely grateful to the critique partners, mentors, editors, publishers, and fellow writers who helped me along the way. While writing is a solitary endeavor, publishing is a team effort.

Deepest thanks to Steven H. Wilson, Howard Weinstein, Aaron Rosenberg, Robert Greenberger, Paul Kupperberg, Nancy Sakaduski, Weldon Burge, Joanne M. Reinbold, Susanna Reilly, Stuart S. Roth, and all of my fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group.

Below is an image of every book I have written or contributed to over the past ten years. I never dreamed my writing would take me this far. With three novels and nearly two dozen short stories out in the wild, I hope to continue crafting powerful fiction that changes lives and inspires readers as well as young writers.

Blog, Book Launch, New Releases

Recap: A Plague of Shadows Book Launch

October 7, 2018 philgiunta@ptd.net

A marvelous time was had by all yesterday evening at the book launch party for A Plague of Shadows, the latest paranormal fiction anthology by Smart Rhino Publications. The launch was graciously hosted by the Newark Arts Alliance in Newark, DE.

A special thank you to editors Joanne M. Reinbold (Director of the Written Remains Writers Guild) and Weldon Burge (owner of Smart Rhino Publications) and to emcee and fellow contributor Maria Masington who kept the evening on track. Approximately half of the contributing authors were on hand and some read excerpts not only from their own stories, but from stories of contributors who could not attend.

I had a wonderful time reading my story, “Bottom of the Hour” and signing several copies of the book in addition to asking my fellow writers to do the same for my own copy and for some of my friends who donated to the Kickstarter that helped fund the publication. I now have a few books to hand deliver.

There were door prizes and yes, there was cake! Check out pictures from the event below. There were a few writers that I missed including Jacob Jones-Goldstein, Shannon Connor Winward, and Gail Husch (who also arranged all of the food and beverages for the launch).

Plague of Shadows Cake — And there was cake!

Plague of Shadows Box of Books — My box of books!

Phil Giunta at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Some guy named Phil reading his story.

Weldon Burge at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Weldon Burge, editor and owner of Smart Rhino Publications.

J Gregory Smith at A Plague of Shadows book launch — Fellow contributor, J. Gregory Smith

Patrick Derrickson at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Fellow contributor Patrick Derrickson reads Billie Sue Mosiman’s story. He returned in the next session to read his own.

Maria Masington at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Maria Masington, our master of ceremonies, adorable punster, and fellow contributor to A Plague of Shadows.

Joanne Reinhold cuts the cake at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Joanne M. Reinbold prepares to cuts the cake at A Plague of Shadows book launch.

JM Reinbold at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Joanne M. Reinbold, editor and director of the Written Remains Writers Guild.

Jane Miller at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Jane Miller reads her poem from the anthology.

J Patrick Conlon at A Plague of Shadows Book Launch — Fellow contributor, J. Patrick Conlon.