Tag: anthology

Wish You Were Here!

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Last summer I was part of an excellent anthology produced by Iron Fang Press called Dark Canadiana. The focus was, naturally, Canadian-themed horror, with every aspect of the book conceived, written, edited, designed and published north of the 49th parallel. It was generally well-received and even (for a short time; sales rankings are fleeting) came within a hair’s breadth of the #1 spot on an Amazon best-seller list. I thought it was a fun and cool concept, and I was pleased to have a story included.

Fast forward to this summer, and Iron Fang has struck again with Wish You Were Here: Terrifying Tales of Travel. This time the theme is vacations gone awry, and while the contributors range from a wider-cast net this time around, the quality is no less impactful. Once again I have been graciously accepted among the cast of characters, and I feel like I’m in good company here. Check out this cover. You can’t look at that and not think “Oh man, some bad stuff is going to happen to some unsuspecting people in here.” And you’d be right!

There are 34 stories in this anthology, adventures spanning the globe. Fun fact: as you can see, the Confederation Bridge that spans New Brunswick and Price Edward Island is one of the postcards that appears on the cover. This happens to be where my story, Over Across, takes place. So, I admit it gave me a little smile to see that sitting there the first time I saw the cover.

Wish You Were Here is available in paperback and Kindle formats. Grab a copy, you won’t be sorry! For updates like this and other news about my little slice of the writing world, click the link here and subscribe to have updates delivered right to your inbox. Until next time,

Be safe, talk soon!

-JP

Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and we’re all ready for a whole new year.

One of the things I mentioned in my post a couple of days ago was the imminent release of Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections. Today’s the day, and we’re proud and excited to announce it is now out there in the world.

What’s Mirrors of Malice about? Well, here’s the back cover blurb:

Take great care when you look into the mirror, for what you find staring back may terrify you…every monster believes they’re the hero.

In Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections, a husband and wife challenge each other to reimagine the same events through the antagonist’s unrepentant gaze.

First from the side of the victim, the righteous, the innocent.
The other strikes back, rewriting the exact same events through the eyes of the monster, revealing motives so compelling they feel almost… justified.

The facts remain unchanged. The truth twists beyond recognition.

Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections delivers eight paired stories that force you to question your sympathies—and wonder which side of the mirror you truly stand on.

The backstory: Sheryl and I came up with the idea of writing short stories that mirrorred each other – here’s my story, now you write the same story from the point of view of another character. The next thing we knew, we’d each written eight stories: four of our own, and four as counter-perspectives of the other’s. Sixteen tales in all, eight connected pairs. Beyond that, the stories are unrelated. For example, none of my stories have anything to do with each other. Just four tales that I wrote and thought would be a good fit for this book.

Oh, and throughout the process, neither of us knew what the other was doing. Sheryl didn’t get to read my stories, or even know what they were about, until I presented her with the finished versions. Likewise, I knew nothing about her stories until I saw them completed. As such, we couldn’t plan out our ‘mirror’ stories ahead of time. They’re all reactionary. And that’s part of what makes it such a cool and fun project.

Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Or, if you’re close to me, I’ll have paperback copies on hand in a few weeks. Or, if you’re in the area, I have reason to believe The Write Cup Bookstore Cafe may have copies in a few weeks as well.

Thanks in advance to those who choose to pick up a copy and give it a try. Also, huge thanks for dropping in here today, whether it’s your fitrst visit or you’re a regular, welcome! Your support is always greatly appreciated. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon.

-JP

A New Release, and Free Books

Posted on by joepowersauthor

The New Year is imminent, 2025 comes to a screaming halt, and 2026 looms just around the corner. It’s been quite a year, filled with all sorts of highs and lows. I released Putting Down Roots in the summer, and also took part inthe excellent Dark Canadiana anthology. And to kick off 2026, I’m pleased to announce my newest release: Mirrors of Malice: Twisted Reflections.

Mirrors of Malice is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. First of all, I didn’t do it alone: it’s a joint effort co-authored with Sheryl Doiron-Powers, in an unusual and interesting format. Mirrors of Malice is currently available for pre-order (ebook), and launches on January 1st. I’ll add a separate post to discuss this a little more, but for now here’s a peek at the cool cover art:

We’re pretty excited about this, and to celebrate, I’ve decided to offer a New Year’s promotion. From tomorrow (Dec 31st) through January 4th, you can download a copy of each of my previous four books absolutely free. Just click on the covers here, or find them on Amazon. Now is the perfect time to complete your collection!

Since I don’t want to dump too much into one post, that’s all for now. All that’s left today is to thank you for your continued support, and remind you that these posts can be delivered directly to your inbox by simply going to my contact page and signing up there. Until next time, thanks for stopping by, stick around for more updates!

Stay safe, talk soon,

-JP

Dark Canadiana, and Other News

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks! And happy Tuesday to all of you from elsewhere! Just a few quick notes and updates today, since it’s been a few days since I last dropped in with any sort of news.

First off, in honour of Canada Day, allow me to introduce you to Dark Canadiana. Brought to you by Iron Fang Press, it’s a horror anthology (naturally), written about Canada, by Canadians. It’s loaded with great stories, by a wide array of authors spanning the nation – including yours truly.

Check out this cover art!

From the back cover:

Canada.
A land packed full of beautiful landscapes, wildlife, diverse people, and poutine.
A land overflowing with a dark history, local legends, cryptids, serial killers, and so much more.
Explore the dark side of Canada in this anthology of short stories by these truly Canadian authors:
John Adam Gosham, Steve Stred, Joe Powers, K.A. Mielke, Konn Lavery, Leonard George, Dana Gricken, Anthony Michael Murphy, Stephen Coghlan, Robert Dawson, Kristal Stittle, Jon Gauthier, Alix Kampen, Debbie Powers, Dwain Campbell, Eva Roslin, Daniel Fox, Dean Italiano, Angelique Fawns, Spencer Keene, Carson Fredriksen, C. K. DeLeskie, Justin Allec, Nadia Steven Rysing, Kevin Cull, James Seamone, and a special Foreword by MJ Preston

Also, a reminder that my new novel, Putting Down Roots, is available on Amazon and KDP. Despite no reviews and little promo, it’s holding its own in the sales rankings a month after release. Thank you to all who have picked up a copy already, it means a lot. And thanks in advance to those who plan to get a copy but haven’t yet. Looking forward to your feedback!

And speaking of Putting Down Roots: for those in the area, we’re having the official launch party in a couple of weeks. The Write Cup Bookstore Cafe is a wonderful place that offers a ton of excellent books with a focus on Atlantic Canadian authors, and they have graciously agreed to host this event. There’ll be drinks and snacks, I’ll be signing copies and telling stories, a good time will be had by all! So, on Saturday, July 12th, come on down and help celebrate with us.

That’s enough for one day, I guess. Thank you for taking the time to drop in and visit my little corner of the online world, and for your continued support. As always, if you’d like to have updates and info delivered right to your inbox, click over to my contact page and sign up there. Which reminds me, I’ll have another post in the next couple of days regarding my contacts… but I won’t get into that just now. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon!

-JP