Make Your Summer Sizzle - This Season's Vacation Reads!

K.M. Sokulski
3 days ago
7 min read

Summer's right around the corner which means its time to pick our next vacation read! Looking for your latest beach reads? Interested in some summer thrills? Look no further than our Inklings Publishing Bookstore and check out what thrilling journeys Inklings Publishing has to offer.

Fern Brady

Fern Brady is the founder and CEO of Inklings Publishing and holds several Masters degrees. She began her professional life as a foreign correspondent, and taught ELAR to 6th graders for 15 years in Alief ISD. She has published numerous short stories, two children's picture books, and a couple of poems. Her debut novel, United Vidden, which is book one in her Thyrein’s Galactic Wall Series, was given a glowing review by Dr. Who Online, the official site of the fandom. It recently won the Independent Author’s Award by Literary Global in Science Fiction and has won other awards as well. Love’s Call, which is book one of

The Dragon and His Kitten series, released in 2023. She also has a graphic novel collaboration, Mr. Landen’s Library, with the amazingly talented illustrator Rosa Maria Garza. She has returned to the leadership of the Houston Writers Guild, with whom she served as CEO for four years previously, and is a full time teacher for Cy-Fair ISD.

New Beginning: Mr. Landen's Library

Eclectically Criminal: Eclectic Writings Volume 2 Edited by Fern Brady

This second volume of the Eclecti Writings Series is an anthology of short stories from a variety of genres and authors all of which revolve around a crime. From a funny tale of a bank robbery gone awry to the poignant pain of a young girl's rape, each tale is well-crafted and sure to entertain.

Eclectically Vegas, Baby! Eclectic Writings Volume 3 Presented by Fern Brady

The third installment in the Eclectic Writings Series is a collection of short stories of varied genres all taking place in Las Vegas. The cheesy wedding chapel and the Vegas Elvis make their appearance. Other tales take you on a wild ride through surprising and even horrific landscapes. Eclectic Authors Mel Algood and Andrea Barbosa return with great stories accompanied by new voices in the series. Don't miss volume four, Eclectically Cosmic coming soon, and check out Eclectically Carnal and Eclectically Criminal already available for purchase.

Eclectically Heroic: Eclectic Writings Volume 5 Presented by Fern Brady

A superhero outlives his usefulness; a boy finds a magic sword determined to make him a hero; a horse fights for her independence; a dragon rage is defeated; discover these and many more heroic stories in this fifth installment of the Eclectic Writings Series. After exploring carnal delights, criminal pursuits, vegas getaways, and cosmic adventures, Inklings is sending you on a trip through the many definitions of heroism. Eclectic veteran authors include Dorothy Tinker, Cathy Clay, Emerson Adair, Verstandt, and Fern Brady who join a host of new members into our fold. Grab your cape and mount your noble steed as you embark on this heroic journey!

Special Needs (Book #1 of the Perceptions Series) Edited by Fern Brady

Bullying (Book #2 of the Perceptions Series) Edited by Fern Brady

In this second volume of the Perceptions Series, you will find short stories and poems from various children's books authors. Each explores the tough topic of bullying. Either from the victim's perspective or that of the bully, these selections include thought-provoking discussion questions and extension activities for parents and educators. Geared for children between grades 3 to 6, this anthology series hopes to entertain and enlighten as readers delve into a deeper understanding of the value of all people.Consider purchasing the first volume, Special Needs, as well to begin your collection!

Friendship (Book #3 of the Perceptions Series)

Edited by Fern Brady

In this third installment of the Perceptions anthology series, readers will find short stories by a variety of authors which explore the theme of Friendship. Each selection has questions and activities to enhance the reading and spark discussion of the topic. Also included are cross-selection questions, interdisciplinary activities, and other ways to extend learning. Enjoy these great tales and check out the other two installments -- Perceptions: Special Needs and Perceptions: Bullying.

Inklings Publishing in cllaboration with the Houston Writers Guild

The Houston Writers Guild is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization working to create a community of writers of all skill levels. Together we strive to improve our writing craft and help each other build successful careers through education, collaborative marketing efforts, and camaraderie.

The Guild offers a myriad of programs for both published and unpublished writers. It creates opportunities to build careers through networking, as well as, opportunities for author book sales throughout the Greater Houston area and neighboring communities. The Guild is also a place for hobbyist authors to enjoy writing in a relaxed and fun environment.

Journey Anthologies

Journey Into Art (Book #1 of the Journey Anthologies)

Embark on a journey into art as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how a piece of art can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates a work of art in some way, our authors present to you this collection spanning from gritty noir to heartfelt tales of love and loss. Soul-search at the Taj Mahal, solve the grisly murder of an eccentric abstract artist, and attend the liveliest all-ghost theatre performance there ever was.

Journey Into Time (Book #2 of the Journey Anthologies)

Embark on a journey into time as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how time can be a powerful agent for change. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates the idea of time in some way, our authors present to you this collection of stories each with a unique take on time and spanning a vast array of genres.

Journey Into Hope (Book #3 of the Journey Anthologies)

Embark on a journey into hope as ten talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how hope can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates hope in some way, our authors present to you this collection as a testament to the power of healing, courage, and transformation. These powerful tales illuminate the many paths we take toward renewal. Whether grounded in gritty realism or tinged with the surreal, each story pulses with emotional truth and the promise of change.

Meg Hafdahl

Bram Stoker Award nominated Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of three popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the three novels; The Darkest Hunger, Daughters of Darkness, and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King, The Science of Serial Killers, and the upcoming The Science of Witchcraft lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota.

Twisted Reveries

Twisted Reveries: 13 Tales of the Macabre (Book #1 of the Twisted Reveries series)

In Twisted Reveries, suspense author Meg Hafdahl introduces us to thirteen unforgettable women. They include a grieving mother, a librarian living on the edge of fantasy, and a pyromaniac motel manager. In all thirteen spine-tingling tales these women are faced with their deepest fears, as they are forced to become the hero or villain of their own story.The Rochester Post Bulletin describes, “Everything is not as it seems in the short, ‘Twilight Zone’ like tales Hafdahl writes.” Packed with twists and intrigue, Twisted Reveries will satisfy fans of horror, suspense, and captivating female protagonists. As Amanda walks home alone in the eerie town of Willoughby, she is unsettled by a malevolent stalker in close pursuit, who is somehow familiar… Louise is kidnapped off a snowy, rural road when she is distracted by A Flash of Orange. When a twist of fate allows her escape, her true horrifying test begins… A group of strangers, including fearful Kelly, are trapped in the infusion ward of a hospital, and something hungry is targeting their weaknesses. Will Kelly dig deep and find her Guts? When Hannah Goes Home she brings her fiancée to the squalid reality of her childhood. But she is determined to keep one, awful truth from surfacing… Immerse yourself in the dark, pulse-pounding landscapes of Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre.

Twisted Reveries: Tales From Willoughby (Book #2 of the Twisted Reveries series)

Suspense author, Meg Hafdahl, delivers another collection of spine-tingling stories in this second volume of the Twisted Reveries series. Inspired by the first book's Willoughby and Moira Kettlesburg stories, Meg takes us on a journey into the mid-western town of Willoughby where forgetting is a way of life. Delve into its macabre history and origins. Explore the strange and unsettling events that plague Willoughby's unsuspecting citizens in this new collection of thirteen horrifically outstanding tales.

Twisted Reveries: More Tales of the Macabre (Book #3 of the Twisted Reveries series)

In Twisted Reveries 3, Bram Stoker Award nominated horror author Meg Hafdahl continues her twisted tradition of female-driven tales with a razor sharp bite. This third collection is steeped in the gothic and antique terrors of years past. Among an intriguing cast of characters, we meet a suffragette who has a sudden brush with telepathy; a deaf widow haunted by her own, devious past; and a young girl fixated on vanquishing the monster who killed her.

Travel into bygone eras and experience thirteen chilling stories that will undoubtedly make you question the shadowed, terrifying memories of the past.

Scribble on, Inklingers!