Hi all,

I have joined the indie authors First Book Project, a non-profit organization that provides access to new books for children of low-income families. I have dropped the Kindle price of my collection, Servants of Darkness to $1.99 If the book makes it into the top 100 on Amazon’s Kindle sales rank I will donate $500.00 to First Book Project. For those who have not read my stuff, please give it a try and help out a good cause. It’s only $1.99 and I promise you’ll get hours of enjoyable reading. I hope you help me reach this goal.

Here’s a description of the book along with some reviews:

A chance meeting at a cathedral’s demolition site between a suffering young woman and a stranger morphs from unsettling to terrifying when you discover the stranger’s identity. He is simultaneously more and less than he appears.

An injured man lost in the wilderness is haunted by a demon that he might or might not recognize from his past.

From there you are taken on a meandering journey through a skewed world where nothing, not even a lowly can of bug spray, can ever be considered harmless or innocent. Some truly unique takes on dark fiction are offered up, including “Room Number 9,” which any Beatles fan will appreciate while perhaps never looking at John Lennon in quite the same way again.

A collection of thirteen sinister tales. From psychological horror to supernatural suspense to Lovecraftian nightmares, these stories will make you question your own beliefs about sanity and madness.

Includes Hall’s first ever published short story, 1995s “Bug Shot”

“I’m not a genre-reader. Or a genre-writer. I don’t search SPECIFICALLY for sci-fi, horror, vampires, zombies, etc. But I will read anything THAT IS EXCELLENT WRITING. A few months back I published my first indie ebook, a collection of stories, so I began to search for other story collections as examples. A friend recommended SERVANTS OF DARKNESS. Well. I began Hall’s collection of stories and could not put them down. He writes about psychological horror and supernatural suspense. Yes, there are millions of suspense/horror chillers out there. But this author is also literary, he’s the real thing.

His fiction is dark, very dark, but his writing is classy. Its literate and intelligent and poetic, and compliments the reader’s intelligence. Most thriller/ horror books are written at time-warp speed, especially ebooks, with little editing, so they insult the reader’s intelligence. Here is Mark Edward Hall who writes like a master. Stephen King, yes, but also like Stoker, Poe, and Bradbury, yeah, even Shakespeare…all those good guys we’ve forgotten. His prose is hypnotic and seductive, its also visceral, and edgy – you feel your heartbeat change. You question what sanity is. And madness.

Hall’s stories are also wonderfully executed, with foreshadowing and depth of character, so that you feel you are reading a novel or novella, not just a short story. Two cardinal rules in good writing: keep it tight, and give the reader details. He does this in spades. It is all so BELIEVABLE. In each story the dread builds, the reader is traumatized. I love dark characters (Hannibal Lecter can have my liver anytime), so I have to say of the 13 tales in this collection, “Comfort of a Stranger” is one of my favorites. But then in “Breath of Life” we are swept to pre-WWII Egypt…and back again to modern day. Now, how many writers can do that? Or even think of it? But then…”The Hero of Elm Street” simply rocked me. Do you miss the Beatles? Do you even REMEMBER them? Read “Room No. 9″ and you will never think of John Lennon the same again.

Well, enough. Suffice it to say, Hall is a new force in the writing world, and you MUST read his works. Alas, now I will have to put my next writing project aside til I read THE HOLOCAUST OPERA. A great title. A great author. Thank you, Mr. Hall, for your excellent body of work.” —Kiana Davenport, Author of House of Skin

“If you’re not familiar with the fiction of Mark Edward Hall, SERVANTS OF DARKNESS is a great opportunity to GET familiar with it. Thirteen chilling, creepy, occasionally horrifying tales, complete with outstanding, mood-setting original cover artwork, is a bargain no horror/dark fiction lover should pass up.”  —Allan Leverone, Author of Darkness Falls

“Hall has an uncanny knack for blending vivid, almost poetic prose with visceral images of jaw-dropping horror to great effect.” —Vince Liaguno, Bram Stoker award winning editor.

“Poetic and eerily seductive, Hall pushes you to the edge, until you get lost in the beautiful madness of his creations.” —Midwest Book Review

“Mark Edward Hall is a literary artist, a strong new voice in the horror genre.” —Lloyd F. Richey, Stormdragon

“Hall is an insightful author with the ability to craft a brilliant story.” —Dream Forge

Set in Davenport, Maine, Sam Cabot and his wife and son get a great deal on a house in what of course seems like a “too good to be true” situation. And of course they soon find out that it is. Hall does a good job of taking a fairly typical plot and giving it a good twist. He builds it up nicely and then pulls the rug out from under you. Reminded me a bit of some of the novels of T.M. Wright.

Recommended.

- Reviewed by James R. Beach, Dark Discoveries Magazine

http://darkdiscoveriesreviews.wordpress.com/page/2/

“Sure to cause some sleepless nights, this novella packs a powerful punch, for it encompasses the perilous areas of both insanity and the frighteningly supernatural. A great surprise ending; decidedly twisted and shocking. Might have you questioning your own sanity.” —G.L. Giles, http://www.infernaldreams.net

“The storyline of this novella streamed with the intensity of a cross between The Shining and The Amityville Horror. Amazingly, Hall managed to pen a novella that leaves the reader feeling as though they have digested an entire novel. The tight prose and wonderful detail make for a compelling read.” —Red Adept,  http://redadept.wordpress.com

“Mark Edward Hall’s novella is a first rate creep-out, wonderfully scary, with full, well-drawn characters and a strong, descriptive narrative that channels the best of Edgar Allen Poe. Horror fans will love this tale, especially the shocking conclusion, which will leave them questioning the meaning of reality and the sometimes-tenuous border between sanity and madness. Mark Edward Hall is a literary artist, a strong voice in the horror genre.” —Lloyd F. Richey, Stormdragon

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims