Halloween Book Sale

October 28, 2025 / F.T. McKinstry

Greetings!

I hope you’re all well, and weathering these troubled times with grace and dignity. Yeah, okay, I think most of us are freaking out and flailing around in some way or another. Things are weird. Bad, even. That aside, it is human nature to focus on dreadful things and overlook nice ones — that 9000-year-old reptile brain survival thing that media and algorithms are very good at manipulating. Sadly these days, they have a great deal to work with, god help us.

This is my favorite time of year. Predictably, my writing is full of dark and spooky things, monsters, curses, wicked trees, otherworldly villains and the like, mostly under the banner of high fantasy. But not entirely.

Recently, I broke ranks and wrote a Gothic horror novella about a crossroads bargain, which involves a deal made between a desperate (i.e., stupid) human and an otherworld entity, in the liminal space where two paths meet. Such bargains are tricky and usually result in unpleasant consequences. This one did—a centuries-old curse by the Unseelie Fae, more specifically, a wicked elf with an army and an axe to grind.

Enter Elspet, the unfortunate progeny of this bargain, a sensitive, hyper-vigilant young woman who sees things in the floral patterns of her bedroom wallpaper—including a beautiful elven lord who is the ancient enemy of the aforementioned bastard.

Against the backdrop of an old, neurotic family, a creepy forest bordering the estate, a string of grisly, unexplained deaths and an antagonistic aunt, Elspet lands into a situation that forces her to make a devastating sacrifice that brings her to the threshold of the otherworld…and herself.

For a limited time, A Northward Gaze will be on sale for $0.99 on Amazon.
Read the story for free with Kindle Unlimited.

Be well, stay safe, and Happy Halloween! And remember, even the most ghastly, tragic tales can have a silver lining.

Summer Story Sale

June 23, 2024 / F.T. McKinstry

Hi Beautiful Campers!

I hope you’re all well, and staying cool. Whether you’re baking—I mean basking—by the lake, sheltering in the woods or just hiding out in the AC, I have some fantasy stories for you, to take you to cool, dark, interesting places. From June 23-27, these stories will be on sale on Amazon.

Wizards, Woods and Gods: Short Stories. $0.99
Twelve stories involving swords, sorcery, love, gods, assassins, shapeshifters, wizards, war…and a badass cat or two. 206 pages. “F.T. McKinstry writes in a way that involves all the senses. Highly recommended.”

The Sea Witch’s Bargain. This story is included in Wizards, Woods and Gods.
An ordinary hedge witch falls afoul of an ancient order of sorcerers. They know her secrets. They know her weaknesses. And she has something they want. To escape them, she must make a deal with a devious, vengeful monster that will most certainly get her killed, unless she uses all her wits and then some. 24 pages. “Grim, eerie, almost tangible world building.” Based on an excerpt from The Wolf Lords, Book 2 in The Fylking.

A Northward Gaze: A Novella. Free!
An old forest with a dark history. An old family with a lot of secrets. And a young woman who sees faces and creatures in the floral patterns of her bedroom wallpaper. When an unholy tryst with an elven lord and a series of grisly, unexplained deaths drive her into the labyrinth of a faerie curse put on her bloodline in a centuries-old crossroads bargain, she must sacrifice the dearest thing to her in all the world—or lose her life and serve the Unseelie Fae for all eternity. 124 pages.

These stories are all available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Epic Book Sale

February 13, 2023 / F.T. McKinstry

In my never-ending quest to uphold a reputation, I tend to look upon Valentine’s Day with all the warmth of the Winter Warlock. Try to give me a choo-choo and I will sic my monster trees on you.

The thing is, beneath my wintry fortress, I can be a bit of a softie. Despite my curmudgeonly self, I appreciate the people in my life: friends, family, social media peeps, geeks and readers alike. I am grateful.

So, I’ve decided to show my love with a book sale. Depending on what you’re into, it might not compete with chocolate and roses, but hey, that shit’s expensive (especially on Valentine’s Day). A story lasts forever. Dark stories about wizards, warlords, fiends and shadows last even longer. Heh.

February 13-15, all the books in my epic fantasy series the Chronicles of Ealiron will be on sale on Amazon. The first four of these books are normally $4.99.

Want some more chocolate? A Northward Gaze will also be free! In this gothic fantasy tale, an old forest with a dark history, a tryst with an elven lord and a series of grisly, unexplained deaths drives a woman into the labyrinth of a faerie curse put on her bloodline in a centuries-old crossroads bargain.