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MY REVIEW

WELCOME TO BLACK ROCK – CANCER CENTRAL

The cover lends an eerie touch to With A Blighted Touch by J Todd Kingrea, that definitely fits the evil goingons in the small town of Black Rock. Is the town cursed? Is Kit cursed? And seeing we are in a small town, we gotta have some secrets.

Kit McNeil is back in town because of the death of his mother. He will love and miss her, not so with is still living father. Kit had been abused, demoralized and beaten down by him. Even now, he reverts to the feelings he had as a child. His dad isn’t all wrong. His music career has been a bust, and it’s his own fault. Drinking and drugs do not make for a success.

We have a mix of characters, from Kit, to his best friend, to his new friend, to the Dunley’s and the children (?). Of course, we have to have the characters make some bone headed moves, but how else can we create the suspense and tension that their actions cause to happen.

“We’re going to get you. We’re going to get you.”

I could hear the creepy voice as if the character was speaking to me out loud.

When Kit describes his and Todd’s camp, it brought to mind our camp from my childhood. Hey, J Todd, do we share some childhood exploits. I love when an author hits the spot.

When Kit and Todd start discussing the events that have plagued the town of Black Rock, Todd shares his research, a hobby cataloging the horrific events that have taken place in their small town. Of their graduating class of 129, 54 are dead. Of the six kids that lived on the same block as Kit, he is the only one still living. Hmmm…

J Todd Kingrea’s descriptive writing brought the horror to life. The details brought vivid visions to mind. The children, an evil spirit, mutilated bodies, the dark cave…

Man oh man…Courtney in the cave…shivers ran up and down my spine as I stopped reading, letting J Todd Kingrea’s words create a movie clip running through my mind. And Kit, life does not pass before his eyes and I love how J Todd dealt with the moments that flowed through Kit’s mind. As I read his thoughts, a sense of calm and warmth and ease passed through my mind too. J Todd can paint a picture with his words and I loved that I was there for every brush stroke.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In Scarburn County, Tennessee there is a small mountain community called Black Rock, known for its unusual and prevalent blight that affects all vegetation . . .

When an unexpected death forces Christopher “Kit” McNeil to return to his small hometown in the Tennessee mountains after eighteen years, he must confront his past and a secret he’s kept since he was twelve.

A talented guitarist with a history of bad choices and even worse luck, Kit soon reunites with an old friend and learns about recent disappearances and mysterious deaths in the area. They begin to wonder if it’s connected to what they witnessed in the woods when they were kids and if a creepy local family is involved. Stranger still, almost half of their high school graduating class has died.

When more shredded bodies begin appearing, Kit becomes a suspect. But what he discovers is even more frightening—evil has set its sights on him and his friends and it won’t stop until it gets what it needs.

Can Kit and his friends band together in time to stop this ancient evil? Or will a new reign of terror that the Cherokee once called Uyaga be unleashed to roam the earth once more?

Genres: Fiction, Horror
Kindle Edition 254 pages
Expected publication October 24, 2023 by BHC Press

ABOUT J TODD KINGREA (edited version from is website)

My earliest recollection of writing is from around 1974-1975. I was a fan of the “Tarzan” comics published by DC and Marvel during those years. I remember sitting in my tree house in the backyard and writing a story in which I was Tarzan. After that I don’t recall writing–or wanting to write–as a way of expressing myself. My dream was to be an artist (preferably drawing comics for Marvel and DC). I created my own “Avengers”-style comic with my friends and I as the heroes (naturally!) I knew I wanted to pursue some sort of career in the art field so my attentions were directed there.

Knowing that I could write non-fiction, I wondered if I could also write fiction? Toward the end of 2015, I began to research for my first novel. I bought and read books that would help me develop my fictional world, and I started jotting down anything that came to mind that might be factored into the story. Much of 2016 was taken up with research, character creation, world-building, and plot development. It took about a year to finally get to a third draft and a place where I was confident in shopping it around.

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