Stanley Gray is an award-winning writer living in the Pacific Northwest. His bestselling works include Traits of Darkness, book one in the Gems of Paradise series. Beyond writing and exploring the contours of urban fantasy, Stanley loves reading, spending time with his family, and his pets. You can connect with him via Facebook, Twitter, Amazon.
From Sica Hollow to the Black Hills, South Dakota is a magical place of rolling hills and folklore. For the avid urban fantasy fan, South Dakota is definitely an interesting place to explore. Black Hills Because of the rich Native American tradition in the state, many of the urban legends associated with it trace their […]
Urban fantasy offers readers a chance to mix magic with reality. It is perhaps this blend of authenticity and fantasy that continues to draw new fans into the fold. But, what about the magical myths that provide inspiration and entertainment in the pages of real histories? It seems that they, too, help drive people to explore. […]
What makes a book great? That question has plagued many intellectuals and avid readers alike over the years, and remains largely unanswered. Greatness is subjective, yes. But, there is something arcane and elusive about being elevated through a consensus of your peers into a pantheon of writers impervious to the normal effects of time and […]
Massachusetts is a small state with a big history. Much of that history has a dark side that haunts it. Supernatural tales liberally pepper the past of this important part of our national identity. From the Bridgewater Triangle to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts possesses a cornucopia of filled with fresh delights for the urban […]
Evansville, Indiana is a medium-sized, quaint town nestled at the edge of Indiana on the Ohio River. Many could be forgiven for never having heard of this historic community. Although it once was at the heart of one of the world’s largest canal projects. However, it is home to the Willard Library. The Willard Library […]
Black magic slithers through Chicago. Insatiable monsters feast on the fear they create. And an unlikely wizard is foisted into the role of warden. Vampires and wizards conspire as they vie for power. A boy is on trial for his life. In Jim Butcher’s Proven Guilty, we see Harry Dresden at his finest as he navigates […]
According to one dictionary, magic can be defined as: the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. Wikipedia defines magic as: “Representing a category used in the study of religion and the social sciences to define various practices and ideas considered separate from both religion and science.” One of […]
One debate I’ve encountered with increasing frequency lately strikes at the very definition of urban fantasy. I find it healthy to engage in such discussions. As with most things, literature evolves over time. Genres and sub-genres also shed vestigial organs as they adapt to the dynamic world around them. If the nature of reality is […]
In Hellboy, Nazis try to open a gateway to a paranormal reality in an effort to beat the allies. However, they fail. In the end, they only succeed in creating an infant demon who is subsequently rescued by the allies. This demon is named Hellboy. He becomes the protagonist of this fun movie. A 2004 […]
Jake Sullivan, the protagonist in Hard Magic, by Larry Correia, is a tough man. He also possesses magical abilities. One of the finer qualities of this compelling tome is the fact that the magic we see is not necessarily arcane. Readers are treated to reasonable and detailed explanations of both the magic Sullivan deploys and […]
