Strange Streets: My Best Kept Secret

Strange Streets is a foray into dark fantasy romance where the narrator discovers the object of his unrequited love is not the person he initially thought her to be. A story of 5,380 words, it forms part of my ebook, Rowan Dreaming.

Oddly enough, those who reviewed the ebook make no mention of Strange Streets, and I believe the story to be just as compelling as its companion piece.

I developed the idea when a detour took me through Carlisle, Pennsylvania and I was delighted by all the little odd shops, delis, and restaurants that peppered the main streets. In my story, James and his adopted cousin, Darcy, enjoy a hobby of visiting small, obscure shops in various small towns:

...for the last two years, when she was not assisting her parents in the daily routine of running the family farm, we would take an occasional Saturday and explore the streets of any nearby town or village. Darcy had no interest in malls or the predictable sameness of the chain stores. Instead, she reveled in shops that stood on what she called "strange streets," the tiny little shops and eateries with their quaint, special eccentricities that existed only off the main thoroughfares 

Over the months, we had wandered through Greencastle, Newville, Waynesboro, and other assorted burgs and villages throughout south-central Pennsylvania and even ventured into Maryland. My Ford, always threatening to breathe its last, took us on many an adventure and I took delight in following my enchanting will-o-the-wisp, sharing in her joy when she would find some inconsequential, yet eccentric treasure.

However, in Carlisle, they discover an extraordinary street and an otherworldly adventure that changes both their lives.

The Kindle ebook is yours for a mere 99¢ and can be read immediately on your phone, computer, or tablet with a free Kindle eReader. And Strange Streets is bundled with the novella, Rowan Dreaming, another dark fantasy romance that takes place in Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania.:

It was just a ball-jointed doll and for pawnbroker, Auden Gray, it was just another item to sell. Until Auden found his business partner dead with the doll in his arms. Investigating, Auden discovers the doll serves as a gateway to a dreamworld so seductive, men die under its spell. And Auden's time is running out as his resolve to discover the origin of the doll crumbles under the allure of Rowan, the dreamworld's sole resident.

The ebook can be yours at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, or whatever Amazon serves your country.

Thank you for allowing me to entertain you. I look forward to doing it again.

And please remember to leave a review, even if just a short note of affirmation. Reviews on Amazon are an independent author's bread and butter.

Book Covers As Greeting Cards

Marketing for any author, regardless of being self-published or going the traditional route, is a task that is unavoidable. For the introverted and the shy, marketing is seen as a necessary evil. For the extroverted, promotion can be overblown and annoying. Finding the perfect balance between too little and too much is no easy task. No author wants to be merely the world's greatest secret and yet, no author should want to be an annoying pest.

Recently, I ventured the idea of turning my book covers into greeting cards with a blank interior. And the samples are below. The programs I used in their creation were a combination of Microsoft Word, Paint.Net, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and the free Avery plug-in for Word. Detailed instructions are below:

I used the following:

1. Matte White Greeting Cards from Staples (compatible with Avery 3265) 
2. The title and author's name was placed on the print using Paint.Net, a free graphics program from  (see IMPORTANT note below)
3. I used Microsoft Word using the Avery template creator that is free from the Avery website.
4. I then saved the finished document as a .pdf file that was used to print out the cards.
5. An extra step, using Adobe Acrobat Pro, I turned the .pdf file into a .png file for posting on social media. (I chose .png format over .jpg as it has better clarity.)

Note: The program Paint.net is free but has a slightly steep learning curve. However, do NOT download the program from ANY website other than the one linked to in this message unless you really, really hate your computer or are a huge fan of malware.

Rowan Dreaming: Read It Yet?

Rowan Dreaming is a dark fantasy romance with a body count and is only a mere 99¢ as a Kindle eBook.

This novella drew me in right away and held my attention right to the end. It was delightfully creepy without any of the violence or gore so prominent in a lot of paranormal/horror fiction. It's obvious from the start that there is "something" about the doll, Rowan, that just isn't right, and the protagonist sets out to discover what that something is before he too succumbs to its curse. The ending was satisfying, although not at all what I was expecting. (Amazon review)

Part of my Doll Wars cycle, the story centers on Auden Gray, a pawnbroker who receives a ball-jointed doll and saw it only as an exotic toy to sell. Until Auden found his business partner dead with the doll in his arms. Investigating, Auden discovers the doll serves as a gateway to a dreamworld so seductive, men die under its spell. And Auden's time is running out as his resolve to discover the origin of the doll crumbles under the allure of Rowan, the dreamworld's sole resident.

This is another bit of classic horror from author Alan Loewen. Done in the tone and feel of works by Blackwood or M.R. James, the novella tells us about some unlucky people who come into contact with the strange doll, Rowan, and what happens to them. Some may be groaning at the prospect of 'Not another evil doll story!' but this is different. It plays with that classic trope and surprises you with an original yet logical end. (Amazon Review)

 As a bonus, the story comes with another dark fantasy romance, Strange Streets.

For 99¢, enjoy a story that costs far less than a ticket to the movies and can be enjoyed over and over again.

Rowan Dreaming: Amazon USA
Rowan Dreaming: Amazon United Kingdom
Rowan Dreaming: Amazon Canada
Rowan Dreaming: Amazon Australia

And if you have read it, could you kindly leave a review?

One Final Review for Rowan Dreaming

 The last review I will post, but I am grateful for all of them, regardless of how many stars are attached. As my biography states:

Loewen also makes no bones about his writing: he writes solely to entertain, his first desire to be a storyteller. If the reader discovers some great universal truth in a Loewen-crafted tale, that's icing on the cake, but as Loewen has said, "I want my readers simply to enjoy themselves in a story of my own creation. If they feel their time has not been wasted and they liked the story, I have achieved my primary goal."

Thanks to all who bought the chapbook and enjoyed the tale. Feedback inspires me to write more. Rowan Dreaming is still available for your enjoyment and at 99¢ is, in my humble opinion, a bargain.

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany
Amazon Australia

And Another Rowan Dreaming Review!

I am deeply grateful for those who take the time to leave a review regardless of how many stars are given.

Rowan Dreaming also includes the short story, Strange Streets, and according to Amazon takes 90 minutes to read in its entirety, the length of a feature length movie. Here in the United States, a first run film can cost you anywhere from $6 to $15, but for 99¢ you not only get two stories, but one you can read over and over again as many times as you want.

You can buy your own copy of Rowan Dreaming here at any of these fine sites: 

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany
Amazon Australia

Rowan Dreaming Receives Its First Review!

Rowan Dreaming Is Live (With Bonus Story)

Rowan Dreaming is now live and includes the story, Strange Streets, as a bonus. For lovers of dark urban fantasy romances, it is only available as an eBook for the Kindle reader.

It was just a ball-jointed doll and for pawnbroker, Auden Gray, it was just another item to sell. Until Auden found his business partner dead with the doll in his arms. Investigating, Auden discovers the doll serves as a gateway to a dreamworld so seductive, men die under its spell. And Auden's time is running out as his resolve to discover the origin of the doll crumbles under the allure of Rowan, the dreamworld's sole resident. Rowan Dreaming is the second installment of my expanding Doll Wars saga, but can be read on its own without reading In The Father's Image.

Strange Streets is included in the work as a bonus telling the story of James and his cousin, Darcy, as their window shopping leads them to another world.

The work is 99¢ (U.S.) and Amazon estimates it takes 90 minutes to read both stories. As here in the United States, it is not uncommon to pay $8 to $10 for a 90 minute movie, this is a bargain. You can purchase the work by following the appropriate links below:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany
Amazon Australia