It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Satan’s sleigh bells are ringing and all his minions are singing “Bring us good beer!” Wait, did I get that right? Well, I think I got part of it. Anyway, with Christmas upon us it’s time to start hunting down the best deals for the loved ones in your life. It’s also a good time to snag a lil’ something for yourself because everything is on sale! For this week’s Bloody Bytes, we’ve got cheap reads perfect for getting you fiends in the holiday spirit, a grab bag, a coupon, and a beautiful gift you can enjoy everyday this month for free! Check it out beyond the break.

First up is an author that has been in almost every Bloody Bytes feature, John Everson. He is one of my favorite horror authors and a scribe that loves Christmas as much as I do! He offers up his anthology Christmas Tales for just $0.99 to prove it.

From Amazon:

CHRISTMAS TALES offers three “ghosts of Christmas” in its three stories celebrating the magic of the season, as well as the lyrics of four original holiday songs. While primarily known as a Bram Stoker Award-winning horror author, John Everson explores his lighter side with CHRISTMAS TALES. It’s a book with heart that can be enjoyed by all ages.

There are lyrics to some holiday songs and a link where you can enjoy the recordings as well!

Pick it up for Kindle, Nook, or from Smashwords.

Here are a couple of more books perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit from author Robert Devereaux and Deadite Press. These titles, Santa Steps Out and Santa Conquers the Homophobes, are for readers of the bizarre. Who says extreme horror fiction and Christmas don’t mix?

Santa Steps Out is the first book in The Santa Claus Chronicles and is available for Kindle for $4.99 or paperback for $12.95.

Description from Amazon:

Sex, Death, and Santa Claus … His generosity is legendary. He has a devoted wife, a crack team of sky-borne reindeer, hordes of industrious elves, and the love of good little boys and girls around the globe. But what unholy desires now propel him into the lascivious clutches of a certain fairy? And who was he before the sleigh and workshop, in times forgotten? … She munches on molars, summons drowned sailors to her pleasure, and recalls, sharp as a pinprick, her life as the most savage of ash nymphs. Why then is she stuck, night after night, hovering above pillows to leave coins for gap-toothed brats? More important, how quickly can she captivate the jolly old elf to the north? … He’s huge, fluffy, lonesome, and unbearably horny. On his Easter rounds, he contrives, as often as possible, to get a grip on himself and peer into interesting bedrooms. But who in the world will throw him down and ravage him as the lovers under his gaze ravage one another?

Santa Conquers the Homophobes, the second book in The Santa Claus Chronicles, is available for Kindle for $4.99 and paperback for $12.95.

Description from Amazon:

Santa Claus is back. And flying beside him is Wendy, his freshly minted stepdaughter, who can peer into the future of selected children and offer them glimpses of the wonders ahead. But with that power come horrific visions of the turmoil and trouble the less fortunate among them are fated to suffer. Can Wendy and her stepfather prevent the suicide of Jamie Stratton in his teen years, as he grows up gay in a homophobic household and community? God the Father grants them three Thanksgiving visits to Jamie’s tormentors, in hopes of bringing about a change of heart in them and eliminating their ingrained prejudices. Beyond the challenge of rescuing one precious child lies the far more daunting task of expunging entirely this brand of bigotry from the human race, as Santa and Wendy strive to remake the world in compassion and generosity. Along the way, they enlist the aid of the Easter Bunny, a highly persuasive fellow indeed. But the Tooth Fairy and her loathsome imps are hell-bent on doing all they can to stop Santa and Wendy-nay, to heighten mortal fear and hatred of anyone whose orientation strays even the slightest from the norm.

Here is a digital deal you don’t want to miss; Damnation Books is offering 25% OFF your entire purchase this month until December 31st. You can browse through their titles on the website, but I highly recommend Lincoln Crisler’s weird west tale Wild. This story has it all, the wild west setting, gun slinging baddies, and zombies! Wild is only $4.50 for a digital copy and with an extra 25% OFF that’s a steal! Just use the promo code 191W1WM6D6CY at check-out. Pick up Wild from Damnation Books here.

One of my favorite things about the end of the year sales are grab bags! Many small and specialty presses run grab bag specials where you pay a set amount, say $100, for a handful of titles. These are usually out of print, limited edition, signed collectables. A great deal for budding collectors or someone who wants a random selection of awesome books. It’s the perfect Christmas surprise for yourself! Dark Regions Press has already announced their grab bag deal for December and you can find out all about it on their website.

To close this edition of Bloody Bytes, and the last of the year, I want to tip you off on an awesome site running a cool feature everyday this month, Bizarro Central. Everyday in December you can visit Bizarro Central to enjoy a new featured horror artist courtesy of Sam Reeney for Weird Art December. As the title of this feature suggests, the art is weird, beautiful, sick, twisted, and well, just go see for yourself!

Weird Art December