Black Hood Press

13/10/2025

Columbus Day Giveaway!

Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica is still trying to recover from the shark attack that upended her life five years earlier. But when a hurricane strikes her hometown on the NC coast, she has to battle rising flood waters and invading ocean predators to rescue her estranged teenage daughter. As the monsters from her past make their return.

08/10/2025

THE LONGER Avery sat on the window seat and stared outside at the trees, the more she couldn’t stop thinking about the scrapbook.

She had no interest in reading the news articles. She knew the story backward and forward. It had left more scars than the broken glass from that bar.

She pried open the pages. Then flipped back to the headlines.

“TWO KILLED, ONE INJURED BY SHARKS.”

There again were the photos of her parents. Which she’d recognized right away. The same ones they’d used on Facebook.

She skimmed through the article. It contained minimal details and a lot of speculation. So she turned the page.

“LOCAL FISHERMAN CHARGED IN SHARK FEEDING ACCIDENT.”

It had a large photo of Moss Gregory, the captain of the boat. This one she recognized.

“SHARK SURVIVOR AWARDED $1.2M IN DAMAGES.”

This part she remembered a lot better. Mom spent a lot of time in court. Which meant that Avery spent a lot of time with Mom’s best friend, Robyn.

The last headline almost made her laugh, though.

“LOCAL FISHERMAN UNABLE TO PAY IN LAWSUIT.”

Exactly.

Hardly a dime. Not that it would’ve made any difference anyway.

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Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

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04/09/2025

THE RAIN had let up just a bit when they finally left the Aquarium. The sun was going down, and it was only a matter of time before the cloudburst resumed. This time with a vengeance.

Avery had ditched her mother completely for most of the afternoon. Especially since it was far easier to avoid her there than back at her grandmother’s house. Which forced Erica to eventually just wait by the door until closing.

Avery waited patiently under the front door overhang as Erica fished in her purse for her keys. A mundane task made more challenging by managing her cane at the same time.

“Okay,” Erica announced once she’d produced them. Then led their dash across the nearly empty parking lot.

Where they ran headlong into an all-too-familiar face.

With his long, stringy, greying hair tied in a ponytail, bushy mustache, and leathered skin, there was no mistaking him.

“Mr. Gregory!” Erica gasped, almost dropping her cane. Not knowing what to make of this unexpected encounter. “You startled me.”

“Mrs. Yakamoto!” Gregory slurred. He was drunk, angry, and clutching a beer bottle. “Nice car you got here. Buy that with my money, too?”

Erica looked straight at her daughter. “Ave. Get in the car.”

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Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

29/08/2025

AVERY pressed her face up against the glass of the immense shark tank that covered the entire wall. Plus, the next one around the corner. It was one of the largest tanks in the Aquarium and held a replica of a sunken German submarine at the bottom.

She watched in awed fascination as an eight-foot sand tiger shark swam by. Studying its moving gills, its array of sharp teeth, and its tiny, predatory eyes. One of at least a half-dozen that populated the tank.

Nearby, an artsy-looking middle-aged Museum Guide named Dara spoke to a group of schoolchildren. Dara was interrupted by a blond-haired boy in the front. He frantically scanned the tank with a disappointed look on his young face.

“Where are the bull sharks?” the boy asked in frustration.

“Oh, I’m afraid we don’t have any bull sharks,” she explained. “They’re very hard to keep in captivity. In fact, there’s only one aquarium in the entire western hemisphere that has bull sharks. That’s in Oklahoma, of all places.”

Avery stopped to listen as the woman stepped closer to the tank. Directing the kids’ attention to a nearby map of the globe that highlighted the Atlantic coast.

“Bull sharks are especially unique in that they can survive in both salt water and fresh water,” she explained in a well-rehearsed fashion.

“They’ve been found in the Amazon, the Mississippi, and even some freshwater lakes. And because they’re highly aggressive, bull sharks are responsible for more attacks on humans than any other species.”

Avery just stared at the creatures in fascination. As much as she couldn’t stand her mother at times, she just couldn’t imagine how horrible it must’ve been to have one take a bite out of her leg.

Or, more especially, what they did to her father.

==========================

Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

12/08/2025

THE BULL SHARK hit Erica with such force, she was immediately disoriented. Thrown sideways as it thrashed her about. Then left her spinning upside down when it swam off just as quickly.

It was only after she saw the enormous blood cloud that she realized that part of her calf was missing.

That this was a wound that could not be contained.

She went for the boat as fast as she could. And left an even bigger cloud in her wake.

This time, Alex was ready with his spear gun. He managed to tag the bull before it could hit her a second time.

But it was about to get worse. Much worse.

==========================

Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

31/07/2025

The bull shark instinctively grazed her. Then darted away.

Erica hardly felt it. Not much more than a scratch. She almost didn’t notice the tiny cloud of blood that danced around her.

They’d covered this in their pre-dive instructions, too. The first priority was to stay calm. Sharks can easily detect fear.
The second priority was to contain the blood as quickly as possible. Which sharks can detect from a great distance.

The third priority was to stay perfectly still. Any panicked movement on her part would alert their heightened senses even more.

The last thing they wanted, which they’d explained more than once, was to start a feeding frenzy.

Best to just stay put. Then let the guides get her safely back to the boat.
But that’s not what she did.

Panic kicked in. That and the instinct for survival.

Erica went straight into flight mode and made for the boat. Leaving an even larger cloud of blood trailing behind.

Alex did his best to stop her. But it was already too late.

The attack was so swift, none of them saw it coming. She barely even felt it until it was already over.

==========================

Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

31/07/2025

Book Giveaway! We’re giving away free copies of our brand new release, STORM TIDE! What’s the catch? Just leave a brief, honest review on Amazon. That’s it!
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/e6i2sexoac

Please enjoy this free download and leave an honest review on Amazon. Much appreciated! Erica is still trying to recover from the shark attack that upended her life five years earlier. But when a hurricane strikes her home town on the NC coast, she has to battle rising flood waters and invading ocea...

23/07/2025

ERICA TAKAHASHI gripped the boat railing in panic as she peered over the side. Her breathing heavy. Her heart pounded.

Her entire body instinctively convulsed with fear.

Dark fins surrounded the entire vessel as they thrashed about in the deep ocean water. Hungry for their next meal, there had to be a couple of dozen at least. Possibly more.

The four of them were about to dive in to feed these underwater predators. By hand.

“Jiminy Christmas…” Erica mumbled under her breath.

Her husband, Nick, on the other hand, was bursting at the seams. He’d been wanting to do this for years and couldn’t wait to get in the water. Just another way that the two of them were so different.

Every year for Nick’s birthday, they did something adrenaline-boosting. White water rafting, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, sky diving, you name it. As his life partner in all things, she'd faced her fears and done them all.

Yes, she’d been nervous, even frightened before (especially the sky diving). But this was on a different level.

This was primal.

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Danger lurks in the shallows. And it’s ready to feed.

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

22/07/2025

News Channel 7 is hearing reports an unusual amount of shark activity off the coast of NC. And with the quickly approaching Hurricane Fatima, it could prove to be a deadly combination. Fans of Jaws and Shark Week could get their own personal encounter. So take precautions!

Erica always loved the ocean. Having grown up just off the coast of NC, it was always a part of her life. And something she’d never once feared. But when her husband, Nick, suggested a shark-feeding dive for his 40th birthday, instinct told her otherwise. She should have listened. Five y...

21/07/2025

Extensive power outages are expected along the NC coast in the wake of Hurricane Fatima. Customers could be without power for weeks. Both local law enforcement and the National Guard continue to urge residents to evacuate before the storm makes expected landfall tomorrow. For those who are sheltering in place, make sure that you have made all appropriate preparations.

20/07/2025

A 15-year-old runaway from NC was arrested this afternoon following an altercation at a Myrtle Beach strip club. The scuffle occurred after she was questioned about her age. The underage girl, who went to the hospital for stitches, pretended to not speak English. Not until an arresting officer recognized the name she’d provided was actually a Japanese pop star. Stay tuned to Channel 7 News for more on this story as it develops.