Home of award-winning authors Sharon Marie
and Stephen H. Provost
Latest Releases
HEARTLESS
Who is the Heartless Killer, and what does he want? Find out in the eagerly awaited thriller from Sharon Marie Provost
Stalkers like to send messages. They like to make it personal¿ but nothing like this. The seven deadly sins re-enacted in blood? Death scenes linked to Bible verses? It's all been done. But the Heartless Murders are different. It's as though someone broke the killer's heart-and shattered his belief in love itself. Love is a lie. It's just a thin and deceitful veil to mask hate and excuse horrific behavior. Lovers transform themselves without a second thought into something more malevolent. They become cheaters. Manipulators. Liars. These couples don't have a heart to be broken, so he'll break their bodies instead-and take their body parts as trophies. Because it's all personal with him. And when it's time for his final kill, he knows exactly how he's going to pull it off.
AVAILABLE fall 2026 in paperback, hardcover, or Kindle eBook
The mystery behind the Lost Colony of Roanoke takes on a whole new meaning in this apocalyptic cosmic horror novel
The mystery surrounding the Lost Colony of Roanoke has remained unsolved for more than four centuries. It's one of America's most fascinating and enduring enigmas: What happened to a group of English settlers who arrived on the North Carolina coast in the late 16th century and established a colony on the island of Roanoke? DARE answers that question with an action-packed thriller that links the Lost Colony to a dystopian "alternative 21st century" in which the United States has been overrun by a race of superhuman cannibals known as the Devourers. Part cosmic horror, part science fiction, and part alternative history, DARE offers a unique blend of twists and horrors born in ancient traditions of the Carolina indigenous peoples. Follow two survivors of the Lost Colony through a portal in time to the present, where a professor in a fortified research facility races to find a way to stop the Devourers--and an "electric girl" from a rundown carnival battles a powerful goddess for control of humanity's future.
AVAILABLE in paperback or Kindle eBook
THE SHOW TO END ALL SHOWS!
Prepare yourselves to experience the greatest traveling road show never to appear on American soil... in this dimension. And rest assured, another dimension does exist, which you, the valued reader, can visit in the pages of this interwoven collection of short stories. There you will discover a world of wonders, oddities, magic, and horror—a world populated by the memories of Babe Ruth, H.H. Holmes, Nikola Tesla, and many others.
Every exhibit, every ride at this carnival is one-hundred percent real: No shams, no scams, no hoaxes. The magic acts are all real, the fortune-teller is always accurate—in fact everything's so real, you won't believe your eyes.
Do you dare visit the Darke House or the Carnival of Insanity? You'll encounter the spirits of the dead, crazed clowns, diving horses, and the criminally insane. Step right up and get your tickets! More than hot popcorn and second-rate clowns await you on the inside. But are you brave enough to experience The Show to End All Shows?
AVAILABLE in paperback or hardcover
Step back in time to revisit an era when the greatest shows on earth reigned supreme. Roll up to a Ten-in-One gallery of exhibits from days gone by. You'll hear stories from the pens of P.T. Barnum and Harry Houdini. You'll read news clips from the turn of the 20th century containing eyewitness accounts of the carnivals and circuses that entertained America before the age of television.
From Barnum to Forepaugh to Buffalo Bill, meet the pioneers who made the circus great. There'll be clowns, oddities, geeks, and daredevils to inspire you. Come see the first woman to be shot out of a cannon. Read the story of Annie Oakley. Step on up to witness the marvels of Doc Carver's diving horses, General Tom Thumb, Jumbo the Elephant, and lion tamer extraordinaire Clyde Beatty.
It's the era of snake oil salesmen, grifters, and gaffed games on the midway. It's the age of Barnum's American Museum, Luna Park at Coney Island, and the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Feast your eyes on more than 250 colorful posters and vintage photographs that bring those days to life.
AVAILABLE in paperback or hardcover
Featured Title
Dark Arts: Love Me Tinder
Stellan Erikkson is about to become the biggest thing to hit the New York art scene since Warhol. His dark and sinister creations have landed him a showing at one of the city’s premier galleries, and the art world is abuzz with the prospect of viewing his twisted yet stunning pieces up close. But Stellan craves more. The pieces he plans to display in New York are but a trifle compared to those that reflect his true passion for the Dark Arts: works that require great sacrifice… Human sacrifice.
Stellan only dares display these gruesome portrayals on the dark web: visual symphonies of human flesh, blood, bone, and sinew arranged by his own brilliant mind into masterpieces of unsurpassed gore and beauty. Just how far is he willing to go? And how far will his adversaries go to stop him?
Dark Arts, the debut novel from Sharon Marie Provost, is a thrilling and terrifying game of cat-and-mouse pitting a brilliant and sociopathic serial killer against a cop with a personal score to settle. From the author of the terrifying short-story collection Shadow's Gate and the co-author of Christmas Nightmare's Eve, All Hallows' Nightmare's Eve, and the two-volume Shades of Love.
AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK, EBOOK, and KEEPSAKE HARDBOUND EDITIONS
Recent Releases
Azrael’s Assassin
I ain't seen nothin' like it. Not in my years on the force. Not in my time as a gumshoe. People been disappearin'. And all of 'em have one thing in common. They all spend Sunday mornin's at the Compassionate Truth Temple. Not just that, but here's the kicker: These missing parishioners didn't just vanish. It's like they never existed to begin with. They've been erased from the church's records, and I can't even find a birth certificate. But Claire remembers them. She's the dame from the church that hired me to find 'em. Her father, who runs the place, won't admit to nothin'. He's got problems of his own that got him mixed up with the mob. All of it has something' to do with a serial killer who killed a bunch of people decades ago. None of it makes any sense, and my shrink thinks I'm caught up in some delusion. Maybe he's right. All I know is I need to solve this case before I really do go crazy.
Asrael's Assassin: Testament in Blood is the first collaboration between Stephen H. Provost, the author of more than 50 books, and Sharon Marie Provost, author of the acclaimed horror thriller Dark Arts: Love Me Tinder. AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and KINDLE E-Book editions
Meteor Ridge
Who Wants to Live Forever?
Somewhere in the remote northern Rockies lies a community of men and women who have disappeared without a trace.
It's a haven for outlaws, free spirits, fugitives, and literary giants: the famous and the ordinary. They've all been thrown together in a chaotic corner of oblivion where they never age—and can never leave. Maintained for thousands of years in a state of delicate but perfect balance, it's a place where they can live forever. But at what price? Captivity? Despair? Madness? Now a sinister force is upsetting that balance. Someone with a thirst for vengeance is killing the immortals of Meteor Ridge. If you think you know the stories of men like D.B. Cooper, Ambrose Bierce, Black Bart, and Jim Morrison—you don't know the half of it.
Meteor Ridge is an alternative history science fiction thriller with some scenes of graphic violence. AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and KINDLE E-Book editions
The Comstock Chronicles
Without Virginia City and the Comstock Lode, Nevada wouldn't have become a state—at least not nearly as soon as it did. Samuel Clemens might never have become Mark Twain. And the Bonanza TV show would never have been made. The story of the Comstock is the story of the biggest silver mining boom ever, sustained, incredibly, over two full decades. It's the story of pioneering prospectors, heroic miners, and scheming millionaires. It's the story of a city that grew from a tent encampment to a metropolis in a few short years, boasting a six-story hotel, several newspapers, an iconic opera house, brothels, churches, and a hundred saloons. Men came from Ireland, Cornwall, Mexico, Germany, and China to work the mines for $4 a day. Some got rich. Many more got drunk. Virginia City was the incubator for a new style of reporting called "sagebrush journalism," which was equal parts barroom gossip, commentary, satire, and some very tall tales. The Comstock Chronicles tells the story of the period from 1850 to 1880, when silver was king and bonanzas made millionaires of men like John Mackay and George Hearst. The author uses a chronological format to trace the development of Virginia City, Gold Hill, and the surrounding area, while touching on true tales of the intrigue and inspiration, comedy and tragedy that occurred along the way. Illustrated with numerous historical and modern images, The Comstock Chronicles is the story of Nevada's birth and unruly childhood: a story retold to preserve the memories of a time when the West was still wild and dreams were cast in silver.
Virginia City Then & Now
The story of the Comstock Lode can be told in words, but communicated just as powerfully in pictures. Virginia City and the surrounding area helped give birth to modern Nevada, and anyone who knows where to look can see the unique story of the Comstock unfold before their eyes. Much has changed in a century and a half. Buildings have been lost to fire and rebuilt. Fortunes have been made and lost. Mines have been carved out and abandoned. Men and women have come and gone, with the population swelling as high as 25,000 before settling down to a fraction of that, with fewer than 1,000 residents remaining. But many remnants and relics of bygone days remain, monuments to a time when silver was king and bonanzas made millionaires out of miners and bankers. Virginia City Then & Now uses hundreds of historical and contemporary photos to tell the story of the Comstock's growth, decline, and modern renaissance. Images displayed side by side show the Wild West of the Comstock boom, years of neglect in the mid-20th century, and the modern National Monument that draws thousands upon thousands of visitors each year. Virginia City Then & Now is a study in contrast and consistency, a road map of where to look for the guideposts of history and unlock the treasures they still hold.
Explore historic Virginia City and the region with this two-volume set by Stephen H. Provost, AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and FULL-COLOR KEEPSAKE HARDBOUND EDITIONS.
The Road to Adventure Begins Here!
Dragon Crown Books, Ltd. publishes select titles from established and emerging authors of note. We offer distinguished works of fiction and non-fiction on a wealth of topics, available through Amazon and fine local retailers.
Fiction
Dragon Crown is your home for exciting genre fiction, ranging from dystopian science fiction like Crimson Scourge, left, to fantasy from titles such as The Talismans of Time and mind-bending horror/suspense in the Nightmare’s Eve series. From short stories to full-length novels and series, Dragon Crown has it all.
Making Magic
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Making History
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Making Magic
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Making Magic • Making History • Making Magic •
Non-Fiction
Dragon Crown specializes in non-fiction titles, offering titles on highway history (America’s Loneliest Road, part of the Highways of the West series, left), biography, sports and music. We also offer ten volumes on the 20th century history of small and middle-sized American cities—from Fresno to Roanoke—in our Century Cities collection.
Coming soon from Dragon Crown!
The Enchanted Realm of Dragons
Dive into a brand new collection of oOriginal fairytales and poetry about dragons from the pen of Stephen H. Provost, accompanied by illustrations by award-winning Nevada artists Steven S. Saylor of Evergreen Studio.
Gold Rush Road: California Hwy. 49
Follow in the footsteps of the ’49ers and legends like Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and John C. Fremont on the Golden Chain Highway. Visit old old boom towns like Chinese Camp along the road from Oakhurst north across Sierra and the Yuba Pass.
Nevada Nightmare’s Edge
A collection of more stories from Nevada’s dark side presented by Stephen H. Provost. Settings include Reno, Ely, and the Nevada desert south of Pioche. If you enjoyed other entries in our Nevada Nightmares series, check this one out.
The ACES online bookshop
The ACES online bookshop is a hub showcasing writers from Northern Nevada. Dragon Crown Books publisher Stephen H. Provost founded the ACES initiative with the goal of helping local readers discover local authors. As part of that initiative, Dragon Crown Books produced “The ACES Anthology 2023,” featuring 25 short stories and poems from authors across the region. Find the ACES bookshop at acesofnorthernnevada.com.
Meet the authors
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STEPHEN H. PROVOST
PUBLISHER-CEO / AUTHOR
Stephen H. Provost writes historical nonfiction and fantasy adventures. A journalist with more than 30 years of experience and a former educator, he is the author of more than 50 books. From 1986 to 2018, he worked as an editor, reporter, and columnist at four daily newspapers in California, including as news editor at The Fresno Bee and managing editor of The Cambrian. He is the founder and publisher of Dragon Crown Books.
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SHARON MARIE PROVOST
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER / AUTHOR
Sharon Marie Provost is the chief operating officer of Dragon Crown Books Ltd., in charge of promotion, marketing, and distribution. She is the co-author of the 2023 release Christmas Nightmare’s Eve., a work that includes seven of her short stories and her novella The Last Train to Clarksville. She also wrote the foreword to Stephen H. Provost’s Sierra Highway and served as co-editor of The ACES Anthology 2023, a project highlighting the works of Northern Nevada writers. Sharon is a longtime resident of Carson City, Nevada.
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LIEF SORBYE
AUTHOR / COLLABORATOR
Lief Sorbye is the lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Celtic rock band Tempest. A native of Oslo, Norway, he is working on his authorized biography, co-authored with Stephen H. Provost, to be released on Dragon Crown Books in 2024-25. Sorbye founded Tempest in 1988 after a stint with Celtic folk band Golden Bough in the early 1980s. He lives in Oakland, California, with his wife Patricia and their intelligent cats, Loki and Sigyn.
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KEN SUTHERLAND
AUTHOR
Ken Sutherland is a retired broadcasting and advertising executive. He grew up in Northern California, and worked all over the United States. He now lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife, Alene. Sutherland was selected as a top 3 finalist for the prestigious 2024 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction for his story “SWOOP!” which appeared in The ACES Anthology 2023, published by Dragon Crown. His debut novel, BALANCE: The 200-Year Journey of Andrew Crawford, was published in 2023 on Dragon Crown Books.
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MOLLY KAZMER
COLLABORATOR
Molly Kazmer worked extensively with Stephen H. Provost on her authorized biography, The Legend of Molly Bolin, Women’s Pro Basketball Trailblazer, released in 2020 on Dragon Crown Books. Molly She was the first player to sign a contract in the first women’s professional basketball league, paving the way for the WNBA. She set records for the most points in a season, in a game, and in a playoff game that still stand four decades later. She currently works as a Realtor in Southern California.
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