Happy Birthday, Emz. Irish Horror Author : Emerian Rich

Check out this interview we did with Emz back in 2019

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Irish Horror Writers Month – Interview with Emerian Rich

Tell us a bit about yourself? Name, State or country?

I am Emerian Rich and I live in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. I write Horror, Romance, and ever so often SciFi. I’m the Horror Hostess for HorrorAddicts.net and am also an artist, graphic designer, and book designer.

What is your connection to Irish Heritage?

I am 5 generations from the cross-over, but it’s a part of our heritage we’ve kept pretty close with it.

Do you know what part of Ireland your ancestors came from?

County Down in Northern Ireland.

Do you live close to where they lived? Have you visited there?

No and no. It’s one of my life goals to travel there.

How and when did you start writing?

I started writing stories when I was in Middle School. I had received a journal for Christmas. I started writing about my own life, but by half-way through I was so bored of my own life, I decided to write how I wished my life would be. This new me got to go on adventures, solve crime, and experience things I could only dream of. My first novel was when I was 13. 89 pages of big, bubbly cursive in pencil on white, lined notebook paper. However, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until in my 20’s.

Why write Horror?

There’s something special about a story when it can horrify you and make you feel safe at the same time. I enjoy creating stories and characters that people can experience horrific situations through without leaving the comfort of their reading nook. Most people’s lives are nice and safe—which we want them to be—but there isn’t much excitement in living our daily lives. We need to escape every once in a while and dream the impossible. Sometimes the trauma the characters go through can help us work through our own.

What inspires you to write?

Beautiful locations, interesting history facts, and most of all, my dreams. Day dreams of what I wish I could do and sleeping dreams where my subconscious goes off the rails.

Does being Irish inspire any part of your writing?

As far as it being part of who I am, it’s all in my writing. My heritage did inspire one particular character most of all. The Irishman, Markham O’Leary, in my Night’s Knights Vampire Series is a direct inspiration from my own family heritage. I patterned him loosely off of my grandfather and his family.

What scares you?

What scares me in a good way is Classic Horror or Horror with a classic slant. Movies like The Woman in Black, Crimson Peak, and Ghostship have the mysterious darkness to them that I have enjoyed all my life.

What scares me in a bad way is the real-life trauma our world is going through right now. Hate crimes, domestic violence, mass murder, and the simple fact that a large part of the population no longer has respect for life in general.

Who is your favorite author?

I can never name just one. Anne Rice has been a favorite for a long time along with Andrew Neiderman and Jane Austen, but recently I’ve been delving into horror classics like The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell, and The Willows by Algernon Blackwood.

What is your creative process like? What happens before you sit down to write?

I generally have so many ideas I can’t possibly write them all down fast enough. My novels are big, enormous ideas that simmer in my head for quite a while before I actually start writing them. If I’m writing a short story, I usually get the email from the publisher or see the call and get inspired by the idea or the cover. Then I think about it for a few days. In a day or two I’ll think of something awesome I want to do. I usually get the beginning and the end and write it down (long hand) as much as I can. When I have a pretty solid first draft, I read it into my phone and email it to myself. Once it’s on my computer I make it pretty, flesh out the descriptive parts, sure up the dialogue and fill in the missing bits. Then it’s ready to send to my betas.

Tell us about your current projects.

I have just finished a modern rewrite of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. It’s sort of a Clueless-meets-Lydia Deetz-from-Beetlejuice YA Romance about a Horror Addict who falls in love over winter break in New York City.

I am writing my third vampire novel, Day’s Children, and have a few other short Horror stories coming out in anthologies this year.

What have you written and where can our readers find it?

Readers can find out about my vampire series, Night’s Knights, and all the other fun stuff I do at: emzbox.com

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Emerian Rich is the author of the vampire book series, Night’s Knights. She’s been published in a handful of anthologies by publishers such as Dragon Moon Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Hazardous Press, and White Wolf Press. She is the podcast Horror Hostess of HorrorAddicts.net. You can connect with her at emzbox.com.

Happy Birthday, Emz! Clockwork Wonderland

Check out the Clock-Punk, Alice in Wonderland-themed anthology Emz created!

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Clockwork Wonderland contains stories from authors that see Wonderland as a place of horror where anything can happen and time runs amok. In this book you’ll find tales of murderous clockworks, insane creations, serial killers, zombies, and a bloodthirsty jabberclocky. Prepare to see Wonderland as a place where all your worst nightmares come true. You may never look at classic children’s literature the same way again.

Edited by Emerian Rich
Cover by Carmen Masloski

With Foreword by David Watson

Hatter’s Warning by Emerian Rich

Starting off with a poem from the Mad Hatter who warns us, our time is running out and Alice the queen of Wonderland is after our heads and our souls.

Jabberclocky by Jonathan Fortin

A drunken clock repair shop owner and his abused son receive a visit form the Mad Hatter who has an evil plan to bring a murderous Jaberclock to life. Only the Cheshire Cat can save the day or is he as mad as the Hatter?

Hands of Time by Stephanie Ellis

The Queen of Heart’s executioner and timekeeper are looking for an apprentice and a new set of hands to kill and kill again to run the queen’s clock.

Clockwork Justice by Trinity Adler

With only one day and two clues, a bloody torn card and carrot tarts, Alice fights to prove she’s innocent and avoid losing her head to the Red Queen’s executioner.

My Clockwork Valentine by Sumiko Saulson

Unlike the White Rabbit, Blanche Lapin does not carry her timepiece in her pocket, but in her chest. It’s a Victorian-era clockwork pacemaker and if it’s not wound every forty-eight hours, she will die. When the key is stolen, the thief who has it will let her die if she doesn’t declare her love and stay with him forever.

Blood will Have Blood by James Pyne

There are many Wonderlands and a young woman is trapped in one where she is expected to be the new Alice. It’s a place where the rivers are filled with corpses and that’s not even the worst of it. The only way out is by wearing a clock necklace that needs blood for fuel, but what happens if it runs out?

Midnight Dance by Emerian Rich

Wonderland is being overrun by zombies. Mr. Marsh and The Mad Hatter are in a race against time to jam up the clockmaker’s clock and stop the undead apocalypse. If they can’t the apocalypse will start over and over as the clock strikes one.

A Room for Alice by Ezra Barany

When Alice is locked in a blood-splattered room and poisoned by D, she must behead the Queen of Spades within fifteen minutes in order to get the antidote. Can Tweedle help, or is he part of the problem?

Frayed Ears by H.E. Roulo

Caught in a child’s fever-fueled dream, The White Rabbit, The Scarecrow, and other storybook characters soon discover that story time is coming to an end and maybe so are they.

King of Hearts by Dustin Coffman

A prequel story to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this tale explains how the Queen became mad, and why she hates the name Alice so much, though it has nothing to do with the real one.

Riddle by N. McGuire

A steampunk take on the infamous tea party, with a killer twist.

Tick Tock by Jaap Boekestein

To hear him tell it, a heroic wild card fights against the usurper Alice and puts Mary—the true Queen Of Hearts—on Watch World’s throne. Is that what’s really going on?

Gone a’ Hunting by Laurel Anne Hill

Alease goes rabbit hunting, but she’s the one caught in a place where she will have plenty of time to think about what she’s done.

The Note by Jeremy Megargee

Cheshire Cat tells a story about the changing, horrifying world of Wonderland and why he has to leave it.

Half Past by K.L. Wallis

A woman follows a mysterious man though the subway and travels back in time to the late 1800s, where she finds that instead of the patriarchal norms of the past, she is in a Wonderland where women are the superior sex and moral boundaries cease to exist.

Ticking Heart by Michele Roger

A woman on a train goes to visit Alice in a war-torn steampunk Wonderland, which is very different than the one we know.

To read the full story and more Clock-inspired, Alice Horror, check out Clockwork Wonderland.

Manor of Frights : Amanda Leslie

What is your name and what genre of Horror do you usually write about?

Amanda Leslie. I typically write monster/paranormal horror, but I’ve also dabbled in writing dystopia and slasher horror.

What is the title of your story in Manor of Frights and what is it about?

My story is titled “The Living Room.” It’s about a woman stuck living the same day over and over and over while she slowly loses her mind. I won’t spoil the ending here, but it’s one of my favorite things I’ve written.

What inspired you to write your story for Manor of Frights?

I was inspired by the theme of Manor of Frights! I mostly write Horror that takes place in a single location, but a story taking place in a single room/mostly in one room was a challenge that inspired me.

What is your favorite Horror house story in fiction, movies, or TV and why?

The Hell House LLC series of movies is by far my favorite. Much like this book, it takes place in a single location. I watched the entire series over quarantine, and it quickly became my favorite to the point I recommend it to anyone. It’s just a fun horror movie that I think anyone can enjoy.

What music most inspires you to write Horror?

Post-metal, dark classical, “wonky rock,” and folk punk inspire me the most. My story in this book is particularly inspired by Shayfer James and Miracle Musical — both artists that I would firmly place in the “wonky rock” genre.

Where can readers/listeners find your work? (URL #1 place for them to go.)

I have a blog at http://amandaleslie.com where you can get updates on all of my work.

 

 

Horror Curated: The Crimson Rush by Pamela K. Kinney

The Crimson Rush by Pamela K. Kinney

Delicate fingers tremble

To lift a handle of purest gold

Hold high this Chinese cup

Where blood red bats fly

A porcelain rim

And dance through tangled filigree

Sealed in a painted grave

Sip the scented liquid

Jasmine trapped in amber tea

Chosen flower of the evening

Left upon an altar

Before the setting sun

Read more in Bloody Tea.

Horror Curated: Bloodthirsty (2020)

Curated by Daphne Strasert, Bloodthirsty (2020)

Indie music artist Grey is struggling. Not just with writing her latest album or connecting with her long-time girlfriend, but with her identity. She’s been experiencing hallucinations, frightening images of turning into a violent, uncontrollable animal. Not even the medications her psychiatrist prescribes seem to help.

Read more in Bloody Tea.

Manor of Frights : Lesley Warren

What is your name and what genre of Horror do you usually write about?
My name is Lesley Warren and I enjoy writing psychological horror stories with unexpected twists. As someone living in a different country from where I was born and raised, I often write about the feeling of “otherness”, and this manifests itself in protagonists who do not quite fit into the boxes in which they are placed by their surroundings.

What is the title of your story in Manor of Frights and what is it about?
My story is called “Bye, Baby Bunting”. Ida Wells, a young and beautiful widow, is left to care for her newborn baby in the grand but eerie manor house she once shared with her recently deceased husband. During the first few months of the child’s life, Ida struggles in vain to bond with baby Minnie; ghastly visions transform her from an innocent infant to a demon, from Ida’s point of view. Is the bereaved and exhausted mother losing her wits, or is there really something strange about the baby, who seems to have her dead father’s eyes?

What inspired you to write your story for Manor of Frights?
I have always enjoyed reading stories and watching films in which things are not as they first appear to be. Some of my friends have embarked on the rewarding but demanding journey of parenthood in the past couple of years, and I get the feeling that it’s something you never quite feel prepared for – I thought it would be interesting to combine the challenges of raising a child with supernatural phenomena in my story. Add a spooky manor house and the age-old question of whether or not the strangeness is real or just happening inside the protagonist’s head, and you’ve got a recipe for a spine-tingling read.   

What is your favorite Horror house story in fiction, movies, or TV, and why?
As an avid watcher of Asian horror movies, the first film that comes to mind when I think of haunted houses is definitely the Korean psychological horror masterpiece “A Tale of Two Sisters”. It’s a perfect example of how the same events shown from two different perspectives can paint an entirely new picture. Without giving too much away, I can say that it manages to be hauntingly beautiful at the same time as shocking you speechless and breaking your heart. No mean feat! 

What music most inspires you to write Horror?
I’m a lifelong gothic rock and metal fan, so it’s never been difficult for me to lean into my darker side. I write best with music as background noise. Usual bands in my rotation are alternative rock band Palaye Royale (the musical equivalent of an espresso shot), rock cellists Apocalyptica (great for conjuring up atmospheric settings), and Viking-esque groups such as Wardruna and Heilung (perfect for tapping into one’s primal instincts – after attending a Heilung concert, my friends are still convinced that I have joined a pagan cult!)

Where can readers/listeners find your work? (URL #1 place for them to go.)

My work has been published in several online and print journals. You can find a couple of my short stories by searching for the “Open Bookcase” anthologies of the Frankfurt Creative Writing Group, readily available on Amazon. In the virtual sphere, you’ll find me enjoying the kind-spirited feedback and camaraderie of my fellow writers at ABCTales.com; this is my user page: https://www.abctales.com/user/lem. 

Horror Curated: The Offering by Trinity Adler

The Offering by Trinity Adler

Delicate fingers tremble

To lift a handle of purest gold

Hold high this Chinese cup

Where blood red bats fly

A porcelain rim

And dance through tangled filigree

Sealed in a painted grave

Sip the scented liquid

Jasmine trapped in amber tea

Chosen flower of the evening

Left upon an altar

Before the setting sun

 

The offering to prisoners of the moon

A slender collared throat

Bejeweled to gleam as daylight fades

One last sip from that painted cup…Read more in Bloody Tea.

Horror Curated: The Bloody Dead of Night (1945)

Curated by Mark Orr, The Bloody Dead of Night (1945)

This 1945 masterpiece from Ealing Studios was the first great anthology film, setting five spooky yarns in the middle of an afternoon of tea and crumpets and horrific deaths. An architect played by Mervyn Johns (of 1963’s The Day of the Triffids) arrives at a remote country cottage he’s been hired to renovate just at teatime.

Read more in Bloody Tea.

Book Review: Keening Country by Seán O’Connor

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For:  Those who are looking for something different.

Content warning: There is an intense gore story in the mix, but the rest are not as graphic.

Keening Country is a well-written collection of stories by an author I haven’t read before. When I saw that this book was comprised of “experimental horror” I was a little worried, but these stories are different in an exciting way. They’re each unexpected and take different turns than I am used to. 

My favorite story was called “Seven Years Gone,” about a man who’s haunted by his wife who disappeared seven years ago. And yet, it isn’t as straightforward as that. He is a train conductor and nights on the tracks can do funny things to your mind. The reveal was something I could have never predicted and I found it so refreshing that it didn’t follow the expected path. 

Another great story was “Ariel’s” with a sort of Luddite “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” storyline. I really enjoyed how it unfolded before me, frightened of the moment when they would “get me.” 

“Down Below” starts off as a story about a scary spider in the shed and, as I’ve said about the other stories, gives you something else entirely.

There was one terrifying story that was a bit much for me, dealing with cutting and a bit gorier than the rest. Just a warning for those of you who are a bit more queasy, you might want to skip that one. For those of you looking for a bit of gore, it will definitely give you that gross factor you’re looking for.

I encourage you to try these experimental horror stories out. If you’re looking for a horror that’s a little different than the rest, for unexpected paths and resolutions, you won’t be disappointed. I enjoyed them very much. I liked being caught off guard.

 

Horror Curated: Tasseography

Curated by D.J. Pitsiladis, Tasseography

Have you ever wanted to forecast your future? Nowadays, there are plenty of methods to divine what awaits you, such as tarot cards, palm reading, astrology, or scrying. One still frequently used involves a refreshing beverage and a little meditation. For this issue’s Nightmare Fuel, we look at tasseography. Tasseography is a divination method where someone sees a person’s future, fate, or destiny by reading the dregs of a person’s cup or glass.

Read more in Bloody Tea.

Horror Curated: The Blood Countess

Curated by Kieran Judge, The Bloody Countess, Elizabeth Bathory

When we hear about serial killers, most of us think of one of two things. It’s either the slasher movie type-Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, Norman Bates-or documentaries and Netflix limited series about the modern monsters like Ed Gein, Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy. Some might even go to those mythical killers who have transcended their stories and become myth and legend thanks to their mystery and intrigue like Jack the Ripper, the Zodiacs, or the Texarkana Moonlight Murderer. But perhaps the most prolific real life serial killer of them all, whose name is a true blurring of myth and monster, is Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary.

Read more in Bloody Tea.

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Fifty-Six: The Muck Hollow Monster

Steeped in 1980’s horror, The Muck Hollow Monster is a fast-paced campground tale by Harlan Graves packed with young adults primed to party in a forest inhabited by a legendary monster. 

I previously reviewed three stories in The Beast of Fallow Pines trilogy by Graves. Click the following titles to read those reviews: The Darkness in the Pines, The Beast of Fallow Pines, and Something in the Woods. 

Released in 2022, The Muck Hollow Monster is a creature feature filled with enough 80’s references to make you want to wear a pair of acid wash jeans. From the boom box blasting mixtapes of Guns N’ Roses to girls drinking Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, the story is a nostalgic ride for those of us who grew up in the decade of hair bands and Molly Ringwald. 

The cast of The Muck Hollow Monster is the typical young adults who only want to get high and get laid. You know the ones in Friday the 13^th and countless other horror-in-the-woods movies. They’re back! We have the guys, Billy and JJ, and the girls, Billy’s squeeze Jessica and her friend Cass. Billy tells JJ the three ingredients to a good weekend – beer, weed, and sex – and we’re soon on a rickety pontoon headed down the river to Camp Muck Hollow. The camp is an abandoned spot two hours away from civilization and surrounded by 15,000 acres of forest and swamp. What could go wrong? 

Of course, Camp Muck Hollow is closed because “a couple of kids went missing” in 1970 and only parts of their bodies were ever found. Was it Mucky, the legendary bogeyman of the swamp? Or the gators? Probably the gators … not!

“Mutilated kids and a swamp monster,” Cass said, “this place just got a hell of a lot creepier.” 

Oh, it gets creepier, Cass. And a hell of a lot more dangerous. 

The group’s plan is to wait for Dylan and his sister Mal to arrive with the best weed in the area. In the meantime, we have the obligatory scene where the group discusses the campground’s tragic past by firelight. After the campfire tale, the couples retire to their cabins for the night. Unfortunately, their alone time is interrupted by Mucky … and to paraphrase Quiet Riot, he wants to rock. 

By the time siblings Dylan and Mallory arrive by boat, the campground is eerily quiet with not a soul in sight. Dylan says, “Something feels off,” before grabbing his rifle. At least Captain Obvious is smart enough to bring some firepower. He’s going to need it. Dylan and Mal search for their friends but soon find themselves in their own fight for survival.

The Muck Hollow Monster has 71 ratings on Amazon and boasts a solid 4.1 stars (out of 5). The top reviews praised the fast-paced action but thought the story was too short. It probably could’ve been longer. Maybe have a prologue detailing the original events surrounding the 1970 disappearances to establish a stronger connection to the legend of Mucky. Maybe have a survivor warn or help the main characters. I suspect readers wanted more background because Graves does a fine job of introducing a legendary creature shrouded in mystery.

Overall, while the character development is thin (as it is in most 80’s slashers), Graves does an outstanding job of writing action scenes with breathless intensity. If you like straight-up slashers, just replace Jason Voorhees with Bigfoot, and voilà, you have the gist of The Muck Hollow Monster. It’s definitely worth a read for fans of both slasher and cryptid fiction. And if you were a teen in the 80’s like me, it’ll bring back a memory or two.

NEXT UP: Chapter Fifty-Seven: Devil on the Mountain. I review the 2006 film directed by Steven R. Monroe.

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THE BIGFOOT FILES

Book Review: Blame it on the Pumpkin

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For: Readers who dig Halloween and pumpkins.

Content warning: If you are sensitive to bad language, gore, or descriptive killing, you should skip this one.

Blame it on the Pumpkin is definitely unlike any other Halloween anthology I’ve ever read. Although I picked it up for the spooky fiction I might find, I was presented first with a nonfiction piece by Marjory E. Leposky about how pumpkins are grown, harvested, and carved. Even though I’m a Halloween fan, I’ve never even thought about that process much further than carving and roasting the seeds. Starting out the book with an education about where the pumpkins actually come from was refreshing and put me in the right mood to enjoy the pumpkin-inspired fiction.

This is an anthology filled with the oddest stories I’ve seen put together. Unexpected tropes like people turning into ravens and a kid haunted by a compulsion of self-harm were a surprising twist alongside some more common themes of man-eating plants and evil townsfolk.

My favorite story in this book is a sort of Little Shop of Horrors-themed tale by Jennifer Kyrnin called “Vampire Gourd.” Although as a horror reader, you may have seen this type of story before, the way it is written is from a different viewpoint and I like the way the main character becomes so entwined in the lives of the plants. It’s a symbiotic relationship that had me wondering if I might want to grow a little something myself. And then I remembered I’m a total city girl, allergic to most nature stuffs, and shook myself out of it. But the character in this story was really well constructed and had me on his side for much of the story.

Another standout was “Flock of Badb” by S. P. Mount.  It was certainly the weirdest story I’ve ever come across. Based on the concept that all people born on October 31st are cursed (or blessed) to become ravens, the transformation scene and how and the situation around it unfolded was truly bizarre and yet, I couldn’t stop reading. It had me completely intrigued.

You can also enjoy a tale by HorrorAddicts.net author, Pamela Kinney, which explores an evil town that lures Halloween addicts to a sinister night like they’ve never experienced. Might give you some nightmares and have you thinking twice about visiting those unknown haunts in the boonies come this October.

All in all, this book is a group of oddball stories that should appeal to pumpkin lovers and Halloween fanatics alike.

Requiem in Frost, now on Audible!

HorrorAddicts.net Press is proud to present Jonathan Fortin’s latest work, on Audible!

Listen now to Requiem in Frost by Jonathan Fortin

Black metal lives!

Located in the deep frostbitten woods of Norway, Ingrid’s new home is old, spooky, and possibly haunted. Guttural screams wake Ingrid and her mother nightly. When they discover the shrieks belong to deceased former occupant and extreme metal musician Skansi Oppegård, Ingrid investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.

Hoping to exorcise Skansi’s ghost, she talks her mom into being part of a metal band. Oppegård’s last musical creation awakens forces beyond Ingrid’s understanding and causes Skansi’s murderer to resurface. In the battle between a madman and zombies, metal may be the only weapon she has.

Listen now to Requiem in Frost by Jonathan Fortin

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Fifty-Five: The Hunt

The Hunt by Eirinn Cunningham is a Sasquatch novella about a group of deer hunters who encounter the cryptid in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Subtitled There’s Something Waiting in the Dark, The Hunt is Book 1 in a series titled Coral Pond. 

The main character, Drew Peters, is a former police officer on a deer hunt with seven other friends and acquaintances. Nothing out of the ordinary happens on this hunt until Drew’s friend Milton claims he killed a big buck that had disappeared when he returned to retrieve it the next morning. 

Drew thought, “What animal can take a deer carcass away leaving little to no trace?” 

He’ll find out soon enough as evidence starts to mount that the group is not alone. 

Dekker, who’s on the trip with his son Teddy, sees a flash of an unidentified creature in his rifle scope, not once but twice. A second deer carcass shot by a man named Casper disappears surrounded by huge tracks in the snow. Following the tracks, the hunters detect a smell like “rotten eggs and hot garbage mixed together.” 

Yes, the men are definitely in Sasquatch territory, but it takes a heavy log tossed from the woods to make the humans retreat to the main camp building. With one man seriously injured and another remaining at the camp to tend to his wound, the other six hunters develop an attack plan. 

“There’s only one of it and six of us,” said Casper. 

Famous last words, right? 

Dividing into two groups of three, the hunters head into the elements to battle the beast. The interactions among the men are realistic, and the climactic action scene is thrilling. 

Released in July 2022, The Hunt is a quick 61-page read with a twist at the end plus a promising sequel setup. With 200 reviews, the novella’s Amazon rating is a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The top reviews praise its fast-paced action and straightforward writing. There was only one review from the negative ratings, and that reader didn’t like the “to be continued” ending. 

I enjoyed The Hunt. It’s a no-frills creature feature, and the author knows enough about the subject to name-drop noted anthology professor and Bigfoot researcher Jeff Meldrum into his story. I look forward to the sequel.

NEXT UP: Chapter Fifty-Six: The Muck Hollow Monster. I review the 2022 novella by Harlan Graves.

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THE BIGFOOT FILES

Book Review: Tales of Nightmares Edited by Loren Rhoads

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

Tales of Nightmares consists of a handful of horror tales, each wildly different from the other. Some modern, some period, they’ve got yokai, killers, werewolves, monsters, and haunted houses in here. Although not all the stories were my cup of tea, there is sure to be something you’ll enjoy in this anthology. There are some real gems here and I’ll highlight my favorites below. 

My favorite story in the collection was “The Haunting of Mrs. Poole” by Angel Leigh McCoy. Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, this tale takes place in 1872. Revolving around a young woman who is about to be married, it involves a spooky “Charred Lady” ghost who is so much more than the ghosts we are used to seeing in Victorian tales like this. I really like how decomposed items kept showing up in her bed. How creepy is that? 

Another great one was Loren Rhoad’s “Elle a Vu un Loup,” which casts her heroine, Alondra, as a visitor to an island where horrible killings have been committed. As tourists and locals alike flee for their lives, Alondra is heading into the abandoned location to find what human or creature (or both?) is doing the damage and how to put a stop to it. Alondra is a likeable character and the way she interacts with the other characters makes you want to read more about her. Thankfully, Loren has a series of Alondra stories you can read via Kindle if you want to read more of her adventures. 

The modern tale “Twenty Questions” by Jennifer Brozek was a refreshing change of pace as it dealt with a young woman caught up in a computer chat program. Someone has invited her to play a game via chat and although at first she thinks it might be a scam, she goes for it out of curiosity and perhaps boredom. The outcome is nothing she could have guessed and a fun ride for the reader to follow. 

The last I’ll mention is “The House on River Road” by Bill Bodden. With a sort of Stranger Things feeling, the story starts out innocently enough with two kids snooping around the town’s token haunted house. When a bully crashes their party and starts causing trouble, he’s attacked by “something.” This is one of those great tales where the house becomes a character itself and you are never really sure if the monster came to the house or if the house bred the evil that lurks there. Can I just say…any story with a disappearing evil house is great in my book!

As I said, the stories in this book vary so widely, which is apparent in those I discussed above. The big plus to reading it is, you get a good taste of each author’s story-telling skills. If you enjoyed an author’s work, more anthologies from this group are coming out, so you can read more as they are released.

Horror Curated: Books in Review

Queen of Teeth
by Hailey Piper
Rooster Republic, LLC

In the near future, Alpha Beta Pharmaceuticals (ABP) accidentally unleashes the 00 virus. The virus has varied effects, but in some cases it causes multiple children to be conceived. Then, one zygote consumes the others before birth. These are Chimeras and one-half of their genetic code is the property of ABP. ABP monitors them closely, waiting for the time when one part of the genetic code violently attacks the other, tearing the Chimera apart.

Yaya is one such Chimera, but rather than her body destroying itself, it grows a new consciousness—and teeth. The vagina dentata transforms Yaya’s body and forces her to go on the run to avoid becoming an ABP lab rat. Meanwhile, Magenta, her new “self” is becoming hungry.

Queen of Teeth balances tension-filled action with tender moments of reflection and interpersonal growth. Artfully concealed plot pieces dropped at the beginning return again in a satisfying manner, like a camouflaged Chekov’s Gun. Piper seamlessly blends elements of Science Fiction, Horror, and Romance, creating a multifaceted story that never lets up.

Piper’s writing is a solid foundation for a fantastic story. She doesn’t fall into too much exposition, despite a complex world. Her dialogue is light and snappy. There are moments of poetic description, but her best writing is really saved for the scenes of action and body Horror. Be warned, the descriptions are graphic and disturbing, so if you are squeamish, you may want to steer clear.

Overall, Queen of Teeth is an incredible debut novel from Hailey Piper, and well-deserving of its Bram Stoker award (Superior Achievement in a First Novel). If you like body Horror, tragic romance, and political commentary in your reads, this is the book for you… Read more in Bloody Tea.

Book Review: Dead Ends and Damnation by Christopher K. Fielder

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For:  Those who enjoy Action-Adventure and journeying through the afterlife.

Dead Ends and Damnation by Christopher K. Fielder is a well-written book that had me engaged from page one to the very end with the most satisfying ending I’ve read in a very long time.

Austin is a jaded afterlife transporter who’s been plodding along for 60+ years, delivering souls to their assigned destinations. All is boring and uneventful until one night when he gets a fare he didn’t expect. A child, bound for the fiery depths of hell. But kids aren’t supposed to go to “the bad place” and this causes Austin to break the rules and embark on an adventure to find out how the kid ended up damned and who is responsible. 

I wouldn’t exactly call this book Horror, but it has elements Horror readers will enjoy. It explores demons, angels, witches, heaven, hell, purgatory, and occult enthusiasts in a non-fantastical way. An Action-Adventure, it traverses our world through the eyes of one existing in the shadows, greeting those who die. I enjoyed the reaper view of our world and the “lobbies” of heaven and hell. I also enjoyed traveling through the mundane plane of the reapers and other “employees” of the afterlife. Austin also has a whole relationship with his car that I enjoy.

My best description of the feeling of this book is if Hellboy were to explore the Beetlejuice afterlife office world, trying to find answers about who to blame for this mix-up. Austin’s blasé attitude and yet obstinate personality is quite a fun point of view to be in. The best part of this book is the satisfying ending. Without giving anything away, I can say the ending of this book is the most satisfying ending I can remember reading in recent years. Not only that, it sets up for  a continuation that I would be excited to read. The book itself seems like a movie-length pilot to one of those late-night guilty pleasure TV shows of the 90s like Forever Night. I’d love to see this produced as a series. It’s got the kind of depth and grit to become an instant cult classic.

I don’t usually rate books, but I’m going to give this a “top five” score. It was enjoyable, fun to read, and didn’t drag. It kept me interested from start to finish.

 

 

Book Review: Owl Manor, The Dawning

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For: Readers who enjoy Jack the Ripper stories or horror that takes place in spooky mansions.

Content warning: Jack the Ripper-style murder, abuse, owl attacks.

Owl Manor, The Dawning, by Zita Harrison is a gothic tale that borders on romance but doesn’t forget to bring the terror of living under the thumb of a madman.

This book did not start out like I thought it would. The description doesn’t give any hint of the “Jack the Ripper-like” storyline and not being a fan of that trope, it took me aback a little. The heroine’s voice is also decidedly modern and that, too, popped me out of the story. But I don’t tell you these things to deter you from reading, quite the opposite. After about four chapters, I began to get interested and by the middle of the book, I was glad I gave it a chance to get going. 

Set in the unusual location of Denver at the height of the gold rush, this pioneering atmosphere seemed an odd place to begin a gothic mansion horror story. Yet, I found the surroundings absolutely charming, and the depth to which the author wove this little community was absolutely crucial to keeping my interest as the story grew.

What I was most interested in–the manor–doesn’t come into play until later and it is truly the star of the show. Interest in the upstairs/downstairs personalities in a wealthy mansion as well as the odd master creates an atmosphere you both want to be in but also cringe at the thought of. Although I am normally pulled into the female lead and want to watch her battle demons and prevail, my favorite character was Mr. Gilbert, the master’s manservant. The only one privy to a macabre secret held by the master, his story is the one that intrigued me to read on. A good man, he is unwillingly pulled into a desperate situation. If he keeps the master’s horrible secret, he is safe, but if he tries to tell anyone…death surely awaits him. 

And then there is the question of the owls. Are they attacking of their own accord? Or are they controlled by some sort of witchcraft to help stop the master’s bloodthirst? Another strange entity in this book is the marsh-soaked ghost woman who creeps about, showing herself only when the viewer will appear most insane by those they tell. The way she can appear solid and seems to be able to mess with the passing of time makes her an original entity worth investigating. 

Mr. Gilbert’s story is a great one and although I guess Eva is supposed to be the heroine, I find her more interesting when viewed through Mr. Gilbert’s eyes. He is the character who pulled me in and made me want to see this story to its exciting conclusion.

Although I feel this book started a little too early for my tastes, after it got going, it was a fun read that had me on the edge of my seat. Those last few chapters were nailbiters, wondering what would happen to whom and if the owls would finally get their prey!

This is a great book for those who like books like Rebecca and Jane Eyre.

Horror Curated: Bloody Tea

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #2: Bloody Tea
48 full-color pages featuring:

Interviews with:
*Musicians Valentine Wolfe
*Maker Darrin Bardin
*Tea Brewer Cassandra Raven
*Writer Amanda DeWees
PLUS!
*An Excerpt of A Haunting Reprise
*An Exploration of Buttered Toast and Bloody Teeth
*How to Make a 3-Tier Bloody Nightmare
*2 Haunted Locations to have tea
*Bloody tea movies
*The Bloody Countess, Elizabeth Bathory
*Tasseography
*Bloody Tea Poems
*Book and music reviews
*Dead Mail from readers
*BLOOD Bingo

Curated by: D.J. Pitsiladis, Daphne Strasert, Kate Nox, Kieran Judge, Lionel Ray Green, Mark Orr, Courtney Mroch, R.L. Merrill, Melodie Bolt, Pamela K. Kinney, Trinity Adler, and Emerian Rich.

ORDER THIS DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW

Book Review: Floaters by Garrett Boatman

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

Content Warning: Gore and descriptive cutting, fighting, and dismemberment.
Zombie Type: Mid-fast, come from the water.
For: Zombie fans who just want to read some good ‘ole zombie-fighting.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from zombie-loving readers is… “There’s not enough zombie-killing action.”

Well, this book answers that call.

Floaters by Garrett Boatman is an action-filled, zombie-squelching, fight fest. The action in this zombie novel starts right away. There is no information about how the zombies came about and there is no build-up or pre-apocalyptic preamble. From page one, the reader is steeped in Victorian London and the underground happenings of the gangs there. The underground life seems genuine and interesting. I also liked that these zombies are different from what you normally see. Since they come from the water, they are bloated, waterlogged, and original. The descriptions are terrifying and will have you looking at any body of water you pass with trepidation.

When the undead emerge from the water, the gangs get nervous. Since most of their work takes place on the docks or in the under-city tunnels, they are the first target for the zombies. As the gang numbers decrease on the live side and increase on the dead side, they decide to make a plan to destroy the “Deaders.”

As the undead attack anything in their path, regular citizens pack up their belongings and jam all the non-aqua exits out of the city, but the gangs aren’t willing to give up their territory. In a scene reminiscent of the gangs gathering in The Warriors movie circa 1979, the gangs of London gather to plan how they are going to deal with this new adversary. Each gang has their own look and members and although they are normally against each other, they commit themselves to peace until the undead are conquered. One copper is tolerated at the gathering, and they come up with a plan to save London.

While reading this book, I felt more like I was watching a great Victorian zombie flick rather than reading a traditional novel. There are tons of weapons descriptions and I found myself wanting to know what each of these weapons looked like. Because of all the action, I never got the chance to connect with any of the characters and there are a lot of them. With all the names and gang titles it was a little hard to figure out who was what, and the body count rose by the page, but if you’re interested in a zombie-killing spree, that won’t bother you. If you like fighting sequences, you will love this book. There is nonstop zombie-fighting action here. You won’t be disappointed.

Horror Curated: Music in Review

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Issue #1

Vision Video / Inked in Red

With jangly guitars, bouncy bass lines, and silky synthesizers reminiscent of Joy Division, New Order, and The Smiths, Vision Video has created an album full of delicious tracks. The Athens, Georgia quartet delivers a solid album that Horror Addicts will love, especially after watching the killer video for “Comfort in the Grave.” Keyboardist Emily Fredock does a fantastic job with this moody track, taking the listener with her on a homicidal journey. Vocals from frontman Dusty Gannon give me a modern Killers-esque vibe and the lyrics are inventive and poetic in a refreshing way. Tracks “Static Drone,” “Run,” and “In My Side” are some of my favorites on first listen, but all of the tracks have the potential for repeat plays.

While heavy topics like trauma and terror are covered in the tunes, there’s also a danceability and hopefulness that makes this album special. It’s a rare band that can bring nostalgia along with that fresh feeling of finding a new favorite...READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Books in Review

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Issue #1

There is No Death There are No Dead

Edited by Aaron J. French &
Jess Landry
Crystal Lake Press

The spirits of the dead exist and they want to communicate.

Spiritualism—the belief that the soul continues on after death and that those souls try to communicate with the living—originated in the 1800s. It reached a fever pitch with mediums traveling all over the world, practicing their craft.

There is No Death, There are No Dead is an anthology of horror stories focused on spiritualism. Whether telling the story of a spirit, a medium, a haunting, or a hoax, communication with the dead takes center stage in each of these tales.

The stories are diverse and unique, but with a carefully crafted thread that connects them into a cohesive collection. The author might explore the origins of spiritualism in the foggy streets of Victorian London or a modern-day medium wrestling with hauntings that are all too human…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Book Review: Cursed by Richard Schiver

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For:  Those who enjoy small-town horror stories and mysteries.

Content warning: Suicide, child abuse, child abduction, addiction, prostitution, murder, hanging.

In Cursed by Richard Schiver, Susan and her daughter are trying to rebuild their lives after her husband’s death. His absence has left them alone and grasping for a new sense of normal despite their grief. Local contractor and Susan’s possibly new guy, Eric, wants to be part of their world, but can he?

Meanwhile, little kids are being drawn away from their homes by a ghost girl and a supposed witch. This is a curse that’s been infecting the small community of Porter Mines for decades. They are led to a pond and can fall into the pond or into crevices and tunnels that are around it.

Susan’s daughter, Christine, is drawn away and her bunny–that was a last gift from her deceased father–falls into a crevice. Thankfully, Christine is saved by her mom and Eric, but the bunny is lost in the crevice. The Porter Mines witch has struck again!

As the missing children count goes up, the sheriff strives to investigate. The sheriff was just a rookie when the first disappearances happened 30 years ago and he’s been ruminating over them ever since, but now it’s happening again. He hopes he can stop it this time. But when a guy from town returns to exact revenge on those who he feels wronged him, will he mess up the investigation by killing the sheriff? Or is he involved in the decades-long curse?

Although the witch is blamed, it seems pretty clear that she is not what is taking the kids, but who is? Is it a human drawn to the allure of children and reenacting a supposed urban legend? Or is it something supernatural? And when Christine disappears again, the time clock speeds up for Susan and Eric to find her and put an end to this crazy curse.

This novel was a fun read. It unwinds slowly and gives you pieces of different stories and layers of information that have you always wondering if the villain is a supernatural or a human monster. I enjoyed the different storylines and felt like even though we were getting closer and closer to the truth, the other storylines had just as much importance to the tale as the main thread of child abduction. 

Although the main character is Susan, I felt also drawn into the lives of the sheriff and the poor little girl (Twila) who had to put up with an addicted mother. One strange thing that I don’t know was intentional was the similarities between the characters. Although Susan and Twila never really interact, their backgrounds are so similar, it feels like the author is showing us an unspoken camaraderie they carry for one another. Can the abused sense the abused, even without saying a word? Are we seeing a child and then a grown-up version of the same child? Or perhaps the author is showing us that everyone–from the little school girl to the sheriff–have troubles in their lives that are never spoken of, that they are not proud of, that haunt them…and we are all not so different after all. You’ll have to read the book to discover which message he is trying to convey.

This is a great book for readers who enjoy small-town horror like Stephen King’s The Storm of the Century or Koontz’s Phantoms and is available at Amazon.com.

Horror Curated: Lynne Hansen

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Issue #1

Multimedia artist Lynne Hansen specializes in horror book covers for some of today’s most popular authors and publishers in the genre. Inspired by the horror novels she reads, Hansen seeks to tell a story with a single image, hoping to convey the symbolic heart of a character or novel like early twentieth-century surrealists M.C. Escher, Salvador Dali, and more modern iconic artists like Alan Clark and Jill Bauman. Hansen tries to capture the beauty in even the most twisted nightmare images.

A resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Hansen is married to Bram Stoker Award-winning horror author Jeff Strand. In her interview with Horror Curated, Hansen explains how she collaborates with authors and shares her favorite ghostly encounter…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Midnight Syndicate

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Issue #1

It’s impossible to say you haven’t heard the music of brilliant composers, Midnight Syndicate. Even if you don’t know them by name, you’ve heard them pumped through ratty speakers in pop-up Halloween stores, haunted attractions, or amusement parks during the spooky season.

Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been composing and producing music together since the late nineties. They have 20+ albums, have been featured on film soundtracks, and even host a live show at Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio.

Edward has a background in film and theatre and has always had a strong love of instrumental music and sound effects because of their ability to transport the listener to a world or movie of their own creation. Gavin, on the other hand, grew up playing keyboards and drums in various rock and pop bands, but began studying music in a much more formal way when he was accepted into a Conservatory of Music during college. There, he learned the basics of orchestration as well as structured composition.

The combination of musical sounds from these two gentlemen can only be described as magical. From their first collaboration on the album Born of the Night, to their newest release—a 25th-anniversary celebration album called Legions of the Night—these guys are truly the real deal when it comes to atmospheric and gothic soundtracks to our soul…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Book Review: Daughters of Darkness II

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For: Readers who enjoy horror stories written by women, religious conspiracy, spirits, and demon possession.

Content warning: infant death, hate crime, murder, abuse

Daughters of Darkness II is a set of horror stories by women, curated by two awesome horror writers themselves, Stephanie Ellis and Alyson Faye.

My favorite of these stories is by Lynn Love called, “A Light in the Darkness.” Occupying a large part of the middle of this volume, it takes place in three parts during three different parts of a young girl’s life. Starting out as a melancholy tale about her mother losing multiple children, the story transforms into a story about an evil spirit and the love between a sister and brother. Patricia is a girl who isn’t quite sure of her purpose until she is told a secret hidden in the family Bible. This story is fabulously crafted and left secrets that even I didn’t pick up until the end. It’s got a dark, dismal sort of atmosphere from the start leads the reader on a beautiful road of destiny. Just as I thought I knew what was going on, something else unraveled, leading me down another path. The ending went so fast, I kept looking for more to read! I supremely enjoyed this tale and the story is intriguing enough to launch a series. It very much reminded me of Anne Rice’s Lasher books.

Another great tale is “Hummingbird” by T.C. Parker. Told in two parts, this will excite anyone who likes stories about cults, religious conspiracy, or fanatical religious groups. Although I’ll give a warning, it may be triggering for members of the LGBTQ community, especially if you have ever been treated unkindly by a fanatical religion or members of a church group. Jodie is a lesbian and one of Connor’s moms. A religious group is picketing Connor’s school, warning of the dangers of families that don’t have the cookie-cutter mom and dad they believe is God’s gold standard. As a pretty meek and kind gal, Jodie tries to ignore the madness, but when she’s forced into the drama by one of the more aggressive church members, she has no choice but to become involved. Without support from her partner, she turns to a fellow mom who has a secret of her own. In part two, we get a bigger look into the religious side of things and man…I wouldn’t spoil the reveal for all the world.

If you’re looking for an anthology with longer stories by some great women horror writers, this should be right up your alley.

Horror Curated: Winter Tale author Cliff Biggers

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Issue #1

The creators of A Winter’s Tale, Cliff Biggers, Charles R. Rutledge, and James R. Tuck, were inspired to create their anthology of Yuletide Horror because they enjoyed reading the super Valancourt collections of Victorian Christmas ghost stories. They called on some of the talented writers they know to contribute and bring the tradition back. I got to discuss the book, his favorite horror esthetic, and Edgar Allan Poe with Cliff, one of the editors and the author of our featured story this month, “Who Wouldn’t Go.”

Cliff Biggers has been a writer of comics, Fantasy, Horror, and nonfiction for almost fifty years, beginning with his work with Jim Steranko’s Mediascene in the 1970s. His Horror fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines.

Why should readers pick up A Winter’s Tale?

We have outstanding stories from so many writers, each of them in a different style, evoking a different mood. Just like the Victorian Christmas ghost stories that inspired us, these stories aren’t all built around a holiday theme, so this is more than just a Christmas collection. Our book design and cover artist, Lynne Hansen, conveys that feeling perfectly with her cover image, which is a cold, lonely, somber piece that has no Christmas cheer anywhere to be seen, but it conveys the cold of the season as well as the chill of the ghostly tales.

What is your favorite horror aesthetic?

I am much more a fan of the disquieting, evocative Horror tale than the in-your-face splatterpunk Horror approach. I want a good Horror tale to haunt, not to shock…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Fifty-Three: Kiamichi Bigfoot

Kiamichi Bigfoot: Investigating the Oklahoma Sasquatch is a compelling book that chronicles past searches and sightings in the Sooner State. Published in 2022, Kiamichi Bigfoot is written by David Wilbanks.

A Bigfoot seeker since the mid-1990s, Wilbanks details a few of his more interesting investigations – and there are some very interesting stories in the book. Most of his adventures take place in the Kiamichi Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a hot spot for reported Sasquatch activity.

The book begins with investigations in LeFlore County in 2000 and in Grand Lake the following year, where Wilbanks made casts of footprints and reported noises in line with typical sightings.

However, there’s nothing typical about the third and most interesting chapter to me when Wilbanks describes surveillance video of a Bigfoot attempting to open a grease trap behind a casino in western Oklahoma in 2001. Wilbanks is one of the few who have apparently seen the video before its curious disappearance. He writes that viewing the grainy video “cemented” his belief that Bigfoot is real. Wilbanks even made casts of 16-inch footprints he found near the site and includes a photograph. He has no idea what happened to the original video but would like to see it again. 

Kiamichi Bigfoot details other investigations, including a remote site Wilbanks calls Area X, where small pebbles were tossed at him from the trees while perched atop an abandoned cabin. 

The book features accounts of Wilbanks’ participation in The Travel Channel’s 2002 documentary Bigfootville. There’s also an extraordinary chapter about Sasquatch activity in 2019 on a property in Pushmataha County.

For the most part, the investigations outlined in Kiamichi Bigfoot yield the same “evidence” as other searches around North America, including eyeshine, footprints, glimpses of something humanoid, hair samples, unfamiliar sounds, rock-tossing, and twisted saplings.  

Wilbanks’ writing is easy to follow, and his stories are not embellished, which lends more plausibility to his reports. In fact, with the strange anecdote about the casino surveillance video and the even stranger events on the Pushmataha County property, Kiamichi Bigfoot boosts the case that Sasquatch is real more so than most books and documentaries.

Kiamichi Bigfoot is available on Amazon. With more than 170 ratings, the release is well reviewed with an average of 4.4 stars (out of 5).

NEXT UP: Chapter Fifty-Four: Bigfoot: Path of the Beast. I review the 2020 horror film written and directed by Justin Snyder.

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THE BIGFOOT FILES

Horror Curated: The Bloody Brilliance of Lady Snowblood

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Issue #1

Japan is not known for holding back when it comes to throwing around buckets of blood on screen. Not just limited to horror, the country’s samurai and revenge films are some of the bloodiest on record, and because there are often swords involved, it’s not just limited to splashes of red from bullet-wounds either. Lady Snowblood (Toshya Fujita) is a perfect example of this, featuring copious amounts of the red stuff gushing in geysers from slashes and stabs. But the film is much more than just a blood-fest, and is an interesting window onto Japanese society in the beginning of the Meiji Era, when the country was beginning to examine western ideas, moving from the feudalistic, pre-industrial country of old, into a nation that had changed almost indescribably by the era’s end.

The story is one that has been told times before. Yuki, born in the first years of the Meiji Era, is raised to be an assassin who will one day track down her mother’s four abusers. The film follows the now named “Lady Snowblood,” as she follows the four trails, taking out each one in turn, until the final bloody climax. Based off a manga of the same name, it spawned a sequel, a spinoff, and had its legacy largely cemented in western culture when Quentin Tarantino used it as primary inspiration for Kill Bill (2003). It’s a kind of narrative we’re still seeing today, with a female assassin raised from birth for the sole purpose of murder, and anyone who hasn’t seen the

stylish 2017 film The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil, South Korea), which in turn was inspired by the Luc Besson film La Femme Nikita (France, 1990), would do well to check it out for a fun, modern example of the narrative.

Lady Snowblood has enough filmmaking technique going for it to make it a good watch on its own, and attention to the use of color as part of its thematic expression is just part of it. Red is obviously a large feature in the film, and not just because of the severed hands and blood-splattered faces. After several flashbacks to Yuki’s birth, red light spills into the night, coloring the snow crimson. The women in the prison at her birth are all dressed in red, the floor of the palace in the finale is red, the kimono of the daughter of one of her targets is red; the symbolism is obvious. She is born to blood, which is said as much “poor child, you were born to vengeance,” and it is in red where the story ends. She can never escape it…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: When Hell Freezes Over, Blutgletscher

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Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

When horror fans think of movies set in Hell frozen over here on earth, one of the movies that will make most lists is John Carpenter’s iconic movie, The Thing, and all the other movies that have been inspired by it. 

Tom Shankland’s 2008 The Children and Mark A. Lewis’s 2009 Thaw—starring Val Kilmer—are a couple movies that nod to Carpenter that I love, but my all-time favorite movie that took its cue from The Thing is Marvin Kren’s 2013 Blutgletscher (Blood Glacier).

While R.J. MacReady and his team were in Antarctica, Janek and his team are in the Austrian Alps studying global warming. Blutgletscher is set sometime in the future as the melt rate in the movie is much further than it is today.

Blutgletscher allows us to assume that the extremely hostile shape-shifting extraterrestrial organism that terrorized in The Thing not only survived but migrated 9,743 miles to where this movie is set.

But more about that in a second.

Janek and his dog Tinni, unlike MacReady in Antarctica, are long-term residents of the station in the Alps.

He is employed as a technician to keep all the equipment running and he has seen his fair share of scientific teams and quite frankly doesn’t really care for them. I didn’t blame him, the members of the current team are pretentious and treat him like shit despite the fact they wouldn’t be able to conduct research up there if it weren’t for him, which is highlighted in the opening scene…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: ‘Twas the Night Before Creepmas by Nivek Tek

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Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

‘Twas the Night Before Creepmas by Nivek Tek

‘Twas the night before Creepmas, and all through the tomb,
Not a creature was stirring, to seal your doom.
The corpses were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that the Krampus, soon would be there.
The ghouls were all nestled snug in their caskets.
They dreamt of severed heads in bright-colored baskets.
Cobwebs and dust covered the room,
And added a sparkle to the impending doom.
 When out in the graveyard arose such a clatter,
Awoken by screams and incessant chatter,
I climbed from my coffin upset and dismayed,
And thought to myself, “There’s hell to be paid.”
The moon shone brightly on freshly fallen snow,
Which was good, because I had just lost a toe.
When what to my eyes should suddenly appear,
But a big fat old man and a couple of deer. 
READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Nightmare Fuel, Krampus

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Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

I’m sure that everyone in the world is familiar with Santa Claus. He is the embodiment of the giving nature of the holidays. As some of you may also know from pop culture, there is an opposite to the jolly old elf. For this issue’s Nightmare Fuel, we look at the anti-Santa Claus, Krampus.

According to central European legend, Krampus is a half-goat and half-demon with a long tongue who carries a switch or whip and a basket on his back. He whips the wicked children, sometimes carrying them away in his basket for more punishment or to be eaten later.

Some depictions have him wearing lederhosen, but is usually naked except for his fur or wearing chains. Sometimes he accompanies Santa, other times he makes the run before him. One thing included in any description is how evil and scary the Christmas demon looks.

The roots of Krampus’ legend stretch back to 12th Century pagan celebrations in Germany and Austria…READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: The Ghost of Father Christmas by Dean Farnell

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Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

The Ghost of Father Christmas by Dean Farnell

Santa Claus is just a ghost I’ve waited every year.

I stay up every Christmas Eve and shed a little tear.

He never comes to our house, I’d know if he had been.

I see him in my mind sometimes it must have been a dream.

The spirits placed my presents around the Christmas tree,

Or it’s my imagination playing tricks on me.

READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Nikolette Jones, Ornament Maker

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Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

Horror Ornament Maker, Nikolette Jones

by Emerian Rich

Haunted ornament maker Nikolette Jones is an artist, illustrator, and educator who uses all sorts of media to create all sorts of art pieces that range from cute to scary. She alternates from making actual things like ornaments and bookmarks, to painting on massive canvases, to illustrating and designing book covers for various authors. Her day job is being a French immersion and art teacher. If it’s fun and creative, she’s all in.

I was introduced to Nikolette by a good friend (thanks Tim) who said we’d hit it off because we, “Have the same dark humor.” When I heard she was reimagining old dolls into undead babies and repurposing dollhouses into haunted houses, I knew I had to share her awesome work with you fine adorers of all that’s spooky and macabre.

Nikolette says she’s been a maker as far back as she can remember. “I was constantly reworking my toys or hoarding weird supplies to make more toys or scenes for my toys. This progressed and I added painting and drawing to the mix.  I honestly can’t remember a time where I wasn’t making something or thinking about making something.”

Her art is inspired by everything around her. Pop Culture, music, literature, the macabre, everyday life, and found objects, she always has a project going on in her head before they see the light of day.

“Lately I’ve been watching a lot of horror movies from the past and the present and have been inspired to mix my love for pop culture with my love for the scary and macabre to create interesting pieces.”  READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Book Review: Midnight in the Chapel of Love by Matthew R. Davis

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

For: Readers who enjoy real-life mysteries, music, and self-discovery. This is a slow-burn read with an amazing payoff.

Content warning: sexual content, drug use, some murder-spree description.

Jonny Trotter has spent the last fifteen years running from tragic memories of the country town where he grew up but the black envelopes pushed under his door won’t let him forget, and now that his father has died, he can run no more. Before he can move on to a future with his girlfriend, Jonny must first face the terrible truth of his past and if he can’t bring it out into the light at last, it might just pull him and everything he loves down into the dark, forever.

Midnight in the Chapel of Love is a slow-burn novel with an interesting payoff in the end. I wouldn’t call this a horror novel per se. It’s more of a mystery with horrifyingly dark paths. During a series of reveals, the reader will try to piece together all the strands of an intricate puzzle. Some lead to dangerous truths and others lead down broken routes with no way out.

Beginning with a glimpse into the past with a Natural Born Killers sort of murder spree, the story quickly switches focus to Jonno, an Aussie man going back to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral. Like most, he’s dealing with ghosts of his past in a town with enemies, friends, and lovers. But as the story weaves on, the reader gets a feeling maybe his secrets are a bit more dangerous than the average homecoming. Through his return home and a series of flashbacks to his youth, the love story between Jonno and his high school girlfriend, Jessica, unfolds as well as a possibly magical cave, the legend of a toxic love affair, envelopes from the grave, and haunted visions.

The love story between Jonno and Jessica is intoxicating. I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of the Natural Born Killers trope, so the first part could have killed it for me right there (no pun intended). I’m glad I stuck with this book long enough to get to Jonno and allow his story to grab me. There is a lot more to Jonno’s story than the love affair, but it’s integral and wild and really pulled me into the story.

Although the story centers on Jonno, it also unwinds a mystery town folk have been wondering about for years. Where is the Chapel? Does it really exist? Does it really test true love?  Has anyone lived to tell the truth about it? Or is it a death trap waiting to part lovers forever?

Is Jonno broken because of the strange occurrence that caused him to flee in the first place? Or did it start younger, with the death of his mom? What do his visions of a bloodthirsty Bonnie and Clyde have to do with his truth and will going home complete him or rip him to shreds?

While I enjoyed the book and found the ending quite something I wasn’t expecting, it is a slow burn and may not appeal to everyone. Be prepared for the long haul, as it unfolds in such a way that you’ll be in a quandary for much of the read. But if you like snapshots in time (late 90s) and alternative/new wave music (there’s a soundtrack in the back that’s to die for) you will enjoy living vicariously through the out-of-control, and uninhabited mind of Jessica. And if you like Jonno (or just like watching someone’s life implode) you’ll become invested pretty quickly.

Horror Curated: Have a Haunted, Jolly Christmas

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

Have a Haunted, Jolly Christmas

by Mark Orr

I’d be amazed if there is anyone reading this expository essay who is unfamiliar with the 1843 Charles Dickens novella, A Christmas Carol. The classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and that memorable Christmas Eve when he was visited by a series of ectoplasmic entities in order to adjust his attitude toward a more compassionate perspective has permeated the culture, having been adapted to stage, screen, radio, television, and other media hundreds of times over the past almost one hundred and eighty years since publication. It is by far the ghost story of any kind that has been the most adapted, with the runner-up, Aleksandr Pushkins’ “Queen of Hearts,” coming across the finish line as a distant second.

While I am resolute in my insistence that the best film version is the 1951 production starring Alastair Sim, I have to say that my favorite is, even after sixty years, the first one I saw—Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.  The very first animated Christmas special, it aired on NBC in 1962, and for many years afterwards. I still sing along with all the songs whenever I watch it. The Christmas pleasures of one’s childhood never quite lose their sparkle. Christmas is all about watching Mr. Magoo as Scrooge and imbibing numerous tall glasses of homemade eggnog heavily laced with intoxicating liquors for this Auld Phart at Christmas time. And yeah, the grandchildren, of course. Sure, them, too.

One might think that Mr. Dickens would have been satisfied with a single great and grand Christmas ghost story. One would be mistaken. Legendary British anthologist and editor Peter Haining’s 1992 collection, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Ghost Stories, contains no fewer than ten, including the aforementioned novella. Nor was Dickens alone in his fervor to link the Holy Ghost with more earthly spirits. Once he opened the floodgates, the entire Victorian spooky story writing community jumped all over the notion as if it were a loose football in the end zone. To list them all would eat up my allotted word count pretty quickly. READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Spooky Locations with Christmas Names

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

Spooky Locations with Christmas Names

by Courtney Mroch

Evergreen Cemetery * Owego, NY

In this cemetery, you’ll find the grave of Sa-Sa-Na Loft, a Mohawk Indian maiden who was killed in a train crash in the area. During her life, she had converted to Christianity and enthusiastically spread the gospel in the area. The people were so saddened by her tragic death that they raised the money for her obelisk, wanting to not only erect something in her honor and memory but also to bury her in their cemetery. However, Sa-Sa-Na’s family wanted to bring her home with them. But the people of Owego won out and Sa-Sa-Na was buried there. Some said that shortly after her internment, soft voices chanting Mohawk songs floated out from the woods. Was it her ancestors come to comfort her, or family members quietly grieving unseen and sheltered by the trees? READ more Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Haunted Lantern

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

 

Gather your supplies and learn how to make this Haunted Lantern in the new issue of Horror Curated!

Supplies:

o 4 / 5×7 black photo frames

o 1 / 7×7 black photo frame 

o White LED candle

o An empty 2.5 or 3-inch ribbon spool

o 3-4 inch unfinished round wood medallion

o e6000 glue

o Black acrylic paint

o Skull statuary

o Flowers, feathers, decorations as you like

o (Optional) puffy stickers for the top corners

Tools:

o Glue gun

o Glue sticks, including red glitter glue sticks

o Pliers

o Wire Cutters

o Paintbrush

READ Horror Curated NOW!

Horror Curated: Haunted Holidays

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #1: Haunted Holidays

Telling haunted tales at Christmas is a tradition I was so excited to hear about a few years ago. After reading The Woman in Black and realizing that telling spooky tales was a “thing” that people actually used to look forward to during the holidays, I deep-dived into the history and just couldn’t get enough. These were
people after my own heart! 

You see, I fully support making your tree into the grim reaper, crafting a wreath out of skeleton bones, or peppering your mantle with cobweb-encrusted ivy. I love listening to creepy Christmas carols like the tracks from A Ghostly Gathering by Midnight Syndicate. I enjoy watching creepy Horror flicks like Crimson Peak during the holidays, just to see the red snow. 

So, if you’re like me, you are gonna just love what we’ve got lined up for you this issue. Read interviews with Horror professionals like Lynne Hansen, who makes spooky book covers for a living, Nikolette Jones, who does magical things with Horror ornaments, and the aforementioned Midnight Syndicate. Read some haunted holiday fiction from Cliff Biggers, make a gothic lantern, learn about five haunted places with holiday-themed names, and much more. 

On this, our inaugural edition, we welcome you and thank you for allowing us to Curate your Horror.

Emerian Rich, Editor-in-Chief

READ Horror Curated NOW!

Book Review: Let There Be Dark by Tim McWhorter

Content Warnings: attempted rape, death, violence

Monsters, ghosts, vengeful spirits, and mankind’s darkest tendencies: welcome to the world of Let There Be Dark, a short story collection by Tim McWhorter. In these pages, you’ll find eight dark tales that will make your skin crawl and your hair stand on end.

A Ph.D. research project takes a twist for the supernatural in “Rope Burns”. A mafia deal becomes a fight for survival in “The Company You Keep”. A couple drunks looking for a scare discover the horrifying story behind a local legend in “The Bridge”. One dark turn follows another (follows another) in “No Saints here”. A struggling farm has a horrific plan for making ends meet in “Pigs”. A pitch-dark haunted house takes fear to new levels in “The Dark Side”. A ski trip goes awry when they encounter a legendary beast on the prowl in “Growing Cold Together”. And finally, an oddities shop seeks to procure the perfect skull at any cost in “Skull Session”.

I was pleased with McWhorter’s ability to make classic horror tropes fresh again. The stories weren’t predictable, which is refreshing after you’ve read a lot (and I’ve read a LOT) of horror. “Growing Cold Together” and “The Dark Side” stood out as particularly good. Sadly, the writing could have used a little more editing, but if you can overlook that, it’s a solid collection. If you enjoy straightforward horror that gets down to your bones, check out Let There Be Dark.

Horror Curated: Haunted Holidays

NOW AVAILABLE!
Issue #1: Haunted Holidays
48 full-color pages featuring:

Interviews with:
*Musicians Midnight Syndicate
*Artist Lynn Hansen
*Creator Nikolette Jones
*Writer Cliff Biggers
*An Excerpt of A Winter’s Tale
*An Exploration of A Christmas Carol Adaptations
*How to Make a Haunted Holiday Lantern
*5 Spooky Locations with Christmas Names
*The Bloody Brilliance of the film Lady Snowbird
*When Hell Freezes Over in Blutgletscher
*Lore on Krampus and Krampusnacht
*Spooky Holiday Poems
*Book and music reviews
*Dead Mail from readers
*HAUNT Bingo

Curated by: Crystal Connor, D.J. Pitsiladis, Daphne Strasert, Dean P. Farnell, Kate Nox, Kieran Judge, Lionel Ray Green, Mark Orr, Nivek Tek, Courtney Mroch, R.L. Merrill, and Emerian Rich.

ORDER THIS DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW

Submission Call! Manor of Frights LAST DAY

LAST DAY to enter!
Our 2023 Anthology announcement:

Manor of Frights

Imagine a Victorian house where every room is cursed with a frightful existence. Are monsters in the halls? Ghosts left to fester in the library? Or are the rooms themselves enchanted with malevolent energy? What was summoned long ago and what doorways were left open? Manor of Frights will be a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

 

Stories MUST follow these guidelines: 

1. MUST be in 3rd person. No 1st person stories will be considered.
2. The Manor of Frights was built in 1880. So, stories can take place between 1880-1980. Keep this in mind when writing. Is the house new in your era? Run down? Or refurbished? Has there been a fire? A flood? Are you writing about the homeowner? A guest staying at a BnB? Or maybe… You are writing about the architect renovating the place?
3. Choose a room and write a horror story that takes place in it. 13 rooms will be picked from the submissions. Choose wisely. Be unique. You can write about the normal rooms in a house like bedrooms, bathrooms, or the kitchen, but some other ideas for rooms are: attic, conservatory, library, basement, study, billiard room, cellar, hall, parlor, boudoir, dining room, den, foyer, living room, nursery, dinette, hearth room, scullery, kit room, linen closet, landing, rotunda, nook, covered porch, widow’s walk, or maybe you have an idea of your own.  
4. The story must have an overwhelming sense of menace and dread. The KIND of horror is open to you. Is there a monster inside? Does it connect to a demon world? Has it been cursed? Is it haunted? Do vampires reside in the home? Scare us. Entertain us.

LBGTQ and POC stories/writers are encouraged to enter. Sensual or passionate stories are acceptable but we don’t want erotica or sexually-based stories. No rape. The editor likes HORROR. Be careful of sci-fi creatures or anything that sways sci-fi or fantasy. She’s not a fan of superheroes or hunters.

No previously printed work and no simultaneous submissions.

We are doing blind submissions. Wow us with your story.

Enter up to two short stories only. Make sure they fit the theme

Manuscript Format:

*Font: 12 pt Courier, Times New Roman, or Garamond.

*Double spaced.

*Your manuscript must be in either DOC, DOCx, or RTF format.

*DO NOT place your name in the manuscript.**

*No header on the manuscript. JUST THE TITLE.

**Again, we are doing blind submissions. Make sure the manuscript is scrubbed of your name and personal info. This could be an automatic decline.**

TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY, CLICK HERE:

https://forms.gle/3igMYXjnbCrcnoP49

Deadline: October 31st, 2022, 11:59pm PST

Length: 2,000-3,500 words MAX. No exceptions.

Payment: $10.00 USD + digital contributor copy

Accepted stories will be published in these formats: PRINT, eBook, and audio. The audio will be produced for both Season 18 of HorrorAddicts.net (2023), and be placed on an audiobook platform for sale.

Return time: Final decisions will not be made until AFTER the submission close date (10/31/22). You should expect an answer within three months of the submission close date. If you do not receive an email stating your manuscript was received within two weeks of submission, please send a polite query to:  ha.netpress@gmail.com

For any other questions, please send an email to: ha.netpress@gmail.com

Submission Call! Manor of Frights 3 days left

Only 3 days left to enter!
Our 2023 Anthology announcement:

Manor of Frights

Imagine a Victorian house where every room is cursed with a frightful existence. Are monsters in the halls? Ghosts left to fester in the library? Or are the rooms themselves enchanted with malevolent energy? What was summoned long ago and what doorways were left open? Manor of Frights will be a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

 

Stories MUST follow these guidelines: 

1. MUST be in 3rd person. No 1st person stories will be considered.
2. The Manor of Frights was built in 1880. So, stories can take place between 1880-1980. Keep this in mind when writing. Is the house new in your era? Run down? Or refurbished? Has there been a fire? A flood? Are you writing about the homeowner? A guest staying at a BnB? Or maybe… You are writing about the architect renovating the place?
3. Choose a room and write a horror story that takes place in it. 13 rooms will be picked from the submissions. Choose wisely. Be unique. You can write about the normal rooms in a house like bedrooms, bathrooms, or the kitchen, but some other ideas for rooms are: attic, conservatory, library, basement, study, billiard room, cellar, hall, parlor, boudoir, dining room, den, foyer, living room, nursery, dinette, hearth room, scullery, kit room, linen closet, landing, rotunda, nook, covered porch, widow’s walk, or maybe you have an idea of your own.  
4. The story must have an overwhelming sense of menace and dread. The KIND of horror is open to you. Is there a monster inside? Does it connect to a demon world? Has it been cursed? Is it haunted? Do vampires reside in the home? Scare us. Entertain us.

LBGTQ and POC stories/writers are encouraged to enter. Sensual or passionate stories are acceptable but we don’t want erotica or sexually-based stories. No rape. The editor likes HORROR. Be careful of sci-fi creatures or anything that sways sci-fi or fantasy. She’s not a fan of superheroes or hunters.

No previously printed work and no simultaneous submissions.

We are doing blind submissions. Wow us with your story.

Enter up to two short stories only. Make sure they fit the theme

Manuscript Format:

*Font: 12 pt Courier, Times New Roman, or Garamond.

*Double spaced.

*Your manuscript must be in either DOC, DOCx, or RTF format.

*DO NOT place your name in the manuscript.**

*No header on the manuscript. JUST THE TITLE.

**Again, we are doing blind submissions. Make sure the manuscript is scrubbed of your name and personal info. This could be an automatic decline.**

TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY, CLICK HERE:

https://forms.gle/3igMYXjnbCrcnoP49

Deadline: October 31st, 2022, 11:59pm PST

Length: 2,000-3,500 words MAX. No exceptions.

Payment: $10.00 USD + digital contributor copy

Accepted stories will be published in these formats: PRINT, eBook, and audio. The audio will be produced for both Season 18 of HorrorAddicts.net (2023), and be placed on an audiobook platform for sale.

Return time: Final decisions will not be made until AFTER the submission close date (10/31/22). You should expect an answer within three months of the submission close date. If you do not receive an email stating your manuscript was received within two weeks of submission, please send a polite query to:  ha.netpress@gmail.com

For any other questions, please send an email to: ha.netpress@gmail.com

A Halloween Listicle: SINISTER STORIES FOR THE SPOOKY SEASON

 by Renata Pavrey

The days leading up to Halloween are filled with costumes to prepare, décor to get ready, and treats to bake. The final week of October is a culmination of all the spooky excitement building up throughout the month. Yes! We love our horror movies, can’t have enough of eerie podcasts, and then there are books that thrill and chill. Sometimes it’s just so much to take in, with all that’s happening in a horror fan’s favorite time of the year. Here’s a list of Halloween-themed short story collections, so you can dip in your toes when time runs short on Hallows Eve.

~Halloween Horrors by Alan Ryan – A vintage collection for a night of evil. 13 sinister stories of madness and mayhem that show us a side of Halloween far removed from pumpkin lanterns and hot spiced drinks.

~Ghosts, Goblins, Murder and Madness by Rebecca Rowland – 20 tales of Halloween that showcase the wide expanse of the holiday season – dressing up in costume, playing practical jokes, haunted houses, cursed artifacts, the thin line between the earth and spirit worlds.

~Season of the Witch by RJ Roles and Jason Myers – Witches are not just about brooms and pointy hats; cackling as they fly over the moon on Halloween. This anthology from Crimson Pinnacle Press brings together 19 tales about witches and autumn, providing fresh perspectives to cliches and stereotypes associated with the season.

~Literally Dead by Gaby Triana – Hauntings that go beyond ghosts, spirits who want to help the living, festive greetings that travel through time and space, candy that refuses to be digested – an old school anthology from Alienhead Press that presents common Halloween tropes in spooky new avatars by some of the most terrifying names in contemporary horror.

~Halloween Frights by Brandi Hicks and Shelly Jarvis – If short stories take up too much of your reading time, why not sink your teeth into bite-sized drabbles? Spooky ghost kids, zombie trick-or-treaters, suspicious treats, and decorations coming alive – let’s turn to face the darker side of this autumn holiday.

~Forest of Fear (Books 1, 2 and 3) by Zoey Xolton – There are 3 books in the Fright Night Fiction series from Blood Song Books, that present a delectable collection of Halloween horror drabbles.

~Nom Nom by Ben Thomas and D. Kershaw – Another drabble collection that treats us to a smorgasbord of vampires, djinns, werewolves, jack-o-lanterns, clowns, candies, and everything the festival has to offer in 100-word bits of gore from Black Hare Press.

Submission Call! Manor of Frights 5 days left

Only 5 days left to enter!
Our 2023 Anthology announcement:

Manor of Frights

Imagine a Victorian house where every room is cursed with a frightful existence. Are monsters in the halls? Ghosts left to fester in the library? Or are the rooms themselves enchanted with malevolent energy? What was summoned long ago and what doorways were left open? Manor of Frights will be a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

 

Stories MUST follow these guidelines: 

1. MUST be in 3rd person. No 1st person stories will be considered.
2. The Manor of Frights was built in 1880. So, stories can take place between 1880-1980. Keep this in mind when writing. Is the house new in your era? Run down? Or refurbished? Has there been a fire? A flood? Are you writing about the homeowner? A guest staying at a BnB? Or maybe… You are writing about the architect renovating the place?
3. Choose a room and write a horror story that takes place in it. 13 rooms will be picked from the submissions. Choose wisely. Be unique. You can write about the normal rooms in a house like bedrooms, bathrooms, or the kitchen, but some other ideas for rooms are: attic, conservatory, library, basement, study, billiard room, cellar, hall, parlor, boudoir, dining room, den, foyer, living room, nursery, dinette, hearth room, scullery, kit room, linen closet, landing, rotunda, nook, covered porch, widow’s walk, or maybe you have an idea of your own.  
4. The story must have an overwhelming sense of menace and dread. The KIND of horror is open to you. Is there a monster inside? Does it connect to a demon world? Has it been cursed? Is it haunted? Do vampires reside in the home? Scare us. Entertain us.

LBGTQ and POC stories/writers are encouraged to enter. Sensual or passionate stories are acceptable but we don’t want erotica or sexually-based stories. No rape. The editor likes HORROR. Be careful of sci-fi creatures or anything that sways sci-fi or fantasy. She’s not a fan of superheroes or hunters.

No previously printed work and no simultaneous submissions.

We are doing blind submissions. Wow us with your story.

Enter up to two short stories only. Make sure they fit the theme

Manuscript Format:

*Font: 12 pt Courier, Times New Roman, or Garamond.

*Double spaced.

*Your manuscript must be in either DOC, DOCx, or RTF format.

*DO NOT place your name in the manuscript.**

*No header on the manuscript. JUST THE TITLE.

**Again, we are doing blind submissions. Make sure the manuscript is scrubbed of your name and personal info. This could be an automatic decline.**

TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY, CLICK HERE:

https://forms.gle/3igMYXjnbCrcnoP49

Deadline: October 31st, 2022, 11:59pm PST

Length: 2,000-3,500 words MAX. No exceptions.

Payment: $10.00 USD + digital contributor copy

Accepted stories will be published in these formats: PRINT, eBook, and audio. The audio will be produced for both Season 18 of HorrorAddicts.net (2023), and be placed on an audiobook platform for sale.

Return time: Final decisions will not be made until AFTER the submission close date (10/31/22). You should expect an answer within three months of the submission close date. If you do not receive an email stating your manuscript was received within two weeks of submission, please send a polite query to:  ha.netpress@gmail.com

For any other questions, please send an email to: ha.netpress@gmail.com

Book Review: “Netherkind” by Greg Chapman

Hello Addicts,

In the horror genre, the consumption of human flesh and blood is a fairly regular thing. There are plenty of stories about cannibals and flesh-eating zombies, so it is refreshing to see a story that handles things differently. Greg Chapman offers a flesh-eating tale that falls somewhere between the extremes of the living and the dead in his novel “Netherkind”.

Thomas leads a solitary life of torment. He has no memories of life before waking in the apartment he calls home, but that isn’t the most disturbing thing in his life. He has a condition where his body decays painfully if he doesn’t eat human flesh every day. It is an uncontrollable need he fights daily, but never wins. He doesn’t know how it started or whether there are others out there with his same condition. That all changes the day he meets his new neighbor, Stephanie

Stephanie is just moving into the apartment building Thomas lives in and does her best to spend time with him. After spending one night together, he learns some horrifying truths about her. She is like him, a consumer of human flesh. When he awakes, he finds the doors to all the apartments on their floor bashed in and the occupants stripped clean to the bone. His new neighbor, who he just had sex with, reveals that she is like Thomas and that there are more like them hiding in the world. She’d been stalking him for weeks, watching him live and kill, just for the chance to meet and get impregnated by him. With those tasks accomplished, she wounds him and leaves him to die.

Rather than succumb to his injuries, Thomas survives and begins hunting for Stephanie. His travels bring him close frequently, but never close enough. Eventually, he discovers another of their kind, referred to collectively as Fleshers. The Flesher,  named Nero and leads Thomas to their kingdom under the city. He discovers they are one of five tribes, each different in their mindset, physical conditions, and abilities.

Thomas’ clan refers to themselves as Phagun. Another group is called Lepers, whose skin is sickly looking and sloughing off, but whose touch is acidic. A third tribe is the spiritual Stygma, followers of a god named Okin. The fourth group of Fleshers are shapeshifters named Skiift, with humans making up the last group. The Skiift, the Stygma, and the Phagun have waged a centuries-long religious war between, partially fueled by the Phagun’s desire to treat humans as food.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story, which develops into a chosen one tale. What is Thomas’ history and how does it fit into what needs to be done? How does Stephanie fit into the entire picture? The book answers these questions and more.

I liked the story, but found it a little confusing at certain points, particularly when following who was speaking. That aside, I thought Greg Chapman did a good job with this story, particularly with the sensory descriptions. I recommend this book for anyone needing a rainy day or late-night read. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or through your local bookstore.

Until next time, Addicts.

D.J.

BOOK BIRTHDAY! Campfire Tales from HorrorAddicts.net Press

Horror Bites: Campfire Tales

Dear Reader,

You’ve been invited to a very special night of Campfire Tales, hosted by HorrorAddicts.net. Meet us at Old Bear Creek, just past Dead Man’s Curve. Dress warm. We’ll be waiting.

Four scary tales told by Next Great Horror Writer finalists and woven together by a trek through the woods you’ll never forget.

“Cabin Twelve” by Daphne Strasert
When a camp counselor goes on patrol, she finds an extra cabin in the woods that no one knows about…or do they?

“The Face” by Naching T. Kassa
An ailing mother and her daughter are terrorized by a disembodied face.

“When the Wind Leaves a Whisper” by Jess Landry
Girl Scouts in the 40s experience a frightening occurrence in the woods.

“Goose Meadows” by Harry Husbands
Two friends out drinking at night discover the real horrors of Goose Meadows.

Chilling Chat Special: L. Marie Wood

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning dark fiction author, screenwriter, and poet with novels in the psychological horror, mystery, and dark romance genres. She won the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper. She is a MICO Award nominated screenwriter and has won Best Horror, Best Action, Best Afrofuturism/Horror/Sci-Fi, and Best Short Screenplay awards in both national and international film festivals. Wood’s short fiction has been published in groundbreaking works, including the Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology, Sycorax’s Daughters and Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire. Her academic writing has been published by Nightmare Magazine and the cross-curricular text, Conjuring Worlds: An Afrofuturist Textbook. She is the founder of the Speculative Fiction Academy, an English and Creative Writing professor, a horror scholar, an active member of the Horror Writers Association, a full member of the SFWA, and a frequent speaker in the genre convention space. 

NTK: Welcome to Chilling Chat, L. Marie! Thank you for chatting with us today.

LMW: Happy to be here!

NTK: How did you discover the horror genre?

LMW: Interestingly enough, I was 5 years old! I don’t know how I found horror. I think it found me—I think I have always been attracted to the darker side of things, the side that is just a little bit off. And that’s not to say that I’ve always been attracted to blood and guts—that’s actually not what I write or read for the most part. But the tilt on the landscape—the thing that is just a little wrong even though it is surrounded by what is considered “normal”… that kind of thing has always been my cup of tea even at such a young age!

NTK: You’re a big fan of psychological horror. Is that what inspires your writing?

LMW: That’s what I write and always have. Life inspires my writing. I have always seen things at a slant. That’s not to say that I can’t see them the way that most people do, but if I turn my head just a little, the dark side is always right there. It is interesting for me to look at that side, to study how it works, how it hides itself in reality and sometimes stories come from that.

NTK: You also write screenplays. What is the difference between writing a novel or short story and writing a screenplay?

LMW: Night and day! Novels and short stories give you the room to add exposition and descriptive language. Screenplays are visual—if you can’t see what is supposed to happen, neither can anyone else, so all of those moments of contemplation have to be reworked.

NTK: How do you rework those moments?

LMW: Often it requires trimming, but there can be re-wording to make something passive-active. There is a small section where you can direct an actor to do something specific and there is creatively crafting the story to get the actor to express what you are looking for or get the director to shoot a scene a certain way without saying, “Do it this way!” Good writing is needed—just a different kind of good.

NTK:  Recently, you started an online learning platform called Speculative Fiction Academy. What is this?

LMW: Yes!! SFA is my passion! it is an online academy dedicated to teaching people how to hone their craft. I like to call it the MFA program that didn’t exist when I was in school.

NTK: Is it just for writing and screenwriting?

LMW: We have classes that dive into speculative fiction whereas traditional programs focus on literary fiction. We have classes that talk about monsters and faes and the characters that one would encounter when worldbuilding. We talk podcasting, scriptwriting, worldbuilding, business, social media. We cover it all.

NTK:  And who teaches these courses?

LMW: We have classes that talk about how to properly reflect mental health in fiction, and it is taught by a practicing psychiatrist. We have to handle medical problems properly and it is taught by a general practitioner. We have award winners, publishers, academics, authors from multiple genres, filmmakers, podcasters—you name it. Pros teaching what they know to people who want to know.

NTK: Wow! How do Horror Addicts sign up for this?

LMW: Visit Speculative Fiction Academy and choose how you’d like to learn. We have three tiers to choose from. You can choose from individual courses a la carte, monthly memberships, or annual memberships. A la carte courses (which all of them can be) are individually priced. The best value is to get an annual membership and get a month free.

NTK: Of all your work, which is your favorite?

LMW: So, this may sound like a silly answer, but it is true. My favorite work is the one I am working on now—it is always the one I am working on. Because I am so pumped about it. It is exciting to watch the characters come together, to see them grow. I love every minute of writing a novel—even the moments when I don’t know what the heck I am going to do next!

NTK: Do you have a favorite character you’ve written?

LMW: I don’t know that I have a favorite character—just like with the movie question, I really love so many of them.

Angie from The Promise Keeper is so amazing to me—what she endures and how she reacts to what is happening—she floors me.

Patrick from The Realm—I just dig him all the way through the series. He is committed and flawed and so very human—I love it.

James from Crescendo—he’s so tormented and life doesn’t let up for him. I love watching how he reacts to things.

I love each of the mains in The Tryst (Mark, Eric, Nicole). They are so different yet so connected. They are amazing to watch in action and I really enjoy writing them.

Shaun in The Black Hole, Sara Sue in Mars, the Band Man, and Sara Sue…Chris in Telecommuting—I love this dude for his realness.

Honestly, I love them all (Laughs.)

NTK:  L. Marie, what does the future hold for you? What works and activities do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

LMW: So much! Accursed, Book 3 of The Realm Trilogy will be coming out in October. My first mystery novel, Mars, the Band Man, and Sara Sue, will be out in November.

I have a really neat traditional (well, for the most part) project coming out with Falstaff in 2023. The first two books will come out in Feb.

Book 2 of the Affinity Series (the first of which is The Tryst that I mentioned a second ago) is coming out in February also—it is called Origins and wowza, I loved writing that one.

I have a few short stories and poems that are coming out in 2023—the ink on some of those contracts is still wet!

and…

My first film will be out soooooonnnn!

NTK: Ooh! What is this film?

LMW: it’s a short film and harkens back to the slasher genre and I am pumped about it. It is called 271 Raeburn Avenue. I loved being on set for this. Oh my gosh, it was an amazing experience. On top of all of that, I will be speaking at a few conferences. Candyman and the Whole Damn Swarm and International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts.

NTK: What was it like to be on the set and see your creation come about?

LMW: Being on set was so surreal! Fixing lines mid-taping was flipping awesome—that was a dream come true. Overseeing the makeup, and sitting in on production meetings—just so awesome.

I am so amazed at the creativity that everyone brought to the table and that they were saying my lines…lines I wrote!

NTK:  Thank you for joining us today, L. Marie. By the way, congratulations on having your work archived in the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

LMW: Oh, thank you so much! I’m so excited about the archiving! It’s one of those things that you never think will happen for you. I am excited to be included—truly an honor.

Chilling Chat: Episode #217 – Loren Rhoads

Loren Rhoads served as editor for Bram Stoker Award-nominated Morbid Curiosity magazine as well as the books The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, Death’s Garden: Relationship with Cemeteries, Death’s Garden Revisited, and Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues: True Tales of the Unsavory, Unwise, Unorthodox, and Unusual. Her short stories have appeared in the books Best New Horror #27, Strange California, Sins of the Sirens: Fourteen Tales of Dark Desire, Fright Mare: Women Write Horror, and most recently in the magazines Weirdbook, Occult Detective Quarterly, and Space & Time. 

NTK: How old were you when you first discovered horror?

LR: I remember catching a glimpse of Barnabas Collins climbing out of his coffin when I was four. I didn’t know what I was seeing at the time, but the music was so deliciously creepy! I was definitely marked for life.

NTK: Is Dark Shadows your favorite horror TV show? What is your favorite?

LR: Wow, it’s hard to choose a favorite. I loved Dark Shadows, Kolchak, and the monster of the week episodes of The X-Files. Now I’m loving Legion, which might not seem like horror, because the main character/villain is presented to be so charming. He’s really quite terrifying.

NTK: Do you prefer villains or heroes?

LR: I prefer characters who wander from one side of the equation to the other.

NTK: What do you think makes a character believable?

LR: Self-doubt.

NTK: When you write characters, do they have free will? Or are their actions predetermined?

LR: They definitely have minds of their own. I generally write to find out what I think, rather than the other way around, so I just wind my characters up and watch them go.

NTK: What is your favorite horror novel?

LR: The one I’ve read the most is Dracula. I find something new in it every time I read it. Other than that, my second favorite changes from day to day.

NTK: Do you have a favorite horror film?

LR: Alien. The first one. I still find it scary.

NTK: Is it the fear factor, or the fact that people are pulling together to fight a greater evil that attracts you to the story?

LR: I like watching Ripley, who is marginalized and ignored, turn out to be right. She knows what the protocol is supposed to be, but the more-emotional men overrule her and get killed for it. Watching Ripley, who has discounted herself, realize that she’s resourceful enough to survive is amazing. And the monster still haunts my nightmares all these years later.

NTK: You are a well-known cemetery aficionado and I have been dying to ask you this question, have you ever been to Colma, CA?

LR: Oh so many times!

NTK: What’s it like?

LR: The absolute best. There are 17 cemeteries in town, one right beside the next. They range from Japanese to Chinese to Italian (full of sculpture) to Jewish to Catholic to a former Masonic cemetery to a former potter’s field. There’s even a pet cemetery!

They say 1 million people are buried in Colma but there are only 1,000 live ones.

Wyatt Earp is buried there, and Levi Strauss, and Emperor Norton (the only Emperor of North America and Protector of Mexico). It’s lovely and sad and full of treasures.

I don’t know if you know the history of the graveyards of San Francisco, but in the early 20th century, all of them were dug up and the bodies hauled to Colma. There are several huge mass graves down there. Even so, people keep finding bodies that were missed somehow and weren’t moved.

Several years ago, a woman doing yard work found an iron coffin with a little girl in it, still perfectly preserved, and visible through a glass window into the coffin.

NTK: What inspired you to edit the anthology, Death’s Garden Revisited? 

LR:  I wanted to assemble a book that illuminated all the reasons people visit cemeteries. Once I started asking people to tell me about the cemeteries they have a relationship with, stories started flooding in. I am really proud of how this book turned out.

NTK: What authors are included in the anthology?

LR: Contributors include horror authors A. M. Muffaz, Angela Yuriko Smith, Christine Sutton, Denise N. Tapscott, E.M. Markoff, Emerian Rich, Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito, Francesca Maria, Greg Roensch, Mary Rajotte, Melodie Bolt, Priscilla Bettis, Rain Graves, Rena Mason, Robert Holt, R.L. Merrill, Saraliza Anzaldua, Stephen Mark Rainey, and Trish Wilson – and then there are all the others who don’t write horror. There are 40 authors in all.

NTK: How many cemeteries have you visited since you first became interested in them? 

LR: At a guess, hundreds. One of these days, I’m going to have to sit down and count them all. On one of my favorite vacations, my husband and I went to 18 graveyards between Boston and Gettysburg in a little more than a week.

NTK: How many cemeteries outside of the U.S.?

LR: I just made a quick list and I’m sure I’m forgetting things, but 51 so far. That includes the thirteen burial grounds I counted in Italy–which is the most I’ve visited in one country outside the US–but in Italy, there are people buried in every church, so I’m sure that doesn’t include every grave I saw there. I’ve been to cemeteries in England, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and the Czech Republic, as well as in Singapore and Japan. Clearly, there are a lot of countries left to see!

NTK: Have you ever experienced anything strange or paranormal when you visited a cemetery?

LR: I’ve never seen a ghost, but I’ve had spooky things happen. I was on a ghost hunt in a cemetery in Oakland when I felt a weird, cold sensation in the back of my neck. Turns out, I was standing over a fallen headstone that had been covered with sod. Even the docent didn’t know it was there!

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

LR: I’m so glad you asked that! I’m finishing up a book called Still Wish You Were Here, which is a sequel to my first cemetery memoir. It is a collection of my own cemetery essays, stuff that was published in Gothic.Net, Gothic Beauty, Morbid Curiosity magazine, and a bunch of other places. After that, I’m thinking about getting back to my novel The Death of Memory. So many books, so little time!

NTK: Thank you for chatting with me, Loren!

LR: Thank you so much, Naching!

Addicts, you can find Loren on Facebook, Twitter, and at Cemetery Travel.