THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Seventy-One: Hunting Bigfoot

Hunting Bigfoot by North Carolina author Eric S. Brown is a good old-fashioned creature feature packed with enough cryptid action to make Arnold Schwarzenegger say, “Run! Go! Get to the chopper!” Of course, Schwarzenegger isn’t in Hunting Bigfoot, but Brown’s book oozes the 1980s vibes of movies like Predator – breathlessly paced with plenty of intense action scenes.

Released in February and published by Severed Press, Hunting Bigfoot is vintage Brown, who’s written well over 100 books in the action-horror genre about all kinds of creatures but mostly Bigfoot.

Hunting Bigfoot starts quick and bloody as a boy’s father and brother are slaughtered by a Bigfoot right before his eyes. The boy named Danny survives but no one believes his account. 

And that’s your backstory. If Brown was a movie director, this is where he’d say, “Cut! Now let’s get to the real action.” 

The next scene shows Danny as a grown man and military soldier waking up from a nightmare in his hometown of Clinton, North Carolina. He’s returned for revenge on the beast that killed his family. And he won’t be alone. Four of his military friends are joining him on the hunt. 

That’s the tip of the iceberg, though, because Sheriff Stanton is on the scene of a couple of campers who were butchered – a scene surrounded by strange footprints. Now, the sheriff’s gathering his deputies for a hunt. 

Oh, and there’s Danny’s former high school sweetheart, Hannah, who’s guiding a group of amateur filmmakers into the woods so they can shoot a documentary about the “Clinton Monster.” 

All three groups enter the forest of Bigfoot, and all three will find themselves in desperate situations at every turn as that 1980s action vibe I mentioned earlier kicks into full gear. Even Schwarzenegger would have a tough time surviving this one. 

After finishing the 109-page novella, my first thought was: “Nobody is safe in an Eric S. Brown book.” 

In an exclusive interview with The Bigfoot Files, Brown discusses his process, explains why he writes cryptid fiction, and shares his opinion on the “real” Bigfoot phenomenon.

Eric S. Brown

I asked Brown how he determines who lives and dies in his books. 

“For most of my books, I don’t outline,” he says. “I just go with the flow and let the characters themselves sort of decide who lives and dies. And yes, it is very true that no character is safe in my books. I’ve been known to kill someone who appears to be the main character and switch off to someone else more than once. A good number of my books end like the 2004 Dawn of the Dead with everyone dying as I personally enjoy that style of ending. But in later years, I’ve started trying to keep someone alive a bit more. 

“As to a process, I get an idea, then come up with the characters as I start writing it. And then like I said, I let them lead me to where I want to go in the book. When I was younger, I was pretty fearless just throwing words onto a page, hoping something stuck, and knowing I could fix everything in edits if it didn’t. That was how I have been able to write so many books over the years. Now, as I approach the end of my forties, I have slowed down some and think about each sentence a lot more. We’ll see if that’s a good thing or not, I guess.” 

As I read Hunting Bigfoot, I thought the “man versus nature” aspect of the story included themes relating to man’s arrogance about their intellectual superiority and how revenge can ruin lives. Brown says themes like that are incidental to his storytelling. 

“I have never thought of myself as an artist,” Brown says. “Entertainer is likely a great term for me. I grew up loving horror, military sci-fi, and B movies. For me, I am just creating the things I would have loved to see as a fan myself. I am sure on an unconscious level some of my own beliefs are likely slipping into my work but overall, they’re just meant to be fun, gory, and scary. My biggest hope is that my work will be an experience like sitting down with a big bowl of chips, a nice drink, and watching a creature feature on the TV. There aren’t enough true monster movies these days, and my books are hopefully a way of finding that type of horror again.” 

Brown’s earliest works are out of print, including his 2005 debut novel Cobble. His first mass-market release was 2010’s The War of the Worlds, Plus Blood, Guts, and Zombies, published by Gallery Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint. His latest title, Stomping Ground, was released April 13. 

Brown’s first Bigfoot book was 2010’s Bigfoot War, which was later adapted into the 2014 film Bigfoot Wars. 

“I’ve been writing Bigfoot horror ever since,” he says. 

Childhood nightmares sparked Brown’s journey into Bigfoot fiction. 

“Growing up in the rural South and loving horror films, I had a lot of nightmares about Bigfoot,” Brown says. “They scared the crap out of me. At a certain point in my career when I had been writing about zombies for a long, long time, I decided to use those nightmares and childhood fears to write Bigfoot War, and thus my career in cryptid horror began. I’ve written a lot of Bigfoot books over the years, including the novelization of the 2010 Boggy Creek film, but I’d say that the original Bigfoot War and Manhunt are my best two. And you’re right on the ’80s action vibe. I grew up reading David Drake’s Hammer’s Slammers and David Robbins’ Endworld series. Reading action giants like those two, I couldn’t help but put a lot of action into my own work.” 

Brown has also written books about killer crocodiles, lycanthropes, the Loch Ness Monster, megalodon, kaiju, and witches. Surprisingly, Bigfoot is not his favorite monster. 

“I do love Bigfoot but honestly, vampires are my favorite monsters,” he says. “I took a stab at writing them with a trilogy called The Dark War. The first book in that series, Psi-Mechs, Inc., is my personal favorite thing I have ever written.” 

As for his best-known work Bigfoot War, Brown expressed disappointment in the 2014 film adaptation, which featured actors Judd Nelson and C. Thomas Howell. 

“In the beginning, it was great,” Brown says. “The check for the rights was amazing, and there was press about it happening everywhere. I was living the dream right up until the moment the movie came out, then everything went sideways. I hated the movie. Couldn’t stand it. Somehow my female sheriff, the main character, had morphed into a bald guy. My dormant zombie virus in the Sasquatch blood was replaced by a voodoo curse, and the movie even opened with cliché Friday the 13^th teens-in-the-woods-style scenes.” 

Finally, I asked Brown why Bigfoot remains so popular in American pop culture. 

“Bigfoot is a mystery and people like mysteries,” he says. “Also, Bigfoot is or at least can be a monster. A really, really bloody scary one, too. Combine those two things and you’ve certainly got something with lasting appeal.” 

Does he believe Bigfoot is real? 

“As a kid, having brutal nightmares about Bigfoot tearing into my house to kill me, I one hundred percent did,” Brown says. “As an adult, I’d say the odds are greatly in favor of it, but not having a personal experience in real life myself, I couldn’t say for sure.” 

AUTHOR LINK: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Eric-S.-Brown/author/B004G6XP7E?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

NEXT UP: Chapter Seventy-Two: Faith of Dawn. I review the 2024 novel by Kristin Dearborn.

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THE BIGFOOT FILES

Book Review: Estate Sale by Mia Dalia

Estate Sale by Mia Dalia

There’s an allure to estate sales. A curiosity to see what treasures might be found rummaging through other people’s belongings. The chance discovery of an object bought for pennies and later discovered to be worth thousands of dollars. But do we ever stop and consider the history of the items we bring home? What if what we brought home was imbued with dark magic? Emerging horror author Mia Dalia explores this scenario in her book Estate Sale.

I like to think of the book as a wheel. At the center is the estate sale held at the home of the mysterious Anastasia Koshmaroff. The spokes are the characters whose lives are impacted by the items they bought at the sale. A writer who bought a chair. A young artist who comes to possess a quill and inkwell. There is a story of another writer who receives a typewriter. All the objects seem innocent initially, but then darkness spreads as the book unfolds.

The saga of Anastasia Koshmaroff and her husband Pavel weaves in and out of the other stories. It starts when Anastasia is a young teen and ends with her death many decades later. Their lifelong journey spans the globe, from Russia to the rise of Nazism in Germany and Ellis Island in New York. Along the way, Pavel’s interest in spiritualistic magic and mysticism leads them to meet several occultists, including Aleister Crowley. As global events force them to leave home after home, Pavel’s interest in the occult culminates in the unbelievable becoming a reality. It proves that not even death can separate us from those we love the most.

When I first read the summary of Estate Sale, the premise intrigued me. As the daughter of an antique dealer, my mother was always bringing home things with unknown pasts. I scared myself more than once, dreaming up backstories for a toy stove or whatever else came through our door. And as much as Estate Sale had moments that creeped me out, I am looking forward to finding out what Dalia has planned, given that the book ends with “the end?”.

Book birthday: Clockwork Wonderland

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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.

Book Birthday: Dark Divinations

HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:

Dark Divinations edited by Naching T. Kassa

Available now on Kindle!

It’s the height of Queen Victoria’s rule. Fog swirls in the gas-lit streets, while in the parlor, hands are linked. Pale and expectant faces gaze upon a woman, her eyes closed and shoulders slumped. The medium speaks, her tone hollow and inhuman. The séance has begun.

Can the reading of tea leaves influence the future? Can dreams keep a soldier from death in the Crimea? Can a pocket watch foretell a deadly family curse? From entrail reading and fortune-telling machines to prophetic spiders and voodoo spells, sometimes the future is better left unknown.

Choose your fate.

Choose your DARK DIVINATION.

Join us as we explore fourteen frightening tales of Victorian horror, each centered around a method of divination.

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“Power and Shadow” by Hannah Hulbert / A young woman, with the power to manipulate the future using tea leaves, teaches her friend a lesson at her mother’s behest.

“Copper and Cordite” by Ash Hartwell / On the eve of her fiance’s departure for the Crimea, a young Englishwoman discovers the power which lies in dreams. Can she use it to save him?

“Damnation in Venice” by Joe L. Murr / When a roguish fortuneteller counsels an aging writer, he ends up in danger of damning his own soul.

“The Pocket Watch” by Emerian Rich / When a young American bride returns to her husband’s English estate, she receives a present from his deceased mother that can foretell a deadly family curse.

“They Wound Like Worms” by Naching T. Kassa / A man writes his sister concerning a method of divination which reveals his true love. But, as his obsession grows, the method grows bloodier.

“Miroir de Vaugnac” by Michael Fassbender / A widowed seer, augmenting her skills through an antique scrying bowl,  faces grim choices when she learns she is not fully in control of its power.

“The Bell” by Jon O’Bergh / A physical medium, who earned his fortune faking necromancy, finds he’s buried in a coffin and must call upon his powers to save himself.

“Romany Rose” by Stephanie Ellis / A penny gaff mysteriously appears outside a London shop, awaking a spirit with a terrible agenda.

“Miss Mae’s Prayers” by H.R.R. Gorman / A preacher seeks to rebuke an Appalachian witch for her use of the Bible to divine the future, but ignoring her warnings leads to dire consequences

“Broken Crystal” by Rie Sheridan Rose / A young, Irish fortuneteller discovers her true fate when she reads for a dangerous man who won’t accept her prophecy.

“Breaking Bread” by R.L. Merrill / A wife, suspecting her husband of infidelity, tests him with a magic loaf of bread, but her quest for knowledge might be more trouble than she asked for.

“The Ghost of St. John Lane” by Daphne Strasert / While conducting a seance to contact her dead husband, a woman discovers a girl with strange gifts and provokes a man who seeks to destroy her.

“The Moat House Cob” by Alan Fisher / In a tower of fortune-telling animals, a spider spins a web over London. What ominous force may be headed their way?

“Of Blood and Bones” by Jeremy Megargee / When a woman throws the bones in search of her sister’s murderer, she finds an unimaginable evil. Will she avenge her sister’s death? Or share her fate?

Available now at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087LBPBNS

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Seventy: Bigfoot Ridge

Bigfoot Ridge by New Jersey author C.E. Osborn is driven by the dogged determination of cryptid researcher Autumn Hunter, who marches headlong into a risky investigation at Olympic National Park in Washington.

Autumn’s resolve is challenged by her family who wonders how much longer she plans to continue cryptid hunting. Autumn replies, “Until I either find scientific proof of Bigfoot that can’t be disproven or otherwise explained, or until I just get too old to go out into the forest anymore.”

You go, girl! Autumn will not be discouraged (but what can you expect from a woman who names her cat Squatch). Her upcoming trip to the Evergreen State will only add fuel to the fire of her beliefs. 

Released in February, Bigfoot Ridge is a 162-page novella detailing a hot spot of cryptid activity in and around an abandoned 400-acre site called the Bobcat Lake Research Project. It’s the fifth book featuring Autumn and her boyfriend Zach Larson, who films the reality TV show Creature Hunt. 

Since Zach’s off revisiting a series of locations for his show, Autumn is front-and-center as the main character in Bigfoot Ridge – and she more than holds her own … barely. With an unexpected two-week furlough from her real job, Autumn phones a couple of her Bigfoot friends staying at a resort near Bobcat Lake and agrees to join them at their cabin. Autumn hopes to get material for a book that she and Zach are planning to write on cryptozoology. 

While at the resort and while hiking, Autumn and her friends hear mysterious stories from others about sightings of Bigfoot, the flying Batsquatch, and the dogman. Most of the activity happens in the vicinity of the abandoned Bobcat Lake Research Project site. Don’t worry, though, it’s not one of those kinds of research projects. The Bobcat Lake Research Project was manned by a group of geologists, botanists, and biologists hired to observe natural resources in the area. While there, they did have to request security from park rangers after getting spooked by something in the forest. 

While Autumn is the star of Bigfoot Ridge, a host of other characters are introduced, including a park ranger scarred by the strange death of his father; the new resort owners who bought it from another couple “anxious to sell” the property; the project manager at the research site when it shut down; another couple collecting information on the sightings; a resourceful librarian; and a pair of siblings who witness what appears to be a wolf standing on its hind legs stalking an injured cougar. All the characters play a part, providing pieces of the puzzle for Autumn and her friends. 

I like how the book spends time to show the research techniques used by Autumn to locate the best area to look for Bigfoot. She peruses the Bigfoot Online Group, interviews locals, and hits the library for background information. It all leads to the group narrowing down the most likely spot to find a Bigfoot. Of course, Bigfoot may not be the only creature in the woods with credible rumors of a Batsquatch and dogman swirling. 

Bigfoot Ridge is fun, fast-paced cryptid fiction, showcasing a sometimes reckless but always passionate heroine that you can’t help but root for. Plus, there’s plenty of Bigfoot action. 

In an exclusive interview with The Bigfoot Files, Osborn explains what inspired her passion for cryptids, sheds light on Autumn’s motivation, and shares her opinion on the real Bigfoot phenomenon.

Osborn is a native of Washington who now lives in New Jersey, both states with popular cryptid histories.

“Although I heard some tales about Bigfoot and would see statues and books in places back in Washington, I wasn’t really interested in Bigfoot and other cryptids until I started watching the show MonsterQuest, which is where I got the idea for Zach and Creature Hunt,” Osborn says. “I’d say that show, plus reading the books of cryptid researchers such as Linda S. Godfrey and Lyle Blackburn, really got me interested in centering stories around cryptids.” 

Her library job helps Osborn scout for cryptid films to view. 

“I am a media cataloger, which means movies about cryptids, both nonfiction and fiction, come through my workflow,” Osborn says. “Sometimes I’ll seek out and watch the movies that I’ve cataloged, or I’ll read the description and wonder if it’s going to be too ‘out there’ even for me. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the actual job has helped me in my research, but it’s certainly shown me that cryptids are a popular subject.” 

Bigfoot Ridge’s main character Autumn is a library assistant with a passion for cryptids. 

“I think her passion comes from the fact that early on in her life she found escape from her problems at school by going to the library and reading stories about Bigfoot,” Osborn says. “It was cemented by the friendships that she formed from the online forums mentioned in the book, and by watching shows like Creature Hunt, which is how she met Zach. Although she is intent on getting proof, she often does try to be careful, but sometimes her impulsive nature takes over and she ends up in dangerous situations. She simply wants to be believed in her stories about Bigfoot and other cryptids, which is why she’s setting out down a path to write her own book about them.” 

Bigfoot Ridge also mentions sightings of a Batsquatch and a dogman in the area. 

“I think the cryptid I’m most fascinated by, and the one that makes me shiver to think about, is the dogman,” Osborn says. “The descriptions I’ve read in books make it sound like it would be actively thinking and plotting something evil. It just seems so contrary to anything that should exist, even more so than Bigfoot.”

Bigfoot Ridge also addresses hoaxes. 

“I think most sightings of actual live creatures are real, although occasionally they may be real animals that are misidentified,” Osborn says. “I don’t believe that there are a lot of hoaxers just waiting around a forest in an ape costume waiting for someone to come along a trail at some point. Footprints and such are probably more easily hoaxed, but I do believe that most sightings of those are real, too.” 

I asked Osborn why Bigfoot remains so prevalent in pop culture today and if she believes it’s real. 

“I think Bigfoot is popular because stories about the creature can be viewed in so many different ways, whether a person believes in the legends or laughs them off as being fake,” Osborn says. “The creature has many regional names and variations, and people can make it seem as human or as monstrous as they wish in their retelling of sightings. Even people who don’t believe that Bigfoot exists will often enjoy a fictional movie about the creature, or a chilling story of a creepy encounter being told around the campfire. 

“I do believe Bigfoot is real, and that it is a large ape-like creature as so many reports have described. I have never seen one, or thought I’ve seen one, and no one I know has told me that they thought they may have seen Bigfoot. I just believe they’re out there, roaming the forest or whatever terrain they’re comfortable in, just trying to survive.” 

AUTHOR LINK: https://ceosborn.wordpress.com/

NEXT UP: Chapter Seventy-One: Hunting Bigfoot. I review the 2024 novella by Eric S. Brown.

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More from The Bigfoot Files …

THE BIGFOOT FILES

The HorrorAddicts.net Dark Romance Top 12 – First Quarter 2024

I’m excited to introduce a new quarterly feature called The HorrorAddicts.net Dark Romance Top 12. It’s a chart that highlights a dozen of the most popular dark romance books released during each of the four quarters of the year. This debut chart covers releases from January 1 to March 31. The goal here is simply to spotlight authors and their more recent releases, hopefully offering a few fresh options for your reading pleasure.

1. The Wallflower by J.L. Beck

Book 1 in the Oakmont Elite series is about a jock who can have anyone he wants except a shy girl named Maybel whose disgust for him fuels his obsession to own her completely.

2. Shattered Crown by Monica Kayne 

Book 4 in the Kozlov Empire series is billed as a dark mafia age-gap romance about a young woman seduced by a dangerous billionaire who seeks vengeance for the role he played in her aunt’s death.

3. Honed in Havoc by Albany Walker

The third and final book in the Corrupt Credence series is a dark college romance about a girl who must deal with her tyrannical grandparents in need of an heir.

4. Paved in Fire by Sonja Grey

The fifth and final book in the Melnikov Bratva series is billed as a dark mafia romance about a woman ripped away from her lifelong crush who’ll burn the world down to save her.

5. Moonlit Thorns by P. Rayne

Book 1 in the Midnight Manor series is a dark contemporary Beauty and the Beast reimagining about a woman who makes a desperate bargain with a brooding billionaire much older than her to live in his gothic manor, igniting an attraction that threatens to destroy them.

6. Virtuous Vows by T.L. Smith and Kia Carrington-Russell

Book 2 in the Lethal Vows series is about a woman who manages to escape her father’s rule as king of the underworld only to wind up in the arms of a man who sells desire for a living.

7. King of Ruin by Sasha Leone and Jade Rowe 

Book One in the Soulless Empire series is a dark mafia enemies-to-lovers, age-gap, forced-marriage novel about a woman who sleeps with the leader of the Russian mafia in Chicago, only learning afterwards that once you’ve slept with a Bratva boss, you’re his forever.

8. Mafia Kings: Lars by Olivia Thorn 

Book 4 in the Dark Mafia Romance Series is about the dangerously complicated love affair between a female British intelligence agent and a Special Forces soldier deployed in Afghanistan. When she is tasked to destroy the people who took him in as family, the couple realize they might have to kill each other.

9. Vengeful Gods by Elliott Rose

Unable to escape the curse of her bloodline, a woman is locked away in a hidden a fortress by a secret society of wealthy, power-hungry men who use her as their payment for the vengeance they’ve been denied. Vengeful Gods is a reverse harem dark revenge romance recommended for readers ages 18 and older.

10. Pregnant Bratva Possession by Veda Rose

Book 3 in the Vadim Bratva series is billed as a surprise pregnancy mafia romance about a woman whose virginity is won at a poker game by a much older man and gets pregnant. Torn between her submissive desires and his lack of commitment, she wonders if he’ll betray her when all hell breaks loose.

11. Mark Me by Eve Newton and SE Traynor

Book 1 in the Royals of Knightsgate series is a dark college reverse harem romance about a woman forced to live with the most popular guys at the academy after her student house is ruined by fire. As she’s pulled into their rich, powerful circle, she can’t tell if they’re friends or something darker because secrets are everywhere.

12. Daeos by Hattie Jacks 

Book 4 in the Fated Mates of the Sarkarnii series is an alien warrior romance about a goody-two-shoes human woman dropped in the middle of an alien prison maze who finds herself pursued by a damaged dragon shifter warrior, both needing each other to heal the hidden wounds of their hearts.

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HOW THE CHART WORKS

The HorrorAddicts.net Dark Romance Top 12 chart is compiled by staff writer Lionel Ray Green and only includes releases from each three-month quarter of the year using the Amazon Kindle release date. His chart is independent and subjective but partly based on a personally developed point system using a combination of factors, including media buzz, reviews, ratings, and recognitions.

Book Review: Tales of Evil Edited by Angel Leigh McCoy & Alison J. McKenzie

 

Tales of Evil Reviewed by Emerian Rich

Although the main theme is evil, I found there was also a secondary theme of serial killer or stalker involved. Not being a huge fan of that trope, I won’t go into those, but if you are a fan of such stories, there are enough in here to justify the price.

My favorites in this anthology were—and this won’t come as a shock to those of you who know my tastes—the ones that interested me from word one, had a lot of great description, and really made me feel like I was inside the tale, not just an observer.

My favorite story of the whole bunch was Alison J. McKenzie’s “Rabbit.” There is so much to love in this tale. The inherited house was a great setting. All the rooms still filled with stuff that you get to explore? Yes, please. Sign me up. Something skittering around inside the house with you when you thought you were alone? Maybe not so much. Alison’s description and the way she fed in little bits of terror, slowly, just when you were getting comfortable, was pure magic. 

The funnest story (and you know how I love fun evil!) was “Devil in Her Heart” by Loren Rhoads. I loved this great time-period steeped tale cast with The Beatles and a sexy seductress who I would love to hang out with. From the moment she appears, you aren’t quite sure who she is or what she wants, but you know you want to find out. I’m not a die-hard Beatles fan, but this story made me feel like I was living in the house with them, yeah, yeah, yeah.

“Cookies for Gio” by Angel Leigh McCoy was such a well-told, but disturbing story. I really have to give props to the author for addressing such a heavy topic. As the mom of a teenage child with disabilities myself, this one rocked me to the core. Set in a near-future world where religious fanatics have taken over government and started deporting anyone who doesn’t fit into their mindset, physically disabled teen Gio and his mother attend a protest where things get way out of hand. This was one of those stories that I am happy I experienced, but that I will probably never read again because it was so real…it felt like it could happen tomorrow and to my own son. The way our world could easily become this horror was too real for me. I know I will be thinking about this story for years to come as a call to action, reminding myself to vote even when it’s hard and speak out before we are shut down. 

A few more I’ll mention briefly that I enjoyed were:

“Craving” by Yvonne Navarro.  Two accident junkies meet on the sidelines of a terrible crash and become involved. Their love—if you can call it that—is built on their mutual enjoyment of gawking at disasters. This is one of those stories that creeps up on you. Somehow the author makes you feel for them and their horrifying preoccupation. Seeing everything through Andre’s eyes makes the hobby almost normal…until it isn’t.

“A Message From Mommy” by Jennifer Brozek. The queen of tech horror does another excellent job of terrorizing us through the use of technology in this short, simple (but effective) story told through voicemail messages. 

“How Father Bryant Saw the Light” by Alan Baxter. This one gets the prize for the best monster. I mean, a tall, pale man who sucks out people’s eyes? This dude is the creepiest monster I’ve read about in a long while. Combined with a priest and possible possession, this one was right up my alley.

Overall, I enjoyed this anthology. A few of the stories weren’t for me, but that is the best thing about this sort of book. Although the writers are all part of the same group, their styles and viewpoints are so wildly different, that you are sure to find a handful of them that interest you. Those stories that don’t speak to you, you can pass and try out the next. This sort of anthology gives you a great way to test out new authors you haven’t heard of and maybe find a new well of fiction to read.

If you like these types of books, there are several others out there to enjoy. You can check out my review of another one here: https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/03/26/book-review-tales-of-nightmares-edited-by-loren-rhoads/

12 Splatter Westerns worth a shot

2020 was the Year of the Splatter Western with Death’s Head Press leading the way and releasing eight titles. Half of those titles received Splatterpunk Awards nominations, and one earned the win for Best Novel. Since 2020, Death’s Head has continued to release books blending extreme horror with a nineteenth-century American West setting, injecting the subgenre with new life.

April’s theme at HorrorAddicts.net is Ghost Towns and Wild West Horror, so I decided to compile a list of the Top 12 Splatter Westerns from Death’s Head, chiefly based on ratings, reviews, and recognitions. That’s enough books to pack the cylinders of two Colt Peacemakers, one hanging on each hip. Let’s fire away, and please take a moment to admire the killer cover art on these releases.

1. The Magpie Coffin by Wile E. Young

Winner for Best Novel at the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards, The Magpie Coffin is about an outlaw nicknamed the Black Magpie who vows vengeance on the people who murdered his Comanche shaman mentor.

2. Hunger on the Chisolm Trail by M. Ennenbach

An ancient, hungry creature lurks in the untamed West, threatening the first cattle drive of the season along with residents of a sleepy town along the way … and only one man stands a chance against it.

3. Red Station by Kenzie Jennings

Nominated for Best Novella at the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards, Red Station is a tale of secrets unleashed after four stagecoach passengers take refuge for the night at a house known to welcome passengers with hot meals and soft beds … but that’s only how it seems.

4. The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan

Another nominee for Best Novella at the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards, The Night Silver River Run Red is about what happens after a traveling show advertising oddities, marvels, and grotesqueries sets up outside of town, enticing a young boy to sneak out with friends … only to discover something far worse than an ordinary traveling show.

5. The Thirteenth Koyote by Kristopher Triana

A two-time Splatterpunk Awards winner, Triana delivers a werewolf Western where a stolen piece from an unearthed corpse summons a vicious company of outlaws headed by a power-hungry leader … with only a handful of unlikely heroes standing in their way.

6. Dust by Chris Miller 

Nominated for Best Novel at the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards, Dust is about a man who’s dispatched by the Others on a cosmic quest through time to find the elusive town of Dust and destroy a powerfully evil relic. However, a villain is in hot pursuit with the idea of harnessing the power for his own designs.

7. Starving Zoe by C. Derick Miller

A tale of revenge about an Arizonan who returns home after the American Civil War only to find that his desert homecoming marks the end to everything he once knew. 

8. A Savage Breed by Patrick C. Harrison III

An escaped band of outlaws, a mountain man seeking justice for his family’s murder, and an adventure-seeking teenager converge among the eerie and dangerous crevices of the Wichita Mountains. 

9. Human-Shaped Fiends by Chandler Morrison

A Splatter Western with a bold meta twist, Human-Shaped Fiends is about a band of ruthless teenage outlaws and the troubled sheriff tasked to bring them to justice. However, the author also inserts himself into the book with interludes about the struggles of writing a Western in the style expected of him, adding some levity to the violent tale.

10. The Devoured and the Dead by Kristopher Rufty

A nominee for Best Novel at the 2022 Splatterpunk Awards, The Devoured and the Dead follows three families traveling through North Carolina to claim their share of the gold rush when they become stranded in the frigid forest and resort to a desperate and depraved act to survive … an act so depraved it unleashes a deadly curse. 

11. Last of the Ravagers by Bryan Smith

Nominated for Best Novel at the 2023 Spatterpunk Awards, Last of the Ravagers is about the sleepy town of Snakebite and how a band of its citizens must make a last stand when the town finds itself under siege by monsters and the dead as a renegade wizard seeks greater power … and the source of that power is in the heart of Snakebite. 

12. Shadow of the Vulture by Regina Garza Mitchell

Americans moving west toward their manifest destiny clash with witchcraft and the supernatural in the small town of Soledad, including with a witch who tries to protect the land and a former soldier accompanied by her dead friend who will do whatever it takes to make the American invaders pay. 

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Sixty-Nine: Bog Beast

“The terror was in the legends.” 

From that opening line – “The terror was in the legends,” Bog Beast by Massachusetts author Brian Gatto displays a nostalgic respect and knowledge of cryptids that saturates the 161-page book. Plus it’s just plain fun.

Released in February by Raven Tale Publishing, the novella features at least one legendary beast and a father-son relationship complicated by past tragedy. Much of the fun from reading Bog Beast is discovering if the creature is a vengeful grizzly bear, a Nandi bear, a Bigfoot, or a legendary Arkansas aquatic reptile known as the Arking. Or something else. 

The main characters in the book are the woodsy hermit Moe and his son Jake who’s studying cryptozoology in college. The story starts fast when Jake receives a frantic call from his estranged father saying, “I think it’s back.” When Jake asks what, Moe replies, “The thing that killed your mom and brother.” 

Jake quickly assembles a crew to journey to Moe’s isolated farm in Arkansas and investigate. The crew includes his friend Phillip, their cryptozoology professor Albert, and Albert’s sexy daughter Eva. There is some melodrama amongst the characters with ex-girlfriends, the professor’s obsession with the pliosaur, and the father-son dynamic. 

However, the looming shadow of the beast is what propels the story forward fueled by Jake’s painful ties to the creature via the death of his family members years ago. Evidence like a dead hog crammed in a tree, mangled dog pens, and a buck’s torn head illustrate the power of the elusive beast. All of it leads to an action-packed finale that veers wildly– and I mean wildly — into extreme horror territory by the end.

The author Gatto loves writing creature features and has penned books about crocodiles, giant crabs, and deep-sea predators. Croc Attack, Croc Attack 2, Limbs, and Extant are among his most popular books. 

In an exclusive interview with The Bigfoot Files, Gatto discusses Bog Beast and shares his passion for cryptids and what he thinks about the real-world Bigfoot phenomenon. The interview includes spoilers for Bog Beast. 

Brian Gatto

“I grew up with the Sci-Fi channel,” Gatto says. “Back in the day before it became Syfy, the old school network era was king of my television. I probably watched movies I shouldn’t have at that age, but it shaped who I became and my passion for creature horror. I love Bigfoot because he scares me. The idea of being toyed with, chased, and then killed frightens me to my core. The Loch Ness Monster and El Chupacabra are fun to think about too. In all honesty, I want to see more cryptid-based horror, especially in the film industry. There are plenty of books out there to adapt.” 

Gatto created his own cryptids for Bog Beast, including the titular creature and another called the Arking. 

“Bog beast is an original creature closer to a Nandi bear than a Bigfoot but still somewhere in between,” Gatto says. “Arking was something I made up. It is a name that combines the words Arkansas and King. It may or may not appear in some form or another in the future.” 

The climactic finish of Bog Beast is a shocker, and I asked Gatto if that was the original ending. 

“As is the case with most books I write, and I assume a lot of authors deal with this too, the ending was different originally,” Gatto says. “Originally a certain character was to die much earlier on, but I saved their demise for a much more savage climax.” 

Gatto’s first completed book Wildman was about a Bigfoot creature, and he hopes to rewrite that one along with his other two self-published books, Chomp and Rattack. Bog Beast began as the rewrite for Wildman, but Gatto “wanted to make Wildman a much larger scale story and was in the mood for a more straightforward approach” with Bog Beast. 

“There will be a sequel,” Gatto says of Bog Beast. “The cliffhanger at the end was not fully set up beyond a want for revenge. The ideas left to toy with in a sequel are too good to pass up. I hope to start a sequel soon. I have other projects I am focusing on at the moment.” 

I asked Gatto why Bigfoot remains so prevalent in pop culture today and if he believes it’s real. 

“People love to discover things that are possibly fictional and internal,” Gatto says. “They want to make a name for themselves and be remembered in their lifetime beyond just mere existing. It’s a feeling of self-satisfaction. It’s not a bad thing at all. I myself strive to be thought of by the public long after I am gone. That being said, Bigfoot is a mysterious beast in their entirety. From the very idea of them to the way in which it is assumed they behave. I think diehard Bigfoot fans want to connect with this creature in this way. No need for Bigfoot to show off. That is what makes them so infamous. It may also be why people find interest in them. That and they are really interesting specimens. The ultimate hide-and-seek champions. There are plenty of things in the wilderness that could be construed as Bigfoot. I do believe there is something out there, but, as for the creatures themselves, it’s a coin toss for me. I want to believe.”

AUTHOR LINK: https://www.facebook.com/brian.gatto.5

NEXT UP: Chapter Seventy: Bigfoot Ridge. I review the 2024 novella by C.E. Osborn.

---

More from The Bigfoot Files …

THE BIGFOOT FILES

Book Review: ‘The Collapse’ by Alice B. Sullivan

Hello Addicts,

One of my favorite dystopian story types is zombie apocalypse. Seeing how fragile our society is when faced with rabid creatures trying to kill you while wearing the face of someone you love. You know they can’t control themselves, that they aren’t the person you remember, and your brain finds it difficult to process their change. Not all zombie apocalypse stories show a definitive reason the plague started, but ‘The Collapse’ by Alice B. Sullivan does so in a believable fashion.

The story opens with a scientist smuggling some of his work home to do testing he’s not permitted to do in his lab. A rat startles him and he drops the case holding experimental viruses. He misses one while gathering them up and runs over it with his car without knowing it, allowing the rat to become a carrier for a man made chimera virus. It isn’t long before more rats become covered in the virus and spread it out. By the time the scientist realizes what he’s lost, the virus has already started spreading amongst the rats. It takes a single bite to an unsuspecting busboy at a restaurant for the modern day plague to begin.

A second story takes place while the zombie infection is taking hold. The parents of a young girl conceived via an experimental procedure are watching as reports of a mystery illness spread. They soon realize that it may have some connection to the people involved with the experimental procedure that blessed them with their child. Tension between the couple increases as the doctor involved assures them that everything is under control when it clearly isn’t. The scientists push a vaccination they had on hand, but rather than protect them from illness, it makes them sick and change quicker. When her husband becomes one of the reanimated dead, the wife takes their daughter away to safety.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an intriguing take on how the zombie apocalypse began from one tiny incident, which becomes a good precursor for the stories to come. The story also shows the lengths one family will go to have a child and the methods others will use to protect their secrets. I look forward to reading more in the series.

You can find ‘The Collapse’ by Alice B. Sullivan on her website or Amazon.

Until next time, Addicts.

D.J. Pitsiladis

Book Review: Survivors by T.C. Weber

Survivors by T.C. Weber and reviewed by Megan Starrak

Survivors by T.C. Weber is a don’t hold back post-apocalyptic novella. It is bleaker and darker than anything I’ve ever read before. But looking back on it, I realized that wasn’t a bad thing. Let me explain.

I’ve been a fan of post-apocalyptic books, movies, and television shows for a long time. And there’s always some seed of hope through all the death and trauma. For most of The Survivors, there is very little of that. In the beginning, readers are introduced to a woman named Lucy. Lucy and her two children are part of a group forced to do anything to survive. Lucy is obsessed with those who came before, called The Vanished Ones. She highly admires their ability to build such vast roads and cities. She dreams of a return to that world so her children can have an easier life. The hope she has in this idea propels her forward. It also leads to her making some bad decisions.

The story is also filled with scenes of cannibalism that made me uncomfortable. One scene graphically describes Lucy’s group making dried meat from those they have killed. But looking back on the story, I realized I’ve never experienced a world like that depicted in The Survivors, and very few have. I was reminded of the Donner Party that tried to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains and got trapped when winter set in. Like the characters in The Survivors, the members of the Donner Party were faced with two choices: eat the dead or starve. It made me face the question none of us would ever want to. If I were in the situation in The Survivors, would I ever eat another person? As long as there were plants and animals around, no. But if those food sources disappeared. I honestly don’t know. The will to survive is so primal and strong in all of us.

So, while The Survivors wasn’t quite to my taste (sorry, I had to do it), I always embrace opportunities where writers push me out of my comfort zone. And I admire Weber’s ability to create such vividly written scenes. And although some of his choices made me sit back and go, “Why would she do that?” overall, I’m glad I got the chance to read it, and I encourage others to do the same.

Book Review: Vicarious by Chloe Spencer

Hello Addicts,

I am writing this review on Valentine’s Day, which seems fitting given the story. ‘Vicarious’, by Chloe Spencer, is a tale of abuse and love, but with some very horrific experiences in between. This book comes with a content warning regarding discussions of child sexual abuse, homophobia and homophobic slurs, fatphobia, violence against animals, attempted sexual assault, discussions of domestic violence and stalking, and violence against children. If any of these bother you, this story may not be for you.

Gertie was the happiest woman in the world. She had a lovely daughter and a husband that was so much more than just a spouse. He was her protector and the biggest supporter of everything she wanted to accomplish in life. Forever was not meant to be, however. On a night out for just the two of them, a piece of glass in a forkful of salad ended her husband’s life, sending Gertie’s life into a tailspin of despair and bitterness. She is given a fortune from his death, but becomes consumed with obtaining power in her local community. Her focus is on her daughter when she joins the private school’s PTA and quickly rises through the ranks using cut throat methods. Eventually, she sets her sights on being elected to the school board, but a chance encounter with her middle school bully gives her an additional goal.

Beatrice tormented Gertie in the seventh grade. She was expelled from school after assaulting Gertie in the girls’ bathroom with a bloody tampon. When they run across each other as adults, Beatrice acts friendly and explains why she did all those terrible things to her when they were kids. While she does not apologize, the former bully admits to having a crush on her and offers to make amends. Gertie accepts and the two start dating, but it is all part of a vicious plan to destroy her school bully.

Beatrice explains her life is anything but rosy. Her husband subjected her to mental and physical abuse, which only gets worse when Beatrice realizes she is into women more than men. She leaves her husband and moves in with her parents, who are quick with the homophobic slurs and verbal abuse. While Gertie initially dislikes them for how they treat their daughter, she also sees them as a potential safety net for her nemesis. She hires a man to murder them in a staged accident, but it does not go according to plan and Gertie is forced to finish killing them. With the parents out of the way, she invites Beatrice and her sons to move in with her and her daughter.

These deaths end up being just the first of many as Gertie’s revenge plan develops wrinkles. One such wrinkle is realizing that, over the course of their time together, she has fallen in love with her former bully. It does not stop the killing, but the reasoning changes. The story is a bit of a roller coaster ride and I do not want to spoil it for you, the reader.

I thought it was an interesting story and premise. That being said, I think Gertie gets a little carried away in her desire for vengeance. She is a character whose bitterness at everyone did not make me sympathize with her. I can understand her desire to get back at Beatrice after what she did all those years ago. After all, who would not want to get back at their childhood bully? I liked the story and wish they would have expounded on things a little more.

This story is not for everyone. It is a raw and gritty tale which some may find a bit off-putting. I, for one, hope that there will be more adventures in store for Gertie and Beatrice.

You can get a copy of ‘Vicarious’ from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and your local bookstore. You can also check out what else Chloe Spencer has for you at her website.

Until next time, Addicts.

D.J.

Book Review: Song to the Siren by Barb Lien-Cooper & Park Cooper

Song to the Siren by Barb Lien-Cooper & Park Cooper

Trigger warnings: animal harm, cutting, suicide, grief, mental institute, alcohol and drug abuse

Sam Mac is an acclaimed photographer who grew up with the members of the infamous band, Big Carnival. With one member being her brother and the other the only man she ever loved, an interview with her is a dream come true. Indie documentarians Brandon and Ryan hit the jackpot when Sam Mac invites them to stay in her home and record what really happened to the band–especially the circumstances surrounding the lead singer Reed Sinclair’s death.

A warning before you begin. This book is going to leave most horror readers wanting more. The style of storytelling, combined with the path taken to get there is long and not quite what horror readers expect. 

To start off, it’s told in an interview fashion as if it’s a novel-length Rolling Stone article. While that isn’t a problem in concept, it isn’t as realistic because this lady remembers every detail. Every song at impromptu concerts, clothes they were wearing, and details that really weren’t needed to get us there. We get a lot of precise dialogue inserted, which when you are telling a story ten-twenty years later isn’t very likely. There is no tension because it’s all tell not show. Also, the action doesn’t start until Chapter 12. There’s a lot of backstory in the eleven chapters preceding it. So, for a horror reader, this is not going to be the action-packed story you are used to. A drama or fiction reader who is looking to consume an entire life instead of just the interesting bits might put up with it. Horror readers will find it frustrating. This book could have done with a really good content editor to pair down those interesting anecdotes into a more cohesive and enjoyable read. I also think the book could’ve done with some more live-action scenes, even if they were just at the end and we experienced it through the documentarian’s eyes. I held on way longer than I might have on my own because I was reading for the purpose of review. The payoff promised throughout the book (and especially leading up to the end) never came to fruition.

All of that said, the story behind the story is actually quite good. At its most basic, it’s about a boy being terrorized by some kind of entity. This red-headed woman he calls Belle is mostly in the shadows and her true identity isn’t really ever explained. Those in his life don’t know if it’s all in his mind or if it’s a true immortal.

As a reader, I was drawn to the magnetism of the lead singer as I might be a rock singer in real life. It had me wanting to hear some of these covers mentioned, or even the albums they talked about. Some of the band anecdotes were interesting. I think the Sam/Reed friendship and eventual love story was an enjoyable piece of the book. I think musicians or people heavy into bands will like the atmosphere the authors create here. I really wish the hint in the title of this book caused them to play up the connection to music. That concept was mostly lost until the last scenes.

If you lean toward life-story or biography type books, you may enjoy this book immensely. Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I would have liked because there was no tension and the ending wasn’t tied up well, I might give this author team another shot if they presented a novel in narrative form with a tighter story because I think the core idea was well thought out. 

Book Review: Insomnia by Kelly Covic

Insomnia by Kelly Covic

Trigger warnings: pretty tame.

Insomnia by Kelly Covic is a book of short, not very horrifying tales suitable for a gateway into horror or starting your kids off with some “kinda spooky” stories. In fact, because these stories are just pebbles of ideas, it would be a great way to get those little ones or teens to start writing. Just have them read one and then they can finish it out.

Inside, you’ll find nine stories mostly related to death, dying, or ghosts with a little supernatural stuck in. There are some good ideas in here that mostly remind me of the TV shows The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories. These tales are open-ended and largely have no resolution, but the ideas are interesting. I’m not sure what Insomnia has to do with the stories unless it’s because they were written when the author had insomnia? Maybe she thinks it will cause insomnia, but for the hardcore horror addict, these won’t do that.

My favorite story starter here was “A Closed Door” which was centered around a roommate who hadn’t been home in a while. The other roommate tries to remember when the last time she saw her was, chastises herself for not being aware, and then goes into her room to see if she can find any answers. The little journal entries she finds are morbid and talk of a woman who feels invisible to the world. We aren’t really told where this gal may have gone, and maybe that’s the point—for us to figure out what we think. Because of the nature of this story, I didn’t mind that it didn’t really end, but I would like to read more about this mysterious and un-seen character she created.

Another vignette that was thought-provoking and actually made me laugh was “The Park Bench.” Focusing on a bank teller and how much she hates her job, it tells of one day when she goes out to eat lunch on a park bench and meets an old man who changes her perspective on life. Let’s face it, we’ve all been the worker who loathes clocking in at the day job one time or another. The old man is an attention-grabbing character and the vignette reminds me a bit of Forrest Gump.

As a short story editor, I really wish the author had finished these ideas and fleshed them out a bit more. It is almost like she published her idea book and that is a shame because I would have loved to read these stories with endings. If you are someone who likes to think up your own endings to things, or–like I said–wants to use them as story starters, this book will be right for you.

Book Review: A Lunatic’s Laugh by S.T. Blake

 

Reviewed by Emerian Rich

Content warning: harm to animals, blood sacrifice, some gore, mental patients

When I read the description for this book, they had me at, “Dominique, inherits [a] Gothic Irish mansion.” I was looking forward to creaking stairways, old dusty tome-filled rooms, and shadows in the peripheral. And yes, there was that, but this book is about so much more. 

A Lunatic’s Laugh begins when Dominique starts having visions as a child. She is chastised for her premonitions that end up pointing to a child’s death. A priest is involved and although her parents claim nefarious intentions, the reader is led to believe he is trying to help her more than harm.

Jump forward many years later when Dominique returns to her hometown to claim her inheritance which includes an old house sitting right next to a defunct mental institute. Now as an accomplished therapist, she starts work at a nearby hospital not realizing the return to her childhood home will ignite fears and PTSD from her troubled past. Is Dominique experiencing real occurrences? Or is her mind causing shadows to transform into monsters?

In a flash-back style, the reader is told of Dominique’s aunt and the unconventional way she acquires the “Red Mansion” in the first place. The story weaves between modern and past times with Dominique struggling about what to do with her inheritance, the painful memories it revives, and her actress aunt’s involvement with a strange society.

This book is definitely a slow burn with a lot of intricate parts weaving together. As the reader navigates this tale, it’s as if they are walking through the innards of a large clock, hoping not to get stuck in the gears. The emergence of a possibly evil underground society adds to the creepiness of priests, dolls, weird townsfolk, and mental instability that soaks this text in a feeling of disquiet. This house, town, and characters could definitely be out of one of Mike Flanagan’s productions.

I found the end a bit hard to navigate with the disappearance of our main character which added to the disquiet whispered through the entire text. I’m not sure if this is was intended by the author but it definitely did have me on edge.

If you enjoy the, “I inherited a house full of secrets that will either kill me or make me stronger” trope, you will love this tale.

 

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 Birthday: Spooky Writer’s Planner

Are you spooky?

Do you write horror, speculative fiction, dark fantasy, paranormal romance, or fairy tales?

Are you a spooky blogger, macabre non-fiction columnist, or haunt travel vlogger?

Are you ready to stop dreaming and be a writer?

Are you an author who wants to take your career to the next level?

PLANNER INCLUDES

13 months of monthly and weekly spreads

Monthly goal and recap sheets

Weekly check-ins and note pages

Writing challenges, planners, and instructions

Submissions, published works, and contacts trackers

Marketing, newsletter, and blog planners

Check-off sheets for website maintenance, social media profiles, and expenses

Fun sheets to generate writing ideas, track your favorite TV series, or to be read and watched lists.

Authors Loren Rhoads and Emerian Rich share the tricks they’ve learned over the course of a combined 50 years in publishing, from working with traditional New York publishers, small presses, and as indie publishers themselves.

AVAILABLE NOW PRINT or DIGITAL

PRINT: The Spooky Writer’s Planner is perfect-bound with a glossy cover, printed on high-quality 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Everything you need is included in one handy book you can grab and go! Have book, will travel!

DIGITAL: The quick-download version gives you a digital copy so you can print the pages you want, print multiples of those you think you’ll use the most, leave those you won’t use, and create your own Frankenstein’s Monster of a planner! These pages are designed to be printed on 8.5 x 11-inch paper. You can put them in a three-ring binder, bind them with disks, or a spiral, as you choose. You can print different sheets on different colors.

Book Review: Something Stirs by Thomas Smith

Something Stirs by Thomas Smith

Trigger warnings: harm to animals, religious overtones

It’s rare to find a Christian Horror novel and even more rare to have it submitted to HorrorAddicts.net for a review. If you are a Christian who loves Horror or a Horror reader who doesn’t mind seeing the story told through the eyes of Christians, this book is for you. 

Ben Chalmers is a new novelist whose books are on the rise. Although just hitting the big time, he’s seen as a “celebrity” in the small town he and his family have moved to. His newfound fame has given them the ability to buy their dream house. Everything seems so sublime until the house starts cracking apart and hurting people. And the creepiest thing of all…his daughter’s little ragdoll is possessed! Their cabinet maker (and coincidentally an ex-priest) might be the only one who can help.

I’ve never read a novel like this. Although it does have Christian overtones, it’s not like Christian novels in other genres, where they try to jam a message down your throat. It is more like a Horror story where the terror just happens to occur in a Christian household. I didn’t find the theme of the book to be overly religious in its message. The characters have faith, and experience the gruesome happenings the way you would expect Christians to experience them. They pray and ask for heavenly help in their daily lives. They remind each other to trust in a higher power. But this book does truly have some gruesome parts. Lives are sacrificed, bad things happen, and evil is a presence just like in any other sort of Horror novel. 

The portion of the book where bad kids summon a demon and what it does to them is interesting. For those “in the know,” you may raise an eyebrow at the blurring of pagan vs. satanic lore and the ignorance of such differences unknown by mainstream religion. However, if you watch any mainstream TV show, you’re liable to get the same generalizations. 

There are some different turns and paths I didn’t expect and that don’t fit the norm in this book. I won’t give any clues about those things because it would spoil the story, but just know that this book does have some interesting pathways to get where it’s going. I found this refreshing. 

I feel like I’ve spoken about Christians alot in this review and I don’t mean to deter any non-Christian from reading this book because of this. Like I said, this book is unlike anything I’ve ever read before and deserves a try.

If you are a Christian Horror Addict, I think you will appreciate the way the characters handle things and perhaps even say, “Finally! A book for us!” If you are not Christian, but can handle a bit of religious overtones, I encourage you to try this book out. 

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!

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!

Author Interview: Ryan Michael Hines/ Moonshineland

Name and Horror genre you write:

Hello, my name is Ryan Michael Hines and I write supernatural Appalachian folk horror.

 

What was the first thing you ever wrote?:

The first thing I remember was way back in elementary school. It was a sort of tall tale about a blacksmith who makes a deal with the Devil during the Civil War. I was a weird kid.

 

What inspires your writing?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the legends and tales old folks like my grandad used to tell us when we were kids. My father’s family are all from West Virginia, and there’s a long mountain tradition of telling stories about cryptids and devils and monsters. There’s a lot of story there to mine.

 

What music inspires your creation?

 I listen to a lot of soundtracks when I write. Anything with words has a tendency to distract me. Sometimes no music is best, honestly. That being said, I will occasionally fire up some particularly brooding tracks like “Ride With The Devil” by Dirk Powell or “Sleeping on the Blacktop” by Colter Wall if I’m writing a chase scene or shootout.

 

What Horror icon (living or dead) would you love to invite to dinner?

 I’d love to have dinner with Mike Flanagan. He went to the same film school I did, but graduated several years ahead of me, so I never met him. I’m a big fan of his work. The way he weaves authentic emotion into legitimate terror fascinates me.

 

What was the scariest thing you’ve witnessed?

I don’t want to talk about it.

 

If invited to a haunted house party, what would you bring?

Batteries and flashlights because the power is definitely going to go out.

 

Do you have a Horror tip for us?

If you’re into folk horror at all, the film “Witchfinder General” starring Vincent Price is a real gem. It’s not scary as much as it is disturbing. I highly recommend it.

 

Have you ever been haunted or seen a ghost?

When I was young, about four or five years old, when I was alone, I used to see a black, wolf-like creature. It would come and stare at me when no one was around. I don’t know if you’d call that being haunted, but it scared the hell out of me. Haven’t seen it since, except one time in my 20s when I was (and I don’t recommend this) doing drugs with some bandmates. The black wolf came to see me then, one more time. It was the only instance when I saw it and was not alone. That’s been years ago, now.

 

What is your favorite Horror accessory?:

A scary book.

What one book/story of yours should Horror Addicts read?

 Everyone should absolutely check out my new novel “MOONSHINELAND: A Tale of Haunted Appalachia.”

 

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a horror novel set in 1800s Appalachian where a young woman falls in love with the Angel of Death.

 

Where can readers find your work?

You can (and totally should) buy MOONSHINELAND on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, as well as WorldCastlePublishing.net. Also, check out my website Ryanmhines.com for more info about my work and other projects like the Moonshineland Podcast. And if you’re into crime and mystery fiction, my short story “Cousin Ronald and the Dead Man” appeared in this August’s edition of Mystery Magazine.

Book Birthday: Northanger

Northanger  by Emmy Z. Madrigal

Kat is a horror fan. She loves to read, watch, and listen to ghostly, frightening things most people shy away from. When she meets her perfect match, Henry, she knows he’s made just for her, but finding out his father may be a murderer, puts a different spin on their relationship. Is Henry’s dad out for blood or just a misunderstood introvert who’s lost his wife? Only a trip to the famed murder house, Northanger, will reveal the truth.

Northanger is a contemporary rewrite of Jane Austen’s least rebooted classic novel, Northanger Abbey. The Clueless version, Northanger explores the fish out of water story of gothy teen Kat, as she’s introduced to the high-society scene of New York City. What would happen if Beetlejuice’s Lydia was plopped into Gossip Girl New York City?

“Emmy Z. Madrigal has crafted a delightful story based on Jane Austen’s classic, Northanger Abbey. She has spun it into a modern story that suits Miss Austen’s novel perfectly. Her modern heroine, Katherine Moorland (Kat), is a young girl who has lived a simple life on a farm, but has a vivid imagination that has been heavily influenced by the horror books she reads, the spooky music she listens to, and the macabre films she watches. It is a book that will appeal to both Jane Austen fans and lovers of the gothic novel, having fun elements of both.” ~ Kara Louise, author of Pirates and Prejudice a variation of Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice.

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Emmy Z. Madrigal’s love affair with Jane Austen may have started late, but her belief that true love can overcome prejudices, differences, and adversity started very early on. Northanger is her modern take on Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. Emmy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and son.

THE BIGFOOT FILES/Chapter Sixty-Eight: Sasquatch, Baby!

On its face, Sasquatch, Baby! is about an unconventional relationship between a self-destructive alcoholic named Tabitha and a surprisingly sensitive Sasquatch she calls Meatus. However, beneath the outlandishness of the situation beats the heart of a tender – and yes, moving – tale of personal redemption. 

Billed as the debut horror novella by Bethany Browning, Sasquatch, Baby! starts by stripping away any pretense of sugarcoating the main character, Tabitha. Told from her first-person point of view, Tabitha is brutally honest about her past as she retreats to the redwood forests of Del Norte County, California, to essentially drink herself to death. We’re talking Nicolas Cage levels of self-loathing. Except there’s no friendly prostitute in Las Vegas to comfort Tabitha. There’s only Sasquatch. 

Before her encounter with Meatus the Sasquatch, we learn why Tabitha is running away. In her younger days living off a trust fund, Tabitha offers three new co-workers she met during onboarding at a Napa Valley wine marketing agency a place to live rent-free because, as she says, “I wasn’t about to spend my early twenties friendless.” 

While life was good for a while, Tabitha’s unforgivable behavior, fueled mostly by alcohol, eventually drives her friends away completely. Tabitha is an awful person. She even lies to her friends about having cancer. However, the author Browning salvages a shred of sympathy for her main character at a pivotal moment in the story when Tabitha realizes her friends misunderstand her motivations. 

“I didn’t pay for them, pamper them, bring them on trips, and otherwise be at their beck and call because I wanted to hop into bed with any of them. I thought they understood what I really wanted. I wanted sisters.” 

Those three words – “I wanted sisters” – pack an emotional wallop, and the reader suddenly understands Tabitha is not so awful. She’s just lonely. 

“Tabitha is an amalgamation of a few people in my life, most notably a good friend who faked a cancer diagnosis and subsequently went to prison for fraud,” Browning explains in an exclusive interview with The Bigfoot Files. “The substance abuse and the bad friend scenes were highly amplified versions of my own behavior years ago. Specifically, I had a friend who was as close as a sister to me growing up. She moved away and we stayed close, but as we got older, I treated her badly (and was a general hot mess) and our relationship fell apart. I kept trying to replace her with other close female friends, and I would sabotage those relationships, too. A lot of this book is a heartfelt apology to the women whom I’ve treated badly over the years. 

Bethany Browning

“I was lucky enough to get sober and make deep changes in my approach to life, my relationships, my work – everything,” Browning continues. “I’m not sure if my former friend who lied about her diagnosis found peace, but I wanted to include her story because I believe she deserved a bit of redemption. She wasn’t a terrible person; she was a lonely person, like me. Tabitha was thoroughly broken by her choices, and her broken places are what allowed for her transformation to occur. … If she hadn’t been at her very worst, the very best thing in her life would never have happened. There’s hope in rock bottom. I’d still love to have a sister.” 

The Sasquatch, Baby! plot thickens when Tabitha discovers a pair of decomposing bodies near her property, and then the plot literally ignites when a Sasquatch saves her from a wildfire, sparking an odd friendship. After drinking too much chardonnay with her hairy companion one night, Tabitha blacks out and wakes up realizing (in hilarious “brief interludes”) that she had relations with Meatus the Sasquatch. 

This is where the tale could’ve gone off the rails, and I worried that it might steer into erotica territory. However, Browning surprised me with a serious change in tone and a bold turn of events with Tabitha’s pregnancy by Meatus. The author handles the change so deftly and so sincerely that she totally transforms the book from a budding cryptid romcom into a surprisingly suspenseful drama about motherhood and sacrifice.

In her Acknowledgements, Browning writes she was delighted and relieved none of her support team talked her out of publishing the offbeat story. 

“I was pleasantly surprised!” she says. “My first readers responded enthusiastically. My fear was that a cryptid relationship story might put me in a different, maybe less serious, category as a writer. Ultimately, I stopped caring about that because underneath all the sassy talk, the swearing, the drinking, the furry guy coming over for a splash in the tub, was a story about a person who wanted to live and live well, but she didn’t know how. And it took the power of an ancient forest primate to show her that she could be loved without performing. Meatus was both a real companion who didn’t judge and didn’t care about her past (nor could he have any conception of it) and a metaphor for the healing that comes with centering your life around nature, helping others, sacrificing yourself.” 

Released in May, the 164-page book is quite a feat of fiction storytelling. It takes an epically disturbing situation and converts it into an emotional journey of redemption. Tabitha metamorphosizes from a thoroughly unlikable narcissist into someone willing to sacrifice herself for someone else. I also like how Browning highlights some of the elemental aspects of Sasquatch. Yes, he enjoys his spa day with Tabitha a little too much, but he’s still a Sasquatch when the body wash dissipates. 

Who knew combining chick lit with cryptid fiction could be so heartfelt? Browning takes the risk by mining some of her own baggage and succeeds because her candid characterization and compassionate storytelling ring true. Plus, the pace is as quick as Tabitha’s biting wit, and the writing is exceptional. The beautiful irony of it all is Tabitha’s encounter with Sasquatch is what tames her recklessly wild tendencies and leads her to find purpose in life.

One final question: Does Browning believe Sasquatch is real? 

“I grew up in South Carolina near where the Lizard Man of Lee County was spotted, so I’ve always loved cryptid tales,” Browning says. “With all of the new information coming out about UAPs, I’m eagerly awaiting the truth about Sasquatch. I find the idea that they could somehow be connected to aliens, or that these large primates travel through time portals or live high in the trees, absolutely fascinating. I want it to be true. And then I want us to leave them alone.” 

Visit bethanybrowning.com or Amazon to purchase Sasquatch, Baby! and learn more about the author.

NEXT UP: Chapter Sixty-Nine: Bog Beast. I review the 2024 novella by Brian Gatto.

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MORE BIGFOOT FILES

THE BIGFOOT FILES

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!

Horror Curated: The Trouble with “Most Haunted” Lists

Curated by Courtney Mroch, The Trouble with “Most Haunted” Lists
Every year around this time, publications start releasing their picks for the “most haunted” of…well, everything. While “most haunted lists” are fun to look at–because, let’s face it, we’re hard-wired to rank things these days (thanks, Google)–they have a problem. They’re not actually what they say they are. The trouble is with how the majority of “Most Haunted” lists are created. A lot of places follow the same approach as Travel + Leisure and Live Science and don’t disclose the method for their listing madness. They just list those storied places we’ve all grown up hearing are haunted. Read the full interview in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

Author Interview: Rosetta Yorke / Manor of Frights / Come Find Me, Mummy

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

Hello. My name is Rosetta Yorke. I usually write Time Travel and Gothic Romance stories.

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

My story is called, “Come Find Me, Mummy.”

In 1979, a single mum, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, catalogues the contents of a haunted manor house to prove herself worthy of joining her misogynistic family’s Auctioneers, Valuers and Estate Agents firm, only to encounter horrors beyond her worst nightmare in the Nursery.

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

Late one evening, I was quietly reading in the lounge of my son’s house whilst my little grandson, whom I was babysitting, was asleep upstairs. Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of a ball bouncing across the nursery floor. I hurried to investigate, but my grandson was still fast asleep, and the only ball sat immobile in the toybox. I returned to the lounge. Again, a ball bounced across the floor followed, this time, by childish footsteps. I crept upstairs, intending to catch him out of bed. Still, he slept. I spent the rest of the night huddled in an armchair in the nursey but heard nothing more. Next morning, when carefully questioned, my grandson said he liked waking up at night because a boy always came to play with him and the ball from the toybox. An online search later revealed my son’s house had been built on the site of the nineteenth-century infectious fever hospital, next to the town’s Poorhouse (Workhouse). It proved impossible to identify this one little boy from amongst the many recorded children’s deaths, but his ghostly presence inspired my story.

 

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

General Tilney’s house, Northanger Abbey, in the book by Jane Austen. When I first read the story, aged eight, I’d never heard of a parody or read any Horror before. Catherine Morland’s passion for long damp passages, narrow cells and ruined chapels ignited my own lifelong enthusiasm for them. I loved her excitement at discovering an old chest, mysterious manuscript, and secret staircase in the Abbey, with the suspense heightened by her snuffed-out candle, only to have the cold light of day reveal none of them to be what they’d seemed. If it weren’t for Northanger Abbey, I wouldn’t later have read every Gothic Novel I could find, and my story for Manor of Frights would never have been written.

What music most inspires you to write Horror?

I’d turn to Iron Maiden’s songs, especially Empire of the Clouds about the ill-fated British airship, R10, that crashed in France in 1930 on its maiden overseas voyage. Whenever I listen to the climatic section’s dissonant percussion notes, I hear the doomed airship’s metal framework twisting and screaming as it plummets to the ground – perfect inspiration for any darker-themed writing.

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

More information about my work, including links to anthologies containing my drabbles and short stories, can be found on my website:

https://rosettayorke.wordpress.com

 

 

Horror Curated: An Interview with Dan Brereton

Lionel Ray Green interviews Dan Brereton in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Legendary comic book artist Dan Brereton’s obsession with Halloween started before he turned two years old. “That would be my first,” Brereton tells Horror Curated in an exclusive interview. “I remember it because it was a bit traumatizing. I was twenty-three months old, and my mom dressed me as a devil. That part I was told, but what I definitely recall is being confronted by my two teenage aunts and my grandmother in their driveway. They were dressed as horrible hags, standing around a steaming cauldron of dry ice. I was terrified until they used their normal voices behind the rubber masks they wore to reassure me they weren’t really going to eat me. I’ve been obsessed with Halloween ever since.” Brereton shared a few of his favorite Halloween things. Read the full interview in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

Horror Curated: An Interview with Destini Beard

Emerian Rich interviews Destini Beard in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Destini Beard is a beautiful songbird whose music connects with the darkest part of my soul. She started her musical career in high school and became one of the youngest singers to join the world-renowned Susquehanna Valley Chorale. She’s even collaborated with our previously featured dark musicians, Midnight Syndicate, on a few albums. Read the full interview in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

From the Vault: Dark Divinations: Ghost of St. John Lane

The Inspiration Behind “Ghost of St. John Lane.”

By Daphne Strasert

The inspiration for “The Ghost of St. John Lane” was threefold. Dark Divinations gave me the opportunity to blend several ideas that had long lived in my imagination, but had yet to find a narrative home.

First, the concept of a house haunted not by a spirit, but by a living person. I shudder at the thought of someone whose body persists, but their soul has moved on in grief. Blurring the lines between death and life is interesting to me. After all, can’t a living person be just as frightening as a dead one when they bring no life to the world around them?

Next, in divination, much is said about the ‘third eye’. Usually considered to be an internal ability, the phrase caught my attention from the first moment that I heard it. I was fascinated by the idea of the third eye as a physical manifestation, an outward mark of an inward ability. When imagining a psychic, I always pictured that they were mentally unstable, their mind torn between the past, present, and future, experiencing it all as a jumble.

Finally, while researching the Victorian Era and the Spiritualist movement that so influenced the times, I was struck by descriptions of mediums and, more importantly, false-mediums who used trickery to maintain their ruse. Their commitment to fooling others for financial gain struck me as singularly wicked and worth exploring.

Daphne Strasert is a horror, fantasy, and science fiction author located in Houston, Texas. She placed 3rd in the 2017 Next Great Horror Writer Contest. She has had many short stories published through HorrorAddicts.net and others. When not writing, she plays board games and knits.

Author Interview: Michael Fassbender / Manor of Frights / Withered Bindings

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

My name is Michael Fassbender, and I prefer to write supernatural horror stories. That covers a lot of ground, though, and my fiction ranges from ghost stories to cosmic horror.

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

“Withered Bindings” tells the tale of a maid cleaning up the study in anticipation of the master’s return from a safari, only to find that a block of books on one of the shelves has fallen victim to rapid and noisome decay. She tries to clear up the mess and determine the source of the rot, but only spreads it around and raises more questions.

 

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

A year or so ago, I was passing one of my bookshelves, and I was struck by the notion of what might happen if one of my books harbored great, malevolent power. I imagined it causing the physical decay of all of the books adjacent to it, and I might only discover the change after a half dozen books had been reduced to rotten pulp.

 

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

If a hotel counts, it would have to be the Kubrick version of The Shining. The vivid, multilateral manifestations of malevolence resonate so strongly for me. Otherwise, I’d pick Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. It’s a wonderful example of the power of suggestion to create an enduring haunted narrative.

What music most inspires you to write Horror?

I’m a diehard headbanger, and I love many different forms of Heavy Metal, from classic bands to niche sub-subgenres like Symphonic Black Metal and Melodic Death Metal. Much of the Metal scene feeds into horror imagery.

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

I maintain a website at michaeltfassbender.com and I update the Fiction page as new stories are published. Each story gets a page of its own with its corresponding links.

 

 

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.

Horror Curated: An Interview with Jeff Strand

Lionel Ray Green interviews Jeff Strand in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Jeff Strand continues to exhibit his trademark brand of Horror and black comedy in 2023. In January, he released Demonic, a darkly humorous novel about a Satanic cult on the loose. However, it’s his April release, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, where Strand gets meta and stretches his comedic chops to the limit using the 1978 B movie as inspiration. The Bram Stoker Award-winning author is not slowing down, either. Strand wrote a third novel for 2023, the psychological thriller Veiled, and has a pair of middle-grade Horror novels from Sourcebooks set for release in 2024. Read the full interview in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

Horror Curated: Play Trick or Treat Bingo

Play Trick or Treat Bingo and much more fun in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

Book Birthday: Horror Addicts Guide to Life

Horror Addicts Guide to Life

Available now!

Cover art by: Masloski Carmen

Editor: David Watson

Do you love the horror genre? Do you look at horror as a lifestyle? Do the “norms” not understand your love of the macabre?

Despair no longer, my friend, for within your grasp is a book written by those who look at horror as a way of life, just like you. This is your guide to living a horrifying existence. Featuring interviews with Midnight Syndicate, Valentine Wolfe, and The Gothic Tea Society.

Authors: Kristin Battestella, Mimielle, Emerian Rich, Dan Shaurette, Steven Rose Jr., Garth von Buchholz, H.E. Roulo, Sparky Lee Anderson, Mary Abshire, Chantal Boudreau, Jeff Carlson, Catt Dahman, Dean Farnell, Sandra Harris, Willo Hausman, Laurel Anne Hill, Sapphire Neal, James Newman, Loren Rhoads, Chris Ringler, Jessica Robinson, Eden Royce, Sumiko Saulson, Patricia Santos Marcantonio, J. Malcolm Stewart, Stoneslide Corrective, Mimi A.Williams, and Ron Vitale. With art by Carmen Masloski and Lnoir.

Author Interview: Ollie Fox / Manor of Frights / Storage

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

I’m Ollie Fox, and this is honestly my first proper Horror story! Most of my fiction is queer erotica, although to be fair, it does sometimes veer into horror-adjacent territory. (Are tentacles a genre?)

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

My story is called “Storage.” A servant usually sleeps in the nice, warm kitchen, but has to wait until it’s empty. In the meantime, she’s trapped in the storage room, which is not a friendly place at night…

 

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

When I was thinking about a spooky old house, the class disparity seemed like a good place to start…and, of course, the less glamorous parts of an old house, the ones you don’t see on a historic tour but are just as necessary as the rest. Bill Bryson’s At Home, in a section talking about private domestic servants in Victorian society, mentioned a servant who, like Anna, slept in the kitchen, but whose inconsiderate employer liked to sit in the warm kitchen at night to read without any thought to his servant’s comfort, while said servant was stuck trying to get some rest in the storeroom until he finally went to bed. That concept has been stuck in my mind for a decade, so I ran with it.

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

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The uncertainty, the exploration of the characters, the eerie energy. I also love the 50s take on a scientific approach to paranormal investigations, long before that became a serious thing with YouTube channels devoted to it. I also love Crimson Peak, which also has a slow, uneasy dread.

What music most inspires you to write Horror?

Nothing in particular! I think I listened to a lot of piano-heavy instrumentals when I was writing “Storage.”

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

QueerEarthling.com! Please be advised that my work is generally very adult-centric (read: sexy), not for under 18, and it’s definitely not a good one to check out while slacking off at work. Well, depends on where you work, I guess, but I wouldn’t advise it.

 

Horror Curated: How to Make a Creepy Crawly Pumpkin Topiary

Learn how to make your very own Creepy Crawly Pumpkin Topiary in Horror Curated: Halloween.

Get your copy today!

Book Birthday: Dusk’s Warriors by Emerian Rich

Dusk’s Warriors by Emerian Rich

Heaven has opened up and welcomed the vampires of Night’s Knights into a new reality. As they struggle to find their place in their new world, trouble brews on Earth.

Demon servant, Ridge, is causing havoc by gathering up all the souls on Earth that have been touched by immortality. When he injures one of the Night’s Knights crew, he launches a war between the vampires of Heaven, the Big Bad in Hell, and a mortal street gang of vigilante misfits.

Will Julien, Markham, and Reidar be able to defeat the evil that’s returned, or will they once again need Jespa’s help?

Praise for Dusk’s Warriors:

“All hail, the queen of Night’s Knights has returned! Emerian Rich’s unique take on vampires delights my black little heart.” ~Dan Shaurette, Lilith’s Love

or“A world of horror with realistic characters in a fast-paced thriller you won’t be able to put down.” ~David Watson, The All Night Library

Praise for Night’s Knights:

“Fresh, original, and thoroughly entertaining.” ~Mark Eller, Traitor

“Emerian brought the Vampire Novel back from the dead.” ~C. E. Dorsett, Shine Like Thunder

Available now at Amazon.com in print and eBook

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Emerian Rich is an artist, horror host, and author of the vampire series, Night’s Knights. She is the hostess of the internationally acclaimed podcast, HorrorAddicts.net. Under the name Emmy Z. Madrigal, she writes the musical romance series, Sweet Dreams and she’s the Editorial Director for the Bay Area magazine, SEARCH. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and son.

Horror Curated: Halloween

Get your copy today!

Horror Curated: Halloween
Issue #3: Halloween

48 full-color pages featuring:
Interviews with:
*Musician Destini Beard
*Writer Jeff Strand
*Artist Dan Brereton
*Maker Holding Aces
PLUS!
*An Excerpt of Halloween Nights
*Halloween Poetry
*Once Upon a Time on Halloween
*Halloween on the Air
*Creepy Crawly Pumpkin Topiary
*The Trouble with Most Haunted Lists
*5 Spooky Places for Halloween
*Session 9, A Journey into Psychological Horror
*Creepy Clown Sightings of 2016
*The Man Who Killed Halloween
*Trick or Treat Bingo
*Book and music reviews

Curated by: D.J. Pitsiladis, Daphne Strasert, Kate Nox, Lionel Ray Green, Mark Orr, Courtney Mroch, R.L. Merrill, Chris Ringler, J.S. O’Connor, Megan Starrak, Russell Holbrook, and Emerian Rich.

Get your copy today!

Manor of Frights Interviews, Excerpts, and more!

Check out all the great Manor of Frights content! Did you miss anything?

Content	Who/Author name	URL
Audio #218	Judy Pancoast	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/04/08/horroraddicts-net-218-judith-pancoast/
Audio #219	Daphne Strasert	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/04/22/horroraddicts-net-219-daphne-strasert/
Audio #220	Lesley Warren	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/05/06/horroraddicts-net-220-lesley-warren/
Audio #221	Amanda Leslie	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/05/20/horroraddicts-net-221-amanda-leslie/
Audio #222	Sumiko Saulson	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/06/24/horroraddicts-net-222-sumiko-saulson/
Audio #223	Barend Nieuwstraten III	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/07/15/horroraddicts-net-223-barend-nieuwstraten-iii/
Audio #224	Jason Fischer	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/07/29/horroraddicts-net-224-jason-fischer/
Audio #225	BF Vega	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/horroraddicts-net-225-bf-vega/
Audio #226	DJ Pitsiladis	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/26/horroraddicts-net-226-dj-pitsiladis/
Audio #227	DW Milton	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/09/09/horroraddicts-net-227-dw-milton/
Audio #228	Ollie Fox	Coming September 23rd
Audio #229	Michael Fassbender	Coming October 7th
Audio #230	Rosetta Yorke	Coming October 21st
Audible	All 17 stories, including works by Mark Orr, Loren Rhoads, R.L. Merrill, and Emerian Rich	Coming to Audible 2024
Excerpt	Michael Fassbender	https://michaeltfassbender.com/fiction/withered-bindings/manor-of-frights/
Excerpt	Daphne Strasert	http://daphnestrasert.com/write-as-rain-1/2023/7/24/uqepsc8gdc4zochzn5fuyzmf7yjoc0
Excerpt	Ollie Fox	https://queerearthling.com/2023/07/27/excerpt-manor-of-frights/
Excerpt	Loren Rhoads	https://lorenrhoads.com/2023/07/31/my-manor-of-frights-story/
Excerpt	Amanda Leslie	https://amandaleslie.com/blog/f/manor-of-frights
Excerpt	Rosetta Yorke	https://rosettayorke.wordpress.com/2023/08/03/excerpt-manor-of-frights-anthology/
Excerpt	Mark Orr	https://emzbox.wordpress.com/2023/08/04/manor-of-frights-an-excerpt-by-mark-orr/
Excerpt	Emerian Rich	https://emzbox.wordpress.com/2023/08/10/manor-of-frights-an-excerpt-by-emerian-rich/
Excerpt	Judy Pancoast	https://elizabethdrosa.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/6052/
Excerpt	BF Vega	https://emzbox.wordpress.com/2023/08/15/manor-of-frights-an-excerpt-by-bf-vega/
Excerpt	DJ Pitsiladis	https://dpitsiladis.wordpress.com/2023/08/18/manor-of-frights-excerpt-a-fresh-start-d-j-pitsiladis/
Excerpt	Sumiko Saulson	https://sumikosaulson.com/2023/06/29/the-dessicated-heart-has-been-published-in-manor-of-frights/
Excerpt	DW Milton	https://dpitsiladis.wordpress.com/2023/08/21/manor-of-frights-excerpt-flowers-in-the-foyer-by-dw-milton/
Excerpt	R.L. Merrill	https://sumikosaulson.com/2023/08/22/missing-by-r-l-merrill-excerpt-from-manor-of-frights/
Excerpt	Barend Nieuwstraten III	https://rosettayorke.wordpress.com/2023/08/06/manor-of-frights-anthology-guest-author/
Excerpt	Jason Fischer	http://daphnestrasert.com/write-as-rain-1/2023/7/24/manor-of-frights-excerpt-from-the-study
Excerpt	Lesley Warren	https://emzbox.wordpress.com/2023/09/04/manor-of-frights-an-excerpt-by-lesley-warren/
INTERVIEW	Judy Pancoast	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/04/07/author-interview-judith-pancoast-manor-of-frights-cacophony/
INTERVIEW	Daphne Strasert	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/04/21/author-interview-daphne-strasert-manor-of-frights-a-green-thumb/
INTERVIEW	Lesley Warren	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/05/05/author-interview-lesley-warren-bye-baby-bunting/
INTERVIEW	Amanda Leslie	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/05/19/manor-of-frights-amanda-leslie/
INTERVIEW	Sumiko Saulson	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/06/23/manor-of-frights-sumiko-saulson/
INTERVIEW	Barend Nieuwstraten III	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/07/14/author-interview-barend-nieuwstraten-iii-manor-of-frights-beyond-the-ensuite/
INTERVIEW	Mark Orr	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/07/26/author-interview-mark-orr-manor-of-frights/
INTERVIEW	Jason Fischer	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/07/28/author-interview-jason-fischer-manor-of-frights-a-fresh-start/
INTERVIEW	Loren Rhoads	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/02/author-interview-loren-rhoads-manor-of-frights-nightbears/
INTERVIEW	BF Vega	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/11/author-interview-b-f-vega-manor-of-frights-lanai/
INTERVIEW	DJ Pitsiladis	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/25/author-interview-d-j-pitsiladis-manor-of-frights-a-fresh-start/
INTERVIEW	DW Milton	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/09/08/author-interview-dw-milton-manor-of-frights-the-flowers-in-the-foyer/
INTERVIEW	R.L. Merrill	https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2023/08/16/author-interview-r-l-merrill-manor-of-frights-missing/
INTERVIEW	Ollie Fox	Coming September 23rd
INTERVIEW	Michael Fassbender	Coming October 7th
INTERVIEW	Rosetta Yorke	Coming October 21st
INTERVIEW with Emz	Daphne Strasert	https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=771733034356340
INTERVIEW with Emz	Loren Rhoads	https://lorenrhoads.com/2023/08/07/manor-of-frights-interview-with-emerian-rich/
INTERVIEW with Emz	Rosetta Yorke	https://rosettayorke.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/meet-the-author-emerian-rich/

Book Review: Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey

Review by Megan Starrak

Andrew Van Wey’s Head Like a Hole: A Review

A gurgle from her throat as foam poured past her lips. Her gray tongue
traced ruined teeth flecked with seaweed. With a crunch, a seasnail tumbled
from her mouth…He stretched out a hand, and her mouth opened
to receive it. He could see them inside, the barnacles and snails all
clinging to her cheeks and blocking her air.

– Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey

Like many people, I am guilty of buying books based on their cover art, and I’d be hard-
pressed to find a cover as eye-catching as the one for Andrew Van Wey’s Head Like a Hole. The
artwork may have convinced me to buy the book, but I stayed for the story I would describe as
a twisted mashup of Frankenstein and the tale of a vengeful murder victim.

The book has a cast of characters whose storylines slowly converge into one climactic
finale. There is Louis, a fisherman who reels something up from the depths, and let’s say it’s not
a fish. Then there is a young woman named Megan and her friends who start meeting ghastly
demises. We also encounter a detective tasked with following the trail of bodies to figure out
what’s happening. And finally, a true crime podcaster whose fate left me stunned because I did
not see it coming at all.

Head Like a Hole is one of the first body horror books I have read, and some of the
scenes hit me very viscerally. We tend to forget how fragile the human body is; many think of
themselves as invincible. But books like this remind us that we are delicate creatures. Our
bodies and minds can be torn quite easily. And when that happens, secrets best left
undiscovered become exposed to the light of day.

There’s not much more I want to say for fear of spoiling it for readers. So, in closing, I
will say that Head Like a Hole is a tour de force in body horror. Its characters and descriptive
scenes will stay with you long after the book is left behind.

Manor of Frights Videos

Check out the trailer for Manor of Frights and several vids made by the authors! 

 

Book Review: Maner of Frights/Edited by Emerian Rich

Review by Veronica McCollum

An Anthology Book-17 short stories

This anthology is a great read and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the collection of stories which center around the rooms of an eerie manor. I was also surprised by the fact they were also from different time periods in the manor’s life. You really get a sense of the history of a building, and the dark side. I really enjoyed all the stories and was pleasantly surprised by the original ideas and takes on the rooms. The book also has in the back maps and a timeline which is cool.

I not sure I could pick one story that I liked best, but I will say I will be forever traumatized by the hidden rooms in a kitchen. This book has something for everyone, if you are into eerie plants, toys, and kids this is the book for you. If you want to be creeped out and feel the need to turn on the lights before entering a room this book will confirm your worst suspicions places are holding on to some dark history. The Manor of Frights reminded me how special a collection of short stories can be, and I liked how at the end of each story I was like whoa.

I will say the short stories “Flowers in the Foyer”, “A Green Thumb” and “Lanai” just reminds
me how you can’t trust plants or people as they can be dangerous and twisted literally.
“Turning Pages” and “Dinner Guests” I thought were both evil and elegant all at the same time.
“A fresh Start” and “The Living Room” if the place sounds too good to be true it probably is, and
you should turn back. “Nightbears” might not leave my memory for a while. I can also say I
read, “Storage” and” Bye, Baby Bunting” twice. I had to look up the word, “Cacophony” but the
story was eerie and magical all at the same time. “A Study in Terror”, “Missing” and “Come find
me, Mommy” I thought the characters and the stories were the things of nightmares, and I am
not sure what was scarier the people or the rooms. I loved the “Desiccated Heart” it was
wonderful story, and the characters were cool and young and thinking they are invincible, but
they might have met their match this house don’t play. “Beyond the Ensuite” and “Withered
Bindings” remind you that you should not touch or go to some places as they are not safe but
once you start it’s too late. The short stories have the things of nightmares, wonderful
monsters real and imaginary and twists and turns. There is truly something for everyone. You
will completely enjoy all the scary and spooky stories.

Book Birthday :eHorror Bites 4: Requiem in Frost

On this day of Mabon, HorrorAddicts.net is proud to present the next book in their eHorror Bites series. eHorror Bites 4: Requiem in Frost is the newest work of Next Great Horror Writer Contest winner, 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.

A Peek Inside

REQUIEM IN FROST

When I opened my eyes, it was still dark—probably after midnight. When I took off my headphones, I didn’t hear screaming. However, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

Someone was standing in the corner of my room.

He was tall and muscular, with long, ragged hair. Smeared skeletal makeup covered his face, mingling with open scars. His torso was splashed with a fresh coat of crimson, dripping all over the floor, but drippiest of all was the huge axe in his hand. As I considered the growing red pool at his feet, I found myself wondering where all that blood had come from…

Is Mom all right?

The thought hit me with the force of a speeding train. If the ghost had hurt Mom, he could hurt me, too. Perhaps it should have been obvious, but I’d never felt threatened until that moment. My heart stopped as I lay there, paralyzed in bed, fearing he would kill me, and that he’d killed Mom already.

The spirit approached my bed, his huge axe dripping a river onto the floor. I tried to muster up the courage to run, but my legs were frozen in place. All too quickly, he was right beside me, raising his axe high.

“Skansi…” It came out before I could stop it, the squeak of a girl much younger than myself.

The spirit halted, surprise in his bulging eyes. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to know his name.

“Someone killed you, didn’t they?” I asked, my throat dry.

The spirit continued to stare, but he did not lower his axe.

Jonathan Fortin is the author of Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus (coming December 2019 from Crystal Lake Publishing) and Nightmarescape (Mocha Memoirs Press). An unashamed lover of spooky Gothic stories, Jonathan was named the “Next Great Horror Writer” in 2017 by HorrorAddicts.net. He attended the Clarion Writing Program in 2012, one year after graduating summa cum laude from San Francisco State University’s Creative Writing program. When not writing, Jonathan enjoys voice acting, dressing like a Victorian gentleman, and indulging in all things odd and macabre in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can follow him on Twitter.

You can also find Jonathan in HorrorAddicts.net’s Clockwork Wonderland and eHorror Bites 3: #NGHW Editor Picks.

Book Birthday: Horror Bites: Alice’s Scars by Adam L. Bealby

Alice-inspired story by Adam L. Bealby.

When he met Alice, he wasn’t prepared to go down the rabbit hole. His love for her pushes him into the uncomfortable realization she might be mad. He wants to keep her safe, but what if that’s not what Alice wants?

“Adam Bealby has written a mini masterpiece that explores mental illness, drug addiction, and real life horror.”

~David Watson, The All-Night Library

Horror Bites: Alice’s Scars

BY ADAM L. BEALBY

Just 99 cents at Amazon.com

---

A look inside…

Alice’s Scars

BY ADAM L. BEALBY

When I first met her she was Katie, soon to be Alice. It was her first day at Uni, my second, and her scars intrigued me. They lined her cheeks like tribal markings and the way she caked her face in foundation, you could tell they were forever on her mind. It helped, of course, that she was a beautiful Goth girl. I wanted to save her, share her pain, kiss her, and fuck her, too. I asked her what she kept in the drawstring purse around her neck.

“Money,” she said dismissively, turning away to talk to someone else at the bar.

She disappeared soon after. I only found out later how drunk she got, how she spent the rest of the night over a toilet bowl with Jackie holding her hair clear of her mouth. Her first and last run-in with alcohol. Alice had too much else going on in her life to get any more screwed up.

I dogged her all through freshers’ week. Instead of dorms, she’d been accommodated in a little house just off campus. A new friend I met lived there too, so it was an easy thing to fall in with her motley crew, drawn together by circumstance as we were. I became a regular in their kitchen, smoking weed and trying too hard—as we all did—to be quirky and cool.

We struck up conversation over a jar of pesto. I didn’t know what it was and she couldn’t believe it. I strung it out, made it appear I was more ignorant than I actually was, and I got her laughing. When I said her pesto looked like rabbit food she blushed, right through all that paint and powder.

“You don’t know the first thing about rabbits,” she said, and she showed me what was in her drawstring purse. It was a tiny white rabbit’s foot. It freaked me out and yet I felt even more attracted to her. It was my in, a secret shared. Looking at the severed foot I felt myself getting hard and I had to sit down for fear she’d notice.

She ran away that evening. We were all stoned and a bit drunk, talking about our parents, being glib, critical, or overly generous. She burst into tears and ran out of the kitchen and into the night, not even bothering to put her shoes on. We made an extravagant show of hunting for her, shouting her name up and down the street. Pete the Poet, as we later christened him, came out to help from next door. The way John shouted Katie’s name in his Irish accent, Pete thought we’d lost a cat. We had a good laugh about that.

But it wasn’t funny when we found Katie. She was hunkered down by the bushes on a bit of common area at the end of the row.

“Katie? What are you looking for?” I asked as we gathered round in a concerned hub.

“He was here,” she muttered. She’d been pawing at the dirt. Her fingers were black. “I saw him, but he got away from me.”

“Who was here, Katie?”

She looked up. The glare from a passing car lent her eyes a lustrous sheen.

“Alice. Call me Alice from now on, okay? Do you know what time it is? The days all seem to blur into one.”

---

Adam L. Bealby writes fantasy, horror and weird fiction for both adults and children. His short stories and comic work have been published in numerous anthologies, including Spooked (Bridge House Publishing), Pagan (Zimbell House Publishing), Darkness Abound (Migla Press), Once Upon a Scream (HorrorAddicts.net), Sirens (World Weaver Press), World Unknown Review Vol. 2, rEvolution (MiFiWriters) and Murky Depths magazine. He lives in Worcestershire, UK with his wife and three children, and a harried imagination. Catch up with his latest ravings at @adamskilad.

Once Upon a Scream, featuring “The Other Daughter” by Adam L. Bealby

Once Upon a Scream…there was a tradition of telling tales with elements of the fantastic along with the frightful. Adults and children alike took heed not to go into the deep, dark woods, treat a stranger poorly, or make a deal with someone or something-without regard for the consequences. Be careful of what you wish for, you just might get it. From wish-granting trolls, to plague curses, and evil enchantresses, these tales will have you hiding under the covers in hopes they don’t find you. So lock your doors, shutter your windows, and get ready to SCREAM.

HorrorAddicts.net

for Horror Addicts, by Horror Addicts

Listen to the HorrorAddicts.net podcast for the latest in horror news, reviews, music, and fiction.

HorrorAddicts.net Press

www.horroraddicts.net

Manor of Frights, Kindle Version Live!

HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:

Manor of Frights, Kindle Version

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 is a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

“Flowers in the Foyer” DW Milton

Everyone at the Manor knows there must be fresh flowers in the foyer every morning but why must there be a new housemaid named for a flower every fortnight?

“Storage” Ollie Fox

A servant locked in a storeroom finds there are far worse things than being caught by the master of the house.

“Bye, Baby Bunting” Lesley Warren

First-time mother Ida Wells thought losing her husband was the worst that could happen, that is until the baby came along, bringing hell with it.

“Withered Bindings” Michael Fassbender

While cleaning up the study in preparation for the master’s return to the manor, Philippa finds half the books on one shelf rotten under the influence of a mysterious tome.

“Dinner Guests” Emerian Rich

A dutiful butler attempts to keep zombies at bay without letting the family know anything’s amiss.

“A Green Thumb” Daphne Strasert

Eleanor breaks into her friend’s conservatory to take a clipping of her prized orchid, only to discover that the plant has more exotic needs than she could have ever imagined.

“Turning Pages” Mark Orr

A ghostly pianist is witness to a gruesome murder, and takes her revenge in a like manner.

“A Fresh Start” DJ Pitsiladis

A woman looking for a fresh start after a tragedy finds something far worse in her new employer.

“The Living Room” Amanda Leslie

There’s something alive in Jenny’s living room. She hasn’t heard it or seen it yet, but she knows it’s there and that it pulsates with a sickening version of life.

“Lanai” BF Vega

A family secret proves deadly for one of the young heirs to the Castorelli sugar fortune.

“Cacophony” Judith Pancoast 

Annalyse is a gifted young pianist who reaches another level when she begins playing the haunted piano in her new home.

“Nightbears” Loren Rhoads

When Jimmy gets sick, it brings a whole new meaning to the “monster under the bed.”

“Beyond the Ensuite” Barend Nieuwstraten III

The ensuite bathroom hides a hidden bathhouse that contains delights (and horrors) only a wild imagination could conjure.

“The Desiccated Heart” Sumiko Saulson

Some punk kids have an idea for the perfect garage band, but an item found in their practice studio soon makes it all go to hell.

“A Study in Terror” Jason Fischer

A family heirloom brings terror to a small girl staying over at the manor, but what her mother doesn’t realize is… It’s best to listen to the little ones.

“Come Find Me, Mummy” Rosetta Yorke

When single mum Debbie, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, catalogs the manor’s contents to prove herself worthy of a place in her family’s firm, she encounters horrors beyond her worst nightmare in the nursery.

“Missing” R.L. Merrill

High school senior Kristy is creeped out about volunteering in the manor for the 100th anniversary open house, but working in the scullery turns out to be even more menacing than she’d anticipated.

To these stories and check out the floor plans, go to: Manor of Frights

Book Birthday: Plague Master: Rebel Infection

H.E. Roulo and HorrorAddicts.net Press proudly present: Plague Master: Rebel Infection.

The dramatic sequel to Plague Master: Sanctuary Dome, and second book in the Plague Master Series, is now available.

Enter the World of PLAGUE MASTER: REBEL INFECTION

Trevor’s return from the zombie infection makes him unique. It also makes him dangerous.

He’s a hero on his homeworld, celebrated for finding a vaccine against the zombie virus, but the ruling Founders don’t trust him and his low origins. When the revolution comes, Trevor is caught in the middle.

Despite his homeworld’s troubles, a message from a Plague Master forces Trevor to seek reinforcements. He hunts for Kristin, the woman he left behind, and an answer to why the vaccine is failing.

He and his friends must fight on space stations and worlds overtaken with infected to discover the terrible truth about his cure.

New to the Plague Master Series? Find the first book here:

PLAGUE MASTER: SANCTUARY DOME

When Samantha’s brother goes missing, the trail leads to Julius Cerberon, the rich philanthropist who built a dome for sufferers of mankind’s newest disease. Can she really accuse the universe’s greatest humanitarian of murder?

Meanwhile, on a downtrodden planet, Trevor has the unenviable job of zombie bait. He saves his dream girl, but she is infected. Her goodbye kiss forces him to escape to the domed utopia where infected are quarantined until they change–but he will never change, isn’t infected, and has to keep kissing the girl to pass the tests. Not a bad deal, until the dome breaks and a planet-worth of zombies invade.

And his girl could change any minute now.

PRAISE FOR
PLAGUE MASTER: SANCTUARY DOME

“A perfect mix of classic sci-fi and zombie horror. Once you start, you are hooked!”
-Jake Bible, author of Little Dead Man.

“Sanctuary Dome starts with a bang, is complicated by a kiss, and ends with a promise. This is a YA zombie love story like no other.”
-Jennifer Brozek, author of Apocalypse Girl Dreaming

“A smart zombie novel with relatable characters you’ll be rooting for until the end.”
-Emerian Rich, author of Night’s Knights Vampire Series

“Sanctuary Dome is fast-paced zombie sci-fi on a prison planet of the dying and the undead.”
-Stephen North, author of Beneath the Mask

“H.E. Roulo transports the reader to an eerie, futuristic environment. Her efficiency of prose will absorb readers of all ages. Macabre, frightening, but always hopeful.”
-Philip E. Carroll, author of Shooting Stars

H.E. Roulo is a Pacific Northwest writer of science-fiction, horror, and fantasy. She earned a BA in English from the University of Idaho and is an SFWA member. Her science-fiction novel Fractured Horizon was a Parsec Award Finalist. She’s had dozens of short stories published in anthologies and magazines and was the winner of the 2009 Wicked Women Writers contest. Recent publications include Fantasy magazine (Women Destroy Fantasy special issue), Nature Futures 2, and Blood Type: An Anthology of Vampire SF on the Cutting Edge. She co-hosted the author interview podcast Podioracket.com from 2009 to 2012.

Plague Master: Rebel Infection is now available on Amazon!

Manor of Frights Book Release Party Coming – August 14th-16th

You are cordially invited to attend our Facebook Party in honor of Manor of Frights.

Where: http://www.facebook.com/groups/horroraddicts.net

When: Aug 14th-16th

Please, join us for trivia, fun, and prizes! Winners will be announced Friday, Aug 18th.

---

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 is a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

With authors: Judith Pancoast, Daphne Strasert, Loren Rhoads, Mark Orr, Michael Fassbender, R.L. Merrill, Sumiko Saulson, Ollie Fox, Barend Nieuwstraten III, Rosetta Yorke, Amanda Leslie, Lesley Warren, BF Vega, DW Milton, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jason Fischer, and Emerian Rich.

Manor of Frights

 

Manor of Frights Book Release Party Coming – August 14th-16th

You are cordially invited to attend our Facebook Party in honor of Manor of Frights.

Where: http://www.facebook.com/groups/horroraddicts.net

When: Aug 14th-16th

Please, join us for trivia, fun, and prizes! Winners will be announced Friday, Aug 18th.

---

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 is a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

With authors: Judith Pancoast, Daphne Strasert, Loren Rhoads, Mark Orr, Michael Fassbender, R.L. Merrill, Sumiko Saulson, Ollie Fox, Barend Nieuwstraten III, Rosetta Yorke, Amanda Leslie, Lesley Warren, BF Vega, DW Milton, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jason Fischer, and Emerian Rich.

Manor of Frights

 

Book Birthday: Horror Bites: Deathly Fog By Adam Breckenridge

Deathly Fog
by Adam Breckenridge

When Jacob and his brothers discover the ability to capture fog from the marsh behind their house, they bring it back with them. The fun game turns to danger as they realize perhaps something else accompanied them home. Is it too late to escape the Deathly Fog?

HorrorAddicts.net

for Horror Addicts, by Horror Addicts

Listen to the HorrorAddicts.net podcast for the latest in horror news, reviews, music, and fiction.

HorrorAddicts.net Press

www.horroraddicts.net

Press Release: Manor of Frights

HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:

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 is a collection of tales all set in different rooms of the same house.

“Flowers in the Foyer” DW Milton

Everyone at the Manor knows there must be fresh flowers in the foyer every morning but why must there be a new housemaid named for a flower every fortnight?

“Storage” Ollie Fox

A servant locked in a storeroom finds there are far worse things than being caught by the master of the house.

“Bye, Baby Bunting” Lesley Warren

First-time mother Ida Wells thought losing her husband was the worst that could happen, that is until the baby came along, bringing hell with it.

“Withered Bindings” Michael Fassbender

While cleaning up the study in preparation for the master’s return to the manor, Philippa finds half the books on one shelf rotten under the influence of a mysterious tome.

“Dinner Guests” Emerian Rich

A dutiful butler attempts to keep zombies at bay without letting the family know anything’s amiss.

“A Green Thumb” Daphne Strasert

Eleanor breaks into her friend’s conservatory to take a clipping of her prized orchid, only to discover that the plant has more exotic needs than she could have ever imagined.

“Turning Pages” Mark Orr

A ghostly pianist is witness to a gruesome murder, and takes her revenge in a like manner.

“A Fresh Start” DJ Pitsiladis

A woman looking for a fresh start after a tragedy finds something far worse in her new employer.

“The Living Room” Amanda Leslie

There’s something alive in Jenny’s living room. She hasn’t heard it or seen it yet, but she knows it’s there and that it pulsates with a sickening version of life.

“Lanai” BF Vega

A family secret proves deadly for one of the young heirs to the Castorelli sugar fortune.

“Cacophony” Judith Pancoast 

Annalyse is a gifted young pianist who reaches another level when she begins playing the haunted piano in her new home.

“Nightbears” Loren Rhoads

When Jimmy gets sick, it brings a whole new meaning to the “monster under the bed.”

“Beyond the Ensuite” Barend Nieuwstraten III

The ensuite bathroom hides a hidden bathhouse that contains delights (and horrors) only a wild imagination could conjure.

“The Desiccated Heart” Sumiko Saulson

Some punk kids have an idea for the perfect garage band, but an item found in their practice studio soon makes it all go to hell.

“A Study in Terror” Jason Fischer

A family heirloom brings terror to a small girl staying over at the manor, but what her mother doesn’t realize is… It’s best to listen to the little ones.

“Come Find Me, Mummy” Rosetta Yorke

When single mum Debbie, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, catalogs the manor’s contents to prove herself worthy of a place in her family’s firm, she encounters horrors beyond her worst nightmare in the nursery.

“Missing” R.L. Merrill

High school senior Kristy is creeped out about volunteering in the manor for the 100th anniversary open house, but working in the scullery turns out to be even more menacing than she’d anticipated.

To these stories and check out the floor plans, go to: Manor of Frights