P.L. McMillan's Blog, page 2

Spooky Challenge 2024 — Day 3

It is day three of my October writing challenge. “PLM,” you cry, “The day is almost over. What are you even doing?!”

Okay. Listen here, dear reader. I may or may not have stayed up until 4am the previous night preparing for a DnD adventure for my crew and hand-made physical puzzles. Don’t even. Haha. Why did I do this to myself? I don’t know.

Today’s prompt:

“The runner’s high brings euphoria and a sense of freedom. But one night, that feeling leads down a deadly path of destruction – leaving the runner with no memory of what they’ve done or why.” – Chris Anderson

A Sisyphean Marathon

The man in black shorts and white sports shirt ran through the streets of Denver, though he could not remember why.

Once he had known. Once he had had a reason. He had been running from something concrete. Something with meaning. Something that had filled him with fear and guilt.

Bystanders reached for him, cheeks stained with tears.

They begged him to stop.

They sought to halt him.

He kept running.

Once he had had a name. He had had a life beyond running.

Running used to be a hobby, a way to keep in shape. He had tracked his miles, his speed, his improvements and failings. It was just something in his schedule.

Overhead the sun was failing. It ran like broken yolk. The sky couldn’t cradle it anymore.

Police cars screeched around the corner, cops piled out. Their faces lined deeply with trenches of terror. Their guns shook in their hands.

He couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.

What chased him couldn’t be allowed to catch him. He wouldn’t let it.

They’d have to kill him first.

In his mind, fogged with exertion and sorrow, he urged them to end it. But they hesitated and then it was too late. The wake that followed him distorted them. They screamed, were lost.

He kept running.

His wake chased him.

To be caught would mean an awakening. He couldn’t face it.

His hands stained burgundy with past sins, a heart darkened with a memory he would not allow himself to see.

He heard the child’s cries.

His? Or the one he’d just passed, ruined by his following destruction.

His body refused to feel tired, he expected it to fail. His lungs betrayed him by easily sucking in air, his muscles burned barely, his heart kept a steady, judgementalism tune. His body sought to punish him. His mind screamed to veil him. His crime, his sin, chased him.

His hands hummed with tension, curled in permanent claws as they pumped by his sides. He could feel the memory of a small body, its being thrumming with colic wails.

His mind reeled away.

A woman tried to drive her van into him. His body reacted, dodged, though his mind begged to be released. She disappeared into the distortion behind him, her screams bouncing off the decaying buildings.

Just like her screams had echoed when his sin had been discovered. When he had failed the two people in his life he should have loved the most.

He was weak.

And so, weak, his body fled, his mind a prisoner. Trapped in hell, unable to stop though he begged it all to end.

Denver fell in days, its buildings crumbling to molten ruin. Its people bone and tears in glowing dust. He continued down the highway. Overhead copters churned the air and the cries of a dying child chased him as he ran.

And ran.

And ran.

x PLM

Spooky Challenge 2024 - Day 2

Hello dear reader! Back again for another spooky story? It’s day two of my writing challenge and today’s prompt is:

“A rope on the sidewalk starts killing people.” – Andy Boyle

The Length With Which To Die

“It don’t look scary,” eight-year-old Cole said, hands jammed deep in his overall pockets.

His new best friend as of three weeks ago, Danny, picked up a rock and tossed it over the freshly repainted orange wooden saw horses. Each one said “DANGER” in white. The stone hit the cracked sidewalk, skipped over the limp sun-bleached length of rope, then rolled to a stop in some weeds. “My mom said it killed half of everybody when she was a kid.”

The wind kicked up, chasing leaves past the boys in a playful dance. The sun was low in the October sky, setting the horizon on fire.

Cole stepped closer to the barricades. “How?”

Danny shrugged.

The rope had been there since as long as the town could remember, as well as the barricades.

Once the neighbourhood had been affluential. Mansions, block parties, elaborate gardens. Now the sidewalks were buckled, the houses abandoned, yards overgrown.

The only thing kept up was the paint on the barricades.

“My mom just said to stay away or I’d get grounded.” Cole put his hands on the barricades. He could smell the paint, fresh and acrid. Cole’s family had moved in just over two months ago.

In the middle of the barricades was the rope. About seventeen feet in length, coiled randomly in a limp pile, bristly and rough looking. It was mottled in colour, bleached in some places, stained in others. Cole couldn’t tell what colour it had been originally.

“You know Leigh’s sister?” Danny asked.

Cole turned. The street beyond his friend was empty. The windows of the abandoned houses reminded him of eyes, watching. “Yeah, she died in a car accident or something.”

Danny shook his head, pointed at the rope. “It killed her. My mom told me.”

Cole looked at the rope again. Had it moved? Were its coils in a different arrangement. Was it closer?

Danny continued. “My mom said Leigh’s sister and some older kids were out here partying. Drinking. She fell over the barricade or something. They found her the next morning.”

Cole took a step back. “Sounds like a made up story.”

Danny smirked. “Then touch it.”

Cole froze in his steps. Leaves rattled like bones across the street between the two boys.

“I dare you,” Danny said. “Double dog dare.”

Cole looked back through the barricades. The rope seemed closer. Maybe unwound a bit more. He chewed his lip. The wind was blowing it around. Cole figured this must be some sort of Halloween trick. Some prank to play on the new kid.

“Give me your special edition Godzilla figurine and I’ll do it,” he said, stepping towards the barricades again.

“Wait, don’t!” Danny said. “I take the dare back, seriously. My mom was super serious about it being dangerous.”

“Too late! You dared me and I want that Godzilla!” Cole didn’t like being pranked. He wasn’t a scaredy cat.

He ducked under the barricade. Stepped carefully over the cracked concrete, his shoes crunching dried leaves.

“Cole! Come back, please!” Danny’s voice cracked.

Cole realized that his friend was being serious. Danny was actually afraid.

“Cole, I’ll give you the stupid figure! Just come back! Please!”

Cole’s heart kicked up in speed. There was a soft hum at his feet, rising and falling. Melodic like a lullaby.  A susurrus of movement. The rope uncoiled itself. Cole stumbled back.

“Cole!” Danny screamed.

Cole’s whole body buzzed with electric fear. He was reminded, in that moment, of when his family had gone to Hawaii for a vacation. He’d gotten caught in a riptide. Swept away for a few minutes before lifeguards saved him. Afterwards, lying on the sand, crying, Cole had realized he’d really thought he was going to die out there. He felt the same way now.

A thought, a feeling, that felt like fact.

He was going to die. He shouldn’t have crossed the barricades.

The rope uncoiled faster. The faint ululation grew louder. It was beautiful and horrible.

Cole stumbled back, his limbs numb. He was afraid to turn away, to show his back to the rope. The heel of his left foot caught on a jagged ledge of concrete and he fell, slamming against a barricade. Both he and the barricade tipped backwards.

Danny stood above him, backlit by the weary sun. Cole cried out as Danny reached for him, hooking hands under his armpits. Cole kicked at the ground as Danny pulled. Seconds seemed like eternity, the song rose to a fevered pitch.

Cole knew he would never see his mom again, never get to go trick or treating, never join Little League baseball team and be famous. He was caught in the riptide again and this time, there were no lifeguards to save him.

Cole twisted, rolling from Danny, shoving his friend away so he could scramble on all fours. He heard his friend cry out.

Cole crawled, ripping nails out as he clawed his way down the street, past Danny’s backpack.

The song ended in a chortle, a sigh. Danny screamed.

Cracking sounds like the breaking of dry branches, wet sounds like how his dad slurped his coffee in the morning.

Cole didn’t stop until he was at the corner of the empty street. His palms and knees bleeding. Only then did he stand. Only then did he run, never looking back.

Hope you enjoyed the story!

x PLM

Spooky Challenge 2024 - Day 1

It’s the first day of my spooky October challenge! It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for four years now.

If you’re new to me and my blog, basically the premise is that I write seven stories in seven days leading up to Halloween. The stories get posted to this blog for you to read and we all get some spooky fun.

I also sometimes base my stories on prompts sent to me by readers. There’s still time as well, so if you want to send me a prompt, use this form:

Name * First Name Last Name Email * Subject * Message * Thank you!

Now onto the first prompt!

“Backwards Biology – a woman finds her bodily functions go backwards. Blood enters her uterus every month. She vomits up food and had to unpass a kidney stone. Fun!” – submitted by Nina Miller

I want to call out the drabble she sent into the Dead Languages Podcast Drabble Contest. If you don’t know, I host a horror writing podcast with Carson Winter. Recently, we held a drabble contest and Nina’s was really fun and in a list format – super unique. Check out the podcast, if you haven’t – it’s a ton of feral fun.  

Dr. Nino Tiller’s Simple Proposal For Saving A Starving Planet

Milaras Prime is dying. We’ve drained its resources. Over a decade ago, I proposed a population limit using the sterilization fog I’d created, and had my tenure stripped. Now, we are on the brink of destruction.

I hope now that you will listen to me. That you will finally take me seriously.

Milaras Prime can recover. If we let it. Its fields need time to lay fallow, I estimate a few decades at most – especially if we utilize the old Company terraforming supplies we have left.

No one is coming to save us. We are too far out and there are too many of us to ferry off-world with the little ships we have.

But I can save us.

If you’ll listen.

Do you see this woman beside me? Her name is Antigone. If my proposal is sanctioned, she will be the first.

No, don’t stand up. She’s okay. The vomiting is normal. Watch, just watch what comes out. Yes. See? Food. Perfectly edible food. Enough food to feed four on rations for a few days and she produces it regularly throughout the day as long as she is provided with hydration, which we have plenty, and fuel. That is, of course, something else. See how she trembles and cries? Her body needs to be replenished.

Let me open this trough. From those gasps, I can tell you recognize it. Blood. Go on, Antigone. See, she sits in the trough and her body drinks up the blood, storing it in her evolutionary yonic cradle of life – excuse my purple prose – her uterus.

Now she has more energy stored for food production. She can feed dozens in a day. Ignore the weeping, she’s just overcome with the honour of being our salvation.

When I found Antigone, she was on the brink of death out on the streets of Neo York. I offered her a chance to give her life meaning, to never feel hungry again.

She’s not enough though. We have millions of starving Citizens. We need more volunteers.

Side effects? Well, of course. Good question. This is a new gene alteration treatment I’ve created. Of course there are some side effects. Antigone did have some complications recently where she unpassed a kidney stone, nothing major. Just general pain. I couldn’t give her pain suppressants. I was afraid she would pass it into the food, like a mother to her milk. But she got through it. She’s strong.

Loss of all teeth due to the food creation, of course. However, I don’t see that as a true negative. Antigone doesn’t require food in the traditional sense anymore. Just blood. Real, human blood. I’ve tried to synthoblood and it results in inedible waste production instead.

Does Antigone control the type of food she produces? Another good question, General Halloway! I’ve studied her output over the past month and it does seem truly random. Her larynx is ruined and she cannot speak, nor does she seem capable of communicating anymore. I have often wondered if she just thinks of food she likes and produces it. I’ve seen major production of hamburgers, always with ketchup and cheese, and spaghetti. With more volunteers, we can see how wide a range we can get!

So my proposal is this:

We seek out willing volunteers to feed the world until the planet can recover. A conscription draft of Citizens with uteri. A half a million should do to begin with, tied with a population limit.

We will need blood donations from every Citizen. This should be a codified law. Each donation of a pint equals two weeks of rations.

I will require, for my planetary salvation services, permanent tenure, funding for any and all future projects, absolution to the hysterical claims against mea of illegal experimentation, and all crimes dropped from my record.

Thank you, Milaras Prime committee members. I look forward to your thoughts. While you discuss, you should eat. It looks like Antigone is ready to provide more sustenance.

What did you think?

Don’t forget to stop in tomorrow for day two of my challenge!

x PLM

 

Bienvenidos al Convento de Crimoria

Today is the day! I am so excited to announce that my debut novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine, now has a Spanish edition — thanks to Dilatando Mentes Press!

¡Hoy es el día! Estoy muy emocionada de anunciar que mi primera novela, Las Hermanas de la Cepa Carmesí, ahora tiene una edición en español, gracias a Dilatando Mentes Press!

John Ainsworth estuvo a punto de morir a consecuencia de un accidente de tráfico.

Pronto aprenderá que hay destinos peores.

Tras el brutal accidente, John despierta en el deteriorado convento de Crimoria, cenobio que está bajo el cuidado de trece monjas poco convencionales que se encuentran inmersas en los preparativos de su fiesta anual.

John no tardará en descubrir algunas cosas que le llevarán a preguntarse si está a salvo en manos de las Hermanas de la Cepa Carmesí.

Una obra cargada de terror y tensión aderezada con ecos de de Shirley Jackson, de elementos lovecraftianos  y de los ambientes claustrofóbicos de las películas de Ari Ester. — Dilatando Press page

CARACTERÍSTICAS:

Género: Horror

Autora: P. L. McMillan

Cubierta de Raúl Ruiz

Corrección del texto a cargo de Aine

Traducción a cargo de José Ángel de Dios

Just look at these beautiful pages! ¡Solo mira estas hermosas páginas!

Una obra cargada de terror y tensión aderezada con ecos de de Shirley Jackson, de elementos lovecraftianos  y de los ambientes claustrofóbicos de las películas de Ari Ester. — Dilatando Mentes page

Bendita sea

x PLM

p.s. perdón si el español no es perfecto, usé Google

Spoopy Challenge — 2024

Hey cuties! It’s that time of the year, isn’t it? Has it really been, what, four years? Four years of writing seven stories in seven days ending on Hallowe’en.

It’s such a difficult challenge but always worth it.

So let’s catch up.

Yup, totally didn’t resume blogging like I said. Essentially, I just don’t have the time currently. I have a lot of projects on my plate, what with writing, art, conventions, the podcast, and all that. I’m learning to prioritize the projects that I enjoy most, that enrich my life.

I’ve always joked that I am the queen of burnout and heck, have I been feeling it. I hope you haven’t been missing my reviews.

Okay, let’s chat the fun stuff!

I’ve been working consistently on my novel. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast I co-host, you know I missed the Oct 1st deadline. I am still proud. I maintained a consistent writing schedule and daily word count, which really meant a lot to me.

I really want to finish this novel by the end of this month, probably means I’ll have to get it done before my writing challenge starts on the 25th though.

Honestly, chatting with my co-host Carson Winter really helps keeps me consistent. Like an accountability buddy I meet with every Wednesday.

Also, if you haven’t yet, you should definitely check out the podcast. This month we have some special episodes coming out.

So what else have I been up to?

I attended several events in Denver — the Colorado Festival of Horror and a book fair at Station 26 Brewing Co — where I sold books, merch, and had a lot of sass.

I’ve been writing regularly of course! This novel is coming along nicely!

I am still hosting online events and have one coming up:

Check out the details here

I will also be guest hosting Story Hour this coming Wednesday. It’s a totally free event so come visit and hear some live readings!

Learn more

More exciting news: my debut collection: What Remains When The Stars Burn Out has been nominated for a Wonderland Award!

Sisters of the Crimson Vine is also getting a Spanish edition from Dilatando Mentes Editorial!

Finally, let’s chat about my 2024 October writing challenge! I’ll be starting on Oct 25th and writing a story every day for seven days leading up to Hallowe’en. Wanna send me a prompt? Do it here and it might turn into a story!

Name * First Name Last Name Email * Subject * Message * Thank you!

Can’t wait to hear from you!

x PLM

Dead Space: Novel Review

Hey, dear reader. Another Monday, another review!

Before we dive in, I wanted to shout out an event I’m hosting online later this month! It’s a book launch event for Carson Winter’s latest release: A Spectre Is Haunting Greentree. The event is only August 15th at 6pm MT/8pm ET. It’s totally free and will have a live reading, author interview, audience Q&A, and three giveaways so you have a chance to win a copy of the book! So, if you’re free that night, why not reserve your free spot and hang out?

Reserve your spot! The Author

I have been writing fiction my entire life, but for a long time I thought I would be a scientist when I grew up. On my first day of college, I discovered that geology was the one field where I could get course credit for hiking and camping, so that's what I picked. I studied geology at Brown University and went on to graduate school at the University of Colorado at Boulder, eventually earning a PhD in geophysics doing research on Himalayan mountain-building and Indian earthquakes.  

After attending the Clarion Writers' Workshop at the University of California at San Diego in 2010, I devoted myself in earnest to writing. I sold my first short story in fall of that same year. My short fiction has appeared in a number of science fiction and fantasy magazines, including Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed, and Tor.com.
— Kali Wallace’s About Me page on her website

You can check out more on Wallace’s website, or follow her on Instagram.

The Book

Hester Marley used to have a plan for her life. But when a catastrophic attack left her injured, indebted, and stranded far from home, she was forced to take a dead-end security job with a powerful mining company in the asteroid belt. Now she spends her days investigating petty crimes to help her employer maximize its profits. She’s surprised to hear from an old friend and fellow victim of the terrorist attack that ruined her life—and that surprise quickly turns to suspicion when he claims to have discovered something shocking about their shared history and the tragedy that neither of them can leave behind. 

Before Hester can learn more, her friend is violently murdered at a remote asteroid mine. Hester joins the investigation to find the truth, both about her friend’s death and the information he believed he had uncovered. But catching a killer is only the beginning of Hester’s worries, and she soon realizes that everything she learns about her friend, his fellow miners, and the outpost they call home brings her closer to revealing secrets that very powerful and very dangerous people would rather keep hidden in the depths of space.

— Dead Space book description from Wallace’s website

Released in March, 2021 through Berkley, Dead Space is a sci-fi horror novel by Kali Wallace and absolutely not related to the game series of the same name. Essentially, the book is a murder mystery set in space and dealing with themes of racism, xenophobia, corporate corruption, and worker's rights. It was also nominated and won the 2022 Philip K. Dick Award.

The Review

You know me, I love a good space horror and I really love one with a strong femme protagonist and Wallace delivers with Dead Space. Legit cannot gush about this book enough.

Wallace shines with her world building, pacing, atmosphere, and characters. The book opens up strong with our protagonist, Hester, investigating a crime. We get to know her more, then she gets a weird message from an old acquaintance who ends up dead — dun dun duuuuuh — and the mystery begins!

Wallace’s characters and their complex relationships really shine and I love the aspect of a “locked room” murder mystery on a remote station on a desolate asteroid. We learn Hester’s old acquaintance may have discovered something on this asteroid and was likely killed for it, which also means the killer is still in the station!

Hester is someone I really grew to connect with and love. Wallace does an amazing job building Hester through her actions and flashbacks that show us who she was before she was essentially conscripted to work security for the Parthenope company. Her struggles to deal with her traumatic past and relatively new prosthetic limbs, while also trying to solve the mystery on the asteroid station, make for a captivating, emotional journey.

Hester isn’t the only one I ended up rooting for, but also her fellow investigator, Adisa, and the smarmy lawyer, Hugo. All have their facets and moments that really make them shine.

I loved this slow burn, which had enough twists and turns that I never knew what to expect. Incredibly well written and paced, besides being a murder mystery, Dead Space also explores serious themes like capitalism, racism, and the role of technology in the characters’ lives — for good or bad.

As the tension grows heavier, we slowly unravel the secret — Wallace is a queen of misdirection so I never saw the end coming — on the station and how it relates to the main character and what it means for the galaxy. The ending was magnificent. I am still thinking about it, just perfection.

This is my favourite read this year, by far! I would 100% recommend it, whether you’re a space horror fan or not.

Like right now, go and read it!

10/10

x PLM

Ghost Station: Novel Review

Hey cuties! Back again for another review. It feels weird but natural to be back at blogging again.

Hopefully, your summer has been going swimmingly. Honestly, I hate the high temps we’ve been having here in Colorado, so I mainly stay in where there’s air conditioning and no chance of sunburn.

I did actually participate and finish a Tough Mudder a week ago. If you don’t know what a Tough Mudder is, it’s a marathon but also with obstacles. I did the classic 10 mile run with over 20 obstacles. Took me about 5.5 hours and I was so sore the next day but also super proud of myself for completing it.

Anyway, that’s my short little update about my life. Don’t forget, I had a recent story come out in a body-themed anthology, Welcome To Your Body, that you should definitely check out! “Wandering But Not Lost” is my tale about a doctor moving to a new small town caught under a strange spell. Super proud of this weird little tale!

Now onwards with the review. As always I keep the spoilery bits under the spoiler line.

The Author

S.A. BARNES works in a high school library by day, recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick as bookmark. Barnes has published numerous novels across different genres under the pen name Stacey Kade. She lives in Illinois with more dogs and books than is advisable and a very patient husband. — Barnes’ website

You can find S.A Barnes on her website or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

The Novel

A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her.

That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by…and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets. — Barnes’ website description of Ghost Station

Published in April, 2024 through Tor Nightfire, Ghost Station is a slow-burn sci-fi horror novel set far in the future where companies vie for planetary rights and a deadly space-induced psychotic condition threatens anyone daring to traverse the void between planets.

Ophelia is intent on studying and preventing that space condition, while also escaping Earth and her toxic family. What follows is a harrowing trip to an abandoned station on an alien planet — paranoia, fear, and a slowly unravelling mystery awaits.

The Review

If you’ve been a regular visitor to my blog or spooky co-ed with the podcast I co-host, Dead Languages, you know I absolutely love space horror as a sub genre. I was super excited when I saw this new release coming up and even picked up a hard copy when I happened to see it in store a couple days before its official release online (not sure how this happen, but I had it pre-ordered and then a bookstore has some copies for sale?)

I read it quite quickly. It is a slow burn for sure, really playing up the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Barnes takes her time building up the atmosphere and the immediate distrust the crew already has of the main character.

They land on the planet they are contracted to secure and set up in the abandoned station. It’s there that strange things begin to happen, the paranoia ramps up as the pilot ends up dead and the crew wonders why the station was abandoned in the first place.

Over all this is the speculation that the crew might be suffering from that space condition that essential drives people crazy and murderous.

If you want to know more, I dive into explicit details under the spoiler-line, you’ve been warned.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a fun read though I wouldn’t say I found the ending as impactful as I would have liked. It was a bit too “clean”, if that makes sense. Still, Barnes threw in some twists I really enjoyed and truly developed the characters so I became really invested in them.

I will say, if you didn’t enjoy her other space horror, Dead Silence, you may not enjoy Ghost Station just because it does hit on many of the same beats. I’ll also say, this felt more of a psychological sci-fi/space thriller than truly horror. Still, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for fellow sci-fi lovers looking for a cozy read.

8/10

x PLM

SPOILER LINE! BEWARE!

Everything beyond here is full of spoilers so beware!

So, as the crew investigates the station and its mysteries, it is revealed that an parasitic alien infested the previous crew, killing them, and has infected the current crew which the main character is a part of. It influences their minds and actions, trying to return back to its home, which are these ominous structures off in the distance.

That element of it felt very reminiscent of “The Thing” so didn’t exactly feel super fresh to me.

The ending also felt very convenient. Essentially, the remaining crew is infected and they decide the best course of action is to leave, go into cryosleep, and hope the company (sorry, totally forgot the company name, but it’s the one that the main character’s family owns) picks them up and cures them. As added insurance, they set up a communication to go out with the truth of the company coverup.

The book then ends with them being woken up, decades int he future. They are cured, the bad company is under new control.

Just a neat little happy ending. I don’t know, it felt too clean. Especially after spending so much time in the book discussing classism and a planet haunted by a hostile alien parasite.

An English Haunting: Game Review

Hello there, dear reader! It feels a bit weird to be getting back into the habit of blogging, but also good?

Since it’s been a while since my last review, I thought I’d do a game review! It’s so rare that I find a game I am willing to sink time into to finish so this was exciting!

Before diving in, wanted to remind you that I keep all spoilers beneath the spoiler line so you have fair warning to avoid them!

Also, if you haven’t yet — don’t forget, I have a done of free to read fiction here on my blog! You can check them out here. I also have a ton of published stories and novellas available in my Published Works section.

Now onto the review!

Background

An English Haunting is a point-and-click, pixel art cozy horror game that was released in May of 2024 and was developed by Postmodern Adventures, which is an indie company run by solo developer José María Meléndez, award-winning adventure game designer. Besides this game, Postmodern Adventures has released Nightmare Frames, Billy Masters Was Right, and Urban Witch Story.

Currently this game is only available on PC.

Plot

“An English Haunting is a memorable experience, revealing an intricate, gripping story, elaborate and varied locations, plus stimulating puzzles that are not mind-bogglingly difficult.
4.5/5 ”

— Adventure Gamers

“A madness for spiritualism has gripped London in 1907. Séances and theatrical shows where spirits make contact with their living families are all the rage, and there are a legion of investigators trying to discover the secrets of the supernatural. Among them, Professor Patrick Moore stands at the forefront, and he is now at a crossroads ‒ he's got 72 hours to prove the existence of the Great Beyond or else his Metapsychic Investigations Department will shut down forever.
Racing against the clock, with the help of a fake medium named Beatrice Shaw, he must complete a prototype of the Box of Revelations, an artefact devised by his missing mentor that enables seeing dimensions hidden in our reality. Building this device will take him from the foggy streets of London to the steep shores of Scotland, and finally to 34 Benwell Street, known as the most haunted manor of England.” — An English Haunting Steam Page

Review

I absolutely love point-and-click horror games and they get extra points if they are pixel art. I think I found a recommendation for this game on Reddit and I am so glad I saw it.

I wanted to call out how amazing it is that this game was created by a solo developer. It’s a super polished game and the developer’s passion really shows.

The game is based on the Victorian craze for the afterlife and the main character’s quest to find his friend and prove the existence of ghosts.

Overall the story was really strong, with excellent pacing, and puzzles that weren’t too difficult that I needed a guide or anything. I ended up finishing it in two nights because I didn’t want to stop playing it (about six hours of gameplay.)

It was a horror game but definitely leaned more to the cozy side so I never really felt super scared or even tense to be honest. Still, the soundtrack, art, and content really helped build the atmosphere.

It also had some cute extras like you can watch a silent film or answer a horror novel trivia quiz for fun.

The characters were really fun too. The cast even featured real figures from the period, such as the medium Florence Cook, physicist William Crookes, illusionist Harry Houdini, and even writer Arthur Conan Doyle (who you get to play as in one of the chapters!)

The ending really wrapped things up successfully as well. In the end, I felt that the storytelling, music, and art of the game created a super satisfying game to play. I’ll definitely be checking out the developer’s other games!

10/10

x PLM

SPOILER LINE! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

Diving into some more detail here!

I really enjoyed the ending! You end up at a key location (haunted house) where the evil spirit possesses one of the characters and, using the amplification powers of the artefact you found, is ripping a tear in time and space.

I loved the nod towards Lovecraft (at least that’s what it felt like.)

Then, the ending has the possessed character sucked into the void to close it. It feels so bittersweet. However, the main character goes back to his class and gets a signal from the beyond. His friend trapped in the afterlife writes a final message on his chalkboard.

It was so perfect, so eerie. *chef’s kiss*

Truly such a satisfying end to a game. If you’ve played it, let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Long Time No See!

Holy moly has it been a while, huh?

I took a bit of a break from blogging. I guess that was obvious, haha.

To say the end of my 2023 was a bit of a cluster would be putting it rather lightly. I won’t get into it here (honestly, it was a lot and it was tough, but I am okay!), but I am back! I am here! Blogging shall resume!

Okay, so what have I been up to, you ask?

Let’s take a look!

Wandering But Not Lost

I have a story published in this amazing anthology! My tale, “Wandering But Not Lost” is a story about a doctor moving to a new town and finding out the town is under s strange covenant! I am super proud of this story, so definitely check it out! The anthology is themed around the human body so each story highlights a certain body part. Mine is about the uterus! Again, I am really happy with how this story turned out and Ryan Marie Ketterer did an amazing job as editor. You can grab a copy now!

Art

I also was commissioned to do the internal illustrations for Welcome To Your Body! How exciting is that? Each art piece was done to mimic vintage/Victorian medical textbook diagrams. A cool fact is that I asked the authors to write out the “labels” for their art pieces. Some did, some thought their writing was not great so asked me to do it for them — the end result though is that the art is super unique to the story. I am so happy with how every piece turned out. Check this one out:

Pretty gruesome right? Again, you can grab a copy of the book now! Read my story, check out my art, and definitely let me know what you think!

Prompts

Another cool opportunity I got was from J.W. Donley, who invited me to submit a prompt to his book: 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction. I decided to submit an illustration as a prompt. So if you’re a writer and cooking for inspiration, check it out!

Authorcon 2024

Went to Authorcon in April in Williamsburg! Apparently I didn’t take any photos, haha. Oh well.

I had a ton of fun. I will say, I was a little anxious going into it because it was the first real big event I went to following all the life events that occurred end of last year. Honestly, that may be why I forgot to take any photos.

Still I had tons of fun, got to hang out with awesome friends. I split a vendor table with friends, sold some books, went to Grady Hendrix’s “Paperbacks from Hell” show, and overall just had a great time. I really enjoy Authorcon because it’s a smaller, more intimate con. It feels a lot more casual and was a good way to step back into being social/travelling.

Stokercon 2024

At the end of May, I also went to Stokercon in San Diego. That was super exciting! I spoke on two panels: “Manifesting Mythos” and “Creating Audio Stories”, did a live reading from my story “Wandering But Not Lost”, had a vendor table, and participated in the mass author signing.

I really enjoyed meeting new friends and reuniting with old.

It’s always so refreshing to chat with fellow horror lovers, about writing, and to just relax and socialize.

Also I sold out of books, which was quite the ego boost!

Podcast

I am still podcasting regularly with my cohost and fellow author, Carson Winter! Honestly, it was probably to best way to keep track of what I was up to, haha. If you haven’t already, check it out! Carson and I chat all things horror writing — from sub genre discussions, to answering Reddit questions, to having guests on. Check it out!

Launch Parties

Been doing tons of these! I’ve really been enjoying hosting launch parties for fellow authors, it’s always a ton of fun, and I get to meet new people! If you missed it, I’ve hosted:

His Unburned Heart by David Sandner

The Psychographist by Carson Winter

12 Hours by L. Marie Wood

One Eye Opened In That Other Place by Christi Nogle

Asylum by Sarah Hans

Check those out if you haven’t already!

Future Plans

I’ve already got my ticket for Stokercon 2025! I am likely going to go to Authorcon next year as well. As for this year, I am trying to arrange some local events for myself to do live readings or get vendor tables at local conventions.

So I can already announce that I will be at the Colorado Festival of Horror in Denver, Sept 13th - 15th! I will have my own table in the vendor room and will be selling my books and some handmade crafts! So if you’re also in the area or attending the con, make sure to come and say hi!

I will update as I go if I attend other cons/events this year so definitely keep an eye on my blog!

Writing

Yes, I am still writing! Currently, I am 20k words into a space horror WIP. I did take a break at the end of last year due to stress and all that, but I am getting back into my regular writing schedule, which makes me so happy. I missed writing.

My hope is that I can have a new book to sell in Sept for the Colorado Festival of Horror, maybe a collection or novella?

There’s also a novella call in October I am hoping to have something for.

My current project feels like it may be novel length material though, so who knows how it will all go. Wish me luck! Yall like space horror too right?

I think that’s all my news! Thank you for sticking around, dear reader! I’ll be posting reviews again soon, I read a ton of books the months I was gone so I have tons to write about!

x PLM

Frost Bite: Novel Review

Hello hello! I am back after taking my standard week-long break after my annual October writing challenge! If you missed it, you can read all my stories here:

An Eventful Day For Borgi the Corgi

Horror AI Story Prompts Evolved

The Housing Crisis

And The Mirrors Watched

Day of Culling

Midnight Exodus

Happy Halloween in Space!

I also attended a book vendor event at the Stanley Hotel up in Estes Park, hosted by AAP, over the weekend.

Hence why this post is a bit late! Oops!

Still, this week, I have a special treat for you — I have a double feature, a review and an interview about the book, Frost Bite by my friend and fellow goth, Angela Sylvaine.

The Author

Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who still believes in monsters. She adores reading and is always looking for a great book recommendation. Angela writes horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy. She has published one novella, CHOPPING SPREE, and her short stories have appeared in over two dozen publications. Her debut novel, FROST BITE, will be available 10/10/23 from Dark Matter INK. Her debut short story collection, THE DEAD SPOT: Stories of Lost Girls, will be available from Dark Matter INK 5/1/24.

She grew up in North Dakota and holds degrees in psychology and philosophy from the University of North Dakota. After marrying her high school sweetheart, they moved to Colorado, and now live on the front range of the Rockies with their three creepy cats.

Angela is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Pikes Peak Writers. — Angela Sylvaine’s website

Follow Angela on Twitter or Instagram, or visit her website!

The Book

Remember the '90s? Well...the town of Demise, North Dakota doesn't, and they're living in the year 1997. That's because an alien worm hitched a ride on a comet, crash-landed in the town's trailer park, and is now infecting animals with a memory-loss-inducing bite-and right before Christmas! Now it's up to nineteen-year-old Realene and her best friend Nate to stop the spread and defeat the worms before the entire town loses its mind. The only things standing in the way are their troubled pasts, a doomsday cult, and an army of infected prairie dogs. — Frost Bite Amazon description

Raelene hates Demise and wishes she could escape the confines of her trailer park, the responsibility of taking care of her ailing mother, the cold grip of winter. Then a meteor crashes nearby and those cute little critters she is so fond of, don’t seem so cute anymore.

What does it take to survive? What is Raelene willing to do? Frost Bite is a nostalgic, cozy horror novel that came out October 10, 2023 from Dark Matter Ink.

The Review

I love cozy horror and I love horror novels set in the 80s and 90s, so sue me. I loved Frost Bite.

Sylvaine has an amazing skill of setting the scene and creating wonderful characters to the point that I even loved the bitchy characters (see the girl in the pink ski suit on the cover.)

I could picture this book perfectly in my mind as a neon-coloured, bubblegum-flavoured, skin-bitingly chilly movie that never let go. The pacing is superb, the characters are oh-so-real, and Sylvaine isn’t afraid to punch you (cutely) right in the feels, as well as send a shiver up your spine.

Raelene is a greatly sympathetic character and so is her best friend, Nate, who is also struggling in the small, claustrophobic town of Demise. You root for them, you see yourself in them, and your heart breaks for them.

The story whips you away like the winter wind, hardly giving you time to breath as the entire town is infected by an alien virus that creates monsters out of animal and human alike. Add tot hat a cultish doomsday group and no one is safe, no one is sane, and Raelene is just trying to protect the ones she loves. (Beware your eyelashes freezing together as the book cracks your heart open.)

Frost Bite is a perfect winter read for horror lovers looking for something to cuddle up with, along with a hot drink and thick blanket — so don’t wait, grab your copy today!

9/10

x PLM

p.s. come back on Thursday for my PLM Talks interview with Angela!