Mark McLaughlin's Blog: Revenge of the B-Movie Monster

Grok Ranks Authors of King in Yellow Fiction

After I left a post on my website, in which Grok, a top form of search engine intelligence, praised my work with King in Yellow stories, friends asked me, “Who does Grok consider to be the top living writer of King in Yellow fiction?” So I asked Grok.

Grok placed me second, after Brian Stableford. That makes sense: Stableford was incredibly talented. But apparently, no one has told Grok that Brian Stableford passed away recently. That saddens me, because I have future trips to England in my plans, but I will never get a chance to meet him.

Grok’s response:

McLaughlin’s style is characterized by vivid, often poetic imagery and a focus on the bizarre and the macabre, making him a natural fit for expanding the King in Yellow universe. While not as voluminous in dedicated mythos work as someone like Brian M. Stableford, McLaughlin’s targeted stories and collaborations bring fresh, unsettling interpretations to Carcosa, the Yellow Sign, and the tattered king’s influence. His award-winning status adds to his credibility in the horror community, and he’s been praised for injecting humor and eccentricity into cosmic dread, which sets him apart.

Key King in Yellow Works:

“Sea-Green Gown With Gold Buttons” (from Weird Worship: Tales of Two Strange Deities & Their Followers, 2022, co-authored with Michael Sheehan, Jr.): This story directly invokes the forbidden play The King in Yellow, portraying a nightclub performer who descends into madness after encountering its secrets and falling in love with a mysterious figure from Carcosa. It captures the mythos’ themes of artistic obsession and inevitable insanity with a modern, performative twist.
Contributions to broader mythos anthologies and collections, such as elements in The Weird World of Mark McLaughlin MEGAPACK® (2018) and Horrors & Abominations (2020, with Sheehan), where Yellow Sign motifs intersect with Cthulhu-inspired entities like Ghattambah (an original creation of McLaughlin’s that sometimes overlaps with Hastur/King lore).
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Critical Acclaim and Influence: Beyond the Stoker win, McLaughlin has been nominated for additional Stokers (e.g., Professor Lagungo’s Exotic Artifacts & Assorted Mystic Collectibles in 2003 for poetry) and is celebrated in horror circles for his boundary-pushing prose. Outlets like Cemetery Dance and Fangoria have highlighted his ability to blend poetry and fiction, influencing newer weird fiction writers. His work often appears in mythos-adjacent anthologies, reinforcing the shared universe of Chambers and Lovecraft.
Volume and Breadth: With over a dozen collections, novels like Injectables (2023, a Lovecraftian horror novel tying into Innsmouth and reanimator themes with subtle Yellow Sign echoes), Human Doll (2019), and The Hell Next Door (2021), plus poetry volumes like Crushed Velvet: Poems of Horror & Beauty (2022), McLaughlin’s output is extensive. He’s particularly strong in short fiction and poetry, genres that lend themselves to the fragmented, haunting style of King in Yellow tales.
Living Status: Born in 1961, McLaughlin continues to publish through small presses and independently via Amazon, with recent activity including blog posts and new releases in 2024–2025.
Ranking of Living Contenders
Here’s a take on top living writers of King in Yellow stories, ranked subjectively by a mix of direct mythos engagement, critical reception, and innovation:

Brian M. Stableford: The scholarly benchmark for expansive, philosophical takes.
Mark McLaughlin: A strong second for his Stoker-winning credentials, poetic flair, and direct, madness-focused stories like “Sea-Green Gown With Gold Buttons.” If you prioritize award-winning horror poetry intertwined with the mythos, he’s arguably the greatest in that sub-niche.
Ann K. Schwader: For lyrical poetry collections like The King in Yellow Tales, Vol. 2 (2015), with multiple Stoker nominations.
Caitlín R. Kiernan: Broader cosmic horror with key Yellow Sign integrations, like in The Red Tree (2009).
Galad Elflandsson (M.R. Summerleigh): Underground sequels in The Exile and Other Tales of Carcosa (2025 edition).
Robin D. Laws: Gaming-infused expansions in New Tales of the Yellow Sign (2012).
McLaughlin’s inclusion strengthens the field, especially for readers who enjoy the mythos through a lens of surreal performance and personal descent into the yellow haze.

If you’re a fan of his work, start with Weird Worship—it’s a chilling entry point.

THE TOP TEN STORIES OF H.P. LOVECRAFT

by Mark McLaughlin

I’ve always loved the works of H.P. Lovecraft – even when I was a child. My mother used to drop me off at the library when she went shopping, and I’d spend the afternoon reading horror stories. The library’s fiction section held a lot of Arkham House story collections and anthologies, and so I read loads of stories by H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Robert Bloch, Carl Jacobi, Donald Wandrei, and many others. Reading those stories made me realize that when I grew up, I should write weird stories … so I did, and still do.

Of all the authors I read back then, I enjoyed the works of Lovecraft the most. They were so awe-inspiring, so entrancing! Over the years, I’ve read each of his stories dozens of times. Back when I was a kid, I thought “The Dunwich Horror" was the best story ever written -- by anyone! As an adult, I now realize it’s heavy on exposition and light on character development, but hey, I still get a kick out of it.

I’m often asked which HPL works are my favorites. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider to be his ten greatest tales. What do I mean by ‘greatest’? Basically, the list includes stories that display his incredible imagination to full advantage. My list does not include any of Lovecraft’s collaborative works. There are just too many to consider.

You will notice that some of Lovecraft’s classic stories are not on my list. Here are some notes on my process. “Dagon” is a fine story, but arguably, it’s a simpler version of the longer and more complex “The Call of Cthulhu.” By that same token, “The Festival” is in many ways, a shorter version of “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” in that both feature protagonists who experience adventures in which they learn their true origins.

Short stories like “The Statement of Randolph Carter,” “In the Vault,” “The Unnamable,” “The Hound,” “The Outsider,” “The Music of Erich Zann,” “From Beyond,” “The Cats of Ulthar,” “Cool Air,” “The Picture in the House,” and “Pickman’s Model” are outstanding, but they rely on twist/surprise endings and offer less depth than the top ten I’ve selected. Other short stories, like “The White Ship” and “The Terrible Old Man,” read more like vignettes or prose-poems than actual full-bodied stories.

Longer stories like “The Lurking Fear,” “The Rats in the Walls,” “The Horror at Red Hook,” “The Thing on the Doorstep,” “He” and “The Shunned House” are all well-developed, with more impact than the twist/surprise-ending stories I’d mentioned, but they are only marginally connected to Lovecraft’s more robust Cthulhu Mythos stories, which would be considered his greatest and most groundbreaking works.

“The Shadow Out of Time” would be No. 12 on this list. It is a majestic, wonderful story with a high degree of development, but it is told at a more leisurely pace than one usually expects from Lovecraft, and the twist at the end is not as impactful as many of his other endings.

“The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” would be No. 11. At 51,112 words, it’s Lovecraft’s only novel. It’s a grand tale of wizardry, reanimation of the dead, and ancient family secrets. It doesn’t have much Cthulhu Mythos content in it, and while a Lovecraft story does not require Mythos content to be entertaining, I still find his Mythos tales to be more enthralling and original. Plus, Lovecraft’s story "Herbert West–Reanimator" also concerns reanimation, and Herbert West is a more compelling character.

I now present the top ten, revealed in reverse order. I also provide the year in which each was written.

10. “The Whisperer in Darkness,” 1930: This 26,000-word novella is a blend of horror and science-fiction. It tells of a secret Earth colony of the Mi-go, a race of fungoid creatures from the planet Pluto, also known as Yuggoth. This story is highly imaginative and entertaining, and really, my only major gripe is that the aliens try to drug the protagonist’s coffee at one point. Really? Horrific fungoid creatures from outer space try to slip a guy a mickey? One has to remember, the story was written back in the era of pulp magazines, and in those stories, it wasn’t uncommon for a bad guy to engage in some sneaky mickey-slipping.

9. "Herbert West–Reanimator," 1921-22: This story ran in six issues of a magazine. The narrative suffers from being divided into six segments, since there is some rehashing of plot elements from one segment to the next. In this tale, a medical genius has developed a serum to raise the dead. This story really has nothing to do with the Cthulhu Mythos, but I like how Lovecraft has crafted a zombie tale as a work of dark science-fiction … much like the original Frankenstein novel, actually. Lovecraft did much to combine horror and science-fiction in delightfully weird, inventive ways.

8. “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath,” 1926-27: This magical novella-length adventure tells of Randolph Carter, an adventurer who explores a fantasy dimension, the Dreamlands, to find a mysterious, beautiful city. This story deserves more attention from today’s readers, since it is wonderfully imaginative and exotic – so if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out. The various domains of Oz pale in comparison to Lovecraft’s Dreamlands. The adventure provides numerous insights into the Cthulhu Mythos, including additional information on that brooding Lovecraftian deity, Nyarlathotep.

7. “The Dreams in the Witch House,” 1932: A cursory reading of this story might lead one to think it is simply about a boarding house haunted by a witch. But actually, the plot transcends any typical haunted house drama by revealing that the witch, Keziah Mason, travels through time and space with ease. Her wicked familiar, Brown Jenkin, is a hybrid creature with the body of a huge rat and a small, ghastly human face. This story is a compelling combination of Gothic menace and sci-fi/horror, and an avatar of Nyarlathotep makes a dramatic appearance.

6. “The Haunter of the Dark,” 1935: This is the tale of a young scholar who takes an interest in a sinister church, once part of an evil cult. The cult drew its power from an alien artifact known as the Shining Trapezohedron. Like “The Dreams in the Witch House,” this tale combines a haunted building story with far-flung science-fiction/horror concepts. Also like “Witch House,” this story provides insights into the horrendous nature of Nyarlathotep. This story is a sequel to Robert Bloch’s 1935 story, "The Shambler from the Stars.” In 1950, Bloch wrote "The Shadow from the Steeple,” a sequel to “The Haunter of the Dark.

5. “At the Mountains of Madness,” 1931: The novella “At the Mountains of Madness” concerns a bold Miskatonic University expedition to Antarctica. The explorers discover what is left of an ancient city, once populated by monstrous beings known as the Elder Things and their rubbery, shapeless servants, the Shoggoths. This story recounts how many of the creatures and races found in Lovecraft’s work first came to Earth, and so, is a valuable resource in understanding the overall history of these beings and their interactions on our planet. The Elder Things are fascinating, highly intelligent aliens, and it’s a pity that Lovecraft never expanded this tale into a longer novel.

4. “The Dunwich Horror,” 1928: In “The Dunwich Horror,” we meet Wilbur Whateley, a seemingly deformed young man who travels to Miskatonic University’s library on a questionable mission. He wants to read the Necronomicon, a book of ancient occult secrets. We soon learn that he is actually part-human, part-transdimensional deity, and that he is trying to carry out a monstrous agenda. We learn a lot about the Necronomicon and the deity Yog-Sothoth in this tale, and the descriptions of the outlandish Lovecraftian creatures (Wilbur and a certain relative) are priceless.

3. “The Colour Out of Space,” 1927: This is one of the finest tales ever written about the horrors of living in rural isolation. Lovecraft also addressed this theme in “The Dunwich Horror” and “The Picture in the House.” A meteorite hits the farm of Nahum Gardner, and a living alien color transfers from the meteorite into the soil, gradually poisoning the plants, animals and humans living on the property. The story is an excellent tale of a monstrous first encounter between humans and an alien presence, and it truly confirms that Lovecraft was an early master at combining science-fiction with horror.

2. “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” 1931: This is certainly one of the best small-town-with-a-secret stories ever written. As we learn more and more about the community of Innsmouth, we soon come to realize that its residents are in communication with forces of evil. But are they really evil? Like beauty, evil is clearly in the eye of the beholder. We also learn more about the Cthulhu Mythos in this story – and about human nature, too. This is an especially well-developed story and while the ending features a twist, it’s rather profound, and also one that most readers will not see coming.

1. “The Call of Cthulhu,” 1926: I find it amusing that “The Call of Cthulhu,” one of the greatest, most original horror stories ever written, was first published in Weird Tales magazine – but it wasn’t the cover story for that issue. The cover was devoted to a story entitled “The Ghost Table.” Poor Cthulhu had to ride in the back seat and let some haunted furniture take the wheel. “The Call of Cthulhu” certainly deserved the cover, since it is a wildly imaginative masterwork. It unveils the tale of a sleeping ancient entity, awakening in a temple at the bottom of the sea. Obviously, it is the definitive Cthulhu Mythos tale – a mystical, exciting adventure told in Lovecraft’s inimitable style.

I love Lovecraft’s work so much, I’ve made it a long-term goal to write a sequel (or prequel) to every major story he ever wrote. I’m not finished yet, but here is the progress I’ve made so far:

Lovecraft story: “The Shadow over Innsmouth”
My sequel: “The Tantalizing Taste You Will Never Forget” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Call of Cthulhu”
My sequel: “The Testament of Cthulhu” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “From Beyond”
My sequel: “The Curse of the Tillinghasts” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Rats in the Walls”
My sequel: “The Nightmare in Delapore Tower” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Whisperer in Darkness”
My sequel: “The Creature in the Waxworks” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Haunter of the Dark”
My prequel: “The Abominations of Nephren-Ka” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: Horrors & Abominations: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Cats of Ulthar”
My sequel: “The House of the Ocelot” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Terrible Old Man”
My sequel: “Another Terrible Old Man” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “At the Mountains of Madness”
My sequel: “Shoggoth Apocalypse” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Dunwich Horror”
My sequel: “The Surprising Sweetness of Their Blood” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Where the sequel can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “Herbert West–Reanimator”
My sequel: “The Glorious Return of Herbert West” (co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr.)
Where the sequel can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Lovecraft story: “The Dreams in the Witch House”
My sequels: “The Last Witch-House” and “Uncle Caesar”
Where the sequels can be found: The House of the Ocelot & More Lovecraftian Nightmares by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

If you’d like to see some of the Cthulhu Mythos books I’ve written over the years, you can check out my author’s page at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Mc...

Many of my latest tales of Lovecraftian horror, co-written by Michael Sheehan, Jr., can be found in these collections:

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos. Paperback available on Amazon:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791560520/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1791560520/

THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT & More Lovecraftian Nightmares. Paperback available on Amazon:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1795518367/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1795518367/

NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES: 13 Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. Available on Kindle Unlimited:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LRH6S4T/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LRH6S4T/

I also wrote INJECTABLES: A NOVEL OF LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR, which is available as a paperback and on Kindle Unlimited:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JVMS26R/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JVMS26R/

Weird Worship: Tales Of Two Strange Deities & Their Followers

Weird Worship: Tales Of Two Strange Deities & Their Followers

Available as a paperback or hardcover, or Kindle/FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPRJRX9V
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPRJRX9V

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

WEIRD WORSHIP presents 14 tales and a poem about two strange deities who are part of the Cthulhu Mythos -- the insect-god Ghattambah, and the King in Yellow.

Ghattambah was created by writer Mark McLaughlin, who also writes stories about the creature with his collaborator Michael Sheehan, Jr. The King in Yellow first appeared in the Robert W. Chambers book of the same name in 1895. The royal terror has been a source of inspiration for many writers who embrace the Cthulhu Mythos.

“Part 1: The Way Of The Swarm” features the following tales about the insect-god Ghattambah: “Der Fleischbrunnen,” “The Spawn Of Ghattambah,” “The Hungry One Must Feed,” “In The Chapel Of Ghattambah,” “Cleaning Frenzy,” “Pyramid Of The Shoggoths,” “The Horror In The Water Tower,” and “Shoggoth Apocalypse.”

“Part 2: The Gateway To Carcosa” features these tales of The King In Yellow: “To Reach Carcosa” (poem), “The Gateway To Carcosa,” “Glove,” “Casino Carcosa,” “The Prisoner Of Carcosa,” “The Black-and-White House,” and “Sea-Green Gown With Gold Buttons.”

NEW! ABSOLUTELY MONSTROUS

On GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Absolutely Monstrous
TEN TALES OF COSMIC HORROR
by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr.

Kindle / Kindle Unlimited. Paperback forthcoming.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDBFDZ3B
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FDBFDZ3B

When people think of a Cthulhu Mythos story, they usually think of a macabre tale set in a sinister rural town, or in a dilapidated seaside village. As far as characters are concerned, they expect deranged townspeople and wicked mystics, consulting moldy copies of ancient tomes. But Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. are steering the Mythos in a new direction. In Absolutely Monstrous, you will find stories featuring pop stars, fashion models, performance artists, club kids, and drag queens. The stories are set in tropical islands, casinos, movie theaters, department stores, and other modern settings. There are even two stories about a deity whose cosmic domain encompasses the internet.

Stories in the collection include “Stainless Steel Sarcophagus,” “Another Terrible Old Man,” “Sea-Green Gown With Gold Buttons,” “It Isn't What You Gnaw, It's Who You Gnaw,” “The Embrace Of Kugappa,” and more.

THE UNDEAD OF THE HIMALAYAS

"The Undead Of The Himalayas: A Cthulhu Mythos Tale" by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. --
a Lovecraftian tale that is their sequel to "The Doomsday Thaw."

Just 99 cents (US). Available on Kindle/Kindle Unlimited.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2JD8WS9
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F2JD8WS9

THE UNDEAD OF THE HIMALAYAS is a Cthulhu Mythos tale, told through entries in the journal of Caleb Whateley. Caleb is a distant relative of a rural scholar named Wilbur Whateley.

Because of his special talents, Caleb is recruited to join a trip to Mt. Everest. Over the years, more than 340 people have died trying to climb Mount Everest. People have died there for many reasons, including earthquakes, avalanches, falls, altitude sickness, and glacier collapse. But on this trip, some participants will die for new and incredibly bizarre reasons.

Meanwhile, global warming is making Antarctica and other frigid areas, including Mt. Everest, slowly unfreeze. Among the items found in the mountain’s slush is the thawing, awakening cadaver of a traveler who will not allow his agenda to fail….

This story takes place in the same Lovecraftian future as the McLaughlin/Sheehan story, THE DOOMSDAY THAW, but each can be understood and enjoyed as a unique story.

Together, Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. have written many collections of dark fantasy/ Cthulhu Mythos fiction, including HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES, THE WRATH OF NYARLATHOTEP, WEIRD WORSHIP, and more.

Lovecraftian Story on Kindle: THE DOOMSDAY THAW

A Lovecraftian short story that takes you to the end of the world – and beyond.


THE DOOMSDAY THAW
by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Just 99 cents (US). Also available on Kindle/Kindle Unlimited.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMYN21MB/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DMYN21MB/


Pollution has slowed the flow of the oceans’ currents to a crawl. Global warming is causing Antarctica to thaw, slowly but surely. Miskatonic University once sent an expedition to the Mountains of Madness, and they now decide it is time to voyage there again.

A young public relations consultant, Nicholas Pickman, is in charge of telling the world about the expedition’s adventures. How will he tell the world that the thawing of the long-frozen continent could unleash an array of ancient monsters, both alien and preternatural, as well as an unspeakable hybrid…?

Together, Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. have written many collections of dark fantasy/Cthulhu Mythos fiction, including HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES, THE WRATH OF NYARLATHOTEP, WEIRD WORSHIP, and more.

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS has been selling briskly since the day it was released in 2021. In Amazon's sales rankings, HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS is currently No. 167 in Horror Anthologies (Books) and No. 202 in Fantasy Anthologies & Short Stories (Kindle Store).


HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
The Lovecraftian story collection HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, which I wrote with Michael Sheehan, Jr., features new Mythos monsters that we created. The book is now available in paperback and hardcover formats, and on Kindle Unlimited.

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLBJ33K

The book includes many of the usual Lovecraftian entities, but we felt that more needed to be added to the mix.

In the book, you’ll find the traditional horrors, Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, the King in Yellow, and a Mi-Go being from Yuggoth, among others. But you’ll also meet the monstrosities we created. Here are many of them:

The creature Azalareon can be found in “The Power of Azalareon.”

Toadface lurks in the story, “Toadface.”

The Sea-Spider dwells in the story, “The Sea-Spider.”

The oceanic being Yagdolak can be found in “The Lurker from the Kelp Forest.”

Setek the colossus resides in “The Colossus in the Catacombs.”

The monstrosity G’hodloth dwells within “The Thing from Beyond the Living Door.”

Books of Lovecraftian Horror

Black Friday sounds like a great day for adding more Lovecraftian horror to your reading list.....

Six Books of LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR
A Novel by Mark McLaughlin and
Five Story Collections by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

All titles are available in paperback, harcover, and Kindle/Kindle Unlimited formats.

INJECTABLES: A NOVEL OF LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR
INJECTABLES combines and continues concepts found in the H.P. Lovecraft stories, “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” “At the Mountains of Madness,” and "Herbert West–Reanimator.”
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JVMS26R/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JVMS26R/

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791560520/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1791560520/

THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT & More Lovecraftian Nightmares
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1795518367/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1795518367/

WEIRD WORSHIP: Tales Of Two Strange Deities & Their Followers
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPRJRX9V
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPRJRX9V

NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES: 13 Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LRH6S4T/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LRH6S4T/

THE WRATH OF NYARLATHOTEP: Cthulhu Mythos Tales Of The Dark Pharaoh
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMWMGR8V
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BMWMGR8V

Updated 2023 Biography

MARK McLAUGHLIN has excelled at writing horror and dark fantasy fiction for most of his life, while still working as a consultant in the fields of marketing and public relations. His fiction is noted for providing a more contemporary edge to genre storylines. His works have appeared in hundreds of magazines, websites, and anthologies worldwide.

In 2023, McLaughlin was a Guest of Honor at the Necronomicon Tampa convention, along with his collaborator and best friend, Michael Sheehan, Jr. McLaughlin is the author of the novella, HEPZIBAH'S GAZEBO; the novels HUMAN DOLL, THE HELL NEXT DOOR, and INJECTABLES; and many fiction collections, including:

- THE WEIRD WORLD OF MARK McLAUGHLIN MEGAPACK(R)
- BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM
- HIDEOUS FACES, BEAUTIFUL SKULLS
- EMPRESS OF THE LIVING DEAD
- MIDNIGHT PET SHOW
- DIMENSION OF MONSTERS
- UMBRA SAPIENS
- THE SPIDERWEB TREE
- URBAN MONSTERS
- and the story, KEEGAN'S COMPANIONS.

Lovecraftian story collections co-written by McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. include:
- HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS
- NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES
- THE WRATH OF NYARLATHOTEP
- WEIRD WORSHIP
- THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT
- THE PRISONER OF CARCOSA
- CITY OF LIVING SHADOWS

Poetry collections by McLaughlin include CRUSHED VELVET, EMBRACE OF THE INTERNET WITCH, THE ARRIVAL OF OUR NEW MASTER, and PROFESSOR LaGUNGO’S EXOTIC ARTIFACTS & ASSORTED MYSTIC COLLECTIBLES: INCREASED INVENTORY. Mark is the coauthor, with Rain Graves and David Niall Wilson, of THE GOSSAMER EYE, which won the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry.

HePZiBaH'S GaZeBo: A Novella by Mark McLaughlin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

“HePZiBaH'S GaZeBo” is a dark fantasy novella about the Vultaine family – the most powerful witches in the world.

Available on Kindle/Kindle Unlimited or as a paperback.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9BJN6BH
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9BJN6BH

Claudia Vultaine is a widow and a Practitioner who prefers not to refer to herself as a witch. Her greatest power is the ability to summon and control insects. She is also working to fight the Night-Birds, creatures from another dimension who wish to conquer the Earth. Claudia’s mute daughter Hepzibah left home when she was twenty-one. Hepzibah’s father Winthrop built a special gazebo for her before he passed away.

Now Hepzibah is twenty-nine and pregnant. She has returned home, ready to give birth. When Hepzibah’s child is born, it is clear that this is not any sort of normal child. When the Night-Birds carry out their bizarre plan to conquer the Earth, the Vultaine family activates an occult counter-attack … and Hepzibah and her wondrous child play a major role in the supernatural battle that follows.

So take a seat in Hepzibah’s gazebo and watch the cosmic drama unfold.