Eric J. Guignard's Blog, page 10
May 29, 2022
June, 2022 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets
HWA L.A.: June, 2022
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)
Shakespeare Unleashed (edited by James Aquilone)
https://www.jamesaquilone.com/submissions
Payment: 6 cents a word (or $35 flat for sonnet)
Story Length: 1,500–6,000 words
Deadline: July 22, 2022–August 31, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Horror stories based on Shakespeare's plays and characters, as well as horror sonnets: Dark and scary stories — no parodies or humor pieces. Stories can be set in time periods other than the Elizabethan era, and can be updated or reimagined or merely “based on.”
https://brigidsgatepress.com/submissions
Payment: 8 cents a word (or $50 flat for poem; $50 flat for drabble)
Story Length: 500–3,500 words (poetry to 350 words; drabbles of 100 words)
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Horror or dark fantasy stories, poems, and drabbles about malevolent mermaids, sinister sirens, scary selkies, spirits, and other deadly and dangerous women of the sea. Stories including the ocean or sea are the focus of the anthology, but we will consider stories involving rivers as well.
https://vastarien-journal.com/submission-guidelines
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: Nonfiction 2,000–7,500 words; Fiction 750–6,000 words
Deadline: June 1, 2022–June 30, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: Two months
Description: Scholarly and/or critical articles pertaining to Ligotti or associated authors (see below) or the kind of thematic and topical issues in which we’re interested; OR: Original fiction or poetry or art inspired by Ligottian and/or related themes.
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
https://www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm/guidelines/
Payment: 5-8 cents a word
Story Length: 2,500–8,000 words soft range (additionally, ‘Minute Mysteries’ of as little as 250 words)
Deadline: Ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: Three months
Description: (No Horror, but Mystery and Crime) Every kind of mystery short story: the psychological suspense tale, the deductive puzzle, the private eye case—the gamut of crime and detection from the realistic (including the policeman's lot and stories of police procedure) to the more imaginative (including "locked rooms" and "impossible crimes"). We need hard-boiled stories as well as "cozies."
Baffling Magazine (published by Neon Hemlock)
https://www.bafflingmag.com/submissions
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: under 1,200 words (preference under 500 words)
Deadline: Opens June 1, 2022–to close unknown (presume June 15, 2022, per the previous year)
Reprints?: No
Response: up to 5 months
Description: Speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent. We welcome weird, slipstream, and interstitial writing.
https://thedeadlands.com/guidelines/#fiction
Payment: 10 cents a word (1 cent for reprints)
Story Length: up to 5,000 words (preferably 3,000–4,000 words)
Deadline: ongoing or intermittent (currently open)
Reprints?: Yes
Response: unknown
Description: Speculative fiction stories about death, or what death may involve. EX: A ghost in a shadowed wood. An afterlife discovered through a rusted door. An abandoned house in the middle of a haunted field. A skeletal figure moving with intent toward something unseen. Death personified; stories from a worldwide perspective, different cultures, different approaches to death.
***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”
https://perpetualpublishing.com/2022/05/21/now-open-for-submissions-night-frights-a-ya-horror-magazine/
Payment: 3 cents a word
Story Length: up to 3,500 words
Deadline: August 1, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: After September 1, 2022
Description: Stories with complex characters and new ideas. Scare us. But also, inspire young readers into a lifelong obsession with the genre.
https://www.mythicmag.com/p/submissions.html
Payment: 1 cent a word ($25 flat for reprint)
Story Length: 2,000–5,000 words
Deadline: June 1, 2022–June 30, 2022
Reprints?: Yes
Response: unknown (estimated 3 months)
Description: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. All types and sub-genres, particularly views of the future and realms of the fantastic that don't necessarily involve quasi-medieval settings.
May 2, 2022
May, 2022 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets
HWA L.A.: May, 2022
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)
https://www.gabytriana.com/alienheadpresssubmissions
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: 2,000–4,000 words
Deadline: May 31, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Short stories of classic paranormal, poltergeists, ghosts, spirits, haunted places and objects, and the eerily unexplained that take place on or around Halloween. Bonus points if they’re about families, siblings, longtime pals, or pets. Just creepy and dark ghosts!
https://spacefantasymag.com/submission-guidelines/
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 1,250 words
Deadline: May 30, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Space fantasy flash fiction—Give us your living planets, stardust-peddling witches, and quantum ghosts. We want stories that challenge our relationship with space—past, present, and future. Show us new mythologies and undiscovered gods. Show us what emerges from a black hole when its egg finally cracks. Show us the place where science becomes magic.
Hidden Villains: Arise (anthology by Inkd Pub)
https://inkdpub.com/submissions/
Payment: between 5 and 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 7,000 words
Opens From: June 1, 2022–August 31, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: old, imaginative fantasy, horror, and sci-fi sculpted to thrill and entertain readers with the bizarre or delve into the shadows; looking for engaging stories with well-developed characters and deep emotion with focus on the “rising” of a villain.
Campfire Macabre: Volume 2
https://cemeterygatesmedia.com/submissions/
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: 500–1,500 words
Opens From: June 1, 2022–August 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: Unknown. Assume rejection if no response after 90 days.
Description: Flash horror fiction. SEE PUBLISHER WEBSITE. There are 5 specific themes to write toward!
Fiends in the Furrows III: Final Harvest (Published by Nosetouch Press)
https://www.nosetouchpress.com/call/
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: 3,500–7,000 words
Deadline: July 31, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Folk Horror from around the world; isolation, paranoia, depravity, loss of individuality, and rustic madness, etc.
https://reckoning.press/submit
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 20,000 words
Deadline: September 22, 2022
Reprints?: Query first
Response: 1 to 4 months
Description: Creative writing about environmental justice. Diverse fiction stories (and poetry) including a speculative element: Searingly personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth.
***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”
https://bcubedpress.moksha.io/publication/madam-president/guidelines
Payment: 3 cents a word
Story Length: up to 7,500 words (with a preference below 5,000)
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Alternate History and/or Speculative Fiction: An anthology about leadership. How did having to fight for staff of power affect how is wielded. Not just from the women who fought these battles, but for the very people engaged, one side, or another who stood for or against those principles that made it possible for the writing on the office door to say Madam President. Looking for: Good writing, imaginative scenarios, and a good bit of humor in stories.
https://www.commontonguezine.com/guidelines-submissions/
Payment: 3 cents a word
Story Length: 500–7,000 words
Deadline: ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: Unknown
Description: Dark fantasy magazine aiming to bring cultural and integral voices to fantasy and diversify the genre. Primarily interested in Fantasy (esp. High Fantasy) with a dark theme.
March 28, 2022
March, 2022 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets
HWA L.A.: March, 2022
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)
The Librarian (anthology, Air and Nothingness Press)
http://aanpress.com/submissions.html
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: 1,000–3,000 words
Open From: May 1, 2022–June 30, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: September 15, 2022
Description: A librarian's adventures roving through the multiverse: The Librarian travels the multiverse (along the timeline - past through the future - and across planetary systems and universes) helping out people, societies, and those in need, with their questions, problems, and research (as librarians do). Looking for positive, hopeful stories with positive endings, and narratives that celebrate librarians.
https://www.fairytalemagazine.com/p/submissions.html?m=1
Payment: $50 flat rate
Story Length: 750–1,000 words
Deadline: May 1, 2022–May 3, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: NO rejections sent out. Assume rejection if not heard 10 days after close of submission window.
Description: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. CURRENT THEME: Weather.”
Ahoy Comics
https://comicsahoy.com/submissions
Payment: $200 flat rate
Story Length: 500–1,500 words
Deadline: Intermittent
Reprints?: No
Response: Six weeks (sometimes up to three months)
Description: Smart, weird, funny articles or stories; short fiction for mature readers, pieces that uphold the story-telling legacy of comics. It could be a delirious rant, a personal anecdote, a tale of horror or even poetry. It can be about anything, but we have a soft spot for submissions with a dash of humor. These stories can be political, but they must not be based on events that might be outdated by the time we publish. Whatever the subject, it must still be relevant a year from now.
Orion’s Belt (online magazine)
https://www.orions-belt.net/submissions
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 1,200 words
Deadline: September 1, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: generally within one week
Description: Bold, experimental literary science fiction and fantasy stories that blur the line between “genre” fiction and literary fiction.
Mother: Tales of Love and Terror anthology (Weird Little Worlds)
https://weirdlittleworlds.com/submissions/
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: 1,000–3,000 words
Deadline: Open between April 15–May 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: There is no one with more power and control over the fate of the world than a mother. Whether it’s an evil stepmother or a virtuous mother-to-be, there are stories inherent in the acts of mothering and being mothered; mothers become heroes and villains. The concept of motherhood is examined and stretched to its ultimate limits across time, space, gender, location, and concept. Deliciously dark, each tale forces us to examine the depth and breadth of what motherhood is and what a mother will do for her offspring.
All:
Payment: 8 cents a word/ original; $100 flat rate for reprints
Story Length: 1,500–6,000 words (preferred 4,500 words or less)
Deadline: Intermittent (each market opens as needs)
Reprints?: Yes
Response: Up to three months
1. PodCastle (Fantasy Fiction Podcast)
http://podcastle.org/guidelines/
Description: Publishes in both text and audio. Looking for fantasy stories. We’re open to all the sub-genres of fantasy, from magical realism to urban fantasy to slipstream to high fantasy, and everything in between.
2. Cast of Wonders (Y.A. Fantasy Fiction Podcast)
http://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/schedule
Description: Stories that evoke a sense of wonder and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without explicit sex, violence or pervasive obscene language. Think Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.
3. Escape Pod (Science Fiction Podcast)
http://escapepod.org/guidelines/short-fiction
Description: Our mandate is fun. We are fairly flexible on what counts as “science” (as we’ll delve into superheroes or steampunk on occasion) and are interested in exploring the range of the genre, but we are not looking for fantasy, magical realism, or more than a tinge of horror. If your story isn’t centered on science, technology, future projections, alternate history, and how any or all of these things intersect with people, we’re probably not the right market for it.
4. Pseudopod (Horror Fiction Podcast)
http://pseudopod.org/submissions
Description: Horror: dark, weird fiction. We run the spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy. We publish highly literary stories reminiscent of Poe or Lovecraft as well as vulgar shock-value pulp fiction; strong pacing, well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, and clear action.
***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”
http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/guidelines/
Payment: 3 cents a word (ESTIMATE, as it can vary)
Story Length: up to 10,000 words
Deadline: ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: usually within 2 weeks; but up to 3 months
Description: Non-themed, general audience, thoughtful horror.
https://translunartravelerslounge.com/submissions
Payment: 3 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: April 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: 60 days after the submission period has closed
Description: Stories that are fun and have a speculative element to them. Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics.
March 1, 2022
New Book Release Day Today for: HORROR LIBRARY, VOLUME 7
New book release today by DarkMoon Books!!
Presenting the NEW horror anthology: +HORROR LIBRARY+ VOLUME 7
The +Horror Library+ anthologies are internationally praised as a groundbreaking source of contemporary horror short fiction stories—relevant to the moment and stunning in impact—from leading authors of the macabre and darkly imaginative.
Filled with Fears and Fantasy. Death and Dark Dreams. Monsters and Mayhem. Literary Vision and Wonder. Each volume of the +Horror Library+ series is packed with heart-pounding thrills and creepy contemplations as to what truly lurks among the shadows of the world(s) we live in.
Read Volume 7 in this ongoing anthology series, and then continue with the other volumes.
Shamble no longer through the banal humdrum of normalcy, but ENTER THE HORROR LIBRARY!
Volume 7 contains 30 all-original stories, including:
• In “Hand of Glory,” a despairing prison inmate studies astral projection in order to escape his cell.
• In “The Key to Mabella,” a cemetery groundskeeper discovers a mysterious vault key held by his predecessor and investigates what it unlocks.
• In “Abandon," a tour guide takes friends to visit his home village, long-since deserted and languishing under superstition.
• . . . and more!
**Also including a special guest-artist's gallery of Allen Koszowski!
###
Title: +Horror Library+ Volume 7
Editor: Eric J. Guignard
Publisher: Dark Moon Books (Los Angeles, CA)
Publisher Web: www.darkmoonbooks.com
Number of pages: 342 pgs at 6” x 9” trim (109,500 words)
978-1-949491-39-5
13-digit ISBN (e-book): 978-1-949491-40-1
Date of publication: March 1, 2022
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
###
Praise for the +Horror Library+:
“Excellent stories of the highest caliber.” —Dread Central
“Uniformly well-crafted and original.” —Rue Morgue Magazine
“Impactful tales that throw the rules of both reality and genre fiction out the window.” —Fearnet (Chiller TV)
###
Full Table of Contents:
Introduction to +Horror Library+ Volume 7 by Eric J. Guignard
“Her. House.” by Jo Kaplan
“Pretties / Serpent” by Baba Jide Low
“Never Better” by Michael Harris Cohen
“The Kid in the Ambulance” by Suki Litchfield
“Discovery of Blanks” by Darren O. Godfrey
“Holder City” by Garick Cooke
“In the Valley” by Bentley Little
“Death Republic” by H. Pueyo
“Neon Showgirl” by Brady Golden
“Abandon” by Alex Woodroe
“Ring Rust” by Gene O’Neill
“just keep walking” by David Afsharirad
“Skandalopetra” by Rex Burrows
“Hand of Glory” by Cody Goodfellow
“The Riverman” by Charlie Hughes
“The Mouth” by Natalia Theodoridou
“Gateway to Oblivion” by William Meikle
“In the Devil’s Footsteps” by Liam Hogan
“Like Old Rope” by Trevor James Zaple
“Giant and Child: A Fugue” by Scotty Milder
“February Thaw” by Kristi Petersen Schoonover
“The Apartment” by Christi Nogle
“The Burning Heart” by Colin Leonard
“If You Touch Me, I Can Cry” by Lucy Taylor
“The Test” by Zoe Kaplan
“Ring Road” by Matt Thompson
“The Tooth Butcher” by Valya Dudycz Lupescu
“8-Ball” by Darren Todd
“Attention” by Michael James
“The Key to Mabella” by Terry Dowling
+Horror Library+ Presents: Special Guest-Artist’s Gallery of Allen Koszowski
###
Direct Book Links:
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
Amazon (paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60106209-horror-library-volume-7
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/horror-library-volume-7-eric-j-guignard/1140852052
IndieBound (paperback): https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781949491395
Kobo (ebook): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/horror-library-volume-7
Bookshop (paperback): https://bookshop.org/books/horror-library-volume-7/9781949491395
February 28, 2022
February, 2022 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets
HWA L.A.: February, 2022
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)
https://brigidsgatepress.com/?page_id=17
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: ?,000–?,000 words
Deadline: March 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: April 30, 2022
Description: Medusa. The work can be set in any time period, including now or the future. It can rely heavily on her mythology or just give it a nod. It should be her story, good or bad. Horror, fantasy, dark fantasy, mystery, or any combination of mash up welcome.
http://darkrecessespress.com/submissions/
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: 500–5,000 words
Deadline: Revolving submission periods. Current widow is through May 15.
Reprints?: No
Response: Up to 12 weeks
Description: Non-themed horror/dark fiction pieces.
Galaxy’s Edge Magazine
http://www.galaxysedge.com/submissions/
Payment: 7 cents a word
Story Length: up to 10,000 words (though less is better)
Deadline: intermittent
Reprints?: No
Response: 6 weeks
Description: Science Fiction and Fantasy stories in all sub-genres (No horror).
Picnic in the Graveyard (Cemetery Gates Media)
https://cemeterygatesmedia.com/submissions/
Payment: 7 cents a word
Story Length: 3,000–6,000 words
Deadline: April 1, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: 2 months; or, beyond that, may not respond in case of rejection.
Description: Horror stories that take place in a cemetery/burial place.
Planet Scumm
https://www.planetscumm.space/submit
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: May 2, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Previously unpublished short fiction that doesn’t lean heavily on genre tropes. Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain. Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream, glitterlit, analogpunk. Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy.
https://littlebluemarble.ca/submission-guidelines
Payment: 11 cents a word (Canadian) (1 cent/word for reprints)
Story Length: up to 2,000 (reprints allowed up to 5,000 at <1 cent/ word)
Deadline: Intermittent (currently set to close July 31, 2022)
Reprints?: No
Response: up to 12 weeks
Description: Speculative fiction that examines humanity’s possible futures living with anthropogenic climate change. We prefer fiction with a hopeful outlook, but the occasional dystopia might fit too.
***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”
https://www.jamesaquilone.com/submissions
Payment: $120 flat
Story Length: 1,500–5,000 words
Deadline: Open between February 11–May 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Stories from throughout Kolchak’s life, from the late 1930s to the late ’90s. (Please, be familiar with Kolchak before writing your story and watch the TV movies and series!) I.E. Fan fiction for Kolchak, the reporter investigates mysterious/supernatural crimes.
https://www.sanspress.com/submissions
Payment: €150 flat (abt. $170 U.S.)
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: March 7, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: T
Description: Short stories that reflect the title. i.e. stories that come from the specific place of mind they take you to. (Examples: How does it feel to be in the eye of the hurricane? What does it mean to know that the storm will vanish very soon, if only you can hold on a second longer? Now that the monster is defeated, can the hero make it out of the maze? Do they still want to?).
February 23, 2022
DAY 30 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 30 OF 30: GARICK COOKE
30. Garick Cooke presents “Holder City”
29. Matt Thompson presents “Ring Road”
28. Michael James presents “Attention”
27. Darren Todd presents “8-Ball”
26. Charlie Hughes presents “The Riverman”
25. Trevor James Zaple presents “Like Old Rope”
24. Suki Litchfield presents “The Kid in the Ambulance”
23. Liam Hogan presents “In the Devil’s Footsteps”
22. Brady Golden presents “Neon Showgirl”
21. Darren O. Godfrey presents “Discovery of Blanks”
20. Zoe Kaplan presents “The Test”
19. Colin Leonard presents “The Burning Heart”
18. David Afsharirad presents “just keep walking”
17. William Meikle presents “Gateway to Oblivion”
16. Valya Dudycz Lupescu presents “The Tooth Butcher”
15. Gene O’Neill presents “Ring Rust”
14. H. Pueyopresents “Death Republic”
13. Scotty Milder presents “Giant and Child: A Fugue”
12. Lucy Taylor presents “If You Touch Me, I Can Cry”
11. Terry Dowling presents “The Key to Mabella”
10. Christi Nogle presents “The Apartment”
9. Baba Jide Low presents “Pretties / Serpent”
8. Kristi Petersen Schoonover presents “February Thaw”
7. Bentley Little presents “In the Valley”
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
In “Holder City,” a young man picks up a hitchhiker who directs him to the remnants of a ruined town.
STORY EXCERPT:
They came to a fork in the road, and the girl pointed him to the right. Badge down-shifted into first and held his foot grimly on the gas. The old car was bucking like a bronco now, and he was regretting the impulse that had made him listen to her. He wondered what he’d got himself into . . .
—Holder City by GARICK COOKE
###
ABOUT: GARICK COOKE
Garick Cooke is a hobbyist writer of speculative fiction, working as a construction estimator during the day. He is a California native, but a long-time resident of Houston, Texas, and a graduate of the University of Houston. In 2021, his first published story appeared in the e-zine Zooscape.
###
AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
February 22, 2022
DAY 29 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 29 OF 30: MATT THOMPSON
29. Matt Thompson presents “Ring Road”
28. Michael James presents “Attention”
27. Darren Todd presents “8-Ball”
26. Charlie Hughes presents “The Riverman”
25. Trevor James Zaple presents “Like Old Rope”
24. Suki Litchfield presents “The Kid in the Ambulance”
23. Liam Hogan presents “In the Devil’s Footsteps”
22. Brady Golden presents “Neon Showgirl”
21. Darren O. Godfrey presents “Discovery of Blanks”
20. Zoe Kaplan presents “The Test”
19. Colin Leonard presents “The Burning Heart”
18. David Afsharirad presents “just keep walking”
17. William Meikle presents “Gateway to Oblivion”
16. Valya Dudycz Lupescu presents “The Tooth Butcher”
15. Gene O’Neill presents “Ring Rust”
14. H. Pueyopresents “Death Republic”
13. Scotty Milder presents “Giant and Child: A Fugue”
12. Lucy Taylor presents “If You Touch Me, I Can Cry”
11. Terry Dowling presents “The Key to Mabella”
10. Christi Nogle presents “The Apartment”
9. Baba Jide Low presents “Pretties / Serpent”
8. Kristi Petersen Schoonover presents “February Thaw”
7. Bentley Little presents “In the Valley”
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
a young woman is followed by a mysterious white car wherever she drives.
STORY EXCERPT:
The white car was closer behind than ever.
The sky over the outskirts of town had turned the shade of an ash-pile, and the radio played a song Fran half-recognized. She tried to hum along. Her throat was too dry, though, and she could only manage a rough croak. She merged into the line of vehicles turning left onto the ring road. The white car, of course, turned along with her. They joined the three lanes of traffic speeding out of town. Fingers trembling on the steering wheel, she eased into the middle lane to overtake a Mini Cooper.
The white car overtook it too.
She wanted to floor the accelerator, to screech onto the hard shoulder, swerving in and around the lorries with their Polish license plates and the tourist coaches with their slack-eyed children gazing out of the rear windows, pummeling out to the motorway as unburdened as a seagull. But she only signaled left and pulled back into the slow lane, a chevron-length in front of the Mini, leaving nowhere near enough space for another vehicle to slot itself in between. The white car pulled in behind her anyway . . .
—Ring Road by MATT THOMPSON
###
ABOUT: MATT THOMPSON
Matt Thompson is a London-based experimental musician and writer of strange fictions. His work has been published at Interzone, Black Static, PseudoPod, Third Flatiron Publishing, Best of British SF anthology series, and many more worthy venues. You can find him online at http://matt-thompson.com.
###
AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
February 21, 2022
DAY 28 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 28 OF 30: MICHAEL JAMES
28. Michael James presents “Attention”
27. Darren Todd presents “8-Ball”
26. Charlie Hughes presents “The Riverman”
25. Trevor James Zaple presents “Like Old Rope”
24. Suki Litchfield presents “The Kid in the Ambulance”
23. Liam Hogan presents “In the Devil’s Footsteps”
22. Brady Golden presents “Neon Showgirl”
21. Darren O. Godfrey presents “Discovery of Blanks”
20. Zoe Kaplan presents “The Test”
19. Colin Leonard presents “The Burning Heart”
18. David Afsharirad presents “just keep walking”
17. William Meikle presents “Gateway to Oblivion”
16. Valya Dudycz Lupescu presents “The Tooth Butcher”
15. Gene O’Neill presents “Ring Rust”
14. H. Pueyopresents “Death Republic”
13. Scotty Milder presents “Giant and Child: A Fugue”
12. Lucy Taylor presents “If You Touch Me, I Can Cry”
11. Terry Dowling presents “The Key to Mabella”
10. Christi Nogle presents “The Apartment”
9. Baba Jide Low presents “Pretties / Serpent”
8. Kristi Petersen Schoonover presents “February Thaw”
7. Bentley Little presents “In the Valley”
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
an unfaithful young man, mourning the death of his girlfriend, finds himself at the center of all the attention he once craved.
STORY EXCERPT:
His girlfriend’s grandmother took him aside to speak with him privately. She was a stately woman, stern and buttoned, with tight hair and thin lips. He recalled she was from Canada.
“This must be hard.” She was of a height with him, and he found himself slouching under her presence.
“For both of us, ma’am.” He attempted to convey weary maturity. Her lips, already sliver thin, retreated farther.
“I’ve heard stories about you, Scott.”
“All good, I hope.” The line and the smile came out on instinct before he could call it back.
“Not quite.” She brushed a single finger against his cheek. “I hope you continue to get the attention you seem to enjoy. Good day.”
Nothing about the way she’d said the word “attention” worked for him. The pause. The way her dark eyes flickered. The way his cheek burned where she’d touched him . . .
—Attentionby MICHAEL JAMES
###
ABOUT: MICHAEL JAMES
Michael James is the author of the Hotelseries, and his work has been featured in Bear Creek Gazette, Sci Fi Lampoon, and Ink and Sword Magazine. His book, The Hotel at the End of Time, was nominated by his mom for “best books written by my son” and placed a close second.
He lives in Canada with his family and when he’s not writing he’s doing Canadian things—talking about the weather, saying sorry a lot, you know how it goes. You can find him on Twitter at @MikeJamesAuthor.
###
AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
February 20, 2022
DAY 27 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 27 OF 30: DARREN TODD
27. Darren Todd presents “8-Ball”
26. Charlie Hughes presents “The Riverman”
25. Trevor James Zaple presents “Like Old Rope”
24. Suki Litchfield presents “The Kid in the Ambulance”
23. Liam Hogan presents “In the Devil’s Footsteps”
22. Brady Golden presents “Neon Showgirl”
21. Darren O. Godfrey presents “Discovery of Blanks”
20. Zoe Kaplan presents “The Test”
19. Colin Leonard presents “The Burning Heart”
18. David Afsharirad presents “just keep walking”
17. William Meikle presents “Gateway to Oblivion”
16. Valya Dudycz Lupescu presents “The Tooth Butcher”
15. Gene O’Neill presents “Ring Rust”
14. H. Pueyopresents “Death Republic”
13. Scotty Milder presents “Giant and Child: A Fugue”
12. Lucy Taylor presents “If You Touch Me, I Can Cry”
11. Terry Dowling presents “The Key to Mabella”
10. Christi Nogle presents “The Apartment”
9. Baba Jide Low presents “Pretties / Serpent”
8. Kristi Petersen Schoonover presents “February Thaw”
7. Bentley Little presents “In the Valley”
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
a lawyer finds a toy Magic 8-Ball from his youth that seems to actually know all, including things better left unrevealed.
STORY EXCERPT:
. . . “How much?” I asked the lady working the yard sale, trying to sound casual.
She shrugged. “How ’bout a buck?”
“Sold,” I said, with maybe too much fervor. Only then did I think to look up at the house. Even years later, I held a loose picture of Henna’s place in my head; this wasn’t it. The lady running the sale was too young to be her mom anyway, and Henna was an only child, so it wasn’t a sister.
“Where’d you get it?” I asked, peeling off a single from a small fold of them in the pocket of my slacks.
The lady took the dollar and stuffed it into a Home Depot apron. She said, “Probably bought it at another yard sale. Never had much use for it. You gonna grab it now, or are you still looking?”
I reached for the thing, but it was like the memories of that night, thirty years earlier, came clearer the closer my hand got to the toy. It wasn’t fear, but . . . like a warbling in my reality. Almost dreamlike . . .
—8-Ballby DARREN TODD
###
ABOUT: DARREN TODD
Darren Todd is a freelance book editor for Evolved Publications, and his short fiction has appeared in more than thirty publications over the years. He has had four plays and a feature-length film produced and a non-fiction book published.
While some of his works fall under the literary umbrella, he specializes in speculative horror. His style and reading preferences tend toward the psychological, as he enjoys stories that linger in the imagination long after he’s closed the book on them.
He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his son and girlfriend. See what he’s up to darrentodd.net.
###
AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
February 19, 2022
DAY 26 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 26 OF 30: CHARLIE HUGHES
Charlie Hughes presents “The Riverman”
25. Trevor James Zaple presents “Like Old Rope”
24. Suki Litchfield presents “The Kid in the Ambulance”
23. Liam Hogan presents “In the Devil’s Footsteps”
22. Brady Golden presents “Neon Showgirl”
21. Darren O. Godfrey presents “Discovery of Blanks”
20. Zoe Kaplan presents “The Test”
19. Colin Leonard presents “The Burning Heart”
18. David Afsharirad presents “just keep walking”
17. William Meikle presents “Gateway to Oblivion”
16. Valya Dudycz Lupescu presents “The Tooth Butcher”
15. Gene O’Neill presents “Ring Rust”
14. H. Pueyopresents “Death Republic”
13. Scotty Milder presents “Giant and Child: A Fugue”
12. Lucy Taylor presents “If You Touch Me, I Can Cry”
11. Terry Dowling presents “The Key to Mabella”
10. Christi Nogle presents “The Apartment”
9. Baba Jide Low presents “Pretties / Serpent”
8. Kristi Petersen Schoonover presents “February Thaw”
7. Bentley Little presents “In the Valley”
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
an elderly widower finds himself inexplicably drawn into the developing events of a local serial killer.
STORY EXCERPT:
His wife had died suddenly, sat on the sofa watching the news.
He came in at lunchtime and found her sat upright, a half-eaten slice of toast resting on her lap while a reporter on the TV spoke about another missing woman from Kent. In the street beyond the front window, people passed, going about their daily business. Terrance held Audrey’s hand while waiting for the ambulance, knowing she was gone but pretending they were watching the news together, just as they always did.
In the days that followed, Terrance hardly moved from the same spot on the sofa, watching the same news channel, thinking only of her distress at the end, believing that if he sat there long enough, he would glimpse the world as she had seen it in her final moments. After a while, a neighbor saw him through the front window and knocked on the door. Terrance did not move, not even when others came to the window and cooed at him to respond. So the door was bashed in and the professionals were summoned. He had to go to a hospital for a while because of something called “Complicated Grief Disorder.” . . .
—The Riverman by CHARLIE HUGHES
###
ABOUT: CHARLIE HUGHES
Charlie Hughes writes dark suspense and horror stories from his home in South London, UK. His work has also been published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and various anthologies. His horror short story “The Box” won the 2016 Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition. His stories have also been performed on the NoSleep Podcast and Creepy Podcast. Charlie’s novelette “The Collection” will appear in a forthcoming issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
###
AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
