Krista Clark Grabowski's Blog, page 3

Evan Guilford-Blake's "The Row" published

Evan Guilford-Blake's short story "The Row" has been published in Whirlwind Magazine. You can find the issue at  http://issuu.com/whirlwindreview/docs.... His story begins on page 13.

Evan's story "The Invasion" appeared in In the Trenches and in early 2016 Verto will be publishing a collection of his short stories titled Love and Loss and Love.

Meet the Author - K Scott Forman

K Scott Forman K Scott Forman's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "The House that Jack Built," in which Martin, a writer down on his luck, befriends the aristocratic  Randolph Willard Rasmussen who suffers from melancholy and is self-medicating  in a tavern. On the night of their meeting,  the cause of  Will's morose and dark mood swings became Martin's. You can read an excerpt below.

K. Scott Forman is an eclectic writer with dark tastes - suspense, horror, fear. In addition to the prose of Poe and Lovecraft, the poets Blake and Coleridge strike a passionate chord in his heart.  His work has appeared in Morpheus Tales and the anthology Old Scratch and Owl Hoots: A Collection of Utah Horror.  He makes his home in the Rocky Mountains. An excerpt from "The House that Jack Built" by K Scott Forman

    “Bring two more,” said Will to the barkeep, “and a bottle of my medicine.”
     He drained the next pint in what seemed to be one large quaff. I sniffed the medicine bottle to find the sweet smells of scotch, but there was something more, something hinting at a back room brew. Sir Will drank from the bottle; his composure seemed to return, which baffled me. The amount of spirits he had consumed in my presence alone would down a horse.
     “Are you feeling better?” I asked.
     “Tonight is the night. I can bear it no longer. I have watched you, Martin, for quite some time. Tonight, you have appeared to me, as if by the grace of God. I have a secret, and damn the thing, damn my life,
damn it all for revealing it.”
      I was more than willing to hear my new found friend out, but something on the back of my neck, or deep in my bones, a conscience or a guardian angel, tried to warn me against it.
     “Not here, not in this place," he said. "You must come with me; we will go to my study. I can tell you, I can show you. You must believe.”
     “Are you sure?”
     “I’m not turning back. Tonight it ends for me.”
     He paused for a moment, looking in my eyes. An incredible sadness
seemed to creep over his visage and I felt pity. Sir Will pitied me.
     "I would not share this burden with any man unless he be willing. Martin, what I have to tell you will change you, could make you become like me. Are you sure you want to hear my tale?"
     Again, the prick to flee and never look back, but my curiosity trumped any sense of safety.
     "Let us be on our way.”
     "Good man, Martin."

Meet the Author - David Schutz II

David Schutz II David Schutz II's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a sonnet-in-triptych titled "The House of Wellington". The poem tells a story of death, family, and dark secrets. The opening lines from this work can be found below. 

Gazing down from ornate Parapet,
Seth Wellington didst look 'pon Cornish Land.
Land's end and brutal, jagged Shore were met;
The Sea, the Land, the moors were all at hand.
Katherine Wellington to Seth was Wife.
'Twas a union fraught with loathsome Dread;
In turns, there was brief Light, Lament and Strife.
A half-score passed and poor Kath'rine was dead.

David is a former Shakespearean actor. He spent many years on both stage and screen portraying a wide range of characters from Prospero to Richard III, as well as a Rogue’s Gallery of villains in the world of independent film and television (playing serial killers, renegade exorcists, Mafiosi, etc.), besides screenwriting and producing independent projects. He retired from that realm in 2012, and began writing Horror fiction. David has been published in several anthologies, such as: “Toys in the Attic: A Collection of Evil Playthings,” “Ghosts Revenge,” “The Grays,” “Cellar Door III: Animals” and “Bones III” from James Ward Kirk Publishing; “Temporary Skeletons”; “Blessings from the Darkness”; “Satan’s Holiday” and “Welcome to Your Nightmare”; as well as in “Shadows and Light Magazine,” Issues 1 and 2,” and the soon to be released “Lovecraft After Dark” from James Ward Kirk Publishing, and “The Darkened Path,” from Charon Coin Press. He is currently working on an anthology of solely his own work, “The Interim People,” which will be published by James Ward Kirk Publishing. David is married to Mary Genevieve Fortier, an amazingly talented, successful, widely published award-winning poet. They live happily together in Saint Louis, Missouri.
His work has also been featured on Hellnotes.com’s “Horror in a Hundred” series (http://hellnotes.com/horror-in-a-hund...).
David portrays “The Conductor,” and narrates James Ward Kirk Publishing’s “Terror Train” podcast, presenting every story and poem in the anthology, “Terror Train.” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPh7...
For more information, please visit David’s Author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidSchutzI... David’s Amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/David-Sch%C3%BC...
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Meet the Author - K. Z. Morano

K. Z. Morano K. Z. Morano's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "Hysteria", the story of a woman diagnosed with hysteria and her experience as heiress to a wealthy family with some very dark secrets. You may read an excerpt below.

K.Z. is a beach bum who writes anything from romance and erotica to horror and dark fantasy. Her stories have appeared in various magazines, online venues, and anthologies. She is the author of 100 Nightmares--a collection of 100 horror stories, each written in exactly 100 words, with over 50 illustrations.

She blogs at http://theeclecticeccentricshopaholic.wordpress.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/100Nightmares From "Hysteria" by K. Z. Morano

     Apart from hysteria, I also suffer from somnambulism. Perhaps it was the laudanum I took that night, or the anxiety I was experiencing from being in a strange place. As far as I knew, I stopped walking in my sleep when I turned nine years old, nevertheless, when I awoke, I found myself in the heart of the hedge maze. The presence of a round, carved Basalt stone hinted that it was the center of the maze. It looked like some sort of sacrificial table crawling with runic inscriptions.
    The moon clung like a shiny pearl on the satiny bosom of the night. The yews loomed malevolently and all at once, I was struck by the maze’s abnormal geometry, as though certain spaces were being swallowed up by massive yet unseen entities. Anxious to leave the maze and the claustrophobic sensation that had begun to take hold of me, I started walking in spite of not knowing the way. I walked faster and faster until I was running. I was certain I wasn’t alone in there.
​     And as I ran, I grew more and more conscious of a shadowy creature that pursued me. I let out a piteous scream though I knew there was no one to hear me. Round and round I ran about the maze, stumbling several times as branches of trees reached out to tear at my nightdress. All the same, whichever turn I took, I ended up at the heart of the maze. This went on until dawn, until I felt the malevolent shadows retreating. It was only then I felt it was safe to stop and break down in tears.

Meet the Author - Stephanie Ellis

Stephanie Ellis Stephanie Ellis's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "Leave", the story of Alice, a woman with a unique gift who is used as entertainment for the lords and ladies of Victorian society. One night the man who controls her, Gregory, pushes her to her limits - mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You can find an excerpt below.

Stephanie currently works as a Learning Support Assistant in a Southampton secondary school but previously worked for many years as a technical author. Her genre fiction short stories have found success in Massacre Magazine (Issues 2 and 3) and Sanitarium magazine (Issues 15 and 24), as well as in anthologies by a number of publishers.

Her poetry has been published in local and national press, Far Off Place Magazine, and What the Dickens ezine.
Her poetry has been published in local and national press, Far Off Places Magazine and What the Dickens ezine.
​
She can be found, together with her twisted nursery rhymes and flash fiction, on  http://stephellis.weebly.com/ and on twitter at @el_stevie.


From "Leave" by Stephanie Ellis

     A flicker of annoyance passes over Gregory’s face but he swiftly masters himself, keeps his countenance smooth, unruffled. He will make them believe. They will believe.
     Silver glances at me.
     “Alice. Can you see further?”
     I nod.
     “Only a little, there are too many shadows to make out anything clearly.” It is dark, the dark has always frightened me. Does the audience hear the fear in my voice, can they not see my terror?
     “Then you must search beyond these shades.”
     Somewhere I hear the clock strike the hour. I think my heart has stopped. Something is pressing down on me, squeezing out my last breath. I am so scared. I wish someone would help me. I look around but can see nothing. I am blind. The voice I dread speaks again.
     “Alice. You know what you must do.” The words batter at me, breaking my will. Please, please. The chain swings.
     The Son cast in silver summons me. He cried out for his Father and was abandoned. I have no voice but I too, have been abandoned.
     I sit still, a stone statue. I am trying so hard to resist. He repeats his command. He has never had to repeat himself and I hear the displeasure in his voice. The chain swings closer to me. I imagine blood dripping from the body on the cross. So much blood. Will I bleed in the same way?
     Back and forth, back and forth. Now I am further away. Such a deep darkness. I am teetering on the edge of the void.
     Silver again. Always silver binding me to my prison, preventing my escape. It is so pretty. See how it dances. I weaken, watch closer. Feel the start of my death.

Evan Guilford-Blake to present at the Atlanta Writers' Club

Evan Guilford-Blake will be a presenter at the Atlanta Writers' Club meeting at 1:30 on the afternoon of Oct. 17th.
Evan's short story "The Invasion" appeared in In the Trenches and Verto will be publishing Love and Loss and Love, a collection of his short stories, in early 2016. You can learn more about Evan and his work at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009CC554I

Meet the Author - Sheldon Woodbury

Sheldon Woodbury's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a poem titled "The Castle at the Edge of the World", a story of

"​mysteries within mysteries
worlds within worlds
unknown forces waiting to unfurl"

as the poem says. Sheldon is an award-winning writer (screenplays, plays, books, and short stories) living in New York City, where he also teaches screenwriting at New York University. His books include "Cool Million" a how-to guide on high concept screenwriting. His screenplay "The Book of Magic" won first prize in the Maniafest horror screenwriting competition. His latest short stories are "Bones in a City Graveyard" which appears in Bones 2 (James Ward Kirk Publishing), "Dirty Minds" in Serial Killers Quattuor (James Ward Kirk Publishing), "The Halloween House" in One Hellacious Halloween (Horror Novel Reviews), "Family Affair" in Clerics, Charlatans & Cultists (Gothic City Press), "Last Call" in Shots of Terror (Angelic Knight Press), "Payback is a Bitch" in We are Dust and Shadow (James Ward Kirk Fiction), "Between Heaven and Hell" in Demonic Possession (James Ward Kirk Fiction), "Holy War" in No Sight for the Saved (James Ward Kirk Fiction), and "A Beautiful Horror" in Hell II: Citizens (James Ward Kirk Fiction). His flash fiction stories have appeared many times on the website Hellnotes (JournalStone Publishing) and other stories on Popcorn Fiction (Mulholland Books) and Horror Novel Reviews. His article, "Heroes that Rock" appeared in Writers Digest Magazine. "The World on Fire", his horror novel, was published September 2014 by James Ward Kirk Fiction. His story, "A White Farewell with a Splash of Red" will be included in Once Bitten, a forthcoming anthology from KnightWatch Press.

Meet the Author - Carmen Tudor

Carmen Tudor's contribution to Gothic Tales of Terror is a short story titled "Memory to Perish," the tale of Dafydd, more beast than man, condemned to a lifetime of internment, a lifetime spent in violent acts that at once both free and torture him. Here's an excerpt from this haunting tale.

Half an hour later I took a handkerchief from my breast pocket and cleaned my hands. Carys never liked it when I came to her afterward without first cleaning my hands rigorously. The memories it must have caused her pained me. We never spoke of just how close she’d come to succumbing to Sayer’s plan.
I found her in her room. She sat at a desk by her window. “Did you give him fruit?” she asked.
I smiled at her as best as I could. “I did.”
            “And you were kind?”
“I was kind.”
            “But not as kind as you were to me?”
            Her gaze fell on my sharp nails—so claw-like, though she never backed away. She had known Rhys wasn’t like the rest. She must have watched his arrival just as I had. She must have heard the cries.
            “No. Not as kind as I was to you. You forget what I am, that I am more beast than man.”
            “I never know when I can believe you or when you are telling a lie.” She tried to smile. “It cannot be helped. Can it?”
            “No, love. It cannot. I cannot.”
            “But you could. If you chose.”
            “No, love. I am what I am, and I do what I do for us so that we may stay. Remember that. Remember it always.”
            Carys said no more. 

Carmen Tudor Carmen Tudor writes speculative fiction for adults and young adults from Melbourne, Australia. You can find her latest stories in It's a Grimm Life, Tales of Mystery, Suspense & Terror, and Fantasy For Good. For more information, check out carmentudor.net or follow @carmen_tudor.

Evan Guilford-Blake Play Reading

On Friday, October 16, Brenau University will be hosting a staged reading of Evan Guilford-Blake's "Easy Lovin' Blues" as the winner of the Georgia Theatre Conference one-act competition.

This will be a 56-minute one-act "Reader's Theatre" presentation directed by GTA senior Benny Higgins. Set in 1962, it examines two triangular relationships, one between an illusive 41-year-old woman and her young, manipulative, would-be lover, the second between an aging musician and his lover, a dominant and disturbed blues singer. The two couples are conjoined by a young woman (the older woman's daughter), a dreamer who serves as the point both triangles have in common. Each character is in pursuit of some dream, and it is the collision of those pursuits that explores the hope, and the loss of hope, that combine in the dreams of urban society of the mid-twentieth century and of the present day. (Rated R)

Check out this link for more information: http://gtc2015.sched.org/event/26dd16...

Evan's story "The Invasion" appeared in In the Trenches and we will be publishing a collection of short stories written by Evan and titled Love and Loss and Love in early 2016.

Evan Guilford-Blake Book Launch and Reading

During their Open Mic Night on Saturday, October 17, Atlanta Vintage Books will be hosting a book launch for Evan Guilford-Blake's "Animation". He will be reading from it and will be available for signing copies. 

What do you do if you’re 53 years old, your ex-wife says you look like Joe Pesci and you’ve just lost your job? Well, if you’re Adonis Augustinius Agystyn -- usually called “Aggie” -- you sit in your one bedroom Chicago apartment, watch TV and eat rib tips at the nearby fast food restaurant. Until, one day you meet someone who you think can change your life -- except she’s a 19 year old single mom with a sick baby and a sicker mother, and the two of you have absolutely nothing in common.

"Animation" is the sometimes comic, sometimes poignant story of a man in search of the meaning of his life and of life itself, the detours he must navigate and the hurdles he must -- try -- to clear in order to answer the eternal question: What Is My Life About? Evan's short story "The Invasion" appeared in Verto Publishing's In the Trenches. In early 2016, Verto will be publishing a collection of short stories written by Evan and titled Love and Loss and Love.