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Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
There is no greater horror in the world than watching a loved one battle cancer . . . especially if that loved one is a child. But we are not powerless against this disease, and some of the world’s finest purveyors of nightmares have come together to fight a monster far scarier than anything they could ever dream up.
Necon E-Books is honored to present NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, an anthology of horror bedtime stories from which 100% of all proceeds will be donated to The Jimmy Fund. Edited by P. D. Caceck and Laura J. Hickman and featuring cover artwork by Cortney Skinner, this anthology contains contributions from the incredible roster listed in the Table of Contents, all of whom have donated their work in support of this essential cause. In the words of our friends and partners at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, “Thank you for helping us conquer cancer.”
Table of Contents:
- Foreword by Christopher Golden
- Mother and Daughter by Jack Ketchum
- Messages by Errick A. Nunnally
- Sleepless by Mark Steensland
- The Vacant Lot by Thomas Tessier
- blood, cold like ice by Doungjai Gam
- A Life Unremembered by G. Daniel Gunn
- Wired by Elizabeth Massie
- Blue Stars by Tony Tremblay
- Happy Now Mother? by John Buja
- Nina by John M. McIlveen
- Housing the Hollygobs by Marianne Halbert
- Inertia Creeps by Charles Colyott
- Leave Here Alive by Bracken MacLeod
- Sleep Well by Angi Shearstone
- The Fine Art of Madness by Gary Frank
- The Beach by Cara M. Colyott Angel Tears by Jill Bauman
- Darkness on the Edge of Town by James A. Moore
- Would You, Could You, In the Dark? by Craig Wolf
- Wishing Won’t by Richard Dansky
- The Phobia Where You’re Afraid of Words by Paul McMahon
- Nightly Rituals by William Carl
- White Wings by Mark Morris
- The Other Side by Paul McNally
- Truth or Dare? by Bev Vincent
- Unexpected Attraction by Matthew Costello
- The Ritual Remains by Jonathan Lees
- The End of All Stories by Trevor Firetog
- Duality by Brian Keene
- The Lake Children by Izzy Lee
- The Circus Under the Bed by T.J. Wooldridge
- 1-2-3 Red Light by Gregory L. Norris
- The Old Men Know by Charles L. Grant
- The Oldest Fear by Shikhar Dixit
- Afterword by Matt Bechtel
Necon E-Books is honored to present NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, an anthology of horror bedtime stories from which 100% of all proceeds will be donated to The Jimmy Fund. Edited by P. D. Caceck and Laura J. Hickman and featuring cover artwork by Cortney Skinner, this anthology contains contributions from the incredible roster listed in the Table of Contents, all of whom have donated their work in support of this essential cause. In the words of our friends and partners at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, “Thank you for helping us conquer cancer.”
Table of Contents:
- Foreword by Christopher Golden
- Mother and Daughter by Jack Ketchum
- Messages by Errick A. Nunnally
- Sleepless by Mark Steensland
- The Vacant Lot by Thomas Tessier
- blood, cold like ice by Doungjai Gam
- A Life Unremembered by G. Daniel Gunn
- Wired by Elizabeth Massie
- Blue Stars by Tony Tremblay
- Happy Now Mother? by John Buja
- Nina by John M. McIlveen
- Housing the Hollygobs by Marianne Halbert
- Inertia Creeps by Charles Colyott
- Leave Here Alive by Bracken MacLeod
- Sleep Well by Angi Shearstone
- The Fine Art of Madness by Gary Frank
- The Beach by Cara M. Colyott Angel Tears by Jill Bauman
- Darkness on the Edge of Town by James A. Moore
- Would You, Could You, In the Dark? by Craig Wolf
- Wishing Won’t by Richard Dansky
- The Phobia Where You’re Afraid of Words by Paul McMahon
- Nightly Rituals by William Carl
- White Wings by Mark Morris
- The Other Side by Paul McNally
- Truth or Dare? by Bev Vincent
- Unexpected Attraction by Matthew Costello
- The Ritual Remains by Jonathan Lees
- The End of All Stories by Trevor Firetog
- Duality by Brian Keene
- The Lake Children by Izzy Lee
- The Circus Under the Bed by T.J. Wooldridge
- 1-2-3 Red Light by Gregory L. Norris
- The Old Men Know by Charles L. Grant
- The Oldest Fear by Shikhar Dixit
- Afterword by Matt Bechtel
- GenresHorror
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
P.D. Cacek
65 books28 followersOccasionally credited as Patricia D. Cacek.
Patricia Diana Joy Anne Cacek (December 22, 1951, Hollywood, California) is an American author, mostly of horror novels. She graduated with a B.A in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach in 1975.
Patricia Diana Joy Anne Cacek (December 22, 1951, Hollywood, California) is an American author, mostly of horror novels. She graduated with a B.A in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach in 1975.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 7, 2017
I am a huge fan of the group of horror writers who call New England their home. Besides being excellent writers, they are good people. This anthology gives all proceeds to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a good enough reason to buy it but not the only reason. It is a treasure trove of scary, disturbing stories for those of us who love them. There are those like Tony Tremblay's "Blue Stars" that are frightening and yet will bring a tear to your eye. Personal loss is indeed a horror to those of us who have dealt with it. I'm guessing that Bracken MacLeod was thinking of me when he wrote "Leave Here Alive." He didn't think much of my camping companion. I survived, the companion--well that's another story for another time. "Housing the Hollygobbs" by Marianne Halbert is a perfect remembrance of childhood fears and rituals. Every story in this collection is excellent. You won't be disappointed if this is your genre of choice. P.D. Cacek and Laura J. Hickman have done a wonderful job of bringing together stories that will keep you up at night or having you hiding under the covers. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
December 6, 2017
Review: NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP Anthology (Charity) edited by P. C. Cacek and Laura J. Hickman
An outstanding collation, which benefits the Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Institute. You can't go wrong being scared by these exceptional stories.
"Mother and Daughter" by Jack Ketchum: a well-written and intriguing story, but so depressing. Not just supernatural horror can be implacable; psychological horror can be too, as acclaimed author Jack Ketchum demonstrates the chains mind and spirit create. Sometimes one's only escape is the only permanent escape.
"Messages" by Errick A. Nunnally: a story of a man with a mission. It's also a story of an old-fashioned individual, one who admires duty, honor, and compassion, who is determined to uphold these old-fashioned virtues in this crass modern age.
"Sleepless" by Mark Steensland: Insomnia--we've all experienced it, some more than others. Stephen King wrote a horror novel about it. Likely few have experienced it in the intensity, persistence, or sudden determined onset, as has this narrator.
"The Vacant Lot" by Thomas Tessier: Oh my. I am very impressed. Wonderfully subtle, amazingly frightening, all the more so for the subtlety! Feckless protagonist, almost self-driven to it. I can see myself in this plot: unoccupied, alone, impelled to explore, to satisfy questions about the "oddness." Scary
"blood, cold like ice" by Doungai Jam: incredibly unnerving tale. I can read extreme horror day in and day out, face the cosmic horrors of Lovecraft...but domestic violence always unnerves me. This perceptive story proves no exception.
"A Life Unremembered" by G. Daniel Gunn: well-done psychological horror, so very sad. Kind of "the road not taken" story--with a major twist.
"Wired" by Elizabeth Massie: Real horror here, both factual and psychological, man's humanity, and the wheel of karma.
"Blue Stars" by Tony Tremblay: I am all over shivers from this one. That is horror: the backstory, the denouement, and oh my the ending. I want to scream from fright. I remember the shopkeeper in King' s NEEDFUL THINGS and I think, this story takes place in New England too. {Shiver}
"Are You Happy Now, Mother?" By John Buja: Tremendously sad, but also frightening. And that poor boy's mother! Herself a horror.
"Nina" by John L. McIlveen: So-totally-scary! Implacable, inescapable, horror. So glad it was still daylight when I read this.
"Housing the Hobblegobs" by Marianne Halbert: implacably scary! I'm so far from childhood, yet this story still quite scared me.
"Inertia Creeps" by Charles Colyott: this story gives a new level of meaning to implacable horror: you want to run, you want to hide, but you can't, your natural human compassion got you into this, and now something devoid of compassion is tracking you..
"Leave Here Alive" by Bracken McLeod: I think this is the first story I have read by this author. Let me tell you: THIS STORY SCARED THE LIVING BLAZES OUT OF ME!!!! Afraid to sleep now! This is far too plausible!
"Sleep Well" by Angie Shearstone: a delightfully scary illustrated version of hypnagogia, symptoms, possibilities, biological causation.
" The Fine Art of Madness " by Gary Frank: seriously Lovecraftian, from the non-Euclidean geometry to the dream intrusions to affecting an artist to the entity, in service to a monster god--this is finely-orchestrated implacable horror. Love it.
"The Beach" by Cara M. Colyott: and here you thought the only dangers at the beach were sunburn, high tides, drowning, and tsunamis. Think again.
"Angel Tears" by Jill Bauman: heartwrenching but uplifting poem..
"Darkness at the Edge of Town" by James A. Moore: this cogent tale has incredible twists, I caught my breath a couple of times, and a powerful impact.
"Would You, Could You, In the Dark?" By Craig Wolf: Still digesting this story, which repeatedly blew me away. Saddening, disheartening, grieving--one wants to shake sense into the protagonist, shout "Go with what you've got, not what you lost!"--and the overtones are beautifully and terrifyingly Lovecraftian. Bravo!
"Wishing Won't" by Richard Dansky: You may now color me officially TERRIFIED. I'll have nightmares!
"The Phobia Where You're Afraid of Words" by Paul McMahon. Empathy came easy for both characters in this story, which made the content and outcome sadder.
"Nightly Ritual" by William D. Carl: I particularly love winter scary stories; when Nature herself is rendered implacable, and no escape is possible because the world is blanketed with snow and ice. Death is always close at hand, from freezing temperatures, no heat source, black ice, snow drifts. This is a beautiful and ultimately terrifying tale of an overwhelming love that turns to terror--whenever there's a terrible snowstorm.
"White Wings" by Mark Morris: Another winter horror. An unhappily married man has finally reached his limit with his philandering wife. He's going to end the marriage, but she and her lover have a more permanent solution in mind.
"The Other Side" by Paul McNally: short but so.poignant. Sometimes we wonder if the grass really is greener, and sometimes love and grief impels us to find out.
"Truth or Dare?" By Bev Vincent: Truth or Dare US usually a simple, sometimes embarrassing, occasionally humiliating game. Usually it isn't injurious, seldom fatal. But when one of the players has a nasty agenda and the ability to back it up, the consequences can be horrifying. A really scary tale.
""Unexpected Attraction" by Matthew Costello: ahh, poetic justice. It's so satisfying. In this story, which is multiply twisty, it's more like poetic injustice.
"The Ritual Remains" by Jonathan Lee's: a marvelously fabled tale of a Mother and a daughter and a Birthday Ritual.
"The End of All Stories" by Trevor Firetog: Ever wonder why you don't remember the end of a bedtime story? It's not because you fell asleep...
"Duality" by Brian Keene: short, sad, extremely twisty and surprising.
"The Lake Children" by Izzy Lee: omg make it stop I am way way too scared. Oh this story is stuck my mind, I'll wake up terrified and alone.
"The Circus Under the Bed" by T. J. Wooldridge: still really, really afraid to sleep.
"1-2-3 Red Light" by Gregory L. Norris: Evil takes the oddest forms, but it's still implacable.
"The Old Men Know" by Charles L. Grant: Classic. No one does it like the Master.
"The Oldest Fear" by Skikhar Dixit: What do we fear from earliest childhood? (Illustration)
An outstanding collation, which benefits the Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Institute. You can't go wrong being scared by these exceptional stories.
"Mother and Daughter" by Jack Ketchum: a well-written and intriguing story, but so depressing. Not just supernatural horror can be implacable; psychological horror can be too, as acclaimed author Jack Ketchum demonstrates the chains mind and spirit create. Sometimes one's only escape is the only permanent escape.
"Messages" by Errick A. Nunnally: a story of a man with a mission. It's also a story of an old-fashioned individual, one who admires duty, honor, and compassion, who is determined to uphold these old-fashioned virtues in this crass modern age.
"Sleepless" by Mark Steensland: Insomnia--we've all experienced it, some more than others. Stephen King wrote a horror novel about it. Likely few have experienced it in the intensity, persistence, or sudden determined onset, as has this narrator.
"The Vacant Lot" by Thomas Tessier: Oh my. I am very impressed. Wonderfully subtle, amazingly frightening, all the more so for the subtlety! Feckless protagonist, almost self-driven to it. I can see myself in this plot: unoccupied, alone, impelled to explore, to satisfy questions about the "oddness." Scary
"blood, cold like ice" by Doungai Jam: incredibly unnerving tale. I can read extreme horror day in and day out, face the cosmic horrors of Lovecraft...but domestic violence always unnerves me. This perceptive story proves no exception.
"A Life Unremembered" by G. Daniel Gunn: well-done psychological horror, so very sad. Kind of "the road not taken" story--with a major twist.
"Wired" by Elizabeth Massie: Real horror here, both factual and psychological, man's humanity, and the wheel of karma.
"Blue Stars" by Tony Tremblay: I am all over shivers from this one. That is horror: the backstory, the denouement, and oh my the ending. I want to scream from fright. I remember the shopkeeper in King' s NEEDFUL THINGS and I think, this story takes place in New England too. {Shiver}
"Are You Happy Now, Mother?" By John Buja: Tremendously sad, but also frightening. And that poor boy's mother! Herself a horror.
"Nina" by John L. McIlveen: So-totally-scary! Implacable, inescapable, horror. So glad it was still daylight when I read this.
"Housing the Hobblegobs" by Marianne Halbert: implacably scary! I'm so far from childhood, yet this story still quite scared me.
"Inertia Creeps" by Charles Colyott: this story gives a new level of meaning to implacable horror: you want to run, you want to hide, but you can't, your natural human compassion got you into this, and now something devoid of compassion is tracking you..
"Leave Here Alive" by Bracken McLeod: I think this is the first story I have read by this author. Let me tell you: THIS STORY SCARED THE LIVING BLAZES OUT OF ME!!!! Afraid to sleep now! This is far too plausible!
"Sleep Well" by Angie Shearstone: a delightfully scary illustrated version of hypnagogia, symptoms, possibilities, biological causation.
" The Fine Art of Madness " by Gary Frank: seriously Lovecraftian, from the non-Euclidean geometry to the dream intrusions to affecting an artist to the entity, in service to a monster god--this is finely-orchestrated implacable horror. Love it.
"The Beach" by Cara M. Colyott: and here you thought the only dangers at the beach were sunburn, high tides, drowning, and tsunamis. Think again.
"Angel Tears" by Jill Bauman: heartwrenching but uplifting poem..
"Darkness at the Edge of Town" by James A. Moore: this cogent tale has incredible twists, I caught my breath a couple of times, and a powerful impact.
"Would You, Could You, In the Dark?" By Craig Wolf: Still digesting this story, which repeatedly blew me away. Saddening, disheartening, grieving--one wants to shake sense into the protagonist, shout "Go with what you've got, not what you lost!"--and the overtones are beautifully and terrifyingly Lovecraftian. Bravo!
"Wishing Won't" by Richard Dansky: You may now color me officially TERRIFIED. I'll have nightmares!
"The Phobia Where You're Afraid of Words" by Paul McMahon. Empathy came easy for both characters in this story, which made the content and outcome sadder.
"Nightly Ritual" by William D. Carl: I particularly love winter scary stories; when Nature herself is rendered implacable, and no escape is possible because the world is blanketed with snow and ice. Death is always close at hand, from freezing temperatures, no heat source, black ice, snow drifts. This is a beautiful and ultimately terrifying tale of an overwhelming love that turns to terror--whenever there's a terrible snowstorm.
"White Wings" by Mark Morris: Another winter horror. An unhappily married man has finally reached his limit with his philandering wife. He's going to end the marriage, but she and her lover have a more permanent solution in mind.
"The Other Side" by Paul McNally: short but so.poignant. Sometimes we wonder if the grass really is greener, and sometimes love and grief impels us to find out.
"Truth or Dare?" By Bev Vincent: Truth or Dare US usually a simple, sometimes embarrassing, occasionally humiliating game. Usually it isn't injurious, seldom fatal. But when one of the players has a nasty agenda and the ability to back it up, the consequences can be horrifying. A really scary tale.
""Unexpected Attraction" by Matthew Costello: ahh, poetic justice. It's so satisfying. In this story, which is multiply twisty, it's more like poetic injustice.
"The Ritual Remains" by Jonathan Lee's: a marvelously fabled tale of a Mother and a daughter and a Birthday Ritual.
"The End of All Stories" by Trevor Firetog: Ever wonder why you don't remember the end of a bedtime story? It's not because you fell asleep...
"Duality" by Brian Keene: short, sad, extremely twisty and surprising.
"The Lake Children" by Izzy Lee: omg make it stop I am way way too scared. Oh this story is stuck my mind, I'll wake up terrified and alone.
"The Circus Under the Bed" by T. J. Wooldridge: still really, really afraid to sleep.
"1-2-3 Red Light" by Gregory L. Norris: Evil takes the oddest forms, but it's still implacable.
"The Old Men Know" by Charles L. Grant: Classic. No one does it like the Master.
"The Oldest Fear" by Skikhar Dixit: What do we fear from earliest childhood? (Illustration)
March 2, 2018
I have a story in this one (under my name G Daniel Gunn) and was looking forward to diving into this massive collection of stories from my fellow contributors, all of whom have a connection with the horror conference Necon. I was not let down. People came out with pens blazing for this amazing anthology, all proceeds from which go to the Jimmy Fund. Not least of which was Christopher Golden's heart-wrenching introduction. Not a weak story in this bunch, seriously. Highly recommend it, and for such a great cause.
May 15, 2019
Listen, there are some anthologies you by because you like the authors in them and some you buy because the theme interests you. In the case of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, those two elements are there, but there is also a third one that almost weights as much as the previous two put together: it is for a good cause. Every cent made from this anthology was, is, and will be donated to the Jimmy Fund supporting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
December 29, 2018
4.5 stars
Read
September 16, 2017An excellent anthology!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews