Category: Articles

Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: A Hangover And… Who?!

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Found Footage

Welcome to “Writing Prompt Wednesdays,” a haven where your imagination can roam free in the realms of speculative fiction. As we embark on this weekly journey, it’s thrilling to think about the untold stories waiting to be penned in the domains of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Whether you’re a seasoned author or a budding wordsmith, these prompts are your gateway to unexplored worlds and untapped potentials.

Every Wednesday, we’ll serve up a fresh, thought-provoking prompt designed to ignite your creative spark and challenge your storytelling prowess. Think of these prompts as a key, unlocking the doors to uncharted territories where your creativity is the only limit. From eerie, shadow-laden corridors of Gothic horror to the farthest reaches of interstellar space, and the mystical depths of high fantasy, our prompts are a kaleidoscope of possibilities.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to approach these prompts. They are mere stepping stones, guiding you towards the vast landscapes of your imagination. Use them to break free from writer’s block, to experiment with new ideas, or simply as a fun exercise to keep your writing skills sharp.

This week’s writing prompt:

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Articles / Interviews

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Storm Michael Humbert: His Intergalactic Rejects

Storm Michael Humbert: His Intergalactic Rejects

By Angelique Fawns

 

Storm Michael Humbert is currently running a Kickstarter for his star-studded sci-fi anthology, Intergalactic Rejects: A Calendar of Fools anthology. It features some incredible talent such as Rebecca Moesta, Kevin J. Anderson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. Ever wonder what sort of stories they’ve had rejected? This anthology will give you hope for your own little misfits. It’s earned the coveted Kickstarter “Project We Love”. The campaign runs until Thursday April 19.

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Collector by Laura Kat Young

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: The Collector
Author: Laura Kat Young
Genre: Dystopian Horror
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: 12th September, 2023

Synopsis: A frightening dystopian horror novel where grief is forbidden and purged from the mind – a nightmarish mix of 1984 and Never Let Me Go

Sorrow is inefficient. It’s also inescapable.

Lieutenant Dev Singh dutifully spends his days recording the memories of people who, struck with incurable depression, will soon have their minds erased in order to be more productive members of society. After all, the Bureau knows what’s best for you.

At night though, hidden in the dark, Dev remembers and writes in his secret journal the special moments shared with him – the small laugh of a toddler, the stillness of a late afternoon. The first flutter of love. But when the Bureau finds out he’s been recounting the memories – and that the depression is in him, too – he’s sent to a sanatorium to heal.

A nightmarish descent from sadness to madness, THE COLLECTOR is a dystopian horror novel where grief is forbidden and purged from the mind.

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 03/29/2024

Got a book to launch, an event to promote, a kickstarter or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by life in general?

Get in touch and we’ll promote you here. The post is prepared each Thursday for publication on Friday. Contact us via Horror Tree’s contact address or connect via Twitter or Facebook.

Click on the book covers for more information. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page – there’s all sorts lurking in the deep.

 

Before you scroll down through the books however, please could you consider checking out the ‘Creatives in Crisis’ section. This has been added to help those who need additional support at this time. Please note I keep these up as long as they’re either running or have hit their targets. The two still showing, Claire Fitzpatrick and Bill Spangler continue to need support. Thank you!

 

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Shadow of the Hidden by Kev Harrison

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Shadow of the Hidden
Author: Kev Harrison
Publisher: Brigids Gate Press
Genre: Horror/Occult Horror
Release Date: 19th March, 2024

Synopsis: It’s Seb’s last day working in Turkey, but his friend Oz has been cursed. Superstition turns to terror as the effects of the ancient malediction spill over and the lives of Oz and his family hang in the balance. Can Seb find the answers to remove the hex before it’s too late?

From Kev Harrison, author of The Balance and Below, journey with Seb, Oz and Deniz across ancient North African cities as they seek to banish the Shadow of the Hidden.

 

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Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Everyday Superheroes

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Found Footage

Welcome to “Writing Prompt Wednesdays,” a haven where your imagination can roam free in the realms of speculative fiction. As we embark on this weekly journey, it’s thrilling to think about the untold stories waiting to be penned in the domains of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Whether you’re a seasoned author or a budding wordsmith, these prompts are your gateway to unexplored worlds and untapped potentials.

Every Wednesday, we’ll serve up a fresh, thought-provoking prompt designed to ignite your creative spark and challenge your storytelling prowess. Think of these prompts as a key, unlocking the doors to uncharted territories where your creativity is the only limit. From eerie, shadow-laden corridors of Gothic horror to the farthest reaches of interstellar space, and the mystical depths of high fantasy, our prompts are a kaleidoscope of possibilities.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to approach these prompts. They are mere stepping stones, guiding you towards the vast landscapes of your imagination. Use them to break free from writer’s block, to experiment with new ideas, or simply as a fun exercise to keep your writing skills sharp.

This week’s writing prompt:

(more…)

Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: The Spellshop
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Genre: Cottagecore Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: 9th July, 2024

Synopsis: A lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant Caz―a magically sentient spider plant―have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
Then a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames. She and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy―and very handsome―neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and help fix up her new home.
In need of income and reluctantly inspired by the beauty and people of the island who have welcomed her into their hearts, Kiela discovers something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries that become the town’s, and her handsome neighbor’s, new favorite confection.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela decides to open the island’s first-ever and much-needed secret spellshop.
Her plan comes with risks―the empire condemns the use of unsanctioned magic, and the consequence of sharing spells with commoners is death. But Kiela has only just found a place that feels like home and people who feel like family, and she’ll risk anything for a chance at happiness.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

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Articles / Interviews

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WIHM: Jennifer Lesh Fleck: Combining rare talent with a rare disability.

Jennifer Lesh Fleck: Combining rare talent with a rare disability.

By Angelique Fawns

 

Jennifer Lesh Fleck is a horror and poetry author whose dark and imaginative musing are finding homes all over the short speculative writing world. We are in a writing group together called The Fireside Quills, and I recently published one of her stories in my anthology, Peculiar Pets: A Horror Lite Anthology, which you can check out here:

 

angeliquefawns.gumroad.com/l/lncev

 

You can also find Fleck’s stories in The Arcanist, MetaStellar, Radon Journal, If There’s Anyone Left, and Cosmic Horror Monthly. 

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