The Horror Tree

The Horror Tree Recent Markets, Articles, Interviews, and Fiction!

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine

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Taking Submissions: Guilty Crime Story Magazine 2021

Deadline: August 1st, 2021
Payment: $10
Theme: Crime Fiction.

Guilty publishes crime fiction. The term covers a wide range of potential topics and styles, so we are interested in seeing your take on the theme.

However, there are some things we will not consider:

Cozies.

Police procedurals.

Anything with a speculative element.

Anything that glories in violence for the sake of violence, particularly against women, children, minorities or animals. Violence can be an element of many types of crime stories, but it must be an integral part of the story.

Detective stories will be a hard sell, not because we don’t like them, but because they are not typically crime stories, per se, but have more in common with the police procedural rather than other types of crime story. 
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Audio / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: The Other Stories #72: Doppelgängers II

Deadline: June 14th, 2021
Payment: 15GBP
Theme: Doppelgängers

If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we’ll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week.

(Vol 72.) Doppelgängers II; deadline 14th June

!!!NEW SUBMISSION PROCESS!!!

SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM

If, this form isn’t working, then please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. But please let us know why as we’re hoping to use the form going forward.

Title your email with the following syntax:

SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT

(e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982)

It is important that your story complies with our Submission Guidelines. Any stories found not to be in compliance will be immediately discarded. Click HERE for details

If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories!
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Articles

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5 Famous Authors with Bipolar Disorder

5 Famous Authors with Bipolar Disorder 

 

Did you know that a large portion of the author population claims to suffer from a mental illness or mood disorder? Some even say that it’s impossible to be successful as a horror writer without a slight mental deviance. So, is mental health somehow tied to literary prowess? These five famous authors with bipolar disorder suggest the answer is yes. 

5 famous bipolar authors  

Scientists are still trying to figure out what exactly causes BD. Because bipolar disorder often involves “episodes,” many authors use their intermittent battles as inspiration for amazing literature. No genre has been untouched by this phenomenon, in fact. Here are five famous authors to prove that: 

#1. Robert Munsch 

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Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Dark Hearts: Tales of Twisted Love, ed. A.R. Ward

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: Dark Hearts: Tales of Twisted Love
Author: Various, ed. A.R. Ward
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Ghost Orchid Press
Release Date: 24th March, 2021

Synopsis: Heartbreak. Obsession. Grief. Jealousy. Love can turn tainted, even cruel. Dark Hearts: Tales of Twisted Love is a collection of twenty horrifying stories about love turned sinister. These established and debut authors aren’t afraid to examine difficult subjects, or dip into the darker recesses of human emotion, in stories that are original, unexpected, and thought-provoking.

Contributors:Adam Down, Allison Floyd, Andrew Joseph White, Antonia Ward, Ashley Van Elswyk, Caitlin Marceau, Cara Mast, C.M. Lowry, Emma Kathryn, Jelena Dunato, Jenna Junior, Joshua Robinson, Julie Sevens, Kelly Piner, Lindz McLeod, Matias Travieso-Diaz,Meg Sipos, Paige Johnson, Shannon Scott, Simone le Roux

This hefty anthology starts with a quotation by Neil Gaiman “Have  you ever been in love? Horrible, isn’t it?”, which sets the tone for the following twenty stories, collected by editor AR Ward and illustrated by Ashley Van Elswick, apt to demonstrate the many faces of love. Or,to be precise, of twisted love.

Love is a feeling, a passion, which can take horrible routes, from cruelty to madness, from betrayal to murder, from degradation to violence, from stalking to vengeance, from obsession to death.

The various aspects of deviant love have been covered by the following authors: Kelly Piner, Lindz McLeod, Meg Sipos, Ashley Van Elswyk, Paige Johnson, Shannon Scott, Adam Down, Joshua Robinson, Antonia Rachel Ward, Matias Traviezo-Diaz, Caitlin Marceau, Simone leRoux, Cara Mast, Jenna Junior, Emma Kathryn, CM Lowry, Jelena Dunato, Julie Sevens, Andrew Joseph White and Allyson Floyd.

Commenting upon each story is an impossible task, so I will focus on the contributions which seem more accomplished to me. Alhough the book doesn’t include any actual masterpieces, the average quality is good enough and the following stories are, in my opinion, the best ones.

“Fade into You” by Meg Sipos is a body horror tale that investigats the hidden needs in a sex relationship. “Bumped” by Shannon Scott is an offbeat piece featuring a young woman simulating a non-existent pregnancy.

Antonia Rachel Ward contributes “Lilac Wine”, a rather predictable, yet engrossing tale of seduction and tale. Matias Travieso-Diaz provides “Rosalba”, a gentle ghost story about jealousy and murder.

In Emma Kathryn’s “Sister Smoke” we meet another kind of ghost, that of a burned woman, playing a role in the attempt of a girl to find a new kife by getting rid of his former husband.

The best story in the volume is perhaps “The Bloom” by Jenna Junior, the insightful analysis of a woman’s attraction for another woman and her final vengeance for being used but not loved.

I was not familiar with most of the authors featured in this anthology, but I’m going to keep an eye on some of the above names and on their next work.

 

3 /5 stars

Available from  Amazon and Bookshop.

Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 05/09/21

In amongst my writing time, I always try and find bits of software or learn new skills which I can use for those ‘non-writing’ aspects of our lives, eg promo and marketing.

With this in mind, I went back to creating graphics for an anthology I’m in and discovered this ‘Free Online Book Mockup Maker’. Normally, I download book mockup .psd files and loading them into GIMP and have to faff around with layers and things – bear with me! This site is so much easier – choose the design you want, eg Kindle or standing book, upload the cover, choose .png (so you can change the background) or .jpg and that’s it. It downloads your image. So easy and means more of us can make decent looking promo images for our work without having to fork out money we don’t have. I hope you find it useful.

Before we go to the stories, here’s my usual weekly reminder to check out the submission guidelines for TWF. Also remember we are currently closed to short stories (unless for one of the Specials) but open to drabbles, unholy trinities and serials.

The first story this week in Trembling with Fear is Murder by Lake by J J Munro is particularly enjoyable because it takes us to another setting. Different backdrops are more than welcome, it allows you to weave in extra elements to your story that might not sit so well in the standard setting and gives standard tropes a ‘fresh coat’. The first paragraph directs you to the different geography as well as indicating what will happen there but it also contains a very casual, almost friendly sentence when the main character references his sister’s death and follows it up with how she ‘let me inherit the family estate’, as if there was no effort involved. Flat sentences, banal words, throwaway comments juxtaposed against horror often strengthen the effect of the darkness described.

Grey Matters by Rickey Rivers Jr has a nice, almost sardonic voice directing its hapless human towards a trap.

Just Another Bad Dream by Connor Long-Johnson clashes apparent safety and reassurance against something so wrong.

The Song of the Forest by Alyson Faye turns the tables on a hunter in a short exercise on how to craft wonderful imagery with only a few words.

Enjoy our stories and send in yours!

Steph

 

Stephanie Ellis

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Whelp. This weekend my house has been up for sale. In my area, a LOT of houses have had offers in on the first weekend. Please wish me luck for all the craziness it took me to get here.

Moving on, Trembling With Fear is, as always, currently on the lookout for new Drabble! We have a few through the first week of June (and a spattering past that for authors who have sent in a few ahead of time) though we always like to have a bit more of a cushion. Please send in your 100-word stories!

The next TWF physical release has inched closer with more artwork in our inbox AND the temporary redesign for the website is steadily moving forward. More on all of the above SOON!

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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Articles / Blog Tour

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‘Stitches and Sepsis’ Blog Tour: The Power of Research

Stitches and Sepsis – Guest Post

Liz Faraim

Many hours of research go into my writing. If someone looked at my internet search history without that context, they would probably be very concerned. Rest easy, all of those searches serve a purpose.

While writing Stitches and Sepsis I had to do a deep dive into the world of hospitals and wound care. I will try not to give too much away, but anything beyond this point might have some mild spoilers. You’ve been warned.

Okay, so in Stitches and Sepsis Vivian gets into yet another knock-down drag-out fight, and she sustains some series lacerations. Does she go to the hospital? Well, if you are familiar with how stubborn Vivian is, then you know she did not seek medical attention.

Sepsis soon follows. But what does that look like? Well, that is where my research started. I did extensive reading into how sepsis affects the entire body, as well as what septic shock looks like. Also, trust me, do not do an internet search for images of septic wounds (or do?).

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Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: The First Line – Fall 2021

Deadline: August 1st, 2021
Payment: $25.00 – $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 – $10.00 for poetry
Theme: Story must begin with: “What should we do with the body?”

We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we’ve notified you as to our decision (usually three to four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don’t want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line.

Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that’s cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions.

One more thing while I’ve got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not – nor will we ever – charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense.

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Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 05/07/21

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.

Got a book to launch, an event to promote or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by Covid? 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.

Image

 

Book Covers! – Gemma Amor, artist and writer, will have slots available in May to work on ‘watercolour, acrylic, all sorts. Colour or black and white.’ Get in touch with her on twitter.

 

write a blog post or article on any topic Brianna Morgan – writer for hire. Got a project you’d like her help with? She’ll write a blog post/article on almost anything, up to 500 words for $5. Go here for more information. She will also be adding more services to her freelance services site , including: – Audiobook project setup and management – Awards research and submission – Events coordination – KDP ebook and paperback file setup. Let her know if you have requests!

Events

Please send us details of any online panels, conventions, festivals and workshops and we’ll list them here.

 

Charity Anthologies

 

30th Oct 2020 Tales Of The Lost Volume Two- A charity anthology for Covid- 19 Relief: Tales To Get Lost In A CHARITY ANTHOLOGY FOR COVID-19 RELIEF by [Gaiman, Neil,, Hill, Joe,, Johnson, Eugene M,] 31st Jan Flashes of Hope by [Anna Taborska, Dave Jeffery, Amy Grech, Matthew Davis, John Cady, Emma Lee, Gwen Weir, Ken Goldman, Alyson Faye, Theresa Derwin] 9th Feb  

 

Latest Book Launches

Horror Tree Sponsor* and Patreon Releases!

*All Horror Tree sponsors are able to claim a spot at the top of our listing during the donation of their sponsorship. Please use our contact form for more advertising pricing.
 
 

They Slipped Through the Net!

Oct 2020 It Calls From the Sky: Terrifying Tales from Above by [C.A. McDonald, Chris Hewitt, Chris Lilienthal, Christopher Bond, E.L. Giles, Elizabeth Davis, Elizabeth Nettleton, G. Allen Wilbanks, G.A. Alexander, Jay Sandlin, Joel R Hunt, Kimberly Rei, M. A. Hoyler, Marc Sorondo, Marie McWilliams, McKenzie Richardson, R. L. Meza, Rebecca Gomez Farrell, Sarah Jane Justice, T.M. Brown, Tim Mendees, V. A. Vazquez, Matthew Brady, Michelle River, Alanna Robertson-Webb]20th Mar

April

15th Dispossessed by [Piper Mejia] 15th She Who Rules the Dead by [Maria Abrams]16th Agoraphobia: A Short Story by [Rami Ungar] 18th Creepy Sheen by [Rebecca Gransden]

19th A New Daybreak: A Savannah Zombie Novel (Savannah Zombie Novel series Book 3) by [Josh Vasquez, Valhalla Books Publisher]20th Nunchuck City by [Brian Asman, Lucas Mangum]20th The Nirvana Effect by [Brian Pinkerton] 22nd

23rd Dark Missives by [Dan Howarth]22nd Malinae by [Josh Schlossberg] 27th Gulf by [Shelly Campbell]27th

27th Image 28th I is for Internet (A to Z of Horror Book 9) by [Tim O'Neal, Carlton Herzog, Astrid Addams, Donovan Smith, Steven Streeter, Doris V. Sutherland, Heidi Hunter, Robb White, Shannon Lawrence, D.C. Hill] 29th Bayou Whispers by [R.B. Wood, Crystal Lake Publishing]30th Derelict: A Post-Apocalyptic Survivor Series (AFTER: A POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVOR SERIES) by [T.M. Brown, Eerie River Publishing]

TBA May be an image of text that says "THE LAST NIGHT OCTOBER GREG CHAPMAN"

 

May

1st 1st 4th 7th Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy by [Hailey Piper]

11th The Crucifixion Experiments by [Gord Rollo] 12th SIX! by [Mark Cassell]14th May be an image of text that says "BEFORE He WAKES MARK ALLAN GUNNELLS" 14th A Place Beyond the Storm (AFTER: A POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVOR SERIES) by [David Green, Eerie River Publishing]

15th 18th Howls From Hell: A Horror Anthology by [HOWL Society, Shane Hawk, Alex Wolfgang, Christopher O'Halloran, J.W. Donley, Solomon Forse, Amanda DeMel, Lindsey Ragsdale, P.L. McMillan, Grady Hendrix] 21st It Calls From the Sea by [Eerie River Publishing]25th The Fearing: The Definitive Edition by [John FD Taff, Anthony Rivera, Ray Garton]

27th The Mummy Kills The Brides by [Erik Handy]

June

1st Malignant Summer by [Tim Meyer] 1st WITH TEETH (Preorder)1st 18th

TBA

July

20th 23rd Beyond Human

Audiobooks!

Dream ReaperSatan’s Edge: The Edge Series, Book 6May be an image of text that says "UNKNOWING, I SINK A STRANGE AND HORRIFY ING NOVELLA TIMOTHY G HUGUENIN"

 

Kickstarters

Cafe Macabre II‘This is an all female horror anthology that also features original artwork by indie artists. There are some nice rewards for backing this project such as art prints. Also, you will be helping support Women in Horror. Remember, if you can’t back it, another great way to support it is by sharing.’

Go here for more info.

Happy reading.

Steph

 on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team