Yearly Archive: 2023

Articles / Interviews

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REMAINS TO BE TOLD – An interview with Kiwi author Helena Claudia

REMAINS TO BE TOLD – An interview with Kiwi author Helena Claudia 

 

In this unique interview series, we chat with the contributors of Kiwi horror anthology Remains to Be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa, edited by five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Lee Murray (Clan Destine Press, 1 October). 

 

Today, we welcome author Helena Claudia, whose historical short story “I’m a Gemini” appears in the anthology. 

 

Tell us about your story in the anthology.  

 

I was interested in writing about the “horror” that manifests in the heads and actions of people who have an incredibly negative reception of the world, such as our unnamed protagonist, who suffers from PTSD, drawing on my own experience. New Zealand is in the midst of a mental health crisis, and accessing help is particularly difficult for younger people and students who rely on overburdened university services. Our protagonist has suffered a great personal loss and is deeply combative and critical of everyone she encounters, yet still holds a deep desire to be appreciated by them. She generally wants the same things as the people around her, but her desire to protect herself prevents her from trusting them. The only way forward she can see is back.  

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Nightwood by Elana Gomel

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: Nightwood
Author: Elana Gomel
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Genre: Mythology, Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure Fiction, Horror
Release date: 18th January, 2023

Synopsis: All fairy tales were history once.
Ally is a Ukrainian bride who married a wealthy Californian, Carl Morris. Everything is strange in her new home: the shadowy redwoods, the peculiar neighbors, and the mystery surrounding the death of Carl’s first wife. But Ally is determined to leave her own tragic past behind and to be a good wife and a good American.
Escaping darkness is not so easy, however. Ally discovers that her house is situated on the borders of Nightwood, where fairy tales become nightmares and nightmares become reality. And the ruler of Nightwood has plans of his own.
When Carl is abducted by a forest monster, Ally follows him into the land where the Red, Black, and White Horsemen drag the sun in their wake. There she is taken prisoner by the ghoulish Little Mother and is forced to labor in a filthy farmyard filled with deformed human livestock. But Little Mother is not the most terrifying creature in Nightwood. The Ogre, squatting in the Castle with no Windows, is poised to invade our world. He has Carl; and he wants Ally.
Unexpectedly joined by new friends, Ally escapes to embark on a perilous journey across a dying land filled with mythical beasts and creatures from fairy tales. To save Carl, Ally will have to brave the horrors of Nightwood and uncover the shattering secret of her own identity.

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Articles / Interviews

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Emmett Nahil on Let Me Out

Emmett Nahil is a writer, narrative designer, game developer, and literary jack of all trades living in a haunted town north of Boston, Massachusetts. He’s interested in intersectional analysis, diverse representation for other queer Middle Easterners, and bringing more nuanced work to genre fiction. He’s been known to favor horror, along with sci-fi, fantasy, and really weird speculative literature. Let Me Out is his debut graphic novel.

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Articles

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October 2023: Tarot Cards for Writing Inspiration

What sacrifice would you make to achieve the life of your dreams? What price would you pay to ensure you achieve personal and financial success, especially in artistic and creative fields? What would you give to be famous and talented? Would it be enough to satisfy your main character(s)? And, what lengths would they go to in order to preserve and protect that lifestyle?

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Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 10-1-23

Hello, children of the dark. It’s our time of year: officially spooky season. What plans do you have this October? Me, I’m kicking off a month-long celebration of the horror genre for the British Fantasy Society’s website (I know! Who knew they covered all of speculative fiction? That’s something I’ll be embracing in my new role as the Society’s PR, Marketing & Online Content Officer). I’m also–and I think told you this before—running another online event at the end of the month, and this time we’re dedicating it to fangs. Writing the Occult: Vampires happens on 28 October in the UK afternoon/East Coast morning, and I’d love to see you there. Unfortunately the early bird price expired yesterday, so you’ll be up for the full amount—but that’s just £45+bf, and you get six sessions and eight hours of vampiric delights for your money. Full details and lineup over here. 

Talk of Spooktober and vampires brings us to this week’s edition. We’re excited to present a short story from Chris McAuley, the founder of the StokerVerse. Back in July last year, when our own Steph Ellis stepped down from these pages, I was due to be joined by Chris in the editor’s chair. But Chris’s life got crazy, and he had to step aside quickly so he could dedicate his time to all the amazing writing opportunities he was being presented with. It’s nice to be able to have him in these pages again, even if only for the weekend.

So in this week’s TWF menu our short story delivers a peek at vampires along the Western Front. This is then followed by three delicious quick bites:

  • Cassandra Daucus makes a discovery on Arthur’s Seat,
  • Virginia Hayes deals with a dognapping, and 
  • Sarah Elliott stares into the eyes of the muse.

Finally, a quick note on the short story submissions. We have been honoured and excited to see the submissions come in thick and fast since we reopened last month, but we are getting multiple subs from individual authors. Given the volume of submissions we’re receiving, we will only be able to accept one story per author for now. Make sure you’re giving us your very best to maximise chances of acceptance!

Now it’s over to you, Stuart—and I think you might have news?

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

HAPPY OCTOBER! May the spooky shenanigans begin my friends.

As I opened this intro up to write (Thursday afternoon) on my lunch break, the final approved artwork for ‘Trembling With Fear: Year 6’ has hit my inbox. I am slammed with meetings and MBA work today, however, I’m hoping to have the pre-orders up and running by the time you read this. (If so, I truly hope I’ll also have time to edit this and stick the pre-order links in. There will also be a post with the details.)

Shadowed Realms update: EVERYTHING has been read. I’m hoping we can start sending out initial rejections this weekend while we finalize which of those in the ‘yes’ pile are going to be making the cut. There has been a LOT of great stories here and so many of the rejections were hard to say no to. Finalizing this is going to be painful on saying no to so much good work. You have all really shined on your stories that were published in 2022.

ATTENTION YOUTUBE WATCHERS: I’ve had a few responses to this and am eager to more! Here is what I typed last week: I’m one month away from my current 2-class MBA workload and another two and a half months from being done with the program as long as my math is right. So, one of my focuses will be to grow our YouTube channel. What type of content would you like to see us feature? Please reach out to [email protected]!

For those who are looking to connect with Horror Tree on places that aren’t Twitter, we’re also in BlueSky and Threads. *I* am also now on BlueSky and Threads.

If you’d like to extend your support to the site, we’d be thrilled to welcome your contributions through Ko-Fi or Patreon. Your generosity keeps us fueled and fired up to bring you the very best.

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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Articles / Interviews

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REMAINS TO BE TOLD – An interview with Kiwi author Gina Cole

REMAINS TO BE TOLD – An interview with Kiwi author Gina Cole 

 

In this unique interview series, we chat with the contributors of Kiwi horror anthology Remains to Be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa, edited by five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Lee Murray (Clan Destine Press, 1 October). 

 

Today, we welcome award-winning author Gina Cole, whose murderous short story “Blind Date” appears in the anthology. 

 

Tell us about your story in the anthology.  

 

My story “Blind Date” began as a very creepy short film script about murder and assassination. In the process of editing and turning it into fiction I ramped up the horror aspect and it morphed into a completely different and terrifying story.  

 

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Trembling With Fear

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Unholy Trinity: The Call by Kai Delmas

Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.

 

Rise

 

The dead call to me. I hear them whisper from their graves. They haunt my dreams, begging to be set free.

I’ve stayed away from graveyards ever since my grandfather’s burial. When his coffin was lowered into the earth I heard his voice in my head, asking for a second chance at life.

I was too afraid to return but that changed when I lost you. I couldn’t stay away any longer.

I hear them calling as my feet pass by their graves. They all want second chances.

But you will be the first.

Come back to me, mother.

Rise.

 

Strong. Determined. Unstoppable.

 

His call comes from above. Strong. Determined. Unstoppable.

I follow it.

Once weak, my body is no longer bound by nature’s laws. Rotting flesh pounds against wood until it splinters. Torn fingernails and exposed bone claw their way through settled dirt, sticks and rocks.

Pain is a thing of the past. Time not of my concern.

When I reach the surface I try to suck in air but my body’s no longer capable. It has no need of oxygen.

It only needs magic.

My dead eyes find my son. His call, his magic, brought me back.

He’s strong. Determined. Unstoppable.

 

The Call

 

Hallowed ground ruptures. Dozens of hands fight their way through the dirt. I answered their call but my eyes only focus on one.

My mother’s skin is gray with black veins. Her eyes are white. She doesn’t speak. I don’t think she can.

But I hear her. Like I hear the others. They called me. Begged me to bring them back. What for?

My question isn’t answered through words but through one single, crystal clear emotion.

Anger.

They want revenge. They needed me to bring them back. Now they need me to set them free.

And that’s what I do.

 

 

Kai Delmas

Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems and is a slush reader for Apex Magazine. He is a winner of the monthly Apex Microfiction Contest, his fiction is forthcoming in Zooscape, and can be found in Martian, Etherea, Tree And Stone, Wyldblood, and several Shacklebound anthologies. Find him on Twitter @KaiDelmas or Bluesky @kaidelmas.bsky.social And if you like his drabbles and maybe even want to get some critiques, support him on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/kaidelmas.

Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

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: Camp Damascus
Author: Chuck Tingle
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Genre: Horror/Occult/Fantasy/LGBTQ+
Release date: 18th July, 2023

Synopsis: From beloved internet icon Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus is a searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.
Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.
Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.
And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

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