Author: Stuart Conover

Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: One Smile More by Charlotte Platt

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: One Smile More
Author: Charlotte Platt
Publisher: Gendel Press
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: June 16, 2024

Synopsis: Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

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Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear – Christmas 2024 Edition!

Welcome to Trembling With Fear’s Christmas Special! As the holiday season casts its magic over the world, we’ve bundled up some spine-tingling horror and fantastical wonders just for you. Whether your holidays are merry and bright or shadowed by eerie snowdrifts and mysterious whispers, there’s something here to spark your imagination and perhaps send a chill down your spine.

This collection is our way of celebrating the magic, mystery, and mayhem that the season can bring. Our talented authors have unwrapped tales that reimagine holiday traditions and explore the edges of reality itself. Consider this our festive gift to you—stories to ponder by the fire, with the glow of lights and a steaming drink in hand.

We hope you enjoy every twist, turn, and frightful delight. Happy Holidays!

Stuart Conover

Editor-in-Chief, Horror Tree

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Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Poetry

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Ongoing Submissions: Torch Literary Arts

Payment: $150 USD
Theme: Science Fiction and Fantasy stories or poetry by black women

Submission Guidelines

Reading Period

  • General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only.

  • We accept submissions on a rolling basis.

  • There is no submission fee. 


Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions

  • Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.

  • Please submit one (1) entry to one (1) genre at a time. Wait until you receive a response on your submission before submitting again.

    • If accepted, please wait one (1) year after publication to submit to Torch again.

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Anthology / Artwork / Flat Amount / Poetry / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Graveside Press: Illustrated Poetry Anthology

Deadline: May 31st, 2025
Payment: 2 cents per word for poetry, $75 for artwork
Theme: Grim, gothic, morbidly funny, terrifying works of poetry and artwork

Calling all poetry authors AND artists!

We’re stepping outside of the box here and trying something new. We’re calling on poets and artists this time to help us craft an illustrated poetry anthology. Give us your limericks, sonnets, haiku, ballads, and free-verse! Have visual poetry? EVEN BETTER. We want grim, gothic, morbidly funny, terrifying works.

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Aliens vs. Predators: Rift War by Weston Ochse and Yvonne Navarro

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: Aliens vs. Predators: Rift War
Author: Weston Ochse and Yvonne Navarro
Publisher:  Titan Books
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Release Date: 6th, September 2022

Synopsis: When the Predators choose LV-363 for a hunt and seed it with Xenomorph eggs, the result is bizarre alien hybrids and humans trapped between the Predators and their prey.

The planet LV-363 teems with exotic life, including a plant growing in the shadows of its deep rifts. The plant’s flower yields a valuable narcotic, and people are forced by the cartels to harvest it. When a Yautja (Predator) ship arrives for a hunting ritual, the Predators seed the rifts with Xenomorph eggs. The aliens emerge and the result is bizarre and deadly hybrids, with humans trapped between the Predators and their prey. These deadly Xenomorph hybrids—some of which possess the ability to fly—swarm out of control and may prove more than either the Yautja or the humans can defeat.

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Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine

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Taking Submissions: The Stygian Zine July 2025 Issue

Deadline: May 31st, 2025
Payment: $20 (CAD) or a physical copy of the magazine
Theme: Slice of Life

After the release of our first publication “The Stygian Collection”, there was demand to continue producing anthologies. To continue growing our community and keep the anthology spirit alive, The Stygian Society presents: The Stygian Zine!

January’s Theme: Slice of Life
Tell us about your day-to-day darkness…

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Anthology / Events / Royalties

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Taking Submissions: It Came From the Trailer Park: Vol 5

Deadline: July 1st, 2025
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Creature feature horror comedies that have redneck heroes

After the success of the previous Trailer Park anthologies, we’ve decided to bring it back for another release of fun Creature Feature Horror.

Stories should be original creature-feature, horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. And of course, our heroes winning the day in all of their redneck glory.

The added challenge this year, should you choose to accept it, volume 5 submissions should have a “Creep Killer Clown” twist to it.

 

Not sure what we’re looking for? Think Pennywise, Killer Clowns from Outerspace, or John Wayne Gacy.

 

  • Genre: Horror Comedy / Creature Feature
  • Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000
  • Opening Essay by: TBD
  • Edited by: William Joseph Roberts
  • Anchor Author: TBD
  • Due Date: July 1, 2025

Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Trailer Park” in the subject line

Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors.

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Articles

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Crystal Lake Publishing Joins Forces with Sinister Smile Press for a Thrilling New Chapter

Big news in the world of horror and speculative fiction: Crystal Lake Publishing has partnered with Sinister Smile Press in a move that promises to shake up the genre landscape. This collaboration sees Sinister Smile Press joining the Crystal Lake family as a dedicated division, bringing an arsenal of hardcore horror novels and anthologies under one roof.

For writers and readers of dark fiction, this merger offers an exciting opportunity to explore even more compelling, nightmare-fueled tales. Sinister Smile Press—well-known for its motto, Creating nightmares is our business…and business is good—has been a staple in the horror community with its chilling stories across horror, suspense, thrillers, and speculative genres. Now, as part of Crystal Lake Publishing, their catalog will benefit from expanded reach, with some also receiving updated covers, polished interiors, and revamped descriptions, all guided by Crystal Lake’s award-winning expertise.

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