Category: Articles

Articles / For Readers

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 05/23/2025

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 Tuesday 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.

 

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger

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: Savage Hearts
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Genre: Mafia Romance
Publisher: Bramble
Publication date: 22nd April, 2025

Synopsis: The third book in the scorchingly hot mafia romance Queens and Monsters series by USA Today bestselling author J.T. Geissinger, where John Wick meets Romeo and Juliet.

Savage (adjective):
1) Not domesticated; wild and untamed
2) A brutal or vicious person
3) Malek Antonov

He’s a myth. A ghost. A legend.
A Bratva assassin so feared, some won’t even dare to speak his name.

He comes in search of vengeance for the death of his brother, but what he finds instead is me.

A girl he thinks is someone else.
Someone unrelated to the man who killed his brother.
Except I am.

And when he finds out my true identity, he decides to take me as repayment for what he lost.

Now, I’m a little bird trapped in a cage, and the only way to survive is to make friends with the monster who captured me.

But friendship isn’t what the monster has in mind.

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Articles / Interviews

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An Interview With Denis Kitchen On The Kickstarter For The ‘Oddly Compelling’ Documentary And More!

An Interview With Denis Kitchen On The Kickstarter For The ‘Oddly Compelling’ Documentary And More!

For more than half a century, Denis Kitchen has been the embodiment of punk-rock persistence in comics—equal parts artist, publisher, and First Amendment firebrand. Long before “creator-owned” was a buzzword, Kitchen was stapling together Mom’s Homemade Comics, hawking issues out of head shops, and launching Kitchen Sink Press so voices like Will Eisner, Trina Robbins, and Alan Moore could run wild without a Comics Code muzzle. When prosecutors finally came knocking, he didn’t flinch; he built the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund brick by brick, turning courtroom showdowns into victory laps for free expression. Now filmmakers Soren Christiansen and Ted Intorcio are rolling the tape on Oddly Compelling, a documentary that threads Kitchen’s hippie-era pranksterism, his thirty-year publishing crusade, and his ongoing fight against censorship into one heck of an origin story for modern horror comics.

Why does that matter to Horror Tree readers? Because every grotesque panel, banned-book challenge, and late-night anthology pitch we celebrate traces back to the doors Denis kicked open. Oddly Compelling isn’t just a look in the rear-view; it’s a rallying cry at a moment when book bans are spiking and moral crusaders have libraries in their crosshairs. So I sat down with the man himself to talk EC horror, From Hell, giant penises invading Manhattan, and the practical ways tomorrow’s creators can keep the gates of weird wide open.

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Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Sweet Side

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Sweet Side

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

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10 Spine-Chilling Horror Novels Set in Chicago to Keep You Up All Night

10 Spine-Chilling Horror Novels Set in Chicago to Keep You Up All Night

As someone who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and spent most of my ’20s living in the city, it’ll always have a special place in my heart. So, if you’re a fan of horror, you know that the right book can transport you into a world of suspense and terror. Chicago, with its rich history and eerie architecture, serves as the perfect backdrop for spine-chilling tales. In this article, you will discover ten horror novels set in the Windy City that promise to keep you on the edge of your seat. These stories not only entertain but also delve into the darker aspects of human nature, making them a worthwhile addition to your reading list.

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Brutal Vows by J.T. Geissinger

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: Brutal Vows
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Genre: Mafia Romance
Publisher: Bramble
Publication date: 22nd April, 2025

Synopsis: Dark, sexy mafia romance where the fast-paced tension of John Wick meets the high stakes love of Romeo and Juliet.

An Irish mobster with a brutal grudge.
An Italian mafia princess with a dark secret.
Two enemy empires joined in sacred marriage vows.
Let the hating games begin.

Reyna

If this arrogant Irish mobster my brother sold my niece to thinks I’m going to play nice over this arranged marriage BS, he should think again.
I don’t care if this match with the Mob will make my brother capo of the Five Families.
I don’t care how much money, territory, or power it will gain us.
I especially don’t care that the Irishman is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
I won’t allow my innocent niece to suffer the same way I did.
Even if I have to kill him.

Spider

I’m supposed to marry sweet, beautiful Lili. So why can’t I stop thinking about her swamp witch of an aunt?
Reyna who hates me. Reyna who challenges me. Reyna with the guts of a Viking, the body of a fertility goddess, and the attitude of a feral cat.
Nothing good can come of what I’m feeling for a woman who’s not the one in the wedding contract I signed.
A woman I want so much, I’ll have to burn the whole world down to get.
If she doesn’t kill me first.

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Articles

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‘Oddly Compelling’ is Coming to Kickstarter, Tracing Denis Kitchen’s Fight for Horror Comics and Free Speech!

Denis Kitchen has always been the kind of creator who looks at a locked door and decides to install a new hinge. From the moment the self-described “hippie cartoonist” stapled together Mom’s Homemade Comics in 1969, through three decades steering Kitchen Sink Press, to the day he founded the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Kitchen has championed work that polite society kept trying to hide. Now his long, strange odyssey is the subject of Oddly Compelling, a feature-length documentary that is soon to land on Kickstarter.

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Articles / For Readers

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 05/16/2025

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 Tuesday 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.

 

(more…)