Category: Articles

Articles / For Readers

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 04/18/2025

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: Shadowplays, ed. Peter Coleborn and Mike Chinn

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: Shadowplays
Author: various, ed. Peter Coleborn & Mike Chinn
Genre: horror
Publisher: PS Publishing
Publication date: 1st October, 2024

Synopsis: From an old regional theatre on the English coast to a Hollywood sound stage, an odd audition in London, by way of a sad and lonely hotel that attracts a series of strange residents. And much else too. Here are reflections on the nature of truth, how fiction and childish verse can impact reality, and the dangers inherent in retreating from that reality. Photographs and hauntings. Loss and longing. Just how lucky is it being lucky. Strange revenges and even stranger curses.

These nineteen tales of skewed everyday existence, divorced from the outwardly mundane world, demonstrate that all is not quite how it at first appears. These small, uneasy dramas play out in the shadows, in the twilight, hiding from the rational world.

These stories embrace the Shadows.

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Articles / Interviews

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An Interview with Award-Nominated Poet Deborah Sheldon

Interview with Award-Nominated Poet Deborah Sheldon

I’m a fan of award-winning horror author and anthology editor, Deborah Sheldon. I’ve read most everything she’s written, including short stories, novellas, novels, and anthologies as well as flash fiction and drabbles. She’s a master of the horror genre in all its forms, and I await each of her regular new publications with eager anticipation, always wondering what it might be – a novel, a collection of short stories, an anthology? I’m happy to report that Deborah Sheldon’s latest publication The Broonie and Other Dark Poems is available now through Hiraeth Publishing. For those of us who read her horror stories with relish, the contents of this poetry collection will not disappoint. Intrigued that Sheldon has now turned her hand to verse, I caught up with her recently to talk about her multi-faceted writing journey.

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Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Chef’s Special

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Chef’s Special

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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What Is Romantasy?

In 2024, the fantasy genre experienced a surge in sales of 35.8% over the previous year. This was largely due to the prominence of a new genre called “romantasy”. A portmanteau of the words “romance” and “fantasy,” romantasy has become a buzzword in the publishing industry over the recent years, but what exactly is it? What makes it different from fantasy that has romance in it, or vice versa? 

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Articles

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Horror Writing and Anxiety

Anxiety is something that I’ve struggled with for years. I was recently told that I am a fatalist. I had always considered myself “half a stoic”. Half, because a stoic imagines the worst-case scenario and then relaxes. I imagine worst case scenario and then my mind is stuck there in a repeating loop. So, when my friend said I was a fatalist, I looked it up and discovered that it absolutely does better describe my condition. 

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Artwork / Events / Other / Pay / Reviews

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Taking Submissions: Lizzie Borden Anthology

Deadline: June 1st, 2025
Payment: $10 and a contributors copy
Theme: New and unique takes on the legends and realities of the Lizzie Borden story

Everyone knows the legend of Lizzie Borden, especially the dark nursery rhyme…

 

Lizzie Borden took an axe

Gave her mother 40 whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

Gave her father 41

Riverdale Avenue Books has teamed up with the Historical Lizzie Borden house to put together an anthology of stories, under the direction of award-winning horror author Sèphera Girón, who has visited the house multiple times over the past few decades.

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Articles / For Readers

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 04/11/2025

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…)