May 6, 2023

May 2023 Horoscopes: Birds of a Feather…Kill Together!

So, as you may have caught on, May’s horoscopes are soaring to new heights with our feathered partners-in-horror! Let the hunt for prey begin as we take to the skies–or even all the way out to the stars!

Disclaimer: These are mock horoscopes and are meant for entertainment purposes only, and are not representative of any particular person or people. For sources, I relied on my own observations of birds I spotted in the wild, or encountered at the wildlife rehabilitation center I worked at, as well as utilizing the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds” online database for more info on some of the birds listed below.

Want to research birds for your spooky book or story? Check out these great online resources:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home
Birds & Blooms Magazine/Newsletter: https://www.birdsandblooms.com/
Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/birding

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Articles / Guides / Writing Advice

March 20, 2023

by Willow Croft

Putting the Neon Back into Spring: Cultivating Inspiration in 2023!

In glowing green tribute to the recent visit of the comet, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), let your creative spaces dazzle with such brightness that they, too, might be seen throughout the galaxy!

(I’ve also made an inspiration page over on Pinterest. Check it out here: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorWillowCroft/2023-spring-equinox-inspiration/)

Spring Equinox (Ostara): March 20

Seasonal Symbolism: Awakening, Energy, Movement, Treasure Hunts, Discovery, Knowledge, Spiritual Quests, Activity, Intergalactic Contact, Adventure, Travel, Evolution, and Guardians such as Rabbits, Lizards, Snakes, Scorpions, Alligators, or Dragonflies.

Writing Prompt: What if your characters had to navigate a world that was suddenly plunged into darkness? Would they even survive, and if so, how would they adapt? What if your story took place on a world that had never known light and yet had a thriving society of life forms?

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Guest Post / Guides / Writing Advice

February 1, 2023

by Willow Croft

February 2023: Tarot Cards for Creative Inspiration

I was so excited to do this reading! I mean, February, am-I-right-or-am-I-right? Paranormal romance, supernatural romance, historical romance, space opera, you name it! The romance-theme possibilities are endless!

Well, until the fates intervened by way of the cards, and no matter how much I glared at them, they weren’t giving up their creatively inspiring secrets. Instead, the message was all about inner reflection—essentially, “Creative, love thyself.”

Pooh. I mean, if we wanted to spend time with ourselves, would we really choose to engage in activities that kept us in our heads (or creative ether realms) most of the time? Realms where we hang out with the exciting array of the characters we’ve created? Especially when reality is probably even more discouragingly real right about now.

Again, sigh.

Still, this reading came out they way it did for a reason, so, take what resonates with you on this 2023 journey, and perhaps we’ll learn to nurture ourselves as carefully as we do our characters, our stories, our artistic creations.

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Articles / Guides

November 24, 2022

by Stuart Conover

Into Vs. In To: What’s The Difference?

Grammar can be a confusing concept to grasp. There are just so many rules to remember!

One of the main grammatical mistakes that people make is getting “into” and “in to” mixed up. So if you are one of the people who gets these phrases mixed up, you may find it reassuring to learn that this is a common issue.

Luckily, this straightforward guide will help you to better understand the difference between them.

Into Vs. In To What’s The Difference

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Articles / Guest Post / Guides

September 4, 2020

by Stephanie Ellis

Friday Update: Pandemic Book Launches, Events and Supporting Creatives

Pandemic Author Support, Book Launches and Events 28.08.20

In addition to Jim McLeod’s Pandemic Book Launch group on Facebook – go here for more infomation – Joe Mynhardt has set up a collaborative Facebook group for the independent presses: Hot Off the Indie Press, check it out here. Click on the book covers for more information.

Support Your Indie Authors and Reviewers

This is a new feature which I hope will help bring extra work to those who’ve been hit economically by Covid. If you’ve lost your day job, had hours cut, are struggling and have services to offer, a patreon page to promote etc, let us know and we’ll plug them here. Note, Todd didn’t approach us – I saw his post on Facebook and thought this would be a good way to support a terrific writer (and yes, buy Devil’s Creek!)

Todd Keisling – author of Devil’s Creek, Ugly Little Things is not just a writer. He also designs book interiors, frontispieces and can provide other services related to marketing campaigns. For more information go here. Buy his books here. Support him on patreon here.

Victoria Wilder – writer, singer, actress. Someone who must surely be experiencing career hits in all directions at present – buy her book here and please check out her patreon here.

Irene Lofthouse – author of Strange Tales in Bradford Dale, editor of Stories from Stone, creator of performances, is not just a writer. She’s also a historical researcher, editor, tutor, creative facilitator and can provide other services related to education and learning resources. For more information go here. Buy her books here.

Erin Al-Mehairi – writer, editor and stalwart of the community has lost a lot of work recently and is offering discounted editing services to new clients for short stories, novellas and novels. Payment plans are also possible! For more details go here https://hookofabook.wordpress.com/editing/

Chad Lutzke – a writer whose name is frequently seen in indie horror has a patreon here. Get free stories, interact or simply offer some much-needed support. You can also buy his books here. I just picked up a copy of Of Foster Homes and Flies.

Events

28th-31st Aug inclusive – London FrightFest. Showing up to 25 films, special guests and Q&A sessions. More information and tickets here.

15th-29th Sept inclusive – StoryFest 2020. The Westport Library will we will premiere 13 live and pre-recorded events. These events will feature top authors and creators in genre fiction, comics, young adult fiction, and middle grade fiction. In cross-genre panels, they will explore the big ideas at the heart of telling stories in today’s world. Information here.

7-11th October – GrimmFest. Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Films. Information here.

16th October – Phoenix FearCon. Online Horror Film Festival. Information here.

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

Pandemic Book Launches

*********** Charity Anthologies ************

Autumn! We are Wolves

They Slipped Through the Net

This section features books published during lockdown but which have only just come onto our radar (plus special editions newly released).

30th July

August 2020

25th 25th 25th 26th

28th 31st 31st

September 2020

1st 1st 1st 4th

8th 10th 15th 15th

15th 15th 15th 29th

October 2020

13th 13th 13th 20th

November

17th

Happy reading.

Steph

on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team

Articles / Guest Post / Guides

August 28, 2020

by Stephanie Ellis

Friday Update: Pandemic Book Launches, Events and Supporting Creatives

Pandemic Author Support, Book Launches and Events 28.08.20

In addition to Jim McLeod’s Pandemic Book Launch group on Facebook – go here for more infomation – Joe Mynhardt has set up a collaborative Facebook group for the independent presses: Hot Off the Indie Press, check it out here. Click on the book covers for more information.