Indie Bookshelf Releases 08/18/2023

by Stephanie Ellis · Published August 18, 2023 · Updated August 17, 2023

Got a book to launch, an event to promote, a kickstarter or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by Covid or life in general?

Get in touch and we’ll promote you here. The post is prepared each Thursday 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.

Before you scroll down through the books however, please could you consider checking out the ‘Creatives in Crisis’ section. This has been added to help those who need additional support at this time. Thank you!

Hi, my name is Nick Roberts, and I am raising money to help fellow author and family man, Sammy Scott, as he, his wife, and his teenage son navigate his sudden cancer diagnosis.

In the short time since he initially went to the hospital, Sammy has racked up well over $10,000 in medical bills, and they’re only continuing to mount. But I’ll let Sammy tell you in his own words what’s going on and then explain why I am organizing this fundraiser. Here is what Sammy posted on social media:

“Time for some real talk, everyone.

“Without going into a lot of minute details, I have not been feeling well for several weeks. Ten days ago, I was experiencing enough abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin that I went to the hospital, where they admitted me for five days as they ran scans and tests and managed my pain.

“I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma — cancer of the bile ducts of the liver. I will learn more about what stage I am in and what treatment options are available to me later this week. But it is likely quite serious.

“My wife and I are self-employed. We do have health insurance, but we carry a very high deductible and have already experienced a loss of income from when I was in the hospital. We can only assume this financial hardship will continue in some form as I seek treatment and will likely become too ill to work.

“Here is where you can help, and I apologize in advance for appealing to everyone’s sense of graciousness and support. … Thank you all in advance for your thoughts, prayers, and generosity.”

As you can see, Sammy is a private, humble guy, and until now, he’s kept the knowledge of his recent illness limited to his family and close friends. I consider myself lucky to be a part of that crew.

Please check out his collection on the ‘They Slipped Through the Net’ shelf and also his book, BETA, on the September shelf for pre-order. – Steph

‘On Sunday, July 16th, I went under for a 5-hour surgery to reconstruct my left eye. Doctors said it was in pieces and had to be put back together like a puzzle. The CT scan revealed that bullet fragments were embedded deep in my eye and had damaged the retina. Another surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19th to remove the bullet fragments and if possible repair the retina.

It will take time to learn to live with one eye, and as a freelancer, I won’t be able to work as I recover. And no work means no income.

This fundraiser is to help pay for medical treatment, lost income and clients, and for future legal expenses.

I have been watching as gun violence has been increasing in our country, and in retrospect, I know that I am very very lucky. Many families don’t get a second chance to hug their loved ones tight.

I want to take this opportunity to show you the real person behind the statistic, and that this was not a freak accident, but the result of a systemic issue we are facing here in the United States.

Thank you for your support.

Jessie’

‘Bill and Joyce Spangler managed to avoid being hit by the pieces of the Chinese booster rocket that fell to Earth in late 2022. So far, though, that’s all they’ve managed to avoid.

Over the past 18 months, the couple has been pummeled by a string of emergencies too preposterous for fiction. They could only happen in real life.

Bill is a comic book author, science fiction writer and a journalist. He’s perhaps best known for his work on various Robotech comic series, but he has written so much more, including a recent publication in the legendary magazine Weird Tales. Sadly, a genetic disorder, caused by a defect in the gene called PTEN, has caught up to him. PTEN has already claimed the life of his sister Mary. But no one is giving up on Bill. We want him to be around as long as possible.

Bill is facing many serious health problems that are overwhelming his ability to manage day-to-day tasks. He struggles to walk. He’s had many falls and injuries. Joyce does everything she can to help, but she has her own health challenges, such as fibromyalgia and arthritis, which limit what she can do. She works as a school psychologist, but the school year is about to end and she will have to go on unemployment. And these problems were aggravated when they had to replace the dishwasher, the home computer and the boiler that heats their home. (Yes, we’re serious.) She’s overwhelmed. He’s overwhelmed.

They won’t be able to afford the medical tests and procedures, as well as the associated costs to obtain the everyday home health care that Bill now needs. Friends and family have been generous with their help, but he needs someone who can be physically present every day. That requires money to hire professional help.

We’ve set a goal of $10,000 for the drive. According to GoFundMe rules, no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions can be offered in exchange for any donations made. If you can’t afford to give, or even if you can, please share this post. As the British say, every little helps.’

’From Edgar Allan Poe’s Ragged Mountains to the shores of Tidewater’s Seven Cities… From the blood-soaked battlegrounds of the Civil War to the shadowy political arena of the D.C. Beltway… We have four hundred years’ worth of ghost stories, folk horrors, small-town terrors, urban legends, backwoods beasts, otherworldly secrets, and down-home Southern Gothic. Within this idyllic landscape, there are many dark corners. Within these pages, Virginia authors explore twenty-three dangerous destinations, myths, and monsters from the Commonwealth’s past, present, and future. Read on, if you dare.

Dark Corners of the Old Dominion is a collaborative project by several Virginia authors including Joesph Maddrey, Michael Rook, Dr. Querus Abuttu, Bryan Nowak, Dee Southerland, D. Alexander Ward, and Red Lagoe.

Every author in this anthology has strong ties to Virginia and it is clear in the stories and poems they’ve created. They are steeped in the salty waters of the Chesapeake Bay, pulsing with the thrum of the beltway, and bleeding from old battlefield scars.

Each story and poem was donated by the individual authors, and all proceeds from sales will go to Scares That Care.’

For the marginalized and oppressed, the expression of dread varies greatly. There has been no safer place than art to communicate such powerful thoughts and feelings. And never have these voices been so embraced as in the horror genre. Hence, the existence of this important book—We’re Here: An Anthology of LGBTQ+ Horror. Comprised of twelve stories, We’re Here boldly speaks its mind, presents old and new horrors, and celebrates the beautiful spectrum of otherness. Even in fiction, we live our truths.

Contributing authors:
Judith Sonnet, Hailey Piper, Angelique Jordonna, Sumiko Saulson, Michael R. Collins, Pippa Bailey, Ruth Anna Evans, Evan J. Peterson, Dan B. Fierce, James Lefebure, Anton Cancre, Jason LaVelle

All proceeds go to The Trevor Project.

Three horrific stories of crop-killing fungal outbreaks, ancient sources of sustenance, and a ravishing hunger for which there is no cure.

“The Last Slaughter” by Douglas Ford

“Cat Food” by Holly Rae Garcia

“Rock of Ages” by Rebecca Rowland

“Being constantly hungry can make a person desperate. These three authors explore what horrors could transpire in a society where everyone is hungry all the time – an all too real possibility given the climate crisis the world is grappling with.” -Bev Vincent, author of Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences.

All proceeds benefit Texas food banks.

Not an anthology but a variety of things offered in order to support the Pixel Project in its campaign against violence against women. This particular spot is via the ever-wonderful and supportive, Angela Yuriko Smith. Check out what she is offering for a donation.

‘Please share if you can. Read For Pixels is getting hit hard in the moneys. There are all levels of awards, but $250 gets someone a talk show spot, written interview, audio podcast and a BONUS full page ad in Space and Time (magazine). Transferrable.’ – Angela Yuriko Smith.

Click the image for more info!

Terrified, desperate, and rebellious—before 1973, those were routine reactions for anyone trapped and in trouble. Access to reproductive health care has been chipped away for decades until a single decision once again mired a new generation in historic trauma and modern repression.

The voices of In Trouble explore the fantastic and ordinary ways lives are overturned by unplanned or unexpected arrivals.

This collection aims forward, delivering stories of radical agency and fierce self-direction, challenging the world of legally imposed vulnerability, exploited futures, and oppressive structures that have become so painfully real.

In Trouble is a vivid examination of power and self-determination.

The editors will donate 100% of net proceeds to benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Yes, 2022 has passed but any charity books out in December which were missed are included in the 2023 shelves for fairness’ sake.

‘Twas the fright before Christmas,
nightmares fill my head,
the creatures, they’re a-prowling
’til everyone is dead…

Welcome back to Deathlehem, where…

…a stranger grants a grieving father’s Christmas wish…
…charitable acts are purely self-serving…
…a man plans his last Christmas in a post-apocalyptic world…
…a serial killer targets the wrong victim…
…sometimes it’s better not to go home for the holidays…
…and more!

Seventeen more tales of holiday horrors to benefit The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Bodily transformation. Possession of the body. Forced disembodiment. A baby consumes its mother in utero. Unrealistic postpartum expectations turn deadly. A witch avenges the voiceless. These 16 original horror stories explore the ownership and control—or lack thereof—that we have over our bodies.

All profits from this anthology go to National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) to support reproductive freedom, access to birth control and abortion care, paid parental leave, and protection from pregnancy discrimination.

*All Horror Tree sponsors are able to claim a free spot at the top of our listing during the donation of their sponsorship. The book blurb/synopsis can also be displayed. Please use our contact form for more advertising pricing. This section is also available to supporters of Horror Tree, ie patrons and staff, as a thank you!

Contact form link: https://horrortree.co1m/contact/

Please also see gofundme above.

‘Exploring both the natural and the supernatural, the alien and the ghostly, the chilling and the horrific, these fourteen diversions first root themselves in the mundanity of everyday life before extending their branches into the very things and ideas that terrify us all. In At Home with the Horrors, Scott brings the nightmares to the one place where we should all feel the safest, and when it comes to horror, he proves that grief, loss, and guilt can be just as terrifying as ghosts and goblins.’

“Sammy Scott cements his status as a rising voice in horror fiction, and an author to watch—and to fear—in the genre.” — Ronald Malfi, bestselling author of Come with Me

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies (inc. non-fiction)

Novels and Novellas





			Short Story

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies

Novels and Novellas

Poetry

Short Story Collections (inc. non-fiction work)
1st		4th	8th	9th

11th	13th	21st

Anthologies
2nd	3rd	17th	18th

25th	29th YA

Novels and Novellas
1st			2nd	3rd

8th		10th		11th

15th			24th	25th

27th	29th	TBA

Re-release	Short Story	Short Story

Poetry
4th	TBA

Short Story Collections
12th	23rd	TBA

Anthologies
19th	19th	26th

Novels and Novellas
1st

	19th	22nd	TBA

Poetry

Short Story Collections
10th	TBA

Anthologies (including non-fiction)
15th	17th	24th

Novels and Novellas
3rd	10th	13th

23rd	TBA

Novels and Novellas
14th	21st	TBA

Short Story Collections
7th

Anthologies (including non-fiction)
TBA

Novels and Novellas
1st	TBA

Note: These shelves are very much ‘reminders’ of the magazines that are out there, so the covers might not change too often! Please let me know if there are magazines, journals, periodicals we are not aware of.

‘A long time ago there was an author who eventually became known as the “Father of Cosmic Horror and Weird Fiction.” That man was Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and his stories inspired generations of writers. Unfortunately, time and distance have revealed a darker bent to his works, one steeped in “-isms”: racism, sexism, ableism…to the point of xenophobia. For many horror writers, particularly ones of marginalized groups, this is a sticking point. How can you like and/or support something so steeped in these horrible beliefs? Recently, marginalized authors have worked hard to try and bring diversity and modern sensibilities to Lovecraft’s legacy, and Beyond the Bounds of Infinity seeks to continue that trend.

Published by Raw Dog Screaming Press, and edited by author Vaughn A. Jackson (Touched by Shadows, Up from the Deep) and HWA Maryland Chapter chair Stephanie Pearre, Beyond the Bounds of Infinity will be an anthology of cosmic horror and weird fiction populated with stories written entirely by people from marginalized groups. Of our planned 15-16 stories, at least 10 stories will be chosen by a submission based process, while the rest will be requested from specific contributors. The goal we have is to further aid in the reclamation of a genre from its hate-tinged roots by approaching it from a diverse perspective. Essentially, we want to bring forth stories that would make H.P. Lovecraft roll over in his grave.’

Though Uncanny continues to have multiple ways to support us, we still need the help of the Space Unicorn Kickstarter community to keep bringing you this amazing content. Unfortunately, there is a less than celebratory side to this Kickstarter. We learned earlier this year that a very large online eBook dealer is ending its magazine subscriptions and is moving Uncanny to their streaming service. They’ve revealed to us that this will mean a 50% reduction of our subscription earnings.

YOUR support, specifically, makes it possible for us to make our fiction freely available on our website. We need your help more than ever, Space Unicorns!

‘BE WARNED. These pages may contain haunted cafetoriums, the teacher’s real pet, PTA ritual performances, late-night study hall phantoms, and perhaps the straight-up horror of high school. As StokerCon revealed a high percentage of horror authors are also teachers. We wanted to explore this phenomenon while creating a spooky to downright terror to read.

Therefore all contributing authors have worked in schools in various positions. And since we know they’re not paid nearly enough, this Kickstarter is to make sure they get professional rates for this project.

We’ve solicited stories from former StokerCon guests (more will be added as they sign on) and will open the anthology to submissions too. We hope to bring you an ebook anthology in the summer of 2024.

Of course, we need your help to make this happen. We’ll be paying authors, cover designers, copy editors, and other essential positions because we believe in paying the artists for their work.’

My name is David Antrobus, my collective editing services fall under the business name of Be Write There, and I’m a freelance editor (and writer). I work with most genres, especially speculative and crime fiction, and I’m experienced in a range of editing levels, from developmental editing to stylistic/substantive editing to copyediting to proofreading. I also do manuscript evaluations. As a dual citizen of Canada and the UK who works largely with American writers, I am proficient at editing US, UK, and Canadian English. My email is [email protected] and my website is: www.bewritethere.com

Rich Handley has had an extensive background in the industry (see below AND visit his website). After recent redundancy, he is turning freelance. If you have any editing needs, please contact him via his website. Alternatively, he can be found on Rich Handley | LinkedIn, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rich.handley.3

Rich Handley has written, co-written, co-edited, or contributed to dozens of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about Planet of the Apes, Watchmen, Back to the Future, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, Stargate, Dark Shadows, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Red Dwarf, Blade Runner, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman, the Joker, classic monsters, and more. He has also been a magazine writer and editor for nearly three decades. Rich edited Eaglemoss’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, and he currently writes articles for Titan’s Star Trek Explorer magazine, as well as books for an as-yet-unannounced role-playing game. Learn more about Rich and his work at richhandley.com.

‘Edit Without Mercy assists you with all your editing needs – at an affordable price! Whether you require simple proof-reading for a short story or article, or more comprehensive proof-reading and editing for articles, essays, blogs, academic work, or junior fiction, Edit Without Mercy has the resources you need to ensure readable, error-free content. This also includes promotional material and marketing campaigns. As mentioned on the services page, while Claire will edit short fiction, she is only editing junior novel-length fiction at this time.

Edit Without Mercy is operated by Claire Fitzpatrick, a communications specialist, award-winning speculative fiction and non-fiction author, freelance journalist, and editor. She currently works alongside IFWG Publishing editing their middle grade fiction. Click the image for further information.

Happy reading.

Steph

on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team

About the Author
Latest Posts

Stephanie Ellis

Stephanie Ellis writes dark speculative prose and poetry and has been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Her longer work includes the folk horror novels, The Five Turns of the Wheel, Reborn, and The Woodcutter, and the post-apocalyptic/horror/sci-fi The Barricade, and the novellas, Bottled and Paused. Her dark poetry has been published in her collections Lilith Rising (co-authored with Shane Douglas Keene), Foundlings (co-authored with Cindy O’Quinn) and Metallurgy, as well as the HWA Poetry Showcase Volumes VI, VII, VIII, and IX and Black Spot Books Under Her Skin. She can be found supporting indie authors at HorrorTree.com via the weekly Indie Bookshelf Releases. She can be found at https://stephanieellis.org and on Blue Sky as stephellis.bsky.social.

Indie Bookshelf Releases 08/18/2023

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies (inc. non-fiction)

Novels and Novellas

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies

Novels and Novellas

Poetry

Short Story Collections (inc. non-fiction work)

Anthologies

Novels and Novellas

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies

Novels and Novellas

Poetry

Short Story Collections

Anthologies (including non-fiction)

Novels and Novellas

Novels and Novellas

Short Story Collections

Anthologies (including non-fiction)

Novels and Novellas

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