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Taking Submissions: Parenting Stories Gone Speculative

Deadline: September 1st, 2021
Payment: Equal split of $500 between all accepted authors
Theme: short parenting stories—CNF or fiction—that incorporate the weird, the surreal, or the speculative into the parenting narrative in some way.
You know those personal parenting essays you read in The New York Times? We don’t want those. We want your short, short parenting stories—CNF or fiction—that incorporate the weird, the surreal, or the speculative into the parenting narrative in some way. We want ghosts and robots and Children of the Corn. We want angry shouts into the void. We want deep love that withstands tidal waves. We want small, everyday moments that turn inside out. We want to be disturbed, to laugh, to whimper, to gasp at the audacity of a parent telling us THAT. Are you not a parent, but you are or were put into a parent-like role and something unexpected and/or creepy and/or mystical happened? We want to read your story, too. We want exceptional writing. We want purposeful prose. We want you and your words! (more…)

Articles

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August 2021: Tarot Cards for Writing Inspiration

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

 

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Dog Days (July 3 to August 1) were once thought to wreck havoc on “dogs and men alike”. (Source of quoted material: https://www.almanac.com/content/what-are-dog-days-summer) But it seems like people, in general, are wreaking plenty of havoc without the aiding and abetting presence of that rascally star Sirius. And while I may not believe that Sirius influences the weather here on earth, I know I have been feeling swamped with a bad case of the doldrums. So, let’s slog through this month’s tarot card reading for writing inspiration, and see if we can’t break free, eh?

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

 

Setting: Ace of Pentacles. An environment that is the epitome of luxury, wealth, and complete fulfillment. Hunger, fear, discomfort, pain—these things do not exist in the world the main character moves through. Everything is practically perfect for this pampered character—until the day comes when it’s not.

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

 

Character(s): Queen of Rods (Reversed). A person who has undergone a series of traumatic events, and has emerged scarred. Among the trauma she experienced was the loss of her beloved canine companion. Where she was once gracious and poised as her former elegant lifestyle dictated, she is now bitter and distrustful. She cuts all ties with her elite social circles and withdraws to a remote country cabin. Her cabin is surrounded by lush nature, and, during one of her long walks, she uncovers a source of wilding, dark energy. She uses this source to transform herself and become a vengeful and powerful entity.

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

 

Theme/Development: The Tower. She embarks on a vengeful quest to not only punish those who harmed her and her beloved dog, but humanity in general. She leaves behind a swath of death, destruction, and ruin behind her, but spares the animals, both wild and domesticated.

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

 

Conflict/Climax: Six of Swords. The main character, and the animals she liberated, are left wandering a world in ruins. She is at a loss at what to do next. She has never lived in a world that demanded physical labour from her. But as she stares out over the razed buildings, a bright star appears in the sky. It’s so bright, it illuminates the destruction she has left in her wake. And she knows what she has to do. She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work, cleaning up the mess she, and humanity in general, has left behind.

Photo courtesy of Canva.com

Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Rookery by Deborah Hewitt

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: The Rookery
Author: Deborah Hewitt
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 1oth August, 2021

Synopsis:

Follow Alice Wyndham into the Rookery, a magical alternate-London created to safely harbor those with magical abilities – or so Alice believes. Alice is an aviarist, someone who can see people’s souls in the form of birds, called nightjars. She has also inherited the magical gifts of Mielikki, the goddess of nature. But Alice’s powers have a dark side; she hopes that, by learning to master her other gifts, she’ll be able to quell the deadly magic which threatens her very existence. 

It’s not until Alice becomes the victim of a series of unexpected, seemingly inexplicable attacks that she realizes she’s not the only one in trouble. The Summer Tree, the linchpin of this world, is growing, and the Rookery begins crumbling around her. All her hopes and plans are thrown into disarray, and Alice discovers that, instead of running from it, she must embrace her deadly soul to save the people and place she loves – before their entire world falls apart.  

 

The Rookery is a darkly magical contemporary fantasy set a year after the events of The Nightjar, the first book in this duology. Like several other reviewers have noted, I didn’t realize that The Rookery was the second in a series, but that didn’t stop me from absolutely loving this book. In fact, the beginning of the story reiterates the events that led Alice to this point. For those who have read The Nightjar, this might feel a bit redundant; but for someone who accidentally read The Rookery first, the summary helped me get into the story quickly. 

The characters, the worldbuilding, the magic system: each element works together so well and creates such a rich, compelling narrative that I truly couldn’t put the book down. Hewitt draws on Finnish myth to build an interesting, complex magic system unlike any I’ve encountered before. The Rookery brims with life, lore, and history of its own; each turn of the page brings something new to discover, a new character to meet. The book left me amazed at the depth of the author’s imagination. 

Alice is the kind of heroine I love to read about. She’s flawed but clever, loving but brutal when she needs to be, and she really develops on the page. I appreciate that the minor characters have lives and stories of their own, too; they’re not just devices to move forward Alice’s agenda. Many readers will love the slow burn between Alice and Crowley, but the most interesting and complex relationship in the book, for me, is between Alice and Tuoni. Hewitt masterfully navigates all sorts of relationships – romantic, familial, friendships – making the characters themselves feel so much more real.

While The Rookery is quite firmly fantasy with a bit of romance mixed in, there are some truly horrific scenes in the book, too, which will appeal to readers with a taste for the genre’s darker side. The result of Holly’s membership test, for example, was so surprising, and so gruesome, that it shocked me. I just didn’t expect that level of brutality from the book, or the suddenness of it, which made the world that much more realistic and gave the magic system a cold, unforgiving logic. 

Finally, Hewitt’s writing is top notch, crafting a compulsively readable story. She tightly maps an action-packed tale full of twists, turns, and artfully plotted subtext that provides a highly satisfying pay off at the end. Ultimately, she has created a story and a world that never fails to feel real – one might think it possible to peel back the layers of this world, and step through into the Rookery. 

Star Rating: 5/5

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.

Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Slattery Falls by Brennan LaFaro

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: Slattery Falls
Author: Brennan LaFaro
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Silver Shamrock Publishing
Release Date: 20th July, 2021

Synopsis: Travis, Elsie, and Josh, college kids with a ghost-hunting habit, scour New England for the most interesting haunted locales. Their journey eventually leads them to Slattery Falls, a small Massachusetts town living in the shadow of the Weeks House. The former home of the town’s most sinister and feared resident sits empty. At least that’s what the citizens say. It’s all in good fun. But after navigating the strange home, they find the residents couldn’t be more wrong. And now the roles are reversed. The hunters have become the hunted. Something evil refuses to release its grip, forcing the trio into one last adventure.

The style in which this novella is written draws the reader in quickly. It’s conversational, which makes it easy to build a connection with Travis, our narrator. Speaking of characters… Travis, Elise, and Josh are well developed characters with lovely and dynamic relationships. I particularly enjoyed Josh. I recognized the hints toward Asperger’s, and I appreciated that LaFaro included a differently-abled character as a protagonist in this story. 

My one minor complaint about the story revolves around why the antagonist targeted Travis, Elise, and Josh. We are told that together, they are powerful, but never why or what connection they have to Weeks. It must have been important for the antagonist to go out of his way to target them (and to have watched them for so long), but we are left without knowing those reasons. The book would have benefited from more explanation in this regard.

Slattery Falls was a great read with crisp writing, and characters that I’m sure will stick with me. The friendship between Travis and Josh was beautifully written, and their easy banter made me laugh out loud multiple times. I love the novella format in the horror genre. I believe it is a perfect length to keep the reader’s interest, while maximizing tension and storytelling. LaFaro has used this to wonderful effect, and I’m excited to read what he comes out with next. 

4.5 Stars out of 5

Available from Amazon.

Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 08/01/21

Please note: We are temporarily closed to short flash stories (unless for one of the Specials) but open to drabbles, unholy trinities and serials. We hope to reopen later in the year once we have caught up with the publication of those already accepted. Please also remember to read our guidelines, especially on word counts!

Dear all,

I had written up an editorial and it was all primed and ready to go but that will now be held over to next week. On Thursday, I received an email from Stephen Bustanoby’s former landlady letting me know that Stephen sadly passed away on the 26th July. Looking back at our records, I found he started submitting to us early summer 2020 with serials and short stories and was building up a solid record of acceptance with his actual publications appearing earlier this year. His landlady also told me that she is nowhere the character’s age or description in his serial, The Boarder(!) and that she will miss him. It is sad to see an emerging talent cut short in this manner and Horror Tree would like to extend their condolences to his family and friends.

On behalf of Stuart, Steph, Amanda and everyone at Horror Tree

 

 

Trembling With Fear 1st Aug:

Due to a slight mix-up – such things happen – we have two short stories in Trembling with Fear this week. The first of these is The Phobic Vampire by Martin P. Fuller. Martin is always someone I can trust to bring in some lovely touches of humour to our dark little genre. The Phobic Vampire is an exploration of what it takes to fill such a bloody role adequately, and perhaps a warning to those who seek to ‘turn’ others that they should look into their history first!

Our second short story is A Time of Loneliness by Varian Ross and is one of the most beautiful and touching zombie stories I have ever read. This tale brings back the humanity to those often thought of as nothing but rotting flesh, reminding us that maybe, just maybe, there is something still left behind.

Fortune Cookie by RJ Meldrum plays into the human weakness of believing the old fortune teller. Is it luck that causes the outcome of this story or something else though?

Purblind by Patrick Winters gives a whole new meaning to the term recycling and reuse, all in the name of greed.

The Convent by Mike Rader is a lovely little religious chiller. It makes you look at the main character in two ways – is she someone with compassion, or someone who wrought horror in the first place?

Enjoy our stories and send in yours!

Steph

 

Stephanie Ellis

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Hello all! I’m busy traveling this week and the next week and a half so things are a bit messy. Not much in the way of updates this week though I’m hoping to have some news next! 
One final reminder – All of this year’s Trembling With Fear copies are now available both in physical and digital format which you can find below! Please, if you’ve ordered these or previous installments, do leave a review on Amazon!

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Grimoire of the Four Imposters by Coy Hall

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: The Grimoire of the Four Imposters
Author: Coy Hall
Genre: Occult Horror
Publisher: Nosetouch Press
Release Date: 7th September, 2021

Synopsis: JOURNEY INTO THE OCCULT, WHERE HISTORY IS HORROR.

Presented in six tales, Grimoire of the Four Impostors takes readers on a dark tour of the 17th century, where corners of the world stand in shadow. Here grimoires possess secrets, impostors beguile the unwary, temptation turns macabre, and the night is no friend.

Embrace the Martyr
Touch the Nightshade
Taste the Brine
Wield the Hatchet

DECIPHER THE GRIMOIRE

This is a wonderful collection of stories, all linked via the thread of the occult and ‘magic’. Two stories ‘bookend’ the four, providing the reference to the grimoire, its nature and its ultimate fate. The four tales inbetween take you from an encounter between a wealthy Hungarian and a scholar, to the destruction of an abbey, to sailors marooned on a Caribbean island, to a journeyman executioner. Each of these stories is ‘tainted’ by a being which is not human, though it may appear so in some aspects. Each tale is tangibly linked to the others with its theme of the creation of life from the inanimate or the dead, the secrets of which are held in the grimoire itself. Richly descriptive, hugely atmospheric, these stories blend the occult with folk horror and the gothic. An intelligent and refreshing addition to the world of literary speculative fiction.

5/5 stars

Available from a number of sources – all listed here Nosetouch Press, Bookshop, and Amazon.

Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 07/30/21

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.

Got a book to launch, an event to promote 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.

Services

Editing: Michael David Wilson, This Is Horror Founder and Editor In Chief, podcaster, and writer (The Girl in the Video) is currently offering his freelance editing services. “Michael David Wilson invented the fine-toothed comb. His attention to detail is second to none, and he has a wonderful understanding of structure. This is a guy who knows how good writing works.”—Ray Cluley, author of WATER FOR DROWNING Michael has over ten years of editing experience and has edited books by Josh Malerman, Pat Cadigan, Stephen Graham Jones, David Moody, and many others. He’s worked with various publishing houses and small presses including Rebellion Publishing and Broken River Books. Prices start from £0.01/word. For further information go here: michaeldavidwilson.co.uk/editing/. Contact Michael: [email protected]

Editing, critiquing, artwork – Eugene Johnson is a man of many talents, an award-winning editor, filmmaker and artist. He will be will be selling his art, book covers, book art, logo designs, making prints, offering short story critiques/edits, special book projects like a coloring book he’s creating with another author and more for a small fee. Initially to fund desperately needed repairs on his car, once that is complete he hopes to turn his focus towards helping others that need support. Join him in his endeavours in getting this help to those who need it. Contact him via https://plaiddragonpublishing.com/ and he can also be found on https://www.facebook.com/eugene.johnson.14855. If you’d like to help him get his car fixed that bit quicker, please drop in on his Fundraiser set up by friends. (I think another link will be set up in the near future regarding his services and I’ll update it here when that happens.)

Editing – Elle Turpitt, elleturpittediting.com, is facing redundancy. Help her by considering her as an editor. She is available for all editing work – short story, novella, novel, or chapter extracts. She also has a Ko-Fi (ko-fi.com/elleturpitt), or if you’d rather send a little gift to help her smile at a stressful time, she has a wishlist set up for this month (amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls). All support is appreciated. 

 

Writing and Editing Services from Ben Long. Go to Ben for ‘Killer Copy, Creative Content, and Eye-opening Edits’! Ben is ‘a passionate and engaging freelancer with 2+ years of experience in a variety of writing and editing endeavors. He is also a regular contributor to several online brands in the horror niche.’ You can find out more about him here https://readingvicariously.net/services/.

 

Events

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

Buzz Book Expo 2021 4th – 5th Sept. Showcases horror novels and novellas due for publication Sept 2021 to Dec 2022. Organised by Mary Sangiovanni, Somer Canon, Matt Wildasin and Katie Southard. Click the image for more info.

 

 

Charity Anthologies

 

 Tales Of The Lost Volume Two- A charity anthology for Covid- 19 Relief: Tales To Get Lost In A CHARITY ANTHOLOGY FOR COVID-19 RELIEF by [Gaiman, Neil,, Hill, Joe,, Johnson, Eugene M,]  Flashes of Hope by [Anna Taborska, Dave Jeffery, Amy Grech, Matthew Davis, John Cady, Emma Lee, Gwen Weir, Ken Goldman, Alyson Faye, Theresa Derwin]    

 

Latest Book Launches

Horror Tree Sponsor* and Patreon Releases!

24th June

9th JulyTrembling With Fear: Year 4 by [Stuart Conover, Stephanie Ellis] Trembling With Fear: More Tales From The Tree: Volume 3 by [Stuart Conover, Stephanie Ellis, Catherine Kenwell] Trembling With Fear: Serial Killers: Volume 2 by [Stuart Conover, Stephanie Ellis, Catherine Kenwell]

*All Horror Tree sponsors are able to claim a spot at the top of our listing during the donation of their sponsorship. Please use our contact form for more advertising pricing.
 
 

They Slipped Through the Net!

      Dark Words: Stories of Urban Legends and Folk Lore by [Dandelion Publishing, Leonie M. Smith, Steve Clark, Simon Paul Wilson, Eygló Karlsdóttir, Alexander C. Bailey, Gavin Dillinger, Richard Gerlach, J.C. Walsh, Cassie Daley] ABC's of Terror, Volume 3 by [Dawn Shea, Chris Miller, M Ennenbach, Patrick C. Harrison III, Gary McDonough, Ruthann Jagge, David Green, Trisha McKee, Mark Young, Steve Thompson] The Web of La Sanguinaire and Other Arachnid Horrors by [Ronald Kelly]

June

15 Trench Mouth by [Christine Morgan]15 Murmur: Collected Horror16 17 Far, Far Away Anthology - Ebook

8 18 24  25 Dismal Dreams by [Red Lagoe]

26 The Creeping Void: Terror on the Highlands (AFTER: A POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVOR SERIES) by [Tim Mendees]29 Savage Island by [Brian Moreland]29 Apocalypse, Zombie (Guardians of the Apocalypse Book 6) by [Jeff Thomson]29 

30  30 Side Roads: A Dark Fiction Collection by [Rachel A. Brune]

July

1 2 Non-Practicing Cultist (Short Sharp Shocks! Book 75) by [Scott J. Moses]2 Milk Kisses & Other Stories (Short Sharp Shocks! Book 68) by [Ross Jeffery]4

6 Lambs Among Wolves by [Russell James] 6 7 The Samaritan by [Dave Jeffery] 7 A Gift of Death by [Daniel J. Volpe]

8 Dead Men Tell No Tales by [Jeffrey Kosh] 9 9 After the Fall (Underground Book 5) by [Stephen Herczeg] 12 Brand New Dark by Beau Johnson

13 Picture13 Separating You: A Self-Help Book for the Lost, Lonely, and Psychotically Obsessed by [Jason Carson]14 Demons Never Die: A Collection of Artwork & Flash Fiction by [P.J. Blakey-Novis, David Paul Harris] 14

15 Immortelle by [Catherine McCarthy]15 15 15

16 Abhorrent Siren by [John Baltisberger] 20 20 Slattery Falls by [Brennan LaFaro] 20 Only The Stains Remain by [Ross Jeffery]

21 J is for Jack-o'-Lantern (A to Z of Horror Book 10) by [Daniel R. Robichaud, Dona Fox, Sofie Wilkes, Robert P. Ottone, Rob Robson, Ariel Dodson, Donna Cuttress, Tori Danielle Romero, Sarah Jane Huntington, Jack Joseph] 23 Beyond Human23 Back from the Dead: A Collection of Zombie Fiction by [C.M. Saunders, Greg Chapman]23

29 Absolute Unit by [Nick Kolakowski, Crystal Lake Publishing] 30 They Come in the Night by [Lynn-Cee Faulk]

August

3 The Final Gate by [Wesley Southard, Lucas Mangum] 5 6 6 Oblivion in Flux: A Collection of Cyber Prose by [Maxwell Ian Gold, Crystal Lake Publishing]

17 Below by [Kev Harrison] 26 The Girl in the Attic by [Jon Athan]

September

1 The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales by [Eric LaRocca] 1 Writers Workshop of Horror 2 by [Michael Knost] 6 Picture 7 Grimoire of the Four Impostors by [Coy Hall]

10Floaters by [Garrett Boatman, Crystal Lake Publishing]21 The House of Little Bones by [Beverley Lee]22 28 Midnight From Beyond the Stars by [Gabino Iglesias, James Newman, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tim Curran, Lee Murray, Ronald Kelly, Samantha Kolesnik, William Meikle, Kenneth W. Cain]

30 Kill Kit Killers: Premeditated murder, proved with their kits TBA 

October

1 Gorefest: Extreme Horror Anthology by [Wrath James White, Stephen Kozeniewski, Armand Rosamilia, Wesley Southard, Jay Wilburn, Jonathan Butcher, Jack Bantry, Robert Essig, Patrick C. Harrison, K. Trap Jones] 1 A House At War: House Arrath Book 11 

November

12 With Benefits: What's a bit of fun between friends?

Kickstarters!

MEMENTO MORI – A Horror Noir Graphic Novel MEMENTO MORI – A Horror Noir Graphic Novel. A 64-page full-color story about the serial killer who resurrects Victorian Post-Mortem photography into a modern work of art.

Project image for Fright Unseen Launch Pack

Happy reading.

Steph

 on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team

 

Trembling With Fear

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Unholy Trinity: Tribulations of Youth by Yvonne Lang

Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.

I

Jane breathed deeply, trying to quell her nausea. Had her drink been spiked? Everything felt fuzzy and her brain was fumbling for coherent thoughts. The cold air was helping as she gulped it in. She’d be more careful at the next party. Something rough was digging into her soles. Jane was paralysed as she realised she was stood barefoot on a window ledge at least a dozen storeys up. She gripped onto the wall, desperately trying to edge back inside. Then a pair of hands shoved her and for a few seconds Jane was flying before she hit the ground.

II

The girl’s blonde hair was splayed like a halo round her crumpled face. A mess of twisted limbs and jutting bones seeped in blood. Students from the party claimed it was Jane, who had unexpectantly jumped. Sarah tried to remain professional in her role as security officer, but the girl looked so young. Her concaved head had been the first thing to hit the ground, shattered wrists had tried to break her fall. Jumpers hit the ground feet first, had smashed ankles. No-one depressed enough to fling themselves off a roof dove headfirst. Sarah reckoned this girl had been pushed.

III

Glynn stood in the empty room. She had packed up her candles, wiped away the red lettered incantations from the walls and scrubbed the chalk pentagram from the floorboards. This abandoned building was earmarked for demolition, yet students still flocked to the lower floors for parties. Glynn could sidle up to a vulnerable soul and lure them to her thirteenth floor. Another sacrifice to keep her young. These days it was easy pickings. Social media wrecking people’s mental health as well as thousands of new and vulnerable people shipped here annually. The humans were making her eternal existence even easier.

Yvonne Lang

Yvonne’s short stories and comedy articles have been featured in a range of publications, from Sugar Magazine to Your Cat Magazine, as well as local publications such as Northern Life Magazine and ranking highly in competitions throughout the UK. She has featured in online publications Café Lit Magazine and has had drabbles on The Daily Drabble. Her latest horror stories have been published as part of the Short Sharp Shock Series by Demain Publishing and are available on Amazon. Her horror has featured in Siren Magazine, Schlock Magazine and her science fiction on sites such as 365 tomorrows. She resides in Yorkshire, England with her partner and cat.