The Horror Tree Recent Markets, Articles, Interviews, and Fiction!

Events / Magazine / Pro / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores – EARLY

Deadline: April 1st-3rd, 2021
Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints
Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world.
Note: Reprints welcome

 

 

Submissions Schedule

We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020:
The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T.
Only one submission per person.

For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers.

We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles.
For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word.

We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here.

You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc.

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Events

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The World’s Most Magnificent Libraries

Like many avid readers, my love of books began at my local library. I grew up in a small town, and our library was equally small; a single room below the town hall, just over a bridge which was the subject of a scary local urban legend! And it had the best thing any library can ever have: an amazing and passionate librarian.

When people think of libraries, they often just think of a room with lots of books. But it’s the people that really make it. You won’t remember all the books you borrowed, but you will remember a great librarian. Forever.

But libraries don’t only hold books. There are many more reasons that people visit libraries, and a lot more that they can see there. From comic books and maps to wolf pelts and smells, The World’s Most Magnificent Libraries (Great Big Story) explores the most awe-inspiring and unexpected of libraries from around the globe.
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Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

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: My Soul to Keep
Author: Tananarive Due
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: 8th April, 1998

Synopsis: When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost. Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever.

Harrowing, engrossing and skillfully rendered, My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force that Stephen King called ‘An eerie epic’ is sure to win Due a legion of new fans.

A most welcome development in the vampire subgenre—the increase in the number of writers of colour. In My Soul to Keep, Bram Stoker Award finalist and Miami Herald columnist Tananarive Due draws upon her Ethiopian heritage to craft vivid vampire characters within this new tradition. 

Jessica is a journalist in Florida keen to advance her career, raise her daughter Kira, and maintain her marriage to David; not an easy balance to strike, especially when David’s behaviour becomes increasingly challenging and concerning. They met when he was her Spanish tutor at university. Jessica was bowled over by the sophisticated man who seemed to know everything. It’s a familiar idea, but David has kept from his wife that he’s a vampire—so, ‘older man’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. 

David’s work provides an opportunity to pursue his second life. This includes sneaking over to the nursing home where his other daughter is drawing her last breath, decades after she last saw him, to be with her at the end. Courtesy of his longevity, most of the women he’s loved in the past are long dead, though he hasn’t forgotten them and has barely changed since. Centuries ago, David abandoned the vampire order home in Ethiopia. Since then, he’s been cast into slavery and transported to America, freed himself, and made a new life. However, he is still pursued by members of his order determined to remind him of his pledge and punish him for breaking it. 

Much of this novel’s tension comes from David’s physical violence. It can be very gruesome but never gratuitous. Some rationale for killing—the urgent need to conceal his identity, and to silence those who have (accidentally or otherwise) uncovered the truth. Gradually, the killing circle engulfs their close family; the price of David’s vampire condition is laid bare. Bloodlust supplies the remainder of his motivation. 

As vampire stories go, this is toward the literary end of the spectrum. The writing is excellent. Much of the reader’s time is spent with David as the point-of-view character, which means we experience both his ruthless love of killing and his yearning for those he has loved and lost. Jessica is the other main point-of-view character, and through her the more affirmatory story aspects are told: the bravery of standing up to David, her care and love for Kira, and her determination to establish a truth ever closer to home, and to face the consequences head on supported by the strong women in her family. 

The story’s vibrancy is partly due to superb characterization. I mostly enjoyed the development of a full and impressive backstory based upon David’s Ethiopian heritage, and his personal experiences since leaving his vampire order to go it alone. Vampire traditions exist all over the world, and writers of colour are only getting started in sharing their cultural richness within the subgenre. There is much for them yet to draw upon and this bodes well for one of horror’s best loved subgenres.

5/5 stars

Available from Bookshop and Amazon.

Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 03/14/21

It’s raining as I write this, yesterday was beautiful blue sky – oh, the joys of spring but our walk was quieter as kids had gone back to school and weren’t out and about. We’ve also got a date for our first covid jabs, not til end of March and bizarrely we can’t get it in our home city, instead have to travel to Portsmouth but we’re booked in so it’s a positive and we can’t complain too much. If we’ve moved by then (still progressing at snail’s pace but moving forward), we might have to reschedule but hopefully that’ll be easily sorted.

In terms of writing, I’ve got back into writing the novel I created last NaNoWriMo and having fun with that. I’m also working on a short story submission and I received a rejection for another short. The latter still happens quite frequently and is pretty much a given in our trade so I’m not going to let it get to me too much. I was able to temper the rejection downer with seeing the cover for Samantha Kolesnik’s Far From Home anthology (Off Limits Press) in which I have a story. This will be released on May 15th which is my birthday so it’s a wonderful present! Horror Tree is still my go-to for call outs and it’s where I found that one.

Update on last weekend’s purchase of TWF contributor Kevin M. Folliard’s dark fantasy novella, Tower of Raven – it is excellent. I’m now reading John F. Leonard’s The Dead Boxes Archive and really enjoying that.

Editorial plea again. PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. I’m still getting stories exceeding our flash wordcounts. I’m also receiving stories sent in the body of the email (don’t) and also the use of spaces instead of the paragraph first line indent. I would also suggest considering the content of your stories. We are a horror site yes, but we carry a certain rating and if something is extremely explicit, it probably won’t get published. Nor do we publish stories which are simply gratuitous in terms of violence and/or direct this violence towards children and women. The trope of the bound and beaten woman is a bit wearing to me personally. I would also expect as a minimum, something in the cover letter to say who you are (your name!) and the bio we request. Receiving a story attached to a blank email is hard to respond to. Ok, lecture over! Hate having a moan but …

Our first story this week in Trembling with Fear is Family Recipe by Kevin Warmerdam and is a neatly-told tale of consequences, of things implied rather than explicitly stated. Also might make you think twice before you try out an old recipe – especially one that’s been in the family a long time!

The Lovely Alessandra by Hillary Lyon is a fun take on where the development of robotics could take you. Great gossipy tone in this one which made me smile.

The Dancing King by Scarlet Berry has some lovely imagery and I enjoyed the almost fairy tale quality to the story.

Turn and Face the Strange by Patrick Winters is a perfect little story describing a gradual transformation. Patrick is someone I regard as an absolute master of the drabble. His writing never feels forced or stereotypical, it’s always smooth, nuanced and well-paced.

 

Take care

Steph

Stephanie Ellis

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Before I get into Horror Tree and Trembling With Fear this week, I’d like to send a personal thank you to a TWF contributor who you have probably seen here a ‘few’ times in the past, and today’s drabbles – Patrick Winters. My personal writing has taken a huge hit this last year and while I have been able to finish a few short stories and edits on one of my novels, I’ve mainly been working on Drabbles as of late. I’ve been trying to continue getting something written and quite often this is all the time and brain capacity I can put towards my own writing. He recently pointed me to Black Ink Fiction where some of my Drabbles will be coming out from later this year.

On to Trembling With Fear – We’re inching ever closer to our next releases! My goal here in the next week is to put together our back cover text and that will put us almost where we need to be in order to move forward on finalizing covers – WEWT!

Not much new on the horizon for Horror Tree. I’m still a couple of weeks away from starting to work on the new layout and that will be our next big push. More news to come!

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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Articles

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Stitched Lips: How An Anthology Came To Be

I want to talk a little about my dead wife. That’s a good opener, right? Grabs your attention right out of the gate. Liz Dahl MacGregor and I were together for 21 years. Married for 17 of those. She was brilliant, funny, quick-witted, and sassy AF. She also had the biggest heart of almost anyone I’ve ever known. And she was tough. Liz fought hard for what she believed in. She went to law school with the goal of someday getting into politics and making some real positive change in the world. I bet she would have pulled it off, too. She was that kind of person.

I’ll give you an example: we were hanging out in a park, by the river, a short walk from our house. Our kids were throwing rocks in the water and my older asked why there wasn’t a playground in this park. Liz said, “You know what? That’s an excellent question.” She then went on to help organize a committee to petition the city to build one. She helped raise money for it, and was instrumental in ensuring that it was accessible to all sorts of children. That playground exists today because of my dead wife. A plaque dedicating it to her memory is prominently displayed next to it.

This is who she was. She would see a need that had to be filled, and she would do what it took to fill it. She knew hundreds of people, and she was constantly making connections. Someone would comment that they wanted to start a bakery; Liz would say, “Oh, hey. You should totally meet up with [name]. They are looking to back a small business, and the love donuts!” Then, the two people would meet, introduced by her, and within a year, we’d have a new bakery. It was kind of amazing.

When she died, we held three memorials for her: the first was small, close friends and family. We told stories about her, songs were sung, and a lot of tears were shed. That was where the mayor told me she was going to make sure they dedicated the playground to her. The second was her family’s memorial. That was cathartic for them, and, to a lesser degree, myself. The third was held in a large public building (donated by the organization that ran it), catered (mostly donated as well), where a band played for free, and a lot of us got up to speak (and sing again). The hall was packed, with over 300 people in a cavernous space with no A/C in 90+ degree heat. This is how much she was loved.
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Trembling With Fear

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Unholy Trinity: Blind to the Supernatural by Martin P. Fuller

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.

Blind to the Supernatural

Can you feel the sudden chill, Alice? A frigid disturbance in the air; shivers blending with a tingling on your skin. It’s here, invading your private darkness; revealing itself in cruel whispers. And what does it say in those hushed messages? Descriptions of a miserable eternity; suffering torments and disappointment. But you can’t see the obscene obsidian shadow.
Although you feel its evil, its foul nature, your blindness protects against horror. Your brave words of defiance crush its malevolence.  Its coldness countered by a warm jumper; the insidious sound drowned by earphones of rock music. Only lonely, frustrated cries remain.

Evil’s colour

Carlton Williams loved white. Traumatic childhood memories left a morbid fear of the dark and those gloomy shadows normally found in any dwelling. The death of his rich parents left him free to pursue his phobic obsession.  Hence his large shining white house with matching interior and furniture blending into white walls and carpets. Everything illuminated by the latest in L.E.D lighting, dispelling any trace of darkness.  Williams lived in brightness, black dreams and fears dispelled. How unfortunate a demon of bone white prowled, waiting like the winter wolf under the snow, to plunge its ivory fangs into Williams pale neck.

Nothing goes to waste

A halo of bright crimson spreads outwards from the dead man’s head. Ali has no regrets as regards the corpse at his feet. The man had been a blackmailer. A miner of his buried secrets who’d threatened to expose him as a psychotic killer. Unless, of course, he was paid a huge amount of money and Ali disposed of a business rival on his behalf. The gross indignity shocked his usually cold persona and cleaving the man’s skull in two had been the only honourable option. And on the bright side, he’d provide enough meat to see him through the winter.

Martin P. Fuller

Martin lives in his shoebox house in West Yorkshire. He was in his previous exitances: a beer salesman, a pall bearer, a car delivery driver, and oh yes… a police officer for over 34 years.  

He started to write in 2013 after attending a creative writing class and since then has become a writing course junkie. 

Discovering his dark side, Martin has had a number of stories published in Trembling with Fear and several other anthologies including Deadcades published by Infernal Clock.

Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 03/12/21

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? 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.

Support Your Indie Authors and Reviewers

This is a space 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 new venture, a patreon page to promote etc, let us know and we’ll plug them here.

James Gauvreau is offering proofreading and editing services: $1.50 per 250 words for basic proofreading, and $5 per 250 words for developmental editing (proofreading, structural suggestions, and story feedback). Sample edits can be provided for long projects (3,000+ words). He can be reached at [email protected].

Reviewer Max Stark has created a gallery of his amazing photography https://www.pictorem.com/gallery/Max.Stark, where you can purchase his prints. If you have a space on your wall, you might find something here to fill it!

Elle Turpitt Editing provides a range of editing services – short stories, novella and novels across different genres. For rates and further details visit https://www.elleturpittediting.com/services.

Horror Oasis Andrew Fow and friends have created this site whose mission is to be ‘advocates of the horror genre and strive to amplify underrepresented voices in the #HorrorCommunity. This space is used to help indie creators have a platform to promote their work.’

Events

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

25th March free online event. Register here.

 

Charity Anthologies

 

31st Jan Flashes of Hope by [Anna Taborska, Dave Jeffery, Amy Grech, Matthew Davis, John Cady, Emma Lee, Gwen Weir, Ken Goldman, Alyson Faye, Theresa Derwin] 9th Feb

Latest Book Launches

Horror Tree Sponsor* and Patreon Releases!

*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.
 
15th March
 

They Slipped Through the Net

8th Jan ABC’s of Terror Volume 2 (ABC's of Terror) by [Dawn Shea, Chris Miller, Trisha McKee, Gary McDonough, Nicholas Catron, River Dixon, M Ennenbach , Matthew Clarke , Patrick Harrison III, Lance Dale] 

February

1st 1st Friday Night Massacre by [Michael Patrick Hicks]2nd 3rd Where Shadows Move by [Caroline Angel]

5th image179thChildren of Chicago by [Cynthia Pelayo] 9th 11th Sole Survivor 2: Drop Bears on the Loose (Rewind or Die Book 23) by [Zachary Ashford]

13th 2 B: “When your ex wants you dead, they will take you to the grave with them!” -2 B (Valhalla Books presents Horror Book 1) by [Mark Allan Gunnells, Valhalla Books Publisher]14th 14th There Goes Pretty by [CC Adams]15th Hearts Strange and Dreadful by [Tim McGregor]

16th Uninvited Others: Book 1 in the Haven Manor trilogy by [S. Feaker]17thBow-Legged Buccaneers from Outer Space by [David Owain Hughes] 17th Horror Express by [David O'Hanlon, Dan Wilder]19th Miracle Growth (Underground Book 2) by [Tim Mendees, D. Kershaw, Ben Thomas]

22nd 23rd Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons26th One, Two, I See You: Nursery Rhymes for Darker Minds by [Stephanie Ellis] 26th It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Dies by [Dawn Shea, Mark Towse, Tim Mendees, Gary McDonough, Bert Edens, Nathan D. Ludwig, Ruthann Jagge, Heidi Hess, Joe Scipione, John Cady]

28th 28th A Baptism for the Dead by [Charles Bernard] TBA

March

1st 4th May be an image of text that says "HIS OWN DEVICES "A heady. entertaining techno/cyber thriller that feels very now. Don' Don'tletthe play PAUL TREMBLAY, AUTHOR OF SURVIVOR SONG A NOVEL DOUGLAS WYNNE"4th 10th Home & Other Stories: Collection VI by [P.J. Blakey-Novis]

12th 15th 26th May be an image of 1 person and text that says "JONATHAN WINN EIDOLON AVENUE THESST SECOND FEAST Mll"26th May be an image of 1 person and text that says "THE DEVIL'S MISTRESS DAVID BARCLAY"

26th The Night Stockers by [Kristopher Triana, Ryan Harding]26th Nana by [Mark Towse]30th Farallon Island by [Russell James]

April

3rd Murder and Machinery: Tales of Technological Terror and Mechanical Madness by [Cameron Trost, Paulene Turner, Michael Picco, Sarah Justice, Karen Bayly, Kurt Newton, James Dorr, Linda Brucesmith, Chisto Healy, Danielle Birch] 13th From Death Reborn by [Kenneth W. Cain] 13th STERN-web-medium.jpg TBAMay be an image of text that says "MATTERS MOST MACABRE TYLOR JAMES"

May

15th

June

1st Malignant Summer by [Tim Meyer]

Support Indie Creatives

Project Crystal Lake Publishing is running a kickstarter campaign for ‘NEW STORIES OF FAMOUS CREATURES by such horror legends as Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell & more than a dozen Bram Stoker winners’. For information, go here.

Happy reading.

Steph

 on behalf of Stuart and the Horror Tree Team

 

Audio / Flat Amount / Ongoing Submissions

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Ongoing Submissions: Thirteen Podcast

Payment: stories over 5,000 words in length will be paid $75.00 if accepted. Authors of stories under 5,000 words in length will be paid $50.00 if accepted
Theme: slow-burn, atmospheric stories horror and ghost stories

Every Thirteen story begins with an idea. A scary story half remembered, a chill that still creeps over you when you glance at your closet door, a flickering streetlight as you walk home …

Tell us your ghost story.

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