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

Articles / Guest Post

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How to Take Your Love of Horror to The Next Level

How to Take Your Love of Horror to The Next Level 

By Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl 

As we’re celebrating the re-vamp of our podcast and YouTube show Horror Rewind, we thought we’d talk about turning horror into more than just a pastime. 

Sure, when we were reading Stephen King books and watching slasher flicks on summer breaks, we had a vague idea that a few, special people got to live and breathe horror as a career. Meg even used to pretend to be interviewed with a fake microphone in her mirror as the “next Stephen King” in grade school. 

But then that stupid thing called reality came settling in, you know, rent, gas, diapers, the popcorn and movie ticket fund. Horror was our hobby, and for you, maybe that’s all it needs to be. Meg’s husband is content painting and playing Warhammer for fun, and Kelly’s husband is an avid golfer who doesn’t have ambitions to go pro. Though, if you’re like us, and have an inkling of interest in making horror more than a pastime, let us give you a few tips from our years in the gory trenches. 

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Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 06/21/2024

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 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.

 

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Extravaganza Eternia by Kristin Osani

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 Extravaganza Eternia
Author: Kristin Osani
Genre: Fantasy and Mystery
Publisher: Ghost Orchid Press
Publication Date: 23rd July, 2024

Synopsis: Supernatural circus performer Leathan doesn’t let herself get close to anyone. It’s too painful when her curse literally rips those connections out of her heart. That’s why she does her best to weed out the friendship sprouting between her and Renni, the gregarious star of the show.
When Renni is murdered, the ringmaster tasks Leathan with catching his killer. But all signs indicate the culprit is one of the Extravaganza’s own, and the more she learns about her fellow troupers, the farther she feels from the truth—and the closer she is to forming fatal new attachments.
A darkly fantastical mystery reminiscent of The Night Circus and Even Though I Knew the End, THE EXTRAVAGANZA ETERNIA will enchant and delight.

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Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Humanizing The Inhuman

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Humanizing The Inhuman

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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Interviews

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Zehlreg A. Grindstone’s Spectacular Western Oddity Emporium Kickstarter Saddlin’ Up with Suzanna Lundale & Mark Tizura

Zehlreg A. Grindstone’s Spectacular Western Oddity Emporium Kickstarter

Saddlin’ Up with Suzanna Lundale & Mark Tizura

By Angelique Fawns

Sometimes a project looks like so much fun, you can’t help but hop on the stagecoach. The title alone might be the one of the best I’ve ever heard. This anthology promises stories where “the Wild West meets the vast worlds of Fantasy.”

Hello. Right up my corral.

 Check out the Kickstarter here! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grindstonesemporium/zehlreg-a-grindstones-spectacular-western-oddity-emporium

They were accepting stories from January till March of this year and I wanted to sub something, but didn’t have anything quite long enough, so I queried and got this response:

“Thanks for your interest. I think one of the things we’ve learned on our adventures is that rules make for manageability and must be flexible when need be. Turn away a promising author from her favorite genre in the universe? Not us.” 

How can you not love editors like this? I sent in a strange piece about dragons who mountain race in a dwarf world in the throes of war, and it was accepted. I sat down with Suzanna Lundale to find out more about this “spectacular” project. 

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Articles

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Peter Benchley’s Influence on the Horror Genre

Peter Benchley’s Influence on the Horror Genre

American writer Peter Benchley is notable for his novel Jaws. Released in 1974, the book which tells the story of a great white shark that preyed on a resort, aimed to play on the fundamental fears of what lies beneath the ocean’s surface. It became a best-seller for up to 44 weeks in the New York Times, and recorded immense success in other forms of entertainment. Here, we’ve explored Benchley’s influence on the horror genre.

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Dagon Collection, ed. Nate Pedersen

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 Dagon Collection
Author: Various, ed. Nate Pedersen
Genre: Horror Anthology, Literature
Publisher: PS Publishing
Publication Date: 1st January, 2024

Synopsis: The Dagon Collection is a companion book to “The Starry Wisdom Library. Once again, the new anthology is presented as a fake auction catalogue, however this time it is 1929, shortly after the events in “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” The feds have just raided the Esoteric Order of Dagon Lodge. Now they’ve contracted with Pent & Serenade, Occult Auctioneers, to sell the items secured in the raid.

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Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 6-16-24

Greetings, children of the dark. We’ve hit the week of the Solstice, which means here in the UK the days are about as long as they’ll ever be. I’m celebrating by doing that very horror thing of heading to a cabin in the woods for a mini-creative recovery/retreat type of thing. I’d love to know what you’re up to: do you celebrate these moments in time? 

For that reason, and because I’m writing this the day before my next Writing the Occult event and so my brain is a bit too wired, I’ll keep it short this week. Just one note: remember that our short story submissions are only open in four windows now. We just couldn’t keep up with the submissions, and because we can only publish one story a week it was the sensible thing to do—noone wants to wait literal years to see their story on a website, right? Anything submitted to us outside of those windows will unfortunately be returned to you unread. 

That said, we have a window coming up… Make sure to check out our submissions guidelines for details of what and when we’re open. We can tell if you haven’t looked at them. And remember, we’re ALWAYS open for drabbles! Insatiably so. Feed the drabbles beast!

For this week’s darkly speculative offerings, our menu kicks off with despatches from a failing neighbourhood, direct from the mind of Benjamin Larned. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Keith B. Walters’s failed sacrifice,
  • Gabrielle Bleu’s Ice Age revival, and
  • F.M. Scott’s mad science.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

First things first, please support our latest sponsors!

First: Order a copy of Backwaters on Amazon! “Like Flannery O’Connor, but with toxic mermaids and body horror.” — CARLTON MELLICK III, author of Full Metal Octopus and The Haunted Vagina

Second: Get 99 horror stories that range from quiet horror, hinting at the things buried there in your psyche – the thing that will come out to play after dark, and visceral horror that leaves no doubt what lies in a bloody heap in the middle of the floor. This UNHOLY TRINITY combines three of L. Marie Wood’s horror collections, Caliginy, Phantasma, and Anathema.

Order a copy today directly from Mocha Memoirs Press or Amazon!

 
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Hi all! 

I’ve spent most of the last week communicating with all of you lovely souls who have reached out to offer aid to Horror Tree. Things are progressing, and it looks like we’ll have a few new faces to help with various aspects of the site soon! I’m hoping to have some big news on multiple fronts in the next week or two. 

Now, for the standards:

  • Thank you so much to everyone who has become a Patreon for Horror Tree. We honestly couldn’t make it without you all! 

Offhand, if you’ve ordered Trembling With Fear Volume 6, we’d appreciate a review! 🙂

 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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