Tagged: Drabble

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 12-8-24

Greetings, children of the dark. As you read this (if you’re reading it pretty close to publishing time), I’m sitting in London’s Southbank Centre surrounded by paranormal enthusiasts. It’s time for UncannyCon, the now-annual gathering of the community that’s built up around the Uncanny podcasts. For those who haven’t had the pleasure yet, this is a BBC (i.e. state broadcaster) podcast offering that investigates paranormal cases from multiple sides, and features experts who try to explain what might or might not be happening – is it sleep paralysis or did you really see a ghost sitting on your bed, that kind of thing. I was slow to the uptake but have been obsessed with this thing for the last few years, and try to get to all its live events within reach of me whenever I can. I even got to fangirl over one of the resident experts, Evelyn Hollow, at my Writing the Occult: Hauntology event last weekend! (Gods, how I embarrassed myself in front of one of my heroes. So much shame.) 

Why am I saying this? Partly to boast, but also partly because it’s part of my denial that Christmas is coming and the end of the year looms large in the rear view mirror. On the former festive phenomenon, be aware that our Christmas special edition has now closed to submissions. The team is reviewing them all and you’ll hear from us soon. As to the other parts? Well, just a reminder of the sort of thing that tickles my fancy, I guess. I’m here for the dark and supernatural tales, not the gory crime ones. TWF has evolved over the years, after all! You’ll find our likes and dislikes over in the submissions guidelines, which I very much recommend you read if you want to submit to us because, my word, our inbox is looking very much like those guidelines are optional.

They are not.

Please note our open windows for short stories and specials (we are open year-round for all other sections). 

Note that you need to use our submission form at the bottom of that submissions page and fill in every part of it so that we know where to direct your submission – I’ve been accidentally putting some Christmas drabbles into the regular ol’ weekly edition pile and that limits your chances of getting picked once Christmas is over. 

Note that you need to upload your story in a MS Word document – don’t paste it into the form and send it to the general contact inbox. 

And make sure your story fits our needs! We’re not looking for true stories. This is a publication for dark speculative fiction. 

OK, so it’s the end of the year and I’m tired and grumpy, so let’s just move onto our weekly fare. This week’s main course from Cameron Walker has us confused and muttering in a hospital ward. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Adam Hannah’s good dog,
  • Christina Nordlander’s lost time, and
  • Andrew Keyworth’s fairytale folly.

Over to you, Stuart.

_____


PS – speaking of my hauntology event, just wanted to pass on a massive congratulations to Adam S Leslie, whose weird folk horror novel Lost in the Garden has been shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards. Adam was one of the event guests, and we chatted about infusing your fiction with a hauntological atmosphere. Lost in the Garden definitely has that, and is one of my favourite reads of this year – go grab it if you haven’t already!

PPS – speaking of Writing the Occult, the next edition will focus on the uncanny, and we’ll gather on 18 January. Details to come! Pitch me an idea if you want to be one of the guests 😉

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

I’m not going to lie. With Thanksgiving last week, I didn’t get much done for the website. We did push forward slightly with TWF, but the new layout, which is a work in progress for the site, didn’t get attention at all. 

For my personal writing? That short story that was shortlisted last week has officially been accepted! More details will come when official announcements are made. 

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!
  • Please, order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
  • Be sure to follow us on both BlueSky and Threads!

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 12-1-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’m in denial. I refuse to believe today is the 1st of December. This year cannot almost be over. I haven’t done anything! I’ve wallowed in the dark too much! What happened to all of those plans I made?!?! If you’re in the same position – and/or you’re still too full of Thanksgiving food to be able to move – let me invite you to escape into some darkly speculative fiction. 

If you fancy penning some of your own, our Christmas special is open for subs for about another week – make sure your story is absolutely, 100% verifiably tied to the season, please! Not just that it’s a bit cold. And we always, always need more drabbles – not seasonal, though those are welcome; just general dark drabbles always, please. Make them dark but also make them speculative: less of the true crime as we’re unlikely to accept those unless a supernatural beast did it. 

For now, though, it’s time for our weekly fare. This week’s main course is of the zombie insect variety, courtesy of Mike Scofield. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Corinne Pollard’s scientific experiments,
  • John M’s string-pulling, and
  • P.D. McKone’s staring contest.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

As I mentioned last week, we’re steadily working on our late-to-be-released Trembling With Fear Year 7. The cover has been selected, the compilation is in the works, and hopefully, we’ll have it out REAL SOON! (Note: I didn’t put a date in there.)  I’m also hoping to get back to the new layout soon as well. With it being the holiday season, everything has gone a bit nuts. Also, we’re talking through changes to the newsletter for formatting, visuals, etc. I know a few have had issues with its size, so we’re hoping to have that resolved shortly. 
Fingers crossed! 

On a personal note, I’ve recently had one short story shortlisted and was able to write another from scratch. Also, I’ve printed up a copy of my WIP novella to do some redlining edits before it goes off to an actual editor and/or a press if I’m really feeling feisty! 

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!
  • Please, order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
  • Be sure to follow us on both BlueSky and Threads!

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 11-24-24

Greetings, children of the dark. Some quick reminders and parish notices for you before we get stuck in:

  • Our Christmas special is open for subs for another few weeks – make sure your story is absolutely, 100% verifiably tied to the season, please! Not just that it’s a bit cold.
  • We are very much closed to our regular short story submissions. I don’t like returning things unread, but please help us to help you and only submit when we’re open. 
  • Thanks to those who’ve heeded our plea for more drabbles. I’m behind on the inbox because ~life~ but I’ll get through it hopefully this weekend (and hopefully actually find time to train our new assistant so you don’t have to wait on me anymore!)

For now, though, it’s time for our weekly fare. For this week’s main course we head to Grandma’s house with Philip T Bond. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • DJ Tyrer’s game time,
  • Kyle Smith-Laird’s relationship problems, and
  • Rebecca Krouse’s purple palace.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

So, you may have noticed that we’ve gone silent on X over the past week. This decision was (surprisingly, if you know me) not political. They’ve finally started charging large-scale customers to use their APIs, and with how much our engagement has dropped there over the past two years, I just don’t have the time, energy, or motivation to search for an alternate way to auto-post to the platform. 

So, as always, we’re on all the other sites. 

Also, by the time you’ve read this, the cover for our delayed Trembling With Fear Year 7 should have been decided upon, and the next step is getting text on it. We’re getting there! Woohoo! 

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!
  • Please, order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
  • Be sure to follow us on both BlueSky and Threads!
 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 11-17-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’ve noticed the TWF mailbox is getting chockers with seasonal greetings, just as the streets of London are filling up with Christmas lights and trees and baubles. And I don’t like it. We’ve just had Halloween! Surely it can’t be that time already?!

Alas, it is. Which means yes, our Christmas special is open for subs for another few weeks. 

However, we are very much closed to our regular short story submissions until January. We’re still working through the backlog from the last window, and we have even more from the October one dragging down the pile to boot. We can’t possibly handle any more right now! But I fear that there is a submissions grinder somewhere that says we’re still open year-round, because there’s been an uptick in outside-the-window subs. I’d rather think that instead of thinking our dear dark brethren aren’t reading our submissions guidelines… I don’t like returning things unread, but please help us to help you and only submit when we’re open. 

Right now, our weekly edition is very much open to one thing only: the drabble cupboard is looking rather bare indeed! Please don’t let us think it’s a result of climate change or something… Heck, the world is a f***ing scary place now. Channel it into some dark fiction that’s only 100 words long and send it over. Please?

For now, though, it’s time for our weekly fare. This week’s main course takes us into realtor territory as Kahlo R.F. Smith shows us around an Open House with more than a little bit of history. That’s followed by the short, sharp (somewhat real-worldy this week!) speculations of:

  • Penny Brazier’s festive feast,
  • M. Brandon Robbins’s saving grace, and
  • Johanna B. Stumpf’s scholarly risk.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

We’ve had an uptick in people asking about the font size in the newsletter. Apparently, increasing the amount is too small. I’ve been trying to troubleshoot in the last couple of newsletters and haven’t been making much progress. I reached out to Mailchimp this week, and they told me there was an issue with the template that we’re using (we’re using a really old template) and that we would need to create a new one.
So, I’m going to try to work my way through creating a new one in the coming month. This isn’t my area of expertise, so it may take a bit, but I promise you, this is in the works! 

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!
  • Please, order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
  • Be sure to follow us on both BlueSky and Threads!
 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 11-10-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I just can’t with the news this week. It’s dark out there, really dark, and I implore you to keep each other safe.

And if it helps, maybe distract yourself with a bit of dark speculative fiction?

This week we have some juicy goodness to take your mind off things for a bit. Our main course is a twist on some total old-school 80s-style horror from Christopher Bustamante – teens, you definitely don’t want to go into that water. That’s followed by the short, sharp (and somewhat weird, this week!) speculations of:

  • Raul Garcia’s difficult path,
  • Rebecca Krouse’s dangerous road,
  • FM Scott’s cursed plumbing.

Until next week, stay safe out there. Look after your loved ones, especially the ones who aren’t cishet white men.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

So, my current goals for Trembling With Fear? Work on getting our overdue yearly anthology to print and catch up on the submissions from our most recent open call! Also, as always, we’re getting low on drabble in case you’re interested in sending some in 🙂 

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!
  • Please, order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
  • Be sure to follow us on both BlueSky and Threads!
 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 11-03-24

Greetings, children of the dark. The clocks have fallen back an hour here in the UK, which means it really is very, very dark as I sit here preparing this week’s edition on All Hallow’s Eve. I’ve been somewhat hiding from the neighbourhood children’s trick-or-treating (mainly because we have no candy in the house!) and listening to the constant BANG of fireworks. Over on this side of the pond, it’s not only the spooky season; we also have Guy Fawke’s Day coming up in a couple of days (remember, remember the 5th of November!) and it’s also Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, as we speak. Lots and lots of fireworks.

So it’s with that as my soundtrack, and a bunch of exhaustion lingering in the air around my much-used desk, that I bring you this week’s TWF dark menu. Our main course is from Derek Moreland, who delivers a twisted “unholy baptism” that’ll stay with you long after you close down the window. That’s followed by the short, sharp (and somewhat weird, this week!) speculations of:

  • JT Trigonis’s ghostly gaming,
  • Sean MacKendrick’s familial duties, and

Until next week, stay safe out there. Especially you, America. Do the right thing on Tuesday, yeah?

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

Honestly, super hectic week so we didn’t get much in the way of site stuff worked on trying to make sure that the Halloween special was wrapped up in time.

Also, just a reminder that we’re starting to do more social posting for both BlueSky and Threads. So, if you’re over there and don’t follow us, now is the time! 😉

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!
  • The paperback is now live! Please be sure to order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

A Trembling With Fear Special Edition: Halloween 2024

The nights are closing in. The veil between worlds is thinning. The dead are getting ready to cross over to our streets for one night only…. Yes, ’tis that time of year when even the normals get spooky and go all-in for Halloween. And in amongst the trick-or-treating and the parties and the dressing up, there’s a very real message that’s often forgotten: not everything is always as it seems, and just in the corner of your eye, something sinister lurks. 

This year’s Halloween special has been a massive team effort by all at TWF Towers, so my big thanks to Vicky Brewster (who usually looks after our serials) and Sarah Elliott (queen of unholy trinities) for stepping up and helping while the bossman was crazy busy and our specials editor Lynn was unable to steer the ship for personal reasons. And let us tell you: there were so many great stories this year! We had to make a lot of very tough calls, so please don’t be disheartened if you didn’t make it in. You might have come closer than you realise. 

Importantly, a lot of those stories who didn’t make the cut just weren’t Halloween themed. Remember that these special editions are a chance to go all-in and camp it up. We were looking for jack o’lanterns and urban myths that take place on 31 October; we have our other sections for those stories that are merely dark, spooky, featuring zombies or vampires or curses. This Halloween edition presents those stories that could ONLY take place around Samhain, and we hope you enjoy them. 

Much spooky love,
Lauren, Sarah, Vicky, Stuart & all at TWF Towers

Trembling With Fear Team

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 10-27-24

Greetings, children of the dark. Some quick announcements for you before we dive head-first into this week’s offerings from TWF Towers. 

First up, our short story submissions window is officially closed, and has been since 15 October. Everyone who submitted should have heard from us by now to acknowledge receipt. Unfortunately if you submitted after the window closed, we’ll be returning your story unread and inviting you to resubmit when our next window opens – that’ll be first thing in the new year, giving you more time to polish those drafts for us.

Secondly, our Halloween edition is still on track to be published on the day itself – that’s this Thursday for those playing at home! – but we’re all hands on deck for that one as our lovely specials editor Lynn hasn’t been able to step into the role as soon as originally planned. We send her lots of love, and we’ll be sending you, dear submitter, your outcomes in the coming days. Remember to check in and read those spooky offerings on Thursday amidst all that loitering in dark neighbourhood corners!

Before then, of course, it’s time for your regular Sunday dark fiction roast. Our main course is from regular contributor DJ Tyrer, who we find in a museum inspecting an ancient stone that may or may not be of this world. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Christina Nordlander’s hidden horror,
  • JP Lor’s strange possession, and
  • Penny Brazier’s folkloric curiosity.

Until next week, enjoy this spookiest of seasons. Be safe, be well, and don’t touch the veil no matter how visible it gets.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming site sponsor for the next month! Please check out Josh Schlossberg’s ‘Where The Shadows Are Shown’!

“A Horror Short Story Collection by Josh Schlossberg

A hiker stumbles on a gruesome species undiscovered by science… An injury triggers an appalling new ability… A domestic pet holds a household in thrall… A human monster finally meets his match… Crimes against nature birth an abomination…

These and fifteen more tales make up WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, a short story collection by Josh Schlossberg (author of CHARWOOD and MALINAE), who guides you on a trek through the shadowy realms of biological and folk horror, supernatural and weird fiction.

So, lace up your boots, fill your water bottle, and put fresh batteries in the flashlight, because there’s not a chance in hell you’re getting back before dark.”

Support our sponsor and pick up Where The Shadows Are Shown today on Amazon!

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

More work was done on Trembling With Fear on all sides, from the overdue anthology to reading submissions, and we’ve made some revisions to the hopefully future theme. It’s taking a lot more work than I expected but things ARE coming together! 

Also, just a reminder that we’re starting to do more social posting for both BlueSky and Threads. So, if you’re over there and don’t follow us, now is the time! 😉

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!
  • The paperback is now live! Please be sure to order a copy of Shadowed Realms on Amazon, we’d love for you to check it out!
 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)