Tagged: TWF

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 8-18-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’m officially on hols this week – well, technically as you read this I’m back home, but I was away while the boss man needed this week’s edition – so we’re going to jump straight in.

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction kicks off with a haunting piece of art from the pen of Caitlin Upshall. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Debbie Paterson’s coming dark,
  • Jack Fennell’s nightmare harvest, and
  • DJ Tyrer’s abandoned jungle.

And remember, we’re always looking for submissions to our drabbles (insatiable need!!), as well as the unholy trinities of three interconnected drabbles and the much longer serialised fiction column. Our special editions and short stories, however, have very specific windows. 

If you want to remind yourself of our various deadlines, you’ll find them always on our submissions guidelines page. To recap, our open windows are:

Special editions

  • Valentine’s: 1 December and 31 January.
  • Summer: 1 April to 31 July. 
  • Halloween: 1 August to 13 October.
  • Christmas: 1 November to 7 December.

Short stories for the weekly edition

  • Winter: 1-15 January
  • Spring: 1-15 April
  • Summer: 1-15 July
  • Fall: 1-15 October

Next week, I’ll hopefully be over the post-con blues after a few days in England’s northern witch country surrounded by the moors of Wuthering Heights. 

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

So, big changes are coming to our newsletter. We’re switching writers and it is so strange to be saying farewell to Holley (well, when it comes to the newsletter, not from Horror Tree, as she’ll still be making the occasional article or review appearances!) Her taking over the newsletter from me was an absolutely huge lift on my time and being able to try to make progress in other areas. Holley, you’ve been absolutely amazing, and I appreciate all of the work that you’ve put into our newsletter over the past few years! You’ve really made it your own and have give me a huge relief of time!

With that in mind, I’d like to welcome our very own Corinne Pollard, who already writes for the site, to be taking over newsletter writing! Please send her a follow on Instagram and Twitter as well as a warm welcome if you haven’t already 🙂 

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!

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

 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear – Summer 2024 Edition

What a wild summer it’s been! Lucky for us, it’s not over yet.

This is undoubtedly my favorite season because summer brings a whole slew of activity. Whether you’re going on vacation, barbecuing in the backyard, tanning at the beach or just trying to escape the heat, there are endless things to do, making it one of the most vibrant times of year. It is also a great theme for our writers because they have a variety of ideas to play with. I am always pleased and surprised by the stories we get for our Summer Edition. While we had a lot of great submissions this year, we narrowed it down to a few that really encapsulate the thrills of summer. And yes, by thrills I do mean thrills.

Happy Reading!

Shalini

Shalini Bethala

Editor, Trembling With Fear

As the sun blazes overhead, casting long shadows that stretch across deserted streets and sun-soaked beaches, we find ourselves at the zenith of summer. It’s that time of year when the world seems to sizzle, both with heat and with the promise of things lurking just beyond the golden glow of daylight. But before the fireflies fade and the ice cream melts, we invite you to dive into something a little darker, a little more sinister—our Summer Edition of Trembling With Fear.

This year, we’re turning up the heat in ways that will leave you sweating more than the August sun. Think of this collection as the ice cream truck of terror, where each story is a frozen treat with a center that’s just a little too cold, a little too sweet, and definitely too eerie to forget. We’ve gathered tales that capture the essence of summer—the good, the bad, and the downright terrifying. From sun-drenched nightmares to the mysteries that stir when the last beachgoer packs up and leaves, these stories will remind you that the warmth of summer can hide the coldest fears.

Now, because no edition is complete without a little humor, here’s a dad joke to keep things light… or at least lighter than the stories you’re about to read: Why don’t skeletons fight each other in the summer? Because they don’t have the guts!

So, pull up a lounge chair, slather on the sunscreen, and get ready to be scorched by tales that will make your blood run cold. This summer, Trembling With Fear has something special in store, and we hope you savor every bone-chilling moment.

Happy reading… and remember, in the heat of summer, no one can hear you scream.

Stuart Conover

Editor-in-Chief, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 8-11-24

Greetings, children of the dark. Greetings from Worldcon! This is past Lauren, writing to you in the future, hoping you are fine and dandy on this August Sunday. These weeks are crazy busy for me, so I’m going to just jump into the good stuff – though if you happen to be wandering around Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus this weekend, do keep an eye out for me. Let’s compare TWF notes!

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction kicks off with a dystopian sci-fi-ish peek into Patrick O’Malley’s head – something worthy of this big weekend of global SF celebrations. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Christina Nordlander’s body troubles,
  • Jamey Toner’s tech issues, and
  • Sian O’Hara’s tea and cake.

I’m going to assume Stuart will share the news below about our much-beefed-up TWF team, but rest assured when I’m back at my desk I’ll do major introductions to these wonderful humans. Quick word to the wise: the British Invasion of TWF Towers is complete!

So we have a big new team, which makes it a good time to remind you that we’re open round the clock for drabbles, unholy trinities, and serialised stories. Fresh blood (and eyes) await your works!

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

As I mentioned last week, we’re working on getting the new Trembling With Fear staff a bit more up to speed! Progress has been made, and we’re going to be making the full announcement soon as to who has joined our editorial team, as well as giving intros to everyone! As of the time of writing this update, I have found out that we’ll be having one other staff member switching things up soon as well but more on that soon. While I was hoping to do the introductory shout-outs this week, I do believe that what we have in mind will do much better at really letting everyone get to know our new staff. 

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!

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

 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 8-4-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’m trying to get a few weeks’ worth of TWF done in the coming days because I’m headed out: off to Worldcon in Glasgow in a few days, and then the following week I’ll be spending some time in nature, right in the heart of Bronte Country and in the shadow of Pendle Hill (also known as the site of one of England’s worst witch trials). Filling the well and all that. If you’re at Worldcon, hit me up on social media and say hi! You’ll find me most lunchtimes at the British Fantasy Society’s table in the fan hall, but other than that I’ll be lurking around and trying not to make too much of a nuisance of myself. 

With that deadline pressure in mind, let’s get swiftly to the good stuff.

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction kicks off with Harley Carnell’s denial twist. That’s followed by the short, sharp – and, this week, somewhat sci-fi – speculations of:

  • W.H. Vigo’s soul searching,
  • Nicolette Ward’s blood beast, and
  • Ron Capshaw’s small town blues.

Finally, a note: our summer special has now closed as July has passed us by. If you’ve submitted a story to it since 31 July, I’m afraid we’re unable to consider it. I’ll get to the inbox ASAP to let you know, because there’s a few of you. If you want to remind yourself of our various deadlines, you’ll find them always on our submissions guidelines page.

To recap, our open windows are:

Special editions

  • Valentine’s: 1 December and 31 January.
  • Summer: 1 April to 31 July. 
  • Halloween: 1 August to 13 October.
  • Christmas: 1 November to 7 December.

Short stories for the weekly edition

  • Winter: 1-15 January
  • Spring: 1-15 April
  • Summer: 1-15 July
  • Fall: 1-15 October

Remember, we’re open round the clock for drabbles, unholy trinities, and serials.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Join me in thanking our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

_____________________________________________

Hi all!

Not much to add this week. I’ve been still working on our new theme but didn’t have too much free time to make a lot of progress as my wife’s schedule was busier than mine, so I took over most of the getting kids to and from camps this week on top of my normal work and Horror Tree responsibilities. On a positive note, we did set a meeting for our new Trembling With Fear staff for this weekend, so next week, I should have a few more welcome shout-outs to make 🙂 We’ve got some great stories lined up so I won’t add any filler here, let’s get to the reading!

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!

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

 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 7-28-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’ve been immersed in two different worlds this week: one of the biggest romantasy properties of our times, and one of the most aesthetically-pleasing nostalgia-inducing indie flicks I’ve seen in ages. I’m currently listening to the soundtrack of the latter while I’m bringing this to you, and I will sheepishly admit I’m bringing it much later than normal and the boss man is probably wringing his hands at me as we speak.

To the indie flick: I Saw The TV Glow finally appeared in a cinema in London town. I know, I know – you on the other side of the pond are already over that one, but just as I was pondering if I’d missed it somehow, it showed up at the British Film Institute (BFI)’s Southbank cinema. So I popped in today, to the first showing, taking an early minute on a Friday afternoon and causing myself (and Stuart) much stress by delaying everything TWF. For some reason, I had it in my head this was an indie horror – maybe because everyone I saw rave about it in my feeds were horror writers – but it’s more just a weird speculative kinda creepy at times tale, and definitely worth your time. Even if it’s just to cringe at the 90s girl power occult TV show it’s centred on. Ah, so many memories… 

As for the romantasy? I know, hardly something you’d expect to see mentioned in these pages. A friend convinced me to give Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series a go as she was obsessed, and I figured what the hell. So I dove in at the end of June. And it’s now the end of July and I’m in the midst of the fifth and final book – all 750 pages of it – and kinda hooked. I’m not going to sneer or gatekeep here, despite what you might think, but I raise ACOTAR for a very good reason: we don’t get enough sexy dark fae submitted to TWF. So bring on your sexy fairies, drabble style. I’m into it. 

Now onto the good stuff.

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction kicks off with something of a dark fairy tale from Steven Patchett. That’s followed by the short, sharp – and, this week, somewhat sci-fi – speculations of:

  • FM Scott’s twister terror,
  • Andrew Leonard’s space scream, and
  • Glenn Noel Casey’s mechanical meltdown.

PS: speaking of all things sci-fi, Worldcon is coming up in a couple of weeks. It’s in Glasgow this year, and despite the continuing controversies around the Hugo Awards, and despite the fact my other half is the one who wanted to go, I’m starting to look forward to it. Will I see any of you there? Say hi if you are!

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Hi all!

First off, I’d like to thank our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

Hi all!

It was so refreshing having Holley back. Let me reiterate that she does such an amazing job at getting things together for our newsletter and is truly a rockstar! Last week we announced that Sarah Elliott is our new interview coordinator! (Instagram at: @writingforlight, Threads at: @writingforlight, Medium at:  @writingforlight, TikTok at: @writingforlight) Be sure to send her a follow! 

This week, I’ve started putting together our new theme a bit. I don’t have a rock-solid staging area, so this may take a bit longer than I was hoping for, but we’ll see how the next week goes. 

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!

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

 
 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 7-21-24

Greetings, children of the dark. The summer has returned here in London town, and I’m really trying not going to take it for granted. And yet, even though I was born and bred in one of Australia’s hottest and driest cities, I struggle in the heat. Especially over here, in a city and a country that is built to keep the heat in. It’s so clammy and sweaty and gross out there. Maybe I’ll just ignore it and curl up with a book in front of the fan (yep, no air con here!) instead…

Before I do, though, it’s my twisted pleasure to bring you this week’s edition of TWF. And it’s a good ‘un, if I do say so myself. Once this is off my desk and into the hands of the boss man, I’ll start going through all the submissions that came in for our latest short story submission window. If you haven’t yet heard from us, hold tight! It’s a manual process, but I’ll get back to everyone who submitted with an acknowledgement over the next few days before the TWF team settles down to review your work. As always, we’re oversubscribed: we can only accept around 12 stories each window, as we only publish one per week, and we’re now getting almost 100 submissions each time we open. On the one hand, if you get that golden acceptance, well done you! What a prize! But on the other, if you miss out then it’s not personal; it’s always a tough call. We always try to give a bit of feedback as to why you didn’t make the cut for us. These things are somewhat subjective, and just because you didn’t find a home with TWF doesn’t mean the right home isn’t out there waiting for you. Don’t give up, and keep at it. Like writing, submitting is a muscle you need to keep working at.

Want some low-risk submission practice? We’re always looking for drabbles! Send ‘em in!

Now onto the good stuff.

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction has as its centrepiece an uncanny memory from Sammi Leigh Melville. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Andrew Keyworth’s hungry beast,
  • DJ Tyrer’s jungle adventures, and
  • Weird Wilkins’ stand-off.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Hi all!

First off, I’d like to thank our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

Hi all!

I mentioned last week that I would have news in this one, and I do! Our interview coordinator for the last few years, Selene, has had to step back for personal reasons (though, hopefully, she will return down the line!). With this change, we’re bringing our very own Sarah Elliott in as our new interview coordinator!
Sarah can be found on:

Please follow on your social media of choice, send her a warm welcome, and know that we’re looking for a few more who are interested in interviewing authors, publishers, and others in the field! More announcements to come! 

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!

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

 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 7-14-24

Greetings, children of the dark. It’s all deadlines in TWF Towers this week, with our short story submissions window closing at the end of today (wherever you are in the world), and our summer special closing to subs tomorrow, 15 July. Get ‘em in quick, or miss out! If you’ve subbed over these windows, you’ll get your acknowledgement in the next few days. Everything is manual here; we don’t have any of those handy auto-response systems so your first hurdle, after getting the courage to hit submit, is to wear your most patient trousers.

The summer special will be Shalini’s last issue with us, and I am sad. But, as hinted a few weeks back, we’ve got a slew of new faces moving into TWF Towers and I can’t wait to introduce you to them. Just waiting on the boss being available to chat to people in a different time zone / not being on holiday. (I mean, how dare he, right?!)

My battery is very much drained today, so I’m going to send you straight into it.

This week’s menu of dark speculative fiction kicks things off with Alice Yustas, and a heartbreaking tale that goes to a place you’re not expecting. Note the content warning here for domestic abuse. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Alice Lawson’s eco lament,
  • Ryan van Ells’s buggy grossness (seriously; it’s not for anyone with insect phobias), and
  • Jack Fennell’s test subjects.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Hi all!

First off, I’d like to thank our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

Whew. I was on vacation all of last week so am currently in the vast realm of catching up on everything under the sun. I don’t have much in the ways of updates this week though promise that we’ve got some big news coming up! 

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!

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

 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)

Trembling With Fear

 by 

Trembling With Fear 7-7-24

Greetings, children of the dark of July. (July!?!) For those of you on the other side of the pond, I hope you’re enjoying your holiday weekend. If you’re on my side, well, I’m writing this the day before the election so all I can do is keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

It’s been great to see some short stories start coming our way again, so a quick reminder: we’re open to short story submissions to the general section of TWF for just one more week. Yep, we’ll close again on 14 July, so get in quick if you want us to consider your work for publication. But remember, these 2-week windows are not the only way to see your name in TWF—we also have our themed submission calls (currently considering the summer special, so hurry up if you have a dark summer-set piece for Shalini’s final round in the seat!), as well as our unholy trinities (three related drabbles as a set) and serialised stories (up to 15,000 words, able to be put into chapters for drip-fed publication). And, of course, we have an insatiable need for drabbles for these weekly pages. We publish three of those every darn week, so you can imagine how hungry that drabble beast gets! That’s plenty of opportunities. And, if I’m being honest, you’ll have a better chance of getting onto our pages with a drabble than anything else; our short story submissions are tightly-contested, and we get waaaaaay more submitted than we’re able to publish. Get cracking on those 100-word beauties!

For now, though, let’s tuck into this week’s menu of dark speculative fiction and kick things off with a creature feature courtesy of Kevin M Folliard. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • W.H. Vigo’s critter problem,
  • Debbie Paterson’s dark musing, and
  • Liam Kerry’s family business.

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Hi all!

First off, I’d like to thank our upcoming newsletter sponsor for the next year! Please check out Charlotte Platt’s ‘One Smile More’!

Ena Sinclair, a Scottish mage and spy, abandons her role in a prominent Edinburgh college and escapes to London to avoid an arranged marriage.

But London is not safe: a mage killer is on the hunt…

Abducted by vampires ‘for her safety’, Ena is terrified the nest owner will drain her to fuel his power but also curious to learn about his magic. Taking this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn more about what her college had warned were dangerous creatures, Ena finds herself fond of the nest, particularly their bonded leaders, Addison and Tobias.

As survivors of the Immortal War, the pair still navigate a schism in vampire society that they are trying to heal. They now seek a peaceful life and offer Ena protection until she finds her own path.

…and dark things await them all.

Ena’s college seeks to forcibly return her to Edinburgh, and a killer is still on the loose. Hidden resentments surface, and Ena pays the price. Magically unstable and isolated, she must rely on her non-magical training to avoid being turned or used as a weapon to harm the nest she has grown to care for.

 

Be sure to order a copy today!

Moving on, I hope all of those in the US have had a great 4th of July, and for those outside of the US, I apologize for our over. We’ve started moving a bit forward with our new staff, so you’ll be seeing some changes soon, and hopefully, the new theme will come sooner rather than later. I know that I keep mentioning, but I promise you that it is inching closer to launch! There is a LOT of customizations that have to happen to really make it our own.

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!

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

 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

(more…)