Trembling With Fear 3-16-25
Greetings, children of the dark. Apparently it’s Women in Horror month, which I hadn’t even realised because I’ve seen basically zero promotion of it. It was only when our own Steph Ellis tapped me on the shoulder for something that I realised the month was half-way through and I hadn’t even realised.
Whoops?
Not sure how much these set months actually help anyone, but it feels like there are a helluva lot more women and non-binary humans and basically not-white-men in horror these days. Let’s all raise a glass to ‘em and mark the occasion. Run to your local indie book store and grab all the things, buy the books, shout about how awesome your faves are.
And actually, the whole WIHM thing suddenly makes sense, because I’m going to a panel about women in horror at a local book store next week. It all becomes clear!
Before I make any more of a fool of myself, let’s dive into this week’s edition of dark speculative fiction. For our main course, we’re peeking into the inbox of Brendon Vayo to see exactly what an indie author must face these days. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:
- Alexandra Beaumont’s brush with myth,
- Sophie Jarrell’s car sale, and
- John Nugent’s frozen fear.
(PS John is one of our new assistant editors, and he’ll be reading your summer special submissions soon!)
Want to join these four in the illustrious pages of TWF? Here’s what we’re looking for:
- Always, always with the drabbles – those short, sharp bursts of exactly 100 words. Make it dark and make it speculative (scifi, fantasy, horror). We publish three of these every darn week of the year.
- Unholy Trinities – that’s three drabbles that are connected in some way. Sarah Elliott awaits your tales.
- Serials, or dark speculative fiction that can be serialised on the site over several weeks. Vicky Brewster is ready for ‘em.
- Finally, our next submissions window for general short stories opens at the beginning of April.
Make sure you check our submissions page here for what we do and DON’T want. That last bit is super important – don’t waste your time sending us things we have publicly stated we’ll reject! (Seriously, you’d be surprised…)
OK, rant done. Over to you, Stuart.
Hi all.
I’ve made a bit of progress on the new layout. I’m really down to needing to take a day off dedicated to it so once I catch up on this current project that is taking all of my time at work, I’ll be doing just that.
Unfortunately, no updates on the next Trembling With Fear print edition quite yet.
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!
For those who are looking to connect with Horror Tree as we’re not really active on Twitter anymore, we’re also in BlueSky and Threads. *I* am also now on BlueSky and Threads.
Brendon Vayo
The DM, by Brendon Vayo
Last night, I received a DM from DrFaustisProffer1592. Has anyone had any dealings with him/her/them? The Yelp reviews are positive, but I’m so confused. Check it out:
****
Brendon Vayo, debut author of Girl Among Crows, a story of mystery and misdirection (cool desc., btw). Sadly, I see that you have zero sales. Amazon currently ranks your book at 3,175,764, last in every category. As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I know how awful that must feel! Considering that we are both wallowing in obscurity, I have a proposal that I believe will be mutually beneficial. Please read the whole thing before you answer.
I will be the first to buy your book. Then I will use your book to beat someone to death. I am well-built and athletic, hailing from a family of Olympians, so I believe that with the appropriate planning, I can subdue and batter virtually anyone. My victims will be readers, because they are the most lonely and thus the most likely to go somewhere they shouldn’t with a stranger. Now the question becomes, how many people can I clobber with your hardcover? I am thinking that an average of 20 bludgeons per victim equals 2 to 3 victims per hardcover. I really wouldn’t feel comfortable battering any more than 3 beyond recognition with your book. Do the math with me. If I kill 5 to 9 people per week, that means you will sell at the very least 3 to 5 books a week, which you should be assured that I can afford due to my recent severance from work.
I know that may sound small at first, but do not be discouraged! 1. Moving 5 books a week is really good business for a hardcover in this market, and 2. They will not be your only sales. I’ve got puzzles to taunt the police, letters to newspapers, Insta reels of me torturing our victims. The way I figure, a month or so into my rampage, your sales will skyrocket because people will want to know what it is about Gril Among Brews that drives someone to senselessly murder another human being over it. In six months, you will be on Good Morning America celebrating your name on the top of the NYT bestseller list and I will prove my ex-wife wrong. She’s always like, 45’s way too old, and I’m like, I just need the right weapon, b—.
Anyway.
So Brendon Vayo, debut author of GAC, what is your response to my proposal? Will you bask in success, knowing that each sale means someone somewhere will be mercilessly beaten to death? Say yes, and secure our place in Wiki’s most prolific serial killer infamy.
Oh, and if you’re wondering if you should go to the police, go ahead. You know nothing about me, and I have the most advanced encryption software at my disposal. Offers are out to other authors, so act now!
The Choosing Stone
My headlights flickered against twisted bushes. A hedge-hacker machine had left a canvas of tangled spikes lining the road.
Never wish on the waystone: scrawled on a road sign. The yellow words were always there, unwashable.
My phone chittered: Accept.
“Lorna, coming?”
“You know I am.”
“Where are you, then?”
“Near the waystone turning.”
“Get here.”
The waystone loomed, the call died and The Archers blared again. I’d not go back to yellow teeth, creeping wallpapers and charcoal eyes.
But what else was there? I knew already.
“Take me,” I whispered, letting go.
—
My eyes are granite, watching the road.
Alexandra Beaumont
Alexandra Beaumont is a British fantasy novelist with a passion for folklore, playing musical instruments and exploring the wilds of the UK. Her latest release, Dissonance of Bird Song, is praised for being a “visceral and lyrical” page-turner with “praiseworthy worldbuilding” and recently was named Distinguished Favourite in the Independent Press Awards. Specialising in gothic and folkloric literature, Alexandra’s lyrical books weave together myth, magic and intrigue.
Police Sale
There’s a suspicious red rust stain on the passenger seat, but the car is cheap and I’m broke. Driving home, the radio screams static at me, the heating doesn’t work and the car sputters to a stop on Sluice Lane. The rushes stand like sentinels against the horizon. The sunset turns the sky the colour of blood and the clouds are mottled bruises. In the mirror I see her eyes glaring at me, ice cold and full of reproach. “Who killed me?” she asks, and I tell her I don’t know.
Shit.
I think I just bought a haunted car.
Sophie Jarrell
Sophie Jarrell is a primary school teacher with a dark alter ego writing horror shorts and fantasy novels. She lives in East Sussex with a decidedly non-haunted car and drives through Sluice Lane regularly for work, although she wishes she didn’t. An emerging writer Sophie is working on a debut novel. You can find her on BlueSky at saffywrites.bsky.social
Love Frozen Over
Snow fell on the pale body in front of him, covering it slowly. The knife was still stuck between its ribs, blood oozing slowly down its side. The snow ran red there—although that, too, was being obscured.
The blood on his hands would not go away.
He found himself stuck there, gazing at what he had done. The storm raged on, the drifts piling high, and it was not long before the body was buried. Out here, it would be a long time before it was found.
He was finally ready to walk away when the hand burst through.
John Nugent
John Nugent is a lover of all things horror. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an English and a Philosophy degree. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his lovely fiancee. He has previously been published in the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism.
- About the Author
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Lauren McMenemy wears many hats: Editor-in-Chief at Trembling With Fear for horrortree.com; PR and marketing for the British Fantasy Society; founder of the Society of Ink Slingers; curator of the Writing the Occult virtual events. With 25+ years as a professional writer across journalism, marketing, and communications, Lauren also works as a coach and mentor to writers looking to achieve goals, get accountability, or get support with their marketing efforts. She writes gothic and folk horror stories for her own amusement, and is currently working on a novel set in the world of the Victorian occult. You’ll find Lauren haunting south London, where she lives with her Doctor Who-obsessed husband, the ghost of their aged black house rabbit, and the entity that lives in the walls.
