Turning Grit into Greatness: Black Heritage Month Series Intro by Jamal Hodge

Black History month returns, a time when America recognizes the contributions of its Black American citizens… during the shortest and arguably coldest month of the year. That’s that good ole American horror right there. But no matter what shade we're given, Black Americans have long turned scraps into cuisine, poverty into strength, and grit into greatness. In recent years, there has been a growing movement towards greater representation and visibility for Black writers in the horror genre. One of the most notable examples of this progress is the success of Black horror writers and screenwriters in traditional and independent publishing.…

Celebrating National Haiku Writing Month: The Thrills of Horror Haiku

As February marks National Haiku Writing Month, it's time to explore the dark and eerie side of poetry. Horror haiku presents a unique opportunity to craft spine-tingling tales in just three lines often using a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables. These mini-stories can evoke fear and suspense, making them perfect for fans of horror and thriller genres. In this post, we'll go over tips and ideas for writing effective horror haiku that will send shivers down your reader's spines. First and foremost, horror haiku should have a strong visual element. Use vivid imagery to paint a picture in your reader's mind…

Carina Bissett reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Carina Bissett joins us today with a reading of their poem, "A Lacing of Lavender" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmw0QL5oNIk Carina Bissett is a writer and poet working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including What Remains, Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Weird…

Madison McSweeney reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Madison McSweeney joins us today with a reading of their poem, "Cannibal Mutant Maneating Spider" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IGkcyHYjXQ Madison McSweeney is the author of The Doom That Came to Mellonville (Filthy Loot), The Forest Dreams With Teeth (Demain Publishing), and the poetry collection Fringewood (Alien Buddha Press). Her short fiction has appeared in American Gothic Short Stories and Zombie Punks F*ck Off. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, blogs at…

Corinne Hughes reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Corinne Hughes joins us today with a reading of their poem, "Meadows" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIXBEUR6b_8 Corinne Hughes is a queer poet and fiction writer. Her work has been supported by Tin House and the National Book Foundation. Her poetry can be found in Passengers Journal, Cathexis Northwest Press, Cirque Journal, Grim and Gilded, and is forthcoming in the next SMEOP anthology by Black Sunflowers Poetry Press. She currently serves…

Rook Riley reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Rook Riley joins us today with a reading of their poem, "Strange Geometry" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWxGKNuEUw Rook Riley is a horror author, game enthusiast, and all-around linguistic badass trained in Krav Maga and spoon warfare.  Hobbies include binge-watching Netflix and collecting tattoos.

Colleen Anderson reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Colleen Anderson joins us today with a reading of their poem, "Our Lady of Holy Death" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYEZ_3YE0kI Colleen Anderson is a multiple award nominee, with poetry widely published in many venues, including Andromeda Spaceways, Lucent Dreaming, Shadow Atlas and Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. Colleen lives in Vancouver, BC and is a Canada Council and BC Arts Council grant recipient for writing and has performed her work before audiences…

Veterans of Horror: Interview with William R. D. Wood

William R.D. Wood traces his love of science fiction and horror back to a childhood filled with Space: 1999 reruns, frequent visits to the Night Gallery, and a worn-out copy of Dune. A good writing day finds him at any of several overlooks on Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway deeply immersed in new works of cosmic horror. His short fiction has appeared in Nature, Daily Science Fiction and Cosmic Horror Monthly. His artwork and poetry are usually kept locked away. Will lives with his wife, children and assorted ghostlike enigmas in an old farmhouse turned backwards to the road. Tell us…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Jay Whales

Jay grew up in small town, southeast Missouri, battling sasquatches, rednecks, witches, booger eating bastards, drinking Spine Likker fresh from the spigot and just having fun.  Jay rode in the back of pickup trucks, never heard of a seat belt until he started working and he and his best friend watched shitty horror movies every chance they got, before Jay up and ran off to the US Army. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I joined the US Army in 1983 and spent the next 25 years as a Military Policeman and then a federal…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Richard Wall

About Richard Wall: Born in England in 1962, Richard grew up in a small market town in rural Herefordshire before joining the Royal Navy. After 22 years in the submarine service and having travelled extensively, Richard now lives and writes in rural Worcestershire. His first short story, “Evel Knievel and The Fat Elvis Diner” (available on Kindle), was soon followed by “Five Pairs of Shorts” a collection of ten short stories, and another short story called ‘Hank Williams’ Cadillac’. Richard's latest venture is a collaboration with UK musician, 'Half Deaf Clatch', in which Richard wrote a short story to accompany…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Richard Schiver

Richard is the author of eight novels, three novellas, and a collection of short stories. His most recent work is a paranormal ghost story titled Cursed. He is a member in good standing of the Horror Writers Association, and the Maryland Writers Association. Married with four children and eight grandchildren he and his wife provide a secure home for a yellow lab named Max, who spends his days napping. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I served in the U.S Army from 1976 to 1981 as an armor crewman manning the M-60 Main Battle Tank.…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with David Rose

David Rose is the author of Amden Bog, The Scrolls of Sin, and Lovecraft's Iraq. That last one was included in the 2022 HWA Bram Stoker Award® Reading List. He lives in Orlando, Florida. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I was in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006 (plus a little volunteer service back in 2009, but it was so brief I hardly count it). I'd started in artillery but kicked and screamed until I was finally allowed to try out for Marine Recon. Upon passing its hellacious vetting I became a Recon…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Chris Reichard

Chris ~Cliff~ Reichard has always been a creator of dark works, but their writing has been stripped raw and refined over and again through hardships experienced in war, activism & the discrimination that intersectional queer punks face. They live a life of semi-seclusion in this increasingly chaotic world, while still taking time to enjoy life's little pleasure. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I served as a Signal Support Systems Specialist in the U.S. Army from 2004-2012. In that time, I spent nearly three years deployed to Iraq.   What role, if any, did reading…

Transgender Awareness Week: “Pronouns” by Pretty Frankenstein

Catching Up With Grey Star of Pretty Frankenstein Pretty Frankenstein is a Queer alternative group from the San Francisco Bay Area/East Bay, fronted by trans activist/performer Grey Starr. Over the years they’ve performed many iconic venues like The Fillmore SF, Bottom of the Hill, Uptown, etc, and they’ve been featured on various radio stations and in publications like EBX and Spooky Little Halloween magazine! They love all things horror and bring Halloween to every show they play. You can find them online at @prettyfrankenstein3176 on Youtube, @prettyfrankensteinband on Tik-Tok, @prettyfrankensteinband on Instagram, and at their website www.prettyfrankenstein.com   What are…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Weston Ochse

The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21st Century.” His work has won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won four New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. A writer of more than forty books in multiple genres, his Burning Sky Duology has been hailed as the best military horror of the generation. His military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson and his military sci-fi trilogy, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Deke Moulton

Deke Moulton (she/they) (rhymes with geek, short for Diklah) has had some incredible journeys in her life - from being a punk rock hitchhiker living on top of buildings to an ancient book conservator apprentice at the Adler Planetarium to living in a college learning Arabic to even being a drill sergeant with the US Army. Originally from Chicago, they have traveled all over the United States and the world -living for three years in Italy! as well as in Monterey, California and Columbia, South Carolina - before finally settling in the Pacific Northwest with their spouse and two children.…

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching up with Larissa Glasser

Catching Up With Larissa Glasser Larissa Glasser is a librarian-archivist from New England. She writes dark fiction centered on the lives of trans women, library science, and heavy metal. Her work is available in Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (William Morrow), Tragedy Queens: stories inspired by Lana Del Rey and Sylvia Plath (Clash Books), and Transcendent 3: The Year's Best Transgender Themed Speculative Fiction (Lethe Press). Her debut novella F4 is available from Eraserhead Press. She is on Twitter @larissaeglasser What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new writing news, upcoming projects, or…
Transgender Awareness Week: Catching up with Britney Everlong

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching up with Britney Everlong

Copyright 2022 The House of Everlong Britney Everlong began writing at an early age, her first book being “The Whatchamacallit”, written at the age of nine. It would be some time before her first published work, “Pegasus Bay”, would come to pass, at the age of eighteen. Now, Britney is a writer, mother, free thinker, occasional actress, lover of music, and all-around weird lady who enjoys writing horror and sci-fi stories in her spare time. What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new writing news, upcoming projects, or other exciting professional news you'd…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Sirrah Medeiros

Sirrah Medeiros is a dark fantasy, horror, and thriller writer. Over the past decade, several anthologies published her horror short stories and poems. She also published a poetry collection in 2014. Most recently, Sirrah has published two books in her dark urban fantasy series, The Emerald Curse and Secrets of Mother. Having grown up in Ohio, Sirrah is the youngest of seven children and the only daughter. After living in a house full of brothers, joining the Marine Corps didn’t sound so difficult, and it offered an opportunity to explore the globe. Since then, she raised a family, completed a…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with John Lane

John Lane’s fiction has appeared in THE DISAPPOINTED HOUSEWIFE, PAGE & SPINE, VERSIFICATION, dyst LITERARY JOURNAL, 101 WORDS, BLACK HARE PRESS, THE BIRDSEED, THE DAILY DRUNK and many other venues. “The Visit” was published in 81 WORDS FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY, which won the Saboteur Award for Best Anthology. “The Monster Inside” was part of the Horror Writers Association’s Mental Health Initiative anthology, OF HOPE AND HORROR. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty?  I enlisted in the Army as a 39T Computer Technician between January 1988 to 1992. After basic training in Fort Jackson, SC and…