Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community

February contains National Freedom Day, so free your mind by reading something different!

Theresa Derwin introduces Aaron Dries

By day, Aaron Dries works as a mental health and homelessness case manager. By night, he writes fiction to keep his sanity. His novels include House of Sighs and its sequel The Sound of His Bones Breaking, Where The Dead Go To Die (co-authored with Mark Allan Gunnells), A Place For Sinners, and The Fallen Boys. His short fiction has been published in anthologies and magazines both in Australia and abroad. His most recent release is the novella, And the Night Growled Back, out now from Cemetery Dance.

I first “met” Aaron online a few years ago, and he was always funny, pleasant, polite and smart with his interactions. However, our friendship underwent a sort of baptism of fire November 18, when I sought out works by diverse authors, leading to me joining the Seers Table. I’d asked a simple question—can anyone recommend authors who are POC or from the LGBTQ+ community?

As often happens, the few, rather than the many, questioned my reasons for asking.

The reasons are simple—from underrepresented authors to bias, I wasn’t encountering the breadth of fiction that horror has to offer. And whilst there were some naysayers, many people including Aaron, responded positively.

This genre has so much to offer, and I genuinely think Aaron will remain an active and powerful voice within the horror writing community for years to come.

I thought I’d bring your attention to Dries’ latest work: And the Night Growled Back (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2018).

As many of you are aware, CD publishes some of the best horror out there, so it says a lot about this author that he has a recent book released from them.

Here’s just a taste from And the Night Growled Back to whet your appetite:

“Somewhere, a child screamed as she watched her balloons sail away, floating, blood-red drops against a starry sky. Her cry made them jump within their skins. A collective sigh was shared, and a moment later, words were spoken, little more than a string of whispers, but they carried far. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’

No, there had been no other choice.”

It has been a delight to introduce Aaron Dries and lay his bones bare, at the Seers Table.

Contact details: http://aarondries.com; @AaronDries on Twitter; aarondries (instagram); Aaron Dries on Facebook.

 

Linda Addison recommends

Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi has a Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Journalism, and History. She has 20 years of experience in the communications field and is currently a writer, a journalist, a publicist, and an editor, among many other things.

She writes fiction, essays, stories, and poetry, and is an avid reader of many genres. She has edited poetry anthologies, novels, fiction pieces, and other various nonfiction and journalistic pieces. As a journalist, she’s written, interviewed, and edited for various newspapers, magazines, media outlets, and online news sources at both ends of the spectrum in media and public relations. Erin is a former co-host with her Marketing Morsels segment on Project Entertainment Network’s The Mando Method, an award-winning weekly podcast for new and veteran writers.

Breathe. Breathe., published by Unnerving, is her debut collection and a mix of dark poetry and short stories. She is also featured in an anthology from Unnerving called Hardened Hearts, and in My Favorite Story, published by Project Entertainment Network, which features stories from the author and podcast hosts of the network. Her poem, “Wrapped in Battle,” is in Dark Voices: A Lycan Valley Charity Anthology (2018).

Recommended reading: the poetry and short story collection, Breathe. Breathe.

 

(poem) The Lure of the Loch

I drift away from the sight of shore,
I’m not keeping any score,
of each lap or undulation,
of each misdirection or calculation

My eyes see only faint lights blinking,
the rest is black.
My cloak I pull up tight around my neck—
My lantern I address,
but only a slight amber glow does it connect

A shuddering of my heart, or is it actually cold,
the water tussles me to and fro.

I grasp firmly to the wooden side,
my strength isn’t strong to row, I abide.
I’m floating, surfacing the liquid abyss,
pupils large focusing on the distant glimmer,
still wondering, worrying, on what’s amiss.

You can E-mail her at hookofabook@hotmail.com and find her easily at http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest where she loves new friends.

 

Kate Maruyama recommends

Poppy Z. Brite is an American author. He initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections, including Lost Souls, Exquisite Corpse, Wormwood, and Drawing Blood. His later work moved into the genre of dark comedy, with many stories set in the New Orleans restaurant world. Brite’s novels are typically stand-alone books but may feature recurring characters from previous novels and short stories. His work challenges gender norms and features LGBTQ+ and non-binary characters.

He is best known for his Liquor series.

And if you’d like to read a creepy short story, “The Ash of Memory, the Dust of Desire” appears in this issue of Nightmare Magazine.

You can keep up with the author at their site: http://www.poppyzbrite.com/.