Vintage Nightmares: Part One of The Rack Roundtable Interview

Welcome back! Today I’m thrilled to spotlight some of the contributors as well as the editor of the new anthology, The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks! I’m so fortunate to have a story in the table of contents alongside these wonderful authors, and it’s been such a fantastic process, from working with editor Tom Deady to that amazing cover art by Lynne Hansen.

So without further ado, let’s take it away, shall we?

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your story in The Rack.

CANDACE NOLA: My name is Candace Nola. I’m an award-winning author from Pittsburgh PA. The creator of Uncomfortably Dark Horror, an indie horror review and publishing platform. My story in The Rack was inspired by my love of creepy dolls when I was a child, especially the porcelain baby dolls with the glass eyes. Using that as the main concept, and a few other disturbing elements, I was able to create my creepy story, “They Look Back.”

REBECCA ROWLAND: I am an anthology editor and dark fiction author who hails from New England, which is how I became acquainted with Tom [Deady]: I met him when we both had tables at a convention in Framingham, Massachusetts, pre-pandemic. There are a handful of creatures from myth and folklore that creep me out, and I like to exorcize them by working them into stories: most recently, I’ve written about the banshee, the siren, the wendigo, the yara-ma-yha-who. My story in The Rack, “Better by You, Better than Me,” features the diao si gui, the hanging host. According to legend, if a person is hanged, whether by choice, punishment, or misadventure, the victim haunts the area where the hanging occurred, and should it make eye contact with a living person, it may choose to change places with him or her. There are countless paintings depicting the diao si gui that frighten the hell out of me, so this story is my way of keeping those nightmares at bay (while simultaneously making a statement about the wave of 80s’ irrationality of blaming metal music for suicide and satanism).

MAX BOOTH III: My wife and I operate Ghoulish Books together, which is both a small press and indie bookstore specializing in horror. We’re just on the outskirts of San Antonio. I also write my own books and the occasional movie (We Need to Do Something is currently streaming on Hulu). On top of that, we organize and host the annual Ghoulish Book Festival every spring in downtown SATX.

My story is called “Loud and Clear” and it’s about a woman who lives on closed-down campgrounds. One night, after getting drunk and insulting her sister’s kid, she goes digging in an old storage cabin and locates a walkie talkie from her childhood, back when the camp was still operational. Soon she begins hearing a voice from the walkie talkie—the voice of a boy who should be dead. Then…you know, other horror-related things happen.

CHRISTA CARMEN: I am a horror, gothic mystery, and thriller/suspense writer from Westerly, Rhode Island, where I live with my daughter, Nell, husband, John, bloodhound/golden retriever mix, Mirabel, and five chickens, Asha, Amaya, Wind, Toby, and Spike. My debut novel, The Daughters of Block Island, won the 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel and was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award, to my immense surprise and pleasure. I’ve also had work published in Vastarien, Nightmare, Orphans of Bliss, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, and the Stoker-nominated anthologies, Not All Monsters and The Streaming of Hill House. I’m a big fan of all the wonderful roundtable interviews you’ve conducted in the past, Gwendolyn, and of your insightful and generous blog, so thank you for having me and all the other Rack contributors here today!

My story in The Rack is called “Blood of My Blood” and was inspired by the “[enter location or party type]-massacre” stories of the 70s and 80s (like, for instance, “slumber party massacre” or “motel massacre,” and let’s not forget the entire subgenre of “camp massacre” tales popular during this time period). Mine is a “wedding day massacre” story, but one which also draws on some of the more tongue-in-cheek, black humor vintage paperbacks of the era. Suffice it to say, the story could never be accused of taking itself too seriously, and I certainly hope readers have fun with it.

“Blood of My Blood” is about a young woman whose fiancé discovers the true nature of her family’s business on the day of their wedding, leading to a rather untraditional—and blood-drenched—ceremony. I had a blast working out the numerous death scenes, and while I won’t say too much more, I won’t dissuade you from googling “‘medical sanguinarians”… you might find yourself even more in the mood for a good old-fashioned marital bloodbath once you’ve, ahem, whet your whistle on the topic.

STEVE VAN SAMSON: I’ve been lurking in and around the indie horror scene since 2017, when I self published my first two novels “The Bone Eater King” and “Marrow Dust”. There were both what can be elevator-pitched as POST APOCALYPTIC VAMPIRES IN AFRICA and helped set the tone for what I wanted to do with this crazy little writing career. Character diversity is incredibly important to me, as is trying to find interesting new ways of exploring certain sub-genres of horror (vampires being just one). Variations on a theme can be thrilling, but I always try to find an angle I haven’t seen before. Injecting some fresh adrenaline into the familiar.

This is true for my story in THE RACK. “Lips Like a Scythe” is, on its surface, a send up of the giant bug movies of the 1950’s—THEM! (1954) and Tarantula (1955) being my personal faves. I knew my main character had to be a park ranger but wanted to present as realistic a depiction as possible. Problem was, I knew nothing beyond what I’d seen in movies which was in all likelihood, not super accurate in the first place. So, I began contacting various Ranger stations around the United States. After numerous phone calls and emails, I finally found someone in Sandy, Oregon who agreed to answer my list of questions! It was an illuminating experience. And while I still don’t know if I got everything just right, there was no question that the main character had to be named Heather.

CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN: My name is Clay — and my story on The Rack is called “white pages.” For those folks who might remember the White Pages, or don’t, it was this magical tome full of every phone number, every address, for every citizen who lived within your area. It was truly a wondrous publication for those of us who liked to make prank calls back in the day when we were children. But what happens if the person who picks up the phone isn’t who you think they are? What if there’s someone waiting for you on the other end of the line?

KRISTIN DEARBORN: When I heard the idea for the anthology was a love letter to those wonderful old paperbacks of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, I was thrilled. I feel like we can’t even talk about those books without tipping our hats to Grady Hendrix and his Paperbacks From Hell, which brought several classics back into the mainstream. While we shouldn’t be judging books by their covers, we inevitably do, and wow, those covers were something. To write something inspired by the idea of a lurid cover, I knew I wanted to do something larger than life, and I wanted teenagers to die. I spent a while working on a piece about a summer camp and MK-Ultra while ultimately became a novella, and had to shift gears and come up with something shorter. I love creature features, love marauding animals, and decided to go with a bear. The rest, as they say, is history.

LARRY HINKLE: My name is Larry Hinkle, the least famous author you’ve never heard of. My debut collection, The Space Between, was released in February, 2024 from Trepidatio Publishing.

My story in The Rack is called “That Chemical Glow.” It’s an environmental/chemical/industrial horror story about twin brothers on the run after a drug deal goes bad. They end up hiding out in the neighborhood where they grew up, which the government condemned after two deadly chemical spills. Turns out the old neighborhood ain’t what it used to be, and the new residents are eager to make new friends.

JEFF STRAND: I’ve published about sixty books, and after a long losing streak I won the Bram Stoker Award for my novella Twentieth Anniversary Screening. My story “Fuzzy Slippers” explores the ancient universal fear that if you put on a pair of fuzzy slippers, they’re going to bite your feet off. I do not expect to win a second Bram Stoker Award for this particular story, but I think it’s a bloody good time.

TOM DEADY: I’ve been a fan of the horror genre since I was a kid, though I didn’t start taking my writing seriously until much later in life. I decided to put The Rack together as a tribute to what started me on my horror genre. I talk about it in the afterword of The Rack in detail.

What are your memories of vintage horror paperbacks? Did you read them growing up, or did you know someone who did? Do you have a favorite book from that era or even a favorite cover?

CANDACE NOLA: My first memory of the vintage paperbacks were the ones my dad read, quite a few King and Straub among them, but also Laymon, some James Herbert, and others. The covers caught my eye first, always a terrifying rodent, or demonic doll, some other type of impossibly haunted object and the half-dressed woman screaming in terror.

REBECCA ROWLAND: My dad was a huge Stephen King fan, so King’s books lurked everywhere in our house. I remember the cover of The Stand: the piercing red eyes of Flagg with a crow superimposed over his face; I remember Carrie’s dual face glowing blue, and I distinctly remember the cover of Night Shift because it quickly became my favorite short fiction collection, the bandaged hand with eyes peeking from the fingers. We owned the red paperback of The Bachman Books—the one with the skulls streaking along the road into the distance—and I recall that “The Long Walk,” not “Rage,” made the strongest impact on me, likely because of the body horror. When he moved to a suburb in the late 2000s, my father dropped all of those books at the local library for their annual used book sale, and weirdly enough, I ended up buying his exact copy back from a seller on eBay. It’s as if the book itself had decided that it belonged to us, to me.

MAX BOOTH III: Admittedly, I’m on the younger side of this anthology’s ToC. I was born in ’93, so I missed out on the big paperback boom of the ’80s. But I clearly remember my library having lots of old-school horror paperbacks when I was growing up. Plus my mom probably had every King paperback laying around the house, and I read those pretty much as soon as I knew how to read. Different Seasons was probably the first one I really got into, because I was obsessed with Stand By Me and I was thrilled to learn there was also a book component to the movie. I also remember reading that huge Richard Bachman omnibus early on and falling in love with The Long Walk.

My favorite cover from that era might be controversial, because even the author hated it, but I’m gonna have to go with the first-edition cover of Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door. Am I influenced here as a Goosebumps kid? Quite possibly. Either way, I’ve always loved that ridiculous cover haha. I think the fact that it’s such a tonal mismatch for the actual story is what makes me appreciate it even more. Who signed off on this thing? Why was this the cover? No idea, but I am grateful it happened.

CHRISTA CARMEN: Being born in the mid-80s, I was a bit too young to be reading paperbacks right off the rack myself, but my father was a fan of the Dean Koontz/Frank M. Robinson-type science fiction / horror paperbacks (as well as Stephen King, of course) and my mother was likely to be in possession of any number of the “woman looks over her shoulder at looming house” brand of paperbacks, and was a big Phyllis A. Whitney fan.

It’s a little unoriginal, especially because I heard our esteemed editor, Tom Deady, state that his first vintage paperback was this book as well, but my favorite book from that era AND favorite cover is the shiny ‘Salem’s Lot cover with the single red drop of blood glistening from the embossed vampire’s fang.

STEVE VAN SAMSON: My mom was always a voracious reader, but there were never horror books (or movies) in the house. This “scare embargo” forced me to constantly peruse the spinning racks in the kids sections of our town and school libraries for anything on the freakier side of things. The books that most stick out in my mind (besides the short story types like “Scary Stories To Read In The Dark” & “Tales From The Midnight Hour”) are definitely “Bunnicula” by Deborah & James Howe and The Samantha Slade books by Susan Smith. As for cover art, the second Samantha Slade book, “Confessions of a Teenage Frog” has really stuck with me. I remember staring at it in total fascination for hours. It depicts what was probably my first taste of body horror, as our hero Samantha gapes in “sort of abject terror” as her hands and arms get all froggy. Great stuff!

CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN: I have distinct memories of the Deltaville Market down in Virginia. They had a spinner rack at the front of their store… Two or three, as a matter of fact. One was always bodice rippers. The other was horror. When I was young, and my mother was waiting her turn at the checkout counter, I would brave the horror spinner and see if I could make a full rotation without flinching. And don’t get me started on actually taking a book off the rack and opening it. That was just forbidden. My heart couldn’t handle it. Especially the die-cut covers with the hidden images inside, where the book was demanding you engage with it, open it, in order for its true terror to reveal itself to you. That was just too much for me at that age. I never read those books as a kid, but the covers are still with me. PIN? THE TRIBE? Too much.

KRISTIN DEARBORN: When I was a kid I wasn’t allowed to watch scary movies, but had carte blanche to read whatever I wanted, be it from the local library, or from the boxes of paperbacks I discovered in my own attic. At home, I found Stephen King (The Stand, ‘Salem’s Lot, Cujo) Harvest Home, Rosemary’s Baby, and more. I remember powering through The Stand at a very young age (eight, maybe?) and didn’t get a lot of the nuances there. At the library I devoured even more, they had the titular black wire racks. I read everything Michael Crichton had written to that point. I devoured Koontz. Most embarrassingly, though, I was kind of obsessed with Piers Anthony’s Firefly. In retrospect, this is very cringe (as the kids say), I’m pretty sure everything about the book was god-awful. I’d never read anything with so much sex in it, horror sex, (though Koontz has some sex scenes, Crichton and King largely don’t) horror sex linked to animal biology and pheromones. I didn’t have the context back then to articulate how WRONG so much of the book is, would never recommend it or read it now, but it elevated my perception of what was horrific beyond the other titles I’d read. One of my favorite horror tropes is animal biology warped into monsters—Koontz does this so well in Watchers, I play with it myself in my novella Woman in White.

LARRY HINKLE: I read ALL the paperbacks growing up. My mom was a huge horror fan, and my dad built a bookshelf for her that took up an entire wall in our living room. (Man, I wish I had some of those books now.) I was allowed to read anything I could reach. And I was a tall kid. (Unfortunately, I quit growing after sixth grade and have been stuck at 5’8″ ever since.)

My favorite book from that era is probably the same as everyone else’s: Night Shift by Stephen King. The one with the picture on the cover of a hand wrapped in gauze with eyeballs peeking out. It’s still the single best author collection I’ve ever read.

JEFF STRAND: My memory is that you could go into a grocery store and they’d be right there by the checkout line, as an impulse purchase! My local magazine/comic/bookstore had a robust horror section, filled with Zebra, Leisure, etc. releases, all of them face-out for easy browsing. There was a massive amount of available stuff, but the challenge came when I was looking for specific books. In the days before online retailers, if a horror novel was past its very brief window of life on the shelves, my only choice was to search used bookstores. It took years to track down a copy of Ketchum’s Off Season, which I desperately wanted to read after it was discussed in Deep Red magazine. My favorite book of the era was R. Patrick Gates’ Grimm Memorials.

TOM DEADY: When I was in my early teens, every store – whether it was a supermarket, drugstore, or convenience store – had a spinny rack. I spent a lot of happy hours spinning those racks, studying the lurid covers and reading the back copy until I found just the right book.

I read a ton of them growing up and owned most of them. My brother, Mike, used to let me borrow his books (he had WAY more than I did, and still does!) if I hadn’t read them.

I often credit ‘Salem’s Lot for the one that got me started in horror. The original embossed face with the single drop of red blood…I can remember finding that on the rack all these years later. But there are so many others that come to mind; Nightwing, The Keep, Off Season, Night Shift, Audrey Rose…so many great covers.

So many thanks to all the contributors of The Rack for being part of this week’s roundtable! Join us next week as we discuss even more about vintage horror paperbacks!

Happy reading!

Sinister Summer’s End: Updates from My Weird, Writing World

So 2024 is already dwindling away, and seriously, what a year it’s been. First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for their support through my recent health scare. Your comments on my social media definitely filled me with love during a very frightening time. You’re all the best, and I’m so lucky to have such a great group of people around me.

Now onto better things: namely, writing news! It’s been six months today since The Haunting of Velkwood made its debut. It seems both like it was yesterday and a whole lifetime ago. That being said, I’m so thrilled that the book is still out there, finding new readers! It was featured once again as one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of the Year (So Far), and that truly fills my heart with ghostly joy. I was also recently interviewed not once but twice at Cemetery Dance. Truly, that’s beyond thrilling. Thank you so much to Esquire’s Neil McRobert, and Cemetery Dance’s Haley Newlin and Daniel Braum. All of you are absolutely amazing supporters of the horror genre, and I’m so happy that you enjoyed Velkwood!

As always, my novels aren’t the only thing I’ve been working on lately. You can check out all my recent articles at The Lineup, which include a post about Bram Stoker nominated works that deserve a place on your TBR as well as a list of the best 1980s horror remakes.

And then there’s a topic that’s forever near and dear to my heart: short fiction! I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of some very exciting anthologies this year! Last month, It Was All a Dream 2: Another Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right was released; it features my story, “Be Kind, Please Rewind,” an unusual reworking of the Final Girl trope. This one took me a few years to get it to where I wanted it, so I’m so delighted that it’s finally found a home in such a very cool book!

And just this week, the incredible anthology, The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks, was released from Greymore Publishing. My insect tale, “The Last Call of the Cicada,” is featured in a truly spectacular table of contents, which includes everyone from Candace Nola and Christa Carmen to Stephen King and Cynthia Pelayo. Such an honor to be part of this one, and I’m planning to do a roundtable interview series here on my blog in the coming weeks with some of the contributors.

In terms of what’s on the horizon, the fantastic Fear of Clowns: A Horror Anthology is due out in just a couple of weeks, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that one! And finally, The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories, edited by the always extraordinary Lindy Ryan, is due out later this year. Suffice it to say, I’ll be posting more about all of these super cool anthologies on social media, so be prepared to hear more about it from me!

Also, on an entirely different note, I hate to vaguebook, but there’s been some behind-the-scenes movement on a couple of projects that would be completely amazing and utterly life-changing if they keep progressing forward. Suffice it to say, my visit to Los Angeles in May was a very positive one. So stay tuned for those details if and when I can share them, and if you’ve got the energy, send a couple good vibes my way in hopes of everything taking the best possible turn.

So that’s about it from my writing world at the moment. Otherwise, I’m at work on several new books, including a novel and my second short fiction collection. So much writing to do, so little time! I hope everyone out there is doing well and planning lots of horror fun for the fall!

Happy end of summer, and happy reading!

Horror in the Sunshine: Submission Roundup for July 2024

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup! Plenty of great opportunities in July and beyond, so if you’ve got a story seeking a home, perhaps you’ll find the perfect market below!

As always, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; I’m simply spreading the word! Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with July’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Gamut
Payment: .10/word for original fiction; .03/word for reprint fiction; $50/flat for original poetry; $25/flat for reprint poetry
Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; open for poetry
Deadline: Ongoing (though the submission portal fills up quickly)
What They Want: Open to dark speculative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Find the details here.

Spooky Magazine
Payment: .01/word
Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: July 13th, 2024
What They Want: Open to cozy and fun horror in the vein of Ray Bradbury and The Twilight Zone.
Find the details here

Dark Spores: Stories We Tell After Midnight
Payment: .05/word
Length: up to 3,000 words
Deadline: July 15th, 2024
What They Want: Crone Girls Press is seeking horror and dark fiction stories about mushrooms, spores, and fungus.
Find the details here

The Green Sheaf
Payment: .10/word for fiction; $50/flat for poetry
Length: up to 500 words for fiction; up to 25 lines for poetry
Deadline: August 1st, 2024 (though the submission window might close early)
What They Want: Open to Black female-identifying authors and Black gender-fluid authors, this new publication inspired by the work of Pamela Colman Smith is seeking stories with the theme of Anansi.
Find the details here.

Women in Horror Anthology
Payment: $15/flat
Length: No specified length
Deadline: September 10th, 2024
What They Want: Open to female-identifying authors, this anthology is seeking gothic and fairy tale retellings.
Find the details here

Nefarious Bat Press
Payment: $250 advance; 50/50 royalty split
Length: 25,000 to 40,000 words
Deadline: Open October 1st to 31st, 2024
What They Want: Nefarious Bat Press is seeking horror novella submissions from female and nonbinary authors.
Find the details here

Happy submitting!

My Schedule for StokerCon 2024

So StokerCon is only a week away, and I seriously couldn’t be more excited for it! It’s in San Diego this year, and this will be my first time back in California since my husband and I were married there back in 2008. So needless to say, we’re very happy to be returning to The Golden State!

I’ll be super busy on Friday and Saturday, so if you’re looking for where to find me, here’s my full schedule for the weekend!

“I Go Both Ways”: Liminality and Depictions of Bisexuality in Turn-of-the-Century Horror Cinema on Friday, May 31st at 11am
Once again, I’ll be presenting at the fabulous Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference! Last year, it was bisexual vampires; this year, I’m all about liminality and bisexuality, in particular in movies from the 1990s and 2000s. Basically, this gives me an opportunity to share my love for Basic Instinct, Mulholland Drive, and Jennifer’s Body. <insert bi screams of joy> And if that wasn’t all cool enough, I’m in the same presenting block as the wonderful Rocky Colavito and Kevin Wetmore, Jr., so it’s sure to be a fabulous time!

The Rising Popularity of Folklore and Fairy Tales in Modern Horror on Friday, May 31st at 2pm
Moderated by the always awesome Ben Rubin of the Horror Studies Collection at the University of Pittsburgh, we’ll be discussing one of my favorite topics: folklore and fairy tales. This one is part of the Librarian’s Day event, and I’ll be joining panelists Cynthia Pelayo, Yaika Sabat, Tanya Pell, and Lee Murray. I can’t wait to see where this discussion goes, and I hope you’ll join us to find out!

Exploring Queerness as “Otherness” in Horror on Friday, May 31st at 3pm
I’m beyond thrilled to be moderating this one! I believe this is the only programming at the convention that focuses on queer horror, so I’m incredibly honored to be at the helm! The panel will include Chad Stroup, Norman Prentiss, Sofia Ajram, Lindsay King-Miller, and Ridley Harker, so with a lineup like that, you know it’s going to be an incredible discussion!

Purrfect Terrors: Cats in Horror on Saturday, June 1st at 2pm
Cats in horror! Is there anything better? Sarah Faxon will be moderating this one alongside panelists Sara Tantlinger, John Palisano, and Ashley (A.E.) Santana. No doubt I’ll be bringing up two of my favorite fearsome felines from cinema: Blanche from Hausu and Jezebel from The Sentinel! Hooray for creepy cats!

Witchcraft and Spiritualism in Horror on Saturday, June 1st at 5pm
Sarah Read is the dynamite moderator, and I seriously couldn’t be more excited. As a practicing witch myself, I’ve got plenty to say on the subject, and I’m very eager to hear everyone else’s thoughts as well. I’ll be joining panelists Christa Carmen, Johnny Worthen, Marie Whittaker, and Todd Keisling, and since this is my last programming of the weekend, it’s a perfect way to go out with a bang.

So those are all the places I’ll be on Friday and Saturday! And FYI: I decided to opt out of an author reading and the mass author signing, mostly because I have plenty to do already, and I don’t want to overtax myself at the convention. (This is me trying to practice better self-care after a lifetime of asking “What’s self-care?”) Also, if you can’t make it to any of the panels or my talk on bisexuality and horror, then just find me hanging around the convention and say hello! I’m fairly friendly when I’m not lurking in shadowy corners!

Happy reading, and happy StokerCon!

Fictional Favorites: Submission Roundup for May 2024

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup! There are some great opportunities this month, so if you’ve got a story seeking a home, hopefully you’ll find the perfect market below!

As always, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; I’m simply spreading the word! Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with May’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Gamut
Payment: .10/word for original fiction; .03/word for reprint fiction; $50/flat for original poetry; $25/flat for reprint poetry
Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; open for poetry
Deadline: Ongoing (though the submission portal fills up quickly)
What They Want: Open to dark speculative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Find the details here.

Arkham Institutions
Payment: .06/word
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: May 30th, 2024
What They Want: Dragon’s Roost Press is seeking cosmic horror stories set in Lovecraft’s Arkham that feature a public or private institution.
Find the details here.

Allegory
Payment: $15/flat
Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: June 30th, 2024
What They Want: Open to science, fantasy, horror, and “quirky” fiction.
Find the details here.

The Green Sheaf
Payment: .10/word for fiction; $50/flat for poetry
Length: up to 500 words for fiction; up to 25 lines for poetry
Deadline: Opens June 20th, 2024
What They Want: Open to Black female-identifying authors and Black gender-fluid authors, this new publication inspired by the work of Pamela Colman Smith is seeking stories with the theme of Anansi.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

The Haunting of Velkwood is one month old!

Welcome back! So last Friday was a pretty cool milestone: The Haunting of Velkwood officially turned one month old!

*spectral screams of joy*

Seriously, though, this book–both writing it and promoting it–has definitely been a unique experience and quite a journey to be honest. I know I’ve certainly been loquacious about Velkwood on social media, so you’ve probably heard plenty of my updates already. But honestly, this book is a really big deal to me, so I’m just going to go ahead and share some of the news again! Because really, what else is a blog for anyhow?

There have been so many incredible reviews of The Haunting of Velkwood, and it makes me so happy to see my ghosts making their way in the world and finding readers! Here are a few of the pull quotes from reviews, just in case you need a bit of incentive to pick up a copy of the book!

Prediction: this makes not only many year’s best in horror lists, but lists for the best books overall in 2024. Highly recommended.” — Cemetery Dance

“The Haunting of Velkwood shimmers with the uncanny… the most unique haunt story in years.” — Fangoria

“Kiste’s expert storytelling and engaging prose ensure that readers will have difficulty putting the book down. This is a must-read for 2024.” — Ginger Nuts of Horror

“Sure to be one of the most original and riveting horror novels of 2024.” — Booklist (Starred Review)

“Kiste kept her page-turner relatable. She made it fun. And memorable. It hints at lies and secrets… Kiste is a damn good story teller!” – Horror Tree

“Breathtakingly original modern ghost story laden with humanity and heartache.” – Library Journal

Another big highlight: The Haunting of Velkwood has been featured in Fangoria… not once, but twice! First up, there was a fantastic review in Issue #22! So many thanks to Ahlissa Eichhorn of The Nightmare Library column for all her support! Then last month, the amazing Leticia Lopez interviewed me for the site where we talked horror, ghosts, and more! Truly, being featured in Fangoria twice is so unbelievably awesome and special! Eeeeee!!!

I’ve also made numerous appearances on some very fabulous podcasts, including Talking Scared, This Is Horror, Lovecraft eZine, Night Time Logic, The Ghostly Gallery, and Sley House Presents. In addition to those podcasts, I’ve been interviewed at a number of others sites such as Rue Morgue and The Nerd Daily. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have so many places come out to support this book, so please head on over to my recently revamped interviews page for all the details!

The major leg of my book tour is now over, and seriously, what an amazing experience it was! I’m so grateful for the bookstores that hosted me, including Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh, Loganberry Books in Cleveland, Charis Books & More in Atlanta, and the virtual event at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. These are all wonderful places, so please consider stopping by if they’re in your area, or ordering online if they’re too far to visit in person!

However, if you missed out on my Velkwood events, fear not! I’m still making a few more appearances, both on podcasts and in person! In particular, I’ll be at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 27th for Independent Bookstore Day! Then on Saturday, May 11th, I’ll be at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books for a very awesome horror panel. And last but not least, I’ll be at StokerCon in San Diego from May 30th to June 2nd! I most certainly hope to see some of you there!

As the coming months roll by, I’ll of course keep sharing news about the book, as my ghosts continue to haunt the world! Needless to say, thank you so much to everyone who’s supported The Haunting of Velkwood so far! It truly means the world to me!

Happy reading, and happy ghostly adventures!

Spooky Springtime: Submission Roundup for April 2024

Welcome back for April’s Submission Roundup! As usual, there are so many great writing opportunities, so if you’ve got a story seeking a home, then maybe you’ll find the perfect place from the list below!

As always, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; I’m simply spreading the word! Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with April’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Flame Tree’s Gothic Fantasy series
Payment: .08/word for original fiction; .06/word for reprints
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: April 7th, 2024
What They Want: The editors are seeking short stories for two different submission calls: one that focuses on folklore, myth, and the supernatural regarding the moon and one that focuses on science fiction, fantasy, folklore, and myth involving the sun.
Find the details here and here.

Flash Fiction Online
Payment: $100/flat
Length: 500 to 1,000 words
Deadline: April 21st, 2024
What They Want: Open to weird horror flash fiction.
Find the details here.

Nonbinary Review
Payment: $10/flat for poetry; .01/word for prose
Length: Up to 3,000 words
Deadline: April 30th, 2024
What They Want: Open to unique interpretations of the theme of hereditary.
Find the details here.

Cursed Cooking: A Horror Community Cookbook and Food Horror Anthology
Payment: .05/word for original fiction and .01/word for reprints; $5/flat for recipes
Length: Up to 4,000 words
Deadline: April 30th, 2024 for general submissions; May 10th, 2024 for underrepresented groups
What They Want: Open to food-related horror fiction and recipes.
Find the details here.

HWA Horror Poetry Showcase
Payment: $35/flat
Length: Up to 35 lines
Deadline: May 1st, 2024
What They Want: Open to HWA members, this annual anthology features horror poetry of all subgenres.
Find the details here.

The Green Sheaf
Payment: .10/word for fiction; $50/flat for poetry
Length: up to 500 words for fiction; up to 25 lines for poetry
Deadline: Opens June 20th, 2024
What They Want: Open to Black female-identifying authors and Black gender-fluid authors, this new publication inspired by the work of Pamela Colman Smith is seeking stories with the theme of Anansi.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

March Fiction Madness: Submission Roundup for March 2024

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup! As always, there are plenty of great opportunities, so if you’ve got a story seeking a home, then maybe you’ll find the perfect place from the list below!

As usual, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; I’m merely spreading the word. Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with March’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Gamut
Payment: .10/word for original fiction; .03/word for reprint fiction; $50/flat for original poetry; $25/flat for reprint poetry
Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; open for poetry
Deadline: Ongoing (though the submission portal fills up quickly)
What They Want: Open to dark speculative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Find the details here.

Ghoulish
Payment: .10/word
Length: up to 5,000 words (short fiction); up to 2,000 words (nonfiction)
Deadline: March 29th, 2024
What They Want: Open to short fiction and nonfiction that falls under the category of “fun horror that aims to celebrate all things spooky.”
Find the details here.

Under the Pink: Music Inspired by Tori Amos
Payment: $100/flat
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: March 31st, 2024
What They Want: Open to adult horror fiction inspired by the music of Tori Amos.
Find the details here.

Fear of Clowns: A Horror Anthology
Payment: .08/word
Length: 1,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: April 1st, 2024
What They Want: Open to horror fiction with the theme of clowns.
Find the details here.

Flash Fiction Online
Payment: $100/flat
Length: 500 to 1,000 words
Deadline: April 21st, 2024
What They Want: Open to weird horror flash fiction.
Find the details here.

The Green Sheaf
Payment: .10/word for fiction; $50/flat for poetry
Length: up to 500 words for fiction; up to 25 lines for poetry
Deadline: Opens June 20th, 2024
What They Want: Open to Black female-identifying authors and Black gender-fluid authors, this new publication inspired by the work of Pamela Colman Smith is seeking stories with the theme of Anansi.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

RELEASE DAY: The Haunting of Velkwood is now available!

So the big day has finally arrived: The Haunting of Velkwood has made its way into the world!

*screeches merrily into the ghostly void*

Seriously, though, I’m beyond thrilled that this book is officially hitting bookshelves today! This is a tale that took a lot out of me to write, and I’m so glad that it belongs to readers now!

There’s been some amazing early reviews of Velkwood. It’s received a starred review from Booklist as well as been featured in Gizmodo, Yahoo, Men’s Health, CrimeReads, and more! Plus, it’s received great reviews from Cemetery Dance, Ginger Nuts of Horror, Horror Tree, The Fandomentals, and FanFiAddict, among others. Here are a few of the pull quotes and blurbs so far!

“Sure to be one of the most original and riveting horror novels of 2024.” – Booklist (Starred Review)

“Breathtakingly original modern ghost story laden with humanity and heartache.” – Library Journal

“Kiste kept her page-turner relatable. She made it fun. And memorable. It hints at lies and secrets… Kiste is a damn good story teller!” – Horror Tree

“One of the most original ghost stories you will ever read. Phenomenal.” – Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Cackle and Black Sheep

“A totally original ghost story, filled with chills… I absolutely loved it.” – Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Road of Bones and All Hallows

“A spellbinding accomplishment in modern literature not to be missed… you won’t be able to shake the ghosts of Velkwood for a long, long time.” – Jess Landry, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Mother Wound

“Heartbreaking and hopeful. Kiste’s The Haunting of Velkwood is as compelling as it is chilling. A perfect modern ghost story.” – Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Path of Thorns

“A disturbing new stroke on the canvas of horror, and a reminder that no matter how far we run, the past knows just where to find us.” – Eden Royce, Walter Award Honoree and Shirley Jackson Award Finalist

So just where can you find my ghosts? As it happens, here are a couple links where you can pick up a copy!

The Haunting of Velkwood at Riverstone Books

The Haunting of Velkwood at Amazon

Thank you so much to everyone who’s already preordered the book as well as all the amazing reviewers and interviewers out there who have been spreading the word about The Haunting of Velkwood! Truly, it means the absolute world to me!

Happy reading, and happy Velkwood release day!

Book Tour for THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD

Welcome back! We are now just one week away from the official release of my latest novel, The Haunting of Velkwood!

*insert screams of joy*

Seriously, though, I’m so excited for this book to make its debut in the world. It’s one of my favorite and most personal things I’ve ever written, and I’m so glad that it will be out on bookshelves soon.

Another thing I’m super excited about: I’m doing a book tour! And this one has even more in-person events than my last tour for Reluctant Immortals!

And where will I be appearing? Well, I just so happen to have this awesome graphic with all of my upcoming events!

First up, there’s the launch party for The Haunting of Velkwood! That will be on the book’s release day, which is Tuesday, March 5th! The launch party will be held at Riverstone Books in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh at 7pm ET! I’ll be in conversation with the awesome Ben Rubin of the Horror Studies Archive at the University of Pittsburgh, and it’s sure to be lots of fun, so please join us for a night of ghostly terror!

(Also, this is a perfect time to remind everyone that you can still pre-order The Haunting of Velkwood from Riverstone Books, and receive not only a personalized copy of the book but also an exclusive vinyl sticker welcoming you to the Velkwood Vicinity!)

Then on Wednesday, March 13th at 7pm, I’ll be heading back to my original home state of Ohio to do an event at Loganberry Books in Cleveland! I’ll be in conversation with K.P. Kulski, the author of Fairest Flesh as well as a recent Bram Stoker Award nominee! Another event that’s going to be a total blast, so it would be great to see some Ohio folks in attendance for this one!

The following week, I’ll be heading down to Atlanta to appear at Charis Books on Wednesday, March 20th at 7:30pm! This event is called Queer Horror Across Time and features Lee Mandelo and me in conversation about The Haunting of Velkwood and Lee’s new book, The Woods All Black. This one is a hybrid event, so you can catch us in person or as a virtual event through Charis Books’ YouTube page.

Next up, I’ll be doing a virtual event at Mysterious Galaxy on Tuesday, March 26th at 9pm ET. A few of the details on this one are still forthcoming, so please stay tuned for the link as well as my in-conversation partner! I had such a blast at the Mysterious Galaxy event for Reluctant Immortals, so I’m so thrilled about coming back for Velkwood!

Then on Thursday, March 28th at 7pm ET, I’ll be joining the wonderful Daniel Braum for his Night Time Logic series. We’ll be talking ghosts as well as doing readings from our work! It’s always a pleasure to be part of the Night Time Logic series, so I’m very excited about making my return! Again, the event page for this one should be ready soon, and I’ll be sure to share it far and wide when it is!

Flash forward to the next month, and on Saturday, April 27th at 2pm ET, I’ll be doing a book signing and meet and greet at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg. This is part of Independent Bookstore Day, which is such a fun celebration. I’ve never done a book event in Pennsylvania outside of the Pittsburgh area, so I’m looking forward to meeting readers from other parts of the state!

And finally, I’ll be circling back home and appearing at The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books on Saturday, May 11th. All the details about that appearance are still forthcoming, but suffice it to say that I’m scheduled for a very cool panel with some amazing fellow panelists.

So that’s the schedule for my second-ever book tour! I’m so delighted to be making so many appearances over the next few months. And of course, I’m also doing lots of interviews for fabulous podcasts and websites and guest essays, so there will be plenty of chances to catch me hanging out in person and virtually! Needless to say, I’m beyond thrilled to be sharing The Haunting of Velkwood with the world! I most certainly hope that lots of you enjoy meeting my ghosts very soon!

Happy reading!