Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Coming 23 May from writer Kelli Owen and Crystal Lake Publishing, The Headless Boy
Reeling from the loss of a child, Maggie finds her job at the local daycare unbearable and errands around town impossible. She knows every child, every single parent, and they’re all reminders of what she’s lost. Unable to heal, she sinks further into the grip of grief and depression.
Jake is a good guy, a great husband, and wants only the best for his broken wife. Therapy and medications aren’t helping, and a change of scenery makes perfect sense. A new home. A fresh start. He is nothing but patient, giving Maggie the space and emotional support needed to move on. But once they’ve settled in, Maggie offers him an alternative. And though Jake doesn’t believe in ghosts, he plays along with the charade in the name of helping his wife. Until he discovers it’s not a game.
They are not alone. As the subtle activity grows violent, Jakes realizes the thing in their house has chosen Maggie as a surrogate mother, and it does not want a father figure. Jake and Maggie’s fresh start has become a battlefield, and he’s no longer sure which side his wife is on. Does Jake have the strength to save them both? Available for pre-order now in eBook, paperback and hardcover editions, you can grab your copy here.
Australia: the land where everything wants to kill you. A continent filled with some of the deadliest animals in the world. From creepy-crawlies to crocodiles, you’ll have plenty to fear in this anthology penned by Australian authors. Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories with Bite offers disturbing tales that range from the action-packed and visceral, through the historical and futuristic, to the phantasmagorical and supernatural. Prepare to confront your animal phobias… And perhaps develop some new ones. Featuring work by: Geraldine Borella – Tim Borella – Renee De Visser – Anthony Ferguson – Jason Fischer – Fox Claret Hill – Robert Mammone – Ben Matthews – J.M. Merryt – Helena O’Connor – Steven Paulsen – Antoinette Rydyr – Deborah Sheldon – Charles Spiteri – H.K. Stubbs – Matt Tighe – Keith Williams – Pauline Yates Curated by Deborah Sheldon, editor of the multi-award-winning and multi-award-nominated anthology, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies. Available now in eBook and paperback, you can grab your copy here.
Following the events of Decimated Dreams, Travis and Elsie reunite with their daughter, April. Only the world has changed while they were gone. Officer Metcalf and her wife, Penny, have kept April from harm, but when Travis and Elsie return, the shadow of Robert Weeks lurks around every corner.
Brought together by fate, the group prepares to make a final stand that will take them between dimensions, into the past, and to the chilling House of the Phantoms. Sacrifices will be made and strength tested as they desperately seek to find a way to defeat Robert Weeks in his own world, a haunted reflection of Slattery Falls.
Brace yourself for the thrilling, emotional final chapter of the Slattery Falls trilogy. How tight can you hold onto something you can’t keep? Available for pre-order now in eBook and paperback editions, you can guarantee your copy here.
The Disappearance of Tom Nero concerns a young man’s investigation into the impossible disappearance of a friend. As he learns more about the circumstances and searches for answers, the re-emergence of a metatextual horror from legend puts not only him, but his new lover, in jeopardy. The story explores themes of contagious and invasive thoughts, disappearances, as well as the relationship between reality and the written word. It is uniquely structured, with a variety of clues hidden in the text for the savvy reader—but beware, for the horror might not only affect the characters in the story…it may also affect the reader themselves. Available now in eBook and paperback editions, you can pick up your copy here.
Cemetery Road is known for its ghosts. They’re unreal figures that fill the forgotten houses, linger in the White Hart pub, and haunt all those who have ever had a reason to be near Beggar’s Hill Cemetery.
Six friends, bound together by local history, gather together for a night’s camping where they can gossip, drink and exchange ghost stories. But, this evening, the ghosts of Cemetery Road are calling for those friends to return where they’re needed the most. Available to pre-order now in eBook, with a paperback edition to follow, you can guarantee your copy here.
KEV HARRISON