Published November 21, 2022

LAYERS OF INSPIRATION BY
KEITH ANTHONY BAIRD

Living as I do in England’s Lake District area, I’m immersed in a truly inspiring region which is matched in its beauty by a rich history going back into antiquity. Quite aside from the breath-taking scenery which includes rugged mountains, sprawling lakes, lush forests, and rolling hills, there’s a lore which permeates every glade and valley. The Romans were here, as evidenced in their lasting marks upon the landscape. The Celts too, with numerous stone circles dotting the moors and fells which speak of druidic rites and a shadowy nature we’ll never fully understand.

As a writer in the sphere of dark fiction there’s much in the way of inspiration to draw upon. Just about every major town here has some trace of its glorious past still intact. Castles, inns, and manor houses litter the countryside, each with a story dating back centuries. And it’s in these settings we find tales of the supernatural which provide yet another layer of interest to an already overflowing pot. With its annual visitor numbers in the millions, the district plays host to tourists from all corners of the globe. Many experience encounters with what can only be described as the ‘otherworldly’. 

One well-known spot is Kirkstone Pass. The gateway to Patterdale valley, the pass is often closed in harsh winters due to its lofty position. In days of yore, it would have been treacherous for those travelling on foot or by horse-drawn carriage, and one such tale has given rise to a particular haunting which has become synonymous with the inn there. It is the story of Ruth Ray, who was on her way from Patterdale to see her sick father with her small child in tow. As so often happens, the weather unexpectedly took a turn for the worst and snow quickly fell, making it impossible to walk in any direction with certainty. When Ruth had not returned home, her husband set out to look for her, only to find her frozen and lifeless. The baby was wrapped up heavily and survived. To this day, Ruth still haunts the Kirkstone Inn. It is thought she warns walkers of the weather and the dangers of the pass.

Another tale tells of a young boy who was killed by a coach outside the inn. It is reported that a photograph of a 17th century coachman was captured while he was lurking in the bar. The ghost was apparently the great, great grandfather of the family who took the picture, and it’s said that his spirit followed the visiting family home. There are accounts too of a grey lady and the ghost of a hiker who once worked at the inn, who is believed to be the culprit of poltergeist activity there. Another restless spirit is that of a woman who was hanged nearby for the murder of her child. It’s said she haunts the tree on which she met her end.

Tales of the Kirkstone Inn are just a few of the many which are commonplace in an area steeped in such a rich heritage. The aforementioned castles and manor houses have their fair share of hauntings too, and even the very hills themselves, according to a number of sightings. If legend is to be believed, the fellside on the edge of Blencathra mountain is home to a ghostly procession that has been witnessed on a few occasions at Midsummer. The first time they were seen is said to have been during the evening of Midsummer's Day in 1735, where a servant claimed to have watched a line of soldiers, both on foot and horseback, marching their way across the fell.

So it’s easy to take inspiration from everything around me here in the Lake District. I sincerely hope my fellow writers, wherever you are, have an equally wonderful setting in which to thrive in your writing.

Keith Anthony Baird is the author of The Jesus Man: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Horror (Novel), Nexilexicon (Novel), And a Dark Horse Dreamt of Nightmares (Book of Shorts), This Will Break Every Bone In Your Heart (Novelette) and Snake Charmer Blues (Short), and a psychological/horror novella titled A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow. His works can be found on Amazon and Audible.

The Diabolica Britannica horror anthology was his brainchild, in which you will find his own contribution Walked a Pale Horse on Celtic Frost. 2021 saw the release of the Diabolica Americana and HEX-PERIMENTS anthologies, the latter in partnership with author Ross Jeffery.

His dark fantasy novella In the Grimdark Strands of the Spinneret is coming from Brigid’s Gate Press in November 2022.

He is currently querying a dystopian/cyberpunk novella titled SIN:THETICA and writing a vampire-themed novella called A Light of Little Radiance in collaboration with fellow British author Beverley Lee.

He lives in Cumbria, in the United Kingdom, on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

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The Two-Dollar Hustle by Heather and S.D. Vassall

Pirating an author’s manuscript is what I refer to as a two-dollar hustle. You steal someone’s work, sell it, collect your profits, and call it a day. Career pirates will sell their ‘booty’ through other sites quickly; that way they make money, not only from their first upload—that will most likely be taken down within sixty days—but through those secondary sources which might never be removed.

It’s not sexy or glamorous, and it doesn’t provide large sums of money like a big heist, but unlike a heist, it’s a low risk enterprise. And, best of all, it likely provides a steady stream of cash. One two-dollar hustle might not bring in big bucks, but a few hundred of them and the pirate has sustainable income flowing in. Most pirates are career criminals They’ll set up 100 two-dollar hustles over the course of a weekend. Even better for the pirate is the fact that their income is tax-free.

It’s hard to protect a manuscript from being pirated. What makes it worse is the large corporations make piracy easier. They tend to have loose policies and multiple departments that don’t communicate with each other. It’s common to get bounced back and forth between departments till you finally reach someone who can finally get the situation resolved. We spent the last week sending email after email, talking to reps from different departments, filling out forms, and the process is still ongoing.

It's disheartening that there’s so much piracy taking place in the book industry. The pirates aren’t going to quit. They’ve found their niche and they’re going to stay there. And the ones running their two-dollar hustles aren’t really worried about what might happen to them. They’re good at their business, and they tend to remain anonymous, even when their acts are discovered. The worst that generally happens to them is their pirated book gets taken down. They aren’t worried about legal actions or punishment; corporations and law enforcement agencies generally aren’t going to devote much energy, time or resources towards tracking down and punishing someone doing a two-dollar hustle.

We, as authors and publishers have to keep trudging forward. We have to keep writing and

publishing. We have to stay diligent in our best efforts to protect our work. It’s hard, and it can be disheartening, but we have to keep moving forward. The only way we’ll have any success against piracy is to keep striving. It takes patience. And tenacity—remember that word!

Our emotions have run the gamut this week from shock to fear to disbelief and finally to rage. How dare someone do this to one of our authors! How dare someone do it to us! We’ve spent twenty plus hours talking to four different departments at Amazon, filing copyright  infringement claims, searching for other pirated copies online, updating readers, and working with our publicist and lawyer. We’ve talked to other publishers and authors. We’ve agonized over how to protect our other authors and the next two upcoming book launches. It was exhausting. But we’re not giving up; we’ve got loads of tenacity (if you only remember one thing from this article, remember that word!).

We’ve put together a survival list for publishers, for if and when they get plundered by pirates. 

Many thanks to Andrew at Dark Lit Press for the tips he provided.

What you’ll need to survive piracy:

• Coffee. Don’t skip this step.
• Open communication with the author and/or artist. Remember that the theft effects you
• both, but for them this is bigger than that. This is a violation.
• Make sure your whole team knows, including your publicist, bookkeeper, and lawyer.
• Continually update your team.
• The contract between the author and publisher.
• The contract between the cover artist and the publisher or author.
• Screenshot of where you got the ISBN (be sure to get your own ISBN).
• Screenshot of any other dashboards where you have the book published.
• A cease-and-desist letter from your lawyer.
• The tenacity (don’t forget this word) to keep calling and keep submitting forms over and over again.
• A sense of humor.
• A support group. Reach out to other publishers, editors, and authors you know. Gather as many tips as you can.
• The tenacity (there it is again!) to keep calling and keep submitting forms over and over again.
• Learn to channel your rage and frustration into perseverance.
• Patience.
• Sleep.
• Exercise and/or meditation of some kind. Self-care is key if you’re going to keep fighting.
• The tenacity to keep calling and keep submitting forms over and over again (we’re tenacious in our attempts to make sure you remember tenacity!).

We hope other writers and presses don’t have to deal with their work being pirated. Unfortunately, as common as piracy is, most of you will have to deal with it at some point. Just remember—if and when it happens—not to lose heart or give up. Be patient, be tenacious (we can’t stress that enough!), and keep moving forward. It’s all we can do.

Ad astra per aspera!

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Published November 1, 2022 by Windstorm Press

Jane’s nightmares are back—and this time, they’ve unleashed a brutal killer. Jane Walker’s nightmares aren’t imaginary—they’re glimpses into the traumatic past; and the past can be dangerous, especially now that Jane’s protective birthmarks are gone.

Worse, she’s no longer invisible within her dreams—and learns this the hard way while using her power to incriminate a ruthless killer. Inadvertently revealing her ghost form, she launches him on a relentless hunt to track her down.

Even more disturbing, Jane knows this man. She once tried to use her power to save him from injury, but instead set him on a path of violent crime. Now, he’s targeted the man she loves, and Jane must keep one step ahead of this cold-blooded assassin before he gets rid of Ethan permanently.

Jane has one last chance to fix the mistake that altered this man’s history, but that means taking her most dangerous dream journey yet—one from which she might never awaken.

Ghost Mark is the second installment of the Dark Dreams Series by JP McLean, an author whose writing the Ottawa Review of Books calls “relentless and original.”

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in search of a setting

by jp mclean

No matter the genre, all works of fiction have a setting, and every setting requires research, even the fictional ones. But choosing a present-day setting, like New York, or Paris, requires a deeper dive. Why? Because even if you have never visited the location you choose, your readers may have. If the location details aren’t authentic, you’ll lose credibility with your readers.

Getting the details right is important

Setting is more than a location on a map. In order to pull your reader into the setting, and keep them there, you have to evoke the senses, create an immersive experience. When researching a location, consider the sounds (cars honking, frog song), the scents (exhaust, wood smoke), the sights (high rises, fields of corn), the textures (cool glass, weathered wood), and the local cuisine (fast food, fine dining).

Setting your story in a place you’re familiar with is one way to get the details right. Most of the settings I choose are cities I’ve lived in. I know the street layouts, the neighbourhoods, the feel of the places. Indoors or out, downtown or suburb, I know where to find a suitable place for each scene. But what do you do when the setting is unfamiliar?

Any excuse for a road trip

Location research is a writer’s best excuse for a road trip! I’ve driven across Canada and down the west coast of the United States many times to see and feel for myself the places I’m using. I take copious notes and every opportunity to talk to locals. Most places have visitor information centres that are useful resources. The knowledgeable people who work there are happy to talk about the location and its famous or infamous residents. Does your story call for a name drop? Often, brochures and pamphlets are available for useful tips on everything from local festivals and markets to tourist hot spots, hikes, beaches, and restaurants. You’ll find plenty of detail to add layers of richness to your settings.

Servers at local restaurants are also a tremendous resource, and if you catch them during a slow time, they’re usually happy to talk. A server in the Napa Valley, in California’s wine country, gave me a piece of writing gold when she asked if I was in town for the crush. I learned that was local lingo for the annual grape harvest.

One mistake I’ve made on past road trips is not having a list of questions and scene-specific
requirements. It’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re on a road trip, so I like to know what locations the book calls for. Do I need to find a city park? A high rise? A derelict warehouse? Having a list may be easier for writers who plot, but even those who don’t plot, can keep a daily travel diary, and include the five senses they encounter while they’re out and about.

But what to do when you don’t have the flexibility to travel?


Happily, there are many other resources writers can tap. To get an overview of the area, a roadmap or Google Maps are good places to start. Supplement the big picture with Google Earth to hone in on the types of buildings in the area (residential/industrial), the architecture (gothic/modern), the scenery (lush/barren). Use traffic cameras to gage how busy the streets are, what kind of trees, billboards, or buildings line the highways. These are the streets and conditions your characters will encounter.

Search the internet for the scents and sounds of the place (seriously, type in scents and sounds of X city and you’ll be surprised how much you can glean). Find the local restaurants and look at their on-line menus. These are the meals your characters will order.
Check the weather charts and sunrise/sunset times to be sure you’re true to the timeframe you’re using. Research the flora and fauna your characters will encounter. Interview people you know who have been to the location. I’ve also used local real estate listings to get a feel for neighbourhood homes and condos. Most real estate listings these days come with drone footage, 360-degree views of the interior, and sometimes the architectural plans. This information can help round out interior scenes or lend flavour to scenes staged in the general vicinity.

Not everything you find will make its way to the page

You’ll often end up with much more information than you can use in your story. But the research is never wasted, because even if you don’t use the crush, knowing about it helps you understand the setting and the people, and that knowledge will infuse itself itself into your writing, pull in the reader and hold them in the story.

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is a bestselling author of urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. She is a 2021 finalist for the Chanticleer Paranormal Award for Supernatural Fiction, and the Wishing Shelf Book award for Adult Fiction. Her work has won a Readers’ Favorite Award, a Gold Literary Titan medal, and honourable mentions from the Whistler Independent Book Awards and the Victoria Writers’ Society. Reviewers call her work addictive, smart, and fun.

JP holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, is a certified scuba diver, an avid gardener, and a voracious reader. She had a successful career in Human Resources before turning her attention to writing.

Raised in Toronto, Ontario, JP has lived in various parts of North America, from Mexico and Arizona to Alberta and Ontario. JP now lives with her husband on Denman Island, which is nestled between the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. You can reach her through her website at jpmcleanauthor.com.

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Published September 17, 2015 by Inklings Publishing

In Twisted Reveries, suspense author Meg Hafdahl introduces us to thirteen unforgettable women. They include a grieving mother, a librarian living on the edge of fantasy, and a pyromaniac motel manager. In all thirteen spine-tingling tales these women are faced with their deepest fears, as they are forced to become the hero or villain of their own story. The Rochester Post Bulletin describes, "Everything is not as it seems in the short, 'Twilight Zone' like tales Hafdahl writes." Packed with twists and intrigue, Twisted Reveries will satisfy fans of horror, suspense, and captivating female protagonists. As Amanda walks home alone in the eerie town of Willoughby, she is unsettled by a malevolent stalker in close pursuit, who is somehow familiar... Louise is kidnapped off a snowy, rural road when she is distracted by A Flash of Orange. When a twist of fate allows her escape, her true horrifying test begins... A group of strangers, including fearful Kelly, are trapped in the infusion ward of a hospital, and something hungry is targeting their weaknesses. Will Kelly dig deep and find her Guts? When Hannah Goes Home she brings her fiancee to the squalid reality of her childhood. But she is determined to keep one, awful truth from surfacing... Immerse yourself in the dark, pulse-pounding landscapes of Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre.

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Twisted Reveries II

Twisted Reveries III: More Tales of the Macabre

The Haunted House in Horror Literature

by meg hafdahl

With the recent success of Grady Hendrix’s (My Best Friend’s Exorcism, The Final Girl Support Group) newest novel, How To Sell A Haunted House, I naturally started thinking about this well-loved trope of a house bursting with ghosts. It’s also been on my mind as my co-author and I have been crossing the USA, documenting haunted places for our travel book coming in 2024. I don’t need to tell you that haunted houses are abundantly used as settings in the horror genre, and they share many similarities. You know; the drafty rooms, mysterious corridors, spider-webbed attics, and, most vital of all, the ghosts. These are often apparitions of the former owners, often people who were murdered or died with the always popular “unfinished business.” They can be invisible, or maybe show themselves, dressed in the clothes of their era.  The haunted house is certainly not a new idea, like the boogeyman himself, it is borne of our natural, human fears. Home is where we should feel safe. No matter the indignities of life outside, we should all have a safe place in which to retreat. When this is disturbed, it immediately brings horror to the characters, and their readers. 

My favorite haunted house story is Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. I’m not alone, as it has inspired many films and works, as recently as Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series. Written at a time when women were grappling with their place in the home (on the cusp of the sixties) Jackson uses the conventions of a haunted house to point to the destruction of the female in forced domesticity. Home, to Jackson, is inherently female, as well as maternal. When Stephen King created ghosts in The Shining (okay a hotel, but close enough) he used the tropes of the haunted house to further a story about a man haunted by his own past, as well as his ever-present addiction. And we know Edgar Allan Poe meditated on the nature of guilt and grief through some of the first American haunted dwellings. Perhaps what makes a haunted house so prolific in horror literature, is that it is an enticing template on which authors can inject their own fears. Isn’t that what we do when we enter a Halloween haunted house? As we traverse the slim corridors and actors jump out at us, we are individually dreading all the things that could happen. For some its our fear of something crawling on our neck, for others it’s a bloodthirsty ghost of that person we killed! Oops! 

As a horror fiction writer I am not immune to this trope. Ghosts creeping around houses are just plain scary, it’s something as humans we’ve collectively agreed gives us goosebumps. It also delves into what little we know about an afterlife. In my novel Daughters of Darkness, I introduced a ghost who speaks to a child through an air vent. This juxtaposition of the scary and the mundane is another aspect, I think, that makes haunted houses so appealing. 

    Books are not the only reason we share a collective understanding of the haunted house. They are alive and well in films from every decade, like the Vincent Price starring The House on Haunted Hill in 1959 to the vividly gothic Crimson Peak in 2015. Let us not forget the chairs moving in formation in Poltergeist, and that clown toy hiding in the shadows that still gives me nightmares…

    However you like your haunted house there’s one for you.

    Here’s some recommendations of some of my favorites if want to explore some haunted houses on your own (what could go wrong?) 

Books: The Good House by Tananarive Due, Hell House by Richard Matheson, The Hacienda by Isabel Canas, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Movies: The Grudge, The Changeling, 1408, The Others, The Innocents

Horror and suspense author Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of two popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the two novels; Daughters of Darkness and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King and upcoming The Science of Serial Killers, lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota.

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Published September 6, 2022 by Skyhorse

A scientific discovery of witches in fiction—Chilled Adventures of Sabrina, Sleeping Beauty, Wicked and so many more!

Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl, authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called “the best horror film podcast out there” by Film Daddy, present a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love. Reveal the spellbinding science behind the legends and lore surrounding fiction’s most iconic witches, answering such questions as:

What is the science behind divination and spellcraft?

When did witchcraft begin to show up in literature and media?

Has science made it possible to uncover the truth behind the powers of necromancy and employing familiars?

How has witchcraft been thought of throughout the world?

Through interviews, film and literary analysis, and bone-chilling discoveries, join Kelly and Meg as they learn about the complicated and rich science of witchcraft throughout the centuries and discover why now is the season of the witch!

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The Horror and Humanity of The Last of Us

By Kelly Florence

HBO’s latest hit, The Last of Us (2023-), based on the video game by the same name, has taken the world by storm. On Sunday, January 29th the third episode of the series premiered and became the social media buzz and water cooler talk of the week. How could a post-apocalyptic show about mushroom zombies cause so many people to openly weep? Acclaimed horror writer and director Mike Flanagan even declared it to be “one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever seen.” ¹ This earnest and beautiful hour of television explores not only how life changes after an outbreak that infects the world but also how love, and the things we fight for, matter throughout our time on this Earth.

Light spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched the series! The videogame “The Last of Us” was released in 2013 and follows the characters Joel and Ellie as they navigate their way through the United States which has been overrun by “the Infected.” HBO’s version deviates from the game by exploring stories and perspectives that broaden the world and emotional understanding of the characters. “One More Good Day,” the third episode of the series, focuses on two men Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), and their relationship over a period of years. Creator Craig Mazin said, “I think the Bill and Frank relationship ultimately functioned as this interesting, thematic core where you can see every relationship between two people in the show…It keeps circling what it means to be somebody that loves outward and somebody who loves inward, what it means to protect and what it means to risk. It just felt like it was a good chance to do that stuff and to do it in a place where we wouldn’t be breaking anything from the game. It just felt safe.” ² 

In the study of communications, we often discuss the different types of love that exist and how we show that love to others. Gary Chapman coined and wrote about “The Five Love Languages” in his 1992 book by the same name after working as a marriage counselor for over twenty years. Relationship experts have been using this system of understanding love to help couples better communicate and understand one another. The five love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, quality time, and physical touch. According to Chapman, we each like to show our love for others in a specific way and we prefer to receive our love from others in one of these love languages. It’s important to note that they may be different. For example, you may like to receive gifts, but you would rather show your love through words of affirmation. Your partner may prefer receiving love by spending quality time with you while you would like to have physical touch to feel loved and appreciated. Understanding these facets about ourselves and others helps us to strengthen our relationships and become better communicators. 

Bill and Frank’s love languages become apparent throughout the episode in a variety of touching moments I won’t spoil for you here! The actors’ sincere portrayals, the writer’s heartbreaking dialogue, the beautiful direction, and the haunting score all culminate to become one of my favorite episodes of television ever and I, too, was a sobbing wreck by the conclusion! This proves that the genre of horror can have an impact on us as readers and viewers far more than some people imagine. Horror can induce empathy, show complicated and rich relationships, and have us experience worlds and circumstances we didn’t think possible. After hearing others talk about their reactions to this episode during the week, it seems many of us came to the same conclusion: spend time with the ones you love. Show them that you care. Tell them that you love them. We don’t know how much time we’ll have with the ones that matter most to us so it’s important to act now before it’s too late. And don’t forget to watch more in the horror genre, too!

¹ Flanagan, Mike. (January 29, 2023) “#TheLastofUsHBO.” Twitter.com. 

² Dyer, James. (January 30, 2023) “The Last of Us: Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on How Episode 3 Explores ‘What it Means to Protect, and What it Means to Risk.’” Empire.

Kelly Florence teaches communication at Lake Superior College in Duluth, MN and is the creator of the Be a Better Communicator podcast. She received her BA in theatre from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her MA in communicating arts from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She has written, directed, produced, choreographed, and stage managed for dozens of productions in Minnesota including Carrie: The Musical through Rubber Chicken Theatre and Treasure Island for Wise Fool Theater. She is passionate about female representation in all media and particularly the horror genre.

 

She is the co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King, The Science of Serial Killers, and The Science of Witchcraft with Meg Hafdahl. They co-host the Horror Rewind podcast and write and produce horror projects together. Kelly is repped by Stacey Kondla (Literary Agent) at The Rights Factory and Karmen Wells (TV/Film Agent) at The Rights Factory.

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Published March 23, 2023 by Brigids Gate Press, LLC

A family's relocation looked like a chance to relax and regroup—but as they settle into their new home, teenage Kimmie Barnes’ special senses make her the target of something primordial, evil, and utterly malign.

Darkness…

Golden Oaks, California is a sleepy town on the shores of Oro Lake,

and the residents have no idea what horrors lurk below the glittering waters.

Beneath the waves…

One by one, as people begin to disappear,

the once quiet town is soon in the grips of a waking nightmare.

An unimaginable horror consuming everything before it.

Hungry…

All while echoes of an ancient evil spread out like malignant spider webs,

like dead hands reaching, grasping…

SEETHING…

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Making A Setting Feel Real (Even If It’s Not) by ben Monroe

When I wrote The Seething, one of the things I really wanted to do was make the small town setting of Oro Lake, California seem real. While the town is completely a figment of my imagination (though inspired by a few real towns), I felt it was vital to the story to make it seem like a real place, like somewhere readers could visit. Somewhere that felt like it had existed in that place for a long time, and had a history of its own, and that The Seething was perhaps only one of the stories taking place there. As the characters are traveling there, I gave pretty specific directions about their drive, noting the highway numbers, side streets, road signs, etc. Of course, it was all completely made up.

This is something I often consider when writing any of my stories, honestly. Most of what I write is set in the modern world, rather than a strange fantasy kingdom, or a science fiction galaxy far, far away. And while it might seem relatively easy to create a sense of place in the familiar confines of the here and now, there’s still a bit of thinking that must be done to get that feeling across to the reader.

In order to create the sense of a real place, I think are the three key elements to include in a setting: Names, Backstories, and Connections.

Name Everything You Can

This is pretty simple, but really helps to sell a setting as real. Characters don’t just drive along the road looking for a place to eat. They drive down “Hawford Lane, on the way to Farley’s Diner.” Any time you have the opportunity to give something a name, do it (and for goodness sake, make a note of it somewhere so you don’t forget!). This is especially helpful when making up locations for your story. Naming streets, stores, buildings, etc., gives the reader a sense that they’re reading about real places.

And don’t just reserve this for places; naming objects also helps. Don’t be generic if you can get away with it. Tell the readers that the maniac is chasing the teenagers with a Stihl chainsaw, or a Craftsman hammer. 

What Happened Here Before?

This is the Backstory of a place I mentioned earlier. Not every named location in a story needs to have a fully-detailed backstory. But whenever possible, enough of them should have anecdotes applied to them that the reader gets the sense that the setting has been around for a while. People might remember stories about a thing that happened in a specific place, even if it’s not immediately relevant to the overall plot of the story. 

Maybe the movie theater in town used to be a bingo parlor 50 years ago, and some of the older folks in town have fond memories of it. Or the grocery store changed owners recently, and people still sometimes call it by the original name. Or maybe just something as simple as a character mentioning having a fond or funny memory of a specific place (“It’s down past the liquor store on East 14th. You remember? The one where Frank tripped that one time when we was kids, and dumped a slushee all down the front of his shirt.”)

Make Some Connections

Connecting places to each other via characters or character dialogue is another way to make your setting feel like a real place. In The Seething, I have a scene where a character is talking to a waitress at the Get Up & Go Diner downtown. He’s asking about somewhere in town to get his phone repaired, and she happened to know that the local hardware store recently hired a guy to do small tech repairs.

In making this simple connection I was able to move the plot forward, as well as reinforce the feeling of a small town atmosphere. The “everybody knows everyone” sort of feeling I was going for in the setting.

One last thing...

I also like to blend real-world elements and the fabrications together. There’s a lot of stuff about Oro Lake (and the nearby town of Golden Oaks) which was completely made up. But I connected some of those elements to real world things like Roosevelt’s WPA projects, which readers will recognize. Thus blending the real with the false I blurred the lines between the two, helping to make the town seem like a real place.

Ben Monroe has spent most of his life in Northern California, where he lives in the East Bay Area with his wife and two children. He is the author of In the Belly of the Beast and Other Tales of Cthulhu Wars, The Seething (coming in 2023 from Brigids Gate

Press), the graphic novel Planet Apocalypse, and short stories in several anthologies.

His latest story “the Patchwork Man” appears in Blood In the Soil, Terror On the Wind from Brigids Gate Press. You can find more information about him and his work at www.benmonroe.com.

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Published September 6, 2022 by Skyhorse

A scientific discovery of witches in fiction—Chilled Adventures of Sabrina, Sleeping Beauty, Wicked and so many more!

 

Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl, authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called “the best horror film podcast out there” by Film Daddy, present a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love. Reveal the spellbinding science behind the legends and lore surrounding fiction’s most iconic witches, answering such questions as: 

What is the science behind divination and spellcraft?

When did witchcraft begin to show up in literature and media?

Has science made it possible to uncover the truth behind the powers of necromancy and employing familiars?

How has witchcraft been thought of throughout the world?

Through interviews, film and literary analysis, and bone-chilling discoveries, join Kelly and Meg as they learn about the complicated and rich science of witchcraft throughout the centuries and discover why now is the season of the witch!

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Winter Horror/Thrillers That Will Give You Chills

by meg hafdahl

As a horror author in both fiction and nonfiction, I consider it a vital piece of my job to

read within my genre. This is quite a clever way I’ve fashioned my favorite hobby into a

necessary part of my day. (If I do say so myself…) And while beach reading has its appeal, the

true season for bookworms like me is when the outdoors is less than hospitable. Winter. We can curl up under a comfy blanket, drink something hot, and if we’re feeling particularly drawn to aesthetic coziness; add in a furry pet or a crackling fire.

This is a list of some of my favorite wintery horror/thriller books that will make you even

more grateful to be inside, tucked away from the blizzard. Oh, and away from the creatures who lurk in the cold, darkened shadows, waiting for you to put down that book.

Snowblind (2014) by Christopher Golden

A recent read for me, Snowblind takes place in the idyllic town of Coventry, Vermont

where twelve years earlier a curious number of townspeople died in a brutal blizzard. Now, those who lost loved ones come to realize that the storm is coming back their way.

What I loved most about this novel is that there is a diverse array of characters, similar to

the Castle Rock novels of Stephen King. It also reminded me of one of my favorite small town, supernatural novels; The Missing by Sarah Langan. I am such a fan of the small town horror, I wrote a three-part novel series starting with Her Dark Inheritance (2018) that takes place in ALL the seasons!

In Snowblind, every person in Coventry is well drawn by Golden, making me care

whether they survive through this monstrous storm. Emphasis on monster. I also recommend the winter in Siberia folk-horror written by Golden, Road of Bones (2022), if you want to feel even colder!

Dead of Winter (2018) by Kealan Patrick Burke

Burke is one of my favorite contemporary horror authors. He has written some of my

recent favorites like the depraved though poignant novel, Kin (2012), and he’s taken on other seasons like in his short-story collection Dead Leaves (2018). Also a book of short stories, Dead of Winter is a great way to become accompanied with Burke’s work. His vivid prose makes you feel like you are in the snow with his doomed characters. With Christmas-themed stories you will surely feel the holiday spirit. (Though that spirit might be less jolly and more a manifestation of evil hiding beneath your twinkling tree!)

The Winter People (2013) by Jennifer McMahon

Okay, I have to admit it. I read this book at the height of summer, on a family trip to

Disney World no less! But, McMahon’s talent for creating that chilling, pervading sense of dread made for a thrilling experience, even when I was sweating from Florida’s humidity.

In The Winter People there is yet another small town in Vermont plagued with mysterious deaths. My favorite aspect of the novel is that we jump from 1908 to present day and back again, creating a fascinating world punctuated with violence, madness, and shocking twists.

I’m a big fan of historical horror, and even wrote a short story collection that focuses on

“antique” tales. All stories take place throughout history, before the 1950s. Check out my book Twisted Reveries III: More Tales of the Macabre (2021) if you like your horror old and dusty!

Rock, Paper, Scissors (2021) by Alice Feeney

Set in rural Scotland in a snow storm, a troubled couple comes to realize that someone is

creeping into their cabin to leave clues from their past.

Popular on “BookTok” Rock, Paper, Scissors found its way to me after I watched dozens

of TikToks singing its praises. I knew before reading it that the novel had a shocking twist. So, from the first page I was already working my best Hercule Poirot skills, trying to basically ruin the experience for myself by figuring out the twist. The joke was on me, because try as I might, I didn’t figure it out, or any of the other twists, and had to admit Feeney did a masterful job of planning out a macabre story that, prolific reader that I am, bested me! I would recommend this book to readers who are less horror more domestic thriller fans. It’s a must read that will make you grab your snuggly blanket closer and wonder if you even know that person you’re married to…

There are so many more wintery horror and thriller books you can binge on this season.

And binge you must, as this nasty weather basically forces us to read. If you’re going to brave the cold outdoors (to a local independent bookstore, or a library) just make sure you keep an eye out for hazards. I’ve learned a lot from these books and others about what could be waiting for you in the snow.

And, no…I’m not talking about ice on the road.

Horror and suspense author Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of two popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the two novels; Daughters of Darkness and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King and upcoming The Science of Serial Killers, lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota.

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