HORROR AND FANTASY WRITER
(Editor’s note: Since 2024, Cryptid Quarterly is a feature where I highlight cryptid horror fiction from each quarter of the year, using Amazon Kindle release dates.) James Kaine debuts atop the Cryptid Quarterly VII chart with a Jersey Devil thriller, and D.A. Roberts returns at No. 2 with the fourth book in The Lakeview Man... Continue Reading →
SPOILER ALERT! "The Call Shift" by N.J. Gallegos won the 2025 Alien Buddha Horror Showdown. It's a slice-of-life tale from the point of view of a resident doctor dealing with exhaustion and a zombie virus amid a pandemic. Gallegos also won the Showdown in 2022 with her domestic horror story titled "The Fruits of Her... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: SHORT SHOTS is an occasional feature where I review horror short stories.) For me, the most uncomfortable horror fiction starts in the womb. In April 2022, I read and reviewed “Birth” by Lisa Quigley, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Forest. The story was in Issue #8 of Unnerving Magazine, and it... Continue Reading →
Splatterpunk legend and award-winning horror author Edward Lee announced his retirement on August 20 with a brief but earnest Facebook post. "Friends, on this memorable day that is August 20, the great HP Lovecraft's birthday, I must announce my retirement," Lee wrote. "Getting too old and too hobbled with health problems to continue. The tank... Continue Reading →
The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand officially hit the shelves August 19 and became an instant bestseller. It debuted at No. 3 on The New York Times Best Sellers list for September 7, at No. 16 on USA Today's Best-selling Booklist for August 27, and reached No.... Continue Reading →
Kristopher Triana won Best Novel for his survival tale The Old Lady at the 2025 Splatterpunk Awards presented at KillerCon in Austin, Texas, on August 2. Triana is now a three-time honoree in the category, previously winning Best Novel for Full Brutal in 2019 and The Night Stockers (co-authored with Ryan Harding) in 2022. Visit... Continue Reading →
Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton won the prestigious Novel category at the 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards presented at Readercon 34 in Burlington, Mass., on July 19. Billed as a surreal American gothic novel "for fans of 'The Lottery' and The Hunger Games," Curdle Creek is the story of Osira, a 45-year-old widow who follows the strict conventions... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: Since 2024, Cryptid Quarterly is a feature where I highlight cryptid horror fiction from each quarter of the year, using Amazon Kindle release dates.) Luka T. Jacobs and Jeffrey B Miley continue their successful runs on the Cryptid Quarterly Top 10 List as they delivered more top-rated cryptid horror fiction during the second... Continue Reading →
Fresh off nominations for 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards, Gwendolyn Kiste and Monika Kim won top honors during the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards presented by the Horror Writers Association on June 14 at StokerCon 2025 in Stamford, Conn. The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste won for Superior Achievement in a Novel, and The Eyes Are... Continue Reading →
Thirty-two works of dark fiction in six categories are nominated for the 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards, according to an announcement by ShirleyJacksonAwards.org. Presentation of the awards is scheduled July 19 at 8 p.m. during Readercon 34 at the Boston Marriott Burlington in Burlington, Mass. Credit: ShirleyJacksonAwards.org Honoring the legacy of author Shirley Jackson, this year's awards recognize the... Continue Reading →
LIONEL RAY GREEN 