If you're looking for Halloween scares inside your mind instead of inside a theater or haunted house, here are thirteen books to get you into the spooky spirit. I like these selections because all but one are short story collections or anthologies, so you get a lot of different variations on the Halloween theme. I think... Continue Reading →
MalevolentDark.com debuts its monthly Horror Fiction Top 25
I am excited about the debut of a new monthly feature called The MalevolentDark.com Horror Fiction Top 25. What I like about this Top 25 is it only considers the previous month’s new and original releases on Amazon Kindle. So, it’s fresh and not dominated by big-name authors' older works, giving a lot of independent writers, anthologies,... Continue Reading →
Digital ezine Horror Curated releases third issue
This month, publisher HorrorAddicts.net released the third issue of its digital magazine Horror Curated with the theme “Halloween.” The brainchild of creator and horror lifestyle podcaster Emerian Rich, Horror Curated features 48 full-color pages packed with interviews, reviews, and interesting articles on horror history, spooky locations, and crafts. To visit the ezine’s Etsy site, click here. For this issue, I had the honor of... Continue Reading →
Horror Book Review: THE BROKEN HEART
The Broken Heart is one of the best debut novels by a horror writer in 2023. Steeped in medical thriller DNA, The Broken Heart is like a compound prescription, combining an unlikely anti-hero and no-holds-barred storytelling to create a potent concoction of dread and violence. Written by N.J. Gallegos, The Broken Heart is scheduled for... Continue Reading →
Beauregard, Nelson among winners at 2023 Splatterpunk Awards
Aron Beauregard won Best Novel for Playground, and Bridgett Nelson earned her first two trophies at the 2023 Splatterpunk Awards held Saturday during KillerCon in Austin, Texas. The independently published Playground is Beauregard's second Splatterpunk Award. He previously won last year for Best Collection with Beyond Reform. He's also been nominated two other times: Best... Continue Reading →
SHORT SHOTS | ‘Giggly’
(Editor’s note: SHORT SHOTS is a column where I review short stories from horror anthologies, collections, and zines.) Legendary extreme horror author Edward Lee says that the short story “‘Giggly’ kicked my ass. Outstanding job! I need therapy now.” If the author of The Bighead and Header needs therapy after reading “Giggly,” then what will... Continue Reading →
FRESH BLOOD: N.J. Gallegos
(Editor’s note: FRESH BLOOD is a column where I interview promising new writers of horror fiction.) Emergency room physician by day and horror author by night, N.J. Gallegos is about to unleash a masterfully written debut novel titled The Broken Heart. Tapping into her background as a doctor, Gallegos has created a uniquely dark horror thriller... Continue Reading →
Iglesias, White tie for top honor at 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards
The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias and Where I End by Sophie White tied for the night's top prize in the Novel category at the 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards held July 15 at Readercon 32 in Quincy, Massachusetts. For Iglesias, the honor continues a remarkable year for The Devil Takes You Home. In June, his... Continue Reading →
Feeling forgotten: Do older horror writers have a point?
World Horror Grand Master and Splatterpunk Awards co-founder Brian Keene says, 'Absolutely, but ...' Is the Horror Writers Association doing enough to promote and recognize older writers? The question is among the top issues in 2023 for the genre’s premier professional organization after a couple of horror legends have publicly questioned the HWA’s promotional decision-making this... Continue Reading →
Iglesias, Nogle earn 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards nominations
Fresh off wins at the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards for their novels, Gabino Iglesias and Christi Nogle received nominations for the 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards. The Devil Takes You Home by Iglesias and Beulah by Nogle are nominated for Best Novel for the Shirley Jackson Awards. The Devil Takes You Home won Superior Achievement in... Continue Reading →