(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 →
SHORT SHOTS: ‘Hush, Little Baby’
(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 →
Epic anthology returns to world of Stephen King’s The Stand
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 →
Curdle Creek wins best novel at 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards
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 →
Cryptid Quarterly VI (2025): Top 10 List of Cryptid Horror Fiction
(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 →
SHORT SHOTS: ‘Knock on Wood’
(Editor’s note: SHORT SHOTS is a column where I review short stories from horror anthologies, collections, and zines.) “Knock on Wood” by Leigh Kenny invokes the elemental fear of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Amityville Horror by blending a terrifying boogeyman with a haunted house. It transported me back to the best old-school... Continue Reading →
Bad Dream Books dominates 2025 Splatterpunk Awards nominations
While perusing the list of nominations for the 2025 Splatterpunk Awards, one name stands out: Bad Dream Books. Billed as a “boundary-breaking artist collective,” Bad Dream Books produced one-third of the nominees with at least one title represented in all five categories. That’s an impressive eight out of 24 nominations. Benjamin co-authored by Aron Beauregard... Continue Reading →
Beauregard, Shiv, The Obituaries #6 lead 2025 Splatterpunk Awards nominations
Aron Beauregard, Sidney Shiv, and The Obituaries #6: Red Romance led the list of nominations for the 2025 Splatterpunk Awards with three each, according to a release by briankeene.com on April 29. Beauregard’s nominations include Best Novel for Benjamin, which he co-authored with Shane McKenzie; Best Novella for A Life of Crime; and Best Short... Continue Reading →
Voting open for This Is Horror Awards 2024
Version 1.0.0 Voting for This Is Horror Awards 2024 is open until May 8 at 12:01 a.m. British Summer Time, according to thisishorror.co.uk. The five categories are Novel, Novella, Short Story Collection, Fiction Podcast, and Nonfiction Podcast. Each category features five nominees for works published in 2024. Anyone can send their votes to awards@thisishorror.co.uk with the... Continue Reading →
Cryptid Quarterly V (2025): Top 10 List of Cryptid Horror Fiction
(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.) My first cryptid horror fiction list in 2025 feels like a continuation of last year as half of the 2024 Cryptid Quarterly Authors of the Year fill seven of... Continue Reading →