My first ever author interview is now available to watch on Agita Publishing’s YouTube channel!
Join Cardigan Broadmoor and I as we discuss our short stories (which both have funky formats), the dark side of the internet, and the horrors of capitalism!
You’ll be able to read both tales in the ‘Side Hustle’ anthology from Agita Publishing when it comes out in March 2027.
It’s spooky season once again! My favourite time of year. I return bestow upon you 18 media suggestions, so you can get the vibes right this autumn.
Ghosted
By Alice Vernon
(2025)
A nonfiction book looking at the history of ghost hunting and the reasons why humans continue to search for evidence of life after death.
Delve into ghost hunting methods and stories across the years and the wider context that brought about the rise of spiritualism. Why have humans across time tried to prove the existence of ghosts?
Bat Eater
by Kylie Lee Baker
(2025)
As COVID sweeps the nation, Cora Zeng is forced to find work as a crime scene cleaner.
In the wake of her sister’s murder, Cora begins to spot a strange trend in the crimes her team are tasked with cleaning. Why are bodies dropping all over Chinatown, with a very specific calling card left behind?
Make Me a Monster
by Kalynn Bayron
(2025)
Meka is a excellent employee at her family’s funeral home…eerily excellent.
A tradegy sparks the discovery of dark family secrets and dangerous villains lurking shadows. Can Meka put everything right without losing the ones she loves?
Slay
Directed by Jem Garrard
(2024)
Comedy horror about drag queens, a small town bar, and vampires.
When four drag artists find that their latest booking is actually a rural bar in the middle of nowhere, they expect the bigorty–the undead attempting to suck their blood, not so much. Can everyone put their differences aside long enough to survive until dawn?
Ghostwatch
Directed by Lesley Manning
(1992)
Britain’s famous nationwide television prank that terrified the public.
Presented as a legitimate live investigative special about the paranormal hosted by chat-show icon Michael Parkinson, Ghostwatch follows the supernatual phenomena allegedly occuring inside a regular British household. Can they convince the viewers that it’s all real?
His House
Directed by Remi Weekes
(2020)
Eerie folk horror about trauma, grief, and assimilation.
Two Sudanese refugees struggle to settle into their new English house, which appears to be infested evil entities. Can they both come to terms with their past and move on with the new lives they fought for?
Interview with the Vampire
Created by Rolin Jones
Based on the books by Anne Rice
(2022-)
A gothic horror series following a vampire recounting his life to a journalist.
Filled with toxic realtionships and unhealthy behaviours, this vampiric life makes for excellent entertainment. But there’s more than one side to every story–is he telling the whole truth?
The Fall of the House of Usher
Created by Mike Flanagan
Based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe
(2023)
A amalgamation of various Poe tales told in the modern day, the series follows the fall of the Usher family.
A dark deal leads to great things for siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher, but only for so long. How much blood will be spilled when the raven comes to collect what is owed?
The Doomies
Created by Andrés Fernandez, Henry Gifford, Rémi “Pozla” Zaarour
(2026-)
An animated comedy horror series following two best friends as they investigate the supernatural occurences happening in their small seaside town.
Romy and Bobby accidentally discover and open the portal to the underworld hidden in their hometown and shenanigans ensue. Can they work together with some new-found friends to keep everyone safe from the forces of evil?
Fran Bow
Developed by Killmonday Games
(2015)
A psychological horror adventure puzzle game, Fran Bow follows a small girl into a terrifying reality.
Using pills to swtich realities, the mentally ill Fran escapes the asylum in search of her cat Mr Midnight and yearning to return home. Can you help her solve all the puzzles and find her way?
Rusty Lake Hotel
Developed by Rusty Lake
(2015)
A mysterious and surreal puzzle game about murdering hotel guests.
Five unwitting guests have been invited to a meal at the hotel, except they are the meal. Can you enter their rooms and figure out how to kill them?
Neverending Nightmares
Developed by Infintap Games
(2014)
A bleak horror game that draw inspiration from the lead designer’s personal stuggles with OCD and depression.
Play as Thomas as you wake up within a series of nightmares that feature gruesome acts of self harm and terrifying monsters. Can you find a path through the horror and wake Thomas up?
Confetti Realms
By Nadia Shammas
(2023)
An eerie surreal fantasy graphic novel about a group of teens travelling to a new realm on Halloween night.
Upon discovering themselves in a bizarre dimension, a group of friends have to come together and figure out how to get back home before they become trapped. Will they gather what they need to leave, or will something stop them?
Batman: The Cult
By Jim Starlin
(1988)
A broken Batman goes down a dark path when the mysterious Deacon Blackfire brainwashes him into his violent cult.
While investigating the odd disappearance of Gotham’s homeless population, Batman become trapped inside the Deacon’s secret underground cult. Can he successful de-programme himself and uncover the villain’s hidden agenda before Gotham is lost?
Swamp Thing
By Alan Moore
(1985)
A body horror comic following DC’s Swamp Thing.
Transformed into a monster, Alec Holland is faced with the duty of protecting the Green. With people out ot hurt him, is he up to the task?
The Worm
Created by Don’t Walk Home Alone After Dark
(2023)
A short animated story about a girl and her mysterious case of psychosis.
Dr Merrick tries to find the truth behind his patient Sparrow, disregarding medical rules and boundaries. Will he ever get the answer he seeks?
Who’s Hungry?
By David Ochs
(2009)
A short animated horror tale about two kids who are kidnapped by an icecream man.
Having been lured in by a man offering icecream, two children have to figure out how to escape his clutches. Can they use what’s around them to make it out alive?
Are You Scared?
By Watcher
(2020-)
A horror series where two men tell each other scary stories submitted by their viewers.
Accompanied by creepy illustrations and interjected with light-hearted jokes, the series includes a variety of terrifying tales. Can the boys discern which are real, and which are fake?
I hope you like this selection! Happy Halloween!
Woohoo! Year six of getting accepted into the Aberystwyth MA anthology. Another tricky theme for a horror-leaning writer like me, but ‘Who is Worth Remembering’ has made it in!
‘Hands of Light’ is a incredibly postive-sounding theme. So, for someone like me, who likes to make everything dark and dreary, I had to think a little harder when it came to writing a piece for this anthology. I didn’t want to ruin my acceptance streak by missing the mark.
So, I went with what I love to write about: death. Who cares for the dead, once we ditch them in a hole to rot? Who remembers their names? Who is worth remembering? I don’t know about anyone else, but once I start thinking about someone dying, about how a whole person just ceases to be, I weirds me out and I get all jittery. That’s why I like writing about it, to confront the jitters head on.
From Broken Sleep books: Hands of Light gathers poetry and prose from Aberystwyth University’s Creative Writing MA around the theme of care, a word its contributors stretch in markedly different directions. What binds the anthology is its attention to ageing, illness, and loneliness, and to the modest, practical gestures through which people sustain one another.
The anthology come out 31st October 2026 and is available to pre-order from Broken Sleep Books!
So, I had a short story accepted into an anthology…but I’ve rejected the acceptance.
I submitted a much-rejected short story to an anthology call with a theme that I thought it fit well. Imagine how hyped I was when apparently the publisher agreed, and sent me an acceptance email with a contract attached. Finally, a home for this bittersweet vampire tale!
Except, when I read the contract, I noticed there was no anti-GenAI specific clause. This is a very reassuring thing I’ve been seeing a lot of small presses do recently, so the absence of one struck me as odd, especially as the open call specified ‘No AI stories’ in its bullet points.
My gut told me to check their store–admittedly, something I probably should have already done, but forgive me for taking ‘No AI’ at face value. God forbid a bitch have a little trust, a little faith in the world.
Anyway, what I find are book covers and backgrounds that, in my opinion, are VERY clearly AI generated. They have that blank, soulless quality about them, the uncanny feeling. Not to mention the unclear merging of random things into others that you might not notice at first, until you look closer and go ‘huh, why is that flower petal turning into the paper?’ or ‘What actually is that blue thing?’
So, I emailed them back and asked what their stance is. I’ve seen an odd amount of people agaisnt GenAI writing but not art, so I thought maybe that bizarre nonsense was happening, or perhaps they’d been duped by cover sellers.
Their response was wishy-washy to say the least. Essentially, it does seem like they’ve been mislead by cover artists and stock photo sites. They claim to try their best not to use AI but that ‘it’s getting hard to tell what contractors are using.’ It came across as very passive, not at all like the aggressive anti-GenAI pledges I’ve seen in other small presses put on their sites and in their contracts.
Basically, it gave me the ick.
I can forgive them (sort of) for being duped by an AI loser once, but these things are so clearly not by a real artist, that it actually boggles my mind.
Which is why I’m turning down about £40 that I actually would really like to have, because my car is playing up again and fuck knows how much that is going to cost. (Just found out it’s £500! FML!) It’s a bit scary as a budding author to turn down an acceptance, but I really don’t want to risk my writing being associated with art theft, accidental or not. At the very least, I want a contract stating they won’t use it, so if they do, I can point at it and say “Hey, as far as I knew, they weren’t gonna! I’m innocent of this bullshit!”
I’m not going to name names, this post isn’t to shame anyone or call anyone out. They are a small publisher at the end of the day, and I am not an asshole. This is mostly a post to other new authors that, sucks as it might and scary as it is, sticking to your morals is the right thing to do. As I was talking this through with friends, asking advice for a question I already, deep down, knew the answer to, one of them pointed out I shouldn’t approach this with a scarcity mindset. This is not the last acceptance I’ll ever recieve. There will be more in the future. Turning down this one thing isn’t the end.
Damn, it does suck about the forty quid though.
My short horror story ‘Here’s One I Made Earlier’ is available to read in Sliced Up Press’s Saturday Mourning Television anthology!
We all have fond memories of the crafting segments on kids shows, right? Watching the presenters daub paint or glue on various carboard contraptions, demonstrating how you could create your very own? We remember how they’d bring out an already completed masterpiece with a cheery “Here’s one I made earlier!” and a beaming smile?
Well, Jolly Roger veiwers don’t. All they remember is the final episode, when “Here’s one I made earlier!” led to a blood-soaked breakdown and a studio filled with the screams of traumatised children.
Saturday Mourning Television is stuffed full of tales and poetry inspired by television. My story follows a children’s TV show presenter whose horrid behaviour comes back to bite him in the ass during an art segment, leading to bloody violence and a traumtised live audience. I really enjoyed everyone else’s take on the Saturday morning kids television theme! There’s some with some very cool formats, including Tom Coombe’s ‘Episode Guide: Tymberwolves’ and ‘Notes from Standards and Practices’ by Buzz Dixon. I also recommend ‘Billy’s World’ by S. S. N. Smith and ‘Rub A Dub’ by Die Booth.
There’s lots of stuff packed into the anthology so there’s bound to be something for everyone.
The book is available in both eBook and paperback formats.
Purchasing links can be found here: https://sliceduppress.com/smt/
The pre-orders are now open for copies of the Suffering the Other anthology from Dim Shores.
A new benefit anthology of dark weird fiction based on the concept of othering — the process of perceiving or portraying someone or something as fundamentally different or alien, often leading to discrimination and persecution. Othering and dehumanization have long been tools of oppressors and is a tactic being currently embraced with zeal.
While all marginalized groups are under increased attack, two communities seem to have been singled out for especially harsh treatment — all migrants regardless of legal status, and transgender folks. As such, this book will be a benefit for two organizations doing boots-on-the-ground work: National Immigration Project, and Transgender Law Center. All proceeds after production costs will be split between these two crucial orgs. Folks involved are taking small token payments for their work so we can raise as much money as possible.
‘Sore Thumb’ is a short body horror story about trying to fit into a sick society, the fickle nature of trends, and the death of individuality. It’s one of the grossest tales I’ve ever written, and probably one of the most depressing. Fun for the whole family!
Both the US and UK are really festering with vile transphobia, xenophobia, and racism, stoked by the rise in far-right ideology. It’s sickening to see so many people blindly fall for the oldest trick in the book: scapegoating. I’m happy that my disgusting little story can help raise money for those across the pond.
The pre-order is for the limited, hand-numbered paperback edition available through the Dim Shores online shop. A mass-market paperback edition will soon be available through Bookshop.org and most other online booksellers. An e-book edition will follow after print publication.
I’m delighted to announce my short story ‘Spiteful Little Creatures’ has been accepted to appear in A Midnight Kind of Place’s Wasps anthology.
With uncanny body horror and sadistic trauma, this is a short little tale about cruelty and comeuppance. ‘Spiteful Little Creatures’ asks the reader to empathise with a much despised being, putting the audience in a vulnerable position full of fire and pain.
A Midnight Kind Of Place is a UK-based publisher specialising in short horror fiction, celebrating voices from the past and present. A new home for up-and-coming voices in the horror community, they focus on dreadful yet emotional tales that will creep you out and break your heart.
The release date for the anthology has yet to be definitively decided, but it should be out sometime next year. Follow this blog for updates!
Delighted to share some updates on the ‘Suffering the Other’ anthology!
I’m so excited for us to be one step closer to getting this anthology into people’s hands! Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but the proceeds are going to charity.
In the US, while all marginalized groups are under increased attack, two communities seem to have been singled out for especially harsh treatment — all migrants regardless of legal status, and transgender folks. As such, this book will be a benefit for two organizations doing boots-on-the-ground work: National Immigration Project, and Transgender Law Center. All proceeds after production costs will be split between these two crucial orgs. Folks involved are taking small token payments for their work so we can raise as much money as possible.
The other contributors to this anthology are: Kurt Fawver, Marigold Rowell, A.C. Wise, Cheyenne Shaffer, Bitter Karella, Clint Smith, David Peak, Erica Ruppert, Gwendolyn Kiste, Matthew Cheney, Jeffrey Thomas, J. J. Steinfeld, Pamela Weis, Jonathan Lees, Laura Mauro, Bogi Takács, Lee Thomas, Lisa Cai, Robin Rose Graves, Nadia Bulkin, Wen Wen Yang, Jennifer DeLeskie
I am delighted to announce that my short story ‘A Timeless Game’ will be appearing in Issue 4 of Tales of Blood and Roses! Before divorce, one could always rely … Continue reading ACCEPTANCE: ‘A Timeless Game’
My story ‘Here’s One I Made Earlier’ will be available to read in Sliced Off Press’s Saturday Mourning Television anthology on 31st August 2026! Saturday Mourning Television is stuffed full … Continue reading UPDATE: ‘Here’s One I Made Earlier’
