Happy Halloween 2023! Chills and thrills, and ghosts and goblins to all horror readers out there. This next anthology from Wicked Shadow Press is holiday-themed, and the very lengthy story I have within its 240+ pages is BRAND NEW. Never to be reprinted in print. There are familiar story writers such as Don Money, Brian Smith, not just myself. There’s even a new young girl making her horror writing debut, which I think is fabulous. HALLOWEENTHOLOGY: Jack O’ Lantern is available for Amazon Kindle or in glossy, beautiful looking paperback. And on Kindle retails at only $3.99, the price of a Starbucks coffee. While most stories might harbor around All Hallow’s Eve, my tale is a devastating one of loss. My story is about Cupid and Love. Unrequited love. A love that you really can’t dismiss. I’ve never written about Cupid before. I will be closing the book out with a story close-to-novelette length. Read, “The Barn Cupid” in Wicked Shadow Press’s new holiday reading extravaganza, HALLOWEENTHOLOGY: Jack O’ Lantern! Links and pics below!
HALLOWEENTHOLOGY JACK O’LANTERN – HALLOWEEN 2023 ANTHOLOGY
from Wicked Shadow Press – Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring exclusive Lawrence Dagstine horror story,“The Barn Cupid.”
ALL Links where to purchase in paperback or digital (Amazon box is above):
Buy HALLOWEENTHOLOGY: JACK-O’-LANTERN (the paperback) from Lulu:
Wicked Shadow Press really outdid themselves this time in a two volume series of science fiction and miscellaneous speculative tales surrounding dark technology, deadly machines, artificial intelligence, and science that can enslave us or kill us. Easily one of my ten favorite anthology covers of all time. Both books in the series are edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty, and some of the proceeds from the sales of these books goes to help animals in Kolkata, India, where it is already getting a warm reception. My story is not about AI (which has been a heated and dystopic subject of late), but more or less a science fantasy which involves the dark tech surrounding “buildings” and “skyscrapers.” This is a tale about architecture of the future, of other worlds, buildings that graze the clouds, and the “dark architects” who control utopias and dystopias behind the scenes. Not everything is always rosy and picturesque, even in large metropolises filled with tall buildings. Read my tale, “Architects of Change” in Volume Two of Invasion. I’m in Volume Two, so don’t forget that; but I recommend both. It’s available on Amazon Kindle for only $2.99, or as a paperback on places like Lulu. All links will be below the cover pics, as usual. Cheers.
INVASION Volume 2 – THE DARK SIDE OF TECHNOLOGY
From Wicked Shadow Press
Now Available on Amazon Kindle for only $2.99
Also available in STUNNING Amazon paperback (for the shelf collector)
Featuring Dagstine story:“Architects of Change”
ALSO AVAILABLE ON LULU (and as a print paperback there as well):
Buy a Paperback copy of INVASION Vol. 01 from Lulu.com:
It is with great pleasure to announce I have a themed story in the fantasy anthology, Witch Wizard Warlock. This one is put out by Robert Lupton and the gang at Three Cousins Publishing (I believe in conjunction with West Mesa Press, but don’t quote me on that last part). Links and cover pics will be down below as usual, or off to the side (just scroll down to “Purchase Now” to be redirected to anything of mine still in print). My tale is on witches and wizardry. So you could say I have that ground covered. It is a tale of family bonding, being taught magic, growing up around relatives who are gifted in the arcane arts, and just have a little something to share with someone younger than themselves, but told from the perspective of a child. Read my short story, “Family Ties.” In Witch Wizard Warlock. Page-wise it comes in at around 530 pages and is available in Kindle format, paperback, and a gorgeous hardcover for the shelf collector. I would easily say the word count is in the 160K range.
WITCH WIZARD WARLOCK
A Fantastical Anthology about the three classes above.
Available on Amazon from Three Cousins Publishing/Robert Lupton
And after the release of my new book, The Nightmare Cycle, comes a short story of oceanic terror that will leave you at the edge of your seat. I have a story in the latest Skywatcher Press anthology on Amazon, THE DEPTHS UNLEASHED BOOK #2. I know there is a Kindle version, not sure if a print version is in the works. All links will be down below, and book pics off to the side as usual. Skywatcher Press is well known for their bestselling undead anthologies, and similar fare, such as Pandemic Unleashed and The Dead Unleashed. I’m sharing a TOC with some familiar names too, like Jeff Parsons and Gregory Norris, who you might recognize from short story magazines of the 2000s era. The name of my story is: “The Underwater Menace.”
Remember, I’m in BOOK 2. The one with the horrific fishy and diver staring it down.
THE DEPTHS UNLEASHED VOLUME 2
Anthology of Underwater Horror – Featuring my story:“The Underwater Menace”
ORDER ON AMAZON KINDLE (preview below, be redirected):
Just here today real quick to announce that my latest horror collection, The Nightmare Cycle, from Dark Owl Publishing, is available in Barnes & Nobles. Not just Amazon or horror specialty stores and conventions. You can obtain it online or through “select physical stores.” Probably the ones that have a horror section. If they don’t have it in stock, it can usually be obtained within two business hours (this can also mean one day). I’ll leave ISBN info down below, in case you want your local B&N brick and mortar to get it in for you. While I love the ease of Amazon and ereaders, personally, I prefer going and sitting with a cup of coffee or tea in a physical bookstore. Call me old-fashioned, but I will never tire of it. I’ll throw up the Amazon link as well. Cheers.
So today is here. Today is the day of my third official story collection: THE NIGHTMARE CYCLE, from Dark Owl Publishing. It is available in print and digital formats (Paperback and on Amazon Kindle). And as the year goes on, straight thru 2024, will be available at book fairs, from various literary vendors, horror and comic-themed conventions, the odd novelty or specialty store, or wherever other fine horror books or goods are sold. I will keep you updated on this website. The spooky fun starts in Arizona first and New York second.
A short story collection is a book of tales by one single author, where an anthology is a book of stories usually centered around a theme from not one but many authors, from many different states or countries or diverse backgrounds. The Nightmare Cycle was an idea for a book that came to me one day in a dream (go figure), but is not about being in a dream. It gets its title from every single story being “A Nightmarish Scenario,” one warped tale leading into the next (the theme of cycling and unending), and then the one thereafter. There is no finality. Just horrific circumstance after circumstance. Undulated terror. Beginning, middle, end. Think Rod Serling’s The Night Gallery, but modern day, my take.
THE NIGHTMARE CYCLE by Lawrence Dagstine
From Dark Owl Publishing – NOW AVAILABLE worldwide
You have mostly new stories between the pages, but you have some obscure offerings as well. Tales from my humble beginnings as a horror author. The 2000s era. There are stories like Thursday’s Children. Imagine pitting zombie youth against each other the same way people hold backroom cockfights for money. The Adopted, where werewolf adoption in Southeast Asia is more complex than you think. Human Transfer, a very dark and dystopic tale of population control, and betrayal by the people you thought you knew and trusted most.
There are Dark Owl exclusives, tales which are theirs and theirs only, such as The Thing about Eden. Imagine Mars in the future where life under one dark leadership only becomes concerning, overbearing, and darker with the next. The Acrylic Man, about a painter of spectral portraits who captures his love interests with not just grace but permanence. The Show Must Go On, a story about a sharpshooting djinn and her western travels, but also her wretched past.
You have new offerings such as Princely Homecoming, a unique take on Snow White, who longs for her long dead prince. There is Pet, a tale set during the backdrop of the Nixon era, which puts a twist on just “who” or “what” constitutes man’s best friend. Genetically speaking, of course. There is Our Family Awaits, a witch’s tale unlike any other, about foster care and deep dark secrets. This is one which will have you clutching the blankets. And there is so much more; there’s even a novelette within The Nightmare Cycle’s pages.
AMAZON KINDLE “EBOOK” VERSION:
(Sample a few pages below, or shoot for the paperback version)
Here’s the horror convention calendar for Dark Owl Publishing and The Nightmare Cycle. This calendar will obviously grow. I will be away in July (after the 4th), but I will have my netbook with me, keep in touch via social media. Dark Owl will also have some of their horror wares and anthologies available from a talented stable of other authors as well, so be sure to keep tuning in to this link below:
Oh, by the way, the fabulous cover art was done by Fernando JFL (Giotefeli), who is a professional horror illustrator and death metal artist from South America. He takes a rather retro, vintage approach to his work. If you are looking for an artist, might I recommend him: https://www.instagram.com/giotefeli, and https://giotefeli.tumblr.com/
The book is available first on Amazon, then Terror Trader second (Arizona’s Number One Horror Marketplace). Then it will go to the usual vendors and themed cons, and through the usual distribution channels/networks.
I am pleased to announce that I have a Brand New Crime Story, one of vengeance, from the point of view of the disturbed killer. This story features a female too, and is pretty much the theme of Wicked Shadow Press’s new offering: “Murder on her Mind Vol 1& 2.” Yes, it is a TWO-BOOK Series. I am in Volume 1 (just below). Remember, I am one of the headliners in the first book only. But I recommend both. The name of my story is: “Victimizer.” I started writing Victimizer in 2008. No publisher would even look at this tale, that’s how extreme it was. I’m talking higher than an R rating. So I shelved it, thinking it would never find a home. Fifteen years later, in 2023, Victimizer finally finds a home between the pages of Murder on her Mind. It may be a short story, but trust me, it is not for the faint of heart. Because characters like the one in my tale really do exist in American Society. Promo pics and ordering links, as always, down below.
MURDER ON HER MIND – Volumes 1 & 2
Available Worldwide (US, UK, and through Pothi in India too)
Be aware that prices vary on different platforms and storefronts (such as Amazon) due to inflation and the current state of the economy. So if you just have a general ereader, you may actually save more on Lulu.com than Amazon. It’s a matter of preference, really. Pothi is India only.
Pleased to announce that I have a brand new science fiction short story set in the cold dangerousness of space appearing later this month (comes out on Kindle March 28th to April 1st), in Neil Hogan’s Anthology-Magazine Series, Alien Dimensions. This is the SECOND time, second credit I have with Alien Dimensions. I first appeared many, many years ago in Issue #14. But that sold out quick and is long out-of-print. Not sure if there is going to be a print edition yet. I’ll post links and cover photos below, and as always, to the right-hand side of this website. You have a lot of familiar names from the science fiction scene, especially the 2000s era. Not just myself. You have Allen Ashley, Elana Gomel (and I just shared a TOC recently with Elana), Gustavo Bondoni, Mord McGhee, just to name a few. The name of my scifi tale is: “Close Proximity.”
ALIEN DIMENSIONS No. #24
Edited and produced by Neil A. Hogan
Anthology-Magazines are thick and glossy magazine-like books which feature many different authors with a variety of short stories, some from diverse backgrounds, centered around the same “theme” or “genre.” In this case, Space Stories. Science Fiction.
PRE-ORDER ALIEN DIMENSIONS #24 NOW FOR AMAZON KINDLE:
Previous issues I also appeared in (now out-of-print – check Ebay, I guess):
Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos, Digital Credits, Magazines”
Coming Spring 2023. A new collection, with mostly new stories. Along with some of the best and most obscure tales from the author’s earliest years as a horror writer. Thirteen stories that transcend the meaning of sleeplessness. Each story a nightmarish scenario or circumstance, one after the other, from beginning to end. From Dark Owl Publishing. THE NIGHTMARE CYCLE.
Prepare yourself for a LOT of bad dreams and restlessness.
Happy Halloween 2022! I am pleased to announce that I am in yet another anthology this autumn, this time again from Culture Cult Press. And it’s a horror short inspired by “real life events.” The name of the story is: The Nightmare of Bayhurst. And you can find that short story along with 33 other fabulous authors weaving their own little tales of haunted mansions, manors, houses, dwellings, apartments, what-have-you. My story centers around the time I first moved to Brooklyn, New York City between 2000 and 2001. Hard to believe that was so long ago. I was in my twenties, it was my first place, and I had lived in the basement of a few-story walk-up (what some in NYC would call a very small, dinghy six-apartment tenement). It was close to subways, a movie theater, drug stores, a baseball card store, parks, and shopping. The rent was fantastic. I paid around 650 to 700 per month. You’ll never see that kind of rent again in New York. But there was something eerie and ominous coming from the boiler room, which I just happened to live next to. And the super/owner, as well as a few of the tenants knew about it too. Strange sounds, strange occurences. Like a young girl moaning. Well, now you can read a fictional account of those events in the Halloween Book, ‘HAUS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF HAUNTED HOUSE STORIES.’ That is basically the theme, and like my last anthology from Culture Cult Press (I Cast You Out!), this is also edited by Jay Chakravarti. It is available in paperback, and sold in the US, UK, and India. I will put any and all necessary pics, banners, links, book covers below or to the right-hand side for your convenience. It is on Amazon right now, matter of fact.
I am pleased to announce that I’ll have an astronaut story coming to one of Red Penguin Books’ upcoming anthologies, entitled: “Shoot for the Moon – A Space Adventure Anthology.” And that’s pretty much the theme, these are tales from many different authors writing spacefaring adventures where an astronaut or cosmonaut or space force is traveling through the cosmos toward some kind of interplanetary satellite or lunar surface. The book is part of a whole series called: The Red Penguin Collection. Interestingly enough, Red Penguin is from my hometown (New York City), and they are heavy in the marketing department. There will obviously be a print verison and a digital version. Be on the lookout for it. I’ll leave banners and links below. Check Amazon or Barnes&Nobles.com “here” and “there.”
I am very pleased to announce I have my first book contract of 2022. This is a gigantic anthology of alternate history stories (and yes, some steampunk/dieselpunk too, stuff that doesn’t necessarily fit the bill). It is called, “UCHRONIA: An Anthology of Alternate Histories and Alternate Worlds.” Lots of great authors, tons of juicy content. It is a reprint antho, mostly. My story is called, “A Better Life.” It’s a domestic violence story set in a far distant steampunk realm. A woman is trying to escape her abusive husband, and the only way to do so is by airship. Soar to the heavens.
Uchronia will be available WORLDWIDE as an Ebook (at first), on all the usual digital channels. A paperback release with a wraparound cover, to my knowledge, is to follow no later than 2023. When it comes out, just pay attention to Amazon, B&N.com, and the book covers on the right-hand side column of this very website. All you have to do is click on the book cover to be redirected to the ordering page. Hope you are all having a wonderful year so far.
I am pleased to announce that the Weird Western Anthology, Something Wicked This Way Rides, is now out from Dark Owl Publishing. It is available on Amazon, in digital and print paperback formats. And it should arrive at various other retailers and the convention scene come 2022. Covid-19 has caused delays in the publishing world, one might say.
This book also marks for me ’25 Years’ as a Published Author/Freelance Writer. I will be retiring from the written word next year (most likely), as I want to pursue comic book art, something I also dreamed of accomplishing in the 1990s. Still, be sure to check out my previous fiction credits and other anthologies I have to offer. See book images on right-hand side, scroll down, click, go to Amazon. And let me tell you, there is a LOT of short story talent in this one giant book. Western tales that mix science fiction, horror, even steampunk, into a rich and fresh storytelling formula. My tale takes the reading audience back to frontier days. It is about a sharpshooting Djinn with a ‘mysterious’ past. You know what they say, The Show Must Go On…
Summer is almost over, Fall is on our doorstep. With that means cooler temperatures (excited about that), and possibly a second wave of Covid-19 (not too excited about that). Regardless, it means more staying home, working remote, and more time to sit back and read. I’m pleased to announce I have sold two BRAND NEW short stories to the upcoming 650+ page anthology: A CELEBRATION OF STORYTELLING. The cover is gorgeous, and it should drop around Christmas 2020. It will be put out through new publisher, Dark Owl Publishing House. The book will feature two stories of mine: a mystery and scifi tale. And I will keep you updated with Amazon links and ordering info in the coming months.
As the writer of the occasional post-apocalyptic yarn and other dystopian fiction, I can say we are living in some very scary times. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is very scary stuff. I never thought I would live to see the day where the stuff of motion pictures (Contagion, Outbreak, and 28 Days Later) would become a daily reality! California is in shutdown mode, New York City is about to be shutdown! Europe has sealed the borders of twenty-six countries; Canada has also closed their borders and taken the necessary measures to contain this horrible virus which seems to prey mostly on the elderly (age 60+ crowd, mainly) and those with underlying health problems and compromised immune systems. I fall into this category myself because my immune system is compromised, so I must be cautious. Then, as an American, you have to worry about the economical impacts, the sociological impacts, and the political ramifications such a scenario has on a nation. This is only the beginning. This is not your average flu. In the coming months there will be food shortages, prescription shortages, medical supply shortages, people may have to stay indoors over a year. Please, self-isolate. Protect your loved ones. You’re going to have a LOT of free time on your hands. What better time to read? That’s why I am giving away one of my Ebooks for free during this health crisis, straight up until the end of this year. A CHILD WEEPS IN MOSCOW, a dystopian yet rather alternative history telling of alien influence in Russia during the Post-Revolution years is FREE until December 31st 2020 on Smashwords. It’s available in ePub AND Mobi formats (Kindle). Read it on your Kindle, your Nook, a phone or iPad or other android device. Whatever works for you. Links, pictures, coupon code below. Remember, free. Most of all, stay safe. Be kind to your neighbor. Self-isolate.
I am part of an amazing new charity anthology put out (March 3rd 2020 in digital, and March 10th 2020 in paperback) by science fiction writer/editor Stephen Landry. With artwork by Amelia Parris. The name of the charity anthology is RISE AND RESCUE: Vol. 1. It is a book of RPG and gaming-related tales for a very worthy cause. And you should pick up a copy right now! It is at a great price, I have a brand new RPG tale within its pages, along with 22 other talented authors, and ALL proceeds earned go to WIRES. Wires is a special wildlife group who are trying to save the baby koalas and baby kangaroos who have lost their homes or become sick due to the bushfires that have DEVASTATED Australia. Are you a fan of LitRPG or gaming-related fiction? Let’s help the animals of Australia. As an animal lover myself, this is doing a charitable thing. Check out the book covers and other banners below. And don’t forget to read my short story: “The War Module.” FIRST TIME in print! Links also below!
RISE AND RESCUE:
A Charity Anthology
For WIRES Wildlife – Volume 1 – 22 Authors!
RISE AND RESCUE: Volume 1
Save the koalas, save the kangaroos, help animals devastated by Australian bushfires.
Almost 450 pages of fiction by genre writers who are gamers/compassionate people.
You can get the book off Amazon, and very soon from Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, and through Apple Books, in print, in digital (if tablet or eReader is your thing), or even mobile (if reading on a phone is your thing). ALL formats.
Read: “The War Module” – a LitRPG story by Lawrence Dagstine.
AUTHOR LINEUP for RISE AND RESCUE Volume One
If you’re a fan of genre fiction. If you love to read. Let’s do this for the animals. Let’s do it because it’s right. Rise and Rescue…Now available.
I will appear with a werewolf story in the late May digital anthology, CREATURES, by Tell-Tale Press. Edited by Andrea Dawn. There will be two versions to this anthology. A short story edition and a novelette edition. I’m in the short story edition. It will be free to read on the Tell-Tale Press website, then available in ebook format from Amazon in the event you own a Kindle. The book, along with various other titles from Tell-Tale Press, will also be available on May 23-26th at Phoenix Fan Fusion Comic Book Convention. They will have a table there. So if you live in the Arizona area, be on the lookout for CREATURES ANTHO with my story in it, and many other talented authors. I will leave pictures, links, author lineup below. Just click on them (be redirected).
With Horror Stories By: Oreoluwa Arowobusoye, Kenneth Bykerk, Lawrence Dagstine, Danielle Davis, Dan Fields, Eric J. Guignard, A.M. Harte, Isabella Hunter, Jennifer Loring, Nicola Lombardi, Matthew Lyons, Jamie Mason, Jason McCuiston, Gregory L. Norris, P. R. O’Leary, D.C. Phillips, Mark Silcox, Melissa Watkins Starr, T.J. Tranchell, Joseph Walker.
You can now find a story of mine in the reprint anthology, RE-LAUNCH: Science Fiction Stories of New Beginnings. Available in ebook form, for Kindle. And edited by Kelly A. Harmon and Vonnie Winslow Crist. Re-Launch is just one of many genre titles in the Re-Imagined Series. This particular one being my forte, pulp science fiction. If you like pulp-stylized stories of astronauts and cosmonauts and space travel and interplanetary landings, this might be up your alley. I’m not sure if a print version exists but I will provide an Amazon link down below along with the author line-up.
AUTHOR LINE-UP: Douglas Smith, James Dorr, Kris Austin Radcliffe, Eando Bender, Wendy Nikel, Stewart C. Baker, Meriah Crawford, Gregory L. Norris, Jennifer Rachel Baumer, Jonathan Shipley, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Lawrence Dagstine, CB Droege, Jude-Marie Green, Steven R. Southard, Calie Voorhis, Anthony Cardno, Andrew Gudgel.
You can find a story of mine, A Better Life, in the recently released dieselpunk anthology GASLANDIA. Published in eBook format, and put out by Radiant Crown Publishing. The eBook is available through Amazon Kindle, which I will leave a link to down below. In A Better Life I tackle the theme of domestic violence (a wife aiming to take her children and escape her abusive husband) for just that: a better life than the one she leads now. Story-wise, it is set against a steampunk backdrop with airships and gears and cogs, but with a working dieselpunk aesthetic. Pick up a copy off Amazon today, or from Radiant Crown’s website. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Author Line-up: Kevin Holton, David Castlewitz, Lawrence Dagstine, Pedro Inguez, Dale Carothers, Jeremy Szal, Irene Punti, Gregory L. Norris, Chuck Regan, Matthew Maxwell.
I have a story up in the Kindle Unlimited publication, Alien Dimensions Magazine. Issue #14. Or, also known as Alien Dimensions Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Metaphysical short stories. This is an ePublication focusing heavily on alien races and alien influence. Other authors appearing beside me in Issue #14 include: John Hegenberger, Neil A. Hogan, Olga Werby, Sean Mulroy, Jeremy A. Brown, and Regina Clarke. I’ll place clickable links below the current issue’s cover, along with their main website. Be sure to check it out. Enjoy.
ALIEN DIMENSIONS MAGAZINE – ISSUE #14, November 2017-2018
Lawrence Dagstine: Author 
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