I have a brand new horror and dark romance story (usually referred to as ‘Horror-Mance’ these days) in the Fall 2026 issue of the semi-professional speculative fiction magazine, Tales from the Crosstimbers. Edited by Max Griffin on a quarterly basis, it is available online in print and ebook formats. You can get it on Amazon Kindle. Every issue features ten authors. Just like in my last website entry (Frost Zone Stories, Book #4), we’re visiting NYC again for horror depicted in the 1970s. A little bit of the historical, a little bit of the weird, and a whole lot of the nostalgic. What happens when a middle-aged man meets a woman with a mysterious past in a renowned bookstore? What happens when they begin to date seriously, engage in a love affair where immortality is offered openhandedly? Will this man accept her gift? Or will he turn it down at a cost without realizing it? Find out in my story: “The Woman Who Offered Immortality.” As always, any pictures and links we’ll be below. In the coming year you will see a lot more ‘Horror-Mance’ coming from me, as dark romance (or other romantasy) seem to be selling quite well these days in the world of literature.
Tales from the Crosstimbers – Fall 2026 Issue
Featuring new Dagstine story:“The Woman Who Offered Immortality”
Other New Entries:“Magazines” and “Digital Credits”
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I’m pleased to announce that I have a brand new paranormal story set in my hometown in BOOK 4 of Frost Zone Stories. I don’t know whether to describe this as a book or a journal. It’s really nice. Contents put together professionally. Quality. So I’ll throw it up in both Books-Anthos & Magazines. Frost Zone Stories describe themselves as a publisher of ghostly/supernatural fiction they like to call “Quiet Horror.” And boy oh boy, do I have a haunting, atmospheric tale for you. It takes place in the heart of Times Square soon after the Nixon/Watergate scandal. High crime levels. The Son of Sam. The NYC Blackout. Yes, the 1970s! And everything in this tale, the businesses and places mentioned… These are real establishments. I grew up not too far from here. The age of Triple X movie theaters and drug-dealing pubs and arcades, long before it became the Disneyland that it is today. This is all real history here (well, minus the ghosts). I’ll leave all pics and essential links below, like I usually do. Read my “New York Horror” story: “The Bar that Remembered.”
FROST ZONE STORIES, BOOK #4 – Autumn 2026 Edition
Featuring New Dagstine Tale:“The Bar that Remembered.”
Set in 1970s New York City
SAMPLE ON AMAZON – BUY IT FOR KINDLE:
BUY IT AT BARNES & NOBLE (click link, be redirected):
For my next story we have a lengthy fantasy piece about a blind witch to a Harry Potter-inspired anthology, edited and put out by Christopher G. Nuttall. This series has been around for a number of years, and it’s a pretty thick book. I’ll leave all available links and pictures down below, like I usually do the past 20+ years. Fantastic Schools is a series about magic users in or around learning environments. Fantasy that falls under the Harry Potter-style umbrella, mystical universities of wizardry, or video games like Fire Emblem Three Houses. Best way to describe it. If you’re a fan of J.K. Rowling, this will definitely be up your alley. Or maybe, just maybe, as a suitable replacement. The witch in my tale goes to a school for swordsmanship and magic, a curse was bestowed on her family, leaving pretty much everybody half-blind. And with the help of an animal companion, we see my protagonist overcome adversity, prejudice, and disability in the most amazing fashion. I really do recommend this book. It’s got a stellar lineup. Read my new fantasy piece in Fantastic Schools Volume #13: “The Myopic Witch and her Avian Attendant.”
FANTASTIC SCHOOLS VOLUME 13
Edited and published by Christopher G. Nuttall & L. Jagi Lamplighter
Fiction about Magic Learning Environments & Harry Potter-style characters
Featuring New Dagstine story:“The Myopic Witch and her Avian Attendant”
Available on Pubshare FIRST (click link, be redirected):
The Myopic Witch and her Avian Attendant by Lawrence Dagstine
The Sorceress’s Son by Peter Rhodan
The Mage and the Fox by Jasmine Lawrence
A Freshman’s First Quest by Steve Choquette
Robyn’s Story by William Lehman
The Staff Fighter by J.W. Logan
Green Flash Molten by Rhys Hughes
Forged By Starlight by Frank Luke
The Magics of Fae by J.L. Stevenson
The Chaperone’s Tale by Christopher G. Nuttall
As for Amazon, Volume 13 will EVENTUALLY find its way here:
(the whole book series – click and be redirected)
Or if you own a Kindle and just want a ONE-OFF, then go here:
ABOUT THE BOOK/SERIES:‘Have you ever wanted to go to magic school? To cast spells and brew potions and fly on broomsticks and – perhaps – battle threats both common and supernatural? Come with us into worlds of magic, where students become magicians and teachers do everything in their power to ensure the kids survive long enough to graduate. Welcome to … Fantastic Schools.
Once again, students enter their schools of sorcery – sometimes willingly, sometimes not – and come face to face with the power, and the price, of magic. Come meet the son of a powerful and famous sorceress, trying to make his way out from under his mother’s shadow; come meet a blind witch making her way through a magical world, with the aid of her strange and powerful familiar. Or thrill to stories of student wizards fighting duels, some very real, and a lost girl who finds herself yanked into a world of magic. Or a young commoner who has to chaperone an aristocrat as the price of her schooling, a price she may not be willing to pay…
All this, and more, in the latest volume of Fantastic Schools.’
Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” and “Digital Credits”
Edited to Add: Pleased to wake up and find that Fantastic Schools Vol. #13 is in the TOP 200 on Amazon Kindle.
I’m back in the popular selling Flash of the Dead series from Wicked Shadow Press. This time in a themed anthology of horror and dark science fiction set in outer space. Pieces less than 2000 words in length. And this time with a reprint from a few years back. While my story is set in a low gravity atmosphere, I would call this next one “humorous space horror.” Ask yourself this question. What if after mankind died out, extinct, dogs were the next in line to rule the cosmos. And what if one dog’s biggest threat…biggest horror…was a smart-alecky cat? Read my tale in FLASH OF THE DEAD – SPACE:“Every Cosmos has a Ruling Class.” All links and pictures will be below, so just scroll down. It’s 280+ pages. I believe my story is the final one. I end the book in epic fashion.
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
Flash of the Dead: Space! – Anthology of Flash Horrors set in Space.
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty & Rasiika Sen
Featuring Dagstine reprint:“Every Cosmos has a Ruling Class.”
Hello, readers. I’m pleased to announce the release of my sixth lengthy novelette and novella these past few years. This time I’m back with the same publisher as Small Favors and The Paraplegic. Farthest Star Publishing. And boy, do they put out a lot of these fun little books that range between 10,000 and 20,000 words in length. What they call their Quick Reads Selections (aka Longer Stories). The kind of genre literature you could read on a single commute to work, in bed before you call it a night, take with you camping, or just take to the beach with you. The Farthest Star collection is basically sci-fi and horror that is meant to be read in one day, one sitting. They release these small singular titles in a cozy “chapbook format.” Like you’d find at vendor tables at small cons. The Paraplegic and Small Favors received an excellent reception, making it into the TOP 200 for Classic Horror on Amazon when they debuted. Can we strike lightning thrice? This time I’m taking you to a very spooky place with a somewhat ancient past. Set in my hometown, during the Great Depression. A novella about a mysterious Monster Hospital. And the little darling creatures that exist there, just waiting to take a bite out of you! Introducing my next novella, for 2026: “The New York Monster Hospital.” Links and pics shall be below, so just scroll down. It is available in print and Kindle formats. The best of both worlds.
Farthest Star Publishing presents…
The New York Monster Hospital by Lawrence Dagstine
Edited by Donald D’Amico
SAMPLE THE NOVELLA OR BUY IT ON AMAZON KINDLE:
ALSO BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS TWO CHAPBOOKS
FROM FARTHEST STAR PUBLISHING: “The Paraplegic” & “Small Favors”
Farthest Star Main Website – (click link, be redirected):
Other New Entries:“Books & Anthos” and “Digital Credits”
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Some of you might remember a couple of months back I had a time-traveling western tale featured in a genre publication on Amazon. That magazine made it to the number one spot overnight (Mobius Blvd). Well, my story The Missouri Man is back! It’s been reprinted in the current issue of Dark Horses Magazine. From Hobb’s End Press. It is edited and compiled by Wayne Kyle Spitzer. The tale is about a lawyer who one day finds a hole in back of his refrigerator. And that hole is a time tunnel, leading back to a frontier era in which he must become an unlikely hero. I’ll leave the usual pics and links below. Check it out in case you missed it the first time around. The June issue is a whopping 352 pages! It is available in print and Kindle formats.
Hobb’s End Press presents…
Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction – June 2026 Issue
Featuring Dagstine reprint:“The Missouri Man”
AUTHOR LINE-UP:
Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion–whatever it is, if it’s weird, it’s here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses!
In this issue:
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH Jenny Morelli
BEYOND THE BREAKERS Chris McGinley
GORE Andrew Albritton
THUNDER ROAD Wayne Kyle Spitzer
HOW NAVIGATION WORKS Griffith Pound
THAT TIME WAS THE PLACE WHERE I EXIST Robert Pettus
THE GATHERING OF THE DRAGONS Matias Travieso-Diaz
THE SILVER FRONT George P. Cross
THE WORLD BEYOND THE WATER Daniel Burnbridge
GHOST INQUISITOR Bill Walthall
CHILD OF CENTAURUS R.A. Daunton
DRAINS David Castlewitz
FIVE SOFT FINGERS Sophia Krich-Brinton
LISL Lisa Marie Miller
NEURAL CRUCIBLE Ernesto Sanchez
THE GROMSKIN Mark Nuzzi
THE MISSOURI MAN Lawrence Dagstine
A TASTE OF TRUTH Bill Diamond
PLUNGE Anuel Rodriguez
Buy or SAMPLE the publication on Amazon now!
DARK HORSES MAGAZINE/HOBB’S END PRESS MAIN WEBSITE:
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Hello, fellow readers. I’ve got a brand new “pulp sci-fi” story to greet you with this month. And it’s being showcased at the long-running Alien Buddha Press. They publish a lot of short story collections and poetry chapbooks, along with a monthly zine. This particular acceptance comes to a themed edition: The Alien Buddha’s Got Beef. What this means is all stories or poems contained within the book has some sort of character or scenario where a BEEF is involved. I’m appearing beside some familiar small press names, like Christopher Dabrowksi, J. Rocky Colavito, and Jacek Wilkos. And Bram Stoker nominee, James Dorr. I’ve appeared with these guys about a dozen times, shared tables of contents before. My story takes place in an interplanetary bar with some interesting regulars, and the beef is in regards to a very important “space race.” A competitive beef. The name of my story is: “The Drinking Man’s Race.” I’ll leave all the necessary photos and clickable links below, along with a pic of the lineup. If you’re into leisurely reading and pulp sf or horror, the Alien Buddha’s got some enjoyable stuff. Great poetry too! 231 beefy pages!
I have a new story in Issue #33 (April/Early Spring) of Stygian Lepus Magazine. This would be my third credit with them, third time gracing the journal’s pages these last few years. They are a monthly primarily focused on speculative fiction that is “beyond dark.” Even somewhat cosmic. This time around I have a tale which is one part religious horror, the other part medical horror. Think Robin Cook meets Ira Levin meets T.M. Wright (I used to know him 20+ years ago on a place called Shocklines). What happens when a doctor takes up residency in a rural hospital mysteriously funded by the local church? Who are these cardinals coming in the middle of the night with garbage bags, donning gold crosses? Why are there hundreds of pregnant women lined up outside the hospital’s emergency room all hours of the day? What’s going on in this medical facility? And what exactly is being born in the basement, which requires a special keycard to access? Check out my story in the latest issue of Stygian Lepus: “The Jesus Engine.”
Stygian Lepus Magazine – Issue #33
Available for Amazon Kindle (300+ page ebook) – and a MASSIVE paperback!
Edited to Add: I’m pleased to announce that, as of this website post, the print version of Stygian Lepus No. #33 has cracked the TOP 100 spot (in preorders, for April 8th 2026). At Number 29 in Psychological Horror. It’s a biggie. I do recommend checking it out.
Other New Entries: “Magazines”
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I have a story in an anthology from a press I published with a few years back, called Red Polka Books. The name of the anthology is Sibling Syndrome. It’s different. The theme here are stories about brothers and sisters who care about each other, or have some kind of connection that goes beyond the norm. Hence, the title. And no, my story is not one of incest but one of speculative fiction. Imagine a sister and brother, who would go to the ends of the earth for each other, who would have each other’s back through thick and thin, could one day perceive the same imagery. My story is one about “identity distortion” and, eventually, “identity collapse.” It also has a Stranger Things vibe to it. Read my tale, “Mirror Child.” In the latest anthology from Red Polka Books. Pics and links will be below, so be sure to scroll all the way down.
Red Polka Books presents…
Sibling Syndrome Anthology – Edited by Rasiika Sen
Featuring new Dagstine story:“Mirror Child”
WHERE TO ORDER THE BOOK – (click links, be redirected):
Hello. I am back in a three-volume anthology series, from the wonderful book producers of spine-tingling terror themselves, Wicked Shadow Press. This time with a reprint from 2006 (yes, twenty years ago!). And it’s a zombie story. A kid’s zombie story. Something I am known the past two decades for writing. The name of the anthology is, ‘Small Town Shadows.’ The theme this time is horror set in small locales, densely populated cities, or areas. There are two other books in this series, entitled: ‘Small Town Secrets’ and ‘Small Town Silhouettes.’ A lot of authors contributed to these. I’m in Shadows, remember that. Book covers and clickable links will be below, as always. Just scroll down. A lot of times these books are illustrated throughout. So sit back, relax, and read my tale: “Thursday’sChildren.” The theme is something that, twenty years ago, for the time period, nobody had ever touched upon too much in mainstream literature.
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
SMALL TOWN SHADOWS Horror Anthology
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty& Rasiika Sen
Featuring old school Dagstine reprint:“Thursday’s Children”
I must confess, it’s weird seeing one of your very first zombie stories from twenty years ago fully illustrated. A lot of love went into the making of this book. It looks really good. I have PDFs on hand if anybody wants a review copy. All the authors’ tales are illustrated.
Other New Entries:“Books & Anthos”
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I have a themed flash fiction piece in the latest horror anthology from Wicked Shadow Press. This time it’s geographical. Flash about horrors set in and around Egypt, and only Egypt. It could be a short about Mummies, the Pyramids of Giza, Undiscovered Tombs, the Pharaohs, Ancient Gods or Curses, and the like. My story is about two tourists (a couple), who find themselves caught in a storm that terrorizes Cairo once every hundred years. A sandstorm like no other. And with it, come mysterious flying monkeys. Hungry monkeys! The name of my tale is: “Sandstorm of the Han-Saba.” Lot of authors here. Available in the United States and India. I’ll leave clickable links below, so be sure and scroll down. Oh yeah, and there’s a color and B&W version.
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
Flash of the Dead Egypt – Egyptian Horror Flash Anthology
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring Dagstine short:“Sandstorm of the Han-Saba”
LINKS BELOW FOR ORDERING THE BOOK – (click, be redirected):
I have a reprint (from 2008, polished) in the latest multi-volume anthology series from Wicked Shadow Press, entitled: Dark Vigil Annihilate. This is a big series (five, six hefty tomes total). I see that a lot of authors submitted to these, and each book focuses around dark vigilante fiction. Horror, speculative whodunits, and crime meets Charles Bronson (ala Death Wish), people bringing their own justice, and scary serial killers in-between. I’m in the volume Annihilate, so remember that. Not only that, there are two variant covers available, like you see in comic books. The first cover below, with the “masked woman” is the primary cover. The other with the “full-bleed” Akira effect (reds) is the variant edition. My story is called: ‘The Old Boy’s Club.’ It’s a classic tale about a 1920s-era Gentleman’s Society of paranormal purveyors and supernatural enthusiasts. But in order to get in to this society of ghost fans you will need to first become an initiate, and then use “female bait” to hunt down a restless spirit. That’s how you get in to this society. But what happens when that restless spirit is none other than Jack the Ripper himself? I’ll leave all links, covers, variants, stuff like that below. Scroll to the bottom, be redirected to any ordering pages, and enjoy my updated story: “The Old Boy’s Club”
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
DARK VIGIL: ANNIHILATE – two variant covers available
Edited by Rasiika Sen & Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring 2008 Dagstine reprint:“The Old Boy’s Club”
DARK VIGIL VARIANT COVER AVAILABLE BELOW (primary is above):
WHERE TO ORDER EITHER EDITION – (click links, be redirected):
Official Substack Newsletter updated: I’ve added to the Substack Newsletter for Feb-Mar 2026, “Carving a Niche for Yourself.” On creating a side hustle, creating a stream of income from your writing, creating a routine that works over time, building publishing clips and passive income. How I do it the past 30 years. It’s very informative. Consider subscribing. In the future I plan to post paying anthology calls there.
Lawrence Dagstine: Author 
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