I have a short story appearing in the fairly new magazine, Moonday Mag. I’m in Issue No. #2, Spring 2024. It is available on Magcloud as a beautifully put together print format or read it free digitally. Edited by Caridad Cole, Moonday Mag could best be described as a magazine of experimental fiction: experimental forms and prose, speculative fiction, some magic realism and literary too. There’s gorgeous artwork and poetry within its pages, and creative nonfiction to boot. The best way to describe this very colorful 64-page production is ecclectic. I’ll leave links below and file this under magazines. And I’ll be seeing you on the next one.
Moonday Mag: Untouchable – Spring 2024
BUY THE PRINT OR READ THE DIGITAL FREE (on MagCloud):
I’m pleased to announce that Farthest Star Publishing has acquired the rights to my vampire novelette, The Paraplegic. The Paraplegic started out as a self-published ebook and went on to see several printings, including Serial Magazine. Making the front cover years ago. Farthest Star now holds reprint rights to my tale of one man becoming paralyzed from the waist down, coping with this new way of life, and a handful of ghastly beings visiting him in the middle of the night. Read my novelette The Paraplegic now, in 2024, direct from Farthest Star. Pictures and links below.
THE PARAPLEGIC – VAMPIRE NOVELETTE
by Lawrence Dagstine – Published 2024 by Farthest Star Publishing
"Herbert Holtzman’s life takes a drastic turn after a horrific incident leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. Struggling to come to terms with his new reality, Herbert finds himself grappling not only with physical pain but also with existential questions about his identity and purpose. As he lies in the hospital bed, tethered to tubes and machines, Herbert's mind is consumed by a whirlwind of emotions - fear, anger, and despair. But amidst the darkness, a sinister presence lurks, a vampire who sees in Herbert an opportunity for a twisted experiment.
Herbert's journey is one of resistance and acceptance, as he battles against both his physical limitations and the insidious influence of his vampire captor. With each passing day, he grapples with the conflicting desires within him - the longing for his old life, and the seductive allure of immortality and power. As Herbert navigates the treacherous terrain of his new existence, he encounters allies and adversaries alike, each with their own agendas and motivations. From the compassionate nurses who tend to his physical needs to the enigmatic doctor who holds the key to his fate, Herbert must navigate a labyrinth of intrigue and betrayal.
But ultimately, “The Paraplegic” is a story of resilience and redemption, as Herbert discovers that true strength lies not in the body, but in the spirit. With courage and determination, he embraces his newfound identity, forging a path forward in a world where the lines between humanity and monstrosity are blurred."
It’s with pleasure to announce that small press Dark Owl Publishing and my 2023 book, The Nightmare Cycle, will be coming to ‘DAYS OF THE DEAD Horror Convention.‘ Dark Owl Publishing will be an official vendor, they will have a booth, and it will be in Phoenix, Arizona on the following days: June 28th thru June 30th 2024 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. You can book flights and hotel reservations now, it’s going to be a major event. A lot of dealer tables, and a lot of actors and actresses and authors and horror artists. Such famous names as Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers), Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Biehn (Aliens & Terminator), and so many more! Including, to my knowledge, the cast of George Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead. There will be autograph opportunities, cosplays, contests, you name it! Just click the links below for the guest list so far.
DAYS OF THE DEAD – Major HORROR Convention:
June 28th to June 30th 2024 – Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
Copies on hand of The Nightmare Cycle by Lawrence Dagstine
I’ll also be appearing around that time period in an anthology with a brand new, lengthy tale of cosmic horror set during the golden age of piracy. Will keep you all updated.
I have an obscure science fiction story (entitled, My Own Private Earth) in the latest edition of David Oliver Kling’s speculative fiction journal, The Triumvirate. Volume Four. The Triumvirate features tales of science ficiton, fantasy, horror, even a little bit of poetry. It is available for your Amazon Kindle (digitally), or as a very affordable paperback in the $7.00 range. It is one part anthology-magazine, one part journal. This is Mr. Kling’s labor of love, which I highly recommend if you are enthusiastic about old school genre. Kling started the magazine back in 1985 at the tender age of fifteen, a teenage lover of spec-fic like myself, and he has revived it in the 21st century. Links and cover pic below (and off to the side). We seriously need more journals like this!
THE TRIUMVIRATE Volume #4 – Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror
Edited and compiled by David Oliver Kling
AUTHOR LINE-UP for VOLUME #4: David O’Mahony, Lawrence Dagstine, Nicholas Hurst, Mark Mackey, Robert Henry, Ann Ross, David Oliver Kling. Poetry by Joy Yin. 127 pages.
NOTE:This anthology was late to press because of the holidays. The book will most likely have debuted January 2024. Hence the tardiness of this website post plugging it.
It’s most likely safe to say this is my last story appearance of 2023. And what a year it has been. A small press book deal, two professional-identifying markets, and a TON of print and ebook anthologies. 2023 marked my return to science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was also the year I wrote the most fiction in a very long time. What better way, I say, than to end the year with a disaster of epic proportions. I’m talking stories of doomsday, the near future, and what fictitious calamaties just might await us. I have a story in the latest illustrated anthology from Wicked Shadow Press, called: “Apocalyptales – Judgment Day!”
Apocalyptales is a book of stories featuring nothing but post-apocalyptic fiction, and my story is about a peculiar weather phenomenon that threatens to bury all of mankind. I originally wrote The Big Dirt Nap (the name of my tale contained within) in early 2010. It took me almost fourteen years to find a home for it. Here we are, late 2023, and it finally has a home. I like to call tales like The Big Dirt Nap “Attic Stories.” Attic stories are hard to place, you sit on them for more than a decade, dust it off when the correct themed market comes along, send it on in. Any way, Happy New Year.
APOCALYPTALES – JUDGMENT DAY Anthology
In Epub or Illustrated Paperback – published by Wicked Shadow Press
Featuring post-apocalyptic Dagstine tale:“The Big Dirt Nap.”
Pleased to announce I have a new short story of high seas thrills, chills, and undulating terror. A story about a gloomy and ominous siren entitled, “The Songstress.” It’s just one of the tales gracing the pages of Culture Cult (Pulp Cult’s) new horror-themed anthology, MEMENTO MORI: REMEMBER THE DEAD. I’d say the story fits the theme quite well too. I’ve been published with Culture Cult about eight or nine times now, and I find their books get fantastic sales and exposure in India of all places. Since I’ve been with Pulp Cult/Culture Cult, I’ve had a few Hindi or Desi readers/fiction enthusiasts reach out, and appreciate the kind words. I know there are a lot of descriptions for those races in India, so I will just use Hindi and Desi here. The book is edited by Jay Chakravarti. I’ll put pictures, wraparounds, ordering links, all that necessary stuff off to the side or way down below. And I will see you on the next one.
MEMENTO MORI: REMEMBER THE DEAD Anthology
Published by Culture Cult/Pulp Cult Press – Edited by Jay Chakravarti
ORDER DIGITAL OR PRINT VERSIONS (US or INDIA) DIRECTLY BELOW:
Lawrence Dagstine: Author 
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