It’s October (aka spooky season), so that means I’m back in Wicked Shadow Press’s Flash of the Dead Halloween Anthology. This time for 2026, and they really went with a nice cover this year. As always, they’ve got a tremendous lineup. Most of the stories are what’s called “flash fiction,” and these are tales which usually run between 500 and 1,500 words in length. What I like to call small bites. While most of the stories are themed around All Hallows’ Eve, my tale is about the horrors of time travel. You know, like being stuck in a time period you can’t adapt to or like very much? Or being in quarantine. Or, even worse, the horrors of being forced to reside with somebody you don’t like… and ingest castor oil. Read my story in Flash of the Dead Halloween 26: “Nothing but Time and Oil.” Pictures and links will be below as usual.
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
Flash of the Dead Halloween 2026 – Flash Fiction Anthology
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring new Dagstine story: “Nothing but Time and Oil”
BUY THE BOOK IN USA (also available in India/Asia):
I have a Halloween-themed story about mummies (and housing discrimination related to them) in the latest paperback entry in the Wicked Shadow Press seasonal anthology series, HALLOWEENTHOLOGY 2025 – Bad Pumpkin! Every year Wicked Shadow puts out three beautiful looking tomes in the Halloweenthology franchise, all on the same horrific theme: Halloween. It’s become a tradition. They sell quite well here in the United States and India. This year it’s another three books. I’m in Bad Pumpkin, so remember that. The other books in the series are called “Blood Moon” and “Autumn Falls.” For my story, imagine being a mummy owner, trying to find your own apartment for you and your bandaged-up entourage to live. Imagine getting turned away wherever you tried, housing complex after housing complex, good credit and all. But finally you stumble upon a creepy mortician who rents out one of his apartments. Sometimes, on Halloween, your new landlord may not be who he seems to be. I’ll leave all pics and links below. Be sure to check out my 3800-word tale, “Living Arrangements.”
Halloweenthology 2025 – Bad Pumpkin!
Published by Wicked Shadow Press – Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring Dagstine story:“Living Arrangements”
WHERE TO PICK UP “BAD PUMKPIN” – Click Links, Be Redirected:
Great news. You can now not only read Lawrence Dagstine stories, but you can listen to them too. From a bonafide narrator and production team. It is a pleasure to announce that one of my horror stories has been adapted to podcast format and is being narrated for Halloween 2025 over at: The Creepy Podcast. This would be my very first podcast credit. I have another one out there with a similar podcaster/publisher (that’s looking like 2026). According to their website, Creepy Podcast is: “Helmed by the enigmatic owner, Jon Grilz, whose deep, resonant tone sends shivers down the spine, this eerie audio experience features a cast of talented storytellers, each with their own distinct vocal delivery that heightens the sense of the macabre.” I’ll leave all direct links below. Be sure to give it a listen. Halloween only comes once a year. Oh, and Creepy Podcast is ALL over. On places like Apple, GooglePlay, even Stitcher and Spotify. Listen to my short story: “The Children of the Barn”
Creepy Podcast – produced by Jon Grilz
Listen on Creepy Pod, Apple, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Spotify, etc.
Featuring Dagstine narrated short story:“The Children of the Barn”
(along with another tale, “Starved”)
CREEPY PODCAST MAIN WEBSITE – (click link, be redirected):
I have a flash fiction piece in the latest seasonal/Halloween-themed anthology from Wicked Shadow Press. And the book features well over 60-plus authors, with short works ranging from 500 to 1500 words in length; my short is exactly 1000 words. And that’s what flash fiction pretty much is. It’s a very quick snippet of writing, a very short and concise piece of literature, something maybe to consume when in a doctor’s office, or on a daily commute, or when falling asleep in bed. Flash of the Dead Halloween 2024 is actually a sequel of sorts to the original (and successful) Flash of the Dead Anthology from back in 2022. I had a story in that entry as well, called Saving the Dead. This time, however, for Halloweeen 2024, my miniature tale is called, “Angel Hunter.”
FLASH OF THE DEAD Halloween ’24 – Flash Fiction Anthology
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty & Rasiika Sen
Published by Wicked Shadow Press
Featuring Dagstine flash piece:“Angel Hunter”
Flash of the Dead Halloween ’24 Ordering Links and WSP Socials:
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."
Other New Entries:“Books & Anthos”
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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:
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.
A little late at the presses, but I bring a new story to the Summer-Fall 2013 issue of David Lee Summer’s genre periodical, Tales of the Talisman. This would be my 6th appearance between its pages, and this time I weave a historical fantasy tale involving witches. Witches seem to be very popular as of late. With The Witching Hour and American Horror Story Coven opening to record numbers, the dark practitioners are far from overused. My yarn leans more toward Hogwarts though, so Harry Potter fans will surely relish in this slightly different approach. Read my 5,000-worder: She Left Home Under a Cloud ofDragonflies, now. Click pictures or links for direct order; line-up also below.
Issue 9.1 featuring fiction by: Christian Martin, Simon Bleakan, Glynn Barrass, Uncle River, Davyne DaSae, C.J. Henderson, Frances Silversmith, Derek Muk, David B. Riley, Jeff Stehman, Hunter Liguore, Melinda Moore, Mira Domsky, and Lawrence Dagstine. Also, poetry and illos by G.O. Clark and Marge Simon. And much, much more.
For only 99 cents, you can now own my vampire novelette, The Paraplegic. Available at Smashwords. Just click on the picture below, or, see what other low-cost titles I have available. I even have a free science fiction story you could try out, and in the coming months I will be downloading more stories at no cost (usually under 5,000 words); I’ll also be coming to Kindle, Nook, Apple, Sony, Kobo and Nexus. Novelettes and novellas will always be at the right price. Quality, plot-driven stories, characters we care about: because that’s what matters first and foremost. Science fiction, fantasy, horror and more in Mobi, ePub, PDF, and a variety of other formats. You’ll be able to order them direct from here (eBooks & Kindle), or be redirected. Also be sure to follow me on social media platforms such as Facebook & Twitter. There will be cool contests in the coming months and free reading material will go out to my 5,000th Facebook follower and my 500th Twitter follower. Cover art by Bob Veon.
THE PARAPLEGIC
Now Available at Smashwords – ONLY 99 cents!
When Herbert was told he had amnesia, he knew things were bad. When he couldn’t feel anything below the waist, he got scared. When the doctor told him he’d be paralyzed for life, he got depressed and wanted to die. After all, no one wants to be a paraplegic. But what made him crippled so suddenly? Did somebody do this to him? And if so, why? Now in the hospital, undergoing intensive surgery, little does Herbert know that the force responsible isn’t done with him, not by a long shot! Something’s coming back. There’s a little unfinished business to take care of, and it comes in the form of vampires.
Get your favorite Dagstine stories in under a minute. Click below:
Nurses and babysitters taking care of vampires and werewolves during The Great Depression? President Herbert Hoover striking financial aid deals with monsters? Compassion for a vampire child from another era? Who came first? The monsters or the humans? The year is 1930… and Lawrence Dagstine is just one of your Feature Authors for a very weird novelette. It all takes place in the latest issue of Sam’s Dot Publishing’s digest-sized magazine, Cover of Darkness. Edited by Tyree Campbell. Published semi-annually.
A Time And Place For Monsters – 1930
Written by Lawrence Dagstine
Weaver of the Historical Weird Tale…
COVER OF DARKNESS – MAY 2010
Order Lawrence Dagstine’s novelette in Cover of Darkness:
Also featuring Novelette-length work by Lawrence Dagstine:
COVER OF DARKNESS – NOVEMBER 2009
Get both issues for a discounted postage price at The Genre Mall.
Other Authors & Poets: Mark Anthony Brennan, Tyree Campbell, Virginia Mohlere, Jonathan Wolf, Edward Cox, Ferrel D. Moore, Marc Colten, Lawrence Dagstine, W.K. Tucker, Jennifer Sparlin, Hillary Bartholomew, Eric Obame, Thom Olausson, Marge B. Simon, Peter Layton, K.S. Hardy, Cathy Buburuz, Gary Every, Ash Krafton, and finally, W.C. Roberts.
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