Category Archives: Mainstream Fiction

The Gathering: A Curated Collection Brought to You by Hollowpoint Press – LITERARY ANTHOLOGIES!

I forgot to advertise this book a while back. Just been so busy. Hollowpoint Press put out a curated literary anthology, which you can purchase right now on Amazon in print and Kindle formats, chock full of speculative fiction, mostly less than 2000 words in length. Great presentation. I think the press is Canada-based. What started as a contest (grand prize winner gets $100, and there’s a second and third place cash prize), became this big book with over forty-one authors making up the table of contents. My story, a flash fiction piece, almost made it into the top three winners for a cash prize. But they loved my tale so much they insisted on including it. It’s a futuristic story set in Dubai in a few decades from now, where forbidden afterlife science has been achieved and “you too” can live forever, staring down at your loved ones from the clouds. But is there more to this afterlife science the Saudis are offering than meets the eye? Read my flash fiction piece: “Long After the Surface.” I’ll leave any pictures, adverts, or links down below.

Added: Hollowpoint Press will also interview me in the next two, three weeks and post it on their website. When the time comes, you can find that interview here (click link right below, in just a few weeks): https://www.hollowpointpress.ca/interviews

Hollowpoint Press presents…

The Gathering: A Curated Collection – featuring 41 Authors

Featuring new Dagstine story: “Long After the Surface”

SAMPLE OR BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON:

HOLLOWPOINT PRESS MAIN WEBPAGE (and masthead):

https://www.hollowpointpress.ca

HOLLOWPOINT PRESS INTERVIEWS LAWRENCE DAGSTINE (coming soon):

https://www.hollowpointpress.ca/interviews

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Tales from the Crosstimbers, Fall 2026 – Magazine Appearances!

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”

BACK COVER w. TABLE OF CONTENTS (in order):

SAMPLE OR BUY THE ISSUE ON AMAZON:

MAIN WEBSITE – SUBMISSION GUIDELINES – MASTHEAD:

https://www.thecrosstimbers.net

Other New Entries: “Magazines” and “Digital Credits”

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Frost Zone Stories, Book #4. AUTUMN 2026 – New Story by Lawrence Dagstine

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):

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frost-zone-stories-book-4-m-m-macleod/1150817750?ean=9781069454867

BUY IT ON KOBO – For Kobo eReaders:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/frost-zone-stories-book-4

FOR PRINT COPIES – FROST ZONE WEBSITE – MASTHEAD:

https://www.frostzonestories.com

FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” and “Magazines”

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “Book”, “name”: “Frost Zone Stories book 4”, “editor”: { “@type”: “Person”, “name”: “M.M. MacLeod” }, “publisher”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Frost Zone Press”, “url”: “https://www.frostzonestories.com/” }, “datePublished”: “2026-08-28”, “bookFormat”: [ “https://schema.org”, “https://schema.org” ], “genre”: [ “Horror”, “Dark Fiction”, “Quiet Horror”, “Literary Horror”, “Speculative Fiction” ], “description”: “The Autumn 2026 Edition of Frost Zone Stories, an anthology dedicated to dark literary fiction, quiet horror, and strange tales.”, “hasPart”: { “@type”: “ShortStory”, “name”: “The Bar that Remembered”, “author”: { “@type”: “Person”, “name”: “Lawrence Dagstine”, “url”: “https://lawrencedagstine.com/” }, “description”: “A dark, atmospheric literary horror story set in 1970s New York City.”, “genre”: “Historical Dark Fiction / Quiet Horror”, “contentLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “name”: “New York City, New York” }, “temporalCoverage”: “1970s” } }

Red Polka Books: “Sibling Syndrome Anthology…” – BOOKS WORTH READING!

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):


Buy the illustrated paperback: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/rasiika-sen/sibling-syndrome/paperback/product-e7n8zjj.html

Buy the minimal epub: https://www.lulu.com/shop/rasiika-sen/sibling-syndrome/ebook/product-zmekgz6.html

RED POLKA BOOKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA – (click links, be redirected):

Follow Red Polka on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redpolkabooks

Follow Red Polka on Instagram: https://instagram.com/redpolkabooks

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Wicked Shadow Press: “Small Town Shadows” – Horror in Small Towns!

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’s Children.” 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”

WHERE TO ORDER SMALL TOWN SHADOWS:

Paperback Purchase Link (click, be redirected):

https://www.lulu.com/shop/rasiika-sen-and-parth-sarathi-chakraborty/small-town-shadows/paperback/product-e7nrp2k.html

Wicked Shadow Press Socials – (click links, be redirected):

Follow Wicked Shadow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedshadowpress

Follow Wicked Shadow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wickedshadowpress

Wicked Shadow Press New Website/Homepage – (click, be redirected):

https://wickedshadowpress.induswords.in/

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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