Category Archives: Short Story Acceptances

Eldritch Cat Press: “Cemetery Songs Vol. 1” – NEW PRESSES, NEW ANTHOLOGIES!

Busy season for horror and dark fantasy. Pooped. Back again with yet another anthology appearance. This time for a new genre publisher, called: Eldritch Cat Press. The editor there is the talented Alanna Robertson-Webb. And for this press’s debut anthology they decided to go with something themed. Stories centered around three things: cemeteries, songs, and cats. The anthology includes all those things. That’s the recipe here. It got such an amazing turnout, it spawned TWO volumes. I was one of the lucky authors to make it into the first volume. Volume one. My story takes place in ancient times, Greater Assyria. It’s called: “Songs for the Unburied.” I’ll leave pictures and essential info below. Check it out on Amazon, in print or ebook formats.

Cemetery Songs Anthology – Volume #1

Published by Eldritch Cat Press – Edited by Alanna Robertson-Webb

Featuring Dagstine story: “Songs for the Unburied”

***Available on Amazon Kindle or in print paperback formats***

Company Logo Copyright Alanna Robertson-Webb, Eldritch Cat Press

DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON: ‘Cemetery Songs Volume 1 is the first of two books featuring 20 fictional, short horror stories from a unique blend of authors. While each story is vastly different in tone, style and content they all have three elements in common: a cat, a song and a cemetery. Some stories will send chills down your spine, others will leave you with a quiet, unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach and a few may even bring a tear to your eye. Come, pull up a seat with us as we dive into this incredible blend of entertaining tales fit for the living…and the dead.‘

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” and “Digital Credits”

The Orange & Bee | Substack Publication – Professional Venue for Magical Stories and Fairy Tales…

I have a professional credit (8 to 10 cents per word) in the Substack publication, The Orange & Bee. It’s a flash fiction piece, and this would be my third pro credit the past three years. The Orange & Bee is a venue with thousands of subscribers. They seem to update their newsletter-like publication on a weekly basis, and their mission is to publish stories aimed at enchanting readers. They offer critiquing services, and have something called writing and reading “roundtables.” They also seek contemporary short stories inspired by a long tradition of fairy tales. But they celebrate all styles and genres, as they aim to explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore. They publish poetry and non-fiction, too. According to them, they look at stories that stretch between the shadows. Which is good, because my story this time around falls into this category (along with the theme of loss and grief). Read my flash fiction story, “Shadow Play.” In the Oct. 24th 2025 edition of The Orange & Bee…

The Orange & Bee – Professional Substack Publication

Featuring Dagstine flash fiction piece: “Shadow Play”

The Orange & Bee MAIN PAGE – (click link, be redirected):

https://theorangebee.substack.com/

Lawrence Dagstine piece, Shadow Play – (click link, be redirected):

https://theorangebee.substack.com/p/shadow-play

And be sure to subscribe to them for weekly content! As in upgraded subscription!

I’ll put the banner above in magazines, since that’s where I put webzine-related stuff for close to twenty years.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

HALLOWEEN BOOKS: “Halloweenthology Bad Pumpkin!” – Wicked Shadow Press

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:

Paperback purchase links:

Autumn Falls: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-autumn-falls/paperback/product-dyprnrz.html

Bad Pumpkin: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-bad-pumpkin/paperback/product-jej59qe.html

Blood Moon: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-blood-moon/paperback/product-95jmzzg.html

eBook purchase links: 

Autumn Falls: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-autumn-falls/ebook/product-kvjn88j.html

Bad Pumpkin: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-bad-pumpkin/ebook/product-m25d498.html

Blood Moon: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty-and-rasiika-sen/halloweenthology-blood-moon/ebook/product-dyprmgy.html

WICKED SHADOW PRESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Like WSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedshadowpress

Follow WSP on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wickedshadowpress

Join the Facebook group to get author-related info from Wicked Shadow and other amazing indie horror publishers: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7867933553277077/

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Want more Halloween fun? Listen to my narrated story, The Children of the Barn, over at Creepy Podcast. Link: https://www.creepypod.com/episodes/2025/10/8/31-days-of-horror-2025-day-20-starved-amp-the-children-of-the-barn

Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction – SUBSTACK ZINE

Happy September to you all. Autumn is just around the corner, and this is where I start getting a lot of short fiction acceptances and stuff published. Always September through December. And for this website post, I am currently appearing with a reprint in the Substack publication: “Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction.” It has hundreds of followers, hundred of readers. It’s a token-paying market. There’s a lot of these Substack newsletter publications (in the form of modern webzines), popping up these days. In the old days, when I first started getting published, a lot of webzines were hosted by Lycos or Geocities. Or they depended on programs like Dreamweaver and Flash, to look stylish for the time period. It seems Substack is becoming a major platform to build your fiction-reading audience. Stories can be emailed to subscribers, direct to their inbox. You can read a short story anywhere, not just home computer but on your phone on the go. And it pops up really quick on search engines, because the one thing Substack has going for it is many a search engine algorithm. The editor is Jenna Hanan Moore. I’ll leave any links down below, direct or otherwise. And the name of my reprint is: “Past and Present Company Excepted.”

Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction

Substack Publication – Edited by Jenna Hanan Moore

Featuring Dagstine reprint: “Past and Present Company Excepted.”

Photo credit: Androids and Dragons/Jenna Hanan Moore
Photo credit: Caras Jr. on Unsplash, 2025.

The September Edition Opening Page – (click link, be redirected):

https://androidsanddragons.substack.com/p/issue-12-september-2025

My short story – (click link, be redirected):

https://androidsanddragons.substack.com/p/past-and-present-company-excepted

Other New Entries:

And speaking of Substack publications or newsletters, I’ve updated my own personal one recently. But only with a quickie. You can find a link to that right below…

https://lawrencedagstinewrites.substack.com/p/lawrence-dagstine-even-prolific-writers

The Triumvirate: A Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Vol. 6…

Pleased to announce I have a brand new speculative fiction story about afterlife science and “where do we go from here” when, as senior citizens, our time is up. And you can find this exclusive tale in David Oliver Kling’s The Triumvirate Volume #6. This would be my third outing with Mr. Kling’s fiction digest, which he started in the name of fandom as a teenager back in the 1980s. I’m also appearing beside Joshua Vise, who I’ve shared a handful of TOCs with these past two years. It’s available in a paperback format, just like the pulp journals of yesteryear. Or for convenience, you can get it on Kindle for the low price of $2.99. The name of my story is: “Where All Souls Eventually Go.”

The Triumvirate: A Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Vol. 6

Edited and compiled by David Oliver Kling

Featuring Dagstine story: “Where All Souls Eventually Go”

Sample or buy on Amazon below (Kindle or print):

Details about The Triumvirate:

Four stories. Three genres. One unforgettable journey into the strange, the haunted, and the transcendent.
In this sixth volume of The Triumvirate, the boundaries of imagination stretch and shatter. Step into a near-future where souls are collected like family heirlooms. Descend into a haunted mansion that opens its doors straight into Hell. Witness the slow unraveling of civilization through the eyes of a historian in a broken world. And follow a grieving girl’s perilous quest to a cursed temple where legends are born and blood remembers.

Featuring:

  • Where All Souls Eventually Go by Lawrence Dagstine. A daughter keeps vigil in a hospice that preserves the essence of the dying, contemplating what we carry beyond the veil.
  • House Sitting in the Satan House by Mark Mackey. When two sisters take a last-minute job in the wrong house, a night of glamor turns into a descent through damnation.
  • The End of a Lineage by Joshua Vise. A chilling chronicle of humanity’s fall, told from the ruins of reason, where an everyday miracle becomes the seed of apocalypse.
  • The Dagger and The Wish by David Oliver Kling. A sorrowful girl. A sacred blade. A temple steeped in ancient power. Witness the origin of the legendary warrior known only as the Blue Devil.

The Triumvirate: Volume 6 is your portal to the darkly beautiful, the eerily prophetic, and the mythically charged. Open its pages, if you dare.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction No. 43, August 2025 – Hobb’s End Press!

I’m pleased to say I’m back in Dark Horses Magazine, Wayne Spitzer’s long running Amazon Kindle and print periodical of genre fiction. This would be my second outing in Dark Horses, this time No. #43, the August 2025 Issue. I’m also back with a popular Japanese-inspired horror story, The Bite of the Cherry Blossom. And leading the Table of Contents this time around to boot. It’s a beautiful cover. The author line-up can be found below. Hobb’s End Press puts together a few of these monthly speculative fiction publications, including Black Sheep and Mobius Blvd. So if you missed Bite of the Cherry Blossom before, now’s your last chance to sink your teeth into this eerie tale about Japan’s suicide forest.

Dark Horses Magazine #43, August 2025 Issue

Published by Hobb’s End Press – Edited by Wayne Spitzer

Featuring Dagstine story: “The Bite of the Cherry Blossom”

Get it on Amazon Kindle or in print format.

Go directly to the Dark Horses website below, be redirected.

LINK: https://darkhorsesmagazine.mystrikingly.com/

Dark Horses Magazine August 2025 author lineup:

THE BITE OF THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
Lawrence Dagstine

BLACK MAGICK 101
Gray McClary

GLADIATORS IN THE SEPULCHRE OF ABOMINATIONS
Alexander Zelenyj

LEX TALIONIS (THE RULE OF CORD)
R.C. Bramhall

SADIE
Wayne Kyle Spitzer

NORMAN NODDING
Stephen McQuiggan

THE CROOKED ROAD
Stephen Shewmake

THE GOOD SHIT
Brian J. Smith

BEYOND UNKNOWN
Barry Vitcov

WISP
M.P. Strayer

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Stygian Lepus, Edition #26. Summer 2025 – NEW MAGAZINES!

For my next new short story, I’m appearing once again in Stygian Lepus. What started out as a subscriber-based webzine two-three years ago is now a beautifully illustrated (big-and-tall!) print magazine with a Kindle version next to it. But I recommend the print. This would be the second time I’ve appeared in Stygian Lepus. I come this time with a horror tale of unspeakable cannibalism and ritual. The hungry sort of rituals that only happens in small towns with the creepiest characters, and only on one day of the week when the sun goes down. Tuesdays. But what kind of feeding takes place in the town of Canaan Hollow? Why Tuesdays, and what does it mean for the residents there? Find out in my new, extreme horror story: “The Hungriest Tuesday.” Now. In Stygian Lepus #26. All links below.

Stygian Lepus Magazine, Edition #26 – Summer 2025

Available in Big-and-Tall Print, Kindle (ebook), or in a Webzine format.

Featuring new Dagstine story: “The Hungriest Tuesday”

Stygian Lepus Main Homepage/Back Issues (click link, be redirected):

https://www.stygianlepus.com

THE NAMES OF THE AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS:

In Sections by Dee Allen

Sin Eater – Part Three by Paul W. La Bella

Get In! by Steve Calvert

Memories Saved by Allen Cash

The Hungriest Tuesday by Lawrence Dagstine

Blood Ties by Malina Douglas

Howl by Albert N. Katz

How Beautiful Things Disappear – Part One by Euan Lim

The Animals of Inkwhich Inn by Steven McClain

Department of Murderous Vixens by Don Money

Dear Raven, by Nick Romeo

Not All Who Wander by Damir Salkovic

Bullshit, Inc by Jeremy Stelzner

One More Drink by Meta Paige Taylor

The Hinge That Shouldn’t Have Moved by Fendy S. Tulodo

ORDER ON AMAZON/SAMPLE (click preview, be redirected):

Also, previous issues/covers featuring Lawrence Dagstine. Worth checking out.

Note: the print version drops on June 29th 2025 on Amazon.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

NEW YEARS ANTHOLOGIES: “The Alien Buddha’s Chaos Countdowns” – Alien Buddha Press

I have a reprint (appeared in DASH Literary Journal about two years ago), that matches the theme of the following anthology. Chaotic or haphazard stories about New Years, and similar celebratory fiction fare to go along with the once-a-year holiday. And what better way to ring in 2025 than with Alien Buddha Press (the publisher), and sharing a table of contents with the likes of NJ Gallegos, Dawn DeBraal, April Ridge, and Bram Stoker-nominee James Dorr. My New Years-themed story has elements of speculative fiction, steampunk, and magic realism in it. Oh, and angel doctors! It’s called Before Measured Time. It takes place right before midnight on December 31st 1899, and the 20th century and universe is at stake! Check out Alien Buddha’s Chaos Countdowns Anthology now on Amazon. Pictures and info down below. Most of all, Happy New Years!

Alien Buddha’s New Years Chaos Countdowns Anthology

Published by Alien Buddha Press

Featuring Lawrence Dagstine reprint: “Before Measured Time”

Available in paperback on Amazon (click preview box below):

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man’s Best Friend – Altitude Press

Are you a keeper of canines? Are you a poodle person or pitbull enthusiast? Do you carry your pooch around with you everywhere you go? Are you a dog lover at heart? Then you’re definitely going to want to check out the latest fiction anthology from Altitude Press, and Editor Nicole McInnes, entitled, To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man’s Best Friend. Featuring thirty-one authors of flash fiction (and slightly longer) about canines. Most of the stories in this book fall in the 1000 to 2000-word range, and they are entirely devoted to everybody’s favorite pet. There’s fantasy, popular, literary, and a brand new scifi story by yours truly about dogs of the future and space travel (and one pesky cat!). Read my story set aboard a spaceship, “Every Cosmos Has A Ruling Class.” Links and details below.

TO THE DOGS: 31 VERY SHORT STORIES ABOUT MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Edited and Compiled by Nicole McInnes – Published by Altitude Press

Featuring Dagstine story: “Every Cosmos has a Ruling Class”

Author Lineup and Details (copy-pasted from Amazon)

Celebrate humanity’s canine companions with To the Dogs, a collection of 31 dog-themed stories written by authors from all over the world. Whether it’s literary fiction, speculative fiction, science fiction, mystery/suspense, spooky/paranormal, or myth/folklore/allegory you love most, you’re sure to find plenty of short tales (tails?) within this anthology to enjoy and share. Woof!


Stories by: Hidayat Adams, Chad Anctil, Marie Anderson, Dominic Andres, Diana Ashman, Phil Barnard, Juliette Beauchamp, Anthony Boulanger, R.C. Capasso, Gemma Church, Michael A. Clark, Lawrence Dagstine, Wendy Eiben, Zary Fekete, E. Florian Gludovacz, Jenna Hanan Moore, Laurie Herlich, Robert D. Hill, Valerie Hunter, Fiona M. Jones, Shashi Kadapa, Richard Lau, Angela M McCann, Harding McFadden, Bob Smith, Victor Sootho, Mariah Southworth, Jake Stein, Lisa Timpf, Sue Walsh, and John Weagly

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE OR PAPERBACK FORMAT

ALTITUDE PRESS SOCIALS/WEBSITE (for further info):

Our Projects

Altitude Press X/Twitter: https://x.com/AltitudePress

Altitude Press Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altitudepressbooks/

Altitude Press Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltitudePress/

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” & “Digital Credits”

MODERN FICTION: “Mono No Aware” – Anthology on the Fleeting Nature of Beauty

Pleased to announce I have a fiction piece in the modern fiction anthology from Culture Cult, Mono No Aware. This is not a genre piece. While I’m mostly known for scifi and horror and a small touch of humor, I don’t always write to the beat of a specific drum or “formulaic forms” in fiction (per se). While Mono No Aware is chock full of fantastic fiction, it is a book of forty-five stories by forty-five very talented authors on the subject of nature and beauty, as depicted from a particular saying in Japanese. The fiction in this book is literary and modern. My story just happens to take place in Japan, where a young boy relocates with his mother. The child suffers from a terrible stutter (a speech impediment), and he’s able to conquer this disability by befriending the seals of the region. Check out Mono No Aware, An Anthology of Fleeting Nature and Beauty. Be sure to read my tale, “The Seal Whisperer.”

Mono No Aware – Anthology of Modern Fiction

Stories on the Fleeting Nature of Beauty

Featuring Dagstine Story: â€śThe Seal Whisperer”

Published by Culture Cult Press of India: http://www.culturecult.co.in

Edited by Dibyasree Nandy

ORDERING LINKS AND CULTURE CULT SOCIALS (click below):

Order the paperback version: https://www.lulu.com/shop/dibyasree-nandy/mono-no-aware/paperback/product-gj8djzr.html

Order the digital version: https://www.lulu.com/shop/dibyasree-nandy/mono-no-aware/ebook/product-95k8549.html

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CultureCultPress

Instagram: https://instagram.com/culturecultpress

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CultureCultPub

Visit Culture Cult at: https://CultureCult.co.in

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction, September 2024 No. #32 – Hobb’s End Press

This is basically a repeat of my last magazine plug, but only uploaded within a few days of each other. Basically, I am appearing with two different stories at the same time in two different Hobb’s End Press publications. Last time it was Black Sheep Magazine. Today, if you look at the cover and links below, is Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction – September 2024 Edition. Issue #32. Hobb’s End has a few of these pulpy looking “anthology-magazines” available on Amazon, in both Kindle and print formats. The magazines feature a very diverse smorgasbord of science fiction, fantasy, horror, action-adventure, and weird tales. My story for Dark Horses is a 20-year old story. An obscure repro of biblical proportion. Noah from Mars. The story is a retelling of the famous flood, but only on the Red Planet. What if Noah and his family left Mars to come to Earth? What if he brought two of each animal from Mars to our planet? What if the Ark was a massive spaceship rather than a sea barge? It’s a retold fairy tale (depending on what your faith is). If you are new to my fiction, if you weren’t alive twenty years ago, check it out. This’ll probably be the last time I submit it (will retire it). Pictures and links below, or off to the side column.

Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction

Published by Hobb’s End Press – featuring Lawrence Dagstine

September 2024 Edition/Issue – No. 32 of 32 Anthology-Magazine

Author Lineup

TAP TAP TAP
Elsa Loftis

ALL THE SINGULARITY GIRLS
Glenn Dungan

THE BATTLE FOR ASHGROVE ROAD
Hugh A.D. Spencer

DESPERATE TO REVIVE
Mark J. Schultis

X-RAY RIDER (PART TWO)
Wayne Kyle Spitzer

DR. SORBY’S AMAZING AQUATIC MENAGERIE
Olivier Faivre

FORTY MILES OF BAD ROAD
Rick M. Clausen

JUNE BUG SEASON
Sarah Wilson Gregory

NOAH FROM MARS
Lawrence Dagstine

THE WILD HUNT
David Newkirk

Check out ALL Hobb’s End Press genre magazines HERE (click link):

https://darkhorsesmagazine.mystrikingly.com/

That Black Sheep Magazine info/post I mentioned is HERE (click link):

Black Sheep Magazine, September 2024 No. #15 – Hobb’s End Press

Edited to Add:

Pleased to add that after I was done playing a video game over the Labor Day Weekend, I checked up on Dark Horses Magazine (the print edition, in particular). It reached Number One in New Releases. In the “Science Ficiton & Fantasy” categories. This would be the second time in 2024 I was part of an anthology-magazine that reached Number One on Amazon (the first being Alien Dimensions No. #26).

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

Black Sheep Magazine, September 2024 No. #15 – Hobb’s End Press

Pleased to announce I have a story about a little boy and the devil himself (think William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist), in the latest issue of a very interesting and pulpish looking “anthology-magazine.” It’s got that 1970s nerd vibe to it, when kids used to ride their bikes to the comic shop to pick up their weekly scifi rags. Also getting hints of Tales of the Talisman here. How many of you remember Hadrosaur Tales way back in the 2000s? The name of the publication is Black Sheep. They have beautiful covers, and they are published as a numbered anthology series by the fine folks at Hobb’s End Press. They have a couple of these magazine series up for sale, 181 pages in length, from Dark Horses to Mobius Blvd to what-have-you, and feature roughly ten to twelve authors per edition. Their focus is primarily science fiction, fantasy, horror, and your good old-fashioned weird tale. I’m in Issue No. 15, September 2024. It is exclusive to Amazon on Kindle for $3.99, or as a collectible paperback for a mere $8.99. Pick up your copy today. Clickable links and pics below.

Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder

Published by Hobb’s End Press – featuring Lawrence Dagstine

September 2024 Edition/Issue – No. 15 of 15 Anthology-Magazine

AUTHOR LINEUP:

Kelly Hossaini, Elizabeth Rosen, Spencer Sekulin, NP Cunniffe, Wayne Kyle Spitzer, C. Dan Castro, Ethan Cordeta, Lawrence Dagstine, Mikel J. Wisler, George Hagler.

https://darkhorsesmagazine.mystrikingly.com/

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

SCIENCE FICTION DIGESTS: “The Triumvirate, Vol. #5” – Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror

Fellow genre readers. I have a brand new story of despair and hardship set after the troubling events of the War in Iraq in the latest, book-sized edition of David Oliver Kling’s speculative fiction journal, The Triumvirate. Volume Five. The Triumvirate features tales of science fiction, fantasy, horror, even the occasional essay. It is available for your Amazon Kindle (digitally), or as a paperback in the $10.00 range. It is one part anthology-magazine, one part journal (but I consider it more a beefy digest). 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. Links and cover picture below (and in side column). This is my second appearance with The Triumvirate, and the name of my story this time around is: “After the Soldiers go Home.”

THE TRIUMVIRATE Volume #5 – Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror

Edited and compiled by David Oliver Kling

Featuring Lawrence Dagstine story: “After the Soldiers go Home”

TABLE OF CONTENTS/STORIES & AUTHORS FEATURED:


In “Earth-697,” Mark Mackey introduces us once again to Ambrosial Decarva, the dragon slayer of Dystonia.

Lawrence Dagstine’s “After the Soldiers go Home” takes us to a post-war Iraq plagued by both disease and despair.

Nicholas Hurst’s “You Can Almost See The Shininess” provides a lighter, yet equally enticing, exploration of military life.

In “Back From the War: A 1920’s Vampire Tale,” Mark Mackey transports us to a post-Great War America where Bram Collinwood faces supernatural horrors upon returning home.

Paul O’Neill’s “Mister Sleep” brings terror to the quiet town of Balekerin, where a sleepover turns into a nightmare.

Robert Henry’s “Fall into the Sky” takes us on a mythic journey with Ragnar, a father desperate to save his son.

Larry Johnson’s “The Under People” follows Lew Brown’s unsettling encounters with mysterious workers.

In “Amen” by Ed Perratore, high school senior Walter’s Halloween prank leads to a grim fate.

Finally, in David Oliver Kling’s essay, “What Dreams May Come: A Pastoral Care Perspective,” he provides a thoughtful analysis of the 1998 film “What Dreams May Come.”

Amazon Purchase Link (or sample below):


Also be sure to check out Volume #4. I’m in that edition too!

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Alien Dimensions #26: Space Fiction Short Stories – “Mars Colonization Edition”

Pleased to announce that I have a Martian-themed short story in the current edition of Alien Dimensions, No. #26. “Mars Colonization, The Red Planet,“ and the 2030s and Beyond is the theme. It is all new, and it is available on Amazon Kindle and in a thick print paperback format (to my knowledge). This would be my third appearance with Alien Dimensions over the years. Last time I showed up was in the super successful No. #24. Alien Dimensions features interplanetary stories and space tales that harken back to an era when scifi was astounding and thought-provoking. My story could best be described as a 28-Days Later like tale about a contagion. But will the Martian doctors come to the rescue of the human race? Read my short story, The Pathogen in Alien Dimensions #26. Alien Dimensions could best be described as an Anthology-Magazine (the best of both worlds).

ALIEN DIMENSIONS No. #26 – Edited by Neil Hogan

Mars Colonization, Martian Theme – featuring Dagstine story The Pathogen

ALIEN DIMENSIONS HOMEPAGE (or click further below for Amazon):

http://www.aliendimensions.com

AUTHOR LINE-UP:

Mars City Space Port by David Castlewtiz

The Trouble with Truffles by Humphrey Price

The Nerine Seven by Zachary Taylor Branch

Birthing the Unborn by Kellee Kranendonk

The Pathogen by Lawrence Dagstine

High Seas by Frank Dumas

The Great Deception by Lawson Ray

Guardian Friendship by Geoffrey Hugh Lindop

Limbo on Elysium Mons by Mary Jo Rabe

It’s a Lot Simpler from Orbit by Siv Art

Sustained Life on Mars by Jon Cox

Mars Orbit 2033 by Neil A. Hogan

Also check out Edition No. #24 (it’s big). I’ll put links and pictures off to the side, or the usual places.

Edited to add: I just wanted to give a big thank you to everybody who read and purchased the current edition of Alien Dimensions. We hit number one in New Releases for science fiction short stories.

New Entries: “Books & Anthos, Magazines, and Digital Credits.”

SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINES: “The Triumvirate, Vol. #4” – Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror

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.

New Entries: “Magazines”

POST APOCALYPTIC BOOKS: “Apocalyptales, Judgment Day!” – Wicked Shadow Press

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.”

ORDERING INFO/LINKS TO BUY:

Order the illustrated paperback: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/apocalyptales-judgment-day/paperback/product-v8829zp.html

Order the epub: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/apocalyptales-judgment-day/ebook/product-rmmk8g6.html?page=1&pageSize=4

FOLLOW WICKED SHADOW PRESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

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

Follow Wicked Shadow on X: https://twitter.com/wickedshadowpub

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: “Memento Mori – Remember the Dead…”

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:

Order Paperback from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/memento-mori-remember-the-dead/paperback/product-2m2z4kk.html

Order Epub from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/memento-mori-remember-the-dead/ebook/product-yv7wyz9.html

Order Paperback from Pothi (INDIA ONLY):

https://store.pothi.com/book/jay-chakravarti-ed-memento-mori-remember-dead/

Order the Ebook from Pothi (INDIA ONLY):

https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-jay-chakravarti-ed-memento-mori-remember-dead/

Follow Culture Cult at their socials:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CultureCultPress

Instagram: https://instagram.com/culturecultpress

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CultureCultPub

Visit them at: https://CultureCult.co.in

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

STYGIAN LEPUS Online Magazine – Fall 2023, Edition No. #6 – 2024 UPDATE!

I have a 4,000-word historical story of psychological horror and romance (emphasis on the psychological, and this one is set against the backdrop of the Second World War, called: “Competing for Roses.” And you can read that story in the latest issue of a fairly new online magazine called Stygian Lepus. Fall 2023, Edition No. #6. The author line-up is on the webzine cover below. So those are who I share the Table of Contents with. If you enjoy online reading, why not give it a go. I’ll post this one in Magazines. I’ll also provide a link to the webzine’s site just below the cover. And I’ll be seeing you on the next one. Cheers.

Stygian Lepus – Edition No. #6

Online Magazine/Webzine of Dark Speculative Fiction and Horror

READ HERE: https://stygianlepus.com/

Edited to Add (2024): Stygian Lepus #6, featuring my story Competing for Roses is now available as a very pretty illustrated magazine exclusive to Kindle and Amazon print format. Get it below.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: “The Depths Unleashed Book 2” – Skywatcher Press

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):

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lawrence-Dagstine/author/B001K8UG5K

SKYWATCHER PRESS WEBSITE:

https://www.skywatcherpress.com/

OTHER ANTHOLOGIES AVAILABLE FROM SKYWATCHER PRESS:

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos, Digital Credits”

NEW BOOKS: “Lost, Stories of Missing People and Things” – Culture Cult Press

My latest appearance comes to a new anthology by Culture Cult Press, who I have been published with around three times before. They have very good distribution in India, and some of the proceeds from their books goes to help animals. So if you are an animal lover like myself (I have a pet turtle), and love to read, it is for a worthy cause. It is a themed anthology, and available in TWO volumes. Not just one book, but two. I have a story in the first one. I’ll put links all the way down below, like usual, and book pics off to the side.

The name of the anthology, LOST: A book of missing people and things. My story fits the theme perfectly. It is about a missing alien. It is speculative fiction. And the owner of this alien has to go looking for his adopted creature from another world. It is both heartwarming and satirical. Be sure to check out my story, “I Want My Alien Back.” Only in Volume One. Cheers.

LOST: An Anthology by Culture Cult Press

Volumes One & Two – Edited by Jay Chakravarti

Volume One featuring Dagstine story: “I Want My Alien Back.”

LULU purchase link for Paperback VOLUME ONE: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/lost-vol-01/paperback/product-2km58d.html

LULU purchase link for Epub VOLUME ONE: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/lost-vol-01/ebook/product-v689p5.html

POTHI (India Only) purchase link for Paperback: 

https://store.pothi.com/book/jay-chakravarti-ed-lost-vol-01/

POTHI (India Only) purchase link for Ebook (Epub and PDF): 

https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-jay-chakravarti-ed-lost-vol-01/

LULU purchase link for Paperback VOLUME TWO: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/lost-vol-02/paperback/product-rnme22.html

LULU purchase link for Epub VOLUME TWO: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/lost-vol-02/ebook/product-em78mr.html

POTHI (India Only) purchase link for Paperback: 

https://store.pothi.com/book/jay-chakravarti-ed-lost-vol-02/

POTHI (India Only) purchase link for Ebook (Epub and PDF): 

https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-jay-chakravarti-ed-lost-vol-02/

PUBLISHER INFO/CULTURE CULT on Social Media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CultureCultPress
Instagram: https://instagram.com/culturecultpress
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CultureCultPub

Visit them at: https://CultureCult.co.in

Just a quick reminder, that a portion of the anthology proceeds (as well as many other Culture Cult book projects) does go to help animals in India (charity). My story, about a lost alien, is in Volume One. The first book. I’m not sure if it’s coming to Amazon or not, because Amazon has become very expensive (they went up again) due to the state of the economy. But if it does appear on Amazon, I’ll drop a link down here.

Oh, the turtle in the picture is “Bowser” by the way.

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”