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.”
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’m back again at Wicked Shadow Press in one of their themed flash fiction anthologies. They release a couple of these volumes per year, and the theme is usually different each time, so long as it has its fair share of horror and speculative fiction. Not only that, they sell well in India. So if you’re looking to get read abroad, you might want to look them up. They also produce nice looking books (layout and design). And this in turn has led to me nabbing a few commercial writing gigs (print publishing clips). This time they’ve come out with Flash of the Flesh. This is all extreme horror. As in Rated R scares and up to 1500 words in length. My piece is about a serial killer in my hometown (Brooklyn), who collects the faces of his victims. And sometimes, these visages speak back to him. Introducing my latest flash fiction story: “Whispers from the Mantle.” Pictures and clickable links down below.
Wicked Shadow Press presents…
FLASH OF THE FLESH Extreme Horror Flash Anthology
Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Featuring new Dagstine piece:“Whispers from the Mantle”
There’s a LOT of great interior art this time around. Check out some of the illos.
WHERE TO ORDER THE BOOK – (click links, be redirected):
I’m pleased to announce I have a 2000-word piece set during the time of the original Star Wars trilogy in the latest release from Altitude Press: “Whatever – A Generation X Flash Anthology” Most of the stories in the book run the gamut of 1000 to 1500 words in length, with mine probably being the longest of them all. Edited by Nicole McInnes, this would be my second time published by Altitude Press (I was in a themed anthology of theirs a year ago, centered around dogs). There are 22 authors in all, many nationalities, from all over the world. And each of them have experienced Gen-X in some way that is nostalgic (those, at least, born between 1965 to 1980). Whether it’s staying out all night till the break of dawn. Maybe watching MTV. Being alive when Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were president. Or realizing the very real threat of a Third World War. For me, it was going to the cinema at a young age and watching Luke Skywalker fight Darth Vader. Check out my story, “Movie Night.”
Whatever: A Generation X Flash Fiction Anthology
Published by Altitude Press – Edited by Nicole McInnes
Featuring Dagstine story:“Movie Night”
***Available on Amazon Kindle and SOON in print paperback format***
I’m also pleased to announce that, as of the writing of this post, WHATEVER! has broken the TOP 100 for fiction anthologies on Amazon Kindle…
Other New Entries:“Books & Anthos” and “Digital Credits”
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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
For my next piece, I have a brand new speculative tale in a flash fiction anthology. Flash fiction is a kind of story you can read quickly before bed, maybe if you’re on the subway on your way to work, or just waiting in a doctor’s office. They’re not time-consuming, you could say, due to their length. I am featured alongside seventy-four—yes, that’s right, a whopping 74—authors of quick stories falling between 500 and 1500 words in length. My tale is about a woman trapped inside a mysterious marble covered in dark matter. And there’s no way out, or is there? Blink of an Eye Dark Flash Fictions Anthology is the latest release from Culture Cult/Pulp Cult Press, edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty, and sold in the US via Lulu, and also in India. Enjoy my flash piece: “The Girl in the Malignant Marble.”
Blink of an Eye Flash Fiction Anthology – from Culture Cult Press
Featuring Dagstine story: “The Girl in the Malignant Marble”
FULL ORDERING DETAILS (click links, be redirected):
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):
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 I have a brand new flash fiction piece of around 600 words in length in the 230-page Kindle and print “Psychological Thriller” anthology, “It’s All In My Mind.” This is a book featuring a whopping forty-four stories by over forty authors worldwide! It’s a book of “very short fictions” you could say, tales which you could read real quick before bed, when you are stuck waiting at the doctor’s office, or just on your daily commute to work by bus or subway and getting off in a few stops. That is what “flash fiction” or “extremely short stories” are. Very quick reads, which are mentally easy and satisfying to digest.
Or are they, as this is an anthology focused primarily on the psyche! The theme: Psychologically thrilling shorts. All links will be below (as always), and book covers to the sides (also as always).
IT’S ALL IN MY MIND – VERY SHORT PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS
Edited by Jay Chakravarti of Culture Cult/Pulp Cult Press in India
Featuring flash fiction tale “The Approach” by Lawrence Dagstine
BUY ON AMAZON KINDLE OR AS A PRINT PAPERBACK (click box above).
It’s the year of the nightmare. First, my story collection from Dark Owl, The Nightmare Cycle. Now, from Wicked Shadow Press, Flashes of Nightmare. And boy do I love the wraparound cover art for this one. Kind of has a Fatal Frame aesthetic to it (if you are familiar with that horror game franchise). I will put ordering links for print and digital versions at the very bottom of this blog post. This isn’t the first time I’ve appeared in Wicked Shadow Press anthologies. They really go all out on their interior layout. I was in their zombie flash anthology, Flash of the Dead and the bestselling crime ebook earlier this year, Murder on her Mind.
I have a brand new micro tale this time around. Micro fiction is what flash fiction is. Stories that are 1,000 to 1,500 words in length. They are compact, quick to read, easy to mentally digest when you are outdoors or chilling in the park or in bed, say on public transportation commuting back and forth. And my story is just that: a tale which falls around 1500 words in length, is politically incorrect in some respects, but is an absolute nightmare that just happens to take place on public transportation. Read my latest offering, “The Bus Ride” in Flashes of Nightmare. A horror book involving bad dreams and circumstances.
WICKED SHADOW PRESS presents…
“FLASHES OF NIGHTMARE”
An Anthology of Stories regarding Bad Dreams/Nightmarish Circumstances
Pleased to announce I have a flash fiction piece, along with 52 other authors, in the new Wicked Shadow Press anthology: FLASH OF THE DEAD. All the pieces contained within this book are “micro tales” under 1500 words in length. Also known as the short-short, in story form, that is what flash fiction essentially is. Small, QUICK stories, that you can read on the bus or subway on your daily commute to work, especially when you are getting off in a few stops, or from the comfort of bed while drifting off to sleep. My mini tale is zombie-themed (obviously), and it is called, “Saving the Dead.”
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