Just here today real quick to announce that my latest horror collection, The Nightmare Cycle, from Dark Owl Publishing, is available in Barnes & Nobles. Not just Amazon or horror specialty stores and conventions. You can obtain it online or through “select physical stores.” Probably the ones that have a horror section. If they don’t have it in stock, it can usually be obtained within two business hours (this can also mean one day). I’ll leave ISBN info down below, in case you want your local B&N brick and mortar to get it in for you. While I love the ease of Amazon and ereaders, personally, I prefer going and sitting with a cup of coffee or tea in a physical bookstore. Call me old-fashioned, but I will never tire of it. I’ll throw up the Amazon link as well. Cheers.
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.”
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.
I’ve currently got a work of futurist fiction (spec-fic with a steampunk aesthetic tossed in for good measure), appearing in the current edition of DASH Literary Journal. No. #16, 2023. This is the official literary magazine of California State University. Out of Fullerton’s Comparative English Studies Department for Language and Linguistics. I actually studied linguistics back in the 1990s but ended up graduating in journalism and the science of publishing. I used to submit to a handful of literary magazines when I was first starting out in the fiction field. DASH No. #16 features poetry AND fiction, and the short stories in Volume #16 come from the likes of: J.M. Williams, Daniel Webre, Robert S. Gordon, Myself, Mark Silcox, Jared Livingston, James Fowler, and there is a TON of non-fiction. It’s very well put together. I will say that. Links, pics below with website info.
I am pleased to announce that I have a Brand New Crime Story, one of vengeance, from the point of view of the disturbed killer. This story features a female too, and is pretty much the theme of Wicked Shadow Press’s new offering: “Murder on her Mind Vol 1& 2.” Yes, it is a TWO-BOOK Series. I am in Volume 1 (just below). Remember, I am one of the headliners in the first book only. But I recommend both. The name of my story is: “Victimizer.” I started writing Victimizer in 2008. No publisher would even look at this tale, that’s how extreme it was. I’m talking higher than an R rating. So I shelved it, thinking it would never find a home. Fifteen years later, in 2023, Victimizer finally finds a home between the pages of Murder on her Mind. It may be a short story, but trust me, it is not for the faint of heart. Because characters like the one in my tale really do exist in American Society. Promo pics and ordering links, as always, down below.
MURDER ON HER MIND – Volumes 1 & 2
Available Worldwide (US, UK, and through Pothi in India too)
Be aware that prices vary on different platforms and storefronts (such as Amazon) due to inflation and the current state of the economy. So if you just have a general ereader, you may actually save more on Lulu.com than Amazon. It’s a matter of preference, really. Pothi is India only.
Pleased to announce that I have a brand new science fiction short story set in the cold dangerousness of space appearing later this month (comes out on Kindle March 28th to April 1st), in Neil Hogan’s Anthology-Magazine Series, Alien Dimensions. This is the SECOND time, second credit I have with Alien Dimensions. I first appeared many, many years ago in Issue #14. But that sold out quick and is long out-of-print. Not sure if there is going to be a print edition yet. I’ll post links and cover photos below, and as always, to the right-hand side of this website. You have a lot of familiar names from the science fiction scene, especially the 2000s era. Not just myself. You have Allen Ashley, Elana Gomel (and I just shared a TOC recently with Elana), Gustavo Bondoni, Mord McGhee, just to name a few. The name of my scifi tale is: “Close Proximity.”
ALIEN DIMENSIONS No. #24
Edited and produced by Neil A. Hogan
Anthology-Magazines are thick and glossy magazine-like books which feature many different authors with a variety of short stories, some from diverse backgrounds, centered around the same “theme” or “genre.” In this case, Space Stories. Science Fiction.
PRE-ORDER ALIEN DIMENSIONS #24 NOW FOR AMAZON KINDLE:
Previous issues I also appeared in (now out-of-print – check Ebay, I guess):
Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos, Digital Credits, Magazines”
I’ll have a Professional-Level story coming to Calliope Interactive (I also have another professional level tale floating out there, details to come on that in the coming months, and a horror-themed story collection out from Dark Owl Publishing as well). Calliope Interactive is rather new. It is a reading app specifically for fiction stories, maybe if you are into platforms like Instagram per se, but from what I do know, you can download this app, read stories from a tablet or a phone, maybe if you are in bed, or on the bus or the subway on your commute to work. The stories span many genres (in my case, horror, and it is my FOURTH zombie tale accepted in the last 12 months). I don’t know when the exact premiere date is. I will leave the website link down below and you can subscribe to their email newsletter for updates. They will most likely tell you how to download the app. Who knows, maybe the stories will be delivered to your inbox. The stories might be illustrated as well. All I can say is, I worked with a wonderful team of editors, and it was a very rewarding experience through and through, so I have high expectations for the application.
CALLIOPE INTERACTIVE -Featuring fiction by Lawrence Dagstine
For late January-Early February 2023 I have yet another science fiction tale, this time a brand new short about alien parenting, entitled: Forgotten Species. It comes to you within the very well laid out, well designed pages of COSMIC CONTACT. This is a science fiction & fantasy anthology on the subject of aliens making “first contact” with humans and other species. It is a rather big beefy book put out by the folks at Pulp Cult/Culture Cult Press. They’re the same people who did the exorcism anthology I CAST YOU OUT and the haunted house anthology HAUS in 2022.
Cosmic Contact has some interesting interior design, fonts, layouts, and even features a lot of familiar short story authors from out of the 2000s era, names such as Ken Goldman, Elana Gomel, Matt Shaw, Thomas Stewart, and DJ Camden. I’ll leave ordering info down below, links and pics, and also to the right-hand side.
It is with great pleasure to announce that yet another anthology featuring one of my tales has been released this month, this time a science fiction adventure story featuring a team of old school astronauts (think the days of Apollo & Sputnik, that style). So it has a pulp bent to it, but with an unexpected finish. Red Penguin Books presents, SHOOT FOR THE MOON. I’m not sure if it is available on Amazon, but it IS available in select Barnes&Nobles locations (check the scifi section), and as an Ebook (probably Nook). I’ll leave any links and pictures down below, as well as to the right-hand side. And I’ll be seeing you on the next one.
Buy it now from B&N. In Print or for your NOOK eReader (click below):
My latest credit comes to the dark and doomed romance anthology series, Soulmate Syndrome! Volumes One and Two. My story, a tale about forbidden love (the kind you cherish but can never have), curses, affliction, and lycantrhropy, can be found in Volume One. The name of the story, “The Romance of Vegada.” Just who and what are the Wolves of Caliente? Why is the love in my story, at its core, unobtainable? Find out in Soulmate Syndrome Volume One, along with dark and doomed and paranormal-style romances by a plethora of other great writers. I’ll provide pictures and ordering info (links) down below or to the right-hand side as always. And I’ll be seeing you on the next one.
SOULMATE SYNDROME Volumes 1 & 2 – (read Lawrence in Volume One up above; ordering info below)
published by WICKED SHADOW PRESS
WICKED SHADOW PRESS ORDERING INFO:
Buy a Paperback copy of SOULMATE SYNDROME VOL. 01 from Lulu.com:
Coming Spring 2023. A new collection, with mostly new stories. Along with some of the best and most obscure tales from the author’s earliest years as a horror writer. Thirteen stories that transcend the meaning of sleeplessness. Each story a nightmarish scenario or circumstance, one after the other, from beginning to end. From Dark Owl Publishing. THE NIGHTMARE CYCLE.
Prepare yourself for a LOT of bad dreams and restlessness.
I’m pleased to announce that I am in yet another genre anthology for 2022. Keep them coming. This time it’s not horror, or even body horror, but hard crime and whodunits. Tales of unspeakable crimes and unforgettable ones, from the eyes of detectives AND murderers. There was such a good reception with this one, it actually garnered TWO thick volumes, rather than one. UNSPEAKABLE: Volumes 1 & 2. From Culture Cult Press. Edited by Jay Chakravarti, and available in the US, UK, and even India. My short story features Detective Harry Folsom, whose character underwent many edits over the years, and was originally called Ted Wolgast. I had written a series of stories on Ted Wolgast, even a novel on this futuristic Kolchak the Night Stalker character in the 2000s, but it never panned out to anything. Now Ted Wolgast has become Detective Harry Folsom in this day and age.
My UNSPEAKABLE story has elements of cyberpunk, but I wouldn’t really call it that. I would call this tale “futuristic noir.” That is the best way to describe it. The name of the tale is: “The Curious Case of the Gene Pool Victim.” It takes place in a rather dark, grim unlikely future. One where a grizzly murder takes place. I am in Volume 1. Remember, there are two books, two volumes. I’m in the first one. Promotional material and pics down below.
Complete lineup of other authors are just above. I’ve put smaller book links on the right-hand side for your convenience.
I am quite pleased to announce that I’ve got a new, exclusive story appearing in the recently-released paperback anthology, “I CAST YOU OUT: Stories of Possession.” Featuring 27 different authors from around the globe (including India), touching down on the psychological and horrifying effects of demonic possession. At this time it is only available on Amazon. I am not sure whether it will see a digital release. So this might be print only. I’ll put all the usual links to the right hand side or pictures in this post, should you be interested. Edited by Jay Chakravarti. 336 Pages.
My tale, which comes in around 5100 words, is called “Trevor’s Nagging.” Location-wise it takes place in a mental hospital with a psychiatrist figure, and a young lad named Trevor…but just what is nagging at him? If you are a fan of movies such as The Exorcist or The Exorcism of Emily Rose, this story and many of the others contained within may be up your alley. Just make sure to read with the lights on.
You can order the anthology DIRECT from Amazon below:
Also, if you would like to follow me on a modern day reader, tablet, or android device, or keep up-to-date whenever a new anthology featuring my works of speculative fiction and horror come out, I have an author page here:
You can also find me on Twitter (my social media of choice the past 13 years), where I not only talk about fiction literature, but talk shop on video games, toys, comic books, pop culture, Doctor Who, and art: http://www.twitter.com/ldagstine
I am very pleased to announce I have my first book contract of 2022. This is a gigantic anthology of alternate history stories (and yes, some steampunk/dieselpunk too, stuff that doesn’t necessarily fit the bill). It is called, “UCHRONIA: An Anthology of Alternate Histories and Alternate Worlds.” Lots of great authors, tons of juicy content. It is a reprint antho, mostly. My story is called, “A Better Life.” It’s a domestic violence story set in a far distant steampunk realm. A woman is trying to escape her abusive husband, and the only way to do so is by airship. Soar to the heavens.
Uchronia will be available WORLDWIDE as an Ebook (at first), on all the usual digital channels. A paperback release with a wraparound cover, to my knowledge, is to follow no later than 2023. When it comes out, just pay attention to Amazon, B&N.com, and the book covers on the right-hand side column of this very website. All you have to do is click on the book cover to be redirected to the ordering page. Hope you are all having a wonderful year so far.
I am pleased to announce that I have been invited to submit a BRAND NEW Western themed tale to a major anthology due out this summer from Dark Owl Publishing. It’s been a long time since I’ve written a genre story set in the Old West. Years ago I wrote a western novel, but didn’t see many sales. Western short stories I had a little bit better luck at in the payment department. And they were more entertaining too. That’s what I like about short stories. The pay is halfway decent. They’re quick to write. Quick to read. Just the right amount of space to entertain, and when you’re on the fly. The name of the anthology, which mixes western tales with genre-specific themes — even horror! even steampunk! — is called Something Wicked This Way Rides. Dark Owl Publishing released a mega-sized anthology back around Holidays 2020 which I also have two brand new stories in. This will be my third story with them, gracing their lovely books. So stay tuned for a Lawrence Dagstine western tale later this year, as we visit a mysterious Djinn in the Wild West post-Civil War. The rest, SPOILERS! Mock-up cover below.
Also pleased to announce that I will soon be a published writer of 25 years. Time flies.
COMING SUMMER 2021: “Something Wicked This Way Rides”
A Major Western Anthology – 26 Strong Authors, 29+ Short Stories
When the book comes out, I’ll make a formal announcement on this website. I’ll post the links where to buy, places such as Amazon. But it will be available on the convention circuits, book stores, other places. Covid-19 has had a tremendous effect on publishing when it comes to selling books at cons. It will be available in print and digital formats. The best of both worlds. As said above, there are some VERY strong authors in the short story department here. Other authors will include Gregory Norris (prolific in his own right), Jason McQuiston (who has a science fiction novel coming out around the bend), Gustavo Bondoni, Vonnie Winslow Crist, and even Darrell Schweitzer (former editor of Weird Tales). So, major names here in the short story field.
And why not check out what OTHER books and anthologies Dark Owl has to offer?
In other news, in-between writing fiction and non-fiction (freelance), I’ve been pursuing my other passion. Drawing. I missed art. I missed it something awful. Mostly comic book art, pop art. Maybe in a few weeks time I will share some of that artwork with you here, since art and literature often go together. Until then, Ciao…
OTHER NEW ENTRIES: “Book Acceptances, Books & Anthos, Anthologies…”
Summer is almost over, Fall is on our doorstep. With that means cooler temperatures (excited about that), and possibly a second wave of Covid-19 (not too excited about that). Regardless, it means more staying home, working remote, and more time to sit back and read. I’m pleased to announce I have sold two BRAND NEW short stories to the upcoming 650+ page anthology: A CELEBRATION OF STORYTELLING. The cover is gorgeous, and it should drop around Christmas 2020. It will be put out through new publisher, Dark Owl Publishing House. The book will feature two stories of mine: a mystery and scifi tale. And I will keep you updated with Amazon links and ordering info in the coming months.
My vampire novelette The Paraplegic has finally found a proper home, and in both print and digital form, in the fairly new pulp fiction publication, SERIAL MAGAZINE. I appear in Issue No. #12, Late August 2019. I believe it is a biweekly. You don’t see too many biweekly publications anymore. Great artwork, great interior layout, has that real gritty 1950s feel to it, the kind of magazine you’d find legends Fritz Leiber and Ray Bradbury hanging out and about with their lurid genre classics. I even made the front cover! It is edited by the very talented Tanya Ferrell. I will leave pictures and links down below so you can order a copy, direct from Serial Publishing (the print version is even discounted for the month of August 2019, so hurry).
I have a science fiction story in Left Hand Publishers speculative fiction anthology, titled: CLASSICSREMIXED. Edited by Karen T. Newman. This is a big beefy book, chock full of imaginative stories of characters we know from past fairy tales, novels, and folklore. What happens when you take famous story characters and put them in different scenarios, speculative situations, or twist around a fairy tale? You get Classics Remixed. An anthology of classic characters REMIXED and REIMAGINED into something new and different. It has beautiful cover art, and as always when I update my website, I will leave pictures of book covers, a lineup of the author talent (Table of Contents), and links to the publisher’s website and places like Amazon, where you can order this book in trade paperback form.
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother Tells All by Jill Hand
The inside story behind one of our favorite fables
Sailor’s Saga by Steve Rouse
Old Man and the Sea meets Moby Dick meet 20,000 Leagues
Not a Single Soul by Tom Howard
A good witch, a wicked witch, but which witch is which?
The Maze Under the Clouds by Blake Jessop
A sci-fi spin on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur
The Upper Hand by A.P. Sessler
In a spin on “The Monkey’s Paw,” be careful what you wish for…
Of House and Home by Eric Andrews-Katz
Were Hansel and Gretel the victims? Not so much.
Solomon’s Moon by Kevin M. Folliard
Not all invisible men are created equal. Some are just bad.
A Taste of Wonderland by Gregory L. Norris
Starvation twists Alice, Wonderland, and all its inhabitants
Gluttony by Henry Herz
What happens below decks, stays below decks in this biblical misadventure.
Moby n’ Queegs by William Ade
This ain’t your daddy’s Moby Dick
Follicles, Fables & Follies by Paul K. Metheney
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down … never mind
Jane, Designed to Love by Brandon L. Summers
Jane Eyre or A.I.? Do androids dream of electric love?
Ding Dong the Pitch is Deadly by Jonathan Shipley
There’s no place like home plate
Catcher in the Crawlspace by Jay Seate
Catcher in the Rye or Stalker in the Crawlspace?
Curse of Avalon by Anthony Regolino
That’s no Lady of the Lake…
Treasure Moon by Robert Allen Lupton
Treasure Island with a sci-fi twisted sense of humor
Noah from Mars by Lawrence Dagstine
Science fictions versus one family’s faith
Strike the Match by Robert Petyo
The Three Musketeers go bowling. Seriously.
Handsome and Greedy by Katherine Brown
Hansel and Gretel like you’ve never seen them before
Copper County Fair by Cheryl Stevens Clark
The story of the Minotaur comes to Copper County
Mermaid by Karen Janowsky
The Little Mermaid in modern day prose
A Novel Gathering by Neil Childs
A band of fictional rogues who attempt to rob the poor to feather their own nests
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I have a BRAND NEW short story for late 2018 in the Left Hand Publishers’ Anthology: ‘Suspense Unimagined.’ Anthology of Suspense, Thrillers, and Nightmares creeping past the boundaries of your imagination. Edited by the very talented Karen T. Newman, and featuring over two-dozen talented authors. The name of my story is “COMPETING FOR ROSES.” It is a dark tale set in World War One, and around roses (the flowers). It is available in paperback. I will add book cover pics and the two links I could find to order it (below), such as Amazon.
You can find a story of mine, A Better Life, in the recently released dieselpunk anthology GASLANDIA. Published in eBook format, and put out by Radiant Crown Publishing. The eBook is available through Amazon Kindle, which I will leave a link to down below. In A Better Life I tackle the theme of domestic violence (a wife aiming to take her children and escape her abusive husband) for just that: a better life than the one she leads now. Story-wise, it is set against a steampunk backdrop with airships and gears and cogs, but with a working dieselpunk aesthetic. Pick up a copy off Amazon today, or from Radiant Crown’s website. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Author Line-up: Kevin Holton, David Castlewitz, Lawrence Dagstine, Pedro Inguez, Dale Carothers, Jeremy Szal, Irene Punti, Gregory L. Norris, Chuck Regan, Matthew Maxwell.
I have a story up in the Kindle Unlimited publication, Alien Dimensions Magazine. Issue #14. Or, also known as Alien Dimensions Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Metaphysical short stories. This is an ePublication focusing heavily on alien races and alien influence. Other authors appearing beside me in Issue #14 include: John Hegenberger, Neil A. Hogan, Olga Werby, Sean Mulroy, Jeremy A. Brown, and Regina Clarke. I’ll place clickable links below the current issue’s cover, along with their main website. Be sure to check it out. Enjoy.
ALIEN DIMENSIONS MAGAZINE – ISSUE #14, November 2017-2018
Lawrence Dagstine: Author 
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