Category Archives: Ghost Stories
HAPPY RELEASE DAY! 34 ORCHARD ISSUE 12 HAS LANDED!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
Thrilled to announce that 34 Orchard Issue 12 is here!
The twenty artists in this issue wander the corridors of longing, which is often considered a yearning for a person, object, or location. But it can mean so much more—and sometimes be the loneliest, most isolating emotion in the human experience.
As the purported “most wonderful time of year” approaches, for those who long for anything at all, it might actually be the darkest.
Welcome to the house so empty your own voice comes back to haunt you.
Welcome to 34 Orchard.
Get your copy at https://34orchard.com/issue-12/ today!

Once again, the ToC: Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in 34 Orchard, Ghost Stories, Horror Stories, Short Stories
Tags: #34OrchardHouseOfFiction, #34OrchardJournal, #34orchardlitmag, #34OrchardStories, #accessiblepoetry, #amreading, #beautifuldarkness, #darkfiction, #DarkFruitFrom34Orchard, #darkliterature, #darkpoetry, #ghostlit, #ghoststories, #hauntedwords, #HomeOfTraumaLit, #indielit, #literaryfiction, #literaryhorror, #literarymagazines, #macabrelit, #mfa, #MidnightInTheOrchard, #PublishedIn34Orchard, #Read34Orchard, #readersofìnstagram, #shortfiction, #shortstories, #WritersOf34Orchard, #writersofinstagram, 34 Orchard Autumn 2025 issue, abandoned farmhouses, Annie Dunn Watson, b2bportraits, Brenna Monaghan Behel, Carolanna Lisonbee, Celeste Pfister, dark fiction, dark poetry, Eleanor Lennox, Ellen Graham, Evan H. Brisson, F.C.E. Ngwube, Geoffrey Reiter, international horror magazines, JJ Norris, liminal spaces, literary magazine that publishes dark pieces, Logan McConnell, Lynn Wiser, Maria Giannone, Megan Savage, Mia Marion, Pranav, Robbie Gamble, Scotty Milder, stories from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Zina Mona
Get SCARY this Friday night!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m THRILLED to be part of SHOCK WAVES IV: HORROR WRITERS OF NEW ENGLAND on ZOOM this Friday night, October 18, at 7 pm EDT. Presented by the Swansea Free Public Library, I’ll be joined by writing buddies Rob Smales, Trisha J. Wooldridge, K.H. Vaughan, Steve Van Samson, and Scott Goudsward.
This event is free to attend—link to register is below (registration is required so they can send you the Zoom link!) Come get your pre-Halloween scare on with recs for books and movies for the season and so much more!
To register, click HERE.

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Creep out your Halloween drive time tomorrow with me on I-95 Rock!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
THRILLED to announce I’m going to be on I-95 Rock (WRKI 95.1 FM) tomorrow—yes, HALLOWEEN!—at 8:20 am to talk about Candlewood Lake’s creepy legends with Ethan & Lou (The Ethan & Lou Show)! This is very exciting!! Tune in on your drive-time at 95.1 FM on your radio dial, listen through the app, or you can listen LIVE at this link: https://i95rock.com/listen-live/
Ethan Carey, in particular, is really interested in Candlewood Lake—its history, its culture, and its legends and lore. I hope to get the chance to shed some light on the origins of some of its creepier campfire tales.
Read more at the links below!
“The Lost Souls of Candlewood Lake: Did they make it out alive?”
https://i95rock.com/the-lost-souls-of-candlewood-lake-did-they-make-it-out-alive/
“The Tale of the Lost Souls of Candlewood Lake”
http://i95rock.com/those-that-stayed-behind-beneath-candlewood-lake/
“Stories of Candlewood Lake Monsters that are Obviously Urban Legends”
http://i95rock.com/dont-panic-stories-of-a-candlewood-lake-monster-are-simply-urban-legends/
“The Ghosts of Candlewood Lake’s Chicken Rock”
https://i95rock.com/the-ghosts-of-candlewood-lakes-chicken-rock/
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Announcing 34 ORCHARD’s Table of Contents for Issue 8, Autumn 2023 – Coming November 10!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m thrilled to announce 34 Orchard’s Autumn 2023 issue’s Table of Contents!
Teeming with unreliably-narrated ghost stories, Issue 8 includes many burgeoning and experienced voices as well as special surprises. We’re privileged to bring you a brand new tale by Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in 34 Orchard, Ghost Stories, horror short stories, Horror Stories, News, Short Takes
Tags: 34 ORCHARD Autumn 2023 issue, Anj Baker, Autumn 2023 issue, Bethany Bruno, Cormack Baldwin, dark fiction, dark literary fiction, dark poetry, Deborah L. Davitt, Harrison Demchick, Jackson Kuhl, Joshua Rex, Julie Sevens, Kathleen Smith, L.E. Daniels, Leen Raats, Liam Hogan, Lynne Barrett, Lynne Schmidt, Megan Wildhood, Melanie Simutis, Nancy Byrne Iannucci, Patrick Malka, Robert Mayette, Sam Rebelein, Sarah Cannavo, Susan R. Morritt, Trisha J. Woodridge, Wailana Kalama
34 ORCHARD taking submissions for the Autumn 2023 issue!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
34 Orchard is now considering work for our Autumn 2023 issue! We will only be open from July 1 – 15, 2023, so if you’re planning on submitting, please keep in mind that anything after July 15, 2023, will be deleted unread (and yes, we adjust for all worldwide time zones. So that’s after July 15 at 11:59pm wherever you are).
Please refer to our guidelines for information on how to submit. Check that out here at https://34orchard.com/guidelines/, and we look forward to reading your work!
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We’re still making decisions — and announcing our SPRING 2023 Cover!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
We haven’t made our final selections for the Spring 2023 issue of 34 Orchard yet–we’re finishing those up in the next few weeks. HOWEVER, I’M THRILLED TO SHOWCASE OUR COVER, featuring Optic Nerve by Page Sullivan. We’re only three months away from release!
I wanted to take a moment, also, to thank all of our supporters–writers who send in work, those who donate, our reading volunteers, those who have jumped in to save my ass whenever I’ve needed it, and our incredibly loyal readers. When I founded this publication back in 2019, I was going to be happy if I just had a little magazine that ten of my friends read. Never would I have dreamt that so many people would read and enjoy it. It has completely blown past all of my expectations, and we plan to continue to deliver quality experiences for many issues to come.
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Welcome, 2023! 34 ORCHARD’s submissions window is open through January 15!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
34 Orchard is now considering work for our Spring 2023 issue! We will only be open from January 1 – 15, 2023, so if you’re planning on submitting, please keep in mind that anything after January 15, 2023, will be deleted unread (and yes, we adjust for all worldwide time zones. So that’s after January 15 at 11:59pm wherever you are).
Please refer to our guidelines for information on how to submit. Check that out here at https://34orchard.com/guidelines/, and we look forward to reading your work!
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34 ORCHARD ISSUE 6 IS HERE!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
A shocking occurrence unmasks a professor and a ne’er-do-well covers up the truth. A machine exposes the past and lies linger between a dinner’s courses. A bijou boogeyman unleashes a daughter’s rage while ordinary colors and unusual mattresses strip away the pretense of composure. In Issue 6, seventeen artists brood on the secrets we keep, and what happens when they are exposed.
Autumn 2022 features a dark tale from India, disturbing looks at real-life events, emotional pieces by newer voices and scary stories by names that frequently haunt anthology tables of contents. Why, even the cover photo has an unsettling tale behind it! Our sixth issue is what you’ll want waiting when you take your break from prepping for the busy holiday season.
Announcing our Table of Contents!
Cover Art: Ophelia’s Last Secret – Robert Cedergren
Shrike Song – Zachary Kellian
The Beginning of You – Samantha Bryant
The Gritter – Kurt Newton
The Baron of the Rails – Douglas Ford
The Dusk of Day-shapes – David H. West
And Satyrs Shall Dance There – John Berbrich
The Yakshi Next Door – Hareendran Kallinkeel
Head – Mark Steensland
Memory Foam – Rowan Hill
Her Color – Grace Rolen
Step on a Crack – Jake Jerome
Birthday Dinner, May 28. – Jennifer Judge
All Aboard – KC Grifant
Young People in Love – Sam Lesek
Ugly Cinderella – Molly Greer
Insert Name Here – J. Paul Ross
The downloadable PDF is designed so that it can be printed on double-sided paper for easy reading like a print magazine. As always, the issue is free, but there is a donation link should you choose to contribute.
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Posted in 34 Orchard, Ghost Stories, horror short stories, News
Tags: 34 ORCHARD Autumn 2022 issue, dark literary fiction, dark poetry, David H. West, Grace Rolen, Hareendran Kallinkeel, Indian horror stories, J. Paul Ross, Jake Jerome, Jennifer Judge, John Berbrich, KC Grifant, Kurt Newton, Mark Steensland, Molly Greer, Robert Cedergren, Rowan Hill, Sam Lesek, Samantha Bryant, Zachary Kellian
Awesome announcements: “What the Ocean Knows” and “Sea Legs” accepted!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover

This washed-up eel grass and the ghostly prints of my boots inspired my short story, “What the Ocean Knows.” This photo was taken at Scusset Beach, Sandwich, MA, September 23, 2022.
My newest short story, “What the Ocean Knows,” has been accepted for publication in Sirens Call eZine Issue 60, Winter 2022! In “What the Ocean Knows”: A grieving Mavis finds comfort in afternoons spent talking to the sea… until the day the sea talks back.
This is a free online ’zine that has loads of good fiction, so I’ll let you know when it’s released and you can download your copy.
In addition, my microfiction, “Sea Legs,” was one of thirteen winners in the 2022 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthuluthon Microfiction Contest, and will be published in Lovecraftian Microfiction Volume 8!
In “Sea Legs”: On a North Sea island, Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in Ghost Stories, Horror Stories, News
Tags: Arkham Bazaar, cosmic horror, folk horror, Ghost Stories, ghost stories set by the ocean, H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthuluthon, Horror Stories, HPLFF Film Festival 2022 winners, micro fiction, My Lad, Sirens Call eZine, Whistle and I’ll Come to You
Halloween treats that won’t weigh you down! OUT OF TIME: TRUE PARANORMAL ENCOUNTERS is here—free preview of “Floor Song Tango” below!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
If you love true ghost stories, then Timber Ghost Press’ Out of Time: True Paranormal Encounters is the anthology you want to unwrap every night along with your favorite full-sized Halloween treat! (And if you DO purchase this book, drop me a line through my Contact page or other means. I have a special goody for you!)
My piece, “Floor Song Tango,” opens the collection, and is about the house I grew up in. Outsiders didn’t know what was going on—mostly because our parents had completely brainwashed us into thinking our experiences were products of our imagination (for the record, I think it was brilliant that they did that. I, for one, never would’ve slept. I’m forever grateful). I’m sure they’d even convinced themselves. That said, when it came time to dump the place after Dad’s passing, things ramped up.
While finally coming clean in “Floor Song Tango” relieved me Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in Ghost Stories, News
Tags: A. Morton, Amanda Cecilia Lang, Brianna Malotke, Bryan Stubbles, C.J. Hislop, C.M. Saunders, Caillou Pettis, Caryn Larrinaga, Catherine A. MacKenzie, Chris Tyroak, Errica Chavez, Ghost Stories, John Stratton, Judith Baron, Kelli A. Wilkins, L.E. Daniels, Lehua Parker, Lisa H. Owens, N.A. Battaglia, Nat Whiston, Nathan Alling Long, Nathan D. Ludwig, Out of Time: True Paranormal Encounters, real haunted houses, Rebecca A. Demarest, scary tales for Halloween, Susan E. Rogers, T.J. Tranchell, Timber Ghost Press, true ghost story books, true paranormal stories, William Presley








