The day when the anthology that contains your story arrives is always an exciting one! Couldn’t wait to get home and open the box! Have a great weekend everyone!
Category Archives: horror short stories
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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PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER! “Sea Legs” available in Lovecraftian Microfiction Vol. 8!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m thrilled to announce that my piece, “Sea Legs,” is now available in Lovecraftian Microfiction Volume 8!
“Sea Legs” is one of thirteen winners in the 2022 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon Microfiction Contest, and the collection makes the perfect stocking stuffer (tiny trim size is so cute too!!). It’s also two books in one, with Tales from the Tainted Inkwell—stories from the past that are out of print, including by cosmic favorites Cody Goodfellow and Peter Rawlik—on its flipside.
In “Sea Legs”: On a North Sea island, villagers are grateful for what the sea goddess gives—until what She tries to take in return may force one of them to go to unusual extremes. I was trying my hand at a cosmic/folk horror blend, something about which I learned at this year’s Necronomicon in Providence, RI in August.
Fill a stocking, put it under the tree, or treat yourself. You can get it here:
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Posted in horror short stories, Horror Stories, News, Short Stories
Tags: Arkham Bazaar, books with small trim size, Christmas stocking stuffers, Cody Goodfellow, HP Lovecraft Film Festival & Cthuluthon, Lovecraftian gifts, Lovecraftian Microfiction, Lovecraftian Microfiction Contest Winners 2022, Lovecraftian Microfiction Vol. 8, Peter Rawlik, short horror stories set in the North Sea, Tales from the Tainted Inkwell
Yay! My short story “Let the Rain Settle It” accepted for HUSH, DON’T WAKE THE MONSTER—Stephen King homage anthology!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
So excited to announce that my short story, “Let the Rain Settle It” has been accepted for publication in Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster—A Women in Horror Anthology containing stories inspired by Stephen King but with a female spin!
“Let the Rain Settle It” is an homage to Stephen King’s “Rainy Season,” which I read in the early 1990s and has haunted me ever since. Here’s the introduction I penned for my submission:
Why I chose Stephen King’s “Rainy Season”
It’s been said the experience of a story is different for each reader, because it depends on what that person brings to the table. I didn’t read Stephen King’s “Rainy Season” until it was reprinted in his 1993 Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection, but of all the pieces I’d read of his, this is the one that stuck. As a starry-eyed twenty-two year old who was, at the time, blissfully unaware she was engaged in a toxic relationship, I connected most with the subtle clues King presents about the broken young couple heading toward not just physical demise, but eventual emotional disaster if they did survive. While John and Elise aren’t the focus of King’s narrative—the spotlight, as always, shines on unsettling Mainers—they’re clearly in a place where the ordinary drudge of life and its reactionary transgressions have squelched the blush of love and romance. The blinders are off, they see each other for who they really are, and it’s not pretty.
While it’s been accused of being too similar to Jackson’s “The Lottery,” and a “time passer,” “Rainy Season” isn’t just another folk horror tale or creature feature. It’s a warning that the killer toads of life are always at your romantic door, and sometimes, it’s just better to let them in.
I’m so excited and honored my story was chosen for this unique project, and I can’t wait to read everyone else’s stories! Watch this space for pre-order and ToC announcement—Hush will be released March 2, 2023!
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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
It’s here! My story “Wish Bones” in DEAD STARS AND STONE ARCHES
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
TODAY IS RELEASE DAY! My western cosmic horror story—first shot at that, too!—“Wish Bones,” is now available in Timber Ghost Press’ Dead Stars and Stone Arches: A Collection of Utah Horror.
In 1873 Utah, Quicken offers to shepherd a woman condemned to hang for the massacre of a Mormon traveling party—but what’s waiting for them in the canyon is more terrifying than any crime she could have possibly committed.
Pick up your copy for Kindle or Print here!
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“Beware Burning Snow” is now available for free in THE SIRENS CALL eZine!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m thrilled to announce that my short story –“Beware Burning Snow” — is now available to read for FREE over at The Sirens Call eZine Issue #58!
In “Beware Burning Snow”: In 1980, ash people warned ten-year-old Sissy of the imminent eruption of Mount St. Helens. But there’s a natural order to things, and now they’re back. Sissy’s not only driven to keep one eye on the mountain—she’s compelled to keep them from haunting her teenaged daughter, too.
This issue is huge and features stories Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in Ghost Stories, horror short stories, Horror Stories, News, Scary Scribes, Short Stories
Tags: Edward Ahern, free horror fiction, Lee Andrew Forman, Mark Towse, Mount Saint Helens, Naching T. Kassa, Nina D'Arcangela, Rebecca Rowland, Roxanne Dent, scary ghost stories, Sirens Call Summer 2022 issue, stories about volcanoes, The Sirens Call eZine
34 ORCHARD taking submissions now through July 15!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
34 Orchard’s Autumn 2022 submissions window is now open! We will only be open from July 1 – 15, 2022, so if you’re planning on submitting, please keep in mind that anything after July 15, 2022, 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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“Beware Burning Snow” accepted for THE SIRENS CALL #58!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover

This oil lamp, made of Mount St. Helens ash, was given to me in 1982 by my babysitter at the time, whose family had gone out to Washington State for vacation that summer.
I’m excited to announce that my short story “Beware Burning Snow” has been accepted to appear in The Sirens Call Summer 2022 Issue #58, due out soon!
In 1980, ash people warned ten-year-old Sissy of the imminent eruption of Mount St. Helens. But there’s a natural order to things, and now they’re back. Sissy’s not only driven to keep one eye on the mountain—she’s compelled to keep the ash people from haunting her teenaged daughter, too.
I’ll let you know when the issue is available!
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Time to celebrate! ANNE RICE TRIBUTE ANTHO is here and gets awesome reviews!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
IT’S RELEASE DAY FOR DANCING IN THE SHADOWS: A TRIBUTE TO ANNE RICE! Don’t miss this one—fabulous gothic stories, 100% of proceeds goes to Animal Rescue of New Orleans. No one in this antho has made or gets a dime. Help us help them!
In addition, this volume, which includes my short story “Haint Gonna Happen,” has been getting rave reviews—The World According to Jay! calls it “a party for Anne Rice,” and Ginger Nuts of Horror says it “gives you that proprietary Anne Rice blend of gloom & thrill in spades.”
World According to Jay YouTube Review
“Haint Gonna Happen,” because it’s for charity, will NOT be appearing in any of my future collections as long as this volume is available, which means this is the only place you’ll be able to read this story.
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Posted in Ghost Stories, horror short stories, Horror Stories, News
Tags: Animal Rescue of New Orleans, animal rescue organizations, Anne Rice anthologies, Anthony S. Buoni, C.W. Blackwell, Christine Lajewski, Douglas Ford, E. F. Schraeder, Elaine Pascale, Ginger Nuts of Horror, Gordon B. White, Greg Herren, Holley Cornetto, Holly Rae Garcia, KC Grifant, Lamont A. Turner, Lee Andrew Forman, Morgan Sylvia, post-Katrina animal rescues, Rebecca Rowland, Scotty Milder, Southern Gothic stories, Stephanie Ellis, stories inspired by Anne Rice, The World According to J!, Tim Mendees, Trish Wilson