Category Archives: Horror 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
CANDLEWOOD movie available to stream, DD interviews director, behind-the-scenes and my hometown location notes (spoiler and review free)
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
The horror movie Candlewood—which was filmed in my hometown of New Milford, Connecticut, and in which I was an extra a while back—is now available to rent or view on many streaming platforms, including Prime and Apple TV!
Produced by Bandstand Pictures, directed by Myke Furhman, and written by Victoria Flores-Argue and Joseph Patrick Conroy, Candlewood, from the official description, “follows a blended family that moves from New York City to a small, isolated town in Connecticut. Once there, a local urban legend wreaks havoc, fracturing their family dynamic and causing them to go insane.” The film runs an hour and half.

To watch the trailer, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ze6srALIQ8
To visit the Candlewood website, click here: https://www.candlewoodfilm.com/
To check out Candlewood branded gear, visit here: https://www.candlewoodgear.com/candlewood-they-were-here-first
I appeared in the supermarket scene. What was really the most fun Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in Dark Discussions - Film Talk, Horror Movies, Horror Stories
Tags: #horrorfilmjunkie, Bandstand Pictures, Bill Buckbee, can I visit Lovers Leap State Park, Dark Discussions Podcast, films Myke Furhman directed, history of Bank Street Theater, history of downtown New Milford, history of Lovers Leap Bridge, Horror movies, how do Candlewood Lake beach communities work, Isabel Lysiak, Jeffrey Alan Solomon, Joel Bryant, Joseph Patrick Conroy, Lake Lillinonah urban legends, Lisann Valentin, movies filmed in New Milford CT, Poe-esque insanity films, Rob Thomas Christmas in a Small Town, the guy who wrote the score for Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey, Victoria Flores-Argue, Where can I watch the horror movie Candlewood
WICKED SICK receives six Best-of-’23-Horror mentions
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover

THRILLED to discover that not one, not two, but SIX of the stories that co-editor Scott Goudsward and I selected for the New England Horror Writers’ Wicked Sick anthology are on the recommended reading list for Ellen Datlow’s 2023 Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen! It’s the highest number of stories selected in a single volume in the Wicked series (and also the only one I edited).
Stephen Mark Rainey—who appeared in 34 Orchard’s Spring 2020 issue with the moving piece “Night Crier”—wrote a generous introduction for Wicked Sick, writing that “these authors reach into your Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in horror short stories, Horror Stories, Short Stories
Tags: 2023 The Year’s Best Horror, Catherine Grant, Ellen Datlow, Gevera Bert Piedmont, K.H. Vaughan, L.L. Soares, Meg Smith, Michael Deady, New England Horror Writers, Scott Goudsward, Stephen Mark Rainey, Wicked Creative anthologies, Wicked Sick
34 ORCHARD ISSUE 10 IS HERE!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
This issue plunges into the cavern of feeling forlorn, lost, and left behind; sasquatches, mermaids, street dwellers, siblings and jobseekers watch as the world chugs on without them. But although abandonment may feel like a death knell, we shouldn’t underestimate its positive power: a woman seeks justice, a grieving spouse turns grateful, and a mother finds strength.
If you’re feeling forgotten as the grayer days of autumn darken into winter, 34 Orchard’s Autumn 2024 issue may offer the camaraderie and light you seek. Get your copy at https://34orchard.com/issues/issue-10/ today!

Once again, the ToC:
Cover Art: Between Worlds – Sonali Roy
Attn Attn – Nichole Lightner
Connection – Yash Seyedbagheri
Things We Did on the Internet – Beth Boylan
Dolphin – T.L. Antoff
Medium Fries – Jilian Elisabeth
When I Scramble Eggs – Jacqueline Jules
Our Parents’ Children – Mia Scattergood
Shantytown – Gordon Linzner
The Day After – Claire Francis Collier
A Stranger in Winter – Rob Francis
The Dark Reflection – Melina Ekic
No Sanctuary – David H. West
Meeting Mary Bloody Thighs in a Convenience Store in Arkansas – Josie Levin
Let Him Roll – Sarah Bradley
When Nature Calls – Craig Thornton
Gardens – Kevin J. Fellows
Mother, Father, Us – Miel MacRae
The Museum – Gregory L. Norris
For Only an Hour – Susan Brush Jonas
Selling the House – Rasha Abdulhadi
Footprint – Kyle E. Miller
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Posted in 34 Orchard, horror short stories, Horror Stories, News, Short Stories
Tags: 34 Orchard Autumn 2024 issue, Beth Boylan, Claire Francis Collier, Craig Thornton, dark fiction, dark literary fiction, dark poetry, David H. West, Gordon Linzner, Gregory L. Norris, international horror magazines, Jacqueline Jules, Jilian Elisabeth, Josie Levin, Kevin J. Fellows, Kyle E. Miller, literary magazine that publishes dark pieces, Melina Ekic, Mia Scattergood, Miel MacRae, Nichole Lightner, Rasha Abdulhadi, Rob Francis, Sarah Bradley, Sonali Roy, Susan Brush Jonas, TL Antoff, Yash Seyedbagheri
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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MONSTERS IN THE MILLS in Westerly RI this Saturday!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover

Super excited to announce that Saturday, September 28, at 7 p.m., I’ll be at the UNITED THEATRE in Westerly, RI for a spooky book talk and signing for Monsters in the Mills with my ToC buddies and friends Jessica Wick, Ricardo Rebelo, Errick Nunnally, Christa Carmen, Brennan LaFaro, possibly Steven Belanger and there are rumors a couple more might show up!
Tickets are just $5 and it’s the perfect way to get a little Halloween flirt-on before the season OFFICIALLY begins!
Get tickets here: https://unitedtheatre.org/shows/monsters-in-the-mills-author-talk/
Here’s the book’s trailer, made by awesome contributor Ricardo Rebelo: https://youtu.be/Xey0BHFMQh8?si=IPjvfcDBaPQCC-S9
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Posted in Events, Horror Stories, News, Short Stories
Tags: Brennan LaFaro, Christa Carmen, Errick Nunnally, Halloween events in Westerly RI, history of New England abandoned mills, horror stories set in abandoned buildings, Jessica Wick, Monsters in the Mills, Ricardo Rebelo, Steven Belanger, United Theatre, We Are Providence Writers Group
34 ORCHARD ISSUE 9 IS HERE!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
The twenty-one artists in 34 Orchard Issue 9 examine all aspects of waiting: its ups and downs, its held-breath nature, its power. A dead girl languishes instead of going towards the light and a predator banks on his next meal. One mother is driven to pursue a reunion with her daughter, another’s moment for revenge finally arrives, and generations of sons resist—yet compulsively anticipate—the inevitable. A frozen town dreads its death knell. An angry specter prays for her misery to have company, while spirits trapped in the brick and mortar of a bridge wait for nothing more than the next passer-by.
Sooner or later, the waiting’s over, but when we finally get what we want, was it everything we’d imagined? At the end of it, was it really worth it—or did it turn out to be the beginning of yet another long wait for something else? Find out and get your copy at this link today!
Once again, the ToC:
Cover Art: When the Light Dies – Keith Molden
D-Day – Norie Suzuki
Revenge – Dan B. Fierce
Lake Effect – Jason P. Burnham
There – L.T. Ward
First Day Jitters – Donna J.W. Munro
Humans Suppress and History Reveals – Sonali Roy
The Man in the Gray Suit – Fariel Shafee
You Have Summoned a Demon – Ray Daley
Search Underway for Missing Submarine Bringing Tourists to Titanic – John Jeffire
Stillbirth – Jaclyn Eccesso
Suyuntu – Christine Lajewski
Skyline – Jennifer Fanning
Hot on the Trail – Josh Schlossberg
The Seduction – Elizabeth Falcon
Halloween Notes from Bloody Mary of the Philippines– Caroline Hung
The Ghosts at Yazá Bridge – Andrea Ferrari Kristeller
Family Heirloom – Christopher Emmerson-Pace
Last Stop – Brenna Monaghan Behel
Eleven Ways the World Could End – Jack Powers
Unidentified Climbing Object – Angelique Fawns
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Posted in 34 Orchard, horror short stories, Horror Stories, Short Stories
Tags: 34 Orchard Spring 2024 issue, Andrea Ferrari Kristeller, Angelique Fawns, Brenna Monaghan Behel, Caroline Hung, Christine Lajewski, Christopher Emmerson-Pace, Dan B. Fierce, dark fiction, dark literary fiction, dark poetry, Donna J.W. Munro, Elizabeth Falcon, Fariel Shafee, international horror magazines, Jack Powers, Jaclyn Eccesso, Jason P. Burnham, Jennifer Fanning, John Jeffire, Josh Schlossberg, Keith Molden, L.T. Ward, literary magazine that publishes dark pieces, Norie Suzuki, Ray Daley, Sonali Roy
IT’S RELEASE DAY!! 34 ORCHARD ISSUE 8 is here!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
It’s release day for 34 Orchard Issue 8! You can head here to get the PDF: https://34orchard.com/issue-8/
(Issues are free, but donations are appreciated).
A clown questions his actions during the Hartford Circus Fire, a woman spends hours calling for the missing, and a man’s unsettled conflict with his brother rents his world in two. A dog mommy may fail at making the ultimate choice and an uncertain slaughterhouse worker may end up without one. In Issue 8, twenty-four artists ponder the dangers in unanswered questions, and the effects on us when things are left unresolved. Once again, our Table of Contents: Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in 34 Orchard, horror short stories, Horror Stories, Short Stories
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
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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