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34 ORCHARD ISSUE 5 has arrived!
It’s time … twenty-five artists focus on the things we refuse to see. Lovecraftian crazy in the Old West, Kerouac-style bummin’ with a morbid twist, Poe-esque madness on the open sea, Nin-inspired snails and more await. There are seven heartbreaking, chilling poems, a nightmare-inducing tale from Poland, and an exclusive excerpt from a forthcoming speculative memoir. A few familiar favorites, like Ali Seay, Die Booth, and Patricia Bettis, and some fresh new voices. You’ll want to get your eyes on this issue.
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.
If you like what you’ve read, spread the word! We’re also starting up some resource content for both writers and readers on our blog, so consider signing up to get those posts right in your email.
Announcing the TOC for 34 ORCHARD’s Spring 2022 Issue 5!
In wall-bound creatures, leucistic birds, and murderous gardens and forests; in natural disasters and terrifying hauntings; in everywhere from modern-day skyscrapers to the Old West, the upcoming issue of 34 Orchard’s twenty-five artists focus on the things we refuse to see, and what that might mean.
I’m excited to announce 34 Orchard‘s Table of Contents for the Spring 2022, which will be released on April 25—and thanks to several generous donations, this issue is even larger than our last one! We’ve even arranged for an exclusive Read the rest of this entry
34 ORCHARD Issue 4 is LIVE!
Issue 4 is up! You can get your copy here: https://34orchard.com/issues/issue-4/
There is so much fine work in this issue, our largest yet. Don’t miss it!
Announcing the Table of Contents for the Fall 2021 issue of 34 ORCHARD!
We’re thrilled to announce the Table of Contents for the Fall 2021 issue of 34 Orchard, which will be released on November 10, 2021!
This is our biggest issue yet. Here’s what we’ve got in store for you: Read the rest of this entry
Need original monsters? WICKED CREATURES antho features my story “Carving Grace” and lots of unique creeps!
Monster anthologies—there are so many! Wicked Creatures is crammed with seriously unusual ones, though—everything from a mumble man to scary train beings. And it’s now available!
The antho features my short story “Carving Grace.” In it, living figureheads scour the streets of Timber Inlet in search of happy souls to punish. Grace, who struggles with depression, thinks she’s safe … until Read the rest of this entry
Save the date … virtual reading this Saturday, March 20
This coming SATURDAY, March 20th, at 8 pm EDT, I’ll be reading alongside some wonderful writers in one of a few special virtual events! I plan to read from my short story “Immolation,” and will be doing a giveaway. More details coming soon! Save the date and get your snacks ready!
Sinister Settings: Tambora
Mt Tambora’s caldera, taken in 2009. Photo: NASA
We’ve all heard of massive volcanic eruptions in the past killing thousands of people and laying waste to cities and entire landscapes. Before Santa Maria, before Mt Pelee, and even before Krakatoa, there was Tambora.
Tambora is an active volcano on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. On April 10, 1815, Read the rest of this entry
Summer road trip? Get TRICKS AND TREATS on audio!
Nothing makes a road trip go faster than a good audio book…Tricks & Treats: A Collection of Spooky Tales by Connecticut Authors–which contains my short story “Crawl” and was selected as Best Anthology in Preditors and Editors Readers’ Poll 2016 — is now available in audio format; you can pick it up here: http://a.co/hP5G4l5
IF YOU ARE A REVIEWER, WE HAVE CODES AVAILABLE! Please reach out to me through my Contact Page.
With a Foreword by writer Rob Watts, Read the rest of this entry
My story “Crawl” now available in TRICKS AND TREATS, signings slated, check out the trailer!
Sometimes babysitting on Halloween in a centuries-old house isn’t a good idea.
My short story, “Crawl,” is now available in Tricks & Treats: A Collection of Spooky Tales by Connecticut Authors. Published by Books & Boos Press, it’s available at several bookstores in the state, but the easiest place to pick it up is probably on Amazon. You can get it in print or for Kindle here: https://amzn.com/0997932902
With a Foreword by writer Rob Watts, also in the collection are stories by Connecticut writers Stacey Longo (Amston), Melissa Crandall (Hebron), G. Elmer Munson (Vernon), Dan Foley (Manchester), John Valeri (Portland), and Ryanne Strong (Norwich), but what makes this collection really stand out is the appearance of a couple of lesser-heralded creepy stories by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Twain’s rarely-discussed “The Californian’s Tale” is a ghost story (of sorts) that’s really about the nature of grief, while Stowe’s framed narrative (very typical of the ghost stories of the time) is one with a moral bent.
Gilman’s “The Giant Wistaria” (a personal fave of mine) is only one of three ghost stories she wrote; the other two, I believe, are “The Rocking Chair” and “The Yellow Wall-Paper.” “The Giant Wistaria” pre-dates her infamous “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” for which she’s most known, and it, too, has early feminist themes. It’s atmospheric and disturbing.
A giant wistaria vine.
Finishing out the book is John G.C. Brainard’s poem “Maniac’s Song.” Brainard was a poet and lawyer who was born and lived in Connecticut in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Come and meet the (still living, ha!) writers and hear some samples to whet your appetite for the spooky at a couple of pre-Halloween readings/signings! We’ll be at the Whiton branch of the Manchester library (N. Main Street) in Manchester, CT (http://library.townofmanchester.org/) on Monday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. We’ll also be at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT, on Wednesday, October 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Here’s hoping I see you there!
Read more about this exciting seasonal collection in the Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/community/hebron/hc-ugc-article-new-halloween-anthology-comprised-of-all-conn-2016-09-05-story.html, and watch the official trailer here: https://youtu.be/GkaGyqts8oE
TRICKS AND TREATS cover revealed!
The cover for Books & Boos Press’ Tricks and Treats: A Collection of Spooky Stories by Connecticut Authors has been released!
Creepy tales by famous Connecticutians Mark Twain, John G. C. Brainard, and Harriet Beecher Stowe will be featured. The Table of Contents will also include my story “Crawl” as well as stories by writers Melissa Crandall, G. Elmer Munson, Ryanne Strong, Stacey Longo, John Valeri, and Dan Foley. Rumor has it the volume will also include Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Giant Wisteria,” which is one of my favorites!
Currently, the release date is slated for September.
KRISTI PETERSEN SCHOONOVER 