Blog Archives
Introducing DARKNESS MOST FOWL anthology and readings!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
Sometimes birdsong is dangerous.
If you love 34 Orchard and you want a volume full of tales that carry our vibe, don’t miss Darkness Most Fowl from The Godmother of Horror Press!

This anthology was invitation only, and so writers we’ve recommended and several 34 Orchard alums build terrifying nests in this bird horror anthology! Edited by #7 “The Last Days”’s Elaine Pascale and featuring stunning art by Michael Takeda (#11, “Kintsugi”), others are Zachary Kellian (#6, “Shrike Song”), Die Booth (#1, “A Murder”), Ernest Ògúnyẹmí (#7, “The Flute”), Leen Raats (#8, “The Solitary Man”), Nicola Kapron (#3, “The Bodies We Should Forget”), Selah Janel (#5, “Mister Skinandbones”), Rob Frances (#4, “Everything Fits If You Push Hard Enough”), Robert Mayette (#8, “The Milestones on That Path”), L.E. Daniels (#8/“Weird Witness”), and ten other popular voices. From grackles and creepers to magpies and nightjars, these flights of dark fancy will claw your heart every time you hear beating wings.
In the mood to Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in 34 Orchard, horror short stories, News
Tags: #34OrchardContributors, #34OrchardStories, #darkliterature, #DarknessMostFowl, #GothicLiterature, #literaryfiction, #LiteraryMagazine, #macabrelit, #shortfiction, #StoriesThatHaunt, #supportindielit, #TheGodmotherofHorror, #UnsettlingFiction, #WritersCommunity, #WritersOf34Orchard, C.O. Davidson, dark fiction, Die Booth, Elaine Pascale, Ernest Ògúnyẹmí, Geneve Flynn, Hideki Nakazono, Holley Cornetto, Kiyomi Appleton Gaines, Kristy Park Kulski, L.E. Daniels, Lee Andrew Forman, Leen Raats, Michael Takeda, Nicola Kapron, Nikki Kallio, Rob Francis, Robert Mayette, Selah Janel, The Godmother of Horror Press, V. Castro, Zachary Kellian
MONSTERS IN THE MILLS is here!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
THRILLED to announce Monsters in the Mills, with my story “Cinched,” is now available in instant e-book and paperback pre-order! If you like abandoned (and some pieces are definitely 34O if you like that), you’ll love this!

Behind graffitied fences or obscured by woods, the abandoned mills of New England watch. For thrillists and historians, urbexers and developers, or just the average passer-by. Omnipresent and looming, the mills lure the innocent to their mysteries, secrets…and terrors.
The We are Providence writers hunt what lurks among the crumbled bricks and strangling sumac. A widower on a demolition crew wakes the revenants. A musician rents a foundry’s rehearsal space…and otherworldly tenants are practicing on him. A lonely girl combs the ruins to find an unsettling friend; a bitter punk moves into a refinery where her bestie vanished, and a criminal breaks into a cloth factory to discover a sentient—and sinister—machine.
These eighteen terrifying tales suggest when abandoned mills beckon, it’s best to ignore them.
After all, they’ve come to collect their due.
You can get the ebook instantly or pre-order the paperback here: https://bit.ly/4bhZmWa
SPECIAL OFFER! Take a photo Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in News
Tags: Abandoned mill stories, Aron Beauregard, Brennan LaFaro, Christa Carmen, Elizabeth Devecchi, Errick Nunnally, Gage Greenwood & Kylee Jones, gothic horror with contemporary bent, horror stories New England, Jason Parent, Jessica P. Wick, Joshua Rex, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, L.E. Daniels, Mary Robles, Mr. Michael Squid, Paul Magnan, Ricardo D. Rebelo, Rick Claypool, Steven P. Belanger, stories set in Rhode Island, Victoria Dalpe, We Are Providence
I belong to We Are Providence!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been a member of the Rhode Island-based writer’s community We Are Providence since November of 2023, and what a ride it’s been! I’ve had strong Rhode Island ties since the early nineties, when I did undergraduate work at the University of Rhode Island. Over the past thirty years, I’ve spent so much time in the state it feels like home, and the folks in We Are Providence have not only welcomed me with open arms, they have made me feel like I truly belong.
Helmed by Christa Carmen (The Daughters of Block Island) and L.E. Daniels (Serpent’s Wake: a Tale for the Bitten), we’ve just put the finishing touches on the group’s second anthology, Monsters in the Mills, which releases in August (and includes a brand new story by me called “Cinched”).
If you love all things abandoned, this collection is for you. Edited by Christa and L.E., cover art by Mr. Michael Squid, and introduction by Faye Ringel, and published by Australian-based Interactive Publications, here’s the back cover copy (if you’re wondering if I wrote it because it sounds like me, yes, I did):
♦
DEEP IN THE WEEDS, THEY WAIT.
Behind graffitied fences or obscured by woods, the abandoned mills of New England watch. For thrillists and historians, urbexers and developers, or just the average passer-by. Omnipresent and looming, the mills lure the innocent to their mysteries, secrets…and terrors.
The We are Providence writers hunt what lurks among the crumbled bricks and strangling sumac. A widower on a demolition crew wakes the revenants. Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in horror short stories, News, The Writing Life
Tags: abandoned mills, Aron Beauregard, Brennan LaFaro, Christa Carmen, Elizabeth Devecchi, Errick Nunnally, Faye Ringel, Gage Greenwood & Kylee Jones, horror stories set in Rhode Island, Interactive Publications Pty Ltd, Jason Parent, Jessica P. Wick, Joshua Rex, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, L.E. Daniels, Mary Robles, Mr. Michael Squid, Paul Magnan, Rhode Island writers organizations, Ricardo D. Rebelo, Rick Claypool, Steven Belanger, Victoria Dalpe, We Are Providence
StokerCon 2024 – Virtual Tickets Still Available!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
StokerCon—the Horror Writers Association’s annual gathering chock full of panels, readings, special events, awards ceremonies and other things horror writing—takes place this coming weekend, May 30—June 2, in San Diego.
If you, like me, can’t make it to California but would like to check out some live and pre-recorded content on the same weekend it’s all happening (including a super-cool horror film festival)—and enjoy a panel and a reading featuring yours truly—you still can! Tickets for the virtual event are $75 ($100 if you’d like the souvenir anthology) and include The Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition and can be purchased here: https://events.ringcentral.com/events/allaccesscon-presents-stokercon
For my part, I’m on a panel called Dark Fantasy – A Discussion on Horror with Fantasy Elements, which was pre-recorded in April, and what a fantastic conversation with writers Holley Cornetto (Moderator—We Haunt These Woods), Lee Murray (Into the Mist), Ai Jiang (I Am AI), Corey Farrenkopf (short fiction in many publications), Jonathan Duckworth (The Book of Never), and Austin Shirey (City of Spores). Several other panels fill out the schedule.
I’ll also present the first portion of my short story, “King of Bull,” which will be published next year in my next collection, Songs for a Dying World (cover release coming shortly!) In “King of Bull,” a boutique brewer Read the rest of this entry →
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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
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
It’s GENERATION X-ED Pub Day!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m not so thrilled about that god-awful sweater I’m wearing in that photo, but I couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Generation X-ed, which contains my short story “Nothing to See Here,” is now available in dust jacket hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook!
Crammed with all sorts of throwback goodies and the original collection written completely by those of us who lived through them, this should definitely be on every GenXer’s shelf (and makes a great gift for that impossible-to-buy-for GenXer in your life because JARTS are hard to find)! Here’s a look at the stellar TOC!
In From the Cold – Adrian Ludens Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in Horror Movies, horror short stories, Horror Stories, News, Short Stories
Tags: Adrian Ludens, C.D. Brown, C.O. Davidson, Challenger, Chernobyl, Dale W. Glaser, Dark Ink Books, Derek Austin Johnson, Douglas Ford, Elaine Pascale, Eldon Litchfield, Erica Ruppert, Generation X, Glynn Owen Barrass, Holly Rae Garcia, horror stories set in the 1970s, horror stories set in the 1980s, horror stories set in the early 1990s, Kevin David Anderson, L.E. Daniels, latchkey generation, Mark Towse, Matthew Barron, Matthew Chabin, Phil Ford, Rebecca Rowland Editor, Rob Smales, Stories by Gen-Xers, Thomas K.S. Wake, Thomas Vaughn, Tim Jeffreys
“Nothing to See Here” to appear in GENX-ED: The authentic antho of Gen-X terrors!
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
I’m beyond ecstatic to announce that my short story, “Nothing to See Here,” will appear in Dark Ink Books’ anthology GenX-ed … the original horror fiction anthology completely by Gen-Xers—and what we brought home when the streetlights came on will terrify you. If you did things like eat powdered Tang and cookies for dinner, spent hours playing Atari, were awed by a 13-inch TV and/or did dangerous tricks on bicycles without a helmet? Or if you’re not a Gen-Xer and want to see what you missed? You need this book!
In “Nothing to See Here”: On the heels of the Challenger disaster, Doreen’s dying mother warns her of the approach of a deadly cloud—but the real danger lurks in a place she doesn’t expect.
That’s not the only trip down a dangerous memory lane. Edited by Rebecca Rowland, these twenty-two tales by latchkey kids Read the rest of this entry →
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Posted in horror short stories, Horror Stories, News
Tags: Adrian Ludens, C.D. Brown, C.O. Davidson, Challenger, Chernobyl, Dale W. Glaser, Derek Austin Johnson, Douglas Ford, Elaine Pascale, Eldon Litchfield, Erica Ruppert, Generation X, Glynn Owen Barrass, Holly Rae Garcia, horror stories set in the 1970s, horror stories set in the 1980s, horror stories set in the early 1990s, Kevin David Anderson, L.E. Daniels, latchkey generation, Mark Towse, Matthew Barron, Matthew Chabin, Phil Ford, Rebecca Rowland Editor, Rob Smales, Stories by Gen-Xers, Thomas K.S. Wake, Thomas Vaughn, Tim Jeffreys









