ADHD and writing

By Diana Morgan

October is ADHD awareness month and as a writer with ADHD, I’d love to help bring more awareness to how we portray ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions in writing and media.  If you’re plugged into any social media lately you’ve probably run into at least one creator whose content revolves around ADHD or autism. It’s a hot topic, thanks to new diagnostic standards and the special community that forms on social media platforms.

Neurodivergent identity has been stigmatized for a long time. Autism, ADHD, bipolar, and other brain differences were hidden or avoided, leaving people with shame and nowhere to look for representation.

But things have changed. From Sheldon Cooper in Big Bang Theory to Abed Nadir in Community, more and more characters are showing up and giving the neurodivergent community the representation it needs.

Authors like Helen Hoang and Talia Hibbert, who are both autistic, have started including autistic characters in their romance novels showing the complexities disability gives to a relationship. In sci-fi authors like Ada Hoffman and Corrine Duyvis are exploring how science and disability rights can affect the future in new ways.

In my Lost Colony series, I have two neurodivergent characters. Jacob Moorland has AudHD (ADHD and autism combined) and in the upcoming sequel, there will be a new character names Henry with autism.

It’s exciting new territory for those of us who grew up in a world where our conditions were often shamed. I was diagnosed as a child and grew up in the 90s when ADHD hadn’t been studied in girls. Growing up, I rarely saw characters with ADHD in the media and when I did, they were highly exaggerated or stereotypical. Boys who were “walking disasters,” running wild and being destructive; non-verbal girls who could only repeat songs they heard on the radio. It gave an inaccurate idea of what ADHD and autism can look like and further stigmatized our differences.

Like any good representation, progress is slow, and mistakes are made, but we must keep trying to improve. If you’re a writer who is interested in writing better, more realistic neurodivergent characters, here are a few tips to get you started.

This is also a good time to say that I am not a medical professional, I’m just a writer who’d lived their whole life with ADHD (diagnosed at 5 years old), raised an autistic ADHD child, and spent a lot of time with the neurodivergent community learning about being an advocate. I’m still learning, but one thing I do know about is writing, and I want to help other writers.

  • Neurodivergent is NOT just autism and ADHD. It’s also bipolar disorder, Tourette’s, Down’s Syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, borderline personality disorder, and a host of other brain differences.
  • Be mindful of what terms you use. A lot of things have changed about how autism and ADHD are diagnosed over the last few decades, as such so have the terms used to describe people with those diagnoses. Terms like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and Asperger’s are outdated and in some ways offensive. Depending on your story’s setting and time period, you need to be mindful about what terms you use.
  • This also goes for slang. Like any community, a few slang terms have cropped up in recent years. Words like “neurospicy” and “the ‘tsim” have gotten popular, but people are divided on how they feel about them. Some people think neurospicy is fun and empowering. Others find it infantilizing and demeaning.
  • Autism/ADHD/disability is a superpower or they have a superpower that “cures” the disability. This is disrespectful at best and can be offensive if done badly. Disability doesn’t need a cure or magic powers, it needs acceptance.
  • Neurodivergent is not a monolith. Even people who have the same diagnosis will have vastly different presentations and symptoms. Many neurodivergent conditions are also co-morbid. ADHD and autism frequently appear together, they are also often accompanied by dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety, and depression.

Good representation takes time and a willingness to learn, but we can all do more to help neurodivergent representation improve. If you are interested in including more characters with autism, ADHD, or other disabilities, do your research, listen to advocates with those disabilities, and whenever possible hire a sensitivity reader.

If you’re interested in more ADHD content and resources, check out the resources page on my website dianamorganauthor.com, or find me on any of my socials @dianamorganauthor

Keep writing and I’ll see you among the stars.

DIANA MORGAN is a superhero by day, writer by night. Okay, not really, but when she’s not writing books, she’s a librarian at a local library, which is kind of a superhero. Her superpowers include always knowing what kids like to read, being able to read more than 10 books at one time, and the ability to eat more pizza than anyone.

Diana has always loved science fiction and fantasy.  She grew up watching Quantum Leap, Power Rangers and Star Wars. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories.

She was a geek before being a geek was cool, and she loves hanging out with other geeks and sharing her love of all things space and magic and books.

Just a regular bloke

By John McFarland

It was to be the trip of a lifetime. One of those ‘bucket list’ deals that retirees dream of. My wife Cindy’s ex daughter-in-law, Michelle, had always stayed close to Cindy through the years. And after years of hard work, elevating herself to comfortable circumstances, Michelle invited us to join her family on a tour of the UK.

Although Michelle’s family trip was only to encompass the UK, Cindy, always looking at the big picture, saw a larger opportunity. Having two publishers in Germany, Wandler-Verlag and Zagava, and an illustrator in Seville, Spain, she planned that we could get a Europass and see the Continent by rail after our hosts went home. These were exciting prospects, and it occurred to me that there was yet another literature-related possibility open to us before we left England for the train tour.

I had become facebook friends with Ramsey Campbell perhaps three years before. He was always the first person to wish me happy birthday every year, and I enjoyed reading his regular-bloke posts about partying with his friends, cinema, horror, and The Three Stooges. He was and is an avid assembler of 1000 piece picture puzzles and loves a good glass of cheer. We had a sort of connection through the person of the iconic T.E.D. Klein.

The very first fiction I ever wrote was a tale called One Happy Family. Ted was the wunderkind editor of The Twilight Zone Magazine in those days and he accepted that story and published it in October 1983 issue. Subsequent stories I submitted to him didn’t fare so well, but Ted always explain in detail and with much kindness, what he felt was lacking in them. I reconnected with Ted when my first story collection appeared in 2020 and he was graciously supportive and gave me very positive blurbs. He even sent a collection of essays he had recently published, as a gift.

As it turns out, Ted was equally encouraging to Ramsey when he first came on the scene with his novel The Doll Who Ate His Mother, also in the early ‘80’s. They have been friends ever since. Ramsey was impressed when I was honored to be included in a two author chapbook with Ted issued by Wandler-Verlag.

I messaged Ramsey through Facebook that we were going to be in the UK in late August. I asked if he were going to be available then and if we could meet. His response was ‘Let’s have dinner.’ We selected a Turkish restaurant Ramsey and his wife Jenny had wanted to try in Wallasey Village, across the Mersey River from Liverpool. The restaurant was just a few blocks from their home. Ramsey made reservations for four for the evening of August 25.

Cindy has never been a fan of horror. She felt ill-equipped to meet an author whom I had told her was a celebrity. “How famous is he?” she asked me.

“Maybe not quite as well-known as Stephen King, but close to that.”

I told her I was a little apprehensive too. I had never met, face-to-face, a writer in that hierarchy and though I had read three of Ramsey’s novels and many of his short stories, I didn’t consider myself qualified to speak authoritatively about his work.

Cindy and I got to the restaurant first. It was a nice neighborhood place, but completely empty, but for us. We were seated in a booth in the front window. Remembering Ramsey’s love of jigsaw puzzles, I had bought him a gift of a thousand-piece puzzle of horror movie posters over the years. For good measure, I threw in copies of my two story collections.

After about a ten minute wait, an Uber pulled up outside and Ramsey and Jenny made their way out of it. “Here they are,” I told Cindy. I stood to greet them, hoping the coming conversation would not lag and would take on a life of its own.

It took about three seconds to see that Ramsey was the same fellow in person as he is online. His left arm was in a sling. He said he had taken a fall a few weeks before and broken it. “Lucky it wasn’t my writing arm,” he said, as he had just started another new novel. Jenny apologized for looking tired but said she was just preparing for a weekend babysitting her rambunctious grandsons. “But first things first,” Ramsey said. “What are we drinking?”

The first of several bottles of Pinot Grigio was brought to the table and we made short work of it. Cindy need not have been concerned about her conversational skills as we spoke of non-horror books, wines, grandkids, travel, sightseeing (Ramsey and Jenny had just returned from visiting a son in Singapore) and pets. We ordered our food and everyone shared whatever was on their plates. More wine came and Ramsey entertained us with magic tricks and tales of such notables as Robert Aickman and Ted Klein. And always an occasional Three Stooges reference.

I gave Ramsey his gift bag. He was delighted with the puzzle and seemed genuinely grateful for my books. “Did you sign them?” he asked. I had thought he might resent the presumption. But, not at all.

For four hours we talked, ate and drank our wine. Jenny said more than once she was really enjoying herself and she hoped we would stay in touch. I called the waiter over and he took four photos of us together. We had the restaurant to ourselves the entire evening. At ten o’clock I paid the bill and offered to share an Uber with our guests.

I had to help Ramsey to his feet. I think his injury had taken something out of him. The four of us waited on a deserted street for our ride. When it came I helped Ramsey into the car and in five minutes we were at their home on a comfortable, ivy-draped residential street nearby.  Everyone hugged everyone and Jenny repeated she wanted to stay in touch. Ramsey seconded this and I could see they had really taken to Cindy. Me too, apparently.

I didn’t initiate this memorable evening with any plot or plan, but as it turns out, Ramsey really did read my books and loved them. He gave me several blurbs to use in the future. More than I ever expected. I just wanted the chance to meet him and talk writing. And, as it turns out, Wandler-Verlag will be publishing another chapbook next year, featuring Ramsey and myself.

I still hear from him regularly. And many of the messages, though not all, begin or end with some reference to The Three Stooges.

JOHN MCFARLAND’S first novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010, and the story continues with the recent Mother of Centuries. His work has appeared in The Twilight Zone Magazine, Eldritch Tales, National Lampoon, River Styx, Tornado Alley and the anthology A Treasury of American Horror Stories, which also included stories by Stephen King, Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He has written extensively on historical and arts-related subjects and has been a guest lecturer in fiction at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a lifelong Bigfoot enthusiast, and Annette: A Big Hairy Mom is his first novel for young readers.

 

 

Escape with Bladespell

By Steven L. Shrewsbury

Questions are posed to me often about what I write. I’m pretty approachable, oddly enough. Although many experienced writers have warned me to be a bit more exclusionary, I have a tough time not interacting with folks. Sometimes, that is different, but in this case, I’ll share.

Someone asked me, “Did you set your new novel, Bladespell, in Africa to be trendy?”

First, I doubt that sword & sorcery pre-flood tales set in Africa are a trend. Second, while I get the question, the book wasn’t set there as part of some agenda. “Africa was in the direction our main characters traveled in when they sailed off at the end of Killer of Giants.” S’true.

I do my best to make my novels, be they about Gorias La Gaul, Joel Stuart or in this case, Rogan the Kelt, as single, standalone tales. One can pick up any novel and enjoy it without getting the rest in a series or saga. Hopefully, the reader will want to seek out the others in time. In the past, I’ve been distressed to see a tome that looks very intriguing and then see it’s number 4 in a series. Ugh.

The yarn unfolds in primeval Africa not out of any desire for inclusiveness or whatever political agenda some might have. I told a story. I didn’t check boxes. That’s it. I’m a true believer that fiction should be escapism, a way to get away from the harangues of the media and the insanity of politics. Open the pages of a book and you escape from the drivel online or on the television.

The main character, Rogan, is a swaggering savage from thousands of miles away from where the book is set. How he survives in such a place, and against evil folks, cannibals, forces, demons and time traveling wizards, well, that’s the deal. Never once did I have the thought “THIS will piss folks off” or “Better include THIS class of people.” Just told the tale. If the story jerks a knot in someone’s undies, praise Jesus. Things happen.

Does that sound vanilla? It isn’t. The world, even back then, was made up of all sorts of interesting people, thoughts and stuff. These segue into a story, and I don’t need to consult a chart or give sacrifices to a political ideology to feel swell about myself. Am I dissing folks that do have such agendas? Naw. Do what makes ya feel good. Readers will judge whether to purse their lips, toss the book away, or read more.

Up against all that, Rogan encounters bad folks and good, but that’s life. I weave in some Lovecraftian horrors, the scope of which turns broad towards the end, and yeah, one of the time traveling wizards is Aleister Crowley in the form of shaman Oliver Haddo. What’s he up to in such ancient times? You’ll have to check it out and see.

That is if you want to escape this world of oppressive nonsense and dwell in a place of action, intrigue and wild times.

One can find Bladespell at the Literary Underworld or at Amazon.

STEVEN L. SHREWSBURY lives, works, and writes in rural Illinois. More than 360 of his short stories have appeared in print or electronic media, along with more than 100 poems. Nine of his novels have been released, with more on the way. His books run from sword & sorcery (Overkill, Thrall, Bedlam Unleashed) to historical fantasy (Godforsaken) extreme horror (Hawg, Tormentor, Stronger Than Death) to horror-westerns (Hell Billy, Bad Magick, and the forthcoming Last Man Screaming). He loves books, British TV, guns, movies, politics, sports and hanging out with his sons. He’s frequently outdoors, looking for brightness wherever it may hide.

 

 

 

Imaginarium 2024

By Elizabeth Donald

The Imaginarium leaders say this year saw more works nominated for the awards than they have ever seen, and I was honored to be among them. My screenplay, “The Train,” was a finalist for the Imadjinn Awards in the category of unproduced screenplays, and Underlord Steven Shrewsbury was a finalist for Reckoning Day in the category of best fantasy novel. Neither of us won, but we had a good time nonetheless!

Imaginarium isn’t really a convention with a lot of cosplay, but we do get the occasional costumes, as seen above. Mostly it’s a writers workshop and film festival, with one of the most writing-intensive panel listings on the circuit.

The convention was a delightful and exhausting time, with good conversation and bad coffee throughout the weekend. I did three workshops and two panels, plus a last-minute reading on Sunday:

“The Art of Legal Prostitution: Selling your work at cons and book fairs.”

“Death, Taxes and Freelancing”

“Nevermore: Edgar Allan Poe and The Raven.”

That third was more of an academic lecture taking the MFA out for a spin, and I was surprised that the con picked it from my list of workshops to present. I was even more surprised when the small room was pretty much full, as a lecture in the life and work of a 19th century poet is not your standard con fare. But it was a lot of fun, and well-received, as were the two business workshops.

I was really dreading the panel on AI and ethics, assuming I would be surrounded by techies who think it’s the second coming, and speaking as a writer, an English professor and a journalist, I have seen little to recommend it. It turned out to be a really interesting discussion, respectful and thoughtful even among those who use AI. I presume I was on that panel because of my position on the Society of Professional Journalists ethics committee, which is funny considering that many members of the committee have a more flexible attitude toward AI than I do.

The other panel was on literary fiction, so once again I took out the MFA and my few literary credits. Any discussion of genre has to start from defining that genre, and that can be problematic because in essence you are defining what it is not, and how it differs from other genres. The official definition of literary fiction is that it focuses more on characterization, language, and subtext/meaning than entertainment. This is frequently interpreted as “literary means boring.“ But you have to start from somewhere, and my fellow panelists and I had some really interesting discussions. I think we could have easily nerded out for another hour or two if it hadn’t been Sunday afternoon.

As Underlord Jim Gillentine had forgotten to fill out his paperwork to be a guest author, he was booth babe all weekend. As you can see, he chose a subtle and dignified appearance to represent the Literary Underworld.

We ran the Traveling Bar both nights, and as usual made as much or more serving drinks and selling books in the room as we do in the dealer’s room. Conversation was pleasant and the vibe was chill, as it often is at Imaginarium.

We debuted our line of merchandise on the table, which did require giving up a little real estate from the books, but was a big hit. We started selling stickers before the dealers room even opened. Once upon a time, we could cover our cost for the booth just by selling Pocky. This got problematic when the hotels said we couldn’t sell food. But if the stickers can cover some expenses, that’s more profit for the authors.

In all, Louisville was a delight and I wholeheartedly recommend the Troll Pub downtown for the post-con dinner. It’s quite nifty.

Now we are back home, the email inbox is staggering and I have about sixty tasks to catch up on all week. I hope you all had a great weekend, and I’ll see you on the circuit next time!

 

5 Unique Ways to Show Your Favorite Authors Some Love

By Rachel A. Brune

As the summer grinds on, I’m hard at work on the third volume in the Rick Keller series—available from the Literary Underworld! My secret agent werewolf and his partners are back on another mission, and I’ve been burning through my stash of index cards trying to figure out the twists and turns of middle section of the book.

And so, because I’m supposed to be writing, I’m instead surfing my reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, refreshing my author page, and generally doing lots of things other than writing, including reading a rotating selection of books from the local library.

I picked up my phone to mark my latest book as “read” on Goodreads (gotta make that annual Goodreads challenge!) and dashed off a quick review. And it made me think—will this writer see this review? If I really like the book, should I post something on social media? Should I recommend that book? How can I let people know I really liked it?

After thinking about it—and yes, procrastinating a little more from Rick and friends, I have come up with this list of five different—and maybe somewhat unusual—ways that readers can show some love to their favorite authors.

And hey—they don’t even have to be your favorite authors – if you read their book and liked it, share the love! (I’ve gotta confess—these are all on my writer bucket list.)

  1. Place their work on your body via tattoo art. If you’re into decorating your body with art, use a favorite quote, character, or object from a book as an excuse to get more ink! Not a fan of written quotes and how they look? Take the quote to your favorite tattoo artist (I’m a big fan of James Tuck) and ask them to use it as inspiration for an original piece. (Obviously don’t do this one if you’re not allowed to get a tattoo for parental, legal, health, or religious reasons.) Literary tattoos make great conversation pieces, and you’ll be supporting not just one but two creative people!
  2. Make some fan art. As a reader, I love seeing other people’s takes on a book I’ve read and enjoyed. I especially love it when a writer will post (with permission) pictures of fan art they’ve received. These may range from basic pencil or crayon sketches all the way to professional-level drawings, but the one thing they all have in common is a shared love of the writer’s world that they are expressing authentically. Sometimes the characters depicted in the art look exactly as I’d imagined in my head—and sometimes they don’t. That’s all part of the fun of it!
  3. Pick their book for your book club. Don’t have a book club? Start one! All joking aside, this is a great way to find people with whom you can schmooze about the books you enjoy over a nice snack and beverage. Not only that, but you’re helping an author find a wider audience, and that is a magical thing. If you reach out to them, the author might even be available to attend your book club meeting and answer your questions about their work, either in person or via Zoom. At the very least, they will appreciate the gesture.
  4. Write a poem praising them. The more complicated in terms of meter and rhyme the better! There exists a long literary tradition of praising someone by writing a poem (the technical term is, coincidentally enough, “praise poem”). Channel your inner chaotic good Bard and share your love of a writer’s writing by writing them some writing about their writing!
  5. And of course, give them a review, subscribe to their newsletter, and follow their public platform! Every writer I know spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to communicate with the people who enjoy their work. Whether it’s a website blog, social media account, or newsletter, authors love to hear from the folks who have read and enjoyed their work. Let’s face it—this is a hard business to gain financial fortune; many of us really appreciate the messages from our fans that feed our souls in between royalty checks. And if you’ve followed a single writer online, you already know how much reviews mean to writers (and their publishers!)

So there you have it! Five different ways you can show authors some love. Maybe one of these will be perfect for the book you’re reading now. What’s that? You are in need of a book to read? Not to worry—check out one of the Literary Underworld’s nearly 200 titles—and if you end up getting some new ink, or hosting a book club, or want to send us some fan art, then drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!

Rachel A. Brune graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May 2000, and was immediately plunged into the low-stakes world of entry-level executive assistantship. Her unexpected journey out of that world and into the military is chronicled in her self-published book Echoes and Premonitions. Rachel served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq, and a brief stint as a columnist for her hometown newspaper. After her second tour, she attended graduate school at the University at Albany in NY, where she earned her M.A. in political communication, and her commission as a second lieutenant in the military police corps.

Although her day job has taken in her in many strange, often twisted directions, Rachel continues to write and publish short fiction. She released her first novel, Soft Target, in early 2013, and other books have followed. In addition to writing, she is the founder and chief editor at Crone Girls Press and edits the Falstaff Dread line of horror fiction at Falstaff Books.

The structure and writing of Days of Darkness

 

Days of Darkness proved to be a very interesting project for me in terms of the overall structure and kind of writing necessary to tell this particular story.  It is a unique story for several reasons, and as such it brings it into some rarer territory when it comes to the elements typically used in writing novels, or even feature film screenplays.

One thing that readers of the book may be surprised by is that Days of Darkness has no protagonist.  Nor is there an anti-hero.  In fact, the main character that readers follow the entire story with, Ambrose, is a very despicable individual, and any sense of an arc concentrates merely on the process of personal revelation, as opposed to a fundamental development of character like is seen with main characters in novella/novel-length fiction.

In most other realms of storytelling, it is difficult to tell a tale where the reader is not going to have a strong connection of some kind with the character whose perspective the story is being told through.  In most stories, the lack of a main character to bond with is a shortcoming.  In Days of Darkness, not only was it not any kind of shortcoming, I found, but rather a strength that was the best route for this tale.

Here, the dynamic of the story from start to finish is that of a steady, dark-edged thrill ride, and it is more the setting and the journey through it that propels the reader through the story, without the typical bond a reader typically has with a more common type of main character.  Ambrose’s encounters and interactions with the unfolding world around him, rather than a character arc, are what draws the reader in deeper and creates a hunger to see what comes next.

The nature of this story’s main character also had a strong effect on the overall structure of this story.  There are three primary phases in the novel, but they do not fall into any usual kind of three-act structure.  The first part of the story takes place in an urban setting, the second in a suburban setting, and the third in a rural setting, after which things come full circle for the climax of the storyline.

Throughout all of these phases, there is a constant escalation of action and scale.  It begins with the world as most of us know it, with nothing seeming to be out of the ordinary.  Then, things begin to gradually unravel, and as they do, the stakes get bigger in relation to the kinds of entities that begin to manifest and the chaos that breaks out and spreads within this world.

There is not really an ebb and flow, but rather a steady, expanding progression, until the reader arrives at the grand finale, which features an event that exceeds the magnitude of everything that has taken place before that.

The atmosphere, the settings, and the nature of this particular Hellscape drive the story on a continuum as Ambrose is taken along a macabre journey of revelation and ultimate accountability.

Looking back on Days of Darkness, I am confident that readers will find this book engaging, compelling, and intriguing; and even though it may be disturbing at times, there are thought-provoking themes regarding the nature and essence of evil underlying all of it.

To do this without a more typical novel structure, and without any sort of protagonist or anti-hero driving at the core of this story, has marked another stride in my writing and storytelling.  It is not the usual horror novel, but it delivers a powerful and unique kind of story that readers of the horror genre are going to love.  My wish is that readers come to enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

I am already looking forward to writing the next foray into the Hellscapes, no matter the form it may take!

————————

Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and broadcaster based out of Lexington, Kentucky. His titles as an author include the Rayden Valkyrie Tales (sword and sorcery), the Ragnar Stormbringer Tales (sword and sorcery), the Hongvi Shadow Walker Tales (sword and sorcery) the Faraway Saga (YA dystopian), the Rising Dawn Saga (cross-genre), the Fires in Eden Series (epic fantasy), the Hellscapes short story collections (horror), the Chronicles of Ave short story collections (fantasy), and the Harvey and Solomon Tales (steampunk).

Stephen’s visual work includes the feature film Shadows Light, short films such as The Sirens and Swordbearer, and the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV pilot. Stephen also co-hosts the Star Chamber Show, a weekly live audio podcast on PodBean featuring creative talents from around the world.

Stephen is a proud Kentucky Colonel who also enjoys the realms of music, martial arts, good bourbons, and spending time with family.

Author Links:

  • Website: www.stephenzimmer.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephenzimmer7
  • X App (Formerly Twitter): @sgzimmer
  • Instagram: @stephenzimmer7
  • Threads: @stephenzimmer7
  • TikTok: @stephenzimmer7

————————

Days of Darkness

Ambrose awakens to find dense, rolling layers of ash-gray clouds spanning to the far horizon, shrouding the city beneath in a drab pall.  He begins his day, thinking it no different from any other.

Though it is in the height of summer, an icy, anomalous chill sifts into the air later that day, until it becomes colder than the depths of winter.

Then, the sun sets, and darkness falls.

The night does not end, as there is no sunrise to follow.

Bizarre and frightening apparitions begin appearing across a city and world shrouded in an inexplicable darkness.  It is only the beginning of an unfurling, deepening nightmare, one that will take Ambrose on a terrifying journey of self-discovery and revelation.

For Ambrose, and everyone in the world around him, the Days of Darkness have only just begun.

Print
Ebook
Coming soon to the Literary Underworld store!

 

It’s Pride!

This month Pride is being celebrated across the nation, and the Literary Underworld is delighted to share some of the work by and about LGBTQ people in our collection. We were proud to have been *technically* censored in Utah long before it was fashionable: when our new credit card processor discovered we had books with *gasp* gay people in them, they dropped us like a bad habit and labeled us pornography. (As the author told us, if it actually WAS pornography, it’d probably have sold more copies…)

Please enjoy these titles, by LGBTQ authors or about LGBTQ characters, and have a joyous Pride!

A Woman Unbecoming, ed. by Rachel Brune. A thwarted female defense attorney releases the baying of the hounds under a full moon, signaling the death of an era—and the birth of a new one under the Old Gods.

Most funerals are celebrations for the living—unless the guests decide to tempt fate and the guest of honor.

A bicycle ride becomes a contest of egos, but the male pursuers aren’t the only ones hungry for the race to end.

These women are going to cut the world and let it bleed.

Crone Girls Press presents A Woman Unbecoming, a charity anthology of horror and dark tales to benefit reproductive healthcare rights. Award-winning and up-and-coming authors share over two dozen stories and poems. If you like intense characters, powerful women, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love this fierce anthology co-edited by Rachel A. Brune and Carol Gyzander.

Explore A Woman Unbecoming to revel in women’s rage, power, and agency—and support reproductive healthcare rights today.

Stories and Poems By:

Marc Abbott, Linda Addison, Alp Beck, Carina Bissett, Rachel Brune, Paige L. Christie, Ravyn Crescent, Elizabeth Davis, Angela Giddings, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Teel James Glenn, Carol Gyzander, CM Harris, Nicole Henning, Darin Kennedy, DeAnna Knippling, Tara Laskowski, Lee Murray, Bridgett Nelson, Jennifer Nestojko, Jessica Nettles, Christina Nordlander, Cindy O’Quinn & Patricia Gomes, Cristel Orrand, Jude Reid, Mike Robinson, Kathleen Scheiner, Jeff Strand, Anna Taborska, Steven Van Patten, Holly Lyn Walrath, Michael G. Williams, and Jeff Wood.

 

A Girl’s Gotta Eat by Elizabeth Lynn Blackson. What does a young woman do with the bucket of hate she carries around from her abusive childhood?

Lucy is about to find out. What does a man do when his faith in the security of his nation crumbles? FBI Special Agent Javier Torres is about to find out.

And when shape-shifting, man-eating daemons are revealed to exist, who does the succubus called “Vespid” feed on? The rich and poor alike find out, because sometimes a girl’s gotta eat.

Adventuresses by Angelia Sparrow. Take flight on an airship bound for ecstasy and California. Fall in love with a waitress. Or Medusa. Hold off the zombie invasion of Oklahoma or roll a rig through it in Kansas. Treasure hunt to save a feline lover. Enjoy a steampunk medical demonstration for curing nervous hysteria.

Ten tales of lesbian adventure take you to the far reaches of the galaxy, or the science fiction convention down the road, to Texas in our world or on a timeline when the Confederacy found a way to make radioactive bombs. Find your hat. Adjust your goggles. It’s time for Adventuresses.

Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey. Secrets and illusions abound in a decaying convent wrapped in dark magic and scented with blood. Portia came to the convent with the ghost of Imogen, the lover she failed to protect in life. Now, the spell casting caste wants to make sure that neither she nor her spirit ever leave. Portia’s ignorance of her own power may be even more deadly than those who conspire against her as she fights to fulfill her sworn duty to protect humankind in a battle against dark illusions and painful realities.

Steeped in the legends of the Nephilim, The Convent of the Pure is now out of print, so snag your copy while supplies last!

West of Sunset by Dennis R. Upkins. For Brecken Everett, there’s never a dull moment. When he’s not dealing with a demanding course load and honing his magic as top student at Lightmage University, he’s working as a private investigator and using his skills to protect the innocent from the darkest fores. In two action-packed adventures, Breck demonstrates that outnumbered and outgunned is when he’s at his best. In Keepers, Brecken is enlisted to aid Jacob and Joshua Phoenix; twins, the last Pyrians, the last of an ancient race. The Brothers Phoenix are on a quest to uncover clues to their past. When they find a lost relic, a pair of demons claim it. With Brecken’s aid, the twins are determined to not only stop the threat, but have some fun in the process.

West of Sunset takes place a year after Keepers. All Brecken wants to do is get out of Atlanta. Heading to Los Angeles with his best friend, he plans a vacation of surf, sun, partying and relaxation… until the boys stumble upon a museum heist connected to a biker gang of vampires with plans to raise a most dark power. Matters get even more complicated with the involvement of a mysterious and powerful witch. Witches, museum heists, arising malevolent forces, vampire biker gangs, even Brecken’s vacations are just another day at the office.

The Night the Jack o’ Lantern Went Out by Alexander Brown. Halloween. A holiday that inspires memories, excitement, and a little bit of fear in everyone. A single day where all the ghosts and ghoulies come out to play and sometimes its hard to tell which of the creepy crawlies are human and which ones truly rise from beyond seeking unsuspecting souls.

Author Alexander S. Brown explores all the wonderfully terrifying possibilities Halloween has to offer in The Night the Jack o’ Lantern Went Out. Each month Brown delivers a new tale of terror laced with just enough nostalgia that makes us all hope Halloween comes sooner…and stays far enough away that the monsters don’t get us!

 

Glad Hands

Glad Hands by Angelia Sparrow and Gabriel Belthir. Chuck Hummingbird has a nice, safe run, from Pacifica to the Tribal Lands. Even in the fragmented United States, freight still moves between the resulting countries. When he’s tapped for a perilous run down past Heartland, the last thing he needs is a pretty blue-eyed drifter, but he can’t get Seven out of his head or his bunk.

When the Confederated States prove more dangerous than Chuck feared, they’re caught in a terrifying flight towards safety that will drive both of them and the love they’ve found to new limits. Or snag the whole Eight Thrones series for $40!

Opening Death’s Door

By Jim D. Gillentine

Back when I wrote my first horror/romance novel, The Beast Within, I had a very minor character in the story named KD. KD was brutally beaten to a pulp, then murdered, then thrown into the Wolf River.

This minor character was named after my friend, KD. It was done in light-heartedness just as a joke to rib my friend of eight-plus years at the time. But then he came to me, saying how many people thought I had done him so dirty. He actually seemed hurt.

So to make it up to him, I came up with the story of Death’s Door. In this story, I created the powerful vampire hunter character named KD. An ex-Green Beret badass through and through, I wanted to make it up to my friend by making him a hero. However, I have to say I still had fun kicking that character’s ass – in story, of course.

All jokes aside, A Night at Death’s Door is a fun action comedy that I wrote partially in response to the whole Twilight sparkle trend that was going on at that time. My vampires are uncaring, vicious creatures that view humans as a food source, and maybe a sexual source if you are that unlucky. They view humans as cattle, and are determined to dominate the world.

So who is going to stop them? My little band of one college girl, a guy out for revenge, and two former soldiers, that’s who.

I call my story an action comedy because I tried to put humor into the mix along with the flying bullets, throat ripping, and of course the “dusting,” as they called it on Buffy. I hope you’ll take the time to read A Night at Death’s Door. I think you will be entertained with the blood and laughs.

And always remember, don’t forget the garlic.

 

Janet left her simple life in Mississippi for the hustle and bustle of New York for college. At the insistence of her new roommate, Janet goes to Death’s Door, a mysterious and trendy nightclub, in reality the hidden domain of the evil vampire Jeanova. She is planning the Rising…a ritual that will give all vampires power to resist the sun, making them the rulers of the world.

In danger of being turned into a plaything for the Vampire and her brood, Janet is saved by a small group of vampire hunters determined to stop Jeanova at all cost. Thrust into a battle for her very soul, for the planet itself, Janet and allies she barely knows must fight their way through Death’s Door to stop the Rising…or humanity will fall.

JIM D. GILLENTINE grew up with a fondness for horror, science fiction and fantasy flavored with the southern tang of his native Memphis. His debut novella, Of Blood and the Moon, was published in 2009 and was runner-up for the Darrell Award. Other publications include stories in anthologies Cover of Darkness and When Darkness Sees the Light and a novella titled A Night at Death’s Door. His novel The Beast Within begins a bittersweet love story between a woman and a beast, which continued in Crossroads, published by Inkstained Succubus Press. The trilogy was completed with Heart of the Beast, published as a compendium by Pro Se Press. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and philosophy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He is a member of the Literary Underworld and the Eville Writers, and is the biggest Godzilla fan in the western hemisphere. Find out more about him at www.jimmygillentine.com.

 

A fungus amongus from Crone Girls Press

 

By Rachel Brune

On March 19, 2020, I hit “publish” on an anthology of horror fiction.

Coppice & Brake: A Dark Fiction Anthology was the second anthology Crone Girls Press published, and it was also almost the last. Although there are many horror fans who dug into the genre during a global pandemic, it still wasn’t the best timing.

Still, deep in the dark void space that passes for my soul these days, I knew that if I kept publishing the dark, the creepy, and the liminal, our audience would find us, following the trail of moldy breadcrumbs to the feast of fear and terror that we’ve been serving up for eleven publications so far.

Speaking of mold, have you heard about what we have planned for our twelfth, full-length anthology?

So many stories to tell…

Our first volume of quiet horror, Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 1, brought readers a selection of stories I like to refer to as the anthology that would happen if Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark grew up and got depression and a mortgage. The stories within are a selection of tales that draw heavily on the tricks the mind can play on you, the evil hiding in plain sight, and the horror that can stem from the selfishness of a young child.

For three volumes, Stories We Tell After Midnight has followed the same idea as a series—find and publish the quiet horror, the terror that screams in your mind, even when your throat can’t make a sound.

For the fourth volume, we wanted to do the same—but different.

Mushrooms, spores, fungi…all the things that grow in the rot.

Thus Dark Spores: Stories We Tell After Midnight 4 popped out of our brains like a fairy ring of white mushrooms in your lawn after a suspiciously out-of-season thunderstorm. Carol Gyzander, my long-time writing and publishing colleague and now co-editor and associate publisher, joins me in this venture.

What inspired this, our first themed anthology? It’s hard to say, but when Carol suggested mushrooms as a theme, I looked around my kitchen, saw just how many mushroom-emblazoned items I had on the counter (I mean, who can resist a coffee mug with a mushroom on it? Definitely not me!) and said: “Of course!”

Like many small presses, we are endeavoring to invite people to become part of the project by chipping in through a Kickstarter campaign. This will allow us to offer not just your regular pre-orders, but also prizes and rewards like a mid-campaign backers’ Zoom party, with author readings and door prizes. If you like eating mushrooms as much as reading about them, we have a kitchen witch cooking up a custom recipe, which she will share through a Zoom cooking lesson.

And the authors within these pages? How do these names sound? Nicholas Kaufmann, Gabino Iglesias, Randee Dawn, Lee Murray, Angela Yuriko Smith, Gwendolyn Kiste—and those are just the authors we’ve announced so far! Tomorrow (May 14th) we will announce another slate of writers we love who have agreed to share their fungus—er, their fungus stories—with us.

In addition to the stories, a number of authors are contributing some rewards of their own. We have several books for your TBR pile, as well as the chance to die a grisly death (or, roll the dice, maybe you’ll survive!) by Tuckerization in one of our other author rewards.

How do I get in on this sporiffic campaign?

Easy! Check out the Dark Spores: Stories We Tell After Midnight 4 Kickstarter campaign. We’ve got backer levels designed for people who like digital books, readers who like paperback books, and readers who want a copy of the paperback book but only to put it on their shelf because they read everything on their e-reader. Yes. We see you.

We hope you’ll check it out! And in the meantime, I want to give a quick shout-out to Elizabeth Donald and The Literary Underworld. She contributed a story to that very first Stories We Tell After Midnight volume, followed by another in Coppice & Brake. She’s been a supporter of Crone Girls Press since the beginning, so if you happen to see her at an event, tell her we said hello! (And then buy some books…)

Rachel A. Brune graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May 2000, and was immediately plunged into the low-stakes world of entry-level executive assistantship. Her unexpected journey out of that world and into the military is chronicled in her self-published book Echoes and Premonitions. Rachel served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq, and a brief stint as a columnist for her hometown newspaper. After her second tour, she attended graduate school at the University at Albany in NY, where she earned her M.A. in political communication, and her commission as a second lieutenant in the military police corps.

Although her day job has taken in her in many strange, often twisted directions, Rachel continues to write and publish short fiction. She released her first novel, Soft Target, in early 2013, and other books have followed. In addition to writing, she is the founder and chief editor at Crone Girls Press and edits the Falstaff Dread line of horror fiction at Falstaff Books.

If only this had happened thirty years ago

By John McFarland

It looks like 2024 may be my biggest year ever. Early last year, German publisher Wandler-Verlag caught wind of my work through my association with T.E.D. Klein, horror icon, former editor of The Twilight Zone Magazine, and early champion of Ramsey Campell. Michael Schmidt of Wandler contacted me and asked permission to publish a chapbook featuring a story of mine and one of Mr. Klein’s.

Amazingly, my publisher rejected this idea at first. I managed to talk her into it, as the deal promised to make money for Dark Owl Publishing. Also, of course, it brought some prestige to her small publishing house.

Wandler produced the small book, featuring the most reprinted tale I have ever written, One Happy Family with TED’s story The Ladder. To my surprise, Michael informed me that my story was printed in a collection in Germany before, in 1985, without my knowledge or permission!

Five hundred copies of our chapbook were printed and they sold out. With that success and having purchased my story collection, The Dark Walk Forward, on Amazon, Michael sought permission to publish the collection also. Having seen illustrations I have done for my Bigfoot kid book, Annette: A Big, Hairy Mom, Michael asked if I could illustrate the collection too. That book will appear in May. He also wishes to publish Annette this year or next.

Like most writers, as soon as the first collection was out, I started work on the second. It’s looking like 100,000 words. Stories that continue the sad tale of Ste. Odile, and more. Each story has a title page with an illustration. It’s an old-timey touch that I like. I may do that from now on. The cover was done by the incomparable dark artist and native of Brazil, Gabriel Augusto and like my other books, I am satisfied that the cover is a real attention-getter. Blurbs have generously been provided again by the inimitable T.E.D. Klein, Dacre Stoker, best-selling novelist and great grandnephew of Bram Stoker, and Michael Schmidt. There is a lot of advance interest and the book drops June 1.

Getting your work out there is essential and sometimes it helps to know people, as they say. I am now friends with an Irish expat living and working in Seville, Spain, Joseph Dawson. I had happened across Joseph’s work online because he is a book illustrator in love with horror. His work is amazing. He contacted me through facebook saying he had read my historical horror novel, The Black Garden. He expressed praise for it a writer seldom hears. He loved it and said it changed him in some ways.

It turns out one of the houses he illustrates for is Zagava in Dusseldorf, Germany, who produces leather-bound, illustrated collectors editions of special books. Joseph asked if he could recommend The Black Garden to Jonas, the publisher at Zagava. Jonas loved the book too, Joseph is illustrating it and it will be out later this year.

Also later this year, possibly in summer, the sequel to Annette, entitled Annette: A Big, Hairy Grandma will be out too, as will my story The Testament of Cleander in the collection Alone On The Borderland from Belanger Books.

In my experience, the best way to sell these things are book fairs and comic-cons. I already have one under my belt for 2024; next is Beltane Bash in Champaign, Ill., always a good one; the Bigfoot Festival in Sutton, W.V.; Dark History, also in Champaign; a book festival in Washington, Mo. and various book events in Illinois and St. Louis.

JOHN MCFARLAND’S first novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010, and the story continues with Mother of Centuries. His work has appeared in The Twilight Zone Magazine, Eldritch Tales, National Lampoon, River Styx, Tornado Alley and the anthology A Treasury of American Horror Stories, which also included stories by Stephen King, Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He has written extensively on historical and arts-related subjects and has been a guest lecturer in fiction at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a lifelong Bigfoot enthusiast, and Annette: A Big Hairy Mom is his first novel for young readers.

Check out John McFarland’s work on the Literary Underworld!