I was sitting in the doctor’s office, with one foot bouncing, waiting to hear if I needed surgery. In the reception area with me, at least a dozen people were apprehensive over the same news. My watch—more sophisticated than it had any right to be—beeped at me, telling me that I was stressed and needed to breathe. Before this, I didn’t even know this was a feature of the watch; it had never done that before. It was then that I realized I was scared, indescribably terrified in a way I hadn’t been for quite a while. A split second...
Influences by Guest Author J C Lee
For as long as I can recall, my favourite writer of ghost stories has been M.R. James. He was a very Edwardian figure - a bachelor, an Oxford don and, later, Provost of Eton, the most prestigious private school in the UK. His stories, like his life, were almost entirely focused around male characters steeped in knowledge of arcane medieval manuscripts and Christian superstition. He was deeply conservative and many of his stories focus around the lure of forbidden knowledge and the dangers that lie therein. He was almost certainly a suppressed homosexual and a deep fear of sexuality is...
What is Your Horror? by Guest Author Re Gwaltney
Author Re Gwaltney gives these tips to help you dig into the meat of what you love about horror and how to pull it into your own writing.
Brainstorming: A Dialogue With My Muse by Guest Author Michael Barron
Author Michael Barron gives us a sneak-peek at a conversation with his muse. Michael’s “Rage and Redemption” will appear in “Soul” (available October 11, 2024).