Preorders Are Open!
I’ve just seen the print proofs for It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right and this is one you won’t want to miss!
The star-studded lineup alone makes it one of the most exciting anthologies of Spooky Season 2022(TM), but the creepy/schlocky, retro-horror-movie black-and-white interior illustrations for each story make this not only an incredible read for horror lovers, but a real show-stopper for your shelves.
Swing by the publisher’s site to grab your copy (drops October 18, 2022/preorders open now).
Brandon at Hungry Shadow Press has really been working overtime making this an exciting launch. Here’s a bunch of us chatting horror and weird fiction on Bonehead Weekly’s Show and watch this space for art reveals and interviews with many of the authors about their inspiration and insights into each trope-story pairing (mine drops October 12!)
Content note: while I write for middle grade, young adult, and all-ages audiences and my story in this anthology is suitable for my regular audience, the anthology as a whole is recommended for adult horror fans.
Speaking of my weird-horror-humour short in this anthology, “Castoffs”, it went through five versions and amassed almost 40 rejections before finding its home (all it takes is one ‘yes’—hang in there, writers!)
Here are some of my favourite rejection notes:
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“This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”
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“It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”
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“Fun in its own insane, visceral way.”
And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.”
Don’t miss this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories! Preorder now at hungryshadowpress.com