Cynthia Cina Pelayo

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About Cynthia Cina Pelayo
Cynthia “Cina” Pelayo is a two-time Bram Stoker Awards® nominated poet and author. She is the author of LOTERIA, SANTA MUERTE, THE MISSING, and POEMS OF MY NIGHT, all of which have been nominated for International Latino Book Awards. POEMS OF MY NIGHT was also nominated for an Elgin Award. Her recent collection of poetry, INTO THE FOREST AND ALL THE WAY THROUGH explores true crime, that of the epidemic of missing and murdered women in the United States. Her modern day horror retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale, CHILDREN OF CHICAGO will be released by Agora Books on 2/9/21. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, a Master of Science in Marketing, a Master of Fine Arts in Writing, and is a Doctoral Candidate in Business Psychology. Cina was raised in inner city Chicago, where she lives with her husband and children. Find her online at www.cinapelayo.com and on Twitter @cinapelayo.
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Blog postTime
machine
forged of ice
frozen days gone
today boils away
strange mists of yet to be
combined circuitry and steel
Volta’s great gift the battery
excites offerings, babe or granny
variances from the range of our lives
ignore their screams as bodies crisp and char
dials spin a dervish dance tuning
somewhen, future or past perfect
utopia’s joy reigned/reigns?
a flash—children laughing
grandparents hold h1 year ago Read more -
Blog post
Anton Violazzi is the author of the forthcoming Mortenary (2021). He lives in the mountains of the Carolinas.
The post Inviting Family for Breakfast by Anton Violazzi appeared first on Burial Day Books.
1 year ago Read more -
Blog postDirector’s Cut by R D Doan
Monty could almost taste the blood that needed to be spilled. His skin crawled with anticipation, but he was trapped in his director’s seat filming yet another abhorrent take in what should be the last scene in his first feature film.
They’d reshot this scene at least a dozen times. Each take like the last. He found it difficult to focus on directing when all he could think about was scratching an itch he couldn’t scratch. He needed to do something1 year ago Read more -
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Blog postFatsy Noodles by Robert Kostanczuk
And so it came to be that Nan and Kix ended up at the godforsaken Destree barn.
The descent into night, the whipping rain and their frantic plight had brought them there.
As the thunder roared and rumbled outside, the partners in crime caught their breath and gathered their senses amid the sounds of rats scurrying through the hay and across patches of grain strewn across the dank Kentucky dirt.
Nan and Kix had1 year ago Read more -
Blog postBefore the Gingerbread Stales by Matt Athanasiou The gingerbread man cooled on a wax sheet. Georgia’s thumb skimmed over the scissors she had cut wrapping paper with. A snip-snip, and tlick-tlick would go the little man’s arms and legs on the tabletop—but it was just gingerbread, of no harm to her like real men.…
The post Before the Gingerbread Stales by Matt Athanasiou appeared first on Burial Day Books.
1 year ago Read more -
Blog postTick Tock Goes the Clock by Lisa Brand
Every passing day I notice my eyes drifting to the clock. I want it to be another hour, another day, just not the time it is now. Humans are impatient like that, I suppose. We wish to control time. We all have wanted to control time at some point in our lives. Whether it is to change the past to remove an embarrassing moment or to perhaps just to make more time for other people, we want to control it, but we can’t control what we’ve created. It1 year ago Read more -
Blog postArt by Christopher E. Ikpoh. The art was inspired by a Catholic church-inspired stained glass.
Exorcismos by
Christopher E. Ikpoh
15th Century Italy – Convent located 52 miles outside of Rome
The nun’s bedroom used to be quaint, yet, beautiful. The original wood comprising the architecture inside the home was rich and healthy once. The glass in the windows was perfectly clear as if it were not present. The furniture was humble but of quality craftsmanship, and1 year ago Read more -
Blog postAdrian Kane by
Christopher E. Ikpoh
“Shh! Shh! No, no, no! Don’t be scared. You can’t even hear them!” The doctors watched their patient frantically pacing in the dimly lit, padded room from the other side of a two-way mirror. Both took notes as the patient continued to exhibit numerous types of psychosis. “I won’t hurt you! Why don’t you UNDERSTAND that? Jeez… I won’t. See!” His hands shot up in the air showing they were empty and then he placed them behind hi1 year ago Read more -
Blog postA Modern Mary Shelley
By Dawn Vogel
Mary’s the sort of girl most people don’t really notice. She sits in the back of the classroom, always scribbling in her notebook. She sits by herself at lunch, though you’re not sure she eats, because she’s still writing while the chaos of the cafeteria swirls around her.
You track her down on social media, picking her out among all the other Mary S. accounts. She only posts beautiful things, but if you dig a2 years ago Read more -
Blog postThe Annals of Draceas: An Entry by
Erol Engin
I first came to the village of Draceas on October 5, 1901.
To reach it, one must conduct a steep ascent of some 1,000 feet along the Turnu Rosu (Red Tower) Pass, a perilous highway through the Carpathian Mountains connecting Wallachia with Transylvania. It is said that in the middle 1400s Vlad Tepes himself, on a retreat from a campaign against the Turks, used the very same Pass to cross2 years ago Read more
Titles By Cynthia Cina Pelayo
2021 INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARD WINNER
"GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOUR HEART THUMP AND SKIN CRAWL”—The New York Times
A gripping, modern-day spin on the Pied Piper fairy tale, as well as a gritty love letter to the underworld of Chicago from acclaimed Bram Stoker nominee Cynthia Pelayo.
Reminiscent of the Bloody Mary urban legend, the Pied Piper’s story can be tracked back to the deaths of children for centuries and across the world—call to him for help with your problems, but beware when he comes back asking for payment.
Chicago detective Lauren Medina’s latest call brings her to investigate a brutally murdered teenager in Humboldt Park—a crime eerily similar to the murder of her sister decades before. Unlike her straight-laced partner, she recognizes the crime, and the new graffiti popping up all over the city, for what it really means: the Pied Piper has returned.
When more children are found dead, Lauren is certain her suspicion is correct. Still reeling from the recent death of her father, she knows she must find out who has summoned him again, and why, before more people die. Lauren’s torn between protecting the city she has sworn to keep safe, and keeping a promise she made long ago with her sister’s murderer. She may have to ruin her life by exposing her secrets and lies to stop the Pied Piper before he collects.
Into The Forest And All The Way Through is a collection of true crime poetry that explores the cases of over one hundred missing and murdered women in the United States.
"This book shook me, ripped my heart out, and haunts me still. Into the Forest and All the Way Through shines a harsh light on a subject society has been far too content to ignore...and it's about goddamn time. This Is a vital collection." -Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Sour Candy
Authors:
Helena Marie Carnes-Jeffries – The Beach House
John Everson – The Tapping
Abe Grace – Death and All His Friends
M. N. Hanson – The Squatter
K. Trap Jones – The Realtor
Ben McElroy- Emergence of the Hidden Things
Greg Mollin – Where the Fault Lies
Monica Nickolai - Doll
Cynthia Pelayo – The Gravedigger
Gerardo Pelayo – El Convento
Marc Ruvolo – The Ladies Escape
Jordan Scrivner – Attic
Courtney Sloan – Antidote for the Soul
Lisa Stock – The Wild Hunt
Editors:
Cynthia (cina) Pelayo
Gerardo Pelayo
Assistant Editor:
P Maxwell
Cover Art:
Abigail Larson
Authors:
Chad P. Brown - THE PEEPERS
Tara Cleves- THE B&B OWNER
M.N. Hanson - SLENDER MAN
Phil Hickes - THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD
Emma Hinge - PENANCE
K. Trap Jones - THE FLAILING ARM
Daniel Kraus - NORA AND THE GRAVEDIGGER
David Massengill - BELLEVUE
Carl Palmer - VISITATION
Cynthia Pelayo - BLASPHEME
Gerardo Pelayo - FIRST DATE CHECKLIST
Cortney Philip - WHEN THE SUN STAYS DOWN
Wednesday Silverwood - ANGELIQUE
Jennifer A. Smith - LAST SUMMER
Melissa Stanziale - THE CHLIDREN OF ORORO
Editors:
Cynthia Pelayo
Gerardo Pelayo
Cover Art:
Abigail Larson
NOMINATED FOR THE ANTHONY AWARD FOR "BEST ANTHOLOGY OR COLLECTION"
*Alex Segura's story "90 Miles" has been selected to be included in the 2021 edition of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE* and is a 2021 Anthony Award winner for Best Short Story
A collection of original and riveting stories that tackle one of the most important and controversial issues of time: The Border.
La frontera is full of stories. Real stories, not the ones you see in the news. The border is a powerful place where countries collide. It’s a weird space of dreams, struggles, promises, lies, fear, and redemption. It’s a multicultural and bilingual space where people know that hustling to protect your loved ones or offer them a better life is a drive strong enough to blur ethical codes. Sadly, the border is also a place where drugs make people a lot of money, corruption stains everything, and violence fills the landscape with danger and ghosts. Now, some of today's most talented authors will visit this space from their perspective—showing the world what they see on both sides.
In a landmark anthology, acclaimed author Gabino Iglesias presents 15 stories from an incredibly talented and diverse roster of authors that look at all aspects of border crime—immigration, law, trafficking (both human and narcotics), and everyone trying to exploit the divide for their own benefit. Thought-provoking, shocking, violent, raw, emotional, and unforgettable, BOTH SIDES will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about borders, both domestic and international.
Featuring stories by: Isaac Kirkman, Shannon Kirk, Alex Segura, Rob Hart, Nicolás Obregón, J. Todd Scott, Christopher David Rosales, Daniel A. Olivas, Cynthia Pelayo, Johnny Shaw, Rios de la Luz, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, Nick Mamatas, and David Bowles
In “Lockdown,” 19 of today’s finest suspense, horror, and crime writers explore how humanity reacts to the ultimate pandemic. From New York City to the Mexican border, from the Deep South to the misty shores of Seattle, their characters are fighting for survival against incredible odds. An anthology for our time, showing how the worst crises can lead to the best of us. Proceeds from LOCKDOWN will go to support BINC, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, as it seeks to help booksellers recover from the devastating COVID-19 crisis.
Contributors to LOCKDOWN include:
Hector Acosta
Scott Adlerberg
Ann Dávila Cardinal
V. Castro
Angel Luis Colon
Jen Conley
Terri Lynn Coop
S.A. Cosby
Alex DiFrancesco
Michelle Garza/Melissa Lason
Rob Hart
Gabino Iglesias
Nick Kolakowski
Richie Narvaez
Cina Pelayo
Renee Asher Pickup
Eryk Pruitt
Johnny Shaw
Steve Weddle
The island still hasn’t recovered completely; a victim of continued neglect and the continued efforts of many to demean and frame Puerto Ricans as “other” or “lesser” even though they are citizens of the United States.
Net proceeds from ¡Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas! will benefit The Hispanic Federation: UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico, a program working to help those still affected by the disaster and ensure continued safety in the face of continued weather-related events that can and will happen again.
With a foreword by editor Angel Luis Colón and 11 stories from veteran and newcomer Latinx authors who need to be on your radar, ¡Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas! is a loud and proud celebration of Latinx writing, joy, trauma, and most of all, love.
Contributors: Chantel Acevedo, Hector Acosta, David Bowles, Hector Duarte Jr., Carmen Jaramillo, Jessica Laine, Richie Narvaez, Christopher Novas, Cina Pelayo, Alex Segura, and Désirée Zamorano.
Praise for ¡PA’QUE TU LO SEPAS!
“While cause-related anthologies aren’t unusual, what clearly separates Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas from the pack is the diligence and care the contributors obviously put into their work, and how deftly Angel Luis Colón curated the writers and their stories. This is an important, necessary, lovely collection, one that plunges the reader into the variety of cultures and beauty within the LatinX community. Truly, Sepas is magical, and filled with magical writing. A must-read, now and always.” —E.A. Aymar, author of The Unrepentant