Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried.

With 23 Dark Fiction & Horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.

Shallow Waters is the official monthly flash fiction challenge hosted by the award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing. Every month a new challenge is posted online, with authors submitting via email. The best submissions are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page (an exclusive behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner. What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include the winners as well as the most popular of our finalists. Stay tuned for more volumes in this series, or find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to enter or vote on future challenges (or gain access to our Still Water Bay series).

Volume five includes suspenseful stories of horror on the road, war, graveyards, Karma, and Halloween.

Includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Driving On” by Guy Medley (winner)
“Dichotomy” by Jason Parent
“Babysitting for Writers” by Kevin David Anderson (winner)
“The Good Samaritan” by L.F. Falconer
“Of Debris and Duty” by John Boden
“The Visitors” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave” by Richard Thomas
“The Knights of Cold Days” by Dave Jeffery
“Travel Bag” by Bryan Miller
“In the Desert, In the Night” by Pedro Iniguez
“Grievance” by Christine Lajewski
“Fuel for My Fire” by Linsey Knerl
“The Dead Lands” by Anthony D Redden
“Welcome to Gothmart” by David Bernard
“The Mascot” by Jennifer K Carstens (winner)
“Wasteland” by Sheldon Woodbury
“All’s Fair” by Michelle Mellon
“Stay Away” by Michael Patrick Hicks
“The Road Home” by Rand Eastwood
“Midnight Sun” by James Dorr
“The Wind Stakes Its Claim” by Kris Kinsella
“The Forest of Skin” by Esteban Vargas
“Second Chance” by Alex Ebenstein (winner)

In this volume…

• Traveling can be a mixed bag...especially when something in your travel bag starts moving.
• A woman journeys north for survival.
• Sometimes, working retail is not the worst part of your day.
• In the desert of New Mexico, ancient Navajo legends emerge, only to discover the cruelty of Man.
• An overachieving woman uses twisted methods to feed her need for turmoil. 
• A trio of Halloween trick-or-treaters learn that sometimes things slip through.
• A cemetery caretaker with a secret gift, a dead body, and the hope of a second chance.
• Grief can change a person. Literally.
• Someone has a bone to pick with the Deacon.
• Sometimes what lies ahead is more frightening than what was left behind. 
• Babysitting can be a tough gig, especially on Halloween
• A father and son venture out into the dead lands to search for the night creatures feasting on the corpses.
• In the distant future an ancient warrior and his ghost ship battle for the fate of the universe.

Beatrice is back to face her greatest threat since. . .well, the last time!  

In Cooper’s Cove a hapless team of archaeologists unleash the vengeful spirit of a 16th Century witch on the sleepy seaside town of Dorsal Finn. Hexes and curses fly as Beatrice and her friends must find out what links the appearance of this incredible foe and The Spirit of the Ocean, a super-yacht hosting the biggest celebrity charity event the town has ever seen.

As the population of Dorsal Finn succumbs to witchcraft, so Beatrice must gate-crash the party with her motley-crew of friends and allies in the hope of stopping the witch's sinister plan, and save everyone from endless oblivion. . . Again. 

This novel is great for those who like their supernatural adventures laced with humour, sinister action and mystery. Fans of Stranger Things, The Goonies, The Librarians, The Monster Squad, Ghostbusters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nancy Drew will delight in the antics and adventures of Beatrice and her off-the-wall friends. 

Murder. Mystery. Monsters. Welcome to the world of Beatrice Beecham! 

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

The fate of the world rests in the hands of four dysfunctional teenagers and a bunch of oddball adults.

"An intricately layered mystery. Supernatural YA at its finest." – Tom Deady, Bram Stoker Award® winning author

This supernatural / adventure / mystery novel is perfect for fans of The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, Goonies, Monster Club, Lost Boys, and Miss Peregrine. It might be a YA book perfect for ages 13 and older, but it’s a fun read no matter what age you are.

Dorsal Finn is a sleepy coastal town facing the gleaming Atlantic Ocean. It is a town with quaint customs and inhabited by people who are as welcoming as they are weird. It is also a place where long lost tombs hide long held secrets.

Because beneath Dorsal Finn lies The Dark Heart, an ancient and malevolent entity determined to be free of its eternal prison. It has lured allies to the town, people with corrupt agendas determined to resurrect the greatest evil history has ever known, and in doing so release The Dark Heart upon an unsuspecting world.

“Dave Jeffery has taken the youth-sleuth genre beloved of so many of us and updated it seamlessly to the present day, topping the thrills with a sassy, feisty heroine and her group of smart friends. This is a cracking, tightly wrapped mystery that delivers everything it should. Well written, pacey and intriguing, this is a winner and I’d recommend it.” – Mark West, British Fantasy Awards Nominated author

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from the Darkest Depths

Interview with the author:

Why is this YA Supernatural Adventure novel so special?

Dave Jeffery: Beatrice Beecham is a YA novel with a difference. Teenagers and adults are both central to the plot, and it uses high doses of humour to tackle very dark themes, including some of the terrible, very real histories of our past. Using these elements it is a book that will not only entertain teenagers and adults alike, it will also leave readers thinking about some of the deeper questions raised as the story unfolds.

Tell us a bit more about your main character.

Dave Jeffery: Beatrice Beecham is fifteen years old. She has fiery red hair and not tolerance of bullies. As well as worshipping TV chef Jamie Oliver she also has the inherent ability to find trouble. And the town of Dorsal Finn has plenty of trouble lurking beneath its calm and placid exterior. Beatrice discovers the town has plans for her too, naming her as the Incorruptible Heart, the arch nemesis of the malevolent entity imprisoned beneath Dorsal Finn itself!

Do you have any other Beatrice Beecham books?

Dave Jeffery: Beatrice features in two other novels that describe how she arrived at Dorsal Finn: Beatrice Beecham’s Fearsome Feast and Beatrice Beecham’s Fete of Fate. She also features in a collection of short stories titled Beatrice Beecham’s Houseful of Horrors.

What will Beatrice be up to next?

Dave Jeffery: Beatrice will return in a new novel, Ship of Shadows, published by Crystal Lake Publishing in September 2017.

Beatrice Beecham eBook categories:

• Teen & Young Adult Horror and friendship Mystery
• Teen & Young Adult Mysteries & Thrillers