Book one in Crystal Lake Publishing’s The Dream Weaver series...
Where Nightmares Come From focuses on the art of storytelling in the Horror genre, taking an idea from conception to reality—whether you prefer short stories, novels, films, or comics.

Featuring in-depth articles and interviews by Joe R. Lansdale (Hap & Leonard series), Clive Barker (Books of Blood), John Connolly (Charlie Parker series), Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King (IT), Christopher Golden (Ararat), Charlaine Harris (Midnight, Texas), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series), Kevin J. Anderson (Tales of Dune), Craig Engler (Z Nation), and many more.

The full non-fiction anthology lineup includes:

• Introduction by William F. Nolan
• IT’S THE STORY TELLER by Joe R. Lansdale
• A-Z OF HORROR of Clive Barker
• WHY HORROR? by Mark Alan Miller
• PIXELATED SHADOWS by Michael Paul Gonzalez
• LIKE CURSES by Ray Garton
• HOW TO GET YOUR SCARE ON by S.G. Browne
• STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES by Richard Thomas
• HORROR IS A STATE OF MIND by Tim Waggoner
• BRINGING AN IDEA TO LIFE by Mercedes M. Yardley
• THE PROCESS OF A TALE by Ramsey Campbell
• GREAT HORROR IS SOMETHING ALIEN by Michael Bailey
• A HORRIFICALLY HAPPY MEDIUM by Taylor Grant
• INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CONNOLLY by Marie O’Regan
• THE STORY OF A STORY by Mort Castle
• WRITING ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW with Christopher Golden, Kevin J. Anderson, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• HOW I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD LOOKING FOR MONSTERS AND FOUND POETRY INSTEAD by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• BITS AND PIECES INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN MABERRY by Eugene Johnson
• THE REEL CREEPS by Lisa Morton
• THE MONSTER SQUAD by Jess Landry
• WHAT SCARES YOU by Marv Wolfman
• PLAYING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HAUNTED HOUSE by Elizabeth Massie
• CREATING MAGIC FROM A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER: Del Howison interviews Tom Holland, Amber Benson, Fred Dekker, and Kevin Tenney
• Z NATION: HOW SYFY’S HIT SHOW CAME TO LIFE by Craig Engler
• LIFE IMITATING ART IMITATING LIFE: FILM AND ITS INFLUENCE ON REALITY by Jason V Brock
• WHERE NIGHTMARES COME FROM by Paul Moore
• STEPHEN KING AND RICHARD CHIZMAR DISCUSS COLLABORATING by Bev Vincent
• CHARLAINE HARRIS DISCUSSES STORYTELLING by Eugene Johnson
• WHAT NOW? by John Palisano

This collection is perfect for…

• writers of all genres
• authors looking for motivation and/or inspiration
• authors seeking guidance
• struggling authors searching for career advice
• authors interested in improving their craft
• writers interested in comics
• authors looking into screenwriting and films
• horror fans in general
• those looking to better understand the different story formats
• authors planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
• artists trying to establish a name brand
• authors looking to get published

Bram Stoker Award-winner for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction!

Nightmares come to life in this comprehensive how-to guide for new and established authors…

Book two in Crystal Lake Publishing’s The Dream Weaver series picks up where the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Where Nightmares Come From left off.

It’s Alive focuses on learning the craft in order to take your story from concept to completion.

With an introduction by Richard Chizmar and cover art by Luke Spooner. Featuring interior artwork from horror master Clive Barker!

Table of Contents:

• Introduction by Richard Chizmar
• Confessions of a Professional Day Dreamer by Jonathan Maberry
• What is Writing and Why Write Horror by John Skipp
• Tribal Layers by Gene O’Neill
• Bake That Cake: One Writer’s Method by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale
• Ah-Ha: Beginning to End with Chuck Palahniuk and Michael Bailey (Discussing the Spark of Creativity)
• They Grow in the Shadows: Exploring the Roots of a Horror Story by Todd Keisling
• Sell Your Script, Keep Your Soul and Beware of Sheep in Wolves' Clothing by Paul Moore
• The Cult of Constraint (or To Outline or Not) by Yvonne Navarro
• Zombies, Ghosts and Vampires─Oh My! by Kelli Owen
• The Many Faces of Horror: Craft Techniques by Richard Thomas
• Giving Meaning to the Macabre by Rachel Autumn Deering
• The Horror Writer’s Ultimate Toolbox by Tim Waggoner
• Sarah Pinborough Interview by Marie O’Regan
• Conveying Character by F. Paul Wilson
• Sympathetic Characters Taste Better: Creating Empathy in Horror Fiction by Brian Kirk
• Virtue & Villainy: The Importance of Character by Kealan Patrick Burke
• How to write Descriptions in a story by Mercedes Yardley
• “Don’t Look Now, There’s a Head in That Box!” She Ejaculated Loudly (or Creating Effective Dialogue in Horror Fiction) by Elizabeth Massie
• Point of View by Lisa Mannetti
• What Came First the Monster or the Plot? In Conversation with Stephen Graham Jones by Vince A. Liaguno
• Building Suspense by David Wellington
• Conveying Horror by Ramsey Campbell
• Unveiling Theme Through Plot: An Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• Interview with Clive Barker by Tim Chizmar
• World Building (Building a terrifying world) by Kevin J. Anderson
• Speak Up: The Writer’s Voice by Robert Ford
• Writing for a Better World by Christopher Golden
• Shaping the Ideas: Getting Things from Your Head to the Paper or on Screen. Interview with Steve Niles, Mick Garris, Heather Graham, Mark Savage, and Maria Alexander by Del Howison
• On Research by Bev Vincent
• Editing Through Fear: Cutting and Stitching Stories by Jessica Marie Baumgartner
• Leaping into the Abyss by Greg Chapman
• Edit Your Anthology in Your Basement for Fun and Profit! . . . or Not by Tom Monteleone
• When It’s Their World: Writing for the Themed Anthology by Lisa Morton
• Roundtable Interview by John Palisano
• The Tale of the Perfect Submissions by Jess Landry
• Turning the Next Page: Getting Started with the Business of Wri

Modern technology has brought some new twists and turns to horror. Found footage, cell phone-based viruses, literal ghosts in the machines but maybe it's time for a throwback. It's time for some new tales of slumber party horrors, VCR monsters, and problems that can't be solved with a smart phone. We want tales of unstoppable monsters, sewer-dwelling creatures, looming threats of cold-war chaos. Give us fear under the neon lights of an arcade, people fighting for their lives against the backdrop of a hot city night and a cheesy sax solo. Take us back to a time when latchkey kids had to fend for themselves and the only thing left to stop an unspeakable horror was a plucky band of high school kids. Make it bloody. Make it gnarly. Make it 80s!

Featuring over 20 Bram Stoker Award winning and Best Selling Authors such as Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale, Weston Ochse, Lisa Morton, Grady Hendrix, Tim Waggoner, Christina Sng, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Jess Landry, Vince Liaguno, F. Paul Wilson, John Skipp, Linda D Addison and many more.

"Reading Attack from the '80s brings on a nostalgia tinged with blood. It's like being impaled on a time machine and dragged through sickly houses haunted by serial killers, spooky fairgrounds where kids vanish, woodlands stalked by unnameable beasts ... and it is wonderful. I'm in my teens again, and the horrors are more terrifying than ever." -Tim Lebbon, author of Eden

"Attack from the '80s sends us rollicking back into the pop culture madness of that genre, and does it with creeps, fun, and great storytelling from today's top horror writers!" -Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of Ink and Rot & Ruin

"Deliriously, deliciously gruesome, Attack from the '80s is a treat for horror fans looking for the hard stuff. An all-star lineup of writers inspired by that gnarliest of decades. Rad!" -David Wellington, Marvel Zombies, Monster Island

"Over twenty tales thrown back into an era where horror bled out of every corner of the literary universe, ATTACK FROM THE 80s culls some of the best writers today, many of whom suffered through the decade to carve deep into the psyche. From subtle to all out gore and glam, this anthology rocks harder than boomboxes, MTV, and hair-metal! Do not miss it." -Dave Simms, Cemetery Dance

Introduction by Mick Garris

Top Guns of the Frontier by Weston Ochse

Snapshot by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale

The Devil in the Details by Ben Monroe

Return of the Reanimated Nightmare by Linda Addison

Taking the Night Train by Thomas F. Monteleone

Catastrophe Queens by Jess Landry

Your Picture Here by John Skipp

Permanent Damage by Lee Murray

Slashbacks by Tim Waggoner

Munchies by Lucy A. Snyder

Ten Miles of Bad Road by Stephen Graham Jones

Epoch, Rewound by Vince A. Liaguno

Demonic Denizens by Cullen Bunn

The White Room by Rena Mason

Ghetto Blaster by Jeff Strand

Haddonfield, New Jersey 1980 by Cindy O'Quinn

When He Was Fab by F. Paul Wilson

Welcome to Hell by Christina Sng

Perspective: Journal of a 1980s Mad Man by Mort Castle

Mother Knows Best by Stephanie M. Wytovich

Stranger Danger by Grady Hendrix

The Garden of Dr. Moreau by Lisa Morton

Today’s top Horror and Science Fiction authors pay tribute to C.H.U.D...
The cult classic movie of 80s...
In this anthology of original fiction.
C.H.U.D. is a genre defying, cult classic film featuring monsters living in the sewers below New York. The stories in this anthology expand the world created by the film and add depth to the C.H.U.D. universe like never before. From stories of apocalyptic horror and all out monster action, to tales of underground parties interrupted by uninvited guests and evening strolls that end in death, this anthology will leave you both smiling and breathless.

Relive the fear as these original stories take you beyond the movie to events that occurred before, during, and after the scenes we remember so well.

Includes C.H.U.D. related stories by Jonathan Maberry, Tim Waggoner, JG Faherty, Mort Castle, Michael H. Hanson, Martin Powell, Ben Fisher, Jason White, Chad Lutzke, Ross Baxter, Philip C Perron, David Bernstein, Nick Cato, Alex Laybourne, Christopher Fulbright, Angeline Hawkes, David Robbins, Robert Waters, Greg Mitchell, Ryan C. Thomas, and Eugene Johnson.

With an introduction by David Drake. Compiled by Eric S. Brown.

C.H.U.D. Lives! also features in-depth interviews with Andrew Bonime (producer) and Parnell Hall (screenwriter), as well as never before seen behind-the-scenes photos from the classic 80s horror film.

Lineup:

• Introduction by David Drake
• Interview with the late Andrew Bonime
• “Dog Walker” by Robert E Waters
• “The Dwellers” by Nick Cato
• “The City Will Eat You Alive” by Ryan C. Thomas
• “Date Night” by David Robbins
• “Strange Gods” by Christopher Fulbright and Angeline Hawkes
• “Lost and Found” by Greg Mitchell
• “They Are C.H.U.D” by Alex Laybourne
• “C.H.A.D.” by Michael H. Hanson
• “Samsa’s Party” by Ben Fisher
• “The Way to a Man’s Heart” by Tim Waggoner
• “Dweller Messiah” by Jason White
• “That’s Entertainment!” by Mort Castle
• “Toxic Disposal” by David Bernstein
• “Monstrous Me” by Martin Powell
• “Step Ate” by Chad Lutzke
• “Zero Hour” by JG Faherty
• “The Deuce” by Philip C. Perron
• “All at Sea” by Ross Baxter
• “You Will Never Leave Harlan Alive” by Jonathan Maberry and Eugene Johnson
• Interview with Parnell Hall (screenwriter) by Eric S Brown

This book is dedicated in loving memory to Andrew Bonime, the producer of the C.H.U.D. film.

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

Interview with the publisher/editor:

What makes this horror anthology so special?
Joe Mynhardt: It’s based on a classic film, and written from the perspective of professional authors who grew up watching this movie. Its locations vary from the New York scenes used in the movie (including those claustrophobic tunnels) to the countryside and even aboard a ship off the coast of England.

Tell us more about the CHUD movie and how you got involved.

Discover the lost supernatural stories behind some of the most famous people and events in history.

These Fantastic Tales explore the secret history that has been hidden in the shadows of the world, and even alternative histories from other worlds. Tales such as a young man seeking the secret of immortality from none other than Bela Lugosi. The tragic story of how the Titanic really sank. The horrifying lengths the people of New York city would go to raise above the Great Depression, rather in seeking fame or trying to feed the city. And many more Fantastic Tales of Terror.

Lineup:

• Introduction by Tony Todd
• “The Deep Delight of Blood” by Tim Waggoner
• “Unpretty Monster” by Mercedes Yardley
• “The Tell-Tale Mind” by Kevin J. Anderson
• “Topsy-Turvy” by Elizabeth Massie
• “Ray and the Martian” by Bev Vincent
• “The Girl with the Death Mask” by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• “On a Train Bound for Home” by Christopher Golden
• “The Custer Files” by Richard Chizmar
• “Red Moon” by Michael Paul Gonzalez
• “The Prince of Darkness and the Showgirl” by John Palisano
• “The Secret Engravings” by Lisa Morton
• “Mutter” by Jess Landry
• “La Llorona” by Cullen Bunn
• “The London Encounter” by Vince Liaguno
• “Bubba Ho-Tep” by Joe R. Lansdale
• “Gorilla my Dreams” by Jonathan Maberry
• “Articles of Teleforce” by Michael Bailey
• “Sic Olim Tyrannis” by David Wellington
• “The Washingtonians” by Bentley Little
• “Scent of Flesh” by Jessica Marie Baumgartner
• “Rotoscoping Toodies” by Mort Castle
• “Lone Wolves” by Paul Moore
• “The Great Stone Face vs. the Gargoyles” by Jeff Strand
• “The Return of the Thin White Duke” by Neil Gaiman

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

Categories:

• Horror Anthology
• Historical Fantasy
• Horror Short Stories
• Dark Fiction
• Anthologies & Collections
• Horror books
• Weird Tales
• Weird Fiction
• Alternative history
• Monsters
• Aliens
• Supernatural

Tales Of The Lost Volume II: A Covid-19 Charity Anthology 

Edited by Bram Stoker Award Winner Eugene Johnson and Steve Dillon 

We lose many things during our time in this universe. From the moment we are born we start losing time, and loss becomes a part of our life from the beginning. We lose friends (both imaginary and real), loved ones, pets, and family. We gain stuff and lose stuff, from our socks to our money. We can lose our hope, sanity, passions, our mind, and perhaps even our soul! In the end when death finds us, we end up losing everything... Don't we?

Loss is part of who we are. We can't escape it. We learn from it, grow from it, and so much more. Some of the greatest stories ever forged come from loss. Within this book is some of those stories.

Featuring stories and poetry by an amazing lineup including: 

Tim Waggoner * Lisa Morton * Neil Gaiman * Joe Hill * Heather Graham *  Christopher Golden * Tim Lebbon *  Christina Sng * Vince Liaguno * John Palisano * Kaaron Warren * Chris Mason * Greg Chapman * Tracy Cross * Stephanie W. Wytovich * Alexis Kirkpatrick * Ben Monroe * Lucy A. Snyder and Matthew R. Davis.

Edited by Bram Stoker Award Winner Eugene Johnson and Shirley Jackson award nominated author Steve Dillon. Coming in 2020 from Plaid Dragon Publishing in association with Things in The Well. With cover art by the brilliant Francois Vaillancourt, and interior art by the amazing Luke Spooner. 

Money raised by the anthology will go to benefit the Save the Children Coronavirus response. 

"Tales of the Lost 2 could be called "Tales of the Dark Heart!" From a coming home story that ends in a not-so-typical cemetery scene to a couple of ultimate sacrifices driven by love, this is a book filled with stories to tear at your heart while making you shiver. There are macabre jack-in-the-boxes and soul-stealing virtual reality games and an apocalypse vision of a mother's love the likes of which I've never read before. These are stories of love and longing and selfless giving and aching loss ... with frequent visits from the monstrous things that inhabit the night. This is a volume of horrific heart and chilling beauty."

- John Everson, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Covenant and Voodoo Heart

"Comprising unnerving tales of loss from horror's best-loved writers, LOST 2 is haunting, uncanny, and deeply disquieting. Prepare to lose sleep while reading this one." - Lee Murray, award-winning author of INTO THE ASHES.

Copyright Plaid Dragon Publishing © 2020 

Published by Plaid Dragon Publishing in association with Things in The Well.

From two HWA Mentors of the Year: Lee Murray, two-time Bram Stoker Award® Winner, and Angela Yuriko Smith, publisher at Space and Time magazine and Bram Stoker Award® Finalist, Mark My Words is crammed with advice to make your manuscript shine.

Offering practical revision techniques ranging from big-picture structural elements to punctuation, a revision checklist, and practice exercises, Mark My Words is the quintessential guide for authors preparing to submit their manuscripts to mentors, beta-readers, and commissioning editors. With essential tips and strategies from industry professionals including Ellen Datlow, Linda D. Addison, Kevin Wetmore, Geneve Flynn, Eric J. Guignard, Nicholas Diak, Michele Brittany, and many others. Bonus material includes an essay from an editor’s perspective by Bram Stoker Award®-winner Rena Mason, an interview by Angela Yuriko Smith with author and entrepreneur Leonard Speiser, and interviews by Bram Stoker Award®-winner Eugene Johnston with Gestalt publisher Jason Stokes and NYT Bestseller Jonathan Maberry.