Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried.

With twenty-two dark tales diving beneath the surface of loss, love, and life.

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, where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner. What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include 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.

Volume one includes horror, thrillers, suspense, and stories of love lost, death, 2nd chances, the monsters within, and the beauty beneath it all.

Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Closure on a Bed of Nails” by Chad Lutzke
“Fast Car” by Tracy Fahey
“Tears of Buddy” by Patrick R. McDonough
“Puzzle Pieces” by Armand Rosamilia
“Pretty Like Butterflies” by Tim Waggoner
“S1:E7” by Robert Ford
“Pain is Your Teacher” by Michael Harris Cohen
“Memory Lane” by Red Lagoe
“The Silence of the Sirens” by Loren Rhoads
“It’s Me Not You” by Jonathan Winn
“Sisters of Loss” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Talisman” by Jezzy Wolfe
“The Melting of Your Gods” by Mercedes M. Yardley
“Charms” by Dino Parenti
“Not Your Average Monster” by Kenneth W. Cain
“Where the Children Run in Darkness” by Guy Medley
“Tunnels” by Tom Over (winner)
“The Truth about Dani” by Joe Mercer
“Baby Savannah” by M.J. Sydney
“Rats Scratched in the Linen Cupboard” by Dani Brown
“Raining” by John Boden
“The Death Experience” by L.A. Story

In this volume…

• Taunted by a cactus, a man copes with grief after the loss of his wife.
• Alondra DeCourval visits Franz Kafka’s grave to think about death.
• A lovestruck woman strives to connect with a man she’s convinced is The One.
• The perfect funeral for a child—all according to a Mother’s well-crafted plan. The exception is one small, unexpected development no one could have ever prepared for.
• A short meditation on the haunting nature of love and loss, and the aftermath of both.
• Victor’s sanity has been threaded together by the memory of his daughter’s voice, until now, when her laughter falls silent.
• An adrenaline junkie believes he can take on the ultimate challenge—coming back from the dead.
• Sisters share everything. The good...and the bad.
• Sometimes being a hoarder is dangerous...
• In our ever-changing world, what we view as a monster is constantly evolving…but at what cost?
• Buddy's heart aches for his family’s arrival.
• Bright colors may be beautiful, but sometimes they can be dangerous.
• Sometimes the darkness we harbor within is best left behind closed doors.
• Rats scratch in the children's ward.
• A surprise wedding present from daughter to father, built over a lifetime, reveals his true nature to all his guests.

This is Writers on Writing – An Author’s Guide where your favorite authors share their ultimate secrets in becoming and being an author. 

Learn the craft of writing from those who know it best. 

This is Writers On Writing – An Author’s Guide Vol.2, where professional authors share their secrets in the ultimate guide to becoming – and being – an author. 

In this volume you’ll find the following in-depth On Writing essays:

• The Infrastructure of the Gods: 11 Signposts for Going all the Way by Brian Hodge
• Embracing Your Inner Shitness by James Everington
• The Forgotten Art of Short Story by Mark Allan Gunnells
• Well, That Escalated Quickly: Adventures in Teaching Creative Writing by Lucy A. Snyder
• Submit (to psychology) for Acceptance by Daniel I. Russell
• Character Building: How Not to be a Stalker by Theresa Derwin
• Heroes and Villains by Paul Kane
• Do Your Worst by Jonathan Winn

Writers On Writing gives young authors the guidance they need, but also has advice for all authors, from the interested newbie to the seasoned veteran.

The Writers on Writing series carries on the proud tradition of Stephen King's On Writing.

Are you ready to unleash the author in you?

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Interview with one of the authors:

So what makes Writers on Writing so special?

Mark Allan Gunnells: When I was growing up as an aspiring writer, I would have given anything for this kind of advice from authors actually publishing. I think writers will find the essays interesting and helpful.

Tell us more about you essay in Writers on Writing.

Mark Allan Gunnells: I am passionate about short fiction, and was happy to provide an essay about how to create effective short stories, the unique pleasures of the form, and to encourage writers who enjoy short fiction not to be dissuaded from writing it.

Why should authors read Writers on Writing?

Mark Allan Gunnells: There's something for everyone. Many topics of writing and promotion and publishing from people who have experience with these things. 

Do you have other non-fiction books authors should try out?

Mark Allan Gunnells: I have written non-fiction articles for Apex Magazine, and I have nonfiction essays on horror films in the books HORROR 101 and HIDDEN HORROR, both edited by Aaron Christensen.

Writers on Writing eBook categories:

• Authorship
• Publishing and Books
• Writing Reference
• Writing Skills
• Education & Reference

Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of Shallow Waters—Where Nothing Stays Buried.

With 20 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 multiple award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing (including the HWA’s Specialty Press Award). Every month a new challenge is issued online and via our newsletter. 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 every month.

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.

Volume 8 includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
Prior to Slaughter by AJ Franks (winner)
A Quick Trip to the Liquor Store by Denver Grenell
The Boohag by Linda J. Marshall
Monsters by Justin Boote
Mr. Giggles by Nikki R. Leigh
Natural Selection by Mark Allan Gunnells
The Riverfront by Jay Bechtol (winner)
Allie’s New Crayon by Red Lagoe (winner)
Roadside Believer by Ben Norris
Heart’s Break by Jonathan Winn
Dance Faster, Carmelita by Sunni Ellis
Hello by Karen Bayly
#Camping by Lee Smart
Gone Fission by Amanda Hard
Reaching Out by Jeremy Megargee (winner)
Double Feature by Denver Grenell
Preparation by Claire Brown
A Cunning Plan by R. B. Wood
Wifely Duties by D.C. Phillips
All We Endure by Grant Longstaff (winner)

Come Dive Beneath the Surface!

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

If you came here to read short stories about tranquil lakes, run to the nearest exit. Run as far away as you can from Ramsey Campbell, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, and our array of international voices.

Tales from The Lake volume two also includes the three winners from Crystal Lake Publishing’s Tales from The Lake Horror Writing Competition:

1st: Descending by John Whalen

2nd: Forever Dark by Jonathan Winn

3rd: Ripperscape by Vincenzo Bilof

Beneath this lake you’ll find nothing but mystery and suspense, horror and dread. Not to mention death and misery – tales to share around the campfire or living room floor. Dive beneath a frozen lake with Rena Mason’s “Winter’s Dollhouse”; allow Tim Lebbon to introduce you to “The God of Rain”; don’t go into the lake when Jim Goforth takes you to the haunting sit of “Lago de los Perdidos”; and never get in an elevator again with John Whalen’s award-winning “Descending.”

So dive on in.

The water’s just…right.

Interview with the Authors:

So what makes Tales from The Lake so special?

Ben Eads: As a reader: Legends and up-and-comers in the field of horror consistently knock each volume out of the ball park. It’s a great anthology. As a writer: Aside from sharing the pages with some of the best writers in the biz? The open-theme affords me a broader canvas to write. And, of course, the recognition!

Raven Dane: Publisher Joe Mynhardt and his team of genre enthusiasts strive to bring the reader only the highest quality short fiction in the Tales From The Lake series. Whether the author is well established name or a bright future star, excellence and innovation is always foremost. This is a publishing house with great integrity and passion, a deep-rooted love of horror and total respect for both writer and reader. And no…I do not work for their PR department! This is my genuine experience as both contributor and reader of Crystal Lake books.

Tell us more about your story?

Lisa Morton: It was inspired by two separate ideas: 1) I enjoy weird westerns and wanted to try one; and 2) I was interested in writing something about a succubus, and I had this question: would a gay man be affected by a supernatural temptress who presents as an exotic woman? I started doing a little research on the Old West (train lines, towns, gunslingers, etc.), and the story started to coalesce from there.

Why should readers give this series a try?

Ben Eads: Everyone loves an end of the world story, right?

Raven Dane: The best reason of all, meticulously produced books packed with intriguing stories from an international collection of great writers. There are many horror anthologies available now, with a resurgence of enthusiasm for short fiction. Sadly not all are worth bothering with, to be brutally honest! A reader is in safe hands with a Tales from The Lake volume. Crystal Lake is fast becoming synonymous for high quality production and wonderful story telling.

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from the Darkest Depths

Tales from The Lake eBook categories:

• Horror short stories
• Horror anthologies
• Dark Fiction
• Speculative Fiction

Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of Shallow Waters—Where Nothing Stays Buried.

With 20 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 Crystal Lake Publishing, 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). Check out the Shallow Waters series page here on Amazon, where you’ll find volume 1 for free.

Volume six includes stories of Karma, travel horror, forgotten elder gods, being home alone or in lockdown, and a non-themed challenge.

Includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“The Offering” by Denver Grenell
“We All Scream” by A.J. Franks
“Whittling” by Michael Harris Cohen
“Fall to Frost” by Jonathan Winn
“Meadow for The Birdmen” by Guy Medley
“The Mottled Path” by Jennifer Carstens
“Gandaberunda” by Richard Thomas
“Nothing in There” by J. Brian Reed
“Anything for the Cause” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Father” by R. Leigh Hennig
“Rattled” by Madeline Mora-Summonte
“Judgment Call” by Erica Ruppert
“Molarthroat” by Jonathan Fortin
“Stupid Girl” by Michael Patrick Hicks
“Carmen’s a Bitch” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Hot Broth on a Cold Winter’s Night” by R.B. Wood
“Neighborhood Watch” by L.F. Falconer
“Tea for Two” by Amanda Hard
“The Man Who Fell from the Sky” by Esteban Vargas
“How Lovely Are Thy Branches” by Theresa Derwin

In this volume…

• In the dishonest quiet of a hanging moon, two strangers wrestle with the horrifying consequences of a ravenous war.
• Sometimes the gods hunger for more than a sit-down meal.
• What if your new ‘god’ could do anything he wanted? What if he no longer allowed Christmas?
• Death was supposed to find the old woman forced to walk the mottled path.
• A grandfather has mere minutes to prepare his granddaughter for the arrival of the Old Gods and ensure the survival of the human race.
• A newly single woman celebrates her divorce with an impromptu drive north, but the woods hold horrors worse than her failed marriage.
• Peter knows the President has to be stopped, but to what lengths will he go to accomplish this?
• She’d never let her boy starve twice.
• How many ways can evil enter your house?
• With help from her Stuffies, young Emmy organizes a tea party that guarantees to put her back in the family spotlight.
• Sometimes, what’s outside the box is scarier than what's hiding inside.
• Hear the song once, the cold sets in, he now lives underneath your skin.

Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried.

With twenty-one dark tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the pain between them.

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, where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner. What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include 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.

Volume three includes horror, thrillers, suspense, and stories of hauntings, monsters, clowns, twisted love, and the beauty beneath it all.

Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Piece Meal” by Madeline Mora-Summonte
“The Anonymous Dark” by Jonathan Winn
“Number Seventeen” by Monique Snyman
“For Her” by Jo-Anne Russell
“Second Chances” by Rob Smales
“Maker of Flight” by Richard Thomas
“Inertia” by Joshua Hair
“Malignant Roots” by Red Lagoe
“Two to a Desk” by Dani Brown
“The Comb” by Theresa Derwin
“Echoes” by Megan Hart
“Haunted Places” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Hallways, Long and Dark” by Dale Elster
“The Chance of a Lifetime” by Pete Mesling
“GOGGINS” by Stephen Crowley
“Caoine” by Jennifer Loring
“Hacked” By Mark Cassell & Patrick R. McDonough
“Ghosts of the Wood” by Tim Meyer
“Paid in Full” by Roberta Codemo
“This Other Door” by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray
“Always and Forever” by Jay Faulkner

In this volume…

• This Halloween, the girl might just get more than she bargained for.
• A gumball machine dispenses something far more sinister—and sweeter—than candy.
• Lessons don’t always have to be taught in school.
• You never know what you’ll find at the end of a dark hallway…
• A serial killer reminisces over his last victim.
• An Irish-American man come to terms with the legacy he leaves, thanks to the ancestral apparition that has haunted his family for centuries.
• Some relationships leave scars that linger even beyond death.
• When a Victorian actor’s career comes to a sudden end due to a flare-up of gout during an opening-night performance at the Delphi Theatre, he is left with only one chance to exact revenge on the inflexible house manager.
• Stalked by shadows, a woman prowls the darkened halls of her longtime home.
• Her body found mutilated down the tin mines and pursued by her step sister, she scratches her hooks against the wall as her classmates disappear.
• Some curses are eternal and unbreakable.
• Inertia—a property of matter in which something moves at a set speed and direction until made to change by another force.
• After his dark soul took to the soil, evil plagued the roots of the family tree.
• Houses aren’t the only places that can be haunted...

The definitive guide to filmmaking and filmmakers by the best in the field.

Horror 201: The Silver Scream, the follow-up to Horror 101: The Way Forward (both Bram Stoker Award nominated non-fiction anthologies), delves into the minds of filmmakers to see what it takes to produce great horror films, from the writing and funding process, to directing, producing, and writing tie-ins.

That’s right, film legends and authors such as Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ed Naha, Patrick Lussier, Stephen Volk, Nancy Holder, Tom Holland, John Shirley, William Stout, and John Russo want to share their expertise with you through informative, practical, career-building advice.

These are the folks behind movies and novelizations such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Buffy, Resident Evil, The Stand, Critters, Tales from the Crypt, Child’s Play, Fright Night, Thinner, The Langoliers, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Horror 201 also entertains. You’ll see a side of your favorite authors, producers, and directors never seen before – combining fun and entertainment with informative career-building advice.

Horror 201 is aimed at arming generations of authors, screenwriters, producers, directors, and anyone else interested in the film industry, from big budget movies to the independent film circuit, as well as the stage.

Horror 201 covers:

• Horror as culture
• Scare tactics
• The evolution of the horror film
• Viewer desensitization
• Watching your story come to life
• Screenwriting advice
• Dissecting screenplays
• A production company case study
• Tricks of the trade
• Writing tips
• Advice on Producing
• Advice on Directing
• Funding and distributing a film
• Entertaining tidbits and anecdotes

And so much more!

Horror 201: The Silver Scream is perfect for people who:

• are looking to delve into screenplay writing
• want to write their first screenplay
• are fans of the horror movie industry
• like to follow the careers of their favorite directors
• are planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
• are looking to pay more bills with their art
• are trying to establish a name brand
• are looking to get published
• are looking for motivation and/or inspiration
• are seeking contacts in the film industry

The full line-up includes:

Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell, Ed Naha, Edward Lee, Patrick Lussier, Tim Lebbon, Jonathan Maberry, Stephen Volk, William Stout, Michael McCarty, Dan Curtis, William Stout, Graham Masterton, Harry Shannon, Jason V. Brock, L.L. Soares, Mick Garris, William F. Nolan, Lee Karr, Stephen Johnston, Aaron Sterns, Michael Laimo, Jonathan Winn, David. C. Hayes, Brian Pinkerton, David Henson Greathouse, Aaron Dries, Armand Rosamilia, Billy Hanson, Jack Thomas Smith, John Russo, Mark Steensland, John Shirley, Tom Holland, Adrian Roe, Dave Jeffery, James Hart, James Cullen Bressack, Jeff Strand, Nancy Holder, E.C. McMullen Jr., Richard Gray, Richard Chizmar, William C.

The definitive guide to filmmaking and filmmakers by the best in the field. Volume 2!

Horror 201: The Silver Scream, the follow-up to Horror 101: The Way Forward (both Bram Stoker Award nominated non-fiction anthologies), delves into the minds of filmmakers to see what it takes to produce great horror films, from the writing and funding process, to directing, producing, and writing tie-ins.

That’s right, film legends and authors such as Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ed Naha, Patrick Lussier, Stephen Volk, Nancy Holder, Tom Holland, John Shirley, William Stout, and John Russo want to share their expertise with you through informative, practical, career-building advice.

These are the folks behind movies and novelizations such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Buffy, Resident Evil, The Stand, Tales from the Crypt, Child’s Play, Fright Night, The Langoliers, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Horror 201 also entertains. You’ll see a side of your favorite authors, producers, and directors never seen before – combining fun and entertainment with informative career-building advice.

Horror 201 is aimed at arming generations of authors, screenwriters, producers, directors, and anyone else interested in the film industry, from big budget movies to the independent film circuit, as well as the stage.

Horror 201 covers:

• Horror as culture
• Scare tactics
• The evolution of the horror film
• Viewer desensitization
• Watching your story come to life
• Screenwriting advice
• Dissecting screenplays
• A production company case study
• Tricks of the trade
• Writing tips
• Advice on Producing
• Advice on Directing
• Funding and distributing a film
• Entertaining tidbits and anecdotes

And so much more!

Horror 201: The Silver Scream is perfect for people who:

• are looking to delve into screenplay writing
• want to write their first screenplay
• are fans of the horror movie industry
• like to follow the careers of their favorite directors
• are planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
• are looking to pay more bills with their art
• are trying to establish a name brand
• are looking to get published
• are looking for motivation and/or inspiration
• are seeking contacts in the film industry

The full line-up includes:

Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell, Ed Naha, Edward Lee, Patrick Lussier, Tim Lebbon, Jonathan Maberry, Stephen Volk, William Stout, Michael McCarty, Dan Curtis, William Stout, Graham Masterton, Harry Shannon, Jason V. Brock, L.L. Soares, Mick Garris, William F. Nolan, Lee Karr, Stephen Johnston, Aaron Sterns, Michael Laimo, Jonathan Winn, David. C. Hayes, Brian Pinkerton, David Henson Greathouse, Aaron Dries, Armand Rosamilia, Billy Hanson, Jack Thomas Smith, John Russo, Mark Steensland, John Shirley, Tom Holland, Adrian Roe, Dave Jeffery, James Hart, James Cullen Bressack, Jeff Strand, Nancy Holder, E.C. McMullen Jr., Richard Gray, Richard Chizmar, William C.

Includes:

• The Infrastructure of the Gods by Brian Hodge
• The Writer’s Purgatory by Monique Snyman
• Why Rejection is Still Important by Kevin Lucia
• Real Writers Steal Time by Mercedes M. Yardley
• What Right Do I Have to Write by Jasper Bark
• Go Pace Yourself by Jack Ketchum
• A Little Infusion of Magic by Dave-Brendon de Burgh
• Confronting Your Fears in Fiction by Todd Keisling
• Once More with Feeling by Tim Waggoner
• Embracing Your Inner Shitness by James Everington
• The Forgotten Art of Short Story by Mark Allan Gunnells
• Adventures in Teaching Creative Writing by Lucy A. Snyder
• Submit (to psychology) for Acceptance by Daniel I. Russell
• Character Building by Theresa Derwin
• Heroes and Villains by Paul Kane
• Do Your Worst by Jonathan Winn
• Creating Effective Characters by Hal Bodner
• Fictional Emotions; Emotional Fictions by James Everington
• Home Sweet Home by Ben Eads
• You by Kealan Patrick Burke
• The art of becoming a book reviewer by Nerine Dorman
• Treating Fiction like a Relationship by Jonathan Janz
• How to Write Killer Poetry by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• Happy Little Trees by Michael Knost
• In Lieu of Patience Bring Diversity by Kenneth W. Cain
• Networking is Scary, but Essential by Doug Murano
• Are You In The Mood? by Sheldon Higdon
• What if Every Novel is a Horror Novel? by Steve Diamond
• Description by Patrick Freivald
• A First-time Novelist's Odyssey by William Gorman
• I Am Setting by J.S. Breukelaar
• Finding Your Voice by Lynda E. Rucker

Are you ready to unleash the author in you?

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from the Darkest Depths

Interview with the authors:

So what makes Writers on Writing so special?

Stephanie M. Wytovich: I think what makes Writers on Writing a standout craft book is that Crystal Lake Publishing pulled writers from different genres and different mediums to give readers a massive insight into the industry in regards to film, screenwriting, poetry, prose, etc. It’s a meaty collection of advice that speaks to everyone at any point in their career, and I think readers will be wildly excited about the essays inside.

Tell us more about your essay.

Jack Ketchum: Mine's about pacing, crucial to grabbing and holding the reader's attention, and music to the reader's ear. Both, I think, important things to consider.

Kenneth W. Cain: I speak of using diversity in your fiction, of pulling from the known world to create more realistic characters without relying on stereotypes and generalizations. It’s much a reflection of myself, of course, but I fully believe in letting characters breathe, allowing them to become what they will, good or bad, male or female, deviant or prude.

Eidolon Avenue: Where the secretly guilty go to die.

One building. Five floors. Five doors per floor. Twenty-five nightmares feeding the hunger lurking between the bricks and waiting beneath the boards.

The First Feast. A retired Chinese assassin in apartment 1A fleeing from a lifetime of bloodshed. A tattooed man in 1B haunted by his most dangerous regret. A frat boy serial killer in 1C facing his past and an elderly married couple stumbling and wounded from fifty years of failed murder/suicide pacts in 1D. And, finally, a young girl in 1E whose quiet thoughts unleash unspeakable horror.

All thrown into their own private hell as every cruel choice, every deadly mistake, every drop of spilled blood is remembered, resurrected and relived to feed the ancient evil that lives on Eidolon Avenue.

Interview with the author:

Q: So what makes Eidolon Avenue so special?

Jonathan: A collection of five shorts taking place in five apartments on the same floor of the same building. So, as a reader, there's the necessary luxury of being locked onto one space, which gives you an anchor, so to speak, but, as the writer, I’m allowed the freedom to create five different nightmares. And even though they happen next door to each other—an idea I love—they need not be like each other, you know? As a reader, you finish the story for the first apartment, turn the page to the second apartment and, kept safe by the anchor of the building, find yourself thrown into a whole new, unexpected, surprising world.

Q: Tell us more about your lead characters.

Jonathan: There really is just one lead character whose shadow darkens everything: the building.

And who is the building? The building is relentless. And greedy. It calls to it the wounded, the lost, the guilty, the depraved. It embraces the desperate and the abandoned, offering them for a brief moment the dishonest safety of “home” and then digs deep. Burrows in. Knocks down the barriers to feast on the shameful memories tucked in those forgotten corners of the mind. Gnaws on the tender spots waiting beneath the muscle, the sinew, the bone. Feeds on their secrets, their guilt, their failings and mistakes. Rips from them the most sensitive of their psychological underpinnings and uses them to weaken the body, cloud the mind and destroy the soul. With each story, book by book, the building, even if unseen and silent, is the lead character driving the narrative.

Q: Why should readers give this shared-world collection a try?

Jonathan: Essentially it’s five books in one. Each story has its own distinctive voice driven by its own unique, multi-faceted character. And every character is completely different than the character before as well as the one that follows. They all linger in different ways long after you’ve reached the end of their story. Furthermore, one of the strengths of Eidolon Avenue is the push-pull of each character’s struggle. Yes, they’ve made mistakes, destroyed lives, insisted on following through with atrocious decisions and they’re most definitely paying for all of that now.

But you also see the doubt, the regret, the knowledge of what they’ve done wrong and what could have been done differently. The need to apologize and the desire to be forgiven and to forgive themselves. So there’s a journey, an emotional journey, with each story.

Winner of the Audio Book Reviewer.com award for best horror collection in 2021!

Eidolon Avenue: Where the secretly guilty go to die.
One building. Five floors. Five doors per floor. Twenty-five nightmares feeding the hunger lurking between the bricks and waiting beneath the boards.

The sequel to Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast (“a great read...powerful and jarring” - Cemetery Dance) returns to the voracious Eidolon as it savors The Second Feast.

A narcoleptic man in apartment 2A battles a vengeful past determined to rob him of everything as he runs from the barbaric disaster of a delusional love. A woman in 2B, reinventing herself to please a callous boyfriend, discovers the horrors that wait in the shadows of her self-renovation. The man in 2C, a teacher at the nearby Catholic girl’s school, collapses beneath the brutal consequences of his lecherous desires. An older woman in 2D, after decades dedicated to the church, is cornered at last by the grisly carnage beating at the hollow center of her faith. And a college student in 2E, hungry to escape an ignored life of invisible anonymity, finds herself captured between the pages of a ravenous book.

All thrown into their own private hell as every cruel choice, every drop of spilled blood, every silent, complicit moment of cowardice is remembered, resurrected and relived to feed the ancient evil that lives on Eidolon Avenue.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from The Darkest Depths.

Interview with the author:

What makes this Horror short story collection so special?

Winn: There’s something incredibly creepy about the thought of a building calling souls home. Not people who know each other or have anything in common, save their address and living on the same floor. But people who have tortured pasts and deep wounding. Who have stumbled away from cataclysmic mistakes in an attempt to escape consequence. And now, here, on Eidolon Avenue, they’re going to take a breath, rest, perhaps build a new life. But it’d been waiting for them, the building. Knowing their stories, familiar with their ghosts, aware of their failings and sins. As a writer, there’s something fantastically freeing about that premise. The possibilities are endless. What they did and how they’re going to suffer, really, you can just do so much with that.

Tell us more about your lead characters.

Winn: Well, I have five lead characters each with their own tale to tell. And they’re as different from each other as night and day. What they do have in common, though is an awareness of the immense weight of their guilt and a foreknowing, if you will, that their journey has come to a close. So even if the end is shocking and swift and they’d hoped to escape just one more time, they somehow get that it was time.

Why should readers give this series a try?

Winn: The great thing about Eidolon Avenue is, within one book, the reader has five new stories to discover. New characters, new situations, new sins and mistakes, new consequences all wrapped up within a complete narrative with the only thing linking these five disparate souls together being the building they live in and the floor they live on. So, for a writer, the creativity I get to tap into to make the stories as different and memorable as possible is a heck of a lot of fun. You just never know how lives are going to crumble and collapse as you move from neighbor to neighbor.