Liminal Spaces is a quiet horror anthology from Cemetery Gates Media featuring stories from well-known dark fiction writers such as: Joanna Koch, Jessica McHugh, Mark Allan Gunnells, Anthony J. Rapino, Gwendolyn Kiste, Michael Wehunt, Bob Ford, Kelli Owen, Richard Thomas, Todd Keisling, Chad Lutzke, Kristi DeMeester, Joshua Palmatier, and Norman Prentiss.

“The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin root limen. It means ‘threshold.’ A liminal space is a ‘crossing over’ space–a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not fully in something else. It’s a transition space.

“This is my favorite kind of horror and speculative fiction. Fiction which takes place in that ‘crossing over’ space. Stories about characters who have–wittingly or unwittingly–crossed a threshold. Those who have left something behind, yet are not quite somewhere or something else. They are in-between, and are neither one thing, nor another. Classic anthologies like Shadows, edited by Charles L. Grant epitomize these kinds of stories, as did Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, the work of Charles Beaumont and T. M Wright, Joyce Carol Oates, Shirley Jackson, and the ‘strange stories’ of Robert Aickman.”

-Kevin Lucia, Editor

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, 2^nd 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.

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

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

This is the Writers on Writing Vol.1 - 4 Omnibus – An Author’s Guide where your favorite authors share their ultimate secrets in becoming and being an author.

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.