What flavor is your nightmare?
Forty-nine authors have come together to tell us theirs. Each story is unique in its horror but all should be read with the lights on and the shadows kept at bay, because some stories tend to stay with you even after the book is closed.
From established authors, to people putting pen to paper for the first time.
Books of Horror presents its inaugural Community Anthology.

Brutality doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Your existence is the epitome of normal…until it isn’t. In an instant, everything changes. The peaceful security you hold dear to your heart has been ripped away and you are left fighting for your life. But don’t think for a second you have a chance in hell of surviving. Your odds are never good when staring into the face of pure evil.

Join us for tales of savagery and slaughter, where the innocent, or not-so-innocent, find themselves in the most ferocious situations they have ever encountered.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, David Anthony, Bryan Holm, Tamika Thompson, Aric Sundquist, Otto DeFay, Matthew R. Davis, Nick Roberts, Scott Harper, Richard Clive, Scotty Milder, and LP Hernandez.

Sometimes, the dead do come back.  Sometimes, they crave your flesh...and sometimes, they desire your very soul, but they aren’t the only thing you have to fear.

You don’t believe in what you can’t see, yet something is there, watching, waiting. You can feel its unholy intentions deep down in the marrow of your bones. You don’t know where it came from, but you know with every fiber of your being that it is not from this earth, and as you feel its gaze searing through your skin, you know the end just might be near.

It took its last breath, you watched the dirt being shoveled onto its coffin, yet there it is, standing before you, staring you down like you’re its next meal. It’s vicious and it’s evil and even though you know—you’re absolutely positive—that the abomination before you should be dead, somehow it’s not, and its ungodly eyes are focused on you.

The Otherworldly and Undead are out there and they are coming for you. When you run—and oh, will you run—you don’t need to be the fastest…you only need to be faster than the person beside you—at least until there is no one else left. Join us for the most terrifying stories of Otherworldly and Undead beings as they stalk and torment the living, feeding off their souls and their flesh before recruiting them to eternal damnation.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by Renee M.P.T. Kray, Jeremy Megargee, Scotty Milder, Steven Pajak, Barry Charman, Red Lagoe, Richard Clive, David A. Anthony, Kristal Stittle, Scott Harper, R.E. Sargent, LP Hernandez, and Bridgett Nelson.

Foreword by New York Times Bestselling Author Richard Chizmar.

Would they do anything to be successful?

Lana Brooks is a prolific and bestselling author who seemingly has it all: money, fame, a dream apartment overlooking the Manhattan skyline. What could possibly be wrong in her life?

Confident in her writing abilities, Lana is shocked when a reader shreds her reputation while reviewing her latest release. Distracted by the review, to the point where it affects her writing, Lana takes matters into her own hands, not realizing she is going to get way more than she bargained for.

Check out the bonus story, Becoming Karen Carter, included!

Jessica Nichols wanted the one thing that eluded her – The distinction of becoming a bestselling author. The only thing standing in her way was a stack of rejection letters. Unable to get her foot in the door, she finds herself destined to spend her life working dead-end jobs.

Desperate to make it, and rapidly running out of options, Jessica crosses a line she can never come back from.

Beware of the night, for it shows no mercy.

Anxieties run rampant as the last sprinklings of light twinkle out on the inky horizon. The shadows dance their choreography in the damp, dusky air. Night is taking over, and it knows how to keep a dark and deadly secret, for it allows no witnesses. And that screaming you hear nearby? Watch out, because you might be next.

The Sinister Supernatural Stories series brings you delicious horror that focuses on elements of the supernatural. Pull up a chair and dig in, but never after dark—everyone knows bad things always happen after dark.

Contains stories by Nick Roberts, Matthew R. Davis, Alexandr Bond, Scott Harper, R.E. Sargent, Richard Clive, Renee M.P.T. Kray, Warren Benedetto, Daniel O’Connor, Steven Pajak, Curtis A. Bass, David Rider, Gary Robbe, and Scotty Milder.

Waking up covered in blood is never a good thing.

We’ve all had that nightmare. You wake up in a strange place with no memory of how you got there. There’s blood on your hands, and you’re overwhelmed by fear—until you realize it’s not yours. It’s then you see your victim in a pool of blood, you’re holding the murder weapon and your only relief is waking up with a scream trapped in your throat.

But for Stan Watson, there is no waking from this nightmare, because it’s real. And it’s happened before, at least three times. He’s a serial killer, though he doesn’t remember having done any of the deeds. His victims are strangers to him, and he has no motive for what he’s done.

Fearing he will kill again, Stan is in a race against the clock to find out why he’s become a one-man killing machine, before he takes another life — or the police show up at his front door. Can he cobble the pieces of the puzzle together before it’s too late?

★Nominated for Best Anthology for the 2021 Splatterpunk awards★

Go ahead, run. Hide, even. No matter. There’s no place you can go that she won’t find you.

A woman scorned. The sanctity of her sanctuary threatened. The betrayal of trust…even loyalty. Don’t ever tell her not to take it personally, because that’s exactly what it is. Personal. Your first blunder was mistaking her kindness for weakness. Your second was betraying her. The third? Underestimating her. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Take the plunge into these tales of deadly women who will stop at nothing until vengeance is theirs.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

With stories by Steven Pajak, Cara Fox, Chris Contreras Bahnsen, Scotty Milder, J.H. Moncrieff, Scott Harper, Bridgett Nelson, Spencer Richard, Mark Young, Claire Brown, Nikkolas James, Lee Rozelle, Natalie Sierra, R.E. Sargent, Red Lagoe and Renee M.P.T. Kray.

Foreword by award winning author J.H. Moncrieff.

Your worst nightmares come true.

Razor-sharp teeth. Vicious claws. The soul-piercing eyes that stare you down right before it pounces. What will you do when it’s you against a purveyor of pure evil? You think it’s just a dream? Think again. These nightmare creatures have transcended the pages of the books they were written into, they’ve ripped their way from the silver screen, and now they are coming for you. There is nowhere to hide—they will find you. But the question remains. Do you have what it takes to conquer the beast or will you let it destroy you?

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

With stories by Scotty Milder, Elana Gomel, Hannah O'Doom, Scott Harper, Bridgett Nelson, Brian Asman, Sandra Stephens, Henry Herz, R.E. Sargent, Red Lagoe, Frank Beghin, Kevin M. Folliard, Steven Pajak, Matthew R. Davis. Foreword by Bram Stoker nominated author Jeff Strand.

Insanity has me by the throat. I wish it’d squeeze a little harder.

They call me crazy, but who are they to judge? I’m not crazy. They are. I’ve tried to reason with them, but they won’t listen. Yet. One day, they will hear me, and one day, they’ll be sorry.

This is no way to live, being locked up like an animal. And I’m surrounded by lunatics. The scary girl in the corner who hears voices, the burly bald guy who lashes out with violent tendencies, the quiet redhead who lights fires, or the Rob Zombie look-alike that is rumored to have murdered his entire family. Is this real or one sick and twisted nightmare I can’t wake up from?

Institutionalized is the latest anthology from the creators of The Better Off Dead series. This installment brings you stories of the mentally unbalanced, the damaged and disturbed, and the criminally insane. Some are locked up. Some are not. We recommend you sleep with one eye open.

With stories by Richard Chizmar, Ronald Kelly, R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, Rebecca Rowland, Mike Duke, Scott Harper, Jill Girardi, Richard Clive, Jeremy Megargee, Janine Pipe, LP Hernandez, Scotty Milder, Renee M.P.T. Kray, Brandon Scott, and David Rider.

Stephanie Duran hoped for the American dream—a husband, a family, a house with a white-picket fence—but every man she ever trusted betrayed her.

Forsaken by her last lover, Stephanie finally understands that the American dream will never be her reality. Devastated and emotionally destroyed, she pours all her anger-fueled energy into remodeling her new house—the one part of her dream she could control—when an unexplained phenomenon bestows upon her the mysterious power to right wrongs before they happen. Suddenly empowered and in control of fate, Stephanie finds herself immersed in a world of strange events and discovers too late that she has unwittingly unleashed pure evil.

What if everything you believed was wrong?

Dominick Maxwell had an average life with one exception. Everyone he was close to ended up dead.

When Dom's sister—his last living relative—is attacked and dying, Dom thinks he has lost it all, until he realizes that he is the prime suspect.

Fearing he is next—and possibly about to end up in jail—Dom disappears and urgently tries to find out the answer to the question that has been haunting him for years. Who or what is responsible for destroying his life by taking away all that matters to him?

Is Stephanie Duran Serial Killer Bait?

Stephanie Duran never considered herself a heroine. Her life was a series of poor choices and failed relationships, until she stumbled upon a mysterious portal that allowed her to travel to the past to save lives.

While on a trek to save the victims of a serial killer, something evil hitched a ride back with Stephanie, destroying her home and almost killing her. Traumatized by her near-death experience, Stephanie suffers from self-doubt and questions her ability to change fate.

When a horrendous string of grotesque murders is suddenly thrust upon her community, Stephanie knows she is being sent a message, but is she up for the challenge?

Devastated by the knowledge she is responsible for unleashing evil into the present, Stephanie will need to summon all her courage and face her past, before evil finds her and finishes what it started.