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.

Don’t go in the water. It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s scary as hell.

There is no better keeper of secrets than the menacing, murky depths of the ocean. Unfathomable creatures, mysterious disappearances, abandoned ships, deadly pirates. Even experienced seamen are susceptible to the horrors that lay hidden far below the surface. It’s all a game of chance. Be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you’ll become something’s meal. The dark deep is ominous and unforgiving and it has no conscience. Do you dare tempt fate?

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 John S. Aissis, Marco Etheridge, Scott Harper, Andrew Hughes, Constantine E. Kiousis, Scotty Milder, S.R. Miller, G. Nicholas Miranda, Bridgett Nelson, David Rider, Steven Streeter, and Mike Sullivan.

Foreword by Splatterpunk Award Winning Author, Ronald Kelly.

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.

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 Steven Pajak, R.E. Sargent, and others.

It was all in the name of science. Now someone has to clean up the mess.

Stan Armstrong dedicated his entire life to science. Branded as a maverick and a risk-taker by his colleagues, his unorthodox experiments and outlandish theories of time and space resulted in loss of funding and ultimately, his termination from tenure at the university where he’d spent his entire career.

Stan’s insatiable quest to explore extreme hypotheses and to prove the unproven were matched only by his neurotic lust to peel back the mysterious layers of time and space to expose the hidden secrets of the universe. Determined to continue his work at all costs, he uproots the life he once knew, liquidates his assets and builds his own lab on a desolate twenty-four-acre rural property in Devil’s Gulch, Utah, no longer bound by government regulation or the prying eyes of small-minded administrators.

Whether born from his profound love for science, or his enormous ego, Stan unintentionally unleashes something sinister in Devil’s Gulch—something that was never meant to walk this Earth.

Sinister Smile Press presents Devil’s Gulch, a horror novel written by Claire Brown, Matthew A. Clarke, T.M. Morgan, Chris Wilkerson, Chisto Healy, Kayla Krantz, Jon Miller, T.M. Brown, Mark Young, Bridgett Nelson, R.E. Sargent and Steven Pajak.

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.

★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.

Sometimes, Karma’s a Bitch!

Don’t deny it. Your mind has dwelled for hours on the things you would do if your name was Karma. Malevolence towards those that wronged you festers and there is no relief—until now. Plunge headfirst into these sinister tales where karma finally takes control and vengeance is a dish that is best served hot.

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 Red Lagoe, Steven Pajak, Jane Alvey Harris, Kayla Krantz, RJ Roles, Eleanor Merry, Peter Rocha, Charlotte Munro, Chris Wilkerson, and R.E. Sargent.

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.

The blade slashes then plunges deep into trembling flesh…then the bodies hit the floor.

They stalk their prey from deep in the menacing shadows, poised and ready to strike at the penultimate moment. Their victims unexpectant, unaware, until they wake in dark rooms, dank basements, or on chilly floors stained with the rotting blood of other hapless victims. The stench fills their nostrils and permeates their pores, the bile rising up in their burning throats. They scream and try to escape, but all attempts are futile. Fear dances like spiders down their spines as they hear ominous footsteps approaching—their eyes spread wide in horror as they realize the end is near.

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor is the latest series from Sinister Smile Press, the creators of The Better Off Dead series. These volumes bring you the very best in horror/slasher/stalker/serial killer crime fiction. The more vicious and bloodier, the better. So, put on your pee-pee pants, because you’re in for one hell of a dark, sinister journey.

A Pile of Bodies, A Pile of Heads – Let the Bodies Hit the Floor, Volume 1

Contains stories by Mike Marcus, David Rider, Brian Asman, Bridgett Nelson, Dev Jarrett, K. Mason, Sam Rebelein, Jonathan Rae Rivera, Nick Roberts, R.A. Clarke, Jen Ellwyn, and Ali Seay.

Beware of the night, for it shows no mercy.

Your pulse quickens as the last sprinklings of light twinkle out on the inky horizon. Sweat beads at your temples when ominous 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 Steven Pajak, R.E. Sargent, and others.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

That noise in the dead of night. The shadow that slips by almost unnoticed. The fear that pulverizes your sense of reasoning and pushes you deep down under seven layers of covers. There is no escaping it, and when the dark forces of the universe come after you, the world will know exactly what you are made of. Will you run? Will you fight? Maybe you’ll join forces with the darkness that rips through your quiet little life. Everyone’s dying to find out.  

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 R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, Jane Alvey Harris, Red Lagoe, Kayla Krantz, RJ Roles, Peter Rocha, Mike Duke, Cassandra Angler, Matthew A Clarke, Gerald Dean Rice, Alan Derosby and L.K. Pinaire.