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

Crystal Lake Publishing (Tales from the Darkest Depths) proudly presents this Bram Stoker Award-nominated non-fiction anthology, Horror 101: The Way Forward.

Horror 101: The Way Forward – a comprehensive overview of the Horror fiction genre and career opportunities available to established and aspiring authors.

Ever wanted to be a writer? Make money online? Perhaps you’ve already realized that dream and you’re looking to expand your repertoire. Writing comic books sounds nice, right? Or how about screenplays?

Covering aspects such as movies, comics, short stories, ghost-writing, audiobooks, editing, publishing, self-publishing, blogging, writer’s block, YA horror, dark poetry, networking, collaborations, eBooks, podcasts, conventions, formatting, web serials, artwork, social media, agents, and career advice from seasoned professionals and up-and-coming talents, Horror 101 is just what you need to kick your career into high gear.

Horror 101, although written by horror authors, is a must read for any person interested in becoming a writer, be it writing for a hobby or a career. 

Horror 101 is not your average On Writing guide. Horror 101 focuses on the career of an author. It covers not only insights into the horror genre, but the people who successfully make a living from it.

Horror 101: The Way Forward is perfect for people who:

• are starting their writing careers
• 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

Here are just a few of the great articles and essays you can expect:

• Making Contact by Jack Ketchum
• What is Horror by Graham Masterton
• Avoiding What’s Been Done to Death by Ramsey Campbell
• What a Short Story Editor Does by Ellen Datlow
• Bitten by the Horror Bug by Edward Lee
• 12 Tips on Making a Career of It by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Screamplays! Writing the Horror Film by Lisa Morton
• Balancing Art and Commerce by Taylor Grant
• From Prose to Scripts by Shane McKenzie
• Writing About Films and for Film by Paul Kane
• Screenplay Writing by Dean M. Drinkel
• Audiobooks by Chet Williamson
• Ghost-writing by Thomas Smith
• Self-Publishing: Making Your Own Dreams by Iain Rob Wright
• The Pros and Cons of Collaborations by Michael McCarty
• A beginner’s guide to setting up and running a website by Michael Wilson
• Poetry and Horror by Blaze McRob
• So you want to write comic books… by C.E.L. Welsh
• Writing the Series by Armand Rosamilia
• Running a Web serial by Tonia Brown
• The 7 Signs that make Agents and Editors say, "Yes!" by Anonymous
• Filthy Habits – Writing and Routine by Jasper Bark
• Ten Short Story Endings to Avoid by William Meikle
• Editing and Proofreading by Diane Parkin

The +Horror Library+ anthologies are internationally praised as a groundbreaking source of contemporary horror short fiction stories--relevant to the moment and stunning in impact--from leading authors of the macabre and darkly imaginative.

Filled with Fears and Fantasy. Death and Dark Dreams. Monsters and Mayhem. Literary Vision and Wonder. Each volume of the +Horror Library+ series is packed with heart-pounding thrills and creepy contemplations as to what truly lurks among the shadows of the world(s) we live in.

Containing 30 all-original stories, read Volume 5 in this ongoing anthology series, and then continue with the other volumes.

Shamble no longer through the banal humdrum of normalcy, but ENTER THE HORROR LIBRARY!

Included within Volume 5:

-  In "Jerrod Steihl Goes Home," a bullied schoolboy brings to class a book of incantations.

-  In "The Happiness Toy," a shy young woman is visited by a door-to-door salesman who's selling pleasure of a physical kind.

-  In "Footprints Fading in the Desert," a woman stranded in the desert finds a barefoot savior who promises help.

-  . . . and more!

But be warned, fellow traveler… this is not just a book—it is a journey into the very life of Death.

Listen to the tales of the afterlife: Halloween, vampires, Heaven, Hell, Armageddon, zombies, death-bringing angels, ghosts, cults, ritual killings, nightmares from Vietnam... The lists goes on and on.

Ever wondered if it was possible to cheat death? To kill Death?
Did you know Death was a girl?
Or that it’s possible to escape and even become death?

The fear of death is as real as you and I.

You’ll be forced to answer the hard questions, and find out the answers to so much more. Like why you’re really here. Or the secret behind our fascination with the afterlife, not to mention the horrors of the actual event. These are not just stories but horrific experiences of pain and death: the deaths of lonely people, famous people, entire worlds, the death of innocence, and the pain of those left behind as they await their turn, wondering what it will be like.

No one is safe from the Reaper!

For your reading pleasure, we have assembled the following souls to share with you their grave stories: Gary A. Braunbeck, Joe McKinney, Rick Hautala, Gary Fry, Ross Warren, Marty Young, Stephen Bacon, Dean M Drinkel, Richard Thomas, Sam Stone, Eric S Brown, Mark Sheldon, Steve Lockley, Robert S. Wilson, Jeremy C Shipp, Jeff Strand, Lawrence Santoro, E.C. McMullen Jr., Rena Mason, John Kenny, and Taylor Grant. And even a bit of poetic justice from Adam Lowe.

Includes artwork by fellow travelers Ben Baldwin and Will Jacques, and an introduction by Gary McMahon.

So sit back and enjoy twenty thrillingly suspenseful horror stories that will allow you to stare into the eyes of the Grim Reaper:

• The Life of Death by Mark Sheldon
• Stumps by Jeff Strand
• Death Squared by Rena Mason
• Rapid Eye Movement by Stephen Bacon
  
• The Final Room by John Kenny
• The Culling by Richard Thomas
• Crow by Steve Lockley
• Instructions on the Use of The M-57 Clacker by Lawrence Santoro
• The Death Catcher by Robert S. Wilson
• Cedo Looked like people by E.C. McMullen Jr.
• Spectres by Taylor Grant
• The Tubes by Jeremy C. Shipp
• A Life in Five Objects by Ross Warren
• Death Comes for us All by Eric S. Brown
• The Last Resort by Sam Stone
• At the ‘Pay Here, Please’ Table by Gary A. Braunbeck
• Der Engel der Liebe by Dean M Drinkel
• The Frequency of Death by Marty Young
• The Final Peace by Gary Fry
• Do No Harm by Joe McKinney
• Non-Returnable by Rick Hautala

This book is dedicated to posthumously to Rick Hautala and Lawrence Santoro. May their stories never be forgotten.

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

Fear the Reaper eBook categories:

• Horror Anthology
• Horror Short Stories
• US Horror Fiction
• Supernatural Thriller
• Dark Fantasy Horror
• Horror Suspense
• Horror Poetry
• Disturbing Suspense
• Dark Humor
• Metaphysical Horror
• Apocalyptic Science Fiction

Welcome to The Lake.

Remember those dark and scary nights spent telling ghost stories and other campfire tales? With the Tales from The Lake anthologies, you can relive the most memorable of those moments by reading the best Dark Fiction short stories from the best genre authors around.

From urban legends and ghosts, African witchdoctors / curses and living dolls, serial killers and seamonsters, to vengeful animals, demons wandering the earth, and the every day fight between good and evil, this anthology has it all.

So dive into fourteen tales of horror, with short stories and dark poems by some of the best horror writers in the world, including a story by the master himself, Graham Masterton.

Allow the very first installment of TALES FROM THE LAKE to transport you to lakeside terror in “Lover, Come Back to Me”, “Lady of Lost Lake”, and “Game On”; journey to the basement of your local pet store in “Dead Pull” and your neighborhood pub in “O’Halloran’s”; visit the apocalypse in “Devil’s Night”; travel to Africa in “Witch-Compass” and “The Reunion”; spend time with talking dolls in “Don’t Look at Me”; experience the horrors of drug addiction from close up in “Junksick”; and climb a ladder to the heavens in “Perrollo’s Ladder”.

TALES FROM THE LAKE VOL.1 includes the winning stories from the 2013 Tales From the Lake Horror Writing Competition: a nautical tale in Jennifer Loring’s “The Art of Wrecking”; a bizarre story of strange addictions in J. Daniel Stone’s “Alternative Muses”; and a cult horror story in the jungles of South America in William Ritchey’s “Las Maquinas”.

Vol.2, 3, 4 and 5 now available. Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from the Darkest Depths

Interview with the Authors:

So what makes Tales from The Lake so special?

Jennifer Loring: Tales from the Lake is one of the few anthology series where you can find a balance of established horror authors alongside new and emerging talent.

J. Daniel Stone: Tales from the Lake is special, I think, first and foremost in that it's an open-themed horror collection. Themes tend to—more than I want to admit, and some might disagree—constrict writers. I don't like that about themes. But with Tales from the Lake we are reading stories by writers who are not given any rules. Just write what one loves and submit. That's wonderful.

Tell us more about your story, and in which volume it appeared?

Jennifer Loring: My story “The Fine Art of Wrecking” was the first place winner of the Tales from the Lake competition. It's based on the traditional legend of wreckers on the East Coast using false lights to run ships ashore to be plundered, but takes a Lovecraftian turn.

J. Daniel Stone: My story “Alternative Muses” was the 2nd place winner in the original short story writing contest. The story focuses on a young couple who live on the fringes of society, but who soon are taken back to reality when they get pregnant. Things take a dark turn, and the need to transcend normality and complacency drive this story to a wicked ending.

Why should readers give this series a try?

Jennifer Loring: You'll find stories from your favorite authors, but the series also gives you a chance to discover new voices.