Christmas brings out the best and worst in many people the world over — thus, lighting a fire in the bellies of storytellers who wish to strike warm fuzzies or tantalising terror in reader’s hearts. You won’t find the warm fuzzy feeling here; that’s not what we do! Don’t forget the milk and cookies, you’re going to need some extreme comforting while reading this collection of frightful festive horror shenanigans!*
After releasing several best-selling anthology series, I wanted to do something new. Having worked with a tremendous number of authors over the years, I decided to gather some of my favourites together and do an unthemed book. [Best of Indie Horror, and The Best Of Indie Horror Christmas Edition] are the result of that idea. Inside the covers, you will find an array of styles covering a wealth of sub genres. I present you with, the best of indie horror. ~ Kevin J. Kennedy
I don’t have this blog just to #SupportIndieHorror, I LOVE reading indie horror, and that’s how this blog was born. Almost a decade later and things have only gotten better! And I’m far from alone – we’ve watched authors grow, get famous, watched their books turn into movies, it’s crazy! I love being able to turn to The Dark Defender and say “OMG, I’m friends with them!” We’ve watched this genre grow, too! It’s never been easier for us Extreme Horror fans to find someone new to check out. Keven put together a kick ass collection of indie authors for this book of crazy Christmas shenanigans! Some names you’ll surely recognize, and a few you’ll be reading for the first time here. Check out this line up…
The book begins the way all holidays should – with traditions! TRADITION by Steve Stred in this case. Jacob, a man obsessed with Christmas. His quest for this year’s family tree begins with a heavenly spa, but things go south (see what I did there 😂) quickly when Jacob makes his first cut into o tannenbaum.
From there, see what Lex H. Jones has in store on the TOP FLOOR: SEASONAL FURNISHINGS AND CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. One of the men on the night shift janitorial crew, Thomas, finds a weird door while cleaning the department store he works in. He follows the path up the stairs and finds a whole floor of outdated Christmas supplies, and displays! As he looks around, he can’t believe how different it is from the way things are today. Then he starts to get dizzy… Doesn’t it seem odd to him that the doorway was blocked off and hidden behind a mural? He didn’t even think that maybe there’s a reason it was so well hidden. Now look at him. SMDH.
When we make our way back downstairs, RJ Roles pits scam artist against scam artist in PENNIES FOR SANTA. The generosity of strangers is bypassing Todd and his bell-ringer bucket this year. Seems that Santa’s little elves are working on something of their very own this season. As for Santa, well, read on …
CLITORIS KRAMPUS is one of my standouts among these cheerful holiday tales. Zoltán Komor brings us a love story where Mrs. Claus still adores her husband after all this time, and goes to great lengths to prove it. And that’s only the beginning, honey!
Veronica Smith fills us in on the true story of those creepy little trolls that follow Santa around in LET THE DAMN ELVES DIE ALREADY. It’s about little Candace, who saw her first elf at age six. Ten years later she sees the elves again, but this time it’s on HER terms.
Another stand out story from this collection is THE MALL SANTA by Eric Butler. After a failed job, a missing sister, and an eighteen month hiatus, a group of ‘friends’ reunite for one more score – they are going to rob Santa! Santa might have other plans though…
Patrick Reuman tells us a bedtime story about Santa’s origins in SANTA CLAWS. His real name, how he knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, and what happens to the naughty boys and girls after their parents lay them down for a long winter’s nap and Santa Claws comes to town.
I love the nod to The Devil’s Rejects in A LAST CHANCE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE by Matthew V. Brockmeyer. There’s a lot going on in this one, and is a little bleak. It’s a great story, but I kind of want to take a shower and shake it off, lol. There is a little light at the end of the tunnel – but not for everyone! Maybe that’s part of the miracle…
BLOOD, BULLETS, AND BAUBLES aren’t the only things in this festive short by David Owain Hughes. It also comes with hired assassins, zombie elves, and Klaws – you’ll find out exactly WHO he is when you read it.
You’ll find out that Matthew A. Clarke is about to bring us a fun yuletide yarn on the very first page of GOLDEN TICKET. The real ‘baubles’ show up one story late in the lineup! Telling your kids Christmas stories on Christmas Eve is a beautiful tradition, and it’s even more fun when you know you’re not supposed to be talking about this particular story. But, if you can’t talk about butt stuff on Christmas then what’s the point?
Kevin J. Kennedy wraps up this anthology by telling us a tale about a brother and sister that reunite to spend the holidays together for the first time since their parents died. Too bad they’re doing it in THE CHRISTMAS CABIN FROM HELL. Once they notice the three evil snowmen outside the only door, it’s probably already too late! I am really happy to tell you that this does not follow the typical horror movie formula, so Kev gets bonus points for that!
🎅 AUTHOR CONNECT / STALKING TIPS 🤶
Each of these author links lead to their Goodreads profile: Matthew V. Brockmeyer, Eric Butler, Matthew A. Clarke, David Owain Hughes, Lex H Jones, Kevin J. Kennedy, Zoltán Komor, Patrick Reuman, RJ Roles, Veronica Smith and Steve Stred
The Best of Indie Horror: Christmas Edition is available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Pick it up on Amazon now!
EDIT: That’s it for this one guys. It was scheduled to post days ago, but I screwed something up trying to schedule it, so… here we are. I have R&R many holiday horror anthologies over the years, I can’t get enough of ’em! Tell me what your favorite holiday collection is in the comments!
Steve Stred got me curious about other family holiday traditions… I want to hear about your family, and any weird things you might have to do every year. If you guys play along, I have a fun one to share with you!
P, L & N💋
~sg
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