HEROIN IN THE MAGIC NOW by Terry M. West

“I gave my life away. And what’s left inside hurts me, most of the time.” ~ Gary Hack

I learned some important rules about porn from William Tea, and there’s one rule that stands out here –
Rule 34: ‘If it exists, there’s porn of it.’

Gary Hack was a well known, and respected director – at one time.
But, after diving head-first into the world that surrounds the adult film industry, he found that he wasn’t strong enough to break the surface and swim back home.
These days Gary just wades through his existence with opiate-dulled senses, and he lurks among the Night Things with hopeless abandon. His film career now consists of directing underground fetish / exploitation videos. A dark piece of monster porn that he directed has gained the attention of Mr. Johnny Stücke – an entirely new kind of monster. One that inspires fear in the hearts of men, and Night Things.
Johnny Stücke knows that The Night Things are going to start climbing out of the shadows, and they’ll soon be making their way up the financial food chain. When there is money being made, there’s money to be spent… Johnny sees what the future holds for monster porn, so he’s hiring infamous director Gary Hack to create the greatest fringe-fetish video of all time.

Visit The Official Lair of Terry M. West

HEROIN IN THE MAGIC NOW @ The Official Lair of Terry M. West

HEROIN IN THE MAGIC NOW on Amazon
HEROIN IN THE MAGIC NOW on Goodreads

TERRY M. WEST on Amazon
TERRY M. WEST on Goodreads

Gary Hack

Johnny Stücke

HOO-DOO COUNTY HORRORS 2 by Jonathan Moon

In our second trip to Hoo-Doo County, we find three more horrors hiding among the trees – Letter From The Bottom of a Mine Shaft, Corpse Eater, and Owing Ira. Fredrick Price finds himself alone during the zombie apocalypse, and confronting the things he did before getting to the bottom of an empty mine shaft; Marty Newstead is starting his first day as a mortician in Hoo-Doo County, and finds out that there is more to the job than he bargained for; and a young member of the mob finds himself on the run from the family, only to end up in a much worse situation.
All three stories are great, but Owing Ira has to be my favorite one in this collection. The notes written by the author at the end say that this story has been revamped for this anthology. I’ll have to say that I’m glad I didn’t read the original version, because this one is phenomenal. Sometimes the worst monsters are not monsters at all. They’re human.

Hoo-Doo County Horrors 2 on Amazon
Hoo-Doo County Horrors 2 on Goodreads
Hoo-Doo County Horrors 2 on Library Thing
Hoo-Doo County Horrors 2 on Shelfari

You can find Jonathan Moon on his website – Monkey Faced Demon, as well as Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

GRISTLE & BONE by Duncan Ralston

Gristle & Bone ~ 7 Delectable Tales of Terror from Duncan Ralston

When successful restaurant owners Jim and Leanne Taymor confess to a grisly series of small town murders, their neighbor learns the gruesome truth that led them to kill. A young couple discovers the secret of a tourist town’s prosperity may lie in its sinfully delicious cuisine. Gonzo pornographers learn a brutal lesson following a tragedy they caused when life imitated “art.” Disgraced soldier Dean Vogel returns to his hometown and confronts the bullies, and a traumatic event, from his past. A reporter uncovers what really happened to the latest internet sensation, a troubled girl who disappeared on camera.

Gristle & Bone includes the novella, Scavengers, 4 novelettes, and 2 short stories.

Cannibalism, monsters, vengeful spirits, the apocalypse–chock-full of blood, mayhem, psychological horror, and good old fashioned gross-outs, Gristle & Bone is a tasty treat for horror fans!

LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE A HAPPY ENDING

I cannot praise this book highly enough.
Each short story pulled me into Duncan Ralston’s world a little bit further, and his world is a scary place to be. Not in the gross out and gory way that I’m usually going on about, but on a psychological level that is terrifying.
BABY TEETH:
Candace and Joel McMurray have fallen into a joyless routine, living more like a brother and sister than husband and wife. The doctor informed the couple that they would never be able to have a baby. He literally called Candace ‘barren’, and said that it was most likely caused by years of taking childhood antidepressants. Not caring how callous she sounded, Candace said that she wanted her own children – not someone else’s.
As determined as she was to not let the news affect their sex life, the depression and despair wouldn’t stay outside of the bedroom. They crept in when she wasn’t paying attention, and within a month even Joel stopped trying to initiate sex. They developed individual hobbies to keep them occupied. Candice started scrapbooking, and Joel started masturbating. Little did they know that by summertime, they’d be hearing the pitter-patter of little feet in their home.

FAT OF THE LAND:
June hated the temper tantrums that that her husband threw. When one of her girlfriends asked her if she and her husband ever wanted to have kids, she was only partially joking when she replied with “I’ve already got one kid to worry about, thanks”. They’re multi-tasking a vacation this weekend – attending the wedding/union of their friends Max & Darrin, June’s photo shoot to help scout locations for an upcoming movie, and the annual 4th of July party held in a multi-million dollar mansion in the same town. Today’s tantrum was brought on when David couldn’t find the letter inviting them to the ultra-exclusive Independence Day party.
June was only trying to calm her husband down and pacify him by saying that perhaps the maid had mistaken the letter for trash, and accidently threw it away. David jumped on the opportunity to place the blame on anyone other than on himself, and promptly complained to the front desk. Again, trying to keep any semblance of peace, June jumped in when the clerk asked how the hotel could make up for the negligence of one of their employees. She asked the clerk if she could recommend a restaurant – the couple referred to themselves as Foodies, and were always on the lookout for something special – a diamond in the rough.
Whatever the reason – the staff at the Seaside Inn directed the couple to Ambrosia. The smells and the atmosphere pulled them in immediately, and they fell into a kind of trance while listening to the Chef prepare their meals – only coming back to their senses when they were back in their car and David was vomiting up his spleen.
Something had come over them while they were in that restaurant, and when June returned to Ambrosia unannounced the next day – the nightmare truely began.

BEWARE OF DOG:
Dean Vogel returned to his hometown after being dishonorably discharged from the armed forces.
He has been placed in the care of his aging parents, and is about to start his court ordered therapy. Therapy that he had no intention of finishing. By his fourth session, Dean was on the verge of a major breakthrough.
With help from Dr. Baswell, the skeletons that have been hiding away in Dean’s subconscious have started moving again – and they were ready to come out once and for all. Dean is about to remember the truth behind the incident from his childhood, and the truth doesn’t always set you free.

//END USER:
Mason Adler is a paranoid man, he can be summed up pretty neatly by the t-shirts that read “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me”. The relationship that develops between Mason and Jenna, (his CPU), started out like the relationship that Joaquin Phoenix had with Scarlett Johansson in the movie HER, but it took a left turn at Albuquerque – and things got really messed up from there!

VIRAL:
If forced to choose a favorite from Gristle & Bone, VIRAL would be it. It centers around a fourteen year old girl, and a video that was uploaded on YouTube moments before she disappeared.
Daria Walker’s story isn’t a new one, she is picked on at school, and feels invisible in her home. She started cutting when she was twelve, and she used it as a way to deal with her depression. It was never about wanting attention, or crying out for help or sympathy. What sets Daria’s video apart from others like it, is the same thing that caught the attention of reporter Tara Maxwell – the teenager didn’t just end up missing, she literally disappeared – right in front of the camera.
Most of the people who have seen the video call it a hoax. But, Tara sees something else. She can see the pain in Daria’s eyes, and can hear the desperation in her voice. She sees herself at that age, and that is what is pulling her into the story. Tara knows what it is like to feel invisible at home, and wish to become invisible at school. She knows each and every one of those feels. That is what is driving Tara to find out exactly what happened to Daria.
If she can help Daria, will she be able to save herself in the process?
ARTIFACT (#37):

ILEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM
This SS has the feel of a Girls Gone Wild video, with a little bit of Boogie Nights sprinkled on top. Throw in a vengeful spirit, and let the fun begin!!  It’s hard to talk about each story individually when they’re all so damn good!

SCAVENGERS:
I started this story, and fell into a Grant Mazzy trance…

 Grant Mazzy: Mrs. French’s cat is missing. The signs are posted all over town. “Have you seen Honey?” We’ve all seen the posters, but nobody has seen Honey the cat. Nobody. Until last Thursday morning, when Miss Colette Piscine swerved her car to miss Honey the cat as she drove across a bridge. Well this bridge, now slightly damaged, is a bit of a local treasure and even has its own fancy name; Pont de Flaque. Now Collette, that sounds like Culotte. That’s Panty in French. And Piscine means Pool. Panty pool. Flaque also means pool in French, so Colete Piscine, in French Panty Pool, drives over the Pont de Flaque, the Pont de Pool if you will, to avoid hitting Mrs. French’s cat that has been missing in Pontypool. Pontypool. Pontypool. Panty pool. Pont de Flaque. What does it mean? Well, Norman Mailer, he had an interesting theory that he used to explain the strange coincidences in the aftermath of the JFK assasination. In the wake of huge events, after them and before them, physical details they spasm for a moment; they sort of unlock and when they come back into focus they suddenly coincide in a weird way. Street names and birthdates and middle names, all kind of superfluous things appear related to eachother. It’s a ripple effect. So, what does it mean? Well… it means something’s going to happen. Something big. But then, something’s always about to happen.

But this isn’t Pontypool, and these Scavengers are more the LURKER type.
(If you don’t know Pontypool – yes, this is a huge compliment)

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=stories+horror%2CB00L3ETNLE

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=stories+horror%2CB00L3ETNLE

http://duncanralston.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7509031.Duncan_Ralston

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BuzzFeed-Books: The Great Debate!

The Great E-Books Vs. Print Debate
On which side do you stand in the Battle of the Books?
Six BuzzFeed employees engage in a vicious debate to decide which books are better, printed or electric.
Moderated by Nathan Pyle

Originally posted on BuzzFeed Books – click HERE to see the vicious debate between six BuzzFeed employees.
Then, come back here so we can have our own debate!
I’m curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.

Since we have to choose a side, (for this discussion only), once you choose, don’t hesitate to share why you love them both!

I love the smell of literature in the morning…

I use my e-dictionary & highlighting options DAILY.

Personally, for the ME I am right now, I have to argue on the side of e-books. Don’t think that I don’t love everything about a printed book – the feel, the smell, the pride of looking at your collection…::sigh:: I’ll try for three Pro/Con points –
$ £ One of my arguments for e-books is COST.
I’M BROKE. Not just the regular “If I eat Top Ramen twice a day, then I can justify buying the new Laurell K. Hamilton hardcover this week,” broke. No. I’m at the – “If I don’t want to die, I can eat Top Ramen twice a day, and still afford to drink something other than water,” kind of broke. Having an e-reader allows me an escape from this one room slice of paradise located in the seventh circle of Hell, (take a left at Albuquerque, exit just past Xibilba). Without reading, I’d die.
☼ ☀ READING IN BED has many perks –
I can use ‘night mode’, (black screen w/white lettering), and read all night without the light disturbing my husband. Having to get out of bed to turn off the light, right at the perfect moment to close my eyes & drift off), isn’t a ‘thing’ anymore. Positional comfort and page turning without uncovering my [covered] ‘warm arm’ are other pros. Let’s not forget the possibility of monsters getting me when I set my feet on the floor to go switch off the light! No longer an issue!
♪♫ Here’s one I’m probably alone on, TTS.
Short of hiring a midget to stand by the headboard and tell you a story, you don’t have a Text To Speech option with a printed book. If you have any device other than a Kindle, the TTS options are pretty awesome these days. I love IVONA, and have two (free) voices for the program. Kendra is my US voice, and Jennifer is my UK voice. I adjusted the pitch and speed for both, and got them to sound really good. HOWEVER… I only have Ivona on my cell. My Kindle still uses the factory voice, but, I got used to it pretty quick. Now, if my eyes are sleepy, I don’t have to stop the story. I listen to books on my way to & from work, and I look forward to my walks! TTS has made a HUGE impact on my life.

I adore my printed books though. (I have 5 next to me right now.) But, for the purposes of this debate – I chose to stand on the side of EVIL.
Now, IT’S YOUR TURN!
Use the social media buttons at the bottom, and share this with your master-debater, book-loving friends!
Make your choice, aannndddd… GO!

Feed Your Monsters!

Merry Monsters

If they were caroling, what song would they be singing?

Down The Cellar Steps – Arthur Pendryll

A YA HORROR STORY BY ARTHUR PENDRYLL

Nanny Carla asks Melanie, “Why do you even want to go into the cellar? There’s nothing but bottles down there anyway.”
Melanie is pretty smart, she says… “If it’s just bottles, then why doesn’t mommy want me to go down there?”
I hate smart kids.
You can never get away with anything.

Melanie’ s curiosity, mixed with the element of the forbidden, has made this more than just a side thought. It’s now a quest. She HAS to see what’s down there. She can hear the monster. She can here it breathing. Mommy & daddy have told her that it’s just the wind, or just her imagination, but she’s not dumb. She knows… noises mean something, and there are noises in the basement.
Melanie is a little afraid, she can’t help it. Finding out what is making the noises in the cellar is the only thing on her mind. The trouble she will get into is just an afterthought. Only the noises. She realizes that even though she is scared, she’ll be safe as long as she’s wearing the bracelet that Nanny Carla gave to her. She looks at it, and starts heading down…

I didn’t see where this book was classified as YA, but, it has a YA feel to it, and it has this warning on the Amazon page…
“Warning: This horror story has very dark and disturbing images. Adults should read carefully before determining if the content is appropriate for a child in their care.”

THE CRAWLING ABATTOIR By Martin Mundt

A COLLECTION OF TH1R33N SHORT STORIES – appx 159 pps
BY: MARTIN MUNDT

PREFACE:
14 Years Later, The Abattoir Crawls On
By John Everson
INTRODUCTION:
A Cookie With Arsenic In It
By Jay Bonansinga

ab·at·toir – noun – \ˈa-bə-ˌtwär, -ˌtwȯr, -ˌtȯr\
Definition : slaughterhouse

THE CRAWLING ABATTOIR is an anthology from Martin Mundt, a collection of thirteen SS. The Amazon synopsis goes like this…
*For a group of short stories written over a period of several years for unrelated reasons, “The Crawling Abattoir” wouldn’t seem a like candidate to have a theme, but it does: the hilarity of horror. The funny side of agony. Hit me with your torture-shtick!
From the desperation of a lonely necrophile deeply frustrated by unrequited corpse-love; to a really rotten clown’s long drawn-out discovery that success comes only after paying his dues in multiple broken bones, lacerated kidneys, lots and lots of blood and more; and to the horrible, horrible, (really horrible) misfortunes of Little Timmy, an innocent youngster badly mistreated by the world for no very good reason other than the reader’s enjoyment; this collection will jam a rusty icepick all the way through your funny-bone, and you’ll laugh until you cry through months of expensive, excruciating elbow rehabilitation. Enjoy!
“Martin Mundt is a nasty, warped, zero-temperature so-and-so who can’t put two words together without first snickering, then slitting their throats. No wonder reading him is such a pleasure.” — Peter Straub
Now, my “synopsis” of each one…

DWF:
Love letters from a necrophiliac to his ‘crush’.
Craig is in love. Head over heals. He writes and tells her of his unrequited love, but, his crush never answers his letters. He tries to share his life with someone else – but… she’s not…HER. You’ll see what lengths she will go to to try & keep Rex in her life. She’s pretty determined! Or – to borrow a quote from AHS … “She’s goddamned PLUCKY.”

NIGHTFIGHTER:

BUG MESS:
Wayne & Kara are homeowners now, for better or for worse. Wayne, being a former exterminator & still having some kick ass poisons, is determined to stay put and take care of this ‘bug problem’ himself. While searching the house, they come across mounds upon mounds of cockroach feces, and some interesting looking bones, and some even more interesting bugs…
This one made my skin crawl, if you’re wary of bugs of ANY kind, read this one in the daytime! I love the names of his poisons, too!

THE WORST CLOWN IN THE WORLD:
Slappo IS the worst clown in the world. He’s got a bad attitude, he’s dirty, and he’s got a mouth to match! That language shouldn’t be used around the kids. Neither should his smoking or drinking. It’s these things, added with a little bad luck, that bring Slappo to his last gig – the one that will make him or break him. He might have a chance to turn his life around – with a little help from a stranger.

REINCARNATION OF THE DALI LLAMA:
Tenzin The First, The Great And Serene Leader Of The Temple Of The Only Right And True Way To Do Things has been reincarnated, again, and his brother monks are searching to find him. Again. With flashbacks to ice picks, machetes, and even the electric chair – we quickly learn that these monks aren’t so serene! Their red mohawks and matching robes seem a little sinister as well. There was a great chuckle when I read what Tenzin The First chose to be reincarnated into this time.

EMPTINESS, SHAPED LIKE A MAN:
This one is strange, I can’t quite think of something to say. Did you see the movie ‘Fallen’, it has Denzel in it. It’s about this killer who jumps from body to body after dying in the electric chair.. this is a little like that.

KEVIN BACON KILLED MY GIRLFRIEND:
“You know how a woman can get on your nerves like that just by nagging you about stupid shit like what her name is?”
“As a general rule, you never want to listen to what a woman says, you want to listen to what she really means. Like, for example ‘Go away’ and ‘I don’t like you’. And, you can’t take, Drop dead’ literally, right?”
“I never give up, because I’m not a loser”
These lines should show you the mindset of the main character in this one! Fah Reak!
Join this Kevin Bacon look alike as he tells a story about a day in the life of him & his girlfriend, who happens to be the spitting image of Pamela Anderson. ::winks::

MANIAC WORM:
As much as I researched & wished… Arno Spivey does not exist. Trust me.
This story is about Arno Spivey and the comics he wrote in ’53. (The kind that mothers refused to let their kids read.) And, a man who grew up holding a grudge against the ones who took every one of his Spivey possessions as a child – and disposed of them in a most unusual manner.
A man who did what any man with a childhood obsession would do – find and replace every single piece. He may regret that decision.
This is probably the best & most known story from MM, and the name of the book originated from this one as well.

LOVE IS A DEAD, DEAD ROSE:
Rex is at it again! Necrophillia at it’s finest! Keep Rex company as he writes letter after letter to various publications, longing for an answer…from anyone. The letter to Calvin Klein is especially twisted! (Made me laugh!)

ROAD RAGE:
“It’s a good day to die in traffic…”
Mother broadcasts the traffic on WDIE radio. Listen and ride. Smart roads, the roads drove the cars, not the drivers. It worked at first, until people got bored. Boredom brings trouble. So, they implement the Scenery Creating Anti-Rage Experimental Design. SCARED. Telepathic projectors broadcasting subliminal messages into commuters minds. It worked at first, until people got bored. The other problem… SCARED was addictive. Highly addictive. Drivers coming out during all hours – looking to get their Serotonin fix, causing traffic back-ups and accidents.
Traffic was becoming more than a mere problem. It was an epidemic. People who had nowhere to go… went. People purposely drove in the wrong direction, so they could turn around and go back. It became worse every day. Millions, billions, zillions went into the smart road! All the technology, all the money, all the experiments, they caused something to happen. The smart road became The Road. Conscious. The Road was awake. It was aware. It was alive. And… it was pissed.
I’d drive on The Road! Shit, I’d sell my house & buy a Mobil Home!

AUTOREAPER:
This one had a chance to become the kind of short story that made me hate them once. Thank Dog that Martin Mundt isn’t “that strange guy from Maine”, and he didn’t make me swear off SS again!
A little town in Iowa has a new business. Little Timmy is the first to see the odd funeral home. An odd building with no windows & no doors, just a small rectangular opening in the front. Little Timmy was the first to see what happened in the cemetery, too. Little Timmy sees what is happening, and figures out what must be done to escape. But… can he? [Insert dramatic music here]
This had a little more of a sci/fi feel to it than I usually enjoy, but – still a good story.
* did you catch the little nod to Rex in this one?

THE WILLIES:
Little Timmy (the same kid from AUTOREAPER) (You know I like when that happens!) and his 4 friends find a severed hand while out playing. If the gang needed something gross to be done – Little Timmy was their man. It was kind of his thing. So, naturally, LT is the one who is called on to ‘touch it’. He gathers up his nerve, steps up, and not only does he touch it… he picks the cold, dead hand up. He holds on for only a moment before throwing it back to the ground, trying to convince the others that “it moved”. That was the exact moment – and this is the story of – how Little Timmy got The Willies. He can’t seem to get his mom to believe him, so – he has to deal with The Willies on his own, in the only way can. This is another of the better stories in this collection. A little Jody Verrel (Creepshow) feel to it, but – taken to more of an extreme.

STUCK ON YOU:
Peter Barry Manilow and Lola are kind of enjoying each other’s company. As much as you can enjoy a 2a.m., near dark, last minute, bar closing hook-up. Until they find out the Mr. Manly’ SuperSpecial Valentine’s Day RedHot Erotic Man Wrapper brand condoms they were using did something that they weren’t supposed to do.
This Valentine’s Day, these particular Man Wrappers seemed to be a hot ticket item, since everyone that was in the emergency room was there because of them. Unfortunately, some product tampering with the Mr. Manly SuperSpecial Red Hot Erotic Man Wrappers altered the chemical structure of the latex, turning it into an epoxy- like substance, bonding skin to skin. Hence the comical scene in the ER. Imagine, if you will, all the sexual perversions you can, the ones that will include use of a condom, anyway. Peter finds it all ‘a little erotic’, unfortunately, no one else seems to find any amusement in their current situation.

While uploading the cover for this review, I noticed something quite disturbing. See if you can figure out what I mean. Answer in the comments.

I’m really going to start having contests and giveaways.
Most likely, it will be books. But, I am going to start this promotion SOON. Even if I keep it down to one book a month, it won’t break me.
Watch for it. I have an idea already!

For information on this, and other MM titles, please visit http://www.martinmundt.com

http://www.darkartsbooks.com

Classic & Custom Monsters/Monstrosities

Horror Commercial/Short for custom made figures by Kim’s Sticks & Strings.

You can follow Kreepy Kim and her kreature kreations on Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/KimsCreepyCreations?ref=ts&fref=ts

And be on the lookout for the BBB Artist Spotlight interview with Kim Sofia! – coming soon

A HACKED-UP HOLIDAY MASSACRE

A Hacked-Up Holiday Massacre:

Halloween is Going to be Jealous

24 holiday themed horror shorts by some of the leading names in the genre. You want blood? You’ll get buckets.

CONSENSUAL:
In my best ‘Joe Dirt’ impersonation…”When good fetishs go bad, dang!” In a style that only Jack Ketchum can deliver, this story of extreme S&M, and the lengths some people will go to for sexual pleasure, will make you cringe!

SECUREDATE.COM:
Boyd E. Harris tells us the story of Patrice, and how she comes to put her love life into the hands of an online dating service, Agent Cupid, and the bizarre man behind the Agent Cupid program.

FACE:
February 29th is a day of chaos. The day that shouldn’t be. Thank goodness it only comes once every four years. In this Leap Day themed short by Patcick Shand, Logan learns just how sinister this day can be.

In PINCH by Shane McKenzie, we’re in a dark & gloomy back-alley with Slim and his dog Luther. Starving, homeless, & strung out, Slim is just trying to be invisible to the drunken bar-hoppers. He knows that in the spirit of the holiday, if you’re not wearing any green on St. Patrick’s Day, you can get ‘pinched’ by other SPD celebrators. It’s a shame that his dog Luther is color-blind.

GHUNT:
In this Easter themed short from Lee Thomas, we’re spending the day with Sally, her family, and… her memories. She finds Easter, and it’s traditions, distasteful. But, she won’t ruin her daughters holiday. She covers her disgust by feigning disinterest, but she will never forget that Easter of her tenth year. She’ll go to any lengths to assure her daughters holiday will never include her Uncle Easter Bunny or his ‘egg hunts’.

JOYEUX PÂQUES:
Emma Ennis tells the tale of Easter in the town of Murrins. It is not a time of fluffy bunnies or chocolate eggs. Murrins has a dark and embarassing history. One that returns to haunt the towns inhabitants, and to remind them – the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.

THE GREATEST SIN:
In this short by Kevin Wallace, Arbor Day is celebrated by the trees – and this year…they’re pissed!

THE GREENHOUSE GARDEN OF SUICIDES:
Kirk Jones pens a different kind of Arbor Day tale this time around. One where the plants and humans intertwine to become one grotesque creature. A creature that doesn’t want to be alone!

I ♥ RECYCLING:
A creepy twist on Earth Day from author Leslie Connor – The last place Matt wants to be is in the woods, with his family, just because his step-dad wants to plant a tree for Earth Day. But this Earth Day awakens something evil in these woods, and Matt doesn’t know if he, or his family, will make it out alive.

TACO MEAT:
Author John McNee knows how to ruin a perfectly heavenly Mexican dinner! This is a Cinco De Mayo celebration story of four boys and a prank gone horribly wrong. A short story about the obsession of revenge!

REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT LIVING OUT IN THE COUNTRY?:
I do, I do!  “Out in the country, no one will hear you scream!”
When I talked to A.J. Brown, he told me that Mother’s Day was not his first choice of holidays to write a horror short about, but he wrote one that will stick with me forever!
Cyrus is a down home, good ole boy. He hates kids and goes to any lengths to ensure he never has any of his own. Extreme lenghts. But, when he finds a woman to settle down with – she’s willing to use even more extreme measures to make sure she gets the child she wants. Who will emerge the victor?

EVERY DAY A HOLIDAY:
Steve Lowe has created many holidays for this story, but – it’s mainly a story about Fathers Day. Set in an apocalyptic future, one faimly goes to extreme lenghts to make sure the father is our of their lives for good.

SEEING RED:
SunVerge is having its annual Employee Appreciation Day picnic & festivities. The employees have their own hidden agendas for this event. A team building exercise based on a Venesualan tradition, La Tomatina, is being incorporated into the event – hopefully to let workers get out some of their aggressions in a fun and structured environment. The author, Chris Lewis Carter, had more in mind for us readers, and twisted together a story violence & revenge for this outing! Who will make it out alive ? I’m looking forward to reading more of CLC’s works!

SOUTHERN FRIED CRUELTY:
For World Animal Day, Matt Kurtz writes us a story about revenge on the cowardly assclowns who abuse animals for
fun. Taking revenge on as ‘an eye for an eye’ task – this story is pretty gruesome. Scenes of violence against the animals disturbed me more than the extreme violence on the humans, tho!!

BY BIZARRE HANDS is a story about a traveling preacher, trying to spread salvation (among other things) & His word.  Joe R. Lansdale wrote this Halloween short story about Preacher Judd, who’s gotten wind of a retarded girl who is in need of some of bible-learning. A girl just like his late sister, the one who died on Halloween many years ago. If he can get some God-Sense into this girl – maybe he’ll be able to let his sister rest in peace.

FAMILY MAN:
A Halloween story by John Bruni.
Sid & Stan. Identical twin brothers, with urges… like their father and their grandfather before them. At one time – they were the perfect yin and yang. These days, everything surrounding Stan is a cluster-fuck that Sid wants no part of. They were taught that family means everything. But, Sid has his own family now. A family that he has taught well.
This is a cute story, and I especially liked the line… “You’ve had enough fun for one night. It’s bedtime. Take your uncles face off.” HALLOWEEN Fun for the whole family!! Hahaha

WE RUN RACES WITH GOBLIN TROOPERS:
This Veteran’s Day story by Lee Thompson is about a retired soldier, trying to come to terms with his past. He can’t hide from his own mind and the memories of things he had done. The story is told in journal form, as he is trying to cope with the ghosts.

PASCAL’S WAGER:
I hate to admit this, but this short story was my first experience with Wrath James Wright! I know! Right? For a lover of sick & twisted like myself – I should have started ages ago. I have many full lenghth novels in my queue now, so… fear not! Many reviews to come! NOW… about Pascal’s Wager… I loved this. The obsession with “which religion is the right one” is taken to such a bizarre extreme! Although this is set during our traditional November Thanksgiving – it touches base with traditions from every religion during this time of year. It has an ending that will leave you with your jaw hanging open & a WTF expression on your face.

A SPECIAL SURPRISE AT THANKSGIVING DINNER by Elle Richfield is another SS surrounding Thanksgiving, but this one focuses more on a traditional family holiday than on one guy in November. Hector has prepared a special holiday feast for his fat wife Norma, and her bitch of a mother Ilene. The women that were the bane of his existence all these years. But, with some luck, and a special recipe, he’s going to turn into the bane of theirs. Not a traditional family Thanksgiving story, but one I’ll remember every year as the turkey is about to be carved! I can’t wait until someone asks me why I’m smirking at the table this year. I’ll just be thankful if I can hold my tongue!

WAITING FOR SANTA:
Bently Little believes that you’re never too old to believe in Santa. The man in this story is surprised when he finds out his 23 year old wife honestly believes in the fat man. He’s shocked when he is awoken on Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning by sounds on the roof… then inside his home. He is horrified by what he learns about Christmas this year, and what takes the place of candy & toys for adults. But he’s even more terrified when his wife brings up The Easter Bunny a couple of months later!

HUNG WITH CARE:
Christmas miracles are few & far between during these hacked up holidays. So – keep your eyes peeled when Ty Schwamberger gives us a serial killer Christmas! A murderous Santa breaking into homes on Christmas eve, and hanging more than just stockings from the fireplace.
“The hands are hung by the chimney with care…
In hopes that folks from everywhere far and wide, will know that Christmas is the time to die.”

SUNSHINE BEAMED:
A Christmas SS by Marie Green
Sunshine (aka Sunny) is full of joy this morning! As she sneaks outside to take a peek at the neighbors beautiful Christmas tree, she has an idea… she is going to decorate the tree in the yard as a surprise for her family. And, they are really surprised when they wake up and see what she’s done.

DIA DE LOS INOCENTES:
A group of friends decide to sneak across the border into Mexico. One of them has a ‘girlfriend’ in the area whose parents are out of town for the holidays, and she will have the house to herself. They’ve saved up some cash and are ready for an adventure! But… the adventure they run into is not what they had in mind! One of the guys escapes after watching his friends die , and THATS when the fun really starts! It’s The Day of the Innocents and Elias Siqueiros is going to teach you all about it.

THREE, TWO, ONE:
Well…we’ve come full circle  )O(  Nate Southard is rounding-up this collection with a SS  about the last New Year’s Eve that mankind will ever celebrate. Told through a series of journal entries from one of the men who helped introduce ‘The Complex’ to an unsuspecting Manhattan. It’s happening all over the world, The Complex is being released and a handful of people have volunteered to watch and take notes until they’ve succumbed to the virus. A great story and IMO – an absolutely perfect ending to this anthology!

A Hacked-Up Holiday Massacre was edited by Shane Mackenzie.
I’ve gotten to chat with, or became friends with most of the authors since reading this. So, even though a ton of work went into getting this post together on time – it was worth every second of editing, formatting, and a lengthy html headache.
(You’ll need to ask my husband if my overly-anal editing was worth the time he had to spend fixing the vacuum cleaner that mysteriously fell apart all on it’s own – with no help from me whatsoever. I wasn’t even in the same room.

I didn’t do it.
Nobody saw me do it.
You can’t prove anything.

* SHANE McKENZIE’s Blog : THE THINGS IN MY HEAD –
http://www.shanemckenziewriter.blogspot.com/

* JOHN BRUNI’s Blog : TALES OF UNSPEAKABLE TASTE
http://www.talesofunspeakabletaste.blogspot.com/?zx=3d6409c4fbd54a3b

* CHRIS LEWIS CARTER can be reached at – chrislewiscarter@gmail.com

* LESLY CONNER’s Blog IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE(
http://www.lesleyconner.com/

* TERRIBLY WITTY IDEAS WITH EMMA ENNIS
http://authoremmaennis.blogspot.com/

* BOYD E. HARRIS works at, and can be reached at –
http://www.cuttingblock.net/

* FUN FACT: Joe R. Lansdale wrote BUBBA HO TEP, the one that our Main Man BRUCE’s movie was based on! He’s also featured in Showtime’s MASTERS OF HORROR series. You can contact him on Facebook – helluva guy!

* TY SCHWAMBERGER’s official Blog is right here on WP –
http://tyschwamberger.com/

* NATE SOUTHARD’s STATIC BROADCASTS –
http://www.natesouthard.com/

* LEE THOMAS’s Blog can be found at –
http://www.leethomasauthor.com/

* LEE THOMPSON’s official Blog –
http://www.leethompsonfiction.com/

Most of the authors have Facebook pages, but until I get permission from everyone – I won’t post any addresses. That shouldn’t stop you from looking them up on your own & reaching out to tell them how you felt about their work. I’ll ask my Facebook stalker expert if she has any tips to share!
I hope you had fun with this one. I took a different approach, and I liked how the reviews turned out. Let me know if you felt the same – all comments are appreciated.
♥ PEACE, LOVE, & NECROPHILLIA
~sg

A Hacked-Up Holiday Massacre: Halloween is Going to be Jealous on Amazon