Books published by Crystal Lake Publishing

This award-winning, psychological experience is back in print, and includes the exclusive sequel The Sound of his Bones Breaking, a novella that will leave you truly shaken."This taut, grisly thriller reads like a sick and twisted extreme horror SPEED. You don't know who, if anybody, will make it. Catch this bus at your own risk." - Eric Red, The Hitcher and Near Dark Board for free. But the cost might be your life.In House of Sighs, Local bus driver, Liz Frost, pulls the gun from her mouth and decides to live with her loneliness for one more day. She dresses, combs her hair, and goes to work. Nine souls board her route that fateful morning in rural Australia, nine souls who Liz drags back to her home against their will. She wants to build a new family from these passengers, men and women who are willing to kill to avoid becoming her kin. The bus leaves a trail of carnage in its wake as it rockets towards a house that has held its secrets for far too long, a place where crows now gather, ready to feed on whatever is left behind."Prepare to be blown away." - Dread CentralIncludes the sequel novella The Sound of his Bones Breaking:Trauma has teeth. Big ones. And it's always hungry for seconds.Aiden and Danny down their beers in the open bar overlooking the road, legs brushing together, about as far as they let their public displays of affection go in that part of Australia. The warm breeze and pounding music-their last happy memory. Everything changes when the taxi pulls up and its drunken driver stumbles out, starting a street brawl that leaves Danny broken and bleeding on the ground. In an attempt to give his lover the space he needs to heal, Aiden accepts an employment opportunity in Thailand, and the two men set off overseas, their fates sealed air-tight within the confines of the airplane. But in the claustrophobic hush of their tiny Bangkok apartment, and while Aiden goes off to work, instead of mending, Danny's old scars begin to sing.The lonely walks. The woman cooking bones in a vat of broth, whispering at him to eat the parts that hurt. The flies nobody but Danny can hear.A burning desire to trace his heritage of hurt back to ground zero, and there, find someone to blame.The Sound of his Bones Breaking is the dread-infused sequel to House of Sighs."Aaron Dries is a master of emotional horror. And there is horror here, but it's heightened by his authentic characters and their raw emotions. Dries makes you feel, makes your heart break. He also surprises you, taking the story in directions you'd never see coming." - Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Asylum and Companions in RuinProudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Seb McAlister is trapped between a circling mountain range in the desert. He needs to outwit a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare... and a fast car. Not to mention a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him.

Come peruse the dusty shelves of BOOK HAVEN. Scan the titles, study the strange trinkets that are lined up on display. Maybe pull aside the cobwebs and run your fingers alone the spines of the books, caress the artifacts. You will find many forgotten treasures and un-mined gems among the debris."Mark Allan Gunnells is one of our best short story writers, and this book continues that tradition. I loved reading this collection!"-John R. Little, author of Miranda, The Memory Tree, and The Murder of Jesus ChristFrom the author of Flowers in a Dumpster comes a new collection of stories to terrify you, to move you, to make you think. In the title novella, readers are introduced to a future where all literature has been lost, but a group of government agents are on the hunt for the mythological Book Haven, a vast secret library. Along the way, they encounter mysteries and betrayals and are not sure who they can trust.With Book Haven and Other Curiosities, Gunnells provides an eclectic mix of tales to entertain and engage the imagination. Some of what you find will be horrifying, some of it beautiful, but all of it is yours for the taking. We're so glad you found your way here and welcome you in side BOOK HAVEN.

This collection of dark speculative tales will lead the reader on a roller coaster ride through the unknown, where things aren't always what they seem.Now that you've warmed by the embers, submerse in darker days.The author of the short story collections These Old Tales, Fresh Cut Tales, and Embers presents Darker Days: A Collection of Dark Fiction. In his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now Cain seeks the same dark overtones in his writing.There's a little something for every reader within this collection. These 26 short speculative stories arise from a void, escaping shadows that ebb and weave through minds like worms, planting the larvae that live just under the skin, thriving upon fear. These are Cain's darker days.In this collection, Cain features stories from the Old West, of past lives and future days, the living and the dead, new and unique monsters as well as fresh takes on those of lore. Once more he tackles themes of loss and grief and the afterlife, always exploring the greater unknown. In "The Sanguine Wars," Cain takes us to a future war where soldiers are made to endure the horrors of war. He explores the complexities of global warming and what lengths men and women alike sink to in "The Reassignment Project." And, as often is the case, he ends on a lighter note, with "Lenny's New Eyes" and "A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse."When the darkness comes, embrace it. Let it wrap you up in cold. Don't worry, it's not your time...yet.Table of Contents:"A Ring For His Own""Heirloom""Rust Colored Rain""Prey""Passing Time""What Mama Needs""My Brother Bit Your Honor Roll Student""Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 1 - Henry Wentworth""The Sanguine Wars""The Hunted""Her Living Corals""Puppet Strings""The Trying of Master William""By The Crescent Moon""Mantid""The Underside of Time and Space""Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 2 - Gemma Nyle""The Griffon""Adaptable""When They Come""The Reassignment Project""Presage""One Hopeless Night by a Clan Fire""Lenny's New Eyes""Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 3 - Anna Kilpatrick""A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse"Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

The Legend Continues…In the spirit of popular Dark Fiction and Horror anthologies such as Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories and Behold: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders, and the best of Stephen King's short fiction, comes Crystal Lake Publishing's Tales from The Lake anthologies.Where are the real horrors? Whether they be a family member returning from the dead, exploring the depths of depression or the deterioration of the mind, you'll find them here.This anthology contains twenty-two tales and three poems to elicit unexpected emotions, to bring you into the story. Welcome to my lake, where dreams really do come true… As nightmares!Includes work from Gemma Files, Lucy A. Snyder, Tim Waggoner, Gene O'Neill, Paul Michael Anderson, Craig Wallwork, Allison Pang, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Michelle Ann King, Cory Cone, Jonah Buck, Lucy Taylor, Laura Blackwell, Marge Simon, Robert Stahl, Jason Sizemore, Meghan Arcuri, Peter Mark May, Lane Waldman, Joanna Parypinski, Samuel Marzioli, Andi Rawson, and Bruce Boston.With an introduction by editor Kenneth W. Cain. Cover art by Ben Baldwin. Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from The Darkest Depths.

Beatrice is back to face her greatest threat since. . .well, the last time!In Cooper's Cove a hapless team of archaeologists unleash the vengeful spirit of a 16th Century witch on the sleepy seaside town of Dorsal Finn. Hexes and curses fly as Beatrice and her friends must find out what links the appearance of this incredible foe and The Spirit of the Ocean, a super-yacht hosting the biggest celebrity charity event the town has ever seen.As the population of Dorsal Finn succumbs to witchcraft, so Beatrice must gate-crash the party with her motley-crew of friends and allies in the hope of stopping the witch's sinister plan, and save everyone from endless oblivion. . . Again. This novel is great for those who like their supernatural adventures laced with humour, sinister action and mystery. Fans of Stranger Things, The Goonies, The Librarians, The Monster Squad, Ghostbusters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nancy Drew will delight in the antics and adventures of Beatrice and her off-the-wall friends. Murder. Mystery. Monsters. Welcome to the world of Beatrice Beecham! Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

"The Dead Stage - the period of time between completing the working draft of a stage play and placing it with an interested party." - Dan WeathererDan Weatherer, an author turned playwright, learned quickly that there are practices playwrights can implement to dramatically increase the appeal of their work.Inside, you'll find advice that will enable you to better tailor your work to the needs of the theatre industry, without having to compromise on style, content or subject matter. Dan discusses his early mistakes, and presents the advice of notable theatre professionals including the award-winning playwright, Deborah McAndrew, noted actor Matthew Spence, and London Horror Festival producer, Kate Danbury (along with many, many more!).You'll also be able to read several of Dan's completed stage plays, which are presented in a preferred industry format, and often contain side-notes detailing the success (and failures) of said pieces.From budgets to set design, run-time to cast size, if you ever felt the desire to write for the stage, following the advice presented in this book will help improve your chances of pairing your script with an interested party, hopefully making The Dead Stage pass almost unnoticed.Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.Interview with the author:What makes this non-fiction book so special?"Placing a stage play with a theatre company is (in my experience) more difficult than placing a book with a publisher. Open theatre calls are highly competitive, seeing hundreds of entries for a call that can possibly stage only three or four pieces. Quality of work is no longer enough to guarantee consideration for performance.The tips and advice contained in The Dead Stage allowed me to build an impressive portfolio of theatre work in a relatively short space of time. I believe it is important to share experiences if they may be able to help others achieve success."Tell us more about why you wanted to write this guide."Throughout my career, I have worked to create opportunities for others, believing it is better to be a small fish in a thriving ocean, rather than a big fish in a stagnant pond.This book is about sharing my experiences and mistakes, in the hope that I can help others avoid the pitfalls that I fell into.Theatre, more than any other medium, is a tough industry to break into. Every piece a playwright will write will always be in competition with work from the greatest playwrights of all time. Theatre is a business: seats need to be sold in order to keep theatres running, and so often established pieces are booked instead of the work of what many might term the 'New Writing'. This is because they are considered safe bookings, and the theatre will, in most instances, not lose money. New writing is considered a risk. Usually, theatres set aside a budget for new writing, but this is often small and tightly contested.But theatre needs new voices and there are theatre companies willing to give new writing a chance. This book is my way of saying that yes, it is possible to see your work performed on stage, no matter your previous experience in the theatre industry."If you have a passing interest in the theatre industry, either as a playwright, director, producer, actor or working behind the scenes, then this book is for you. It includes insights and advice from an array of professionals working at all levels of the industry today. Their advice helped me see my work performed on stage, now it's their turn to help you."

An emotional sampler of life on Earth as it once was.In this collection of sixteen dark, literary tales, disparate characters and their descendants twine and interconnect throughout America from the rural seventies to the post-apocalyptic, stitching together a nefarious mosaic of experiences.Whether delving into the exploits of a murderous police officer and a lapsing priest engaged in a battle of wills in the sun-blasted dunes of Death Valley, or an anthropologist couple sorting their infertility issues after inadvertently unleashing an Ice Age killer plague, or a mysterious ferry in the Pacific Northwest holding the darkest secrets of a private eye's final case, or a man so obsessed with touching the infinite that he eagerly volunteers for a one-way mission to preserve the final remnants of mankind, Dead Reckoning and Other Stories ultimately yields a kind of found almanac for human posterity.Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.Interview with the author:What makes this collection so special?Dino: Dead Reckoning and other stories attempts to create a mosaic of the American experience by presenting stories that touch on a variety of genres like horror, crime, science fiction, mystery, and rural noir, while also grazing elements of the bizarre and the western. Each dark tale is treated almost like an artifact, grouped by time periods and thematic elements from vengeance, to obsession, to the mysterious, to body horror, to the post-apocalyptic.Tell us more about your title story.Dino: What if a cop, driven to murderous vigilantism after seeing the legal system fail repeatedly, confesses to a suicidal priest mired in a crisis of faith and nothing left to lose? Dead Reckoning began as a simple image from a dream of a priest on horseback pulling a cop by rope over a desert dune, but in its writing, it became a test of wills-an exploration of law and faith, pushed to their violent, self-destructive extremes. Why should readers give your work a try?Dino: The collection attempts to collate an experience-a kind of found almanac for a future generation to find. Crossovers in character and events are sprinkled throughout, creating a shared-world experience in the vein of Stephen King's overall works. Fans of varying genres will find something to appreciate, especially if they're into authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, and Brian Evenson-writers who explore multiple genre tones from science fiction, horror, crime, and all their variants.

The tale of a widow's harrowing journey through grief and peril into the cold remnants of a dead world.Damon Sharpe had in part found victory, he believed, in his battle to unearth a truth obscured by time. By autumn, he was dead, leaving to his wife Anne a house of unfulfilled wishes, remnants, and the key to the enigma of his obsession, the Mourner's Cradle.A journey through grief and peril delivers Anne Sharpe from her home in St. Charles to the faraway skeletons of a long-dead civilization where she will find the desperate answers she seeks…or die trying.This horror novel is perfect for fans of… The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz The Fisherman by John Langan The Grieving Stones by Gary McMahon Daphne du Maurier Thomas Ligotti Shirley Jackson Dan SimmonsProudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.Interview with the author:So what makes this horror novella so special?It's a story of inner darkness and shattered remnants. Not everyone is comfortable confronting tragedy and loss, yet it's something most of us must eventually face. If the things we love are stripped away, what will remain? The Mourner's Cradle is the story of a widow, Anne Sharpe, and her battle to make sense of her husband's death, which places her on a dark and perilous path.Tell us more about your lead character.The invisible woman reveals herself. Her name is Anne Sharpe. People hardly noticed her before her husband's death. Not everyone understands her. Her grief has brought out a dark fury in her, though perhaps it has been there for some time and her husband's death was the catalyst for its liberation.Why should readers give this book a try?For a glimpse into the human abyss and a cold journey to long-forsaken pinnacles. So be careful, dear readers. You dance with skeletons.Do you have other books featuring these characters?The Mourner's Cradle shares its setting of St. Charles with my debut horror novella, Poisonous. Some readers will find some familiarity in this, though The Mourner's Cradle is its own story and a different tale of a different time.

"Kevin Lucia is this generation's answer to Charles L. Grant." - Brian KeeneThe things we want are so very rarely the things we need.Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo's County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful.But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen.Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new...Until night falls once more.Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy's Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need.Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

17 horror Stories. One legendary music venue.We all know the old cliché: Sex, drugs and rock and roll. Now, add demons, other dimensions, monsters, revenge, human sacrifice, and a dash of the truly inexplicable. This is the story of the (fictional) San Francisco music venue, The Shantyman.In Welcome to the Show, seventeen of today's hottest writers of horror and dark fiction come together in devilish harmony to trace The Shantyman's history from its disturbing birth through its apocalyptic encore.Featuring stories by Brian Keene, John Skipp, Mary SanGiovanni, Robert Ford, Max Booth III, Glenn Rolfe, Matt Hayward, Bryan Smith, Matt Serafini, Kelli Owen, Jonathan Janz, Patrick Lacey, Adam Cesare, Alan M Clark, Somer Canon, Rachel Autumn Deering and Jeff Strand.Compiled by Matt Hayward. Edited by Doug Murano.Bring your curiosity, but leave your inhibitions at the door. The show is about to begin…

Prepare to lose yourself in the mesmerizing voice and worldview of author Darren Speegle…"Speegle's delicious evocation of landscape delivers the reader, quite seamlessly, from places of precisely-evoked geography into landscapes of haunting spiritual menace…" - Graham JoyceIn his latest short story collection of dark, unsettling tales, Darren Speegle takes us on a journey through the textured layers of time and space. From Flower Age Ibiza, Spain to present-day war-torn Iraq, from the mysteries of America's Deep South to those of a haunting future landscape where humans and machines are virtually indistinguishable, these stories explore what it is to be us among the varying distances.An infamous German writer searches for the meaning of consciousness.A future artist is forced by a cult leader to try to capture his soul in a portrait.An American contractor working a camp gate in Iraq is confronted by incoming vehicles the likes of which he has never seen before.A godlike being welcomes in Halloween with a special device.A hitman tries to determine which woman among a party of three is the android, his target.This surreal collection includes: Introduction by Jeffrey Thomas In the Distance, a Familiar Sound The Flesh Winks While the Ghost Weeps The Staging Yard For Love of War Balearic Moon A Carousel of Faces Death Paper Burn Twinkle, Twinkle, Amsterdam That's the Game Song in a Sundress A Puddle in the Wilderness Nowhere"There is much poetry in these pages. It is a major component of the original voice of Darren Speegle… And his dialogue? Throughout, it sings, and scintillates. It's one of his strongest virtues." - Jeffrey ThomasProudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.Categories: Genre Fiction Mashups Surrealism Horror Genre Fiction Collection Horror Collection Science fiction Collection Fantasy Mystery Short Stories Literary Fiction Existentialism Short story collections Dark FantasyExperience it today!

It's dangerous out there...on the road.The highways, byways and backroads of America are teeming day and night with regular folks. Moms and dads making long commutes. Teenagers headed to the beach. Bands on their way to the next gig. Truckers pulling long hauls. Families driving cross country to visit their kin.But there are others, too. The desperate and the lost. The cruel and the criminal.Theirs is a world of roadside honky-tonks, truck stops, motels, and the empty miles between destinations. The unseen spaces.And there are even stranger things. Places that aren't on any map. Wayfaring terrors and haunted legends about which seasoned and road-weary travelers only whisper.But those are just stories. Aren't they?Find out for yourself as you get behind the wheel with some of today's finest authors of the dark and horrific as they bring you these harrowing tales from the road.Tales that could only be spawned by the endless miles of America's lost highways.So go ahead and hop in. Let's take a ride.Line-up:Introduction by Brian Keenedoungjai gam & Ed Kurtz - "Crossroads of Opportunity"Joe R. Lansdale - "Not from Detroit"Kristi DeMeester - "A Life That is Not Mine"Robert Ford - "Mr. Hugsy"Lisa Kröger - "Swamp Dog"Orrin Grey - "No Exit"Michael Bailey - "The Long White Line"Kelli Owen - "Jim's Meats"Bracken MacLeod - "Back Seat"Jess Landry - "The Heart Stops at the End of Laurel Lane"Jonathan Janz - "Titan, Tyger"Nick Kolakowski - "Your Pound of Flesh"Richard Thomas - "Requital"Damien Angelica Walters - "That Pilgrims' Hands Do Touch"Cullen Bunn - "Outrunning the End"Christopher Buehlman - "Motel Nine"Rachel Autumn Deering - "Dew Upon the Wing"Josh Malerman - "Room 4 at the Haymaker"Rio Youers - "The Widow"Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Look in my eyes. My bronze skin reflects the flames of the battles.I feed on bullets and shrapnel.I have trenches instead of veins and a bombardier's whirring plays my favorite symphony inside my big head. This is my story, with some of my best camouflages and disguises, and you should expect your peace plans to fail. Because that's what I do for a living.Look at my million golden teeth necklace. Ring any bells? Maybe you're too young. I probably should have mentioned the fireworks over the Baghdad night sky, my new friend, or the live broadcast of two great skyscrapers disintegrating. You know what I'm talking about, right? So, you can call me by one of my many names: Great General, Lock-box of the Powerful, Red Rain, Lord of Steel or, more simply, WAR.I appear as strife of many kinds, from Stalingrad to Scotland. Africa to Afghanistan, the civil war of Italy and the War Between the States, ghostly wars, drug wars, the battle of the sexes, World Wars I, II and visions of a holocaust yet to come. It's all herein and more, with poems both collaborative and individual.Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Writers never really die; their stories live on, to be found again, to be told again, to scare again.In Victorian London, a select group of writers, led by Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker and Henry James held an informal dining club, the price of entry to which was the telling of a story by each invited guest.These are their stories, containing tales of revenant loved ones, lost cities, weird science, spectral appearances and mysteries in the fog of the old city, all told by some of the foremost writers of the day. In here you'll find Verne and Wells, Tolstoy and Checkov, Stevenson and Oliphant, Kipling, Twain, Haggard and Blavatsky alongside their hosts.Come, join us for dinner and a story: Robert Louis Stevenson - Wee Davie Makes a Friend Rudyard Kipling - The High Bungalow Leo Tolstoy - The Immortal Memory Bram Stoker - The House of the Dead Mark Twain - Once a Jackass Herbert George Wells - Farside Margaret Oliphant - To the Manor Born Oscar Wilde - The Angry Ghost Henry Rider Haggard - The Black Ziggurat Helena P Blavatsky - Born of Ether Henry James - The Scrimshaw Set Anton Checkov - At the Molenzki Junction Jules Verne - To the Moon and Beyond Arthur Conan Doyle - The Curious Affair on the EmbankmentProudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.