I am so excited to share the announcement that I was the 2022 winner of the Australasian Horror Writers Association Robert N Stephenson Flash Fiction & Short Story Competition for the Flash Fiction category. My story “The Carnival Girl “ was a dystopian horror with LGBTQI themes and will be published in the next episode of the AHWA magazine Midnight Echo.
Thank you to all the judges and a massive congratulations to all who entered and honourable mentions!
My first stories for children and younger readers were published on 26 November 2022 in Wimbledon Common from Black Hare Press.
My children’s story “Grace’s Kingdom” was inspired by classics like Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, The Chronicles of Narnia all featuring protagonists exploring magical worlds hidden to all but them while escaping a harsher realities beyond the borders of the their fantasy world. I also drew on my own personal experiences, crafting a story I hoped would resonate with children experiencing bullying and coping with being different. “Grace’s Kingdom” channels the extremely difficult daily experiences for many children but highlighting how being different is a hidden strength.
My younger readers story “A Bargain of Shadows” was inspired by Swedish fairytale about siblings and the love they share for each other. When one is fatally ill, the brother bargains with a wizard to save her life in exchange for his shadow. Exiled from society for being different and having no shadow, he flees into the Otherworld of magic and becomes enslaved to the wizard. His sister goes in search of him, undergoing many trials to eventually outwit and save her brother. “A Bargain of Shadows” speaks to sibling rivalry and love and the undeniable importance of family.
You can find more details about how to purchase paperback and ebook copies of Wimbledon Common here.
Publisher’s Description
An agency that sends social workers into the homes of grieving families to impersonate dead loved ones… The kind old woman who saved a teenager’s life but now finds herself haunted by the weight of a cheated suicide… And the daughter of a candlestick maker as she tries to survive a painful existence after her father’s execution for making human chandeliers from drunken cowboys…
These stories and more — ranging from supernatural to the frighteningly domestic, Splatterpunk to the weird and cosmic — stain the pages of CUT TO CARE: A COLLECTION OF LITTLE HURTS by Aaron Dries. They serve as a timely reminder of the cost of caring too much. Or not caring enough. Of how we mask cruelties behind kindness. And of our willingness to rip ourselves apart in the hope of satisfying a world that doesn’t always care for you back.
I recently read Cut to Care: A Collection of Little Hurts by Australian horror and dark fiction author Aaron Dries.
There are the horror tropes that are psychologically alarming – the replacement of a lost daughter, the neglect of others who transformed into something monstrous. And the things that wait in the cold dark, stark and the real human monsters.
I needed a few days to consider the breadth of work that is in the Cut to Care. It was a brilliant read- moody atmospheres, dark and deceptive characters and situations- all the tropes we expect of horror. Yet there was also a very raw revealing of the soul and a question of what happens in a world where we care too greatly that it breaks us, spread our strength too far that there’s no left to sustain us? And the flip side, what happens when we ignore the hurt of others? Or deliberately inflict it on others for our own relief of pain or gratification?
Final Thoughts
Cut to Care: A Collection of Little Hurts reveals all these dark and innermost reflections of society and ourselves. It is gritty and intense in its goal of what makes us care? Can we care too much that we stop caring?
Conclusion
A highly recommended collection which is as fascinating as disturbing. A dark web of horror and honesty and a great read for anyone who enjoys psychological horror at its most potent.
*** I received an ARC in return for an honest review ***
Publisher’s Description
The less you know going in, the better off you’ll be. If you know, you know.
The only thing more brutal than nature is love.
Review
My most recent read was They Were Here Before Us by Bram Stoker Finalist Eric LaRocca.
I have read two of LaRocca’s other novellas Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood and both explored the depths of dark fiction, social prejudices and queer fiction. They Were Here Before Us is series of stories united by the common theme of otherness – seeing humanity through its darkest and most depraved lenses by those who are other, seperate and different.
Final Thoughts
They Were Here Before Us is a complex, visceral and raw exploration of humanity through the lens of otherness. LaRocca’s writing is skilful and a delight to read even as the subject of each story gets darker, the masterful writing holds your attention until the very end and beyond. Accompanied by richly detailed illustrations that complement the novella, the tales will haunt you well after you’ve turned the final pages.
Conclusion
A highly recommended read for fans of LaRocca’s other work, dark fiction, societal issues, queer fiction and horror.
The Ditmar Awards are awarded at the Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy National Convention each year
My eligible works for 2022 Best Short Story:
◦ “A Trail of Corpselights”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in New Tales of Old 1, Black Ink Fiction.
◦ “ Serket’s Curse”, Alannah K. Pearson [ACT], in Scorpio: Speculative Fiction Inspired by the Zodiac, Deadset Press.
◦ “Talismans”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in Revolutions, Deadset Press.
◦ “The Dark Harpist”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in New Tales of Old 1, Black Ink Fiction.
◦ “The Dark Horseman”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in Legends of Night, Black Ink Fiction.
◦ “The House of the Cat-Si”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in 13 Lives of Alice, Black Hare Press.
◦ “The Monster”, Alannah K. Pearson [ACT], in Gluttony, Black Hare Press.
◦ “The Queen of Crows”, Leanbh Pearson [ACT], in Over the Rainbow: An LGBTQ+ Fairytale Charity Anthology, Black Ink Fiction.
◦ “The Yule Trolls”, Leanbh Pearson [QLD], in Eerie Christmas 2, Black Hare Press.
◦ “Them”, Alannah K. Pearson [ACT], in Wrath, Black Hare Press.
◦ “Three Tasks for the Sidhe”, Leanbh Pearson [ACT], in Stories of Survival, Deadset Press.
◦ “The Spreading Rot” in Haunted: An Anthology, Specul8 Publishing, 2021
◦ “Poisoned Fruit, Poisoned Reign” in Reign (Five Hundred Fiction, #7), Black Hare Press, 2021
◦ “The Haunted Ones” in Haunt (Five Hundred Fiction, #6), Black Hare Press, 2021
◦ “The Bones of a Dead God” in Bones (Five Hundred Fiction, #4), Black Hare Press, 2021
◦ “The Eldritch Woods” in Watch (Five Hundred Fiction, #3), Black Hare Press, 2021
◦ “The Hero of Silversmiths” in Avenge (Five Hundred Fiction, #2), Black Hare Press, 2021
My eligible works for 2022 Edited Collection:
◦ Revolutions, Austin P. Sheehan [VIC], Grace Chan [VIC], and Leanbh Pearson [QLD], Deadset Press.
◦ Scorpio: Speculative Fiction Inspired by the Zodiac, Austin P. Sheehan [VIC], Neen Cohen [QLD] and Alannah K. Pearson [ACT], Deadset Press.
Vote for your favourite works for the 2022 Ditmar Awards here
Recently I have been exploring the concepts behind the Red Riding Hood fairytale. There are two main versions I have used as inspiration for writing a new short story. The version by Charles Perrault called “Little Red Riding Hood” and the version by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm called “Little Red Cap”. Both examine a young girl who is travelling through the woods and meets a charming stranger who tries to lead her astray. Both versions also share a dark undertone, the stranger portrayed as menacing despite his charming words.
When writing my short story, I wanted to delve into the concept of the forest as a dangerous place, sinister and treacherous for those uninitiated. In my recent reimagining of the red riding hood tale, I’ve included the concept of an unwary youth and the historical setting of pre-Napoleonic France. I’ve included some more modern interpretations like the werewolf folklore of the French “loup-garou” and explored sensitives around homosexuality, the sheltered son of a Marquis seduced by an eloquent nobleman. Here, the passage between innocence and experience of the adult world is represented by the transference of the werewolf curse. This was a complex story to write, delving some darker elements, both historical and modern sensitivities of seduction, society and acceptance of LGBTQI individuals throughout history and still today.
Year Three, an anthology of dark drabbles was published on January 29th by Black Hare Press. Three of my dark folklore drabbles are featured!
If you’re interested in purchasing an ebook, paperback copy of Year Three, more details are available here
Perfect timing for horror enthusiasts, Eerie Christmas 2 was released on 11th December 2021 and published by Black Hare Press.
Eerie Christmas 2 features my horror story “The Yule Trolls” inspired by the Icelandic Yuletide tradition of the 13 Yule Lads, mischievous trolls who lure children into misbehaving and the darker end that awaits them with the arrival of the troll witch Gryla. You can read more about the research behind my story here
If you’re interested in purchasing an ebook, paperback or hardback copy of Eerie Christmas 2 benefitting the Black Dog Institute, more details are available here
I’m thrilled to announce that 13 Lives of Alice, a dark anthology of Alice in Wonderland inspired tales for adults, was published by Black Hare Press on 7th December 2021.
13 Lives of Alice features my dark gaslamp fantasy “The House of the Cat Si” inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, folklore of the Cat Si, shapeshifting cat fey, and the historical inequalities and special expectations affecting women in Victorian society. “The House of the Cat Si” may contain themes and elements which may make some readers uncomfortable. If you’re interested in the research behind “The House of the Cat Si”, you can read more here.
If you’re interested in purchasing a copy in ebook, paperback or hardback of 13 Lives of Alice, you can find more details here.
I am excited to announce the re-release of New Tales of Old Volume 1, a reimagined fairytale anthology released on 27th November 2021. This anthology is inspired by fairytales, legends and mythology and published by Black Ink Fiction.
New Tales of Old Volume 1 includes my dark reimagining of Hansel and Gretel, “A Trail of Corpselights” set during World War Two Germany, and “The Dark Harpist” a dark fantasy inspired by the Pied Piper and the Singing Bone fairytales. You can read more about my research behind “The Dark Harpist” here and “A Trail of Corpselights” here.
If you’re interested in purchasing an ebook or paperback copy of New Tales of Old V1, more details here.
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