One of my works-in-progress has been a dystopian novella. While many dystopian stories and novels explore the future, I was interested in combining a dark fiction genre with alternate history, to ask what if our present never happened? In developing my own tale, I was inspired by those classic dystopian tropes we are already familiar,… Continue reading A Dystopian History
Vampires are one of the most common and popular themes in horror fiction. An enduring trope that continues to fascinate readers throughout the generation. But how do we imagine vampires? How do our ideals compare to the original vampires of folklore? The Succubi of Ancient Greece and Rome, and the haunting vampires of Slavic cultures… Continue reading Vampire Folkore
Disclaimer: I am genuinely creeped out by zombies. Infection (Legends of Night Drabbles, #1) from Black Ink Fiction was an unlikely theme for me, but I am excited to say, I’ll be a featured author in this zombie/walking undead microfiction anthology. My 100 word drabble “The Revenants” is a dark fiction inspired by witchcraft, reanimation… Continue reading Forthcoming: Zombie Anthology
There’s any number of great epic dark fantasy books and series that explore the darker nature of humanity from the point of mercenaries, assassins and anti-heroes. I decided to delve into some of that inspiration and an anti-hero protagonist in a flash fiction story. What motivates characters to choose a darker path? Does the morally… Continue reading Dark Fantasy Assassins
One of the most interesting folklore research I did recently involved the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica. I have always been fascinated by the Aztec Empire and the many intriguing mythologies and my latest research was into the god of Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli. The death-god is often depicted in constant combat with the opposing force, the god… Continue reading Aztec Rituals & the God of Death
Pleased to announce I will be joining a wonderful lineup of authors for New Tales of Old, Volume 1 to be published in 2021 by Raven and Drake Publishing! All stories and flash fiction in this anthology were inspired by the retelling and reimagining of fairytales. My story “A Trail of Corpselights” is inspired by… Continue reading Forthcoming: Reimagined Fairytales Anthology
The past several weeks, I have been exploring many different aspects of European folklore, particularly involving the Fae. Below is a series of some of my research favourites, fae beings and associated folklore. Seelie and Unseelie Fae In Scotland, the Fae are often divided into the Seelie and Unseelie courts, or the Light and Dark… Continue reading European Folklore
My research has been delving into the folklore of mortal dealings with the Fae. References to the performance of tasks, is common in folklore, see the Thompson Motif Index for an example of “Tests” present in folklore. In modern fantasy an traditional fairytales, three (also a commonly tool for repetition in fairytales) tasks or quests… Continue reading Impossible Tasks & the Fae
Another of my recent work-in-progress short fiction pieces, has been a dark fiction story inspired by wendigo psychosis an unusual form of ‘cultural psychosis’ specific to First Nations peoples of Canadian-North American Great Lakes regions where belief in a supernatural being, the wendigo, provides a unique cultural framework for a psychosis. This psychosis has specific… Continue reading The Wendigo & Dark Fiction
I have recently finished writing a dark fiction short story inspired by the theme of wrath. My recent story focused on an unlikely suspect for a violent crime spree to explore the intersection between modern and past perspectives of criminal theory, such as aberrant psychology currently explaining what past eras accredited to demonic possession. The… Continue reading Horror, Dark Fiction & Demonology
Leanbh Pearson 
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