Try on Uncomfortable Shorts

 

Uncomfortable Shorts is a collection of eight irreverent, irregular and irrational short stories. Try on these ill fitting tales that squeeze into horror, cosmic, comic and corny niches.

One size fits none. No refunds. No exchanges. No exceptions.

Pork Roll, Egg & Sleaze: A group of urban explorers find themselves on an adventure that turns into a horror movie.
My Date with the (Non)Word, Ans: An unlikely relationship with an autocorrected word.
Eat Sh*t and Die: An over-the-top tale of cosmic horror in a quiet New England town.
You Can Catch More Flies with Honey: There's more than one way to catch a fly. But which way is best?
There's a Frenchman in My Mayonnaise: A quirky tale of a hangry man who's attempt to make a sandwich sidetracks his entire life.
Conrad Lubbox is Out To Get Me You Stupid Idiot: You sure have a lot of questions about why I let Conrad Lubbox's dog outside.
Dick Sick: Preston isn't feeling well. He's sneezing, coughing and pooping penises out of every orifice.
Inflate: A Zen yogi leads the way to Nirvana (and not the Kurt Cobain kind.)

Uncomfortable Shorts is available now in paperback from Amazon.


The digital Uncomfortable Shorts eBook is available for only 69 cents exclusively through Godless dot com in your preferred file format. (.pdf .mobi & .epub)

3 Picks with Kenneth W. Cain

 

It's time for 3 Picks! The feature where a spotlight author shares their three book recommendations within a given category that they should know a thing or two about.


This week's 3 Picks features author and editor, Kenneth W. Cain. Kenneth is known books such as the dark fiction collection, Embers, best seller A Season in Hell as well as his forthcoming title, From Death Reborn.


Kenneth Cain also does tons of editing work for noted horror publishers Crystal Lake Publishing and Silver Shamrock Publishing among others as well. Kenneth knows a thing or two about story collections and anthologies. So, it is with that in mind that we turn to Kenneth Cain for his 3 Picks for Horror Anthologies worth their weight in gold.

Here's his 3 Picks:




Pick 1: After by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling - This anthology has a wide range of stories, many of which really hit the right tone and feel for what I like in horror, including some fun takes on well-used themes. “After the Cure” by Carrie Ryan was most excellent.


Pick 2: Chiral Mad 2 by Michael Bailey - If you know me, I’m quite fond of charity, and Bailey has worked hard to put out some incredible anthologies for a great cause. This one is chock-full of great stories by some of the best in the business, as are all of his anthologies. “The Great Pity” by Gary Braunbeck blew me away.


Pick 3: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill - I’m a huge Joe Hill fan, and not because of who is father is. This collection contains one of my favorite stories, “Pop Art.” There’s a lot of subtext in that story, and some great lessons in how to write a good story. So many excellent stories.


Honorable mention (and only because I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, despite having read many of the individual stories): The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. I stumbled upon one of Ken’s stories on a podcast I listen to, and it blew me away. So naturally I sought out his work, and I found a literal treasure trove of amazing stories. So, while I wouldn’t classify his work as being full-on horror, it has a quiet dark side to much of it I feel would qualify it as dark fantasy, which is good enough for me. “Paper Menagerie,” which has a paranormal aspect to it, is a favorite that I’ve read over and over.

There you have it, a treasure trove of horror anthologies that pack a lot of punch. Kenneth W. Cain has poured over many horror anthologies so he know's a good one when he reads one. Be sure to check these titles out when you need a fix of horror shorts.

What are your 3 Picks for must read horror anthologies? Let us know in the comments below!

To find out more about writer and editor Kenneth W. Cain visit kennethwcain.com

3 Picks with Todd Keisling

 

It's time for 3 Picks! This week features Stoker Award Nominee, Todd Keisling. Todd's novel, Devil's Creek, is nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards. Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors and The Smile Factory are also among the notable catalog of work Todd Keisling has written. 

Devil's Creek has consistently been well reviewed since it's release. Being nominated for the Stoker Award is an outstanding achievement that speaks to exemplary work Keisling has written. To win the highest honor for a horror novel would be the icing on the cake. But, being on the final ballot for the Stoker Award is an insane achievement in and of itself. Any piece of horror that makes it the the final list has already won something special. Let's not forget those special works that fell just short of winning an award but succeeding in being recognized as superior work and the cream of the crop.

So it is with that in mind, that Todd Keisling gives his 3 Picks for horror books that made it to the final list but fell short of winning the Stoker. Just because they didn't win doesn't mean they aren't winners.


Pick 1: CROSSROADS by Laurel Hightower – Preliminary Ballot for Long Fiction (2020)

I’m going to cheat with this one. It didn’t make it to the final ballot (and official nominee status), but goddammit, it should have. What Hightower accomplishes in this novella is something most of us struggle to do in a full-length novel. The story of a mother grieving the loss of her son is already emotionally charged, but Hightower ups the ante with every page, telling a tale of how far a parent is willing to go to see their child again. The emotional fallout is devastating. The best stories often are.


Pick 2: KILL CREEK by Scott Thomas – Nominated for First Novel (2017)

One of the better “haunted house” tales I’ve read. It’s a new take on an old trope: a small group of horror writers gather on Halloween at the Finch House, a place with a bloody past, for a publicity stunt. Strange shit ensues, and quickly escalates to violence. I went into the book expecting another rehash of Amityville or Hill House, but this one surprised me, and I had a blast reading it. This would’ve been my pick for Best First Novel that year.


Pick 3: OCCULTATION by Laird Barron – Nominated for Fiction Collection (2010)

One of the de facto collections of modern cosmic horror (although to be fair, all of Laird’s collections deserve that moniker). Nine stories, including the fantastic novella, “Mysterium Tremendum.” I’ve said this for years and will continue to do so: I want to write like Laird Barron when I grow up. If you want an education about the state of cosmic horror, start here. Definitely would’ve been my pick for Best Collection.

There you have it. 3 Picks for horror books that could have, maybe even should have, won the Bram Stoker Award. But, not everyone can win and not winning doesn't make these gems and so many others winners in their own right. If you haven't read any of these titles you, be sure to check them out knowing you will be reading stand out works of horror fiction.

And, whether Devil's Creek wins or doesn't at this year's Bram Stoker Awards ceremonies, know for certain that Todd Keisling has already won. Best of luck to Todd and all the rest of the nominees for this year's Bram Stoker Awards!

You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about Todd Keisling at https://www.toddkeisling.com/

What are your 3 Picks for horror books that fell short of winning the Bram Stoker Award? Let us know in the comments below.

Get Scared Silly

On May 23, 2014 SCARED SILLY will be available for purchase at all major online retailers. It will be available for the ridiculously low price of just $.99 in eBook.

What do you get when you mix a penis eating zombie with a downtrodden grim reaper then add a pinch of lycanthopic mad scientist, sprinkle it with a grocery store full of living food and mash it into a frightening red eyed monster?

You get SCARED SILLY!

Let author, Frank J Edler, take you into a world of not-so-serious horror. This collection features five frighteningly funny tales from the wicked and wacky writer. Laugh yourself to death as you read the stories:  Old Scrote, SPLAT!, Death Gets A Life, GROSSeries and  Wolfberries.

Those who quickly entered their email address in to be a part of the newsletter were treated to this news several days ago so don't miss out on exclusive news. Enter your email address in the Newsletter box at the top right hand side of the page. It's just that easy!